This was nothing like ordinary roasted ribs. It was clearly ribs braised in a honey-garlic sauce.
The meat was plump, juicy, tender, and springy. The sauce spread over it—made by mincing garlic, rosemary, and several other spices together—along with the honey brushed on beforehand, had permeated all the way to the bone during the long “roasting” process.
After chewing off the soft, succulent meat, they sucked the bones as well, as if they could not bear to let a single trace of that lingering flavor go to waste.
When Gu Xiu and the others finally set down the bones in their hands, they actually felt a little sorry to part with them.
Something so thoroughly infused with deliciousness could not be swallowed whole along with the bones. What a waste.
Fortunately, there was still plenty left in front of them. The three men hurriedly ate several more pieces before finally managing to rein in their loss of composure.
The guests present were also clutching their stomachs as they rumbled, mouths watering and eyes reddening with envy.
Some of those who had originally qualified to serve as judges were now regretting their earlier pretense of generosity. Why on earth had they yielded this opportunity to someone else?
Owner Pei, however, seemed to have seen straight through everyone’s thoughts.
She smiled. “The whole pig is quite substantial, so when I prepared it, I intended to share it with all the honored guests present. Once the gentlemen have finished tasting it, we’ll divide it up and serve it while it’s still hot.”
At those words, everyone’s fatigue vanished.
They hurriedly said, “Owner Pei, you’re too kind. To have the opportunity to taste a dish created with your new technique is an honor we’ll be grateful for in three lifetimes.”
One impatient guest shouted at the judges, “Then hurry up! Stop dawdling!”
The three judges really did have limited room in their stomachs. Even so, when they heard Pei Liang intended to distribute the pig, they suddenly felt an urgent need to protect their food.
Fortunately, the sight of the enormous pig before them brought them back to their senses, and they managed not to make fools of themselves.
Pei Liang then cut into the rump. Like the loin, the rump had been sliced between the skin, but the two sections had been seasoned differently.
Gu Xiu nodded repeatedly. “Excellent, excellent. The loin is connected to the ribs, so Chef Pei took advantage of the way the honey-garlic flavor from the ribs would spread and seep into the surrounding meat. She built her seasoning on that foundation. Not only does it keep the flavors of the roasted meat from clashing and becoming a mere gimmick, it also makes use of the influence brought by the cooking method used on the adjoining sections.”
“The rump is far from the other parts, and its meat is tender and fresh. It can generally be used in place of loin. But because the pig’s haunch is so thick, the rump is unaffected by the cooking methods used in the abdominal cavity. That gives her the freedom to handle it separately.”
Between the slices of rump were actually pieces of roasted long pepper, sizzling meat mixed with crisp, spicy peppers. The seasoning had the bold, savory character of Sichuan cuisine.
The peppers had been deseeded and trimmed, then roasted thoroughly until their skins were slightly charred. This reduced their heat while intensifying their fragrance, adding the smoky pungency of roasted peppers.
Even one judge who could not tolerate spicy food found the flavor just right. The meat was fragrant, spicy, crisp, and tender, while the slight char added another layer of texture.
Even he ate several pieces in succession. As for the guests who loved spicy food, the aggressively smoky aroma nearly shattered what little reason they had left.
They were practically picking at their toenails while waiting for those three [beep] judges to finish their tasting.
After the rump came the upper leg and the pork belly. Both sections were well suited to roasting, so Pei Liang did not seem to have done much more to them.
But once they were cut open, the true mystery was revealed. The meat in both places had taken on the deep color of a rich braising sauce. Despite their evenly distributed fat and lean meat, they seemed to have been stewed. The meat was soft and falling apart, bursting with the aroma of the sauce. When the knife went in, juices of the same deep color flowed and spread.
“H-How did you manage this?”
Gu Xiu’s heart stirred. He personally picked up the long fork and carving knife beside him and cut into the meat at the center.
His face immediately filled with astonishment. “Just as I thought. It’s been made into a meatball.”
The huge slab of meat had actually been minced, seasoned, and mixed with scallions, ham, and diced lotus root before being stuffed back into its original position.
The whole pig served as its casing. Once cut open, the filling rolled out like the inside of an enormous dumpling.
Anyone who loved dumplings—especially those who enjoyed juicy, tender meat fillings—had surely dreamed as a child of having a dumpling the size of a washbasin, filled entirely with meat, so they could eat to their heart’s content.
But as they grew older, they realized such a thing was impractical. The larger the portion, the harder it was to cook. If there really were a dumpling that enormous, one would not even need to consider whether the wrapper would disintegrate in the boiling water. The filling alone would be a problem: the outside would be overcooked, dry, and tough while the center remained raw.
Yet when Pei Liang cut open that enormous meatball, its juices had seeped all the way through, leaving the inside and outside equally cooked. The sight made everyone wish their mouths were ten times larger so they could take one enormous bite.
Gu Xiu scooped up a spoonful of the meatball filling. He had already grasped part of the secret. Closing his eyes, he savored the rich meat juices, the firm yet tender texture, and the abundant broth, along with the scallion fragrance and the crisp bite of lotus-root pieces.
The other two judges had not yet figured it out. After tasting it, they exclaimed, “Why does this have the richness of superior stock as well? Is the juice in this meatball not simply the meat’s own moisture?”
Gu Xiu smiled. “I believe the secret lies here.”
He pointed to the holes that had been drilled into the pig’s bones at regular intervals.
“The reason the upper leg and pork belly were able to develop the texture of braised meat while roasting inside the body must be the same. Chef Pei likely used the marrow juices as a conduit, directing them into these three particular areas. That maintained a moist, high-temperature cooking environment to achieve the results she wanted. At the same time, she sent the stock in both directions, injecting the huge meatball with scalding broth. This allowed it to heat from both inside and out, while making the flavor even richer and more intoxicating.”
The other two judges hurried over for a look. “It really is so!”
The other guests were practically frantic with impatience, but when they heard this, they could not help exclaiming in admiration.
“What astonishing ingenuity!”
“Not only is the idea ingenious, the execution must have been extremely difficult. The pig’s bones are hidden deep inside. To draw out their essence and even use it to nourish the meat, the process must work against the usual order in which a roast heats.”
“Judging from the current position of the bones, they must have been cut out and adjusted beforehand. Before roasting the whole pig, she probably wrapped them in foil and cooked them first to draw out the marrow essence, then controlled its direction during the roast. That must be how she achieved the final result.”
“So that’s how it was…”
“I understand now!” Gu Xiu said. “I’d been wondering how the loin and rump had acquired such a tender, smooth texture when cooked through the skin, without any hint of having been in contact with cooking utensils.”
“It was the bones.”
Pei Liang nodded. “Marquis Gu, you have a keen eye. That is exactly right.”
Gu Xiu waved his hand. “Keen eye? The answer was right in front of me for ages before I noticed it.”
He pointed again to the honey-garlic ribs. “These, on the other hand, are simple. A spherical metal roasting cage filled with red-hot charcoal and wrapped in a spice pouch was placed inside the pig’s stomach.”
“That way, the pig could be roasted from both sides, while the ribs themselves never came into direct contact with the heat source. Combined with the high humidity inside the pig, this produced meat that was bursting with moisture, slightly crisp on the outside, and not dry in the slightest—a truly exquisite flavor.”
“The roasting cage even absorbed the excess gases produced by the complicated preparation, preventing the flavors of the various sections from mingling and overpowering one another. Truly ingenious.”
As he spoke, Gu Xiu glanced at the pig’s trotters and smiled. “You can’t hide this one from me. When the trotters were roasted, you must have punctured them to draw out the marrow, marinated them with spices in advance, and then wrapped them in foil to roast them slowly.”
Pei Liang nodded. “Exactly. Once the inside has softened and absorbed the flavor, remove the tin wrapping and roast the surface over an open flame. That way, it’ll be crisp on the outside and tender within, without turning dry or tough.”
Gu Xiu burst out laughing. “Someone pack it up for me.”
That immediately provoked the outrage of the crowd.
“Since when are takeaways allowed?”
“Marquis Gu, we all know you’re a man of lofty status, but we’ve been familiar with one another from all our food-hunting expeditions. What do we always say? Good things shouldn’t be hidden away and enjoyed in secret—they should be shared and discussed with everyone. What’s this about?”
“Owner Pei already said that after you taste it, you have to share it. How can you still be packing it up? We won’t allow it!”
“Shameless!”
“Who was that just now?” one of the Gu family’s attendants barked angrily.
Fortunately, Gu Xiu had always enjoyed discussing and comparing fine food with others and never used his influence to bully people. Seeing that he had aroused the displeasure of so many diners, he could only reluctantly abandon his crafty plan.
Even so, he hurriedly sliced another large platter of meat from the whole roasted pig. The other two judges wanted to do the same, but because of their positions, they forcibly held themselves back.
The regret in their eyes was as sharp as knives—obvious to anyone with eyes.
The staff of First Tower were swift and efficient. Before long, the meat had been distributed.
The diners present had already been hungry. They had spent the entire noon filling their stomachs with nothing but melon seeds and tea. Now that the soul-stirring roasted meat was in their hands, they devoured it greedily, still unsatisfied. They practically wanted to swallow the plates whole.
Anyone who could afford to eat at First Tower came from a reasonably prosperous household at the very least. Yet at that moment, quite a few of them were licking their plates clean.
Once the first person started licking, everyone else thought, Since I’m not the only one disgracing myself, and followed suit.
Someone even asked a waiter, “Do you have any rice? I want to pour the meat juices over a bowl of it.”
The people nearby immediately realized that this was possible and began asking for rice as well.
There was certainly no rice to be had—not because the kitchen lacked it, but because the Chi family refused to provide any.
Manager Chi sneered. “Owner Pei, this is still a competition. You’re using food to win people over. Although there are only three official judges, the opinions of everyone here will inevitably influence the result.”
“My Chi family only has so much food, not enough to distribute among everyone. You’re taking advantage of the fact that they’re all hungry, making them think your dish is the ultimate delicacy. Even if the three judges declare me the winner, the people here may still feel that the result lacks legitimacy.”
“Owner Pei, you’re young, but your schemes and methods are beyond anything we can match.”
The surrounding diners exploded in anger.
“Bullshit! The judges were already biased toward you in the previous round. Do you think we’re blind?”
“You only had the advantage of preparation in that round, and your dish happened to hit the standards of two of the judges. We let it go.”
“But this roast pig beats your suckling pig by eight streets, whether we’re talking about innovation or difficulty. The three judges barely sampled your suckling pig, but they couldn’t stop eating Chef Pei’s roast pig. And you still have the nerve to act as though victory is already yours.”
“You’ve got barely two ounces of skill, but your face is as big as a platter.”
“You haven’t even tasted it! What gives you the right to draw such conclusions?” Manager Chi shouted. “You’re nothing but yes-men who’ve been bought off with a few mouthfuls of meat. What do you know about food?”
Master Chef Chi, standing behind him, let out a sigh. He wanted nothing more than to kick this wasteful fool to death.
Sure enough, those words enraged the crowd even further.
“Yes, yes, of course. Your Chi family’s food is sublime and beyond the reach of ordinary people. Anyone who dislikes it must simply be ignorant and incapable of appreciating fine cuisine.”
“Your suckling pig may be small, but there’s enough for everyone here to have a bite. If you’re not convinced, cut it into a hundred pieces and let us all taste it together.”
“That won’t do.” Manager Chi hurriedly objected. “We agreed that there would be three judges. How did it suddenly become a public tasting? What would be the point of the rules we established at the beginning?”
The crowd began jeering at him, leaving Manager Chi red-faced.
Someone struck a gong, signaling everyone to quiet down.
Gu Xiu was the first to speak. “This time, you have no objections to choosing the Pei family’s whole roasted pig, do you?”
The two judges exchanged a glance. In each other’s eyes, they saw the bitter helplessness of men who found money hard to earn and every bite of it hard to swallow.
If it had been the fish from the previous round, they could have forcefully talked their way around it. But this pig was superior on every level. No matter how they looked at it, the two dishes weren’t even in the same league.
Even if they wanted to earn this money, they couldn’t ignore their reputations or their future prospects. It was also the Chi family’s fault for being so disappointing. They had once been a major establishment on par with Fragrant Heavens Tower, yet the gap between them was now astonishing.
The Chi family’s suckling pig was, strictly speaking, a top-quality dish. If the Pei family hadn’t produced something so stunning, they might have been able to let it slide.
But now, they were caught between a rock and a hard place.
The next round’s theme was eggs, and there shouldn’t be much room for variation. Since the competition was best two out of three, they only needed to ensure the final result and be done with it.
The two men nodded. “We agree with Marquis Gu’s judgment.”
Gu Xiu nodded and said no more.
Manager Chi, on the other hand, looked utterly stunned as he pointed at the two judges. “You—you two…”
Before he could finish, his father, Master Chef Chi, kicked him.
That idiot—was he afraid no one would notice what was going on?
Gu Xiu continued, “Bring out the third dish.”
This time, neither side made much of a spectacle. Each presented only two plates.
When the Chi family lifted the cover, three eggs standing on an exquisite wooden base appeared before the crowd.
The shells at the tops of the eggs had been cut away with perfectly even openings, turning them into little egg-cup bowls. The shells themselves were even more exquisite.
They had been carved with intricate, elegant designs. This no longer looked like a dish; it seemed more like an ornamental work of art meant to be placed in a study and admired at leisure.
Even Gu Xiu smiled. “The presentation is certainly exceptional.”
He picked up an egg and examined it closely. “The shell has been carved through without damaging the membrane, and it can still serve as a container in this form. Truly ingenious craftsmanship.”
Manager Chi was just about to speak proudly when Gu Xiu added, “This was made by the Tan family in the southern part of the city, wasn’t it?”
The words Manager Chi was about to say caught in his throat. After several breaths, he unwillingly forced out, “That’s right.”
The appearance of a dish naturally formed part of its evaluation. But now that Gu Xiu had pointed out that the egg-shell carving was not the work of the Chi family themselves, but had been done by a master craftsman they had hired, that craftsmanship could no longer count as an advantage in the competition.
They had wracked their brains to come up with this gimmick. Now that their greatest advantage had been cut away, even Manager Chi’s following explanation sounded listless.
He introduced the dish. “For the eggs, we chose the simplest possible preparation. This steamed egg is the dish presented by my Chi family.”
Inside the three finely carved shells was tender, springy steamed egg, each topped with a dab of meat sauce and three scallion blossoms. It looked small, delicate, and refined.
The staff presented the three judges with small silver spoons. Judging by its appearance and the way it was eaten, the dish looked more like a dessert.
The three judges scooped up a spoonful of steamed egg. It was remarkably elastic, wobbling lightly on the silver spoons. Even before tasting it, they could tell how tender it would be.
And sure enough, once it entered their mouths, it was almost impossible to feel the steamed egg at all. It seemed to slip straight down their throats in a single motion.
Contrary to what they had imagined, the steamed egg was anything but bland. It had no trace of egginess, and its flavor was rich and full-bodied. It was far more than the smooth tenderness of egg alone—the savory essence of several different meats burst forth, making each mouthful astonishingly abundant and luxurious.
Gu Xiu said, “The water you used to beat the eggs must have been a stock simmered from pork bones, an old hen, ham, dried scallops, and other fresh ingredients.”
Manager Chi hurriedly flattered him. “Exactly. Don’t be fooled by this small bowl of steamed egg. It gathers the purest and freshest flavors of meat and bone, then adds a secret meat sauce. Even one serving costs a great deal to make.”
The other two judges nodded as well. “It truly is a concentration of pure essence.”
“That stock contains too many ingredients and too much oil. If it had been used directly to mix with the egg, it could never have produced such a tender, silky texture. You must have done the same as with the White Jade Cabbage—using minced pork and chicken to absorb the impurities, then filtering it several times to obtain a stock that is rich in flavor yet clear as spring water.”
“On top of that, the control of the heat and the presentation make this even more difficult than the White Jade Cabbage. You certainly put a great deal of thought into it.”
Gu Xiu, however, said, “It is intricate, certainly, but in a competition like this, it has no originality and no personal style. It merely uses the White Jade Cabbage technique as its foundation. Anyone could make it.”
To be honest, the steamed egg was indeed delicious, but it had left Gu Xiu deeply disappointed.
Thinking back, all three dishes presented by the Chi family seemed to be relying on old laurels. Even this one had not been perfected to the fullest.
It seemed that the Drunken Sun Pavilion in the western part of the city truly had fallen into decline.
The other two judges, however, felt that Gu Xiu was nitpicking.
“Marquis Gu, Owner Pei is young, so it is only natural that he has a lively and unconventional mind. The Chi family, on the other hand, intended to refine their techniques. I don’t think either side can truly be called superior or inferior.”
Gu Xiu laughed. “If a chef only knows how to cling to old recipes and has no desire to experiment or seek innovation, can he still be called a chef?”
“Back then, the two master chefs of the Pei and Chi families were both over sixty, yet they continued researching every day. How is it that, in your eyes, refusing to move forward has become a virtue?”
There was no arguing with him.
The two judges wore embarrassed expressions and could only change the subject. “In that case, please have Owner Pei present his dish.”
Pei Liang lifted the lid from her dish, and everyone saw several raw eggs piled on the plate.
There was no decoration at all. They looked no different from a few plain boiled eggs thrown together. Compared with the Chi family’s immediate display of elegance and extravagance, they looked positively shabby.
Still, after their earlier experience with the hand-poured fish noodles, everyone had learned not to make a fuss.
“It must be another half-finished dish, I suppose?”
“I wonder what astonishing technique Chef Pei can bring out of an ordinary egg this time.”
Even the three judges thought the same thing as they waited eagerly.
Then Pei Liang said, “Please, enjoy.”
For a moment, everyone felt as though they had stepped off a cliff—
That’s it?
But because they trusted Pei Liang’s culinary skill, they did not dare underestimate the plain-looking eggs.
One judge picked up an egg first and felt its temperature in his hand. “The surface of this egg is flawless. If there is some hidden trick inside, then it must have been pierced with a needle. This should be another dish requiring extraordinarily precise preparation.”
As he spoke, he tapped the egg open, only to realize at once that something was wrong.
“That isn’t the sound of an eggshell. This is—”
Rather, it sounded like a paper-thin biscuit baked until crisp and shattering. The judge tentatively picked up a fragment of the shell and placed it in his mouth.
Sure enough, it was filled with a crisp, fragrant flavor, rich with the aroma of fresh milk.
“This isn’t a boiled egg!”
The other two hurriedly picked up an egg each and placed them in their dishes before splitting them open down the middle with their spoons.
A golden, molten yolk flowed out like liquid gold dripping from the sun, dazzling and irresistibly appetizing.
They scooped up a spoonful of yolk and placed it in their mouths. The exquisite savoriness of salted egg yolk, crab roe, and crabmeat erupted across their tongues, melting the instant it touched them. The powerful aromas of crab and egg swept over every corner of their mouths, overwhelming even the sumptuous pork they had just tasted.
Surrounding the yolk was a white layer as delicate as minced meat. But upon closer inspection, they realized it was not meat at all.
“This is—tofu?”
Pei Liang nodded. “Tender tofu. Crab roe and tofu are a perfect pairing.”
The three judges nodded repeatedly. Indeed, they were.
Once pierced, the crab roe flowed into the tofu. The two flavors mingled together, crab and soybean intertwining so perfectly that one wished they could remain entwined forever on the tongue.
Unfortunately, there was only so much yolk an egg could hold. Even with the layer of tofu surrounding it, the filling was gone in just two or three small bites.
Then the three judges noticed that the transparent egg white, which had been solid at first, was gradually beginning to melt into something resembling raw egg.
Pei Liang smiled. “This dish must be eaten immediately, within a very short time. Please drink the liquid straight from the shell, or it will all go to waste.”
The three judges hurriedly drank it down. The inside of the shell had been softened and infused with flavor by the liquid, while the outside remained pleasantly crisp.
Eating it all in one mouthful was like drinking a bowl of rich soup from a thin, crispy pancake. The pleasure spread through every limb.
“Is this chicken-stock jelly?” Gu Xiu asked.
“Exactly. This dish is called Dragon’s Cry Egg, and it has four layers. The yolk is made by whipping together egg yolk, salted egg yolk, crab roe, and crabmeat. Since eating the yolk on its own would be wasteful, I shaped tender tofu into the middle layer. It also serves to keep the chicken-stock jelly from dispersing and ruining the yolk’s appearance. The egg white is made from chicken-stock jelly. Finally, everything is wrapped in a baked crisp shell and sealed with real egg liquid, which acts as the adhesive. That produces a dish whose exterior is indistinguishable from a raw egg, even though everything inside has been completely transformed.”
Gu Xiu praised it lavishly. “It is truly ingenious—so lifelike that it deceives the eye.”
“Where does the name ‘Dragon’s Cry’ come from?”
Pei Liang thought to herself that there was no particular reason. The restaurant that had originally used molecular gastronomy to create a lifelike dragon fruit had been called Dragon’s Cry Restaurant. She had simply been too lazy to think of another name.
But Gu Xiu supplied his own explanation. “The yolk must resemble the dripping radiance of the sun. Even a divine dragon would sing upon seeing it, would it not?”
“That is exactly right,” Pei Liang replied, following his reasoning.
After saying this, Gu Xiu took another egg and placed it on his plate. This time, he did not open it. Instead, he bit into it directly, swallowing half the egg in one mouthful.
All four layers of flavor came together at once, creating a taste so marvelous it was difficult to describe. Gu Xiu felt so refreshed that it was as though he had been transported to Yangcheng Lake, with the incomparable freshness of plump crab filling his nostrils.
The other two judges also quickly took the remaining eggs for themselves.
The spectators had just eaten the meat dishes, but now their mouths watered all over again.
Someone hurriedly asked, “Owner Pei, will this egg be added to the menu tomorrow?”
“Add it, add it! Set whatever price you like. I’m placing my order right now.”
“And the fish noodles.”
“And the pork.”
Pei Liang neither agreed nor refused. Once the judges had finished eating, it was time to announce the final result.
Gu Xiu spoke first. “I believe the outcome is beyond doubt.”
The other two judges now felt the bitter pain of having brought this upon themselves. Who could have imagined that an egg could be transformed into something so extraordinary?
Leaving everything else aside, the fact that the outer shell had been baked to mimic an actual egg in shape, color, and texture was already nothing short of miraculous.
They had held the eggs in their own hands. The patterns, the texture—who could have recognized with the naked eye that they were fake?
On that point alone, the Chi family’s dish, with its shell carved by a master craftsman, was inferior by more than a small margin, despite its ornate appearance.
It was naturally improper to lie through their teeth, but they had been paid to do a job, and they could not back out at the last moment. After all, the people they were dealing with were no saints.
Thus, the two men could only grit their teeth and say, “I-I choose the Chi family.”
“Me too.”
This time, they could not even come up with a remotely convincing excuse. They had simply forced the words out.
Sure enough, the moment they spoke, the entire crowd exploded.
“You two old fools were bought off long ago, weren’t you?”
“We knew there was something wrong with you. Even a blind man could see the difference between the dishes, yet you two kept showing favoritism. In the end, you even treated us all like idiots. Outrageous!”
“And we trusted your character and judgment enough to put you forward as judges. If we had known this would happen, we might as well have gone up there ourselves.”
“Exactly! All that delicious food went straight to the dogs when it was wasted on you two.”
The two men’s faces flushed crimson as they retorted, “Say whatever you like. Our consciences are clear.”
“Bah! Swear it before your ancestors, then!”
“You practically licked Chef Pei’s plates clean every time you tasted his dishes. Take that fish-noodle soup, for example. You kept insisting that it lacked the fresh flavor of fish, yet you didn’t miss a single sip of the broth.”
“And that Dragon’s Roar Egg—Chef Pei finished both of his, while half of the Chi family’s steamed egg was still left. Do you think you’re the only blind men here? Do you expect us to pretend along with you?”
“The Chi family has no shame! Your skills were inferior to begin with. Since you came here to challenge them, the outcome should have depended solely on your abilities. If you had acted openly and honestly, then win or lose, this could have become a fine story. Who would have thought you’d resort to such despicable tricks?”
Manager Chi immediately began shouting, “Speaking of despicable, who can compare with the Pei family? Have you all forgotten that years ago, when that woman from the Pei family competed against Chef Wei next door, she also bribed the judges?”
“Also?” The crowd was amused by his foolishness. “So you admit that you bribed the judges?”
“I-I didn’t! Don’t twist my words! When did I ever admit to that?”
“Just now. Everyone heard you.”
The two judges now felt as though they had been dragged through the mud. They wished they could get as far away from that idiot as possible.
Manager Chi was laughed off the stage, leaving him unable to recover his dignity. For a moment, the Chi family became the laughingstock of the entire gathering.
Yet the old man and the youth standing behind him looked increasingly somber, as though the surrounding ridicule had never reached their ears.
At last, Manager Chi let out a furious roar. “The dish for which the Pei family received an imperial plaque from the late emperor has a questionable origin!”
The moment those words were spoken, the entire venue fell silent.
Afraid that the crowd would continue to drown him out, Manager Chi hurriedly added, “Owner Pei, I’m afraid you know exactly what I’m about to say.”
“Our Chi family never intended to drive you into a corner. We only wanted to reclaim what rightfully belongs to us. But you’ve pushed us too far, so don’t blame me if I—”
“Pushed you too far? Wasn’t it simply that your skills were inadequate?” Pei Liang interrupted.
“Oh, that’s right. I misspoke.” Pei Liang smiled at Manager Chi. “The ones whose skills are inadequate should be the two men behind you. As for you, there’s something I’ve wanted to ask from the beginning: In what capacity are you standing here, Manager Chi?”
Manager Chi flew into a rage. “What a joke! Naturally, I’m standing here as the heir and current head of Zuiyang Restaurant.”
“Heir? I’ve never heard of a culinary family allowing someone who cannot even cook to become its heir.” Pei Liang glanced at his clothes.
“Manager Chi, setting aside whether this chef’s uniform fits you properly, even its length is wrong. Clearly, it does not belong to you. And then there are your hands. Even your son’s hands are a hundred times rougher than yours. Your palms and the bases of your thumbs bear no calluses whatsoever. It’s obvious that you have never held a kitchen knife or handled a wok and ladle.”
“Although the three dishes were prepared separately, I kept an eye on your side as well. Apart from occasionally passing over a bowl or plate—and even getting those wrong—did you help with anything at all?”
“All these details indicate that you have never been in charge of a kitchen. So, in today’s culinary contest, what right do you have to stand in front of me and speak?”
“If you disagree with the result, then let the person who actually handled the cooking step forward and face me.”
“You—you’re claiming I did nothing based on one glance? What makes you think you can be so certain?” Manager Chi still tried to deny it.
But that fool kept missing the point entirely. The people around him immediately spoke up.
“Chef Pei may not have seen it, but did we all somehow miss it too?”
“Exactly! Who in the capital doesn’t know Chi Dagang? When it comes to drinking, gambling, womanizing, and other vices, he’s an expert in all of them. But as for cooking—what can he actually do?”
“Master Chef Chi, since your family came here to issue a challenge, you should come forward and speak for yourself. Don’t expect that good-for-nothing wastrel of yours to hold the fort. If he says much more, Zuiyang Restaurant will have offended every customer in the entire city.”
Master Chef Chi remained silent. Seeing this, the crowd did not press him further. They assumed that Chi Dagang had acted on his own, driven by envy of First Restaurant’s growing reputation and led astray by his greed, dragging his family’s old patriarch into an embarrassing situation.
After all, Master Chef Chi had always given people the impression of being an honest, taciturn man, much like Little Chef Pei in the past. Perhaps both men had simply been led into trouble by their own families.
But Manager Chi clung stubbornly to Pei Liang’s earlier remarks. “Owner Pei, don’t change the subject. I know you’re afraid that I’ll expose the truth—that your First Restaurant is built on a dishonorable foundation and that your family will be ruined.”
“So what if I can’t cook? I’m a member of the Chi family. Is it not only right that I seek justice for my family?”
“Oh? We’ve been talking for quite some time, yet I still have no idea what the Pei family supposedly owes yours. Why don’t you explain it and refresh my memory?” Pei Liang asked with a faint, mocking smile.
Manager Chi did not answer him directly. He merely sneered. “I’ll make you admit it wholeheartedly soon enough.”
“Our Chi family’s ancestors said that whenever they invented a new technique or created a new recipe, they would leave a special mark on it, to prevent others from stealing it and leaving them with no way to seek redress.”
“Back then, my grandfather was as famous as Chef Pei. The two of them often exchanged pointers, and my grandfather shared everything he knew and thought of with Chef Pei without holding anything back. That was how much he trusted their friendship.”
“But who could have imagined that Chef Pei would steal one of my grandfather’s signature techniques?”
“At the time, the late emperor was traveling incognito. When he passed by Zuiyang Restaurant, he wanted to dine there. However, one of the eunuchs accompanying him happened to be from the same hometown as your Pei family. He had received a kindness from Chef Pei when he was young, so he reported to the late emperor that the finest restaurant in the capital was none other than Tianxiang Restaurant.”
“Thus, the late emperor changed course. Your Pei family had already made preparations, knowing that the late emperor enjoyed fish but often disliked its bones. So you catered to his preferences and used the technique stolen from my grandfather to serve him a delicacy that could be eaten without any concern for fish bones.”
“Then, when the late emperor offered to recruit you, you pretended to be aloof and high-minded, deceived him, and ultimately obtained that imperial plaque proclaiming you the finest restaurant under heaven.”
The moment he finished speaking, everyone present drew a sharp breath.
This was true not only of the common people. Even Gu Xiu, whose status was supremely noble, grew solemn.
He spoke up. “Manager Chi, do you understand the consequences of what you’ve said today?”
“If your claims are true, then the Pei family is guilty of spying on the emperor’s movements, bribing an imperial attendant, and deceiving and offending the throne. Those are crimes serious enough to warrant the execution of the entire family. Your so-called dispute over culinary skills would be the least of it.”
“But if you fabricated these lies without cause and slandered the Pei family—if you even dragged the late emperor into it—then the death sentence will fall on the Chi family instead.”
Gu Xiu had always mingled among the diners as an idle man of wealth and leisure. He usually kept a low profile and, unlike the other lofty first-rank marquises, inspired little fear in those who saw him.
But at this moment, his expression was grave and his gaze sharp, radiating the oppressive presence of someone accustomed to being in power.
He turned his eyes toward the managers of the two restaurants before him.
Manager Pei’s expression remained unchanged. Even as everyone present cried out in astonishment, she seemed entirely detached from the center of the controversy.
The outspoken Manager Chi, on the other hand, had begun to sweat. His eyes darted about as he repeatedly wiped his face with a handkerchief.
In the end, he still insisted, “Yes, what I said is true. I can prove every word of it.”
He did not dare meet Gu Xiu’s eyes. Instead, he turned toward Pei Liang, a vicious look flashing across his face.
“Manager Pei, do you admit to what I just said?”
Pei Liang could not even be bothered to look at the fool. Her mind, however, was already racing.
As expected, whoever had come up with this pretext—and arranged it so meticulously, drawing her attention from every direction and keeping her from focusing on the competition—was clearly after something far greater.
This was the sort of ruthless opponent who would remain quiet until striking, only to leave their target with no chance of recovery.
Of all the people she knew, the only one with such a deep grudge and the ability to turn it into action was Wei Yingshu.
Pei Liang had spotted her in the crowd long ago. Wei Yingshu had seemed highly impatient with the contest at first, yet she had remained seated and refused to leave. Clearly, she knew exactly what was going on.
To be honest, Wei Yingshu herself was not someone worth targeting specifically. What loomed behind her was the halo of favor—this world’s partiality toward her.
And this time, aside from Li Shen, the mad dog who would not hesitate to sacrifice himself for Wei Yingshu, Pei Liang could think of no other culprit.
The other men who worshiped Wei Yingshu simply lacked the ability and intelligence to arrange such a vicious trap.
In fact, Pei Liang had already figured out the likely preparations Li Shen had made in advance.
Fortunately, she was not the sort of person who waited passively for others to ambush her before striking back.
When she remained silent, Manager Chi sneered. “I knew you would deny everything. But do you really think I would make such accusations without evidence?”
“Oh? What evidence do you have, Manager Chi?” Pei Liang asked perfunctorily.
“As I said earlier, every recipe for my Chi family’s signature dishes bears a special mark placed there by our family. Anyone who steals our techniques without understanding that mark will inevitably steal the mark along with them. That constitutes irrefutable evidence of theft. Surely Manager Pei understands this principle?”
How could Pei Liang not understand?
In later generations, this was known as a “copyright trap.”
For example, one might deliberately insert a minor error into a novel, set of lyrics, or melody. If a plagiarist copied that error exactly, it would serve as conclusive proof of plagiarism.
If she had not been the target, Pei Liang might even have applauded Li Shen’s ingenuity. Now, with the trap exposed, she also understood the purpose of the stooges planted in the crowd to steer public opinion.
Manager Chi continued, “You claim that you improved the technique of filleting a live fish. What a joke. Without my Chi family’s technique as its foundation, how could you possibly have improved it?”
“Grandfather couldn’t bear to expose Chef Pei and ruin his reputation after decades of friendship, so he never even told my father.”
“But because I was deeply attached to Grandfather, I was the one who attended him on his deathbed. Unable to accept what was happening, he secretly told me everything before he died.”
“Manager Pei, would you let me taste your Live Silk Fish Noodles?”
Pei Liang smiled. “Manager Chi, if you have something to say, say it all at once. You’ve been playing mysterious for so long, avoiding the crucial point whenever you reach it. You’re exhausting everyone’s patience.”
Manager Chi looked utterly confident. “I have been cautious because every word I’ve spoken is true. I must provide solid evidence, lest you try to wriggle out of it later.”
“The mark I mentioned is in that fish dish of yours. Let me have a taste, and you’ll see.”
Pei Liang gestured toward the table where her finished dishes had been placed. “Help yourself, Manager Chi.”
Manager Chi immediately picked up a bowl of fish noodles. Perhaps he was too eager; his thumb sank right into the broth.
Master Chef Chi and Manager Chi’s son both showed intense fluctuations in expression, but in the end, neither said a word.
When Manager Chi had noisily slurped down the entire bowl of fish noodles, his smugness became even more pronounced.
He set down the bowl. “Just as I thought. Manager Pei, even though you’ve taken apart the whole fish and turned it into strands, the flaw that should be there still remains.”
“I’ll tell you now what your technique—”
Before he could finish, a sudden jet of blood burst from Manager Chi’s mouth. His eyes bulged with shock, and his face was filled with disbelief.
Then, before he could say another word, he collapsed to the ground and died.
The answer everyone had been eagerly waiting for had now become impossible to uncover, with its only witness dead.
