Chapter 227 Princess Aruan
Ye Jiayao never thought that one day the important task of receiving envoys would fall on her.

She never expected that one day a princess from a foreign country would want to be her friend.

The thing is, while the men were waging a war without the smoke of gunpowder at the negotiation table, the South Vietnamese Princess Aruan was traveling around, under the pretext of wanting to experience the customs and culture of Jinling and taste delicacies from all over the country. The emperor gave this important task to Helian Jing, but Helian Jing didn't dare to take the princess around, so he accompanied her to cruise along the Qinhuai River, and after the cruise he took her to Tianshangju for dinner.

When Ye Jiayao arrived at Tianshangju in the morning, she heard Manager Zhao say that Young Prince Jing had booked the entire Tianshangju for this afternoon, from the lobby to the private rooms on the third floor.

Ye Jiayao was still puzzled. Did Xiao Jing want to host a big banquet here? She asked Manager Zhao, who said that Young Prince Jing said to prepare only one table of dishes, and that he wanted all kinds of cakes from the cake shop, and... asked the Second Young Madam to cook in person.

Ye Jiayao was really confused. Chunyu hadn't come back in the past few days, so she didn't know Xiaojing's mission. Since Xiaojing said so, Ye Jiayao naturally had to do it and asked people to cancel or reschedule all the reservations.

This is easier said than done, as one has to go door to door to notify each household. At this time, Ye Jiayao really wanted to have a phone so that she could solve the problem with just a few phone calls.

After calming down and analyzing carefully, Ye Jiayao came up with a bold guess.

First of all, Xiao Jing made such a fuss, booked the entire Tianshangju, spent so much money, and asked her to cook personally. This guest must be very distinguished, extremely distinguished.

Second, Xiaojing ordered so many pastries, only women like to eat pastries.

Combining the above two points, this distinguished guest is a female. So who else could it be except the princess of Nanyue?
We really need to put some thought into preparing this lunch. If the princess is satisfied with the meal, perhaps Chunyu and the others' negotiations will go more smoothly.

Ye Jiayao has looked at the map. The area of ​​South Vietnam is probably in modern Yunnan and Guangxi, and also includes Vietnam and Myanmar. It has a large territory. The most famous food there is cross-bridge rice noodles and bamboo tube rice.

Ye Jiayao planned to cook a few dishes from there so that the princess could taste the dishes of her hometown in a foreign land. However, Huaiyang cuisine should still be the main focus, so that she can taste new things and feel at home.

Xiao Jing never knew that playing with others could be so tiring. Princess Aruan seemed to have unlimited energy. She was curious and interested in everything she looked at.

"Young Prince Jing, are the dishes at Tianshangju that you mentioned really delicious? Are they better than the imperial cuisine in the palace?" A Ruan was admiring the beautiful scenery of the Qinhuai River while communicating in not very standard Chinese.

Xiao Jing found it difficult to listen at first, but gradually he got used to it.

"If it's not delicious, can I take you there? I promise you won't regret it and will want to go again." When talking about Tianshangju, Xiao Jing always can't help but reveal a proud expression. Just kidding, that was made by Yaoyao, and she is invincible in Jinling!
Ah Ruan's curiosity was aroused by his confident words: "If I really like it, can I go there every day?"

Xiao Jing's heart trembled. The emperor did not say whether he would reimburse the expenses for the job he took this time. In the past two days, he spent a lot of money just buying things for her. The most troublesome thing was A Ruan's meal. For safety reasons, he had to book a place. It was expensive to book a place. He felt so sorry for paying for it. Moreover, he had already given his savings to Zhao Qixuan. He was short of money at the moment...

Xiao Jing made up his mind that once this matter was settled, he would ask the emperor to return the money he spent.

"Well... the problem... is this. We always eat out, which is not very safe. If the princess likes it, I can ask the chef from Tianshangju to cook it and send it to the inn for you." Xiao Jing thought that this method was safer, and the most important thing was to save money.

"Why is it unsafe? Will I have diarrhea if I eat it?" Princess Aruan asked innocently, her big, blinking eyes seeming to be able to speak.

"I've eaten so many delicious foods these days, and I don't have diarrhea!" A Ruan added.

Three drops of sweat flowed down Xiao Jing's forehead. It didn't seem good for a princess to always talk about having diarrhea!
"Of course not. The places I took you to are all very hygienic. Well, I was afraid that the people of Jinling had never seen a woman as beautiful as the princess, and it would cause a commotion. Well, commotions are somewhat dangerous." Xiao Jing got goose bumps before he finished speaking.

Too gross.

If Ye Jiayao heard this, she would definitely ask...Xiao Jing, where is your moral integrity?
In order to appease this little Bodhisattva, Xiao Jing felt that he had reached the limit of his potential.

Princess Aruan seemed to understand but she did understand one thing: the handsome young prince was praising her for her beauty. All women love to hear this and feel very happy.

Ah Ruan blinked her big eyes, revealing two deep dimples on her cheeks: "Thank you, you are also very beautiful, more beautiful than anyone I have ever seen."

Xiao Jing seemed to be struck by lightning and was a little dazed. Although he knew that he was good-looking and had a place among the Four Young Masters of Jinling, it was the first time for him to be praised so bluntly, especially by a woman.

But she said it so sincerely that Xiao Jing couldn't help but feel hot on her face.

Seeing the handsome young prince blushing, Ah Ruan found it even more interesting. The women in South Vietnam were all very generous, and the men were even more so. It was really interesting to see a man blushing for the first time.

The sun is shining today, the water is rippling, and green willows hang down from both sides of the river. The scenery is pleasant. But at this moment, Ah Ruan only has eyes for the man beside her who is sometimes heroic and sometimes shy.

Her father and Emperor Huai Song both knew the purpose of her visit tacitly, but did not say it out loud. She came to choose a husband. Although she was reluctant to leave her hometown, she had to come because of the political situation in South Vietnam. Fortunately, she could choose her own husband.

Thinking about it, Emperor Huai Song arranged for this young prince to accompany her, was this also his intention?

If it was this person, she would like him!

As soon as this thought came to her mind, Ah Ruan's face showed the tenderness of a little girl. They both stopped talking. Ah Ruan quietly looked at the sparkling water. The boat was swaying, and her heart was also rippling. It was almost noon when Xiao Jing suggested going ashore to eat.

A Ruan was overjoyed and followed Xiao Jing to Tianshangju.

Ye Jiayao was cooking in the kitchen when Xiao Lu came in to report: "Young Prince Jing brought an incredibly beautiful woman with him to the Fuqiu Pavilion on the third floor."

Ye Jiayao smiled: "Then prepare to serve the dishes! The pastries will be served later."

Otherwise, if you are full of sweets and have no room for vegetables, you can pack up the pastries and take them home.

However, Ye Jiayao made ice cream first to whet the princess' appetite.

Ah Ruan greatly appreciated the environment of Tianshangju: "It's great here. I can enjoy the scenery outside while eating."

"Yes, I like to sit in this private room every time I come here." Xiao Jing agreed. It was in this private room that he met Yaoyao, whom he thought he would never see again.

Xiao Lu first served the cold dishes and two cups of ice cream.

Ah Ruan had never seen something so soft and smooth. It was a light pink color, very pleasing to the eye, and cold to the touch. Curious, he asked, "What is this?"

Just as Xiao Lu was about to introduce it, Xiao Jing said, "This is called ice cream. It is truly the ultimate delicacy. It can only be found in Tianshangju. Try it."

Ah Ruan was skeptical, so he scooped a spoonful with a small silver spoon and put it in his mouth. It was icy cold and melted in his mouth. The smooth taste was sweet. He couldn't help but scoop another spoonful, saying repeatedly, "It's delicious, so delicious, I've never eaten anything so delicious before."

Xiao Jing smiled proudly: "This is just the beginning, there will be more surprises next."

He didn't expect Yaoyao to bring him ice cream. Could it be that Yaoyao figured out who he was going to bring today?

Thinking about it, I felt relieved. Yaoyao is so smart and thoughtful, how could she not guess it?

As exquisite dishes were presented one after another, A Ruan was simply overwhelmed. This dish was delicious, that dish was delicious, they were all incredibly delicious.

"Wow, there is bamboo tube rice?" Ah Ruan exclaimed. The green bamboo tube had crystal clear rice grains on it. Between the rice grains there were peas, diced carrots, bamboo shoots and diced bacon. The aroma of bamboo and bacon was wafting in the air, making one drool.

"Ah... It's actually the taste from our place, Little Prince Jing, the chef here can actually make our bamboo tube rice!" Tasting the authentic hometown food in a foreign country moved Ah Ruan so much that she wanted to cry. She thought that this was all arranged by the little prince. What a considerate little prince! So considerate, so touching.

Xiao Jing was surprised. Is there any dish in the world that Yaoyao can't cook? This is too magical. Look how moved the princess is, her eyes are wet.

"Uh... the chef here is a very powerful person and someone I admire very much. Do you want to meet him?" Xiao Jing asked.

Ah Ruan nodded vigorously: "Yes, I want to meet him."

Ye Jiayao had finished cooking the last dish, and Xiao Lu said that the beautiful woman was enjoying the meal very much.

As long as she is happy, it is worth her effort.

After a while, Xiao Lu came over again: "Second Young Madam, Young Prince Jing wants you to come sit down for a while."

Ye Jiayao smiled, took off her apron and went upstairs.

There were four guards standing at the door, two of them were wearing Huaisong's guard uniforms, and two were dressed in exotic styles.

Seeing Ye Jiayao coming, the guards made way for her.

Ye Jiayao knocked on the door and went in.

A Ruan was busy dealing with a shrimp ball. He glanced at Ye Jiayao inadvertently and saw the shrimp ball fell into the bowl. He looked at Ye Jiayao in disbelief.

The chef is a woman? And such a beautiful woman?

Seeing her surprised look, Xiao Jing smiled and said, "Let me introduce her to you. This is Princess A Ruan from South Vietnam."

Ye Jiayao knelt politely and said, "Ye Jinxuan greets Princess Aruan."

(End of this chapter)