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

"Want to try some?" Shen Qing's voice rang out.

The people around couldn't help but nod in agreement.

I want to try it! I want to try it! I really want to try it!!

There's still some left in the pot, let me put it in a small bowl for you.

Everyone: "???"

Madam Shen wants them to try some?!

The next moment, under everyone's expectant gaze, Shen Qing handed the small bowl to Wang Erdan.

"Stop drooling," Shen Qing said with a smile.

Everyone was almost in tears, staring at each other with pleading eyes.

After all that fuss, it turns out that Madam Shen was talking to Wang Erdan...

No, they want to eat too.

Why is Wang Erdan so lucky?

Wang Erdan was overjoyed; his mind and eyes were now completely focused on the fried rice with egg in the small bowl.

The aroma wafted into his nose, and he couldn't resist taking a spoonful and putting it in his mouth.

The rice grains are neither sticky nor collapsed, but have a slight elasticity. One bite, and you're filled with the aroma of eggs.

The diced carrots are soft yet crunchy with a subtle sweetness, while the diced shiitake mushrooms are incredibly tender and have a fresh, mushroomy flavor.

The shrimp were incredibly fresh and sweet, with a wonderfully chewy texture, while the green peas were crisp and tender, adding a unique flavor to this fried rice.

Even more amazing are the diced ham pieces, which have a rich, meaty texture and a salty, savory flavor that makes them irresistible.

Wang Erdan had never eaten anything so strange before, and his eyes widened in astonishment.

"Delicious, delicious!!"

He shouted twice and buried his head in the small bowl, spooning it over and over again, unable to stop.

Everyone in the imperial kitchen was stunned, their mouths watering uncontrollably, wishing they could rush up and snatch the small bowl away.

"Xiao Wang, what does it taste like?"

"Could I have just one bite, just a tiny one?"

"Oh my god, I really want to eat this. I've worked in the imperial kitchen for so many years and I've never smelled anything that smells so good."

"Xiao Wang, eat slowly, be careful not to choke."

"..."

The more the people in the imperial kitchen talked, the more their mouths watered. Some of them couldn't resist and directly used a spoon to scoop the fried rice from Wang Erdan's small bowl.

Once there's one, there's a second, a third...

Soon, a group of people started grabbing the fried rice without any decorum, their brains completely oblivious to the chaos.

He couldn't remember anything about the former head of the imperial kitchen, the competition, or the faction selection. All he could think about was tasting Shen Qing's fried rice.

Sun An's face was grim, and he looked as if he had swallowed a fly.

It's just fried rice with egg, what's there to fight over? Are these people crazy? Don't they want to work in the imperial kitchen anymore?

He thought he could win easily by simply making a few moves, after all, most of the people in the imperial kitchen were on his side.

But I never expected it to turn out like this...

Sun An felt extremely aggrieved, but what made him even more upset was that, damn it, he was drooling too.

The aroma in the air made him want to try it too.

Damn it, how could this happen??

"Chef Sun, isn't it obvious who won and who lost?" Shen Qing said to Sun An, whose face was grim, as he walked past the crowd scrambling for the fried rice.

Sun An couldn't utter a word; his face was as black as charcoal.

"It's just fried rice with eggs..." he stubbornly insisted.

"Hmph, trying to say fried rice is easy again?" Shen Qing snorted coldly.

"Simple and you still made it like this? How did you become the imperial chef?"

Sun An was startled and even began to suspect that Shen Qing had investigated him.

Indeed, he did become the imperial chef through connections.

But so what? His goal is to become the head chef of the imperial kitchen, and the head chef doesn't have to cook every day.

"you--"

"I was just careless, let's have another match!!"

Shen Qing sneered: "I don't have time to play games with you."

"Xiao Wang, have you finished eating? If you have, take your dinner to His Majesty."

Wang Erdan's small bowl was empty long ago; it wasn't that he ate it all himself, but that it was all taken away.

He was outnumbered and outmatched; he couldn't protect them at all.

Just as he was lamenting his loss, he heard Shen Qing's words.

Wang Erdan looked bewildered: "It's being delivered already?? But what about the other dishes...?"

"There are no other dishes, just this plate of egg fried rice."

Wang Erdan: "???"

Everyone: "!!!"

Just this one plate of fried rice?

Are you crazy?

It would be too shabby to serve His Majesty just a simple fried rice.

Wouldn't that cost him his head?

The emperor's meals were all regulated. A single meal consisted of fifty kinds of meat dishes, thirty kinds of vegetarian dishes, and twenty kinds of snacks and pastries, totaling at least one hundred dishes.

Although His Majesty has recently stopped eating the food from the Imperial Kitchen, they can't just serve a plate of fried rice.

"Madam Shen, a plate of fried rice won't do. His Majesty needs at least a hundred dishes for his meal," Wang Erdan said hastily.

The imperial chefs who had eaten Shen Qing's fried rice also chimed in with their advice:

"That's right, Madam Shen. This is the palace, not outside. This is for His Majesty's meals, so we can't be careless."

"A plate of fried rice alone won't do; His Majesty will be furious."

"At that time, our entire imperial kitchen will be unable to handle the food."

"Yes, Madam Shen, please don't do anything foolish."

"..."

These imperial chefs advised Shen Qing not only because they were afraid of being implicated, but also because they had just tasted Shen Qing's fried rice.

They don't want just one bite; they want a big bowl.

A cook as skilled as Madam Shen is truly rare; we mustn't let His Majesty chop off her head!

"This serving of fried rice is enough," Shen Qing said calmly.

One hundred dishes is an exaggeration, it's simply a waste.

Her egg fried noodles were a large portion and filling enough for the emperor to eat.

"Madam Shen..." Wang Erdan wanted to persuade her again.

Shen Qing interrupted directly, "Don't worry, I'll take full responsibility for whatever happens."

"We will absolutely not implicate anyone in the Imperial Kitchen."

Wang Erdan gritted his teeth and decided to trust Madam Shen.

Honestly, this fried rice is so delicious that even a thousand dishes can't compare, let alone a hundred.

If His Majesty has a mouth, he will surely be won over by this fried rice!

"Very well, I'll send it to His Majesty right now!"

Wang Erdan picked up the plate of fried rice and ran outside.

The imperial chefs were left behind in a state of anxiety and fear.

Sun An snorted coldly: "You've served His Majesty a plate of fried rice? Madam Shen, I don't think you'll be the head of the Imperial Kitchen for long."

What's the use of being able to cook if you don't know the rules?

"Don't speak too soon. I think you should learn more from your master."

Shen Qing didn't indulge Sun An at all.

Compared to Sun An, Li Fuquan was far more insidious.

On the surface, it was Sun An who was causing her trouble, but in reality, Li Fuquan was the wolf hiding behind the scenes.

Sun An is simply brainless. It's outrageous that someone with no brains would want to climb the ranks.