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

Soon, today's supply of grilled sausages was completely sold out.

Shen Qing announced the change of business hours to the diners, and wrote it down on red paper and posted it at the entrance of the restaurant.

After doing all this, she left Zhiwei Restaurant.

I was thinking of going straight home, but then I thought, why not go and have a look at Shen's Restaurant?

She wanted to see how well Shen's mother was adapting. These past few days, Shen's mother had been leaving early and returning late, and she had rarely seen her.

After walking through several streets, Shen Qing was finally close to Shen's Restaurant.

It was lunchtime, and there were many customers coming and going; there were even queues at the restaurant entrance.

Shen Qing was somewhat surprised.

Compared to Zhiweixuan and Zhiwei Restaurant, Shen's Restaurant's prices are not considered high.

However, compared to ordinary food stalls, its prices are definitely not low, and are simply unaffordable for ordinary people.

I didn't expect there would still be so many people queuing up like this?

Filled with doubt, she walked to the entrance of Shen's Restaurant.

"All dishes in this restaurant have been personally improved by Shen Qing and her wife. We guarantee authenticity; if you find any dish not genuine, we will compensate you tenfold. If you are not satisfied, we will offer a full refund!"

"The restaurant is currently full and you will need to wait in line. Guests waiting in line can enjoy complimentary tea."

"Welcome to Shen's Restaurant!"

"..."

Several waiters took turns calling out at the door, which was also covered by a large red paper with the waiters' calls written on it.

Shen Qing was stunned. No wonder there were so many people.

However, she wasn't lying; she had already improved each and every dish at Shen's Restaurant.

"Madam Shen!"

"Oh! It's Madam Shen!"

"Madam Shen, are you coming to Shen's Restaurant to cook today?"

"Luckily, I was smart. As soon as I saw the long queue outside Zhiwei Restaurant, I decisively came to Shen's Restaurant. I didn't expect that Madam Shen would be taking charge of the cooking at Shen's Restaurant!"

"..."

Several regular diners recognized Shen Qing and shouted excitedly, their enthusiasm no less than that of fans meeting their idol.

Upon hearing this, the waiter quickly ran over: "Master, you've arrived."

"I've come to see my mother," Shen Qing said succinctly.

The diners were so enthusiastic that she almost wanted to escape.

"The master is busy right now, let me help you look for it..."

"Waiter!" a customer shouted.

Shen Qing waved her hand: "Never mind, you go ahead with your work, I'll find it myself."

"Hey!" The waiter nodded and ran toward the source of the call.

Shen Qing then entered Shen's Restaurant.

Looking around, the restaurant was quite orderly, with staff serving dishes, guiding customers, and collecting money.

There were many people, but it wasn't chaotic.

The first-floor hall was already full of tables, each with a different dish, but all of them looked and smelled delicious.

The private rooms on the second floor were all full, and there were two waiters waiting at the door of each private room to meet the needs of the guests at any time.

After watching for a while, Shen Qing finally spotted his mother in the distance.

At this moment, Madam Shen was talking to several waiters, seemingly making arrangements. Her eyes, which had been blind for a long time, now shone with a captivating light.

It's the kind of radiance that comes from having goals, drive, and passion.

Unlike before, when her eyesight had improved but her gaze always carried a sense of caution and sorrow.

Now, she's radiating light.

Actually, Shen's mother was only forty years old, which is not considered old. In modern times, she would be considered to be at the prime of her life.

Shen Qing looked at it for a while, and she was extremely glad that she had made this decision.

People really can't be idle all the time; they need to have something to do to keep their energy up.

Seeing that Shen's mother was adapting so well, she felt relieved.

Without disturbing her, she quietly left Shen's Restaurant.

I went home and lay down on her bed with peace of mind.

Shen Qing loved her bed. Every time she came home, she would change her clothes first and then lie down on the bed.

I'm especially happy when I'm doing system settlements while lying in bed.

She opened the system.

[Ding—Congratulations, host, all sausages are sold out.]

[Ding—Sausage grilling has been unlocked. The host can now hire someone to grill the sausages. The daily ingredient purchase limit is: 100 servings each of pure meat sausages, cartilage sausages, and starch sausages.]

[Ding—New delicious food is being unlocked...]

[New Food Discovery - Fruit Sparkling Drinks]

[Tomorrow's Sale: Passion Fruit Lemon Sparkling Drink, Purchase Limit: 100 servings]

As the mechanical sounds began, Shen Qing's eyes lit up.

Drinks, oh drinks! In this increasingly hot weather, she finally has something to drink!

And this stuff paired with grilled sausage is absolutely amazing!

Passion fruit and lemon—just hearing the names of these two things makes one's mouth water.

......

Another fulfilling day has come to an end.

The next day, Pei Yuan got up very early, got into a sedan chair, and went to the palace.

Attending court sessions is still necessary; one cannot truly abandon state affairs.

When he arrived, Yan Wenli, Xin Heng, Zhou Chongdian, Wang Shoucheng and others were already there.

The eunuch Gao Quan Hong stood to one side of the dragon throne, his face looking rather unpleasant.

"Lord Pei, you've been unwell for several days now. Are you feeling any better?" Gao Quan Hong asked in a somewhat sarcastic tone.

Pei Yuan stood on the ground, completely unfazed: "Alright."

"Lord Pei, are you aware that Donglin has been flooded, rebel armies have risen in the north, and there are also... matters on the border?"

"I heard His Majesty is going to select a thousand beauties, is that true?"

Pei Yuan interrupted Gao Quan Hong.

Gao Quan Hong gritted his teeth: "Not bad."

"The harem is empty. Your Majesty originally planned to select a thousand beautiful women to enter the palace, but I know that the people are struggling and I am unwilling to burden them with unnecessary expenses. Therefore, I advised Your Majesty to reduce the number of women to be selected."

"Now we only need to select two hundred women to enter the palace."

Turning a thousand into two hundred is indeed a significant reduction.

Gao Quan Hong has taken a big step back.

To be honest, he had no choice. Although he was the one who brought up the beauty pageant, the emperor was already interested. Turning a thousand into two hundred was already the best he could do.

"I have done my best. If Lord Pei still has objections to this matter, he can go to the inner palace to plead with His Majesty in person."

Why the harem? Because the harem was where the emperor played; he didn't even want to come to the main hall for court.

They said they got a headache as soon as they arrived.

Pei Yuan was not surprised at all. He said calmly, "Your Majesty is wise!"

"As for what Eunuch Gao just mentioned, I will discuss it with the relevant departments later and present the solution in due course."

Upon hearing this, Gao Quan Hong breathed a sigh of relief; he was genuinely worried that Pei Yuan would abandon his responsibilities.

"Lord Pei is truly a pillar of our dynasty. You need not worry too much about the beauty pageant. The Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Revenue will cooperate, and the palace will send people to supervise."

There's nothing wrong with doing things this way. The beauty pageant was originally the Ministry of Rites' business, and the Ministry of Revenue needed to cooperate by providing funds. The purpose of the beauty pageant contestants entering the palace was to serve the emperor, so it was reasonable for eunuchs to accompany them.

The matter was settled in a short time.

The happiest person at this morning court session was none other than Wang Shoucheng, the Minister of Personnel.

Wang Shoucheng: That's great, that's great!! I'm out of the running for the beauty pageant!

Excellent! Excellent! I look forward to the next court session.

After court, I need to rush to Ping'an County to eat grilled sausages!

He can finally relax and enjoy eating pure meat sausages, cartilage sausages, and starch sausages!