The Tang Dynasty Milk Tea Shop

[Up next: Peace and Prosperity, She Plays by No Rules. A combative heroine ascends the throne. Please add it to your favorites; the blurb is at the end.]

After transmigrating, He Xingruo found herself in the prosperous Tang Dynasty, facing a disastrous start from the start.

Her father was gravely ill, her younger brother was still a child, and the family had nothing left but a struggling drink shop in a terrible location.

She wiped her face. "Fine. First, I'll just have to survive."

Seeing the wealth and bustle of Chang'an at the height of the Tang Dynasty, with crowds streaming through Qujiang Pond, she rolled up her sleeves and returned to her old trade. Starting by hawking drinks at Qujiang Pond, she built the shop into Chang'an's biggest milk tea store.

Before long, the hottest topic in Chang'an was: #Have you tried the new milk tea at Leisure Tea House yet?#

Their tapioca pearls were sweet, fragrant, and chewy; their taro balls came in a rainbow of colors. White peach oolong, grape tea with generous toppings, lemon tea that beats up cheating boyfriends, bold fruit tea, taro paste boba... they had it all. And He Xiaoniangzi's tea-whisking skills had the city's nobles and officials clamoring for more.

Then one day, a failed candidate walked into the milk tea shop. He looked dejected and was reserved and aloof, yet exceptionally handsome. He Xingruo's love of beautiful men suddenly stirred, and she gave him a free milk tea.

When he passed the jinshi exam and came back, He Xingruo happily thought that this handsome, aloof gentleman had come to thank her with a little silver.

Who knew that Lord Lu would not only bring silver, but offer every last coin he owned as a betrothal gift? He bowed deeply to her and said,

"I wish to share a hundred years of happiness with you, miss, to weather every hardship together, and to grow old hand in hand, never regretting this life."

He Xingruo: After making it into the Tang Dynasty's top three richest people, I got a proposal from a handsome young man?

One-on-one romance, happy ending, sweet and satisfying slice-of-life. A money-loving, goofy shopkeeper heroine x a cool, proper jinshi scholar.

A few things to know before guzzling milk tea:

1. Set during Emperor Xuanzong's reign at the height of the Tang Dynasty, but some details are fictionalized for the plot.

2. Historical figures will appear in the middle and later chapters.

3. A cozy story about running a business, with lots of food and drink.

Princess Taiping Plays by No Rules. Blurb:

After office worker Li Lingyue was bullied by her boss and worked to death from overtime, she discovered she had become Princess Taiping.

Her father was Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Li Zhi. Her mother was Empress Wu Zetian. She was the Tang Dynasty's richest woman, born with every advantage, and would later become the powerful Princess Taiping.

Li Lingyue threw back her head and laughed. "I'm Princess Taiping now. Who could possibly scare me?"

So she decided never to put up with indignities again, and began asking herself these three questions every day:

Am I being too polite? Am I letting him get away with too much? Should I speak up and give him a piece of my mind?

Here's what came of her daily self-reflection:

When faced with her cousin's fake sweetness, Taiping: "Could you make your act as small as your bank balance?"

When pursued by a greasy, overconfident man, Taiping: "Your parents must have a great sense of humor to have given birth to a joke like you."

When officials accused Wu Zetian of usurping power as a woman, crowing like a hen and bringing heaven down upon them,

Taiping: "The Shang had Fu Hao, and the Zhou had Yi Jiang. Heaven has supposedly fallen so many times, so how come it still hasn't hit you? Is it because you're too short?"

The old ministers collectively lost it and complained to Li Zhi and Wu Zetian that the princess spoke without restraint and had made a mockery of decorum.

Taiping sighed. "I have a small, perhaps ill-considered suggestion: dock the pay of anyone who insults me. The treasury will be full, and we can establish schools for girls. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Later, when she became the most formidable legend in the Daming Palace,

The good news: She insulted her way across Chang'an undefeated, and every official in court bowed their head.

The bad news: Her mother, Wu Zetian, wanted to pass the throne to her and make her the next empress.

The even worse news: She was very tempted!!!

A Feast in the Tang Dynasty (Food). Marriage first, love later. Blurb:

Cherry-filled pastries, creamy snowflake cakes, cold noodles with sophora leaves, jade-colored sliced fish dressed with mustard.

Sweet-and-sour pork ribs, noodles tossed with crab roe, crystal shrimp dumplings, glutinous rice balls fermented in sweet wine.

After food blogger Wu Lingyi transmigrated to the Tang Dynasty, she became Wu Zetian's niece, living a comfortable life in luxury, until an imperial edict of marriage arrived:

Good news: Her future husband was a member of the Li imperial clan, handsome, and a renowned warrior, the dream man of every young lady in Chang'an.

Bad news: He hated the Wu family more than anything.

A story about someone who transmigrates to the Tang Dynasty, lies flat, cooks and eats, and falls in love after an arranged marriage.

Theme: Don't give up when facing hardship. Love life, and you will eventually reap its rewards.