Chapter 103
The people who had lined up in front of the specialty store just a few days ago suddenly changed their expressions. An angry crowd gathered at the store entrance on Zhuque Street and smashed the plaque with the three characters "Yupinxian" to pieces. They shouted "Return the money" and "Swindlers" and the situation was so heated that it was out of control.
Shopkeeper Qian and several of his employees were trapped in the shop. They were so frightened that their faces turned pale. They could only hold the door tightly to prevent the mob from rushing in.
The news quickly reached the East Palace.
Tingyu hurried into the hall, her voice tinged with tears, "My Queen, this is terrible! Something terrible has happened! The rumors are going around like crazy, saying that our 'Imperial Fresh' has sickened someone, and now... now the shop has been surrounded!"
Song Qingyuan was checking the output data for a new batch of workshops when she heard this. Her pen paused, and the ink dot spread out in a small blob on the paper. There was no panic on her face, only a slight frown.
"Tell me the whole story in detail." Her voice was calm and had a soothing power.
Tingyu calmed down and told everything he had heard.
Song Qingyuan listened quietly, her fingers tapping unconsciously on the table. After Tingyu finished speaking, she slowly spoke and gave three orders in a row.
"First, immediately pass my message to Shopkeeper Qian. Have him post a notice that all 'Yu Pin Xian' stores will immediately suspend sales and accept unconditional returns from all customers. For anyone who becomes unwell after consuming 'Yu Pin Xian', all medical expenses will be covered by us at the East Palace."
"Secondly, have Eunuch Wang personally lead a team of guards to Suzaku Street to maintain order, protect the safety of Shopkeeper Qian and his staff, and appease the people. Remember not to engage in conflict with them."
"Third, Tingyu, immediately send someone to Fumanlou and find a way to get the remaining 'Imperial Fresh' from their kitchen, as well as samples of all the ingredients they used to make the 'Braised Lion's Head' on the day of the incident. Also, check on the unconscious official's usual eating habits and whether he has had any other illnesses recently."
The three commands were clear and to the point. Tingyu, who had been at a loss, instantly found her composure and quickly responded.
Only Song Qingyuan and Shen Yanzhi, who had just returned from the court, were left in the hall.
Shen Yanzhi's expression was equally grim. At the court meeting today, the censors from the Imperial Censorate had already launched a tirade against the Crown Prince, pointing the finger directly at the Eastern Palace. They accused him of condoning the Crown Princess's competition with the people for profit, and now that a fatal incident had occurred, it had undermined the dignity of the imperial family, and they requested that the Emperor punish him severely.
Li Deyu and the people of Prince Wei's party even added fuel to the fire, almost describing Song Qingyuan as a witch concubine who brought disaster to the country and the people.
If Shen Yanzhi had not argued with reason and stressed that the matter had not yet been clarified, the emperor would probably have issued an order to punish him on the spot.
"Qingyuan, this matter is of no small importance. I have temporarily suppressed the matter from the emperor's side, but he gave me three days to get to the bottom of it." Shen Yanzhi walked to her side and held her slightly cold hand.
"Three days? That's enough." A cold light flashed in Song Qingyuan's eyes. "The other party's methods are more crude than I imagined. They are too impatient."
"Oh? Why do you think so?"
"Your Highness, think about it. If 'Yu Pin Xian' is truly poisonous, then all batches should be faulty. Why did Fu Man Lou have to suffer the consequences? And at the height of its popularity?" Song Qingyuan stood up and paced around the hall. "This is more like a precise, targeted explosion. The goal is to destroy 'Yu Pin Xian' and my reputation as much as possible in the shortest possible time."
Chen Yanzhi suddenly realized: "You mean, someone tampered with the batch of 'Imperial Fresh' at Fu Man Lou?"
"Nine out of ten," Song Qingyuan sneered. "Besides, I guess the poison used by the person who poisoned the food wouldn't be a deadly one that's instantly fatal, but something that causes vomiting and diarrhea, making it look like someone has eaten something that's upset. This way, they can cause panic, but it won't be easy to detect immediately as poisoning, and people will only point the finger at the food itself."
She walked to the window and looked out at the gloomy sky. "This Concubine Shen is more cruel than I thought. She wants to ruin my reputation and make it impossible for me to recover."
A murderous look flashed in Shen Yanzhi's eyes: "I will send someone to interrogate the chef of Fu Manlou now!"
"No need." Song Qingyuan stopped him. "If you alert the enemy, they will destroy the evidence. I've already asked Tingyu to get samples. I make seasonings, and my tongue is more useful than the coroner in Jingzhao Prefecture."
She turned around and looked at Shen Yanzhi with a scorching gaze: “Your Highness, this time, not only will I clear myself, I will also make the person hiding behind the poison spit out what he has eaten with interest!”
That evening, Tingyu brought back what she needed: a small jar of "Imperial Fresh" sealed from the kitchen of Fumanlou, and a bag of minced meat and spices for lion's head.
Song Qingyuan dismissed everyone and left only Shen Yanzhi aside.
She first carefully examined the seal of the jar of soy sauce, finding tiny traces of it having been opened a second time. Then, she poured out a small dish of it and held it to her nose to sniff.
"It tastes bitter like almonds." She frowned.
Then, she dipped a drop with a silver chopstick and carefully put it into her mouth.
Shen Yanzhi’s heart instantly rose to his throat: “Qingyuan!”
Song Qingyuan waved at him, indicating she was fine. She closed her eyes and savored the flavor with the tip of her tongue. After the familiar rich, salty flavor, a faint bitterness and numbness rose from the base of her tongue.
"It's it." Song Qingyuan opened his eyes, spat the soy sauce in his mouth into the spittoon, and rinsed his mouth with strong tea.
"What is it?" Shen Yanzhi asked anxiously.
"It's 'bitter almond' powder." Song Qingyuan's tone was tinged with sarcasm. "Bitter almonds are slightly poisonous. Consuming a small amount will only cause symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea, just like a stomach upset. But if the dosage is slightly larger, or if the consumer is elderly and weak, it can cause fainting or even be fatal. The person who poisoned it was very precise in their calculations."
She checked the minced meat and spices again and found nothing wrong.
"The problem lies in this jar of soy sauce." Song Qingyuan closed the jar, a cold smile on his face. "Also, I'm pretty sure this jar of soy sauce isn't the original stuff from our workshop."
"Why?"
"Because our 'Imperial Fresh' sauce is made by adding a very secret seasoning during the final process - licorice juice. It is used to neutralize the astringency of the fermented soy sauce and increase the sweetness. But this jar of soy sauce does not taste of licorice juice. It only has the bitterness of bitter almonds and the saltiness of the soy sauce itself."
This is a secret known only to her and a few of the most core masters in the workshop.
Shen Yanzhi’s eyes lit up: “In other words, this jar of soy sauce is fake!”
"No, it's not fake." Song Qingyuan shook his head, his eyes becoming more profound. "Its base is genuine 'Yupinxian'. But someone opened it, added bitter almond powder, and mixed it with some ordinary low-quality soy sauce, diluting the original flavor. That's why the sweet aftertaste of licorice disappeared."
She looked at Shen Yanzhi and said word by word, "Your Highness, I'm afraid our opponent is more than just Shen Ruyi. Being able to obtain the real 'Yupinxian', accurately imitate its taste, and replace Fu Manlou's inventory without anyone noticing... there must be a larger hand behind this."
Shen Yanzhi's face darkened. He thought of the Prince of Wei's Mansion and Li Deyu. These people had suffered a great loss at the Salt Bureau and would certainly not let it go. Shen Ruyi's arrival had only given them an opportunity to cooperate internally and externally.
“I understand.” Shen Yanzhi said in a deep voice, “They want to use Shen Ruyi’s knife to kill your people, destroy your karma, and cut off my arms and help.”
"That's right." Song Qingyuan's eyes blazed with fire, "However, despite all their calculations, they missed one point."
"What?"
"They don't know that I, Song Qingyuan, can not only do business and cook, but I can also... perform autopsies." She was referring to performing an "autopsy" on this jar of soy sauce.
She picked up the jar of evidence and handed it to Shen Yanzhi. "Your Highness, after daybreak, take this and any unopened bottle of 'Imperial Fresh' from our Eastern Palace storeroom and go directly to the Dali Temple. I'll have the Dali Temple Minister inspect it publicly in front of the entire court."
"I want everyone to see for themselves whether this 'Imperial Fresh' is poisonous or not! I also want them to see who is behind this, plotting to murder the Eastern Palace and mislead the Emperor!"
"As for the unconscious Yuanwailang..." Song Qingyuan raised a sly smile, "I've already asked Lin Xiaoshu to go to Yuanwailang's residence with the prescription I wrote myself. That prescription doesn't cure anything else, it specifically cures the almond poison."
That night, many people were destined to be unable to sleep. But Song Qingyuan, at the center of the storm, slept exceptionally soundly. She knew that after dawn, the net she had laid would close. And that clever crab, along with its legions of other crabs, would not be able to escape.
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