PDLP Chapter 46 The Loyalty of Sweet and Sour Pork
Chapter 46 The Loyalty of Sweet and Sour Pork
Let's celebrate in a different way, instead of looking at the moon! Let's eat some mooncakes and pastries!
"Who's in the mood for snacks anymore? I heard another war is about to break out!" Zi'an unscrewed the wine flask again.
Sizi naturally wouldn't miss the pastries on the cruise ship. This little glutinous rice ball is such a funny foodie!
Si Zi, sitting on the cruise ship, was very excited. While eating mooncakes, he couldn't help but tease, "Even if there's a war, it won't reach our poor, remote place. Look at that moon!! It's just like this belly, so round, haha!"
Qiu Rongmu interjected, "Sizi, don't eat too much at night, it's hard to digest. Don't turn yourself into a mooncake! If you want to control yourself, you'll be a level 10 or higher!!"
The little glutinous rice ball said in a very serious tone:
"It's okay, it's such a beautiful night. As long as you feel sweetness in your heart and your belly is a little full, it's no big deal!"
Qiu Rongmu wiped the crumbs from her mouth for her.
"My baby is in charge of eating the 'cakes' and 'cakes,' this is truly a 'full moon' in the countryside! It's okay if the child is a little chubby, it makes my baby very happy!!!"
Haha, Zi'an laughed heartily. Eating and drinking is indeed more enjoyable than talking about war!
After Xiao Si had eaten and drunk her fill, Zi An noticed that this little one was quite different from other children. She had many stories to tell and was always being quirky, so he started to chat with her.
“Sizi, didn’t you say you were the reincarnation of Princess Jinyang? How did Li Ji manage to win over your brother Li Zhi? It’s truly remarkable that three consecutive emperors have valued him so much.”
When Si Zi thought about how Pork Tenderloin had joined the Crown Prince's team, she laughed so hard her eyes disappeared. It seemed she must have played a part in it!
"Back then, my grandfather Li Yuan even got angry for Pork Tenderloin's loyalty to his former master!"
"Pork tenderloin? You mean the tenderloin in that dish?" Zi'an asked.
"No, it's my pork tenderloin hotpot, Li Ji!"
"Oh, I see! Haha, just kidding."
"Later, Father promoted him all the way up. But in the end, Father transferred him back to the Eastern Palace, which was a demotion."
"Father? Who is that?" Qiu Rongmu was a little confused.
"Silly boy, Emperor Taizong of Tang! I was once the Princess of Jinyang, my father!"
"Oh, right, I understand, I understand."
"Li Shimin even said to Uncle Li Ji: 'Zhi Nu has just become the crown prince. You used to be his chief secretary. Now I am entrusting him to you, and I have no choice but to demote your official rank. Please don't mind.'"
What's most precious is this trust!
Although it appeared to be a demotion, it was actually a promotion in disguise. Emperor Taizong even went out of his way to comfort Brother Pork Tenderloin, which made him even more loyal! Even though Uncle Pork Tenderloin was once a loyal and righteous little foodie!
Zi'an was a little curious about Li Ji's childhood experiences and pressed, "Oh? Back in the day? A chivalrous little foodie with a heart of gold?"
"Don't rush, Zian, I'll tell you in a bit... So, to compensate Zian, Father granted him the title of Special Rank Official, which is a high-ranking official of the second rank. Not satisfied with that, he also granted him the title of Third Rank Official of the Secretariat and Chancellery, which is essentially the position of Prime Minister!"
"Haha, entrusting the orphan to Li Shiji, your father really knows how to balance face and substance!" Zi'an waved his sleeve.
"It seems the secret to loyalty and promotion is—you have to eat tenderloin. He's practically a legendary figure in the world of young talents!" Qiu Rongmu joked.
The grief of Wang Bo's untimely death flashed through Zi'an's mind, but he had come to terms with it.
"Yes, loyalty is like crispy fried pork tenderloin, the more you eat, the happier you are!"
Si Zi happily boasted about the tenderloin, thinking that the tenderloin's military achievements were far superior to those of this wooden-headed Qiu Rongmu.
Qiu Rongmu wasn't angry.
Sizi liked Brother Mutou's honest and simple appearance, and she admired his skills in practicing medicine and growing herbs.
"You mean loyalty can be eaten? Then I'll have to prepare more!" Zi'an said thoughtfully.
"Of course! Just like your love for that golden and crispy sweet and sour pork, loyalty makes it more and more delicious the more you chew it!"
"Haha, is the dish 'Loyalty' crispy on the outside and tender on the inside? Like the dish our little princess invented?"
"That's right, loyalty is like the sugar coating on the top right of a sweet dumpling, so sweet that Grandpa, Father, and Little Slave all keep taking bites! They can't stop!!"
"Hahaha, we need to prepare our big appetites first. We need to fatten our bellies up to be as round as a rhinoceros, otherwise we'll get sick of eating 'Guobao You' every meal!" Qiu Rongmu picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork with cilantro and put it to her mouth.
"Put your heart inside the round belly. Loyalty won't become dull with the vicissitudes of life; the longer it lasts, the more flavorful it becomes, the more you chew it, the more exciting it gets!!!" Sizi blinked her big eyes.
"Then can I make loyalty the main dish?" Zi'an asked while chewing on sweet and sour pork.
"Of course!" Si Zi nodded. "Loyalty, if it's like this pork tenderloin hot pot, making people want to eat more after eating it, just like my belly is forever loyal to me, then you will eventually be able to 'eat heartily' and achieve great feats like Uncle Li Ji!!"
Zi'an became increasingly convinced that Si Zi was someone of great importance, because she herself also retained memories of her past life.
“That’s right, Si Zi. First of all, Li Ji is a powerful figure. He personally led his troops to take down the big bosses like the Eastern Turks and Xueyantuo. His name shines on the military record. Those founding fathers are now mostly old comrades. Your Uncle Li Ji is almost fifty, forty-nine in the traditional Chinese way of counting age, but compared to the old folks, he’s still young and energetic. Once your father takes the throne, he’ll still have enough ability to support this Li Tang group. Am I right?!” Zi An imitated Si Zi’s childish voice.
"That's right! Zian Guoguo, loyalty is the charm of the pork tenderloin pot bun, it's irresistible!"
In fact, Li Ji and Li Zhi already had a good relationship, and because of the incident with Xiao Si, their relationship naturally became even closer.
Sizi smiled mischievously, "Guoguo, you guys can't guess? I'm too lazy to even tell you, but when Uncle Li Ji was young, he and Zhinu Guoguo were really close, and it wasn't all because of little Sizi—myself!!!"
"Oh?? What do you mean?"
"That time, at Princess Jinyang's funeral, besides her father Li Shimin, the person who cried the most was Uncle Li Ji! He was so heartbroken that Emperor Taizong was naturally deeply moved. However, you may not know that Uncle Li Ji's original surname was Xu, and his name was Xu Shiji. He met Little Sisi—myself—when he was sixteen years old!"
"Oh?"
"Oh what?! Gulls, gulls, don't startle them and cause a commotion! I'm sleepy, time for bed!!"