"...???"
Ting Xue stared, utterly bewildered.
"Do not simply place any strange thing into your mouth!"
Her expression contorted as she tried to remain composed. "Your Highness, if something is to be eaten, ought we not refrain from testing it so recklessly?"
"You are not wrong."
Yun Shu's face remained alight with curiosity, though the fervor dimmed slightly at her maid's words.
Just as Ting Xue began to feel relieved—believing her princess had, at last, been persuaded to abandon the notion of tasting this mysterious dirt-covered lump—Yun Shu's voice rang out again, calm and entirely sincere.
"In that case, go and summon my Sixth Imperial Brother. I shall prepare several dishes with this thing and let him try them."
"...!!"
Absolutely not!
Even the Sixth Prince must not be made to try this!
No one should!
If this "mud clump" were merely unpalatable, that would be one thing. But what if it were poisonous?
Ting Xue opened her mouth to protest, but Yun Shu, without so much as turning her head, continued to dig through the soil with ease, already a step ahead.
"Also, have someone fetch a live chicken from the Imperial Kitchen. Once this thing is cooked, I shall feed it to the bird first. Only after it proves safe will I let Sixth Imperial Brother taste it."
Ting Xue fell silent.
"Well… at least there would be some measure of caution."
With no better argument, she gave a resigned sigh and stepped back to carry out the order. Yun Shu, still cradling her freshly unearthed mud lumps, made her way slowly toward the small kitchen.
It was not yet time for the palace's midday meal. Inside the little kitchen, the palace attendants were still lounging together in a corner. Most of them were crowded around a new junior eunuch, puffing themselves up with exaggerated tales.
"Do you know who my master is? Princess Sheng An herself!"
The speaker, Xiao Guizi, gave a smug sniff. "You better believe it. Around this time last year, Her Highness came to this kitchen nearly every day!"
You've heard of Tian Waitian Restaurant, haven't you? The one that's the most renowned in all the Capital?
Most of the signature dishes there? Our princess created them right here!
I was her assistant, you know! When she made a new dish, I stood right beside her. The first time anything was cooked, the very first bite always went to me!"
He puffed his chest with pride, then noticed the junior eunuch staring at him in a daze. "Eh? What's with that look? You don't believe me, is that it?"
"N-no! I do believe you!"
The little eunuch, who looked no older than twelve or thirteen, stammered a nervous reply. His guilty expression betrayed him entirely. His eyes kept darting toward something behind Xiao Guizi.
Xiao Guizi frowned and followed the boy's gaze over his shoulder.
"You believe me, my foot! Who are you even looking at—? H-Her Highness!"
At the sight of Yun Shu standing at the doorway with a half-smile on her lips, Xiao Guizi's legs gave out and he fell to his knees with a thump.
"Your servant greets Your Highness!"
"Your servants greet Your Highness!"
The others scrambled up and followed suit, hurriedly bowing.
Yun Shu raised an eyebrow, then straightened and walked past them with unhurried grace, cradling her pile of freshly dug potatoes.
"You may rise."
"Thank you, Your Highness!"
Realizing she had not taken offense, Xiao Guizi exhaled in relief. He turned just enough to shoot a glare at the hapless young eunuch.
The boy hunched his shoulders, aggrieved.
It wasn't that he hadn't wanted to speak up—Her Highness had told him not to say anything! He would never dare defy her!
Fortunately, Xiao Guizi did no more than glare. In the next instant, he was all smiles, scuttling up beside Yun Shu like a loyal puppy.
"Your Highness, are you preparing a new dish? Allow this servant to assist!"
"Very well. Then start by washing all of these thoroughly."
She dropped the muddy lumps onto the table with a casual clap of her hands.
"This Princess shall try to make five or six different dishes with them."
"With… this?"
Xiao Guizi had already picked up one that wasn't quite so covered in dirt. He gave it a quick rub, but found the thing completely unfamiliar.
"Your Highness, this servant has never seen anything like this before. What is it?"
"It's no surprise you haven't. These came from the Liu family's merchant caravan. They brought it back from overseas. It grows in the soil and looks a bit like an oversized soybean. This Princess has named it tudou."
Yun Shu lifted her chin slightly, pride in her voice.
"Once you've washed them, divide them into three portions. One portion cut into fine shreds, another into long strips, and the rest into thin slices. This Princess shall see which method yields the best flavor."
"As Your Highness commands!"
Delighted at the prospect of learning a new recipe, Xiao Guizi beamed and set to work at once.
—
Elsewhere in the palace, Yun Chuhuan was enjoying a rare day off from his studies. He had fully intended to sleep until the afternoon, but the moment he heard that Fifth Elder Sister had invited him to sample a new dish, he nearly ran out in his inner robe.
If not for Xiao Anzi's quick reflexes in dragging him back and helping him get dressed, he might've dashed off in nothing but his underclothes.
Once properly groomed, he raced off again with Xiao Anzi and Ting Xue barely keeping up.
"I heard Fifth Sister has created a new dish! Is that true?
Weren't those overseas seeds supposed to be planted next spring? What did she use, then?"
Ting Xue hesitated.
It was made with those… mud lumps Your Highness gifted her along with the flowerpots. We still do not know if they're even safe to eat!
That was one truth Ting Xue dared not utter.
She could only shake her head and offer a vague caution. "This servant is not entirely sure. Since it is an experimental recipe, Her Highness herself could not guarantee whether the result is truly palatable."
"Fifth Sister never fails when it comes to cooking!"
Yun Chuhuan's confidence in Yun Shu was unwavering. The lack of detail only heightened his curiosity.
If not for the strict rule forbidding palace members from sprinting, he might have dashed to Fengyang Palace at full speed.
Even so, his brisk stride was just shy of a run. The moment one foot stepped into the outer courtyard, his keen nose twitched twice.
"Something smells amazing! You can tell it's going to be delicious just from the scent alone!"
"…It really does smell good."
Ting Xue, trailing two steps behind, also caught the scent in the air. She thought back to how she'd watched Her Highness dig those filthy lumps from the flowerpots, and now, smelling the rich aroma wafting all the way to the courtyard—
Ting Xue couldn't help a flash of awe in her eyes.
Could those ugly "mud lumps" truly be edible?
Her Highness was that talented?
She could pull something from the soil and transform it into a gourmet dish?
"Fifth Sister!"
Unaware of Ting Xue's complex thoughts, Yun Chuhuan broke into a run the moment he entered the courtyard.
"Fifth Sister, what delicious new thing have you made for me this time?"
===
From this point onward, I will be using the word "Tudou" (土豆) instead of translating it as "potato."
The word Tudou is the modern Chinese term for the potato, composed of:
土 (tǔ) = "earth," "soil," or "ground" → Reflects that potatoes grow underground.
豆 (dòu) = "bean" → Likely because the potato resembles a large, round bean (as mentioned: "looks like an oversized soybean").
Since Yun Shu introduces the crop using its modern Chinese name, it feels more appropriate in this context to preserve the original pronunciation rather than substitute it with the English term potato or with older Chinese names like 洋芋 (yángyù), 荷兰薯 (hélánshǔ), 山药蛋 (shānyàodàn), or 地蛋 (dìdàn).
This approach is similar to how I've handled other historical terms in the story, such as using "Zhibei" (织贝) instead of the modern word for cotton (棉布). In the world of this novel, Zhibei is the common term used, and translating it as cotton would not only lose the cultural context but also create tonal inconsistency.
For consistency and immersion, I will continue using Tudou throughout the translation.
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