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

"Starch sausage? What's that?"

"No matter what it is, as long as it's made by Madam Shen, it's bound to be delicious!"

Am I the only one wondering why there are ninety-eight starch sausages?

"..."

Everyone was talking excitedly.

Pei Yuan and the others had already lined up in the queue on time.

Of course, today, one more person joined the ranks of those eating sausages in Beijing: Wang Shoucheng.

Wang Shoucheng was just like Zhou Chongdian yesterday. At this moment, he was so nervous that his hands were sweating and his heart was pounding wildly. Although he was physically present, his mind was already on the court.

"Will this work? If that damned eunuch surnamed Gao found out, he'd be furious!"

"We skipped the morning court session to come here to buy food, are we really sure nothing bad will happen?"

"My heart is pounding so hard, it feels like it's going to jump out of my chest!"

"..."

Wang Shoucheng kept talking, one sentence after another, his forehead covered in cold sweat, clearly under immense psychological pressure.

Zhou Chongdian chimed in, "Well, we're already here, and there's no going back now, so let's just focus on queuing and enjoying the food."

"You make it sound so easy. Besides, why do you need to concentrate so much while queuing?"

Wang Shoucheng was getting impatient. He felt like he had gone mad, actually following this group of lunatics all the way to Ping'an County to buy food.

It's just food, why make such a fuss?

There are still a lot of headaches going on in the capital.

"Of course, queuing up is to prevent others from cutting in line, and it also allows me to concentrate on smelling the aromas." After yesterday, Zhou Chongdian has fully integrated into the routine.

Now, as soon as he arrives at the entrance of Zhiwei Restaurant, his mind is completely blank; all he sees and thinks about is the food.

"No, as the Minister of Rites, you should be in charge of the beauty pageant. Aren't you worried at all?" Wang Shoucheng asked, staring at him.

Zhou Chongdian: "Sometimes escaping is a good way to solve problems. For me, eating grilled sausages allows me to escape completely and forget about the court."

He said this with a look of enjoyment on his face.

Wang Shoucheng: "..."

He felt that the man was possessed by an evil spirit.

The line moved forward little by little.

After an unknown amount of time, Shen Qing looked up and saw Pei Yuan and the others.

Absolutely no surprise.

Pei Yuan and his ilk don't seem to get tired at all.

She greeted me with a smile, "What are you having for dinner today? Plain meat sausage, cartilage sausage, or starch sausage?"

"Milk sausage." Pei Yuan chose without hesitation.

He had never heard of this name before, nor did he know what starch meant, but since it was made by Madam Shen, he had to try it.

"I want starchy sausage too!"

"Do you still have starch sausage? I'll have one!"

Yan Wenli, Xin Heng, and others shouted from behind.

Shen Qing smiled and said, "You guys lined up pretty well today. There's still some rice noodle roll left."

She spoke as she deftly grilled the sausage.

"You must have had a hard time traveling back and forth. But don't you all have to attend court at this hour?" Shen Qing couldn't help but ask in confusion.

These people hold high-ranking official positions; it's inappropriate for them to skip court.

"And you say that? They'd rather skip court than attend a meal of grilled sausage!!!" Wang Shoucheng shouted.

It was as if he wanted to shout out the tension and fear in his heart.

Shen Qing looked up and said, "I haven't seen this gentleman before."

"I've never been to Ping'an County before, so where would I find you?"

"Hmm... I mean, you've definitely never tried any of my cooking, have you?"

"I've never eaten it before," Wang Shoucheng said sheepishly.

"Try it." Shen Qing handed a grilled starch sausage to Wang Shoucheng.

Wang Shoucheng was stunned for a moment, then subconsciously took the starch sausage.

This sausage is a bright orange-red all over, and you can clearly see that it is sprinkled with chili powder and cumin seeds. The diagonal cuts open when heated, revealing a pinkish-white interior that is steaming hot.

The heat, carrying the fragrance, went straight into Wang Shoucheng's nasal cavity.

It has a slightly charred aroma from the starch being fried in lard, but the meat flavor isn't strong; the aroma of spices is more prominent.

Five-spice powder, chili powder, cumin powder, and many other spices he couldn't identify were mixed together.

The complex aroma wafted to his nose, making his mouth water.

Almost involuntarily, Wang Shoucheng opened his mouth.

When you take the first bite, the first thing your teeth come into contact with is that thin, crispy crust.

With a soft crackling sound, the inside of the starch sausage came into contact with my mouth. It was soft and chewy with a slight elasticity, and it melted with a gentle press of the tongue.

As you chew, the external spices blend with the soft, chewy interior, creating a slightly smoky flavor.

It's not bland or cloying, just right, without any greasiness.

"What kind of sausage is this? Why does it smell so good??" Wang Shoucheng's eyes lit up, the exquisite aroma taking over his mind.

At that moment, all he could think about was food; he couldn't eat anything else.

"This is starch sausage," Shen Qing said with a smile.

She said, "No one can resist starch sausage, no matter who comes."

"Delicious! This is so delicious! I, Wang Shoucheng, have lived for decades, and this is the first time I've ever eaten anything this good!"

"Madam, why don't you consider opening a branch shop? If you open a shop in the capital, you're sure to have a lot of customers."

Wang Shoucheng's eyes lit up. If this were available in the capital, he would definitely buy it and eat it every day.

Yan Wenli reached out and pulled Wang Shoucheng aside: "You should rest. Madam Shen's food has no trouble selling. If she opened a shop in the capital, we might not be able to get any more."

"If Madam Shen were in the capital, at least we wouldn't have to travel back and forth. Besides, we can't skip court every day!" Wang Shoucheng insisted. He wanted to lure Shen Qing to the capital.

Yan Wenli could see through Wang Shoucheng's thoughts; he thought Wang Shoucheng was far too naive.

Even when Prince Chun offered a house in the capital, he couldn't keep Madam Shen, let alone with just a few words from Wang Shoucheng.

He moved Wang Shoucheng aside to avoid making a fool of himself.

Seeing this, Shen Qing smiled gently: "From now on, the restaurant will open in the afternoon, so you don't need to come so early anymore. Just do what you need to do in the morning."

Attending court is a serious matter, concerning the country and its people. If so many officials don't attend court, the country will be in chaos, and her restaurant probably won't be able to stay open.

Why not adjust the time? That way, no one will have to get up early to queue.

"Open in the afternoon? Really??" Yan Wenli was overjoyed.

"We open promptly at 3 PM every day."

After thinking it over, Shen Qing decided on this time.

Shenshi, which is 3 PM in modern times, is a perfect time, neither too early nor too late.

"Great! This way, even if we go to court, we'll have plenty of time to buy food in Ping'an County!!!" Zhou Chongdian exclaimed happily.

He knew in his heart that he couldn't stay away from court forever; this matter would eventually have to be resolved.

Prince Chun wiped his mouth and chuckled, "What time you open is fine. We've already decided to move. I've already submitted the documents; we'll go see the house in a bit!"