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

To be frank, Lin Zhiruo and her companions already had a heavy workload of laundry, and now they had to take on additional tasks, but their hard work was not in vain.

"Please accept this. It's just a small gift, not a treasure." After bathing, the maid secretly handed them a delicate package. This was not a common reward, but because she was very satisfied with their skills in removing hair with fine thread, so she gave it as a token of her appreciation.

After unwrapping the package, there were a few sparkling candies inside, like twinkling stars in the night sky.

Xiao Cui's eyes immediately flashed with excitement, and she immediately put the candy into her mouth, as if tasting the sweetest nectar in the world.

"Ah - what an ultimate enjoyment." She exclaimed softly. To her, the sweet taste was the source of happiness. She was such an innocent girl who was easily satisfied.

After the three of them finished their work in the bathhouse, they sat on the railing outside to rest, letting their hot bodies gradually cool down in the breeze.

The sun was still high in the sky and dinner was still some time away.

The palace maids around were all busy, hoping to finish the work at hand before nightfall, especially the servants responsible for preparing meals, who were extremely busy.

Not to mention Lin Zhiruo, Xiao Cui and Hu Lan'er had to continue working after dinner because they had taken a shower early.

This is their rare moment of rest.

"Come to think of it, it's not easy to find a good place." Xiao Cui said as she tasted the candy. She had expected that by now, there would be many people vying for her, a skilled maid.

"That's not necessarily true. Before leaving the palace, you can privately tell the concubine you often serve that your service period is about to end." Hu Lan'er suggested, her tone revealing wisdom.

"Will this really work..." Xiao Cui looked puzzled and was skeptical about the suggestion.

"Even if she doesn't plan to keep you, maybe she can help you extend your service period. Even if that doesn't work, there's no loss." Hu Lan'er took out a tortoiseshell comb from her arms. Although it had missing teeth, it was still priceless.

"You can also exchange this thing for money," she added with a hint of pride in her tone.

"Wow!" Xiao Cui exclaimed in amazement, obviously very surprised by Hu Lan'er's suggestion.

Lin Zhiruo thought to herself, this girl is really smart.

She herself was not fond of sweets, so she gave all the candies she received to Xiao Cui.

(Speaking of smart…)

The concubine that Lin Zhiruo served was also an extremely shrewd person.

Lin Zhiruo would come to the bathing hall once every two days, actually to accompany Hu Lan'er and the others. If it were any other concubine, they would probably have been unhappy long ago.

But Imperial Concubine Yuyao said, "Oh? You will definitely hear a lot of interesting stories in that kind of place. You must tell me in detail later." She is truly a heroine with extraordinary demeanor, which is admirable.

Indeed, concubines or maids who let their guard down often inadvertently reveal some fascinating secrets.

Perhaps because they didn't know that Lin Zhiruo was a maid in the Glass Palace, or perhaps because she was difficult to identify in the steamy bathhouse, they often chatted with Lin Zhiruo about the business in her hometown, or the secrets of other concubines and other shocking gossip.

Lin Zhiruo had also heard rumors about Concubine Yuyao.

It seems that among those concubines with keen intuition, the news of the concubine's pregnancy is no longer a secret.

They even began to speculate about the sex of the fetus and the expected date of delivery.

The most terrifying thing is that occasionally you can hear people speculating that Concubine Pinglan is also pregnant.

But there are other rumors besides this.

Some people suspected that Concubine Shuwan was also pregnant.

The reason is that the concubine was originally famous for her peculiar dress, but recently she often wore loose clothes and began to stay at home and rarely appeared in public.

(Hmm—)

Concubine Shuwan entered the palace at the beginning of this year. It has been eight months since then, and now is her ninth month in the palace.

Naturally, the emperor could not neglect Concubine Shuwan, who had entered the palace with great fanfare and become a senior concubine.

In this way, three of the four senior concubines will soon give birth to princes.

I don’t know whether to say this is something to celebrate or the calm before the storm. It really makes people feel frightened and uneasy.

Besides this, if there is any other interesting news——

"Hey, aren't eunuchs recruited anymore?" Xiao Cui asked curiously, with a hint of doubt in her tone.

Lin Zhiruo understood the meaning of Xiao Cui's words.

Recently, with the increase in the income of palace maids, the number of eunuchs has also increased.

When the current emperor ascended the throne, he should have announced that eunuchs would no longer be recruited.

"Those people were just inferior slaves." Hu Lan'er said bluntly, with a hint of disdain in her tone.

Although slavery should have been abolished, the slaves she was referring to might not be the slaves of this country.

Among the ethnic groups in border areas, some tribes would forcibly abduct foreigners, castrate them and force them into slavery.

Those people may have escaped or were lucky enough to be rescued.

"There are as many as thirty people, which shows that the army must have attacked a certain place." Although Hu Lan'er seems a little childish and is a strange girl who loves food, she is actually quite smart.

In many cases, slave escapes were directly related to these tense events.

I remember that there was indeed a riot in that regard last year, and perhaps it was the slaves who were rescued at that time.

"It's really not easy~" "That's right~" The two of them looked as if it had nothing to do with them.

But in fact, it is none of their business, so there is nothing they can do.

"By the way, I heard that a handsome new eunuch has arrived. I really want to go and see him." Xiao Cui's words were filled with excitement and curiosity. Her words were like a breeze that blew through Lin Zhiruo's heart, making Lin Zhiruo's expression stiff.

"He is a eunuch - do you really not mind?" Hu Lan'er asked, with a hint of teasing and curiosity in her tone.

"But he is very handsome, isn't he? Oh, I remember that the hot water in the bathhouse was fetched by the eunuchs!" Xiao Cui's eyes sparkled, and there was a hint of mischief and pride in her tone.

For her, it doesn't seem to matter whether she has that important one or not.

After all, she is just a little girl, full of curiosity and longing for the things in the world.

"Although he may not be as handsome as Quan Wushuang." Lin Zhiruo almost slipped from the railing and sat on the ground. An inexplicable panic and uneasiness surged in her heart.

"What's wrong with you?" Xiao Cui asked with concern.

"I'm fine." Lin Zhiruo stood up while patting her skirt, trying to cover up her gaffe.

"Speaking of this, Lin Zhiruo, you are often with Quan Wushuang..." "Yes, that was sent by the Queen." Lin Zhiruo emphasized this point, as if to say "We don't have a further relationship." There was some firmness and determination in her tone, trying to dispel Xiao Cui's doubts.

Lin Zhiruo subconsciously wiped her left hand on her skirt, as the feeling of catching the toad before came back to her mind.

She couldn't help but recall the scene of that day, and an inexplicable fear and uneasiness surged in her heart.

(It's a toad, just a toad. Don't be afraid, don't let your imagination run wild.)

Lin Zhiruo comforted herself in this way and gradually calmed down.

She knew that she could not continue to be immersed in the shadow of the past and had to bravely face the reality and the future.

Ever since the incident that happened in the Summer Resort a few days ago, Lin Zhiruo has never seen Quan Wushuang again.

It was almost time for the scheduled visit, but Lin Zhiruo only felt a little awkward and uncomfortable.

She didn't know how to face Quan Wushuang, and she didn't know how to bring up what happened that day.

Just as Lin Zhiruo was pondering over it in her mind like chanting a sutra, two familiar figures walked into the bathhouse together.

(That is……)

She was a girl who looked a little timid, and the palace maid following closely behind her.

The girl's facial features were very pretty, but her most distinctive feature was her scowl that gave people a feeling of timidity.

There was a hint of confusion and helplessness in her eyes, like a lamb that had lost its way.

(Noble Concubine Dexin?)

Lin Zhiruo was shocked. How could she be here?

Lin Zhiruo thought as she looked at Concubine Dexin and her head maid, feeling an inexplicable doubt and curiosity in her heart.