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

In a hidden corner of the palace, two eunuchs stood quietly beside the freshly turned soil, one with an expressionless face and indifferent as frost; the other had a bitter smile on his face, their eyes focused on the chilling scene.

There was a dead silence all around, as if even the air was frozen with fear, preventing possible screams and panic.

What emerged from the soil was a weathered human hand skeleton with some rotten flesh attached to it. It was obvious that it had slept here for countless days and nights.

"Is this the evidence we've been looking for?"

There was a hint of doubt in Gao Zhongcheng's voice, as if even he himself couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Lin Zhiruo stared down at the remains, her tone filled with surprise and confusion:

"I didn't expect that the truth would be revealed to us so easily."

She had marked several suspicious locations based on subtle clues, and this was just one of them.

Looking at the body that had been eroded beyond recognition by time, Lin Zhiruo felt an indescribable depression and discomfort in her heart.

The identity of the body was obvious. The ornaments on its body were gorgeous and exquisite. One of them was even engraved with the unique symbol of each concubine - that was the symbol of Concubine Lan.

However, according to historical records, Concubine Lan had passed away a year ago.

Gao Zhongcheng carefully placed the body in a simple wooden box instead of the noble coffin it deserved.

He listened to Lin Zhiruo's narration with a tired and heavy look on his face.

After completing their task, the two eunuchs left in a hurry. They must have longed to bathe and change clothes as soon as possible to wash away the filth and ominousness on their bodies.

Gao Zhongcheng solemnly promised Lin Zhiruo that they would keep the secret, and Lin Zhiruo chose to believe him.

In a quiet room in the Shangshi Bureau, Lin Zhiruo and Gao Zhongcheng sat opposite each other.

Gao Zhongcheng held a cup of steaming hot tea tightly in his hand, but he had never tasted it.

He had a thoughtful look on his face and asked Lin Zhiruo about his doubts:

"So, who was the body buried at that grand funeral the day before yesterday?"

Lin Zhiruo took out an exquisite scroll from her bosom, on which was a portrait of a young woman.

This is the portrait of the missing palace maid that she carefully sketched based on the description of the palace maids in the laundry yard.

"Guard Gao, please look at this portrait. Does it bear any resemblance to Concubine Lan?"

Gao Zhongcheng stared at the portrait and nodded slightly, with some speculation in his mind.

"Did you know that a maid in the palace is missing?"

Lin Zhiruo continued to ask.

Gao Zhongcheng nodded, his expression becoming more solemn.

In this deep and dense palace with high walls, missing palace maids often could not escape their fate and were often found dead after committing suicide a few days later.

In this invisible cage, escaping is tantamount to seeking death.

"I think that once her appearance is destroyed, no one except her personal maid will be able to recognize her true identity."

Lin Zhiruo continued.

She could easily deceive her monthly visitors by wrapping a white cloth around her face and remaining silent.

Visitors were not allowed to stay at the concubines' bedside for long, and this fact was cleverly exploited by them.

"In other words, the missing palace maid might also be one of their accomplices?"

Lin Zhiruo put forward her own bold speculation.

Although she didn't know the specific situation, this speculation seemed more reasonable.

Lin Zhiruo had deeper guesses in her mind, but she chose to remain silent.

Perhaps Concubine Lan harbored resentment towards the palace maid out of jealousy, perhaps a dispute triggered this tragedy, or perhaps the maid had to join forces with the palace maid in order to protect herself.

However, as the palace maid is about to get married, this secret can no longer be hidden.

Once a palace maid leaves the palace after her term expires, no one can replace her in front of Quan Wushuang.

The maid was in despair... Lin Zhiruo shook her head, unwilling to think about it anymore.

As for motives and the like, let the adults find any excuse they want.

As she thought this, she took a sip of the fragrant tea.

Gao Zhongcheng probably understood Lin Zhiruo's thoughts and stopped asking further questions.

But he looked at Lin Zhiruo, a trace of doubt flashed in his eyes, and continued to ask:

"How did you know the concubines were buried in that place?"

There was no trace of Lin Zhiruo digging again on the ground. If she was not careful, she might be suspected of being the murderer who buried the body.

"No need to dig, the clues are already there."

Lin Zhiruo explained.

At the burial site, a patch of strange mushrooms grew.

The growth habits of mushrooms vary depending on their species. This is the knowledge that Lin Zhiruo's adoptive father once taught her.

"That kind of mushroom likes to grow near animal carcasses or feces."

This mushroom is not easy to find in other places.

This is why Lin Zhiruo was pleasantly surprised to discover this community of rare mushrooms.

She originally thought that the seeping sewage provided them with nutrients.

However, she didn't realize that she was actually sitting on top of a corpse, enjoying the mushroom viewing experience.

"No wonder I felt a distinct stench of decay."

Lin Zhiruo suddenly realized and said,

"Please forgive me, Guard. I never touch corpses, so I didn't notice it."

It turned out that the problem was not with the waterway, but that the warming weather accelerated the decay and caused the stench to leak onto the ground.

No wonder Susu made such an ugly expression when she smelled the stench.

Gao Zhongcheng's face became distorted, his brows furrowed, as if he was glaring at Lin Zhiruo fiercely.

He continued in a chilling tone:

"Can I ask one more question?"

Lin Zhiruo's heart tightened and she nodded.

"What exactly do you plan to do with the large amount of mushrooms you've picked over the past few days?"

Lin Zhiruo was speechless. In front of her eyes were a large number of mushrooms that she planned to sort later, neatly placed in baskets.

“There are a lot of very special species in there.”

She tried to change the subject.

"You mean the kind that grows from corpses?"

She shook her head,

"I didn't find any mushrooms that looked like cordyceps."

She didn't know if such mushrooms really existed. If they did, she really wanted to see them with her own eyes and wonder what magical medicinal effects they had.

Lin Zhiruo was purely out of curiosity, however, most people did not understand her thoughts, including Gao Zhongcheng, who was usually diligent and considerate.

In the end, the mushrooms were cleared away, and Lin Zhiruo's heart was filled with regret and helplessness.