Deposed? I couldn't be happier! I wouldn't even be a dog to the crown prince.

The Beiting Protectorate was originally the royal court of the Turks.

This place was once the center of power on the grasslands, filled with the stench of blood and slaughter. The grass on the ground seemed to be soaked in the rusty smell left by Huo Qubing's massacre.

But today, the style has changed drastically.

"Sizzle—!"

The crisp sound of hot oil dripping onto the charcoal fire broke the solemnity of the grassland.

Immediately afterwards, a rich and overpowering aroma of cumin lamb, carried by the north wind, swept across the surrounding area for miles.

At the main gate of the Protectorate, there were no guards with swords and spears. Instead, there were two rows of imperial chefs wearing white aprons and tall hats, busily cutting meat, skewering it, and brushing it with oil.

And right in the very center, on the site of the former golden tent that once belonged to Khagan Jieli, a colossal structure has been erected...

oven.

At this moment, Li Tai, the Prince of Wei, was wearing a specially made loose-fitting casual robe with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, standing in front of the oven, sweating profusely.

He held a handful of red willow branches in his hand, skillfully flipping the sizzling mutton on them. His focused expression was a million times more serious than when he was studying at the Hongwen Academy.

"Fire! Make the fire bigger!"

Li Tai yelled at the top of his lungs, "This lamb leg needs high heat to lock in the juices, then slow heat to infuse the flavor! Do you understand?"

"Yes, yes, yes! Your Highness is wise!"

The imperial chefs nearby quickly added charcoal to make the fire burn brightly.

Around the oven sat a group of people with different expressions.

They were not officials of the Tang Dynasty, but leaders of various tribes on the grasslands.

Tuli Khan's brother, the elders of the Tiele tribe, the new chieftain of the Uyghurs... these barbarians who usually disliked each other and were even secretly sharpening their knives to cause trouble were now as obedient as a group of primary school students waiting to be fed.

They held empty plates in their hands, their Adam's apples bobbing up and down, their eyes fixed on the meat in Li Tai's hand, their desire burning brighter than when they saw a stunningly beautiful woman.

"Um... Protector-General."

The elder Tiele swallowed hard and cautiously began, "We...we're here to discuss some matters, right? The issue of grassland allocation..."

"A meeting? What are we discussing?"

Without even turning his head, Li Tai threw down a handful of his secret-recipe chili powder.

"Nothing is more important than food! How can we talk about distribution if we can't even fill our stomachs?"

He tossed the roasted lamb leg onto a plate, pointing to its golden-brown, crispy skin with a proud expression.

"Come, have a taste! This is my latest creation, the 'Crispy Roasted Whole Lamb of King Wei'!"

"It's marinated with thirty-six kinds of spices, and stuffed with apples and onions to remove any fishy smell. I guarantee you've never eaten anything like it in your life!"

The leaders looked at each other in bewilderment.

This...this Grand Commander sent by the Tang Dynasty is a cook?

But the aroma was just too amazing.

Elder Tiele couldn't resist any longer and tore off a piece of meat, stuffing it into his mouth.

"Click."

Crispy skin, tender meat, and bursting with juice.

The complex aroma exploded in his mouth, instantly conquering his taste buds, which had only ever eaten boiled meat.

"Hmm!"

The elder's eyes widened, and two streams of tears almost flowed down his cheeks. "So...delicious! By the Eternal Heaven, this is meat that even immortals eat!"

"real?"

Upon seeing this, the other leaders abandoned all pretense of modesty and swarmed forward, instantly dividing up the lamb leg.

"Don't fight! There are plenty! There are plenty!"

Li Tai watched this scene with a smile, and then took out a bucket of mare's milk wine from the ice container next to him.

"Eating only meat is too greasy, come on, try this."

"This is my improved 'yogurt' made with milk from here, with added honey and dried fruit. It's incredibly refreshing!"

The aroma of meat filled the air as glasses clinked and toasts were exchanged.

The tribal chiefs, who were originally on the verge of conflict and harboring their own ulterior motives, miraculously lowered their guard under the onslaught of delicious food.

"Your Excellency, your cooking skills are superb! I'd trade a hundred horses for this roast meat recipe!"

"One hundred horses? I'll offer two hundred! Sir, could you teach my wife how to make that yogurt?"

"Forget about grasslands! As long as you, sir, are here, our tribe will never cause trouble! Anyone who dares to cause trouble and prevent us from having a good meal will be the first to be killed!"

Li Tai sat in the main seat, listening to the praise around him, feeling incredibly pleased.

He finally understood what his older brother meant by "mascot".

No need to use your brain or resort to tricks.

As long as these barbarians are fed and made happy, the world will be at peace!

"Sure, sure!"

Li Tai waved his hand, displaying his heroic spirit.

"As long as you all behave, mine coal properly, and raise sheep well, I promise you'll live a life of luxury every day!"

"Come on! Cheers!"

"A salute to the Tang Dynasty! A salute to its delicious food!"

"Respectfully, Your Highness, Prince Wei!"

Under the night sky over the grassland, laughter and cheerful voices carried far and wide.

What was once a killing field has now been transformed into a grand food exchange event.

……

Chang'an, the Eastern Palace.

Li Chengqian held a secret report delivered urgently by the Embroidered Uniform Guard in his hand, laughing so hard he rolled around in his rocking chair.

"Hahaha! This kid's got guts!"

He pointed to the contents of the secret report and laughed until tears almost streamed down his face.

"A Summary of the First Barbecue Festival of the Beiting Protectorate..."

Attendees: Twenty-eight heads of various departments.

"Mutton consumed: 50 pieces"

"An agreement has been reached: all departments have pledged to cease fighting and fully cooperate with wool production, in exchange for His Highness Prince Wei's secret seasoning packet."

Qinglong stood to the side, his lips twitching involuntarily.

"Your Highness, this...this is far too frivolous!"

"When His Highness Prince Wei arrived there, he didn't do any serious business. He just spent his days discussing food and drink with those leaders. It's said that nowadays, people on the grasslands aren't competing to see who has the sharpest knife anymore; they're competing to see who can roast the most fragrant meat."

"This is child's play? This is great wisdom!"

Li Chengqian wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes and slammed the secret report onto the table.

"Look, Huo Qubing was killing people like crazy, which is why people were so afraid."

"But Qingque's move is really tempting!"

"Fear is temporary; craving, however, lasts a lifetime!"

"Once their stomachs are captured by the delicacies of the Tang Dynasty, their hearts will be bound to them."

Li Chengqian stood up, walked to the window, looked north, and showed a look of satisfaction on his face, as if saying, "My younger brother has grown up."

"Not bad, not bad."

"This kid has finally found his purpose in life."

"From now on, he'll undoubtedly be the Grand Commander of Beiting. Let's see who dares to say he's good for nothing but eating!"

"The ability to turn food into a political tool—that's a talent in itself!"

Just as Li Chengqian was filled with emotion.

Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the door.

Shen Lian strode in, his expression somewhat solemn, holding a newly opened wax-coated secret letter in his hand.

"Your Highness, something has happened in the west."

Li Chengqian's smile vanished instantly. He turned around, his eyes turning slightly cold.

"West side?"

"You mean... the Silk Road?"

Shen Lian nodded and presented the secret letter.

"This was brought back at great risk by a spy who infiltrated a caravan in the Western Regions."

"In the past few days, several large caravans from our Great Tang Dynasty were detained when they passed through the border between Gaochang Kingdom and Tibet."

"Not only were all the goods stolen, but the people were also arrested."

"and……"

Shen Lian paused, his voice becoming somewhat low.

"The other side has said that the Tang Dynasty has overreached."

"The Western Regions are not the Tang Dynasty's backyard. Anyone who dares to do business there without their permission..."

"That's... courting death."

Li Chengqian took the secret letter but did not rush to read it.

He simply stroked the rough paper gently, and the playful smile that had just faded from the corner of his mouth reappeared.

Just this once.

That smile no longer held any warmth.

Only a chilling, eerie cold.

"court death?"

Li Chengqian chuckled softly.

"Looks like we've just fed the wolves in the north, and now the dogs in the west... are starting to bark again."