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

Inside the Duke's mansion, Duke Lu was filled with sorrow, tears streaming down his face as he lamented his situation.

"My lady, can you really bear to leave me alone at home? I'm so old, all alone, so cold and desolate in this mansion..."

Madam Lu was speechless: "There are so many servants in the manor, how can it be so exaggerated?"

"How can that be the same? You two are happily eating hot pot, while I'm all alone in the mansion, weeping by candlelight until dawn..."

"Stop, stop, what nonsense are you spouting?" Madam Lu felt a headache coming on. She seriously suspected that her son's incompetence was inherited from Duke Lu.

"I've got an idea."

Duke Lu immediately stopped playing the victim and eagerly pressed, "Tell me quickly, what method?"

"You're about the same height as our son, and you even look somewhat alike. If all else fails, you could put on some makeup, dress up, and try to blend in..."

Duke Lu: ? ? ?

"Make me put on makeup?" His eyes widened like saucers.

"Or you can just stay home and weep by candlelight."

Duke Lu frowned deeply. He had scolded Lu Yan countless times in an attempt to get him to break his habit of wearing makeup.

Now, just to get a bite to eat, he has to put on makeup...

He... felt incredibly awkward no matter what he thought.

"I did give you advice, but don't blame me if you don't want to. In my opinion, you should just stay home and eat tomorrow, it's the same..."

"I'll apply it, I'll apply it!" Duke Lu said with a look of resignation.

Now it was Madam Lu's turn to be dumbfounded; she never expected that Duke Lu would agree.

That was a terrible idea; she only did it to shut up Duke Lu and stop him from nagging.

Surprisingly, this old-fashioned man actually agreed.

Mrs. Lu: "Are you sure?"

"Sure."

"Have you thought it through?"

"I've made up my mind!"

"Not only do you have to wear makeup, but you also have to draw your eyebrows and do your eye makeup, and you have to wear our son's dazzling and flashy clothes. Are you really sure about this?"

Duke Lu's brows furrowed so deeply they could trap a fly, but he still nodded through gritted teeth: "I've thought it through."

"...You two really are father and son. After all this time, it turns out he took after you."

After Madam Lu finished speaking, she turned around and was about to leave.

Duke Lu hurriedly said, "Then please talk to him for me. He always listens to you!"

To be honest, every time he met Lu Yan, it wasn't a pleasant experience.

It's hard for the father to ask his son for help.

Madam Lu snorted coldly: "Hot pot smells so good, he might not listen to me this time."

"What should we do then?"

"Don't worry about it." Madam Lu already had a plan.

This is the simplest thing; a lit incense stick can do the trick.

When Lu Yan wakes up and asks about it tomorrow, it won't be something she needs to explain.

As a mother, she naturally knew nothing.

......

Meanwhile, Shen Qing was preparing the ingredients for tonight's meal.

There were six people yesterday, so there will be at most twelve people today.

The ingredients for twelve people weren't much to prepare, especially with Guo Tiancheng and Situ Liang helping her.

The kitchen was bustling with activity when General Tao suddenly arrived.

"Shen girl, the General's Mansion has already prepared the family recognition ceremony. Several dates have been selected. You can choose one. After the ceremony, you will be the rightful young lady of the General's Mansion."

Madam Yan chimed in from the side, "Ah Qing, that's wonderful! We can finally be sisters!"

Shen Qing: "Isn't this all a bit too hasty..."

General Tao was initially reluctant, but after seeing her use martial arts, he suddenly changed his attitude.

It was obvious that General Tao valued her martial arts skills.

Surely the old general wouldn't want to learn martial arts from her...

Shen Qing felt guilty. The martial arts skills were given to her directly by the system, and she used them almost subconsciously every time, without even realizing it. But the steps she took and the fists in her hands had already been thrown out.

She can't teach this...

"What's the rush? The next few days are all in seven days. I think it's too late," Madam Yan said from the side.

Shen Qing said helplessly, "You can't just randomly claim kinship; I'm not that familiar with General Tao..."

General Tao wasn't stupid; he naturally sensed Shen Qing's resistance.

After all that, it turns out that Madam Shen didn't want to acknowledge the family at all; it was all his daughter's enthusiasm that was being put on so easily. It's ridiculous that he had previously thought that Madam Shen was deliberately trying to make a connection.

He couldn't help but let out a heavy sigh.

"Alright, let's talk about this another day."

"If Madam Shen is ever willing, she can come to the General's Mansion at any time. The gates of the General's Mansion will always be open for you."

"If you encounter any difficulties or suffer any unfair treatment in the capital, you can invoke the name of the General's Mansion, and I will stand up for you!"

General Tao was very generous.

The brown sugar glutinous rice cakes were delicious, and Madam Shen was skilled in martial arts and a good person. He was indeed considering adopting her as his goddaughter.

But forced relationships are never sweet.

Instead of rushing to recognize relatives, it's better to take it slow and let things develop gradually.

Hearing this, Shen Qing breathed a sigh of relief.

Since General Tao had said so, she couldn't refuse anymore.

So he smiled and said, "Thank you, General."

"If the old general doesn't mind, please stay for hot pot tonight."

"No, no, you hotpot makers need to save up money to build a palace, so I won't get involved."

For General Tao, a thousand taels of silver was not a small amount.

Unlike the powerful and wealthy people in the capital, he had eaten cornbread, wild vegetables, and plain porridge when he was fighting on the battlefield.

It wasn't that he couldn't afford a meal costing a thousand taels of silver, but rather that he felt it was too extravagant.

I wonder how many people could be fed if they bought enough steamed buns.

He couldn't afford it, so he didn't shamelessly ask for it.

"Others pay a thousand taels of silver, but you only need to pay five hundred coins," Shen Qing said with a smile.

Actually, she really wanted to treat General Tao to a meal for free, but if she did, she wouldn't be able to complete her mission.

The priority right now is still the task itself.

"Really?" General Tao was somewhat intrigued.

He could accept five hundred coins. Hot pot was all the rage these days, and it would be a lie to say he wasn't curious or tempted.

Madam Yan chimed in from the side, "Would Madam Shen lie? Father, just eat in peace. Yan Wenli will pay the five hundred coins!"

"Won't this affect your hot pot sales? I heard you need an invitation to participate."

Shen Qing calmly replied, "It doesn't matter. Those diners need invitations to invite people to attend. As the sellers, we can naturally invite whoever we want."

"yes!!!"

Yan Wenli, who was standing next to him, exclaimed as if he had just realized something.

Everyone looked over with puzzled expressions.

Yan Wenli: "Everyone wants an invitation right now. If we put a few invitations on the black market..."