A thousand-year-old family begins with one fighting against ten thousand.

"If we can build a grand ceremony to demonstrate the court's civil administration, then it would be worth the great effort."

"But surely the manpower and resources required to stage a grand ceremony for the nation can't be hidden from us?"

Kong Yingda, the Minister of Rites, stepped forward and said that if the grand ceremony of the dynasty were to be revised, a large number of scholars would be needed, and it would be impossible for it to be done without any action.

"I can't figure it out, but I'm sure we'll have the answer soon."

Many high-ranking officials were baffled and could only wait for Li Shimin to reveal the answer.

Tsk tsk, they probably can't imagine what awaits them even if they rack their brains.

Once everyone had arrived, Li Shimin led Li Chengqian and Wei Zu out together.

"Greetings, Your Majesty, Your Highness, Grand Minister of Agriculture."

The ministers and the three elders all bowed to Li Shimin and his two companions. Li Shimin waved his hand, indicating that there was no need for further formalities, and asked everyone to sit down.

Li Shimin first delivered an important speech, summarizing his achievements since ascending the throne and the outstanding contributions of his ministers, and so on.

Then the ministers showed each other courtesy and deference, demonstrating a harmonious relationship between the ruler and his subjects.

Finally, Li Shimin began to steer the conversation toward the banquet, saying, "Since I ascended the throne, I have not accomplished any great feats, but I have worked diligently and tirelessly to do many practical things for the people."

"Therefore, I have invited you all and many elders and fellow villagers to come here today, not for any other reason than to remember the bitter past and appreciate the present present."

"I hope that all the officials of the court will not forget our original aspirations. We raised an army in Taiyuan in the past, braved wind and rain, and survived nine deaths and one life before we finally gained the world."

"Now that you hold the highest position in the court and live a life of luxury, you must not forget your roots."

"Today's banquet has no delicacies, no rare dishes, no extravagance, only simple food, plain rice, simple bread and soup, and a few side dishes, so that we may remember the hardships of the people."

"In the future, I urge all of you to join me in building the Great Tang Dynasty, so that the people may live in peace and prosperity, and share in this golden age!"

After Li Shimin finished speaking, the courtiers cheered.

Some dramatic individuals even wiped away tears and proclaimed the emperor's wisdom.

"Let the feast begin!"

At Li Shimin's command, eunuchs brought out several tightly covered plates and placed them in front of everyone.

At Li Shimin's signal, the eunuchs opened the lid of one of the plates, revealing several pieces of yellowish-brown flatbread.

"My lords, please."

Li Shimin set an example by taking the lead, picking up a pancake, putting it in his mouth, closing his eyes, and taking a bite.

After taking a bite, Li Shimin discovered that the locust cake was not as unpalatable as he had imagined, nor did it have the foul or fishy smell he had expected. Instead, it had a faint aroma of meat and the fragrance of grains.

Even though Li Shimin knew what it was, he still subconsciously felt a bit nauseous.

Seeing that Li Shimin had already started eating, the ministers had no choice but to pick up their flatbreads and begin eating as well.

Especially some ministers from aristocratic families, who were used to a life of luxury, had never eaten simple bread before.

However, after tasting it, they discovered that the bread had a meaty aroma, which improved their complexion.

Many ministers began to wonder, and some officials and censors were already preparing to impeach Li Shimin. Why was the banquet, which was supposed to be a time to recall the bitterness of the past and appreciate the sweetness of the present, served meat pies?

It's already a struggle for ordinary people to have enough to eat, so how can they possibly have the right to eat so much meat?

This meat pie is clearly out of place at a banquet.

Wei Zheng was the first to step forward and challenge the emperor, saying, "Your Majesty, didn't you say this banquet was meant to allow people to experience the hardships of the common people? Why are these meat pies?"

"Does Your Majesty mean to say, 'Why don't they eat meat porridge?'"

"What virtue or ability do the common people of the world possess to be able to eat this kind of meat pie every day?"

A group of imperial censors stepped forward and began to criticize Li Shimin. They all saw this as a good opportunity to become famous, and with Wei Zheng leading the charge, they all rushed forward.

In the past, Li Shimin would always get a headache and feel overwhelmed when he heard Wei Zheng's advice.

He had encountered a situation before where Wei Zheng started a group, and other censors followed suit, which infuriated him.

But this time was different. Faced with the attack from Wei Zheng and the censor, Li Shimin smiled but remained silent.

"How about we talk about it after the banquet?"

Li Shimin smiled slightly, leaving Wei Zheng completely baffled.

What does Li Shimin mean by this?

However, Wei Zheng also knew that this emperor was a wise ruler and would not speak without reason, so he chose to believe him and hold back for the time being.

Seeing that there was no leader, the other censors also fell silent.

Li Shimin waved his hand, and the eunuch unveiled the second dish, which was a meat porridge.

The rice porridge was cooked to a very thick consistency, and there were clearly visible small pieces of dried meat mixed in, giving off an even stronger aroma of meat and rice.

Li Shimin took out a soup spoon, scooped up a spoonful, closed his eyes, and put it in his mouth.

The food delivered to Li Shimin was naturally at the perfect temperature. Upon tasting it, the aroma of meat and rice filled his mouth. If he didn't know where the meat came from, he would have been quite pleased and eagerly devoured the bowl of porridge.

But now, Li Shimin could only grit his teeth and bite into the meat porridge in front of him, spoonful after spoonful.

The other ministers were even more confused when they saw the meat porridge in front of them.

Wei Zheng, in particular, looked at Li Shimin with a mixture of anger at his lack of ambition and sorrow for his misfortune. He wondered if Li Shimin had changed after ascending the throne, becoming ambitious and indifferent to the suffering of the people.

Qin Qiong, Cheng Yaojin, and other military generals didn't care about such things. Seeing that Li Shimin had already started eating, they directly picked up their bowls and put them in their mouths.

"What kind of meat is this? It doesn't taste like beef, chicken, fish, duck, or pork, but it tastes surprisingly good. Your Majesty, what kind of meat is this?"

Cheng Yaojin tasted it carefully, and couldn't help but ask Li Shimin in confusion.

A hint of embarrassment flashed across Li Shimin's face. "You'll understand after you see the third dish."

Soon the eunuchs opened the lid of the third dish, revealing the third dish that Li Shimin had carefully prepared.

The dish was golden and translucent, with an amber-colored sheen. In the amber liquid, one could vaguely see some strips of meat of unknown origin.

The more the ministers looked at it, the more familiar the meat strips seemed.

In particular, many of the military generals who followed Li Shimin in conquering the country came from ordinary families. They had helped out in the fields when they were young and naturally caught nymphs, so they were very familiar with this insect.

Even if you cut off their heads and legs, and they're covered in a sugar coating, they can still recognize them quickly.

"Is that a water nymph?!"

A slightly hesitant voice of doubt came from the crowd. Everyone immediately recalled the appearance of the nymph and compared it carefully. It did seem quite similar.

Li Shimin looked embarrassed and said somewhat awkwardly, "That's right, it's a jumping nymph."