The Silent Flame A Princess Reborn for Revenge

Chapter 9 Dining

Dining (Part 1)

He picked up the tea bowl, brought it to his nose and sniffed it, slightly frowned, then took a shallow sip. He repeated this a few times, and just as Rongrong was about to replace it thinking he was dissatisfied, he finally said, “The tea brewed by the Talented Lady is quite special, just to My liking. Teach My slow-witted servants when you have time.”

Rongrong replied, “Your Majesty flatters me. It’s merely a little pastime I use to amuse myself when idle—nothing worthy of display.”

“You’re being too modest, little sister,” said Talented Lady Yue casually. “Since the plum blossoms began blooming, Sister Rong gets up every morning to personally lead the maids to collect the dew from the flower stamens. She carefully observes which flowers have newly opened and picks only the most tender petals to dry. The drying process is so troublesome I can’t even begin to describe it. When I visit Sister Rong’s place, she absolutely refuses to share the tea with me.”

Rongrong grew anxious. She had specially prepared this tea for today, knowing Prince Fupai would visit her palace. Talented Lady Yue’s words might leave him with the impression that she was trying too hard to please him.

“Oh?” Fupai raised an interested brow but showed no displeasure. “Talented Lady Rong has done quite well. And what have you done?”

Talented Lady Yue blushed slightly. “I’ve visited many places, unlike Sister Rong who stays so quietly in her quarters.”

After some pleasant small talk, Lin Xi came to report that the evening meal was ready and invited Fupai to proceed to the dining area.

The menu had been carefully arranged by Rongrong through Lin Xi—light and refreshing, mostly vegetarian dishes. Once Fupai was seated and had a small appetizer and the soup to whet his appetite, the first dish was brought forward.

“Your Majesty,” Lin Xi announced, “this first dish is fermented tofu personally prepared by Her Ladyship.”

Rongrong added, “I hope Your Majesty doesn’t find the food too plain. My elder sister taught me how to make this—it’s sour and spicy, a great appetizer.”

Fupai was briefly dazed. “Your sister?”

“Yes.”

Lin Xi then served the second dish: “The second course is the Eight Trigrams Soup.”

Fupai asked, “Tell Me, what’s so special about this Eight Trigrams Soup?”

Rongrong respectfully bowed and explained, “The Eight Trigrams Soup takes its name from its form. This green part is shredded lettuce. The lettuce was brought from Dali and ground three times before being filtered through a fine sieve six times, making it particularly smooth. The red part is made from the whites of peacock eggs from the Imperial Garden, mixed with fresh rose extract.”

Dining (Part 2)

Rongrong bowed again and said, “The Eight Trigrams Soup takes its name from its form. This green part is shredded lettuce. The lettuce was brought from Dali and ground three times, then filtered through a fine sieve six times, which gives it its fine texture. The red part is made from the whites of peacock eggs collected from the Imperial Garden and blended with fresh rose extract.”

Fupai nodded, “The Talented Lady has put great care into this!”

“As His Majesty says,” chimed in Talented Lady Yue. “It’s so beautiful—who could bear to eat it? Just looking at it makes me happy.” Her childlike sincerity was quite infectious.

Next came the third dish. Lin Xi announced, “These are braised quail eggs, cooked by the palace chef, but the marinade is my mother’s family recipe.”

Before Lin Xi could finish, Talented Lady Yue picked up one egg and placed it in Fupai’s bowl. She then quickly tasted one herself and exclaimed, “Delicious! Sister, tell us how this was made!”

Fupai took a thoughtful bite. “There’s a floral fragrance… the smooth richness of tea leaves… and a hint of Sichuan pepper’s spiciness. Very appetizing.”

Ling’er, standing nearby, chimed in, “His Majesty is used to rich delicacies. They can be a bit too greasy at times, so Her Ladyship especially instructed us to prepare light, refreshing, and digestible meals to suit Your Majesty’s palate.”

Rongrong pretended to scold Ling’er for speaking out of turn, then turned to Fupai and explained how the eggs were made. “The quail must be exactly eight months old and laying its first egg—neither a day more nor less. The marinade is more complicated. It must be made from dewdrops collected from lotus leaves in June, combined with fresh lotus seeds, lotus petals, honeysuckle, and the three youngest leaves of Maojian tea. This is simmered over a gentle flame for twelve hours. Once the ingredients have completely merged with the dewdrops and become invisible, we add five-spice seasonings, then seal it for seven times seven, forty-nine hours. It must then be kept warm in lukewarm water every day.”

Fupai asked, “And where does this spicy flavor come from?”

Rongrong answered, “I asked the Empress to have the Household Department make a new clay pot for me. The clay was mixed with Sichuan pepper, which is why Your Majesty can taste the spiciness.”

Fupai nodded in satisfaction and said to Huang Changzheng, “Tell the Household Department to send the Talented Lady some of the best charcoal. I really like these braised eggs.”