Chapter 1081: I like Wu Zetian’s naive look

Lin Lang heard Li Zhi's voice on the intercom. He picked up the intercom and pressed the call button. His voice was filled with a smile: "My royal brother, please wait a moment. I will have breakfast with my brothers and sisters and then go to the palace."

Li Zhi's hearty laughter came from the other end of the intercom: "Okay! I'll wait for you in Linde Hall."

After hanging up the intercom, Lin Lang raised his chin to everyone: "Did you see? My brother is addicted to playing billiards."

"The Emperor of the Tang Dynasty also knows how to play billiards?" Tang Yan's eyes widened, and she even forgot to bite the Hu Bing in her hand. "Did the Tang Dynasty also have billiards?"

Lin Lang explained with a smile: "I was the one who brought table tennis into the palace. My brother the emperor would play table tennis with me every day."

"I see." Tang Yan stuck out her tongue playfully.

Lin Lang looked at Chu Yiren and said, "Queen, you can take your concubines to stroll along Suzaku Street later.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Chu Yiren nodded slightly, then turned to Li Moli and said, "Noble Concubine Li, please take the sisters to the back hall to change clothes and put on your makeup. There are special hairdressers here who will make sure you are all dressed up beautifully."

Li Moli stood up and smiled slightly: "Sisters, come with me."

Gu Keqing and others quickly stood up and followed. Tang Yan and Tong Lei walked at the end, and did not forget to turn around and wave to Lin Lang.

Lin Lang smiled and nodded, watching his wives and concubines follow Li Moli to the back hall.

The dining room suddenly became quiet, with only the soft sound of maids clearing away dishes. Sunlight streamed in through the carved window lattices, falling on the smooth floor and casting a warm glow.

Lin Lang first looked at the somewhat tired Helan Minyue and said gently: "My beloved, you must be tired from playing in Shanghai. Go back to your room and catch up on some sleep."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Helan Minyue stood up and saluted, "Your Majesty, I will withdraw for the time being."

"Go ahead." Chu Yiren smiled slightly.

After Helan Minyue left, Lin Lang looked at Chu Yiren and warned her, "Queen, when you take Tang Yan and the others out of the palace to play, you must control them so that they don't get into trouble or encounter any danger."

Chu Yiren picked up a candied fruit and fed it to Lin Lang, then jokingly said, "Why? Are you afraid that I'll lose your concubines in the Tang Dynasty?"

Lin Lang chewed the candied fruit while caressing Chu Yiren's belly. He smiled and replied, "No, the Queen is protecting the concubines well. I am completely relieved."

Chu Yiren narrowed her eyes and smiled sweetly, "Your Majesty, I've been particularly fond of sour food lately. I'm sure you're pregnant with a son, right?"

Lin Lang said lovingly, "My queen's belly is so promising, the first child must be a son."

Chu Yiren's eyebrows were stained with smiles at what Lin Lang said. She reached out and gently slapped away his hand that was messing with her lower abdomen: "You only know how to make me happy."

Lin Lang laughed in an inappropriate way, but he took out a bag of sugar-roasted chestnuts from his personal space, peeled one and fed it to Chu Yiren: "Taste it and see if it's sweet?"

Chu Yiren ate the soft, sweet chestnuts and replied with a smile, "Sweet."

Lin Lang took out some snacks from his personal space, including hawthorn strips, dried black plums, dried bayberries and hawthorn slices, and stuffed them all into Chu Yiren's hands.

"Your Majesty, I just said I wanted something sour, and you pulled out all these sweet and sour snacks from your personal space. Where did they come from?"

Lin Lang replied, "I took Minyue back to Changhai to go shopping last night. I bought her a lot of modern snacks at the supermarket. I bought some extra for you."

After hearing this, Chu Yiren pouted jealously: "So, I am still relying on Min Yue for help?"

Lin Lang replied sweetly, "That's impossible! I always keep the Queen in my heart."

"Hmph, that's pretty good." Chu Yiren started eating the hawthorn slices.

"Okay." Lin Lang kissed Chu Yiren on the forehead, turned around and picked up the imperial sword placed beside him. "Then I'll be leaving. Be careful when you go out. It's best to bring the imperial guards with you."

Chu Yiren nodded in agreement and watched Lin Lang stride out of the dining hall. She waited until his figure disappeared at the door before turning around and instructing the maid, "Go see how Concubine Li is packing. Once she's changed, have the carriage wait at the gate."

The maid responded and left. Chu Yiren walked to the window and looked at the newly opened pomegranate flowers in the courtyard with a gentle smile on her lips. She seemed to be enjoying the leisurely and comfortable life in ancient times.

At least in Miss Chu's opinion, the air in the Tang Dynasty was excellent, almost pollution-free, and definitely healthier for fetal development than the sea.

The sunlight fell on Chu Yiren's slightly bulging belly, feeling warm, as if she was holding a small sun.

She always felt that with Lin Lang around, life in the Tang Dynasty was no worse than in modern times.

The most important thing is Chu Yiren, she really enjoys being a queen.

Of course, what woman could resist the temptation of being a queen?

It’s like a man is like an emperor, not only having three palaces, six courtyards and seventy-two concubines to accompany him, but also being able to command the world.

There are two billiard tables in the Linde Hall. The sunlight shines through the carved window lattices onto the green velvet table, making the dozen or so colorful balls sparkle.

Li Zhi was leaning over and holding the club, his brows slightly furrowed, and he looked quite focused. The white ball came out and hit the red ball accurately, and fell into the pocket with a "dong".

"Your Majesty, you hit this shot well!" Empress Wu stood aside, still holding the golf club in her hand, but with a smile on her face.

Li Zhi, who had just learned to play billiards, was addicted to it. At present, in the entire Tang Dynasty Palace, only Pan Xiaoting had taught Wu Zetian to play billiards.

Therefore, even though Wu Zetian's skills were poor, Li Zhi still found it very interesting to play billiards with her.

He is really good and fun-loving.

Li Zhi stood up straight, his face full of pride. "So? I told you, this thing has to be done from a certain angle. Queen, look..."

Before he could finish his words, a eunuch outside the palace rushed in: "Your Majesty, General Lin Lang of Zhenxi requests an audience!"

"Come in!" Li Zhi's eyes lit up, holding the golf club in his hand, his tone full of urgency.

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Lang strode in, holding two bulging bags in his hands. He laughed loudly from a distance, "Brother, sister-in-law, look what rare food I brought you!"

Li Zhi laughed loudly and said, "My dear brother, you must have brought some special delicacies from Shanghai again."

Empress Wu saw Lin Lang placing the bag on the pool table. The bag opened, revealing the colorful packaging inside. She walked forward curiously and asked, "Brother, what are these specialties from Shanghai?"

Lin Lang smiled and took out a bag of shrimp crackers. He tore open the seal and a fresh and fragrant smell immediately spread out: "Sister-in-law, try this. It's called shrimp crackers. It's a puffed food specialty of Shanghai. It's very crispy." As he said that, he handed it to her.

Empress Wu picked up one and put it in her mouth. She chewed it gently, and with a crisp "crunch" sound, the fresh fragrance with a hint of saltiness spread on the tip of her tongue. It was a bit more refreshing than the crispy candies in the palace.

Her eyes lit up. "This tastes really special, crispy and fresh, even better than fried fruit." She picked up one and handed it to Li Zhi, "Your Majesty, try it too."

Li Zhi took it and put it in his mouth. He chewed it for a few times and nodded repeatedly: "Not bad, not bad. The taste is novel. It would be nice to chew it for fun in my spare time."

Seeing this, Lin Lang took out another bag of spicy strips from his bag, and the bright red oily sheen was faintly visible through the packaging bag.

"Brother, try this again. It's sweet and spicy, I'm sure you'll like it. It's called spicy strips, and young people in Shanghai love to chew them."

Li Zhi picked up a spicy strip, looked at its bright red color, hesitated for a moment, and then put it in his mouth.

After just two bites, his brows suddenly frowned, the spicy taste rushed up his throat along the tip of his tongue, sweat instantly broke out on his forehead, and even the tip of his nose turned red.

"Hiss... My dear brother, these spicy noodles are delicious, but the spiciness is too strong!"

Li Zhi smacked his lips and wiped the sweat off his face, his eyes gleaming with curiosity. "This is so fresh and spicy, it makes me want to try another one."

Lin Lang smiled and said, "Brother, there were no hot peppers in the Tang Dynasty before, so naturally you can't get used to spicy food."

"Wait until the Forestry Bureau uses the chili seeds I sent you to grow chili peppers. Add some as a side dish in the imperial kitchen. After eating them for a while, my brother will develop a preference for spicy food."

Empress Wu watched curiously from the side and picked up a spicy strip and took a tentative bite.

The spicy taste exploded instantly, and she took a hissing breath and quickly fanned her mouth with her hand, her cheeks red as if she had put on rouge: "This...this spiciness is so overbearing, yet strangely, it makes me want to stop and keep eating."

In fact, the spicy strips were not that spicy, it was just that Wu Zetian had never eaten spicy snacks before.

Seeing this, Lin Lang pulled out a carton of Wahaha from his bag, broke off a bottle, inserted a straw with a "click", and handed it to her: "Quick, try this, sister-in-law. It's called Wahaha AD Calcium Milk. It's refreshing and can help with the spiciness."

Empress Wu didn't bother to ask any more questions and quickly put the straw in her mouth and took a big sip.

The sweet milky aroma slid down her throat, and the burning spicy taste suddenly disappeared. Her eyes widened, "What kind of magical drink is this? It's sweet, fragrant, and slippery, so comfortable!"

Li Zhi, watching from the side, was jealous and quickly reached out: "Brother, give me a bottle too!"

Lin Lang broke off another bottle of Wahaha AD calcium milk, inserted a straw and handed it over.

After Li Zhi took the Wahaha, he couldn't wait to take a sip. The rich milk aroma mixed with a light sweetness melted in his mouth. It was more refreshing and smoother than the yogurt in the palace.

He took several puffs before smacking his lips in satisfaction. "Wonderful! This Shanghai Country stuff is truly magical, spicy enough and sweet enough. Brother, please bring more next time!"

Empress Wu held the Wahaha bottle in her hand and sipped it in small sips. The blush on her face gradually faded. She smiled and said to Lin Lang, "My dear brother, this gift is very thoughtful. It not only has a novelty to eat, but also a refreshing sweet drink to relieve the spiciness."

Lin Lang liked to see Li Zhi and Empress Wu looking like they had never seen the world.

He then took out two bags of potato chips from the snack bag, one original flavor and one tomato flavor, tore open the bags with a "rip" sound, and handed them to Li Zhi and Empress Wu respectively.

"Brother, sister-in-law, come and try this. Guess what it's made of?"

Li Zhi picked up a piece of original potato chips, and could see faint lines on them in the sunlight.

He took a tentative bite, and with a crisp "crunch", the salty and fragrant taste spread in his mouth. The texture was lighter than shrimp crackers, but with a solid grain aroma.

"Hmm? This tastes crispy and fragrant." Li Zhi's eyes lit up. He chewed a few more bites and smacked his lips. "It has a richer flavor than the shrimp crackers just now. It's just that the texture is so special. Delicious!"

Empress Wu picked up the tomato-flavored potato chips, the orange-red chips were covered with finely chopped seasoning.

She took a light bite, and the sweet and sour taste spread first, followed by a crisp feeling similar to the one in Li Zhi's hand, with richer layers than the original flavor.

Empress Wu smiled and said, "This slightly sweet and sour taste is just what I like. It's lighter than cakes and easier to eat than dried fruit. Chewing it in my spare time will help me relieve boredom."

Li Zhi held up the potato chips to the light and looked at them. Suddenly, his eyes turned and he looked at Lin Lang and said with a smile, "My dear brother, the size and shape of this thing are similar to the potato slices you sent to the palace a few days ago. Could it be... fried potato chips?"

Lin Lang clapped his hands and laughed out loud, "Royal brother is really amazing! He guessed it right! These are called potato chips. They are made by frying potato slices. Sprinkle them with different seasonings and they have different flavors."

"So that's how it is!" Li Zhi suddenly realized and stuffed another piece into his mouth, eating even more happily. "This potato looks insignificant, but it can be made into such a delicious dish!"

Empress Wu also nodded, having unknowingly eaten most of the potato chips in her hand. "Using potatoes as an ingredient to create novel flavors, the food in Shanghai is really quite ingenious."

Lin Lang watched the two of them eat happily, and he also pinched a few pieces and put them in his mouth, saying with a smile: "I'm glad you like it. There are still many in the bag. Take your time, brother and sister-in-law."

"My dear brother, you really have something good in mind, and you are thinking about me and your sister-in-law."

Li Zhi smiled and nodded repeatedly, chewing the potato chips in his mouth with a crunching sound, but his eyes glanced at the snacks in the snack bag on the table that he had never seen before. It was obvious that he had been tempted by the next new and novel food.