Seeing Duanhua stop talking, Su Rong worried that the little princess might go back on her word and not let them stay at the Princess Residence. Had she come on too strong and provoked the opposite reaction?
No, no, she couldn’t let her change her mind.
She and Fen Ling absolutely had to live at the Princess Residence.
The Hibiscus Cake was so delicious, she had to have her fill before leaving.
The life in the Eastern Palace was very comfortable, the Princess Residence could not be far behind. Besides, she wanted to stay in the Capital City to help the Crown Prince and sooner or later, she would have to blend into the rich and the elite of the city. She couldn’t always hide in the prince’s house, playing the part of a little mouse behind the scenes. She preferred to stand in front of people, to engage in machinations in public as well as in private.
And who better to introduce her to the world of the Capital City’s rich and powerful than Princess Duanhua?
No one!
Therefore, Su Rong once again grabbed Duanhua’s hand, looked pitiful and pleaded, "Princess, you aren’t thinking of going back on your word, are you? Backing out wouldn’t be honorable, you’ve already agreed to our stay."
Duanhua looked at Su Rong’s pitiful act, widened her eyes, nearly lost her cool, but forced herself to maintain her composure and asked, "Tell me, what’s your main motive for tricking me?"
Fen Ling promptly responded, "The Hibiscus Cake is delicious."
Su Rong vigorously nodded, "Yes, the Hibiscus Cake is really delicious."
Duanhua: "..."
She suddenly remembered, it seemed that while she was enjoying the Hibiscus Cake with Fen Ling and Su Rong, they unexpectedly asked if they could stay at her residence.
She almost questioned her entire existence, "All this for a dish of Hibiscus Cake?"
"No, no, many dishes of Hibiscus Cake." Fen Ling hastily shook her head.
Su Rong echoed vigorously, "That’s right, many dishes of Hibiscus Cake."
Fen Ling added, "And the cooks at your residence, they must be able to make many other delicious cakes and dishes, right?"
Su Rong echoed vigorously again, "Yes, isn’t that right?"
Duanhua looked at the duo, completely speechless.
The Hibiscus Cake, being her favorite, was made to perfection by her residence’s chefs who were constantly trying to improve it, which was why she always kept it in her carriage.
To her surprise, someone else loved this Hibiscus Cake to the point of selling themselves, even willing to tether themselves to her residence, all for the sake of those cooks.
Feeling suddenly tired, she said, "Fine! Stop talking. I get it!"
Seizing the favorable situation, Su Rong stopped talking, naturally released Duanhua’s hand, and quietly sat down.
Fen Ling also did as she was told, placing down the empty plate and savoring the taste of the Hibiscus Cake.
Seeing the two of them had indeed stopped talking, much to her surprise, the carriage quieted down. This silence didn’t last long, for the coachman’s voice rang out, "Princess, we have arrived at Zuixian Building."
Fen Ling immediately jumped off the carriage.
Su Rong swiftly followed her.
Watching the two nimbly jump off the carriage without needing a step stool, Duanhua was amazed, recalling they climbed aboard just as nimbly earlier.
She couldn’t do it!
No, decorum wouldn’t permit her to do it!
She carefully stepped down from the carriage using the footstool and straightened her dress, then asked Su Rong, "Where’s your veil?"
"I left it on the carriage." Su Rong had no desire to wear the veil. It interfered with eating.
"Are you not afraid of people seeing your face? You... you should wear it!" Duanhua suggested.
"Are you worried that some scoundrel will see my beautiful face and try to steal me away?" Su Rong replied cheerfully, "Who dares to do such a thing when I’m with you? Initially, I always wore it because I was afraid my face would cause trouble. But now, I’m fine, right?"
She grumbled, "That thing gets in the way when I’m eating. It’s inconvenient to pick or eat food, better to not wear it."
Duanhua had nothing to say. Her face, in the Capital City, meant that no one dared offend her. She believed she could protect Su Rong, "Fine."
So, led by Duanhua, their party entered Zuixian Building.
The attendant who welcomed guests at the entrance obviously recognized Duanhua and hurried forward immediately, bending at the waist and nodding, "Oh my, Princess, you’ve come? We haven’t seen you for quite some time! Why didn’t you send someone to notify us in advance? The best private room on the top floor has been pre-booked. What shall we do about this...?"
Today, having brought along Su Rong and Fen Ling, Duanhua had observed that the two were quite casual and not very picky, so she decided not to fuss either, "Just arrange any private room!"
The attendant showed a brief look of surprise but quickly composed himself, chewing cheerfully, "Alright, please follow me."
Duanhua followed the attendant into the restaurant.
At this time, it was already mealtime, and many people were seated in the lobby downstairs. Duanhua Princess and her party entered, creating some commotion, as there were more than ten guards trailing behind them. Many people recognized Duanhua, but they did not know the beautiful woman who was walking behind her. They all speculated that she must be a daughter of some prestigious family.
Duanhua scanned the lobby, arrogantly chirping, "What are you all looking at? Keep staring and I’ll gouge your eyeballs out!"
The faces of everyone in the lobby who had been looking at Su Rong changed instantly. They quickly looked away, no longer daring to stare at her direction.
Within a blink of an eye, the entire lobby of Zuixian Building fell into deafening silence.
Amused, Su Rong stepped forward, took Duanhua’s arm and whispered, "Princess, you’re too intimidating. Everyone is scared of you!"
After saying this, she murmured again, "Could you teach me how you make people fear you whenever they see you? I would like to learn."
Duanhua: "..."
She tried to shrug off Su Rong’s hand but couldn’t, so she begrudgingly asked, "What is wrong with you? Let go!"
Su Rong released her and said, "Okay, okay, I’ll let go."
After Su Rong released her, Duanhua answered her previous query, "What is there to teach? Is this princess someone who people can dare to stare at? Whoever dares to keep staring at me, I will have my guards beat them up."
Understanding dawned on Su Rong - scare them with brute force and they will back off!
Her behavior reminded her of her time in Jiangning County. But she was still lacking, she had beaten Chen Zhou over and over, yet he still dared to tarnish her reputation with Zhou Gu. Apparently, she had not been hard enough on him.
Arriving at an upper-floor private room, Duanhua looked slightly dissatisfied with the bare simplicity of their surroundings. However, seeing Su Rong and Fen Ling were already sitting at the table and checking off dishes from the menu, she held in her complaints.
Fen Ling asked Su Rong, "Sis, should we order all the dishes recommended by the princess earlier?"
"Yes, order all of them." 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦
"But what about the chili meatballs? The princess didn’t recommend it, but I want to try it."
"Order that too."
Fen Ling was pleased and ordered a slew of dishes she wanted. She also added a jar of Fruit Wine.
Unable to hold back, Duanhua interjected, "That’s too much food. We won’t be able to finish it all."
To Su Rong’s surprise, Duanhua Princess didn’t approve of wastefulness. She inquired, "Do you have pets like dogs and cats in the princess residence?"
Slightly taken aback, Duanhua nodded, "Yes, we do. Why do you ask that?"
"Great. If we can’t finish our food, we can pack it for them to eat," Su Rong replied with a smile.
Duanhua: "..."
The food at the Zuixian Building arrived quickly, filling the private room with the mouth-watering aroma of dishes.
Fen Ling and Su Rong had hearty appetites and with each dish served, they proceeded to taste and comment on its pros and cons. Their commentary somehow made Duanhua savor her meal more than usual.
Although Duanhua had dined at the Zuixian Building many times before, dining there with the two of them added a new flavor to the experience.
What an odd nirvana!
These two must be enchanted!
As expected, the Fruit Wine at Zuixian Building lived up to Duanhua’s claims. After Su Rong and Fen Ling tasted it, they both thought of having Orchid brew some of this wine back home to sell and make money. This type of wine was not popular in Jiangning County, but the ladies of the Capital City seemed to love it. It could be a lucrative enterprise.
After the meal, Su Rong full and satisfied, asked Duanhua, "We still have time. Where should we go next? You know the Capital City well, you can decide."
Duanhua pondered for a moment and said, "Normally when I leave the Residence, I like visiting shops that sell cosmetics, jewelry, and accessories."
Su Rong wasn’t interested in those and shook her head, "I don’t want to go to those places."
Fen Ling agreed, "Yeah, I don’t want to go there."
Duanhua frowned, "Then how about bookshops, tea houses or painting boats?"
"Are painting boats fun?" Su Rong wanted to ask how they compared to the Three-story Pavilion in Jiangning County, but since Duanhua had never been there, a comparison was not feasible.
"Painting boats are on the East Lake beyond the city. They offer music and dance performances while on a lake cruise."
Su Rong considered that it sounded similar to river cruises on the Maple Leaf River and lost interest, "Ah, doesn’t the Capital City have anything interesting to do?"
Duanhua thought for a moment and suggested, "The last place that comes to mind is Juxian Building. It was bustling a few days ago with scholars from various regions gathering for policy debates. But now they’ve all descended from the exam floor and it has become quiet."
Su Rong sighed, "In that case, let’s just wander around on the streets!"
The wide streets of Capital City seemed to be the perfect place for her to walk around after a full meal.
Duanhua frowned at the suggestion. She was accustomed to going directly to her destination, not aimlessly wandering the streets, but she nodded in agreement nonetheless.
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