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

A short while later, a loud voice rang out:

"The organizer of this year's food competition—Jin Ye—has arrived!"

As the voice faded, a man who appeared to be in his fifties walked onto the platform. He had a round face and small eyes, wore a dark blue silk robe, and had a piece of high-quality Hetian jade tied around his waist.

He sat down directly in his seat, his posture relaxed, as if he were sitting in his own restaurant.

"This Master Jin is quite something. He owns the largest restaurant in the capital, Jinquelou. Not only in the capital, but he also owns many restaurants in other regions. I heard that he has countless amounts of money at home and truly regards money as dirt."

"Decades ago, this culinary competition was originally organized by Master Jin to select chefs for his restaurant. Unexpectedly, the scale of the competition grew larger and larger with each competition, and its reputation also increased. As a result, famous chefs all over the world longed to win a good ranking in the culinary competition."

"To put it another way, if you can achieve a good ranking in the culinary competition, not only will the chef himself become famous, but his region will also become famous, and even the local officials' performance records will be improved as a result."

Guo Tiancheng spoke excitedly. He had participated in two previous food competitions, but he still couldn't calm down when he saw Master Jin.

If he could gain Master Jin's favor, he would be willing to die for it.

Immediately afterwards, that loud voice rang out again:

"Former head chef of the imperial kitchen—Old Master Sun—has arrived!"

The crowd fell silent instantly, all looking up at the platform.

A thin old man walked up to the platform. He was wearing a plain indigo silk robe, his face was fair, his eyes were slightly sunken, and his every move exuded a bit of arrogance.

Mr. Jin stood up from his armchair, took two steps to greet Mr. Sun, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then the two sat down again.

"Old Master Sun, the former head of the imperial kitchen, served two emperors. I heard that he could tell what kind of firewood was used to cook the soup just by tasting it." Guo Tiancheng's eyes gleamed.

Situ Liang, standing nearby, couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "The former head chef of the imperial kitchen... why didn't they invite the current head chef...?"

Snapped--

Guo Tiancheng directly slapped Situ Liang on the mouth.

"If the current head of the imperial kitchen were to come, I'm afraid the nature of this culinary competition would change," Shen Qing said calmly.

The current food competition is not under the involvement of the imperial court, at least not on the official stage; it is a spontaneous competition among the people.

If the current head of the imperial kitchen gets involved, the competition will immediately become official.

Putting everything else aside, the position of the organizer, Jin Ye, is probably in jeopardy, and the imperial court will also incur an additional expense for hosting the competition.

Well, Jin Ye must have paid a lot of money to the imperial court.

"The culinary master—Grandpa He—has arrived!"

An elderly man with white hair and beard walked onto the platform. He was slightly overweight and had a kind face.

"Old Master He is a discerning gourmet. He has tasted everything from royal banquets to commoners' snacks. He has an extremely discerning palate. If he says he is number one in food appreciation, no one would dare to say they are number two!"

Guo Tiancheng couldn't help but start rambling again. He had participated in two food competitions and knew the backgrounds of these judges very well.

Ever since the judges entered the room, his excitement had never subsided.

"President Wu of the Beijing Food Guild has arrived!"

He was a young man in his thirties who, upon stepping onto the stage, bowed to the other three people in turn.

"A renowned scholar from Jiangnan—Mr. Qingci has arrived—"

Stepping onto the platform with the sound was a scholar dressed in a moon-white Confucian robe. He was slender and tall, with a well-proportioned gait, and exuded the air of a scholar.

"Chef Zhu, the old master chef of Jinquelou, has arrived!"

A chef, as burly as Guo Tiancheng, stepped onto the stage, beaming with smiles.

Jinquelou is a restaurant under Master Jin's management, and Chef Zhu has been a long-time chef at Jinquelou.

Then that loud shout rang out again:

"Fang Shanren has arrived—"

An old man dressed in coarse cloth came onto the stage. Unlike the others, he looked like someone who had worked hard all year round. His back was slightly bent and his face was full of honesty.

Although this Mr. Fang was not a wealthy or powerful person, he was charitable, highly respected, and had a very large following.

This is also the main reason why he was able to participate in the food competition.

There were seven armchairs on the platform, and all the judges were now seated.

Everyone present held their breath and listened intently, eagerly awaiting the announcement of the competition rules.

The participants, in particular, were very attentive, as this concerned their rankings.

"This competition is divided into five stages, each with an elimination system. The top ten finishers will receive corresponding rewards."

"Today will be the first stage of the competition. All contestants will use the stoves provided by the competition organizers to prepare a dish within a specified time. We have provided the contestants with basic ingredients and tools. Of course, contestants can also use their own ingredients and tools. The seven judges will taste each dish and decide who stays and who goes by raising their cards. Contestants need to get six or more green cards to advance."

"In addition, each judge has a Golden Token, which allows the contestant to advance directly to the next round."

"In the first stage, there are one hundred qualifying spots. All contestants, please strive to secure your place!!"

After hearing what was said, Shen Qing had a general understanding.

This first stage is like a preliminary selection. There are no special requirements, and you don't need to demonstrate any professional skills. You just need to make a dish that wins the approval of the six judges.

Looking around, the ingredients on the stove were very simple: rice, flour, eggs, bok choy, cucumber, a little pork, scallions, ginger, and garlic, and finally a small jar of salt and a small bowl of vinegar.

"Madam Shen, how about I share some of the ingredients I brought with you, otherwise you won't be able to cook?" Guo Tiancheng said with a frown.

When they set off, he and Situ Liang brought a lot of cooking utensils, as well as a lot of precious ingredients, such as dried sea cucumber, dried scallops, matsutake mushrooms, etc. This morning, he even bought a fish just in case.

Shen Qing didn't bring anything, and he tried to persuade him several times but to no avail.

In this first stage, everyone will definitely use the ingredients they brought; no one will use the basic ingredients.

It would be such a pity if Madam Shen, who is so capable, were to fail at the first hurdle because of the ingredients.

"Yes, Madam Shen, I can share some with you too," Situ Liang added.

Shen Qing shook his head: "No need, I have my own way."

It's just making one dish, so those basic ingredients are enough.

Besides, she also has a system.

Guo Tiancheng was about to persuade him again when several servants came over.

These servants were all dressed in matching clothes with a large "Jin" character written on the front, clearly indicating that they were Jin's men.

"From Ping'an County?" A servant glanced at the flag in Situ Liang's hand, then a hint of disdain appeared on his face.

"I remember in the last food competition, your Ping'an County was completely wiped out in the second round." He chuckled, his face full of sarcasm.