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

The Empress Dowager's genealogy hides the profound secrets of officialdom, making the footprints of successive emperors, like the lines on the palm, clearly visible in the torrent of time.

Emperors in history would visit the harem every few years and bestow favors on high-ranking concubines according to a predetermined order.

Occasionally, they would set foot in the bedroom of the middle-ranking concubines, but they would pass by like a breeze, leaving no trace of having stayed overnight. They would just stroll in the courtyard or leave quietly, leaving only a faint silhouette, which aroused people's endless imagination.

The Empress Dowager, when she first stepped into the palace, was just a humble maid of a middle-ranking concubine, stepping into this magnificent forbidden place.

Her master was her half-sister, who longed for the emperor's favor day and night, but had never realized the long-term plans behind her father's actions.

The turning point of fate came quietly like a spring breeze.

One day, the emperor personally visited the bedroom of the newly promoted middle-ranking concubine, led by a eunuch, but the emperor's expression seemed dull. Even the young empress dowager could catch a glimpse of fatigue and helplessness between his brows.

However, her sister was so focused on attracting the attention of the emperor whom she had long admired that she failed to understand the emperor's inner turmoil and struggle.

The Empress Dowager had forgotten the specific cause, but she only remembered that when she came to her senses, her sister had been pushed away by the Emperor and fell to the ground.

The emperor leaned against the wall with his head lowered, as if he was thinking about something.

According to common sense, the Empress Dowager should step forward to comfort the fallen concubine or apologize to the Emperor, but her actions were beyond everyone's expectations.

"Your Majesty, are you well?"

Although these words might offend the majesty of heaven, the Empress Dowager had no time to care.

The eunuchs shouted at her to leave and pushed her aside roughly.

The Queen Mother thought that both she and her sister would be severely punished, but this was not the case.

My sister just wanted to touch the emperor's body. She stepped into the harem she had dreamed of. The emperor's style was more charming than she had imagined, making her so excited that she forgot her sense of proportion.

In contrast, the emperor lowered his head, but the empress dowager caught the expression on his face.

His brows were furrowed and tears were in his eyes. He seemed to feel uncomfortable because his left arm was touched. He kept stroking it, trying to forget the unpleasant touch.

That was not the expression of a king, but that of an ordinary man who was terrified after falling, a cowardly man.

An ambitious ten-year-old girl quietly approached this timid man and began to weave her own palace legend.

As time passed, the Empress Dowager had lost her youthful innocence, and the Emperor no longer set foot in her residence.

Perhaps, in the emperor's heart, the empress dowager has become an untouchable shadow.

Her elder sister became insane due to jealousy of the Queen Mother, and eventually left the cage that imprisoned her freedom in the name of an arranged marriage, and has never been heard from since.

A few years ago, the Empress Dowager heard that she was terminally ill, but at that time, she was already the Empress Dowager, mourning the death of the late emperor. She was unable to visit her, and she couldn't help feeling a little guilty and helpless.

After that, many young girls with the same mission flocked into the harem.

The harem grew in size, with three new areas added.

The area that was built at the same time as the previous emperor ascended the throne is the present south side.

The Queen Mother's life was threatened many times, but fortunately, she gave birth to a boy who was recognized and protected by the Queen.

Once a woman gave birth to a baby girl, but the emperor flatly denied any relationship with her. As a result, both the child and the medical officer who was suspected to be the father were exiled.

Originally, only medical officers could be spared the pain of castration, but after this incident, medical officers were also forced to accept this cruel fate.

It is truly a pity that the person who performed the operation on the Empress Dowager also suffered the same hardship.

In this harem, the emperor painted with his brush, perhaps with only his mother, the empress, and those innocent little girls in his mind.

Among them, there was no place for the Empress Dowager, because she was just like the half-sister who tried to get close to the Emperor... no, even more terrifying and mysterious.

Some people suspected that her second child was illegitimate, but the Queen Mother thought this was ridiculous.

She had never seen the emperor so frightened.

This incompetent man could only serve as the queen's puppet. He was afraid of adult women and only dared to talk to young girls.

The Queen Mother could not tolerate him forgetting her.

When she saw the man walk past her without looking back to meet his current love, her anger finally erupted like a volcano.

The Queen Mother showed the man the scar on her stomach, which was the permanent mark he left on her.

She mercilessly tortured the man who kept begging for her forgiveness, which was nothing compared to all the girls he had touched so far.

She was determined to torture him until the pain built up and could no longer be offset, whispering curses in the bed.

She wanted him to remember her more deeply and unforgettably than any other girl he had hurt so far, and more than his mother, the empress.

What kind of profound meaning does that painting contain?

Only that time did the emperor paint for the empress dowager.

He claimed that it was a secret, and he looked so calm and kind as he secretly wrote.

The Queen Mother originally treasured the painting very much, but later ordered her maid to throw it away.

She no longer needed the emperor, just as the emperor no longer needed her.

When the Queen Mother thought that the child might be in danger, she made a quick decision.

Even though he was said to be an illegitimate child or a child who was taken away by mistake, he was still the empress dowager's favorite.

It was at that moment that the Queen Mother became aware for the first time of something that had been previously unclear.

She resolutely left the mural.

The maid who had followed her for many years was waiting for her outside the room. Her eyes kept drifting to the side, and she seemed a little uneasy.

There stood a woman of unparalleled beauty, and even the Empress Dowager could not help but be moved by her.

This woman looks very similar to someone from the past, but that person is no longer around, and her appearance was from decades ago. I guess few people can notice this.

"A distinguished person once visited our residence, didn't he?"

The Queen Mother said to the man in front of her, who now goes by the alias Quan Wushuang.

That was more than ten years ago.

The emperor at that time was already mentally ill, and probably hid in this building at first and refused to go out.

As to who caused this, the Empress Dowager had no intention of investigating further.

She remembered that the queen arrived quickly and left while comforting her precious only son.

“That’s when I picked this up.”

Quan Wushuang showed her a piece of yellow ore wrapped in a handkerchief.

"This thing seems to be called realgar."

The Queen Mother thought that he had been suffering from the poison since then.

She was indifferent as if it had nothing to do with her, but she couldn't help but feel a ripple of emotion.

"Henghua finally returned it to me this morning."

Long ago, the Queen Mother once told Henghua that if she always played with the same toy, she should confiscate it.

She had always done this without realizing how cruel it was.

Whenever her young son looked up at her, as if observing her expression, she could not help but avoid his gaze.

This is really too much.

Perhaps it is because of this that this child lost his childishness earlier than others, yet grew up maintaining that innocence and kindness.

"I seem to have seen a painting by that nobleman before. It shows a young girl, and the colors are fresh and elegant. I think the colors are familiar because I remember the painting."

The maid had clearly been instructed to discard the painting, so perhaps Henghua had secretly hidden it.

"The Queen Mother used to like wearing this color, right?"

It's just a coincidence.

"Is the woman in that painting really the queen?"

"I am not sure."

"What did that nobleman want to express to the Queen Mother at that time?"

"I am not sure as well."

The Empress Dowager knew nothing about these things and would never have the chance to find out.

She chose not to know.

In order to change the subject, the Queen Mother brought up another matter.

"This maiden you're taking special care of is quite interesting."

"This man is quite useful."

The Empress Dowager believed that what Quan Wushuang said was true, but she naturally understood that Quan Wushuang did not tell her everything in his heart.

She has seen many more big scenes than Quan Wushuang, not to mention how many years he thinks she has been observing him?

"That's true, but..."

The Queen Mother narrowed her eyes, and an inexplicable sense of alertness surged in her heart.

"If you don't keep your treasure properly, someone else will hide it."

Leaving only these words, the Empress Dowager turned around and returned to her own bedroom, leaving Quan Wushuang alone in deep thought.