Tang Dynasty: Starting at Xuanwu Gate, this prince is better off not being one.

Li Yu rubbed his numb arms and got up to stretch.

As soon as he got up from the stone table, he saw two people staring at him.

Holy crap!

Li Yu was so startled that he jumped up from his chair, and his whole demeanor became much more alert.

It took him a long time to realize that it was the green-clad man he hadn't seen for several days and Lu Tong, whose face was full of excitement.

"Why are you back so soon?" Li Yu covered his mouth and yawned, casting a probing glance at the woman in green.

Seeing her young master's mouth agape like a hippopotamus, the woman in green bowed gracefully and said with a light smile, "This servant has also seen my parents. I have given them all the money you bestowed upon me. Since there is no one to serve you here, this servant came back with Steward Chen."

"You silly girl, your young master has hands and feet, and there are so many people in the manor. Do you think I'd let myself starve to death?"

Seeing the smiling face of the girl in green, Li Yu was quite satisfied. Although the girl still addressed him as "this servant," she seemed much more relaxed in his presence.

That's great! They're all acquaintances, what's the point of getting nervous when you see them? I'm not some dirty thing...

After asking Green Robe about her family situation, Li Yu remembered Lu Tong, who had been waiting nearby. He then said apologetically, "Old Lu! I'm so sorry I forgot about you. How's your tea coming along?"

Lu Tong dared not show the slightest offense, and still said excitedly, "It's done! It's done! This humble official has successfully brewed the tea!"

"Is that really the case?"

Li Yu glanced at Lu Tong's hands, which were covered in scars, and was truly surprised that this guy had learned how to fry tea so quickly. He urged, "Quick! Let me taste it!"

"Okay!"

Upon receiving the order, Lu Tong took out a wooden box from his sleeve and presented it to Li Yu.

Li Yu took the wooden box, and as soon as he opened it, a fragrant aroma of tea wafted out.

"good!"

Li Yu sighed and instructed Green Robe to quickly boil some water for him.

After the water was boiled, Li Yu rinsed his teapot with boiling water before brewing the tea that Lu Tong had fried.

Unlike Li Yu, whose techniques were rough, Lu Tong had been brewing tea for half his life. His ability to distinguish tea quality and master the heat required for frying tea was far beyond what Li Yu could match.

So when Li Yu put the scalding hot tea into his mouth, the fragrant aroma of the tea instantly filled his mouth.

He sipped the tea a couple more times, and once the temperature was just right, he began to swallow.

As the tea passed down my throat, it left a refreshing coolness, and even my breath carried a faint aroma of tea.

Now this is real tea! A true expert indeed!

Li Yu was extremely excited, thinking to himself that this was the tea that Lao Tzu had drunk in later generations!

Having finally found that familiar feeling of drinking tea in later generations, Li Yu poured himself another cup after finishing one. Then he gestured to Lu Tong and Lü Yi, telling them to pour themselves a cup if they wanted some.

The three of them sat together and finished off a pot of tea. Only then did Li Yu bring Lu Tong to his father.

"What is this?"

Li Xuanba looked at the contents of the box, picked up a pinch of the contents with his hand, and examined them closely.

"Father, this is tea, which was stir-fried by Lu Tong, the Chief Steward of the Imperial Kitchen." Li Yu did not take credit for it himself.

After all, his purpose was simply to drink a familiar cup of tea, and he didn't need any credit at all.

After listening to Li Yu's introduction, Li Xuanba put the tea he was holding under his nose and smelled it. Sure enough, he could smell the fragrance of tea leaves.

"Hmm, this tea is good, but why is it all wrinkled?" After saying that, he threw the tea leaves into his mouth and chewed them a couple of times.

Seeing his father's face contort from the bitterness, Li Yu quickly said, "Father, this isn't how you drink tea. Please wait, I'll brew you a pot."

.........

"Son! Don't try to fool your old man. You don't even need to boil this tea?" Li Yu's tea-making skills left Li Xuanba speechless.

"No need to boil, just scald it with boiling water and you can drink it."

"No spices needed?"

"No need... the tea itself is the best flavor." Li Yu poured a cup of the brewed tea and presented it to Li Xuanba like a treasure.

With a hint of disbelief, Li Xuanba took the teacup and tentatively asked, "Then may I drink it, Father...?"

"..."

As the fragrant tea entered my throat, I expected a slightly astringent taste, but to my surprise, it was only slightly astringent at first, followed by a sweet aftertaste, and my mouth was instantly filled with saliva.

"This tea..."

.........

Li Xuanba was addicted.

There was no need for Li Yu at all; he poured himself one cup after another and drank from one cup after another until he was full and burped before he was satisfied.

Seeing his father drinking tea more like he was drinking alcohol, Li Yu knew that the tea was a waste of his talent.

"Lu Tong, you can forget about being the Assistant Director of the Imperial Kitchen. I'm appointing you as the Supervisor of the Imperial Kitchen, in charge of all the food, tea, and wine for the Prince of Zhao's residence. What do you say?"

"I am deeply grateful to Your Highness for your kindness and promotion! I will certainly do my utmost to repay your favor!"

Lu Tong, whose rank had risen from the eighth grade to the sixth grade, a jump of three ranks, was so excited that he immediately bowed down in obeisance…

.........

Lu Tong got a great deal, while Li Yu was much more unlucky in comparison.

All the freshly roasted tea was snatched away by his father, who said he wanted to show those bumpkins in Chang'an the way his eldest son invented tea drinking, leaving Li Yu with no freshly roasted tea leaves left.

Most importantly, that bastard Lu Tong actually fried all the raw tea leaves, not even giving Li Yu a chance to fry some more.

After kicking away Lu Tong, who was clinging to his leg, crying and saying he would go through fire and water to repay Lu Tong's kindness, Li Yu stormed off in a huff.

Damn it! You can cry all you want, but what's with almost getting your snot all over me?

.........

I wandered around aimlessly, bored.

I went to the courtyard to see Wenren An, who was practicing martial arts by chopping wood. He swung a broken axe with great force.

Unable to understand the intricacies of martial arts, Li Yu only knew that he had an endless supply of firewood at home…

He didn't know when people would be forced to go to Sichuan to find firewood, but he wasn't in the mood to worry about the country and its people right now.

I passed by Cheng Chumo's study, where he was studying with his teacher.

There are many learned scholars in the Prince's mansion, and they are more than capable of teaching the sons of the officials in the Prince's residence.

So Li Yu arranged for a tutor to be assigned to Cheng Chumo separately.

It worked very well! After Li Yu's nonsense that day, Cheng Chumo stopped arguing with the teacher.

Even though he felt like eating the book several times while studying, he managed to resist the urge.

That's great! A good second-generation official should learn more about military strategy, spend five or seven years in the army, and he could probably become a captain in the military command. Why not?

Li Yu desperately wanted all his friends to become high-ranking officials so that they could protect him in the future.

Now, there's no shortage of opportunities to earn merit in the military.

Because besides Henan and Hebei, there are also places like the Eastern Turks and Tuyuhun that can be attacked.

I wonder if the historical alliance of the White Horse Alliance will ever be repeated in this world...

.........