Rebirth of the Phoenix Princess novel Chapter 55

Just after 7 a.m, Hua Jing arrived. "I was wondering if you had woken. I didn't expect that you would be in the middle of breakfast. Before your stay at Ning'guo Temple, you loved to stay in bed in the morning."

Yun Shang's mouth curved into a smile. "Stop making fun of me, sister. I don't have that habit anymore. I'm living a much better life and am getting up pretty early these days."

Hua Jing nodded, "That's good. Let's go. You seldom leave the Palace. I've reserved the best restaurant in the Imperial City for you. Let's have our lunch at noon. The cooks there are so good that even our Imperial cook is not comparable. We don't need to hurry. We can even go for a walk in the Imperial City after the meal."

Yun Shang put on her pink cloak and pulled it close. "I'm happy to do whatever you have arranged for me."

Hua Jing walked out of Qingxin Palace with Yun Shang. The two Princesses were followed by Yun Shang's maid. At the Palace gate, a carriage awaited the Princesses. Their long journey began once the women had stepped into the carriage. When the carriage finally stopped, Hua Jing announced, "Sister, we have arrived."

The curtain of the carriage was lifted, and Yun Shang stepped out. She saw a two-story building in ancient and traditional style. Looking up, she saw a plaque on the second floor. It was decorated minimally and yet, tastefully. Yuman Tower had been neatly engraved in the center the plaque.

"Don't look down upon this place. It seems ordinary but the food is really delicious." Seeing Yun Shang measuring the building, Hua Jing smiled while explaining.

Yun Shang nodded, and proceeded to walk forward. "It is indeed ancient and traditional. But I trust your recommendation."

"That's for sure." Hua Jing smiled, turned around, and walked in.

Yun Shang was about to follow when she paused. On impulse, she raised her eyes to look up to the second floor before quickly looking down. Her brows furrowed as she wondered whether she had imagined someone staring at her from above.

"Ladies, the tables are full. Would you like to sit down for a moment?" The waiter spoke respectfully.

Hua Jing frowned. "We have already reserved a room on the second floor."

The waiter stared at Hua Jing and thought of something, "Oh! My apologies. Please forgive me. I'll show you the way now." Then he walked two steps forward, stood on the stairs with a big smile on his face, and gestured for the women to follow.

Yun Shang let Hua Jing walk upstairs first. Once on the second floor, Yun Shang noticed a rather large lobby. There were no tables for guests here. A woman sat in front of the only table in the lobby. She played the Qin. The woman was dressed in white and the music was melodious.

There were several private rooms on both sides of the lobby. The waiter walked past many rooms. He topped at the third last room, and opened the door. "Dear guests, this is your room. Please sit down. I will go down and bring your dishes."

Hua Jing nodded and walked in. The room had been decorated elegantly. There was a table, chairs and a screen. Fine mahogany with gold etchings glimmered in the afternoon sun. The room was not ostentatious, but it indicated wealth and elegance. Next to the window stood a few pots of bamboo, which helped create a warm and welcoming atmosphere that complimented the furniture design.

"The food here is delicious, but it's always served very slowly. The owner said good food takes time to cook. I didn't know how hungry you'd be. So I ordered their specials in advance. If there's any dish that you like, just add it to our menu."

Yun Shang smiled as she sat down. She nodded at Hua Jing's explanation.

Maybe it was because they had ordered in advance, their meal was served quickly. After a short while, the whole table was full with tantalizing food. There were seven or eight dishes, each of which was very delicate. In front of Yun Shang, the waiter had placed West Lake Sweet and Sour Fried Fish. The fried fish looked very delectable, the sweet and sour juice glimmered in the light.

"The Dragon Beard Beef*, West Lake Sweet and Sour Fried Fish, Buddha Jumping Over the Wall* are very popular here. Flave a try." Flua Jing smiled and said.

(*TN: Dragon Beard Beef is a dish in which beef is sliced and made in the shape of dragon beard. Buddha jumping over the wall was a complicated dish that required over ten kinds of ingredients such as abalone, sea cucumber, fish lip, yak skin glue, mushrooms, cuttlefish, scallops, and quail eggs. They say it smells so good that Buddha would jump over the wall for it.)

Yun Shang nodded, picked up her chopsticks, and selected a small piece of sweet and sour fish. She placed it in her mouth and paused to let the juices tingle her taste buds. Then she chewed and swallowed. "Sweet but not greasy. The sour taste is very refreshing. It's a good dish." Then she picked up a piece of beef.

Hua Jing smiled when Yun Shang began eating. Then she picked up her chopsticks, and spoke, "Before I came to Yuman Tower, I thought our Imperial cooks had the most exquisite workmanship. After eating the food here, I finally learnt about gourmet food." Then she also put a piece of Dragon Beard Beef in her mouth.