Chapter 132: Lingering Fragrance (First Update, Requesting Votes)

In the imperial palace, within the Royal Study.

After Zhang Yuxuan and his contingent of Tang envoys escorted the Japanese delegation, led by Inugami no Mitasuki, to the Reception Hall for Foreign Envoys and handed them over to the presiding officials, they immediately returned to the palace to report to Li Shimin.

Before Li Shimin could even begin his inquiry, Zhang Yuxuan recounted everything that had transpired that day, word for word.

Upon hearing the report, Li Shimin frowned slightly, his gaze fixed intently on the desk before him.

"Barbarians coming from afar, though they be far, shall be exterminated..."

He repeated the words softly to himself. After a brief moment of contemplation, his brow smoothed, and he suddenly broke into a grin. "Minister Zhang, did this Li Bo'an say anything else?"

Zhang Yuxuan blinked, thought for a moment, and shook his head. With a serious expression, he replied, "Your Majesty, apart from that statement, Physician Li said nothing else."

Li Shimin paused for a moment, then waved his hand with a smile. "You may withdraw."

"Yes, Your Majesty. This humble subject takes his leave." Zhang Yuxuan bowed slightly and retreated gracefully from the Royal Study.

Only then did Li Shimin, while looking at a blank sheet of rice paper on his desk, suddenly speak to the elderly Eunuch Gao, who was waiting nearby. "Tell me, what exactly did this Li Bo'an mean by saying that in front of the Japanese?"

Eunuch Gao paused, then bowed with a smile and shook his head. "Your Majesty, please forgive this old slave's ignorance; I cannot fathom the deeper meaning behind Physician Li's words."

Li Shimin raised his eyebrows and glanced at the eunuch.

Picking up his brush and gesturing toward him, he teased with a mix of amusement and exasperation, "You, you just love playing the fool in front of me. You’re afraid I’ll punish you, so you pretend not to know what you clearly understand."

"This old slave would not dare," Eunuch Gao replied quickly with another bow and a smile.

"Sigh..." Li Shimin sighed. He stopped looking at the eunuch and began to write, speaking slowly, "This lad, Li Bo'an, is treating these Japanese envoys as mere barbarians."

He paused, tilted his head slightly, and gave a light laugh. "However, the Tang Dynasty is currently at the height of its power. Even if they had the heart to cause trouble, I doubt they have the courage to act on it!"

As he spoke, the final stroke of his brush landed on the paper. The words "Barbarians coming from afar, though they be far, shall be exterminated," written in the elegant and bold *Feibai* style, appeared clearly on the page.

Seeing the Emperor finish, Eunuch Gao bowed and offered a compliment: "Your Majesty is wise."

"Where is the wisdom in that?" Li Shimin shook his head with a grin. He suddenly turned his gaze back to Eunuch Gao and ordered, "Issue my decree immediately: have Li Jing bring Li Bo'an into the palace tomorrow at noon."

Eunuch Gao hesitated for a heartbeat, then nodded with a simple, pleasant smile. "Yes, Your Majesty."

***

After returning from the street to the Li estate, Li Yi had barely sat down—his seat not yet warm—when a servant came to summon him.

"Young Master," the servant greeted with a smile before straightening up. "The Master requests your presence in the study."

Li Yi was momentarily taken aback. He could not fathom why Li Jing would want to see him in the study again; was there something he needed to be lectured about?

After a brief hesitation, Li Yi nodded with a smile. "Understood. Tell Father I shall be there shortly."

"Yes, Young Master." The servant bowed and departed.

Looking at Yue'er, who was busy boiling water, Li Yi’s eyes darted around. He pondered for a moment, and once the water was fully boiled, he personally prepared three cups of tea.

As he was about to leave, he glanced back at Yue'er and said casually, "Yue'er, remember to drink this cup of tea to warm yourself up."

"Yes, Young Master, Yue'er will remember," she replied with a joyful nod.

Watching his retreating figure, a happy smile involuntarily bloomed on Yue'er’s face—a bright, tender expression that seemed as fresh as morning dew.

Walking out of the room with the two cups of tea, Li Yi arrived at Li Jing’s study and announced with a smile, "Your son pays his respects, Father."

Li Jing, who had been studying a military manual, raised his brows upon hearing Li Yi’s voice. He set the book aside and said dismissively, "Sit."

"Yes, Father." Li Yi smiled and sat directly opposite him.

He pushed one of the cups of tea he had prepared toward Li Jing and said with a playful grin, "Father, try this tea I’ve brewed. It might help ward off the cold."

"You rascal!" Li Jing scolded him, his face darkening. "Do you think I called you here just to be lectured? And now you’re trying to curry favor with these crooked tricks right in front of me."

Despite his scolding, Li Jing’s actions belied his words; he lifted the lid of the cup and took a small sip.

His expression froze instantly. He frowned, staring intently at the surface of the tea.

There were nothing but a few tea leaves settling at the bottom of the cup; there was nothing else in the drink.

Li Jing asked curiously, "Sanlang, why does this tea taste so different from the usual?"

He found it incredible. Even though there were only a few leaves in the cup, the flavor was far superior to what he usually drank. Furthermore, without all the miscellaneous ingredients typically added, it looked clean and refined.

After just one more small sip, his mouth was filled with a rich, lingering fragrance.

"Father," Li Yi said with a smile, acting as if it were of no consequence. "I made this while I had some spare time. If you like it, I have another bag of tea leaves; I’ll have them sent to you later."

"..." Li Jing glared at him. "Stop changing the subject! Tell me the truth!"

He noticed that the more he praised this rascal, the more arrogant the boy became.

Sensing the shift in his father’s tone and the underlying reprimand, Li Yi quickly replied with a smile, "Father, the truth is... I found it too troublesome to put so many things into the tea cup when drinking. So, I tried brewing it this way. I didn't expect it to taste quite good!"

"..." Li Jing rolled his eyes, staring at him. "Is that the truth?"

"The absolute truth!" Li Yi nodded with the utmost sincerity.

Seeing that Li Yi did not seem to be lying, Li Jing stopped questioning him and took another sip of tea before finally getting to the point.