Chapter 554: Inquiry
When Li Yao heard Chang Yunxiao asking about the salmon soup, her brows frowned for a moment, then quickly relaxed.
“That was just a small matter, I didn’t take it seriously, so I almost forgot about it.
You are right, the recipe was indeed given by me.
Before I got married, the chef in our mansion was from a water village and was best at making salmon soup, so I also know some of the cooking essentials.
When I was in the East Palace, I once personally cooked this dish for Your Majesty, who was still the Crown Prince, and Your Majesty praised it highly. "
Speaking of this, Li Yao's tone was somewhat proud.
"After your majesty ascended the throne, I was made a concubine and no longer served in the kitchen.
Unfortunately, most of the imperial chefs in this palace are from the north, and their fish soup is always lacking in some aspects, far inferior to my cooking skills.
Two days before the palace banquet, the imperial chef suddenly asked to see me and asked me to teach him how to make this 'Eight Treasures Salmon Soup'. I gave him a few pointers and asked someone to write it down and send it to the imperial kitchen."
"Your Majesty, did you just give me the recipe?" Chang Yunxiao asked.
"Of course, otherwise would I have to do it myself?"
Chang Yunxiao asked again what kind of recipe Li Yao gave.
"Three catties of salmon, three cents of salt, one ounce of lotus seeds and one ounce of red dates..."
Li Yao blurted out everything, knowing everything by heart.
Chang Yunxiao recorded everything completely, but the ingredients and cooking methods mentioned by Li Yao were very common and there was nothing unusual about them.
After Li Yao finished talking about the recipe, she added that the recipe she had ordered people to write and send should still be in the imperial kitchen. If Chang Yunxiao sent someone over, he should still be able to find it.
"I haven't finished talking about the recipe yet. Do you know what the most important part of making the Eight Treasures Salmon Soup is?"
Chang Yunxiao: "I'd like to hear the details."
Li Yao raised the corners of her lips:
"The chefs in this palace always fail to make this fish soup well because they don't know that if you want to make it taste the most delicious, you can't boil the fish in plain water - you have to use turtle soup instead."
"Turtle soup?" It was the first time that Chang Yunxiao heard of such a dish.
"That's right. The turtle soup is rich in flavor, and the salmon itself has a unique flavor. With the help of specific seasonings and cooking methods, the turtle's flavor can penetrate into the salmon meat, forming a unique taste.
I told the imperial kitchen this secret, and that’s how they made a more delicious fish soup at the palace banquet.
Okay, Lord Chang, I have said all I can say.
If there are no other questions, I will take a nap."
Chang Yunxiao organized the content he had just recorded and stood up to leave.
Si Ying followed him out of the room and then couldn't help sneezing a few times.
"The fragrance in this imperial concubine's palace is so strong." Si Ying rubbed her nose and whispered.
She seemed to suddenly remember something.
"Sir, do you think this smell is familiar?"
"What's wrong?" Chang Yunxiao stopped and asked.
Si Ying: "It was the case we handled in Qingzhou - Oh, you returned to Beijing first, and it was your subordinates who led people to seal up the medicine store, so you have no impression of it."
Chang Yunxiao walked out without looking around, and after leaving Fangmiao Terrace, he said calmly:
"Go back to the Dali Temple and bring me the case file."
"yes."
…
Chang Yunxiao visited other concubines who participated in the palace banquet. When he returned to the palace banquet again, it was already dusk.
He laid out all the testimonies he had obtained on the makeshift case-handling table.
The Ministry of Justice also sent over the results of the palace servants' investigation that day.
Chang Yunxiao's eyes were deep as he scanned the pile of testimonies.
There was nothing unusual in the testimonies of most of the concubines, and no traces of drugs were found on the bodies or in the homes of the palace servants involved in the palace banquet.
After each meal was completed, four to six portions would be placed on the same tray at the same time, passed to the palace banquet by palace servants, and distributed to the concubines present.
The Queen and other concubines have the same food menu.
If the murderer wanted to poison one of them and deliver it to the queen accurately, there would be too many variables and it would be easy for something to go wrong.
So now we need to solve two questions:
First, which dish was the problem?
Second, how could the murderer ensure that this dish would poison the queen without affecting anyone else?
Chang Yunxiao carefully recalled what happened when he questioned the concubines today.
Most responses were very confused and provided little useful information.
The only ones who are slightly different are Qin Yuwei and Concubine Rong.
When Qin Yuwei was reminiscing, she specifically mentioned the salmon soup to him, and then mentioned Concubine Rong.
At that time, the two of them could not see each other's faces because of the screen, and Qin Yuwei's words were also very obscure, but the tacit understanding of their identities made Chang Yunxiao immediately realize that she was reminding him of an important clue.
Based on what Qin Yuwei said, I asked Concubine Rong about the salmon soup, and the other party really gave some new explanations.
Although there is no evidence to prove that there is something wrong with the salmon soup, Qin Yuwei's behavior seems to indicate that she knows something but is unwilling to say it out loud.
Dark clouds obscured the sun above the imperial palace, and the white light shone on Chang Yunxiao's slightly pale and thin face, adding a bit of chilliness.
His brows tightened slightly unconsciously.
What does Qin Yuwei know?
What role did she play in the Queen's poisoning?
…
Dong Lanxin's body has been placed in a coffin.
On this day, all the concubines wore white clothes and knelt in front of the queen's coffin, crying continuously.
Yan Ning, as the crown prince, knelt in the middle, while Qin Yuwei and Li Yao knelt on both sides, closest to the queen.
Qin Yuwei raised her tearful eyes and saw Li Yao wiping her eyes with a handkerchief, but not a single tear was seen. She suddenly said:
"Noble Concubine Rong, the Queen passed away, but you refused to shed a single tear. Could it be that you have a grudge against the Queen?"
Li Yao didn't feel much sadness in her heart, and kneeling here was just for show.
When Qin Yuwei pointed it out, she suddenly came back to her senses. She rolled her eyes in her heart and said to Qin Yuwei:
"The Queen and I had a deep love for each other. She passed away suddenly. I stayed awake all night and cried all night. I cried for too long and now I can't cry anymore. If you can't help me, go to Fangmiao Terrace and ask a maid.
Concubine Qin, you and I are equal in status, just take care of yourself."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
