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

Lin Zhiruo once expressed her wish directly, hoping that Quan Wushuang would leave, but he seemed to turn a deaf ear and stubbornly stayed on this land.

Although Lin Zhiruo could not hide her impatience, she had promised that as long as Quan Wushuang did not interfere, she would not say too much.

Now, Lin Zhiruo invited the wise and resourceful military advisor, who was carefully arranging the chess pieces. Her face was expressionless, and compared to her usual indifference, she seemed to have a hint of warmth.

Occasionally she would scratch the back of her hand, perhaps because she was being bothered by some small insect.

"Are you going to take the initiative or wait and see and then strike back?"

General Zhimou's eyes sparkled with excitement through the slit of his monocle.

His obsession with the game was obvious, and he was naturally looking forward to it.

"Before that, should we first determine the rules and stakes of the game?"

Lin Zhiruo suggested.

"Indeed, I have the same idea."

Quan Wushuang poked his head out from behind Lin Zhiruo and peeked at the chessboard.

General Zhimou gave Quan Wushuang a strange smile, but Quan Wushuang was not afraid and responded with a relaxed smile.

The game follows the conventional rules of a five-round battle, where the first player to win three games is the winner.

Quan Wushuang was full of doubts. The military advisor's chess skills were unparalleled, and the game he chose was inherently disadvantageous.

What exactly is Lin Zhiruo's intention?

Gao Zhongcheng also frowned, seeming to be equally confused.

"Which piece do you want? The Rook or the Corner?"

General Zhitui asked.

"Neither is necessary."

The other party specifically proposed to give up the piece, but Lin Zhiruo declined.

Quan Wushuang originally thought that she should accept it with pleasure.

"So, if I win, will you be my goddaughter?"

Quan Wushuang wanted to object to the proposal but was stopped by Gao Zhongcheng.

They had agreed not to interrupt.

"I am still employed and must wait until the contract expires before I can leave the palace."

"Employed?"

General Zhimou's fox-like eyes were fixed on Quan Wushuang.

"Indeed, that's what's written in the document."

This is indeed the case. This is exactly what was written on the document that Lin Zhiruo saw.

But the person who signed it was actually Lin Zhiruo's guardian, the brothel owner.

The man who looked like Lin Zhiruo's adoptive father wanted to pick up the pen, but she got there first.

"That's all right. So, what are you going to bet on?"

General Zhimou asked suspiciously.

"My bet is..."

After Lin Zhiruo finished speaking, she gently closed her eyes.

"Could it be that he wants to redeem the freedom of a prostitute in Hongxia Tower?"

General Zhimou touched his chin, obviously not expecting Lin Zhiruo to make such a request.

Lin Zhiruo still had no expression on her face.

"Because the madam wanted to dismiss the older prostitutes. I didn't specify which ones."

"That's a clever strategy."

General Zhitui showed a look of surprise, then grinned.

"If you want to make such an offer, I can only accept it, but is it enough?"

Lin Zhiruo stared at General Zhimou coldly.

"Also, may I add two more rules?"

Lin Zhiruo took out the bottle of wine that Gao Zhongcheng had prepared in advance.

She poured equal amounts of wine into five glasses. The wine had a rich aroma and was a strong distilled liquor.

Lin Zhiruo took out a bag of spices from her sleeve, unwrapped it, and sprinkled the powder into the cup.

Three cups of wine were spiced, each with a different spice.

Lin Zhiruo placed the wine glass at an angle, shook it gently, and quickly swapped the positions of the five glasses, making it impossible to tell which was which.

"After each round is determined, the winner will choose a glass from these glasses and have the loser drink from it. They don't need to drink it all, just one sip."

For some reason, Quan Wushuang felt a strong sense of unease in his heart.

Quan Wushuang walked from behind Lin Zhiruo to her side.

I always felt that her usually expressionless face seemed to be stained with a blush.

The lines of her cheeks were soft, revealing a hint of joy.

Every time she showed this expression, it was not a good thing.

Quan Wushuang really wanted to ask what the added powder was, but he didn't dare to speak.

Quan Wushuang was very upset and wanted to ask but couldn't.

"What exactly is the powder added?"

Fortunately, the wise general asked on Quan Wushuang's behalf.

"It's just some spices, a small amount won't do any harm."

But if you drink all three cups, it will become highly poisonous—she said.

This seemingly crazy girl said this with a smile on her face.

then……

"If you abandon the game for any reason, you lose. Please add these two rules to the rules."

Lin Zhiruo said as she swirled the spiced wine glass.

Her fingertips were stained red, and her left pinky finger was twisted and deformed.

General Zhiwu kept staring at her fingertips.

Quan Wushuang just felt that this woman's mind was really vicious.

Although it would be fine to drink just one glass, who would be willing to drink this unknown substance for no reason?

Is it to shake the opponent's mind?

Indeed, ordinary people might feel fear.

But his opponent is the military strategist who is known as a genius, and Quan Wushuang does not think that this little trick can disturb his mind.

As expected, Lin Zhiruo had lost two games in a row.

Quan Wushuang originally thought that she might have some knowledge of chess, but it seemed that she only knew the rules but had no practical experience.

She had already finished both glasses of wine, and she drank them with gusto.

What on earth is she thinking about?

Quan Wushuang thought to himself.

Although the third game had just begun, the winner had already been decided.

Quan Wushuang wondered how likely it would be that she would be poisoned if she drank the third glass of wine.

Initially, the chances of picking the poisoned wine were three in five, followed by two of the four glasses containing spices, and finally one of the three glasses.

In other words, there is a one in ten chance that Lin Zhiruo will drink the poison.

To be honest, the most terrifying thing is that Quan Wushuang felt that she would be fine even if she was poisoned.

I just don’t know if General Zhimou knows this.

Just as Quan Wushuang and Gao Zhongcheng exchanged glances, considering how to respond after Lin Zhiruo lost the bet...

"General."

He heard the sound.

It was not the voice of General Zhimou, but that of Lin Zhiruo.

Quan Wushuang and Gao Zhongcheng looked at each other, then at the chessboard, only to see that the king general was about to be captured by the gold general.

Although the move was extremely clumsy, the king had no way to escape.

"You win."

General Zhimou raised his hands in surrender.

"Even if it's mine, a win is a win, okay?"

Lin Zhiruo said as if to confirm.

"Of course, after all, I can't let my adopted daughter drink the spice."

Lin Zhiruo drank the previous two glasses of wine without any change in her expression, and it was impossible to tell whether there were any spices in the wine.

General Zhitui smiled playfully as he looked at the expressionless face.

"What does the spice taste like?"

"They're both very salty, and you can tell the difference in taste after just one sip."

"I see. Which cup do you want to choose for me?"

"Military advisor, please choose whatever you like."

So that's how it is. Even if General Zhimou loses two games, as long as one of the cups is salty, he can ensure that Lin Zhiruo will not be harmed.

Although the probability is the same, it will never go wrong.

He is indeed a shrewd man.

General Zhimou picked up the middle wine glass and took a sip.

“So salty.”

Quan Wushuang was dejected.

Now, Lin Zhiruo will definitely not be able to win in the next game of chess.

Just as Quan Wushuang was thinking about what to do next——

"Besides, it's hot."

When General Zhimou said this, Quan Wushuang looked up and saw that General Zhimou's face was flushed and his head was shaking slightly.

Then, he gradually became pale, and finally turned blue and fell down weakly.

Gao Zhongcheng ran over and helped General Zhimou up.

"I ask you, what's going on? Isn't it said that drinking just one glass of spiced wine is fine?"

Even if he hated her so much, how could he really poison her?

Quan Wushuang scolded in a stern tone.

“Spices indeed.”

Lin Zhiruo said with an expression that seemed to be bothered.

She picked up the water bottle placed aside and walked to General Zhimou and Gao Zhongcheng.

She forced open General Zhimou's eyelids, and after confirming that he was not unconscious, she stuffed the water bottle into his mouth and roughly gulped down the water.

"Manager Quan."

Gao Zhongcheng looked at him in confusion.

"The military advisor seems to be just drunk."

“As the saying goes, wine is the best of all flavors.”

Lin Zhiruo said.

Then, to make the drink more absorbable, she added some powdered mixture of salt and sugar.

Lin Zhiruo took care of General Zhimou listlessly, as if she was just doing it perfunctorily.

After all, as a cook, she couldn't just stand by and watch when she saw a patient.

"He doesn't drink."

After hearing Lin Zhiruo's words, Quan Wushuang finally understood her intention.

Only then did he remember that General Zhimou usually drank fruit juice and he had never seen him drink alcohol.

"All right."

Lin Zhiruo scratched her head and looked at Quan Wushuang.

"Then let's carry this man out as soon as possible and let him go to pick the flowers in Hongxia Tower."

Lin Zhiruo said it calmly, and Quan Wushuang could only respond with "Okay".