Shocking! The entire court was drooling with envy because of me.

Over the next few days, Shen Qingchan probably made all the necessary arrangements for Ping'an County.

She chose to hand over Zhiweixuan to Zhao Wan, who would then manage the ingredients.

At the same time, she taught the chefs she had hired how to make Four Delicacies Soup, Stinky Tofu, Deluxe Instant Noodles, and Four Happiness Meatballs.

Of course, she generously shared half of Zhiweixuan's profits with Zhao Wan, not wanting him to work for nothing.

The same thing happened at Shen's Restaurant. She rehired chefs and waiters and asked Zhao Wan to help take care of them.

He then gave Shen's mother some careful instructions before he felt relieved.

Time flies, and the day to depart for the capital is approaching.

Early in the morning, Shen Qing got up, said a final goodbye to her mother, packed a few changes of clothes, and set off for the meeting place.

After waiting for a while, a burly man led a handsome young man over.

The two of them brought a lot of things with them, including kitchen knives, cutting boards, rolling pins, bowls and chopsticks, etc., as if they had taken the entire kitchen with them.

"You're Madam Shen?" The burly man looked Shen Qing up and down, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

Shen Qing politely replied, "My name is Shen Qing. May I ask how you two are addressed?"

"My name is Guo Tiancheng. I started learning to cook when I was fourteen or fifteen, and I have been cooking for more than thirty years now. Everyone calls me Master Guo."

The burly man spoke up. He was strong, had a large face, dark skin, and large pores; he looked like an experienced cook.

"This is my apprentice, Situ Liang. Although he has only been in the business for five years, he is exceptionally talented and always manages to come up with new dishes."

Shen Qing nodded to Situ Liang as a greeting.

But Situ Liang turned his head to the side, his expression showing arrogance and disdain.

"A woman who only became famous because of some novelties, I really don't understand why the magistrate insisted on having her go along. My senior brother has been waiting for this opportunity for ten years, and now he's been replaced. It's infuriating!"

He spoke in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft, making no attempt to avoid Shen Qing.

Guo Tiancheng awkwardly tried to smooth things over: "My little apprentice is straightforward, don't mind him, he's just standing up for my eldest apprentice."

"My eldest apprentice has been preparing for this year's food competition for ten years. He works very hard and has always been conscientious, but unfortunately he lacks a bit of talent."

When talking about his eldest apprentice, Guo Tiancheng's tone also carried a hint of regret.

The last food competition was ten years ago, when he participated with his eldest apprentice, who was only twenty-one years old at the time.

That year's food competition was full of talented people, but they, representing Ping'an County, were defeated after only two rounds.

As for the ranking, it can be described as being at the very bottom.

At that time, his eldest apprentice was young and ambitious, determined to win a good ranking in the food competition.

So he secluded himself at home to hone his culinary skills, doing so day after day for ten years.

It's a pity he lacked talent; after ten years, he only became more skilled, but the taste of his dishes didn't improve much.

The youngest apprentice, Situ Liang, is different. Although he has only been in the business for a short time and his skills in cooking and knife work are lacking, he is able to innovate and come up with a good dish every now and then.

Ping'an County only had three spots for the food competition. Since the county magistrate wanted to add one more, Shen Niangzi, he had no choice but to give up his eldest apprentice and bring his youngest apprentice, Situ Liang, along.

"I don't mind at all, but I see that your little apprentice is really feeling sorry for his senior brother. In my opinion, why don't you reconsider and take your eldest apprentice with you?" Shen Qing smiled calmly.

Although she is very tolerant, she doesn't like to be offended.

Situ Liang's words were offensive, especially his mention of "a woman".

What's wrong with the woman? What's wrong with the female cook? This is really rude.

"Master..." Situ Liang was getting anxious. Although he felt indignant on behalf of his senior brother, he wanted to participate in the Culinary Competition even more!

Guo Tiancheng waved his hand: "Alright, the candidates have all been decided, and the county magistrate has already submitted the report."

"Xiao Liang, apologize to Madam Shen."

Situ Liang rolled his eyes, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

This Lady Shen looks like a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl, while he's already twenty-one. Asking him to apologize to her? How embarrassing!

Shen Qing remained silent, her expression calm.

She was thinking that it wouldn't be a problem for her to participate in the food competition by herself alone.

"Hurry up!" Guo Tiancheng said sternly.

This Lady Shen was personally chosen by the county magistrate. We haven't even set off yet, so we can't afford to offend her.

Moreover, he had heard many people around him talk about Zhiweixuan these days. Although he had never eaten there, the fact that it had won the hearts of so many people meant that Madam Shen was definitely no ordinary person.

"I'm sorry..." Situ Liang said in a low voice, quickly finishing his sentence, and then immediately raised his head.

"Speak louder!" Guo Tiancheng scolded.

"Alright, Master Guo, let's get going quickly and not delay our journey."

Shen Qing didn't let Situ Liang continue; she didn't care about his apology.

She had just thought about it. It would indeed be inconvenient to participate in the food competition alone, since she had never been to the capital before and was completely unfamiliar with the place.

Why not go with these two?

"Okay, okay, let's go, let's go!" Guo Tiancheng breathed a sigh of relief, then turned around and slapped Situ Liang on the back of the head again. "Watch your step, don't cause trouble."

Guo Tiancheng was strong and had large, thick hands.

After the slap, Situ Liang felt his head buzzing.

He curled his lip, feeling even more annoyed, and directly blamed the slap on Shen Qing's head as well.

The three of them boarded a carriage and set off. Guo Tiancheng and Situ Liang rode in one carriage, while Shen Qing rode in his own.

Ping'an County is not far from the capital, but it still takes more than an hour to get there by carriage.

That is, a little over two hours.

The carriage swayed and rocked, making Shen Qing sleepy again.

When I opened my eyes again, the scenery on both sides of the road had changed.

All sorts of shops line the streets, some luxurious and some elegantly decorated.

The streets were filled with vendors hawking their wares—shoes, flowers, candied hawthorns—a dazzling array that kept people busy.

There were far more pedestrians on the street than in Ping'an County, shoulder to shoulder, and many of them were dressed in fine clothes and had smiles on their faces.

It presents a scene of great prosperity.

"As expected of the capital city..." Shen Qing couldn't help but exclaim.

Ping'an County is simply not comparable to it.

"Madam Shen, we've arrived." Guo Tiancheng's voice came from outside.

The carriage stopped, and Shen Qing jumped off. Looking up, he saw an inn with a signboard hanging above it—Laifu Inn.

"Let's rest and recuperate today. As for the cost of the inn, Madam Shen, you don't need to worry. The magistrate has already given us travel expenses."

Shen Qing nodded. Li Duan had told her about this, and she didn't need to worry about any expenses.

The three of them entered the inn, booked two superior rooms, and then ordered a meal.

Sitting around the dinner table, Situ Liang still acted rudely and dismissively.

After a while, looking at the dishes on the table, he had an idea.