In addition to the ore, a silk banner was presented to Xu Qinyu. Xu Qinyu carefully accepted it, examined it, and then rolled it up and placed it in the brocade box. She then thanked everyone again and said, "I have a lawsuit to deal with and need to go to the government office. I will go ahead."
The judges naturally nodded in agreement, "Go ahead, young lady."
Xu Qinyu went to the yamen with Lianhua again to find out whether these robbers had confessed. If not, they would definitely have to live in fear in the future.
After she left, the judges returned to the inn to pack their things and made an appointment to go to a restaurant outside the city.
The other nine chefs also left one after another. Although some of them regretted not winning the championship, they also felt that the loss was not unfair. Some of them were chefs from other places. Knowing that Miss Xu was the owner of Xu's Restaurant, they also planned to stay in the restaurant for a few days, try Xu's signature dishes and then go back.
Only Kong Kun looked at Xu Qinyu's back as she left, feeling increasingly uneasy. He first went back to Zuixianlou. Recently, there were fewer customers in Zuixianlou because everyone knew about Xu's Restaurant after the cooking competition, so many people went out of the city.
Zuixianlou was still the same as usual. Seeing this, Kong Kun returned to the Kong Mansion and went to visit his father first.
He disappointed his father again and felt very sad. His father had always hoped that he could win this cooking competition and make Zuixianlou more famous. Only in this way could he open a branch in the nearby state capital and make Zuixianlou famous all over the world. However, he still failed to win the championship this time, and his father's wish to open a branch store was dashed.
The older my father got, the more he wanted Zuixianlou to flourish and have branches all over the country. However, he couldn't even pass the first hurdle and couldn't win the cooking competition, so no one knew about Zuixianlou.
Kong Kun went to see his father, but saw no one in the yard except two servants. He asked, "Where has my father gone?"
The two servants were also confused. "At noon today, the master wanted to go to pay homage to his teacher, so he went out. We said we would go and tell you, but the old master wouldn't let us. We wanted to follow him, but the old master wouldn't let us either, so we simply packed our bags and left."
Kong Kun knew about his father's experiences as a young man. When he was ten, his family suffered a disaster. Later, he met his mentor and learned cooking from him. His mentor also suffered a disaster. In the early years, his father would always go to worship his mentor every year, but he never went with him. Later, as his father got older and could no longer travel, he only went to worship once every four or five years.
A few years ago, my mother passed away, and my father's health seemed to have collapsed all of a sudden. His legs and feet started to become unsteady. Every few years, he wanted to go and pay tribute to his mentor, but he always stopped him. My father is now in his sixties, and he hasn't gone to pay tribute to his mentor for almost ten years.
Kong Kun was a little confused as to why his father suddenly wanted to go and pay tribute to his mentor without even waiting for him to finish the competition.
Could it be that his father also knew he couldn't win? After all, Miss Xu's fame had spread throughout Raozhou City these days, even to the nearby prefectures, and that was why his father was angry? Was that why he didn't tell him and went straight to pay his respects to his mentor?
Kong Kun asked hurriedly, "Did father bring anyone else?"
The two servants shook their heads. "No, the master just packed up his bag and left in a hurry. He didn't even let the carriage and driver go with him, saying he would rent a carriage himself."
Kong Kun was worried. His father was already so old. Was it really possible for him to leave alone to pay tribute to his mentor?
Kong Kun was terribly worried and wanted to chase after him, but his father hadn't even told him where his mentor lived or was buried. He only knew it was in Qingzhou. Qingzhou was so large, with many towns under its jurisdiction. His father hadn't even told him where his mentor was from. How could he chase him? He didn't even know whether his father had taken the official route or the water route.
Kong Kun had no choice but to split his servants into two groups and chase after his father via the official road and waterway to persuade his father to come back first.
After sending good men to chase his father, Kong Kun finally calmed down.
But at this moment when he calmed down, Kong Kun had an indescribable strange feeling in his heart. He always felt that there was something wrong with his father leaving in such a hurry, saying that he was going to pay homage to his teacher?
What exactly is wrong?
…
Xu Qinyu followed Lianhua to the yamen. The yamen was not far from the competition location. The carriage was unloaded on the road outside the city, and the horses were led to the yamen, so the two of them walked to the yamen. Along the way, Lianhua comforted Xu Qinyu, "Don't worry, master. If they don't confess, I have plenty of ways to make them confess."
Xu Qinyu didn't think much about it and just asked, "But what about the methods that Lianhua learned in the martial arts world?"
She always thought that Lianhua was a martial artist. In the TV shows she had watched before, there were many strange and heroic figures in the martial arts world.
Lotus paused, nodded slightly, and did not dare to say that she learned the method of confession from the black-armored guards.
Soon, the two arrived at the yamen.
The yamen official then told Xu Qinyu, "Young Lady Xu has finally arrived. The following is what happened: those robbers just now refused to confess who ordered them to commit the crime. They also said that they saw Young Lady Xu riding in a carriage and thought she must be from a wealthy family, so they targeted the carriage in order to rob her. However, an hour ago, the prefect came in person and said that robbers had appeared outside Raozhou City. Such a heinous crime must be severely punished, so they took the three criminals directly to the prefect's residence. Young Lady Xu, you can go there to ask about it."
Xu Qinyu nodded, thanked the official, and went to the prefectural government again.
The prefect's mansion was not far from the government office, it was right next to it. She went there from the main gate, but just as she arrived at the main gate, she saw the prefect walking out with a group of officers and soldiers, as well as Zhizhi and Yunlan.
When Xu Qinyu saw the prefect, she bowed first.
The prefect could only pretend that the two were unfamiliar with each other.
After Xu Qinyu finished her greetings, she asked, "Your Excellency, I, Xu Qinyu, would like to know if those bandits today were..."
The governor waved his hand and said, "I'm aware of this, and the robbers have confessed. I'm planning to take people to apprehend the criminals."
Xu Qinyu knew that her great uncle must have known that she was almost killed by robbers, so he brought those robbers to the prefectural government for interrogation, hoping to solve the case quickly and apprehend the mastermind as soon as possible.
Xu Qinyu finally breathed a sigh of relief when she heard her uncle's words. Before she could ask, the prefect glanced at her and said, "The three robbers have confessed, saying that Kong Songkang of Zuixianlou gave them five thousand taels of silver to buy your life before the end of the cooking competition."
Not only was he the prefect of Raozhou City, he also had his own way of interrogating prisoners. There were very few prisoners who refused to tell the truth in his hands.
Xu Qinyu was stunned when she heard this. "Kong Songkang from Zuixianlou?"
Prefect Zhu nodded and said, "It is his son Kong Kun who is in charge of Zuixianlou now. He has not been in charge of Zuixianlou for more than ten years." In fact, he was a little surprised when he heard that it was Kong Songkang. Kong Songkang's story was not uncommon in Raozhou City. In the eyes of everyone, he was also a poor man. His family suffered a disaster and he was the only one left after fleeing from famine. Fortunately, he met a mentor who took him in and taught him cooking. Unexpectedly, when he was twenty years old, the master and apprentice suffered a disaster again. His mentor Kong Songkang did not survive and he was the only one left. He did not want to stay in his mentor's hometown and miss him by the sight of his things, so he came to Raozhou City.
I thought he was a kind-hearted person who knew how to be grateful, but who would have thought he would hire someone to kill someone.
Even if Kong Songkang wanted his son to win the championship, he couldn't do such a thing.
Besides, he is just the champion of a cooking competition, so why is it worth hiring someone to kill someone?
Since he dared to hire someone to kill someone, and the things that happened between him and his mentor were always strange, the prefect planned to capture him and interrogate him thoroughly. And since he had tried to bribe the kitchen helper at Xu's to steal his skills, it was foreseeable that he was not an upright person.
Xu Qinyu also frowned. As expected, she had heard about Kong Songkang and his mentor before and felt something was wrong. If he really wanted to express his gratitude to his mentor, shouldn't he stay in his mentor's hometown and carry forward the recipes his mentor left him? He even brought his mentor's entire family business to open a restaurant in Raozhou City.
Xu Qinyu said, "Then I can go with you, sir."
But the prefect didn't let them follow him, so they had to wait in the prefect's mansion first.
Xu Qinyu could only follow Lianhua and two good friends into the prefectural mansion first.
Then I saw the horse and the unicorn again.
When her fourth brother brought the horse home to her, he told her that the horse was called Qilin.
Xu Qinyu went to see Qilin, which was resting in the stable of the prefect's mansion. It definitely couldn't go back with her for the next two days, so it could only be kept in the prefect's mansion for the time being.
Qilin also recognized Xu Qinyu and snorted at her, sounding a little aggrieved. Xu Qinyu immediately said, "Be good, Qilin. Stay in the prefectural governor's residence for a few days and then you can go back. When you go back, I'll roast some beans for you."
Qilin usually likes to eat beans. One time, Xu Qinyu roasted some black beans for it, and it liked them. It usually refuses to eat unroasted beans.
However, Xu Qinyu was afraid of getting irritated by eating too much, so she only ate a certain amount every day.
The black beans roasted for Qilin are all original in flavor, without any seasoning added. They are directly placed in the oven to dry. Anyone can eat them, and they taste fragrant and crispy.
Qilin raised his head, seeming a little dissatisfied.
Xu Qinyu couldn't help but wonder, "Qilin, you're unwilling? Could it be that you want me to give you all the black beans you haven't eaten these days when I get back in a few days?"
Sure enough, when Qilin heard this, it immediately let out a long hiss.
Xu Qinyu couldn't help laughing, "You're almost catching up with Baiyu and Moyu, you're almost a spirit."
She also asked him to give it the baked beans that it hadn't eaten in the past few days.
Xu Qinyu smiled again after she finished speaking, "Okay, I'll make it up to you when you get back."
Lotus was amazed. The horses raised by His Highness were indeed different from ordinary horses. That morning, if Qilin had not been tied up in the carriage, he probably would not have been hit on the horse's butt by the robber. Being tied up in the carriage, he could not run around and could only take the blow.
After seeing Qilin, Xu Qinyu went to the front hall of the prefectural government to wait.
Zhizhi also told Yunlan some of the things that happened after she went to the yamen today.
The yamen runners had no way to deal with those robbers. Even though they were injured, they refused to listen and would not tell the truth even if they were simply whipped.
Less than half an hour after being brought to the prefect's mansion by the prefect, the three men confessed. However, Zhizhi and Yunlan definitely didn't see how they were made to confess.
Seeing that Xu Qinyu's face was still a little pale, Xu Yunlan patted her back and comforted her, "Qinyu, don't worry, we'll catch him soon."
Moreover, although what Old Man Kong did had nothing to do with his son, it would definitely affect Zuixianlou. It would even become a question whether Zuixianlou could continue to operate in Raozhou City in the future.
…
Zhu Taishou led a group of officers and soldiers directly to the Kong Mansion. A servant opened the door and was about to go in and tell the news, but the soldiers directly arrested the gatekeeper. The Taishou and his men searched all the way inside and soon arrived at the main courtyard. Kong Kun was talking to his wife, "I don't know where father has gone. I don't know if he can be caught. I don't know what father is thinking. How dare he go to Qingzhou alone?"
His wife, Chen, said, "Don't worry, Master. Father always has his own ideas. Perhaps it's because he's getting older that he's homesick. It's not our fault that he wants to go and pay homage to his mentor. We should make time to accompany him every few years."
Kong Kun nodded and was about to say something when he heard the sound of noisy footsteps outside and the hurried voice of the servant guarding the gate, "Greetings, sir. Why do you come so suddenly?"
Kong Kun was startled and quickly stood up to go out with Chen to greet them.
As he reached the door, he saw the governor and a group of soldiers entering. He went forward and knelt, but heard the governor say sternly, "Go in and search for him."
Kong Kun was stunned for a moment, "May I ask what you are doing, sir?"
The prefect said, "Your father, Kong Songkang, bribed those bandits to rob and kill Xu Qinyu, the owner of Xu's family. The bandits have confessed, and they are now coming to your Kong family to capture the criminal."
"No, it's impossible!" Kong Kun's face turned pale, and he subconsciously wanted to defend his father. In his mind, his father was a good man who knew how to be grateful. Whenever he met someone in need, he would help. How could his father hire someone to kill someone?
Although he felt that his father was a little strange today, he would never associate what happened to Miss Xu today with his father.
The governor said coldly, "We have witnesses. Those robbers have already signed confessions. How can this be impossible? Come in, search for them!"
Chen's face was also pale and her body was shaky. If her father-in-law was such a person, it could only be said that he had concealed it too well over the years. Moreover, if her father-in-law really hired someone to kill someone, how would their family survive in Raozhou City in the future?
Before the governor could go in and search, Kong Kun murmured, "Your Excellency, there's no need to go in and search. My father said at noon that he wanted to go and pay his respects to his teacher, and he has already packed up and left Raozhou City."
He knew in his heart that his father's trip was probably not to pay tribute to his mentor, but because he knew that Miss Xu was not in trouble and several robbers were captured alive, and they would definitely give him away, so his father ran away early.
It turned out that it was really the father who hired someone to kill someone.
But why would a kind-hearted father do such a thing?
Could it be that he was trying to stop Miss Xu from winning, hoping that he would take the top spot and prosper the Zuixianlou? Was it really that important for Zuixianlou to become famous? Things were pretty good now, Zuixianlou was making a good profit every month, and he could provide his wife and children with a comfortable life. He was already quite content.
The prefect frowned and sent half of his men to search the Kong Mansion, and the remaining half split into four groups to chase Kong Songkang.
Only when no one was found in the Confucius Mansion did the prefect return to the prefectural government with half of his officers and soldiers.
But the murder was related to the Kong family, and all the members of the Kong family would be arrested and interrogated.
The Kong family was making such a commotion that the neighbors couldn't help but lean over the walls to watch. When they saw that it was the prefect himself who came to arrest people, they were a little confused. "What happened to the Kong family? Didn't the cooking competition just end today, and Mr. Kong had the soldiers take him to the prefect's mansion? Or did the prefect personally lead the troops to arrest him?"
"Didn't something happen during today's cooking competition? The winner, Miss Xu, was attacked by bandits when she came to the city this morning. Luckily, she wasn't seriously injured. I heard they were trying to stop her from participating in today's cooking competition. Those bandits must be connected to the chefs competing today. So, could it be that Mr. Kong was the one who bribed the bandits?"
"Oh my God, just to stop someone from winning the championship, he hired someone to kill someone. How vicious must someone be to do that? So, was it really Mr. Kong who hired someone to kill someone?"
"It's almost certain, otherwise it would have alarmed the governor."
Everyone was talking about it.
Collaboration with bandits was a major case, and all the people in the Kong Mansion, from the old slaves to Kong Kun’s youngest grandson, were taken back to the prefect’s mansion for interrogation.
It was not until the prefect brought his men back to the prefect's mansion that Xu Qinyu learned that Kong Songkang had escaped. The prefect also brought all the members of the Kong family back for interrogation.
The prefect said apologetically, "Miss Xu, don't worry. I have already sent more people to pursue her. I will definitely seek justice for her. Miss Xu, just go home and wait for news."
Now it is the only way.
Xu Qinyu thanked the prefect and then returned to Xu's house. It was the prefect who sent someone to personally escort the young ladies back.
Qilin's horse's butt was injured and he couldn't move for the time being, so he had to stay in the prefectural government for the time being.
After Xu Qinyu returned, it was already dark and most of the customers had finished their evening meal. Xu Qinyu went to Xu Ji and Dong Qian told her that many customers had come before evening meal, and they were all older men.
Xu Qinyu knew that they must be the judges. She said, "Don't neglect our distinguished guests. I will also come to the restaurant to help tomorrow."
She didn't know when Kong Songkang could be arrested, and it would definitely not be a good time to leave the restaurant during this period. Safety was the most important thing.
Dong Qian saw some blood and dust on her cloak and asked in confusion, "Master, what are you doing..."
Xu Qinyu knew that this matter could not be kept secret. Dong Qian helped in the kitchen at night. Even if the guests from the city talked about this matter during dinner, he would not know about it. But he would definitely hear about it from other people tomorrow.
Dong Qian was shocked after hearing this. "How dare he hire someone to kill someone?"
Xu Qinyu shook her head. "I don't know about that."
But it’s probably also because of the interests involved.
It seems that in her previous life, she had just won the world-class chef championship when she was involved in a car accident. It was almost the same in this life. Fortunately, Lianhua was very powerful and always protected her.
Xu Qinyu said a few more words to Dong Qian before planning to go back to the house to rest.
Xu Qinyu, Zhizhi and Yunlan went back to the house first.
During this period, Zhizhi and Yunlan had been living in her house. Xu Qinyu was unwilling to charge them for meals and let them stay in the restaurant.
As soon as I entered the house, I saw Wen standing at the door looking out. Seeing the three young ladies coming back, Wen was relieved. "Are you all okay?"
As the shopkeeper of the restaurant, she did not have to work in the kitchen. In the evening, many guests from the city came to the dinner. During the meal, they naturally talked about the cooking competition, and also talked about the incident where Miss Xu was almost killed by robbers when she came to the city.
When Wen heard this, her body went limp. Fortunately, she was supported by the female waitress. She hurried over to ask the chatting customer.
The customer was still a little confused, but the waitress quickly said, "This shopkeeper is Miss Xu's mother-in-law."
The guest finally came to his senses and told her, "Don't panic, madam. Miss Xu is fine. She has already finished the competition and is heading to the government office. She should be back soon."
Even so, Wen was still very worried and always made mistakes in the calculations. Finally, she called a literate female servant to help her with the calculations.
After the guests left, she hurried back to the house to wait for Yu Niang.
Seeing Yu Niang and the others come back, I feel a little relieved, but I am still worried, wondering who wants to harm Yu Niang.
Xu Qinyu said gently, "Don't worry, mother. The governor has already interrogated the robbers and knows who is behind this."
Wen immediately asked, "Who is so cruel as to want to kill you?"
She asked herself that Yu Niang was kind-hearted and friendly to others, and it was impossible for her to make enemies with others, so why would someone want to kill Yu Niang?
She even thought of Empress Dowager Fu and the new emperor in the capital, but on second thought, she knew it couldn't be Empress Dowager Fu and the new emperor. Even if they wanted to destroy her lineage, they should have sent people to kill her, Xuan Ge'er, Ning Jie'er, Feng Ge'er, and Yan Jie'er.
Xu Qinyu told Wen the truth.
Wen was stunned for a moment, also somewhat incredulous, "Just to stop you, Yu Niang, from winning the championship, he actually had the heart to kill you?"
Xu Qinyu nodded. Wen was furious. Even though she had a gentle personality, she couldn't help but scold Kong Songkang. Finally, seeing the three young ladies still standing at the door, she said, "Go inside and rest first. Did you get hurt by those bad guys today? Do you want to ask a doctor to come and take a look?"
Xu Qinyu smiled and shook her head, "Don't worry, mother. We're all fine. Mother didn't realize how powerful Lianhua was. She could easily defeat ten people alone. If it weren't for Lianhua, we'd probably all be in great danger today. But we still need to ask a doctor to come and take a look. Zhizhi is a little scared."
Although they were not injured, Zhizhi seemed to be frightened and her face was pale all the way. She and Yunlan were fine.
Yang Zhizhi originally wanted to refuse, but her heart was still beating fast, and she felt very uncomfortable thinking about those broken limbs. Naturally, she did not dare to refuse, and only thanked Wen.
Wen said hurriedly, "Then you all go back to your room and rest first. I'll go call the doctor over."
An old doctor was also hired to take charge of the restaurant.
Wen made this trip in person, bringing a little maid with her.
Wen didn't tell Sister Ning about this. Sister Ning has been busy renting a shop recently and usually comes home very late.
Soon, Wen brought the old doctor back. The old doctor took Yang Zhizhi's pulse and said that she had heart palpitations caused by a sudden surprise. It was not serious and she would be fine after drinking some calming soup.
After the medicine was ready, Mrs. Wen asked Xu Qinyu and Xu Yunlan to drink a bowl each before they went to wash up and rest.
After Lianhua came back, she told Huo Jiang about this matter. Huo Jiang left the restaurant overnight to track down Kong Songkang. Not only that, Huo Jiang also sent a letter to Pei Weixuan by carrier pigeon, informing His Highness what happened today.
Three days later, it was Huo Jiang who found Kong Songkang's whereabouts first.
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