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

Yan Wenli and a group of people busily escorted Shen Qing away from the food competition.

Clearly, they were planning to have a big meal and enjoy the food.

The surrounding audience members were all incredibly envious upon hearing this, wishing they could go along with them.

"I want to go too... Waaaaah..."

"Why am I not Lady Shen's friend...?"

"I'm so envious..."

"..."

Gao Hongyuan saw this and felt even more distressed.

He didn't want to lose!

So he quickly came up with a few ideas in his mind.

The first method is to spread rumors.

Shen Qing invited two judges to dinner; wasn't that blatant bribery? He only needed to bribe a few storytellers to spread rumors, and Shen Qing's reputation would be ruined.

It is important to know that rumors can spread like wildfire.

The second method was to spy on the exam questions.

It's definitely difficult to prepare if you know nothing. He can use money to find out the exam questions in advance, prepare ahead of time, and increase his chances of winning.

The third method was to bribe the servant.

Instruct the servant to distribute stale vegetables, spoiled meat, and eggs to Shen Qing.

As the saying goes, even a clever cook can't cook without rice. He just didn't believe that Shen Qing could win if the ingredients were spoiled.

Finally, if the opportunity arises, one could bribe a judge to use a golden chopsticks token to protect him. Of course, this might require more money, and whether it will succeed is still uncertain.

He was determined to use all these methods simultaneously, and he refused to believe that he couldn't defeat Shen Qing, a powerless and insignificant woman!

Gao Hongyuan began to implement his plan with great confidence.

Shen Qing and his group returned to the Yan residence.

A whole bunch of people went into the kitchen; some washed vegetables, some boiled water, and some told jokes.

Soon, a table full of delicious dishes was ready.

The group enjoyed a delicious meal and were all very satisfied.

One night passed.

Another day full of energy!

"Madam Shen, the fourth stage will definitely be even more difficult. Are you really not going to consider preparing some ingredients in advance?" Guo Tiancheng asked cautiously before setting off.

Madam Yan added, "I heard the competition organizers mention yesterday that contestants can prepare their ingredients in advance. Ingredients might be very important in the fourth stage. Madam Shen, why don't we buy some on the way?"

"No need. Although the competition only provides basic ingredients, no matter how basic the ingredients are, as long as you cook with care, you can create a delicious dish."

Shen Qing smiled faintly and shook her head.

In her eyes, there is no distinction between high and low ingredients. No matter what kind of ingredients they are, with proper combination and appropriate adjustments, they can all be used to make delicious food.

Of course, the main reason is that buying ingredients in advance is too troublesome and also costs money.

Spending money on a food competition doesn't seem worthwhile at all.

Situ Liang immediately echoed Shen Qing's words: "Madam Shen is right. In my opinion, there is no need to prepare in advance. With Madam Shen's strength, she can definitely make it into the top ten."

Instead of worrying unnecessarily, let's think about what to eat tonight.

Having said that, Madam Yan and Guo Tiancheng came to terms with it.

The group went straight to the venue of the food competition.

However, the atmosphere at the scene today was strangely odd, especially when Shen Qing and the others arrived.

Everyone glanced at Shen Qing, whispering amongst themselves as they looked:

"Have you heard? Madam Shen got her place in the cooking competition through connections."

"They have powerful connections; yesterday they openly took two judges out to dinner."

"Really? How could Lee Cheol-sung..."

"Oh dear, it's all over. Li Zhesheng has fallen for Madam Shen's charms. Their relationship is definitely not ordinary."

"I never expected Li Zhesheng to be such a romantic. Tsk tsk tsk. I thought Madam Shen was a top-notch chef, but it turns out she only knows a few tricks."

"Look, isn't that Li Zhesheng? He came to the competition even after being eliminated, it must be for Shen Niangzi."

"Good heavens, he loves her too much! He clearly loves her so much, yet he insists on pretending not to know her at the competition. Madam Shen is really going too far!"

"..."

A bunch of inexplicable rumors spread like wildfire through the crowd.

It was hard for Li Zhesheng not to hear it. He looked at Shen Qing from afar, and a faint blush rose to the tips of his ears.

What nonsense are these people spouting?

He did come today for Shen Qing, mainly to see Shen Qing's performance in the fourth stage.

But all these people are talking about is love and romance, and even something as trivial as a pomegranate skirt...

The more he thought about it, the redder his ears became.

"Why are all these people staring at us? It's making us feel really uncomfortable." Situ Liang even felt itchy all over.

Shen Qing and the others didn't hear the specific content of the discussion, after all, you can't talk badly about someone in front of them.

Madam Yan smiled and said, "It must be because Madam Shen has too many admirers; they all want to eat Madam Shen's cooking!"

"Yes, yes, after yesterday, Madam Shen has become the focus of everyone's attention. Don't be sad, try to get used to it," Guo Tiancheng said.

Shen Qing frowned slightly: "Really? I have a feeling they're insulting me?"

"How could that be?" Madam Yan linked arms with Shen Qing. "You're so beautiful, and your cooking skills are amazing. You clearly have every reason to be proud, yet you always remain humble. Everyone must admire you!"

"...You're making me almost believe you..."

Shen Qing was a little embarrassed by the overwhelming praise.

"I'm telling the truth. Not to mention anyone else, even I like you a lot and wish I had met you sooner."

"Or you can be my sister, and my father's goddaughter. My father is very powerful. In the capital, as long as you don't provoke anyone too powerful, my father can handle everything for you!" Madam Yan became more and more excited as she spoke, and her heart suddenly warmed up.

The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became that it was a good idea.

If Lady Shen became her sister, wouldn't she have a thousand reasons to stick to Lady Shen?

If you stick to Madam Shen, won't you get one delicious treat after another?

Besides, this is good for Madam Shen. No matter what happens, as long as she mentions her father's name, things will be much easier to handle.

clang--

Just as Madam Yan was getting into the swing of things, a gong sounded, drawing everyone's attention to the stage.

"The competition is about to begin!" The competition instantly filled Madam Yan's mind. She shook Shen Qing's arm, even more excited than Shen Qing himself.

Shen Qing smiled helplessly and looked up at the stage.

The seven judges took their seats in the armchairs.

The host began by announcing today's competition rules:

"The Fourth Stage: A Single Word That Transforms the World!"

"The art of cooking is based on the three skills of knife, fire, and flavor. One who is proficient in all three can be called a good chef. However, there is a higher level of skill beyond that."

"In this stage, each group of contestants must complete a dish based on a single character, with the character determined by drawing lots."