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

Gao Zhongcheng carefully placed a sandalwood box inlaid with gold and silver on the table.

He gently opened the lid of the box and took out a secret letter wrapped in silk.

"The long-awaited investigation results have finally arrived."

Sixty days have passed since Quan Wushuang ordered the investigation of the palace maid who was scalded by boiling oil.

"The investigation will take too long."

Quan Wushuang raised his handsome face, a cold light flashing in his eyes.

"I admit my mistake."

Gao Zhongcheng has always adhered to the style of admitting mistakes and never shirking responsibility.

“Find out who did it?”

"Reporting to the Lord, this matter is quite strange, and the person involved is of high status."

Gao Zhongcheng slowly unfolded the secret letter on the desk.

"She is Caiwei from Qionghua Palace, the personal maid of Imperial Concubine Shuwan."

Quan Wushuang still sat with his chin in his hand, his cold eyes fixed on every word on the secret letter.

(That was unexpected.)

"Sir, something happened in the imperial kitchen again."

A young eunuch hurried over to report.

Lin Zhiruo was researching new dishes in the imperial kitchen. When she heard this, she immediately put down her work.

(What trouble is this?)

She followed the young eunuch to the East Palace Gate Guardhouse.

I saw several eunuchs surrounding something, and a group of palace maids standing in the outer circle.

"Fortunately, it's the coldest time of the year."

Lin Zhiruo looked at the scene in front of her and said calmly.

A female corpse dressed in palace clothes was covered with coarse cloth.

The woman's face was blue, her hair was wet and stuck to her face, and her lips were black. It was obvious that she had been dead for a long time.

Although it was a drowned body, it was still relatively intact, but it was unpleasant to look at.

If it weren't for the freezing cold, the situation would probably be even worse.

The imperial physician was supposed to examine the body, but he hid behind Lin Zhiruo like a coward.

This imperial physician really doesn't live up to his reputation.

It is said that the body was found in the moat outside the palace wall this morning.

Judging from her clothes, she is a palace maid in the imperial kitchen.

What happened in the palace could not be left to outsiders to handle, so the imperial physician was urgently summoned to examine the matter.

"Little girl, can you check it for me?"

The imperial physician's beard trembled as he looked at Lin Zhiruo pitifully.

Lin Zhiruo was unwilling to take on this hot potato.

"I'm sorry, but I swore not to touch a corpse."

"That's quite unusual."

A clear and pleasant voice suddenly sounded.

The palace maids around suddenly cried out in surprise.

The main characters and supporting actors gathered together, like a carefully choreographed drama.

“Meet General Quan.”

(It is really not decent to bow before a corpse.)

Lin Zhiruo looked at the handsome young man with her usual expression.

Behind him was naturally Gao Zhongcheng, the loyal military officer who always looked at Lin Zhiruo with earnest eyes.

"Imperial Physician, please examine carefully."

“…As you wish.”

The imperial physician blushed and reluctantly went forward to examine the drowned woman.

He lifted the cloth cautiously.

The palace maids screamed behind him.

She was a tall and slender woman wearing a pair of wooden clogs, one of which had fallen off.

Her fingers were bloody and her nails were broken.

Judging from her clothes, she was a maid in the imperial kitchen.

“You seem calm.”

“I’m used to this kind of scene.”

In that bustling place of fireworks, you only need to step into the remote alleys to find a place where no one is in charge.

Tragedies often happen to young girls there.

Although the women in brothels lost their freedom, they were also protected from harm from the outside world.

Brothels viewed them as commodities and naturally took good care of them to prolong their lifespan.

"I'll hear your details later."

"Yes."

Lin Zhiruo knew very well that she couldn't get a word in at the moment, but she wouldn't speak rashly.

This is the measure in dealing with people.

(Am I being too indifferent?)

After the imperial physician finished the examination, Lin Zhiruo carefully covered the deceased with coarse cloth.

Although this is of no avail.

Lin Zhiruo was taken to the Zhongmen Guard Station.

Perhaps it was because the imperial chef's room was unusually busy today.

The reason for choosing this place to hold the meeting was to avoid discussing death in a place like the Liuli Palace where there were young children.

This topic is indeed not suitable for discussion in the presence of children.

(Why not just set up a dedicated meeting place for yourself?)

Lin Zhiruo nodded slightly to the eunuch guarding the door.

"According to the guards, this was a case of suicide by drowning."

They speculated that the woman scaled the palace wall and jumped into the water.

This woman was indeed a servant in the imperial kitchen, and was said to have been helping in the kitchen yesterday.

"I wouldn't jump to conclusions, but I'm afraid this wasn't the work of just one person."

"How do you know?"

Quan Wushuang sat elegantly at the desk, his voice like jade beads falling on a plate.

This is completely different from his usual innocent appearance.

"The palace walls are so high, there's nowhere to lean on."

“That makes sense.”

“Even with a hook and rope, it’s difficult to climb.”

“Is it really impossible to climb?”

Quan Wushuang asked tentatively, this chief steward was really hard to figure out.

Lin Zhiruo wanted to tell him the truth, but seeing Gao Zhongcheng beside her, she had to suppress her doubts.

"There is indeed a way to climb the wall without tools, but it is obviously difficult for the palace maid to do so."

“I’d like to hear more about it.”

Thinking of the bizarre incident of Princess Lianhua, Lin Zhiruo still couldn't understand how she climbed up the high wall.

Climbing out of thin air is obviously impossible.

Lin Zhiruo always wanted to get to the bottom of difficult matters, so she carefully examined the structure of the palace wall.

It was found that there were protruding bricks and stones at the corners of the walls.

This must have been done intentionally by the craftsman, so that one can climb the wall by stepping on it.

This might be easy for Princess Lianhua, who is good at dancing.

This is most likely a secret passage left during construction.

"But it is extremely difficult for ordinary women, let alone those with bound feet."

The palace maids had bound feet and wore exquisite wooden clogs.

They twisted the foot bones, bound them tightly with cloth straps, and stuffed them into narrow shoes.

In their eyes, this is a symbol of beauty.

Although not everyone is like this, this trend is very prevalent in the harem.

"You mean this is a murder?"

"I dare not speak rashly, but I think she fell into the water alive."

Those bloodstained hands must have been scratched while struggling in the water.

How desperate she must have been in the biting cold water.

“Can’t we investigate further?”

He gave Lin Zhiruo an irresistible smile, which made her even more embarrassed.

What cannot be done cannot be done.

"My father warned us not to touch the dead body."

"Why? But what are the taboos?"

Chefs inevitably have to touch ingredients. Quan Wushuang seemed to be asking, "Don't you have any experience handling inanimate objects?"

“Because human flesh can be used as food.”

Lin Zhiruo whispered the truth.

My father once said, "I don't know how far your curiosity will go, but since you will have to come into contact with it one day, it's better to save it until the end."

He even said frankly that if Lin Zhiruo got involved in this business, she might even do things like robbing graves and digging up corpses.

Lin Zhiruo wanted to retort, "I still have a basic conscience," but she ultimately kept her father's teachings in mind.

That's the way it is.

Quan Wushuang and Gao Zhongcheng were stunned when they heard this. They looked at each other and nodded repeatedly. Gao Zhongcheng even looked at Lin Zhiruo with pity.

This was too humiliating, and Lin Zhiruo suppressed her anger.

Let’s not talk about that for now.

(Was it suicide or homicide?)

Lin Zhiruo never thought of committing suicide, nor did she want to die at the hands of others.

If you die, you will never be able to taste new delicious food again.

If she had to die, she would like to taste the delicacies she had never tasted before.

(What kind of food should I choose?)

Just as Lin Zhiruo was lost in thought, Quan Wushuang stared at her intently.

"what's on your mind?"

"Sir, I'm wondering what kind of delicious food I should choose if I were to die."

Lin Zhiruo answered truthfully, and Quan Wushuang frowned.

“You want to die?”

"I don't dare."

Quan Wushuang shook his head, seemingly baffled. It didn't matter if he didn't understand.

“Because human death is unpredictable.”

"Indeed."

Quan Wushuang looked lonely, perhaps he was thinking of something from the past.

“Manager Quan.”

"What's the matter?"

Quan Wushuang looked at Lin Zhiruo doubtfully.

"If the steward wants to execute me, can you let me cook your last meal myself?"

Quan Wushuang held his forehead and sighed.

“Why are you saying this suddenly?”

"If I have done anything wrong, will the chief steward make the final decision?"

Quan Wushuang seemed displeased for some reason, staring at Lin Zhiruo with a sharp gaze. Gao Zhongcheng, standing nearby, looked worried.

(Did I say something wrong?)

"I have overstepped my bounds and deserve death. Whether it is hanging or beheading, it is up to the steward to decide."

“You misunderstood.”

Quan Wushuang's expression was no longer one of anger, but of surprise.

"Because I am just a cook."

The gap between common people and the nobles has nothing to do with right or wrong; it's simply the common sense of the world. Although this common sense may sometimes be broken, in this peaceful and prosperous era, I'm afraid no one wants to see change.

"One small mistake and you'll lose your life."

“I won’t do that.”

Quan Wushuang looked at Lin Zhiruo with complicated eyes.

Lin Zhiruo shook her head.

“It’s not about whether the general manager will do it, but whether the general manager has the power to do it.”

Quan Wushuang has the power to deal with Lin Zhiruo, but Lin Zhiruo has no power to resist. That's all.

Quan Wushuang's face was expressionless and unpredictable, as if he was weighing something. Lin Zhiruo had no intention of speculating, only thinking that she might have disturbed him.

(Did I say something wrong?)

Seeing that Quan Wushuang and Gao Zhongcheng stopped talking, Lin Zhiruo felt that she had nothing to do, so she bowed and took her leave.

Later, she heard that the dead palace maid had attended the banquet where the poisoning incident occurred a few days ago.

A seemingly authentic suicide note was also found, and the case was closed as suicide.

Lin Zhiruo stood in the kitchen, tapping the chopping board rhythmically with the kitchen knife in her hand.

(Did she really write that suicide note?)

She thought of those bloodstained hands, those broken nails, and the despair and fear she must have endured as she struggled in the icy water.

"Sister Zhiruo, what are you thinking about?" Xiao Cui's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Nothing, just thinking about what to cook tonight."

Lin Zhiruo answered with a smile, but the knife in her hand stopped unconsciously.

What secret did the dead palace maid know?