I started as a concubine, and I made the crown prince cry with my delicious food.

Holding the letter from Jiangnan, Ye An'an felt a weight lift from her heart, which had been hanging in suspense for so long.

She read the brief "I'm safe" message in the letter over and over again, no less than a dozen times, unable to suppress the wide grin on her face.

He's fine.

Not only was he alright, but he also handled things so well.

She knew he could do it.

When Ye An'an saw the second half of the letter, in which he described in neat and steady handwriting how her "epidemic prevention manual" had played a role in Jiangzhou and saved many lives, her eyes welled up with tears.

He said that she deserves the most credit for this achievement.

These words, like a warm current, instantly soothed all her anxiety and unease from this period of time. What she had done, what she had written, had truly been effective. This feeling of being recognized, especially by the person she cared about most, made her happier than earning ten thousand taels of gold.

"That's great...that's really great..." She sat alone by the window, grinning foolishly at the letter, and as she laughed, her eyes inexplicably reddened.

"Your Highness, what's wrong? What did His Highness say in his letter?" Chenzhu and Fuyun came in with tea and snacks, and were startled to see her crying and laughing at the same time.

"It's alright, it's a good thing." Ye An'an quickly wiped her eyes with her sleeve, carefully folded the letter again as if it were a precious treasure, and put it into an exquisite wooden box.

"Your Highness and the others won a great victory, brought the plague under control, and arrested many corrupt officials!" She raised her small face, her tone filled with undisguised pride and self-satisfaction, as if she herself had won the battle.

"Really? That's wonderful!" The two maids cheered as well. "His Highness is blessed with good fortune; he'll surely be safe and sound!"

With the huge weight lifted from her heart, Ye An'an's appetite returned instantly. She felt like she could eat a whole cow right now.

No, I can't keep going on like this.

While Xiao Jingshi was making great achievements, she couldn't just sit idle. She had to prepare a big surprise for him, something that would make his eyes light up when he returned in triumph.

What should I do?

Ye An'an's mind immediately began to work at lightning speed.

"Wenxianglai" is doing better and better, but its product line is still somewhat limited. Although its braised chicken feet are very popular, they are ultimately just a snack. She needs to develop something completely new and refreshing.

And it has to be sweet.

She felt that after winning such a great victory and enduring so much hardship, what she needed most upon her triumphant return was the comfort of sweets.

What kind of dessert should I make? Cake? Pudding? In this day and age, without ovens and gelatin, it's too much trouble to make.

Suddenly, a round, dark, and bouncy little thing popped into her mind.

Pearl milk tea!

Yes! That's it!

In an era where only tea and various soups and stews exist, a cup of fragrant, smooth, sweet but not cloying bubble tea that you can "eat" while drinking is absolutely a game-changer!

Moreover, this is relatively simple to make, and the raw materials are easy to find.

Thinking of this, Ye An'an's beautiful eyes instantly rekindled with a fierce fighting spirit.

"Let's go! To the small kitchen!" She slammed her hand on the table, her usual energy returning.

In the small kitchen, Ye An'an began directing the maids to prepare the ingredients for making bubble tea.

First, there is the soul—the "pearl".

She had the kitchen bring out a large quantity of tapioca flour, which in this era was called "cassava flour." It was a crop that came from the south and was usually used by the poor to fill their stomachs; it didn't taste very good. But in Ye An'an's eyes, it was a treasure for making all sorts of chewy toppings.

She mixed tapioca flour with boiling brown sugar water and kneaded it while it was still hot into a smooth, soft, non-sticky dark brown dough.

"Your Highness, what is this dark dough for?" Fuyun asked curiously, poking it and finding it soft and elastic.

"This is the 'pearl' in our milk tea." Ye An'an smiled, pinched off a small piece of dough, and quickly rolled it into a small, round ball in her palm, about the same size as a pearl.

"Come on, all of you, roll all these dough balls into small round balls like these."

The three servants, master and servant, sat around a large workbench and began to work diligently. This was a delicate task; the "pearls" they produced had to be of uniform size to look good.

The rolled "pearls," resembling black Go stones, were placed into boiling water. Soon, the little balls floated to the surface, becoming crystal clear, tumbling and rolling in the water, looking quite adorable.

Once cooked, the tapioca pearls are immediately plunged into ice water to cool, and then soaked in a rich brown sugar syrup. This process gives the pearls a chewy and bouncy texture, along with a rich caramel sweetness.

Having solved the "pearls," the next step is "milk tea."

Milk from that era had a strong goaty smell, so using it directly to make milk tea would definitely not taste good.

Ye An'an selected the finest black tea, added a few slices of ginger and a small piece of cinnamon, and first simmered it over low heat to bring out its aroma. Then, she poured fresh milk into another pot, filtered it several times with cheesecloth, added a large amount of sugar, and simmered it over very low heat.

The boiling process not only evaporates the water in the milk, making it more concentrated, but also effectively removes the goaty smell.

Only when the milk thickened and turned a pale milky yellow color did she filter the brewed black tea through a fine sieve.

Tea and milk blend perfectly at this moment.

A warm aroma, a blend of rich milk, mellow tea, and subtle spices, instantly filled the entire kitchen.

"Wow, Your Majesty, this smells so good!" Chenzhu felt her heart melting as she smelled the aroma.

Ye An'an picked up a transparent glass cup, first laid a layer of shiny black "pearls" at the bottom of the cup, and then slowly poured in the brewed, warm milk tea.

The dark brown pearls paired with the light brown milk tea create a striking contrast that is sure to lift your spirits.

She inserted a hollow, thin bamboo tube and handed it to Fuyun: "Come, try my new invention."

Fu Yun was flattered and took the inhalation, imitating Ye An'an.

The rich, smooth milk tea instantly enveloped her entire mouth. It was an unprecedented, gentle yet mellow sweetness. Then, a chewy tapioca pearl was sucked up, bouncing between her teeth, becoming sweeter with each chew.

"Mmm..." Fuyun's eyes lit up instantly. She squinted happily and said indistinctly, "Your Majesty... this is so delicious! I've never tasted anything so good in my life!"

Ye An'an smiled with satisfaction as she looked at her blissful expression.

She picked up her own glass and took a sip.

Yes, that's the taste!

Looking at the adorable little black pearls in the cup, a strong, sweet longing suddenly welled up in her heart.

I wish he were here too.

He'll definitely like the taste.