Chapter 132: The Culinary Tycoon

Confrontation

“Tie him up!” Yu Qingze entered the room and went to the storage room to find a long hemp rope. Together with Da Song and Da Zhi, they bound the masked black-clad person.

During the process, the thief continued to struggle and attempt to escape but was tightly held down by Da Song and Da Zhi.

Once they finished tying him up, the group breathed a sigh of relief.

At this moment, Chang Le woke up. He was excited to see that they had caught someone and wanted to find out who it was.

“Did we wake you up? You can go back to sleep. We’ll take care of it here,” Yu Qingze said, concerned, as he patted Chang Le’s hair.

Chang Le shook his head and gestured, “It’s fine. I want to see who this person is.”

Seeing that he was still energetic, Yu Qingze said to Da Song and the others, “Remove his face cloth.”

“Let me see who it is!” Da Zhi walked over and forcefully pulled off the cloth covering the thief’s face.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

The thief had a long face, a pig-like nose, triangular eyes, and a black mole the size of a soybean on his chin. He had the appearance of a typical thief.

The group examined him carefully for a while.

Jiabao shook his head and said, “I don’t think I’ve seen him before.”

Da Song nodded in agreement, “Yeah, I haven’t seen him either. He’s not one of Xiang Man Yuan’s employees.”

Da Zhi replied, “Then he must have been hired from outside. Anyone with a bit of sense wouldn’t use their own employees for this kind of thing.”

“Hey!” Da Song kicked the thief and asked, “What’s your name? Who sent you? And what’s in that bag of powder?”

The thief, realizing that escape was hopeless, simply huddled on the ground, ignoring Da Song’s questions and showing no intention of answering.

Yu Qingze picked up the large bag of powder, weighed it in his hand, and found it to be at least a pound. He opened it and took a look. The powder was a dull yellow color, but they had no idea what it was.

Jiabao took a look and said, “Seems like it’s Croton Seed Powder.” He used to often go to the medicine hall to fetch medicine for his mother, so he was somewhat familiar with certain medicinal powders.

“Croton Seed Powder? Damn it, that’s too despicable! Such a large amount. If he succeeded, our shop would be finished!” Da Song stood up and kicked the person.

Da Zhi also spat at the person.

Chang Le was also angry and decided to step forward and deliver a kick.

Yu Qingze didn’t stop them. He gathered up the packet of powder and said, “Let them continue hitting and kicking.” The thief curled up tightly, groaning in pain, but remained silent.

“Damn it, are you going to talk or not?” Da Zhi delivered another kick, hitting the person’s stomach. He cursed, “If you have the guts to poison, do you have the guts to admit it?”

The thief winced in pain, his body shrinking for a moment. He stared fiercely at Da Zhi with a menacing gaze, as if he wanted to devour him.

Da Zhi was startled at first, but then his anger grew stronger. He kicked the thief once again and demanded, “Speak up! Who sent you?”

The thief stared at Da Zhi and suddenly burst into a sinister and chilling laughter, a laugh that sent shivers down everyone’s spine.

Confused and infuriated by the thief’s attitude, the group grew even angrier. This was pure contempt towards them.

After laughing for a while, the thief stopped and turned to Yu Qingze. He glanced at him and said, “Since you’ve caught me, do as you please. Whether you kill me or chop me, it doesn’t matter. After eighteen years, I’ll still be a hero.”

Upon hearing this, everyone knew that the thief wouldn’t say anything more.

Yu Qingze stepped forward, gave the thief’s face two sharp slaps, and then grabbed his neck with one hand, pressing his thumb against the carotid artery and exerting pressure.

After a while, the thief’s face turned red, struggling to catch his breath.

“A hero? Don’t insult the meaning of those words!” Yu Qingze exerted pressure, saying, “You think not revealing who ordered you here is loyalty? Do you believe that your superior will not sell you out in an instant?”

The thief, with his throat being squeezed, remained silent, glaring at Yu Qingze with fierce eyes.

Seeing the thief about to lose consciousness, Yu Qingze loosened his grip, and the thief immediately started coughing.

Before he could recover, Yu Qingze tightened his hold and said, “If you confess, maybe you can save your life. But if you don’t, I can’t guarantee what will happen.”

A sinister smile appeared at the corner of the thief’s mouth as he replied, “There are rules in the underworld, if you want to find out, go investigate yourself…”

“Don’t think I don’t know. Isn’t it Jia Xiaoren?” Yu Qingze stared intently into the thief’s eyes, saying.

A chuckle escaped from the thief’s throat as he said, “Go investigate.”

“Hmph! Da Song, Da Zhi, I’ll trouble you to keep an eye on him tonight. Tomorrow morning, we’ll hand him over to the authorities,” Yu Qingze released his grip and said to the two.

“Don’t worry, Boss Yu. We’ll make sure he’s well-guarded,” Da Song replied.

Afterward, they brought the thief to the hall and tied him to a chair. They also tied another chair behind him to prevent his escape.

Then, Yu Qingze brought out a straw mat and a blanket, making a makeshift bed for the three of them in the hall. Only then did he go back to his room to sleep with Chang Le.

Early the next morning, Yu Qingze sent Jiabao to fetch Dr. Li from his home to have him examine the powder in the medicine package.

At the same time, he visited the snack shop and found that everything was fine with Brother Chang and the others, as they were busy preparing breakfast. This relieved him.

“Boss Yu, how is it on your end? Did you catch someone?” Brother Chang asked.

Yu Qingze nodded and said, “We caught one, and we need to put medicine in the water tank.”

“Really? They actually came?” Tie Zhu asked.

“Here they come, they arrived at midnight. You’ve been on guard all night, and it’s been tough. After serving breakfast and closing, you can rest. Take half a day off today.” said Yu Qingze.

“It’s alright, just one night and we can hold up. Boss Yu, what are your plans for that thief? Are you going to report it to the authorities?” Brother Chang said.

Yu Qingze nodded and said, “Report it to the authorities. I’ll have Jiabao go and invite Dr. Li to take a look at the medicine powder first. Brother Chang, today, Brother Le will also be going to Dr. Ye’s place. Can I trouble you to take care of things for a while? We don’t know when we’ll return from the government office, so you might have to help in brewing medicine for Brother Le.”

Brother Chang readily agreed, “Sure, no problem. You can count on me.”

Before leaving, Yu Qingze reminded them once again, “Later, have someone go to the restaurant and inform Xiaoshu and the others that they can take a rest today. Don’t make any dim sum in the afternoon. Enjoy your half-day off and rest early. We don’t know if this thief has any accomplices, so it’s better to stay alert at night too.”

“Alright, understood.”

After Jiabao returned with Dr. Li, Dr. Li took the package of medicine powder, opened it, and sniffed it. He said, “This is croton powder. Such a large package, it could cause fatalities.”

“Good, Dr. Li, thank you. We need to bring this thief to the authorities. We might trouble you to identify this medicine powder when the time comes,” Yu Qingze said.

Dr. Li nodded and said, “That’s not a problem.”

Afterward, they freshened up and ate the dim sum Brother Chang brought. They finished their breakfast. Seeing that it was about time, Yu Qingze estimated that the county magistrate would be in his office by now. He hung the sign “Closed for the day” and escorted the thief to the government office.

By this time, the number of pedestrians on the street gradually increased. Those who recognized Yu Qingze asked what was happening when they saw them escorting a man tightly bound.

Yu Qingze truthfully answered their inquiries.

Upon hearing that there was a thief who intended to poison the water tank at House of Prosperity and had been caught and was now being taken to the authorities, those who had no urgent matters joined them to watch the spectacle.

The group arrived in front of the county yamen, and Yu Qingze went to the side of the drum at the gate and struck it three times with the drumstick.

A yamen runner approached the gate and inquired, “What’s the reason for striking the drum?”

Yu Qingze replied, “Sir, last night a thief broke into my shop and attempted to poison the drinking water, endangering people’s lives. We caught him on the spot and therefore request the county magistrate to administer justice on behalf of the common people.”

The yamen runner looked at the bound individual and asked, “Do you have a written statement?”

Yu Qingze said, “The incident occurred suddenly, and we have not had the opportunity to prepare a written statement.”

The yamen runner furrowed his brow and said, “Allow me to report this.”

The yamen runner entered the yamen, proceeded to the courtroom, and found that the county magistrate, county secretary, county constable, clerk, and the lawyers were already present. He then reported the situation at the gate.

Upon hearing the report, Luo Mingda, the county magistrate, immediately knew that it was Yu Qingze and the others who had apprehended the person. He said, “Bring them in.”

The group entered the courtroom.

Upon seeing them, Luo Mingda straightened up and struck the gavel with his right hand.

Bang!

“Court is in session!”

The yamen runners on both sides pounded the ground with their water and fire sticks while shouting in unison, “Mighty and martial!”

Yu Qingze felt a twitch in his temple when he saw the display, but he went along with the situation and led Jiabao and the others to kneel down and pay their respects.

After the yamen runners’ shouts ceased, Luo Mingda asked, “Who is present in the court, and what is the reason for striking the drum?”

Yu Qingze lowered his head and clasped his fists, saying, “Reporting to Your Honor, this humble subject is Yu Qingze, a villager from Niutou Village in the west of the city. I am the proprietor of House of Prosperity, a business located on Beida Street. Last night, this thief broke into my shop and attempted to sprinkle powder in the kitchen’s water tank, with malicious intent. The water from that tank is used for cooking and consumption. If he had succeeded, I fear many customers would have been poisoned after consuming the food. Fortunately, the vigilant employees of the shop heard the commotion and captured the thief. We have brought the thief here and request Your Honor to administer justice.”

After speaking, Yu Qingze respectfully bowed his head, and Jiabao and the others behind him followed suit, also bowing their heads.

Upon hearing this, Luo Mingda struck the gavel again and said, “Bring the captured individual into the court.”

The yamen runners on both sides displayed their authority once more, and a yamen runner brought the thief into the courtroom, holding him down in a kneeling position.

Luo Mingda asked, “The person kneeling before the court, state your name, age, and place of origin.”

The thief glanced at Luo Mingda with a smirk but did not answer.

Luo Mingda raised an eyebrow and repeated, “State your name, age, and place of origin.”

The person still did not respond.

Luo Mingda’s temple twitched, and he struck the gavel forcefully, exclaiming, “Speak quickly!”

The yamen runners beside him, in unison, shouted loudly, “Mighty and martial!”

Afterward, the person still remained silent.

This infuriated Luo Mingda, and he slapped the gavel again, saying, “Disregarding the court’s authority! Drag him out and give him twenty heavy lashes!”

The yamen runner followed the order and dragged the thief outside, where they began to administer the punishment with resounding blows.

At this time, a crowd of onlookers had gathered outside the courtroom, and upon witnessing the whipping, many of them cheered in approval.

Among them, a man noticed the person being whipped and said to the man next to him, “Brother, doesn’t that person look somewhat familiar?”

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Thandar: why does this author keep ending chapters in cliffhangers aiiiii now I have to go translate another chapter to know who that is hahaha