Chapter 64

To avoid upsetting Xiao Wanling because of others, of course Shen Qing wasn’t so foolish!

Xiao Wanling said, “Lu Dahai treats outsiders better than his own wife. Who could tolerate that?”

Suddenly, a slurping sound came from behind. She turned to see Shen Qing standing by the stove, holding a bowl and drinking tea. He had a habit of not leaving any food behind in the pot.

Xiao Wanling recalled that Shen Qing once mentioned wanting to eat candied walnuts, but she had never made them for him. So she decided to make him some. “Go find some walnuts.”

Shen Qing wiped his mouth and responded cheerfully. He brought out a ladder and took down the basket stored on top of the kitchen partition. Inside were sun-dried walnuts. Sitting at the table, he began cracking them open with his hands, placing the walnut meat into a bowl.

Xiao Wanling brought out some brown sugar, but after a moment’s thought, swapped it for honey. She also took out half a bowl of sesame seeds.

Once Shen Qing had shelled a large bowl of walnuts, the sand in the pan was heated and ready. She stir-fried the walnuts in the hot sand, sifted out the sand afterward, then mixed the nuts with honey and spread them into a bowl. Using the residual heat from the sand, she slowly roasted them until the honey hardened into a fragrant, crispy glaze.

Before they could even cool, Shen Qing was already sneaking bites. When caught, he quickly stuffed a piece into Xiao Wanling’s mouth.

Shen Qing suddenly had an idea. “Can we do the same with peanuts?”

Xiao Wanling had a few pieces and stopped. “Yes.”

She thought this might also be good to sell at the shop. The farm supervisor would probably go look for walnut trees to cultivate.

Every day, Shen Qing and Xiao Wanling spent time at home experimenting with food. Each evening, Cheng Qiao’er and Sister-in-law Lu would bring back the day’s earnings from the tea shop. Life was peaceful and content.

News of Zhang Daniu and the city warden’s engagement also came. Meanwhile, noble ladies preparing to enter the palace were seeking beauty remedies. Xiao Wanling recommended white fungus soup, bird’s nest, slimming teas, and other nourishing items.

Seeing Xiao Wanling’s fair and radiant skin, the noblewomen eagerly bought the teas to try.

The Xiao Teahouse became wildly popular, and word even spread to the palace.

When Empress Dowager Ji heard the palace maids talking about Madam Xiao’s beauty recipes, her face darkened. Madam Xiao was supposed to serve her, and now she was coming up with concoctions for these future palace concubines? She felt insulted.

She ordered Nanny Xun to arrange a meeting with Madam Xiao. Nanny Xun nodded, quietly retreating from the hall while Empress Dowager Ji punished a palace maid. Outside, Nanny Xun tied a message to a carrier pigeon and sent it flying.

After some maneuvering, Empress Dowager Ji finally arranged a meeting with Xiao Wanling at a second-floor window seat in a restaurant in Qishan City. She instructed her guards to hide behind the sheer curtains.

Xiao Wanling had been told a foreign merchant wanted to discuss business with her. She had hoped it might involve rare seeds.

Shen Qing had wanted to accompany her but was summoned away by imperial guards.

Upon reaching the second floor, Xiao Wanling found it unusually quiet. Turning to glance at the bustling ground floor, she thought it was odd; normally the second floor would be just as lively.

A door to one private room opened, and a maid appeared. “Madam Xiao, the Empress Dowager has been waiting for you.”

Xiao Wanling’s expression darkened. As armed guards began approaching, her hand crept toward the sachet at her waist—it contained medicinal powder.

She quickly composed herself and followed the maid into the room.

Empress Dowager Ji, her hair now streaked with silver, sat with a face full of rage. “Madam Xiao, was it you who did this to Consort Jin?”

Xiao Wanling rested her hands on her lower back. “It wasn’t me.”

The Empress Dowager sneered. “She was perfectly fine. How did she go mad then?”

Xiao Wanling replied coolly, “Did Your Majesty summon me today for tea?”

The teahouse now sold over a dozen types of milk tea. If the Empress Dowager wanted one, she could have easily sent someone to buy it. Clearly, this was about picking a fight. Xiao Wanling’s business success was reason enough to offend her. Now that Madam Ji had become the Empress Dowager after the prince’s ascension, she had grown increasingly erratic.

Xiao Wanling’s hand slipped into her sachet. Without waiting for more accusations, she walked out into the outer room where the tea set and fruits were laid.

Two maids stood close by, watching her. Xiao Wanling calmly sliced fruit and began brewing tea, instructing one of the maids to go fetch flavorings like vanilla.

One maid served the tea to the Empress Dowager, while the other stepped outside and relayed the request to the guards.

Behind the cover of the table, Xiao Wanling took out a packet of mushroom powder and stirred it into the tea. The aroma of jasmine milk tea filled the air, masking any trace of the powder of dried, ground green russula mushrooms, originally prepared for Consort Jin, now used here.

The Empress Dowager took a sip and found it unremarkable, just like the palace’s version. She hurled the cup to the ground. “You dare defy me now!”

Unfazed, Xiao Wanling filtered the tea from the pot and poured a fresh cup with golden trim. “Please try this one, Your Majesty.”

She continued preparing another batch, adding freshly extracted vanilla essence to the milk tea.

As the Empress Dowager flew into another fit of rage, she suddenly pointed at everyone and screamed, “My son is on the throne now—I’ll have you all killed! Emperor Zhu? He’s nothing but an old man with a rotten stench! Who would ever love someone like that? The Prince of Jin is—”

Nanny Xun interrupted sharply, “Your Majesty!”

Those present were first stunned, then horrified. She was dangerously close to saying something treasonous.

Xiao Wanling shouted toward the door, “The Empress Dowager is having a hysterical fit!”

Guards burst in, confused by the scene. Nanny Xun barked, “Take Her Majesty back to the palace!”

The Empress Dowager struggled, yelling, “Let go of me! This isn’t the Prince of Jin’s world anymore—my son is the Emperor!”

The disturbance drew the attention of patrolling soldiers. Recognizing Xiao Wanling, they saluted. Seeing the palace guards, they reported the incident to the city governor.

Governor Ming personally escorted the Empress Dowager back. Word of her ravings reached the Emperor, who soon decreed that both the Empress Dowager and the former Emperor be relocated from the imperial palace, citing a need to make room for new consorts.

Xiao Wanling heard nothing of this. Still wary, she carried silver notes with her and had Shen Qing pack their valuables in case they needed to flee.

Shen Qing, for his part, only wanted to stay by her side. He carefully wrapped her jewelry and exchanged wens for silver. But no retaliation came—only the news that the Empress Dowager and former Emperor had been moved.

Xiao Wanling mused, “Something’s going on behind the scenes…”

Fine. Time to refocus on selling tea. She wrote a new sign for jasmine milk tea, which had dried jasmine flowers to be added during the brewing.

Soon, Li Die’er and Lai Xi arrived with wedding invitations. Then came Cheng Qiao’er, beaming, asking to reserve seats for her housewarming banquet. “I rented out my old place, and the new one’s near the reclaimed farmland—just behind the mountain. We’re practically neighbors now!”

Rumor had it that Han Hui and Gu Yaofang were also planning to move out. Both were pregnant, and old Madam Liu made them cook and clean and scolded them constantly.

Furious, Han Hui threw down her spatula and said to Xue Dean, “If we don’t move out and live separately, we’ll divorce.”

He didn’t want a divorce, so he agreed.

Old Madam Liu wailed, “You unfilial son! Moving out just when your parents are getting old—are you even human?”

Xue Deshou and Gu Yaofang were sneaking out with their luggage, only to run into Xue Zhengyang at the door.

Xue Zhengyang said, “If you leave, you’re no longer my sons.”

He thought he’d done right by his kids. A big family living together—what’s wrong with that?

When she saw Xue Dean hesitating, Han Hui grabbed her bag. “It’s me and the baby or your parents—choose one!”

Xue Dean said, “I choose you!” How could he live with his parents forever?

Soon, only Old Master Xue and Old Lady Liu were left. A while back, Old Lady Liu had kicked their daughter Xue Cui out to make space for a study. She hasn’t been found yet. Xue Zhengyang was so angry that he wanted to collapse.

Old Lady Liu didn’t believe it. She rushed to Second Son’s room and found it completely empty. She collapsed onto the floor.

Xue Zhengyang muttered, “Is this even a home anymore?” and walked away.

A woman carrying a blue cloth bundle passed by. “Is this Qishan Village?”

Xue Zhengyang looked up and thought she seemed familiar. “Yes.”

Madam Xu recognized him and quickly looked away. “Does Madam Liu live here?”

There weren’t many Lius in the village. Xue Zhengyang asked, “Where are you from?”

Madam Xu dropped the act. “Where’s your house? I’m looking for Madam Liu.”

…

Xiao Wanling was writing a new sign for her “fruit milk tea” when Cheng Qiao’er ran in like a gust of wind. “Madam Xiao! My mother-in-law’s cousin showed up!”

Now that land in Qishan was worth a fortune, it was no surprise that relatives were crawling out of the woodwork. “What does she want?”

Cheng Qiao’er plopped onto a stool. “Turns out my mother-in-law stole her cousin’s marriage match. Now she’s here to settle the score and somehow found out where she lives!”

Xiao Wanling glanced at Shen Qing, suddenly remembering how he’d whispered something to the city guards recently.

Xue Zhengyang, who had spent his entire life shielding Old Lady Liu, now found himself unable to face Madam Xu—the woman he had wronged. In the end, he simply ran off to avoid the confrontation, leaving Old Lady Liu and Madam Xu to tear the household apart in utter chaos.

Madam Xu now strode boldly into their lives, carrying herself with grace and confidence. She appeared openly before Xiao Wanling, leaned in close, and whispered in her ear, “It was Shen Qing who asked me to come.”

Xiao Wanling thought to herself, He must be trying to vent my anger for me. She was carrying a child now—so long as no one provoked her, she had no interest in dealing with Old Madam Liu just yet. All debts, however, would be settled after the baby was born.

“You go,” she said calmly. “Get back everything she owes you.”

Madam Xu twirled her handkerchief with a smile. “Gladly.”

But Old Lady Liu heard from somewhere that a woman suddenly disappeared after being seen with Xiao Wanling. She suspected that Xiao Wanling had murdered someone and went to report the case to the authorities. The incident had been nearly a year ago; Xiao Wanling only remembered the body being buried near a cliffside riverbank.

The authorities went to investigate but found the stone grave gone. They brought Xiao Wanling in for questioning.

Shen Qing’s eyes were bloodshot. Carrying a pack, he looked ready to flee with her if they dared lock her up.

The city governor was torn. On one hand, Xiao Wanling was a nationally praised agricultural minister. On the other, she was being accused under the name of the former Empress Dowager. He didn’t want to offend either side. If this hurt the corn yield, he’d probably be exiled.

He had a stool brought for Xiao Wanling and shot Old Lady Liu a glare—she was clearly here to stir trouble.

Old Lady Liu pointed accusingly. “She’s a murderer!”

Xiao Wanling replied calmly, “Do you have evidence?”

Old Lady Liu snapped, “You went up the mountain together. Why is she dead now?”

Xiao Wanling rubbed her pregnant belly. “She fell off a cliff. I’ve said this three times—can’t you understand?”

The city governor cleared his throat. “Old Lady Liu, if you have no evidence, this case is closed.”

Old Lady Liu shouted angrily, “Who else could’ve done it if not her?”

Just then, a sedan chair arrived. Steward Jin stepped out, nodded at Shen Qing, and said, “She’s been found alive and well!”

The city governor finally exhaled in relief. “Understood!”

Old Lady Liu screamed, “Impossible!”

TL’s Food Notes:

jasmine milk tea: