Chapter 556 Stealing the Jiang Family's Business Secrets
"Why is the cocoa powder gone?"
"Who moved this big jar!" Li Qiqiao's voice echoed throughout the yard.
Hearing the voice, Xiao Nuobao was startled, jumped off the bed and ran out.
In the kitchen, Li Qiqiao looked at the empty big jar, with a rare look of anger on her face, and her voice was raised.
"What's wrong, second wife, is the cocoa powder really lost?" Feng Shi hurried over at this time, took a look at the bottom of the jar, and her expression changed.
The jar of cocoa powder was now empty, without even a bit of residue left.
Li Qiqiao's chest rose and fell violently, "Mom, this big vat is usually pressed down by a big stone slab. Not to mention a mouse, even a fly can't fly in. The things must have been taken."
Feng frowned, but she didn't want it to be stolen, so she called Feng Hu and the others out and asked without hope.
"Who of you took the cocoa powder in the kitchen?"
The answer is self-evident.
Of course, they all shook their heads.
Jiang Fengmiao was very confused, "What? It takes at least two people to lift the big stone slabs. Who has nothing to do but move them?"
Jiang Fenghu was anxious, "There are so many people outside who want our snacks. Could it be that someone is bad and deliberately sent people to mess up our kitchen?"
Good things will never disappear out of thin air.
Xiao Nuobao touched his chin and shook his head, "Although there are many people outside who want them, the door of our house is closed and outsiders cannot enter at ordinary times. They have no chance to succeed. Therefore, it can only be a thief. Mother, second sister-in-law, start with the servants!"
Li Qiqiao had this idea, so she rolled up her sleeves and called all the servants in the house to the middle of the yard one by one.
"Someone must know why I asked you to be here today!"
She said angrily, "We, the Jiang family, can pat our chests and say that we treat you well, but some of you are greedy and stole my important things."
"I'll give you a chance. Now quickly admit it and return the things. I can not report to the authorities, but just send you away. It will not affect your next job!" Li Qiqiao said neatly.
In the front yard, the servants all lowered their heads, feeling the anger of their master.
Seeing that no one admitted it, Li Qiqiao sneered and asked one by one.
"Servants Wang Er and Li San, you have delivered vegetables and meat to the kitchen, and you know what is in it, but you?"
"Ah? Master, you are wise. We are not good at cooking, and we have never paid attention to the kitchen. It's really not us."
"What about Zhang Po and Lin Po in the backyard? But you two?"
"We...how dare we? We rarely go to the front yard, let alone the kitchen."
Finally, Li Qiqiao asked around and her eyes fell on the two cooks, Liu Saozi and Qin Pozi.
On weekdays, no one is more familiar with the kitchen than them, so they are naturally the most suspicious.
But before Li Qiqiao could speak, Sister Liu shouted in grievance, "I wonder what treasure the master has lost. Could it be that the gold and silver jewelry fell on the stove while cooking? Although we are from a poor family, we dare not take your things away."
Li Qiqiao hesitated for a moment, and seeing that she didn't even say what was lost, she was about to think that she was being a villain in vain.
But at this time, Xiao Nuobao had sharp eyes and saw that the inside of Qin Pozi's sleeve was stained with a circle of black powder!
"Second sister-in-law." Xiao Nuobao ran over quickly and whispered in Li Qiqiao's ear, "Mrs. Qin's cuffs are wrong! Although Mrs. Liu looks innocent, she was wearing old clothes this morning, but now she has changed into clean clothes. Go to her room and check if there is anything wrong with the clothes she changed out of."
Sure enough, Li Qiqiao had just gone to the kitchen to sleep, and under Mrs. Liu's bed, she found a cotton shirt with cocoa powder on both sleeves.
The big vat was very high, and the two cooks were short. If they wanted to take out the powder bag inside, they would inevitably be clumsy, so it was not surprising that it would get rubbed on their clothes.
Li Qiqiao could not help but get angry, threw her shirt and cursed, "These two are thieves. I usually treat them politely and never scold them just because they are servants. Instead, they steal my things?"
"Fenghu, report to the authorities immediately. Since they have been given the opportunity and refuse to admit it, let them go to the government office and have the bastards beaten!" Li Qiqiao was really angry. Fenghu
couldn't bear to see his wife in pain, so he ran quickly and called the officials.
When he heard that it was a matter of the princess's mansion, the prefect of the government office came in person.
After a while, based on the shirt of the cook's clothes, they were convicted of theft.
Fortunately, the half bag of cocoa powder was buried inside two large stones in the backyard before it could be moved out of the mansion.
When Sister Liu and Mother Qin saw the official, they finally knew they were scared and cried and begged.
However, Li Qiqiao was unmoved and wanted to set an example for the other servants.
"Master, take these two bitches away. Theft is punishable by beating with a stick. Let them suffer a little, so they won't commit the crime again in the future."
"The rest of you, those who have nothing to lose, all go to the government office and watch them get beaten with a stick together. It will be a warning in the future!" Li Qiqiao glared.
Because the Jiang family intended to impose heavy penalties, the government office was not polite and beat them more severely than usual.
Thirty sticks per person, the pain was secondary, but the women took off their outer pants and were punished in public, the humiliation was even more tormenting.
After dealing with the two cooks, Li Qiqiao also moved the cocoa powder to her room.
When selecting people to enter the palace in the future, I must open my eyes and test their character more.
However, I didn't expect that this matter was not over yet.
Just two days later, somehow, the news about cocoa powder suddenly spread in the capital.
"Do you know what cocoa powder is? I heard from the cook of the Jiang Mansion that Wu Yun Treading Snow is made of it!"
"Then let's go buy it quickly, doesn't it mean that with it, we can also make Wu Yun Treading Snow!"
After hearing this, all the pastry shops went crazy and asked the merchants for cocoa powder.
They all wanted to copy the business of the Jiang family!
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