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

Snapped--

A loud slap landed squarely on Sun An's face.

"It's delicious! It's so delicious, you should come and eat with me!!!"

Li Fuquan flung his sleeves and stormed off.

He was both angry and greedy. He was angry that Shen Qing had made the braised pork intestines so delicious, and he was also angry that he couldn't eat them. On top of that, Sun An was blind and had to say such unpleasant things in front of him.

He simply couldn't contain his anger.

Sun An was left with a swollen face, his eyes full of grievance, yet he was still drooling.

"Master, Master, wait for me—"

"I won't say it's delicious, that's fine. If it's not delicious, the braised pork intestine noodles are absolutely awful—"

"It tastes awful, it's not tasty at all!"

Sun An shouted as he chased after Li Fuquan.

It was less a call to Li Fuquan and more a call to comfort himself.

The main reason was that if he didn't do something soon, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to control himself and would rush up to snatch the braised pork intestine noodles.

"Sour grapes."

No one knows who said it first, but all the imperial chefs chimed in, "Oh dear, sour grapes..."

Braised pork intestine noodles are now like a god to them; they simply cannot tolerate anyone saying anything bad about them.

That is an insult to God!

......

Meanwhile, in Consort Li's palace.

Consort Li leaned casually against the soft couch, listening indifferently to the servants' reports:

"Your Majesty, this servant has already conveyed your order to the Imperial Kitchen. Lady Shen dares not disobey your orders at all, and I reckon she will personally bring lunch over soon."

"A mere cook, I doubt she would dare to go against me."

"By the way, did you get a good look at what that Lady Shen looks like? How does she compare to me?" Consort Li asked, her expression showing a hint of wariness.

She was eager to know what kind of seductive vixen had bewitched His Majesty into bestowing even a peacock feather robe upon her.

There were only two bolts of peacock feather gauze, and she had begged His Majesty for a long time without success. Unexpectedly, they were snatched away by a mere cook.

She didn't even need to guess; His Majesty must have designs on this cook. Otherwise, why would he grant her both a residence in the Treasure Pavilion and a peacock feather gauze gift?

"Madam Shen is... pretty, but... she can't compare to Your Majesty. Her appearance is like mud on the ground, while you are like a cloud in the sky—a world of difference!"

The servants were very clever; they focused on praising Consort Li.

Everyone loves to hear nice words, and Consort Li was in a good mood as well: "Alright, you may leave."

"I knew it, that Lady Shen is no match for me."

Xiao Lan, a maidservant serving nearby, spoke up: "Your Highness, your beauty is beyond doubt, but this Lady Shen sounds like she has cunning. Perhaps she's not a cook at all, but is playing tricks on His Majesty."

"His Majesty must have been tempted for a moment, which is why he gave away the peacock feather gauze that should have been yours."

"In my opinion, since Madam Shen is here today, you should feel free to find fault with her and find a pretext to punish her."

"We must strike first against someone as cunning as her, otherwise it will be too late once His Majesty is completely bewitched by her."

Consort Li nodded, deeply agreeing.

Her maternal family was powerless, and the emperor's favor was her only support in the palace, which she had to hold onto tightly.

She absolutely had to find a way to get rid of this Lady Shen from the palace.

The peacock feather gauze must be hers too!

Shortly after, a servant came to report:

"Your Highness, Lady Shen has arrived."

Consort Li raised an eyebrow, her expression revealing a hint of eagerness.

She quickly changed her mind: "Go, just say I'm busy right now, and tell her to wait at the door."

Let's let her get some sun on this hot day!

"yes!"

The servants hurriedly ran out to deliver the message.

Upon hearing this, Shen Qing thought, "Good heavens, they're going to make her stand here?"

Let's not even talk about drying it in the sun; the noodles won't taste good after a while.

As a chef, this was something she couldn't tolerate.

"Please tell Her Highness that the noodles will not taste good if left out for too long. If Her Highness is too busy, I will send this portion to His Majesty's palace and we will discuss it when Her Highness is less busy."

The noodles shouldn't be wasted; we can send them to Zhao Gou.

If Zhao Gou knew, he would be overjoyed.

When Consort Li heard the servant's message, her face immediately fell, her eyes filled with displeasure.

The maid Xiaolan added fuel to the fire, saying, "Your Highness, this Lady Shen is using His Majesty to pressure you. You must not let her off easily."

"If we really let her run off to His Majesty's palace, what would that cause?"

"Your Majesty, you cannot tolerate such humiliation!"

The more Xiao Lan spoke, the uglier Consort Li's expression became.

"Let her in!" Her voice held a hint of suppressed anger.

Soon, led by a servant, Shen Qing entered Consort Li's palace.

It can only be said that the Imperial Concubine truly lived up to her title; her entire palace was resplendent in gold and filled with numerous rare treasures.

The most eye-catching thing was the huge dressing table, on which sat a large bronze mirror. The dressing case was made of sandalwood, and various kinds of precious jewelry were scattered on the dressing table.

Hairpins adorned with rubies, bracelets made of mutton fat jade, rings made of jadeite, and so on.

Just by looking at the dressing table, one can guess how much favor Consort Li was received.

Shen Qing held the tray with both hands, on which was a bowl of braised pork intestine noodles.

She stepped forward in a few strides and said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Your Highness, this is braised pork intestine noodles from Zhiwei Restaurant, which is also your lunch today."

Consort Li had no interest in the meal; her mind was filled with thoughts of vying for the emperor's favor. She snorted coldly and said, "Raise your head for me."

Shen Qing: "???"

This dialogue gives off a vibe of an emperor choosing his concubines.

I looked up. Hmm, not bad. I'll leave a sign and award you flowers.

Okay, I've been watching too many TV dramas in modern times.

Shen Qing looked up and met Consort Li's eyes directly.

Consort Li had a pair of phoenix eyes with the corners of her eyes pointing upwards towards her temples, and her eyebrows were slightly raised, giving her an innate air of arrogance.

Her lips were full and bright red, like peach blossoms, and her skin was as white as mutton fat jade.

She wore a red gold hairpin with pearls, a fresh peony in her hair, ruby ​​earrings, and a palace dress made of peach-colored brocade with gold embroidery.

Stunningly beautiful.

While Shen Qing was marveling at Consort Li's beauty, Consort Li was also sizing up Shen Qing.

The woman, surnamed Shen, was dressed in a light purple dress with no extra accessories. Her hair was tied up with a simple silver hairpin, and she wore no makeup. She exuded a clean and neat demeanor.

His eyes were clear and without any impurities; he stood there calmly and composed.

He showed no fear whatsoever at Consort Li's scrutiny.

"You are not bad looking, but you are still inferior to me." Consort Li's tone was somewhat arrogant.

Shen Qing: "..."

She just came to deliver food, why is Consort Li trying to compete with her in beauty?

Could it be that the saying "Shen Qing is the most beautiful woman in the world" has also reached the palace?