Quick Transmigration: The Supporting Female Lead Stays Out of It - Chapter 36: Chef 35

It was precisely because Yan Langqing developed the dish “Ten thousand blessings Meat” that she stood out at the imperial birthday banquet and was summoned into the palace to be an imperial chef. Yet, this so-called famous dish was actually a result of her stealing the hard work of others. Although Lin Dan had no evidence, the fact that she could completely replicate the color, aroma, and taste of the Wanfu Meat using a few pieces of tofu, and even surpass Yan Langqing’s version, was enough to prove the truth of her words.

Moreover, her father’s two apprentices were both head chefs in Yan’s restaurant, receiving a handsome salary every month. If they were brought in and questioned, it wouldn’t be difficult to get the truth.

However, the Emperor didn’t care about any of this. He was the master of the world; if he wanted to protect someone, others couldn’t easily touch them. Therefore, without even asking about Yan Langqing’s crime of deceiving the emperor, he took her away, and the competition ended hastily. Fortunately, Lin Dan didn’t dwell on these things. She wrapped the gold knife and cookbook in red silk and left the Fragrant Garden unhurriedly.

Tang Jiu whispered behind her, “No wonder you told me not to interfere. Did you have a plan all along?”

Before Lin Dan could answer, the Marquis of Weiyuan had already strode over, and with a smile, he said, “Manager Lin, I’m thirty-nine years old this year. I had a wife, but she passed away from illness. I have no children, no concubines, and I have power, wealth, and ability. If you don’t mind, how about we make a hundred-year agreement?”

Lin Dan looked at him in astonishment, unable to speak for a long time.

Tang Jiu frowned fiercely and rebuked, “Marquis, please don’t joke like this. Be careful of sullying Manager Lin’s reputation!”

“When did I ever joke? I’m serious. If I could marry a woman as intelligent, virtuous, and of good moral character as Manager Lin, I don’t know how many lifetimes of blessings I would have earned. Young Master Tang, you’re so anxious; could it be that you also have designs on Manager Lin?”

“What nonsense are you talking about!” Tang Jiu hurriedly turned to look at Lin Dan, but he saw that she had already been pulled aside by Prince Cheng and Prince Gong to talk, and then she boarded the carriage and left without any hesitation. For ordinary people, marrying into a high-ranking family seemed to be a stroke of good fortune they couldn’t ask for, but for her, it felt like a trouble.

Besides researching culinary arts, she seemed to have no great interest in anything else in the world. This contradictory posture of being without desire yet extraordinarily serious deeply attracted the people around her. Tang Jiu stared at the departing carriage, his expression extremely frustrated. The Marquis of Weiyuan rotated the ring on his hand, his eyes filled with determination.

At the same time, Yan Langqing was kneeling beside the Emperor with trepidation, as he was slowly unwrapping a gray water zongzi, eating it with relish and displaying a very enjoyable expression.

“I didn’t expect zongzi soaked in gray water to be so delicious. After we get back, I’ll have the people in the imperial kitchen study it well and make it exactly the same,” the Emperor said. Yan Langqing was right by his side, but he didn’t mention letting her replicate the gray water zongzi. This showed that the previous competition and the subsequent disputes had greatly reduced his impression of Yan Langqing.

Yan Langqing’s face immediately turned ashen.

As the carriage passed through Qingyun Lane, the Emperor slowly said, “Stop the carriage, and send a few people to seal off Yan’s restaurant.”

Yan Langqing suddenly looked up, her eyes filled with shock.

The Emperor then glanced at her and smiled indifferently, “Why, did you forge imperial edicts and bully the market, and you didn’t think I would just let it go?” As he spoke, the shout of Yan Shouye, filled with anger and frustration, came from the carriage behind them, questioning the guards about why they were sealing his store. The guards pointed to the carriage in front of them, saying it was the Emperor’s will, and his tongue seemed to have been snatched away by a cat, instantly becoming silent.

The Emperor let out a cold snort, causing Yan Langqing to tremble all over. She thought she had completely lost his favor, but she didn’t expect the Emperor to hold her hand and, in a softened tone, say, “You’ve been in the palace for seven or eight years. You’ve had delicacies from the mountains and seas to make at your disposal, chefs from all over the places to command. If you want to learn a skill, I will have them impart everything they know. Logically speaking, your accomplishments should not be worse than Lin Dan, who came from the countryside. But look, you still lost to her today, and even your signature dishes were stolen or copied from others, lacking any unique characteristics of your own. It can be seen that in the way of cooking, you ultimately lack a bit of talent.”

Yan Langqing was unable to raise her head, her ashen face gradually turning red, filled with embarrassment and shame.

The Emperor changed the subject, and then he said, “Since you don’t have the talent to be a cook, then enter the palace to be my woman; I won’t treat you badly.”

Yan Langqing suddenly looked up, staring at the Emperor in utter surprise. After struggling for a long while, she finally nodded. She had nothing now, and she had made enemies everywhere in the culinary world, and even her shop had been shut down by the royal family. What kind of life would she have after leaving the palace? But if she became a concubine, everything would be different. In the past, she served others, but in the future, others would serve her; what was not to like?

The Emperor touched her delicate cheek, the movement seemingly very gentle, but the words he spoke were filled with coldness, “Since you’ve entered the palace, have your family behave themselves. If they cause me trouble, I won’t show any mercy.”

Yan Langqing trembled violently and hurriedly nodded her head in fear and trepidation. In a daze, she didn’t notice that the Emperor, who had always been responsive to her and caring for her, had completely changed his attitude. He had originally thought that Yan Langqing was a pure and kind girl, the last patch of pure land in this dirty palace, but it turned out she was no different from others. She would also scheme, plunder, and bully the weak, and her family was crude and ignorant, overbearing and tyrannical, which made him even more disgusted.

The Emperor never believed in the phrase “unsullied by the mud.” People who fell into the mire would only become more dirty because they needed to survive, so they would resort to any means, just like himself. And in that instant, he completely abandoned his anticipation and affection for Yan Langqing, treating her as an ordinary object of pleasure, giving her a slap and a sweet date, using the methods of taming a beast to tame her. After eating her, once the novelty wore off, she would not be any different from those concubines who had already lost favor.

But Yan Langqing didn’t understand the Emperor’s thoughts, still thinking that she was always the most special one in his heart, and she then mustered up her courage and said, “Your Majesty, may I stay at home for a while? My father’s injuries haven’t healed, and I’d like to wait until he’s fully recovered before returning to the palace.”

The Emperor looked at her deeply, and after a long while, he nodded, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Over here, Lin Dan had already returned to the intersection of the three alleys. As soon as she got off the carriage, she saw several young men excitedly coming towards her: “Manager Lin, you’re finally back! When are you planning to open your shop?”

“I’m not opening a shop. I’ll be leaving the capital soon,” Lin Dan waved her hand lightly.

The several men showed expressions as if they had lost their parents. They wanted to persuade her further, but they saw an eunuch leading a group of guards coming over in a mighty manner. He called out, “Are you Lin Dan, Chef Lin? You won the competition today, and the Emperor has bestowed you a plaque. You can accept it.”

Lin Dan then noticed that two guards standing behind him were carrying a square plaque wrapped in silk. After unveiling the silk, six large, majestic words were written in gold paint: “Heir to the Gold Knife Imperial Chef,” and the Emperor’s personal seal was also affixed.

It was just a pity that these words were no longer coveted by Lin Dan. But she still accepted the plaque, and dismissed the eunuch and the guards with red envelopes. She closed the door and silently packed up her things. The several men standing outside the door were completely dumbfounded. After a moment of stunned silence, they said, “My goodness, Manager Lin is actually the heir to the Gold Knife Imperial Chef. Amazing! What we eat every day is imperial cuisine!”

“Stop dreaming! Didn’t you hear? Manager Lin isn’t planning to open a shop here! She’s the heir to the Gold Knife Imperial Chef; if she opens a shop, it will be in the West City. Who would bother to cook noodles for us for just two copper coins?” The other men were filled with regret. If they had known that Manager Lin was the heir to the imperial chef, they wouldn’t have been so careless with her cooking. Now that they thought about it, Manager Lin’s skills and character were both excellent. Her opening a shop in South City was a blessing for the people of South City. It was just a pity that they didn’t know how to cherish their blessings.

Lin Dan packed her luggage and left the capital directly. Before she reached her home, she saw Qi standing at the crossroads, her face full of worry, looking out for her. She never thought her daughter would win; she only hoped that she could return safely. Therefore, when Lin Dan pulled open the silk cloth and showed her the cookbook and gold knife, she opened her eyes wide and covered her mouth, unable to recover for a long time.

“This, what is this?” she asked incredulously.

Lin Dan handed the two things over and smiled lightly, “Mom, I’ve won back Dad’s things. You take them.”

“Won, won? You really won?” Qi kept touching the gold knife and the cookbook, and gradually, she broke into a smile, and after a moment, she began to weep. Over the years, her daughter had traveled far and wide, been adrift and unstable, suffered so much and endured so much hardship; she was heartbroken!

Lin Dan embraced Qi and patted her gently, her voice very calm, “Mom, with these matters settled, let’s go and travel somewhere else. The world is vast, and there are many delicious foods waiting for us.”

Qi nodded, her eyes shining with joy.

It was not easy to go on a trip in those days. One had to prepare many supplies, plan the route, and obtain a travel permit; it wasn’t something one could just set off and do. Lin Dan stayed in the suburbs of the capital for another month. Seeing that everything was ready, she could set off, but a piece of bad news came from the capital—the Yongding Marquis Manor was searched and confiscated for colluding with foreign enemies, and Consort Tang was also thrown into the cold palace and could not be restored, and there was a fear of extermination.

Seeing the situation change drastically, Lin Dan stayed behind instead, fearing that she might be implicated if she left. She only sent Qi away far away and then dispatched a servant to inquire about the news in the city. The situation developed very rapidly. In just three days, the charges were confirmed. The women of the Yongding Marquis Manor were exiled for three thousand miles, and all the men were sentenced to beheading.

Several days later, even worse news arrived: the sixty-eight women of the Yongding Marquis Manor, unable to bear the humiliation, had all hanged themselves from the beams, including Consort Tang in the cold palace. The Emperor was extremely enraged by this, and he wanted to execute Tang Jiu and the others without waiting for the autumn, as if he were in a great hurry. On the day of the beheading, Lin Dan brought a huge food box and rushed to the execution ground to see Tang Jiu off.