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

Outside the Zhenxiu Pavilion, the sun was high in the sky, and the heat was intense.

Xiaolan was covered in sweat, and the back of her clothes was soaked.

It wasn't just because of the heat, but also because of the fear.

Could it be that the Imperial Concubine's tone just now indicated that she had discovered her secrets?

No way? No way? Consort Li is that stupid.

But if they really find out, her life will be in danger.

The main problem is that she is currently not free and cannot go to inform the Empress.

Xiaolan was in extreme inner turmoil, feeling incredibly guilty.

It's unclear how much time passed before any movement came from the entrance of the Treasure Pavilion.

Su Jiao'er came out, looking satisfied.

"Your Majesty..." Xiao Lan called out cautiously.

Su Jiao'er acted as if nothing had happened: "Xiao Lan, I didn't mean to just now. Does it still hurt?"

"Your Majesty?" Xiao Lan was a little unsure of Su Jiao'er's meaning.

"I'm just too greedy. I had them keep an eye on you so I could have a good meal. That slap I gave you just now was also for the sake of food."

"Look at you, it's so heartbreaking. I have some good ointment, please don't mind."

Xiaolan: "..."

So all of this was just for food?

Consort Li is indeed stupid, both greedy and foolish. She really overestimated Consort Li. How could she possibly discover her true nature?

Having someone watch over her is probably to prevent her from reminding others about vying for favor and dealing with Shen Qing.

Speechless, truly speechless.

"Your Majesty, what a great opportunity that was!" Xiao Lan was immediately relieved and began to diligently complete her task again.

"I was hungry earlier, but now that I'm full, I realize it's a good opportunity."

Xiao Lan's eyes lit up: "Then let's go to His Majesty and complain now!"

"No, no, that's not going to work. Besides, Lady Shen is currently favored by His Majesty. If we go and complain, we'll only get ourselves into trouble. Let's wait until next time."

Consort Li waved her hand and walked towards her own palace.

She needs to keep Xiaolan in check for now; otherwise, if she deals with Xiaolan, the Empress might send other people to her side, and then it will be impossible to guard against them.

Ah Qing said there would be new food tomorrow, and she would study it carefully tonight to figure out where Ah Qing would go tomorrow.

......

Meanwhile, the emperor, having had his fill of fun and so-called "family bliss," finally sent Zhao Gou to escort Nangong Yue back to Consort Rong's palace.

Consort Rong was startled to see that it was the emperor's chief eunuch who had brought Nangong Yue.

She nervously took a small bag of silver and handed it over, saying, "Thank you, sir. I don't know where this child has run off to, and I'm very worried about him."

Zhao Gou accepted the silver with a smile and said, "Your Majesty, there's no need for thanks. Your good days are almost here!"

"What do you mean by that?"

"His Majesty is very fond of the Third Princess!" Zhao Gou said with a smile, then strode away.

Consort Rong stood frozen in place, her face showing no joy, but rather a hint of fear.

She grabbed Nangong Yue, placed her hands on his shoulders, and asked anxiously, "What happened? Where did you go? Did you run into your father?"

Nangong Yue was startled.

But she still honestly replied, "Yue'er went to play with ants, it smelled so good, and she saw the market and Daddy..."

"Who told you to call me father?!" Consort Rong said sternly, as if Nangong Yue had committed some unforgivable mistake.

"Wow--"

Nangong Yue was instantly terrified and burst into tears.

Consort Rong, with tears in her eyes, hugged Nangong Yue with a look of heartache: "Don't cry, don't cry. Your mother was just too anxious. I didn't mean to be mean to you. I didn't mean to be mean to you."

The inner palace is treacherous. If others were to hear Yue'er call out "Father," it would bring countless troubles.

She was extremely anxious and worried about her daughter's safety.

"Tell me in detail what happened today. Your mother won't scold you anymore. Tell me slowly," she asked patiently.

Nangong Yue sobbed and slowly said, "Father said that in the marketplace among the common people, fathers and daughters should call each other 'father'."

"My father even personally fed me a meal."

"The braised pork intestine noodles are delicious, especially delicious."

"Mother, you must try it."

Consort Rong looked solemn as she pieced together the truth bit by bit through Nangong Yue's words.

A folk market—just hearing the name tells you it's something His Majesty set up in the palace for fun.

I wonder if Her Majesty the Empress knows.

"Yue'er, be good. You must not call me 'Father' anymore. You must call me 'Emperor'."

"What if it's at the market?" Nangong Yue asked, tilting her head, tears still clinging to her eyelashes.

"Call me Father again at the market...call me Father again at the market."

Consort Rong couldn't help but feel some resentment towards the emperor.

Why on earth would they set up a market for no reason?

All she wanted was to live peacefully in the palace with her daughter.

She has always lived by relying on the Empress, never vying for favor, and never daring to have any ambition to climb the social ladder. If this matter were reported to the Empress today, it would most likely arouse suspicion.

After much deliberation, Consort Rong finally decided to take Nangong Yue to the Empress's palace.

Rather than having someone else tell the Empress about this, she should take the initiative to dispel suspicions and demonstrate her loyalty.

She understood very well that in this harem, she didn't rely on the emperor to live, but on the empress.

......

Inside the Treasure Pavilion.

After seeing Su Jiao'er off, Shen Qing lay comfortably on the bed.

There was ice in the Delight Pavilion, and she was fanning herself, so it wasn't too hot.

Raise your hand to open the system.

[Ding—Congratulations, host, for successfully conquering the Third Princess Nangong Yue. New item unlock progress (2/2)]

[Ding—Congratulations, host, you have unlocked a new product: Cold Rice Noodle Rolls]

Rolled cold noodles?

Perfect for summer.

The most common way to eat liangpi (cold skin noodles) is to cut it into thin strips and mix it with other ingredients, such as secret-recipe liangpi or sesame sauce liangpi.

Rolled liangpi (cold skin noodles) was a relatively niche product, but it later became very popular due to the spread of short videos.

The advantage of rolling up cold skin noodles is that you can eat it on the go, and it contains a variety of ingredients, making it delicious and not greasy.

Just thinking about it made Shen Qing feel a little excited.

But where should we set it up tomorrow?

[Ding—System suggested location: East Palace Gate]

Shen Qing: "???"

System, are you perhaps just after that prince who's been confined to his quarters?

Alright, let it be the Crown Prince's Palace then, so she won't have to think about it anymore.

Anyway, Crown Prince Nangong Jing is no good.

As for the time, let's set it for the evening.

Liangpi (cold skin noodles) is suitable for eating in the evening, when it's cool.

_________________

It's a brand new day again~

Before dawn, Zhao Gou went to the Golden Palace to preside over the morning court session.

To be honest, there were many things going on in the court, such as floods and droughts, but he couldn't understand any of them.

He's only interested in eating, drinking, and having fun.

So Zhao Gou took a small stool, sat on the side of the dragon throne, and kept yawning.

The ministers below argued heatedly, but none of their voices reached Zhao Gou's ears.

He yawned as he thought about where Shen Qing would set up his stall today.

Where exactly is it? And Madam Shen said she won't be setting up her stall at noon anymore, but rather in the morning or evening. So, is it in the morning or evening?

And this location is really hard to guess, extremely hard to guess.

His Majesty wants to play the random stall game, but it's only fun if you can find it. If you can't find it, it's a tragedy, a tragedy within a tragedy, and he'll also suffer the consequences.

"Eunuch Zhao?"

"Eunuch Zhao!" Several voices called out.

Zhao Gou suddenly came to his senses. Good heavens, what did he have to do with this now?

"What's wrong? What's wrong? Do I need your stamp?"

"Eunuch Zhao, I heard that His Majesty is playing with random stalls in the palace?" Yan Wenli, the Minister of Revenue, asked, his eyes filled with a hint of secret anticipation.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Gou immediately became wary: "So what if it is? What are you trying to say?"

"Don't say what you want to say yet. First, return the twenty million taels of silver from His Majesty's private treasury!"

We can't let these ministers ruin the random stall arrangement.

Moreover, if Madam Shen stops setting up her stall, he won't be able to eat a whole serving anymore. His Majesty won't let him test for poison, so he'll have nowhere to turn when he does.

He will defend Madam Shen's stall to the death!

Yan Wenli: "..."

He had already told the Grand Secretary yesterday that he couldn't ask so openly, and now look what happened, this damned eunuch is directly asking him for money.

He doesn't have any money at all!

The Grand Secretary is really something. Ever since he learned about the random stalls in the palace from the old minister He Song yesterday, he has been completely restless.

And yet, he deliberately didn't ask himself, but let him ask.

Okay, actually he wanted to eat it too.

"Eunuch Zhao, the Ministry of Revenue is already working on the money matter. I wanted to ask when Madam Shen will be setting up her stall at the Golden Palace?"

Zhao Gou: "??"

In the past, when these ministers heard about His Majesty's absurd ideas, they all turned red in the face and wanted to object. What's going on today?

Oh right, he forgot, all these people in the court are Lady Shen's patrons!

Yan Wenli, in particular, is a long-time diner among long-time diners.

"Lord Yan, don't even think about it. Madam Shen won't be setting up a stall in the Golden Palace."

Don't even think about taking his food.

Upon hearing Zhao Gou's words, all the court officials below became anxious.

"No, yesterday Grand Secretary He clearly said that His Majesty came here to wait for Lady Shen..." Xin Heng, Minister of Works, blurted out.

Yesterday, He Song originally wanted to discuss with Pei Yuan and join forces with everyone to submit a memorial to the emperor to stop his absurd behavior.

But after arriving at the Pei residence, He Song was persuaded by a group of court officials that even if the emperor was absurd, setting up a stall in the Golden Palace might satisfy their cravings.

They are now working hard in every aspect, and believe that in the near future, they will definitely be able to dethrone the emperor.

He Song also knew that the current emperor was beyond saving, and that Prince Chun was kind and honest, and the crown prince was intelligent and quick-witted, making them more suitable to take the throne.

Therefore, the rebel brigade gained another veteran.

Zhao Gou rolled his eyes: "Yesterday was yesterday. I asked Madam Shen, and she said that the Golden Palace is a place for discussing important national affairs, and it is not allowed to set up stalls there."

"Madam Shen will not set up a stall in the Imperial Palace!"

If Madam Shen really comes, and these ministers snatch her away, he might not have anything to eat.

The morning court session was too early; Madam Shen would never arrive that early. As long as these ministers weren't waiting in the Golden Palace, and he could threaten those who left late, his food would be safe.

Sighs echoed one after another in the imperial court.

Grand Secretary Pei Yuan thought to himself: I must speed up the pace of the rebellion. I haven't had Lady Shen's new dishes for several days, and I'm really suffering.

I wonder how Lady Shen is doing in the palace.

Sighs rose and fell, just then a sharp voice rang out from the doorway: "The Emperor has arrived—"

Immediately afterwards, several palace servants carried a soft couch into the Golden Palace.

A person was lying flat on the soft couch. Upon closer inspection, good heavens, it was the emperor.

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!" Everyone knelt down.

The emperor rubbed his sleepy eyes, yawned widely, and said, "I came to the Golden Palace to wait for Lady Shen. You all continue, continue, do what you need to do, don't worry about me."

After saying that, he yawned again, turned over, and started to sleep soundly.

The crowd present: "..."

Veteran minister He Song: "Success..."

Before he could finish speaking, Yan Wenli covered his mouth.

The old minister He Song was speechless and stamped his feet in anger.

What kind of behavior is this? What kind of behavior is this?!

Although he decided yesterday to join Pei Yuan's group and let the emperor run rampant, it's a bit too absurd for him to sleep soundly in the Golden Palace!

This is even more absurd than setting up a street stall!!

While covering He Song's mouth, Yan Wenli said to Zhao Gou above, "Eunuch Zhao, is His Majesty aware that Madam Shen is not setting up her stall at the Golden Palace?"

"What?!?!?!" The emperor, who had just fallen into a peaceful sleep, suddenly sprang up from the soft couch. "Lady Shen isn't coming to the Golden Palace???"

The ministers: "..."

His Majesty has risen from the dead? That's terrifying.

Zhao Gou: "..."

What's going on here? He just fooled these court officials, and now His Majesty is here to slap him in the face.

Goodness, that's really good.

He cannot stick to his previous statement now, otherwise it would be a crime of deceiving the emperor.

Oh no, I'm really in deep trouble.

"Your Majesty," Zhao Gou said, his face contorted with tears, "the location was random; this servant had no idea."

"These ministers asked me, and I simply said I wasn't sure, not that I couldn't answer."

He denied everything, but the emperor believed him anyway.

The emperor, clutching his chest, said with lingering fear, "That scared me to death."

"Madam Shen's stall location is random, but it's always unexpected; therefore, today it must be the Imperial Palace!!"

"You all are permitted to purchase Lady Shen's food, but you must queue up. First come, first served, and each person is limited to one serving."

The emperor spoke with a proud expression.

Zhao Gou looked at it and thought, "Good heavens, His Majesty is helping to maintain order at Madam Shen's stall in advance?"

That's outrageous, utterly outrageous.

What if Madam Shen arrives later? Will he really be unable to get it...?

want to cry.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I will certainly abide by Lady Shen's rules," Pei Yuan said directly.

The ministers replied, "We will certainly abide by Lady Shen's rules."

The emperor was even happier now. It was wonderful to have so many people to play the game of setting up a stall with him!

"It's too early now, I'm sleepy. You all continue with your work, I'm going to sleep now."

The emperor lay down again, and almost immediately began snoring.

The ministers: "..."

It's outrageous, but being able to eat Shen Niangzi's delicious food is good enough!