Su Tang was calm, but the rest of the people in the West District Restaurant were not.

This was the imperial palace!

These were lunch boxes for the ministers!

If they were a little negligent, their property would be confiscated and their family would be exterminated.

The Boss wasn't afraid at all.

Of course, Su Tang wasn't afraid. If she truly destroys her family over such a trivial matter, this Cang Qin country was not well developed enough.

As long as she does her best, she will leave it up to the customers to judge her performance.

Since it was a premium lunch box, the dishes were certainly different.

The main course consisted of sweet and sour spare ribs, followed by spicy chicken, and the vegetable dish consisted of stir-fried winter melon eggs. They needed to make enough of these dishes for one hundred and fifty boxes.

The remaining one hundred and fifty lunch boxes' dishes were pig hooves with peanuts, fried fish, stir-fried vegetables, and stir-fried eggplant with garlic.

Two different dishes are available for the guests to choose from.

The soup was made with the same ingredients for both lunch boxes, winter melon with spare ribs.

Originally, the eunuch who was waiting for the delivery was sitting in the hall. He looked around and noticed that everything was neat and clean, and after sitting for a while, he smelled the aroma of rice coming from the kitchen.

The eunuch has eaten a plethora of delectable foods in the palace, but he has yet to come across such a fragrance.

Naturally, Su Tang deserves credit for this because she has improved a variety of dishes. It was obviously the same approach but the dishes she created were better than others.

Another reason for the booming business in the west district was naturally this.

When the eunuch smelled the fragrance, he was already hungry. Those who worked in the West District Restaurant were quick thinking as well. They placed each dish on a beautiful plate and invited the eunuch and the imperial guards to sit down for a casual meal first.

The meal was so delicious that the eunuch finally understood why the emperor and the Marquis both took a fancy to this young chef!

The food was really delicious!

The entire West District Restaurant was extremely busy, and the imperial guards were finally asked to take away the 300 lunch boxes before it had turned noon.

Oh, my gosh, the feeling of being watched by the guards while cooking was so unsettling!

But there was also excitement in the eyes of the West District Restaurant staff!

They couldn't possibly conceal the fact that they had prepared lunch for the court ministers. It was predicted that the entire capital would be aware of it within a single morning!

Their business would undoubtedly benefit from this approach!

And they would undoubtedly be rewarded with money, based on their Boss' habits!

Who wouldn't be happy if they had more money?

When the court adjourned at noon, the emperor stayed for lunch as usual. It was typically prepared by the imperial chef, and the ministers and officials were accustomed to it.

But who knew that the meal served today was going to be so out of the ordinary?

It was presented to them in a strange little box.

Some ministers had already started speaking out. Isn't this the same thing as the lunch boxes they had just talked about?

The emperor actually let them eat this thing directly?

Didn't they say that those lunch boxes are all eaten by poor people?

Only those who do lowly things in the west district would eat this.

Everyone was still muttering when they noticed that the box had already been opened by Weiyuan Marquis, who had always been a picky eater.

Qi Tian Yun looked at the Su character on the box with a smile on the corner of his mouth.

Su Tang's cooking was reflected in this lunch box. Somehow, the ingredients she processed wouldn't have a peculiar odor. Even if it wasn't as good as Su Tang's cooking, he might be able to eat it.

This Marquis had moved his chopsticks, and the others had no choice but to follow.

They initially thought this lunch box was made just for convenience, but when they ate it, it was nothing like they had expected.

Every dish was meticulously prepared. It tastes delicious and is ideal for lunch. There was a bowl of soup too. The soup was quite light, but it was the kind of light soup that is ideal for lunch.

The sweet and sour spare ribs were delicious and meaty, with each bite the soft meat melted directly off the bone, and a delightful flavor flowed out.

The remaining vegetarian dishes were also light and tasty. Before they had realized it, they had devoured all of the dishes!

These old ministers were usually the most restricted and were never greedy when it came to food, but they ate so much today, including a bowl of rice.

The old ministers couldn't help but blush, but when they saw that the young ministers next to them had taken another lunch box because one wasn't enough, they went to get another one as well.

Fortunately, they had reserved enough.

And the eunuch who was serving on the side was relieved. It's no surprise that Ms. Su provided dozens of dishes. She was probably aware that this would occur.

In less than half an hour, all the ministers in the hall finished their lunch.

And they ate very comfortable while waiting for the palace servants to remove the lunch boxes. The ministers who were just discussing the lunch box had a brilliant idea!

This lunch box was really a good thing!

Most importantly, it was delicious!

What poor people's food?! This was clearly a good thing for people of all ages!

Many people realize that if they eat in this way using lunch boxes, it will become popular throughout the capital in the future!

Qi Tian Yun gave a slight nod. He had informed the young emperor of it this morning and it was exactly as he had expected.

In this way, promoting it in the military was not only advantageous, but Su Tang also benefits greatly from it as well.

Her name would be known, not only in the west district but throughout the capital.

Of course, everything was dependent on Su Tang herself. He was simply adding fuel to the fire.

The West District Restaurant's business boomed after the incident; they now buy hundreds of kilos of ingredients every day and sell out by noon.

They are not open at night.

To keep the staff happy, they primarily conduct business until noon and rest at night.

Whose business was as good as theirs? Even though they were exhausted early during the day, at least they were still able to sleep at night?

Mr. Zhang, the former owner of Ying Chun Pavilion, never imagined that the hot potato he was so eager to get rid of, would become a sweet potato in the hands of Su Tang.

Is this a joke?

He was losing money no matter how many times he changed his menus back then. He battled with the restaurant for over a year before finally attempting to get rid of it in a haste.

He was still laughing in his heart when he sold Ying Chun Pavilion to Su Tang.

He thought that Su Tang was a child and that she didn't understand anything. She would lose money if she took over the Ying Chun Pavilion.

But what about now?

Su Tang not only changed the name but also personally cooked in the restaurant to create the now-famous lunch box. The restaurant he sold was now a well-known restaurant in the capital.

Mr. Zhang has now become the capital's laughing stock.

He had intended to deceive her, but he did not expect her to make money instead.

Su Tang couldn't care less about what Mr. Zhang thought.

Su Tang had come to help in her breakfast shop this morning, which was unusual for her. The breakfast shop now only has Aunt Zhou, Wang Wu's wife, and another helper that was hired.

They worked together and agreed that Su Tang would not be allowed to intervene in any way.

Su Tang was only allowed to stand by and help them collect the money; she was not allowed to do any other laborious work.

The Boss had given them such a high monthly salary that they couldn't afford to let her become tired out.

Su Tang could only assist when they were extremely busy.

Yuan Hong Wei, the steward of the Yang Zhou merchant Ship, could finally breathe a sigh of relief when he found her store.

It was all the fault of his old friend. He was aware that he was visiting the capital and he wanted to eat the egg sponge cake from the West district.

They were no longer children. What kind of cake hasn't he tried?

Fortunately, he asked around.

Everyone in the west district knew which was the best egg sponge cake, but the store only sold it in the morning and so they advised him to get there early... because it would be sold out if he was too late.

Was the food in the capital so good?

Would there ever be a time when supply exceeds demand?

Yuan Hong Wei arrived early in the morning and noticed customers lining up in front of the store.

Why does he have to wait in line to eat these days?!

Yuan Hong Wei was still waiting in line for the egg sponge cake and breakfast here. He was scheduled to leave for Yang Zhou at noon and so all of the necessary tasks were completed in advance.

But when he looked at the furniture in this breakfast shop and the signs in front of the counter, he got an uncanny feeling of familiarity.

Yuan Hong Wei requested a bowl of congee with preserved eggs and lean meat, as well as a few steamed buns, but when the buns touched his mouth, they burned him severely.

"Brother, what you're eating are soup dumplings," said the person next to him. "The soup in it is a little hot, so slowly chew them."

After speaking, he also taught him how to eat soup dumplings.

Yuan Hong Wei followed suit, and once the soup dumplings were in his mouth, he couldn't care less about anything else.

The flavors were so light.

It's really delicious!

The congee also made him feel very satisfied.

Yuan Hong Wei also ordered two hundred egg sponge cakes after finishing breakfast.

Two large boxes were completely full.

Yuan Hong Wei gained a lot from his visit to the capital this time. Everything was different and this city was worthy of being the capital. Yuan Hong Wei was about to pay before leaving when he noticed that the people where the money was collected at the counter had changed.

Yuan Hong Wei remembers this young girl!

Wasn't this the same young girl who cooked in the kitchen at the West District Restaurant, the last time he saw her?

Why is she in this breakfast store?!

"Hey? Why are you working here? I saw you at the West District Restaurant last time," Yuan Hong Wei couldn't help asking.

Su Tang looked up and saw a middle-aged man dressed as a steward; she nodded and smiled. "Yes, I changed my job."

Everyone in the room laughed after she finished speaking, and a customer reminded him. "This is the owner of the breakfast shop and the owner of the West District Restaurant."

Su Tang stated, "It's the same. It's all work."

Could it be the same?

Everyone was aware of how profitable these two stores are. What were we doing all this time if what she was doing was 'just work'?

Everyone laughed and joked, and Su Tang didn't say much; it was all the same to her.

Yuan Hong Wei was filled with skepticism.

Goodness me, this young girl made all the delicious food he ate in the capital?

That was amazing, right?

And looking at her, she was so amiable and talented, but not arrogant. This type of character was far too rare!

Just as everyone was laughing and talking, a few officers came to the door and asked, "Excuse me, Is Miss Su at home?"

Su Tang looked outside, recognized these officers, and walked out with a few egg sponge cakes in her hand.

"Is there a matter, fourth brother?" she asked and then handed the egg sponge cake to them.

They were also acquainted with her and the officer was not courteous. He said with a smile, "Of course, there's some matter. Look, Miss Su, this is a requirement for the fifth round of the God of Cooking competition. In ten days, we will hold the fifth round."

Since the previous incident with her aunt next door, the officers have frequently come to inquire to prevent vicious relatives from harming others. Su Tang has also looked after them in return, which was why they were already acquainted, so this was a pleasant reunion for Su Tang.

Su Tang looked at the paperwork.

It has been a month since the fourth round of the God of Cooking competition. One of the reasons she was able to open the West District Restaurant so smoothly was because she was famous in this God of Cooking competition.

Now the fifth round of the competition has finally come.

Because there were only 30 people left in this fifth round of the competition, the rules of the competition had changed.

First, they would each be given the same uniform and it would be made sure that they wore the uniform provided by the court when the time comes.

Then came the most important part: the competition requirements.

Governor Pei previously stated that the theme for the fifth round of competition would be determined by the government, and chefs would be required to cook within the theme's specified range.

The topic of the competition was clearly written in the document provided today.

In the fifth round of the competition, all 30 contestants were required to prepare the same dish, which was pastries.

People around Su Tang looked at the egg sponge cake in Yuan Hong Wei's hand after she read out the topic.

Huh?

Compete in pastries?

Doesn't that mean that Su Tang was already the absolute winner?