PFC Chapter 402 Her curiosity led her to a new object
Chapter 402 Her curiosity led her to a new object
Xiao Sizi is twelve years old this year. Her official identity is Princess Jinyang of the Tang Dynasty, but her private identity is "Number One on the Chang'an City Curiosity Ranking." How strong is her curiosity? Let's put it this way: if curiosity were water, the entire Taiji Palace would overflow if she stood up.
That day, her curiosity set its sights on a new object—tea. Not the kind of spicy hot pot-style tea that her father, Emperor Li Shimin, would simmer for half a day, but rather the "new-style teahouse" that had secretly sprung up in Pingkangfang. She heard that the things they sold there were called "Oolong Milk Foam" and "Green Grape Iced Jasmine," names more complicated than the Empress's hairstyle, and that one cup would make you first grin, then squint, and then spin around on the spot—faster than a galloping horse.
Xiao Sizi pulled off the gold hairpin and tucked it into her sleeve, changed into a commoner's dress, and slipped out of the palace in her soft-soled shoes. As she ran, her mind was racing: if she could taste the legendary "layered milk foam" today, she would ask the historian to add a line to the "Daily Records of the Tang Dynasty"—"Princess Jinyang smiled because of the tea, and the flowers of Chang'an bloomed three times on the same day."
Upon reaching the teahouse entrance, she was first stopped by a "bamboo tube." A row of small holes were drilled in the tube, and when the wind blew, a "whoosh—" sound of a flute would escape. Little Si blinked, thinking: "Wow, they have a singing bamboo plant right outside their door! Does that mean something's going to fly inside?"
She pushed open the door, and a blast of cool air hit her first, like a white rabbit hopping onto her face from an icebox in winter. Then came the fragrances—milky, floral, and fruity scents lined up, circling around her, introducing themselves as they went:
"I am milk!"
"I am Jasmine!"
"I'm a green grape, and I even have the seeds with me. Do you want my autograph?"
Little Sizi's legs went weak, and she almost performed a deep bow amidst the aroma. The young man behind the counter, dressed in a blue robe, raised his hand, and a silver dragon emerged from the spout of the copper kettle, "whoosh—" falling into the snow-white porcelain cup. He then scooped up a spoonful of milk foam, on which clouds obediently perched, and sprinkled rose petals, like rouge applied to the white clouds. The young man handed her the cup, winking: "Lick it first, stir it, and finally, drink it down."
Little Si did as instructed. The first sip, the milk foam enveloped her tongue like freshly fluffed cotton; the second sip, the oolong tea soup welled up from beneath the cotton, a burst of floral, roasted, and bean curd aromas; the third sip, and she squinted—a giant firework exploded in her mind, bursting forth with four words: Wow! So! Good! It's amazing!
A man in a round-necked robe next to her saw her in a daze and laughed, "Young lady, this is a 'layered experience,' like turning the pages of a book, each page is different."
Little Sizi slapped her hands together: "I get it! The first page is a dairy goat, the second page is a tea plantation, and the third page is—" She lowered her head and sipped, "...the moon swimming in the cup!"
Her brother was tripped up by her imagination and almost swallowed the fan.
After finishing the milk foam, her stomach was still half empty, so she set her sights on the "Green Grape Ice Jasmine." The waiter swiftly sliced the green grapes, "snap, snap, snap," as they tumbled into the ice, the ice cubes bouncing along. The tea was poured, and the whole place fell silent—the green grapes said: "I'm sweet." The jasmine said: "I'm fragrant." The tea said: "I'm clear." The three looked at each other, then bowed together: "Pleasant to cooperate!"
Little Sizi held her cup, the straw a hollow reed. With a gentle sip, the green grapes lined up and rolled across the reed bridge, bursting with juice between her teeth like a summer snowfall for her taste buds. She twirled happily, her skirt swirling in the air, spraying the "jasmine fragrance" all over those around her. Someone sneezed, immediately releasing a burst of floral scent, and jokingly teased, "This young lady's skirt can scatter seeds!"
The little ox that was scattering seeds ran to the counter and pointed at the sugar content signs: "Sugar-free, 3/4, 5/6, full sugar, are you setting up a rest stop for ants? So detailed!"
The deliveryman replied, "If the tea wants to speak for itself, it shouldn't let the sugar steal the show."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Sizi was filled with respect and immediately ordered a sugar-free "cold-brewed duck poop tea". As soon as the tea entered her mouth, she opened her eyes wide with surprise – it turned out that the "sweetness without sugar" was actually a lingering aftertaste, like the emperor's sigh after reviewing memorials, bittersweet yet carrying the flavor of the empire.
The teahouse had no high tables, only low stools and cushions. A banana leaf in the corner was large enough to cover an elephant, and the lamplight was as soft as the snoring of the God of Love. Scholars sat in groups, whispering about "how to write economic policy essays like sparkling water"; a foreign merchant woman leaned against the window, drinking tea instead of wine, the clinking of cups like gold coins falling into a pocket. Little Sizi huddled in a corner, scribbling furtively in her notebook with an eyebrow pencil.
"What the Tang Dynasty lacks is not wine, but tea that can instantly turn strangers into allies."
She got more and more excited as she wrote, and ordered a cup of "low-sugar fruit tea" for each of her father, mother, and tutor, with the note: the tea must be Guzhu Zisun, the fruit must be freshly picked this morning, and only one part sugar is allowed—"Let the freshness stand out on its own, no sugar allowed to cut in line!"
On the way back to the palace, the setting sun, like a spilled glass of peach juice, bathed Chang'an in a gentle pink hue. Little Sizi, stepping on her shadow, sipped her thoughts, reflecting on the day's harvest.
1. Milk foam = melting snow.
2. Green grapes = stars that burst with juice.
3. Sugar-free = bitterness followed by the growth of sugar.
4. Teahouses are the softest battlefields in Chang'an; you surrender the moment you take a bite.
She suddenly stopped, raised her cup to the moon, and whispered, "Hey—Moon! Next time, take me to see Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Dongguan, and Shanghai. I heard that the teahouses there are like a sea of lanterns, each cup a flavorful wave!"
The moon didn't return, but only shone its light on her toes, like paving a silver path for her.
Back in the Zichen Palace, the Emperor was reviewing memorials, a deep frown forming between his brows. Little Si Zi handed him tea: "Father, have a sip of the 'layered' empire."
Emperor Taizong took a sip, and the "river" between his eyebrows was filled by the milk foam. He smiled and said, "I taste the clouds of spring, and the newly sprouted tea leaves under the clouds."
The Empress Dowager took a sip and nodded: "It's lightly sweet and fragrant, like releasing a white dove into the harem."
After finishing his drink, the Grand Tutor stroked his beard three times faster: "Only today did this old minister realize that tea can also be used to write 'strategies.' The arguments are clear, the evidence is fresh, and the process of reasoning is delightful."
Little Sizi put her hands on her hips, her little nose sticking out like a proud little boat: "I want the historian to write this down—Princess Jinyang went on a private visit and brought back 'clouds and stars,' and the Tang Dynasty had a new tea from then on."
Emperor Taizong laughed heartily, and with a stroke of his vermilion brush, wrote in the blank space of the memorial: "Granted! Also bestow the name 'Cloud and Star Tea', and order the Imperial Tea Room to learn to categorize the tea, and not to treat tea soup as porridge again."
As night deepened, Xiao Sizi lay back on her embroidered bed, her gold hairpins arranged in a circle around her pillow like stars guarding the night. Before closing her eyes, she let out a soft, milky-scented burp and murmured to herself:
"A major task accomplished today—"
May my father's empire be shrouded in clouds;
How sweet is Mother's smile!
Make the Grand Tutor's beard grow more upright;
May the Tang Dynasty have one more cup of moonlight that shines with layers of light.
The water clock dripped with a soft "tap," like an official stamp on these words. Outside the window, the moon over Chang'an quietly climbed higher, its shape remarkably resembling the milk foam from today's cup—plump and white, its aroma filling the entire night sky with a gentle swirl.