Ingenious and original

The West Market, unlike the East Market which is positioned as a high-end boutique hub, is a chaotic blend of merchants from various countries. The goods here range from excellent to inferior, catering to different social classes. Li Zhi purchased a jewel-encrusted cane here as a gift for his grandfather, Li Yuan. He also bought two pieces of jadeite from a merchant from Biao Country, intending to have artisans from the Imperial Workshops craft them into pendants. These were gifts for Li Lizhi and the little princess of Chengyang.

Li Lizhi, being naturally quiet and seldom leaving the palace, had her gift prepared by Li Zhi since last year. The princess of Chengyang was already two years old this year, so Li Zhi planned to prepare a gift for her as well. Unfortunately, he could not find suitable gifts for himself or Li Yin here. So, he sent the jadeite to the Imperial Workshops and returned to the mansion feeling somewhat disappointed.

This year had been so busy that Li Zhi almost forgot his father’s birthday. Realizing this at the last moment, he was pressed for time to prepare the birthday gift. Back in his study, he pondered for a long time and was so distracted at dinner that he barely tasted his food. Liu An, attending to him, noticed and asked with concern, “Your Highness, is your appetite poor because you dislike the dishes?”

Li Zhi glanced at the lamb stew and several other braised dishes on the table and couldn’t help but complain, “Having braised dishes every day does grow tiresome.” As he spoke, memories of his early days of entrepreneurship, cooking every day, suddenly flashed before his eyes. Inspired, his face lit up, and he slapped his thigh sharply, startling Liu An.

Before Liu An could ask what was happening, Li Zhi exclaimed excitedly, “I know what gift to give Father now!” The idea was not some luxury item, but rather a culinary innovation: stir-fried dishes.

By now, the Tang Dynasty’s steel production had greatly increased. With more steel being supplied to civilians, conditions were ripe to popularize iron wok cooking. Moreover, the variety of vegetables and seasonings available had expanded sufficiently. Li Zhi could promote stir-frying and even open several restaurants himself to seize the market opportunity. The idea thrilled him from the moment it emerged.

The next morning, he went to the Imperial Workshops and commissioned several iron woks. Although these looked simple, their manufacture was quite complicated, especially the molding process, which could not be rushed. So, Li Zhi had to wait patiently. During this time, he visited the resettlement site to bid farewell to the refugees preparing to leave, also giving them food for their journey. With grain and seeds prepared in advance, the evacuation proceeded quickly. In less than two days, the site grew quiet as more than two thousand people were concentrated into a single ward. Li Zhi planned to put the remaining houses up for sale. These houses, close to Chang’an, were sturdy, beautiful, well-equipped, and priced significantly lower than city homes. To attract buyers, Li Zhi intended to develop a local market so residents could conveniently purchase daily necessities. His arrangements soon brought life back to the once quiet resettlement area, with construction crews busy again.

After a period of intense work, the custom iron woks were completed. Li Zhi and Li Yin brought them to the imperial kitchen. With the Emperor’s birthday two days away, Li Zhi also arranged for the construction of several stoves specifically for stir-frying.

On the day of the birthday celebration, all the princes arrived early at the Lìzhèng Hall to present their gifts—except for Li Zhi and Li Yin, who remained conspicuously absent. Their absence puzzled everyone. Empress Zhangsun and the newly promoted Consort Yang grew anxious, closely observing Emperor Taizong’s expression, fearing he might fly into a rage.

At first, Li Chengqian and Li Tai assumed that Li Zhi and Li Yin were delayed by some matter and paid little mind. But as noon approached, even as the banquet time came, the two still had not appeared. Growing restless, Li Chengqian asked, “What is the matter with Sixth and Ninth Princes? Why have they not come to congratulate Father yet? Have they simply forgotten?” Li Tai added, “Those two often get lost in their strange experiments. Surely they have become so absorbed that they forgot Father’s birthday.”

Li Lizhi immediately refuted them, “Sixth and Ninth Princes would never forget Father’s birthday. They must be delayed by something important.” Li Chengqian waved his sleeve impatiently, “What could be so important to make them miss the birthday feast?” Li Tai replied, “In my opinion, they are just having too much fun and lost track of time.” Though Li Lizhi wanted to argue further, she was not fond of quarrels and could only say anxiously, “It cannot be so. They must have encountered something serious.”

Zhang Anan, standing nearby, grew increasingly uneasy. He had also assumed the two were held up by some matter, but as the meal time passed without their arrival, his confidence wavered. Li Zhi certainly would not forget such an important occasion, especially since he had reminded him just days before. Yet now, both were nowhere to be seen.

Cautiously, Zhang Anan said to Emperor Taizong, “Perhaps they are truly delayed. Should I go check on them personally?” The Emperor, equally puzzled, nodded and said, “Go and see. If there is something wrong, instruct them not to worry.” The princes watching on all smiled bitterly; if this had been them, they would surely have faced a thunderous reprimand. Yet the Emperor showed unusual leniency toward Li Zhi and Li Yin. Li Chengqian and Li Tai’s faces darkened, not expecting such tolerance.

Zhang Anan hurried toward the door to carry out the Emperor’s order. But just as he reached the entrance, he stopped abruptly, his face filled with astonishment.