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

The capital of the Liao Dynasty was located at the confluence of two rivers; it was more of a camp settlement than a city.

Looking around, there were tents of all sizes, the largest and most conspicuous of which was the residence of the Liao emperor.

Centered around this tent were the tents of princes, princesses, and ministers.

The tents of ordinary herders are scattered in more remote areas.

"Lady Shen, this is the capital of our Great Liao Dynasty. What do you think? Isn't it much better than Da'an?" Yelü Gan said with a face full of pride.

Shen Qing smiled and said, "The Liao Dynasty is indeed very beautiful."

The vast grasslands, herds of cattle and sheep, and the boundless sky—even though it was getting dark, the scenery was still breathtaking.

However, Da'an also has its own beauty, and there's no saying that one is better than the other.

"Madam Shen, let me have someone take you to your tent to rest. You've been traveling all day," Yelü Qi said considerately.

Although he really wanted to eat Shen Qing's food, he couldn't ask her to cook for him as soon as he arrived after traveling all day.

Shen Qing did not refuse and followed the servants to the camp.

The brothers Yelü Qi and Yelü Gan dismounted and walked together toward the royal tent of the Liao emperor.

"Third brother, this time we brought Lady Shen back to Liao, which is a great achievement. Father will surely reward us handsomely!" Yelü Gan said with a smile, his face full of anticipation.

Besides anticipating the possible reward, he also looked forward to every day in the future.

Lady Shen is in the Liao Dynasty, and from now on he will be able to eat Lady Shen's food every day!

Yelü Qi was not as optimistic as Yelü Gan: "Whether or not there will be a reward, we'll have to wait until Father Emperor has tasted Lady Shen's delicious food before we talk about it."

"We need to get through today's hurdle first."

The 50,000-strong army had traveled a long distance and consumed a lot of provisions. Apart from Madam Shen, they only brought back a little bit of looted property.

To be honest, that little bit of stuff couldn't even buy one-tenth of the grain and fodder consumed.

Moreover, before sending troops, Yelü Qi promised the Liao emperor that he would attack Da'an and take control of the Central Plains.

This promise has not been fulfilled at all.

Yelü Qi's expression was somewhat bitter.

Soon, the two entered the royal tent.

"Greetings, Father Emperor; Greetings, Mother Empress." The two knelt down in unison.

"Defeated?" The Liao emperor's eyes were unfathomable, but his tone already carried a hint of displeasure.

"We were very cautious as soon as we arrived outside Hansha City and kept a close watch on the situation. A few days ago, an army of 100,000 came to Hanshan City. 100,000 against 50,000, we definitely couldn't win, so we quickly led the army back."

Before Yelü Qi could speak, Yelü Gan hurriedly began to speak, as if his strategy of observing the situation was absolutely correct.

"Gan'er, come to your mother's place and ask your third brother to give you a reply. No matter what, it was your third brother who proposed leading troops to attack Da'an," Empress Xiao said softly from the side.

Clearly, this is an attempt to remove Yelü Gan from the matter.

If the attack on Da'an succeeds, the credit belongs to Yelü Gan; but if it fails, Yelü Qi should take the blame.

Yelü Qi had long since figured out Empress Xiao's thoughts. He originally thought that taking advantage of the internal strife in Da'an to quickly invade the Central Plains was a sure thing, but Yelü Gan was foolish and insisted on waiting to see how things would develop.

He gritted his teeth, about to explain, when he heard Yelü Gan's reluctant voice.

"Mother, we have performed a great service this time, why won't you let me speak?"

Yelü Qi: "..."

"Oh? What merits have you two accomplished? How much spoils have you brought back?" the Liao emperor asked.

"Although we didn't bring back many spoils of war, we brought back Lady Shen!"

Yelü Gan looked excited, his eyes shining, as if he had really captured the capital of Da'an.

Emperor of Liao: "???"

Empress Xiao: "???"

Are you out of your mind? What is her son saying? And what is this "trophy" of Madam Shen? It sounds like a woman's name!

"What did you say? Say it again!" The Liao emperor's eyes widened.

"Father, Mother, Lady Shen's cooking is so delicious, it's incredibly fragrant. Like that bamboo tube bursting mochi, it's so milky and fragrant. I've never tasted such wonderful flavors in my life."

"And the roasted mutton. The mutton roasted in our Liao Dynasty has a gamey smell, and the lean meat is dry. But the mutton roasted by Madam Shen is different. It's crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a fragrant aroma. It only has the fragrance of mutton, without any gamey smell at all. The taste is just...tsk tsk tsk..."

As Yelü Gan spoke, he seemed to savor the moment, his expression one of pure enjoyment.

The Liao emperor and Empress Xiao above had completely darkened their faces.

In the end, isn't she just a cook?

Such a grand mobilization, only to bring back a cook? And to talk about some great achievement, that's simply a fantasy!

"So, you two only brought back one cook?" the Liao emperor said in a deep voice.

Empress Xiao looked at Yelü Gan with worry and helplessness, her face full of disappointment.

The scapegoat has already been found, so why is her son rushing forward recklessly?

"Yes, we brought Lady Shen back!!" Yelü Gan was completely oblivious to the awkward atmosphere, and he proudly held his head high.

Upon seeing this, Yelü Qi quickly explained, "Father, Mother, Lady Shen is no ordinary cook."

"Oh? Then tell me, how is she so special that I, Wan Dajun, made a wasted trip?"

Yelü Qi: "Madam Shen's cooking is absolutely delicious. The officials in Da'an rebelled because of Madam Shen, and the 100,000 Song family soldiers also returned to Da'an because of Madam Shen."

"You may find this particularly absurd now, but once you taste Madam Shen's food tomorrow, you will understand that Madam Shen is worth it."

Emperor of Liao: "???"

He listened, but still felt it was outrageous. He felt it wasn't worth the trouble of bringing back a cook.

"Third brother is right. Father, Mother, you think it's outrageous now because you haven't tasted Lady Shen's food. Wait until tomorrow, when Lady Shen has rested up, maybe she'll be in a better mood and cook for us!!"

Yelü Gan was already looking forward to it.

Empress Xiao frowned, even more puzzled: "What, does a cook have to decide what to cook based on her mood?"

"Madam Shen is different!"

Emperor of Liao: "..."

He's gone mad, both of his sons have gone mad.

Surely these two people can't have fallen in love with the same woman?

"You two...you're talking nonsense! Get out there and kneel down, reflect on your actions, and figure out how to make up for the losses we've caused!"