Chapter 104 The Chef
Prince Xian heard this sentence again, and he was utterly helpless.
"Lord Lin, what exactly did you feed him at that banquet? How could he still be thinking about it even on his deathbed?"
Lin Ruhai was also puzzled. Last year, the menu for the Lin family's banquet was prepared by the kitchen and presented to him. He didn't even look at it before having it handed over to Yuan Hongqu.
Since Yuan Hongqu came to the Lin family, these matters have been entrusted to her.
Yuan Hongqu initially didn't want to pay attention, but Lin Ruhai suggested that Daiyu learn a thing or two from Mr. Yuan so that she could do it more skillfully when she was older.
With just this one sentence, Yuan Hongqu could not refuse.
So Lin Ruhai couldn't possibly remember what dishes were served at that banquet, but Yuan Hongqu might.
Yuan Hongqu certainly remembered that the menu that day had been changed in several dishes, according to Daiyu's wishes.
Daiyu said that the dishes that Granny Yuan made, although ordinary, tasted excellent and were very suitable for her father's status.
Lin Ruhai was the Salt Commissioner, unlike those wealthy salt merchants, so he naturally couldn't be too ostentatious at this banquet.
Therefore, several dishes that required expensive ingredients and were very complicated were changed to the dishes that Hongqu usually made for her.
Lin Ruhai feigned illness in Huaiyang to escape to the capital. With the end of the year approaching and official duties piling up, he could no longer keep up the pretense.
The only option here in the capital is to act quickly.
Although today is the big day for them to move back to the Lin family from the Rongguo Mansion, they can't care about anything else and can only invite Yuan Hongqu here.
Yuan Hongqu's mind raced. She was quite certain that such a thing didn't exist in the world of Dream of the Red Chamber, but she couldn't say for sure if it did; who knew how much was hidden?
Although Lin Ruhai was in poor health, it was not enough for him to die in office so quickly. This made people wonder if it was related to this matter.
If Fan Huaiqing refuses to speak, the salt merchants in the Huaiyang area will remain the same as before. Even if Lin Ruhai returns, he will inevitably die in office. Is there any way to save Lin Ruhai?
He should at least wait until Daiyu has grown up before he can die.
“Mr. Yuan, if you still remember the menu from last year’s banquet, please write it down. I will have someone make it immediately. We must get Fan Huaiqing to agree,” Prince Xian said urgently.
Yuan Hongqu pondered for a moment,
"How about I cook it myself? I think I have all the ingredients. Since we're short on time, I'll cook one dish and you can send one over, and see if the person reacts."
"That would be perfect," Lin Ruhai praised. He might not know about others, but he was very clear about Yuan Hongqu's culinary skills.
Not to mention that he had tried Yuan Hongqu's cooking skills before, just look at his darling daughter who is picky about food and only eats five out of ten meals. Now that she is by Yuan Hongqu's side, she can eat her meals with great relish. This is enough to show that Yuan Hongqu's cooking skills must be exceptional.
Kongyun Temple is a Taoist temple built with funds from the Prince Xian's Mansion, and Fan Huaiqing, who was brought from Huaiyang, is currently imprisoned in the dungeon of Kongyun Temple.
To avoid alerting the enemy, Fan Huaiqing was secretly arrested and taken to the capital.
The profits from the salt administration were truly astonishing, and even many officials in the capital were involved in this business.
Therefore, they didn't even dare to release Fan Huaiqing from the imperial prison.
The emperor only dared to hand him over to Prince Xian, whom he trusted, to handle the case, and Prince Xian then imprisoned him in the dungeon of Kongyun Temple.
In the kitchen of this secluded courtyard, the ingredients were well prepared because Huaiyang cuisine had been cooked for the past two days. There were two young Taoist disciples helping in the kitchen, as the previous head chef had been sent back by the Prince.
The kitchen was very clean, and the two young Taoist disciples were quite quick and efficient. However, they could only do tasks such as picking and washing vegetables and tending the fire. They were not capable of chopping or preparing vegetables at all. However, the broth that the chef had prepared earlier could be cleared a bit by removing impurities with minced chicken, and it was ready to use.
Yuan Hongqu had already reviewed the recipe from that night on her way over, and when she arrived in the kitchen, she began cooking methodically.
As soon as she finished cooking a dish, Lan Cong, who was guarding the kitchen door, would come and take it away. An hour passed, and Yuan Hongqu had cooked a total of twelve dishes. She still didn't know whether the person had confessed or not.
Yuan Hongqu was busy cutting and preparing ingredients and tossing food in the wok, and even with her good stamina, she was starting to feel the strain.
She arrived at the Taoist temple and spent two hours cooking without even drinking a sip of water.
Yuan Hongqu took out her pocket watch and looked at it. It was already 2:45 PM, and she hadn't had lunch yet!
The two young Taoist boys ate quite a bit of the food that Yuan Hongqu had left for them.
Now she has to cook herself a bowl of noodles.
Yuan Hongqu was too lazy to put in any more effort, so she just stir-fried some vegetables and shredded pork, poured in some broth and brought it to a boil, seasoned it, then added the noodles that had been cooked in water and cooked them together for a while. The simple stir-fried noodles were ready.
Although the two young Taoist boys had been eating, they hadn't actually eaten much. Now, seeing the noodles, their mouths were watering.
Yuan Hongqu served three bowls, and the three of them didn't go out. They ate their noodles by the kitchen counter, each with a bowl, in a lively manner.
This time, Lan Cong didn't return for quite a while. As soon as he entered the kitchen, he saw three people lying next to the cutting board, slurping noodles in unison as if in a competition. Even his arrival didn't disturb them.
Lan Cong suddenly got hungry too.
He looked at the empty pot, clearly Yuan Hongqu hadn't prepared a portion for him, and Lan Cong felt a little disappointed.
“Mr. Yuan, the prisoner has spoken, but he says he will only talk if he sees you.”
Yuan Hongqu choked and coughed for a while before calming down.
"He...he's pushing his luck! I'm not going! Take it or leave it!" Yuan Hongqu's first instinct was to refuse; she couldn't agree.
Cooking was no problem for her, but the thought of going to the dungeon to meet a salt smuggler made her a little uneasy.
"Mr. Yuan, as long as this matter remains unresolved, Lord Lin cannot leave the capital. Every day Lord Lin is delayed in returning increases the danger..."
"Alright, alright, I'll go then." Yuan Hongqu frowned. These words must have been taught by Lin Ruhai. He was certain that she couldn't let him die, lest Daiyu be heartbroken.
It turned out that the dungeon was located below the guest courtyard. Lan Cong led her into the dungeon through a secret passage.
The dungeon was brightly lit and exquisitely constructed. Yuan Hongqu's initial aversion to dungeons completely disappeared after she entered.
Lan Cong led her to the innermost part of the room, where a table was set up with the twelve dishes he had just prepared, seemingly untouched.
A man was sitting next to the table. If it weren't for the iron shackles on his hands, no one would associate him with the legendary salt smuggler.
Fan Huaiqing had an ordinary appearance and nothing special about him. If you met him in the market, he would just look like an ordinary shopkeeper.
Hearing someone approaching, Fan Huaiqing slightly raised his head. Upon seeing Yuan Hongqu, he was momentarily dazed, and stammered, "..."
"So you're the chef who makes these dishes?"
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