freenovelworld Chapter 368 Tea Tasting Begins!
Chapter 368 Tea Tasting Begins!
Sun Ruoxiang, who was standing nearby, saw this and whispered a reminder, "That's Miss Xie Yilin. Be careful, I've heard that she's always had feelings for Prince Chang Le."
Mu Xin Nuan immediately took a closer look at the person in front of her. With willow-leaf eyebrows, cherry-red lips, a nose like a jade carving, and shoulders like a sculpted figure, she was a rare beauty!
"Thank you for your kind words, Miss. However, I am unworthy of the title 'a beauty of unparalleled grace'."
Xie Yilin raised an eyebrow slightly. She called her "Sister Mu," but the girl addressed her as "Miss Xie." It seemed she was quite a sensitive girl. In that case, it was indeed as the Crown Princess had said—a girl with a keen mind.
Xie Yilin's eyes narrowed slightly. This was not a good sign. The smarter the girl, the more difficult it would be for her to deal with after she married into the Chang Le Prince's Mansion! However, she wasn't really afraid. After all, she was just a little girl now. How could she be two years older than her for nothing?
Besides, once they're all in the Chang Le Prince's Mansion, they'll have the Crown Princess as their backer! What does Mu Xin Nuan have?
Thinking this way, Xie Yilin felt a little better, and her smile became more generous and gentle.
"I don't seem to remember ever seeing Miss Mu before."
"Yes, if someone hadn't pointed it out, I wouldn't have recognized Miss Xie, who is famous in the capital."
Wang Ziyu could tell that there seemed to be some hidden tension between the two, and she secretly groaned. At this moment, it seemed that it would be difficult to avoid the situation!
What is all this about?
First, he witnessed Duanmu Chen harassing Mu Xin Nuan, and then he saw the Crown Princess's cousin here, making things difficult for the prospective Princess Chang Le? Was he really going to be this unlucky?
"Anuan, Princess Jing is here too. Let's go over there. It's a bit windy here, so don't catch a cold."
It was clear that Sun Ruoxiang was trying to help the two of them out of a difficult situation.
Upon hearing that Duanmu Jing had arrived, Xie Yilin naturally didn't say anything more and followed her into the central hall.
"The Queen is here!"
"Homage to Your Majesty the Empress! Long live the Empress!"
"Be flat."
"Thank you, empress."
The Empress smiled gracefully, and after sitting on the phoenix throne, she slightly raised her hand and said, "You may all sit as well."
"Thank you, empress."
"Where are Aze and Chen'er?"
"Your Majesty, it seems that His Highness the Great has gone to the Imperial Study. As for His Highness the Prince of Changle, he should be arriving soon."
After hearing this, the Empress nodded in satisfaction. "Today, I have nothing to do, so I've invited you all to have some tea together."
As soon as he finished speaking, he waved his hand, and a group of palace maids came up with trays, each with a teacup on it, and served them to each young lady and gentleman.
"Everyone, please taste this and see if you can tell me what kind of tea it is?" The Empress didn't think there was anything wrong with doing this. On the contrary, she was very interested and quickly scanned the heads of everyone to see which young lady or gentleman would speak first.
"Your Majesty, this is Yueshan tea. It has a delicate fragrance and a refreshing taste; it is truly a rare and superior tea!" Xie Yilin was the first to speak.
That's not surprising. She is from the same lineage as the Crown Princess, and the things she has eaten and used since childhood are naturally of the best quality. How could she not appreciate the difference from a mere cup of tea?
Mu Xin Nuan smiled slightly, but remained silent.
However, a young lady from the Wang family sitting opposite her was displeased. Her eyes darted around, and an idea came to her. "Miss Mu seems to have something to say? Otherwise, why would she be smiling so subtly?"
These words immediately attracted the attention of everyone present, even the Empress looked over.
"Miss Mu, do you think what I said is wrong?" Xie Yilin's tone was not arrogant, but her coldness was still palpable.
Mu Xin Nuan shook her head, but her eyes were fixed on Miss Wang opposite her. "I wonder when Miss Wang noticed my subtle smile? I was merely praising this tea in my heart. Miss Xie comes from a prestigious family and has tasted countless fine teas. How could she be wrong? It is naturally Yueshan tea."
Xie Yilin laughed even more radiantly upon hearing this, "Miss Mu, how did you determine that this is Yueshan tea?"
Mu Xin Nuan's eyes showed a hint of displeasure. Was Xie Yi Lin going to keep causing trouble?
I gave her face and praised her a few times, and she got all worked up? Does she think she's absolutely certain she knows nothing about tea ceremony?
Mu Xin Nuan looked up and saw the Empress's eyes. They were dark and bright, full of confidence and expectation. She clearly did not want to lose to Xie Yi Lin. After all, she was the designated Princess Consort of Chang Le. If she lost, wouldn't Duanmu Chu Ze lose face?
After calming down, Mu Xin Nuan Xin said slowly, "Since ancient times, tea lovers have often used the 'six perfections' to describe Yueshan tea: robust leaves, emerald green color with abundant downy hairs, bright liquor, tender and uniform leaves, a lingering and refreshing aroma, and a mellow and sweet taste. Yueshan tea has a unique flavor, which is due to the influence of the cool and foggy climate in the mountains, resulting in its thick leaves, abundant downy hairs, mellow and sweet taste, and ability to withstand multiple infusions. It not only has a rich and fragrant taste, but it can also aid digestion. This is an important reason why many tea lovers fall in love with it."
Xie Yilin was slightly surprised. She really didn't expect that Mu Xinnuan was indeed quite knowledgeable about tea ceremony!
Little did she know that Mu Xin Nuan knew these things for two reasons. Firstly, because of her status as the wife of a marquis in her previous life, she naturally couldn't afford to lose face too much! Secondly, in this life, she had studied medicine, and the effects of this tea were naturally recorded in medical books.
The Empress nodded in approval, "You've described the six wonders of Yue Mountain tea perfectly! Indeed! However, there are several ways to brew this tea. Does anyone know how to brew it?"
This time, Xie Yilin frowned slightly. How could she tell? Not wanting to say she didn't know, but also afraid of making a mistake and being laughed at, she immediately turned to look at Mu Xinnuan.
"Miss Mu is highly learned and talented. I wonder if Miss Mu can appreciate this?"
"Miss Xie, you flatter me. Yueshan tea has a unique brewing method. When brewing, it's best to first pour half a cup of boiling water. After boiling, let it cool for a moment without covering the cup. The tea leaves will instantly unfurl like new leaves, bright green, which will lift your spirits. After a while, add water a second time. In the clear, yellowish-green tea liquid, clusters of tea flowers seem to sway gently. The taste is mellow, fragrant, and refreshing, truly delightful. I am not an expert, but I believe this tea is brewed using this method."
Everyone was already amazed by her words!
This tea has such a way of being brewed?
The Empress was overjoyed and clapped her hands, laughing, "Excellent! As expected of the girl A-Ze has chosen, she is indeed well-read and exceptionally intelligent!"