Being an emperor is not something he can do, so he can only rely on his connections.

in the afternoon.

The yamen mobilized almost all the detectives and runners to search for the two maids in the western suburbs.

Zhang Jingwei rubbed his brows wearily, feeling his temples throbbing. Just as he was about to leave the government office for some fresh air, Yang Zhao hurried towards him, his face bearing his usual cold and capable expression.

"Sir," Yang Zhao saluted, his voice low, "In the mass graves of the western suburbs, two female corpses have been excavated at the location described by prisoner Deng Shi. Preliminary examination shows that the time of death, injury characteristics, and burial method all match the testimony of the Deng family's servants." He paused, looking at Zhang Jingwei, "Would you... like to examine it yourself?"

Zhang Jingwei waved his hand without even stopping, his voice thick with weariness. "No. Have Huang Dianshi take the coroner to conduct a thorough examination and prepare a detailed autopsy. Afterward, have Huang Liang write a detailed report to me."

"Yes, I understand," Yang Zhao replied, then brought up another pressing matter. "I have one more thing to report, Your Excellency. Recently, many people in the city who drank 'Da Shi Wine' have reported diarrhea and vomiting. The clinic is packed with people with similar symptoms, all claiming they suffered from this drink."

"Diarrhea? Vomiting?" Zhang Jingwei paused, his brows furrowed in confusion. "That's not right. Didn't you and I taste that 'Da Shi Wine' the other day? Even though it was bitter and hard to swallow, we didn't have this kind of reaction."

Yang Zhao pondered, "My humble opinion is that it might be a matter of consumption. You and I only had a few sips that day, but the drink is selling like hotcakes in the city, and many people are treating it as a novelty drink, even replacing tea with it, drinking large quantities for days on end. The accumulation of small amounts, or perhaps a physical intolerance, has led to this stomach upset."

A sharp light flashed in Zhang Jingwei's eyes.

The appearance of this "Da Shi Wine" was already suspicious, and now it's causing mass illness. But... that stuff is so expensive, how could ordinary people drink it for days on end? He said in a deep voice, "Inspector Yang, take your men and investigate immediately! Find out which shops are selling 'Da Shi Wine' that caused the symptoms? Is it the same batch? Or are all the batches problematic? Who are the people with the severe symptoms? How long have they been drinking it, and in what quantities? Also, find a way to get samples of 'Da Shi Wine' from different sources. This is a matter of public concern, so we must investigate it as soon as possible!"

"Yes! I'll do it right away!" Yang Zhao knew the importance of this matter, so he clasped his fists, accepted the order, turned around and left.

As soon as Yang Zhao left, Wang Ergou appeared from nowhere and approached Zhang Jingwei with a flattering yet somewhat embarrassed smile on his face: "Master, are you looking for me?"

Zhang Jingwei glanced at him, as if remembering his previous thoughts, and whispered, "Yeah. Gouzi, go to the market before curfew tonight."

"Master, please give your orders!" Wang Ergou straightened his back.

"Buy some good sugar," Zhang Jingwei said, then thought for a moment, "If you have fresh cow's milk... or goat's milk, buy some too. Make sure it's fresh, not stale."

When Wang Ergou heard he wanted to buy something, the embarrassment on his face immediately magnified. He rubbed his hands and said with a wry smile, "Young Master... well... a few days ago you asked me to inquire about some information, and a few days ago I even treated you to a drink of Dashi wine... Money is really... a little tight... look at this money..."

Zhang Jingwei glanced at him helplessly, saying nothing. He calmly used his wide robe sleeves to cover his face, quickly pulled out two heavy, fine silver ingots (about five taels each) from his sleeve pocket, and quickly stuffed them into Wang Ergou's hands. His movements were covert and practiced, clearly not his first time.

"Take it." Zhang Jingwei lowered his voice to a whisper. "Do it quietly, don't make any noise! ​​Especially don't let that old brat Qian Ming see it!" He glared at Wang Ergou warningly. "He's been busy moving lately and borrowing money everywhere. He's like a bottomless pit. He hangs around me crying poor all day long. It's so annoying! If he knew I still had some spare money to buy you candy and milk, he'd pester me to death!"

Wang Ergou clutched the two silver ingots, still warm from Zhang Jingwei's body temperature, and immediately beamed. He nodded repeatedly, imitating Zhang Jingwei's manner and whispered, "I know, I know! Master, don't worry!" He made a gesture to seal his mouth, then added flatteringly, "Master, what delicious food are you going to make? This is filled with sugar and milk..."

Zhang Jingwei rolled his eyes at him unhappily. "Why are you asking so many questions? Just do your job! Remember, keep it fresh!" He waved his hand as if to shoo away a fly. "Go ahead, go ahead. Don't stand here anymore."

"Yes! I'll take my leave!" Wang Ergou got the silver and slipped away briskly, like a mouse that stole oil.

……

Eighty percent of today's annoyance is due to a "big event" - Huangfu Ling's birthday.

It was still noon when Douya, the girl, took the opportunity to serve tea and quietly leaned over to his ear to remind him, "Master, today... is Madam's birthday."

Huangfu Ling, the daughter of a military family, trained in martial arts from a young age with her father and brothers, possessed a straightforward and unconcerned personality. Her birthday was far less important to her than a well-equipped weapon or a satisfying bout of combat. In the past, when she was a young girl at home, only Douya would remember clearly and secretly cook her a bowl of longevity noodles with a poached egg, and the master and servant would quietly eat and call it a day. After marrying him, she never mentioned her birthday, acting as if it were just any other day.

But Douya was very attentive. Now that the young lady was married, she, the maidservant, had already changed her address to "Madam". In her opinion, the Madam's first birthday was of great significance, and it was natural that the "master" should be the one to arrange the celebration to make it more solemn.

Therefore, this "solemn" burden weighed heavily on Zhang Jingwei's heart.

He could still unravel the worries of the case, analyzing them in detail. But planning a birthday surprise for his wife... he felt unprecedentedly overwhelmed and at a loss. Facing Douya's expectant eyes, he could only vaguely promise, "I understand. Don't worry, I'll make arrangements and give my wife a surprise."

But what exactly was the surprise? Zhang Jingwei had no idea! Gold, silver, and jewelry? Huangfu Ling had never cared much for these material possessions. Silk and satin? She preferred comfortable clothing. Poetry? He was afraid his erudition would make her laugh. Or perhaps a weapon? She had already liked the dagger. But what if she got mad and stabbed him with it?

This "surprise" problem made him even more worried than interrogating Shi Jincheng and checking the military household accounts, and it has become an indelible haze in his heart today.

Amidst his distraught feelings, a flashback to his time in Yunzhou flashed through his mind: Huangfu Ling, holding a basket of steaming hot red bean paste buns, her eyes sparkling, a bit of the filling smearing the corners of her mouth. She had lost her usual heroic demeanor, instead appearing a bit like the sweet, innocent little girl. She seemed to... have a particular fondness for sweets?

"Yes! Sweets!" Zhang Jingwei's eyes lit up. She loved red bean paste buns, but what about other sweets? But just giving her a few red bean paste buns... seemed too perfunctory, too insincere. A man of his stature, giving his wife buns for her birthday? The thought of it made him feel ashamed.

What made him even more ashamed was that he, Zhang Jingwei, could handle a sword on horseback and solve cases on foot, but... he knew nothing about cooking! Forget making exquisite dim sum, even the simplest egg fried rice would be either burnt or undercooked, and he failed time and time again.

However, there is a classic line in Stephen Chow's movie: "As long as you work hard, everyone can be a god of food!"

"With care..." Zhang Jingwei chewed on the words. Perhaps...making her a dessert she had never tasted before was the best way to show her his care?

As if by providence, just as he was racking his brains for a dessert recipe, he stumbled upon a dusty copy of "Jiangnan Recipes" hidden in a corner of a government office bookshelf! Overjoyed, he eagerly began to read. When he came across the section on "Luo Gao," his heart raced!

The book describes it as follows: "Fine white flour is mixed with milk, egg white, and sugarcane frost (white sugar), whipped until fluffy, and then steamed in a mold. It is soft and delicate, sweet and fragrant, and melts in your mouth like cloud-like cotton..."

That description… that texture… isn’t this cake?! While the recipe details may be different (no oven, just steaming), the soft, sweet essence is so similar!

A bold and challenging idea instantly took shape - he wanted to make a unique "cream cake" for Huangfu Ling! Using the "Luo Gao" from Jiangnan as the base, he would then try to replicate that layer of snow-white, sweet "cream"!

Hence, Wang Ergou’s mysterious shopping mission in the afternoon: sugar and fresh milk.