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

Following the palace maid's instructions, they seemed to have tracked down Hu Lan'er's faint traces beside the woods in the north, like willow branches swaying in the wind in the morning light, appearing and disappearing.

Lin Zhiruo was attracted by the vague traces and stepped into the depths of this ancient and mysterious forest.

This may be Hu Lan'er's spiritual haven, a quiet and deep hidden place.

Among the swaying shadows of the trees, Lin Zhiruo found a quiet place and slowly sat down, as if she had become one with nature.

It is midsummer, and the air is filled with the dancing of countless tiny creatures, some light and some clumsy, weaving together a summer symphony.

The cicadas' chirping is like drizzling rain, a little noisy, but it also has a bit of summer atmosphere.

However, those buzzing mosquitoes are like uninvited invaders, wantonly destroying this tranquility.

Lin Zhiruo secretly regretted not bringing any mosquito repellent with her and could only endure this endless nuisance.

People often use the smoke from mugwort or pine needles to drive away these insects. In the Glass Palace, because Princess Ai Ling is so young, the protective measures are watertight and no negligence is allowed.

This forest seems to have not been carefully trimmed, and all kinds of plants grow freely, competing to show the brilliance of life.

The Miscanthus sways gently in the wind, like a girl's long hair dancing in the air.

Lin Zhiruo's eyes were attracted by a bright red color, which danced like a flame, like a sunset glow.

She walked closer and saw that it was cauliflower blooming quietly in the soft light of the evening, emitting a faint fragrance.

Lin Zhiruo gently plucked one and crushed the petals. The red juice stained her fingertips like blood, evoking memories deep in her heart.

She remembered that prostitutes had picked the seeds of this flower, which contained white powder, but they did not use them for beauty purposes. This made Lin Zhiruo feel inexplicably confused.

Not long ago, a shocking secret occurred in the Liuli Palace. Concubine Pinglan's maid Chang Nannan actually attempted to prepare abortion ingredients.

Lin Zhiruo felt mixed emotions when she recalled this incident.

Initially, Nannan did not have any scent of spices on her body. If certain spices had the risk of causing miscarriage, and she considered herself qualified to be a concubine, it would be understandable that she avoided using such items.

However, Nannan has long coveted the position of Concubine Pinglan. Once Concubine Pinglan is unable to give birth, her family may choose other concubines to inherit the throne.

But Nannan was willing to get involved with spices and prepare the abortion ingredients, simply because Concubine Pinglan often wore loose clothes, and like Concubine Yuyao, she did not tighten her abdomen.

Lin Zhiruo always felt that her cheeks seemed rounder than before. Perhaps it was just an illusion, but the uneasiness followed her like a shadow, lingering like a ghost in the night.

It was highly possible that Imperial Concubine Yuyao was not the only one who enjoyed the Emperor's favor, but Lin Zhiruo did not say much.

Because even if she said it, with her identity, she could not provide any substantial help to Concubine Pinglan.

Lin Zhiruo's feeling of disharmony came from the ingredients used to prepare the food in the small warehouse.

Although it is not difficult to buy essential oils and other items from the caravan with gold and silver, Lin Zhiruo feels that there is an unknown secret behind this matter, as mysterious as an ancient castle in the fog.

Those prostitutes collected cauliflower seeds just to make contraceptives.

In addition, they would also cook soups with ingredients such as nightshade, peony, Suqianyin flower, peony or mercury to induce miscarriage.

Leaving aside the mercury, Lin Zhiruo thought that other flowers were easy to obtain in the harem, but these flowers were not among the ingredients that Nannan cooked.

These flowers should be easier to obtain than essential oils, but they do not appear in Nannan's recipes.

Therefore, Lin Zhiruo was full of doubts, worried that someone had deliberately instructed Nannan to prepare the poisoned food, and that person might still be hiding in some corner of the harem, watching everything like an assassin in the dark night.

Lin Zhiruo revealed this matter to Quan Wushuang intentionally or unintentionally. According to his temper, he would definitely get to the bottom of it.

However, the former head maid seemed to have a stubborn personality and would probably not reveal the truth easily, just like a tightly closed city gate that was difficult to break through.

Suddenly, the noisy cicada chirping stopped, replaced by a clear and pleasant bell sound.

Then, Lin Zhiruo heard a rustling sound. She looked in the direction of the sound and saw a tall figure leaping forward in the reeds. The figure was as nimble and powerful as a frog, with both hands raised high in the air. He laughed out loud as if he had caught some precious treasure: "Haha! I got it!"

Lin Zhiruo heard that the voice had some of Xiao Cui's childishness and innocence, but her tall body was very disproportionate to it.

However, that smug face was filled with childlike joy and innocence, as if all the troubles in the world had nothing to do with it.

With a smile on her face, she put her clenched fist into the bamboo cage containing insects, and her expression was as if she had obtained the most precious treasure in the world.

(Really...) Lin Zhiruo thought to herself, this girl was actually jumping and playing in the grass like a frog, catching insects with a smile, it was really ridiculous.

(How could she compare me with such a person?) Lin Zhiruo felt quite dissatisfied, and felt that she should be more stable and mature than this person, standing firm like a mountain.

Lin Zhiruo thought that this confirmation was enough, so she wanted to leave in a hurry.

However, at this moment, a crisp bell rang again. Lin Zhiruo touched her head in confusion and found a bug resting on it.

It turns out that the ringing sound came from this little bug, which was as amazing as an elf-like existence.

If it were just that, it would be fine, but suddenly a figure rushed in front of Lin Zhiruo, accompanied by a loud cry: "Bugs——!"

Lin Zhiruo was pushed heavily to the ground by the figure, unable to move as if she was being pressed down by a mountain.

The person on top of her stared at Lin Zhiruo in a daze. Lin Zhiruo felt that her face had a bit of the naivety and cuteness of a squirrel, and was as innocent as an elf in the forest.

"Could you please move away from me?" Lin Zhiruo said, but the girl didn't seem to notice her loss of composure. She still kept her hand on Lin Zhiruo's head motionless, as if she was stroking some precious treasure.

Lin Zhiruo felt that her expression seemed a little embarrassed and shy, as tender and tempting as a newly blooming flower.

Lin Zhiruo already understood the reason, but she didn't want to say more.

"Go down quickly. I don't want bugs sticking to my head." Lin Zhiruo said again.

The moment the girl pounced on Lin Zhiruo, Lin Zhiruo heard a muffled sound. As for what was crushed, everyone could imagine it.

"I'm sorry, Lin Zhiruo." Hu Lan'er showed an apologetic smile on her face and slowly moved away from Lin Zhiruo.

Lin Zhiruo washed her whole body with the cold water from the well, feeling the indescribable comfort and coolness, as if washing away all the summer heat and fatigue.

However, the feeling of nausea lingered like a dark cloud, lingering in my heart, as difficult to get rid of as the shadow in a dream.

Hu Lan'er handed a handkerchief to Lin Zhiruo, who was soaked all over. Lin Zhiruo took it gratefully and wiped the water droplets off her body.

She noticed that the insect cage hanging on Hu Lan'er's belt contained several black and brown insects. They vibrated their wings and made a pleasant sound like bells, like a beautiful music echoing in her ears.

"Are you catching this magical insect?" Lin Zhiruo asked curiously, with a glimmer of exploration in her eyes.

"Yes." Although Hu Lan'er was a little shy, her eyes were shining with excitement and curiosity. She stared at Lin Zhiruo as if she wanted to see through her.

Although Lin Zhiruo already knew about her love for insects, she never expected that she would be so obsessed and persistent, as determined as a traveler pursuing his dreams.

Just as Lin Zhiruo was thinking about what to do, Hu Lan'er took Lin Zhiruo's hand and took her behind the well.

There was a patch of dense shade and a wooden box perfectly positioned for sitting.

Hu Lan'er patted the wooden box and motioned Lin Zhiruo to come over and sit down, as naturally and generously as if she was inviting a good friend to enjoy the beautiful scenery together.

(……) Lin Zhiruo had an inexplicable premonition in her heart, and her premonitions often came true, as accurate as prophecies.

"Did you know? This kind of insect is a wild insect unique to the Eastern island countries. When they vibrate their wings, they make a pleasant sound, just like playing a beautiful piece of music."

While admiring the insects in the insect cage, Hu Lan'er said to Lin Zhiruo, with a smile of happiness and satisfaction on her face, as if she owned the whole world.

"I think they might be bellworms that escaped from hiding in the trade goods."

Lin Zhiruo responded lazily, but her heart was filled with endless imagination and longing for this mysterious forest, like an explorer looking forward to unknown discoveries.

"Although their coloring resembles cockroaches, their appearance and habits are completely different, so don't worry."

Lin Zhiruo really wished she hadn't heard this. She wiped her head vigorously with her handkerchief again.

I tried to erase that uncomfortable feeling from my heart, just like trying to erase an unpleasant memory.

The slurred Hu Lan'er slowly and leisurely narrated the wonderful knowledge about insects, as if time had stopped at this moment in peace and tranquility.