Tang Dynasty: Consort Wu? Your Majesty, please address her as the Crown Prince's Consort.

……

The Eastern Palace!

As soon as Li Chengqian entered the room, he saw Wu Zetian looking at him with a resentful expression.

Seeing this, Li Chengqian was a little embarrassed. He touched his nose, coughed, and said:

"Ahem! Have you eaten?"

However, it would have been better if Li Chengqian hadn't spoken. As soon as he opened his mouth, a mist immediately appeared in Wu Zetian's eyes.

He looked as if he had suffered a great injustice.

Seeing her like this, even Li Chengqian was at a loss.

"Hey! Why are you crying like this?!"

Having been single in two lifetimes, he was at a loss for what to do in this situation.

Upon hearing Li Chengqian's words, Wu Zetian sobbed and slowly spoke:

"If Your Highness dislikes Wu Zetian, why did you bring me out of the palace in the first place?"

"When did I ever dislike you? I didn't!" Li Chengqian was also full of questions.

Wu Zetian immediately spoke up:

"Your Highness said you didn't dislike me, but the imperial decree to make me a concubine was just issued, and Your Highness hasn't spent the night in the Eastern Palace. Why is Your Highness avoiding me?"

Ah this...

Can I say I was shy when I saw you like that? After being single for so long, who can handle this kind of excitement right from the start?

Wu Zetian, meanwhile, was staring at him with her large, watery eyes.

His pitiful appearance softened Li Chengqian's heart.

He spoke softly:

"Ah! I truly didn't despise you, I just..."

Before Li Chengqian could finish speaking, Wu Zetian interrupted him directly:

"Your Highness! As long as you don't mind my appearance, that's fine. As for the reason, I don't need to know."

Seeing Wu Zetian's sudden display of maturity, Li Chengqian couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt.

He realized that he hadn't been very kind to this girl, perhaps because he knew the course of history, and he had always been wary of her.

But the Wu Zetian of today is not the empress she will become; in the end, she is just a little girl.

"Have you eaten yet? If not, why don't you eat with me?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Zetian immediately looked up, her eyes revealing a hint of joy as she gazed at Li Chengqian.

Upon seeing her like this, Li Chengqian smiled slightly and said:

"Perfect timing! I brought some good ingredients from the palace; you should try them too!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Zetian didn't find anything wrong with it, since it was normal for the food in the palace to be better than that in the Eastern Palace.

……

The chefs at the East Palace worked quickly, serving the dishes to the table in no time.

The cooking methods of this era were nothing more than boiling and grilling, and Li Chengqian really couldn't compliment the taste.

Fortunately, in my previous life, I would sometimes study food when I had nothing to do at home. Although I didn't have all the seasonings, I still had basic seasonings like salt and pepper.

With his personal guidance, the chefs of the Eastern Palace quickly mastered the essence of stir-frying. Although the taste was still not as good as in later generations, it was much better than the original boiled dishes.

Looking at the table full of dishes in front of him, Li Chengqian glanced at Wu Zetian and said:

"Come on! Try it! This stuff is hard to find anywhere in the entire Tang Dynasty!"

Hearing this, Wu Zetian couldn't help but feel curious. She carefully picked up a piece of meat and took a bite.

Perhaps due to the special cooking method, Wu Zetian found the meat exceptionally delicious, unlike any other food in the world.

She looked at Li Chengqian with a surprised expression and said:

"Such delicious meat, Your Highness, is this chicken?"

Seeing her surprised expression, Li Chengqian couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Hahaha, how could it be just because of the meat? This is crane meat! I thought it looked good, so I caught it and wanted to try it!"

what?

Wu Zetian was completely stunned when she heard Li Chengqian's words.

She had also spent time in the harem, and the only place in the entire palace where there were cranes was the Imperial Garden.

Moreover, it seems there are only two in the entire Imperial Garden. I heard that His Majesty likes them very much and often goes to the Imperial Garden to see them when he has nothing to do!

"Your Highness... could these cranes be His Majesty's two?"

Seeing the look of fear on Wu Zetian's face, Li Chengqian spoke with an air of pride:

"Yes, there are only two in the imperial palace in Chang'an. It seems that they were offered as tribute by some small country a few years ago."

It's a pity Old Li didn't know its value; this is top-grade wild game! He actually just looked at it—what a waste!

There was no animal protection law in the Tang Dynasty. The only animal protection law in that era was probably the prohibition on slaughtering cattle.

Of course, this law was practically meaningless to a certain Duke Cheng; his family was known for its numerous suicides, including those involving lovers, and the sudden deaths of cattle.

Seeing that her prince was not only calm but also looked very proud, Wu Zetian was dumbfounded.

Before entering the Eastern Palace, I heard the name of Crown Prince Li Chengqian mostly described as a benevolent and virtuous gentleman.

But now it seems that this rumor is far from true!

Li Chengqian ignored him and ate the meat while secretly overjoyed.

【Ding! 】

[Rebellion Achievement Points +10]

【Ding! 】

[Rebellion Achievement Points +70]

【Ding! 】

[Rebellion Achievement Points +99]

……

at the same time.

The royal palace's back garden.

Seeing the few scattered feathers on the ground, Li Shimin's eyes turned red.

"Who?! Who did this?!"

Li Shimin's roar terrified the eunuchs and palace maids serving him, who all knelt on the ground, trembling with fear.

The eunuch in charge of feeding the cranes spoke tremblingly:

"Your Majesty...Your Highness! His Highness the Crown Prince...he said he bestowed two cranes upon him, so he took the two cranes away with his men!"

"What?! When did I say I would bestow the crane upon him? How dare you?!"

Seeing Li Shimin's fury, the eunuch felt a pang of bitterness.

His Highness the Crown Prince said it was an imperial edict. How dare a lowly eunuch like him question the Crown Prince?

Seeing him kneeling on the ground trembling, Li Shimin slowly calmed down.

He finally understood; this was clearly Li Chengqian's rebellious son, Qian.

This guy actually dared to falsely convey his orders and even kidnapped his precious crane.

Thinking about this, Li Shimin became increasingly angry.

No!

Go to the East Palace!

This crane belongs to me, and I must get it back!

Thinking of this, Li Shimin immediately led a group of people in a fierce manner toward the East Palace.

……

At the entrance of the East Palace.

"Your Majesty! Please wait for my report!"

"How dare you! I am the Emperor!!!"

"Yes, Your Majesty, please wait for the report!"

Xue Rengui remained expressionless, while Li Shimin stared at him in disbelief.

"Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"

"I'm afraid! His Highness said that anyone coming to the Eastern Palace can only enter with his permission!"

"But I am the emperor! Will you listen to me or to your prince?"

"Your Highness, I will obey!"

"I am the Emperor!!"

"I understand!"

"Holy shit..."

Li Shimin was dumbfounded. He came over in a fierce manner, but he couldn't even get through the door!