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

During the reign of the previous emperor, young women were selected every year to enter the palace and become maids.

Their arrival swept through the countryside like a storm, leaving many newlywed families with only lonely brides.

Not long after the death of the previous emperor, his philosophy of governing the country is still deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.

After the new emperor ascended the throne, this slave system was gradually buried in the dust of history.

However, in this wave of change, there are always people who try to seek personal gain from it.

"Why are you lingering here? Didn't I warn you not to go near this place?"

Liu Wu asked softly, his reproach evident in his words, his hand unconsciously resting on Lin Zhiruo's shoulder.

"Well, I'm just curious and want to find out."

Lin Zhiruo peeked into the room through the broken window frame, then deftly avoided Liu Wu's hand and walked straight into the room.

The house was in chaos, with charred debris scattered all over the ground.

Those potatoes that should have been golden and attractive have now turned into charcoal black, which is a pity.

Lin Zhiruo searched the ruins, hoping to find some clues.

Her eyes fell on a mysterious jade pendant. With a light touch, it shattered, leaving only the carving on the front, which still flashed with a strange light.

"Is this a fragment of a jade pendant? Or the remains of some kind of decoration?"

Lin Zhiruo gently wiped the jade pendant with a handkerchief, with a thoughtful glint in her eyes.

"Don't hang around here."

There was impatience in Liu Wu's voice.

But once Lin Zhiruo becomes curious, she will become obsessed and unable to extricate herself.

She folded her arms, and images emerged in her mind: the loud explosion, the flames in the granary, and the mystery of the lost jade pendant.

"Are you listening to me?"

Liu Wu's voice sounded again, with a hint of anxiety.

"I heard."

Lin Zhiruo answered, but her mind had already drifted far away.

She knew that her personality might not be likable, but it was difficult to change.

Lin Zhiruo left the warehouse and went to another place.

There were some items that had survived the fire. She asked a junior military officer, "Are the items stored in the warehouse where the fire broke out the same as those in the warehouse here?"

"It should be the same, but the further you go in, the older things look."

The military officer answered and patted a cloth bag covered with fine lines. White powder flew up and the bag seemed to be full of flour.

"Can you give me this?"

Lin Zhiruo pointed to an unused wooden box. The box had a sturdy structure and was well sealed. It seemed to be used to carry precious fruits.

"Sure, what do you want this for?"

Liu Wu frowned slightly, with a hint of displeasure in his tone.

"I'll explain this to the adults later. I want this too."

After Lin Zhiruo finished speaking, she found another piece of board that could be used as a lid for the wooden box and took it out.

She gathered the necessary materials step by step.

"Got a hammer, saw, and nails?"

Lin Zhiruo asked.

"What on earth do you want to do?"

Liu Wu was full of doubts, his eyes fixed on Lin Zhiruo.

"Do a little experiment."

Lin Zhiruo answered with a hint of mystery in her tone.

"experiment?"

Liu Wu frowned, but his curiosity surged like a tide.

Although he still seemed annoyed, he finally decided to help.

The junior military officer was originally watching with dissatisfaction on his face, but seeing his superior's cooperation, he understood and prepared what Lin Zhiruo needed.

Lin Zhiruo skillfully combined the materials into a new item.

She used a saw to make holes in the wooden board, put it on the empty wooden box, and fixed it firmly with nails.

"You are so skilled?"

Liu Wu leaned in to observe, his eyes flashing with curiosity, as excited as a child who had obtained a new toy.

"I came from a poor background, so I'm good at making what I need."

Lin Zhiruo answered.

Her adoptive father had studied in the West when he was young. He was able to recall his memories and make novel tools that no one in the country had ever seen. Lin Zhiruo also learned many skills from him.

"Okay, give me some of this too, please."

Lin Zhiruo took flour out of the cloth bag in the warehouse and poured it into the wooden box.

"Excuse me, do you have any fire?"

Lin Zhiruo asked.

Upon hearing this, Liu Wu's subordinates kindly said that they were ready to prepare.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Lin Zhiruo drew water from the well.

Liu Wu sat on the wooden box, confused, his hands supporting his cheeks, quietly watching Lin Zhiruo's actions.

"Thank you, sir."

Lin Zhiruo took the smoldering thick rope and bowed her head to thank Liu Wu's men.

Although the lower-level military officer still wanted to know what Lin Zhiruo was doing, seeing that his superiors were so cooperative, he quietly prepared everything for Lin Zhiruo.

Lin Zhiruo held the fire and stood in front of the closed wooden box.

For some reason, Liu Wu suddenly walked up to her.

"Master Liu, this is very dangerous. Please stay away from here."

Lin Zhiruo looked directly at Liu Wu, her tone serious and pleading.

"What's the danger? It's just a little girl making some little things. How can a military officer like me be afraid of it?"

Liu Wu patted his chest, looking very confident.

Lin Zhiruo sighed helplessly. She knew that only by experiencing it personally could people like this understand the dangers involved.

"I understand. But please be careful, sir. If there is any danger, please stay away immediately."

Lin Zhiruo warned, with a hint of concern in her tone.

"What are you hiding from?"

Liu Wu looked at Lin Zhiruo suspiciously, his face full of confusion.

Lin Zhiruo ignored him, but pulled the sleeve of the junior military officer sitting next to her, asked him to go somewhere else, and let him watch from the back of the warehouse.

When she came back, she threw the fire into the wooden box and quickly ran away, protecting her head.

Liu Wu looked at Lin Zhiruo's actions in a daze, and an inexplicable feeling surged in his heart.

(I told her to stay away.)

The next moment, flames suddenly burst out of the wooden box and burned fiercely.

"Wooooooooooooooo!"

Liu Wu dodged the blazing pillar of fire at the critical moment.

However, his hair was affected by the fire and burned yellow.

"Help me put out the fire!"

Liu Wu shouted in panic, with a hint of fear in his voice.

Lin Zhiruo poured a bucket of water she had prepared in advance on him, and the fire was finally put out.

Leaving behind the smell of burning hair and smoke, everything returned to peace.

"I clearly told you to stay away from here."

Lin Zhiruo looked at Liu Wu, her eyes filled with reproach and helplessness, as if to say, "Now you know why I said it was dangerous, right?"

"..."

Liu Wu looked at Lin Zhiruo and began to have a runny nose. His subordinates hurriedly covered him with fur.

There seemed to be a thousand words in his eyes that he wanted to express, but in the end he was speechless.

"Could you please tell the warehouse guard not to smoke here?"

Lin Zhiruo told Liu Wu the cause of the fire.

Although this was just her speculation, she firmly believed it was the truth.

"……it is good."

Liu Wu answered blankly, his face turning pale.

Although he is strong, he will definitely catch a cold if he doesn't warm up quickly.

But he still stared at Lin Zhiruo, with a bit of confusion and curiosity in his eyes.

"What exactly is going on?"

He looked at Lin Zhiruo with confusion, wondering why the wooden box exploded.

His subordinates had the same expression, looking confused.

“That’s why.”

Lin Zhiruo took out the flour, and the white powder floated in the air with the wind.

"Combustible powders... such as flour or buckwheat flour, when dispersed in the air, will ignite if they encounter an ignition source."

Then came the deafening explosion.

As long as you know the principle, anyone can understand the meaning.

It’s just that Liu Wu didn’t know.

Only unknown things in the world seem mysterious.

If you are surprised by something, it is only because your knowledge is not deep enough.

"You actually know this."

Liu Wu looked at Lin Zhiruo in surprise, with a hint of admiration in his eyes.

"Yes, because I used to do experiments like this often."

Lin Zhiruo answered with a hint of pride in her tone.

"Do you do it often?"

Liu Wu and his subordinates looked at each other in silence, their faces bewildered.

They would never be able to do those dangerous experiments in a cramped room covered in powder like Lin Zhiruo did in their lifetime.

Ever since the room Lin Zhiruo rented in Hongxia Tower was blown up due to an experiment, she has been particularly attentive to such phenomena.

(Mammy was truly terrifying back then.)

Recalling that experience, Lin Zhiruo still felt fear. She was almost taken to the top floor of Hongxia Tower and hung upside down.

"Please be careful not to catch a cold, my lord. But if you do catch a cold, there's a man named Luo Men in the brothel who has a very effective prescription."

Lin Zhiruo did not forget to promote Luo Men.

Maybe when Liu Wu goes to see Princess Ai Ling, he will patronize his business.

Her father had no business sense at all. If Lin Zhiruo didn't help him, he probably wouldn't even have enough to eat.

(It took more time and effort than expected.)

Lin Zhiruo picked up the basket full of waste paper and headed to the garbage dump.

She had to hand over the waste paper to the servants as soon as possible and go back early.

(Accidentally brought this back.)

Lin Zhiruo discovered that the mysterious jade pendant she had just picked up was now lying quietly in her lapel.

Although it was a little burnt, it was of excellent quality. For the warehouse guard, such a thing was obviously too luxurious.

(Isn’t this his favorite thing?)

Lin Zhiruo thought.

She just had to wipe the carving clean and install a new nozzle, and it would be back to its original appearance.

Lin Zhiruo heard that only people were injured and no one was killed, so the owner should be recuperating.

He might think it was unlucky because it could cause a fire, but if he sold it, it would probably fetch a considerable sum of money.

Lin Zhiruo hugged the mysterious jade pendant tightly...