The competition is quite simple—each person can casually prepare two dishes. However, these two dishes come with specific requirements: one is to be prepared for the Emperor, and the other for the Empress.
Although others will also taste and evaluate the dishes in the end, since they are specifically prepared for the Emperor and Empress, their opinions naturally carry the most weight.
This requirement was jointly decided upon by the Emperor and the Crown Prince of Xiliang. When it's said "jointly decided," it was actually the Old Emperor making the decision because He Lienuo only nodded and didn't say a word.
Now that the requirements have been set, the next step is to begin preparing the dishes.
The palace attendants swiftly moved all the ingredients from the Imperial kitchen into the banquet hall. Not only the ingredients, but cutting boards, small stoves, pots, and other tools were prepared specifically for the three contestants.
