After a long and arduous journey, Chen Xiaomi and her companions finally arrived in Kyoto.

Chen Xiaomi traveled on and off, while Prince Cheng was already eagerly waiting in the capital. As soon as Chen Xiaomi and the others arrived in the capital, they were led to the sheepfold of the Prince's mansion.

Looking at the energetic sheep in the sheepfold, Chen Xiaomi looked at Prince Cheng with some admiration and said, "Your Highness, you raise quite a few sheep!"

Prince Cheng smiled and said, "Yes, you can pick any sheep you like here and roast one that suits you."

Chen Xiaomi: "..." Prince Cheng really went to great lengths to get some mutton!

With so many sheep, they must not have been raised from the beginning, but rather recently. It's astonishing that they've raised so many sheep.

Chen Xiaomi had anticipated this situation and had already mentioned it to Chen Xiaomai. Therefore, Chen Xiaomai knew that she had to roast lamb for the prince when she came to the capital. It was not surprising that she was asked to roast lamb. She picked a lamb and started to cook.

The best sheep are neither too fat nor too thin. The sheep in the royal palace are all of very good quality, but perhaps because they are fed so well, they are generally a bit fat.

The princess and concubines of the royal palace were also very curious about roasted whole lamb, so when Chen Xiaomai was making roasted lamb, she was surrounded by onlookers.

Chen Xiaomai was a bit slow on the uptake and didn't really grasp the significance of the prince and princess's noble status. Surrounded by onlookers, she didn't pay much attention. After a long two hours, the whole roasted lamb was finally served on the Prince's table.

Inspired by the prince, the two princesses also looked forward to the whole roasted lamb.

The prince invited a few close associates to share the roasted whole lamb.

After waiting for several months, Prince Cheng finally got to eat the roasted whole lamb he had been longing for. He devoured a whole leg of lamb by himself and also gnawed on a lot of meat from the ribs. The cartilage of the roasted whole lamb was soft and crispy after being roasted for a long time, and it tasted very good.

The taste of roasted whole lamb was quite novel for first-timers, and the two princesses, disregarding the risk of gaining weight, ate quite a lot.

Besides his two principal wives and concubines, the prince also had many concubines. These concubines were miserable, as they only got a small portion of roasted whole lamb to eat.

...

Chen Xiaomai stayed in the guest room of the Prince's mansion, looking at Chen Xiaomi with some frustration, and said, "Big brother, that prince is really too much. He didn't give us a single bite of that huge roasted lamb."

Chen Xiaomi thought to herself: After all, the other party is a prince. There are so many people in the prince's mansion and not enough to eat. If they want to eat, we can make it anytime.

Roasted whole lamb can cause internal heat if eaten in excess. Kyoto has many delicious foods, haven't you been curious about Kyoto's cuisine for a while?

"I'll take you out to eat," Chen Xiaomi said.

Chen Xiaomai asked excitedly, "Is that okay?"

"Of course." Chen Xiaomi thought to himself: He brought a thousand taels of silver with him, that should be enough.

After having eaten his fill, Prince Cheng finally came to his senses and remembered Chen Xiaomai. However, Chen Xiaomi had already taken Chen Xiaomai out to play.

As soon as Chen Xiaomi returned, she received a reward from the prince. Chen Xiaomi originally had some prejudice against the prince, but when she saw the two hundred taels of silver, her anger subsided.

Inside the teahouse.

Wei Qiyu sat opposite Ji Yun'an and said with some helplessness, "Your wife was taken away by the prince as soon as she entered the city gate."

Ji Yun'an nodded, feeling somewhat strange.

Ji Yun'an had already found out that after Chen Xiaomai was welcomed into the city, the first place she went was the sheepfold of the Prince's mansion. The Prince's actions were really speechless. Fortunately, the Prince's actions were probably just because he was greedy and he didn't mean to insult anyone.

These past few days, Chen Xiaomai has been cooking at the Prince's mansion. Ji Yun'an thought helplessly, "The Prince really likes Xiaomai's cooking skills, even though there are quite a few chefs in the mansion."

Chen Xiaomi gave the recipe for roasted whole lamb to Prince Cheng. Prince Cheng was overjoyed, feeling that he had taken advantage of Chen Xiaomi, so he prepared many dowries for Chen Xiaomai, and even the two princesses prepared many gifts.

The items bestowed by the prince were all of excellent quality; even a small trinket could sell for tens of taels of silver.

In just a few days, Chen Xiaomai received items worth seven or eight hundred taels of silver. Chen Xiaomi kept all the items that Chen Xiaomai received. With the prince's many rewards, the two brothers were like mice that had fallen into a rice jar.

When Chen Xiaomai was making roasted whole lamb at the Prince's Mansion, she allowed the Prince's chefs to watch. After a few days, the Prince's chefs had almost learned how to make roasted whole lamb.

Prince Cheng was very proud of having learned the recipe for roasting a whole lamb, and he roasted lamb at home every day to entertain his friends.

Chen Xiaomi originally thought that the prince had raised so many sheep that he wouldn't be able to finish them all in a short time. However, Chen Xiaomi soon realized that she had worried too much. The prince held lavish banquets in the palace every day and roasted dozens of sheep every day.

Consuming about ten sheep a day, plus other food and drinks, is quite an astonishing expense. However, the prince didn't lose out. Those who came to eat roast lamb didn't come empty-handed; most brought generous gifts. In this way, the prince not only didn't lose money, but actually made a profit, and quite a lot of it.

The money was secondary; having a whole roasted lamb that couldn't be found anywhere else in the capital was a matter of great prestige.

The prince seemed very happy, spending his days entertaining guests; however, Chen Xiaomi was vaguely worried.

The prince summoned Chen Xiaomai under the pretext that she and Ji Yun'an should get married as soon as possible. However, after Chen Xiaomai arrived, the prince seemed to have completely forgotten about her upcoming marriage. He was busy having roasted lamb made all day long, showing off the good food in the palace. In contrast, the two princesses were more concerned about Xiaomai's marriage.

Zhao Heng stayed at home, feeling somewhat conflicted.

After Chen Xiaomi and Chen Xiaomai arrived, they stayed at the Prince's Mansion. Zhao Heng had never seen what his daughter-in-law, Shuang, looked like. In his heart, Zhao Heng felt that Shuang did not know the rules, but he could do nothing about it.

The Prince's Mansion has been hosting banquets for guests recently, and many officials from the court have visited the mansion. Zhao Heng's status is relatively low, so no one thought of inviting him.

Some of Zhao Heng's colleagues had heard about Chen Xiaomai and knew that Chen Xiaomai could make roast whole lamb.

Recently, many people have been asking Zhao Heng if he has ever eaten roasted whole lamb.

Although the prince had invited quite a few people, they were all dignitaries; the capital was mostly populated by ordinary people like Zhao Heng. Zhao Heng blushed deeply when questioned; he had never even met Chen Xiaomai, let alone tasted roasted whole lamb.

Liu Qingmei complained to Zhao Heng, "Husband! Chen Xiaomai hasn't come to pay her respects since she arrived. Shuang'er's mind is really a bit unclear!"

Zhao Heng's job wasn't very lucrative, and in his early years he could rely on Zhao Xue's dowry to support him, but it had been almost entirely spent in the past few years.

The family has only maintained a facade of prosperity over the years, while their lives have become increasingly difficult.

Liu Qingmei is paying a lot of money for Zhao Hengsheng's son, Zhao Qinghe, who is currently studying. In his early years, Liu Qingmei had Zhao Heng completely infatuated with her and managed to get him to give her a lot of money. However, in recent years, Zhao Heng himself has run out of money, so the money he gives her has become less and less.

Liu Qingmei heard that Chen Xiaomai had been staying at the Prince's residence because the Prince appreciated his skills and gave him many rewards. Even the Princess and the concubines gave him a lot of things, which made Liu Qingmei extremely jealous.

Liu Qingmei initially thought Ji Yun'an had lost his mind by marrying a fool, but now she suddenly realized that Ji Yun'an was quite cunning! If he could gain the prince's favor, what did marrying a fool matter? It's said that the Chen brothers are quite wealthy.

Zhao Heng said with a dark face, "Since Xiao Shuang'er has the prince backing her up, she naturally can't care about us."

Chen Xiaomi led Chen Xiaomai to the entrance of a clothing store. "Big brother, the clothes here are really nice!"

Chen Xiaomi nodded and said, "Yes!"

Chen Xiaomi couldn't take her eyes off the clothes in the clothing store. Kyoto was a place where the wealthy gathered, and the clothing stores here were different from those elsewhere. The clothes in the fabric store were brightly colored, stylish, and of top quality. It would be hard to find such nice clothes elsewhere, but the prices were relatively expensive.

When Xiao Cai went back before, she brought back a lot of fabrics and clothes from Kyoto, and also brought a few sets for Lu Lin. Lu Lin liked them very much, but after wearing them for a long time, the clothes were a bit old.

Chen Xiaomi glanced at Chen Xiaomai and said, "Go inside and pick out whatever clothes you like." Chen Xiaomi thought to herself: Xiaomai is getting married. In Kyoto, many people judge a person by their clothes. I really can't skimp on clothes.

Chen Xiaomi had just received a considerable sum of money from the prince, several hundred taels of silver, so she was quite willing to spend it.

Chen Xiaomi also picked out several clothes for Lu Lin. In Chen Xiaomi's eyes, Lu Lin was still a bit spoiled and couldn't stand the cold or the heat. Knowing that the place Lu Lin came from had things that could keep him warm in winter and cool in summer, Chen Xiaomi sometimes worried that Lu Lin would leave because he was too attached to his previous life. In her heart, she also hoped to give Lu Lin a better life.

Chen Xiaomi went on a shopping spree, buying dozens of sets of various adult and children's items, spending over two hundred taels of silver in one go. It wasn't until after paying that Chen Xiaomi suddenly realized she had bought too much.

After putting the cloth into the carriage, Chen Xiaomi suddenly thought of the shopaholic Lu Lin had mentioned before. Chen Xiaomi rubbed her face, blushing slightly.

"Qingmei! Isn't that Chen Xiaomai, whom you, Yun'an, are going to marry?"

Liu Qingmei was bored, so she went out with her best friend Zeng Shi, but she didn't expect to run into Chen Xiaomai and his brother.

Liu Qingmei frowned as she watched the shop assistants helping to move things around.

"It seems you bought quite a lot!" Zeng said.

Liu Qingmei thought to herself: The Chen brothers are indeed very wealthy! They actually bought so much at once. Liu Qingmei suddenly felt a little envious. Liu Qingmei's money had been a bit tight in recent years, and she hadn't bought any new clothes for a long time. Seeing Lu Lin buying so much stuff made her feel very jealous.

Madam Zeng glanced at Liu Qingmei and said, "Qingmei, why don't you go over and say hello?"

Liu Qingmei shook her head and said, "No need."

Chen Xiaomi wasn't a particularly observant person and didn't notice Liu Qingmei at all. In fact, even if Chen Xiaomi had noticed Liu Qingmei, she wouldn't have guessed who she was.