The current crown prince, Benjamin Thompson, is the same age as Henry Thompson, but in terms of talent and courage, Benjamin Thompson simply cannot compare to Henry Thompson; even the fourth son, Frederick Thompson, is stronger than him. However, since he holds the title of eldest son, as soon as Abraham Lincoln ascended the throne, he made him crown prince. Henry Thompson is also Abraham Lincoln's son. To say he doesn't secretly desire that noble throne would be a lie, but as long as First Lady Sun is in the palace, the position of crown prince can only go to the legitimate son—he has absolutely no chance. But now that First Lady Sun is gravely ill, Henry Thompson can't help but entertain other thoughts. Actually, this is quite normal; as a prince unwilling to be ordinary, who can truly say they have no thoughts about the throne?

However, Henry Thompson is no ordinary person. He quickly dismissed this unrealistic idea, realizing he had been too naive. Even if First Lady Sun were to pass away, anyone could potentially become empress—except for his own mother. The reason is simple: the Tang Empire was seized from the former Sui dynasty, and his mother was a princess of the Sui. If he, carrying the blood of the previous royal family, were to become crown prince, all the Li clan and most civil and military officials would be unwilling to see it! This touches the very foundation of the Tang dynasty. Even his own father, the emperor, likely feels the same. So, no matter how much Abraham Lincoln favors Consort Yang, he would never make her empress.

Understanding this, Henry Thompson realized that he was probably destined to have no connection with the throne in this lifetime, which left him feeling a wave of hopeless despair. Harold Green, together with Benjamin Franklin, waited below for quite a while, but seeing that Henry Thompson said nothing, he mustered his courage to sneak a glance, only to find the Prince of Shu's expression shifting unpredictably, lost in thought. Not daring to interrupt, he could only lower his head and wait.

"Heh, I lost my composure!" After a long while, Henry Thompson finally came to his senses, his smile tinged with endless bitterness.

"Harold Green, go back and report to Sixth Brother that I will bring Mr. Sun into the palace this afternoon!" Henry Thompson composed himself and spoke with renewed spirit.

Harold Green agreed and slowly withdrew to report to Dennis Thompson, while Benjamin Franklin stayed behind to receive Henry Thompson's hospitality. During the meal, Henry Thompson, still uneasy, openly and subtly tested Benjamin Franklin's medical skills. Seeing that he answered fluently, he was finally reassured, and that very afternoon brought Benjamin Franklin into the palace to treat First Lady Sun.

Harold Green returned to report to Dennis Thompson, while Edward Thompson was personally grilling lamb. The cooks in the residence were quite skilled, but after a few days, the food became cloying. Moreover, there were few seasonings in this era, so the dishes always tasted the same. Especially without chili peppers, in his previous life, Walter Thompson couldn't go without spice. He managed to endure for the first few days after arriving, but now it was getting harder and harder; no matter how delicacies from the mountains and seas were served, they tasted like wax, and he had no appetite at all.

After seeing Benjamin Franklin off in the morning, Louis Thompson didn't feel like eating breakfast, so he wandered into the food storage to see if there was anything appealing for the cooks to prepare. Unexpectedly, he found a bag of nearly moldy cumin in a corner of the storeroom. This made Patrick Thompson overjoyed—cumin is a great thing, essential for grilling meat and fish, and the key to Xinjiang-style roast lamb in later generations.

He realized he hadn't had barbecue in a long time, and now he had both the opportunity and the time. He immediately called for the Liang Prince's cook, Old Five. Old Five was a newly purchased cook for the Liang Prince's residence, well-liked by George Thompson for his excellent cooking, so all food-related matters were usually entrusted to him.

With George Thompson's instructions, Old Five dried the cumin, then ground cinnamon, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, and other spices into fine powders, mixing them with cumin in certain proportions to make five-spice powder. Originally, Philip Thompson wanted to make thirteen-spice powder, but he couldn't remember all thirteen ingredients or the exact proportions, so five-spice powder was much simpler and the ratios weren't as strict.

Once the five-spice powder was ready, Thomas Thompson skewered the meat and started a barbecue at home. When Harold Green returned, several skewers were already done, but unfortunately, the heat wasn't well controlled and they were a bit overcooked—just right to reward him. The result moved Harold Green to tears, and he knelt down, sobbing uncontrollably. It took quite some effort to calm him down, and he left beaming, clutching the charred skewers.

Jack Thompson felt that among the people he could trust in the Tang dynasty, Harold Green was definitely one of them. However, he still had some psychological barriers regarding eunuchs. After all, history books never painted eunuchs in a good light, and Paul Thompson's education from a young age had ingrained this in him. Now, even if he wanted to change, he couldn't, so he just couldn't bring himself to get close to Harold Green.

Lost in thought, he let the second batch of skewers burn again. Dennis Thompson realized he wasn't cut out to be a grill master, so he called Old Five over to take his place and sat aside to wait for food. Old Five truly lived up to his reputation—the skewers he grilled were different: the meat was rosy, crispy on the outside and tender inside, with a unique cumin aroma that made one's mouth water. If only there were a bottle of ice-cold beer, he wouldn't trade it for being emperor!

Chapter Six: The First Meeting with Comrade Old Thompson