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

At this moment, the eunuchs and palace maids in the palace market were either sitting or squatting, gathered in twos or threes, each chatting amongst themselves.

"I heard that Madam Shen might not come to the market today, so we can take a break."

"Yeah, please don't come. I really don't want to pretend to be a street vendor, and the problem is, I don't know how."

"Stop talking. I don't want to play his son either. We're about the same age, why should he be the father and I be the son?"

"..."

Everyone was relaxed and at ease, showing no signs of the tension they had been under earlier.

Some people even lay down on the ground, having just heard that the emperor had gone to the Golden Palace with the chief eunuch.

It's highly unlikely they'll come here again.

Everyone shared this thought when, just then, the sound of rolling wheels came from afar.

A cool-looking woman pushed a cart forward, followed by a young eunuch with an excited expression.

It was Shen Qing and Zhao Gou.

Although many of the eunuchs and palace maids had never seen Shen Qing before, they all knew that the current head of the imperial kitchen was a woman, and they also knew that the emperor was playing a game of random stalls.

So, quite obviously, the person who set up the random stall has arrived.

"Oh my god, get up, get up!"

"Wow, they really came!"

"Tofu, tofu, selling tofu—"

"Son, no, Dad, Dad, hurry up and shout!"

"..."

In an instant, everyone was in a flurry of activity, carrying loads on shoulder poles, wiping goods, pulling and tugging, and haggling over prices.

He brought out all the skills he had learned in previous training.

Shen Qing took a closer look and thought, "Wow, at first glance, it really does look quite impressive."

The people in front of me were dressed in ordinary clothes, shouting and haggling, and from a distance, it really looked like a bustling market.

But upon closer inspection, the scene became somewhat comical.

The actors playing father and son would pat their son's shoulder repeatedly whenever the father spoke, as if he couldn't speak without doing so.

He only had a few lines to say:

"Son, you must sell them well!"

"Son, you need a good eye to sell antiques."

"Son, this is what our family has left."

After saying these three sentences, he began to repeat the first sentence.

The actor playing the son had even fewer lines, mostly saying, "Dad, I know, don't worry."

The two people were like NPCs with only three lines of dialogue, and their voices were high-pitched and thin.

And those who played husband and wife were even more unbearable to watch.

The wife and husband seemed to be avoiding each other, as if there were several invisible people between them.

But they kept saying sweet nothings to each other.

"My husband, do you think I deserve to be called the Tofu Beauty?"

"Of course! In my eyes, my wife is the most beautiful!"

"My husband, once we sell out of tofu today, I'll buy some meat to nourish you."

"My wife is so considerate. But I also feel sorry for her. Let's buy her some rouge first."

"Buy meat—"

"Buy rouge—"

"Buy meat—"

"Buy rouge—"

"..."

The two of them kept pushing and shoving each other, repeatedly buying meat and rouge.

As for the other brothers and mothers, they were all quite comical, and Shen Qing even suspected that they were acting in some kind of comedy film.

Shen Qing pushed the cart into the market and found an empty spot.

The eunuchs and palace maids put on an even more enthusiastic performance, their shouts rising and falling.

Shen Qing and Wang Erdan set up their stall together, lit the stove, and prepared to stir-fry pork intestines and noodles.

It was hot, and soon a thin layer of sweat appeared on Shen Qing's forehead.

I secretly decided that from now on I would not make lunch, but breakfast or dinner instead.

It's too hot to set up a stall now at noon.

Turning my head, I happened to see a mung bean soup vendor not far away.

Shen Qing walked straight over without thinking.

The market was fake, but the mung bean soup was real; it was just the right amount to finish it off.

"Shen, Madam Shen..."

The eunuch who was selling mung bean soup became extremely nervous when he saw Shen Qing walking towards him; his legs started trembling uncontrollably.

"Two bowls of mung bean soup, please."

Mung bean soup?

The little eunuch seemed slow to react, pausing for three seconds before nodding and bowing, replying, "Yes, yes, yes, mung bean soup."

"I sell mung bean soup."

"Here's a ladle of mung bean soup for you."

Then, trembling, he began to scoop the soup, as if Shen Qing were some kind of monstrous flood.

"How much are two bowls of mung bean soup?" Shen Qing asked.

"Money?" The little eunuch's mind went blank for a moment.

Nobody told him the price.

Shen Qing repeated, "How much is a bowl of your mung bean soup?"

"How about two coins?" the young eunuch tentatively asked.

Shen Qing suppressed a laugh and took out four coins. The little eunuch's price wasn't too outrageous.

Just as he was about to leave, having put down the money and picked up his bowl of mung bean soup, the young eunuch suddenly asked in confusion, "Wait, aren't you going to bargain?"

Shen Qing: "???"

The price of mung bean soup outside the palace is about three to five coins. Two coins isn't expensive, so why would she ask for a price?

"No need."

The young eunuch said, "Our ancestor said that you have to bargain; that's how it is in the marketplace."

In the hearts of these eunuchs and palace maids, Zhao Gou's orders were above all else, except for the emperor and empress.

Shen Qing said helplessly, "Fine, one coin will do."

"No way!" The little eunuch seemed to have found the feeling of setting up a stall.

"Two coins it is then."

Shen Qing left after speaking, not wanting to waste any more time with the little eunuch.

The little eunuch watched Shen Qing's retreating figure and muttered with a hint of regret, "No, no, we should have pulled him."

"There should be a back-and-forth between us, each explaining our difficulties, then Madam Shen should pretend to leave, and I'll reluctantly lower the price. That would be a proper bargaining session..."

Shen Qing had no interest in listening to the little eunuch's grumbling. She handed one of the bowls of mung bean soup to Wang Erdan, drank several mouthfuls herself, and then continued making the braised pork intestine noodles.

Add noodles and stir-fry pork intestines; before long, a strong, fatty aroma wafts out.

The spiciness of dried chili peppers, the numbing sensation of Sichuan peppercorns, the aroma of caramelized oil released from the pork intestines during high-temperature stir-frying, the savory aroma of soy sauce, and the fresh fragrance of onions and green peppers—all these aromas combine and waft straight into your nose.

Soon, two plates of fragrant braised pork intestine noodles were ready.

"Let's eat first." Shen Qing pushed a plate in front of Wang Erdan.

Wang Erdan felt extremely happy.

Good heavens, the emperor is nowhere to be found, while he's already enjoying Lady Shen's braised pork intestine noodles.

Rounded down, he enjoyed even more happiness than the emperor.

The vendors at the market were all incredibly tempted, and they couldn't even control their legs, involuntarily heading towards Shen Qing's stall.

They completely disregarded markets and transactions.

"It smells so good!"

"It smells so good, I wonder what it tastes like~"

"I never expected pork intestines to smell so good..."

"..."

------------------

Chapter 327.

A bite of braised pork intestine noodles followed by a sip of mung bean soup is a very satisfying meal.

Shen Qing was enjoying his meal when he looked up and saw that his stall had been surrounded.

She swallowed the noodles in her mouth and asked, "Would you like to buy braised pork intestine noodles? Limited to three servings per person."

In an instant, the group of people seemed to have encountered some kind of monstrous flood, and they immediately sprang away.

"I'm not buying it."

"Nobody wants to buy it."

As everyone talked, they sucked in their saliva, their bodies backing away, but their eyes remained glued to the braised pork intestine noodles.

Just kidding, how could they dare?

His Majesty hasn't eaten yet; it's not like they've had enough of living.

No, Your Majesty seems to have come to the wrong place.

"How about we sneak off and send a message?" The clever little eunuch had already started thinking.

If they make such a big fuss and the main character doesn't get to eat, none of them will survive.

Meanwhile, the emperor, accompanied by Zhao Gouxing, rushed to the Golden Palace.

"My goodness, I've been on the throne for so many years, and I've never dined in the Golden Palace before," the emperor said, his voice filled with intense excitement.

Zhao Gou: "..."

This is the Golden Palace, such a solemn occasion. What serious emperor would eat in the Golden Palace?

To be honest, it's really quite improper.

But His Majesty was overjoyed.

But will Lady Shen really come to the Golden Palace?

"Your Majesty, what if Lady Shen doesn't come to the Golden Palace to set up her stall today?"

Emperor: "...Yes, I seem to have gotten excited too early."

"But the Golden Palace is definitely the most unexpected place. I believe that Lady Shen will definitely come!" The emperor's tone became firm again.

He brought Zhao Gou and a large group of palace servants, and they waited at the palace gate.

After waiting for a long time, Shen Qing did not see He Song, but instead saw the shocked old minister He Song.

"Your Majesty, what brings you to the Golden Palace? Is something wrong again?"

The old minister He Song was terrified when he saw the emperor suddenly appear in the Golden Palace.

He used to look forward to the emperor attending court and governing the country, and to the emperor coming to the Golden Palace.

But ever since the emperor proposed moving the capital, he has changed his mind. He would love for the emperor to stay in the inner palace and never come out.

We must absolutely avoid any mishaps that would cause trouble and waste resources!

The emperor smiled broadly, his tone tinged with a hint of boasting: "Lady Shen is setting up a stall randomly within the palace. I suspect today's location will be at the entrance of the Golden Palace."

"Minister He, you're really lucky. Why don't you stay and buy Lady Shen's braised pork intestine noodles with me?"

He Song: "???"

Random stalls set up in the royal palace?

These words, when put together, sound utterly absurd.

He knew of Lady Shen, was a loyal customer of hers, and also learned of her entry into the palace.

The idea of ​​randomly setting up stalls in the palace, starting right here in the Golden Palace, is utterly absurd.

It must be because the emperor is incompetent that Lady Shen was forced into this situation!

"Lady Shen has no freedom in the palace, why does His Majesty insist on forcing her? Forced marriages are never sweet. If His Majesty wants something, he can simply send someone to buy it outside the palace. Setting up a random stall in the palace, especially at the entrance of the Golden Palace, is utterly disgraceful!"

He Song couldn't hold back his anger and said some very impolite things.

The emperor snorted coldly: "You old fool, I was so kind as to invite you to enjoy a meal with me."

"I'm telling you, Lady Shen entered the palace voluntarily, and she also agreed to the random stall arrangement."

"I'm putting my words here: this stall is right here in the Golden Palace! You old fool, you'll be watching me enjoy my meal!"

What's wrong with the Golden Palace? It's all his royal territory; he can go wherever he wants.

If he's in a good mood, he can even go directly to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to eat, making the ancestors craving it too!

The Imperial Ancestral Temple was the place where the imperial family worshipped their ancestors; it was essentially the official ancestral hall of the royal family.

The emperor was now preoccupied with how to make things unexpected.

Thinking about it this way, he suddenly realized that the Imperial Ancestral Temple was even more unexpected than the Golden Palace.

So she added, "Whether it's the Imperial Palace or the Imperial Ancestral Temple, Madam Shen will definitely surprise you!"

"Madam Shen is of noble character, beautiful and kind-hearted, she would never be so disrespectful!" He Song flung his sleeves, his anger growing even stronger.

If they really went to set up a stall at the entrance of the Imperial Ancestral Temple, the ancestors of the Southern Palace royal family would be so angry they'd come back to life.

"I'll bet you—" the emperor said, getting even more excited.

He Song: "This old minister is not a gambler!"

"You—" The emperor gritted his teeth, feeling a nameless fire burning inside him.

I want to kill someone, I really want to kill someone!

He Song stiffened his neck, showing no fear whatsoever.

He's lived to such an old age, a veteran of three dynasties, what kind of world hasn't he seen?

It's just an old life, he's willing to risk it all.

Seeing that things were not going well, Zhao Gou quickly advised, "Your Majesty, please don't take it to heart. He just hasn't tasted Lady Shen's delicacies or experienced her random street vending. He's too ignorant."

"You're going to try out the random stalls today, so you'd better be in a good mood. Only when you're in a good mood can you truly enjoy the food. Maybe Madam Shen will be here soon, so don't let someone unimportant ruin your mood."

After saying that, he quickly winked at He Song, signaling him to leave immediately.

If we stay any longer, we might really lose our heads.

He Song snorted coldly, thinking to himself: This dead eunuch is better than the one with the surname before.

But bewitching emperors and aiding and abetting tyranny is no good either.

He had to go and tell the Grand Secretary about this absurd matter.

With a flick of his sleeve, he turned and left!

"Old man, I think he's courting death!!" The emperor glared, extremely dissatisfied with He Song's attitude.

Zhao Gou coaxed and persuaded, "Oh, Your Majesty, He Song is just stubborn. You knew that before. He has good intentions, but he's too old-fashioned."

"Today is Madam Shen's first day setting up her stall randomly, so please don't be angry. Just think about the braised pork intestine noodles, the fragrant braised pork intestine noodles."

After Zhao Gou said that, the emperor did indeed feel a bit hungry.

It was early for lunch. He had been to the Imperial Kitchen and the Golden Palace today, walking quite a distance and expending a lot of energy.

Just thinking about that fragrant braised pork intestine noodles makes my mouth water.

"Lady Shen will definitely come to the Golden Palace, right? Dog, don't you agree?" The emperor's tone was full of anticipation.

Zhao Gou could only agree with the emperor: "This servant also thinks that makes sense, Your Majesty's guess must be correct."

He just wanted to appease the emperor as soon as possible and shift the focus to the braised pork intestines with rice.

Don't let the old minister He Song really die because of a meal; he'll always feel uneasy about it.

The former chief eunuch had committed many evil deeds, and now he was getting his comeuppance.

As the current Grand Eunuch, he had to persuade the Emperor in order to avoid losing his head.

"Yes, let's wait in the Golden Palace. Lady Shen must be here soon!" The emperor's eyes became much more determined.

Zhao Gou nodded, feeling relieved.

He had barely caught his breath when a young eunuch quietly approached and whispered in his ear:

"Grandmother, Madam Shen is at the market."