Chapter 1082: Li Zhi and Lin Lang are going to play hard

Lin Lang took out two packets of colorful candy wrappers from his backpack. When he tore them open, there was a slight "sizzling" sound, and the granular candies inside had a fine luster.

He smiled and handed it to Li Zhi and Empress Wu: "Brother, sister-in-law, come and try some popping candy. This is a new and unique thing from our country of Shanghai. I guarantee you've never had it before."

Li Zhi took it curiously, poured a little into his palm, and put it into his mouth carefully.

The next second, his eyes suddenly opened wide, and a crackling sound came from his mouth, as if countless small sparks exploded and bounced on the tip of his tongue.

"This...this candy actually moves!" Li Zhi opened his mouth in amazement, his voice trembling. "It's jumping around in my mouth, like a lively little grasshopper!"

Empress Wu also tried pouring some into her mouth. She frowned slightly at first, but the next second she suddenly exclaimed "Ah", her eyes widened, and she felt a dense beating sensation on the tip of her tongue, as if countless small beads were dancing. The novelty made her unable to help but smack her lips.

"My dear brother, the candies from your country of Shanghai are really novel. They can actually dance on the tip of your tongue. It's amazing!" Empress Wu put the tip of her tongue against her palate, feeling the tiny vibrations of the exploding candies, and a hint of childlike joy flashed in her eyes.

Lin Lang also poured himself some popping candy, put it in his mouth and said with a smile: "This is just an appetizer, the real delicious food is still to come."

As he spoke, he dug out two sealed bags from the bottom of the snack bag, tore open the Want Want Snow Cake, and handed it over: "Royal brother, Royal sister-in-law, try this, it's delicious!"

Li Zhi took the Want Want Snow Cake, looked at it, and said with a smile, "Brother, wow, it's so delicious!"

"Brother, you will know once you try it."

Li Zhi took a big bite of the snow pancake. A crisp and loud crunch sounded, and the salty and wheaty aroma spread in his mouth. He nodded repeatedly, "Hmm! This pancake is so crispy! It's even better than the potato chips just now!"

Empress Wu couldn't wait to taste the snow cake, chewing it slowly, her eyes full of surprise: "It's really refreshing, no wonder my brother said it's delicious."

The palace maids and eunuchs in the hall stood far away, watching the emperor and empress eat with gusto, their Adam's apples rolling, and they were all very curious about the taste of Shanghai's special food.

A young eunuch swallowed quietly and was nudged by the palace maid next to him. The two of them hurriedly lowered their heads, not daring to look any further - after all, it was a royal occasion, so how could they dare to show any greed?

When Empress Wu saw their expressions, she generously rewarded her personal maid and the eunuchs in the palace with a large bag of Want Want snow cakes to share.

The eunuchs and palace maids were flattered to accept it, knelt down to express their gratitude, their fingertips trembling a little, and retreated to a corner with the snow cakes in their hands, chewing them in small bites, their eyes full of gratitude.

"Imperial sister-in-law, you are very generous."

As he spoke, Lin Lang took out several large bags of modern snacks from his personal space and placed them arrogantly on the billiard table.

"Royal brother, Royal sister-in-law, these two bags of Shanghai Kingdom's specialty snacks are given by me to my nephews."

"Wow..." Li Zhi exclaimed, "My dear brother, you are so thoughtful! Your nephews must be so happy to have Shanghai's special snacks!"

Empress Wu covered her mouth with a handkerchief and laughed, "Your Majesty, my brother is so kind that he never forgets to share with you any good things from Shanghai."

Li Zhi put his arm around Lin Lang's shoulders and laughed loudly, "You are truly my good brother!"

Lin Lang laughed out loud, took out two bags of spicy fish from the snack bag, tore open the packaging and handed them to Li Zhi and Empress Wu, "This is the spicy fish from Shanghai Kingdom, marinated with a secret sauce. Brother and sister-in-law, please try it."

Li Zhi took the spicy fish and tasted it. It was salty and fragrant with a hint of spiciness. The more he chewed, the more delicious it became. He immediately praised it, "It's even better than the fish cooked in the imperial kitchen! It's spicy and fragrant!"

Empress Wu also curiously tried the small fish snacks. The sauce had a strong aroma, but it did not cover the original taste of the fish, and the aftertaste had a hint of sweetness.

"My dear brother, why is this spicy fish I'm eating not spicy?"

Lin Lang looked at the spicy fish in Empress Wu's hand and replied with a smile, "Sister-in-law, these fish snacks come in several flavors. The one you're eating is the sauce flavor, and there are also sweet and sour flavors and braised flavors."

"I see. The non-spicy taste is just right for me." Empress Wu ate the fish snacks with a satisfied look on her face.

Lin Lang pulled out two more candies wrapped in colorful paper and filled with alcohol from his snack bag. He handed them to Li Zhi and Empress Wu respectively, raised his eyebrows and said with a smile, "Brother, sister-in-law, come and try this candy from Shanghai and see how it tastes compared to the candy from the Tang Dynasty."

Li Zhi took the wine-filled candy and couldn't wait to peel off the candy wrapper. He looked at the dark "heart" wrapped in the translucent candy shell and put it directly into his mouth. He held it in his mouth for a while and smacked his lips. He felt it was nothing special.

"Brother, this candy tastes just ordinary sweet. I don't think it has any special features."

Lin Lang suppressed a smile and waved his hands: "Royal brother, this wine-filled candy can't be eaten by holding it in your mouth. You have to bite it into pieces and let the wine inside burst out in the cavity to make it taste good."

Li Zhi's eyes lit up and he chewed gently as he was told.

With a "crack", the sugar shell shattered and the wine inside instantly spread in the mouth. The sweet fragrance mixed with the mellow wine aroma, first sweet and then slightly drunk, and the layers suddenly became richer.

Li Zhi's eyes widened instantly, and he nodded repeatedly in praise, "This wine-filled candy is amazing! First, the sugar is sweet, and then after it's broken, the wine aroma bursts out. It's not overpowering at all, but rather intertwined with the sweetness. The more you chew, the more flavorful it becomes. It's even more intense than the candied fruits in the palace!"

Empress Wu also curiously peeled off a candy with a wine filling, pinched the candy ball with her fingertips and looked at it for a moment before putting it in her mouth.

She first took a sip of the sweetness of the candy shell, then took a light bite. The moment the wine exploded on the tip of her tongue, the corners of her eyes slightly raised and a smile spread across the corners of her mouth.

"This candy hides a lot of ingenuity. It's sweet on the outside and strong on the inside, just like some things. They taste bland at first, but you'll discover their charm after savoring them carefully. It has a more wine-like aftertaste than simple sweet candies, and it's really unique." Empress Wu's eyes were filled with surprise and approval.

Lin Lang took out a box of Oreo sandwich cookies from the bag, tore open the package, took out a piece, bit off half of it with a "crunch", and nodded while chewing.

"Yeah, it still tastes the same."

Lin Lang said as he handed the whole box of Oreo cookies to Li Zhi, "Brother, try this, it's delicious!"

Li Zhi took it with a smile, looked at the two dark biscuits sandwiching the white filling, and said jokingly, "My dear brother, you always say 'Gaga, it's delicious'. I want to see what this black thing has to offer."

He picked up a piece, took a big bite like Lin Lang, and savored it carefully, smacking his lips.

The slight bitterness of the chocolate mixed with the sweetness of the filling, the crispness of the biscuits and the density of the cream collide in the mouth, sweet but not cloying, and fragrant and solid.

Li Zhi's eyes lit up, and he took another big bite, mumbling, "My dear brother, what you said is true. This thing is really delicious!" He picked up another piece and handed half to Wu Zetian, "Queen, you should try it too."

Empress Wu took the Oreo cookie, took a bite, savored it for a moment, and relaxed her brows. "This cookie is quite cleverly made. The combination of black and white is pleasing to the eye. It tastes sweet with a hint of bitterness, but not cloying at all. It's truly delicious."

Lin Lang laughed and said, "This is called Oreo. You can soak it in milk when eating. It tastes different when it's softened. If my brother and his wife like it, I'll send more to the palace later."

Li Zhi had already eaten two pieces in a row and nodded repeatedly when he heard this: "Okay, okay, this thing seems to be good with tea. From now on, I can use it as a snack when I review memorials."

Empress Wu picked up another Oreo cookie and chewed it slowly, her eyes full of satisfaction.

Lin Lang took out another bag of jelly from the snack bag. The transparent packaging bag was filled with colorful small cubes, which looked refreshing.

He tore open the outer packaging, pinched out an apple-flavored one, peeled off the small plastic shell, and handed it to Li Zhi.

"Royal brother, try the jelly from Shanghai. It was my favorite when I was little."

Lin Lang said as he took out another orange-flavored jelly, peeled it, and handed it to Empress Wu. "Imperial sister-in-law, please try it too. How does it taste?"

Li Zhi pinched the soft and smooth jelly, which felt cool and chewy to the touch, and put it into his mouth carefully.

Before you chew hard, the jelly slides lightly on the tip of your tongue, dissolving with the sweet aroma of apple. It has a smooth texture with a slight chewiness, sweet but not greasy, like a mouthful of cool fruity spring water.

His eyes suddenly lit up, and he smacked his lips, saying, "This jelly is amazing! It swirls around in your mouth so smoothly and melts away in a single sip. It has a very strong naphthalene flavor and is even more refreshing than iced sour plum juice. This must be a delight to eat in the summer!"

The naphthalene mentioned by Li Zhi was the name of apple in the Tang Dynasty. At that time, apples were also called lingong.

Empress Wu also put the orange-flavored jelly into her mouth. The refreshing orange fragrance mixed with the cool touch instantly dispelled some of the heat.

She tasted it carefully. It was soft and tender with a little elasticity, and the taste was just right, sweet and sour. It had an interesting texture compared to freshly squeezed orange juice. She couldn't help but smile and said, "This jelly tastes great!"

Lin Lang watched them eat happily and said with a smile, "How is it? Isn't it delicious too?"

Li Zhi was tearing open the plastic shell and putting the second jelly into his mouth. He nodded repeatedly when he heard this: "My dear brother, you are right. It is really delicious!"

Empress Wu also laughed and gave a thumbs-up: "It's delicious!"

Lin Lang pointed to the remaining jelly in the bag and said with a smile, "There are red, green, and yellow jelly in here, and each color has a different flavor, such as strawberry and grape. I'll let my brother and sister-in-law taste it slowly later.

Li Zhi chewed the jelly and suddenly thought of something: "This jelly is very slippery. If I give it to my princes as a snack, it will definitely be very popular."

Empress Wu smiled and nodded in agreement, "I never thought the food in Shanghai could be so exquisite and interesting."

Li Zhi clapped his hands and laughed loudly, "My dear brother, you have repeatedly sent me such novel and wonderful things. I cannot be stingy!"

"Come here, send an order to the Imperial Study to fetch two of my own calligraphy and paintings, and select a few excellent works from my collection of famous calligraphy, and give them to my dear brother!"

Lin Lang said politely, "Your Majesty, there's no need to be so polite."

Li Zhi smiled and said, "Don't despise me, dear brother. Although these calligraphy and paintings are not as exquisite as the snacks in Shanghai, they are a small token of my appreciation."

"You and I are brothers, and it is only natural for us to exchange courtesies. If you have any new things in the future, you must keep me and your sister-in-law in mind." Li Zhi hugged Lin Lang's shoulders tightly.

Lin Lang felt so happy after hearing this that he could hardly suppress the ecstasy on his face.

Authentic handwritten works by Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Li Zhi, as well as calligraphy and paintings by ancient masters! This is not just a "little token of appreciation", it is a truly priceless gift!

If these calligraphy and paintings were auctioned back in the past two thousand years, they would be worth at least tens or even hundreds of billions of Chinese yuan.

Lin Lang secretly calculated that the snacks he brought only cost a few hundred yuan in total, so this was a huge profit!

After reciting the poem, Lin Lang hurriedly bowed, a perfectly composed smile on his face: "Thank you, my royal brother, for your generous gift! I would be honored to refuse it!"

Li Zhi smiled and patted Lin Lang's shoulder, saying in a friendly tone, "Brother, why are you being so polite to me? Although we don't share the same surname, we are better than brothers. What does this little thing mean to you?"

Lin Lang chuckled and continued, "Your Majesty is right, we are close friends!"

Empress Wu smiled and murmured, "Your Majesty and my brother are so close, it's truly enviable. With such a close brother, the affairs of our country will be much smoother."

As soon as Li Zhi finished speaking, he cleared his throat thoughtfully and said, "All the outsiders, get out."

The palace maids, eunuchs and guards in the Linde Inn all left the hall obediently.

Only Li Zhi, Lin Lang, and Empress Wu were left in the hall. Li Zhi looked at Empress Wu and said, "Empress, my brother and I have matters of state to discuss. Please leave for now."

"Yes, Your Majesty." After bowing, Empress Wu bowed slightly to Lin Lang in farewell, then walked out of the Linde Hall with light steps.

Lin Lang asked curiously, "Brother Emperor, what important state affairs do you want to discuss with me?"

Unexpectedly, Li Zhi frowned and said, "Brother, to be honest, Zhangsun Wuji, as the Prime Minister and the Minister entrusted with the care of the young emperor, and his followers, are too powerful and pose a serious threat to my imperial power."

Lin Lang's expression turned cold after hearing this, and he asked tentatively, "My Royal Brother, do you want Lord Changsun to unite with his followers to dominate the government, thus restricting my power? Do you want to seize the power and eliminate him as soon as possible?"