Chapter 93: Instant Noodles

In this era, whether the Xiongnu or the common people of Great Han, all they sought was to eat their fill and survive. The Xiongnu lived primarily by nomadic herding—born fierce yet lacking in resources, their best means of survival was to raid others.

It was precisely during this autumn harvest that the common people and soldiers of Great Han were busy harvesting grain, with no time to spare for repelling invasions. The Xiongnu's warhorses were stout and strong, which made the Xiongnu seem invincible.

If Great Han chose to counterattack in autumn, it would absolutely be an effort with little reward. This was also one of the reasons why three hundred thousand Han troops were defeated by the Xiongnu in the Battle of Mayi back then.

This time Liu Che had learned from past lessons. He bent over his desk studying the records of past campaigns against the Xiongnu for an entire night, and ultimately decided to launch a counterattack the following spring.

After an entire cold winter, the Xiongnu's fighting spirit would be greatly depleted, and spring was precisely the season when livestock were pregnant, so their combat strength would surely be diminished—this would be the best time for Great Han to counterattack.

What remained to be done now was to prepare strategic supplies. Whether provisions or weapons and equipment, all had to be fully stocked in preparation for the coming year's counteroffensive.

At the next morning court session, the Three Excellencies and Nine Ministers expressed their views on the disaster that had struck Shanggu Commandery. What was rare was that the officials at court held an unusually unified opinion—they made no mention of marriage alliances and only hoped the Son of Heaven would order troops to counterattack the Xiongnu.

Ajiao turned her gaze toward Dou Ying, curved her lips slightly, and proclaimed in a clear voice: "From this day forward, all light and heavy cavalry units shall train day and night, awaiting the best moment to counterattack." That there was such a unified opinion at the morning court made it easy to see this was the achievement of Chancellor Dou Ying.

After that, they had to consider the matter of appointing generals for this counteroffensive. All the ministers unanimously recommended Li Guang to serve as the grand general of this counterattack.

The most famous general in Great Han at present was Li Guang. During the reign of Emperor Wen of Han, Li Guang had already fought against the Xiongnu as a young man of good family. When Emperor Jing of Han ascended the throne, Li Guang followed Zhou Yafu in pacifying the Rebellion of the Seven States, achieving great merit and earning widespread renown.

Li Guang should have received titles and rewards at that time, but because Prince Liu Wu of Liang had bestowed upon him a general's seal, the court's rewards came to nothing. After that, Li Guang was assigned to guard the border. Every commandery where he served as Administrator successfully repelled Xiongnu invasions.

Gradually, Li Guang's reputation spread not only throughout Great Han but also became known among the Xiongnu.

It was just a pity that in history, a defensive general like Li Guang, when assigned to take the initiative in attacking, immediately exposed his problems—suffering defeat after defeat, forming a stark contrast with Wei Qing's string of victories.

Say he lacked ability, yet he could be captured by the Xiongnu and still successfully escape and return alive, even earning the title "Flying General." Say he was highly capable, yet every time he was sent to attack the Xiongnu, he would get lost and fail to find the enemy.

Great Han rewarded by military merit. Li Guang could not achieve merit, so naturally he could not be enfeoffed as a marquis.

Ajiao returned to the rear palace and told Liu Che the results of everyone's deliberations. Liu Che only nodded with a somber face and said nothing. Before him still lay a large map of the Great Han–Xiongnu border, and it was unclear what he was pondering.

Liu Li, meanwhile, obediently leaned over nearby, resting her chin in her hand, also staring at the Great Han border map spread out on the desk.

Despite the abnormal fury Liu Che had displayed earlier, in truth, for the arrival of this day, he had probably long been prepared in his heart. The scenes of the two armies facing off had likely been rehearsed in his mind countless times.

Ajiao paused, then asked: "You already have a plan in mind?" As a couple across two lifetimes, Ajiao stood to the side and, merely from Liu Che's expression, could already see his intent.

Liu Che gathered himself slightly, turned to look at Ajiao, raised his brows a touch, and nodded: "Mm-hm."

He pointed at the border map and said: "This counterattack is not merely a counterattack. It is also my chance to see whether the new tactics against the Xiongnu are feasible."

Liu Li seized the moment to press further: "Father Emperor, how do you plan to counterattack?"

In truth, given Liu Che's formerly suspicious nature, he would certainly not have revealed his strategic deployment at a time like this. But now there were only the three of them in the great hall—one was Ajiao, who possessed his body, and the other was his beloved daughter—so he let down his guard and said: "In Great Han's past wars, a single commander-in-chief was always appointed to lead all officers and soldiers into battle. But this time, I plan to divide the army into four routes and encircle the Xiongnu."

Saying this, Liu Che picked up the brush beside him and drew four circles on the border map, then continued: "These four armies would set out from four different locations, with over a hundred li between each pair. If they encounter the Xiongnu, there would still be enough time for mutual reinforcement."

Liu Li studied Liu Che's strategic deployment carefully, thinking to herself that this was indeed identical to the deployment in history. If she did nothing at all, then the event of the "Battle of Longcheng" would probably unfold just as it had in history.

"Then which four people does Father Emperor intend to appoint as commanders?" Liu Li rested her chin in her hand, looking curious.

Liu Che pondered for a moment and said: "Li Guang, as the veteran recommended by all the ministers, has also rendered merit guarding the border all these years. Back then he followed General Zhou Yafu in pacifying the Rebellion of the Seven States, and now I place equally high hopes in him."

Liu Li nodded: "And then?"

In history, of the four generals this time, apart from Li Guang, the other three were newcomers who had never led troops or fought in battle, and each had some degree of nepotistic connection to Emperor Wu of Han.

Wei Qing was Wei Zifu's younger brother. Gongsun Ao was a longtime friend of Wei Qing. Gongsun He was the husband of Wei Zifu's elder sister, Wei Junsu. After this battle, Wei Qing was enfeoffed as Marquis of Guannei, launching his lifelong career of glory and fortune.

Later generations all said that Wei Zifu becoming Emperor Wu's empress brought Great Han its greatest dowry.

But Liu Li felt that Wei Zifu's ability to become empress was not only because she bore a prince, but more so because she had a younger brother who knew how to fight. Rather than saying Wei Zifu made Wei Qing's career, it would be better to say the sister and brother made each other.

If Wei Qing had not won this counteroffensive in the sixth year of Yuanguang, then even if Wei Zifu gave birth to a prince in the first year of Yuanshuo, she probably could not have been made empress.

Fortunately, in this timeline, Liu Che was the empress. Even if Wei Zifu now had the imperial eldest son at her side, and even if Wei Qing still won this war, it would not shake the empress's position.

Liu Che thought for a moment and said: "Although Wei Qing has never been on a battlefield, he has both courage and strategy and is skilled in maneuvering troops. I wish to let him try as a general."

Last year, when Wei Qing led a team down a cliff to rescue the empress and the princess, he had already demonstrated his strategic acumen and courage. Though Liu Che was in dire straits at the time, he still remembered it clearly.

Liu Li continued asking: "Then who does Father Emperor plan to choose for the remaining two generals?"

"In the previous Battle of Mayi, Gongsun He served as General of Light Chariots. Though he had no merits, his performance was extraordinary. This time I shall give him another opportunity—I hope he will not disappoint me."

Gongsun He had once been selected as a Crown Prince's Retainer. After Liu Che ascended the throne, he was promoted to Grand Coachman, one of the Nine Ministers. That Liu Che chose him as a general to lead troops did carry a degree of personal favor.

It was just a pity that in history, this General Gongsun He led troops on campaign but, failing to find the Xiongnu, returned the way he came—thoroughly missing a fine opportunity to earn merit and establish himself.

Liu Li raised her brows: "And the last general—who does Father Emperor want it to be?"

Liu Che lowered his eyes to the border map he had been scribbling on, belatedly realized something, and looked up at his daughter with an eager gaze: "Ali has asked so much—do you have some idea? You can tell it to me."

Liu Che knew well that his daughter was no ordinary person. Even though she was only seven years old now, her insight into certain matters was probably more comprehensive than that of his own ministers.

Liu Che recalled that when he was seven, his father emperor had named him Crown Prince. Now his Ali was just as he had been back then.

Ajiao did not understand military matters very well, but listening to the conversation between father and daughter, she still found it fascinating. Hearing Liu Che yield the floor to his daughter, she picked up the teapot beside her and poured Liu Li a cup of tea.

Liu Che caught sight of Ajiao's movement, raised his willow brows slightly, and quietly pushed his own teacup toward Ajiao. He had just said so much and was already thirsty.

Ajiao looked at the cup he offered and filled it with tea for him as well.

Liu Li cradled her teacup but pouted: "Father Emperor, first tell me who you plan to choose as the last general."

As for the candidate for the last general, Liu Che was still torn. He took a sip of tea and said: "Gongsun Ao is skilled in horseback archery and formidable in mounted combat. It's just that I don't know how he fares at leading an army."

Liu Li raised her brows.

In history, Gongsun Ao, as Wei Qing's good friend, did not have Wei Qing's good luck. In this battle, Gongsun Ao was appointed Cavalry General and led ten thousand cavalry into battle against the Xiongnu, losing seven thousand men.

Afterward, he was sentenced to death for the defeat, and only after paying a ransom was he spared from execution and demoted to commoner.

"However, I recall that young officer named Chen Fei is also a skilled hand at horseback archery. Didn't he come with Wei Qing last year to rescue us? And the year before last at Shanglin Park, it seemed it was also he who led men to save me."

Hearing Liu Che bring up Chen Fei on his own, a flash of surprise crossed Liu Li's eyes, and then she nodded: "Yes, it's him. Chen Fei is also very formidable."

"So who does Ali think should be chosen as the fourth general?"

Back then, Liu Li had arranged for Chen Fei to join the Feathered Forest Army and follow Wei Qing to gain experience—she had been waiting for this very day. Now, faced with the multiple-choice question Liu Che posed, Liu Li raised her brows and said: "Since Father Emperor can't decide who to choose, why not choose both of them?"

Liu Che raised his brows: "Hmm? Choose both of them?"

Liu Li nodded: "That's right—why not divide the army into five routes and attack instead?"

Liu Che looked down at the border map again, seemingly considering the feasibility of what Liu Li said. Liu Li reached out her small finger and pointed at the Qin Great Wall on the map: "Father Emperor, look here. This area south of the Great Wall has now essentially become Xiongnu territory. In this battle, we must at the very least drive these Xiongnu out beyond the Great Wall."

Liu Che raised his brows imperceptibly and smiled: "Ali understands my heart well." His purpose in deploying the army this way was precisely to first drive the Xiongnu out from within the Great Wall. "Arranging five routes of generals to go search for and repel the Xiongnu is not out of the question."

Liu Li, seeing her goal achieved, quietly pursed her lips and said, "Father, why not have Chen Fei lead troops from Yunzhong Commandery, General Li Guang from Yanmen Commandery, the two General Gongsuns from Dai Commandery, and General Wei Qing from Shanggu Commandery, then jointly attack the Xiongnu near the border markets and drive them all the way out?"

In history, the reason Li Guang and Gongsun Ao suffered crushing defeats was because the cavalry they led encountered the Xiongnu's main force, while the cavalry led by Wei Qing and Gongsun He encountered no one at all.

Gongsun He chose to return by the original route, but Wei Qing chose to continue north, striking straight at the Left Wise King's tribe and destroying the Xiongnu's sacred site of Dragon City.

Liu Li had no intention of letting Chen Fei steal the glory that belonged to Wei Qing, so she still followed the historical arrangement, having Wei Qing depart from Shanggu Commandery to attack the Left Wise King's tribe.

As for the route Chen Fei would take, it was Gongsun He's route in history. Whether this battle could succeed would depend on whether Chen Fei had learned anything during his two years of study and training under Wei Qing.

The marching routes Liu Li had arranged were virtually identical to what Liu Che had in mind. He praised, "Ah Li is truly worthy of being Our daughter—she even has a talent for military strategy!"

Liu Li felt ashamed at the praise, since she was merely copying from history and had not come up with it herself. She blinked and boasted, "Ah Li inherited Father's grand strategic brilliance."

Liu Che was greatly pleased: "Hahahaha, well said—'grand strategic brilliance'! What a brilliant phrase! Our Ah Li is simply an all-rounder."

"Not at all, it's all because Father taught so well."

And there they went, father and daughter exchanging mutual flattery.

With the major matter in his heart now settled, Liu Che's mood instantly relaxed. He leaned rather languidly against the back of his chair, raised his hand, and gently tapped Liu Li's little nose, saying dotingly, "If this battle is won, what reward would Ah Li like?"

The more Liu Che looked at Liu Li, the more he liked her in his heart. On one hand, Liu Li already resembled Ajiao—her little face was soft and chubby, beautiful and exquisite, greatly satisfying the aesthetic senses of Liu Che, a connoisseur of beauty.

On the other hand, Liu Li's intelligence had exceeded Liu Che's expectations, and moreover, she was his eldest legitimate daughter, the daughter of him and Ajiao.

With all these buffs stacked together, it would be hard not to like her.

【Emperor Wu of Han affection rating: 75.】

Liu Li glanced at the affection rating, which had gone up by another 4 points, and curled the corners of her mouth, saying without any politeness: "If this battle is won, then Father can grant me another county as a fief."

Liu Che had not expected Liu Li to want a fief as her reward. He asked with great interest, "Which county does Ah Li want?"

"Laiwu County," Liu Li said directly.

"Laiwu?" He had thought Ah Li would ask for a very wealthy county, such as Dangli, a salt-producing county, as her fief. He hadn't expected her to ask for a county he couldn't even place.

Liu Che had no impression of Laiwu County—after all, Great Han had so many commanderies and counties, and he couldn't necessarily remember them all.

Liu Li said, "Laiwu County is next to Mu County, in Mount Tai Commandery."

Laiwu County was named for its location in Laiwu Valley within the Zi River basin.

Liu Che raised his eyes slightly, still puzzled: "Oh? I remember Laiwu County has many valleys, a sparse population, and not much tax revenue. What does Ah Li want this place for?"

It was precisely because of the many valleys that she wanted it!

The place called Laiwu would, in the future, belong to Shandong Province. Its mineral resources were extraordinarily abundant—iron ore reserves alone reached hundreds of millions of tons—and it was furthermore an important coal production base in Shandong.

With such excellent resources, it would be such a waste not to put them to good use.

"Just promise it to me, Father." Liu Li reached out her small hand and grasped Liu Che's arm, tilting up her pink little face with a sly look: "Ah Li naturally has a use for it."

Liu Che turned his head to look at her, a smile coloring his eyes: "Alright, if this battle is a great victory, We shall grant Laiwu County to Ah Li as her fief." It was just a small county anyway—giving it to his precious daughter was perfectly fine. Even if Ah Li had asked for Dangli County as her fief at this moment, he would have granted it just the same.

Hearing this, Liu Li looked thrilled: "Rest assured, Father—this battle will certainly be a great victory!"

The overall strategy was basically set; the next matter was the army's logistical support.

So-called logistical support came down to three aspects: one was the soldiers' weapons, one was food, and lastly, the most important—casualty care.

None of these three could be lacking. Soldiers on the front lines defending the homeland—at the very least, they had to be ensured that no one would go to battle on an empty stomach.

Great Han's soldiers were organized by region: those who enlisted in plains areas would be assigned as charioteers and infantry, those from the northwest would become cavalry, and those from southern commanderies and counties would be organized into naval combat soldiers.

What Liu Che valued most was the cavalry, because cavalry was the best force for fighting the Xiongnu.

So-called light cavalry meant fighting with light gear. The horses they rode were the small-bodied but extremely fast type. Light cavalry wore no armor, and their primary weapons were bows and crossbows.

Heavy cavalry, on the other hand, was the main offensive force engaging the enemy head-on in the front ranks, so they wore thick armor, even iron helmets on their heads, and their weapons were very long halberds.

For example, Lü Bu of the Three Kingdoms period—his weapon was the Sky-Piercer Halberd, though of course that was the version from theatrical tales.

As for weapons, Liu Li wanted to help improve them, but alas, she lacked the ability. After all, she didn't understand cold weapons and couldn't be of much help.

The only thing she could do was use her 【Encyclopedia】 skill to draw the blueprints for the "Yuanrong Crossbow" (also known as the Zhuge Repeating Crossbow), invented by Zhuge Liang during the Three Kingdoms period. But the Zhuge Repeating Crossbow was rather large and not suited for individual soldiers; it was most commonly used to defend cities and was of little help in offensive campaigns.

As for firearms, although she knew the essential materials for making gunpowder, successfully producing gunpowder at this time was clearly unrealistic—she would need at least several years of experimentation.

So in terms of weapons, Liu Li couldn't be of much help for now.

But in terms of food and medical care, she could lend a hand.

She wanted to improve the soldiers' meals, at least letting everyone have something hot to eat. Liu Li's first thought was instant noodles and hotpot. But hotpot still required many ingredients, which would certainly be inconvenient during a military campaign.

Instant noodles were the most convenient thing—just soak them in boiling water and they were ready to eat.

In the system shop, one bag of braised beef noodles cost 10 points. Given the number of soldiers Liu Che had arranged, she would probably need to redeem over a hundred thousand bags for all the soldiers to share.

Even if she redeemed all her points, she still couldn't get that many instant noodles. So if she wanted to arrange instant noodles for the soldiers, she would have to make them herself.

Moreover, Great Han didn't have noodles yet. She could take the opportunity to popularize the way of eating noodles throughout Great Han.

Thinking along these lines, Liu Li had an idea in her heart.

Fortunately, in modern times, she had quite enjoyed cooking for herself and often browsed cooking videos online. Making instant noodle cakes from scratch wasn't something that would stump her for now.

The more Liu Li thought about it, the more excited she became, wishing she could fly back to Weiyang Palace right now and direct the kitchen staff to make instant noodle cakes. Alas, she was still stuck in the academy at this hour—even for the most important matter, she would have to wait until after classes ended.

Heaven and earth are vast, but learning comes first.

Liu Li rested her little chin on her hand and sighed helplessly in her heart. If she had known, she wouldn't have proposed founding the Grand Academy to Liu Che so early—she had truly made herself suffer.

She finally waited until classes ended, and after another half-hour journey, she returned to Jiaofang Palace Hall. Liu Li tossed her bag to a passing palace maid, dropping the words, "Take my bag back to my room," and then gathered her skirt and ran toward the kitchen.

The palace maids in the kitchen were preparing the evening meal at this time. Seeing their little princess rush in hastily, several of them stopped what they were doing and greeted Liu Li.

Liu Li waved her short little arms and said, "Stop what you're doing for now. Today, let's make some other delicious things."

Everyone knew that the Princess of Jianling always had many ideas. Now they obediently looked to her, waiting for the princess's next instructions.

Liu Li asked them for the wheat flour that had already been ground. This stone-milled flour wasn't as fine as what machines would produce in the future, but there was no other option for now.

Under Liu Li's direction, the palace maids added salt water to the flour and began kneading the dough, repeatedly working it over and over, then covered the dough to let it rest.

A palace maid summoned her courage to ask, "Does the princess plan to make steamed buns?"

Liu Li tilted up her fair little face, revealing a smile with red lips and white teeth: "No—today we're making noodles."

"Noodles?" The palace attendants heard this term for the first time.

"Just do as I say." She glanced at the dough, then had them prepare the other ingredients. While watching them prepare, Liu Li asked, "Do you know how to weave?"

How did the topic jump from cooking to weaving? The palace attendants had no choice but to follow Princess Jianling's leaping train of thought and replied, "To answer the Princess, we all know how to weave."

"That's good then."

The other ingredients were ready, and the dough resting in the basin had finished proofing. Liu Li leaned in for a look and felt that the dough everyone had kneaded was quite good—nice and elastic.

Then, under Liu Li's direction, the palace attendants pressed the dough into a very, very thin large flatbread.

Liu Li stepped onto a stool, took the food-cutting dagger from a palace attendant's hand, and sliced round and round from the outer edge of the flatbread, until the flatbread finally became a long strip.

The others followed Liu Li's example and sliced their own flatbreads into long strips as well. They spread a little oil over the long noodles, then manually rolled them smooth and rolled them even thinner.

"Princess, this flatbread really has turned into noodles, but they're so thin—almost like silk thread. How are we supposed to eat them?"

Little Liu Li heard someone say this and burst out laughing with a "pfft." Then she said, "Didn't I just ask you whether you know how to weave? Now treat the noodles in your hands as silk thread for weaving, and use these chopsticks as your loom—weave a square."

As she spoke, she demonstrated for everyone, using five chopsticks to slowly weave the long noodles onto them. The palace maids understood at once and one after another set to work weaving the noodles.

After one long noodle was finished being woven, Liu Li looked at the flatbread she had woven, then at the others'—her little face immediately fell.

The flatbread she made was so ugly!

The palace attendants chuckled softly, and someone spoke up to comfort her, "The Princess is still young. Once the Princess learns to weave in the future, she will surely make beautiful flatbreads."

Liu Li: "."

No—why would she need to make beautiful flatbreads? Once soaked in boiling water later, even the most beautiful flatbread would fall apart!

Liu Li: "Alright, now carefully place these flatbreads into the large pot, pull out the chopsticks, and roast them over fire until dry."

She had originally wanted to deep-fry them in hot oil, but considering that deep-frying required careful heat control, she ultimately chose to roast them over fire—it was all the same anyway.

The kitchen was bustling with preparation. Before anyone realized it, the sky outside had already darkened, and it was long past dinnertime.

Liu Che, waiting for his meal, knitted his brows tightly. "What is going on with the kitchen? Is dinner still not ready?"

Fuqu stood to one side, a helpless smile on her face. "Xiaojun, the Princess is in the kitchen. She said she wanted to make a new food, and the entire kitchen is busy helping her."

Ajiao, standing to one side, heard this and showed a look of keen interest. "I was wondering why I didn't see A-Li when I returned today—so she ran off to the kitchen to busy herself."

Liu Che raised an eyebrow. "What kind of food requires her to stay in the kitchen this whole time?"

Fuqu shook her head. "This handmaid does not know either."

Liu Che turned his head toward Ajiao. "Shall we go take a look together?"

Ajiao was also curious. Hearing Liu Che's suggestion, she gave a slight nod. "Alright."

The Emperor and Empress set off for the kitchen. Before they even got close, they smelled the fragrance of food. Looking at the kitchen, steam billowed out as though immortals were riding clouds and mist within. Faintly, Liu Li's delighted voice could be heard: "Wow, I didn't expect it would really turn into instant noodles."

Someone caught sight of the Emperor and Empress and hurriedly bowed. "Greetings, Your Majesty, Xiaojun."

Liu Li saw that both her parents had come and ran toward them, lifting the hem of her skirt. "Father Emperor, Mother Empress."

Ajiao looked at her daughter—her forehead and the tip of her nose were entirely covered in flour—and couldn't help reaching out to wipe her face. "How did you get like this?" Her voice carried the depth that belonged to Liu Che, yet also the gentleness that belonged to Chen Ajiao, making the little palace maids standing nearby blush.

His Majesty was truly so gentle!

Little Liu Li curved her lips in a smile, revealing her fully grown little teeth, including two sharp little fangs—exceptionally adorable.

"Father Emperor, Mother Empress, you've come at just the right time." Her phoenix eyes sparkled like tiny twinkling stars. "A-Li has prepared noodles for you. Let's go back to the hall to eat."

Liu Che: "." They had just arrived and she already wanted to go back. If he'd known, he wouldn't have come.

The group returned to the main hall and sat at the dining table. The palace maids presented the finished flatbreads before the Emperor and Empress, then prepared boiling hot water on standby.

Liu Che stared at the curly, twisty things in the bowl and asked in puzzlement, "Is this tonight's dinner?"

Liu Li nodded. "That's right."

"How do you eat it?" Liu Che reached out and picked up the flatbread. Since it had just been roasted, the flatbread was still warm.

Liu Li: "."

She quickly said, "Put it down, put it down. Mother Empress, don't be hasty." Why was he like a child, grabbing food with his hands?

Liu Che did as told, set the flatbread in his hand down, and looked at Liu Li. "Hmm?"

Liu Li directed the palace attendants nearby to add pre-mixed seasonings to each bowl, along with a fried egg and dried meat, and finally poured in boiling water.

After all this was done, the palace attendants withdrew. Ever since the Jiaofang Palace Hall started using high-legged tables, the Son of Heaven had not liked having people waiting upon him at his side during meals.

Liu Li picked up a lid from beside her and covered the bowl with it, gesturing for Ajiao and Liu Che to do the same. In the end, the three of them sat at the table, looking at one another.

Liu Che raised an eyebrow, holding back laughter in his throat. "Before dining today, are we supposed to pray?"

Liu Li: "." This cold joke was not funny at all.

She pursed her lips and explained, "What we're eating today is called noodles, also called instant noodles, which means they're very convenient." Saying this, she felt that enough time had passed for steaming, so she raised her hand and lifted the lid.

"Father Emperor, Mother Empress, look—the instant noodles are done soaking and ready to eat." As she spoke, Liu Li used her chopsticks to gently lift the noodles, swallowing the saliva in her throat.

This was authentic handmade instant noodles—she wondered how it would taste. Liu Che, who had been hungry for a while, used his chopsticks to lift the noodles from his bowl and started eating, making a slurping sound.

Liu Li turned to stare at Liu Che and Ajiao, unable to resist asking, "Father Emperor, Mother Empress, are these noodles tasty?"

Liu Che, who had never eaten noodles before, found them novel on the one hand, and on the other the flavor was indeed quite good—the broth was savory, the noodles chewy—rather delicious overall.

Ajiao gave a slight nod and praised, "The flavor is good." She paused, then asked, "Is this made from flour?"

"That's right." Liu Li nodded and said, "It's made from wheat flour."

As she spoke, she also took a bite of the handmade instant noodles herself. The texture was somewhat different from traditional instant noodles, but surprisingly not bad. Liu Li was very pleased in her heart and quickly said to Liu Che, "Father Emperor, what do you think of these instant noodles?"

"Excellent." Liu Che gave his assessment while eating.

Liu Li smiled with pressed lips, then buried her head in eating her noodles, planning to discuss with Liu Che the matter of applying instant noodles to the military after they finished eating.

After finishing a bowl of noodles, Liu Che burped in a very undignified manner, drawing a sideways glance from Ajiao. She held back and ultimately did not say anything about Liu Che ruining his image.

In any case, there were no outsiders in the hall. Liu Che leaned back in his chair, his expression lazy. "You were busy in the kitchen for quite a while just now. The making of these noodles must be quite laborious—so why call them instant noodles?"

In his view, they were not convenient at all.

Liu Li pursed her lips, tilted her head, and said, "Father Emperor, these noodles are indeed not convenient when making them, but they're very convenient when eating them—you just need to steep them in hot water, and then you can eat."

Liu Che lifted his eyelids slightly, thought back to the process of eating the noodles just now, and it did indeed seem to be the case.

"A-Li wants to mobilize all the palace servants in the palace kitchens to produce these easy-to-store flatbreads, then transport them to the army as food supplies, so that the soldiers can eat hot, flavorful food even in camp. What does Imperial Father think?"

Hearing Liu Li's words, Liu Che instantly understood why these noodles were called instant noodles. Letting soldiers in battle eat hot, flavorful food sounded like a wonderful thing.

Liu Li blinked and said, "With just one or two people making the flatbreads it might be a bit slow, but if a lot of people make them, we should be able to produce many flatbreads."

Liu Che slapped the table: "This method is excellent!"

It was only October now; these flatbreads could be made in November by arranging people for the task, and after they were finished, transported to the border garrisons, just in time to serve as supplies for the soldiers.

Seeing that Liu Che agreed, a glint of mischief flickered in Liu Li's eyes: "Then A-Li will go find Uncle Sang tomorrow to discuss this matter and get everything implemented as quickly as possible."

After all, making that many flatbreads would require no small amount of manpower and resources. So they still needed the Grand Agricultural Secretary Sang Hongyang to carefully arrange everything properly.

Liu Che raised an eyebrow, looking at his daughter's eyes, as clear and transparent as the bright moon in the sky, yet couldn't help saying sourly: "Why does A-Li have to go find Sang Hongyang for everything?"

Liu Li was taken aback, stared at Liu Che for a moment, and said puzzledly: "Isn't the Grand Agricultural Minister specifically in charge of these things? If A-Li doesn't go to him, who else can she go to?"

Liu Che: "..." Oh, he had momentarily forgotten the duties of the Grand Agricultural Secretary.

Liu Li still had to go to the Grand Academy during the day and couldn't go find Sang Hongyang, so she tucked two already-made flatbreads into her bag, deciding to visit Sang Hongyang's home after school let out and personally prepare the instant noodles for him to see.

Of course, this would inevitably delay things a little, so Liu Li told Ajiao about her itinerary in advance—she might come back a bit late, so she shouldn't worry.

After school let out that day, Liu Li deliberately waited at the entrance of the Grand Academy for Sang Qian, planning to go along with him to his home.

Horse carriages filled the entrance of the Grand Academy to pick people up; Liu Li had long since told the guards escorting her back to the palace not to come pick her up after school.

She waited quite a while without seeing Sang Qian come out, but instead saw Huo Qubing and Cao Xiang walking out together, each leading a small colt.

The autumn wind rustled, yellow leaves still falling from the trees; the two of them walking together drew quite a few gazes.

"A-Li, why are you here?" Cao Xiang spotted Liu Li from afar and quickened his pace to her side: "Have the guards not come to pick you up yet?"

"Cousin Cao." Liu Li narrowed her eyes slightly and greeted him.

Then, Huo Qubing also walked over.

Cao Xiang said: "Would you like me to escort you back to the palace?"

Liu Li stared at the colt he was leading: "Why are you leading horses out?"

Not just the two of them—the students coming out one after another behind them were basically all leading colts out as well.

"These are the mounts the instructor assigned to us. From now on, when coming to the Grand Academy, I won't need the marquis manor's people to escort me anymore; I can ride back myself." Cao Xiang lifted his chin slightly and said proudly: "My riding and archery skills are quite impressive now too."

"Oh." Liu Li nodded, looked behind her, but still didn't see any sign of Sang Qian.

Cao Xiang patted his small colt: "A-Li, would you like to sit on it? I'll escort you back to the palace."

"No." Liu Li refused flatly—she cherished her own little life very much.

"Then you—" Cao Xiang was about to say more, but Liu Li finally spotted Sang Qian arriving late behind them; he wasn't leading a colt, but was instead carrying several bamboo scrolls in his arms.

"Cousin, I still have some things to do, you'd better go first." She waved to Cao Xiang and Huo Qubing, then ran toward Sang Qian.

"Little Sang." Liu Li stood beside him and called out.

Sang Qian: "?"

A hint of amusement appeared in his expression: "Your Highness the Princess, my rank in your heart seems to have dropped rather quickly."

Hearing this tone, Liu Li knew he was definitely about to say something unkind. Before she could stop him and tell him to shut up, he had already continued: "At first you called me Brother, then Sang Qian, and now it's already become Little Sang?"

Liu Li: "..."

As the two talked, they walked back to where Cao Xiang and Huo Qubing were. Seeing them, Sang Qian raised his hand slightly in greeting: "Young Marquis, Young Master Huo."

Cao Xiang looked at Liu Li and Sang Qian, puzzled in his heart, but it wasn't his place to ask directly, so he just nodded in acknowledgment.

The group continued walking forward. Sang Qian looked at Liu Li walking beside him: "What do you need from me, Princess?"

Liu Li said: "Take me to your home."

Sang Qian: "."

He replied listlessly: "Oh." He didn't need to ask to know that the princess going to his home was definitely to find his old father.

Cao Xiang overheard their conversation and asked curiously: "A-Li, what are you going to his house for?"

"I have matters to discuss with the Grand Agricultural Secretary," Liu Li said.

Cao Xiang pressed further: "What matters?"

Liu Li: "..." She looked at Cao Xiang: "Why do you ask so much? It has nothing to do with you." Mainly, she couldn't be bothered to explain to Cao Xiang; it felt like a waste of breath.

"Then I'll go with you." Cao Xiang patted his small colt: "I can protect you."

Liu Li: "."

The Sang residence's carriage had already appeared before everyone's eyes. Liu Li said helplessly: "Suit yourself." With that, she stepped onto a stool and boarded the Sang residence's carriage first, and Sang Qian followed behind her onto the carriage.

Cao Xiang turned to Huo Qubing and said: "Brother Huo, I'm going with A-Li to Young Master Sang's residence. You go back first."

Huo Qubing stared at the Sang residence's carriage for a moment, then looked at Cao Xiang, a fleeting glint of darkness flashing through his pitch-black eyes: "Mm, tomorrow I'll come to your manor to fetch you."

Cao Xiang mounted his horse: "Good."

Liu Li and Sang Qian sat inside the carriage. Liu Li looked at the bamboo scrolls in Sang Qian's arms and asked curiously: "You actually brought bamboo scrolls home to study?"

Hearing this, Sang Qian let out a long sigh and said: "Today the Erudite tested me on policy essays, and I couldn't answer."

Looking at his dejected appearance, Liu Li couldn't help but laugh: "So you were punished with copying?" Master Gongsun Hong seemed to like punishing students this way.

"Yes."

No wonder he came out so late and looked so dejected. Liu Li reached out and patted his shoulder, encouraging him: "Listen carefully in class next time."

"You didn't listen carefully in class either, so why did the Erudite let you off?"

Liu Li raised an eyebrow: "Do you want to know the reason?"

"Mm-hm?"

She gave a hearty laugh and said in a somewhat punchable tone: "Because I'm a princess."

Sang Qian: "..." You're something else!