Bian Lan didn't say much, but took out the items and showed them to them. Bian Lan knew the uses of these items and explained them in great detail.

Upon hearing this and seeing the items, the two couldn't help but feel tempted, but neither of them said anything, as these items didn't look very cheap.

The two families were well-off locally, but their situation in the capital was really not good enough, so they decided not to go, otherwise they would lose face. There was plenty of time in the future, so they could talk about it later.

Mo Chenyu started writing and drawing as soon as he got into the carriage. After getting off the carriage, he went into the study and continued writing and drawing endlessly.

It wasn't until nightfall, when it was completely dark outside, that they stopped. Inside, someone had already turned on the lamp, put down their pen, looked outside, and realized how late it was.

I'm a little hungry.

"Mo Ting, what time is it?"

Moting gave a time, around 7:30 pm.

Mo Chenyu: "Prepare the meal!"

Mo Ting said, "Yes."

Mo Ting soon brought out the food, which was a variety of dishes with a balanced mix of meat and vegetables, and looked very reasonable.

After the meal, Mo Ting helped Mo Chenyu tidy up the discarded items on the table. Thinking of the person she met at Qiqiao General Store today, she couldn't help but ask, "Young Master, I noticed that you treated that young master you met at Qiqiao General Store today very well."

Upon hearing this, Mo Chenyu thought of Bian Lan: "He is quite talented. If he studies hard, he will surely achieve great things in the future. Master and Consort need virtuous and capable people. The more talented people, the better."

He was not stingy with his friendliness, after all, he knew very well how he had managed to survive.

"What you say is true, young master. By the way, when have you decided to move to Qiqiao Academy?"

The number of people in Qiqiao Courtyard has increased so much that it's no longer just one courtyard. Mo Chenyu, due to his special circumstances, has his own courtyard.

Now that Qiqiao Academy has been completed and enrollment is finished, Tong Cheng'er has ordered Qiqiao Academy members, Mo Chenyu, and others to find a date to move there.

Qiqiao Academy is a very large place. Tong Cheng'er specially reserved a courtyard for the teacher to live in. It should be very spacious, and at least he won't have to live in the mansion.

Mo Chenyu: "The day after tomorrow! I'll finish what I'm working on tomorrow, so you can pack your things."

Mo Chenyu didn't have many belongings. He had difficulty walking and didn't have any particular hobbies. At most, he liked to collect some wood to carve small trinkets. Other than that, he had clothes and such, and that was about it. It was easy to tidy up.

Three days later, Mo Chenyu had moved into Qiqiao Academy. Besides him, other people in Qiqiao Academy had also moved in. Although the others had not moved in yet, they already had specific plans.

The culinary competition has reached its final stage, with the last five chefs competing to determine the winner.

On this day, Yinzhen and Tong Cheng'er both came. They were still in the private room. Kangxi, dressed in his usual attire, also came. Originally, Kangxi had not planned to come, but after hearing several times that it was lively outside, he also wanted to join in the fun.

"Why is Father Emperor here?"

Yinzhen never expected that Kangxi would return with a cooking competition. Although he didn't reveal his identity, it was still quite surprising.

Emperor Kangxi smiled and said, "I heard that this food competition is quite a lively affair. I came to take a look and taste the local flavors."

Yinzhen quickly said, "It was my fault. I originally planned to serve the most authentic and delicious dishes to Father Emperor after the competition was over."

Emperor Kangxi: "It's enough that you have the intention; there's no need to go to any more trouble."

The food he eats is all too much trouble. If you were to ask these cooks to prepare a meal for him, they would have to go through all eight generations of his ancestors, which would be too much trouble.

Other things aside, Emperor Kangxi didn't place much importance on the desire for food and drink.

Indeed, having grown up in luxury since childhood, aside from the hardships endured during military campaigns, the food they ate was always exquisite!

Having seen and experienced a lot, one naturally stops complaining.

He came over to join in the fun.

Yinzhen thought to himself, if you hadn't come today, he naturally wouldn't have bothered you. But since you've come, he doesn't need to bother you either. We can just eat together later.

Tong Cheng'er didn't expect Kangxi to come. After she bowed to Kangxi, she pretended to be invisible. Kangxi treated her well, but perhaps because of his style, Tong Cheng'er felt that this eunuch was a bit difficult to deal with. She wasn't a very clever person, so she naturally didn't rush to show off.

In Kangxi's eyes, her behavior showed that she was steady, sensible, and mindful of the big picture. Kangxi knew that Qiqiao Academy was doing well, and that his lazy daughter-in-law had made progress no matter what.

She does have some of the demeanor of a first wife. If only she could give birth to a few more children for Yinzhen. Although Hongzhao is good, he is not enough.

As Kangxi and Yinzhen chatted, Tong Cheng'er quietly stayed by their side, occasionally refilling their tea.

Before long, the dishes were produced one after another. Liang Jiugong sent people to taste the dishes before serving them to the table one by one.

Emperor Kangxi took the first bite, his first dish being sweet and sour lotus root. He had eaten sweet and sour lotus root before, but this dish tasted different from the one made by the imperial chefs in the palace. He couldn't say which one was better; they were both quite good and had their own merits.

Emperor Kangxi immediately became more interested; this food competition was indeed quite well-organized.

Then Emperor Kangxi successively tasted braised deer tendon in a clay pot, osmanthus fish strips, and giant prawns...

The food was all quite good. In addition to these, there were also cold dishes and soups, all of which had their own unique flavors. Of course, with a table full of food, there were naturally good and bad dishes. Some were made to be comparable to those made by the imperial chefs in the palace, some were not very good but were still quite good, and some were even slightly better than those made by the imperial chefs in the palace.

After finishing his meal, Kangxi rinsed his mouth and washed his hands before saying, "The taste is acceptable."

Yinzhen also thought it tasted good.

As for Tong Cheng'er, she also thought it was good, but she estimated it would taste even better if Kangxi weren't there.

Emperor Kangxi was an elder, and it was inevitable to feel somewhat uncomfortable to dine at the same table with him.

Especially since this elder was the emperor, the emperor who determined the life and death of everyone in the world.

Not long after, Su Peisheng brought over a stack of rating sheets, which were Tong Cheng'er's idea.

Su Peisheng read the contents of the scoring sheet.

Yinzhen had no objection; he thought they were all quite delicious.

After listening to it once, Kangxi felt that it was similar to what he had thought.

Yinzhen asked Kangxi, "Father, what do you think of these rankings? Is there anything that needs to be changed?"

Kangxi said, "That's settled then!"

Yinzhen said to Su Peisheng, "Go out and announce it!"

The plaque for "Number One Chef Under Heaven" had been made long ago, with the inscription personally written by Emperor Kangxi. After Kangxi finished writing it and took it out of the palace, Yinzhen had it carved.

Now, just right.

Outside the private room, the rankings were announced. The chef who won first place not only received a plaque bestowed by the emperor, but also a shop in a good location on the food street. The shop was quite large, and Yinzhen directly gave him the deed.

The other four also have shops, but their size and location are not as good as the top-ranked shop.

In addition to the shopfront, there were also reward coins.

The first-place winner received a reward of five hundred taels of silver, with each subsequent winner receiving one hundred taels less. This series of rewards, consisting of real gold and silver, attracted the attention of many.