Chapter 508: Bright Court Pavilion's Retaliation?
"Father, you were spot on!" Not long after Wu Yue left, she suddenly rushed back into the kitchen. "The Culinary Association really did send someone to invite you to be a judge!"
"As expected." A trace of satisfaction appeared on Wu Henian's face—his daughter's admiration clearly pleased him. "Who is Han Shi's opponent?"
"Bright Court Pavilion."
"Who?!" Wu Henian casually tossed aside the ingredient in his hand and abruptly turned to look at Wu Yue.
"I didn't believe it either." Wu Yue gave a strange smile. "But I asked several times—it really is the Bright Court Pavilion."
"This 'spirit of youth' is a bit too strong, isn't it?" Wu Henian shook his head. "Well, if he insists on challenging such a powerful opponent, then he'll just have to take a fall… Hmm? Wait, that's not right."
Wu Henian frowned slightly. "Why would the Bright Court Pavilion agree to this?"
He knew Zhao Yangfan, the man in charge of Bright Court Pavilion. Although he always appeared amiable with a smile on his face, he was actually quite a proud person. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't even spare a glance for a newly opened restaurant like Han Shi—yet now he had agreed to a culinary challenge?
What kind of situation was this?
It was like a newly signed author challenging a top-tier, platinum-level author—and that top author agreeing without hesitation…
"Um… Father, the actual situation might be a little different from what you're imagining." Wu Yue coughed lightly. "It was Bright Court Pavilion that initiated the challenge."
Huh?
Wu Henian's eyes widened.
A platinum-level author challenging a newly signed author? That was even more absurd!
No… something about this is off.
His frown deepened.
"Go tell the association I agree—no, forget it, I'll go myself." Wu Henian shook his head. He wanted to personally clarify what was going on.
Soon, Wu Henian learned the full details of the situation, including the three themes drawn by both sides. Yet his confusion only grew.
Glancing at the sky, he stepped out of Heavenly Star Palace.
"Hey, hey, hey? Father, where are you going?" Wu Yue was startled and quickly called out. "It's almost lunchtime."
"Yes, it's almost lunchtime." Wu Henian nodded, but his steps didn't slow at all. "You stay and manage the restaurant. I'm going to Han Shi to take a look."
"Huh?"
"I'm going to confirm whether that young man truly has the ability to match his spirit."
…
Walking quickly to Mingke Street, Wu Henian asked around briefly and soon arrived at the entrance of Han Shi.
At this moment, Han Shi hadn't opened for business yet, but there were already over a hundred people waiting outside. Such a scene was rare.
Not just on Mingke Street—even on Sun-Moon Avenue, very few restaurants had queues of this size before opening.
Even at the Heavenly Star Palace, such a sight was uncommon. Of course, that was because the Heavenly Star Palace operated continuously from morning to night and had a much larger space, so customers typically waited inside.
If one were to compare overall business, Heavenly Star Palace was certainly still more popular than Han Shi.
But this was still astonishing, after all, Han Shi had only been open for a short time.
"Boss Wu, you're here too?" A voice came from the side. Wu Henian turned his head and nodded.
"Boss Li, long time no see."
This was another restaurant owner from Sun-Moon Avenue. Although not as strong as the Heavenly Star Palace or the Bright Court Pavilion, his establishment was still among the top-tier. He had likely also been invited by the Culinary Association to serve as a judge, which was why he had come early—just like Wu Henian—to see what kind of place Han Shi really was.
"Han Shi is not so simple, Boss Wu," Boss Li said, giving Wu Henian a meaningful look before leaning closer and lowering his voice. "I got here earlier than you—guess what I discovered?"
This Boss Li really loved to keep people in suspense.
Wu Henian shook his head helplessly. "What did you find?"
"Heh." Boss Li subtly gestured toward the people at the front of the line. "Take a closer look at who's queuing up there."
Following his hint, Wu Henian examined the people at the front—and his heart gave a slight jolt.
Among those waiting in line were several figures he recognized very well.
And without exception, all of them were high-ranking officials of the Sun Moon Empire.
This…
Judging by how these officials were chatting and laughing with the others, it was clear that the rest of the people in line were no ordinary individuals either—most likely officials as well.
Why were so many imperial officials gathered here?!
Wu Henian felt like he was dreaming.
The Heavenly Star Palace and the Bright Court Pavilion were equally renowned, but their business philosophies were completely different. From the very beginning, Heavenly Star Palace upheld a simple idea: to make fine cuisine accessible to ordinary people. Although its dishes were more expensive than those of typical restaurants, they were still affordable for most people in Mingdu City.
In contrast, Bright Court Pavilion, whose head chefs were all former imperial chefs, placed greater emphasis on prestige and exclusivity. Not only were its dishes expensive, but its clientele consisted mainly of nobles and high-ranking officials. Backed by the royal palace, it was the go-to dining place for ministers who wished to show their closeness to the royal family.
In other words, the very officials now waiting in line for Han Shi should have been regular patrons of Bright Court Pavilion.
At that moment, a long-standing question in Wu Henian's mind was finally answered.
Why would Bright Court Pavilion take the initiative to challenge Han Shi?
Because Han Shi had attracted so many court officials—it was essentially digging into Bright Court Pavilion's foundation. Of course the Bright Court Pavilion would come after Han Shi!
This wasn't just a simple culinary challenge.
This was retaliation from Bright Court Pavilion.
And that young owner of Han Shi, already filled with youthful spirit—how could he possibly refuse when Bright Court Pavilion came knocking?
Letting out a slow breath, Wu Henian's expression turned slightly serious.
That young man named Qi Han… was likely in big trouble this time.
For Bright Court Pavilion to directly initiate a culinary challenge against a newly opened restaurant—this was completely shameless. They were clearly trying to crush Han Shi outright!
Because he had some appreciation for Qi Han, Wu Henian actually wanted to help Han Shi.
But after thinking it over for quite a while, he could only let out a defeated sigh.
Although the Heavenly Star Palace and the Bright Court Pavilion were equally famous, in terms of power and connections, they were not on the same level at all.
If the Bright Court Pavilion truly wanted to use certain means to suppress the Heavenly Star Palace, it wouldn't be impossible. The only reason they hadn't done so over the years traced back to events from a hundred years ago—specifically, to Heavenly Star Palace's founder, Wu Henian's great-grandfather.
Back then, Wu Henian's great-grandfather's culinary skills were so exceptional that even several of Bright Court Pavilion's top chefs couldn't match him. As he swept through challenges one after another and was about to take on Bright Court Pavilion, they finally grew uneasy.
The two sides sat down for negotiations. In the end, Wu Henian's great-grandfather agreed to stop and not challenge Bright Court Pavilion, preserving their dignity. In return, Bright Court Pavilion promised never to use any means other than culinary skill against the Heavenly Star Palace.
Since the Bright Court Pavilion was backed by the royal family, breaking such a promise would damage the royal family's reputation. Therefore, they had honored this agreement all these years.
But Qi Han had no such agreement with Bright Court Pavilion.
Given the current conflict between the two sides, if Han Shi were to lose this culinary challenge, the consequences would be easy to imagine.
Watching as Han Shi's doors opened and customers surged inside, Wu Henian's eyes were filled with regret.
Let's see what confidence Qi Han has in accepting this challenge.
If his culinary skills are truly outstanding, there might still be a chance to turn things around.
As for Han Shi defeating Bright Court Pavilion…
Don't be ridiculous.
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[2] https://www.patreon.com/Avicebron/posts/becoming-food-in-160492301