On the fourth day of the fifth lunar month, it was a bright and sunny day.
In the rear hall of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, a charming and cute little princess sat on the ground. Seeing no one around, she furtively took out a large bag of white stones from her pocket and whispered towards the side door, "Sister! Come out. There's no one here!"
Finally, she had found a good opportunity. Almost all the palace servants were occupied with tasks and had been sent out.
The side door was pushed open, and a little girl in a long red dress, no more than five years old, came out carrying a basin of clear water. Only when she saw that there was indeed no one in the rear hall did she feel relieved.
"What did you ask me to bring the water for?"
Li Jingyun took out a small bowl mysteriously and whispered, "Sister, I'll perform a magic trick for you! It's so much fun!"
"What magic trick? Oh! Why did you take out the saltpeter?" Li Mingda put down the water and asked curiously.
This saltpeter was a tribute from Bashu, and there was a limited amount in Father's possession. But it didn't matter. She also had a way to make Father not mind.
Li Jingyun squatted there with her short hands and feet, looking like a tiny ball. She carefully put all the saltpeter into a large sea bowl, which could barely hold it.
The small bowl was placed in the middle of the sea bowl, filled with clean water. With the saltpeter around it, after being soaked in water, a chill rushed out from the sea bowl. The two sisters immediately wrapped their clothes tightly.
When they looked again, the water in the small bowl had slowly turned into ice.
"Look, look! Sister, I did it!"
Li Jingyun jumped up in delight, and at the same time, a mechanical voice rang in her ear: Congratulations to the host for gaining ten points. The current total score is sixty - two points.
She subconsciously glanced at a remote small room in the Hall of Supreme Harmony and ignored the voice.
Li Mingda's eyes widened in surprise. "This... What kind of magic trick is this! How did it turn into ice? Does it mean we'll never be short of cheap ice in the future?"
"Yes, but this ice in the big bowl definitely can't be eaten. As for the small bowl..."
Li Jingyun remembered what the mysterious voice had said and hesitated for a while before saying, "It should be okay! Let's make a bowl of ice cream cheese with this ice and take it to Big Brother..."
"Look where we are," Li Mingda pointed at the plaque and asked.
"The Hall of Supreme Harmony. Do you mean we should give it to Father first?"
Li Jingyun blinked her eyes and understood what her sister meant. She carried the basin of freshly made ice cubes into the kitchen.
Originally, there was no kitchen in the Hall of Supreme Harmony. After the two princesses were brought to Li Shimin's side to be raised, Li Shimin was worried that the food from the imperial kitchen wouldn't suit the taste of his two precious daughters, so he specially had a kitchen built. He said it would be convenient for them to have snacks in the future.
Now the kitchen was empty, with only all kinds of pots, bowls, ladles, and seasonings.
Li Jingyun followed the process of making ice cream cheese she had learned before and worked with her sister Li Mingda. Li Mingda did all the work of chiseling the ice. According to Li Mingda, "I'm the elder sister. Of course, I have to protect my younger sister! Even if I'm only an hour older, I'm still the elder sister!"
"It smells so good," Li Jingyun poured the milk on it and finally put in a few pieces of watermelon. She cupped her little face with both hands and looked at her masterpiece proudly.
Li Mingda frowned. It did smell good because they had used twice the amount of milk and fruits. But the cheese was lopsided, and its appearance was really unappealing, quite different from what they usually ate. However, fully showing her nature as a sister - spoiling maniac, she said, "Let's go find Father. He will definitely like it!"
"Father! Uncle! Jingyun made ice cream cheese for you!"
From behind a door, Li Jingyun carried the bowl of ice cream cheese and shouted. She was only five years old, short and with a little tuft of hair on her head. She walked in unsteadily, carrying a bowl bigger than herself.
Wang De quickly came over to greet them, took the ice cream cheese from Li Jingyun's hands, and presented it to Li Shimin, who was reading memorials and talking to Chang Sun Wuji.
"Did you two make this?" Just by looking at its appearance, Li Shimin knew it definitely wasn't made by the cooks in the kitchen.
"Yes, it was made by Mingda and me."
"Fuji, look. My two daughters are only five years old, but they can make such delicious ice cream cheese. It really pleases my heart."
Without even taking a single bite, Li Shimin excitedly showed off his daughters to Chang Sun Wuji. Just making Chang Sun Wuji envious today wasn't enough. He would also talk about it during the grand court meeting, so that all the officials in the court and throughout the Tang Dynasty would know that he had two such filial daughters!
He, Li Shimin, the number - one daddy in the Tang Dynasty, was absolutely qualified.
Chang Sun Wuji smiled and said, "The two princesses' filial piety is praiseworthy. I'm so envious."
He currently had six sons and no daughters. He went to the palace every day and hugged his nieces to temporarily relieve his longing for a daughter.
Li Jingyun threw herself into Chang Sun Wuji's arms, raised her little face, and said, "Uncle, we didn't know you were coming. Otherwise, we would have made two bowls of ice cream cheese."
"It doesn't matter. I was even worried that the ice was too cold and would hurt your hands," Chang Sun Wuji pulled his niece over and said jokingly with a smile.
Li Shimin ate the ice cream cheese with relish. You know what? The ice cream cheese mixed with his daughters' love really tasted better than the one made in the kitchen. It was even more flavorful.
When he looked up again, he found the two daughters standing in front of him, looking a bit unnatural, especially Li Jingyun.
"Hongxuan?"
This was Li Jingyun's nickname, just like her fourth brother Li Tai's nickname Qingque. It was obvious that they were given by the same person.
"Father, the ice used to make this ice cream cheese has an interesting origin," Li Jingyun had prepared what to say and told her father and uncle, "It was made from the saltpeter in your storeroom."
"Can saltpeter be used to make ice? Can the ice made from it be eaten?" Li Shimin exclaimed in surprise.
They were no strangers to this thing. It was a commonly used raw material in gunpowder and firecrackers. But it actually had the function of making ice?
"Don't worry, Father. This is the ice from the small bowl. The ice in the small bowl didn't come into contact with the saltpeter," Li Jingyun looked at Li Shimin eagerly, hoping that he would finish the rest.
At this time, Wang De brought another bowl and gave it to Chang Sun Wuji on the side. It smelled fragrant, with the aroma of tea overflowing. Its shape was aesthetically pleasing. This was obviously the ice cream cheese in the style of the imperial kitchen.
Li Shimin put down the empty bowl. Fortunately, these two children knew their limits. Otherwise, he, as a father, would have become a guinea pig.
Chang Sun Wuji looked at the two children lovingly.
These two were the youngest twin daughters of his younger sister. After the birth of the two princesses, Empress Chang Sun's health had been deteriorating. According to the imperial doctor, it was because she had given birth too many times in recent years and had to take care of the trivial matters in the harem, which made her overly tired.
His Majesty loved the empress dearly. After the birth of the two princesses, he had brought them to his side and they had grown to be more than five years old now.