Chapter 47 The Third Book

After returning to the city, Xu Chengyue did not go straight home, but instead headed to the Shanhai Bookstore.

Catching fish and not sharing it with others was simply like walking in embroidered clothes in the middle of the night.

She happened to ask how the establishment of the Chang’an branch was progressing.

"Lady Xu has arrived." As soon as she saw her enter, Xue Zhenrui ran over to welcome her gleefully.

To make fishing easier, Xu Chengyue was not wearing a skirt or gown, but instead donned a set of men's Hu-style attire, with a bamboo rain hat perched on her head. If she were to hold a sword in her hand as well, she would look entirely like a young, chivalrous swordsman.

"Lady Xu’s outfit today is truly dashing." Xue Zhenrui never held back her compliments, then wrinkled her nose in confusion, "Why is there a faint smell of fish?"

"Oh dear, you’ve seen right through me." Xu Chengyue lifted the fish basket in her hand, displaying her harvest to Xue Zhenrui, "I went fishing today. Look, there are quite a few."

She wasn't really lying, was she? She didn't explicitly say she had caught them herself.

With a guilty conscience, Xu Chengyue persuaded herself.

Xue Zhenrui cast an admiring gaze at her, "Fishing is not easy. Today's fish are extremely cunning and simply refuse to take the bait."

The praise from those around her thoroughly satisfied Xu Chengyue, filling her heart with quiet delight.

After exchanging pleasantries, everyone gathered around to discuss the recent events at the Shanhai Bookstore.

The biggest event of all was undoubtedly the opening of the branch in Chang'an.

Because the plan to open a branch had been set in motion long ago and the location in Chang'an had already been secured, all the remaining matters boiled down to selecting personnel, reorganizing staffing arrangements, and so on.

These tasks were easy to handle, and after a rapid completion, the bookstore officially opened for business.

By now, operations were firmly on the right track.

A fondness for fine cuisine was perhaps a shared passion for all people under heaven, so the Chang’an branch of the Tianxiang Restaurant had also exerted a certain positive influence on their bookstore.

In short, the two ventures reinforced each other and were currently thriving. According to the bookstore’s couriers traveling between the two places to deliver manuscripts, Lady Xu’s vernacular tales had also sparked small-scale discussions in Chang'an.

***

"That old scoundrel Xu Anping actually dared to impeach me before Her Dowager Majesty. He truly has the gall of a bear and the heart of a leopard!"

In front of a grand mansion within the Changles坊 (Changle Ward) of Chang’an City.

A woman dressed in a sky-blue round-collared robe with silver piping, dark leather boots, and a jade-adorned waistband dismounted her horse in a fit of rage, hurled her riding crop straight into the arms of a maidservant, and strode angrily toward the main gates.

She was clearly furious; her chest heaved violently, her fists were tightly clenched, and her arms swung with such force that the friction of her sleeves produced a rustling snap.

The maidservant hurried after her to offer comfort, "Why does the young mistress waste her breath getting angry with him? That old man fancies himself a paragon of unblemished virtue, looks down his nose at the powerful and noble, and dares to impeach anyone. He has long since alienated everyone and will sooner or later lose his official post."

"Let him impeach all he wants—what business is it of mine? Yet those of them who serve as high ministers of state refuse to discuss affairs of state or care for the people's livelihoods, and instead choose to make a huge fuss over the clothes a young woman wears. Have I violated any national laws or family precepts? Truly an old shameless wretch."

Deeply engulfed in her rage, she failed to watch her step. As she ascended the stone steps, she accidentally trod on her own hemline and almost took a tremendous tumble.

Fortunately, the maidservant by her side supported her in the nick of time, preventing her from falling flat on her face.

This unfortunate stumble only served to stoke her fury further.

It was all the fault of that old scoundrel!

Although Her Dowager Majesty had not uttered a word of reprimand, nor issued an order forbidding her from wearing men's clothing in the future, being impeached in the presence of the aunt she had always admired and revered was already enough to sour her mood completely.

Consider her mother: Her Dowager Majesty’s own sister. And she herself: Her Dowager Majesty’s niece. As members of the imperial maternal family, they drew considerable attention in the capital. Her household, in particular, always exercised the utmost caution in speech and conduct, unwilling to cast any blemish upon Her Dowager Majesty or court disaster upon themselves.

Aside from indulging in fine food, laziness, and simple pleasures, her family never meddled in state power, content to live out their days as leisurely nobles enjoying their wealth.

Wu Jiong considered her own words and actions to be well within the bounds of propriety among aristocratic daughters—not nearly as uninhibited as her older cousin, the Eldest Princess Anle, who kept several male concubines. Compared to that, she was practically the model of obedience.

Who could have imagined that while she was out strolling the streets with a group of sisters, simply because she had worn men's attire, she would catch someone's eye and be memorialized for impeachment the very next day?

***

The longer she brooded over it, the angrier she became. Who could possibly endure this?

Wu Jiong entered the inner chambers, where maidservants attended her as she changed her garments. "Go tell the embroiderers and tailors to make me a few more sets of men's clothing," she announced loudly. "Make sure the colors are vibrant and embroider a bit more flora on them."

Wasn't he fond of impeaching people? Did he love fixating on women's attire? Very well, she would wear men's clothes every single day and give him something new to impeach her for every day.

"Please calm your anger, Young Mistress; this maid will pass down the order right away." Hearing the command, one maidservant turned and hurried out of the room.

Seeing that her residual anger had not yet subsided, the remaining maidservants exchanged glances. The cleverest among them stepped forward first and said, "Young Mistress, the back kitchen has just prepared the sweet and sour fish, braised eggplant, and hot pot according to your instructions."

Wu Jiong instantly forgot her previous anger. Her tightly furrowed brow relaxed, and she asked in pleasant surprise, "Have they really managed to make it? Does it taste just like the Tianxiang Restaurant?"

"The cook says it is very close. The Young Mistress can taste it for herself to find out."

"Bring it here quickly!" Wu Jiong could not wait to sample it.

"At once!"

When the dishes were served and she tasted them, she found that the flavors were indeed remarkably similar to those of the Tianxiang Restaurant.

Earlier, upon the recommendation of her cousin from the Yi family, she had visited a newly opened restaurant in Chang’an named the Tianxiang Restaurant, which allegedly hailed from Luoyang, to sample their cuisine.

Upon tasting it, she was startled to realize her cousin had not been exaggerating; the flavors were extraordinary and completely unlike anything else in Chang'an.

However, her palate differed somewhat from her cousin's. Rather than the sweet and sour fish, she preferred the numbingly spicy, rich, and fragrant hot pot. Eating it felt like breathing fire from one's mouth, yet it was precisely what made one unable to put down the chopsticks.

Later, following her cousin's recommendation, she had also read that book describing the dishes. She had initially gone for the sake of the food, but ended up drawn into an intriguing story.

The culinary techniques in the story were described with meticulous detail, inspiring her to have the estate's cooks attempt to replicate them.

In truth, the flavor still fell somewhat short of the Tianxiang Restaurant, which presumably guarded unique culinary secrets of its own.

***

Xu Chengyue's books did not receive universal praise in Chang'an; they also stirred up considerable controversy.

Because the majority of people only read her books after tasting those delicacies, and those willing to spend money to try something new were mostly from wealthy households.

They had high standards and lofty horizons, turning up their noses at the vernacular tales written by Xu Chengyue, criticizing them even as they read.

"To be able to write such sensationalist, entirely illogical vernacular tales—the author must have barely studied books for a few days. How dare they show off their literary talent?"

"That may be true, but the sweet and sour fish is exceptionally delicious. For the sake of this dish, I simply cannot bring myself to scold the author."

"Clearly, the hot pot is even better—wait, you're bought off by a single dish? Can't you have a shred of backbone?"

"Why no backbone? Have you ever considered that if the author lacked a good family background and therefore barely studied, where on earth did these recipes come from?"

"Ah, true. Doesn't that create a contradiction? With so many detailed and feasible recipes, surely the author must hail from some prestigious, generations-old aristocratic family. Besides, since they are willing to share them, you should just count your blessings and enjoy."

"What a joke. Which aristocratic scion in Chang'an do you and I not know? Even if we cannot reach them socially, we have at least crossed paths from afar. Never have I heard of such a figure emerging."

"You really are impervious to reason!" The speaker shook their head repeatedly.

Propelled by the enthusiastic promotion (and boasting) of Brother Yi, similar conversations took place across various aristocratic households in Chang'an.

Everyone unanimously praised the recipes, while opinions on the plots within the stories remained divided.

***

Unaware that her tales had caused ripples throughout Chang'an, Xu Chengyue was curled up in her cozy study, conceptualizing her plot.

A long time had passed since the completion of her previous book.

The weather was growing increasingly cold, and the small pond Xu Chengyue frequented had frozen over, making it inconvenient for fishing. Besides, in the freezing cold, lingering by the pond for too long could easily cause someone to fall ill.

Consequently, she stopped going.

"Young Mistress, it's snowing outside." Xia He walked in, turned to pull the lifted door curtain completely shut, rubbed her freezing red hands, and exhaled clouds of white mist as she spoke.

She hurried over to the indoor charcoal brazier to warm herself.

"Really?" Xu Chengyue asked in pleasant surprise.

Though she was a northerner and had witnessed snow countless times, she still felt a sense of joy whenever the first snows of the year arrived.

Unless, of course, the snow was exceptionally heavy, causing traffic blockages and making travel difficult.

She slipped into the padded slippers she had designed and Qiu Lu had made, padding noisily outside to view the snow.

The snow was light; pure white flakes, one by one, drifted in spirals down from the sky, swirling and landing upon the bare tree branches and the barren rooftops of the houses.

The entire world seemed to grow quiet. No one spoke, not a single bird chirped, and even her heartbeat slowed and deepened.

Only the snowflakes remained in motion, dancing up and down between heaven and earth without a moment of leisure.

A moment later, the cheers of children rang out from the neighboring courtyard.

"Mother, it's snowing!"

"Wow, wonderful! The snowflakes are icy cold!"

The rest of the sounds from the outside world seemed to rush into her ears all at once, growing lively and bustling.

The charcoal in the brazier crackled softly as it burned, while Xia He and Qiu Lu discussed what to make for dinner.

Joining in the children's joy, Xu Chengyue cheered, "It's snowing, hurrah!"

She scampered happily back into the house, burrowing straight under the covers, and muttered, "Snowy days are meant for sleeping."

The falling snow made a soft rustling sound.

Nothing was more suited to lulling one to sleep than the sounds of nature.

When Xu Chengyue woke from her nap, dinner was already prepared.

After finishing her meal, she continued with the task she had started at noon—organizing her outline.

This was a story mixed with both bitterness and sweetness, shards of glass blended with sugar.

Having established the initial tone of the novel, the main plot line would unfold around it.

The female protagonist's background needed to be powerful and influential, initially conceived as a young, accomplished female general hailing from a military lineage.

As for the male protagonist's identity, to make it convenient for the heroine to forcefully take him for her own, his status needed to be set slightly lower.

If his status was too low in the early stages, a twist could be introduced later to reveal his true identity, such as being a lost scion of a noble family.

Of course, the trope of switched true and false young masters could also work, but since her next novel might utilize this trope for its main plot line, she set it aside for now to avoid overusing it and falling into cliché.

There would be only these two main characters.

Details regarding their personalities could be enriched and refined as she wrote out the detailed plot.

The heroine's idealized first love was an aristocratic peer from a family of equal status, who unfortunately perished when bandits raided and plundered during his travels to the borderlands, leaving not even a corpse behind.

In truth, he was still alive, but no one knew—not even the heroine, who had shared a mutual affection with him.

Unwilling to remain in the capital after losing her beloved, she rode alone for a thousand miles to the borderlands, desperate to find her love.

Who could have expected that she would instead encounter the person who would fill her life with enduring love and resentment, tangled regrets, and half a lifetime of ruin...