"… After the Queen gave birth to her daughter, she named her Snow White. Not long after, the Queen passed away," Meton recounted the story of Snow White in detail.
"Sigh!"
When Li Zhi and Princess Jinyang heard about Snow White's fate, they couldn't help but sigh sadly. Compared to Snow White, they were much luckier.
"Snow White still had a father. He must have liked her very much," Princess Changle comforted the two when she saw their disappointed expressions.
"A year later, the King married a new wife. She was very beautiful …" Meton continued. Suddenly, he felt a chill run down his spine. Princess Changle looked at him with disdain and killing intent.
Meton smiled awkwardly. He didn't mean to embarrass them, but that was the story. He had no choice but to continue.
"The new Queen owned a magical mirror. Every morning, she would ask," Mirror, Sunglasses, who is the most beautiful woman in the world? "The mirror would always reply," Of course it's you! My Queen. "
The new Queen was very happy because the mirror had never lied. When Snow White was seven years old, the Queen asked the mirror again. It replied, "My Queen, you are naturally the most beautiful here. However, Snow White is a thousand times more beautiful than you."
"I knew Snow White was the most beautiful," Li Zhi cheered excitedly.
"What a miraculous magic mirror! I want a magic mirror like this too!" Princess Jinyang said longingly. She was no longer young and had gradually developed a love for beauty. Even Princess Changle couldn't help but nod. Who wouldn't want such a magical mirror?
"Magical mirror!"
Meton's heart skipped a beat. He suddenly stood up and paced back and forth uncontrollably.
"Meton, what's wrong?" Princess Changle asked worriedly when she saw Meton suddenly stand up and laugh foolishly.
Meton looked up at the sky and sighed. He said proudly, "Hahaha, I finally found the best betrothal gift."
"Ah!" Princess Changle's face immediately turned red. She said with shame and anger, "You're still bringing this up at this time?"
"What kind of best item is so precious?" Li Tai couldn't help but ask curiously. After all, Meton had promised a betrothal gift of a thousand mounts and ten thousand gold coins. It wasn't something that could be easily accomplished.
Meton proudly said, "A magic mirror that can reflect the most beautiful woman in the world!"
"Magic mirror?" Everyone looked at each other. Wasn't the magic mirror a fairy tale he had just told? It was fine if Li Zhi and Princess Jinyang believed it, but the rest of them did not believe it at all. Was it really possible to create a mirror that did not lie and could speak?
Meton smiled but did not say anything. Although there were mirrors in the Tang dynasty, most of them were bronze mirrors. Not only were they expensive, but they were also barely satisfactory. Now that he had flat glass, it was logical to create mirrors that were commonly seen in later generations.
When a mirror that could reflect a person's appearance appeared in front of the world, how shocking would it be? When people saw their true appearance clearly for the first time in the mirror, there was no room for falsehood. Wasn't this a magic mirror that could speak and not lie?
Just as Zheng Chonghua said, Meton naturally would not stain his love with gold and silver. However, an unprecedented magical mirror was extremely precious and could also represent his feelings.
"Are you really able to create such a magic mirror?" Li Chengqian asked in bewilderment.
Meton nodded solemnly. He looked at Princess Changle and said softly, "In five days, I will bring the betrothal gift to the palace to propose marriage!"
"Propose marriage!" Everyone couldn't help but be stunned. They instantly quieted down and kept looking back and forth between Princess Changle and Meton.
Princess Changle was stunned when she heard that. She suddenly reacted and her face turned red to her neck.
"Ah! I'll go back to the palace first! "
Princess Changle heard that and could no longer sit still. She got up and left with a red face. No matter how open she was, when she heard Meton say that he would go to the palace to propose marriage in five days, she couldn't stay any longer and quickly left.
Princess Changle got up and left in a hurry. Li Chengqian and the others naturally couldn't sit still anymore. They immediately got up and prepared to leave.
"Ah! Snow White hasn't finished yet? " Princess Jinyang said reluctantly. To her, such a beautiful fairy tale was more precious than anything else.
Meton shook his head and said, "Don't worry, Princess. I will write the complete story later and send it to the palace. You won't be disappointed."
"Okay then!" Princess Jinyang nodded sensibly.
"I haven't eaten enough delicious cake!" Li Zhi touched his fat belly and said covetously.
Imperial Chef Zhou, who had been waiting by the side, said, "Your Highness, don't worry. I have already prepared a new cake. Your Highness can slowly taste it when you return to the palace.
"I also want to bring one for my father and mother." Princess Jinyang said quickly.
"Good! Good! I've prepared quite a lot. " Imperial Chef Zhou said. He was pleasantly surprised that the birthday cake was so successful. Even the princes and princesses liked it, let alone ordinary teenagers. Once it was released, it would definitely be popular in Chang 'an.
When Li Tai heard this, his heart palpitated with eagerness as he said, "Give me one as well."
The reason why he was so fat was because he couldn't control his mouth. How could he let go of such a delicious cake?
After Li Tai finished speaking, he recalled Moton's words about keeping his mouth shut and moving his legs. He could not help but feel awkward as he said, "This King will definitely practice for another hour when I return. However, Brother Moton, This King is looking forward to seeing how amazing your magic mirror is."
Li Chengqian walked at the back and threatened in a low voice, "You better be able to make it. Otherwise, just you wait!"
Modun laughed heartily. He wasn't at all reassured by Li Chengqian's threat. He also said in a low voice, "Just you wait, you'll be my brother-in-law!"
When Li Chengqian heard this, he immediately snorted, flicked his sleeves, and left. When it came to Mo Techniques, Modun had never failed. Since Modun had said so, it was likely that five days later, he would be the brother-in-law.
In front of the ice cream shop, Meton watched the group of carriages leave and heaved a sigh of relief. What he needed now was to make the mirror in five days.
"Let's go too!" Meton waved his hand and left with Wu Meiniang. He didn't have much time left, so he naturally had to race against time.
After everyone left, Imperial Chef Zhou walked out of the hall with a peace of mind. A shop assistant suddenly shouted, "The ice cream shop is releasing a new birthday cake. You are welcome to try it for free!"
The unique design of the ice cream shop had already attracted the attention of many people. When they heard the shop assistant's shout, many people immediately gathered. Everyone was naturally familiar with the ice cream shop. In the summer, eating delicious ice cream was a rare treat. But now that it was winter, the attraction of ice cream was naturally at its lowest.
"Free to try?" When everyone heard that, they couldn't help but feel moved and came forward.
"Is it really free to try?" A commoner said in disbelief.
"That's only natural. We're all honest with him." Imperial Chef Zhou stood in front of the ice cream shop and cut a large piece of birthday cake into small pieces for everyone to try for free. At the same time, he loudly promoted the meaning of birthday and the process of the birthday party. The concept of birthday appeared for the first time in the Tang dynasty, and it immediately attracted the attention of many people.
"Delicious!"
After tasting a piece, many people were immediately conquered by the delicious taste of the birthday cake. At the same time, they were also moved by the significance of the birthday party. After all, in any era, parents love their children the same. There were many rich people in Chang 'an City. If they could take this opportunity to have a happy birthday with their families, it would be very meaningful.
"How much is the birthday cake?" Many people inquired. Such delicious food must be expensive.
Imperial Chef Zhou saw that everyone was interested and couldn't help but smile. He said loudly, "Anyone who orders a birthday cake in this shop in the first month can enjoy a half price discount. First come, first served."
"Half price?" Everyone was suddenly moved.
Imperial Chef Zhou showed a proud smile and said, "Selling it at half price is not profitable at all. However, birthday parties and birthday cakes are new things. Only by using this to open the market and attract customers.
There are twelve months in a year. I'm afraid that one out of twelve people will have a birthday in the first month. Many people who tasted the delicious cake couldn't help but be moved. A half-price cake could be said to be a great discount. In addition, if a child's birthday was approaching, perhaps this gift was more meaningful than anything else.
Soon, many people were moved and came forward to inquire. After all, there were many people who had birthdays in the first month. There were even two citizens who had children's birthdays today. They directly bought two birthday cakes on the spot. Many families who had birthdays in two days placed orders.
However, most people just watched. First, although the birthday cake was half price, it was still not cheap. Second, many families didn't have children who had birthdays today. Even if they were moved, they wouldn't buy it immediately.
When Imperial Chef Zhou saw that there were less than ten orders in his hand, he couldn't help but show a confident smile. Children were the best at showing off. Once a child had a birthday, it would definitely spread around. He believed that these ten orders were just the beginning. In time, birthday cakes and birthday parties would definitely be popular in Chang 'an City.
…
"Stop!"
In the palace, following a stern reprimand, a few cautious figures suddenly stopped.
Li Shimin, accompanied by Empress Zhangsun, strode in with a stern face. He looked at the siblings in front of him in disbelief.
"You guys are …!" Li Shimin couldn't believe that his filial son and daughter had come back in such a sorry state after just a trip out of the palace.
"Brilliant! What's going on? " Empress Zhangsun said sternly to Li Chengqian. Today, it was Li Chengqian who had personally suggested that they go out of the palace. Now that they came back in such a sorry state, naturally, she wanted to find Li Chengqian to be responsible.
"This is just a smear of birthday cake. It's not a big deal." Li Chengqian explained.
"Birthday cake?" Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun looked at each other.
"Meton made a birthday cake for my sister's birthday party. This is the cake I brought back for Father and Mother. It's really delicious." Princess Jinyang said with a face full of pride.
"We even sang a birthday song! Meton even told a story … "Li Zhi said, unwilling to be left behind.
Soon, Li Zhi and Princess Jinyang spoke one after another about what had happened. They also pointed out each other's bad behavior of touching the cake.
"Mo Jiazi!"
Li Shimin gritted his teeth. He knew that his obedient child would immediately change into a different person when she was with Mo Jiazi.
"Oh right! Where's Changle? Didn't she go out with you guys? "Empress Zhangsun suddenly realized that today's main character wasn't here and couldn't help but ask in confusion.
"Meton said that he'll come back in five days to propose marriage. Sister has already returned." Li Zhi couldn't hide his thoughts and said directly.
"He'll come back in five days to propose marriage?" Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun were shocked and couldn't help but look at each other.
"In that case, Meton has already found a way to solve the betrothal gift problem!" Empress Zhangsun's heart moved. Changle was already sixteen years old. When she was Changle's age, she had already been married for a few years. Now that Changle had reached the age of marriage, Empress Zhangsun was naturally worried about Princess Changle's marriage.
"Yes!" The four nodded solemnly.
"Chengqian, tell me in detail what happened on this trip!" Li Shimin said with a serious expression.
"Yes! Imperial Father! "Li Chengqian's expression instantly became bitter, but in the end, he had no choice but to tell the whole story.
When they heard that Meton had put in so much effort to prepare a birthday party for Princess Changle, Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun's expressions eased slightly.
"Magic mirror?" Empress Zhangsun said in shock, "Could it be that Meton's betrothal gift is a magic mirror like this?"
Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "The magic mirror is just a fairy tale that Meton made up. Naturally, it can't be real. However, Meton's betrothal gift is definitely a mirror."
Li Shimin sneered, "There are plenty of bronze mirrors in the palace. We're only missing one!"
If Meton really took out a mirror, then people would probably laugh their heads off. Not only would Changle become a laughingstock, but the reputation of the entire imperial family would probably be affected as well.
"I don't know either. However, seeing Meton's confident appearance, this mirror must have something special about it," Li Chengqian said.
Li Shimin's heart skipped a beat. If it were anyone else, he naturally wouldn't believe that a mirror was so precious. However, for Mo Jiazi, who had repeatedly turned something rotten into something magical, he had to think twice no matter how unbelievable it was. After all, Meton had already produced too many unbelievable things.
"Then we will wait five days for him. If he can't make it, then don't blame us for being merciless and punishing him with the crime of deceiving the emperor," Li Shimin said hatefully.
"Alright, alright. Moton isn't the kind of person who speaks without thinking." Empress Zhangsun advised gently. With Meton's various miraculous performances, Empress Zhangsun naturally had some confidence in him.
"Why aren't you guys going to freshen up!" Li Shimin angrily reprimanded.
Immediately, Li Chengqian and the others scattered like birds and beasts, not forgetting to quarrel as they left.
"These troublesome children!" Li Shimin said angrily.
Empress Zhangsun looked at the backs of the few people with a thoughtful expression. She keenly discovered that after the birthday party, the siblings were clearly much closer to each other.
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