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

Pei Yuan walked along thinking about snail rice noodles, his mouth already watering.

It feels so good not having to force myself to eat.

After he finishes eating today, he must ask Madam Shen if she can save him two bowls of snail rice noodles every day; he'll pay extra for it.

Alternatively, if Madam Shen is willing, he could simply invite her to the Pei residence to be a cook, no matter the cost.

Pei Yuan felt a strong sense of anticipation rising in his heart.

"Is Lord Pei going to eat snail rice noodles? If so, you don't need to go."

Wu Yin walked towards him, her expression towards Pei Yuan filled with sympathy and regret.

"What?" Pei Yuan asked, puzzled. "What do you mean I don't need to go?"

"Madam Shen isn't setting up her stall today; I just came from over there."

"Not setting up a stall today? When will you set up a stall?" Pei Yuan was dumbfounded. The usually composed and unflappable Prime Minister was now filled with shock and disappointment.

Wu Yin felt a little reluctant; she thought the news was somewhat cruel to Pei Yuan.

After hesitating for a while, she finally said, "I heard from Miss Ruyan of Shuiyue Tower that Madam Shen is quite capricious when it comes to setting up her stall, so she probably won't be selling snail rice noodles anymore."

???

Pei Yuan could hardly believe his ears.

What does it mean that it will never be sold again?

Snail rice noodles? That's the only food he ever wanted to eat. Now they're telling him they're not selling it anymore?

"Do you know where I can find Madam Shen?" he asked anxiously.

Wu Yin shook her head: "This... I don't know either."

Upon hearing this, the light in Pei Yuan's eyes completely died out, and he fell into deep despair.

He finally found the food he wanted to eat, but it was gone after only two days. It was as if God was punishing him.

Even though he had gotten used to being forced to eat, and even though he had gradually accepted the pain of eating, a bowl of snail rice noodles brought him joy and the pleasure of saliva production.

He thought he could gradually become a normal person by relying on snail rice noodles, but then the snail rice noodles disappeared.

It's like a blind person who was perfectly blind, then suddenly God restores his sight, letting him see the colorful world, and then mercilessly blinds him again.

"Lord Pei..." Wu Yin spoke cautiously, she could feel the pressure on Pei Yuan getting lower and lower, "Why don't you send someone to look for Madam Shen? I heard that Madam Shen used to sell spicy strips, and the hot pot banquet that's all the rage in the capital seems to have been made by Madam Shen."

A hot pot feast?

Pei Yuan was taken aback. Of course he had heard about the whole city being in an uproar over this.

He not only heard about it, but he also knew that it was Yan Wenli and Xin Heng who came up with it in order to raise money to build a palace for the emperor.

The steward had previously advised him to try hot pot, but he never had an appetite, so he didn't go.

Who would have thought that this hot pot feast was actually organized by Madam Shen?

Thank you.

Pei Yuan instantly found his direction, nodded slightly to Wu Yin, and hurriedly left.

......

Shen Qing finally managed to get out of the Zhou residence after a great deal of effort.

When she came out, in addition to the plate of silver ingots and the jade bracelet on her wrist, Madam Zhou also stuffed a bunch of gold and silver jewelry into her hands.

She still remembers Mrs. Zhou's tearful expression of gratitude, saying that she had never tasted such delicious and exquisite candied hawthorns.

Unable to refuse, Shen Qing had no choice but to leave the Zhou residence with the silver and a box of gold and silver jewelry.

She decided to continue heading towards the capital, hoping to run into a prince or grandson of the emperor.

Before they had walked more than a few steps, they saw a jade pendant lying on the ground.

The jade pendant is of excellent quality and looks very expensive.

Shen Qing: "..."

So this lucky buff just means she keeps picking up things?

Find a child and a jade pendant, return them, and then earn the gratitude of others?

Outrageous.

Shen Qing chose to bypass the jade pendant.

She didn't want to pick it up, otherwise she would always feel like she was taking advantage of someone else.

After walking a few more steps, an ancient book lay on the ground.

Shen Qing didn't even need to guess; it was definitely one of those lost and unique books.

Then, purses, hairpins, fans, and so on appeared one after another.

Shen Qing didn't pick up any of them.

She is a principled and goal-oriented person. Her current goal is to encounter the royal family and nobles under the city walls to prepare for her next mission.

Those jade pendants and purses would only waste her time.

After all, she is no longer in the same situation as when she first transmigrated and was penniless.

Now she has more money than she can spend.

As we walked towards the imperial city, we looked up and saw...

A red wall stretches before you, its bricks and stones towering into the sky. Palaces are hidden behind the high wall, their upturned eaves peeking out, exuding a solemn aura unique to the imperial court.

"Get away! Get away! This area is off-limits!"

Before Shen Qing could finish his sigh, the soldiers' voices rang out, urging people to leave.

"This is my first time in the capital. I've never seen the palace before. I'd like to look around outside," Shen Qing casually offered as an excuse.

"Oh dear, young lady, this is not a place you can just wander around in. You could lose your head if you're not careful. I advise you to go somewhere else."

Shen Qing didn't argue further; after all, it was the soldier's job to send people away.

However, she was somewhat speechless. Where was the good luck buff? Why wasn't it working yet?

Logically speaking, if she had a lucky buff, the soldiers shouldn't have chased her away.

[Thanks to the good fortune buff, the soldiers are exceptionally kind to their host.]

The system's voice was cold.

Exceptionally good?

Just as Shen Qing was about to ask where was better, a rough voice came from beside him:

"Get out of here!! Is this a place for lowly people like you? Get out of here!!!"

Turning around, I saw the soldier from before whipping me.

Okay, you don't know until you compare. Your attitude was quite good just now.

When exactly will I be able to meet some princes or princesses?

Unable to contain himself, Shen Qing immediately began asking the system questions.

[The host is not allowed to cheat using the Luck buff. During the Luck buff's effect, the host will not encounter any unfamiliar members of the royal family.]

Shen Qing: "..."

Why didn't you say so earlier?

Why bother with all that effort?

What a useless, worthless reward!

I might as well go back to sleep.

Shen Qing turned and walked away, touching many hairpins, money bags and the like along the way, but she didn't pick up any of them.

until......

I tripped over a badly injured kitten.

"Meow~" The kitten's breathing was weak, with more air in than out. Its orange fur was covered in dirt, and its hind legs were stained with bright red blood, indicating that it was badly injured.

Given the situation, Shen Qing couldn't bear to turn around and leave. Without even thinking, she quickly picked up the kitten and ran towards the clinic.