Opening a Tavern in the Tang Dynasty

"I think the original flavor is the best. The original flavor is the best."

In the court, Li Shimin and his ministers all looked worried and troubled.

Li Shimin frowned and said, "The weather is so hot. If a battle breaks out, the soldiers will definitely not be able to bear it. What should we do?"

Mr. Zhang didn't know what to do: "I can't think of a solution."

At this time, Li Shimin glanced around and said in a deep voice: "Cheng Yaojin, Mr. Zhang, and you, follow me to the Yuyu Tavern."

Cheng Yaojin was stunned when he heard this and asked hurriedly, "Aren't you going to war? Your Majesty, what does this mean?"

Li Shimin shook his head slightly and said expectantly, "The Yuyu family might have a good idea. They often have novel things before, and maybe they can be of great help this time. Let's go, don't delay."

After saying that, he stood up and hurried to the Yuyu Tavern with a few people.

Li Shimin, along with Cheng Yaojin and others, hurried to the tavern and saw the diners eating a cigarette with great relish.

He couldn't help but ask curiously, "What are these?"

One of the diners quickly stood up and respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, this is a popsicle. It's very refreshing. Eating one on such a hot day will really cool you down."

When Li Shimin heard this, he had an idea and went straight to the kitchen.

As soon as he reached the kitchen door, Xiaoyu's men saw him and hurried over: "The emperor is here!"

Li Hao quickly knelt down and saluted respectfully: "Your Majesty"

Li Shimin waved his hand and said, "No need to be polite."

Yuyu handed over a popsicle and said, "This is called a popsicle. Your Majesty, try it. It's so cool and refreshing. It's the best way to cool down and quench your thirst in this hot weather."

Mr. Zhang took it and took a sip, his eyes lighting up: "Hmm, it's really good, it's icy and refreshing."

Cheng Yaojin bit off a large piece and praised loudly, "Excellent! Your Majesty, I, Old Cheng, think this thing is very good!"

Li Shimin also tasted it, nodded and said with a smile: "I think it is good too."

Cheng Yaojin slapped his thigh and said excitedly, "Your Majesty, perhaps we can distribute these popsicles to the military camp so that the soldiers can eat them. This way, the soldiers won't feel too hot. When the Western Regions come to fight, we will definitely have a great chance of winning!"

Li Shimin's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he nodded slightly and said, "Okay, that's it."

Then he looked at Master Zhang and said, "Master Zhang, please stay here and discuss matters with me. I still have many matters to discuss with you."

He then instructed Cheng Yaojin, "Cheng Yaojin, prepare more saltpeter. Make sure the soldiers can eat these summer-cooling popsicles as soon as possible. This will help them stay cool in this scorching heat and fully prepare to fight the invading enemy from the Western Regions."

Cheng Yaojin received the order and responded loudly: "Your Majesty, don't worry. I, Old Cheng, will do it right away and make sure to arrange this matter properly!" After that, he turned around in a hurry and got busy.

Li Shimin munched on a popsicle and nodded in satisfaction, praising it: "This popsicle is really good, absolutely excellent. If all the soldiers in the army could eat it, I think it would ease the suffering of the scorching heat a little, and it would also be of great benefit to our preparations for war."

Lord Zhang chewed his popsicle, feeling more confident about the upcoming battle with the Western Regions: "Your Majesty is right."

Li Shimin handed the popsicle box to Zhang Dadi and said, "Yuyu and your family, continue with your work. I will go to the private room on the second floor to eat my popsicles."

The Yuyu family quickly responded respectfully, "Yes, Your Majesty, take care. If you have any instructions, just let me know."

After that, they went about their business. Li Shimin, on the other hand, walked towards the private room on the second floor, where he planned to calm down and think over the details of the war with the Western Regions.

Cheng Yaojin came back and walked to the private room on the second floor: "Your Majesty, the saltpeter is here."

When Li Shimin heard this, he was delighted and said, "Okay, Cheng Yaojin, go and help me."

Cheng Yaojin replied "yes", rolled up his sleeves, and strode towards the first floor.

"Yu Yu family, prepare to make popsicles, no need to cook!" Cheng Yaojin shouted in a loud voice.

Xiaoyu put down the spatula: "What's going on?"

Cheng Yaojin said as he carried saltpeter to the backyard of the kitchen, "Have you forgotten? His Majesty just said that the barracks need a lot of popsicles. We have to make them quickly to send to the soldiers to cool down. This matter cannot be delayed any longer, so let's get started!"

Yuyu finally came to his senses and nodded hurriedly, "Yes, yes, I almost forgot. I'll focus on making popsicles now. We can't let the soldiers suffer from the heat. Hurry!"

Yu Yu's family and Cheng Yaojin chatted while making popsicles.

Cheng Yaojin helped to fiddle with the ingredients for the popsicles while shouting, "Let's go to war!"

Yuyu was stunned for a moment, stopped what he was doing, and asked in confusion: "What war?"

Cheng Yaojin slapped his thigh and said anxiously, "Haven't you heard about the envoys from the Western Regions? Those guys are so arrogant, openly declaring war on our Tang Dynasty in the court. We must teach them a lesson!"

The fish suddenly understood and nodded, "I see."

Cheng Yaojin continued, "Yes, yes, that's right! Your Majesty is worried about the scorching heat. He's afraid the soldiers won't be able to handle it and it will affect their fighting."

"That's why I thought of your popsicles. If the soldiers could eat popsicles to cool down on the battlefield, they would definitely be more motivated to fight!"

Xiaoyu nodded repeatedly and replied, "Oh, I see. We need to make more popsicles. We can't let the soldiers suffer from the heat. We must make sure they can go and fight the invading enemies from the Western Regions in a cool and refreshing state!"

After that, everyone sped up the process of making popsicles.

In the private room on the second floor, Li Shimin put down the popsicle stick and said, "Master Zhang, what do you think?"

Lord Zhang nodded slightly and said calmly, "I think with popsicles to cool down, fighting this battle won't be a problem."

"Although the envoys from the Western Regions declared war arrogantly, they might not have expected that our Tang Dynasty would have such a wonderful way to beat the heat."

Lord Liu nodded. "With popsicles to cool down the soldiers, they'll be in better shape in this scorching heat. Their morale will also be higher, and when we face the enemy from the Western Regions, our chances of victory will naturally be much better."

Li Shimin's eyes lit up when he heard this: "Okay, that's it. I'll go see how much Cheng Yaojin and Yuyu's family have made in making popsicles."

When they reached the first floor, Li Shimin called out, "Yuyu."

Yuyu quickly stepped forward and replied, "Your Majesty, we've made a lot of popsicles."

Li Shimin nodded with satisfaction: "Okay, then prepare for transportation."

But Lord Zhang frowned and said, "How to transport it is a problem. It's so hot, the popsicles might melt before they even reach the barracks."

Xiaoyu stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, perhaps you could put the popsicles in a large block of ice. That way, the popsicles won't melt easily, and you can transport them to the military camp."