“But if you, the chef, don’t even taste it, how are you going to make this dish for the Marquis?”
Guo Lixiang fled, and Xue Li chased him with the stone mortar in her arms, her footsteps thumping loudly.
Just as the chase was in full swing, a loud “thud” came from around the corner, followed by a cry of “Ouch!” It sounded like quite a heavy fall.
Xue Li stopped, panting with her hands on her hips while still clutching the mortar. “I told you not to run. Now you’ve taken a tumble, haven’t you?”
She huffed and turned the corner toward the water vat, only to see Guo Lixiang lying pathetically on the ground. His mouth was stuffed with a rag, and his hands were tied behind his back. He was flopping and struggling like a fish out of water—a comical sight.
What kind of new trick was this?
Xue Li stood dazed for a moment, still hugging the stone mortar.
“Shopkeeper Xue.”
A slightly familiar voice came from behind her.
She turned at the sound and saw a young man standing behind her. He wore a long blade at his waist, his clothes were immaculate, and he gave her a faint smile. It seemed like a friendly smile, but it sent an inexplicable chill down one’s spine.
“Eh, aren’t you the one who fainted in front of my stall—” Just as Xue Li was wondering, a commotion came from the ground.
Guo Lixiang, his face pressed into the dirt, struggled to spit out the rag and looked up piteously at the young man. With a long face, he wailed, “Lieutenant Yun, you’ve truly wronged me! Everything I did was for the Marquis!”
Yun Feng’s expression remained cold as he snorted. “What your true intentions are—we’ll wait until you’re back at the estate for the Marquis to interrogate you personally.”
“Lieutenant?” Xue Li’s eyelids jumped, and she sucked in a cold breath.
So this man was actually the Marquis of Ningwu’s personal guard? To think he had fainted in front of her Cloud Milk Bun stall that day—it turned out he was just faking weakness to cut the line for a bite to eat!
No wonder they say “birds of a feather flock together.” Now she was even more certain that the Marquis of Ningwu was likely no upright gentleman either.
As she was grumbling internally, she looked up and unexpectedly met Yun Feng’s frost-like gaze.
“Honored guest,” she said with a forced, dry smile. “How did the Cloud Milk Buns taste last time? To have you visit specifically this time, could it be that you want—”
Yun Feng did not bother circling around with her. He raised his hand to interrupt, his tone leaving no room for argument. “Miss Xue, the Marquis requests your presence.”
…It’s over.
Xue Li’s heart sank. Hugging the stone mortar, she managed to squeeze out a smile that looked more like she was about to cry.
At Xingguo Temple Street.
Qi Yue was happily humming a little tune, strolling leisurely toward Xue’s Rare Delicacies Shop. She was in high spirits today, her smile nearly reaching the sky.
The reason was simple: while offering incense at the temple, she had run into the second daughter of the Vice Minister of Rites. As soon as the other girl saw her, her eyes fixed on Qi Yue’s arms, and she exclaimed, “Oh, Sister Qi, how have your arms become so much thinner? Do you have some secret recipe to share with me?”
Qi Yue’s smile had been impossible to suppress on the spot.
In all her years as a noble lady in the capital, people had asked her for advice on poetry, prose, music, chess, and painting, but this was the first time anyone had consulted her on the “way of slimming down.”
Didn’t this prove that the effort she had put into body-shaping recently was bearing fruit?
Thinking back, although she might have exaggerated a bit in front of the Vice Minister’s daughter, she honestly reflected: the meals she had been eating lately didn’t seem to have anything special in them. She just followed the customized menu Xue Li provided—low oil, low salt, clean and simple.
Could it… really be that effective?
Qi Yue pondered deeply for a long time but still felt something was off.
If it was because of her diet, why did that girl only say her “arms were thinner”? Could it be because she had been carrying rare ingredients to the delicacy shop lately, effectively working out?
Unable to find an answer after a mental struggle, Qi Yue shook her head and looked toward the shop. To her surprise, she saw a large, noisy crowd gathered outside, while the shop itself was empty of customers.
What was going on?
Just as Qi Yue was about to rush inside, she was stopped by an elderly woman watching the spectacle. “Hey, hey, young lady, you still dare to approach that eatery?”
“Why wouldn’t I dare?” Qi Yue frowned in confusion. “Has something happened?”
“You don’t know? The owner of this shop was taken away by the Marquis of Ningwu for interrogation. They say she might be an enemy spy! You can’t eat there, absolutely can’t eat there!”
“What?!” Qi Yue was stunned.
Could it be that her brother found out about her monthly meal plan at the shop? But why arrest someone? That’s taking it way too far!
She asked urgently, “When did this happen?”
“Just about fifteen minutes ago.”
Qi Yue didn’t have time to ask more. She lifted her skirts and rushed into the shop.
In the backyard, Jiang Xiyu and the three children were also pacing in a frantic circle, their faces red with anxiety, looking like dry pots smoking on a hot stove.
“Xiyu!” Qi Yue called out, feeling a bit guilty. “This is my fault. Don’t panic, I’ll find a way!”
This whole thing started because of her. No matter what, she couldn’t let Xue Li suffer.
Jiang Xiyu was circling the large water vat. Hearing her voice, she stopped with righteous indignation. “How is it your fault? I think it’s all that old chef from the Marquis’s estate. His own skills aren’t good enough, so he snuck over every day to learn from Xue Li, and in the end, he dragged her into this!”
“What did you say?” Qi Yue’s eyes widened. “The Marquis’s estate? Which one?”
Jiang Xiyu was annoyed, though not at her. “Which one could it be? The famous and overbearing Marquis of Ningwu’s estate, of course!”
At the Marquis’s courtyard.
Guo Lixiang was tied up in the center of the yard, his mouth gagged with a rag. His mung-bean-sized eyes squinted in distress as he looked at Yun Feng, looking like a piteous victim of a false accusation.
Beside him, Xue Li was slightly better off. Her hands were tied behind her back, and she was forced to kneel on the ground. Though it wasn’t dignified, at least her mouth wasn’t gagged, so she could still speak.
The Marquis of Ningwu had not yet arrived. Only Yun Feng and a few guards were watching them.
“You say, this young lady looks so delicate and weak. Could she really be here to harm our Marquis?”
Afu sized Xue Li up. Seeing her slender frame and gentle appearance—kneeling submissively with a few strands of hair falling messily over her cheeks like a hibiscus emerging from water—she didn’t look like a spy at all.
Yun Feng frowned and poked him with the hilt of his sword. “What do you know? A soft blade cuts the deepest! Besides, what if she really poisoned the Marquis’s food?”
Afu rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. Looking at Miss Xue on the ground, Yun Feng couldn’t help but recall the taste of those Cloud Milk Buns, silently hoping it was all a misunderstanding.
At this moment, the “pitiful” Xue Li, though her head was lowered, was secretly darting her eyes around.
She was truly wronged!
She had merely taught Chef-Overseer Guo a few dishes out of kindness. How did she end up being arrested as a spy?
The world was truly going downhill; her kindness had been repaid with suspicion.
A glint suddenly flashed in her fox-like eyes. At this point, she didn’t care about dignity anymore; she had to find out what kind of temperament the Marquis had from this guard.
So, she took a breath, pretended to be heartbroken, gave a soft sob, and looked up at Yun Feng with teary eyes. “Lieutenant Yun, this humble girl…”
“Save it.” Yun Feng held his sword horizontally, cutting off her acting just before the tears could fall. “Wait until the Marquis interrogates you himself. It won’t be too late to speak then.”
Tch, how cold. Judging by this attitude, his master probably wasn’t much better.
Seeing that she was about to speak again, Yun Feng said curtly, “Or would you like to have your mouth gagged as well?”
She had no desire to taste a dirty rag.
Xue Li curled her lips inwardly and lowered her head again. Her knees were hurting from the kneeling. Why hadn’t the Marquis of Ningwu come to interrogate her yet? The sooner it started, the sooner it would end. After such a big scene, her shop was likely the talk of the neighborhood by now. How was she supposed to do business!
When Qi Xun entered the courtyard, this was the sight that greeted him.
Yun Feng was sternly overseeing the “criminal” young woman, who was tearful, her slender eyebrows knit in sorrow. A pool of autumn water seemed ready to spill from her eyes, and her shoulders trembled slightly, causing the tassels on the cherry-blossom sachet at her waist to dance. The thin silk cord outlined her pitifully slender waist…
Whatever Yun Feng said next made the girl lower her head in desolation, ceasing all movement in resignation.
Qi Xun observed her from a distance for a long time. The girl was clearly very alert; sensing someone watching, she looked up timidly and happened to lock eyes with him.
Those fox-like eyes of hers were truly exquisite—long and beautiful, with the outer corners tilting upward like willow branches brushed by a spring breeze.
If that were all, she might have looked a bit too flirtatious, but her eyelashes were thick and long. With a slight blink, they cast small, fan-like shadows on her eyelids, adding a touch of cleverness and charm.
Qi Xun calmly shifted his gaze, avoiding that overly intense stare, and stepped out slowly from behind the rockery.
Seeing Qi Xun enter the courtyard, Guo Lixiang’s eyes lit up, and he immediately began to make muffled “mhm-mhm” sounds.
Yun Feng stepped forward and pulled out the rag. Guo Lixiang coughed and choked, spitting a few times. Ignoring his disheveled state, he shouted his grievances to Qi Xun. “Marquis, I have been wronged! I am truly being framed!”
“How so?” Qi Xun sat down naturally in a grand armchair, his tone calm and unhurried. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Xue Li, who still looked as fragile as a willow in the wind.
“I only went to Miss Xue’s shop to learn cookery, not as some spy!” As he spoke, Guo Lixiang’s large, round face began to soak with tears. With snot and tears flowing, he wailed, “Ever since the Marquis returned with injuries, you have lost your appetite for the dishes I prepare. Seeing this, my heart has been in agony. By chance, I had the honor of tasting Miss Xue’s skills and was truly impressed beyond words. I thought of inviting her to the estate as a chef, but Miss Xue was unwilling. That is why I had to go to her shop personally to ask for guidance!”
“You have been a head chef for over thirty years, yet you were not ashamed to learn from a young lady?” Qi Xun said coolly.
These words were indeed true. Anyone hearing this would find it strange—how could a prestigious Chef-Overseer of a Marquis’s estate be inferior to a newcomer?
Yun Feng, standing nearby, moved his lips slightly but ultimately said nothing.
He knew the truth in his heart. He had eaten Miss Xue’s Cloud Milk Buns several times, and the taste was beyond praise. Although Chef-Overseer Guo was experienced, when it came to novel and interesting flavors, how could he compare to the quirky Miss Xue?
“I wouldn’t dare deceive the Marquis. Today, when Lieutenant Yun burst into the shop to arrest us, I was right in the middle of learning a dish from Miss Xue.”
Hearing this, Xue Li’s slender body stiffened.
…It’s over. Although the taste of that dish today was excellent, its appearance was… calling it “subpar” would be an understatement.
This Marquis of Ningwu was notoriously picky and harsh. She wondered if he actually knew how to appreciate good food.