Chapter 120 The Palace Invites
Zhong Xiang and others were hiding outside and listening, wondering how Li Yao would deal with Liu Qisheng.

Ye Jiayao continued, "We found a banknote worth twenty taels of silver in your bag. Let me guess where this banknote came from."

Liu Qisheng's eyes flickered.

"Sales of snowy mooncakes have been very hot recently. There are many people in the industry who want to use this crooked idea. They can't figure it out by themselves. Therefore, everyone in Tianshangju has the opportunity to make a fortune, but why don't other people have such a good thing? It means that the other party knows the situation of Tianshangju very well and knows which people are easier to bribe and need money. Liu Qisheng, do you think I'm right?"

Ye Jiayao spoke casually, but in fact she was observing the subtle changes in Liu Qisheng's expression.

Liu Qisheng said calmly: "If you are so good at guessing, why don't you go to the government office and be a legal advisor?"

Ye Jiayao laughed fakely: "Are you complimenting me? Or are you mocking me? Well, I think you are complimenting me."

Liu Qisheng rolled his eyes to express his disdain.

"I don't care who gave you the money, or what your purpose or reason is for doing something that harms the interests of the restaurant. You can't stay in Tianshangju any longer. You must have been prepared to leave after doing something like this, because someone must have promised you. Liu Qisheng, just do it! If anything happens, come to me. The treatment I give you will definitely not be worse than that of Tianshangju..."

The corners of Liu Qisheng's mouth twitched.

Ye Jiayao sneered and said, "Liu Qisheng, you think too simply. Betting is the most taboo thing in any industry. I would suggest that Shopkeeper Li put up a notice to announce your actions. Do you think anyone will hire you? Do you think the person who made the promise to you will still want you? Maybe he will turn the tables to clear himself."

Ye Jiayao stopped smiling and became serious: "Do you think the twenty taels of silver in your hand can guarantee the future life of your family? What will you do after you use it up? What will you do if you can't find a job?"

Liu Qisheng's psychological defenses began to disintegrate and collapse. His family was his weakness, and every word Li Yao said touched his heart.

He hadn't thought the consequences would be so serious. He had been thinking that if he couldn't stay here, he would find another place to stay. Anyway, there was no point in him staying here.

Zhong Xiang wanted to go in and ask for help on Liu Qisheng's behalf. If Li Yao really did that, Liu Qisheng would be finished, and so would his family.

Wang Mingla grabbed him and shook his head at him.

Brother Yao has always been sensible in doing things. Let’s hear what Brother Yao has to say.

"I, Li Yao, have always been kind in my life and work. I will definitely treat people who are good to me better, and I never bully honest people. Liu Qisheng, now, for Brother Xiang's sake, I will give you a chance. Admit your mistake and tell me who is behind it. I will persuade Manager Li to let you resign voluntarily and pretend that this incident never happened. If you insist on not changing your ways, then... I can only say that you will suffer the consequences of your own actions." Ye Jiayao said coldly.

Liu Qisheng opened his mouth and said with difficulty: "I'll tell Brother Xiang."

Ye Jiayao sneered: "Now I am the manager of the kitchen, don't you think you should explain to me? You need to see Brother Xiang and explain everything to him before you meet again. Otherwise, I don't think Brother Xiang will want to see you again."

Damn, you are my subordinate now, what do you mean by not telling me but Zhong Xiang? I won't indulge you.

Why are there so many pretentious and stinky men these days?

I don’t believe I can’t cure you.

"I don't have time to wait here for you to think about it slowly. Shopkeeper Li will be here soon and everyone will have to start working. I'll count to five. If you don't want to say anything, forget it. Just wait for the notice to be posted!"

"One"

"two"

"three"

Ye Jiayao counted slowly.

"I'll tell you." Liu Qisheng couldn't stand it anymore: "I'll tell you..."

"If you want to say something, just say it now. Don't be so nagging." Ye Jiayao said unhappily.

"The first time was because I was holding a grudge against him, and the second time was because Chef Niu asked me to do it. Yesterday afternoon, I went to the pharmacy to get medicine, and their people came to me. They said the same thing you said. I told them the method of extracting agar and cream, and got twenty taels of silver. If I can make something go wrong with Tianshangju's ice skin mooncakes, they will give me another thirty taels. That's it." Liu Qisheng was straightforward this time.

Everyone outside the door gnashed their teeth. Damn it, Liu Qisheng, this idiot, has his brain been kicked by a donkey? He gave two thousand taels of silver and said he would consider it, but he sold the secret recipe for twenty taels, idiot.

"What do you think now?" Ye Jiayao asked.

Liu Qisheng lowered his head and his voice became weaker: "I was wrong. I actually hesitated, but it's really boring for me to stay here. Everyone treats me as invisible. Just because I offended you, even Brother Xiang distanced himself from me. I feel that I have no future here, and I really need money."

Ye Jiayao didn't know whether to sympathize with him or hate him.

"You have an inferiority complex. Is it that everyone treats you as if you are invisible, is it that Brother Xiang ignores you, or is it you who puts on a sour face all day long as if others owe you five hundred taels? Liu Qisheng, today I will teach you a lesson about life since we once worked together. If you want others to flatter you or look up to you, you should also look at yourself to see if there is anything worthy of their high regard. If you don't have much ability and you are so pretentious, you will only disgust others. Also, friends are made by sharing your heart, not by words. Think about it carefully!"

Liu Qisheng blinked a few times and tears fell.

Ye Jiayao stood up and opened the door. There was a group of people standing at the door. Ye Jiayao motioned Zhong Xiang to go in.

"All of you go back to work." Ye Jiayao drove everyone else away. After Manager Li came, Ye Jiayao talked to him and allowed Liu Qisheng to resign.

When Liu Qisheng left, only Zhong Xiang went to see him off.

"These twenty taels of silver are what I saved. These twenty taels are given to you by Brother Yao. Don't go to Chef Niu. He is not a good person. We have seen this before. Just find another job! Don't hate Brother Yao. It's my fault in the end. I wanted to see Brother Yao clearly before recommending you. I thought you would figure it out after a while. I didn't expect things to turn out like this." Zhong Xiang said with emotion.

Liu Qisheng was ashamed: "It's my own fault. I was bewitched. I can't accept this money. It's not easy for you. And Brother Yao's money, please tell him I'm sorry for me."

Zhong Xiang forced it into his pocket and said, "Brother Yao said this money is not for you, but for your parents. He said that maybe you didn't consider him as a brother, but he considers everyone as a brother. Take it and do well. Maybe we will have a chance to be together in the future."

Liu Qisheng choked up and said, "Brother Xiang, I really don't have the face to do this."

Zhong Xiang patted him on the shoulder and said, "It's good that you know you're wrong. Don't make the same mistake again. I'll go visit your parents when I have time."

Liu Qisheng left, and the evil-minded traitor was eliminated, but Ye Jiayao felt upset. If she had known about Liu Qisheng's family situation earlier, she would have helped him, and it wouldn't have come to this. Alas...

Before dinner, Jiang Li came to Tianshangju as promised. Ye Jiayao gave him a box of mooncakes and asked him to deliver it to Jing'an Marquis Mansion and give it to Xia Chunyu.

"Remember to tell the prince that I had something urgent to do last night so I missed the appointment."

Jiang Li nodded and said, "I'll remember that."

Ye Jiayao thought Chunyu would come over after receiving the mooncakes, but in the end, he was nowhere to be seen after work.

Xiaojing didn't come as she said she would, and she returned to the courtyard alone in a depressed mood.

Xia Chunyu was actually struggling over whether to go or not. She specifically asked Jiang Li to deliver mooncakes and explained what happened last night. It should be an apology!

But why didn't she just say that Xiao Jing went to see her and it was inconvenient for her. He asked Jiang Li what time Yao Yao came back last night, and Jiang Li said Youzheng. Where did she and Xiao Jing go for such a long time? Xia Chunyu thought about it and got angry again.

Forget it, just leave her alone for a day, otherwise she will think he is too easy to talk to and forget about it.

The day after tomorrow is the third day of the Lunar New Year. He has to escort the Queen Mother and Liuli to Puji Temple to perform a ritual. This trip will take seven days. He will go find her tomorrow and say goodbye to her.

The next morning, someone from the palace came to summon Ye Jiayao to the palace.

Ye Jiayao was terrified because Liuli was in the palace, and the Queen Mother had wanted to punish her severely for what happened last time.

"Eunuch, may I ask which master in the palace summoned me?" Ye Jiayao asked nervously.

The father-in-law smiled and said, "Chef Li, you will know when you go there."

Damn it, still pretending to be mysterious. If you ask me to die, will I go too?

Ye Jiayao said awkwardly, "Please wait for a moment, eunuch. I will take care of the work here and then follow you into the palace."

The father-in-law was good-tempered and said gently, "I dare not keep the masters waiting for long."

"Yes, yes, it will be quick." Ye Jiayao returned to the kitchen and called Deng Haichuan.

"Go to the Marquis of Jing'an's mansion immediately and find the prince. If the prince is not here, find someone named Song Qi and tell him that I have been summoned to the palace, and I don't know whether it will be a blessing or a disaster." Ye Jiayao remembered Chunyu's words this time and went to find him if there was anything.

Deng Haichuan was awed when he heard the word "palace" and nodded solemnly: "I understand, I will go find someone right away."

In addition to the apron, Ye Jiayao also asked the accountant for several hundred taels of silver notes and put them in her pocket, hoping that they would come in handy.

Along the way, Ye Jiayao tried to get close to her father-in-law: "Excuse me, what is your name, father-in-law?"

"Miscellaneous family history."

"Oh, it's Eunuch Shit." Ye Jiayao bowed and stuffed a banknote into the eunuch's pocket: "Eunuch Shit, this is my first time in the palace. I'm a rough man and don't know the rules of the palace. I'll have to trouble you to give me more advice when the time comes."

Eunuch Shi glanced at the banknote and frowned in surprise. It was actually worth one hundred taels. This little cook was really generous! Is it so profitable to be a cook now?
Eunuch Shi calmly put away the banknotes and said with a smile, "Just follow me. I will remind you if there are any matters that you need to pay attention to."

"Yes, thank you very much, sir."

"Actually, you don't have to panic. Concubine Mei summoned you just for your snow skin mooncakes." Eunuch Shi accepted the benefit and stopped keeping the secret.

Uh... Concubine Mei, Ye Jiayao remembered that Xiaochuan came to get mooncakes the day before yesterday and said that Concubine Mei wanted them. Could it be that Concubine Mei wanted to reward her? Oh, I should have brought a few more mooncakes earlier.

(End of this chapter)