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

In Lin Zhiruo's eyes, Concubine Dexin is like a newly blossomed crabapple, beautiful yet naive.

The third stick of incense burned out, and everyone was able to take a short break.

Lin Zhiruo went with Guiyuan to look after Princess Ai Ling. Guiyuan replaced Nuanyu, who had lost her temperature, while Lin Zhiruo carefully observed the little princess's condition.

Princess Ai Ling's rosy cheeks were framed by an innocent smile, making her even more lively than when we first met.

The cold outside was getting worse, and Lin Zhiruo was worried that the princess would catch a cold and get sick, which would then be a liability for her, her personal maid.

The craftsmen were specially ordered to add a small canopy to the cradle, which was both windproof and elegant.

Lin Zhiruo was not good at coaxing children, but seeing the little princess' innocent appearance, she couldn't help but feel happy.

Princess Ai Ling was able to crawl and always wanted to get out of the cradle.

Lin Zhiruo gently carried her back and was about to hand her to Caiwei when she heard a soft moan from behind.

A young woman in a pink brocade robe was gazing at them, surrounded by several palace maids.

She was bright and beautiful, but she pouted slightly, showing her displeasure at Lin Zhiruo and the others for not paying their respects in time.

Caiwei and Guiyuan immediately bowed deeply, and Lin Zhiruo followed suit.

Imperial Concubine Dexin, with a hint of anger on her face, walked away with her maid.

"Is this Empress De Xin?" Lin Zhiruo asked in a low voice.

"Exactly. I think you've noticed something."

"She doesn't seem to understand the rules?" Lin Zhiruo expressed her doubts.

The concubines in the harem all have their own special marks when they enter the palace.

Imperial Concubine Yuyao used crimson and jasper, Imperial Concubine Pinglan used indigo and crystal, and Imperial Concubine Shuwan lived in the Rosewood Palace, so she naturally used amethyst as her ornaments.

According to the Five Elements, Concubine Dexin should wear plain white.

She was wearing a light pink dress, similar to the red dress worn by Imperial Concubine Yuyao.

What's even more coincidental is that the two of them sat next to each other at the banquet, which was an uncomfortable combination.

Lin Zhiruo recalled the palace maids arguing in the distance, saying someone didn't understand the rules and wore the wrong color.

"Alas, after all, she is still young." Caiwei sighed, and this said it all.

Lin Zhiruo placed the cold warm jade into the charcoal basin.

Seeing the other palace maids looking on from a distance, she asked Imperial Concubine Yuyao for permission and distributed the food to them for warmth.

These palace maids, who were used to seeing gorgeous clothes every day, were ecstatic over a few pieces of warm jade.

The maids from the Glazed Palace scattered when they saw Lin Zhiruo approaching, preventing her from delivering the warm jade.

The wind is biting cold, why are you unwilling to accept it?

"You are too soft-hearted." Su Su said helplessly.

"Maybe." Lin Zhiruo admitted frankly.

At this moment, she discovered that a crowd was gradually gathering behind the curtain during the break.

Not only palace maids, but also civil and military officials from the court arrived one after another.

They all held jewelry in their hands.

Some would chat with the palace maids alone, while others would gather in groups of three or five to gather around one person.

Guiyuan and Xibai were talking to some unfamiliar generals.

"Everyone is looking for talented people who can work for them," Su Su explained to Lin Zhiruo with a smug look on her face.

Lin Zhiruo responded absentmindedly.

"Officials would give jewelry to palace maids as tokens of trust."

"Um."

“There’s something else behind this.”

"turn out to be."

Lin Zhiruo's perfunctory attitude made Susu puff up her cheeks in dissatisfaction.

"I say, there is a deeper meaning here—"

"Yeah."

Lin Zhiruo had no interest in these political schemes.

"Give me your jade hairpin." Su Su pointed at the hairpin that Quan Wushuang had given to Lin Zhiruo.

"You guys can play rock-paper-scissors and divide it up." Lin Zhiruo said as she turned the warm jade in the charcoal basin. "If there's a fuss, I won't care. Caiwei will definitely give me a beating if she finds out I gave things away without permission."

Lin Zhiruo had made up her mind to return to the red-light district after five years; these intrigues had nothing to do with her.

She would rather study dishes in the imperial kitchen than be ordered around.

Lin Zhiruo looked at the crowd in the distance with an indifferent look in her eyes.

At this time, a burly man came over and handed over a silver hairpin inlaid with pink coral.

Lin Zhiruo looked up and saw a handsome young general with a simple smile on his face.

He was young, without a beard, and although handsome, Lin Zhiruo was naturally disgusted by such sweet smiles and simply looked at him coldly.

Seeing her cold reaction, the general froze in place, bewildered, his toes tapping the ground, his legs trembling.

Seeing his embarrassment, Lin Zhiruo reluctantly said, "Thank you."

After taking the hairpin, the man immediately smiled.

Lin Zhiruo shook her head secretly, this guy is really a big fool.

"My name is Liu Wu. Please give me your guidance."

Lin Zhiruo thought, they would probably never meet again.

The man also had many hairpins pinned to his belt. He must have been unwilling to embarrass the palace maids, so he gave away gifts everywhere. He was quite a kind-hearted person.

While playing with the coral hairpin, Guiyuan and others came over, also wearing a lot of jewelry on their waists.

"It's just some personal favors," Lin Zhiruo said calmly. It must be a gift to comfort the neglected palace maids.

"That's all you have. It's too shabby." A familiar voice came from behind.

Looking back, I saw a plump figure... no, it was Concubine Pinglan standing there.

Although she is no longer as plump as she used to be, her melancholy look adds a touch of charm.

She was wearing a dark blue dress, a sky blue top, and a green shawl gently brushing her shoulders.

As a member of Imperial Concubine Yuyao's family, Lin Zhiruo couldn't get too close to Imperial Concubine Pinglan.

Since leaving Liuli Palace, she had only heard about the Empress's illness from Quan Wushuang.

She also understood that even if she went to visit, she would be stopped at the door by the maid.

"Long time no see."

Lin Zhiruo performed the ceremony according to the etiquette taught by Caiwei.

“Long time no see.”

When she looked up, Imperial Concubine Pinglan gently stroked her hair.

Once again, something was inserted into the hair.

This time it was very gentle, a hairpin was firmly fixed on the bun.

"Take care of yourself."

Imperial Concubine Pinglan dismissed the surprised maid and left gracefully.

The maids of the Liuli Palace stood there in shock.

"This is troublesome. I'm afraid Empress Yuyao will be angry." Su Su fiddled with the decoration on the hairpin in amazement.

On Lin Zhiruo's head, three red crystals sparkled in the sunlight.

It was noon, and Lin Zhiruo and Caiwei took turns, standing behind Imperial Concubine Yuyao, waiting for dinner.

Following Susu's suggestion, she pinned all three hairpins on her belt.

The jewelry bestowed by Imperial Concubine Yuyao could have been worn alone, but Susu said it would overshadow the other hairpins.

Maids have to think about others in everything they do, which is really a headache.

Lin Zhiruo glanced at the banquet, the scene was magnificent and grand.

Military officers were arranged on the west side, and civil officials were seated on the east side.

One-fifth of the officials can sit at the long table, and the rest can stand upright.

Standing like this for several hours is more tiring than being a maid's duty.

Gao Zhongcheng was ranked among the military officers, a rank far exceeding Lin Zhiruo's expectations.

It is surprising that a eunuch could sit calmly among the court officials.

The big, stupid guy was also at the table, though his seat was toward the back, but considering his age, it was a rare opportunity to sit there.

Quan Wushuang, on the other hand, was nowhere to be found. It was impossible to find even a trace of such a dazzling figure.

Lin Zhiruo stopped thinking and focused on the task at hand.

The first course was an aperitif, with amber wine slowly poured into a silver cup.

Lin Zhiruo gently shook the wine glass and observed the changes on the surface of the silverware.

If there is arsenic, silver will oxidize and turn black.

She savored the aroma of the wine and took a sip.

Even though I know it's not poisonous, I wouldn't be fulfilling my duty if I didn't drink it.

She swallowed the wine and rinsed her mouth.

Everyone's eyes were focused on her.

The other poison testers have not yet started.

Seeing that she was safe and sound, everyone tasted it with trepidation.

Everyone cherishes life.

If someone is willing to be a pioneer, others will naturally be happy to sit back and watch the changes.

Poisoning at banquets often uses fast-acting poisons.

Only Lin Zhiruo loves poisons, and can be considered an outlier.

When it comes to poisonous things, she loves pufferfish the most.

The entrails were carefully blended into the soup, and the tongue-numbing taste intoxicated her.

She didn't know how many times she vomited and had her stomach washed out.

Normally she took poison to practice martial arts, but she took pufferfish purely for enjoyment.

Of course, she knew very well that there was no way to develop resistance to this poison.

As she was thinking, her eyes met with the waitress who was serving the dishes.

The corners of his mouth curled up unconsciously, and the smile was so frightening that the maid hurriedly moved away.

Lin Zhiruo patted her cheeks and returned to her expressionless look.

This appetizer is the emperor's favorite and is often served as a midnight snack.

The meals were prepared by the imperial chefs in the harem, and were no different from usual meals.

Seeing the other poison testers hesitate, Lin Zhiruo took the lead.

A dish of fish sashimi was placed before my eyes.

Although the Emperor is fond of beautiful women, his diet is quite healthy.

But there's something wrong with this dish.

Lin Zhiruo discovered that the ingredients were different from usual.

Normally we use mackerel, but today we used jellyfish.

The imperial chef would never make a mistake in preparing dishes that the emperor likes.

Perhaps the concubine's meal was delivered by mistake.

The chefs in the imperial harem were skilled in cooking, and the same dish would be prepared differently depending on the status of the person eating it.

During the period when Imperial Concubine Yuyao was breastfeeding, every dish prepared by the Imperial Chef was carefully prepared to help her produce milk.

After testing the poison, they found nothing wrong and began to eat.

It seems that there was indeed a mistake in the meal preparation.

Imperial Concubine Dexin's face turned pale and her chopsticks trembled.

Did you come across something taboo?

The emperor's gift of food cannot be refused.

She forced herself to pick up the fish fillet.

Lin Zhiruo glanced at the poison-testing maid behind her. She had her eyes closed, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.

That's laughing.

what did she see?

Lin Zhiruo withdrew her gaze and took the next dish.

It would be nice if this banquet were ordinary.

Liu Wu looked at the banquet in front of him and felt very uncomfortable.

There's no fun in having an outdoor party in the freezing cold.

If you can drink and chat happily with your confidants in Taoyuan, that is the real joy of life.

But such a distinguished banquet is always accompanied by anxiety.

Even the most delicious food will become tasteless after being tested for poison.

Liu Wu did not blame the poison testers, but he felt a stomachache when he saw their frightened looks.

I thought today would be another boring banquet.

Unexpectedly, a special poison taster appeared.

The young maid who tested poison for the imperial concubine tasted the aperitif without hesitation.

She swallowed it calmly and then rinsed her mouth.

Liu Wu felt that she looked familiar. It turned out to be the girl who had just given him the hairpin.

She was plain-looking and inconspicuous among the many beauties in the harem.

But those eyes have a terrifying power.

I thought he was an indifferent person, but I didn't expect his expressions to be so rich.

At first he had a blank expression, then he chuckled, then he regained his composure, and then he looked displeased.

He was even more bold and calm when testing poison, which was really interesting.

I wonder what expression she will have next?

She took the fish sashimi and gently picked up a piece.

He examined it for a moment and slowly put it into his mouth.

Suddenly, her eyes widened and an intoxicated look appeared on her face.

Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes were filled with tears, and her mouth was slightly parted, revealing her white teeth and bright red tongue.

At that moment, her ordinary face became as beautiful as a peach or plum.

She licked the sauce from her lips, which was like a ripe fruit emitting an alluring fragrance.

How delicious is this dish?

What makes an ordinary maid become so enchanting?

Could it be that the royal chef's cooking skills are too exquisite?

Just as Liu Wu swallowed his saliva unconsciously, the girl made a shocking move.

She took out her handkerchief and spat out the food in her mouth.

“This fish…is…poisonous!”