Jiang Shuyue thought it was Du Yutong, and asked, "Did she bring the Zhan family girl with her?"

"No, it's Miss Lin. Miss will know once she goes up there in a moment."

Hu Qing was unaware that the person he was talking about and the young lady were not the same person.

"Alright, it's a rare opportunity for us to meet at a restaurant, I'll have lunch here in a bit."

"Here are two new ways to cook pork. Manager Hu, take a look. If you are interested, you can have someone make some for you to try. These two dishes can be served cold or hot."

Like Qiu Ju, Hu Qing treasured every recipe Jiang Shuyue presented.

He took the paper and read it carefully, then couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.

"I truly admire your ingenious idea, Miss."

Having worked in restaurant management for many years, Hu Qing immediately recognized the wonder of the sausage.

"Miss, where did you get this recipe? This way of eating sausage is wonderful. I'll have someone prepare it tomorrow, half of it will be smoked and spicy, and the other half will be sweet."

"The Chinese New Year is just around the corner, and there are more merchants coming and going from the north and south."

Before Jiang Shuyue could answer, Qiuju interrupted with a smile, "Miss has memorized the food in the travelogue. Mei'er will prepare it tomorrow."

The implication was that the food prepared at the restaurant wouldn't need to be sent to the Jiang residence.

Hu Qing's loyalty to Miss was evident to her. After Nangong Zeyue left, Manager Hu was worried about the newly promoted manager and would often inquire about the affairs of the inn.

There were already many trivial matters to attend to in the restaurant, and Qiuju didn't want to take up his precious time.

Hu Qing understood Qiu Ju's meaning perfectly. He bowed slightly and said, "I will still send a portion to Miss to try, to see if it is any different from the one made in the manor."

Just then, melodious music drifted from behind.

Jiang Shuyue stood up and gestured for Qiuju to pick up her teacup. "Manager Hu, take your time to think it over. If there's anything you don't understand, you can send someone to ask."

"I understand, Miss. Please come upstairs. It's not mealtime yet. His Highness is having tea and listening to music with Miss Lin."

"Your Highness! Are you referring to Princess Yonghe?"

Seeing Jiang Shuyue's sudden realization, Hu Qing also came to his senses. "I'm sorry, I didn't explain clearly earlier. It was Your Highness and Miss Lin, not Miss Du."

The young lady didn't bring many friends to the restaurant, so Hu Qing easily guessed who she had mistaken for.

"It's okay, you go ahead and do your work. Qiuju and I will go up by ourselves."

There is a private room upstairs that is not usually used by guests except when Jiang Shuyue brings people.

As a princess, she was naturally arranged to be placed in that room.

Jiang Shuyue and Qiu Ju walked one after the other to the private room on the second floor.

Thick carpets covered the stairs and the second-floor corridor, making footsteps so light they were almost inaudible.

As soon as I stepped onto the veranda outside the private room, I heard the laughter of the girls coming from inside.

"Young Miss is now a princess of high status and wealth. I am truly afraid that I might accidentally say something wrong and be beheaded. I am filled with trepidation."

"Sister Lin, you mustn't tease me anymore, or else..."

"Ruyin was wrong, Your Highness, please don't be angry. This is my first time in the capital, and I'm really nervous. I'm afraid I might do something wrong and be laughed at, and people might say I'm a country bumpkin." Princess Yonghe's coquettish voice and a beautiful woman's voice came from the private room.

"Don't worry, the rules and etiquette are the same as in Yannan, it's just that the winters here are a bit colder," Yonghe explained patiently.

Judging from their tone of voice and the way they addressed each other, Jiang Shuyue could tell that the two had a very close relationship.

"Your Highness is even more beautiful than when you were in Yannan."

“Zhuying is right. Your Highness is not only more beautiful, but also seems to have grown a little taller.”

"Miss, once the Emperor's wedding is completed and a prince and princess are born, Her Highness will be promoted to Grand Princess, won't she?"

"Yes, Zhuying is right. I've looked into it specifically, and it seems to be true."

Yonghe's voice rang out, "Sister Lin still loves learning as much as ever."

"Your Highness may not know this, but for the sake of the Emperor, Miss has read many books on the etiquette of the imperial harem."

"Bamboo Shadow, don't talk nonsense. I just glanced at it by chance."

"This servant is not talking nonsense. His Highness knows about Miss's feelings for the Emperor. There are no outsiders here. This servant has dared to speak out."

The girl who spoke was the one called Zhuying. Although she wasn't seen, one could guess from the tone of their conversation that Zhuying must be Miss Lin's maid.

Jiang Shuyue and Qiu Ju did not intentionally stand under the corridor to eavesdrop.

The real reason was that the conversation inside was going on and on, and it would be impolite to suddenly go in and interrupt their conversation.

Seeing that Jiang Shuyue had stopped, Qiuju had no choice but to wait aside with her teacup.

At this moment, Yonghe asked, "Today, to welcome Sister Lin back, I specially brought you here to try the barbecue. It's absolutely delicious."

"I'll accept your invitation without further ado. There's no one else here, so let's just be as we always have and not be so formal."

Hearing that the conversation inside had come to an end, Jiang Shuyue coughed lightly and gently knocked on the door of the private room.

"The food's served so soon, isn't it a bit too early?" a maid said, hurrying over to open the door.

Upon seeing Jiang Shuyue, the maid was stunned and stood there in surprise.

How can someone be so beautiful, like a fairy descended from heaven?

"Sister Jiang, what brings you here today?" Yonghe saw Jiang Shuyue as he passed by the maid and quickly got up to greet her.

Realizing her lapse in decorum, the maidservant gave Jiang Shuyue a slight curtsy and said, "Please come in, Miss."

"I haven't been here for a long time either. Manager Hu told me that His Highness brought some friends over, so I came up to take a look." Jiang Shuyue said, her eyes quickly scanning the room.

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