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

Quan Wushuang stood in the corridor, listening to the quarrel coming from the front, frowning slightly.

What are these pampered nobles doing?

As the most powerful eunuch in the harem, one of his duties was to mediate these disputes.

He was about to step forward and push through the crowd when he noticed a distinctive figure.

She was a petite palace maid with freckles all over her face and looked ordinary.

But she acted out of character and didn't join in the fun like the others. Instead, she kept muttering to herself.

Quan Wushuang was deeply impressed by this eccentric palace maid.

At that time, he thought it was just a minor incident.

Who would have thought that less than a month later, the bad news came.

The Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace passed away.

Concubine Pinglan cried all day long, and her originally dignified face became haggard due to grief.

No one knew whether she had contracted the same disease or was simply suffering from the grief of losing her child.

Looking at her condition, it's probably difficult for her to get pregnant again.

However, Princess Lingli, the half-sister of the Eastern Palace, had also fallen ill, but has now recovered.

She and her mother, Imperial Concubine Yuyao, were comforting the emperor who had lost his beloved son.

The emperor has been frequently entering and leaving Concubine Yuyao's palace recently, probably because he is looking forward to a new heir.

Quan Wushuang couldn't understand why, of the siblings who were equally ill, one recovered while the other passed away.

Is it true, as the royal chef said, that the difference in their birth times is three months, which leads to their different physiques?

What about Concubine Pinglan?

Since the princess was able to recover, it stands to reason that Concubine Pinglan should be able to survive as well.

Is it really just because of the pain of losing a child?

While Quan Wushuang was pondering these questions, he continued to deal with the documents on his desk.

He always felt that the key to the matter might lie with Concubine Yuyao.

"I'm going to go out for a moment."

After stamping the last seal, Quan Wushuang stood up and left the room.

In Concubine Yuyao's bedroom, the little princess was showing an innocent smile.

Her round little face looks like a steamed bun fresh out of the oven, pink and cute.

The little hand tightly grasped Quan Wushuang's fingers.

"No, let go."

The red-haired beauty gently picked up her daughter and placed her gently in the cradle.

The little princess seemed to be a little afraid of the heat. She pushed away the swaddling clothes and giggled at Quan Wushuang who came to visit.

"You have something to ask?"

The intelligent Concubine Yuyao saw through Quan Wushuang's thoughts at a glance.

“Why was the princess able to recover?”

Quan Wushuang asked straight to the point.

Concubine Yuyao smiled gently and took out a piece of cloth from her arms.

There were crooked words written on the cloth, which seemed to be written with soy sauce and looked a little blurry.

"White sugar is poisonous. Never give it to babies."

This sentence is written in a very awkward way, as if it was written on purpose.

Quan Wushuang tilted his head: "Sugar?"

"That's right."

Concubine Yuyao handed the princess to the wet nurse and took out a package from the drawer.

It was a ceramic container, and when it was opened some white powder floated out.

“Is this white sugar?”

"Exactly."

Quan Wushuang picked up a handful and examined it carefully.

He suddenly remembered that Concubine Yuyao was naturally beautiful and never needed to be dressed up with sugar.

Because Concubine Pinglan had a bad complexion, she often used sugar to cover it up.

"Xiaoling has a good appetite, and my milk alone is not enough, so I hired another wet nurse."

Imperial Concubine Yuyao explained, "That was a poor person. Her child died just after she was born."

"The white sugar was brought by the wet nurse. She said it was whiter than other sugars."

"Where is the nurse now?"

"She was not in good health, so I gave her some money and sent her away."

When Concubine Yuyao said this, her tone was full of pity.

Quan Wushuang seemed to be thinking about something.

If white sugar is really poisonous, then if the wet nurse consumes it, the toxin will be passed to the baby through breast milk.

Although he and Concubine Yuyao did not know what the specific poison was, the warning in this mysterious letter seemed to confirm this speculation.

I don’t know how many people in the palace use this ordinary white sugar.

"It's really sad that no one takes it seriously when it's something you're supposed to eat."

“It was my negligence.”

Imperial Concubine Yuyao sighed softly, "That's great! The Emperor has lost his heir."

If we take into account those royal heirs who died in the womb, the losses would be even more devastating.

"I once warned Concubine Pinglan, but she didn't believe it at all."

Quan Wushuang looked at the thick layer of white sugar powder on Concubine Pinglan's pale face and couldn't help shaking his head.

He looked at the beige piece of cloth again and felt that it looked familiar.

Although the handwriting looks unfamiliar and seems deliberately disguised, it can be vaguely seen that it was written by a woman.

“Who left this letter?”

"That day I asked the royal chef to come and see Xiaoling, and then I found it on the azalea branch."

It seems that the incident allowed someone with a discerning eye to see the clues.

"The royal chefs probably wouldn't use this method, would they?"

"Yes, even the imperial physician is helpless, let alone the imperial chef."

Quan Wushuang suddenly remembered the scene of that day.

There was an unusual maid in the crowd, who kept talking to herself.

What did she say?

Oh, right—"Is there anything I can write on?"

All the clues suddenly connected together.

Quan Wushuang couldn't help but laugh.

"If the person who wrote the letter is found, what will your Majesty do?"

"This man saved my mother and me, so naturally we must reward him handsomely."

There was a glimmer of anticipation in Concubine Yuyao's eyes.

"Can I keep this letter for the time being?"

"Okay, I'll wait for your good news."

Concubine Yuyao smiled brightly.

Quan Wushuang put away the sugar and the cloth strips, and gently stroked the texture of the cloth with his fingers.

"Since it is your Majesty's wish, I will do my best."