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

In the dim light, the old eunuch's eyes suddenly opened like the brightest stars in the night sky, shining with a deep and mysterious light, as if they could see into the depths of people's souls.

My father, on the surface, is a gentleman who abides by the rules and observes etiquette strictly, but he hides another unknown side in his heart.

Just imagine, if he was really so obsessed with tradition, how could he have quietly cultivated such a vibrant food garden in the deep palace?

(The words slipped from my lips without my noticing, flowing as naturally as a stream.)

Because my father violated the strict rules of the palace, he was forced to leave the palace full of power and glory.

It may be inappropriate to mention this matter.

But the old eunuch seemed to have no hostility towards the Lin Xiang family.

I frankly revealed my life story to him, telling him that I was a descendant of Lin Xiang and that I now only ran a simple small food shop to barely make a living.

The old eunuch's eyes were like burning torches, staring deeply at us, as if trying to see through our souls.

Although Xiao Cui's handwriting was a little awkward, she looked at every word intently, as if she wanted to imprint them deeply in her heart.

"So that's how it is. I never thought that Lin Xiang..." The old eunuch's tone was full of years of accumulation and emotion. Perhaps there was an unknown past between him and my adoptive father.

Although I was full of curiosity and wanted to get to the bottom of it, my reason told me that it was time to return to my monotonous but responsible job.

Xiao Cui carefully folded the handwriting that looked like childish graffiti and kept it in her arms. Together, we said goodbye to the school filled with the fragrance of books.

Two days later, the emperor personally visited the Liuli Palace.

I was carrying out my duty of tasting food as usual and was about to withdraw quietly, but the emperor stopped me.

"Qing family, do you have anything important to report?"

The emperor usually called me over only to discuss the recipe in the scroll.

Unfortunately, I cannot readily present the book to you at this time as the recipes must be reviewed before they can be submitted.

Quan Wushuang must have reported this matter to the emperor.

"I wish to go to the chosen temple, and you shall accompany me."

(What does this mean?)

I almost screamed out loud and quickly covered my mouth with my hands.

What kind of strange situation is this?

The night was as dark as ink, and a group of people, holding lanterns, headed towards the north of the harem.

In addition to the emperor, there were two eunuchs who usually served as guards, as well as Quan Wushuang and others, who seemed to have been suddenly summoned.

There was a look of doubt on Quan Wushuang's face, obviously he was also summoned suddenly.

(What does the emperor want?)

That desolate place in the north was even more silent at night, as if even the wind was afraid of it.

I felt a little relieved that there was no one violating the law of adultery under the grass and shade of the trees.

When we arrived at the temple, we found that someone was already waiting there.

It was the old eunuch I had seen during the day.

"Your Majesty is welcome."

The old eunuch bowed his head respectfully.

The emperor stroked his proud beard and nodded slightly.

"Can you let me pass through here again?"

"No matter how many times Your Majesty comes, I'm afraid the result will be the same."

There was a hint of provocation in the old eunuch's words, which made me feel uneasy.

Although the emperor was stroking his beard and was not angry, eunuchs such as Gao Zhongcheng already looked displeased.

Only Quan Wushuang stared at the temple intently, as if he was deep in thought.

The old eunuch unlocked the temple door and invited the emperor in.

"Does Your Majesty require an escort?"

To the old eunuch's teasing words, the emperor replied calmly:

"So, what do you think of these two nobles?"

He looked at Quan Wushuang and me in turn, with a mysterious smile on his face.

(What does this mean?)

I half-closed my eyes and stepped into the temple.

I can understand why Quan Wushuang is traveling with me.

He was in charge of sacrifices and ancestor worship, and was accustomed to such places.

However, I didn't understand why I followed him.

"Isn't this place forbidden for women?"

I asked softly, but the old eunuch replied with a smile:

"Aren't the Queen Mother and the Empress also women? They have also set foot in this sacred place."

"..."

I lowered my head and followed in their footsteps.

After entering the temple entrance, you will see a spacious space.

There are three doors of different colors in front of me, with plaque-like objects hanging on them.

“Never choose the red door.”

I narrowed my eyes.

The three doors are cyan, red and green respectively.

Perhaps someone has carefully maintained them, and the colors of the doors are bright and clear, as vibrant as newborn leaves.

"Which door would you like to choose, Your Majesty?"

The old eunuch said this while stroking his chin.

The emperor walked towards Qingmen while scratching the back of his neck.

"Because I chose a green door last time, I want to change the color this time."

"exactly."

After passing through the green door, everyone walked through a narrow corridor and entered the next room.

There were three more doors and plaques waiting for them.

I was filled with confusion and curiosity, but I still took a closer look at the words on the plaque.

"Never choose the Black Gate."

This time, red, black and white doors were lined up in a row.

Each door has been repainted in vibrant, bright colors.

Although the other walls and pillars were blackened, only the doors were carefully painted, as if they were the only bright spots in the temple.

"Managing this temple is never an easy task. After all, just when I thought no one was using it anymore, someone suddenly came."

It seems that it was this old eunuch who repainted the door.

He deliberately pounded his shoulders a few times to show his fatigue and tiredness.

The emperor stroked his beard and walked through the red door.

They ended up in another corridor and then walked into the next room.

There were three more doors in the room and the same riddles waiting for them.

This mechanism was repeated countless times. The room with the doors and windows closed was extremely hot and stuffy, as if even the air was frozen.

The structure of the temple is intricate and sometimes requires turning back and climbing stairs, making it very easy to get lost.

Halfway there I saw doors to other rooms and realized that two paths met there.

(Please end this soon.)

However, Quan Wushuang seemed to ignore my feelings. There was an inexplicable seriousness on his face, and he stared at the plaque and the door intently.

"Don't choose Qingmen."

Cyan, purple, and yellow doors are lined up in a row.

The emperor chose the yellow door.

"This seems to be the last door."

After hearing a creaking sound, there was only a lonely door inside.

However, there was no riddle on the plaque. Instead, it read:

"Although you are a prince, you are not the Queen Mother's son."

Although I don't fully understand its deep meaning, I know that it contains a clear rejection and negation.

"That means the result is the same as the last time I came here."

The emperor seemed to be hiding a faint bitter smile and helplessness under his beard.

Quan Wushuang stared at the emperor, his eyes flashing with complex light.

"Is it true that I cannot know God's will?"