Starting in Exile: Transmigrated as the Crown Prince's Lucky Little Wife

Chapter 188 Ministers Drink Bubble Tea

The royal kitchen of the Nanzhao Kingdom's palace was bustling with people and extremely noisy, as if a grand celebration was being held.

The bright sunlight pierced through the towering peaks, spreading gently like a golden veil across the pristine landscape.

On the gleaming ground, the figures of numerous chefs, busy at work yet unable to hide their excitement, were reflected.

In the center of this incredibly spacious kitchen stood a huge stove. Gu Liuli and Jia Xiaoyan stood side by side, completely absorbed in the meticulous preparation of bubble tea.

Gu Liuli carefully picked up a small bag of tapioca starch, as if handling a rare treasure, a hint of worry in her eyes.

She whispered to Jia Xiaoyan beside her, "Xiaoyan, take a look at this tapioca starch. Is there anything wrong with it?" You see, in order to find suitable raw materials to make those pearls with such a wonderful taste, they went to great lengths, turning the entire imperial kitchen's food storage upside down, and finally found this ingredient after going through countless hardships.

Jia Xiaoyan quickly reached out and took the bag of starch, bringing it close to her eyes to examine it carefully.

A moment later, a confident smile bloomed on her pretty face as she comforted her, "Liuli, don't worry! In my opinion, this starch is delicate and pure in texture, and its color is as white as jade. Its quality must be excellent. Using it to make pearls will definitely create that mouthwatering, chewy texture."

After saying that, Jia Xiaoyan poured the starch in her hand slowly into a large bowl without hesitation. Then she rolled up her sleeves, looking eager to try it out. It seemed that she was about to show off her skills and officially start the pearl making process.

Meanwhile, Xiao Nanyi, Xiao Nanyao, and Jiang Youan, along with two grown tigers, were sitting in a corner of the imperial kitchen, eagerly awaiting the birth of milk tea.

The two tigers lay obediently on the ground, wagging their tails from time to time, seemingly sensing everyone's excitement.

"Brother, I really want to drink Mom's bubble tea soon, it must be so delicious."

Xiao Nanyao leaned against Xiao Nanyi, her eyes fixed on Gu Liuli and Jia Xiaoyan's every move, her little face full of anticipation.

Xiao Nanyi patted Xiao Nanyao's head and said with a smile, "Don't worry, Mommy and the others will definitely finish making it soon. The hamburgers and potato chips last time were so delicious, so the milk tea this time will definitely be great too."

Jiang Youan nodded vigorously, his eyes sparkling: "I've never had bubble tea before. Just hearing the name sounds so interesting. How can you put pearls in bubble tea?"

Xiao Nanyi explained with a smile, "Little brother You'an, these pearls aren't real pearls. They're made of starch, and they're chewy and bouncy, which is a lot of fun."

Jiang Youan listened intently, imagining what bubble tea looked like in his mind, and couldn't help but swallow.

Inside the imperial kitchen, Gu Liuli and Jia Xiaoyan were busily working in an orderly fashion. Jia Xiaoyan added an appropriate amount of hot water to the starch and stirred it quickly with chopsticks. In no time, the starch turned into a smooth dough.

"Liuli, look, the dough is ready. Now we can roll the pearls!" Jia Xiaoyan looked up, her face beaming with pride.

Gu Liuli walked over with a smile, picked up a small piece of dough, and rolled it into evenly sized balls in her hands: "Xiaoyan, you roll them really fast, I'd better catch up."

The two chatted and laughed as they rubbed the pearls together. Before long, the plate was filled with a dense array of pearls.

"These pearls look so cute, like little round beads," Gu Liuli exclaimed, looking at the pearls on the plate.

“Yes, it will definitely look even prettier when it’s cooked,” Jia Xiaoyan said.

Next, Gu Liuli poured the pearls into the boiling pot. The pearls tumbled in the pot and gradually became transparent.

Jia Xiaoyan, meanwhile, prepared tea and milk. She selected several types of tea unique to the Nanzhao Kingdom, mixed them together, put them in a teapot, and brewed them with hot water. Instantly, a rich aroma of tea filled the entire imperial kitchen.

"Wow, the aroma of this tea is so rich! It smells so wonderful!" Xiao Nanyao exclaimed upon smelling the tea.

“Yes, it will definitely taste even better if we add milk and tapioca pearls later,” Xiao Nanyi said.

Jiang Youan looked at the two tigers and said, "Little tigers, can you smell the aroma too? I'll let you try some milk tea later." The two tigers seemed to understand him, raised their heads, and let out two soft growls.

In the imperial kitchen, Gu Liuli scooped out the cooked pearls and rinsed them in cooled boiled water to make them more chewy. Jia Xiaoyan, on the other hand, filtered the brewed tea leaves, leaving only the tea liquid, poured it into a pot, added an appropriate amount of milk and sugar, and began to brew milk tea.

"Xiaoyan, you have to control the heat well, otherwise the milk tea will burn easily," Gu Liuli reminded her from the side.

"I know, I'll be careful." Jia Xiaoyan focused intently on the milk tea in the pot, stirring it continuously. Soon, the milk tea was ready, its rich aroma of milk and tea perfectly blended, making it incredibly tempting.

"It's finally done!" Jia Xiaoyan exclaimed excitedly.

Gu Liuli smiled as she put the pearls into the cup, then poured in the brewed milk tea: "Xiaoyan, come and taste our creation."

Jia Xiaoyan picked up a cup of milk tea, took a sip, and smiled with satisfaction: "Mmm, it's so delicious, just as good as the milk tea I had in modern times."

Gu Liuli also took a sip and nodded in praise, "It really tastes good. Our efforts have not been in vain."

Just then, Xiao Nanyi, Xiao Nanyao, and Jiang Youan ran over with two tigers.

"Mommy, we want to drink milk tea too!" Xiao Nanyao said impatiently.

Gu Liuli smiled and handed them the milk tea: "Here, have a taste, be careful it's hot."

Xiao Nanyi, Xiao Nanyao, and Jiang Youan took the milk tea and carefully took a sip.

"Wow, this tastes so good!" Xiao Nanyao's eyes widened, her face full of surprise. "These pearls are so chewy and bouncy, it's so much fun!"

Xiao Nanyi nodded in agreement, saying, "Yes, this milk tea is fragrant and sweet, even better than I imagined."

Jiang Youan took a big gulp and said with a smile, "It's so delicious! I've never tasted anything so good before."

The two tigers also came over, curiously sniffing the aroma of the milk tea. Jiang Youan looked at them and said, "Little tigers, do you want some too? Then I'll give you some to try." As he spoke, he scooped up a little milk tea with a spoon and placed it in front of the two tigers. The two tigers carefully licked it, seemingly enjoying the taste of the milk tea, and happily wagged their tails.

"Xiaoyan, I didn't expect our bubble tea to be so popular," Gu Liuli said with a smile.

“Yes, it seems our efforts have paid off,” Jia Xiaoyan replied. “Moreover, we can also promote milk tea to other parts of the palace so that more people can taste this delicious treat.”

“That’s a good idea.” Gu Liuli nodded in agreement. “We’ll send the milk tea to the Emperor and his ministers to try later and hear their opinions.”

So, Gu Liuli and Jia Xiaoyan divided the prepared bubble tea into exquisite cups, and accompanied by Xiao Nanyi, Xiao Nanyao, and Jiang Youan, they took the two tigers and headed to the main hall.

Inside the main hall, Xiao Jingchuan and his ministers were discussing state affairs. Upon seeing Gu Liuli and the others enter, Xiao Jingchuan was slightly taken aback, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes: "Liuli, what brings you here?"

Gu Liuli smiled and stepped forward, handing a cup of milk tea to Xiao Jingchuan: "Your Majesty, this is our newly made pearl milk tea, please try it."

Xiao Jingchuan took the milk tea, looking at the chewy tapioca pearls and fragrant milk tea in the cup, his eyes filled with curiosity: "This is bubble tea? It looks very novel."

As he spoke, he took a small sip, a look of surprise on his face: "Hmm, this taste... is amazing. It has the aroma of tea, the aroma of milk, and these chewy tapioca pearls. It's delicious."

The ministers also gathered around, looking at the milk tea with curiosity. Gu Liuli and Jia Xiaoyan distributed the milk tea to the ministers, and after tasting it, everyone praised it highly.

"Madam, this milk tea is absolutely delicious! I've never tasted such a wonderful beverage before," a minister said.

"Yes, Madam, how did you come up with such a wonderful idea?" another minister asked curiously.

Gu Liuli and Jia Xiaoyan smiled at each other, and Jia Xiaoyan said, "This is a local delicacy from our hometown, and we wanted to make it for everyone to try today."

"Madam, the food in your hometown is truly unique. We would like to learn how to make it in the future," the ministers said one after another.

"No problem, we'll teach everyone how to do it next time we have time," Gu Liuli said with a smile.

The hall was filled with laughter and cheerful conversation, and the aroma of bubble tea permeated the entire space.