This woman was none other than Xia Zheng's mother, Princess Anle.
Xia He and Qiu Ju exchanged a glance, smirking with pursed lips. Madam was hardly here to just look at a few taverns; it was clear that she had hastened here upon hearing from the Third Prince that her second son had made the acquaintance of a young lady.
Shopkeeper Liu was absorbed in devising new recipes when he suddenly felt an intense sense of pressure bear down upon him from above, signaling the arrival of an esteemed guest. He hurriedly raised his head, greeting her with a beaming smile.
Unexpectedly, it was a woman, a single woman at that, accompanied by a maid but conspicuously lacking a male escort. Such a sight was rare in Zhuma Town, where women did not often dine out unaccompanied. If they did, they would be in the company of family or at the very least another woman.
