met free Chapter 379 It’s your own fault
Chapter 379 It’s your own fault
Miss Zhao barely managed to step over the threshold when her eyes rolled back and she fainted in her maid's arms.
He Jinglan waved her hand, signaling Ziyan to handle the situation and quickly remove the troublemakers.
The main event was the banquet that followed.
The disturbance had subsided, and the damaged screen was carried away.
He Jinglan and He Jinghui invited everyone to continue the feast.
At this moment, the Zhao Imperial Censor's household was unaware of the dire situation that Miss Zhao had single-handedly dragged the Zhao family into.
After the initial mockery and disdain, the guests each began to reconsider their actions.
Some even secretly speculated that He Jinghui's rapid promotion to become the youngest Minister was due to his success in several promotions.
Besides his personal abilities being valued by His Majesty, perhaps it was because he discovered the treasure that is Boss Gu.
The emperor was worried about how to revitalize the people's livelihood and replenish the national treasury.
With someone like Boss Gu in the picture, coupled with the revitalized Ministry of Revenue, isn't that exactly what the emperor wants?
No wonder the He family would invite a commoner from the Northwest to live in their mansion and treat her like an honored guest.
“No wonder I’m best friends with you. His Majesty values you, and my brother can use you to secure his position as Minister of Revenue.” He Jinglan smiled and winked at Gu Xixi. “Right now, I’m sure many people are thinking the same thing.”
Gu Xixi chuckled, "How would they know what kind of person you are in the Northwest?"
"It's not surprising that people think that way."
The main courses have already begun to be served.
Only then did someone have time to drink that bowl of appetizer tea.
Except for a few male guests who didn't like sour food, they only took a couple of bites and then put it down.
The female guests, on the other hand, received quite a lot of positive feedback.
Someone asked with a smile, "Where does the unique sweet and sour aroma in this appetizer tea come from?"
He Jinglan was waiting for this question, and said, "This is citron black tea. Citron fruit has an extremely sour taste, and its aroma is unique, as if it is a mixture of more than ten kinds of spices, with rich layers."
"It's perfect to pair it with black tea to make an appetizing drink."
The noble ladies all praised it.
"It's sweet and sour, and it's really refreshing and appetizing."
"It leaves a pleasant aftertaste!"
"As expected of Miss He's banquet, even the drinks are ingenious."
After drinking the appetizer tea, everyone looked forward to the drinks that would accompany the main course.
Finally, a palm-sized ivory-white porcelain bowl was served.
The pure white porcelain bowl, delicate and translucent, made the peach-pink soup appear even more vibrant.
Dark red petals floated on the surface of the soup.
Gently stir with a spoon to bring up the fine white rice grains and a dried plum that has sunk to the bottom.
He Jinglan said with a smile, "This is a roselle plum drink, with a little fresh rice wine added for flavor."
"The ladies may not be able to hold their liquor, but when you get a refill, you can drink it without adding rice wine; it will still taste just as good."
The women ignored the delicacies on the table and drank their beverages first.
The taste was indeed surprisingly delicious.
Slightly sour and sweet, with floral and fruity aromas blended with a subtle rice wine fragrance.
It is excellent whether consumed directly or paired with meat dishes.
During the banquet, maids were specially assigned to refill the guests' cups.
So the ladies weren't embarrassed anymore, and many of them couldn't resist drinking a couple more bowls.
Besides the usual sweet and savory snacks, there are also desserts after meals.
It is served with a bright green drink in a light apricot-colored, begonia-shaped, tall porcelain bowl.
The difference is that this time it comes with a small silver spoon.
In the middle of the emerald green soup, four snow-white, round, plump glutinous rice balls are piled up.
Golden dried osmanthus flowers are scattered randomly on top.
The combination of three colors is pleasing to the eye.
He Jinghui asked with a smile, "What's the trick this time?"
He Jinglan stood up and said, "Brother, these are matcha red bean dumplings."
He Jinghui took a spoon and stirred it over, discovering that the red beans were all buried at the bottom.
He then laughed and said, "I thought you would come up with poetic and picturesque names, but they are all named after materials?"
He Jinglan smiled and said, "It's so clear this way."
The signs displayed at the dessert shops allow customers to choose according to their own tastes.
In the end, this drink received almost universal praise.
Steamed green tea leaves are ground into powder and then used to make tea.
The tea soup is slightly bitter, the red beans are sweet, and the glutinous rice balls are soft yet chewy.
This is a drink that even those who don't like sweets will love.
After the banquet, they moved to the garden. As is customary, men and women admired the flowers separately, but the activities were almost the same.
It's nothing more than writing poems, painting, tea ceremony, and elegant music, all centered around the theme of flower appreciation.
However, the topic of conversation among the female guests had already strayed from the main theme.
"We seem to have some dried roselle flowers at home. I'll have them try it sometime!"
"I love sour food, and I absolutely adore that appetizer tea. It would be perfect to drink it iced on a hot day."
He Jinglan and Gu Xixi just smiled when they heard this.
They dare to name their products after ingredients, so they're not afraid of being imitated.
Even if someone goes home and tries to make it, it's fine for them to drink it themselves, but it's too difficult to make it taste exactly the same.
So someone asked He Jinglan about how to make the drink.
"I wonder where you found such a skillful cook?"
Others chimed in enthusiastically, “Yes, we’ve never heard of these novel ideas before.”
"This is truly the first time I've seen a cook who specializes in making drinks. There must be other things she does, right?"
He Jinglan smiled and said, "No matter how knowledgeable you all are, you all say it's something new."
"The cooks in my household are capable of doing it, but it wasn't their idea."
When everyone saw her smiling at Gu Xixi, they suddenly realized what she meant and were incredulous.
"Was it Mr. Gu who came up with the prescription?"
"Miss Xixi, is there anything you can't do?!"
The women surrounded Gu Xixi, lively and enthusiastic, completely unlike their initial aloofness or disdain.
He Jinglan was familiar with these people's habits and didn't stand on ceremony with them.
He immediately began promoting his soon-to-open dessert shop.
Let everyone come and patronize whatever they want to drink, saving them the trouble of making it at home.
They also revealed that the new store was personally named by the Regent, who also personally inscribed the plaque.
The women were overjoyed.
The Regent Prince was the "top choice" among the many women in the capital.
He Jinglan first let everyone taste the delicious drink, and then revealed the name of the Regent.
They had already won more than half the battle before they even opened.
Who knows how many heiresses will secretly compete over this afterward.
It's like a competition where "whoever hasn't shopped at this store is out of touch with Beijing's trends."
Gu Xixi and He Jinglan finally managed to escape from the flower-viewing pavilion, only to run into Dou Rongshan coming towards them.
Both sides were taken aback when they met.
He Jinglan thought that since she had invited them, she should still be polite.
Why isn't Miss Dou with the others?
Dou Rongshan snorted lightly, "Some people have two faces, and it annoys me."
"If you two really enjoyed that flowery surroundings, you wouldn't have come out, would you?"
He Jinglan understood that she was mocking a few noble ladies who had been with Miss Zhao and had shown disdain for Gu Xixi.
Now they can still shamelessly join everyone in treating Gu Xixi as a hot commodity.
He Jinglan smiled, looked Dou Rongshan up and down, and said, "I was thinking of calling you here to give you a few more words of advice."
"To my surprise, you didn't cause any trouble."
Dou Rongshan rolled her eyes at He Jinglan.
He only flinched slightly when his gaze swept over Gu Xixi.
"It's not like I have to go against Mr. Gu... Mr. Gu."
Gu Xixi sighed inwardly, wanting to persuade Dou Rongshan not to be so afraid, when she suddenly heard someone shouting from the other side of the artificial hill.
"The top scholar has fallen into the water!"