plumnovel Chapter 22 My Immortal Uncle
Chapter 22 My Immortal Uncle
The day the first batch of snowflake-like divine salt arrived in Chang'an from Dengzhou was a clear and bright day with a gentle breeze.
However, this batch of salt was not sent to the imperial treasury as usual, nor was it displayed at the court assembly in the Taiji Hall.
Li Shimin made an unexpected decision: he ordered a family banquet to be held in the Liangyi Hall, which all adult princes, princesses, and concubines of rank in the capital were required to attend.
The usual solemnity and reverence had long since vanished from the Liangyi Hall.
Dozens of exquisite low tables were arranged in a staggered manner, creating an atmosphere as harmonious as a typical wealthy family gathering.
But the more this was the case, the more uneasy the attendees became, especially Crown Prince Li Chengqian and Prince Wei Li Tai, who knew that their father never made any unfounded decisions.
Beneath this seemingly warm scene lies a ruthless intent.
As everyone sat upright and held their breath in anticipation, Li Shimin finally entered slowly, surrounded by eunuchs.
He wasn't wearing a dragon robe today, only a black casual outfit, but when his hawk-like eyes swept across the entire room, the majesty and oppressive feeling contained within were more terrifying than any magnificent attire.
His gaze swept across the faces of everyone present, finally settling on an empty rosewood table in the center of the hall.
"Serve the food."
Li Shimin's voice was calm and even, revealing no emotion.
The eunuchs filed in, but what they served was not a delicacy.
The head eunuch, Wang De, personally held a crystal-clear glass bowl and carefully placed it in the center of the table.
Inside the bowl, half-full, white crystals shimmered like diamonds under the light of the palace.
"What is this?" a young princess asked in a low voice, unable to contain her curiosity.
"Salt."
Li Shimin personally gave the answer, a single word that instantly plunged the hall into deathly silence.
Salt?
Everyone present was from a wealthy and influential family, consuming the finest bluish-white salt, yet none of them had ever seen salt so crystal clear and shaped like shattered jade.
It was more like a rare gem than a seasoning.
A meaningful smile appeared on Li Shimin's lips. He stood up, walked to the table, dipped his index finger lightly into the glass bowl, and then put the fingertip with a few white crystals into his mouth.
He closed his eyes, savoring the moment, his expression shifting from stern to a relaxed state of near-enjoyment.
"Everyone, have a taste." He opened his eyes and said to his dumbfounded family, "Taste this flavor from outer space."
From outer space!
These four words struck like a thunderbolt, resounding in everyone's hearts.
They instantly understood that this was the legendary divine object bestowed by the immortals above the heavens!
Empress Zhangsun rose gracefully and, as an example, was the first to step forward.
She imitated His Majesty, gently picking up a grain and putting it into her lips.
In an instant, a pure, domineering yet slightly sweet salty-savory flavor exploded on the taste buds, without any bitterness or off-flavors.
Her dignified face revealed an undisguised shock and joy.
"Your Majesty..." Her beautiful eyes shone with admiration, her voice trembling slightly, "The purity of this item far surpasses that of ordinary goods. I... offer my congratulations to the Great Tang Dynasty, and to Your Majesty!"
With the Empress taking the lead, Crown Prince Li Chengqian, Prince Wei Li Tai, and others also stepped forward.
After tasting it, Li Chengqian's expression became extremely complicated.
As the crown prince, he was delighted that the Tang Dynasty had acquired such a treasure, but deep down, a stronger sense of awe and powerlessness arose within him.
His father's prestige was already closely linked to the Mandate of Heaven, reaching a height that was difficult for him to attain.
King Li Tai of Wei, however, had his eyes shining. He saw not salt, but the endless knowledge and possibilities behind it.
He licked his lips as if he were tasting not a condiment, but a nectar called the future.
This family dinner turned into a pilgrimage to the sacred salt.
This was exactly the effect Li Shimin wanted. He wanted his family, the noblest bloodline of the Tang Dynasty, to personally witness this divinely ordained miracle, and to imprint the concept of the divine right of kings in everyone's hearts in the most direct and irrefutable way.
He returned to his seat and said in a deep voice, "This salt, I have already named—Zhenguan Heavenly Salt!"
"Wang De".
"This servant is here."
"Issue my decree. First, starting next month, all the imperial guards and border soldiers of my Great Tang shall have one or two days' worth of salt added to their monthly salary!"
All officials of the third rank or above in the capital, as well as meritorious officials, shall be rewarded according to their rank and merits!
"I want all the loyal ministers and generals of my Great Tang to be the first to taste this divine delight!"
Upon hearing this decree, the breathing of the princes who also held military positions in the hall became heavy. This was not merely a perk, but an unparalleled honor bestowed by the emperor upon establishing his inner circle!
Being able to eat "heavenly salt" means you are the emperor's most trusted advisor!
Without pausing, Li Shimin issued a second decree:
"Secondly, the Minister of Revenue, Dai Zhou, and the Minister of Works, Duan Lun, are ordered to immediately calculate the costs and fully deploy the Xianfa Saltworks in the seven prefectures of Dengzhou, Laizhou, and Cangzhou!"
I will give you six months. Within six months, I will reduce the price of salt to the point where one dou of rice can be exchanged for three jin of salt!
"I want every one of my subjects to be able to taste this salt without bitterness in their lifetime!"
If the first decree was to establish authority and win over the people, then this second decree is a calculated move to bestow favors upon the world!
If successful, the Tang Dynasty's treasury will be overflowing like never before, and Li Shimin's prestige will surpass that of all previous emperors, truly reaching the level of a sage ruler.
He wanted to use this gift from heaven to weave a vast net covering the entire Tang Dynasty, a net called imperial power and the hearts of the people!
In the modern world, at Jianghe's home, three days later...
The afternoon sun streamed through the clean glass windows, casting warm dappled patterns on the floor. A faint lemon scent filled the air, the fresh scent of the floor freshly mopped by Jianghe.
He yawned, stretched, and felt his bones groaning in pleasure.
These three days were peaceful and pleasant.
He bought Xiao Sizi a small drawing board and a box of non-toxic crayons. The little one's greatest joy now is lying on the carpet and drawing everything she sees. The TV show "Boonie Bears" is on, and she watches it giggling, occasionally showing her "masterpieces" to Jiang He.
"Uncle, look, an airplane!" she exclaimed in her childish voice, pointing to a doodle on the drawing paper with a square and two matchsticks.
Outside the window, a commercial airliner was flying by, leaving a white trail in its wake.
"That's a wonderful drawing! Our Sizi is a little artist!"
Jiang He smiled and patted her head, his heart softening.
For him, this sense of security and being relied upon was quietly filling the emptiness and confusion he felt after graduation.
Instead of spending all night anxiously scrolling through job postings, he started planning what delicious food to cook for Xiao Sizi every day and taking her to the neighborhood park to meet new children.
His gaze fell on the plane that was gradually disappearing into the distance, but his eyes drifted to a more distant place.
"The flow of time..." he murmured softly.
This was a crucial piece of information that took him three days to finally confirm.
Judging from the blurry sky feedback on the system panel, which he had set to background mode, he had leisurely spent three days, but the Tang Dynasty seemed to have pressed the fast forward button, and at least nearly a month had passed.
He could vaguely see countless figures bustling about on the beach, hear the hustle and bustle of carriages and horses, and hear fragments of officials shouting orders.
"It's roughly a flow rate ratio of 1:10."
Jiang He silently memorized the number.
This discovery relieved him, but also brought him a deeper sense of awe.
This means he has a huge information gap and reaction time advantage.
No matter what happens in the Tang Dynasty, he has plenty of time to prepare and think.
But this also made him realize more clearly that what he was connected to was a real, vibrant, and rapidly evolving parallel world, not a game that could be manipulated at will.
"Uncle Immortal, my tummy is hungry..." Little Sizi came over at some point, tugging at his clothes, looking at him with her clear, pure eyes.
"Alright, Uncle Immortal, I'll go and use my culinary magic right away!"
Jiang He smiled and picked her up, kissing her on her rosy cheek, which made the little one laugh.
He went to the kitchen and began preparing dinner.
There was fresh cod and broccoli in the refrigerator, and he planned to make a nutritious fish puree for Xiao Sizi.
To him, the vicissitudes of the Tang Dynasty and Li Shimin's ambitions were as distant as stories from another world.
At this moment, the warmth and softness of the little one in his arms, and the aroma of the food that was about to waft out, were the entire focus of his life.
He didn't realize that a pebble he casually tossed aside was stirring up a colossal wave on the surface of a lake in another world, a wave powerful enough to overturn an era.
And the nickname "Uncle Immortal," which Little Sizi used to call him more and more naturally, was rapidly evolving in that world from a vague legend into a real and authentic deity with hundreds of millions of believers.