In recent days, two major events had shaken Yunmengze, the capital of the Tianqi Kingdom.
The first took place on the northwestern frontier.
After five years of campaigning in the northern deserts, Marquis Zhenyuan, Mo Yuxuan, achieved a decisive victory against the Mobei army in his latest battle. The Mobei Khan fled north with the remnants of his forces and was expected to stay quiet for at least the next decade.
Before long, Marquis Zhenyuan would return to the capital in triumph.
Mo Yuxuan had joined the army at the age of twelve. In ten years of military service, he had suffered almost no defeats, becoming the scourge of the Mobei forces. Thanks to his extraordinary military achievements, he had become the youngest marquis in the kingdom.
The second event took place in Yunmengze itself.
Yun Qingyi, the only daughter of Minister of Revenue Yun Jingxing, choked on a walnut while eating at home and lost consciousness. When she awoke, however, the foolishness that had plagued her since childhood had miraculously vanished.
The Yun family had three sons and one daughter, all exceptionally talented and accomplished. Every one of them was blessed with both remarkable looks and outstanding character.
The eldest son, Yun Qingyao, currently served as an official outside the capital.
The second son, Yun Qingyuan, had recently passed the imperial examinations and now worked as an editor at the Hanlin Academy.
The youngest son, Yun Qingshi, was only twelve years old and already studying at the Imperial Academy.
As for their only daughter, Yun Qingyi, she was stunningly beautiful. Yet anyone familiar with the family’s history could only sigh and say, “What a pity.”
As a child, Yun Qingyi had been bright and clever. Her mother came from an influential noble family with close ties to the imperial palace. Growing up by her mother’s side, she gained broad knowledge and experience at a young age.
Though still a little girl, she could converse with palace nobles confidently whenever she accompanied her mother into the palace, earning the affection of many imperial consorts.
But fate is unpredictable.
When she was five years old, she accidentally fell and struck the back of her head while playing in the family garden. From that day on, she could only smile vacantly and behave foolishly.
Now seventeen years old, she still possessed the mind and manners of a five-year-old child.
Fortunately, she was the only daughter in the family. Her parents and brothers cherished her deeply and never allowed her to suffer the slightest hardship.
Shortly after the accident, her mother visited Zhaoqing Temple, the most renowned temple in the capital, to seek guidance from the abbot, Master Bujing.
The master said:
“Miss Yun is destined for immense wealth and honor. She must first endure a great trial before she can bear the blessings awaiting her. When the proper time arrives and her missing soul and spirits return, misfortune will turn to fortune, and her future status will be beyond measure.”
Hearing these words, her mother’s anxious heart found some comfort. From then on, she kept an even closer watch over her daughter, never daring to let her out of sight.
Yet perhaps destiny could not be avoided.
That day, her mother stepped away for only a moment. Yun Qingyi grabbed a walnut from the table and began eating. The nut became lodged in her throat, and within moments her face turned purple and she stopped breathing.
At the same time, in the modern world, another Yun Qingyi—the fourth-generation owner of the century-old Fish Flavor House—also met with an unexpected accident.
Yun Qingyi graduated from a prestigious top-tier university at the age of twenty-two. Although she had majored in the notoriously difficult field of biotechnology and materials science, she had no worries about her future.
After all, when you can’t find a satisfying job outside, you can always go home and inherit the family business.
That was exactly her plan.
Why struggle unnecessarily when you can skip decades of hardship? Life was meant to be enjoyed.
Having grown up in Fish Flavor House, the only thing Yun Qingyi truly excelled at before the age of twenty-two was eating fish. As for the phrase “able to endure hardships,” she had only mastered the first four words—she could certainly eat.
But loving fish wasn’t enough to run the family restaurant.
To prepare herself, she started from the bottom: working as an apprentice, cooking at the stove, serving customers in the dining hall, and finally learning business management.
After four years of intensive training, twenty-six-year-old Yun Qingyi officially took over the restaurant from her parents.
Those four years had been her real-world MBA program.
Her parents promptly retired, leaving everything behind—not even taking a single fish with them—and moved overseas to enjoy their new life.
At last, it was Yun Qingyi’s era.
As the fourth-generation owner of Fish Flavor House, she was eager to make her mark.
On the third day after assuming control, she joined a local fishing boat to secure the freshest ingredients for the restaurant.
Unfortunately, an accident occurred, and she fell into the sea.
Fortunately, she did not die.
Instead, her soul transmigrated into the body of the eldest daughter of the Yun family in the Tianqi Kingdom—a girl who shared her exact same name.
It seemed that both Yun Qingyis were destined to face a great calamity.
As she awoke, Yun Qingyi secretly counted herself lucky. Although she had acquired a new identity, she had been reborn as the beloved only daughter of a wealthy and influential family whose members genuinely cared for her.
“Miss, it’s been three days. The master says you can finally eat solid food today.”
Her maid, Shuiling, entered carrying a tray of dishes.
Because the original Yun Qingyi had nearly died from choking, her mother, Madam Fang, blamed herself terribly and had almost wished to die alongside her daughter.
Now that her daughter had been returned to her, the family dared to feed her only thin porridge and other soft foods.
For three straight days, Yun Qingyi had lived on plain rice porridge.
If this continued any longer, she worried she would end up with an electrolyte imbalance.
Hearing Shuiling’s words, she brightened instantly.
“I’m going to eat until I can barely walk!”
A second later, she looked at the food on the table and sighed.
“Actually, I think I can hold out a little longer.”
A plate of boiled vegetables.
Two slices of boiled meat.
From appearance to flavor, everything about the meal killed her appetite.
I’m a capable chef. How can I let myself suffer like this?
Putting on her shoes, she took Shuiling with her and headed straight for the kitchen.
Before they had even crossed the second courtyard, they could hear a commotion inside.
“What’s wrong with you? The master clearly said that no foods with shells, pits, or bones are allowed in this house anymore. Then why did you buy so much fish today?”
Shuiling explained that the speaker was Steward Shui, her father and the chief steward of the household.
As the head steward, he normally had no time to concern himself with kitchen affairs. But after the incident three days ago, he had personally overseen every food purchase.
The servant being scolded, Yun Zhong, looked aggrieved.
“Steward Shui, these fish are really good, and the price was excellent. Besides, the master and madam both love fish…”
Steward Shui’s expression softened.
“Ah Zhong, I know how much the master and madam enjoy fish. But surely you understand what matters more.”
At the mention of fish—and hearing that her parents loved it—Yun Qingyi’s eyes lit up.
It seemed they were truly kindred spirits.
“Steward Shui, since the fish have already been bought, let’s eat them. I’ll cook.”
Before he could react, Yun Qingyi had already stepped into the kitchen.
The steward’s face turned pale.
“Miss, you mustn’t! The master said—”
“Father is only worried about fish bones causing another accident, right? Then I’ll simply make a dish without any bones.”
Without looking up, she skillfully picked up a fish and began scaling, gutting, cleaning, and splitting it open.
First, she removed the rib bones and skin, then cut away the dark bloodline before slicing the boneless flesh into thin pieces.
Switching to a cleaver, she minced the fish into a fine paste the size of mung beans and placed it in a large porcelain bowl.
She added water and salt, stirring until the paste became sticky, then set it aside in a cool place.
Next, she sliced ham, diced it finely, fried diced mushrooms until fragrant, and mixed them into the expanded fish paste.
Finally, she added rice wine, rendered pork fat, and ginger-infused water before stirring everything thoroughly together.
Her movements flowed effortlessly, leaving the kitchen helpers staring in astonishment.
Though the fish paste was still uncooked, an irresistible aroma had already begun to fill the kitchen.