Drive to the Tang Dynasty, where supplies are refreshed daily!

The lanterns in the palace swayed in the wind, their light flickering.

It's already quite late, but Xiao Ran and the others are still awake.

Because the little princess mentioned ice lanterns to Li Shimin, Li Shimin became very curious about them.

There are many skilled craftsmen in the palace. They understood as soon as Xiao Ran explained, but they would have to wait until tomorrow to see the results.

The next day, after Xiao Ran got up, he accompanied the little princess and the others around the palace and saw several ice lanterns standing in the garden.

The ice lanterns had not yet been lit, but they were still a beautiful sight to behold.

This ice lantern is much more exquisite than the one Xiao Ran made.

The most eye-catching item is an ice lantern shaped like a white crane. The crane stands on one leg, its wings spread as if about to take flight, and it looks incredibly lifelike.

The white crane was half a person's height, while the little princess and her friends were not even as tall as the crane.

The little princess looked at the white crane and reached out to touch it.

Wow~ It feels so cool~

Xiao Ran laughed and said, "It's made of ice, so of course it's cool."

The placement of the ice lanterns was not entirely systematic; the palace servants simply placed them wherever they looked nice, as instructed. So now, the little princess and her companions were excitedly searching for ice lanterns throughout the palace.

As soon as they spotted one, they would call others to go see it together. Xiao Ran also followed along, running around everywhere and admiring many beautiful ice lanterns.

These artisans were indeed exceptionally skilled; in terms of carving techniques alone, they were even better than those of later generations.

Looking at these ice lanterns, I can't help but imagine how beautiful they will be when they are all lit up at night.

"Wow~ Little Nangjun, come quick~ This place is so beautiful~" The little princess's excited cheers came.

Xiao Ran walked towards the little princess and was also shocked.

Who would have thought that these craftsmen could carve out a pavilion in just one night?

However, this pavilion was not made into an ice lantern, but only an ice sculpture.

However, the palace lanterns and some flowers and plants in the pavilion, made of ice, were actually ice lanterns.

"Xiao Ran." Li Shimin's voice came.

Xiao Ran turned around and saw Li Shimin standing at the front, followed by Cheng Yaojin, Qin Qiong, and several others.

"Uncle," Xiao Ran greeted.

Li Shimin smiled smugly.

"How does my ice lantern compare to yours?"

Last night, the little princess and Li Shimin praised the ice lanterns endlessly, saying how beautiful they were.

Although the little princess's vocabulary is limited, you can tell how much she likes it just by looking at her gesturing.

If that were all, it wouldn't be so bad, but the little princess kept praising Xiao Ran, practically calling him a god.

Seeing the little princess's adoring gaze as she looked at Xiao Ran, Li Shimin decided to turn the tables, so he ordered the craftsmen to use all their skills to make ice lanterns.

Now, Li Shimin knew that Xiao Ran and the little princess had come here, so he brought the people who were just discussing matters over with him.

Xiao Ran had no idea what Li Shimin was thinking; he thought Li Shimin was just joking with him.

"Uncle, you're joking. I don't know how to carve. Of course, the ice lanterns here are more beautiful."

The little princess ran and grabbed Li Shimin's sleeve.

"Grandpa~ This hair is so pretty!"

The little princess was pointing to an ice lantern shaped like a flower.

The flower is simple, so simple that you can't even tell what kind of flower it is, because it only has five simple petals, but it is crystal clear and looks very beautiful.

Li Shimin laughed and said, "Since you like them, then give them to us, okay?"

The little princess nodded quickly.

"Okay~ Hehe~"

The little princess stepped forward and hugged the flower.

"It's a nest~"

Xiao Ran gently pulled the little princess away, "We'll take it when we leave. Let's leave it here for now."

The little princess obediently nodded.

Xiao Ran turned to Li Shimin and said without any politeness, "Uncle, your ice lanterns are beautiful. Please take some with you when I leave."

Li Shimin waved his hand and said, "Agreed."

Ice lanterns are nothing to Li Shimin, especially since he had already taken quite a few things from Xiao Ran.

Meanwhile, the group of people behind Li Shimin had been eyeing the ice lanterns for a long time.

Although they are men who value practicality more than appearance, they are not blind. Not valuing something doesn't mean they can't appreciate it.

So when Li Shimin agreed to Xiao Ran's request, Cheng Yaojin was the first to say, "Hey, Your Majesty, could you lend me the craftsman who made these ice lanterns for a couple of days?"

Li Shimin looked at Cheng Yaojin and joked, "I never thought you'd like this kind of thing. Granted."

Cheng Yaojin was so happy he practically grinned from ear to ear. He didn't care what time it was, he just told Li Shimin and then took the craftsmen back to his home to make ice lanterns.

Qin Qiong and Yuchi Jingde exchanged a glance but remained silent. However, Li Shimin, who was never one to show favoritism, spoke directly: "If you like it, then take your people and do it too."

The two men bowed in unison, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

After sending the rest of the people away, Li Shimin also played with a few of the children.

Although the ice lanterns were beautiful, it wasn't nighttime yet and they weren't lit up, so the little ones lost interest after looking at them one by one and instead pestered Li Shimin to play with them.

This time, the little princess also brought her shuttlecock and beanbag.

Xiao Ran and Li Shimin sat in the pavilion, but it was more like a warm pavilion than a cool one.

Because thick curtains were hung all around the pavilion, the wind couldn't get in.

In addition, Xiao Ran and Li Shimin were both wearing down jackets, so they weren't cold sitting inside.

The little princess and a few other children were playing shuttlecock a short distance away.

There was a pot of hot tea and a pot of hot honey water in the pavilion.

The little princesses and their friends would play shuttlecock and beanbag toss for a while, and when they got tired, they would come in to rest.

Xiao Ran hugged the little princess beside him and asked, "Is Sizi cold?"

The little princess shook her head, "No~ It's too hot~"

As she spoke, the little princess tugged at her collar.

Xiao Ran looked and saw that it wasn't cold at all; the little princess pulled at her collar and a wisp of warm air wafted out.

However, alternating between hot and cold temperatures can easily cause illness, so Xiao Ran took the little princess's hand and poured her a glass of honey water.

"Drink some water, this is sweet."

The honey water was served warm, and it tasted just right.

The little princess picked it up, took two sips, and her eyes lit up.

"Sweet~"

Xiao Ran smiled and said, "Honey water, of course it's sweet."

In addition to honey water, there was also a dish of milk cake.

The little princess took a bite of the soft milk cake, her eyes crinkling with delight.

Princess Chengyang and Princess Gaoyang, along with their third sister, were also drinking honey water and eating snacks.

Xiao Ran picked up a piece of milk cake. This pastry was much more refined than the ones his family made. The ones at home were usually just steamed and then cut into small pieces. The taste was the same, but the appearance was just average.

However, the pastries served to Li Shimin were all shaped like flowers or other designs, and even had printed patterns on them.

Xiao Ran ate a piece of milk cake and said, "Uncle, could you give me some of these molds too?"

Li Shimin tapped Xiao Ran's nose from a distance.

"You didn't happen to come here to buy goods, did you?"

Xiao Ran smiled and said, "How could that be? By the way, I also need a few rectangular boxes, not too big, for making popsicles."

Li Shimin didn't say whether he agreed or not, but simply said, "I've never had this popsicle before."

Yesterday, the little princess told Li Shimin everything she had been doing lately, including popsicles.

Upon hearing Li Shimin's words, Xiao Ran smiled.

"Poppies are very easy to make. I'll just tell the kitchen staff in a bit."

Moreover, Li Shimin has a lot of things here, so maybe the kitchen can even develop other flavors.

Li Shimin was now satisfied.

"You want a box, right? I've agreed. Go and tell the craftsman."

Xiao Ran was helpless.

"So I have to go find someone myself?"

Li Shimin took a sip of tea, pretending not to have heard Xiao Ran's words.

The little princesses went outside to play beanbag toss again, but this time it was the palace servants who threw the beanbags, and the little ones all dodged together.

Lunch was meat porridge with some salt added, and Xiao Ran drank two large bowls of it.

Time flew by and it was evening.

Yesterday was the Lantern Festival, but unexpectedly, it was even brighter tonight than yesterday.

Two new stone lion ice lanterns have appeared at the entrance of Cheng Yaojin's house, emitting light at night, attracting passersby to stop and stare.

It wasn't just Cheng Yaojin's house; there were also one or two ice lanterns placed at the door of other people's homes.

This morning, Cheng Yaojin and his entourage came out of the palace with a group of people behind them, which was seen by many people. As a result, after they came out, people came to visit their home one after another.

After they learned what had happened, many families contacted Li Shimin and borrowed his people to make ice lanterns.

These ice lanterns can be made as gifts, so many people have put them in their homes tonight.

Xiao Ran and his entourage moved through the palace, and the ice lanterns that were not lit during the day were lit up at night.

The white crane, which had attracted Xiao Ran's attention during the day, also stood out from the crowd at night, its outstretched wings radiating a halo.

It was at this moment that Xiao Ran noticed that the white crane was actually carrying a bunch of grapes in its beak.

Xiao Ran circled the white crane several times.

"This good-looking."

Li Shimin also liked the white crane.

"Not bad, reward!"

Xiao Ran looked at Li Shimin, "Hehe, Uncle, this white crane..."

Xiao Ran's meaning is self-evident.

Li Shimin wasn't reluctant to part with it. He could have any kind of ice lantern he wanted. However, this white crane was standing on one leg, and with its wings spread out, it would probably break if it was bumped around too much, since it was made of ice.

After listening to Li Shimin's words, Xiao Ran thought they made sense.

"That's true, but Uncle, who makes ice lanterns in the palace? They're so skilled at it."

There were no ice sculptors in the palace.

Li Shimin laughed heartily, "There's no such thing as ice sculpture, but what's the difference between carving on wood and carving on ice?"

Of course there are differences, but for experienced craftsmen, it's not that difficult.

With the added bond of nine clans involved, it's impossible not to do well.

Li Shimin, understanding the unspoken meaning, said, "Since we can't take the White Crane Ice Lantern back, then we'll give you the person instead."

Xiao Ran nodded quickly. He really needed such craftsmen. Although his great-grandfather knew carpentry and could probably do other things, when it came to exquisite craftsmanship, only people from the palace could do it.

With the people Li Shimin provided, it will be easier to do whatever we want in the future.

So when Xiao Ran returned, among the carriages behind him, there was not only gold, silver, jewelry, and ice sculptures, but also an extra person.

It was already afternoon when we returned to Kaolao Village.

Xiao Ran got out of the car, then turned around and picked up the little princess as well.

After putting the little princess on the ground, he turned around to pick up the little princess from Chengyang.

After placing the little ones on the ground one by one, Xiao Ran stood up.

Di Renjie thanked Xiao Ran like a little adult, which made Xiao Ran pat him on the head.

"Go play with Sizi and the others."

Di Renjie then walked into the house.

In the carriages behind, Li Lizhi helped Empress Zhangsun down, then Princess Yuzhang and Zhang Erya also got off, followed by Cheng Chumo and Qin Huaidao.

This time, Xiao Ran brought Sun Simiao back with him. The matter of gunpowder had been explained, and Xiao Ran and his group couldn't do without Sun Simiao, so they came back together.

A large group of people entered the courtyard, and the servants hurriedly stepped forward to tidy up the things, including the ice sculptures they had brought back.

Especially the pair of stone lions, which were placed at the main entrance.

Everything in the courtyard was handed over to the servants, and the craftsmen they brought were also arranged. Xiao Ran and the others went back to change their clothes and then sat in the living room to chat.

The little princess rested her face on Xiao Ran's knee, and Xiao Ran pinched her soft cheek.

"What's wrong, Sizi?"

The little princess puffed out her cheeks and rubbed against it.

"Little Nangjun~ I miss Qibing~"

Xiao Ran tapped the little princess's forehead.

"You little glutton, how about we eat it tonight? It's not ready yet."

The little princess nodded and said sweetly, "Okay~"

The cook already knew how to make popsicles, so Xiao Ran didn't need to lift a finger. He just stayed inside with the little princess and the others.

As darkness fell, the ice lanterns in the courtyard were lit up.

It wasn't just Xiao Ran's family's ice lanterns that were lit up; there were even more ice lanterns in Chang'an City.

Exquisite ice lanterns are beyond the reach of most people, but ice lanterns are actually quite easy to make. Even if you just freeze a block of ice, hollow out the middle, and put a light inside, it's still an ice lantern.

Thus, without anyone realizing it, ice lanterns became a fashion trend, and so did ice sculptures.

I imagine the streets will be filled with ice lanterns by next year's Lantern Festival.

However, that's for next year. Tonight, many villagers saw Xiao Ran return, and the village children wanted to come and play with the little princess and the others, which is how they saw the ice lanterns.

When Xiao Ran heard the servant's report and took the little princess and the others out, he saw a group of little kids circling around the stone lion ice lantern.

Perhaps they were afraid of breaking it, or perhaps they didn't know what it was, so they just looked at it from a distance and didn't dare to touch it.

Seeing the little princess and her companions emerge, they swarmed around them, chattering excitedly, "What's that?" (End of Chapter)