My cultivation disguise has been exposed by Xiao Sizi.

The moment Lu Dongzan stepped one foot into the courtyard.

His body suddenly stiffened.

A refreshing breeze, indescribable in words, enveloped his entire body instantly, like a gentle spring rain.

My hands and feet, which were stiff with cold just a moment ago, suddenly felt warm and cozy. With each breath, I could feel a comforting sensation that reached deep into my internal organs, and even my mind became clearer than ever before.

Lu Dongzan stared wide-eyed in disbelief at the beautiful flowers blooming in the dead of winter in the courtyard, and at the dry bluestone slabs that were completely free of snow.

This is no ordinary dwelling! This is clearly a blessed land of immortals, untouched by the mundane world, as described in ancient legends!

Sangza, who was following beside him, also stopped. His eyes, which always exuded arrogance, were now filled with curiosity and shock as he stared blankly at a bright green sparrow hopping on a wintersweet branch.

"Your humble servant Lu Dongzan pays respects to His Majesty the Great Tang, to Her Majesty the Empress, and to His Highness Prince Qin."

Lu Dongzan was, after all, a man who had seen many storms.

He suppressed the turmoil in his heart, strode to the stone table, crossed his hands over his chest, and respectfully performed a deep bow. Sangza followed suit, but his eyes couldn't help but keep glancing at Li Chen.

"You may dispense with the formalities, Your Excellency."

Li Shimin sat upright on the stone bench, raised his hand, and spoke in a calm tone.

"Why is the Grand Chancellor not resting at the Sifang Pavilion this early in the morning? Why has he come to the residence of my sixteenth son?"

Lu Dongzan straightened up, his gaze falling on Li Chen's excessively young face, a deep sense of awe flashing in his eyes.

He didn't beat around the bush and stated his purpose directly.

"When I was in Tibet, I heard that a true immortal had descended to earth in the Great Tang to protect all people. Last night, I witnessed the immortal's divine power in the Taiji Hall and was deeply shocked. Today, I have taken the liberty of visiting you privately, firstly to pay homage to the immortal's true appearance."

Lu Dongzan paused, his tone becoming exceptionally sincere.

"Secondly... I wish to implore His Highness the King of Qin to show mercy."

Li Chen shifted to a more comfortable position, leaning back in the rattan chair, his fingertips lightly tapping on the armrest.

"You're quite comfortable with that compliment, Grand Chancellor. But you want me to do you a favor? This Tang Dynasty belongs to my father, the Emperor. What do you need? Why don't you go to the civil and military officials in the court, instead of coming to a reclusive prince like me?"

Lu Dongzan gave a wry smile and glanced at Li Shimin, who was calmly drinking tea beside him.

"Reporting to the Immortal Master, this humble subject entered the palace this morning to request an audience with His Majesty the Tang Emperor. This humble subject wishes to request, on behalf of the thousands of suffering people of Tibet, the method of forging the newly created 'honeycomb briquettes' and 'iron stoves' by His Highness Prince Wei."

Lu Dong sighed in admiration.

"But His Majesty the Emperor of Tang said that such divine objects that benefit all living beings were bestowed upon Prince Wei by you, Immortal Master. Without your approval, the Great Tang would never dare to arbitrarily bestow them upon foreign lands. Therefore, this foreign subject has no choice but to shamelessly come to you, Immortal Master, for help."

Upon hearing this...

Li Chen's fingers, which were tapping on the armrest, suddenly stopped.

He slowly turned his head, his dark eyes staring intently at Li Shimin.

Old Li was holding the teacup lid, methodically skimming the foam off the tea soup, looking detached and aloof.

Li Chen rolled his eyes dramatically without any hesitation.

You old man, Deng!

They've managed to shift the blame so smoothly!

The profits from these honeycomb briquettes and iron stoves are currently being divided between the Cui family of Qinghe and the Prince of Qin's mansion. The Tibetans came wanting the technology, but you were unwilling to give it away for free, and you didn't want to give them a reason to cause trouble in international relations, so you simply pushed them to me and made me the villain!

"Fine, you win," Li Chen cursed inwardly.

However, upon further reflection, a shrewd smile, barely perceptible, slowly appeared on his lips.

If a fat sheep is delivered to your door, you might as well slaughter it.

Li Chen turned around and looked at Lu Dongzan, whose face was full of anticipation.

"The Prime Minister loves his people like his own children; such kindness is truly rare."

Li Chen sat up straight, his tone revealing neither joy nor sorrow.

"But the recipe for this divine artifact is a secret passed down through my Taoist lineage. If I were to give it to you for nothing, you would not be able to bear the consequences."

Lu Dongzan was prepared; he immediately pulled out a thick, gold-embossed gift list from his sleeve and presented it with both hands.

"Rest assured, Immortal Master! Your humble servant would never dare to take a divine object for nothing!"

Lu Dongzan solemnly assured him, "This is a small token of my appreciation from the Tibetan king. It includes three hundred century-old snow lotus plants, ten thousand-year-old snow ginseng plants, all native to the Tibetan Plateau, as well as various kinds of top-quality minerals from the Western Regions. I only ask for the method to ward off the cold!"

Qin Huaidao stepped forward, took the gift list, and handed it to Li Chen.

Li Chen glanced at the names on the list and was overjoyed.

These unique medicinal herbs and minerals from the snowy region are priceless treasures in Chang'an City, perfect for Wan'er to practice with.

"Ahem... Considering how sincere the Prime Minister is."

Li Chen casually stuffed the gift list into his sleeve, pretending to be reluctant.

"I can have someone make a copy of the recipe and blueprints for you."

Lu Dongzan was overjoyed and was about to kneel down to express his gratitude.

"but."

Li Chen changed the subject, slowly adding, "What I can give you is only the most basic method of mixing peat and the basic structure of a clay furnace. As for the sealed smelting technique of the iron furnace, the technology is not yet mature and often explodes, injuring people. For the safety of your Tibetan craftsmen, this core method cannot be given to you for the time being."

Lu Dongzan's smile froze slightly.

How could he not tell that this was an excuse? Without the core smelting technology, even if they got the formula, all they could make were inferior, fragile products that would be scrapped in no time.

But on the territory of the Tang Dynasty, facing this unpredictable immortal, he dared not utter a single complaint.

"Your humble servant...thanks to the immortal for bestowing the Dharma." Lu Dongzan could only grit his teeth and swallow his anger, bowing respectfully.

Seeing that his goal had been achieved, Li Shimin's smile instantly became as warm as a spring breeze.

"Your Excellency must be weary from your journey. Come, sit down and have a cup of hot tea. The Tang Dynasty and Tibet should be on good terms for generations to come."

Li Shimin pointed to the stone bench opposite him, appearing every bit the hospitable host.

Just as these large and small foxes sat together, feigning politeness while drinking tea and chatting.

Not far away.

Sizi, with two pigtails and wearing a pink padded jacket, was holding a half-eaten piece of hibiscus cake in her hand. She was staring at the Tibetan boy standing behind Lu Dongzan with her big, dark eyes.

Sangza also noticed the little princess of the Tang Dynasty who was a head shorter than him.

Their eyes met.

A small-scale conflict between children, but destined to shock adults, is quietly brewing.