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

Shen Qing remained silent for a moment.

White soy sauce, mirin, and MSG—these are all modern condiments, which she couldn't explain.

"...It's just some flavor-enhancing seasonings..."

"What seasoning?" Li Zhesheng couldn't help but ask.

The taste was truly amazing. Having spent years studying culinary arts, he simply couldn't resist his thirst for knowledge.

Shen Qing remained silent for a long while before saying, "I adjusted it myself."

"..."

Li Zhesheng was somewhat disappointed, but he also realized that when it comes to seasoning, each chef has their own unique recipe, which is not easily passed on to outsiders.

He was indeed rash.

"I lost the third round of seasoning too," Li Zhesheng sighed.

He lost completely.

If he were to prepare this bowl of shredded tofu, he would definitely add soy sauce and vinegar.

If he hadn't tasted Madam Shen's tofu strips, he would definitely have thought his was better. But now that he'd tasted it, he felt the soy sauce and vinegar were too heavy, masking the natural fragrance of the tofu and leaving only sour and salty flavors, with no other tastes to be found.

"So? Want to become Madam Shen's apprentice?" Situ Liang said slyly from the side. "Don't even think about it. Madam Shen won't even take me in, let alone you!"

As she spoke, she reached out with her chopsticks and picked up another bite of shredded tofu.

Becoming an apprentice?

Li Zhesheng was tempted, but he came from a family of chefs, and his family would not allow him to learn from outsiders.

Moreover, Situ Liang seems to have a very good relationship with Madam Shen. If Madam Shen doesn't even accept Situ Liang, she probably won't accept him either.

Just as Li Zhesheng was feeling disheartened, Shen Qing's voice suddenly rang out:

"Your knife skills are actually very good. When cutting tofu, you just need to soak the knife in salt water. That way, the cut edges of the tofu strips won't be rough."

"You can't use boiling water to cook tofu. When the water is boiling and just starting to bubble, you can add the tofu strips. When the tofu strips are cooled, you can't use ice water, you can use cooled boiled water. This way, the cooked tofu strips will be more tender and smooth."

Li Zhesheng's eyes lit up instantly: "You're actually willing to tell me these methods?!"

"It's not a complicated method, I won't mind telling you," Shen Qing smiled.

Aside from the seasonings provided by the system, she didn't mind sharing these methods of cooking tofu with others.

In fact, these methods were discovered gradually by generations of people; she only learned about them because she came from modern times.

Li Zhesheng's gaze towards Shen Qing was instantly filled with admiration; he hadn't expected Shen Qing to be willing to tell him these methods.

After all, these are the secret weapons that every chef keeps to himself.

Thank you!

Li Zhesheng, his eyes brimming with excitement, bowed deeply to Shen Qing.

He couldn't help but feel grateful. Luckily, he and Madam Shen had drawn the same group.

Otherwise, who knows how long he would have remained arrogant?

Li Zhesheng turned and left in a hurry; needless to say, he must have gone back to chop tofu.

The remaining people, including Madam Yan and Situ Liang, continued to enjoy the delicious shredded tofu, one bite at a time.

No one was paying attention to the match on stage.

"Leave some for me! Leave some for me now!!!" Suddenly, a shout rang out.

It was Yan Wenli. He rushed over as soon as court was over, his purpose, of course, was to find an opportunity to eat something delicious.

As a result, upon arrival, they saw several people surrounding Shen Qing, sharing a plate of shredded tofu.

His own wife was among them.

"Don't eat it all, leave me a few bites!" Yan Wenli kept pushing through the crowd, but his eyes were fixed on the plate of shredded tofu.

"Minister Yan, wait for me! Let's discuss the allocation of funds again!"

Yan Wenli was followed by a man in official robes, who had obviously come after him as soon as court was over.

"Eat quickly! Eat quickly!!" Situ Liang heard the shout and hurriedly said to Guo Tiancheng and the others.

He also picked up a large chopstickful for himself.

The shredded tofu is so delicious! Every bite is a precious treat, so he'd better hurry!

The group around the plate started eating voraciously, and when they saw that there were only a few strands of tofu left on the plate, Madam Yan suddenly had a change of heart.

Yan Wenli is, after all, one of her people, so she should protect him no matter what.

So he picked up the plate and held it protectively in his arms.

"Madam Yan, why have you betrayed us? Didn't we agree to eat it all together and then brag to Yan Wenli when we got back?" Situ Liang was dumbfounded. They had clearly agreed to brag together, but at the last minute, Madam Yan had betrayed them.

Madam Yan gave an awkward laugh, then turned to Yan Wenli and shouted, "Hurry up! Quickly, I've grabbed some for you!!"

"Madam! You're the best to me! I'm here, I'm here!!"

Yan Wenli was practically beaming with joy, and he forced his way forward.

After squeezing for quite a while, I finally got to the front, grabbed the plate, and started eating the tofu strips directly from the plate.

They didn't even bother to pick up their chopsticks.

At this moment, the official following behind Yan Wenli also squeezed over. Seeing Yan Wenli licking the plate, he was speechless.

"You're supposed to be the Minister of Revenue, yet you neglect important national affairs and come here to lick plates. Is that really necessary?"

He glanced at the judges' platform again and frowned slightly: "What's so interesting about this folk cooking competition? If you want to eat, I'll invite you to my residence, and we can talk about the allocation of funds while we're at it."

"Our Ministry of Works has already tried its best to reduce the budget, but there are some expenses that cannot be cut back on, such as repairing waterways and building palaces. I know that your Ministry of Revenue is not having an easy time, but our Ministry of Works is having an even harder time. Please find a way to divert funds from other sources and allocate them to our Ministry of Works as soon as possible!"

The one chasing after Yan Wenli was none other than Xin Heng, the Minister of Works, who was already at his wits' end.

The river needs to be repaired, the late emperor's mausoleum needs to be maintained, the imperial estate needs to be built, and there's also the palace that the current emperor specifically requested to be constructed.

These projects all have time limits; every day of delay is one less day to complete. If they are not finished by the deadline, the entire ministry will be in trouble.

But the money just wouldn't come through; the Ministry of Revenue kept giving vague excuses, saying it was too difficult.

The Ministry of Revenue is having a tough time, but the Ministry of Works is having an even tougher time!

Xin Heng said a lot, then turned around and saw that Yan Wenli had licked the plate clean, so clean it was reflective.

He could tell at a glance that Yan Wenli hadn't listened to a word he said!

In an instant, he felt a fire rise directly to his head.

He was completely wasting his breath!

"What's so great about licking a broken plate?"

So he snatched the plate and threw it on the ground.

Snapped--

The plate shattered into pieces, and everyone around looked at Xin Heng.