The Great Tang's King of Provisions

Chapter 34: Two Legitimate Wives

“Your humble son, your humble son…” Li Shimin opened his mouth but didn’t know how to respond to Li Yuan’s words. After all, agreeing wasn’t right, and refusing wasn’t right either. He hurriedly turned to look at Li Xuanba, repeatedly giving him meaningful glances as he sought his help. Catching Li Shimin’s pleading glance, Li Xuanba threw his arms around Li Yuan and said with a smile, “Haha! Dad, if you pass the throne to my second brother, you’ll finally be able to relax. Then you can come farm with me and taste the food I cook—my cooking is absolutely delicious these days!” “Haha, I never would have thought, Da De, that you’d actually learned to cook. That really takes your father by surprise,” Li Yuan said, looking in astonishment at his third son, who had previously only known how to wield a pair of hammers. He never imagined that this third son would also know how to cook. Li Yuan addressed Li Xuanba in a manner entirely different from how he addressed Li Shimin, revealing his distinctly different attitudes toward the two. “Hmm! Do I know how to cook? My second brother certainly does—he’s actually eaten the roujiamo I made. Oh, right, Dad, there’s someone I’d like you to meet.” Speaking of roujiamo, Li Xuanba remembered the three young women—Mei Hanxue and the others—waiting outside the hall. He leaped down from the “imperial throne” where the dragon chair stood and ran out to the courtyard of the Taiji Hall. “Hehe! Hanxue, Xingxuan, Shuangshuang, come on, follow me to meet my dad.” Once outside the hall, Li Xuanba gave the three women a reassuring look, reached out with his large hand to take Mei Hanxue’s delicate hand, and led Du Xingxuan and the other two women inside. “Hmm?” After taking just three steps, Li Xuanba felt a chill on his left hand as a small hand, as cold as jade, slipped into his left palm. He turned his head and met Du Xingxuan’s defiant gaze. “This girl? What’s she doing?” Though filled with confusion, Li Xuanba—an emotional clueless—paid it no mind. Holding one beautiful woman in each hand, and with the curious Du Shuangshuang trailing behind, he strode purposefully toward the Tai Chi Hall. “Dad, this is Mei Hanxue, my future wife—er… princess consort. This is Du Xingxuan, and this is Du Shuangshuang.” As soon as they entered the Tai Chi Hall, Li Xuanba, still holding Mei Hanxue’s hand, began introducing them. However, under the disapproving glances from Li Yuan and the others, he quickly corrected his choice of titles. After Li Xuanba’s introduction, Mei Hanxue’s face instantly flushed crimson. She clasped her jade-like hands together and hurriedly placed them at her right hip, then curtsied slightly to Li Yuan. “This humble maiden, Mei Hanxue, gre—greets Your Majesty!” “Du Xingxuan, daughter of a guilty subject, pays her respects to Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor, long live, long live, long, long, long live!” “This humble maiden, Du Shuangshuang, pays her respects to Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor! Long, long, long live the Emperor!” As the three women paid their respects, their titles and gestures differed markedly. Mei Hanxue seemed somewhat flustered, while Du Xingxuan and Du Shuangshuang performed formal bows, causing Li Yuan’s eyes to light up and sparking his curiosity about the phrase “daughter of a criminal minister.” The Du family? Before Li Yuan could give it much thought, Li Xuanba pointed at Du Xingxuan and said, “Father, this is Du Xingxuan, the daughter of Du Fuwei. Why don’t we just drop those charges against Du Fuwei?” Du Fuwei, you say? It seems my suspicions from a while back were correct after all. Oh well! I’ve wrongly condemned a meritorious minister! Li Xuanba spoke casually, and Li Yuan seemed to realize something as well. He exchanged a glance with Li Shimin and said, “I did indeed make a mistake earlier. Tomorrow, I’ll restore Du Fuwei’s good name and grant him an additional reward!” “Thank you! Thank you, Your Majesty!” Hearing that Li Yuan had truly cleared her father’s name, Du Xingxuan offered her thanks. Tears welled up in her beautiful eyes as she cast a grateful glance at Li Xuanba—she never imagined that what Brother Xuanba had said would actually come true! “This son obeys Your Majesty’s command!” Li Shimin replied, then turned with Li Yuan to look at the three women before them. He had previously been unaware that Du Xingxuan was Du Fuwei’s daughter, but now, seeing how familiar she was with court etiquette, it all made sense. But… Xingxuan? At this thought, Li Shimin and Li Yuan exchanged a glance, nodded to each other, and made a decision. Li Shimin whispered a few words into Li Yuan’s ear. Li Yuan nodded repeatedly as he listened, and the look in his eyes as he gazed at Li Xuanba grew peculiar, leaving Li Xuanba deeply perplexed. Li Yuan gently supported Mei Hanxue, admiring her exquisite beauty—as graceful as a plum blossom in the snow—and nodded with satisfaction. Glancing at Li Xuanba, who kept winking at him, he smiled faintly and said, ““Since you’re willing to come with my son Xuanba to meet this old father of mine, I assume you’re quite pleased with Xuanba as well. So, you shall marry my son Xuanba as his primary wife. To ensure you’re not treated unfairly, I’ll adopt you as my adopted daughter and bestow upon you the title of Princess of Lantian. Are you willing?” “I—I’m willing!” Mei Hanxue wanted to say no, but she couldn’t resist her heart’s desire. She bowed her head, her face flushed, and whispered her consent, not daring to even glance at Li Xuanba. “Hehe! I…” Seeing Mei Hanxue’s bashful expression, Li Xuanba smugly raised an eyebrow. Just as he was about to say something, Li Yuan cut him off. Li Yuan shot Li Xuanba a teasing glance and said to Du Xingxuan, who was constantly wiping away her tears, “Du Xingxuan, since your father is innocent, the suffering I made him endure before was indeed a bit excessive. To make amends to you, I’ll let you marry my son Xuanba and become his other primary wife. Are you willing?” “Dad! I…” “I’m willing!” No sooner had Li Yuan finished speaking than two voices rang out in the Taiji Hall—one belonging to a stunned Li Xuanba, and the other to Du Xingxuan, whose face was flushed with shyness yet her eyes burned with resolve. Looking at Du Xingxuan’s stubborn expression, her hopeful gaze, and her simple white gown, Li Xuanba opened his mouth but swallowed the words of refusal before they could escape. Oh well, they weren’t related by blood anyway, and she still had to observe a year of mourning. After a year, she’d only be sixteen—if she were to wait another two years, she’d be old enough to… ahem… share a bed with him. But why two legitimate wives? Though puzzled, Li Xuanba merely rubbed his nose and didn’t dare voice the question. Two legitimate wives? So be it. In his heart, there was no distinction between a primary and a secondary wife anyway. Li Yuan paid no heed to what Li Xuanba was thinking. After directly assigning him two wives, he waved to Li Shimin, “Shimin, go handle the preparations for tomorrow’s coronation! Just have Da De and my daughter-in-law stay here to keep me company.” “Yes, Father. Your son takes his leave.” Seeing that Li Yuan was truly going to pass the throne to him tomorrow, Li Shimin felt a tinge of indescribable joy. Most importantly, his father had truly forgiven him. “Da De, tell your old man—what exactly is a roujiamo? Is it good? Make a few for me to try at dinner later,” Li Shimin said. As soon as Li Shimin left, Li Yuan smiled broadly as he put his arm around Li Xuanba. All traces of imperial dignity vanished; he looked like a playful old father, yet exuded an indescribable sense of ease. Speaking of roujiamo, Li Xuanba glanced at Mei Hanxue, who had grown somewhat bashful beside him, then raised his eyebrows smugly and chuckled, “Dad, when it comes to roujiamo, there’s a real art to it. To make that bright red braised pork, you have to choose top-quality pork leg—a ratio of seven parts lean to three parts fat is just right.” “Pork?” Hearing Li Xuanba’s words, Li Yuan frowned and said with some disdain, “Can you even eat that filthy stuff? It tastes absolutely awful.” “Haha! Dad, you guys just aren’t preparing it right. Of course the pork tastes bad—it’s already got plenty of fat on it, and you cook it in lard. How could it possibly taste good? To make top-quality braised pork, you absolutely have to use soybean oil.” “Soybean oil? What kind of oil is that? Is it even edible?” Hearing Li Xuanba drop yet another new term, Li Yuan was taken aback. His third son had been to the Immortal Realm—how had he picked up so much knowledge? Still, he was certainly much better than before! “Hehe! Dad, you wouldn’t understand if I explained it like that. Come on, come on—follow me to the Imperial Kitchen. I’ll make you a roujiamo that tastes like love!” As he spoke, Li Xuanba gave Mei Hanxue a knowing wink, then took Li Yuan by the hand and led him out of the Tai Chi Hall. In the Tang Dynasty, people generally ate two meals a day—but that was for households struggling to make ends meet. For the imperial family, of course, it was three meals a day.