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

In the hazy dream, Lin Zhiruo seemed to be lying in a warm cradle, rocking gently with the gentle waves.

A light and noble fragrance quietly seeped into her senses, like a veil in a dream, gently caressing her nose.

The slight rocking that felt like riding in a sedan disappeared in an instant, and then she felt as if she was placed on something extremely soft.

Time seemed to lose its meaning at this moment until she slowly woke up.

(What a sacred place this is?)

Lin Zhiruo slowly opened her eyes, and before her was an extremely luxurious canopy, with gems inlaid on it sparkling with dazzling light.

She wipes this canopy carefully every day, so she is very familiar with it.

The air was filled with a mouth-watering aroma, the scent of the most exquisite food in the world.

She suddenly realized that this was Quan Wushuang's bedroom, and where she was lying now must be the priceless bed.

"You finally woke up."

A calm and gentle voice sounded in my ears.

A slightly elderly maid slowly got up from the bed. She gracefully picked up an exquisite kettle from the table and gently poured the water. The clear water flowed into the teacup like silk, making a pleasant sound.

"Manager Quan said that Shang Pharmacy is not a place for you to recuperate, so he brought you here."

Henghua handed the teacup to Lin Zhiruo with a smile, and his smile was as warm and bright as the spring sun.

Lin Zhiruo took the teacup and took a sip. The sweet liquid moistened her throat.

Without knowing when, she had changed into comfortable pajamas.

There was a slight dull pain in the head and a faint pulling sensation in the feet.

"Don't push yourself. You got fifteen stitches."

Henghua reminded softly.

Lin Zhiruo lifted the quilt and saw that her left foot was tightly wrapped in a white bandage. The pain was minimal, and it was obvious that anesthesia had been administered.

She reached out and touched her head, feeling the bandage as well.

"I'm sorry to ask this right after you woke up, but could I have someone come in? I can call them later if you need to change."

Lin Zhiruo picked up the clothes beside the bed and nodded slightly to show her agreement.

As the door opened gently, Quan Wushuang, Gao Zhongcheng and Liu Wu entered one after another.

Lin Zhiruo changed into new clothes, sat upright on a chair, and welcomed everyone's arrival.

Although it was a bit rude, Henghua had told her it was okay, so she accepted the preferential treatment calmly.

"What exactly is going on?"

Liu Wu spoke first, his eyes revealing inexplicable irritation and confusion as he stared at Lin Zhiruo.

"Liu Wu."

Gao Zhongcheng tried to stop him in a low voice, but Liu Wu just snorted disdainfully and sat down.

Quan Wushuang sat on the bed expressionlessly, his eyes deep and calm.

(Their master's life was in danger, yet they were still in the mood to argue.)

But Lin Zhiruo had no obligation to bear this blame. She just drank the cold boiled water in the cup calmly, as if everything had nothing to do with her.

Quan Wushuang still had his hands in his sleeves, staring at Lin Zhiruo quietly.

"Why were you there? And how did you know the pillars would collapse? I want you to explain it in detail."

Lin Zhiruo gently put down the teacup, took a deep breath, and spoke slowly:

"This incident was the result of a series of accidental events, but it also contained a high degree of inevitability. Therefore, calling it an accident is not appropriate. It is more like a carefully planned crime."

She pondered in her heart, and just from what she knew, she already had many clues.

Last year, high-ranking official Haoran died mysteriously; a fire broke out in the cabin, and at the same time, sacrificial vessels were stolen from another place; and almost at the same time, the official in charge of the sacrificial vessels fell ill due to food poisoning.

"You mean, someone did all this on purpose?"

Quan Wushuang's voice was calm and deep.

"That's right. Besides, I've forgotten one important thing."

Lin Zhiruo recalled everything that had happened before. The stolen sacrificial vessel must have been made by a skilled craftsman and was exquisitely decorated, which complemented the ceremony perfectly.

Speaking of skilled craftsmen, she recently heard a piece of news.

"...Could it be that you're referring to that mysterious craftsman family?"

Quan Wushuang's expression changed slightly, and Lin Zhiruo secretly admired his sharpness in her heart.

"Exactly."

Lin Zhiruo had roughly guessed the cause of the craftsman's death: it was lead poisoning.

This may be an occupational disease, but there may be other hidden reasons.

She speculated that this might also be the work of someone with ulterior motives.

All you have to do is give the other person lead-poisoned wine and wine glasses in the name of a gift, and then wait for them to become weaker.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg. There are other more covert methods.

"That craftsman was unwilling to pass on his skills to his unskilled son. Perhaps no one could unravel the mystery of this craft, leading to its loss. And this is exactly what someone hoped for."

Lin Zhiruo continued.

From this, we can infer that the client already knew the secret of the skill, and even if he did not know the details, he must have some understanding of its nature.

"In other words, do you believe that the stolen sacrificial vessel was made by that craftsman?"

Quan Wushuang asked.

Lin Zhiruo shook her head slightly, her eyes gleaming with wisdom:

"No, quite the contrary. The stolen sacrificial vessels were replaced with those made by that craftsman."

She took out a pen and paper and smoothly sketched the pattern on the paper.

In the center is a cauldron and altar, and above are pillars hanging from the ceiling.

Rope-like objects were tied to both ends of the pillars, passing through pulleys on the ceiling and secured by metal parts on the floor.

"I heard that several sacrificial vessels were stolen, but were there other parts stolen? Even if they were parts, they would definitely be exquisitely decorated."

Lin Zhiruo asked.

“…It’s certainly possible.”

Gao Zhongcheng was vague, perhaps because the matter was not within their jurisdiction and they did not know the details.

"I suspect the wires that hold the poles together must be connected to a nearby fire. Any metal parts used there would surely break when exposed to heat."

Lin Zhiruo continued.

“It’s ridiculous!

This is something that should have been carefully considered when the parts were manufactured. Nothing flammable was used there.”

Quan Wushuang retorted.

"But that's what happened, the column did collapse because the metal it was made of was damaged."

Lin Zhiruo insisted on her own opinion.

"No matter how hot it gets, it won't be easily damaged. This must have been taken into consideration during the design."