Pearl Tower of Fine Dining and Blossoms

Word around town had it that Nie Yuanzhu, daughter of the General Who Guards the North, who had spent ten years stationed at the border with her father, had married. The groom was Prince Qi, the most dashing man in the capital. He had disliked her from the start and humiliated her badly at their wedding. Fortunately, the general's daughter wasn't upset. Since the six wedding rites hadn't been completed, they weren't husband and wife. She would use an alias and open a pastry shop with her best friend! Sesame and peanut brittle, golden-thread date paste cakes, Tu Qingfang, autumn pear pastries, crispy cherry cheese tarts... A famous pastry shop called Pearl House had opened in the capital. It served the best pastries in the city and had the most unreliable owner and head chef. It also had a cold, mysterious backer who, for some reason, insisted on finding an excuse to invest, but did nothing except keep an eye on his wife from start to finish... Little Scene (1) When they had just married: Zhao Zhen: I married you because it was His Majesty's wish. We're only husband and wife in name. I have no feelings for you, so please act accordingly. Yuanzhu: ...Understood. Later: Zhao Zhen: Where are you going? Yuanzhu: I'm going to open a shop with Sabule. Zhao Zhen: You're married now. Keep your distance from other men from now on. Yuanzhu: Didn't you say we were only husband and wife in name, and that I should act accordingly? Zhao Zhen: ... Little Scene (2) Jixiang: Your Highness, all the gifts were delivered to Miss... to Miss Nie, as you instructed. Zhao Zhen (frowning): Who told you to call her Miss Nie?! Have some manners. Call her Princess Consort! Jixiang (muttering): But you were the one who told me not to... Zhao Zhen: Hmm? Jixiang: N-no, nothing... [A clever, cheerful foodie with a knack for cooking × a gorgeous beauty who's scheming and haughty in public, but sweet and clingy in private] A few things to know before reading: 1. This is probably a short, fun, sweet little story. 2. They both liked each other from beginning to end, but one of them still managed to turn it into a groveling-after-his-wife story (not really). 3. The dynasty is fictional, and the setting belongs to the same era as my other historical romances. 4. The related story, The Princess's Tale of Yanluo, is complete. You're welcome to read it. Theme: If you take anything seriously, you can make something of it