Chapter 379: Self‑inflicted

Miss Zhao forced herself to step over the threshold, then her eyes rolled back and she fainted into the maid's arms.

He Jinglan waved her hand, signaling Zi Yan to deal with it, and hurried to have the troublemaker removed.

The real show was yet to come.

After the commotion settled, the broken screen was taken away.

He Jinglan and He Jinghui greeted everyone to continue the feast.

At this point, the Zhao Censor's residence still didn't know how Miss Zhao, by her own doing, had driven the Zhao family into such a state.

After the guests' laughter and contempt, each harbored a new consideration.

Some even speculated that He Jinghui's successive promotions, leaping to become the youngest Minister, were due not only to His Majesty valuing his personal ability, but perhaps because he had unearthed Boss Gu's treasure.

Besides his personal ability being valued by His Majesty, perhaps it was precisely because he had unearthed Boss Gu's treasure.

The Emperor worried about how to revive the people's livelihood and fill the treasury.

With someone like Boss Gu existing, paired with a brand‑new Ministry of Revenue, isn't that exactly what the emperor desires?

No wonder the He family invited a commoner girl from Xi Bei to live in their residence and treat her as an honored guest.

"No wonder I could become close sisters with you, for His Majesty values your worth and my brother can use you to secure his position as Minister of Revenue." He Jinglan smiled and winked at Gu Xixi, "Right now, many people surely think the same."

Gu Xixi chuckled, "How could they know what you're like in Xi Bei?"

"That's not surprising."

The main courses had already begun to be served.

Only then did anyone have the leisure to drink that bowl of appetizing tea.

Apart from a few male guests who disliked sourness, they took a couple of sips and set it down.

The female guests, however, spoke highly of it.

Someone asked with a smile, "I wonder where this appetizing tea's sour‑sweet fragrance comes from."

He Jinglan had been waiting for this question and said, "This is goji‑berry black tea; the goji berry is extremely sour, and because its aroma is unique, it seems like a blend of dozens of spices, rich in layers."

"It's perfect to pair with black tea to make an appetizing drink."

The noble ladies all praised it.

"This sour‑sweet taste is indeed refreshing and appetizing."

"It even leaves a fragrant aftertaste on the lips and teeth!"

"No wonder it's Miss He's banquet—even the drink is inventive."

After drinking the appetizing tea, everyone looked forward even more to the drink that would accompany the main courses.

All that was brought out last was a palm‑sized ivory‑white porcelain bowl.

The pure‑white porcelain bowl, fine and lustrous, made the peach‑red broth look especially lovely.

Dark red petals floated on the broth.

Stirring gently with a spoon brought up tiny white rice grains and a preserved plum that had sunk to the bottom.

He Jinglan laughed and said, "This is roselle‑plum drink, with a bit of fresh ferment added for flavor."

"The young ladies might not tolerate much alcohol, so when refilling we can leave out the ferment and it's still delicious."

All the ladies set aside the exquisite dishes on the table and drank the beverage first.

Upon tasting, it was indeed another unexpectedly delicious flavor.

Lightly sour and sweet, with floral and fruity notes mingling with a faint rice‑wine aroma.

Whether drunk straight or paired with the meat dishes on the table, it was superb.

Throughout the banquet, maidservants were on hand to refill guests' cups.

Thus, the noble ladies felt no embarrassment, and many couldn't help but have two more bowls.

After the meal, besides the usual sweet and savory snacks,

it was served with a green‑colored drink, placed in a pale apricot‑shaped begonias‑style high‑footed porcelain bowl.

The difference was that it came with a small silver spoon.

In the center of the green broth lay four plump, snow‑white glutinous‑rice balls.

Scattered atop were golden dried osmanthus blossoms.

The three‑color combination is pleasing to the eye at a glance.

He Jinghui chuckled, "What's the novelty this time?"

He Jinglan rose and said, "Brother, these are matcha red‑bean dumplings."

He Jinghui scooped with the spoon and found the red beans buried underneath.

He then laughed, "I thought you'd give it a poetic name, but you're just naming it after the ingredients."

He Jinglan smirked, "This way it's clear at a glance."

The sign hanging outside the sugar‑water stall lets customers choose according to their taste.

In the end, this drink won praise from nearly everyone.

Steamed green tea is ground into powder and prepared as tea broth.

The tea broth is clean and bitter, the red beans fragrant and sweet, and the glutinous‑rice balls soft yet chewy.

This is a drink that even those who dislike sweets will come to love.

After the banquet, we moved to the garden; although men and women customarily view the flowers separately, the activities are much the same.

It's nothing more than poetry, painting, tea ceremony, and refined music centered on flower viewing.

But today the ladies' conversation has already drifted off topic.

"We have dried roselle at our residence; I'll let them try it later!"

"I love sour things, and I adore that appetizing tea—iced on a hot day, it's sure to be good."

He Jinglan and Gu Xixi, upon hearing, also just smiled.

They dare to name dishes after ingredients, so they aren't afraid of people imitating.

Even if someone goes home to learn how to make it, drinking it themselves is no big deal, but reproducing the exact flavor is too difficult.

Then someone began to ask He Jinglan about how to make the drink.

"I don't know where you found such a skillful cook."

Others eagerly chimed in, "Yeah, we've never even heard of these fresh ideas before."

"This is truly the first time I've seen a cook who specializes in making drinks; there must be something else, right?"

He Jinglan pursed her lips and smiled, "No matter how well-informed you all are, you all say it's fresh."

"The cook in my household can make it, but it wasn't they who came up with it."

Seeing her smile and look toward Gu Xixi, everyone suddenly understood yet couldn't believe it.

"Was it the recipe thought up by Boss Gu?"

"Miss Gu Xixi, what is there that you can't do?!"

The women surrounded Gu Xixi, lively and enthusiastic, completely lacking the aloofness or disdain from their first meeting.

He Jinglan knew these people's habits well, and she wasn't polite with them either.

She immediately began promoting her soon-to-open sugar-water shop.

Let everyone go and buy whatever they want to drink, saving themselves the trouble of making it at home.

She also casually revealed that the new shop was personally named by the Regent Prince, who also wrote the signboard himself.

The women were delighted and surprised.

The Regent Prince was the "top pick" among the many young women of the capital.

He Jinglan first let everyone taste the drink's deliciousness, then revealed the Regent Prince's name.

Even before opening, she had already won over more than half.

Afterward, who knows how many young ladies will secretly compete over this?

There was even a rivalry of "whoever hasn't been to this shop to consume falls behind the capital's trend."

Gu Xixi and He Jinglan finally managed to leave the flower-viewing pavilion, when they encountered Dou Rongshan coming toward them.

Upon meeting, both were taken aback.

He Jinglan recalled that she had invited them over, and decided to still be polite.

"Miss Dou, why aren't you with everyone?"

Dou Rongshan gave a soft hum, "Some people have two faces, and it annoys me to watch."

"If you two were truly enjoying that flower-filled scene, you wouldn't have come out."

He Jinglan understood she was mocking a few young ladies, who had been together with Miss Zhao earlier and had looked down on Gu Xixi.

Now she can still thicken her skin to join everyone, regarding Gu Xixi as a delicacy.

He Jinglan laughed, sized up Dou Rongshan, and said, "I originally wanted to call you over to give you a few more warnings."

"As it turns out, you didn't cause any trouble, which really surprised me."

Dou Rongshan rolled her eyes at He Jinglan.

Just as her gaze swept over Gu Xixi, she imperceptibly flinched.

"I'm not necessarily determined to go against Gu... Boss Gu."

Gu Xixi sighed inwardly, wanting to advise Dou Rongshan not to be so afraid, when suddenly she heard someone shouting from the artificial hill.

"The Top Scholar has fallen into the water!"