Cute Wife Gourmet

Chapter 81 Chunyu's Mother
This was Ye Jiayao's first time visiting Prince Helian's Mansion, but she discovered that Prince Helian's Mansion and Marquis Jing'an's Mansion were actually very close, just two streets apart.

The doorman went in to pass the message, and soon Helian Jing came out quickly to greet them.

"Da Yaoyao, you are finally here. I have been waiting for you for a long time." Helian Jing did not dare to go out the whole day, for fear that Ye Jiayao would come and he would not be there.

"I hope I didn't delay you at all?" Ye Jiayao asked embarrassedly.

"No, no, it's just me who's anxious, and my mother said she wants to personally confirm the menu." Helian Jing said embarrassedly: "But don't worry, my mother is a very kind person, she won't make things difficult for you."

That being said, Helian Jing still felt unsure. He originally thought that a nod from his elder brother would be enough, but now his mother came to interfere. It was really annoying. If he refused again, he would not be able to face Dayaoyao again.

Unexpectedly, Ye Jiayao sneered and said, "I'm not worried. It's better for your mother to make the decision. At least your mother knows more than you."

If Xiao Jing is asked to review it, he will probably say it is good without even looking at it. It would be better to let the princess review it. If there are any new requirements or inappropriate aspects, it is still not too late to raise them and make corrections.

In the upper room of the palace.

Princess Yi De was chatting with Lady Xia You, wife of Marquis Jing'an. In the past three years, the topic of their conversations has always revolved around their sons' marriages.

The sons of both families were very outstanding, outstanding among men, and not young anymore. Chunyu was 21, and Helianxuan was 23. Most men of this age would have become fathers, but the marriages of these two were not settled yet. One reason was that they were too busy, and the other was that both of them had big ideas and high standards, and they were not satisfied with the arrangements made by their parents, so, it was delayed.

Fortunately, Chunyu's marriage finally came to fruition, but this future daughter-in-law has been a little restless recently, which makes Xia Youshi a little worried.

"Liuli is a little willful, but she is still young after all. It is normal for her to feel new and interesting about things outside the palace. Which child doesn't like to play? I think the Queen Mother is making a fuss over nothing this time." Princess Yide said disapprovingly.

Xia Youshi forced a smile. Liuli was the niece of Princess Yide, so Princess Yide naturally sided with Liuli.

She had calmed down from her initial excitement about this marriage. If Chunyu really married Liuli, his future would be bright, and it would be icing on the cake for the Xia family. There were many benefits, but there were also disadvantages. Would Chunyu be bullied by such a savage princess with such a powerful backer behind him? Was it interesting to be a cowardly prince? In addition, as a mother-in-law, she could forget about establishing her authority and making rules. Maybe she would have to do things the other way around. She would have to act according to her daughter-in-law's mood.

She has always had the final say in the Marquis' Mansion and has been used to being the head of the household. Suddenly, someone of higher status than her came into the house and suppressed her. It was really hard for her to accept.

So, she has been in a state of conflict these days.

"The Queen Mother is also doing this for Princess Liuli's own good." Xia Youshi pondered for a moment and then added a very official sentence that could definitely not be wrong.

"Liuli just went out of the palace to play, what's the big deal? When I was her age, I was also very curious about the world outside the palace. I dressed up as a eunuch and sneaked out several times! It was also at that time that I met the prince..." Recalling that beautiful encounter, Princess Yide's eyes became ethereal and distant, and a faint smile appeared on her lips.

Xia Youshi was a little slow to react. She thought for a long time but didn't say anything. She didn't know how to respond. Should she say, "Well, you ran away well. You ran away to find a happy marriage and a good story. Maybe Liuli will be as lucky as you..."

The problem is that now the Empress Dowager and the Emperor are both optimistic about Chunyu, and the marriage is just about to be announced at the right time. Princess Liuli should calm down and wait for her marriage quietly, but why does she keep running out of the palace?
Xia Youshi had no choice but to respond with an even more forced smile, then lowered her head to drink tea to cover up the embarrassment of the awkward silence.

Fortunately, Princess Yi De did not dwell on the past for too long and sighed, "In fact, the Queen Mother is just too worried about Liuli, fearing that something might happen to her. The Seventh Family will only have this one offspring left... The Queen Mother originally wanted to settle the marriage of Liuli and Chunyu before the Mid-Autumn Festival, but Simon has recently been in trouble, and the Emperor is very worried about this. I heard from Xuan'er that he might send troops."

The topic instantly turned from the little princess sneaking out of the palace to sending troops to Simon. The jump was so big that Xia Youshi was stunned for a moment, then breathed a sigh of relief, thinking: Fortunately, Simon has caused some chaos, and Chunyu's marriage can be delayed.

Xia Youshi was immediately puzzled again. Why did she react like this when she heard the news? Could it be that between the overall interests of the entire Marquis' Mansion and her own personal preferences, she selfishly chose to protect her own interests? Well, she needed to go back and think about it again.

"Your Highness, the chef for the birthday banquet has brought the menu. The young prince wants to see it." The servant came in and reported.

"Where is the person?" asked Princess Yide.

"Waiting in the flower hall now." the servant replied.

Seeing that she had something to do, Xia Youshi stood up and said goodbye. Today, I just came to inquire about Liuli's punishment, but I sat there for more than an hour. It's time to go back. Yide said, "Don't rush to leave. Help me take a look. I heard that the cook is a newcomer. I'm not sure about it. But this is Xiaojing's first time working as a clerk. He is very satisfied with the work. I'm afraid it will be a blow to him. When the time comes, you can help to persuade him to give up this idea."

Xia Youshi was extremely speechless. You didn't want to agree, and you didn't want to be the bad guy, so you dragged me to play the good cop and make me hate you? Are you asking me for help or are you trying to trick me?
"If you ask me, newcomers have their advantages. Only newcomers can come up with new tricks. Since Xiaojing is so optimistic about him, he must have his merits. I think you don't need to worry too much. Besides, Xiaojing is a sensible child. If that person is really not good enough, Xiaojing will understand. After all, this is a major event for our ancestors and we cannot be careless..." Xia Youshi politely refused.

"How could he not know what is important and what is not? He only acts out of loyalty. I heard that the cook is a friend he recently made. I just asked a few more questions last night, but he became unhappy and impatient. He has been spoiled by me since he was a child. In front of him, what I say does not carry as much weight as yours. Go ahead, go ahead. More people mean more ideas. In case I have missed anything, you can remind me." Princess Yi De dragged Xia Youshi away.

Xia Youshi couldn't refuse, so she made up her mind to just listen and she was determined not to do anything evil to this man.

In the flower hall, Helian Jing was amazed after reading the menu.

"Da Yaoyao, this is too detailed! How did you come up with all these ideas? If we follow your method, it will be as good as the Imperial Banquet. Fu Ji's is far inferior to yours."

Ye Jiayao thought: Isn’t this exactly the standard of an imperial banquet? Moreover, it is an improved version of the most famous imperial banquet in history.

"Will it violate the rules of etiquette?" This is what Ye Jiayao is more worried about. The ancient feudal society had a strict hierarchy, and there were strict rules for food, clothing, housing, transportation, and even marrying a wife. If one transgressed the rules, the consequences would be serious.

Helian Jing said: "There are rules for the ceremony, but my grandmother's status is worthy of the standards of the imperial banquet."

My grandmother is the only first-class lady in Huai Song, my son is the only king of a different surname in Huai Song who was conferred the title for his outstanding merits, and my daughter-in-law is the elder sister of the current emperor and the empress dowager's biological daughter, Princess Yi De. Even when the empress dowager summoned her, she was allowed to sit on an equal footing. With such a respected status, she is worthy of even the imperial birthday banquet.

Ye Jiayao said: "If you think it's too luxurious, I have two more plans here. I designed three plans in total: upper, middle and lower."

Her work experience in the modern workplace has taught her that if one of your plans is rejected and you cannot come up with a second plan in time, it is very likely that the opportunity will be snatched away by others and you will miss it. Therefore, she is accustomed to considering different aspects and making several backup plans.

Helian Jing thought for a while and said, "My mother likes luxury, my grandmother likes frugality, and my brother's idea is that we should not be too extravagant or people will envy us and gossip about us, nor should we be too simple and shabby or people will laugh at us and think that our daughter-in-law and descendants are not filial enough. Just be moderate."

Ye Jiayao nodded. Helian Xuan was the one who considered things more carefully. "Then I'll give the middle portion to your mother later."

Helian Jing shook his head and said with a smile: "My mother will definitely like this one. The more luxurious it is, the better she likes it. Show her this one first. If you want to reduce the price, let grandma do it herself. My mother will bargain by herself." If you take the middle or reject it directly, my mother will definitely dislike it, so there is no need to talk about it.

As they were speaking, Princess Yi De and Lady Xia You came together.

When Ye Jiayao saw the two elegant ladies, she couldn't tell which one was Xiao Jing's mother. It seemed that neither of them looked like Xiao Jing and He Lianxuan, but the lady with an oval face looked very familiar, but she couldn't remember where she had seen her.

In order to avoid embarrassing Dayaoyao, Helian Jing hurriedly stepped forward to salute and said with a smile: "Mom, I thought my aunt was here and you didn't have time to come over!"

"Your grandmother's birthday is not only a big event in our family, but the Empress Dowager and the Emperor also attach great importance to it. They have asked about it several times. Naturally, your mother has to come and check it for you." Princess Yide said in a gentle voice.

Helian Jing ignored his mother's words and turned to greet Xia Youshi: "Aunt, how are you? What has Chunyu brother been busy with these days? He didn't even come home to play."

Ye Jiayao's heart skipped a beat and she secretly looked at the oval-faced woman. Suddenly, she realized, no wonder she looked familiar. It turned out that she was Chunyu's mother. This... this was really too sudden.

After greeting Xia Youshi, Helian Jing introduced Ye Jiayao: "Mom, this is Li Yao, the head chef of Tianshangju that I mentioned to you." Helian Jing introduced.

Ye Jiayao clasped her hands together and bowed respectfully.

Princess Yide glanced at Ye Jiayao, who was looking down. So young? She felt that this matter was unreliable.

(End of this chapter)