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

Lin Zhiruo gently raised her jade-like hand and slowly took off the jade hairpin inserted in her black hair.

Thinking back to what Hu Lan'er, no, it should be what Shuwan said, this jade hairpin is priceless.

Being able to give it to others so easily, and this person has such influence at such a young age, even beyond the scope of the harem, who else could this person be except Quan Wushuang?

Quan Wushuang is not a eunuch, and he has never even been called a eunuch.

"..."

Lin Zhiruo stared at the jade hairpin in her hand, her body seemed to be frozen.

"Why do you look like that?" the imperial chef asked curiously upon seeing this.

"When you entered the palace as a eunuch, what was the inspection method?" Lin Zhiruo suddenly asked.

"Why are you asking this all of a sudden?" The imperial chef said shyly, lowering his head and speaking softly, "It's done through palpation, through the underwear, without having to take off the top."

It was because of this that the imperial chef was able to enter the palace smoothly.

People generally believed that eunuchs had lost their male characteristics, so they never considered the possibility of women impersonating eunuchs.

It is easier for women to get away with it than for men to pretend to be eunuchs.

"What if a man who hasn't lost his masculinity wants to sneak into the palace?"

"It needs to pass through the hands of three officials, each of whom will undergo palpation," the imperial chef replied. "These three officials come from different government offices, making them extremely difficult to bribe."

Unless all three accepted bribes at the same time, once the man was discovered sneaking into the harem, the consequences would be disastrous and could not be solved by simple flogging.

Officials will naturally not take such a big risk for such a small profit.

If that’s the case, how did Quan Wushuang enter the palace?

"A man who can freely enter and leave the harem..."

Who else could it be except the emperor and his royal relatives?

(No, the age doesn’t match. But…)

Lin Zhiruo looked at Quan Wushuang carefully and always felt that his temperament was more immature than his appearance.

Although not as innocent as a child, there is always a hint of immaturity.

If you ask other palace maids in the harem, most of them will probably shake their heads and deny it.

"..."

"Why are you silent?" asked the imperial chef curiously.

"Nothing, just some emotion in my heart."

(Let’s put this aside for now.)

Speaking of this, Lin Zhiruo couldn't help but recall that when they were at the Mountain Resort, Quan Wushuang seemed to have something important to say to her, perhaps about this matter.

It was a pity that I was disturbed by the matter of that strange delicacy at that time. That kind of terrible delicacy that can make people lose their minds really makes it difficult to calm down.

Compared with this, the current situation is more urgent.

From the hot spring village to here, Lin Zhiruo was jolted in the carriage for more than half a day.

Through the gap in the canopy, she saw the position of the sun and realized that the carriage was heading north.

Halfway through the journey, the road gradually turned white and snowflakes fluttered down.

(This is the North, and the terrain is quite high?)

Lin Zhiruo is in such a place at the moment.

Fei Ling once said this was a "walled city".

Looking around, the city walls tower into the clouds, with steep cliffs behind them.

It would be more appropriate to call it a fortress rather than a city.

(How could such elegant people like them come to such a place?)

Looking at their words and actions, it is really hard to imagine that they would set foot here.

Of course, this is just Lin Zhiruo's prejudice.

She knew that noble women also had a tough side.

But, it doesn't have to go to this extent, right?

It feels like being in a war time.

Lin Zhiruo suddenly remembered the hidden weapons in the kitchen and the foreign envoy named Shiliang, who should not have appeared in that secluded village.

(I see.)

Lin Zhiruo had long heard that two envoys were having secret talks with someone.

If that person is a member of the Zi clan...

If the new hidden weapon was introduced through this channel...

And if they were disassembled into parts for mass production...

"Do you want to start a war?" Lin Zhiruo turned and asked the imperial chef who was about to leave the room.

"This is not something I can decide. However, since Miss Shuwan has said so, you can pretend to be developing new dishes." The imperial chef replied.

"Of course I understand this, you don't need to remind me." Lin Zhiruo said.

"Okay. The food will be delivered right away. The bathroom is connected to this room. Remember, don't anger Mrs. Feiling."

(Don't make her angry?)

If you offend Mrs. Feiling, the consequences will be disastrous, and no one knows what kind of punishment you will receive.

The imperial chef left the room without looking back.

(Now, what should I do?)

Lin Zhiruo twisted her neck and looked at the layout of the room.

The door was locked, the windows were barred, and outside it was all white.

They did not explicitly forbid escape, perhaps because there was no way to escape, or perhaps it was implied that "escape if you can."

She opened the door a crack and looked out. There was a narrow corridor outside and the bathroom in front.

Usually toilets are built outside the house or on the first floor, but this one is on the third floor.

Considering the problem of sewage dumping, it is indeed very inconvenient.

However, they seemed to prioritize blocking escape routes over convenience.

(The former cook...)

Are they also imprisoned here?

The chef who died because of food...

Lin Zhiruo thought about it over and over again, and felt that the clues seemed to be related, but not clear enough.

She crossed her arms over her chest and decided to let the matter go for now.

Compared to this, there are more important things waiting for her to do.

That's exactly what happened.

Lin Zhiruo smiled and opened the lids of the boxes filled with food, which contained countless recipes.

Although she was also curious about the spice racks along the wall, she started browsing the cookbooks first.

“Oh! Oh oh!”

She couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

Hidden inside are things that Lin Zhiruo regards as treasures.

Lin Zhiruo laughed "Huhee, huheehee" and searched for treasures in the recipe.

The imperial chef would deliver meals three times a day.

Although the food was a little cold, the combination of soup and dish was pretty good.

But most of them are dry food, like rations that you carry with you.

Lin Zhiruo sat cross-legged on the bed.

She had already read through all the recipes in the room, and it felt like five days had passed, but her memory was a little hazy.

She rested her chin on her elbow, a somewhat indecent posture, but no one here blamed her.

(You actually want to start a war. How shameless!)

Lin Zhiruo lowered her head slightly and looked out the window, only to see the white snow.

According to the season, the harvest should have been completed by now and it was time for the slack season.

She had heard that wars always broke out during the slack season.

She looked at the scenery outside the window. The land here was higher, backed by the mountains.

Considering the terrain of the fortress, it's pretty good.

She drew a map on the table with her fingertips.

If this place is located in the northern Beichen Province, then the city may be close to the border.

Lin Zhiruo fell on the bed with her hair disheveled.

She imagined a semicircle on the north side of the capital.

It takes ten days by boat, then a short walk to the hot springs, followed by a half-day carriage ride.

The places with mountains within this range are——

(I should have studied harder earlier.)

There seemed to be geography questions in the female official examination.

Lin Zhiruo would fall asleep every time she opened a reference book and never really memorized anything.

At that time, every time she fell asleep, she would be violently woken up by Quan Wushuang's maid Henghua.

(Even though I was punished by her, I still miss her when I think about it now.)

Just then, a sharp voice came from the corridor, which sounded very familiar.

Lin Zhiruo got out of bed curiously and put her ear to the door facing the corridor.

"Master, don't go play over there!"

"Why—what's the matter—I haven't explored this place yet."

The sharp sound came from Xiangyou, followed by a child's voice.

When they brought Lin Zhiruo here, Xiang Yu was also there.

Lin Zhiruo remembered that the imperial chef looked displeased at that time.

(Are there any other children here?)

“What are you doing—the cakes are almost gone—”

"Got it. Just leave my share alone."

Lin Zhiruo knew there was a child here, and she leaned against the wall and sighed.

No matter how strong the fortress was, no matter how hard they defended it, the outcome was already determined.

In Lin Zhiruo's view, the current emperor is a benevolent monarch.

However, he also has his own bottom line that cannot be crossed.

In previous cases of attempted murder of a high-ranking concubine, the palace maid identified as the main culprit was sentenced to death by hanging, and her relatives were also subjected to corporal punishment.

In order to maintain imperial power, the disposal here is necessary.

But how would things end if a large-scale rebellion broke out?

I'm afraid that three clans will be implicated.

Neither children nor infants could escape this disaster.

Did they bring these children here with this awareness?

Lin Zhiruo sighed again, hugged her knees and buried her head in them.

Alas...other people's life and death has nothing to do with her, taking care of herself is the most important thing...