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

The secret gradually revealed, and the mood was unsettled

Finally, the hidden truth was like fallen leaves picked up by the cold winter wind, slowly falling before everyone's eyes.

Lin Zhiruo already had an indelible premonition about the mysterious person that Quan Wushuang mentioned recently.

She always avoided the military mansion as much as possible because there was an inseparable connection between her and that person.

Lin Zhiruo exhaled a long breath, and the breath condensed into white mist in the cold air, as if telling her that the severe winter cold was still biting, and the warm spring sun was still far away.

The room was empty; Quan Wushuang and Gao Zhongcheng had already gone out to do some business.

Lin Zhiruo has been serving Quan Wushuang for nearly two months. She discovered that Quan Wushuang has a mysterious errand to perform every two weeks.

Quan Wushuang would always slowly step into the bathhouse the day before traveling, burn incense to cleanse his body, and then set off for his destination.

During this time, Lin Zhiruo was busy wiping the floor until it was as smooth as a mirror. Today was no exception. The friction between the rag and the floor made a squeaking sound, like a monotonous but rhythmic piece of music.

Although the cold wind almost froze her fingers, she did not dare to slack off under Henghua's seemingly gentle but actually strict supervision.

When she had wiped half of the floor of the pavilion spotlessly clean, Henghua nodded with satisfaction and softly asked her if she would like to have a cup of hot tea.

Lin Zhiruo and Henghua sat together at the round table in the kitchen, each holding a chair, quietly enjoying this rare leisure time.

Although the tea in the cup has lost its original rich aroma, it is top-grade tea after all, and there is still a hint of fragrance lingering at the tip of the nose.

While savoring the aroma of tea and chewing the sweet sesame balls, Lin Zhiruo couldn't help but think to herself:

(It would be nice to have some salty snacks.)

However, she naturally did not dare to make such a request. After all, people always thought that young women preferred sweets, and Henghua prepared it for her.

Lin Zhiruo's eyes fell on Henghua who was eating with gusto, and saw that she was savoring the crispy thin pancakes carefully.

The pancake was just the right amount of salty, leaving a lasting aftertaste. Lin Zhiruo secretly praised it in her heart.

As expected of the old lady beside Quan Wushuang, even her taste is so unique and exquisite.

When she reached out to take the pancake, she found that the last piece had been cleverly taken away by Henghua.

Well, she must have done this on purpose. What a cunning and clever maid.

When drinking with Henghua, Lin Zhiruo always plays the role of a listener.

Henghua's topics never touched upon gossip about the red-light district or trivial matters in the imperial harem. At most, he would occasionally mention the owner of this place, and then only briefly brush it off in a few words.

"Today is a fasting day, so you can't eat meat."

Henghua reminded softly.

Lin Zhiruo nodded obediently in agreement, but secretly wondered about Quan Wushuang's mysterious identity and past experiences.

When mentioning Quan Wushuang, Lin Zhiruo's heart was filled with doubts and confusion.

Why would a man of such noble birth choose to become a eunuch?

However, when she thought of the era when Quan Wushuang became a eunuch, she seemed to understand a little.

The mother of the late emperor, the former empress dowager who was honored as the empress, was a heroine who was no less than any man.

Although the previous emperor was known to be dull and incompetent, with her assistance, the country did not fall into chaos.

However, she often took advantage of the power in her hands, such as forcing her father, who was once an excellent imperial chef, to become a eunuch.

Perhaps this is why Quan Wushuang was forced to embark on this thorny road?

Lin Zhiruo pondered secretly in her heart.

"By the way, could you help me go to the Shangshi Bureau to pick up some ingredients this afternoon?"

Henghua suddenly asked.

Lin Zhiruo was refreshed and answered without hesitation:

"As ordered!"

Henghua seemed a little surprised by her straightforwardness and ate the rest of the pancake.

The Shangshi Bureau was located in the east of the outer court because it was close to the military headquarters and perhaps because it had a large amount of military supplies.

Lin Zhiruo remembered Quan Wushuang's words a few days ago and was filled with great interest and curiosity about the Shangshi Bureau.

She had seen the recipes and knew that the chefs here were extremely skilled; however, the imperial harem's food bureau was dominated by mediocre chefs, who wasted the precious ingredients.

Lin Zhiruo was eager to learn how ingredients were cleverly used to create delicious food here.

"I came here specifically to get some food."

Lin Zhiruo handed the token Henghua gave her to the chef.

The chef lowered his thin face slightly, examined the token, gestured for Lin Zhiruo to sit down and wait, and then walked into the inner room.

Lin Zhiruo sat on the chair and took a deep breath. The place was filled with the sweet and fresh aroma of food, which made her feel relaxed and refreshed.

She glanced at a table where the cook had been sitting, and saw a mortar filled with ground spices.

Lin Zhiruo felt itchy in her heart, but tried her best to restrain her curiosity.

How wonderful it would be if you could move freely around this food bureau and carefully browse the ingredients in the food cabinets!

However, just as Lin Zhiruo was secretly calculating in her heart, a cold female voice suddenly sounded:

"What on earth are you doing here?"

Lin Zhiruo was startled and looked back, only to see a tall female official standing behind her, her face full of surprise and confusion.

Lin Zhiruo recognized that this female official was the one she had seen before.

She realized that her posture was extremely strange at the moment, so she slowly adjusted her body back to normal.

"I am just waiting here to get the food."

Lin Zhiruo replied pretending to be calm.

The female official seemed to be hesitant to speak, but Lin Zhiruo pretended to be indifferent and sat back in her chair.

Just then, the chef came back with the ingredients.

"Oh? Dietary Pharmacy Officer, you're here?"

The chef's tone was filled with intimacy and surprise.

However, the female official called the Food and Medicine Officer did not seem to appreciate it and frowned slightly.

"I'm here to get the outpost's regular supplies."

The dietary medicine officer said lightly.

Since she mentioned the outpost, she was most likely coming from the military headquarters.

This reminded Lin Zhiruo that she had seen this woman near the military residence before, and at that time she felt that she seemed to have an inexplicable hostility towards her.

Seeing her reaction at this moment, Lin Zhiruo became more certain of her intuition.

The food and medicine officer looked at Lin Zhiruo with disgust, as if she was an eyesore.

Lin Zhiruo suddenly realized that the scent of spices that had been emanating from her body a few days ago came from this woman.

"The ingredients are ready, do you need anything else?"

The chef asked with concern.

The dietary medicine officer shook his head coldly:

"No, I'll take my leave now."

Compared with the cold attitude of the dietary medicine officer, the chef seemed a little disappointed as he watched her back gradually disappear into the distance.

Lin Zhiruo secretly pondered the reasons and consequences of all this.

When she noticed the chef's eyes turning to her, she immediately collected her thoughts and expression, and took the food package with pretended calmness.

"Is this female official working in the military office?"

Lin Zhiruo asked casually, without any special intention in her heart, just out of curiosity and exploration.

"Yes, she didn't have to become a lady-in-waiting..."

Before the chef finished speaking, he suddenly realized something, came to his senses and shook his head.

"Nothing, stop talking about this, get the ingredients!"

After the chef stuffed the food bag into Lin Zhiruo's hands, he waved his hand to signal her to leave.

Lin Zhiruo vaguely sensed that the chef's words were full of hidden meanings, but she did not delve into the meaning and secrets.

When she opened the food package, she saw a powdery substance inside.

Lin Zhiruo has a bad habit of always wanting to put unknown objects in her mouth and taste them.

She took a bite out of curiosity, then frowned and thought:

(Is this potato starch?)

Then, she returned to the room with this question and the food package.

"Is there anything else that needs to be handled at the Shangshi Bureau?"

Lin Zhiruo casually asked Henghua.

However, the experienced maid politely but firmly rejected her:

"Don't be lazy."

Lin Zhiruo felt wronged in her heart. She just wanted to smell the refreshing aroma of the food again.

"besides……"

Henghua wiped his hands and continued,

"It seems you've secretly placed some strange spices in the warehouse. This is not allowed."

After saying this, he did not forget to warn Lin Zhiruo to serve as a warning to others.