Chapter 30: Tomorrow, Let Chang Le Go to the Marquis of Weinan's Residence

On the way back to the palace, Empress Changsun and Li Lizhi sat in the same carriage with Li Shimin.

The carriage was silent; no one spoke first.

Empress Changsun and Li Lizhi knew Li Shimin was deep in thought, so they did not disturb him.

After an unknown amount of time, Li Shimin exhaled, then slowly said, "Has Sizi already stayed?"

That was obviously a pointless question; if Sizi had not remained at Chen Yan's house, Empress Changsun would certainly have taken him with her.

Now that Empress Changsun has no Sizi by her side, where could he have gone besides staying?

Nevertheless, Empress Changsun, though faced with Li Shimin's nonsense, still smiled lightly and replied, "Sizi has no reluctance; he seems to still want to stay at Zi An's house, which made me worry for nothing."

Recalling the happy look of Xiao Sizi when he ate meat, Li Shimin felt a pang, "Sizi has suffered too much in the past…"

He sighed, "Being with Zi An is fine; there are fewer constraints, more freedom, more happiness. No need to worry about this being forbidden to eat or that, and Zi An will take care of everything."

Empress Changsun nodded, "Indeed, ever since I took Zi An's medicine, I feel much more at ease and my appetite has improved."

"Just now at Zi An's residence, I also ate a good amount of food,"

Li Shimin was not surprised.

The medicine Chen Yan gave has already shown its effect on Sizi.

Originally Sizi was sickly and feverish, but after taking the medicine and sleeping, he woke up restored to his former liveliness.

Even the Grand Historian once remarked that it was a divine medicine; it would be strange if it didn't work.

Suddenly, Li Shimin brought up another matter, "Guanyin Maid, tell me, will Cheng Qian come to see Zi An tomorrow?"

After years of marriage, Empress Changsun had guessed what he was thinking since Li Shimin gave Li Chengqian a leave.

She said somewhat helplessly, "Er Lang, just as Cheng Qian said, the hot‑pot recipe and the wine‑brewing method belong to Zi An; he himself lacks no money to open a tavern or restaurant, so how could we get involved?"

"How could I not know that Zi An lacks no money?"

Li Shimin was extremely frustrated, "It's one thing if Zi An doesn't bring it up, but he insists on mentioning it himself. My mind is like a cat's claw, itching intensely."

At this point, Li Shimin smacked his lips and sighed, "Guanyin Maid, you haven't tasted it, so you don't know how good that wine is. Cheng Qian was right: compared with that wine, Shaodaozi is practically no different from horse urine."

Shaodaozi is currently the finest strong spirit in the Tang Dynasty.

Before tasting Chen Yan's wine, Li Shimin thought Shaodaozi was the strongest liquor, and all other wines had to step aside.

But after drinking Chen Yan's wine, he realized there exist wines several times better than Shaodaozi.

Even a toe‑thinking mind knows that such a wine on the market would instantly displace Shaodaozi, becoming the Tang Dynasty's best wine, bar none.

Then making money would be a breeze, wouldn't it?

Li Lizhi suddenly said, "Ah Ye, your grandfather clearly ordered a ban on brewing wine; if you let my brother brew wine with the Marquis of Weinan for profit, wouldn't that violate the law?"

Li Shimin replied indifferently, "Your grandfather did indeed order a ban on alcohol, but we Tang men love good wine; how could such a thing be completely prohibited?"

"Moreover, Tang law even forbids killing cattle; look at Cheng Yaojin, hasn't he reduced his daily beef intake?"

Li Shimin cleared his throat lightly and said seriously, "Also, Cheng Qian as my Crown Prince and Zi An as my son‑in‑law, if the two wish to brew wine, what can I do?"

"Could I even have them cut down?"

Li Lizhi: "......"

Empress Changsun: "......"

Li Shimin continued, "Although Zi An just got drunk, I don't think he's joking. I reckon he'll indeed bring your brother and those few lads like Cheng Chu Mo to partner in opening a tavern."

"Of course, I'm not taking advantage of him; Li Lizhi, didn't you try opening a tavern last year, only to close it due to poor management?"

"That tavern had an excellent location, on Zhuque Dajie's 'East Market', the most bustling district; if I give that tavern to him, a modest share of profit wouldn't be excessive, would it?"

Speaking of this, Li Lizhi lowered her head a bit embarrassed.

Last year there was a severe drought; everyone in the palace was cutting expenses, and she saw Ah Ye and Ah Niang worrying about money all day.

She thought of opening a tavern to ease the pressure on Ah Ye and Ah Niang.

Unfortunately, she didn't understand management; many things turned into a mess, and business was bleak right after opening.

Gradually, only a handful of customers came.

After successive losses, Li Lizhi had no choice but to close the tavern.

She didn't expect Li Shimin to bring up the matter again, intending to give that tavern to the Marquis of Weinan.

"......"

Empress Changsun, knowing Li Shimin would not give up easily, thought for a moment and raised another question.

"Er Lang, how do you plan to tell Zi An?"

"Putting aside whether Zi An would agree to your partnership, even if he does, how would you explain it to the court officials?"

"Did you forget? When Li Lizhi opened a tavern last year, she was impeached by court officials, and Wei Zheng even pointed at your nose, saying a princess shouldn't compete with the people for profit, ordering you to shut it down, right?"

Li Lizhi's almond eyes widened at the words.

She never imagined that her tavern last year would involve such a matter.

It even caused Ah Ye to be impeached by court officials.

"Ah Ye, I......"

Li Shimin waved his hand, understanding what his daughter wanted to say, but he didn't care about this trivial matter at all.

Naturally, he never mentioned it to Li Lizhi.

If Empress Changsun hadn't mentioned it, he would have almost forgotten.

Li Shimin said cheerfully, "Didn't I grant Cheng Qian three days of leave and order him to take the Crown Princess out for a proper outing?"

"From today's conversation between Cheng Qian and Zi An, their relationship must be very close. Cheng Qian rarely leaves the palace and knows little of the outside; if he goes out, he'll surely seek Zi An."

"Then, I only need to find someone to subtly guide the conversation, and we can steer the topic toward opening a tavern, right?"

"Why should I appear personally?"

Empress Changsun thought it over carefully and admitted that it did make some sense, ha.

So who does His Majesty intend to send to guide? The Crown Princess?

"Right…," Li Shimin was just about to admit, but suddenly remembered it was already night.

Cheng Qian will return to the Eastern Palace soon; as the one acting as the father‑in‑law, how can I summon the Crown Princess alone so late at night?

He thought for a moment and said, "What about Gao Yang? Gao Yang is Chen Yan's fiancée; since they're already at such odds, there's no problem with her coming over."

Empress Changsun glanced at him and asked, "Er Lang, are you sure sending Gao Yang will lead to a business discussion between the two rather than a fight?"

Li Shimin: "......"

"Guanyin Maid is right; Gao Yang really isn't suitable."

Li Shimin sighed, furrowed his brow and thought, "But if we don't send Gao Yang, who else can we send......"

Suddenly, his words halted; the couple exchanged a glance, then both turned their attention to the somewhat uneasy Li Lizhi standing nearby.

Gao Yang can't, but Li Lizhi might work!

As Sizi's elder sister from the same mother, there's no problem for her to go visit her younger sister, right?

Seems reasonable, right?

"......"