Wang De entered the room, bowed with his hands clasped, and said, "Your Majesties and Princesses, the Duke of Qi requests an audience."
The Duke of Qi was none other than Changsun Wuji who had been mentioned earlier. There were too many concubines and princesses in the Lizheng Palace just now, so it was inconvenient for him to enter or leave. He had been waiting in the Taihe Hall.
Even so, there were palace servants specifically reporting the condition of Empress Changsun to him.
Changsun Wuji knew that Empress Changsun's condition had improved and that she could live for several more decades without any problem. That was why he came here happily.
"Let him in," said the Emperor.
Changsun Wuji's expression just now clearly showed that he was extremely worried. It was only natural for him to be eager to see his younger sister.
Before the Emperor's words faded away, Changsun Wuji came in. "Your Majesty, Your Highness, and two Princesses, I pay my respects. It is truly a cause for celebration that Your Highness is getting better."
"Brother, don't worry about me. I'm much better now," Empress Changsun said with a bright smile, trying to comfort her brother.
Her father had passed away early. She had followed her mother and brother to live in her uncle's house. Her brother had always taken good care of her. After her marriage, he had also provided full - fledged assistance, contributing a great deal to battles and the struggle for the crown prince position.
She vaguely felt that there were white hairs on her brother's temples. Maybe it was because of the busy government affairs.
"I just heard from the imperial physician that you must not overwork yourself. You should recuperate well from now on," Changsun Wuji instructed.
After a while, the topic finally turned to Li Jingyun.
Li Jingyun boldly asked Changsun Wuji for a piece of land, a large tract of wasteland in Wannian County, which was big enough to accommodate hundreds or even thousands of people.
Changsun Wuji was curious. "What are you going to do with this land? Are you going to expand your business of making ice with saltpeter?"
It was summer now. The sun was scorching hot, and it was difficult to store ice. Only the wealthy families could afford it. With the method of making ice with saltpeter, things would be different. Since saltpeter could be reused, the price of ice would surely drop. Before this method became popular, opening an ice cream shop and lowering the price a bit could bring in a fortune.
It was indeed a good way to make money. The folk customs of the Tang Dynasty were simple and open. It was not a big deal for a princess to open a shop.
"I can't tell you for the time being. You'll know when I've got it done," Li Jingyun said, piquing Changsun Wuji's curiosity.
Her fief was in Youzhou, Hebei Province, which was far away. Otherwise, she would have set the research site there. That was her rightful territory.
"Alright," Changsun Wuji replied.
The atmosphere in the room was harmonious. Suddenly, Li Tai rushed in, his face full of tears.
As soon as he entered, he knelt down in front of Empress Changsun's bed without hesitation and grabbed her hand, wailing loudly.
He was only ten years old but had a strong build. He had always been doted on by Emperor Li Shimin and Empress Changsun, so he had become a little chubby boy. When he knelt down, Li Jingyun seemed to hear a sound from the ground.
"Mother, I've only been away for less than half a month to study. How could such a big thing happen?" Li Tai sobbed uncontrollably.
"Qingque, I'm much better. Get up. The ground is cold," Empress Changsun said, looking at her crying son, not knowing what to say.
Son, you're crying at the wrong time. If you had come an hour earlier, you could have caught up with the critical moment.
Li Tai looked up blankly, his eyes filled with tears. He had cried so hard that his face was flushed. To his surprise, his mother looked healthier and more radiant than he did. Sitting with his father, she was beaming with energy.
"Mother, has the Taoist priest Sun Simiao entered the palace?" Li Tai quickly got up from the ground and asked.
Otherwise, how could he explain his mother's sudden recovery?
He knew that the people he had placed in the palace had informed him two hours ago that his mother was critically ill and might not make it. He had immediately rushed back from the Mingzhang Academy. He had spent an hour and a half in the carriage, jolting so much that his internal organs ached.
The Mingzhang Academy was at the foot of the Zhongnan Mountain. The scholars who taught there were all great Confucian scholars of that time. Li Tai was passionate about poetry and literature, so he had done everything he could to get into this academy.
Before entering the palace, he had thought that he must cry the loudest and most heart - rendingly to show his filial piety to his father and outshine the crown prince and others.
Who would have thought that when he got to the bedside, his mother was fine?
Li Shimin said, "No, but I think he'll be here soon."
He didn't think that Li Jingyun could make the cement so quickly. He had already made preparations and sent people to Shangzhou to "welcome" Sun Simiao into the palace. They had to bring the man in even if they had to take a detour.
"Mother is out of danger now. I'm relieved. Since it wasn't the Taoist priest Sun, which imperial physician in the palace saved Mother's life?" Li Tai wiped away his tears and put on a smiling face. His quick change of expression left Li Jingyun dumbfounded.
"Fourth Brother, it was the immortal who saved me before. He doesn't like to show up, so you won't be able to see him," Li Jingyun said.
System: I also want to show up! I don't have a physical form. How can I appear?
Only then did Li Tai suddenly realize. No wonder the illness had recovered so quickly. The means of an immortal were truly unfathomable.
"Your Majesty, it's time for Her Highness to take the medicine. The imperial physician said just now that Her Highness needs to rest quietly," Wang De came in, holding a bowl of pitch - black herbal medicine. The bitter smell of traditional Chinese medicine wafted in the air.
What he meant was that there were too many people in the hall, which would interfere with Empress Changsun's recuperation.
Li Shimin immediately took the medicine bowl. Of course, he should be the one to feed the medicine. The children could go and play. As for Changsun Wuji, there were a lot of things waiting for him to deal with.
"Yes, I'll take my leave," Changsun Wuji said. After seeing his younger sister with his own eyes, he felt completely at ease. Hearing what Wang De said, he naturally understood the implication and left voluntarily.
"Your Majesty, we'll take our leave," the children said.
After leaving the Lizheng Palace, on the long street, Li Tai led his two younger sisters, striding ahead. Li Jingyun and Li Mingda walked hand in hand, listening to Li Tai talk about his experiences on the way.
He said that the great Confucian scholars in the Mingzhang Academy were noble - minded and highly knowledgeable. They could quote a lot of classics with just a few words. They all praised him for his extensive knowledge and said that he was a person of great potential.
However, there were few good - learning classmates. Maybe because he was a prince, they all kept their distance from him.
On the way back from the Mingzhang Academy, when he was sweating all over, eating a bowl of ice cream from the West Building made him feel refreshed and got rid of all the summer heat.
At this moment, Li Tai talked non - stop, looking more like a ten - year - old child telling his family about his school life.
Li Jingyun and her younger sister listened intently.
Li Jingyun was thinking that Uncle Changsun had mentioned the ice drinks made with saltpeter, and Fourth Brother had also talked about the ice cream from the West Building. Opening a shop selling ice cream and ice cheese would surely have a good market.
Although she wasn't short of money, who would嫌 too much money?
Li Mingda was thinking whether her fourth brother was tired of talking for so long. She felt tired just listening. In a few days, she and Hong Xuan would go to the Hongwen Academy to study. Hong Xuan never liked to be restricted, but she thought it was okay. A girl should learn more books and classics to understand principles.
Anyway, her thoughts had nothing to do with Li Tai's topic.
After talking for a long time and seeing that his two younger sisters didn't say a word, Li Tai made an excuse to go back to his mansion. His knees hurt from kneeling just now, and he had to go back quickly to apply medicine!