The birth of stir-frying.

Zhang Anan’s actions quickly drew the attention of those present. Just as Li Shimin was about to inquire, the youthful voice of Li Zhi echoed from the doorway.

"Dinner is served!"

Moments later, Li Zhi and Li Yin ran in, their faces smeared with charcoal, looking delighted. Behind them followed a procession of imperial kitchen servants carrying food boxes. The two boys approached Li Shimin and bowed respectfully. "Your son wishes Your Majesty good health and a long, prosperous life."

Li Zhi then pointed to a food box behind him and said, "My sixth brother and I prepared these dishes ourselves for Father. Please, have a taste."

This remark caused the other princes to curl their lips in disdain. In their hearts, they were convinced that the two were merely putting on a show. A proper prince had no business meddling in the imperial kitchen, let alone claiming to have cooked for the Emperor. In fact, everyone present, including Li Shimin, felt that the two were being rather unreliable today.

Nevertheless, Li Shimin did not say much. Feigning delight, he said, "Since these were prepared by my own sons, I shall certainly eat my fill."

The other princes were green with envy at his words, especially Li Chengqian and Li Tai, who felt that their father was being unfairly partial. Empress Zhangsun and the consorts, however, showed no signs of discomfort; Li Zhi treated them well on a daily basis, and they had no desire to stir up trouble.

As the servants opened the boxes to serve the meal, everyone’s eyes were drawn to the dishes. They immediately noticed something unusual: none of the food appeared to have been boiled, and many of the dishes were entirely foreign to them.

As the crowd murmured in confusion, Li Zhi began introducing the dishes to Li Shimin: shredded pork with mushrooms, sweet and sour fish, braised pork tenderloin, stir-fried shrimp, braised beef, and scallion-seared lamb, among others. None of these had ever been seen by Li Shimin before, and crucially, none had been prepared by boiling.

By now, not only Li Shimin but everyone else began to believe that the two boys had truly cooked the meal themselves, as only Li Zhi could come up with such strange and novel things. Li Shimin picked up a piece of the sweet and sour fish with his chopsticks and found that it lacked any fishy odor, carrying instead a subtle, pleasant sweetness. He eagerly sampled several other dishes, discovering that each one possessed a richer flavor than anything he had eaten before.

Surprised, Li Shimin set down his chopsticks and looked at Li Zhi and Li Yin—still smudged with soot—with an expression of doting affection. "Have you two been preparing these dishes since this morning?"

Li Zhi shook his head. "Not just this morning. My sixth brother and I have been busy in the kitchen for the past two days."

"Why didn't I know about this?" Li Shimin asked, puzzled.

"I asked them to keep it a secret," Li Zhi replied. "I wanted to give you a big surprise, Father."

Li Shimin laughed heartily. "Only a little rascal like you could come up with such an idea. Don't you know your mother was worried sick?"

Empress Zhangsun pretended to be annoyed, saying, "I wouldn't waste my worry on this troublemaker; he only knows how to cause mischief."

Consort Wei smiled and said, "You don't mean that, Your Majesty. Who doesn't know that our Prince of Jin is the most thoughtful and sensible of them all?"

Consort Yang added, "Consort Wei is right. Even my Yin'er has become much more well-behaved thanks to the Prince of Jin's guidance."

Li Zhi interjected, "My sixth brother has always been a genius; it is simply that none of you realized it before." He made sure not to leave Li Yin out, lest his hard work over these past days go to waste.

Li Zhi's words turned everyone's gaze toward Li Yin, who stood quietly to the side. The boy, once prone to fits of temper, had become increasingly composed, appearing entirely different from how he was two years ago. Who could have imagined that such a troublesome child would undergo such a transformation?

The consorts present began to envy Consort Yang once again. Originally a mere consort of ordinary standing, the outstanding performance of her sons, Li Ke and Li Yin, had seen her elevated to the rank of Noble Consort within a year. Since Li Yin had become sensible, the Emperor’s attitude toward Consort Yang had visibly improved.

The other consorts with sons of their own began to plot, particularly Consort Wei, Consort Yan, and Consort Lin. Seeing how favored Li Zhi was, they hoped to send their own sons to follow him and share in his success.

Li Shimin nodded in agreement with Li Zhi. "Zhinu is right. In terms of the study of physical phenomena, Yin'er can indeed be considered a genius."

He wasn't just humoring Li Zhi; he had been observing Li Yin’s progress closely. Li Yin and his students had successfully extracted the components of petroleum and compiled the uses of these substances into books. Li Shimin had read these works and found them fascinating. He valued both boys highly for their talent in solving problems.

Receiving the Emperor’s praise, Li Yin touched his nose in embarrassment, accidentally smearing more soot on his face. The consorts broke into giggles at the sight. Empress Zhangsun hurriedly ordered water to be brought for the boys to wash.

After cleaning up, everyone began to eat, and the delicious stir-fried dishes received nothing but praise. Li Shimin had an exceptional appetite, finishing two full bowls of rice.

After the meal, Li Zhi shared his idea of promoting stir-fried cuisine. He intended to fund the venture himself and offer shares to Li Shimin and Li Yin. Although Li Shimin knew that the restaurant business wasn't incredibly lucrative, he did not refuse. Knowing that Li Zhi was flush with money, he saw no need to put on airs; he simply set aside his imperial pride and was content to earn some pocket money alongside his son.

What he did not realize was that Li Zhi’s ambitions were far from small. His goal was to open a restaurant specializing in stir-fried dishes in every city across the Great Tang. These restaurants would share the same name and even maintain a consistent architectural style. He had even chosen the name: the Pavilion of the Prince of Jin.

He had originally considered naming it the Pavilion of the Prince of Teng, but after visiting the actual Pavilion of the Prince of Teng, he remembered that the historical builder was his uncle, Li Yuanying—who was two years his junior. He decided it would be improper to hijack a child's registered trademark.