Why am I, a cook, always involved in cases?

In the imperial palace's kitchen, the maid Susu was busy.

As the personal maid of Imperial Concubine Yuyao, she recently made a mistake by dozing off while working, but her master did not take it personally.

Grateful for her master's tolerance, Susu worked even harder, wiping even the corners of the windowsill meticulously.

This was not her job, but Susu enjoyed it.

Concubine Yuyao once said that she liked diligent people the most.

Su Su and Concubine Yu Yao went to the Western Regions together. It was a barren land with little rain.

Although they were born into an official family, Susu and other maids had never enjoyed wealth and luxury.

In that desolate land, it is difficult to feed yourself without hard work.

Ever since Imperial Concubine Yuyao entered the palace, her hometown has gradually gained favor with the court.

The more favored the master was, the more the ministers in the court paid attention to that land.

Concubine Yuyao is not only beautiful, but also smart and intelligent.

Su Su had already sworn in her heart that she would follow this master for the rest of her life.

In order to fill the vacancy left by the departing maid, Susu worked even harder.

She was about to tidy up the tea set when she saw the new maid Lin Zhiruo busy in front of the stove.

Lin Zhiruo is a quiet person and Susu doesn’t know much about her, but since she is the one chosen by the master, she must be of good character.

Later, Susu learned that Lin Zhiruo had a miserable life.

Her arms were covered with marks of abuse; she had been forced into slavery and was now working as a food taster.

Whenever Susu thought of this, she felt pity.

She always wanted to give Lin Zhiruo more food so that she could gain some weight, but she also didn't want her to do heavy work to avoid exposing her scars.

The other maids seemed to have the same idea, so Lin Zhiruo had nothing to do all day.

Su Su thought it was fine this way, since they were there anyway.

But the head maid Caiwei thought it was inappropriate and gave the laundry job to Lin Zhiruo.

This job is just moving clothes, so there will be no scars.

Other miscellaneous tasks were also assigned to her.

Originally, transporting clothes was the job of the maids, but since someone hid a poison needle in Concubine Yuyao's clothes, this task fell on Susu and the others.

In the harem, every step is cautious and one has to be on guard at all times.

"What are you doing?" Su Su asked as she approached.

I saw Lin Zhiruo cooking a pot of green herbs.

"It's a refreshing soup prepared for the master." She answered briefly.

Seeing her so taciturn, Su Su couldn't help but think of her experience again, and her eyes turned slightly red.

Lin Zhiruo is quite accomplished in cooking and can often create unique dishes.

She does her work neatly and efficiently, and the hand cream she prepared for Susu last time was very effective.

Caiwei often came to her to ask her to prepare some food.

Su Su was wiping the silver tea set while chatting with Lin Zhiruo.

Although Lin Zhiruo is not talkative, she always responds at the right time, which makes people feel friendly.

Susu talked about the strange things that had been circulating in the palace recently, saying that someone saw a woman in white floating in the night.

Lin Zhiruo packed up the food box and clothes basket and prepared to go to the imperial kitchen.

Although they are just ordinary food, the rules are such that the chef must review them.

Before coming here, Lin Zhiruo had never heard of this rumor.

Although Xiao Cui always told her all kinds of news in the palace, this matter obviously only spread recently.

The harem is surrounded by high walls with only a few gates for entry and exit, and there is a bottomless moat outside, so no one can escape.

It is said that concubines who tried to escape are still lying at the bottom of the moat.

"Is it just over there at the city gate..." Lin Zhiruo thought to herself.

There was nothing there except a dense pine forest.

"It should start in early autumn." She whispered to herself.

It happens to be the season for picking wild mushrooms.

Just as she was lost in thought, a disgusting voice came.

"Thank you for your hard work." Quan Wushuang said with a smile.

A smile bloomed on that face as beautiful as a peony, but Lin Zhiruo had no expression on her face.

"Just a few small things." She replied calmly.

The imperial kitchen is near the south gate, adjacent to the three major institutions in charge of the harem, and Quan Wushuang often walks around here.

As a eunuch, he should have served in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but he did not belong to any department. Instead, he wandered around like an inspector.

"It seems that his status is even more noble than that of a palace official." Lin Zhiruo thought to herself.

Although his status was equivalent to that of the emperor's tutor, his youthful appearance was hard to believe.

Even if he is the son of the Grand Tutor, he would not ruin his own future.

He was in frequent contact with Imperial Concubine Yuyao. Perhaps he was the Empress's confidant, or perhaps...

"Could she be the emperor's favorite concubine?" Lin Zhiruo guessed in her heart.

Whenever the emperor visited Concubine Yuyao, the two were inseparable. It seems that their relationship is not like this, but human hearts are unpredictable.

Lin Zhiruo was too lazy to think too much, so she simply treated him as the emperor's male favorite. It made her feel relieved.

"Looking at your expression, it seems that you are thinking about something disrespectful?" Quan Wushuang asked with narrowed eyes.

"The steward is worrying too much." Lin Zhiruo bowed and turned to enter the imperial kitchen, only to see the head chef fiddling with a rolling pin out of boredom.

If the situation wasn't like this, she wouldn't have to send the prepared dishes for her review every day.

This chef only knows how to cook some common dishes, and even the most basic seasoning is not cooked properly.

The harem is so special that those who can become head chefs are not people with real talent and knowledge.

A woman is naturally not destined for this position, and no man with real ability would be willing to ruin his own future.

At first, the head chef treated Lin Zhiruo as an ignorant girl, but after seeing the unique dishes she prepared, his attitude gradually became kinder.

Now he would take the initiative to serve her tea and snacks, and often share some precious ingredients with her, which was really inappropriate in the imperial kitchen.

There doesn't seem to be much respect for rules here.

"I don't know whether it's a blessing or a curse to be so casual." Lin Zhiruo thought to herself, but she didn't want to say more. After all, it was convenient for her to do things.

"Chef, please take a look at this dish." she said.

"Oh, the little girl is here. Wait a moment." The chef prepared snacks, not the usual sweets, but savory pancakes.

Lin Zhiruo was secretly delighted when she saw that it was her favorite flavor.

It seems the chef has remembered her preferences.

Although some people have been trying to please her with delicious food recently, Lin Zhiruo doesn't care.

Although the chef's cooking skills are mediocre, he is a kind person. However, he is too honest and often makes mistakes in his work.

"Please give me one too." A sweet voice suddenly came from behind.

Without looking back, Lin Zhiruo could feel the dazzling brilliance.

The person who came was Quan Wushuang.

"You said it can't be cured with medicine, so how can it be treated?" Quan Wushuang asked.

"I only know how to prepare meals." Lin Zhiruo thought she had explained it clearly enough, but she saw the person next to her frowning.

"You can't look him in the eye." Lin Zhiruo warned herself secretly.

She avoided his gaze as if he were a wild beast, but Quan Wushuang was relentless and walked around in front of her.

This kind of endless entanglement is annoying.

Helpless, Lin Zhiruo could only whisper, "I will do my best."

At nightfall, Gao Zhongcheng came to find Lin Zhiruo, saying that he wanted to see the patient.

Although this eunuch was serious and had a stern face, this character made Lin Zhiruo feel friendly.

Just like a rich dessert paired with a savory side dish, Gao Zhongcheng is the most suitable pairing for Quan Wushuang.

"This man doesn't look like a eunuch." Lin Zhiruo thought to herself.

Most eunuchs become feminine because they lose their yang energy.

They have sparse hair, a gentle temperament, and a plump body due to their voracious appetite.

The head chef is a typical example. Although he looks rough, when he speaks, it always makes people feel like they are talking to the mistress of a wealthy family.

But Gao Zhongcheng is different. Although he doesn't have thick body hair, he has a strong physique. If he were not in the harem, he would definitely be mistaken for a military general.

"Why did you choose this path?" Although Lin Zhiruo was curious, it was not convenient to ask more questions about such matters.

Gao Zhongcheng led the way holding a lantern.

A waning moon hangs high in the night sky, the clouds are thin, and the moonlight is cold.

Lin Zhiruo had never seen the harem at night. The scene at this time was completely different from that during the day.

From time to time, there were small noises or faint panting sounds coming from the bushes, but Lin Zhiruo pretended not to hear them.

In this deep palace where there is only the emperor, the love affairs of the women are naturally a little unusual.

"Little Miss Lin Zhiruo." Gao Zhongcheng suddenly spoke.

Lin Zhiruo felt very uncomfortable being called like that.

"Guard Gao's rank is far higher than mine, so please don't be so polite." She said respectfully.

Gao Zhongcheng touched his chin and thought for a while.

"Then I'll call you Xiaozhi."

"Why did he suddenly scream like that?" Lin Zhiruo thought to herself.

It seems that this uncle also has a frivolous side, she thought as she nodded in agreement.

"Could you please not look at Manager Quan like that?" Gao Zhongcheng asked.

"So I've been discovered." Lin Zhiruo was shocked.

There seems to be something wrong with her facial expression management recently, and no matter how hard she tries to hide it, she can't hide it.

Although she is not in danger of losing her life yet, she should be more restrained. After all, in the eyes of these bigwigs, she is just an ant.

"When I went back today, the manager said again, 'Someone looked at me like a slug,'" said Gao Zhongcheng.

"It does look like a slug." Lin Zhiruo agreed silently in her heart.

That kind of sticky attitude, always wanting to cling to you at every turn, is really disgusting.

It is really uncomfortable for a eunuch to learn to act like a woman and act coquettishly.

"The steward was trembling all over, smiling at me with his watery eyes. This is probably what is called self-indulgence." Gao Zhongcheng said seriously using words that were easy to evoke imagination.

It seems that he has been degraded from a worm to a filthy thing.

"I will be careful with what I say and do in the future," said Lin Zhiruo.

"Yes, those who lack resistance will faint just by being looked at like this. It is really troublesome to deal with them." Gao Zhongcheng sighed.

He sighed deeply, probably having to deal with this kind of follow-up matters frequently.

It is hard for the subordinates to have such an excessively beautiful boss.

As they were talking, they had already arrived at the east gate of the palace.

The towering palace walls were five times as high as Lin Zhiruo was.

Outside the city wall is a bottomless moat. The drawbridge is only lowered when supplies need to be transported or maids need to be replaced.

In this deep palace, anyone who attempts to escape will be punished severely.

The palace gate was heavily guarded, with three guards inside and outside, half of them eunuchs and half of them military officers.

The gatehouse also has a double structure inside and outside, with guard posts on both sides.

It is difficult to open the suspension bridge with manpower alone, so three buffaloes were raised to handle this task.

Lin Zhiruo suddenly wanted to go to the nearby pine forest to look for something, but Gao Zhongcheng was beside her, so she had to give up.

The two came to the pavilion in the garden and sat down.

At this moment, the figure appeared in the moonlight.

"Look there." Gao Zhongcheng pointed into the distance.

Lin Zhiruo looked in the direction of his finger and saw an unbelievable sight——

The figure of a woman in white dances gracefully in the air.

The white figure was wearing a long gauze dress and a scarf fluttering in the wind. She stood on the high wall and danced gracefully.

Her clothes swayed gently in the night breeze, and the ribbons danced as if they had souls.

The long black hair shone silver in the moonlight, outlining a hazy silhouette.

That posture is so beautiful that it doesn't seem like that of an ordinary person.

It's like a dream, making people feel like they have accidentally entered a fairyland.

"Soul Lotus." These four words inadvertently appeared in Lin Zhiruo's mind.

Gao Zhongcheng's expression changed when he heard this, and he whispered, "You really have a keen eye."

The dancer's name is Lianhua.

In another month, she will be given to a minister in the court.