In addition, the Lin family and Zheng Yutang deliberately spread the word in the surrounding streets that only their products were "authentic," so their business was quite good.

This shop was originally opened by Minister Zheng. Although it is not a well-known old brand, it has been painstakingly built up over many years and naturally has a certain customer base.

Now, Lin and Zheng Yutang are using the guise of "a branch of an old brand" to quickly deceive many unsuspecting or cheap customers.

As a result, Zheng Heyi's Tianxiangfang business became noticeably quieter, and the usual scene of overcrowding and supply shortages was gone.

Nowadays, the counter is deserted. Even though they are making pastries seriously, no one comes to buy them.

It was as if the other side hadn't copied them, but rather that the other side was the real deal, while He Yi and his team had become the imposters.

Seeing the bustling crowds at the opposite shop while their own was deserted, Qingju and several young cooks were as anxious as ants on a hot plate, pacing back and forth in the shop.

Qingju couldn't hold back any longer and went to discuss it with Heyi.

"Princess, you must think of something now! If this continues, our business will be completely stolen by those shameless counterfeiters."

Qingju was so anxious she was almost crying, while Heyi remained calm and composed, observing the people coming and going through the shop door.

The more I looked, the more something seemed off! Even if the other side had some discounts and various strategies, it didn't seem like it would be enough to make so many long-time customers of Tianxiangfang go to the other side.

This piqued He Yi's curiosity.

unless……

What tricks did they play with the taste and variety of the pastries? He Yi looked at Qing Ju and the others, all of them indignant, even though the cooks often complained about having too many people when they got busy.

But now that there were no more customers, the cook and Qingju were very anxious. Heyi pointed to the opposite side and said, "You can go over there and take a look at the pastries. When I went there before, they mainly sold horseshoe pastries and butterfly pastries, which looked almost exactly the same as ours at first glance."

Hearing this, everyone felt strange. Why was the other person's business so good, while their own business was so deserted?

He Yi coughed and instructed, "Qingju, go across the street and buy some of their signature pastries, especially horseshoe pastries and butterfly pastries! Be careful not to let anyone recognize you."

Qingju nodded in understanding.

She changed her clothes, put on a cloak, and quickly blended into the crowd of customers across the street. A little while later, Qingju returned to the shop, carrying a pastry box with the words "Zhengtianxiangfang" on it.

He Yi looked outside and saw that there was hardly any business today, and it seemed unlikely that things would improve in the future. She smiled and told them to close the shop.

The cook went to close the door, and the waiter came over.

Everyone looked at He Yi.

Now comes the moment to witness a miracle.

[This is outrageous! Sister Yi is a force to be reckoned with; she's ruthless and doesn't mince words.]

He Yi slowly picked up the horseshoe pastry from "Zheng Tian Xiang Fang" and examined it from all angles. She found that the pastry was exactly the same as the one from her own Tian Xiang Fang, in terms of shape, color, and even smell.

He Yi carefully broke off a piece and began to taste it.

To He Yi's surprise, the familiar aroma of the pastry instantly filled her mouth. Looking at the pastry again, she noticed that the outer layer was distinct and the texture was so crispy. After eating a piece, He Yi stood up.

"You should all try some too." She handed the pastries to the other cooks. They were all pastry makers, and their control over the flavors was probably even better than hers.

The cooks and Qingju started eating the pastries. Soon, one of the cooks was stunned and exclaimed in horror, "Princess, this pastry is almost identical to the pastries we've painstakingly experimented with and improved!"

He Yi smiled slightly, picked up another butterfly pastry and handed it to the cook. The cook, who was busy tossing the wok, was already furious and started eating the pastry with gritted teeth.

After tasting it, the cook was even more furious, exclaiming, "Its unique aroma and crispness are exactly the same as ours!"

Zheng Heyi fell silent. In fact, by this point in the meal, she had already understood the situation. A chill ran down her spine like a snake.

This familiar taste is not something that can be easily imitated by just looking at it a few times or tasting it a few times! Their pastries are made with the slogan "Always imitated, never surpassed".

It's worth noting that their horseshoe pastries and butterfly pastries are made using Zheng Heyi's own improved recipes, especially the core ingredient ratios.

The ratio of oil to flour will produce different crispy results, and the cooking temperature of the sugar is also important – these are all things that come from experience.

The most important part lies in the next few key steps, such as the technique of making the flaky pastry, which He Yi and the cook discussed and researched repeatedly before arriving at the solution.

As for the baking temperature and baking time, these were all things that I and the cook figured out after repeated failures.

In short, all of this can be summed up in just four words—trade secrets!

However, they no longer had any "trade secrets." This terrifying discovery startled He Yi. She looked at the cook and Qingju, and everyone else was looking at her too.

Finally, Qingju clicked her tongue in amazement, "I think there must be a mole who told them our methods and proportions, otherwise how could it be that the original ingredients were almost exactly the same?" Everyone agreed.

They all taste the same? This is like a bolt from the blue!

It seems the formula has been leaked; there's definitely a mole among the people.

There must be a traitor in the kitchen. The vicious female supporting character needs to be exposed quickly, or the situation will get worse.

[The Lin family and Zheng Yutang are quite capable; they actually managed to obtain this trade secret in a short time, hehehe.]

He Yi tossed aside the pastries and slowly swept her gaze toward the kitchen. "It seems this fire in the backyard actually started here. It's time to clean house!" He Yi's eyes were sharp as knives as she looked at everyone.

The cooks hurriedly explained, "Young Princess, you hired me from outside. You offered me a high salary, and I've done a great job here. Of course, I would never betray you."

"Even if they offered me twenty taels of silver a month, I still wouldn't go to the other side..."

Now that the recipe has definitely been leaked, He Yi has already inquired and found out that the kitchen staff are still the same people as before; no one has left and no one has been added.

Everyone continued to perform their duties. He Yi kept quiet and conducted investigations secretly. As a result, many cooks and waiters became He Yi's informants.

She had people secretly keep an eye on everyone in the kitchen, especially those who seemed off-duty or frequently took time off or went out for various reasons.