If I traveled back to the Tang Dynasty, all I really wanted to be was a carefree prince.

When Li Ke emerged from the West Market, he carried a pot of potato vines in his arms, and chili seedlings and several earthenware jars hung on his horse's back. Li An followed behind with large and small bags, while Tie Tou brought up the rear with a stick. The group walked towards the palace in the slanting autumn sun. By the time they returned to the side hall, the sky was already tinged with an orange-red sunset.

"Qiao'er, pack all these things. Send the red Shu brocade to Mother Consort, and the pale yellow one to Empress Dowager. Send the writing implements and calligraphy to the East Palace, and tell your eldest brother that this is a small token of your third brother's affection. Give the clay tiger to Xiao Jiu, the rattan pony to Chengyang, and the Go set to your eldest sister." Li Ke instructed while taking off his outer robe. "Send the small knife to Yin'er, and tell him to practice martial arts diligently. Send the jade ruyi to Da'an Palace, and tell your grandfather that your grandson wishes him peace and happiness." Qiao'er agreed to everything and walked away with the items in her hands.

Li Ke placed the earthenware jars on the table and opened them—the pungent aroma of chili powder assaulted his nostrils. He closed the jars and his gaze fell on the pot of chili seedlings and the pot of potato vines. Several green and red fruits still hung on the chili seedlings, looking quite beautiful in the candlelight; the potato vine leaves were somewhat wilted, but the tubers at the bottom should still be good.

"Li An, go ask if there are any unused flowerpots in Mother Consort's palace, and find a few more. Also, find some bamboo poles, hemp rope, and—" He thought for a moment, "do you have any transparent silk or gauze? The more translucent, the better."

Li An was taken aback: "Your Highness, what are you going to do...?"

"Build a shed." Li Ke squatted down and poked at the soil around the potato vines with his fingers. "It's late autumn, and the weather is getting colder and colder. These things came from overseas, and they're afraid of freezing. We need to build them a warm shed, otherwise they won't survive the winter."

Although Li An didn't quite understand, he never asked too many questions about what His Highness had instructed, so he simply responded and left.

Behind Yang Guifei's side hall was a small open space where several precious orchids and camellias were usually planted, which were Yang Guifei's most cherished treasures. When Li Ke arrived with Tie Tou and Li An, Yang Guifei was loosening the soil around the orchids with a small shovel. When she saw Li Ke and his men approaching aggressively, she quickly stood up and patted the soil off her hands.

"Ke'er, what's wrong with you...?"

"Mother, may I borrow this piece of land?" Li Ke waved his hand. "Tie Tou, move those orchids to the side."

Consort Yang's expression changed: "Ke'er! That's a precious gift from your mother, I've been taking care of it for several years—"

"Mother, I'll get you something even better later." Li Ke squatted down and measured the size on the ground with his fingers. "I got two rare plants from the Hu merchants. I need to plant them quickly, because it will get cold in a few days and they might not survive. I'll have someone move your orchids indoors so they won't get cold."

Looking at her son's serious expression and then at the orchid that Tie Tou had already picked up, Consort Yang sighed, "You... you've always been so opinionated since you were little." She didn't stop him anymore and instructed the palace maids to help clear the space.

Li Ke marked out two areas on the ground, one for chili peppers and the other for potatoes. Tie Tou, being strong, turned the soil, dug holes, and applied base fertilizer in one go. Li An stood by, handing him water and tools. Li Ke personally moved the chili pepper seedlings from the ceramic pots, carefully placed them in the holes, covered them with soil, and watered them. The green and red berries on the chili pepper seedlings trembled slightly in the wind, like little lanterns. Next came the potatoes—he poured the potato vines out of the ceramic pots, the clods of soil breaking up to reveal four or five grayish-brown tubers underneath. Li Ke carefully inspected them, selecting the two largest with the most intact skins to keep as seeds; the rest he had Qiao'er collect and store in a cool, well-ventilated place.

"Tie Tou, go get the bamboo pole." Li Ke stood up and patted the dirt off his hands.

All the materials for building the greenhouse were ready. Li Ke used bamboo poles to build an arched frame, which was then placed over the two vegetable plots and secured firmly with hemp rope. Next came the covering—several bolts of transparent Shu brocade were carefully laid on the bamboo frame, one layer, two layers, three layers, leaving gaps between each layer to both insulate and allow light to pass through. Li Ke then pressed the edges of the greenhouse down to prevent cold drafts from getting in.

Yang Guifei stood under the eaves, looking completely bewildered. "Ke'er, what's going on?"

"Mother, this is called a greenhouse. It keeps the things inside alive even in the coldest weather, preventing them from freezing." Li Ke checked the greenhouse's airtightness and nodded in satisfaction.

Consort Yang glanced at the two wilted seedlings, unable to discern anything particularly valuable about them, but she knew her son well—he never did anything without a certainty. Since he was so concerned, the seedlings must be extraordinary. She smiled and didn't press the matter further.

By the time the news reached Li Shimin's ears, it was already completely dark.

Zhang De cautiously entered the imperial study and reported in a low voice: "Your Majesty, His Highness the Prince of Shu left the palace today and got into a conflict with the Japanese envoy to Tang China in the East Market, where he beat the envoy. Later, he went to the West Market, bought a lot of things, and even set up a shed in the open space behind Consort Yang's palace, moving several of Consort Yang's precious orchids—"

"What?" Li Shimin put down the memorial in his hand, his brows furrowing. Attacking the Japanese envoys to Tang China? This matter could be serious or minor. Moving orchids to build a shed? What's going on here? He stood up, straightened his robes, and said, "Prepare the carriage; let's go see."

In Yang Guifei's side hall, Li Ke was squatting in front of the heated pavilion, observing the temperature and humidity through the layers of transparent Shu brocade. Li Shimin strode in, and Yang Guifei quickly rose to greet him. Li Ke also stood up and bowed.

"Ke'er, I heard you beat up the Japanese envoy to Tang China today?" Li Shimin's voice was not loud, but it carried a hint of sternness.

"Father, it was that Japanese man who pushed me first, and that's why Tie Tou intervened. I didn't order anyone to use excessive force, I just wanted to teach him a lesson—to abide by the rules of the Tang Dynasty on Tang territory."

Li Shimin stared at him for a long while, seemingly lost in thought. "Then I won't hold this against you. What's growing in the shed?"

Li Ke followed Li Shimin to the greenhouse and pointed to the two seedlings inside: "Father, this one comes from the far west. Its fruits, some green and some red, hang on the branches and are very beautiful. This one also comes from the far west, and its flowers, some purple and some white, are also a sight to behold. I found them rare and bought them to plant. But now it's late autumn, and the weather is getting colder. I was afraid they would freeze to death, so I built this greenhouse."

Li Shimin looked at the two wilted seedlings beneath the layers of transparent Shu brocade, unsure what to say. This child, he had only lightly mentioned the defeat of the Japanese envoy to Tang China, yet he cared so much about these two plants. He shook his head, his tone tinged with helplessness: "I thought you were up to something important. Just for these two plants, you moved your mother's precious orchids and built this whole shed?"

Yang Guifei smiled with her lips pursed beside her.

Li Ke wasn't annoyed. He waited until Li Shimin finished speaking before looking up at him, his eyes sparkling. "Father, please give me some time. When this thing grows up, I'll give you a surprise."

Li Shimin stared at him for a long time. "What surprise?"

"If I tell you now, it won't be a surprise." Li Ke smiled. "Father, just wait and see, I won't let you down."

Li Shimin snorted and turned to leave.

After Li Shimin left, Li Ke squatted down and inspected the greenhouse again. The light transmission of Shu brocade wasn't as good as the greenhouse film of later generations, but with several layers, the insulation was still quite good. During the day, when the sun was out, the greenhouse was much warmer than outside; the temperature would drop at night, but fortunately, late autumn in Chang'an hadn't yet reached the freezing point, so they should be able to get through this period without problems. When winter really came, he would figure out a solution—to add more blankets or burn a few charcoal braziers around the greenhouse.

He stood up, turned to leave, but suddenly remembered something, squatted down, and said softly to the two seedlings in the shed, "You two must grow well. Whether you can convince Father Emperor next year depends on you."

A night breeze swept through the courtyard, causing the Shu brocade outside the greenhouse to sway gently. Inside the greenhouse, a few green and red fruits swayed slightly in the moonlight, as if responding to him.