Chapter Sixty-Nine: Upheaval in the Imperial Court

Past eleven at night.

The leading figures from the three major districts—Gourmet Street, Prosperous Street, and the Food Plaza—gathered in a lavish private dining room for a celebration banquet.

The table was laden with exquisitely crafted dishes.

Though it was called a celebration, only four people occupied the spacious room.

The leader of Gourmet Street, Fang Hao;
The head of Prosperous Street, Lin Yanlan;
The chief of the Food Plaza, Zhou Xiong;
And, of course, Xu Ke from the Imperial Court.

“Come, the three of us should toast to young Xu. He’s the true hero of today,” Fang Hao said. The others were all around forty, so calling Xu Ke, who was just past thirty, “young Xu” felt both natural and cordial.

Lin Yanlan and Zhou Xiong agreed readily, raising their glasses and draining them in one go.

“Brother Zhou, there’s no need to be so formal—I was only doing someone a favor,” Xu Ke replied modestly, immediately returning the toast.

Zhou Xiong happened to be the childhood friend of Xu Ke’s direct superior, Zhang Cheng, who was one of the Imperial Court’s head chefs.

In other words, Xu Ke was only there because Zhang Cheng was unable to attend and had sent him instead.

“Young Xu, once this busy period is over, I’ll be sure to sing your praises in front of that rascal Zhang Cheng—can’t let him overlook such a talent,” Zhou Xiong said with a meaningful smile.

“Exactly! Young Xu, your culinary skills truly opened our eyes today. Who knew cooking could be such a delight to the senses?” Lin Yanlan chimed in with a laugh.

“I’ve been cooking for nearly twenty years, and only now do I realize what a gap there is. Ah, the shame,” Fang Hao sighed theatrically, but in truth, he was giving Xu Ke plenty of face.

“I’m not nearly as skilled as you say,” Xu Ke replied, heart surging with pride, as he filled his glass and toasted Zhou Xiong.

Of the three, it was Zhou Xiong whose words felt most genuine to him.

“I made a point of walking down Old Street today. Business there really is dismal—most restaurants are just going through the motions. I doubt they’ll last ten more days,” Fang Hao said, turning to business after several rounds of drinks.

“With young Xu’s help, the results speak for themselves,” Lin Yanlan smiled. “But I’m curious—why has Old Street, which was so lifeless, suddenly shown signs of a comeback?”

“I did some digging. I heard that a place called Neighbor’s Kitchen just hired a new head chef, and he’s drawing quite a crowd,” Fang Hao explained.

“A chef from a hole-in-the-wall dares call himself a head chef? Then what does that make our young Xu—a divine chef?” Zhou Xiong laughed dismissively.

“Brother Zhou, please don’t tease me,” Xu Ke replied, feeling his cheeks burn.

Such words might pass outside, but within the Imperial Court, he’d be the butt of endless jokes.

In reality, apart from the executive chef Lei Tianming, the Imperial Court had three head chefs and seven senior chefs beneath them. Those were the true masters.

Xu Ke was merely one of the seven, and among the ten wok chefs under Zhang Cheng, he was only of middling rank. If he were more skilled, he wouldn’t have had time to run Zhang Cheng’s errands.

“I imagine Neighbor’s Kitchen must have some unique features to attract attention,” Xu Ke said, steering the conversation away from himself.

“Their so-called features just make me laugh,” Fang Hao snorted. “They’ve got an employee dressed as Pigsy at the door to draw crowds, and their dishes are outrageously expensive. At first, a plain shredded pork with garlic sauce cost fifty-six per portion! But the customers eventually boycotted it, so they stopped selling it.”

“How does it taste?” Lin Yanlan wasn’t bothered by the Pigsy act. In such a fast-changing industry, strange gimmicks were nothing unusual.

“Everyone who’s tried it says it’s delicious, but no one can quite explain why,” Fang Hao shrugged helplessly.

“You didn’t try it yourself?” Zhou Xiong asked, frowning.

“I wanted to, but I arrived just as they were closing. They only serve two bizarre dishes: something called Dark Star Soup and Volcanic Eternal Pork. The lowest price is two hundred eighty-eight for a single serving!”

Fang Hao smacked his lips, baffled that a small restaurant in such a rundown area dared set such high prices.

“I doubt their business will last long. Their current popularity is probably just curiosity,” Lin Yanlan said, picking up the thread.

“I remember there was a restaurant owner with a terrible attitude—strangely enough, that made the place famous. Customers would be disappointed if he didn’t insult them; they’d feel they missed out on the experience,” she added.

“Hahaha, I’ve heard of that,” Zhou Xiong laughed heartily.

“From a business perspective, it’s a strategy, but without real substance, it won’t last,” Xu Ke remarked carefully.

“Exactly,” Zhou Xiong agreed, raising his glass. “So over the next few days, we’ll be relying on you, young Xu. I predict Old Street will collapse in a week at most.”

“A week?” Xu Ke was so startled he nearly dropped his glass. “Brother Zhou, didn’t Zhang Cheng tell you? I can only help for two days.”

“Two days?”

The three others stared at him in shock.

Two days wasn’t enough to effect real change!

If they didn’t utterly defeat Old Street now, there was a chance it might revive later.

“About that…” Zhou Xiong frowned. “You used to help for at least five days, so I didn’t think to ask. Young Xu, has something happened at the Imperial Court?”

With a few drinks in him, Xu Ke grew bolder and lowered his voice. “Since Executive Chef Lei Tianming took charge, the whole atmosphere has shifted.”

“How so?” Zhou Xiong and the others leaned in, intrigued.

“Before, when the old man was still there, everyone just focused on doing their jobs well. But now, besides your duties, you have to pick sides.”

“Pick sides?”

“The Imperial Court was built up by the old man, so many veteran chefs are used to his way of running things. Now, they often clash with Executive Chef Lei and refuse to follow orders,” Xu Ke whispered. “Zhang Cheng told me he’s throwing his lot in with Chef Lei, so he can’t afford any mistakes.”

“Are his chances good?” Lin Yanlan asked.

“Pretty good. Those opposing Chef Lei are few and have little influence. It’s only a matter of time before they’re gone,” Xu Ke replied.

“I’ve always wondered—what kind of person was that legendary chef before?” Fang Hao asked, piquing Zhou Xiong and Lin Yanlan’s curiosity.

“You won’t believe it,” Xu Ke took a deep breath. “He was a culinary prodigy, ten years younger than me!”

What?

So young?!

The others sat in stunned silence.

(To be continued…)