Chapter 66: Imperial Chef Fang

Lin Xin turned her head once more only to meet the matron's piercing, bone-chilling gaze. A shock went through her heart, and she hurriedly lowered her head, her hands trembling as she held her chopsticks.

Once the magistrate and his family finished their meal, the members of the Gu family came out to see them off. Madam Zhou even packed several boxes of the newly invented pastries created by Gu Qinghe for the magistrate's wife to take home and taste.

Madam Feng’s personal maid, Cuizhu, hurriedly stepped forward to receive them and expressed her thanks. Gu Tingzhi personally escorted them to the mouth of the alley. Lin Mo stayed behind to discuss some of his studies with him and only left after partaking in the evening meal.

Upon returning home, he learned from his younger sister that their mother had forced Lin Xin to kneel in the ancestral hall for two full hours, and she had just been led back by Concubine Feng a moment prior.

Thinking of Lin Xin’s affected and pretentious demeanor back at the Scholar’s Tower earlier that day, how could Lin Mo not understand what had happened? He could only hope that she would take this lesson to heart and refrain from committing any outrageous acts in the future.

The magistrate and his family visiting the Scholar’s Tower for a meal served as a walking advertisement of the highest caliber. Those prominent families who had previously looked down upon the Scholar’s Tower immediately changed their attitudes. One after another, they dispatched their maids and manservants to stand in line. The Scholar’s Tower was packed to capacity every single day, and its growing prominence actually managed to eclipse the Spring Breeze Pavilion.

At that moment, in the courtyard study of the Spring Breeze Pavilion, a man dressed in dark robes sat behind a desk, his fingers tapping rhythmically against the tabletop. His features were ordinary, but his facial structure was exceptionally sharp, and a pair of pale blue eyes added an exotic and eerie allure to his appearance.

The two stewards standing before him held their breath in absolute terror, not daring to utter a single word.

"Have you found anything out?" Xu Mingkun glanced sideways at the two stewards and asked coldly.

Li Heyong hurriedly stepped forward first to report: "Replying to the Young Master, the food boxes from this Scholar’s Tower come from the Ingenious Workshop in the east of the city. One of their master craftsmen said that the concept for these food boxes was proposed by the second proprietor of the Scholar’s Tower, who also brought over the blueprints. Their workshop was only responsible for the manufacturing."

Xu Mingkun fell into deep thought for a moment. He turned his head to speak to Wang Hu, who had remained silent all along: "You are to make a trip to the Ingenious Workshop tomorrow and make sure that Wang Hongcai crafts a batch of even better ones for the Spring Breeze Pavilion."

Wang Hu acknowledged the order.

Seeing that the Young Master had once again assigned the task to Wang Hu, Li Heyong felt a pang of resentment and unwillingness. Stepping forward, he offered a suggestion: "Young Master, this Scholar’s Tower has recently snatched away quite a bit of business from our Spring Breeze Pavilion, and in the future, they will likely climb right over our heads and act as they please. I have a method that will surely force them to shut their doors within half a month!"

Xu Mingkun cast a dark, heavy gaze upon him. "Let's hear it."

Li Heyong leaned in close to his ear and whispered the scheme.

Wang Hu hastily raised his voice to stop him: "Young Master, absolutely not!"

"As far as I know, this Gu family is not entirely without backing in the county town. Their third proprietor is on extremely good terms with the magistrate's eldest young master. If we were to pull anything, Magistrate Lin would undoubtedly stand with the Gu family."

"Furthermore, this Third Young Master Gu is a scholar. Despite his youth, he is exceptionally well-read. Even when he was afflicted, he managed to take first place in the county examination. Now that his mind has cleared, his future prospects are bound to be limitless. Making an enemy of the Scholar’s Tower carries far too much risk. I beg the Young Master to think twice!"

Having spoken, Wang Hu respectfully bowed to the figure seated above.

Li Heyong’s face turned ashen with anger. This Wang Hu kept pushing his luck and opposing him at every turn. Because the Young Master gave him a shred of decency, he really thought he was somebody important!

"Young Master! I believe Steward Wang is being far too overly cautious and timid. As long as we do it without a trace of suspicion, even if this Third Young Master Gu possesses heaven-shreaching abilities in the future, there is nothing he can do to us!"

Xu Mingkun raised a hand to cut him off. "Do not speak of this matter again. The two of you should rack your brains for more legitimate ways to retain those wealthy households instead."

Li Heyong sullenly muttered his assent.

"Has someone been sent to the Fang family in the north of the city?"

"Responding to the Young Master, people have already been sent there bearing numerous gifts. Master Chef Fang has finally relented, promising that around the end of the month, once his leg has completely healed, he will come to the Spring Breeze Pavilion to take up his post."

"Good. All of you must keep this news tightly under wraps! Secure the contract with Master Chef Fang as early as possible to avoid any prolonged complications that might lead to nocturnal mishaps."

The two men acknowledged the command. Seeing that the Young Master had no further instructions, they slowly withdrew from the study. Li Heyong let out a heavy snort of disgust toward Wang Hu, leaving him behind as he strode away first.

Wang Hu did not deign to argue with him, maintaining his usual affable smile. He beckoned a waitstaff over and instructed, "Put aside whatever you have on hand for the moment and make a trip to the Ingenious Workshop. Invite Shopkeeper Wang to come to the Spring Breeze Pavilion for drinks at noon tomorrow, and tell him that fine wine and good dishes will be fully prepared for him."

The attendant received the order and hurried off.

Night fell, and the sky grew gradually dark. By this time, the Scholar’s Tower had just seen off its final table of diners. Zhen Ni'er and the others began preparing the evening meal for everyone, while Wen Chunmei and her group took charge of tidying up the restaurant and cleaning the premises.

Gu Tingzhi had gone to the Lin residence and had not yet returned.

Gu Lizong and his two sons took out an abacus to calculate the day's earnings. With the Scholar’s Tower experiencing booming business every single day and the dishes having returned to their original prices, their daily net profit was soaring straight upward, vastly exceeding their initial expectations.

The meals were ready, and two tables were laid out as usual. Zhen Ni'er glanced up at the darkening sky, feeling somewhat anxious that her husband had not yet returned.

Gu Qingsong and his brother intended to head over to the Lin residence first to inquire. Just as they stepped out of the Scholar’s Tower, they caught sight of a figure appearing at the mouth of the alley, and Zhen Ni'er hurriedly went out to greet them.

"Husband, why are you so late today? Did something happen?"

Gu Tingzhi took her soft, delicate hand in his. "It's getting dark, walk a bit slower. Let's go inside the restaurant first and talk."

As it turned out, Gu Tingzhi had learned about the situation regarding Master Chef Fang from Lin Mo.

This Fang Shengrong had possessed a natural aptitude for culinary arts since childhood and was fiercely passionate about research. Through years of accumulated experience, his skills had grown increasingly exquisite and refined. When he reached the age of thirty, he traveled alone to the capital to try his hand at fortune, never expecting that he would genuinely carve out a name for himself, enter the imperial palace, and become an imperial chef.

That was an imperial chef—someone who cooked meals for the emperor and his concubines. When one person achieved greatness, even the dogs and chickens ascended to heaven; he had brought his wife, children, and elderly mother to the capital to live a life of luxury. From then on, members of the Fang clan could practically walk sideways and lord over Yun'an County.

However, in early November of the previous year, heavy snow fell in the capital. For reasons unknown, this Master Chef Fang had offended some deity. With over twenty years of seniority in the palace and on the verge of a promotion, while entering the palace for his shift one early morning, he failed to see the road clearly, stepped into a patch of accumulated snow, and broke his leg.

Injuries to bones and tendons take a hundred days to heal. After recuperating in the capital for three months, although he could walk again, he was left with a slight limp, stepping high and low. This unappealing gait was unsightly, and the Imperial Kitchen naturally could no longer keep him. The head eunuch of the Imperial Kitchen gave him a sum of silver and sent him packing back home.

Overwhelmed by grief and disappointment, Fang Shengrong brought his family back to Yun'an County. Their return had been handled with the utmost discretion, and very few people knew about it. However, since Lin Zhengkang was the governing official of this region, he naturally obtained word of these matters through various channels.

"Husband, are you planning to invite Master Chef Fang to our Scholar’s Tower?"

The others turned their gazes toward him one after another. If they could truly invite Master Chef Fang to their restaurant, the Scholar’s Tower would undoubtedly become the next Spring Breeze Pavilion.