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

"You can't fool me!" Black Hawk clearly didn't believe him.

It's hard for anyone to accept that the benefactor they've been loyal to for years turns out to be their enemy.

Song Chengwu chuckled: "Whether it's true or false, you can go and check it out yourself."

"Since I've been able to tell you, I'm not afraid of you investigating."

Black Hawk gritted his teeth and sheathed his sword; he still couldn't believe the truth.

But Song Chengwu's attitude forced him to believe him.

"I'll investigate. If it's true, then so be it. But if you're lying, I'll still come back for revenge!!"

Having said that, he strode away.

Black Hawk Guards, the world—none of that mattered to him at this moment.

He just wanted to know the truth, to know whether the emperor was his benefactor or his enemy.

"Go ahead and investigate, I'm ready anytime!" Song Chengwu shouted.

He told the truth, so naturally he wasn't afraid of Black Hawk's investigation.

The struggle ended there, without any resolution.

Black Hawk went to investigate the truth.

Song Chengwu stood there for a long time before sighing, "Madam Shen, if I give up attacking the capital, can you guarantee the new emperor won't kill me?"

He had no choice but to accept reality.

Attacking the imperial city is extremely difficult. In the past, there might have been some chance of success, but now, the probability of failure is probably 100%.

After all, nobody really supported him.

From generals to soldiers, everyone gathered around Shen Qing, all saying they wanted to support Lady Shen.

Even if he wanted to fight, he couldn't.

"The new emperor is a wise ruler. If you sincerely submit, he will certainly not blame you."

"After all, the old emperor had long been abandoned by his people."

Shen Qing only said two sentences, and Song Chengwu was relieved.

He didn't know why, but ever since he ate the chive dumplings, he understood Zheng Quan and the others' feelings, and at the same time, he understood Shen Qing's authority.

He even developed a strange sense of trust in Shen Qing.

Therefore, once he received Shen Qing's assurance, he completely relaxed.

"Madam Shen, I will go back to the capital with you to apologize to the new emperor!"

Shen Qing nodded; this was the best possible outcome.

"Okay, let's go back to Beijing together."

Let's discuss when to set off.

The date for returning to Beijing was set for three days later.

Firstly, the Black Hawk Guards have been traveling for a long time and need to rest.

Secondly, there are still many unresolved issues in Pingkou City.

Furthermore, Shen Qing also has the mission of conquering thousands of soldiers.

After discussing the matter, Shen Qing returned to his room and opened the system.

[Ding—Congratulations, host, for successfully conquering Song Chengwu and several soldiers. Mission completion progress (80%/100%). Please keep up the good work!]

Only 20% is left.

All the generals have been conquered; the remaining 20% ​​must be some soldiers who haven't yet been defeated.

After all, there were many soldiers, and the amount of food she could prepare each day was relatively limited.

"Are there any simple dishes? Something I can make in a big pot?" Shen Qing couldn't help but ask.

The preserved egg and lean pork congee is fine; I wonder if the system will allow her to continue selling it.

[Price of Spicy Soup: 10 coins]

Spicy soup.

Similar to congee with preserved egg and lean pork, cooking a large pot can be enjoyed by many people.

Not bad, not bad, the system is still a good system.

......

The next day, after tidying up, Shen Qing began preparing to make hot and sour soup.

Being in Pingkou City makes it easier to purchase ingredients, and as for seasonings, they still come from the system.

The broth for Hulatang is made by simmering beef bones.

After washing the beef bones, break them into pieces, put them in a pot of cold water, add scallions and ginger slices, bring to a boil, skim off the foam, and simmer over low heat for an hour.

When the soup turns white, remove the bones, leaving only the clear broth.

Add water to flour and knead into a dough. Let it rest for half an hour, then repeatedly wash the dough in clean water.

Let the water from washing the dough settle and discard the clear water on top, leaving only the thick starch paste for later use.

Steam the gluten blocks until cooked, then cut them into small cubes.

Soak the sweet potato noodles until soft, soak the peanuts until expanded, tear the wood ear mushrooms into small pieces, and cut the tofu skin into strips.

Next came the fried noodles.

Heat an iron wok, pour in dry flour, add a little five-spice powder, and stir-fry over low heat. Before long, the flour turns from white to yellow, and a dry, caramelized aroma rises.

Bring the beef bone broth to a boil again, then add diced gluten, peanuts, vermicelli, shredded wood ear mushrooms, shredded tofu skin, and diced cooked beef. Simmer for the time it takes to brew a cup of tea.

Then, stir the prepared starch paste until smooth and pour it into the soup little by little, stirring constantly.

When it's almost done, pour in the previously stir-fried noodles, allowing the caramelized aroma of the noodles to infuse the soup.

Finally, sprinkle with a pinch of white pepper powder, a pinch of five-spice powder, salt, a few drops of sesame oil, and a handful of chopped green onions.

The spicy soup is now ready.

Shen Qing prepared a lot of ingredients today and cooked several pots of it.

Just like yesterday, she had Zhao Gou gather all the soldiers who hadn't eaten before.

A large cauldron stood at the entrance of the city lord's mansion, its steam carrying a fragrant aroma that permeated the air.

The soldiers were already drooling with anticipation.

"It smells so good, so good, so good..."

"I never thought it would be our turn today."

"Eunuch Zhao is a good man, a good man, he even thought of those of us who have never eaten here before."

"Oh, you're mistaken. It was Madam Shen who instructed Eunuch Zhao to do it. I will always support Madam Shen!"

"..."

The spicy soup was bubbling away in a large iron pot, its color a deep amber, and it was very thick.

The gluten chunks, soaked in broth, floated halfway in the soup. The glass noodles were as transparent as glue, and the black wood ear mushrooms and white tofu strips were all coated with amber-colored broth. You could also vaguely see the reddish-brown beef chunks.

The green scallions swirled in the hot soup, making one's mouth water.

"Madam Shen, this smells so good, give me a bowl!!!" Song Chengwu rushed to the city lord's mansion gate after smelling the aroma.

Having put aside the major matter of rebellion, Song Chengwu felt much more relaxed.

Right now, he has no time for anything but enjoying the food.

While ladling out the spicy soup, Shen Qing said, "Why don't you go line up behind these soldiers? We made a lot today, so it should be your turn soon."

In any case, the mission comes first.

If all goes well, her dumpling will be able to talk after all the soldiers finish drinking the spicy soup today!

Just think about it and be happy.

Song Chengwu swallowed hard, his eyes glued to the iron pot: "I'm their commander, they don't mind if I eat first."

"You'd better hurry up and join the queue. Don't even mention the commander-in-chief; even the old emperor would have to queue at Madam Shen's restaurant," Zhao Gou couldn't help but say from the side.

He was ladling hot and sour soup from another large pot. As someone who had helped Shen Qing, he had already finished a bowl.

"Father, you should go and line up quickly, don't make things difficult for Madam Shen."

"Yes, there are still so many people. Don't delay the soldiers' meal."

Song Leye, Wang Wu, and others spoke one after another.

Song Chengwu looked closely and saw that his two sons, Wang Wu, Zheng Quan, and Zhou Wentong, each had a pot and were ladling soup.

He was so focused on the large pot in front of Shen Qing that he didn't notice these details at all.

Needless to say, Zheng Quanwang and the others must have already finished eating!

"Why didn't you take me with you???" Song Chengwu actually sounded a little aggrieved.