Trip to Beijing, Part 2
Wang Pan'er, hungry, finally made it to the front of the Vermilion Bird Gate.
She really didn't want to continue riding in the carriage, so she pleaded with Mu Chuan, "Is the city gate far from your home? If it's not far, can we walk there? I'm so stuffy in the carriage, I feel like I'm going to get maggots!"
"About the distance of two incense sticks' worth of walking."
The distance was only thirty or forty minutes, and Wang Pan'er, who had been traveling by horse-drawn carriage for eight or nine days, readily accepted the arrangement.
She was the first to jump out of the carriage, taking deep breaths of the air outside.
Mu Chuan quickly went to a general store on one side of the city gate, bought an oiled paper umbrella, and held it over Wang Pan'er's head.
Wang Pan'er happily moved closer and took Mu Chuan's arm: "It's hot, don't just look after me, you should join in too."
It was hot, but much more comfortable than being stuffed inside the carriage. Besides, Wang Pan'er was quite curious about the ancient capital.
Knowing Wang Pan'er's preferences, Mu Chuan led her from the most bustling Imperial Street all the way to the northern part of Bianjing.
The streets were lined with vendors pushing carts, and behind them were shops selling gold, silver and silk. Each corner tower had its own unique features, making one marvel at the wisdom and aesthetic sense of the ancient people.
As they walked, the three characters "Tianchengyuan" appeared before Wang Pan'er's eyes.
The three-story pavilion was resplendent in gold and jade, with even the plaques carved with dragons and phoenixes, making it colorful and elaborate.
Wang Pan'er pointed angrily at the money shop and asked, "Is it really yours?"
Mu Chuan did not answer, but pulled her straight into the money exchange.
Upon seeing him, the shopkeeper immediately came forward and bowed respectfully to Mu Chuan: "Young master, you've arrived."
Mu Chuan nodded and asked Wang Pan'er, "Did you bring the contract seal I gave you before?"
Wang Pan'er pulled out the ancient supreme black card from her personal purse, and Mu Chuan handed it to the shopkeeper: "Make a private seal for her."
"Private seal?" Wang Pan'er asked. Is there anything with greater authority than the Supreme Black Card?
Mu Chuan explained, "Only the master family can use the private seal, which is engraved with their real name. Within the Great Xia territory, as long as it is in Tiancheng Yuan, it can be used and taken at will."
Wang Pan'er gasped: "We're not even married yet, and you dare to carve my private seal!"
“If we don’t get married, you should be Mother’s goddaughter, and that’s fine.”
Wang Pan'er: "!!!"
Won't this deplete your luck for the next life?
She watched as Mu Chuan wrote Wang Pan'er's name on the paper the shopkeeper handed him. After the shopkeeper put it away, he said, "I will send someone to deliver it to your residence once the private seal is engraved."
Even after Mu Chuan pulled her out of Tianchengyuan's gate, Wang Pan'er was still in a daze.
The speed of her upward social mobility was like a rocket launch; she went straight from a commoner to a top-tier noble. Her good fortune was something even she herself would envy.
With such a large money exchange, there must be many other businesses as well. Wang Pan'er asked curiously, "What other shops are yours?"
Mu Chuan pointed to a clothing store and then to a restaurant called "Lan Ruo Ting," before becoming confused: "As for the others, I don't know much either. In short, there are quite a few shops, big and small, all managed by my mother."
Wang Pan'er's mouth turned into its original shape, and after a long pause, she said, "With your wealth, you could squander it for several lifetimes and still not see the end of it!"
"That's not the case," Mu Chuan said. "More than half of the profits from these shops went into the Emperor's private treasury."
"Does His Majesty have a private treasury?"
Mu Chuan thought for a while and found it quite complicated to explain, so he said briefly: "At present, powerful ministers control the government and His Majesty is in a difficult situation. Even the allocation of military funds is subject to others. My mother and I are close to His Majesty and have his trust, so naturally we should share His Majesty's worries and difficulties."
What kind of closeness and trust would make someone hand over half of their profits?
Just as Wang Pan'er was about to ask, Mu Chuan stopped in front of a magnificent mansion.
"We've arrived," Mu Chuan said.
Wang Pan'er found the answer on the plaque of the mansion.
The plaque bears five large, golden characters: Princess Zhaoyang's Residence.
It was so bright it made my eyes burn.
I've thought about power, about wealth, about the powerful and wealthy, but I never imagined I'd end up with a member of the royal family.
Wang Pan'er pinched her thigh, and it hurt terribly. She then pinched Mu Chuan's thigh, and Mu Chuan grimaced and jumped away, yelling, "What are you doing!"
"Let me confirm, am I dreaming?" Wang Pan'er looked up at the tall gate, the vermilion paint on the door and the copper nails as big as a face, "Is Madam the Princess?"
Mu Chuan slapped his forehead: "It was easier to hide my identity when we were out in the world. Later, I think I forgot to tell you."
Wang Pan'er was so shocked she could barely speak: "Zunsu, what a wonderful surprise!"
"You're not upset that I hid my identity from you?"
Wang Pan'er looked at him, puzzled: "You didn't hide your identity to deceive me, so why should I blame you?"
Mu Chuan grinned, revealing his white teeth: "As long as you're not upset, let's go see Mother quickly!"
The two's luggage was delivered to the Princess's residence by Sun Mingyuan and his party. Lüyi had already been sent by the Princess to wait at the gate.
As Mu Chuan and Wang Pan'er stepped onto the steps, a group of maids and servants, led by Lü Yi, filed up to greet them.
When Wang Pan'er saw an acquaintance, she greeted him with a smile.
Lüyi replied cheerfully, "His Highness has already instructed the kitchen to prepare a banquet. It's stuffy and uncomfortable inside the carriage, so we came here specifically to help you bathe and change."
Wang Pan'er counted them; including Lüyi, there were a total of seven little girls.
It's clear that the lady, or rather, Her Highness the Princess, is indeed very happy that she has come to the capital for a visit.
Although the entourage was a bit extravagant, they couldn't refuse the princess's good intentions. She genuinely wanted a thorough bath, so she had Lüyi lead the way.
Mu Chuan tugged at Wang Pan'er's sleeve, stammering, "There's something else I forgot to tell you."
Wang Pan'er: "?"
Mu Chuan said, "My original surname is Lin, and my name is Lin Chuan. Mu is my mother's surname, so when I go out, I use the alias Mu Chuan."
Having gotten used to calling him Mu Chuan, the name Lin Chuan sounded rather awkward to pronounce, and Wang Pan'er frowned.
Mu Chuan immediately added, "Of course, you can call me Mu Chuan if you want, I also prefer the name Mu Chuan."
Do they not like their father's surname? Generally, children who don't like their father's surname don't have a close relationship with their father.
However, even though Her Highness the Princess is gentle and kind, and very easy to get along with, she still has a strained relationship with her husband. It seems that her husband is not a kind person, so I can understand Mu Chuan's situation.
"Then I'll continue to call you Mu Chuan. A name is just a code."
Seeing that Wang Pan'er wasn't angry, Mu Chuan breathed a sigh of relief: "You go with Lü Yi to take a nice bath. I also need to wash up. See you later."
Wang Pan'er nodded and followed Lü Yi and Mu Chuan through the winding corridor.
This is a large mansion with five courtyards and five entrances, but from the main gate to the backyard, one cannot see the entire mansion.
Perhaps because the functional areas were hidden in the corners, every place Wang Pan'er went was a beautiful scene, with artificial hills, gardens, and ponds. The luxury of the gardens was fully displayed in the Princess's mansion.
Compared to the gardens that have been preserved as historical sites in later generations, the Princess's Mansion, which is now famous, is filled with people and has a completely different feel.
Later scenic spots, historical sites, and gardens, no matter how meticulously repaired and maintained, could not escape the decay that comes with the passage of time. The landscape is relatively better preserved, but the buildings, especially the wooden ones, inevitably rotted after enduring war, and, coupled with years of uninhabited existence, exuded a lingering dampness. In contrast, the Princess's Mansion retains remarkably vibrant colors, and the fine wood still emits a rich, woody aroma.
Wang Pan'er was placed in the guest room area. After entering the inner courtyard, she parted ways with Mu Chuan.
Inside the guest room, the maids had already prepared the bathwater.
They removed Wang Pan'er's hair bun, carefully combed it with a fine-toothed comb, then dripped soapberry water onto her head and gently rubbed it in. After washing her hair, they soaked a bath towel in a mixture of soap and fragrance in the foamy water and used it to wipe her torso and limbs.
So comfortable was she that Wang Pan'er, who had been traveling for several days, simply tilted her head to the side and fell asleep against the edge of the bathtub.
When she was woken up, the bathtub had already been filled with water, and she had been dried off.
The girls carried in a pole full of clothes, saying that His Highness had prepared them for her.
There are more than ten sets, each of which is of exceptional quality.
Wang Pan'er remembered that Mu Chuan had told him that he had plenty of brocade at home, and if she liked it, he would make sure she had enough. She hummed softly.
If they're already relatives of the emperor and still don't receive enough rewards, that would be too pathetic.
The dresses sent by the eldest princess were all beautiful. Wang Pan'er pointed to a set at random, and the girls lifted her arm and began to help her get dressed.
Feeling refreshed and smelling nice after a bath, and dressed in new clothes, Wang Pan'er stood in front of the bronze mirror in a good mood, striking several poses and admiring herself.
After admiring the beauty, the girls made me sit down and started doing my makeup.
Girls always take time to get ready. After styling their makeup, their hair, which has been tugged by an absorbent towel, is already mostly dry.
The girls styled her hair into a simple half-up bun and led the relaxed Wang Pan'er out of the guest room.
Mu Chuan was already waiting outside the guest room. When he saw her, his eyes lit up: "The clothes my mother bought suit you perfectly."
Wang Pan'er spun around triumphantly and said proudly, "They say clothes make the man, and if I dress up properly, I deserve to be praised for my bright eyes and white teeth!"
Mu Chuan couldn't help but laugh out loud, and took Wang Pan'er's hand: "Okay, beautiful, I've got some ice from the kitchen, waiting for you to make an iced drink."
Even Lüyi and the others couldn't help but cover their mouths and laugh.
Wang Pan'er straightened her expression and said, "Alright, let's go to the kitchen."
The eldest princess said that to entertain distinguished guests, the servants in the mansion naturally took Wang Pan'er's request very seriously.
Upon entering the kitchen, there was a square icicle, slightly larger than the cutting board. Judging from the fact that it had been out for a few breaths, the outermost layer was already showing signs of melting.
Wang Pan'er wanted to eat shaved ice, but since there was no condensed milk in ancient times, she could only use other sweet sauces as a substitute.
Fortunately, there was milk stored at home. To prevent it from spoiling in the summer, it was kept on the outermost layer of the ice storage. Wang Pan'er planned to make custard sauce to replace the condensed milk.
First, pour the sugar into the egg yolks and stir well. Then, add the cornstarch. If you don't have a sieve, you need to stir it in small amounts several times. Next, add the hot milk, pour the mixture into a pot, and stir constantly until the liquid begins to show obvious lines. The custard sauce is now ready.
The head chef watched intently as his unheard-of dishes were created in the hands of his distinguished guest.
Wang Pan'er handed a spoonful to the head chef, who tasted it and said, "The texture is silky smooth, the taste is dense and soft, with a faint aroma of milk and egg. It's top-notch!"
Then she took a fruit knife and started shaving the ice.
Upon seeing this, the kitchen helper quickly took over the work, saying, "I'll do it; how can such an honored guest do this?"
Wang Pan'er smiled and said, "I'm also a cook, but I make medicinal cuisine."
Being in the same industry, their relationship grew much closer, and the head chef and Wang Pan'er chatted casually. During this time, Wang Pan'er even killed a watermelon that had been chilled in well water, cut it into chunks, and placed them around the mountain of crushed ice, then poured custard sauce, which had cooled down between the ice blocks, over it.
A modernized version of traditional shaved ice is freshly made.
Wang Pan'er handed the plate of shaved ice to Mu Chuan: "Try it first!"
Mu Chuan tasted a spoonful, couldn't help but squint his eyes, and then immediately put the second spoonful into his mouth, taking several big bites before stopping. He then gave Wang Pan'er a thumbs up: "You truly are worthy of this."
After finishing this portion, Mu Chuan pulled Wang Pan'er to leave: "You've made the sauce. Cutting ice and watermelon are simple tasks, just leave them to the kitchen. Come with me to see Mother. The kitchen will bring out your new creations for her to try later."
It was indeed impolite to keep the host waiting, so Wang Pan'er gave instructions on the ratio of ice shaved ice to sauce, and then Mu Chuan pulled her away.
Mu Chuan's actions left the servants looking at each other in surprise, and even the head chef was astonished: "Have you ever seen the young master so lively?"
Everyone shook their heads vigorously.
"The young master likes her, and His Highness even treats her as an honored guest. This young lady is extraordinary!"
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