Mythical Qin: I, Gao Yao, will never be a eunuch!

Chapter 1172 Kyoto, Chen Pingping Takes the Initiative to Pay a Visit!

After cultivating his inner energy to the Grandmaster level, Gao Yao discovered that the peace of mind and his ability to comprehend directly affected the purity and application of his inner energy. The kitchen, a place teeming with activity, became the perfect place for him to hone his mental discipline. Here, he needed to concentrate fully on processing ingredients, controlling the heat, and harmonizing flavors; the slightest distraction would undo all his efforts. This focus was precisely the best way to cleanse his heart of its murderous intent and return to peace.

"Boss, the guests in the west wing would like another serving of boiled cabbage in clear broth," a waiter said respectfully, lifting the curtain.

Gao Yao nodded, his hands still moving. He took out a large Chinese cabbage heart that had been carefully cultivated for three days and slowly poured it over with a special clear broth. This seemingly simple dish actually required three days and three nights of preparation—the clear broth was made by carefully simmering dozens of ingredients such as old hen, old duck, ham, and dried scallops, and then filtering it multiple times; the Chinese cabbage heart needed to be slowly cultivated at a specific temperature to maintain its crispness and sweetness.

Cooking is like a spiritual practice; every step requires patience and focus.

As night fell, Gao's Restaurant saw off its last table of guests. The staff began clearing away the tables and chairs, preparing to close. This had been Gao's Restaurant's rule for many years—no matter how good business was, they would stop accepting customers at a fixed time. This insistence initially puzzled many, but over time, it became a distinctive feature of Gao's Restaurant, even adding a touch of mystery.

Several young men were working together to move a heavy mahogany table when suddenly the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from the street outside.

At first, there were only a few scattered hooves, but soon they merged into a dense chorus of hooves, like muffled thunder before a storm, approaching from afar. The experienced workers immediately stopped what they were doing and exchanged glances.

They were not flustered. Instead, they calmly put down what they were carrying, straightened their clothes, and waited quietly.

In the blink of an eye, dozens of cavalrymen clad in black armor and cloaks had surrounded Gao's Restaurant. These cavalrymen were all silent and menacing; their horses' breath condensed into white mist in the cold night air. They did not dismount, but simply stood in formation, completely surrounding the restaurant.

Behind the cavalry, a black carriage slowly approached and stopped in front of the restaurant's main entrance. There were no obvious markings on the carriage, but its menacing aura spoke volumes—it was a carriage of the Censorate.

When the car door opened and several men in black carefully lifted a wheelchair out, everyone's suspicions were confirmed: Chen Pingping, the president of the Control Yuan, had come to visit in person.

Sitting in his wheelchair, Chen Pingping's gaze swept across the plaque of Gao's Restaurant like a hawk's. A smile played on his lips, but it didn't reach his eyes; instead, it carried a hint of scrutiny and coldness.

"Chen Pingping of the Censorate wants to see your boss. Please let me know." Chen Pingping's voice was not loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.

The servants at the door exchanged glances, and one of them bowed slightly: "Please wait a moment, Dean." After saying that, he turned and entered the restaurant.

Chen Pingping wasn't in a hurry, but the apprehension in his eyes deepened. He noticed that none of these seemingly ordinary waiters showed any fear in the face of the Surveillance Bureau's black cavalry. This was definitely not the behavior one would expect from an ordinary restaurant.

In fact, Chen Pingping's actions today were not impulsive. Several months ago, Emperor Qing had instructed him to investigate the connection between the Gao Family Restaurant and Princess Li Yunrui. Initially, this was just one of countless investigative tasks assigned by the Overwatch Council, but as the investigation deepened, Chen Pingping felt increasingly uneasy.

The Gao family restaurant, which had only been open in Kyoto for six years, had already developed into a vast commercial network spanning the country. Even more disturbing was that no matter how the Control Yuan investigated, they couldn't find the true mastermind behind it. The source of goods, the flow of funds, the backgrounds of the personnel... everything was cleverly concealed.

At first, Chen Pingping thought this was a hidden move by Li Yunrui, but the more she investigated, the more she discovered that the scale and influence of the Gao Clan Chamber of Commerce had long exceeded Li Yunrui's control. Even more alarming was that Tianxia Money House had recently launched a comprehensive cooperation with the Gao Clan Chamber of Commerce, allowing the Chamber to extend its reach into unprecedented areas.

Chen Pingping understood perfectly what this meant: while the powerful banks of the world were strong, their business mainly focused on money transactions; whereas the Gao Clan Chamber of Commerce was involved in the fundamental aspects of people's livelihoods, such as grain, salt, iron, cloth, restaurants, and inns. If left unchecked, within two years, the Gao Clan Chamber of Commerce would monopolize at least 30% of the world's economic lifeline.

Chen Pingping understood the rules of the business world all too well: small chambers of commerce could not compete with large ones and would eventually be swallowed up or eliminated. Once the Gao Clan Chamber of Commerce formed a monopoly, even a behemoth like Tianxia Money House would have to give way. Money was certainly important, but if the supply of basic materials was controlled by others, money would lose its meaning.

The economic problems were just the tip of the iceberg. During his in-depth investigation, Chen Pingping discovered an even more astonishing fact: all business rivals who opposed the Gao Clan Chamber of Commerce, regardless of size, ended in failure. Among them were local powerful figures, and some even secretly harbored hundreds of martial artists, but all vanished without a trace in a very short time.

The Censorate had a record of a Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce whose influence was deeply entrenched, employing over a thousand martial artists, including many eighth-rank masters. Although the imperial court was aware of its illegal activities, it had not dared to take action due to the wide-ranging implications. However, after this chamber of commerce clashed with the Gao Clan Chamber of Commerce, its core members, along with those martial artists, vanished without a trace within just three days, as if they had never existed.

Such power transcends the scope of ordinary business competition. Chen Pingping knew that the hidden power behind the Gao Clan Chamber of Commerce was probably far beyond his imagination.

Chen Pingping came today partly on the orders of Emperor Qing, and partly out of his own vigilance. He needed to personally meet this mysterious owner of the Gao family restaurant to ascertain the other party's true nature.

Just as Chen Pingping was deep in thought, footsteps sounded inside the restaurant. The waiter who had gone in to announce the arrival returned, bowing slightly: "Dean Chen, my boss requests your presence."

Chen Pingping nodded, gesturing for the person behind him to push him inside. As the wheelchair rolled over the threshold, he noticed extremely fine patterns carved on the door frame—not ordinary decorative patterns, but a kind of extremely ancient rune. Even the well-read Chen Pingping had only seen similar patterns in a tattered ancient book.

The interior of the restaurant was no different from any other ordinary restaurant; the tables and chairs, though exquisitely arranged, were also quite ordinary. However, Chen Pingping keenly sensed that at least ten hidden sentries were concealed within this seemingly ordinary space. Each one was completely silent, almost undetectable to him unless he possessed profound cultivation.

"President Chen, it is an honor to have you here. I am sorry for not welcoming you properly."

A gentle voice came from the stairwell. Chen Pingping looked up and saw a middle-aged man in a plain-colored long robe slowly walking down the stairs. He had an ordinary appearance and a refined demeanor, and at first glance, he looked like a schoolteacher. However, his eyes were deep and unfathomable, with a subtle gleam in them.