Although they were called desserts, they were really the final staple dishes served at the end of the banquet to fill everyone’s stomachs. The menu listed the closing selection of staple desserts as Zhútǒng Fàn, Xiǎolóng Guàntāng Bāo, Ǒufěn Gēng, and Guìhuā Jiǔniàng Xiǎo Yuánzi.

By the time Lin Fei arrived, Wen Mingtang had just finished making Guìhuā Jiǔniàng Xiǎo Yuánzi and was transferring them into small round serving bowls, one portion per bowl, making them look delicate and elegant while also being convenient to serve.

The golden osmanthus blossoms bloomed in the yeast, and the lovely little rice balls, yellow and white, had a fresh and bright color. The two or three red goji berries were the finishing touch. At first glance, the soup in the round bowl had a clear luster, which looked elegant but was quite tempting.

Lin Fei just stood aside and did not deliberately smell it. The rich aroma of rice wine mixed with the sweet fragrance of osmanthus came from the round bowl with the rising steam.

A slightly intoxicating, faintly sweet aroma wafted into his nose. Lin Fei lowered his gaze to the osmanthus-flavored sweet rice balls in the round bowl, his eyes narrowing slightly before he looked away. He addressed the maid who had come in to bring the main course and snacks, saying, “Take them directly to the guest courtyard. Madam Lu is unwell and has gone to rest!” This statement signaled the early end of the banquet. Wen Mingtang handed the prepared osmanthus-flavored sweet rice balls to the maid, wiped his hands, and glanced at Chef Xing, who was about to prepare a meat dish.

Chef Xing stopped what he was doing and asked Lin Fei, “Second Young Master, what about the remaining meat dishes…”

Lin Fei shook his head and said, “No need to serve any more.”

Chef Xing hummed in agreement, did not insist, and instead raised the slightly torn bandage on his hand, greeted Wen Mingtang and Lin Fei, and went back to change the dressing.

After Chef Xing left, Wen Mingtang finally breathed a sigh of relief. She looked at Lin Fei, paused for a moment, and then asked, “Young Master Lin, did Chef Xing know the guests who came today?”

Lin Fei remained noncommittal, only pausing before saying, “As soon as the braised pork was served, Madam Lu started gagging, saying she felt uncomfortable from the smell of too much meat.”

The reasoning behind this was obvious; Wen Mingtang, being a cook, immediately understood. She thoughtfully added, “I think there was too much red yeast rice; the color was too bright.”

However, as an ordinary person, Wen Mingtang felt nothing more than that the pork was too red. But considering the case she was currently handling, the rumors Liu Yuan and others had been spreading, and the strange behavior of Lin Fei and Chef Xing today, she began to have a vague suspicion.

“Could it be that Madam Lu witnessed this murder scene beforehand?” Wen Mingtang pondered for a moment, then asked, “Did Chef Xing come here because of Madam Lu?”

Because of her acquaintance with Liang Hongjin, Wen Mingtang had learned quite a bit about how Chef Xing became the cook of the Marquis’s mansion. She had heard that Chef Xing had originally planned to work in the government kitchen but changed his mind halfway and ended up at the Jingyun Marquis’s mansion.

Perhaps Chef Xing entered the mansion to use Hou Furen to get close to Madam Lu, but he had clearly forgotten that Lin Fei, this powerful figure, was also in the household and that working under his nose was risky… Wen Mingtang felt it was better to be straightforward and explain the whole story directly.

Judging from Lin Fei’s actions today, he had obviously investigated Chef Xing’s past, but Liu Yuan and Bai Zhu in the yamen seemed unaware of this matter.

Lin Fei hummed in agreement, then paused, seemingly hesitant. He glanced at the girl’s expression, considered her carefully, and, sensing she was quite bold, finally spoke, “The rumor Liu Yuan mentioned isn’t entirely unfounded!”

A rumor Liu Yuan mentioned? Wen Mingtang’s expression changed slightly upon hearing this: “You mean someone…”

Before she could finish speaking, Lin Fei shook his head and said, “That’s not true. It’s just that someone, driven by greed, murdered a wealthy merchant couple. The murderer was a butcher, and the murder weapon was a butcher’s knife.”

Hearing this, Wen Mingtang subconsciously glanced at the knife on the chopping board, her expression turning grim.

Lin Fei looked at the girl, and seeing that she was only angry, not fearful, he continued, “The case didn’t happen in Chang’an, but in nearby Xianyang. There are no case files in Chang’an. However, because it’s near Chang’an, and because the details of the case have been circulated bizarrely and terrifyingly, it has become a long-standing local legend.”

Since he knew where the case occurred, as long as there were records, he could find it. And indeed, Lin Fei had already borrowed the case files from Xianyang County.

“This case happened nearly sixty years ago, and it was solved back then. The murderer was caught in just two days, with ample evidence and witnesses, leaving no possibility of a wrongful conviction,” Lin Fei said. “The murdered wealthy merchant couple were not from Chang’an, but were passing through the area. The murderer was a butcher, and the murder weapon was the butcher’s knife. As for how quickly they were caught…”

Lin Fei paused, looking at the girl, and said, “The wealthy merchant couple had a daughter who came to Chang’an with them. Due to the change in environment, she stayed in the mansion rented by the wealthy couple to recuperate and was not seen.”

“The murderer, the butcher, did not know that the wealthy merchant’s daughter had also come to Chang’an. He thought it was just the wealthy merchant couple, so after killing them, he dismembered the body with the butcher’s knife in an attempt to destroy the evidence,” Lin Fei said, glancing at the girl. “The wealthy merchant’s daughter was hiding under the bed at the time, watching all of this happen before her eyes.”

Wen Mingtang couldn’t help but gasp upon hearing this: “The wealthy merchant’s daughter…”

“The wealthy businessman’s daughter is naturally the most compelling witness in this case,” Lin Fei said. “With this witness, the murderer was quickly caught and sentenced to beheading. But…”

But besides having to endure the pain of losing both parents, the wealthy businessman’s daughter also witnessed her parents being murdered and brutally dismembered by the butcher. How could she possibly live out the rest of her life in peace?

Wen Mingtang had already begun to suspect the truth. Her lips parted as if to speak, but before she could say anything, Lin Fei glanced in the direction of the guest courtyard and said, “An orphaned girl with a fortune to her name… The wealthy merchant’s daughter was taken in by her jiùjiu and jiùmǔ. When she reached marriageable age, she ‘accidentally’ fell into the water and was forced to marry her biǎogē as his equal-ranking wife. After that…”

Before Lin Fei could finish, Wen Mingtang already understood: “Could that rich merchant’s daughter from back then be Madam Lu?”

Lin Fei nodded and recounted Madam Lu’s past and her relationship with Hou Furen in detail. He said, “I found out that Madam Lu was the witness from back then. After that incident, she remained unchanged. It seems she has never been able to forget what happened back then. Perhaps the braised pork at the banquet just now triggered her memories of that day, which is why she reacted this way.”

Madam Lu’s past was clear and obvious. Why would Master Xing use a plate of braised pork to deliberately evoke Madam Lu’s memories and make her think of the old days?

Judging from Master Xing’s age, he’s of the same generation as Madam Lu’s daughter, Qianniang, and Hou Furen. He wasn’t even born when the incident happened!

Lin Fei raised an eyelid and continued, “Although the case back then had complete evidence and no wrongful conviction, how did a wealthy merchant couple passing through Chang’an become involved with a butcher?”

If the butcher was greedy… the wealthy couple had traveled all over the country without incident; they should have been wary. If so, why would they allow a complete stranger like a butcher to enter their home so easily?

(End of Chapter)

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https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1Em4y1g71A

If you want to see the recipe for the Guìhuā Jiǔniàng Xiǎo Yuánzi