The Culinary Tycoon

"Stop, where are you from? How dare you pretend to be a yamen servant and mess around in my Qingzhou city?" asked a leading man in the uniform of a county lieutenant over there.

The four yamen servants looked at each other. The old man and several villagers behind saw the weapons and sharp spears in the hands of the officers and soldiers surrounding them, and they all subconsciously leaned behind the four yamen servants.

The leader of the yamen was called Ding Lai. He took out the official documents and his waist badge from his arms, clasped his fists and explained: "My lord, we are the yamen servants of Tongshan City County. We were ordered to investigate a case. This is the county magistrate Luo Mingda. The official document issued by the adult himself, the case is urgent, please let it go."

Ding Lai purposely mentioned Luo Mingda's name, hoping that these people would not be too hard on them because of his identity as Lord Luo.

The county lieutenant came over and took a look at the documents, then looked at their badges, then looked at the villagers behind, and said, "From the Tongshan county government? What case?"

Ding Lai lowered his head and cupped his fists slightly and replied, "I'm sorry, my lord, but under the order of Lord Luo, I need to keep it secret, so I have nothing to say."

There were no officers and soldiers when they crossed the river yesterday, but there were early this morning.Jia Xiaoren's cousin is the prefect of Qingzhou, the whole city is under his control, the county lieutenant must have been ordered to stop them here, obviously they also know what the case is.

But Ding Lai also knew very well that at most they would stop them from crossing the river to delay time, and they would never dare to detain them. After all, Mr. Luo's father is Mr. Shangshu, and this document was issued by Mr. Luo. If the magistrate is still smart If that is the case, I would never dare to embarrass Lord Luo too much.

"Wait a minute, a thief is being arrested in the city recently, and the whole city is under martial law. I want to show this to the Lord." After saying that, the County Captain took the documents and left.

Ding Lai and a few yamen servants frowned. The whole city was under martial law.But according to the rules, when they come here to do business, they really need to say hello to the county government here before doing business.

I wanted to take people back secretly without disturbing the Jia family and the government, but I was stopped.

"My lord, stop." Ding Lai immediately stopped the county captain and said, "Lord Luo is still waiting for the trial, can you be more accommodating?"

The county lieutenant stopped, turned around, and said righteously: "How can this be done? You also work on errands, don't you understand the rules? Just wait."

With that said, he walked slowly towards the city.

When Ding Lai saw his attitude, he knew he had to wait.

On the other side, Luo Mingda and the county magistrate were waiting for the yamen servants to bring the witnesses back, and they were a little absent-minded at work this morning.

They waited and waited, but they didn't get the yamen servants and witnesses, but the prefect of Qingzhou, Mr. Lu, the magistrate, Mr. Zhang, and Jia Xiaoren's father arrived!

Luo Mingda looked at the three of them, his eyelids twitched.

Here comes the stumbling block.

"Lord Lu, Master Zhang, what kind of wind is blowing here that brought you two to Tongshan? Did you know that Tongshan has delicious food here, so you came here to taste it?" Luo Mingda laughed.

Lord Lu, the prefect of Qingzhou, forced a smile and said: "Master Luo took office. Last time I passed through Qingzhou, I happened to be in the county. I haven't congratulated you yet. This time I came here to congratulate you. It's just a small gift. It's a night pearl that a merchant got in the South China Sea. If Lord Luo doesn't dislike it, you can play with it."

After speaking, Lord Lu's entourage gave Luo Mingda several boxes of gifts.He opened a small box on the top, and inside was a night pearl the size of a small baby's fist. Even though it didn't shine at night, its body was round and white, and it was very beautiful.

"Wow, really? Let me see." Luo Mingda picked it up in surprise and looked at the door, played with it in his hand for a while, then put it back into the box, closed the box, and put the entourage With a push of his hand, he said, "Okay, I've seen it, I've seen it, I've played it, you guys put it away."

Master Lu paused with a smile on his face, and asked in surprise, "What? Master Luo doesn't like it?"

Luo Mingda laughed, and said: "Master Lu is too polite, if you accept the gift, please accept it." It's not like he doesn't have Ye Mingzhu at home, they are all used as toys for his son.

Master Lu paused, looked at Master Zhang and Father Jia, and then said: "Master Luo, if you don't like this luminous pearl, I heard that Master Luo likes delicious food, and there is a set of white jade bowls and chopsticks below, can Master Luo take a look at it?"

Luo Mingda looked at Lord Lu with a half-smile, and said: "Master Lu, I really like food. In Tongshan City, there is a person who cooks dishes that are so delicious. I have never eaten them in Beijing. The food is delicious."

Master Lu raised his eyebrows and said, "Oh? Is there anyone better than the cooks in the capital?"

"That's right, even the royal chefs in the imperial palace can't compare to it." Luo Mingda nodded, then shook his head regretfully, and said, "It's a pity, you won't be able to eat."

Master Lu still doesn't know that Luo Mingda is referring to Yu Qingze, he only knows that Jia Xiaoren has opened a restaurant here, and this time the incident happened with a restaurant called Jufulou, but he doesn't know the location of Jufulou The boss is what Luo Mingda said now is a good cook.

He asked, "Why did Master Luo say that?"

Luo Mingda was surprised and said: "Why don't you know, my lord? Your cousin, Jia Xiaoren, sent someone to eat Doufen in his restaurant last night. Didn't you come here for this? You have done all of this, and the boss of course It is impossible to make delicious dishes for you to eat."

The three people's hearts skipped a beat.It turns out that what Luo Mingda just said was the boss of Jufulou!

Luo Mingda said again: "What? Didn't you come here for this matter?"

Master Lu looked at Master Zhang and gave him a wink.

Master Zhang bite the bullet, stepped forward and said: "Master Luo, we are here for this purpose. We have also inquired about this matter beforehand. Jia Xiaoren and Niu San don't know each other. Why did your lord imprison him as well?" Get up? Moreover, Jia Xiaoren is from Qingzhou, if he commits any crime, he should be brought back to Qingzhou for trial."

Master Lu didn't speak.

Luo Mingda looked at Master Zhang, looked him up and down, and asked: "Master Zhang, how many years have you been the county magistrate of Qingzhou?"

Mr. Zhang was puzzled by the question, but he still answered: "Five years."

Luo Mingda clicked his tongue and said, "Master Zhang has been the county magistrate for five years, and he must have tried many more cases than me who has been in office for half a year, right?"

The adult Zhang nodded and said: "That's the case."

Luo Mingda looked at him and said, "Why is Mr. Zhang not as familiar with Dasheng's law as I am after half a year? My Dasheng's law stipulates that criminals who commit crimes in other places shall be under the local jurisdiction, right?"

Mr. Zhang was short of words for a while, so he could only nod with a blushing face.Of course he knows the provisions of the law, he has no choice but to bet that Luo Mingda doesn't know!

Seeing that Master Zhang was getting frustrated here, Father Jia stepped forward and said, "Lord Luo, Xiao Ren doesn't know that Niu San, Master Luo, please don't listen to one-sided words, you have wronged a good man."

"Wronged?" Luo Mingda looked at Father Jia with raised eyebrows, and asked, "You said I wronged your son?"

Father Jia was about to nod his head, but Master Lu gave him a pull, Father Jia quickly shut up and stopped talking.

Master Lu changed the subject and said: "Master Luo, Jia Xiaoren's father brought him some food, can you go and visit?"

Father Jia nodded quickly and said, "Yes, yes, it's freezing cold today, I brought him some clothes to protect him from the cold, and please forgive me."

Luo Mingda shook his head, and said: "I'm sorry, Jia Xiaoren is an important suspect and cannot see anyone. When you go to court, you will naturally see him."

Hitting a hard nail, Mr. Lu knew that it would not work, so he took Mr. Zhang and Mrs. Jia away.

After walking out of the county government office, Father Jia said to Lord Lu, "Hongsheng, what should we do now?"

Master Lu looked back at the direction of the county government office, and said: "After all, this is not Qingzhou, and he is the son of Luo Shangshu, so don't be tough. We can stop the witnesses over there, and we can delay it for a day or two. There are not enough witnesses. , as long as Xiaoren and Niu San bite to death and don't let go, he can't be convicted. I will ask to sit in on the supervisory trial together, and Mr. Zhang will also sit in on the trial. Let's figure out a way. That man named Cao Yuan, find a way to get in touch and see if he can He cannot be allowed to retract his confession."

Father Jia nodded when he heard the words, and Master Zhang also nodded.

After returning to Jia Xiaoren's house, Master Lu found Jia's father again, and said to him: "Just in case, I have to find someone to do it for me. You should find a way to see who is suitable."

Father Jia looked up at Master Lu, and nodded heavily in agreement.

On the other side, Luo Mingda and the county magistrate waited for a day before the servants came back, they were a little worried.

"Maybe things are a little tricky?" said the master book.

The county magistrate said: "That's Qingzhou's territory, no more than our own. They will definitely try their best to prevent them from bringing the witness back. My lord, look, do you want to send more people over there?"

Luo Mingda walked back and forth in the room, shook his head, and said, "What if the person sent there can't come back? Wait another day and see."

In the evening, when Luo Mingda returned home, he also had a sad face.

Luo Fulang rubbed his forehead and asked, "Why is your husband bothered?"

Luo Mingda took Fu Lang's hand, held it in his hand, and said: "The government servants sent to Qingzhou have not come back so far, I'm afraid they were stopped by that surnamed Lu."

Lovran pulled out his hand, patted the back of Luo Mingda's hand, and said, "I received a letter from the housekeeper this morning, saying that they will be back tomorrow. Wait and see."

"Really?" Luo Mingda's eyes lit up immediately, he nodded and said, "Okay, wait another day."

The next day, Ding Lai and three other yamen servants led the old man and the villagers to the pier by the pier of Qingzhou City.

Those officers and soldiers are still there.

"Boss, what should we do?" A yamen servant asked.

They waited here all day yesterday, and the county lieutenant never came back after holding their documents.They went to the county yamen to find someone, and the yamen servant at the gate told them that the county lieutenant was not there at all, and that the county magistrate and the magistrate had gone to other counties to do business and were not in the county yamen.

Ding Lai and the others were in a hurry, which was simply a deliberate delay.But the officers and soldiers on the pier were guarding them with spears, and they would change shifts halfway, and they would not go back until dark and the ships at the pier stopped.

The few people had no choice but to stay in Qingzhou City for another night.

"Brother, our paperwork has been handed over to your county lieutenant. You have no reason to stop us. Everyone is on duty, so please accommodate me." Ding Lai said to one of the soldiers who took the lead.

The man also replied directly: "Without the order of the county captain, we can't let you pass, just give up."

"If everyone is like this again, don't blame me for rushing in!" Ding Lai said with a serious face.

The man looked at them, hahaha said: "Just you guys? I advise you to wait obediently."

Ding Lai and the others were so angry that they rolled up their sleeves and wanted to fight.

Suddenly an uncle rushed over and grabbed Ding Lai, still shouting: "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, sir, my son suddenly has a stomachache, and I can't carry him on his back, can I trouble you to help me?" Shall I carry him to a doctor?"

Ding Lai is in a fit of anger, where did this uncle come from!You won't find someone else to carry your son!

He turned his head and glared at the uncle, but when he saw the man clearly, he widened his eyes and said, "Luo..."

Seeing that he was going to call out, the uncle quickly winked at him, and said, "Officer, please help me?"

Ding Lai quickly reacted and said, "Okay, where is it?"

The uncle pointed in the direction, and there was indeed a young man squatting under a tree not far away, clutching his stomach.

Ding Lai waved his hand to the back and said, "Come with me."

With that said, a group of people followed the uncle.

Ding Lai carried the young man on his back and followed the uncle to the corner. When the officers and soldiers were out of sight, the uncle patted the young man on the back to let him get down, and led them quickly to the woods.

They didn't stop until they were a mile away.

"Steward Luo, why are you here?" Ding Lai looked at the uncle, who was the housekeeper of Luo Mansion, and asked.

Housekeeper Luo replied: "Our young husband sent me to do some things, and they just finished. I saw you were stopped yesterday afternoon."

Ding Lai said angrily: "The county lieutenant left with our documents and never came back. He was obviously delaying time."

Luo Guanjia said: "The prefect here must have arrived in Tongshan, and wants to prevent us from bringing witnesses back."

"Then what should we do? They are guarding the pier, and we can't get through."

"Follow me." Housekeeper Luo led them another mile, until they reached a riverside in Qinghe, where there were already several other people waiting there, and, besides the river, there were still A wooden boat!

"Steward Luo! You got a boat?" Ding Lai said pleasantly.

Steward Luo nodded, and said, "Let's go back quickly, adults and the others should be in a hurry."

"Good!" Ding Lai said happily.

A group of people boarded the wooden boat, crossed the river smoothly through the upper reaches of the pier and returned to Tongshan City. They did not disembark from the wharf of Tongshan, but quietly disembarked from a gentler river, and then refitted and sneaked back to the county government.

When Steward Luo and his party came back, Luo Mingda immediately notified Yu Qingze to be promoted in the afternoon.

Father Jia and the others sent people to monitor the situation of the county government office, and when they learned that they were going to be promoted in the afternoon, they rushed to the county government office immediately, just as the government servant finished shouting 'mighty', Niu San and Jia Xiaoren were brought to court.

"Lord Luo, this case involves the people of Qingzhou, and I request supervision and trial." Lord Lu said as soon as he entered the courtroom.

Seeing Lord Lu and his father coming, Jia Xiaoren's originally sluggish spirit was immediately revived, and he became full of confidence.

Luo Mingda smiled and said, "Lord Lu, do you want to supervise the interrogation?"

Master Lu nodded.

Luo Mingda dug his ears, and said doubtfully: "Lord Lu, I think you are too anxious to make a mistake. The suspect is your cousin. According to our Dasheng law, you have to avoid it. Where did the supervisor come from?" ?”

Master Lu paused, unable to refute.Unexpectedly, Luo Mingda is quite proficient in the law.

Luo Mingda said again: "If your lord wants to listen in, please go outside the gate of the court."

Master Lu looked at Luo Mingda, turned around, gave Master Zhang a look, then retreated to the door of the court with a dark face, and stood and listened together with other common people.

Afterwards, Master Zhang said again: "Lord Luo, I ask you to sit in the hall, do you have any objection?"

Luo Mingda smiled and said, "Okay. Come here, give Mr. Zhang a stool."

The yamen servant took a small bench from behind and put it next to the yamen servant near the door.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Zhang, as you know, the previous county magistrate has embezzled too much money and filled the national treasury. All I'm left with is a mess. Our Tongshan county government is so poor that we can't even find chairs. There is only this kind of stool, and I will wrong you first." Luo Mingda said with a shameful face.

"You..." Mr. Zhang blushed from holding back, and finally had no choice but to stretch his legs and sit on the small bench.

This was deliberately making things difficult, he knew it, but there was nothing he could do about it. The identity of the other party was not as simple as being a county magistrate.

The magistrate above forced him to come here, and he was squeezed out by his peers here, Mr. Zhang was like a dumb man eating coptis, and he couldn't tell what he was suffering.

Yu Qingze and the others couldn't help but want to laugh while watching, but they tried their best to hold back, leaving only the trembling of their shoulders.

They don't know how poor the county government is, but they do know that Master Luo's family has three meals a day packed at Yuji Snack Bar and Jufulou.

When Master Lu and Master Zhang saw such a scene, their faces were too dark to be black.

I lost all my face!

And Jia Xiaoren's heart sank when he saw his cousin and the others deflated.This Luo Mingda really didn't give him any face.

Snapped!

Luo Mingda saw Mr. Zhang sat down, patted the gavel, and said: "Yu Qingze sued Jia Xiaoren for instigating Niu San to infiltrate the Jufu Building to sell medicine and intentionally murder the case, and the trial is now open! Bring witnesses, Old Man Li from Jia's House , Wulipo villagers!"

When Master Lu, Master Zhang and Father Jia heard this, they were all taken aback. Didn't they set up an interception?How come they ran back? !

What are those idiots doing for food? !