At the hour of Si, a ray of sunlight slanted across the teahouse signboard, making the four golden characters Jade Delicacies Tea House shine brilliantly.
Outside the teahouse, the streets were already packed shoulder to shoulder with people. Noise and chatter filled the air.
“I heard the teahouse has peerless ancient poetry—is it true?”
“Are the teas really unlimited and free?”
“Hey, I also heard the food here is unbelievably delicious. My grandaunt’s nephew’s son tasted it before and said it was insanely good.”
“Why haven’t they opened yet? Don’t tell me they tricked everyone?”
Not far away, a carriage sat blocked among the crowd.
Inside, a young man spoke impatiently.
“They still haven’t opened after all this time. The whole street is jammed up. The owner of this Jade Delicacies Tea House must be an idiot. Honestly—”
Before he could finish, pain shot through his calf.
“Hiss—Xiao Zhaoning, what was that for?!”
Xiao Zhaoning glared at him.
“Watch your mouth.”
Damn Xiao Xiao. How dare he insult her Jade Delicacies Tea House.
“Hey, why are you reacting so strongly?” The young man looked her up and down suspiciously. “Don’t tell me…”
Xiao Zhaoning puffed up angrily.
“Hmph! Imperial Brother, look at him!”
Xiao Jingyu remained calm as ever.
“That’s enough. Stop bickering.”
Amid the lively discussions, the teahouse doors finally opened.
Chen Changsheng walked out dressed in a dark brown long robe.
Seeing the enormous crowd, his face split into a wide grin as he clasped his fists toward everyone.
“Good morning, honored guests! Welcome!”
“Today, Jade Delicacies Tea House is hosting a poetry appreciation event. All lemon-series beverages will be provided free of charge.”
“Outstanding poems will be framed and displayed in the teahouse for all customers to admire.”
“In addition, several poetic lines have been hung within the teahouse. Whoever can compose the matching next line will receive the highest-tier reward.”
“And now—the event officially begins. Please come in!”
The crowd erupted immediately.
“The shopkeeper is generous!”
Meanwhile, Xiao Zhaoning led several people through the side entrance and directly upstairs into the largest private room.
Xiao Xiao lounged lazily in his seat and glanced around dismissively.
“So this is the teahouse you bragged about having heavenly delicacies?”
“After seeing it today, it’s nothing special.”
The moment he opened his mouth, Xiao Zhaoning’s teeth started itching with irritation.
“Shut up! You talk the most!”
Knowing the Third Princess had brought friends, Yun Zhiyue personally led servants carrying trays of food toward the private room.
On the staircase, she nearly bumped into a young woman.
Looking up, she saw a beauty dressed in snow-white robes. Her dark hair was arranged in cloud-shaped buns adorned with jade hairpins, while her face was breathtakingly beautiful.
A trace of admiration flashed through Yun Zhiyue’s eyes.
No one paid much attention to the brief encounter.
Beside her, Lüliu whispered softly:
“Miss, that was the Grand Tutor’s legitimate granddaughter and the Crown Prince’s fiancée—Liu Tinglan.”
Oh.
So she was the number one beauty in the capital.
Her reputation truly lived up to reality.
Liu Tinglan arrived gracefully, her almond-shaped eyes sparkling as she looked toward the Crown Prince.
“Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince. Greetings, Your Highness the Princess. Greetings, Young Commandery Prince. Tinglan has arrived late.”
Xiao Zhaoning helplessly pulled her upright.
“Sister Liu, I’ve told you many times already—there’s no need for so much formality between us.”
Liu Tinglan smiled gently.
“Your Highness, etiquette must not be abandoned.”
The Crown Prince looked at her, his expression softening slightly.
“Sit. Zhaoning is right. There’s no need for excessive courtesy outside the palace.”
Hearing this, Liu Tinglan lifted her gaze.
Their eyes met briefly.
At that moment, the private room doors opened again.
Yun Zhiyue entered first while attendants carried dishes inside one after another.
“Zhiyue, you’re here!” Xiao Zhaoning happily ran over and grabbed her arm. “Let me introduce everyone. This is my imperial brother, and this is Sister Liu.”
Then she glanced at the man beside them.
“Oh, him? He’s not important. You can ignore him.”
The Crown Prince. The Grand Tutor’s granddaughter. The young prince of Prince Rong’s residence.
Yun Zhiyue understood immediately and greeted them one by one.
“This is Yun Zhiyue—the owner of Jade Delicacies Tea House!” Xiao Zhaoning announced excitedly.
A trace of curiosity appeared in Xiao Jingyu’s eyes.
“So this is the friend you mentioned?”
Xiao Xiao raised an eyebrow.
“Oh? If this young master remembers correctly, isn’t she the famous fake daughter of the Pingyang Marquis Household from some time ago?”
Yun Zhiyue: “……”
Did these people remember she actually had a name?
“Excellent poetry! Truly unmatched verses!”
Many scholars looked up at the poems hanging in the center of the teahouse, their eyes instantly lighting up.
“I never expected this teahouse to possess such poetry. This trip was absolutely worth it.”
On the circular stage in the center of the first floor sat a long table furnished with brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones.
Chen Changsheng stood there speaking loudly:
“Everyone has seen the poems by now, yes? Who would like to attempt writing the next line?”
“Or you may compose original poetry yourselves!”
The moment he finished speaking, several people eagerly stepped forward.
“I’ll do it!”
A man dressed in blue robes walked out from the crowd.
The first floor was packed, though most people were simply there to watch the excitement.
“Hey, this tea is incredible—sweet, sour, icy, and refreshing. They even added ice cubes! The owner of this teahouse is truly generous!”
No one had expected the free beverages to taste this good.
“Waiter! Another pot of tea over here!”
“Coming!”
“I want another pot too!”
“Right away!”
“Waiter, serve our table first!”
One man eventually realized drinking tea alone was boring.
“Waiter, do you have food too?”
The waiter immediately handed over a menu.
“Yes, honored guest. Please take a look.”
The man couldn’t make sense of the dish names, so he waved grandly.
“Bring me one of everything.”
“Understood!”
Suddenly, someone in the crowd let out a loud cry.
“Wow! These phoenix claws are sour, spicy, tender, and smooth! And these golden chicken wings are savory and crispy!”
“Delicious! Absolutely delicious!”
“Waiter! This one, this one, and that one—bring me another serving of each!”
At another table, several young ladies were tasting the fruit mille-feuille cake and milk tea recommended by the waiters.
After just one bite, their eyes widened brightly.
This teahouse actually had such incredible desserts?
Immediately, they began asking for milk tea and cakes to be packed up so they could bring them home for their families to taste.
The attendants responsible for serving tea and food became so busy they practically wished for extra legs.
One person told ten.
Ten told a hundred.
Summer heat blazed overhead, yet today Jade Delicacies Tea House provided free iced tea drinks.
Countless people flooded over purely to taste the free beverages.
Inside another private room, Yun Zhiyue sat drinking tea with Master and Madam Yun.
Seeing more and more customers outside, Chen Changsheng immediately rushed in.
“Eldest Miss! There are too many people! All the private rooms are full, the first floor has no empty seats left, and there are still huge crowds standing outside!”
Without even lifting her head, Yun Zhiyue calmly instructed:
“Move several spare tables from the storage room and place them outside the entrance on both sides. Set up sunshades and continue supplying the lemon-series beverages.”
No one knew who leaked the news, but soon the noble young ladies of the capital all learned that the Crown Prince was currently inside the teahouse.
One carriage after another arrived until the street became completely jammed.
Xiao Xiao chewed on a phoenix claw while peering out the window with fascination.
“Well now, who would’ve thought such a tiny teahouse could attract so many people? Look—even the streets are blocked.”
“This fake daughter actually has some ability.”
Xiao Zhaoning lifted her chin proudly.
“Of course! So? The phoenix claws are delicious, right?”
“Look at you acting all proud. Anyone who didn’t know better would think you opened this teahouse.” Xiao Xiao curled his lips dismissively.
Downstairs, the poetry competition had entered the voting stage.
The atmosphere was lively and deafening.
Crowds near the entrance even stood on tiptoe trying to peek inside.
“I vote for Young Master Pei!”
“I vote for Young Master Bai!”
“I vote for Young Master Wang!”
The excitement reached its peak.
Very quickly, the results were announced.
Chen Changsheng shouted loudly:
“I hereby announce that Young Master Pei has received the highest number of votes!”
“He wins first place! His poem will be framed and displayed in the teahouse!”
“And he will also receive one VIP card from the teahouse! From now on, all food and drinks here will be completely free for him!”
The crowd erupted into cheers.
“Young Master Pei! Young Master Pei!”
Standing on the second-floor balcony, Xiao Zhaoning beamed happily toward Yun Zhiyue.
“Hahaha! Zhiyue, this trick really satisfied their vanity!”
Yun Zhiyue looked downstairs.
As for the few hanging poem lines—still no one had managed to complete them.
Looks like they could continue hanging there permanently, drawing endless streams of customers.
After today, Jade Delicacies Tea House would completely enter the sights of the capital.
Later on, a popular saying even spread throughout the city:
“How did you know I’ve tasted the tea and food from Jade Delicacies Tea House?”