Many people came excitedly, but left in disappointment and helplessness.

By this morning, Guilin Restaurant was completely deserted.

He Ying couldn't understand how things had turned out this way. It was supposed to be a money tree, so how did it suddenly wither and die?

She was so anxious that she took a carriage to Guilin Restaurant early in the morning.

When she tasted Guilin Restaurant's dishes, she finally understood what had happened.

Guilin Restaurant's dishes, which were originally praised by the people of Shengjing, were now hard to swallow. They couldn't even compare to the chefs at Duke Jing 'an's estate!

He Ying was furious and went to find the innkeeper to question him.

The innkeeper was newly transferred from one of Matriarch He's businesses. He was an old man with many years of experience in running a store. He had a goatee and looked very shrewd.

Under He Ying's interrogation, the innkeeper finally told her the whole story.

It turned out that Guilin Restaurant's chefs, waiters, and accountants had all been changed. It wasn't that they didn't want these people back, but that they couldn't find them at all.

Guilin Restaurant's staff under Chu Lian's control had already left before the year ended. They couldn't be found at all.

If they wanted to reopen Guilin Restaurant as soon as possible, they could only find someone else.

However, even though they found everyone, they couldn't find the original taste.

The original Guilin Restaurant's dishes were all made with Third Young Madam's secret recipe. How could she easily teach it to others?

Back then, it was Steward Qin who had chosen the chefs, and Xiyan had personally taught them the recipes.

The people of the Great Wu Dynasty placed great importance on secret recipes. Many skills were even passed down to males and not females. Even if they accepted disciples, it depended on whether the master was willing to teach them.

As the saying went, the master would starve after teaching his disciple. It turned out that since Guilin Restaurant's chefs had received Xiyan's teachings, they treated Xiyan as their master sincerely. Why would they casually teach their recipes?

Eldest Young Madam He Ying clenched her teeth and slammed the table. The teacups on the table clattered loudly.

No wonder Chu Lian had returned Guilin Restaurant to Matriarch She so readily. So this was the trap!

However, when handing over the restaurant, Chu Lian had made it clear that since Guilin Restaurant had been returned to Matriarch He, everything here had nothing to do with her.

Thus, He Ying couldn't openly look for Chu Lian and ask her to bring back the original staff of Guilin Restaurant.

He Ying was furious. At this moment, an old granny rushed in.

He Ying was suppressing a bellyful of anger and was about to explode when she saw the flustered servant.

But before He Ying could get angry, the old nanny anxiously said, "Grandaunt, it's bad!"

"What happened this time?

Speak! "

The old servant took a step forward and hurriedly took out a few letters from her sleeves. She presented them to Eldest Grandaunt with both hands.

He Ying took the letter and saw the name of the mansion written on it. Her hands trembled and she almost threw the letter to the ground.

Zheng Guogong Mansion, Yang Mansion, Marquis Fu An Mansion, Ding Guo Mansion

They were all nobles or high-ranking officials in Shengjing.

Although Duke Jing 'an's current status wasn't ordinary, they still couldn't afford to receive the "condolences" from so many powerful figures at the same time …

She couldn't understand why these people would write letters to Duke Jing 'an's estate for no apparent reason. Moreover, they even specially sent them to her.

She felt strange and apprehensive.

Taking a deep breath, He Ying opened the first letter. It was a handwritten letter from one of the cabinet ministers, Sir Yang.

When He Ying finished reading the letter, she was completely dumbfounded.

Her mind flashed through the thousands of possibilities that these people could have written to Duke Jing 'an's estate, but she never thought that it would be this one!

Sir Yang had publicly written a letter to reprimand her for screwing up Guilin Restaurant and ruining the "sacred place" that produced the best delicacy in Shengjing.

Grand Aunt really wanted to spit out a mouthful of blood on the letter.

She slammed the letter on the table. She wished she could throw the thin but harsh letter into the brazier and let it burn to ashes.

Pan Nianzhen was sitting next to her mother. Of course, she also saw what was written on the letter. She immediately felt a bellyful of anger.

It wasn't that they didn't want to run the restaurant well. It was clearly Chu Lian who was deliberately making things difficult for them. If she hadn't transferred all the people who originally worked at Guilin Restaurant away, would her mother have received such a scolding?

Even Pan Nianzhen, who had a timid personality, was filled with jealousy and hatred towards Chu Lian.

While this mother and daughter pair were blaming others, they never thought about the fact that they were the ones who wanted to snatch Guilin Restaurant. It shouldn't have been theirs in the first place. Did they expect that after they snatched someone else's things, they would be kind enough to give them something else?

There wasn't such a good thing in the world.

He Ying opened several more letters in succession. Her face became darker and darker as she read. Even the old High Duke Zheng, who did not care about the court affairs, had written a letter. The words in the letter were very sharp. In his eyes, He Ying was now a sinner who had stolen his food.

Eldest Grandaunt He Ying cursed Duke Zheng in her heart. She couldn't bear to read the rest of the letters anymore.

She clenched her handkerchief hatefully, as if she wanted to tear the handkerchief in her hand to vent her anger on Chu Lian.

Pan Nianzhen hadn't seen her mother this angry in a long time. Ever since they returned to Shengjing City and moved into Duke Jing 'an's estate, her mother had been in a good mood. Coupled with her maternal grandmother's love and protection, she and her mother could practically have anything they wanted.

The luxurious life at Duke Jing 'an's estate wasn't something that a small place like Siyang could compare to. No wonder her mother kept talking about how great the capital was.

She walked up and shook her mother's arm. "Mother, don't be angry. It's not your fault.

Why don't we go to Songtao Court and take a look? "

There was definitely something wrong with He Sanlang and Chu Lian returning so early from Duke Ying's estate. The servants in Songtao Court were very tight-lipped. If they wanted to find any clues, they had to go there personally.

And she hadn't seen Third Cousin for a few days.

Pan Nianzhen thought shyly.

She didn't know if He Changdi was doing this on purpose or if he had sensed it, but whether he went to see Matriarch He or Countess Jing 'an, he would always avoid Pan Nianzhen.

He Ying thought that her daughter's words made sense.

She nodded in agreement.

"Come, let's go take a look. I don't believe that we can't find the Chu family's weakness!"

As long as they could find Chu Lian's weakness, they didn't have to worry about her refusing to hand over the original members of Guilin Restaurant.

The mother and daughter duo made their plans. After tidying up, they brought the maidservants to Songtao Court.

In less than a quarter of an hour, the mother and daughter arrived outside Songtao Court.

Before they could step into the courtyard, Eldest Grandaunt suddenly sniffed.

"What's that smell? Why is it so fragrant?"

Pan Nianzhen also smelled it. She couldn't help but gulp. She looked into the courtyard and said, "Mother, it seems to be coming from the courtyard."

He Ying's expression darkened. Her expression instantly darkened, but at the same time, she couldn't help but salivate.

She had been at Duke Jing 'an's estate for a few days, so she naturally knew that Chu Lian had many secret recipes. Some of the recipes could even make dishes that tasted better than those made by the imperial chefs in the palace.

The chef in the little kitchen in Matriarch's courtyard had only learned a few things from Xiyan, but the dishes she made were already much more delicious than those made by the nobles, let alone Chu Lian's own courtyard.