OR-1 Scallion Tofu

Wait a minute! I'm busy!

Oh. All you ordered was a bowl of plain noodles. It's on the house!

Thank you, come again!

Hey, Jiang! I'm here!

Coming, coming! What'll it be today, Liu?

I'll have the usual. Any specials today?

Well, persimmons are in season. We also got a fresh batch of chestnuts today. You can either eat them raw—nice and crispy, or cooked—sweet and tender. How about stewed beast belly with chestnuts and then some osmanthus-flavored dried persimmon for dessert?

Nice. Alright, I'll try that then.

By the way, that sign we fixed for your restaurant a while back...

Don't worry. I checked with our chef. This meal is on the house.

You've taken care of all our carpentry work the past few years. Treating you to a few meals is the least we can do.

Hahaha. You're too kind!

He's really a great cook, the greatest under Heaven, I'd say. I can't find food this good anywhere else!

That wooden talisman I gave him, I meant it! He was too modest to accept the gift!

Come on! Enough already!

We're just a little old eatery. It's you who keeps us in business. You don't need to flatter us like that.

By the way, where is that young chef of yours? I didn't see him sitting outside and chatting with the guests today.

Don't even bring him up—he's been sulking since early this morning.

There's this famous food critic going around lately, taking advantage of the buzz from the Feast of a Hundred Delicacies, you know? I hear she's visiting all the hidden little eateries in town, rating them one by one in the newspapers.

I know, I know! I hear she published an article reviewing taverns in Baizao. She's even writing a book, says she wants to compile all the best recipes from Baizao, past and present.

She calls herself, 'The Wandering Foodie' or something like that?

She's certainly ambitious—Baizao has countless taverns, and these places have been making their dishes for generations. To write a book about them, she'll need a wealth of knowledge and a stomach big enough for all that food!

Exactly... But I hear the book she's working on, Baizao Cuisine & Food Culture, already earned some praise from the head chefs of the Four Great Restaurants. And none of them have anything bad to say about her reviews.

Rumor has it, she's dropping in here today.

Well, you have nothing to worry about. With your chef's cooking, even the harshest critic will have nothing to criticize, right?

You know his temper. Whether the reviews are good or bad, he can't stand people talking about his food.

(Whisper) He says he doesn't want to get into a cooking competition, but that's just because he's afraid he'll lose.

Alright. That's enough of that!

Haha. The only thing I'm worried about is people discovering this place, so I won't be able to get a table here anymore.

Knock on wood. Oh. Another customer!

Hey, look, the two of you coming right at this hour.

We're right across from the Judicial Review Office. I guess it's kind of become your unofficial cafeteria.

If it wasn't for this restaurant, I would have resigned and moved home ages ago!

Don't say such things. We have a duty! How could you think of resigning?

What's up? Why so serious?

It's the Feast of a Hundred Delicacies, of course! The busiest time of the year for the Office. I haven't had a good night's sleep in a month—who can keep going like this?

The precautions are necessary, though. There are so many tourists here now. If something bad were to happen, it would be a disaster.

No matter how careful we are... there's just too much going on. Something is bound to happen.

Hey. Enough shop talk. Just enjoy the food.

You think we're talking about work because we want to? Ugh!

By the way, did you hear about the Ding Feng Lou case?

What case? If there's something to say, just say it—why all the secrecy?

I'm not trying to be secretive—this case is just downright eerie.

On the 15th of last month, when Ding Feng Lou was busiest, every one of its hundred or so stoves were burning all day and late into the night.

That night, one of the stoves caught fire, and the staff could not put it out. A handful of chefs were injured.

The Originium pipe sprung a leak, was it? That's nothing new.

Well, the investigators could not determine whether the pipe had been tampered with or not.

Hundreds of people have access to that kitchen. Who knows if someone did something?

You must know that Ding Feng Lou is the most famous restaurant in Baizao, and the organizer of the Feast.

The thing that makes this incident particularly strange is that it happened on the 15th day of the month, and the fire started on the hundredth stove. Some say they saw a strange silhouette amidst the flames.

Let's stick to the facts, yes? We don't need to fabricate things here.

I'm telling you the truth! Many people said they saw it!

The work you do at the Judicial Review Office is pretty interesting. Listening to you talk about your cases is like reading a detective novel.

Come now. We're hardly authors here. It's just that whenever a case drags on for a few weeks without progress, I have nightmares about it.

Actually, now that you mention it, I also heard about a strange case, recently.

There's nothing supernatural about it. It's just plain weird.

Oh? Another juicy story? Do tell!

I really shouldn't divulge too many details about this.

You can't tease us like that! The suspense is killing me!

This is a matter of great importance. The place where this incident occurred is truly significant!

It was the Mr. Ning's manor, former Minister of Rites.

My shifu has been investigating this case for a while now. I've only heard an overview. He won't tell me more.

Mr. Ning has been retired for several years now. He's in the process of leaving Baizao and moving back to his hometown in Jiangnan. But a few days ago, a strange thief broke into his mansion.

Nothing was stolen, and no one was hurt. But in one of the guest rooms, there was a painting of a Xian hanging on the wall, and someone used melted honey to draw a line across the Xian's mouth.

Of course, the mansion was heavily guarded, but the thief seemed to know the layout very well.

And that thief—whether down to incredible skill or sheer experience—left no trace behind. My shifu and the others have their hands full trying to crack the case.

Sealing the lips with honey? Isn't that from the 'Legend of the Stove God'? It ensures the Stove God will 'say more good things than bad'. The thief vandalized a painting, but didn't steal anything of value. They don't care for money, so did they have some other motive?

What motive could they have had? Minister Ning is an honorable mandarin. He has a decades-long record of dutiful public service. Who could have any issue with him?

Regardless, he is an important court mandarin. The ransacking of his manor is no small matter, especially at a time like this.

It's our greatest fear, come true.

Oh! Hey! I just thought of something!

You scared me! What's the thought?

I just remembered that I also saw something weird a few days ago, right in this very restaurant!

It was three days ago, I was here eating when a real strange customer walked in.

He looked to be on the older side, and he was still wearing a prison outfit, as if he had just been released by the Judicial Review Office.

He sat down and ordered twenty bowls of white rice, nothing else. He downed them in no time flat!

That's... all you're going to eat?

Eating all that rice is bound to make you choke. Why don't we whip up two little entrees for you, and a bowl of soup. On the house.

No.

It's Dahuang rice, nice and fresh, the finest on the land. What other food could I possibly need?

I've filled my belly. I've no need for any free dishes. Check, please!

After the funny fella finished eating, he grabbed all twenty empty bowls and walked out of the restaurant. He kept walking until he reached the Judicial Review Office. He threw the pile of bowls at the door of the office, and yelled—

'I'm the one who set the fire in the scrollery!'

Well, I'm sure you know more about it than me, especially with my terrible memory. Who was that guy anyway? What happened to him in the end?

......

There's no way I could discuss something like that with you...

Shhh! There are civilians at the next table over!

Don't worry about them. I heard that lady speaking Victorian. I think they're foreigners. They don't understand what we're saying anyway.

(In perfect Yanese) Laoban, diancan!

......

......

'Red Silk Special,' 'Mala Tofu,' 'Soft Yellow Shells,' 'Autumn Casserole,' and 'Jade Surprise'...

...and that's all she ordered.

......

Is she trying to challenge us?

She seems very polite. She just looked at the menu and picked out these dishes. Didn't look like she was asking for trouble.

You think she might be that food critic, the one who wrote 'Baizao Cuisine & Food Culture'?

What kind of food critic comes in and orders nothing but tofu?!

Relax, chef, relax.

You know how things are going here, business-wise. The future of our restaurant hinges upon this very moment!

You have to do your best. The dishes must be flawless!

Please, drink and enjoy! This wine was meant for sharing!

Aiai, so what happened next? What became of the weirdo who threw the empty rice bowls?

Good lady, what you just heard was nothing more than idle diner's chatter.

Whatever you do, please do not share it with anyone else.

Huh? But you haven't finished the story yet. Where's the cliffhanger? Where's the 'stay tuned for the next episode'?

I am a mandarin of the Judicial Review Office, madam. I'm not a storyteller in the teahouse.

What a coincidence! I have a good friend who works there too.

And here I was, thinking everybody at the Judicial Review Office was stuffy, pretentious, and tight-lipped.

*cough* *cough* *ahem*...

Dear madam, have you come to Yan all by yourself? Are you here on vacation?

Let's not be so formal. My Yanese name is Huang, or Blaze in Victorian.

And yes... I guess you could say I'm here on vacation.

I haven't met many Victorians who speak Yanese as well as you do. Have you lived in Yan previously?

Haha. Actually, no. But I'm not a hundred percent Victorian. My father is Yanes—

Three rules, you say?

Yes, if you can't follow these rules, I won't be able to take you back to Baizao.

Okay, okay. Lay 'em on me.

First, be wary of strangers. Do not, of your own volition, take actions that are unnecessary.

What do you take me for? A three-year-old? I know that. What else?

Second, do not tell anyone that you are an Infected.

Do I really need you to tell me that?

Third...

Do not, under any circumstances, tell anyone about your father.

...Okay.

Blaze, you are an important witness in all of these major cases… as well as an important piece of evidence.

I need your cooperation, and in return, I will guarantee your safety.

What's that about your dad?

Errr... I'm here to visit some family... and I'm on vacation. Haha.

Well, madam, you came at the perfect time. The Feast of a Hundred Delicacies is about to begin! All Baizao's restaurants compete to serve the best dishes. This is the time of year when you can try the tastiest food!

Really? Do you have any Baizao delicacies you can recommend, or maybe a restaurant or two?

Baizao doesn't have any signature dishes, or 'Baizao delicacies', as you put it. Instead, you'll find that every single dish you eat in Baizao makes a delicacy.

Ah, that makes sense! I didn't make the connection until now that Baizao means hundred stoves in Victorian!

You know what they say, 'To the people, food is heaven.' Yes, the name 'Baizao', bestowed ages ago by the reigning True Lung, means to tend all cooking stoves under heaven.

Later, someone says 'Exquisite food demands meticulous preparation.' See, fine food doesn't just fill your stomach, it soothes your soul.

There are different dishes for every season and every region. The best chefs? They have a wealth of knowledge, and the power of the gods, at their fingertips.

Please. Let's eat. Enough fooling around with foreign tourists.

Order up!

Do you have some special fondness for tofu, or...?

Hmm? These are all tofu dishes? They have different names, so I had no idea.

Who would have thought that Yan had so many different kinds of tofu?

Whatever. There's more than enough tofu for everyone. We'll enjoy it all together. Isn't that the custom here in Yan, after all?

Alright, let's dig in!

What's this? I don't remember ordering a dessert...

......

Hmm?

Did you send out the food? Does she like it?

Actually, she didn't really eat much. She gave most of it away to the other customers.

Ugh...

Settle down. She might be feeling out the ambiance, you know.

Just calm down. Let's see what happens.

So what is this 'Feast of a Hundred Delicacies' you keep talking about?

You may speak fluent Yanese, madam, but there are clearly gaps in your knowledge of our culture.

The Feast of a Hundred Delicacies happens every year in Mid-Autumn, when the True Lung convenes meetings with mandarins at all levels to discuss state affairs.

If it's just a bunch of government meetings. Why is it called the Feast of a Hundred Delicacies?

Now, that has a beautiful origin story.

Many years ago, the True Lung at the time held a birthday banquet, and all the mandarins presented him with gifts, including all manner of rare treasures from all across Yan.

But there was one mandarin, a young Assistant Minister from the Ministry of Revenue, who gave the True Lung a bowl of 'Pearl Jade Soup'.

The True Lung lifted the lid off the bowl, only to find a clump of rotten cabbage leaves and a scant few grains of brown rice floating in some water.

The True Lung was enraged, demanding, 'What is the meaning of this?!' The Assistant Minister replied, 'There was a flood in Jiangqi this year, so we had a terrible harvest. What you see in the bowl here is what the peasants have been eating every day.'

Speaking up for what's right—that's what any good mandarin should do.

Still, doing it to the True Lung's face, on his birthday like that, takes some serious guts.

Yes. The surprising thing is, the True Lung did not punish the young mandarin—he praised him and ordered that all other mandarins follow his example in advocating for the people.

The True Lung ordered cuts to the court budget and used those funds for disaster relief. He built embankments to guard against future floods, and Jiangqi was saved.

Yes, and the following year, the mandarins presented the True Lung with a bowl of sumptuous 'Fortune Soup' to show him that the finneries were thriving.

*ahem*...

In summation, the annual banquet became a tradition, called the Feast of a Hundred Delicacies, held every year during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

And all restaurants in the city serve dishes from the traditional Hundred Delicacies menu, welcoming all the people to join in the celebration.

Oh. The Yanese really know food, don't they?

This little shop here is a great example. It may look ordinary, but it serves top notch eats! Just look how many different types of tofu they can make! Amazing!

Then again, these cakes here... they taste different to the ones I've had before, and not in a good way. I think something's not quite right with them.

......

......

......

Huh? Why's everyone gone silent?

Was it you?!

You're the one criticizing my food?!

What do you want to show me?

Pick up the pace a little, we'll be there soon.

If you walk in the snow by the stream, the fragrant plum blossoms are rare. However, you can find some at the base of the mountain.

I suppose the view of the fireworks against the city skyline from atop the mountain could be the only thing worth climbing all the way up here.

Fireworks? Who cares about those?! I brought you here to see... this pine tree.

An evergreen... It can withstand the cold weather.

No. That's not what's special about it.

I planted this tree myself, right before I assumed my post in Baizao. Back then, I had the same mindset as you.

After all these years, I'm a different person now, and this tree is a different tree.

I do not understand.

That doesn't matter. All you need to do now is look at the tree; imprint it in your memory.

Qingyan, you will do well in the Judicial Review Office. You will go on to be an excellent Deputy Minister or maybe a minister yourself!

Those cases will not be a problem for you. There's really only one issue that you'll need to focus on—

Will you be able to handle the truth?

......

I do not understand.

You don't need to understand now. Every once in a while, you will think back to this pine tree. Once you've spent enough time contemplating the tree, you will understand the rest.

After I die, cut down the tree. Use its wood to fashion my coffin.

Mr. Yu...

We should be going. The higher you climb, the colder it gets.

......

(snoring softly)

*cough* *cough*

Huh? What time is it? Has the suspect confessed yet?

Censor Xie Zhen, this is a serious matter. Please mind your words and behavior.

This is a routine internal matter for the Judicial Review Office. The Department of Discipline and Supervision is just going through the motions. It's not a big deal.

However, this trial today certainly has been interesting. The minister is usually quite well-tempered. I've never seen her that angry before.

Yu Cheng, you served in the Judicial Review Office once. You took an oath before the bronze mirror.

Do you really think the Judicial Review Office is the proper place for you to act like a spoiled brat?!

That's an unjust accusation. You asked me all that you needed to ask, and I answered them. What else would you have me do?

On the fifteenth of last month, around 1:45 AM, someone set fire to the southern end of the Judicial Review Office scrollery. That person was me.

Liar! When the fire broke out, you were in pre-trial detention. How could you have started it?

If you planned the fire, you had help. Name your co-conspirator.

I had no co-conspirator. However, I did have a helper.

A fowlbeast.

That night, a wounded fowlbeast landed by the window of my cell. I fed it a few grains of rice and some fresh water.

The fowlbeast was quite intelligent. I saved it, and it was willing to return the favor. I gave it a burning straw and told it to fly to the scrollery.

Whaa???

*cough* *cough*

Yu Cheng, the courtroom has no time for your games!

I'm not playing games. Ask me anything, and I will answer truthfully.

Very well. You say you started the fire. Elaborate on that, if you will.

What species of fowlbeast was it that you used?

Do I look like a fowlbeast expert? I only remember that it was completely black, without a single stray hair... as black as the human heart.

You said you gave the fowlbeast a burning straw. You were locked in a cell. Where did you get the straw?

I picked it out of my sleeping cushion.

Your cushion was made of cotton.

Then my memory is mistaken. It must have fallen in from the fowlbeast's nest.

The guards did a full search of your cell after the fire. They did not find any fowlbeast nest.

If criminals didn't try to cover their tracks, we wouldn't need the Judicial Review Office or the Ministry of Justice, would we?

That fowlbeast truly understood human nature.

Why you...

Oh, right, as for how I lit the straw in the first place—I struck the cell bars with these iron shackles exactly eight hundred sixty-three times, one for each year of the Judicial Review Office's existence.

That is as much detail as I can provide on the fire. Will it do?

Madam Minister, do you have more questions for me?

It seems that he has been reading some fanciful stories since his retirement.

This is no time for jokes.

Well, she had the patience to play along with him and indulge his insanity.

Do you want to enter this line into the record?

...Of course.

Interesting...

Yu Cheng was once appointed Deputy Minister for the Judicial Review Office's Haoran Pavilion. There, he took down countless corrupt mandarins and notorious criminals.

However, after his retirement, you convicted him of fabricating evidence, which is how he ended up here.

As you think back now, do you regret your choice, Deputy Minister Lin?

The law is the law. It bends for no man. Stop trying to stir up trouble, Censor Xie.

But when we look at it, Yu Cheng's behavior is quite odd. When he was charged with fabricating evidence, he did not question it or protest. Now, after he's been convicted, he decides to start a fire?

That's not right...

I still have questions!

Yes, Deputy Minister Lin?

...Hmph.

Deputy Minister Lin, as acting clerk, you need only take notes.

Minister Chen, there is one question you haven't yet asked. Yu Cheng claims he set the fire. What was his motive?

The suspect's confession is clearly nonsense. Why bother asking his motive?

Hahaha. I am the one who set fire to the scrollery. You must believe me.

As for why I did it...

Yu Cheng!

There were seventy-four thousand case files in the southern section of the scrollery, the result of sixty years of painstaking effort and the hard work of twenty-four deputy ministers—and you saw fit to turn it all to ash?

As I see it, it was no great loss.

Those files were filled with half-truths, whitewashed fabrications, and outright lies. Gazing upon them dirties the eyes; thinking of them taints the mind.

So I thought it best to cleanse it all in flames.

Cleanse?

Just what are you trying to say?

What am I trying to say? If you keen to know, then let's have a discussion: that which I burned, was it clean, or dirty?

Minister Chen, The suspect is clearly suffering from some sort of mental disease. It's getting late. Shall we conclude the questioning for today?

......

Escort Yu Cheng back to his cell.

I truly regret that we subjected the Department of Discipline and Supervision to this circus here today.

It is truly a vexing case. We understand.

The Judicial Review Office will be sure to submit a full explanation to the Department of Discipline and Supervision.

Sigh... I just hope this can be resolved quickly, so I don't have to make so many trips here. You've planted way too many camphor trees in this courtyard—they're making me sneeze.

I shall take my leave now, Deputy Minister Lin. See you.

You should be off too, Lin Qingyan.

......

Lin Qingyan, it's almost time.

Do not forget.

Achoo!

Censor Xie Zhen, you're still here?

I was waiting to chat with you for a minute. It's not convenient to talk in there.

If you still want save... I mean... investigate Yu Cheng's case, you'd better move quickly.

After the Feast of a Hundred Delicacies is over, all prisoners detained in Baizao will either be transferred to another prison or exiled. In any case, the cells must be emptied within two weeks.

Two weeks...

The imperial decree should reach you shortly. I just spotted it early, so I'm giving you a heads-up.

And here I thought you didn't care much for these things.

It is within my power to avoid caring, but you cannot get it out of your head. Yu Cheng is very important to you, isn't he?

He was kind of like my teacher in the Judicial Review Office. He's the one who taught me to distinguish right from wrong.

When I first discovered that he had fabricated evidence to convict a corrupt mandarin... well, I shrugged it off as 'using any means necessary to achieve justice.'

However, I never imagined he would set fire to the scrollery. There's absolutely no justice in that.

Indeed... I can't figure him out.

But it does provoke a question... They've never emptied the jails for the Feast before. Why do it this year?

This matter may not concern you directly, but I'm sure you've heard something about it?

Yumen experienced a Catastrophe at the beginning of the year. Then, this summer, we suffered the Dahuang incident.

And what was the root cause of all this?

...The bestial Sui.

This thousand-year-old case must finally be resolved...

I dare not engage in presumptuous speculation. This is as much as I can say for now.

Duoxie...

Censor Xie Zhen... why did you terminate the ongoing interrogation?

Ah...

As the saying goes, 'Words may deceive, so trust your eyes.'

I wager you haven't seen the burned scrollery yet.

No, I have not.

Perhaps you'd better go see for yourself.

I will take my leave.

Jiang, close the door.

...*sigh*

What? What happened?

Jiang, wasn't she just eating these tangerine cakes here?

Yes, she was.

And didn't you tell me she was criticizing the taste?

No. She said they taste 'different', not bad, just 'different'.

(winking vigorously)

I guess you'd call it criticism. They're not exactly orthodox, different to what I had before.

So you're the head chef, eh? Pretty young, aren't you?

Don't try to change the subject!

I was just critiquing the food. That's not a capital offense!

Besides, I thought the rest of the dishes were awesome.

Now you're on to flattery! This is my restaurant, and I have my rules! You either tell me what's wrong with the tangerine cakes, or I won't let you leave!

I told you already. They taste different to the ones I've had before.

Where, and when, did you eat them before?

Oh maybe... more than ten years ago? When I was living in Victoria, a relative sent them to me.

......

Did you come here to stir up trouble? Jiang! Escort her out!

No. We're not in the habit of kicking customers out of the restaurant...

Good madam, think for a minute. What exactly is it about these cakes that tastes different? Maybe this is all some kind of misunderstanding?

Let me think... I remember the tangerine cakes I had before were sweeter. Yes, you must not have used enough sugar.

The tangerine cakes need more sugar? Hahaha...

To think I took you for a food critic. You are a woman with absolutely no taste. I won't waste my time arguing with you. Please leave.

You say I have no taste, when the real problem is your cooking?

...!

—!

Oh... no...

My cooking, you say?

Don't make me laugh! My cooking... my culinary talent, my—

Alright then. I'll make you a bet. Go out this door here and sample the food at some of the other restaurants. If you find a better tasting meal, I'll give you this entire shop!

(softly) No, please no.

But if you can't find better food, you have to sit at this table by the window and shout out to the streets...

Shout what?

Apologize to me! One hundred times!

But what would I want with your restaurant?

Let's do this instead. If I find food that tastes better, then you'll let me eat here for a month, free, and you'll teach me how to cook a few of the tastiest dishes in Yanese cuisine, also free of charge.

Huh?

There's an old Yanese saying, 'Give a man a fin and you'll feed him for a day. Teach a man to fincatch, and you'll feed him for a lifetime.'

This restaurant... when I leave, I can't take it with me. If you teach me how to cook a few tasty dishes, I can cook them for my friends.

But weren't you just criticizing my cooking?

I told you, all your other dishes taste great.

......

Wait. Wait a moment! Don't think you can just trick me like that! We still need to discuss the tangerine cakes!

Okay. Then I'll take your bet. I know I can find tangerine cakes, somewhere in Baizao, that taste like the ones I had before.

Hmph...

Huh? What's that weird smell?

I think it's coming from back in the kitchen...

I know that smell. It's like something is overcooked.

My stew!

Dear customer, I apologize. Our head chef has a bad temper and is easily offended.

Please come again, alright?

Pretty weird...

I've heard that skilled chefs tend to be eccentric.

In fact, I'll bet the reason he was able to become a good chef was precisely because he takes his food so seriously.

Did you notice that each of the five tofu dishes you ordered had tofu cut in a different way, yet every piece of tofu within each dish was exactly the same size and shape?

I don't think many chefs in Baizao could accomplish that.

Hm? You overheard our argument?

Sorry, I wasn't eavesdropping. You were just within earshot.

You were all having such fun, sharing your dishes amongst yourselves. Well, I believe you accidentally took the plate of tangerine cakes that I ordered.

Oh! Sorry about that!

What a dummy I was, taking someone else's food and then having a fight with the chef over it.

You wait here. I'll order you some more, straight away!

No. There's no need for that.

I came here today to try the food. After seeing how much you all enjoyed it, well, I figure it must be good enough.

However, I'm still a little curious, what exactly did you not like about the tangerine cakes?

I can't really put my finger on it, but I just know I've eaten better ones before.

Are you sure the dish you ate before was indeed 'tangerine cakes'?

Of course!

One of my relatives lived in Baizao, and would ship me these cakes. There's no way I'd be wrong... I'm sure.

May I trouble you with a request, then?

You're going out looking for another restaurant that serves these tangerine cakes, right? Can you take me with you?

Sure! You're from Baizao, aren't you? That's perfect. You know your way around these parts!

Then again, it's getting kind of late. Let's meet here again tomorrow at noon. What do you say?

Certainly.

Oh, right. By the way, my name is Blaze. I'm a tourist from Victoria. How should I call you?

I am a woman of few hobbies. I like to write, and I like to eat.

My pen name is 'The Wandering Foodie'. In any case, you may call me Xingzhu for short.

Such a trove of knowledge, those wonderful archives...

Ashes to ashes... dust to dust...

Do not linger too long. Rain showers after a fire send smoke up into the air.

What have we learned so far?

We've determined this to be arson.

The absurd part? The fire's time and location match Yu Cheng's confession perfectly.

The scrollery was heavily guarded, yet on the night of the fire, the guards didn't notice anything.

Not only was the perpetrator highly skilled in kung fu, but they also had intimate knowledge of the Judicial Review Office's layout. They must have been working with Yu Cheng for quite some time.

You're saying... you think this was an inside job?

We cannot be certain.

How bad was the damage?

All records that were burned were from old cases, which has little effect on our current work. However, if these cases were ever to be reviewed in the future, there would be no evidence to go on.

Nearly all of these cases were Yu Cheng's responsibility.

Do you really believe Yu Cheng was the one who burned the scrollery?

Absolutely not...

No matter what nonsense he spouts, he was imprisoned when the fire broke out. There's no way he could have done it himself.

However, I'm sure he's involved in some way. He's working with someone else.

What did he mean when he suggested the files are 'dirty'?

Is there something on your mind?

Do you still remember... the last case Yu Cheng investigated before he retired?

How could I forget?

Forty years ago, the Minister of Justice was stabbed in the street. The assassin turned out to be a mad beggar.

The Judicial Review Office did everything in their power to uncover the man's identity, to no avail.

In the end, they classified the murder as a random, spur-of-the moment act of violence.

But nearly thirty years later, Yu Cheng accused the sitting Minister of Rites, Ning Shu, of being the murderer.

I worked with Yu Cheng for many, many years. I knew him better than anyone.

However, in his last few years at the Office, he began to change.

Something radicalized him. He began doing 'whatever it takes' to catch criminals. He even started fabricating evidence to close cold cases and settle old scores.

If the accusations against him were baseless, then why did Minister Ning resign?

What do you mean?

Do you still remember... Gu Quan?

It all began when Gu Quan, serving as the envoy of ceremonial rites, died en route to Victoria...

Yu Cheng believed that Minister Ning murdered the Minister of Justice, and then killed the important witness in the case thirty years later.

But that's the absurdity... the envoy had only just taken office. How could he have been connected to a case from thirty years prior?

Moreover, the envoy's manner, place, and time of death were all clearly established: he drowned near the Victorian border. How could the Minister of Rites have orchestrated his death, all the way from Baizao?

The Judicial Review Office recorded Gu Quan's death in the case files...

The files are somewhere in this pile of ash that lays before you...

......

Why raise these two cases now? Do you think they are connected to the fire somehow?

I would call it a hunch...

Yu Cheng's confession has drawn our attention, but clearly, there's some kind of larger scheme behind the fire. The real question isn't who set the fire, but the arsonist's ultimate goal.

Would you hand this case over to me?

No.

On what grounds?!

Yu Cheng asked you to take notes during his trial. This is why you stand here now, and it is also the reason I cannot allow you to participate any further.

Whatever Yu Cheng's plan, you are most certainly a part of it.

I know you regard him as a mentor and couldn't bear to see his reputation tarnished, but I will assign someone else to investigate the fire. Rest assured, we will get to the bottom of this.

What about the cases that Yu Cheng once investigated?

You'd best forget about those.

No matter what you intend to investigate, it's simply not a good time.

Why do you say that?

Lin Qingyan, you are a Deputy Minister in the Judicial Review Office, not some patrolwoman. Every case you handle has a ripple effect.

Your so-called 'act of justice' may very well become a dagger in the hands of those with ulterior motives.

......

So you know what's really going on with these cases, don't you?

Stay away from Yu Cheng's cases. That is my suggestion. Do not force me to make it an order.

Oh, and I have one final piece of advice...

You must learn to prioritize. The past is never as important as the present.

The arsonist's motive is quite clear: he never wanted those files to see the light of day.

Whether Yu Cheng fabricated evidence or not, all available clues in both cases point to Ning Shu.

But why would the Minister of Rites assassinate another high-ranking mandarin?

Yu Cheng, you...

I planted this tree myself, right before I assumed my post in Baizao.

After I die, cut down the tree. Use its wood to fashion my coffin.

Lin Qingyan, it's almost time.

Do not forget.

This month's water bill is two thousand, and electricity is two thousand five hundred, while ingredient costs...

Go do your accounting somewhere else please. I can't stand you buzzing in my ear.

According to my calculations, if you can come up with another three thousand, we'll be able to keep the doors open past this month.

And where am I going to dig out that coin?

There are ways to do it—like the two months of meals owed by Wang the carpenter, or you can visit Shopkeeper Liu across the street and ask him for the balance he owes for last month's funeral banquet.

Collect enough of those outstanding debts, and we'll have what we need to make it through the month.

That's... less than ideal... isn't it?

Customers on credit are in a tough spot. Going up to them and calling in the debt right now... feels awkward, to say the least.

You want to play the good guy? Why, every time the rent collector comes calling, do you ask me to deal with him?

You're... big-boned. Even if the rent-collector is angry, he won't take you in a fight.

Maybe... there's another way...

Ding Feng Lou is coming here again today to hand out invitations to the competition.

They're hiring chefs in preparation for the Feast of a Hundred Delicacies. If you can manage to win the competition, the prize money alone will be enough to pay our rent through the end of the year!

No! No way, no how!

I am the proud owner and head chef of 'Savors at Yu's'! How could I stoop so low as to work for someone else?

This is no ordinary cook! The head chef of Ding Feng Lou doesn't take apprentices, but even a casual demonstration provides enough to keep most chefs learning for three to five years. Plenty of people dream of working under him, never to get the chance!

Besides, it's for the Feast of a Hundred Delicacies! The menu is recorded every year and passed down through generations. This is the lifelong dream of countless chefs—

Those who want to attend are free to go. I shall not.

Are you scared?

I'm not scared! You're scared!

Hmmph. What Feast of a Hundred Delicacies? It's nothing more than a group of old gray-hairs hosting a big dinner party.

All they ever talk is politics. They don't even have a chance to eat. It's a waste of time.

Just listen to your arrogance. You talk as if you've been there in person.

I've catered so many banquets. They're all the same.

You won't take any of my suggestions! I guess we're just going to let this restaurant fail then!

Good grief, with a boss like you, I've got to start making new career plans.

Okay, okay. If it's just another three thousand we need, I'll start making extra deliveries each day through the end of the month.

Have you no ambition? As a chef, don't you want your restaurant to do well? I'm not even sure why you opened it in the first place.

People need to eat, which means there has to be someone to cook for them. As long as we have customers who want to eat my food, this restaurant will do just fine.

More importantly, I promised I'd wait for a certain customer, and that one still haven't shown. I can't close the shop yet.

What customer? Who do you need to wait for?

It's just not time yet. A great stew demands patience. You have to add in the ingredients at just the right time.

There's no need to rush.

What's with this thing? I can't get any channels. I want to watch the news!

Hey. You're back.

Indeed.

What have you learned?

I brought some food for you. I found a new restaurant today. The kitchen stinks to high heaven, but the cooking is pretty solid.

Oh, right, there's one other thing. Today I found these snacks that my dad once sent me a long time ago.

Who gave you permission to leave you room as you please?

Wha?

Seriously? I've been living off takeout for three days straight. I just wanted to go out and grab a bite to eat—is that not allowed?

How many times have I told you? Your identity and status are extremely important; your current situation is dreadfully tenuous. Are you taking this seriously or not?

Lin Qingyan! Are you off your rocker? We already established the three rules. No one said I was confined to my room!

I had a good life back at Rhodes Island. Then you showed up and told me my father's death was suspicious, without giving any details.

I came all the way here to Baizao, the place where my dad used to live, and you still haven't told me anything! You've made me stay in this room, day after day, and now you have the gall to yell at me?

I... that is—

Forgive me. I should not have scolded you. The current situation is not as I had anticipated.

What 'situation'? Is there anything I can do to help?

I don't know. A lot of unexpected things happened in Baizao before we arrived.

If you would aid me, then simply do what you can to avoid danger, understood?

As for your father, I just happened to be handed that case a few years ago.

The case was originally being handled by my predecessor, someone I trusted deeply. Your father seemed to have been spending a lot of time pursuing a certain 'truth' in the last few years of his life.

His death was suspicious. Every clue we've found hints that there were larger forces at work there. How large? We don't know for certain, nor can we even hope to guess.

But your mere existence is the most important piece of evidence we have.

Blaze, I vow to you I will find the truth, and once I do, I will tell you everything.

However, until I do, I simply need you to trust me. I need you to cooperate with me.

By the way, what were you saying about your father just now?

I said I found these snacks that he used to send to me a long time ago.

And?

They don't taste the same as they used to. Maybe it's just because I'm remembering wrong.

The Yanese have a saying for this, right? 'The situation remains the same, yet the people have changed.'

No. That's not right. The situation has also changed.

Well then, a more apt saying would be, 'Times change, and with them, change all things.'

Too much time has passed. It will be very hard for us to find any clues left from back then.

But these are in fact one of the few things I've found in Baizao that relates to my father.

When I lived with my mother in Victoria, my dad would send them to me from time to time.

I figured that by the time I got my disease under control and figured out what I really believed in, my dad would be back in Victoria, waiting for me to come home. Naive.

Everyone longs for that sort of 'happy ending'.

And yet, by the time I found a place that could treat my Oripathy and finished some of the things I had to do with the bunny's crew... my dad... was gone.

Before you came and found me, I always thought my dad's death was an accident. I was sad, but there was nothing I could do about it.

But if you're telling me my father was murdered.... then that's an entirely different story.

I need to learn the truth. I owe that to my father... and myself.

......

In all truth, I know very little about what happened to your father. Many of the old archives have been lost, and very little information can be extracted from what remains.

Just from looking at the case files he left behind, we can see that your father worked as a ceremonial officer in the Ministry of Rites for over ten years but never got promoted. It seems he was not well-suited to serve in public office.

However, to stay in a position like that for over a decade... he must have been a good person.

Good people... good people also die.