Chapter 26: Utterly Arrogant
“This fellow…” Li Zhi shouted, raising his voice, “If you wish to become my disciple, bring enough gifts; if you bring too little, I won’t accept you!”
Two days later.
Li Shimin truly issued an imperial edict.
The Imperial Kitchen was transformed into the Bureau of Food, placed under the jurisdiction of the Department of Inner Attendants!
Henceforth, every three years, there would be a Grand Culinary Competition; the victor would enter the Bureau of Food, not only gaining a prestigious status, but also receiving a generous salary, comparable to a fifth-rank official in the court.
For those who earned the title of Culinary God, their remuneration would be even higher, equivalent to a third-rank official.
The imperial decree shocked the entire court!
The profession of chef, rising from humble origins to noble status, changed overnight. From now on, studying the culinary arts would no longer be mocked or belittled; instead, it would become a source of supreme honor.
And at the pinnacle of culinary skill stood Li Zhi, undoubtedly the strongest!
Lizheng Palace.
Outside the main gate.
Cheng Chubi arrived in a hurry, pulling two horse-drawn carts.
“Master, Master…”
“Stop!” he was blocked by Luo Tong.
Cheng Chubi grinned, “Little Luo Tong, don’t you recognize me? I’m Chubi, I want to see my master, let me through!”
“Who’s your master? Shameless!”
“My master… is of course His Highness, the Prince of Jin. How could you not know?”
Cheng Chubi ran into the residence.
He happened to run into Empress Zhangsun.
Instantly, he shrank back like a mouse before a cat, quickly retreating, “Cheng Chubi greets Your Majesty!”
“You Cheng boy, what are you doing in my Lizheng Palace? How dare you trespass in the inner palace?”
“I, I…” As an outsider, he was not permitted to enter the palace without summons!
Especially the inner palace.
Once discovered, he would certainly face severe punishment!
Cheng Chubi, so eager to become a disciple, had forgotten all about this!
“Mother, I invited him here!” Li Zhi stepped forward to smooth things over. “Where is your gift for apprenticeship?”
“Uh… it’s outside the residence!”
“Take me to it!”
Li Zhi was quite curious; Cheng Yaojin, that miserly old rooster, was notoriously stingy—how much would he actually give as a gift? If it was merely a formality, Li Zhi would not let it pass so easily.
They came outside.
There were two horse-drawn carts, heavily laden.
They seemed filled with all sorts of goods.
Li Zhi asked with a smile, “Chubi, what’s in those carts?”
Cheng Chubi looked smug, “Your Highness, take a look. This is a heavy gift! I had to work hard to persuade my father to bring it!”
What was it?
Li Zhi’s curiosity grew.
He lifted the curtain.
Inside, silk bolts were neatly stacked—at least a hundred!
In the Tang Dynasty, besides Kaizhou Tongbao coins, silk was used as currency. In the marketplace, people often bartered, exchanging silk for whatever they wanted.
Its function and value nearly matched that of currency.
Li Zhi looked surprised, “For your apprenticeship, your father was actually willing to give up all this silk—this must be worth at least ten thousand?”
“Yes!”
“The Duke’s residence is emptied of silk, Master, you must accept it…”
“I won’t be shy!” Li Zhi smiled faintly and instructed Luo Tong, “Take all this silk to the market and exchange it for Kaizhou Tongbao coins!”
…
Under Cheng Chubi’s astonished gaze, the two carts of silk were taken away.
“You go back for now… wait until I finish class, then come find me!” Seeing Li Lizhi approaching, Li Zhi grabbed her hand and hurried off, leaving Cheng Chubi bewildered.
Luo Tong was not skilled in commerce.
The two carts of silk fetched only eight thousand coins!
Though a considerable sum, it was still a bit of a loss.
“Ding! Congratulations, host, you have completed the task and earned the title ‘King of Cuisine’!”
“King of Cuisine: Gourmet perfection rate ten percent!”
For nearly half a day, Li Zhi sat in class, lost in thought as if preoccupied, causing Fang Xuanling to become quite dissatisfied.
Near the end of class, he heard the notification from the system and snapped back to attention.
“Class dismissed!”
Li Lizhi called out, pulling Li Zhi out of the classroom, “Brother Zhi, shall we go to Uncle Cheng’s place?”
“Why would we go there?”
“Don’t think I don’t know—you’re accepting Cheng Chubi as your disciple and planning to teach him cooking, right? I want to learn too!”
…
Li Zhi smiled and patted her little head. “If you want to learn, follow along! But I bet you won’t last, because being a chef is hard work!”
“I’m not afraid!” Li Lizhi, having tasted the benefits, was not about to give up easily.
Returning to Lizheng Palace.
Luo Tong said, “Your Highness, the silk fetched eight thousand coins!”
“The money?”
“It’s in my room. Shall I bring it out?”
“No need for now.”
Li Zhi sat by the tea table, legs crossed. “Now I have eight thousand coins; I’m practically a rich man. I need to find a place to spend it. Otherwise, it’s no different from collecting a pile of scrap iron.”
“Luo Tong, do you know anywhere in the city to spend it?”
“Spend?” Luo Tong asked, puzzled, “What does spend mean?”
“Simpleton, it means using up those eight thousand coins!”
“Ha!” Luo Tong laughed, “With money, how could you not find ways to spend it? There are shops selling weapons in the city; you could take a look. If you find a treasured sword, perhaps eight thousand coins won’t be enough!”
“That’s an idea! But… at my age, a sword is useless… Ding!”
Li Zhi was still pondering how to spend the money when the system prompted him again.
“Congratulations, host, you have earned your first bucket of gold!”
“System has triggered mainline task: host is to open a shop by imperial command, earn ten times the money within two months…”
The sudden task made Li Zhi extremely excited.
He had already considered opening a shop.
He simply hadn’t dared due to Li Shimin’s presence.
Now, with the system’s task and generous rewards, he had to try!
Even if it meant falling out with Li Shimin, he would go ahead!
“Luo Tong, bring all the money, come with me out of the palace!” Li Zhi suddenly stood up.
“Huh? Out of the palace? That’s not easy!” Luo Tong said, “Has Your Highness forgotten last time, when you went to the Duke of Lu’s residence and nearly got reprimanded by His Majesty?”
“Enough nonsense!”
Li Zhi glanced furtively into the residence.
Empress Zhangsun was not there.
If he didn’t leave now, when would he?
“Let’s go!” Li Zhi hurried toward the palace gates.
Luo Tong followed.
Li Lizhi shouted in panic, “Brother Zhi, wait for me!”
Eager to learn the culinary arts, Li Lizhi also hurried after them.
…
Ever since Li Zhi’s last trip out, Li Shimin had assigned numerous guards to watch over Lizheng Palace, monitoring Li Zhi’s movements to prevent him from slipping out again.
“Your Majesty, Your Majesty… urgent news! His Highness, the Prince of Jin, has left the palace again!” The guard rushed to the imperial study to report to Li Shimin.
“Go quickly and bring him back!”
“As you command!”
Li Shimin dispatched a dozen Imperial Guards, who followed closely behind Li Zhi’s entourage as they left the palace.
By noon.
The streets outside the palace were bustling.
Li Zhi and Li Lizhi enjoyed themselves immensely.
Luo Tong, fearing for the safety of these two little lords, stayed close to protect them.
“Make way, make way…” came a harsh shout from behind. A horse-drawn carriage approached, flanked by two squads of guards, exuding arrogance.