Chapter 81: Easier Said Than Done

“Well said!” At that moment, Li Shimin strode inside.

He had been standing outside for quite some time, lost in thought…

What kind of emperor was Qin Shi Huang, truly? For the sake of unifying all of China, he went so far as to burn books and bury Confucian scholars alive. For the integrity of the nation’s borders, he watched the fall of Qin with indifference, thinking only to block the Xiongnu from the north. Such resolve and character—Li Shimin himself felt ashamed to admit—was beyond even his own.

“Your Majesty…”

“What Zhizhi just said is not without merit. The so-called official histories and folk histories are all written by those who came after. Perhaps they did not know the truth, or perhaps they deliberately sought to denigrate someone, to twist history—anything is possible!”

With a single statement, Li Shimin affirmed Li Zhi’s words! This meant another setback for Fang Xuanling.

“Your Highness possesses such learning, I am truly humbled,” Fang Xuanling conceded.

“Teacher… I was only speaking off the cuff, hardly worthy of such weight,” Li Zhi said modestly.

But how could it be taken lightly—he had even convinced Li Shimin!

Fang Xuanling rolled his eyes and smiled wryly. “In the future, I dare not teach His Highness the Prince of Jin anymore…”

“And why is that?”

“Every lesson leaves me feeling quite embarrassed, as if I am the student!”

Li Shimin burst into hearty laughter.

“It seems Zhizhi is truly formidable—even Teacher is willing to yield!” Princess Lizi said with a smile.

“I have always willingly yielded,” Fang Xuanling admitted.

Truth be told, Fang Xuanling had never wished to provoke Li Zhi. Forced into a corner this time, he had harbored a faint hope of besting him, but to his surprise, their exchange had shifted the course of history—and left him once again defeated.

…

A few minutes later, Fang Xuanling announced the end of the lesson.

Li Zhi was summoned to the study at the front.

“Zhizhi… I hear you’re preparing to participate in the God of Cookery Competition?” Li Shimin inquired.

“Yes, and not only will I enter, I intend to become the God of Cookery!”

“Good! You are truly my son!” Li Shimin knew well the extent of Li Zhi’s culinary skills. This time, not only would he astonish the entire court, but he would also show the envoys from the Southern Mud Tribe that the cuisine of the Great Tang was beyond comparison.

“You must prepare your best dishes and let me share in your glory!”

“If you can win the title of God of Cookery, I have a special reward for you!” Li Shimin said, a mysterious glint in his eyes.

“What reward?” Li Zhi asked with keen interest.

“I won’t say yet. Once you become the God of Cookery, I’ll give you a surprise!”

“Thank you, Father Emperor!”

But Li Zhi wondered to himself what surprise Li Shimin had in store.

---

What if he used yellow clay as an ingredient and failed to become the God of Cookery? Not only would the system’s mission fail, he would miss out on Li Shimin’s reward as well! That would be a major loss! Should he settle for second best and just aim for his father’s reward?

No!

He had to complete the main quest given by the system—otherwise, there would be no new quests, and the Mischievous Child System would be useless.

“Father Emperor, I’d like to go to the First Restaurant to practice my cooking, may I?”

“Go ahead—take Luo Tong and several guards with you!”

Li Zhi was surprised! Li Shimin had agreed so readily! From now on, he could leave the palace openly, no more sneaking about!

“Here’s a token,” Li Shimin handed him a token for exiting the palace.

“Thank you, Father!” Li Zhi was overjoyed and quickly put the token away.

After leaving the imperial study, he chased after Princess Lizi.

Just as they neared the Lizheng Hall, Li Zhi grabbed her arm. “Good sister, can’t we talk this over?”

“There’s nothing to discuss. I must attend the God of Cookery Competition! Father Emperor has already given his consent! Hehe… Even if I can’t win the title, I’ll make sure the whole court is left gaping in awe!”

She had already chosen her competition dishes and had practiced them countless times to ensure a good result. She was confident there would be no problem!

“This little rascal…” Li Zhi followed her into the living room of Lizheng Hall. “If you agree not to enter the competition, I’ll teach you how to cook stir-fries! You could become an even better chef than me, how about it?”

“Really?” Princess Lizi was tempted.

If she could learn a few more dishes, she’d truly become a master! Even if she couldn’t surpass Li Zhi, at least she wouldn’t need to fear Cheng Chubi! Next time, she could take first place for sure!

But…

Thinking about this God of Cookery Competition, she was unwilling to give up. “Zhizhi, just let me enter, will you? I know I can’t win the title, but I just want to show myself in front of the entire court.”

“All right then, but that means I can’t teach you how to cook anymore.”

“Let me think about it,” she replied, not refusing outright, but clearly torn.

Just then—

Luo Tong pulled Li Zhi aside into the backyard. “Your Highness, have you forgotten something?”

“What is it?”

“The manual! The martial arts manual! A few days ago, I escorted you out of the palace, and you promised me a martial arts manual as a reward, but you haven’t mentioned it since. You’re not trying to trick me, are you?”

“Uh…” Li Zhi looked embarrassed.

He remembered—on that night, to lure the assassin, he had promised Luo Tong a martial arts manual as payment for protecting him. However, the Mischievous Child System had never issued a mission reward involving any manual.

Li Zhi didn’t have one at all! What could he possibly give Luo Tong?

“Well, just wait a bit! The God of Cookery Competition is coming up. You need to stay focused and act as my bodyguard. If I gave you the manual now, you’d be practicing martial arts all day instead of watching my back, right?”

Li Zhi came up with an excuse.

Luo Tong replied, “All right, but we’re agreed—after the competition, you give it to me immediately, no more delays! Otherwise, if you get up to any more harebrained schemes, I won’t be there to help you!”

“All right, all right…” Li Zhi smiled.

There were still two days until the competition. He would figure something out by then.

…

…

Two days passed in a flash.

Morning.

The red sun rose, casting a brilliant hue over the palace.

Li Zhi got up early and went to check with Cheng Chubi and Princess Lizi. Both confirmed that they would not participate in the God of Cookery Competition. Today, the long-awaited event would finally begin.

Li Zhi had made all his preparations. He took with him three pounds of clay, along with various seasonings, and set out for the palace.

“Take care of this bag—don’t let it get dirty…” Li Zhi handed the sack of yellow clay to Luo Tong, who was following behind.

“What’s this?”

“Yellow clay!”

“Your Highness is bringing yellow clay to the competition? Is there some special use for it?” Luo Tong was baffled—he knew Li Zhi had asked the envoy from the Southern Mud Tribe, Li Nan, for several pounds of yellow clay, which had been kept at Lizheng Hall ever since. What use could it have, apart from paving roads?

“Hehe… Don’t ask too much. Once the competition starts, you’ll see what it’s for!” Li Zhi replied mysteriously.

They arrived at the competition venue.

The seating area was nearly empty. Only a few eunuchs and maids were cleaning up. Clearly, they had arrived very early.

“Masters usually arrive later. Your Highness, aren’t you being a little too eager? With Cheng Chubi and the Princess not competing, you could cook anything and still win first place!”

“Ahem… It’s not that simple!” Li Zhi replied.

Luo Tong could never have guessed that Li Zhi intended to use clay as an ingredient. It was gritty and hard to swallow, extremely difficult to cook. Even with the system’s cooking skills and the title of “Chef King,” Li Zhi was far from certain of success. Thankfully, with Cheng Chubi and Princess Lizi absent, he still had a chance!