"Waaaaah—waaaaah—"

At the end of January, in the depths of winter, it suddenly started snowing heavily again. Snowflakes fluttered down from the sky and were swept into the palace by the biting wind.

The cold wind woke everyone up, who had been drowsy from the fumes.

Their gazes also fell on Li Yuyan, who was slowly getting up.

Li Yuyan wore a dazzling purple palace dress with a long, trailing gown, a matching jeweled bracelet on her wrist, a flower ornament on her forehead, and a beautiful, delicate face with her lips slightly pursed.

"Your Majesty, not only His Majesty is tired of singing and dancing, but Yu Yan also finds it boring."

Li Yuyan stood up with a smile.

As she stood up, the jade and gemstones hanging from her waist swayed gently, making a clear and melodious sound.

The jewels adorning her were even more dazzling than those worn by Consort Gao.

Li Yuyan, her palace dress trailing on the ground, smiled as she looked at Consort Gao.

Consort Gao smiled as well, "Does the princess have any good ideas? Why not share them and let me have a laugh?"

That's exactly what I was waiting to hear.

"Bring it up."

With a gentle clap of his hands, several palace maids immediately carried a magnificent mahogany tea table slowly up the steps.

The rosewood tea table has a deep color and delicate texture, and it looks very valuable.

The palace maids carrying the table carefully placed it in the center of Shaohua Hall. As soon as they left, several more palace maids brought in three small red clay stoves and charcoal.

The palace maid skillfully used tongs to pick up the embers and put them into the stove. As the fire heated up, she quickly brought out teapots, teacups, and other tea utensils and neatly arranged them on the tea table.

Before long, the water on the stove boiled, bubbling and steaming.

The kneeling palace maid who was brewing tea immediately picked up the kettle, poured boiling water over it, and a rich aroma of tea wafted out, instantly filling the entire room.

The ladies of noble families and other social classes looked at each other in bewilderment at the sight.

"What tricks is the princess up to now?"

"A tea table and teaware, are you here to enjoy tea?"

"It's just tea tasting," Li Yuyan said with a confident smile, her gaze sweeping arrogantly over the people in the room.

"It is said that water is the mother of tea. The tea leaves used in these three pots of tea are all green tea, but the water is different for each of them. If anyone here can tell what kind of water I used, I will reward them handsomely."

"As expected of a princess, this method is indeed interesting. Mother, this banquet was organized by you. Since we are going to enjoy the food, we can't forget to give a prize." Guo Yaqin, who had been silent until now, suddenly said with a smile.

"Qin'er is right, I should indeed add some embellishments." Consort Gao said, taking off a phoenix hairpin from her hair and placing it on the table.

"Wasn't this phoenix hairpin a gift from His Majesty?"

"Even Consort Gao is willing to do that?"

The hall was abuzz with discussion. Everyone was green with envy at the prize offered by Consort Gao, and some of the more impulsive ones were eager to try their luck.

However, before she could even stand up, the person next to her pulled her down to sit.

"...Why did you pull me?"

The man grumbled in dissatisfaction and was about to stand up again when Li Yuyan's gaze fell on Jiang Shuwan.

Jiang Shuwan came on behalf of the Marquis's residence.

However, she did not hold an imperial title, so her seat was in the third row, neither too far forward nor too far back, and she was always a low-key person.

The fact that Li Yuyan could spot her in the crowd at a glance shows that Li Yuyan had been paying attention to her for a long time.

Li Yuyan smiled happily as she stared at Jiang Shuwan.

"I've heard that Prince Pei is quite knowledgeable about tea ceremony. The Prince and Princess are deeply in love and their relationship is harmonious. I imagine they are also skilled in tea ceremony. Why don't we let the Princess give it a try?"

Before she could refuse, Guo Yaqin smiled and clapped her hands, saying, "Alright, let the Crown Princess give it a try."

Jiang Shuwan: "..."

The young girl slowly stood up. Her clear gaze first looked at Consort Gao and Guo Yaqin before finally landing on Li Yuyan.

"Thank you for your kindness, Princess Consort and Princess. I will give it a try."

"How could you agree so readily? Don't you have a brain?"

Jiang Yao was so angry that she almost spat out blood because she didn't expect her to agree so easily.

"Be careful, I have a feeling that Guo Yaqin and Li Yuyan are working together to frame you."

Jiang Shuwan smiled but said nothing, and walked step by step toward the tea table in the center of the hall.

Li Yuyan, along with the entire Pingnan Prince's Mansion, belonged to the Fourth Prince. How could she possibly ally with Consort Gao and Guo Yaqin?

It was just that Consort Gao and Guo Yaqin had calculated that Li Yuyan wouldn't let her off so easily, and they took the opportunity to sit back and watch the two tigers fight.

On the tea table, wisps of smoke rose, and the rich aroma of tea wafted through the air.

Seeing Jiang Shuwan approach gracefully, the palace maid who was brewing tea immediately picked up the first pot of tea, poured a cup, and placed it on the table.

"Please have some, Your Highness."

Jiang Shuwan didn't rush to drink the tea, but instead carefully admired the teacup.

The tea sets in the palace were truly extraordinary. Even a single teacup was small and exquisite, with a delicate and warm texture, like white jade, radiating a soft luster.

Seeing that Jiang Shuwan did not move, the palace maid who was brewing tea urged her again, "Please have some tea, Your Highness."

"good."

With a slight smile, and under the intense gaze of everyone, Jiang Shuwan finally slowly picked up the first cup of tea.

Upon holding the teacup, the first thing you feel is the cool, jade-like texture of the cup, followed by the warmth of the tea flowing through it.

"Li Yuyan is quite considerate; the temperature is just right."

With a smile in her eyes, Jiang Shuwan glanced at Li Yuyan standing beside her. The other woman had her hands in her sleeves and was looking at her smugly.

"..."

Looking away, Jiang Shuwan brought the teacup close to her nose.

With just a slight inhale, the refreshing fragrance of plum blossoms drifts gently into the nostrils like a light, flowing ribbon.

"Was this soaked in water collected from plum blossom petals?"

With a hint of doubt, she took a small sip. The tea flowed slowly on her tongue, its unique flavor like snowflakes gently falling on her tongue, carrying a touch of coolness and the delicate fragrance of plum blossoms.

She pondered for a moment, and then she had an answer in her heart.

This tea must have been brewed with snow water collected from plum blossoms in winter.

"Has the Crown Princess been able to taste it?"

Upon hearing the tea-brewing maid's question, Jiang Shuwan did not answer, but instead picked up the second cup of tea.

The second cup of tea was clear and transparent, without a trace of impurity. The aroma of the tea had a special, light fragrance, as if it carried the scent of a summer morning.

Take a small sip, and the tea soup glides across your mouth, offering a refreshing and pleasant taste with the unique sweetness of lotus leaves.

Tea brewed on lotus leaves in summer is indeed extraordinary. Taking a sip in the dead of winter gives one the wonderful feeling of being by a lotus pond in summer, with a gentle breeze and lotus leaves swaying slightly.

"Please have some, Your Highness."

Without Jiang Shuwan giving any instructions, the tea-brewing maid thoughtfully brought over the third cup of tea.

The last cup of tea was a darker color than the previous two, with a rich green hue that looked particularly appealing, like jade.