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

Zhao Gou couldn't help but shiver.

He also wanted to eat braised pork ribs, but if the teacher chased the stall owner away, he wouldn't be able to get any.

But Master Zheng was also his mentor.

Hesitantly, he finally stood up after a long pause: "Master, are we really going to chase them away?... I mean... the stall owner hasn't violated any laws of this dynasty, we have no reason to..."

Before he could finish speaking, Master Zheng raised an eyebrow and interrupted him directly: "Reason? The academy is a place for studying and understanding principles. What kind of order is it to set up a stall at the academy gate? Making such a racket, how can anyone study like this!"

After saying that, she stormed off towards the door.

Zhao Gou dared not delay and hurriedly followed behind.

As soon as they stepped out of the academy, the fragrance became even stronger, and the noise grew even louder.

"It smells so good! I've never eaten bones that taste so good!"

"Madam Shen, give me two more!"

"It has to be Madam Shen; every dish she makes is absolutely delicious."

"..."

Master Zheng's face darkened further as he stared at the long queue, his brows furrowed deeply.

Zhao Gou sniffed from behind; it smelled so good, his mouth was watering.

The two walked through the crowd and went straight to the front of the line.

"You want to buy a spot? I won't sell it to you for less than a tael of silver!" the man at the front of the line said.

They were regular customers, and this had happened more than once before, so they subconsciously assumed that Master Zheng and his group were there to buy seats.

Upon hearing this, Master Zheng's face darkened even further.

"We're not buying!"

"If you're not buying, then go to the back of the line."

"Hmph!" Old Master Zheng glared angrily, his beard bristling. "We're not here to buy bones!"

Shen Qing was busy taking bones out of the pot when he heard this and couldn't help but look up.

An old man with white hair and beard, thin and bony, with a very straight back, meticulous and methodical, his eyes filled with intense anger.

Then look at the scholar behind him, bowing his head with utmost respect.

Shen Qing instantly guessed who this person was.

"You must be Master Zheng?" Her voice was indifferent yet polite.

This made Master Zheng seem somewhat rash.

But thinking of the chaotic crowd and the pervasive fragrance, he cleared his throat and said, "That's right, I am a teacher at the academy."

"You can't set up a stall in front of the academy. Go somewhere else."

They drove people away very directly.

Shen Qing remained calm: "Although this is the entrance to the academy, it is not inside the academy. Moreover, there is no law in this dynasty that prohibits setting up stalls in front of the academy. The teacher is being a bit too domineering."

As she spoke, she handed the bones she had retrieved to the diners who were waiting in line.

Master Zheng's chest heaved, clearly furious: "With such noise, how can the students concentrate on their studies? How can our Ping'an County cultivate top scholars? You woman, you're utterly unreasonable! Setting up stalls at the academy gate is a rule I established!!"

"So, Master dislikes the noise." Shen Qing seemed to suddenly realize.

She turned directly to the diners and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, please refrain from making loud noises in front of the academy so as not to disturb the students' studies."

"good!"

"Don't worry, Madam Shen, we won't say anything."

"We'll be very obedient and definitely won't make a sound!"

"Yes, we only gnaw on the bones."

"..."

The diners began to make their promises, and after they did, the surroundings instantly fell silent.

Silence reigned, broken only by the bubbling of the sauce in the pot.

"Master Zheng, let's stop arguing then," Shen Qing said gently.

Master Zheng's face turned red with anger: "But this smell disturbs one's mind and has an effect..."

"If one's will is firm and one's mind is steadfast, how can one be disturbed by this smell? If a mere fragrance can disturb the minds of students, then those students are like rotten wood, incapable of becoming great talents."

"You—" Master Zheng was speechless.

Shen Qing remained calm and gentle, taking a bone out of the pot: "If you don't mind, Master, you can try it. I'll give you one."

She genuinely wanted Master Zheng to try it; once he tasted her braised pork ribs, Master Zheng would definitely not stop her anymore.

In this way, the students in the academy can accept her braised pork ribs more quickly.

This is highly beneficial for the completion of system tasks.

"I don't want to!" Master Zheng was furious. He snorted coldly and stormed off, his steps quickening considerably.

He looked furious.

Zhao Gou glanced at the braised pork bones in the pot with a reluctant expression, gritted his teeth, and hurriedly left with Master Zheng.

Inside the academy, all the students craned their necks and pricked up their ears, listening intently to the sounds outside.

But when they heard Master Zheng's angry footsteps, they quickly pretended to be studying diligently.

But his eyes kept glancing towards the doorway.

"Master, slow down, watch your step!" Zhao Gou shouted as he chased after him.

Master Zheng was so angry that his beard twisted in disbelief. He paused for a moment, then strode quickly into the classroom.

"None of my students are allowed to buy food outside! Anyone who dares to violate this rule will be expelled from the academy!!"

These words made the already quiet classroom even quieter.

Zhao Gou was startled, feeling both greedy and afraid, and finally slunk back to his seat.

The other students all lowered their heads and no one spoke.

Only Zhou Wentong spoke up leisurely: "Master, your rule is too unreasonable. What does what kind of food you eat have to do with studying? Does it mean that you can only become the top scholar by eating steamed buns and drinking cold water?"

"If that's really the case, please tell me in detail how many steamed buns you need to eat to pass the exam. I don't need to study anymore; I can just eat steamed buns according to the number I need."

"You—" Master Zheng pointed at Zhou Wentong with a ruler in his hand, but put it down after a long while.

"You stubborn rock! I shouldn't have agreed to let your father take you in in the first place! You're so incorrigible! Get out of here!!"

Zhou Wentong pursed his lips and muttered, "Fine, I'll go then."

He was hungry, and the aroma of the braised pork ribs made his mouth water.

I'll just buy two to try.

Master Zheng never expected that Zhou Wentong would actually leave.

He was so angry that the flesh on his face was trembling.

"Everyone else, study hard! If anyone fails to finish memorizing their lessons today, no one is allowed to eat!"

It was like the city gate catching fire and the fish in the moat suffering the consequences; the students felt a pang of bitterness.

Oh no, what bad luck! They wanted to eat braised pork ribs too!

When will we finally get to eat braised pork ribs again?!

Ahhhhhh—

He was inwardly cursing, but outwardly he had to study diligently.