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

Yelü Qi rode swiftly to the capital.

Minister of Rites Zhou Chongdian personally led a group to welcome them.

"Third Prince, you must be tired from your long journey. Let me take you to the inn to rest."

Yelü Qi, preoccupied with rescuing Lady Shen from the palace, immediately asked, "When can we enter the palace?"

Zhou Chongdian was taken aback, but still replied politely, "It's getting late today. Tomorrow, His Majesty has prepared a grand palace banquet to welcome you."

"Tomorrow," Yelü Qi said, somewhat disappointed.

He had absolutely no interest in palace banquets or anything like that.

He just wanted to get the legendary Lady Shen out of the palace as soon as possible.

"Could it be today? I won't be attending the palace banquet or anything like that."

Zhou Chongdian: "???"

What's going on with the third prince of the Liao Kingdom? What's the rush?

Not participating? How can he slap the Liao people in the face if he doesn't participate? What a joke! He himself still wants to have a good meal at the palace banquet.

"You are here on behalf of the Liao Kingdom, and His Majesty has specially prepared a palace banquet for you, but you are not attending..."

Yelü Qi smiled awkwardly. Good heavens, he almost forgot that he was representing the Liao Dynasty to pay tribute to Da'an.

His mind was so focused on saving Madam Shen that he almost forgot his own identity.

"Of course I'll participate, I'm just too eager, too impatient."

"This time, our Great Liao Kingdom has brought many precious treasures, all of which are offered as a tribute to His Majesty the Emperor..."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chongdian breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, thank goodness, the palace banquet hadn't been ruined; he was hoping to feast and drink to his heart's content.

The group arrived at the post station.

Zhou Chongdian ordered the people at the post station to prepare a table full of delicious dishes.

Dishes like Eight Treasure Pork, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, Grilled Fish, and Imperial Concubine Chicken are all hearty and delicious dishes.

Yelü Qi took only one bite before putting down his chopsticks.

(Please remember 1110.com for the fastest chapter updates)

The dishes were good, but they couldn't compare to what he had eaten at Zhiwei Restaurant today.

Just thinking about it made him a little hungry.

"But these dishes don't suit your taste?" Zhou Chongdian asked from the side.

These are all hearty dishes. Although the chefs at the post station are not as good as the imperial chefs, they have been cooking for many years.

Logically, these unsophisticated Liao people should have indulged in a feast.

After all, the Liao people weren't very particular about cooking and didn't have many delicacies.

Yelü Qi smiled and said, "The food was good, I just ate too much on the way."

"Besides, since your Emperor has prepared a palace banquet, I naturally need to save my appetite!"

Zhou Chongdian "..."

Should we save room for tomorrow today?

If the Liao people see Lady Shen's cooking tomorrow, won't they lose face?

"His Majesty will surely be pleased to know that the Third Prince attaches such importance to the palace banquet."

Zhou Chongdian said politely.

Actually, he couldn't eat any of the food either.

I miss Madam Shen, I miss Madam Shen's cooking.

Yes, he also needs to save room so he can eat his fill tomorrow!

One night passed.

Another day full of energy.

Shen Qing got up very early to prepare for today's palace banquet.

The palace banquet was large in scale, and it was not something she could organize by herself; it required the cooperation of the entire imperial kitchen.

Therefore, after purchasing the ingredients, she went directly to the imperial kitchen.

"Madam Shen, you've arrived!"

"Madam Shen, shall we begin preparing for the palace banquet?"

"Madam Shen, please feel free to give your orders regarding any matters you require!"

"..."

A group of imperial chefs rushed over, now completely admiring Shen Qing, the head of the imperial kitchen.

Shen Qing smiled and said, "Thank you all. Today's palace banquet will require everyone's cooperation. Once the food is ready, we'll eat in the imperial kitchen first!"

"Great, we can eat it too!"

"Madam Shen, what are we doing?"

Another round of cheers erupted.

Shen Qing continued with a smile, "Today's palace banquet will have a total of ten dishes. You will be divided into ten groups, and each of you will prepare one dish."

"The first dish is wolf tooth potatoes. Use this wavy knife to cut the potatoes into strips, soak them in water to wash away the starch, heat oil in a wok, add the potato strips when the oil is hot, and fry them until they are slightly golden brown before taking them out..."

As she spoke, she demonstrated, explaining that the royal chefs were perfectly capable of handling simple tasks like cutting and frying potatoes.

As for the final seasoning, she had already prepared the seasonings she purchased from the system.

Add cumin powder, Sichuan peppercorn powder, five-spice powder, minced garlic, etc., and drizzle hot oil over them to release their aroma. Then add vinegar, light soy sauce, salt, sugar, etc. Finally, pour the prepared sauce over the potatoes and sprinkle with chopped green onions and cilantro.

The wolf-tooth potato is now ready.

"The second dish is takoyaki. First, you need to make a batter by mixing flour, eggs, water, etc. Then, chop some cabbage and onions, blanch the octopus tentacles, and dice them..."

The molds for making takoyaki were made by people in the palace at Shen Qing's request; taking them directly from the system would be too conspicuous.

Grease the mold, pour in the batter, add diced octopus and vegetables, flip it with a bamboo skewer to shape, and fry until golden brown.

Sprinkle with teriyaki sauce, mayonnaise, bonito flakes, and shredded nori.

"The third dish is sizzling tofu. Slice firm tofu, pat dry, and pan-fry over medium-low heat until golden brown on both sides. Finally, brush it with my prepared sauce..."

The sauce ingredients also come from the system. After brushing on the sauce, sprinkle with cumin powder, chili powder, chopped green onions, and white sesame seeds.

"The fourth dish is stir-fried snails. After the snails have purged the sand, cut off their tails. Heat the oil, add garlic, ginger, dried chili peppers, and small red chili peppers, stir-fry over high heat, then add my secret sauce, star anise, bay leaves, etc., stir-fry quickly, add water and simmer for a while, reduce the sauce over high heat, and sprinkle with chopped green onions."

"For the fifth step, make scallion pancakes. Add salt to the flour, scald half of it with boiling water, and stir the other half with cold water. Then add a small amount of oil and knead into a dough. Next, make the oil paste..."

"..."

As Shen Qing prepared the food, he explained the process, and all the imperial chefs stared wide-eyed at him intently.

She handed over all the basic tasks, such as washing vegetables, chopping vegetables, blanching vegetables, and kneading dough, to the imperial chef, while she did the rest herself.

For a time, the imperial kitchen was bustling with activity, with clear division of labor.

A fragrant aroma rose up, and in an instant, the imperial kitchen was filled with the scents of various foods.

"Wow, so many exotic foods! Madam Shen is truly amazing."

"I just tried a piece of wolf tooth potato, it's so delicious, absolutely amazing!"

"The bayberry glutinous rice balls are so refreshing and cool."

"I really want to be Madam Shen's apprentice."

"..."

The atmosphere in the imperial kitchen was harmonious; everyone was busy yet joyful.

Meanwhile, Zhao Gou was leading his men to prepare for other matters at the palace banquet.

Once everything was ready, Zhou Chongdian, the Minister of Rites, led Yelü Qi and the Liao delegation into the palace.