It was approaching the second watch of the night. Li Shimin, along with his concubines and princesses, sat around the courtyard, sipping milk tea. The delicate fragrance lingered in the air.
There were different flavors of milk tea: with wolfberries, osmanthus flowers, red dates, roses, jasmine, and so on. Li Jingyun was still contemplating whether to add some medicinal herbs, like codonopsis, astragalus, or poria cocos. She thought someone might like these flavors.
"Princess, this milk tea is really delicious. Next time, add a bit more sugar. It would be even better if it were sweeter," Consort Wei said with emotion after finishing her cup.
How on earth was this thing invented? How could it be so fragrant?
"Sure, Hongxuan will remember," Li Jingyun replied.
She took out a small notebook and jotted it down. In the future, before serving milk tea, she had to ask customers how much sugar they wanted.
Sugar was hard to come by at that time. Even the method of making sucrose was learned from India by Li Shimin's men several years ago. Rock sugar and higher - purity white sugar had not appeared yet.
Unlike the girls in later generations who were afraid of gaining weight and preferred less sugar, people at that time generally wanted as much sugar as possible. Who didn't like sweet things?
"What you've created is truly extraordinary. Maybe the method of making milk tea will become a new trend in the future," Princess Xinxing said with a smile.
At that time, scholars and refined gentlemen were fond of the art of whisking tea and exploring various ways of tea - drinking. They even added scallions, garlic, and ginger to the tea while boiling. Now, with the addition of milk tea, which was developed by Princess Chengyang in the palace, it was bound to attract their attention.
Moreover, as it was already mid - autumn, the weather was getting cooler. More and more people needed something hot to warm themselves up.
"Sister, I want another cup!" Li Shen tugged at Li Jingyun's sleeve and whispered, thinking he was being quiet.
But everyone present could hear his voice.
"No! Thanks to His Majesty's kindness tonight, allowing us to have this fun. It's almost midnight. You should go back to sleep," Consort Wei picked up Li Shen. Ignoring Li Shen's pouting lips and his about - to - cry look, she bowed gracefully to Li Shimin and said, "We shall retire first."
"Goodbye."
Consort Wei was highly favored and ranked second only to Empress Zhangsun in the harem. As soon as she said this, the other concubines also left.
The princesses, feeling tired and sleepy, also went back to their palaces to sleep.
Li Shimin, on the other hand, started to study how to make milk tea. "Should I add the milk first or the tea leaves?"
He held the copper stove in his left hand and hesitated between the milk and the tea leaves. Unable to decide, he asked his daughter.
Li Jingyun yawned. She thought her father knew how to make it when she saw his actions, but it turned out he didn't know at all.
"Add the tea leaves first. Wait until the fragrance of the tea comes out, and then add the milk. This afternoon, I added the milk first, and the taste wasn't as good as this one," Li Jingyun recalled the afternoon.
It turned out that there were things even her father didn't know. Although her father was an emperor with the power of life and death, he wasn't omniscient.
Li Jingyun just realized this truth.
However, just as the tea had been boiling for a short while, Wang De rushed over with a note in his hand. "Your Majesty, there's news from the Turks."
"So soon?" Li Shimin was stunned. He had only received the letter from the Turkic Khan Tong Yegu in the morning, and now Fang He's letter had arrived?
In the letter, Khan Tong Yegu said that the road to Chang'an in the Tang Dynasty was now unobstructed. In a while, he would send Zhenzhu Tong Sijin to Chang'an again to ask for the hand of a Tang princess on his behalf.
Yes, in the first year of Zhenguan, Khan Tong Yegu had sent Zhenzhu Tong Sijin to the Tang Dynasty with a gold belt studded with thousands of jewels and five thousand fine horses to propose marriage for a princess. But at that time, Khan Jieli, who was in between, was worried that Tong Yegu would join forces with the Tang Dynasty against him. He threatened Tong Yegu, and the marriage alliance was called off.
Now that Jieli had been defeated by the Tang Dynasty, with Tong Yegu's efforts, the power of the Turks was growing stronger day by day. So he had the idea of an alliance through marriage with the Tang Dynasty again.
When he was young, Khan Tong Yegu was a remarkable figure. He had once led hundreds of thousands of archers, expanded his territory, and dominated the Western Regions. He had built the once - weak Turks into a powerful force. He even controlled many small countries in the Western Regions and made them pay taxes.
However, now that he was old, he had become arrogant and often did evil things. The common people resented him. He was even a bit older than Li Shimin, but he still wanted to marry Li Shimin's daughter. Wasn't this ridiculous?
"Good, good, good. So this is how things are," Li Shimin said after quickly scanning the note. His heart was filled with mixed feelings.
This note was written by the person he had sent to the Turks, which confirmed the content of the letter from the Turkic Khan.
Looking down, he saw his little daughter looking at him curiously. He couldn't help but smile. "Hongxuan, your cement has made great contributions. The letter says that Khan Tong Yegu's men went to inspect the city wall and thought the wall made of cement was indestructible. They decided not to attack by force."
"Really? Then many people will be saved?" Li Jingyun was overjoyed. Thinking that it was because of the cement she had developed, she felt quite proud.
"That's right. But they are asking for an alliance through marriage," Li Shimin continued to stir the milk tea. He had calmed down a bit. "These foreign barbarians want to marry my daughter."
Since they couldn't conquer by force, they naturally had to find a way to maintain a superficial harmony. Marriage alliance was a common method.
During the Wude period, his father had followed the advice of Prime Minister Pei Ju and sent someone to the Turks to express that the Turkic royal family could marry into the Li family. So Khan Tong Yegu also had a justifiable reason.
"They want to marry my sister! This can't be allowed!"
Li Jingyun got excited and stood up abruptly.
She didn't read many history books and didn't know the tragic fates of the princesses who were sent for marriage alliances. She only knew that if her sister married so far away, she might never see her again.
No! She absolutely couldn't accept this! It was unacceptable for any of her sisters to go so far away!
"Hongxuan, sit down first. Zhenzhu Tong Sijin came to the Tang Dynasty once and left empty - handed. It will be the same this time," Li Shimin already had a plan in mind.
In previous dynasties, daughters of the royal clan were often enfeoffed as princesses and sent for marriage alliances. But this time, Khan Tong Yegu, relying on the strength of his country, insisted on marrying Li Shimin's own daughter. Among the princesses of marriageable age, it would be either Princess Xinxing or Princess Gaoyang, both of whom were Li Shimin's beloved daughters. He didn't want to marry either of them off.
Even if they were to get married, they should marry within Chang'an City, where he could see them whenever he wanted. If they were bullied in the morning, he could call the whole family of the son - in - law into the imperial city to scold them at noon.
"Okay!"
Li Jingyun replied crisply. She chose to trust her father.
Her father was so capable that he could govern the entire Tang Dynasty in an orderly manner. Dealing with these things should be a piece of cake for him.
However, after she made the milk tea, she didn't receive a reminder from the immortal elder. Why was that?
Maybe what she had made still didn't meet the requirements of the immortal elder?
She had to improve it.
The system had just woken up and found itself being called. It quickly came out to explain: After you adjust the dosage and temperature, the points for the milk tea will be sent to you.
"Dosage and temperature?" Li Jingyun sat back cross - legged and murmured to herself while serving the milk tea.
It seemed that the milk tea she had made was not perfect yet. She still had to refine it.
The father and daughter sat opposite each other, each holding a bowl of warm milk tea. The sweet and hot drink soothed their hearts.