The Great Tang Dynasty's Trans-Dimensional Conference: Little Rhinoceros Arrives

Empress Zhangsun watched Li Shimin's retreating figure and couldn't help but shed tears.

Only she knew the true extent of the pressure Li Shimin had been under all these years.

Back in the Qin Dynasty, Li Shimin's greatest dream was nothing more than to ride his horse across the battlefield and conquer this vast empire for the Li family.

However, for some reason, all of this gradually changed.

When Li Yuan became emperor, the chaotic world had not yet been completely pacified, but a rift had already begun to appear between Li Shimin and his two elder brothers.

As Li Shimin's military achievements grew and his power expanded, the three brothers went from "brotherly harmony" to suspicion and suppression.

Li Yuanji even pleaded with Li Yuan to kill Li Shimin, saying, "The Prince of Qin will never be subordinate to the Crown Prince; I beg to kill him!"

In the end, Li Yuan did not agree to this unreasonable request. Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji had no other choice but to drag it out until the very end, when they even planned to poison Li Shimin at a banquet.

Li Shimin was incredibly lucky, whether he spoke or not, as he survived the poisoning.

Besides this wicked scheme, there were other things like trying to win over the concubines to frame Li Shimin and suppress the power of the Prince of Qin's mansion.

Under the relentless pressure from his two elder brothers, Li Shimin finally reached his breaking point in the ninth year of the Wude era.

With the assistance of a group of capable generals, Li Shimin, disregarding the charge of killing his own relatives, launched the Xuanwu Gate Incident.

Taking advantage of the Xuanwu Gate Incident, Li Shimin forced Li Yuan to abdicate and then successfully ascended the throne.

Although all of this happened under duress, it remains an indelible stain on Li Shimin's life.

However, Lin Fan's words about becoming a great emperor for all time have completely dispelled the gloom in Li Shimin's heart.

In that instant, Li Shimin seemed to have returned to his youth, his aura like a sharp sword breaking through the seal.

A moment later, Li Shimin turned around and looked at Lin Fan, his smile impossible to hide.

"Young friend, I am truly delighted today! Thank you!"

Faced with Li Shimin's earnest thanks, Lin Fan smiled and waved his hand.

"Your Majesty need not thank me; all of this is thanks to yourself."

Empress Zhangsun wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and quickly stepped forward:

"Alright, Your Majesty, let's not stand here anymore. Let the young master enter the hall first before we talk."

"Haha, the Empress is right, young man, please come in." Li Shimin quickly smiled and gestured for him to enter.

"Okay." Lin Fan nodded and followed the two into the hall.

As Lin Fan walked inside, he looked around the room.

The entire hall looked much like the ones depicted in later period dramas.

The light from the windows on both sides made the hall bright enough.

In the center and on both sides of the main hall, there is a table carved with dragons and phoenixes, and behind it stand two screens.

"I guess that's where Little Sizi rests," Lin Fan thought to himself.

"Young man, please have a seat."

As Li Shimin spoke, he and Empress Zhangsun sat down in the middle seats.

However, unlike modern people, both of them used a kneeling posture.

Although Lin Fan was not used to this sitting posture, since he had come to the Tang Dynasty, he should do as the locals do.

Chang Le returned to the main hall with Xiao Si Zi and Cheng Yang, and then sat down opposite Lin Fan.

Looking at the scene before him, Lin Fan would have loved to take out his phone and take a picture if the occasion had been more convenient.

Upon seeing Lin Fan sit down, Xiao Sizi felt as if his bottom was on fire.

Taking advantage of Chang Le's momentary lapse in attention, she got up and ran across to the other side, then sat down next to Lin Fan without any hesitation.

Empress Zhangsun frowned slightly upon seeing this: "Sizi, do not be rude. Quickly return to your seat."

"No!" Little Si shook her head firmly, and then reached out her little hand to grab Lin Fan's arm.

Li Shimin was fine at first, but seeing how much Sizi relied on Lin Fan, he felt a little jealous.

Empress Zhangsun shook her head helplessly. Now that Lin Fan was here, she wasn't in a hurry to deal with Sizi. She then waved her hand.

"Instruct the Imperial Kitchen to begin the banquet."

"Yes."

Before long, a group of eunuchs filed in, and the table in front of Lin Fan was soon filled with all kinds of food.

In the Tang Dynasty, most wealthy and powerful families practiced separate dining, let alone in the imperial palace.

Looking at the various dishes in front of me, regardless of the taste, their appearance alone is quite impressive.

"Young brother, you've come all this way to the Tang Dynasty, so please don't be too polite."

"Take a look at these dishes and see if they suit your taste. If you are not satisfied, I will have them replaced immediately."

Although Li Shimin said this, he was somewhat nervous, after all, this was the most luxurious banquet in the Tang Dynasty at present.

"Your Majesty, I am quite satisfied. To be honest, these dishes look very appetizing."

Lin Fan was not just being polite; although compared to the future of the catering industry, Datang was still far behind at this point.

But after all, it's the top-tier product of the Tang Dynasty, so even if it's not the worst, it can't be that bad.

"Haha, in that case, let's eat and chat."

Looking at all this delicious food, Lin Fan couldn't resist any longer.

"Brother Lin Fan, this meat is delicious!"

Seeing that Lin Fan hadn't touched his chopsticks, Xiao Sizi stood up and pointed to the plate in front of her.

Seeing this, Lin Fan first picked up a piece and put it in Xiao Sizi's bowl, then changed his chopsticks and got himself a piece.

"Sizi, you should eat too."

Okay.

The two looked at each other and smiled.

This scene surprised Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun, who were watching from above.

They knew the two had a good relationship, but they hadn't expected Xiao Sizi to be so enthusiastic towards Lin Fan. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought Xiao Sizi was Lin Fan's daughter.

Lin Fan picked up his bowl and chopsticks and took a big bite of the meat in the bowl.

It tasted good; he could tell it was mutton, and it didn't have any of the gamey smell that mutton should have. The saltiness was also just right.

After swallowing the first piece of meat from the Tang Dynasty, Lin Fan couldn't help but jokingly think to himself: I can now be considered the number one person in China.

"Lin Fan, how's it going? Isn't it great?"

Xiao Sizi really enjoyed the feeling of eating meat in big bites, and she thought that Lin Fan, whom she liked, would definitely like it too.

"Haha, of course it's delicious, absolutely amazing!" Lin Fan said, giving a thumbs up.

Seeing Lin Fan so satisfied, Xiao Sizi was also very happy.

"Young man, if you like it, please eat more. You can always ask for more if you're still hungry!"

Li Shimin waved his hand generously, saying that, putting aside everything else, there would definitely be enough meat.

Lin Fan smiled and nodded. Seeing that Si Zi had finished eating, he put another large piece on her plate.

Lin Fan's meticulous behavior was noticed by Empress Zhangsun, who was extremely pleased.

Regardless of what the future holds, at least Si Zi will be safe with Lin Fan, Empress Zhangsun thought to herself.