"Wait, no need to queue, come with me."

The maid didn't know what had happened, but she saw her mistress walk past the crowd and head straight for Juxian Pavilion.

In front of the restaurant, Jiang Shuyue watched as the freshly grilled meat skewers were in high demand.

Hu Qing and Nangong Zeyue did not expect that everyone would accept barbecue so quickly.

Watching the waiter carry the skewers of meat that had been prepared in the kitchen out, Jiang Shuyue stopped one of the waiters and asked, "How much rabbit meat is left in the kitchen?"

"Reporting to the master, it's less than halfway done."

Yesterday, before the city gates were closed, Zhang Cai and several men delivered two whole cartloads of rabbit meat into the city.

Because it was winter, the rabbit meat wouldn't spoil even if it was transported from the farm to the capital.

Jiang Shuyue specifically instructed Zhang Cai to slaughter and skin the rabbit and send it to the capital.

There were plenty of people on the estate, so she had the estate manager collect all the rabbit pelts after they were slaughtered.

Many of the villagers used to make a living by hunting, so they had no trouble making animal hides.

Hu Qing looked up at the huge crowd and said, "Miss, we've only been selling for less than an hour. I'm afraid we won't have enough rabbit meat for today."

Jiang Shuyue pondered for a moment and asked, "Does the kitchen have any extra mutton?"

"Yes, yes, there was half a sheep left in the kitchen yesterday, and we bought three more today."

In the capital, mutton sells exceptionally well in restaurants during winter. Hu Qing, fearing there wouldn't be enough, always had someone buy an extra mutton to keep on hand when making purchases.

Jiang Shuyue turned to Nangong Zeyue and said, "Manager Hu can't handle it all by himself. Go to the kitchen and tell them that if they run out of rabbit meat, they should use mutton instead. Try using only half a sheep."

"Is that even possible?" Nangong Zeyue expressed her doubt, as there is a difference between rabbit meat and mutton.

Jiang Shuyue said confidently, "No problem. We'll just explain to everyone that it's lamb skewers. If someone doesn't like lamb, they naturally won't buy it."

"Okay, I'll go right away."

After Nangong Zeyue left, Hu Qing asked, "Miss, are you going to change the price of the roasted lamb skewers?"

"No need to change it, all grilled meat dishes are the same price."

"Miss, besides grilling meat dishes, could you also grill vegetarian dishes?" Hu Qing said, only then realizing it was feasible.

"That makes sense. If someone sells roasted sweet potatoes, they should be able to roast potatoes too."

"Yes, you can bake potato slices, which is much faster than baking whole potatoes, but I don't recommend it."

Jiang Shuyue's goal is to open up the market and let people know that there is another way to eat food.

Hu Qing's words also reminded her of another long-forgotten recipe—fried skewers.

Seeing everyone lining up to buy, Jiang Shuyue had another plan in mind.

Looking at the crowd gathered outside the restaurant, Hu Qing, who had been a manager for many years, knew in his mind that he had made quite a bit of money today.

He asked, "Miss, why only sell half a sheep? The restaurant doesn't use much at noon. We can have someone go and buy the smaller one later."

"No, let everyone have a taste of it. From cutting the meat in the kitchen to making the skewers and then grilling it here, we use half of the restaurant's staff. We can't let small things cause us to lose big ones."

Just as Jiang Shuyue finished speaking, she saw a lady dressed in brocade robes walk past the crowd toward her.

"Mrs. Wu!"

Hu Qing quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Madam, please come in. We are launching a new product today, and it's crowded and chaotic outside. Please don't let anyone bump into you."

"It's alright. I was just passing by and saw that this place was bustling with activity, so I came in to see what kind of food they were selling."

Madam Wu waved her hand and walked straight toward Jiang Shuyue with a smile.

"Miss Jiang, it's been a long time. Your business is booming."

"You flatter me, Madam. It was just a pointless fuss."

Jiang Shuyue greeted her with a smile.

Just then, Qiuju came out from inside. Jiang Shuyue said to Qiuju, "Bring some grilled meat skewers to the hall later. I'll go in with Madam Wu for a while."

Qiuju bowed to Madam Wu and said, "Please come in, Madam. I'll be there in a moment."

When Madam Wu's maid saw this scene, she was filled with admiration for her mistress.

If it weren't for the lady's intelligence, she would still be standing foolishly in the crowd waiting.

Madam Wu looked at Jiang Shuyue with a smile, "I'd be honored to accept your invitation. These grilled meat skewers smell so tempting. I wonder where Miss Jiang learned to eat them this way?"

"Madam, please try it first and then praise it. It's possible that it might not suit your taste."

As Jiang Shuyue spoke, she and Madam Wu, along with their servant, walked toward the main hall.

Seeing that everyone was busy, Hu Qing personally served them tea.

"Madam, you have lived in the capital for so long that you may not know this. In the past, when soldiers on the frontier were short of food, they often hunted pheasants or rabbits and roasted them over a fire. My daughter was simply inspired by them and added seasonings after roasting them."

Madam Wu held the warm teacup in both hands, looking at Jiang Shuyue with admiration in her eyes.

"So that's how it is. Miss Jiang, you know so much."

Jiang Shuyue smiled slightly: "Madam flatters me. I have never been to the frontier, but I have read many travelogues and know a little about it."

A moment later, Qiuju brought in ten skewers of grilled meat. "Madam, please try them while they're hot, they won't taste as good when they're cold."

Without any hesitation, Madam Wu picked up a string of pearls and started eating them like everyone else.

Watching Madam Wu enjoy her skewers with such elegance, Qiuju brought over a hot towel from the restaurant used for wiping hands before a meal and handed it to her. "Madam," she said, "the joy of eating skewers lies in its uninhibited nature. Someone as delicate as you wouldn't be able to appreciate the pleasure of eating skewers."

Jiang Shuyue said to Madam Wu's maid, "You should try some too."

"It's really delicious, everyone should eat together." Mrs. Wu praised it highly after eating.

Madam Wu, who came from a noble family, exuded elegance in every gesture. After eating a few skewers, she gave the rest to her personal maid.

Jiang Shuyue felt that Madam Wu was straightforward, elegant and unpretentious. Before leaving, she even told her the recipe for making kebabs.

In less than half an hour, all the prepared mutton was sold out.

The grand occasion in front of Juxian Pavilion quickly spread throughout the capital and naturally reached the palace.

"Your Majesty, Miss Jiang is truly a wonderful person. The aroma of the grilled meat skewers is so enticing that you can smell it from across the street. Tell me, who could resist such delicious food?"

In the imperial study, Xiangyang spoke with great enthusiasm, occasionally swallowing hard.

"Have you tried it?"

After listening to Xiang Yang's boasting, I became quite curious.

Xiao Jingzhao was not particularly interested in food, but for some reason, he was looking forward to the dishes that Jiang Shuyue had prepared.

Xiangyang shook his head. "No, when I rushed there after hearing the news, the waiters at the restaurant were already packing up."

"Is this all you came here to tell me?" Xiao Jingzhao raised his eyebrows slightly and cast a cold glance at him.

Xiang Yang straightened up with a start, quickly composing himself and correcting his unserious expression.

"Master, the messenger who went to Black Dragon Pool has returned with a message by carrier pigeon."

Xiao Jingzhao's phoenix eyes lit up. "Have you found out any useful information?"

Xiang Yang's expression was a mix of emotions. He swallowed hard and said, "It's not that this news is useless, but it's also not that it's useful. So, how do we even begin?"

"Stop acting like a woman, speak like a human being!"