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

Wang Erdan carried a plate of fried rice with eggs to the Emperor's Chenghua Hall.

As he approached the palace gate, he suddenly felt a surge of fear.

In the past, there were over a hundred dishes, but today there's only one plate of fried rice...

Can His Majesty really accept this? Does Eunuch Zhao know about it?

Does Eunuch Zhao think that fried rice is the main dish, and that there are more than a hundred side dishes?

Oh my god, what do we do? Will my head fall off...?

Just as Wang Erdan was feeling conflicted and afraid, a voice came:

"Are you from the Imperial Kitchen? What are you standing there for?"

Snapped--

Almost instinctively, Wang Erdan's legs went weak and he knelt on the ground.

He stammered, "This, this, this is tonight's dinner: egg, fried rice with egg."

"No, that's not right, it's a deluxe version of fried rice with egg."

Wang Erdan didn't dare to look up at all, always feeling like he was about to die.

If he were really going to die, he would definitely eat the whole plate of fried rice before he died.

In that case, his death wasn't entirely in vain...

"Oh dear, you've finally arrived! His Majesty has asked this eight hundred times already. I was just about to send someone to the Imperial Kitchen to inquire."

Zhao Gou was excited and quickly took the fried rice from Wang Erdan's hand.

Wang Erdan: "???"

It's not what I imagined.

"There are no other dishes..." he added cautiously.

"With Madam Shen's fried rice, what other dishes do we need?"

Zhao Gou took a deep breath. Ah, it smells so good.

It really was Lady Shen.

He turned around and stepped into the palace.

As soon as the fried rice was placed on the table, the emperor exclaimed, "It's here! It's here! I can smell it, it's Lady Shen's fried rice!!!"

"It smells so good, so incredibly good!!"

The emperor jogged over and pounced on the table, his eyes gleaming as he stared intently at the plate of fried rice.

He kept sniffing, his face full of fascination.

"Your Majesty, please wait a moment. This servant will test the poison on you."

Zhao Gou licked his lips, picked up a spoon, and was about to scoop out a spoonful.

"No need!" The emperor moved the entire plate directly in front of him. "No need to test it, it's definitely not poisoned!"

"Even if this smells poisonous, I'll accept it!"

The emperor picked up the plate and ate voraciously, looking nothing like the ruler of all people, but rather like a beggar on the street.

Zhao Gou held the spoon, on the verge of tears.

No, why was the poison testing that he was so looking forward to canceled?

He can only look but not eat, how unlucky is he?

I should have sneaked a few bites when no one was looking.

After a hearty meal, the emperor burped, wiped his mouth, and looked thoroughly satisfied.

"I have never eaten such delicious fried rice before."

"Fortunately, Lady Shen has entered the palace; otherwise, I don't know how long I would have had to wait."

"Madam Shen is so kind!"

"You dog, give the peacock feather gauze, which was a tribute from a vassal state, to Lady Shen. After much thought, I believe only Lady Shen is worthy of this rare item."

"And by the way, what would you like to eat tomorrow, Madam Shen?"

The emperor spoke at length, and before he could even digest today's fried rice, he was already looking forward to tomorrow's meal.

Zhao Gou wiped the drool from his mouth and repeatedly replied, "Your Majesty, rest assured, this servant will definitely handle it well and make sure Lady Shen cooks happily."

Even after leaving Chenghua Hall, Zhao Gou was still filled with regret.

He must complete the poison testing outside the main hall from now on, otherwise he'll be craving it to death.

When he gets to the imperial kitchen, he must ask Madam Shen if she has any more fried rice with eggs.

......

Inside the imperial kitchen, the atmosphere was oppressive. Everyone was on edge, constantly glancing towards the door, fearing bad news.

"Even if a plate of fried rice is delicious, it's still a plate."

"Although Madam Shen said she would take full responsibility, if His Majesty really blames us, we insignificant people will certainly be implicated as well."

"In my opinion, Steward Li will most likely be promoted again."

"..."

The crowd whispered among themselves, their faces filled with panic.

Apart from Li Fuquan and Sun An.

Both of them had a hint of anticipation in their eyes, secretly hoping the emperor would be furious.

In this way, they will be able to regain control of the imperial kitchen.

Only Shen Qing calmly made another plate of fried rice and sat down to eat it slowly.

The rice grains have an eggy aroma, the shrimp are springy, and the ham is savory.

One bite and I felt completely satisfied.

Just as she was about to finish eating, Wang Erdan stumbled into the gate of the imperial kitchen.

Everyone's hearts were in their throats, and they all looked in the direction of Wang Erdan.

Snapped--

In full view of everyone, Wang Erdan fell flat on his face.

"It's over, it's definitely over, otherwise why would Wang Erdan be so panicked?"

"Madam Shen said she'd take full responsibility, so we shouldn't lose our heads, right?"

"Good heavens, His Majesty is indeed angry."

"..."

Li Fuquan felt relieved, looking completely confident.

Sun An was clearly starting to gloat: "I told you, fried rice with eggs wouldn't work, but you wouldn't believe me, little lady. Now you've gotten yourself into trouble, haven't you?"

"What a pity. So young, why doesn't she cherish her life? She should have just married someone honestly instead of coming to the palace to die."

Sun An was overjoyed, strutting around as if he had finally gotten his revenge for the defeat he had suffered in the previous contest.

Just then, Wang Erdan got up from the ground, looking speechless, and said, "Who said His Majesty is angry?"

Why are you so flustered if His Majesty isn't angry?

"Where was I flustered? I was in a hurry to come back and bring good news. The old ancestor happily brought the fried rice into Chenghua Hall without uttering a single harsh word."

Moreover, I could hear His Majesty's excited shouts outside the main hall: Lady Shen's plate of fried rice was absolutely amazing!

Afraid of worrying everyone, I rushed back to share the good news, but some careless person threw a stone on the ground, causing me to trip and fall.

Wang Erdan talked for a long time, while patting the dirt off his body.

In an instant, Sun An's face darkened. He was all ready to gloat, but how could it turn out like this?

No, what's so great about fried rice? His Majesty gave up over a hundred dishes for a single dish of fried rice? Who would believe that?

Li Fuquan, standing to the side, gritted his teeth, his expression dark and unreadable, but clearly, his hopes had also been dashed.

The imperial chefs, however, were overjoyed, their worries turning to delight.

"Great, we don't have to be punished."

"If His Majesty eats like this every day, wouldn't we be able to do much less work?"

"Madam Shen is truly amazing!"

"..."

The imperial chefs looked at Shen Qing with great interest, but Shen Qing calmly ate her fried rice.