Yun Pingting's wish to try Tao Wanniang's cooking was quickly fulfilled.
Traveling on this day, with noon approaching and nowhere in sight, Tao Wan's mother simply set up a pot on a riverbank. The horses grazed by the roadside, the men went into the river to catch fish, and the women gathered firewood. Soon, they had roasted fish and fish soup, which, along with some white rice, solved their lunch problem.
"Sister Tao, I've truly witnessed your ability to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary." Yun Pingting drank the delicious fish soup, which had no fishy smell at all, and let out a satisfied burp. If such simple kitchen utensils could make such a delicious fish soup, wouldn't it be even better with other seasonings?
And that grilled fish, the aroma was so enticing, she had never tasted such delicious grilled fish before.
"It's just so-so!" Tao Wanniang said modestly. "If you could come to our Zhaixing Tower someday, I guarantee you'd be hungry for three days and three nights."
“The capital is so far away, I might not go, but I think Sister Tao could open a Star-Picking Pavilion in Sifang City!” Yun Pingting said with a smile. “Sister Tao, leave this to me!”
Tao Wanniang smiled contentedly. No one dislikes delicious food, and young ladies of noble birth are no exception.
"It's only four or five days' journey to Youzhou," Chen Lian said, glancing at the map.
"Let's hurry and hopefully we'll arrive in three days!" Tao Wanniang said. "The journey has been rather tedious."
“I don’t find it boring at all. Look at the river, its surface rippling gently, and the grassland stretching to the horizon. Such a scene is rarely seen in the capital,” Chen Lian remarked, as if she were about to recite a poem on the spot.
“If my Star-Picking Towers can be found all over the Great Yue in the future, Master Shen, why don’t you find a job by my side and come with me to inspect various places?” Tao Wanniang said jokingly.
Chen Lian paused for a moment, then frowned slightly, as if she was considering it.
"Pack your things. The sky looks gloomy; I think it's going to rain," Tao Wanniang said, looking up at the sky.
Letters to the capital had already been sent, one to Zhang Liang and one to Lingyunzhou. Once she arrived in Youzhou, she would also discuss her plans with Xiao Yi; facilitating the marriage between the eldest princess and the Tatars would require considerable effort from all sides.
The remaining road was not smooth, but with their efforts, they arrived in Youzhou safely.
Tao Wanniang had thought Youzhou was bitterly cold, but after actually entering the city, she realized that the rumors were wrong.
Although there are frequent disturbances from foreign tribes, it is because Youzhou is located in a strategic military location and has fertile land with abundant produce!
After passing through the towering city walls, they were checked several times before finally arriving at the residence of the King of Youzhou.
"Who goes there? This is a restricted area of the Prince's residence. Unauthorized personnel are not permitted to gather here." Upon seeing Tao Wanniang and her entourage lingering, the guards immediately stepped forward to drive them away and reprimand them.
"I wish to see the King of Youzhou. May I ask if Your Excellency may enter and announce that Tao Wanniang from the Zhaixing Tower in the capital requests an audience?" Tao Wanniang said respectfully.
"The King of Youzhou will not receive guests, you'd better leave now!"
Tao Wanniang never expected that upon arriving in Youzhou, she wouldn't even be able to get through the gate, leaving her in a rather perplexing situation.
“I am the daughter of the City Lord of Sifang City. I know your Crown Princess. Please inform her!” Yun Pingting stepped forward and said.
However, she was also rejected by the guards, which made Yun Pingting lose face.
"Alright, let's wait outside and see if we can run into someone we know," Tao Wanniang said to Yun Pingting after thinking for a moment. "You two go wait in the carriage, I'll wait around here."
Yun Pingting wanted to wait with Tao Wanniang, but because of her outstanding appearance, Tao Wanniang refused.
The carriage was waiting not far away, while Tao Wanniang strolled in front of the palace, far away from the guards, which made her feel the same as when she first visited Xiao Yi in the capital.
"Lord Cheng!" Upon seeing Cheng Feng, Tao Wanniang immediately ran forward.
"Sister Tao!" Cheng Feng stared wide-eyed, dumbfounded. Was he dreaming?
"Lord Cheng, Cheng Feng?" Tao Wanniang stepped forward. Cheng Feng hadn't come to his senses yet, so Tao Wanniang couldn't help but wave her hand in front of his eyes, "Snap out of it!"
"Sister Tao, you... how come you're here?" Cheng Feng rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things, and immediately grinned, "Sister Tao, you've come at the right time. Tonight, the Prince's Mansion is having antique soup."
Antique soup? What's that? Tao Wan's mind didn't process it for a moment.
“I didn’t come alone; I brought some people with me. But your guards are very tight, and they won’t even let me know,” Tao Wanniang said, while waving at the carriage not far away.
"Sister Tao, why did you come to Youzhou?" Cheng Feng asked, seemingly puzzled.
"Let's talk about it after we've entered your palace," Tao Wanniang replied. "Are they all alright?"
“Very good. Although Youzhou is not peaceful, it is heavily guarded. When we first arrived, there were a few incidents, but our prince is no ordinary man. With the intimidation of his military and financial power, he managed to incorporate all the city guards of Youzhou into his own forces.” Cheng Feng said proudly, “It’s just that too many people wanted to get close, so the prince ordered the guards not to let anyone in without permission.”
As they were talking, Ling Feng drove his carriage closer, and Cheng Feng stepped forward, so the group naturally entered the Prince's Mansion.
Compared to the Prince Rui's Mansion in the capital, this Prince You's Mansion seemed more rustic, but also more spacious. There were also far more patrolling and surveillance guards than in the capital. Tao Wanniang roughly understood that Youzhou was indeed more chaotic than the capital!
"Sister Tao, why don't you come with me to see the Princess first? The steward will take care of the others." Cheng Feng said cheerfully, "What the Princess misses most is the food from Zhaixinglou. Youzhou doesn't have such exquisite food."
Walking through the Prince's residence, Cheng Feng spoke up. "The Crown Prince and Princess have gone to inspect the army; they are not in the residence."
"Oh, the Crown Princess went along too?" Tao Wanniang asked in surprise.
“Indeed, our Crown Princess is someone who can’t sit still.” Cheng Feng chuckled.
Yun Pingting followed behind Tao Wanniang. Seeing this, she didn't dare to ask to see Hongzhu. After Cheng Feng called the steward to arrange rooms for them, she went over with Chen Lian and Xiao Qiao'er first.
As Yun Pingting left, she turned back to look at Tao Wanniang. Tao Wanniang was truly amazing. Not only was she the most beautiful cook, but she was also on good terms with the guards of the Prince's mansion. From their conversations, it was clear that Tao Wanniang was quite familiar with the Princess and the Prince!
When the princess saw Tao Wanniang, she was just as stunned as Cheng Feng. She circled Tao Wanniang several times to make sure she was right before taking Tao Wanniang's hand and exclaiming, "Manager Tao, tell me, how did you end up in Youzhou? The capital is so far away from Youzhou!"
"Wait a minute, what are you doing in Youzhou? Will the Star-Picking Tower be alright without you?" The princess continued, her tone filled with utter astonishment and suspicion!
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