Chapter Fifty-Eight: Settling the Scores

“No! I must try it!” Li Zhi declared resolutely.

In order to develop an edible delicacy from yellow clay, Li Zhi was willing to go all out.

He picked up the yellow clay cake and took a small bite.

The yellow clay was crisp and melted in his mouth, much like chocolate—yet distinctly unlike it. The taste was overwhelmingly earthy, gritty, and nearly impossible to swallow.

“Pfah, pfah!!”

Unable to endure it, Li Zhi spat out the dirt.

He rinsed his mouth with tea from the table and asked, “Envoy Li Nan, does your Southern Clay Tribe truly eat this clay all their lives?”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

“I am truly impressed.”

Li Zhi was at a loss for words. To eat something so unpalatable for an entire lifetime was certainly not something ordinary people could endure.

Li Nan’s expression was awkward. “Forgive us, Your Highness, for making you laugh. Our Southern Clay Tribe indeed lacks good food. You must be hungry—shall I have the inn next door bring you a meal?”

“That won’t be necessary…”

Li Zhi cupped his hands in farewell.

As he left the guesthouse, it was already noon.

With Luo Tong in tow, Li Zhi found a tavern and hastily ate a simple meal.

“The yellow clay cakes of the Southern Clay Tribe—I’m truly in awe… How do they manage to live on them?” Luo Tong could not imagine anyone surviving from birth to death on such a diet of earth.

Never mind the lack of nutrition and the risk of illness—just the unpleasant smell and astringent texture were enough to make it unbearable.

“In my haste to leave, I forgot something. Go back to the guesthouse and ask Li Nan for some yellow clay. I have great need of it!” Only then did Li Zhi recall that he needed clay as an ingredient for the Culinary God Competition.

There was no edible clay in Great Tang—only Li Nan possessed it.

“Your Highness, what do you want that clay for?”

“I have my own use for it!”

“Never mind… I’ll go myself!”

Without yellow clay as the staple, he could not compete, nor could he fulfill the task assigned by the system. Fearing something might go wrong, Li Zhi hurriedly finished his meal in a few bites and went personally to the guesthouse, where he procured four or five pounds of yellow clay from Li Nan.

…

In recent days, a saying had spread throughout the capital: “When mortals drink Immortal Wine, their feet tread upon clouds like the gods!”

It was a playful verse, meaning that though one remained mortal, drinking Immortal Wine offered the sensation of becoming divine.

Because of this, all the wealthy and powerful in the capital scrambled to purchase it, some even offering exorbitant prices.

The reputation of Immortal Wine soared in just a few days, hailed as the finest wine under heaven—more revered even than Li Shimin’s own Nectar of the Palace!

“Your Majesty, I have investigated thoroughly. It comes from a newly opened tavern in the capital, called—Capital’s First Tavern! Each day, they sell only fifty bottles of Immortal Wine, each worth three hundred coins!” the Imperial Guard reported to Li Shimin.

“How heavy is a bottle?”

“About one jin!”

Li Shimin was astonished. “A mere jin of wine fetches three hundred coins! Such expensive wine—now I must try it!”

He recalled that his own Nectar of the Palace was only fifty coins a bottle and seldom bought. If Immortal Wine sold for three hundred, it must be exquisite.

“Wait, you said… Capital’s First Tavern?” Li Shimin asked.

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

“Isn’t that the tavern opened by Zhi’er?” Li Shimin remembered. Some days before, Li Zhi had insisted on opening a tavern outside the palace. Concerned, Li Shimin had sent someone to investigate, and indeed, it was called Capital’s First Tavern.

“That rascal…”

Li Shimin pursed his lips in a smile and made his way to the Lizheng Hall.

By coincidence, Luo Tong had secretly kept a bottle of Immortal Wine and brought it back to the palace. When Li Shimin inquired, Luo Tong handed over the bottle. “Your Majesty, this is Immortal Wine!”

“Luo Tong, how dare you hoard wine?” Li Zhi kicked him hard. “Did you take my rules for a joke? I told you not to take anything for yourself!”

“Uh, Your Highness, don’t blame me. Blame the wine for being too delicious…” Luo Tong argued slyly.

“Hmph!”

Li Shimin, unconvinced, picked up the bottle and said, “I’ve tasted all the finest wines. The best in the world is my Nectar of the Palace—could this possibly surpass it?”

“Your Majesty, you’ll know once you try it!” Luo Tong hurried over, flipped a cup from the table, and poured Li Shimin a measure.

As he poured, a rich aroma wafted through the air.

Li Shimin was stunned.

Empress Changsun inhaled greedily. “Is this really wine? It smells divine!”

In just a few seconds, Li Shimin’s mouth watered uncontrollably, and he quickly swallowed.

Li Zhi could barely contain his laughter at the sight of his father’s entranced expression.

Luo Tong, too, struggled to keep a straight face. It was rare to see the emperor so unguarded.

“Father, if you want to drink, just do it. Don’t hold back!” Li Zhi brought the cup to his lips.

Li Shimin took a deep breath, licked the drool from his lips, and drained the cup in one gulp—“Pfft, pfft, pfft…”

He spat it all out!

He’d made the same mistake as Cheng Chubi—how could one drink such a strong spirit in a single gulp?

“Your Majesty!” everyone cried out in alarm.

“Water, quickly!”

“Father, who told you to drink it all at once? This wine is fiery as a blaze—you must sip it slowly!” Li Zhi washed his father’s mouth with water, and only after a long while did he recover.

Li Shimin slumped over the table, panting. “It’s more than a blaze—it’s like being cut by knives! If not for your timely water, I’d have been sliced to death!”

At last, the intensity subsided.

A unique fragrance lingered in his mouth.

Li Shimin savored it, delighted. “It is truly fine wine! Zhi’er, how do you brew it? I once had my men study the art, and all they produced was the Nectar of the Palace. Compared to this, it falls far short!”

“Heh… Father, I’m not telling!” Li Zhi grinned mischievously.

This was his way to make a fortune—how could he reveal it so easily? If the method got out, how would he earn money in the future?

Empress Changsun coaxed him, “Zhi’er, just tell your father! Such wonderful wine should be shared with the world—you mustn’t keep it to yourself.”

“Hmph!” Li Zhi turned away in mock arrogance.

“Enough! Let the boy sell his wine as he pleases. I’ll learn the truth in time!” Li Shimin carefully tucked the half-full bottle into his robe.

Despite the burning strength that had left him in such a state, he had to admit—Immortal Wine deserved its reputation as the finest in the land, far surpassing his own Nectar of the Palace. Such a wine was best savored alone in the deep of night.

“To the Ganlu Hall!”

Fearing Li Zhi might try to reclaim the Immortal Wine, Li Shimin quickly made his escape.

“Sigh…” Luo Tong collapsed like a deflated ball onto his seat. “The one bottle I managed to hide is gone just like that. Your Highness, you owe me!”

“Out!”

“You should be thankful I’m not punishing you. And now you dare ask for more?” Li Zhi pinned him down and gave him a thorough beating.