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

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, Princess Ai Ling has grown from a toddler into a lively and clever little girl.

Her growth is like a bud that quietly blooms in spring, exuding a delightful fragrance.

Although Lin Zhiruo usually lacked patience with children, her heart walls unconsciously collapsed in front of the princess's innocence.

Compared to those little girls who were forced into an unfortunate fate, serving the princess seemed easy and enjoyable.

Among all the children in the world, those around ten years old are the most naughty, and the princess is undoubtedly the best among them.

The princess started with wobbling steps and now walks steadily, and even started to try to jog happily. Her energetic appearance made Concubine Yuyao fall into deep thought.

She stroked her chin, a trace of worry in her eyes:

"Is the small space of this palace no longer enough to satisfy her growing curiosity?"

Although the Glass Palace is magnificent, the interior space seems small to a curious child.

Although the courtyard provides space for outdoor activities, it is far from enough for the princess who longs for adventure.

"Perhaps, we should take her for a walk?"

Concubine Yuyao came up with an innovative idea.

According to traditional concepts, ladies of noble families should be carefully cared for like flowers in a greenhouse and should not easily step into the outside world.

However, Concubine Yuyao seemed unconstrained by these stereotypes.

"Lin Zhiruo, what do you think?"

Imperial Concubine Yuyao suddenly turned the topic to Lin Zhiruo, forcing her to temporarily put down the matters at hand, look up at the ceiling, and ponder for a moment.

"...For the princess's health, perhaps she should be exposed to the outside world more."

Lin Zhiruo finally spoke, glancing at Concubine Yuyao's feet out of the corner of her eye.

Those were a pair of free and unrestrained feet, standing steadily on the ground, as if telling the story of Concubine Yuyao's unique growth process.

She came from the vast land of the West, and compared with other concubines, her family education seemed to be more open and inclusive.

Lin Zhiruo knew very well that it would be best to follow the princess mother's way of education.

However, the princess is the country's most precious treasure after all, and every decision she makes must be made with caution.

Imperial Concubine Yuyao obviously realized this, and her eyes revealed her understanding and trust in Lin Zhiruo.

"Then I will find an opportunity to discuss this matter with the Emperor."

Imperial Concubine Yuyao spoke softly, gently stroking the hair of the princess who was taking a lazily nap on General Zhimou's bed.

A few days later, the princess was finally able to step out of the palace accompanied by two eunuchs to experience the charm of the vast world.

The maids Caiwei and Lin Zhiruo followed closely behind, jointly guarding the little princess on her first adventure.

This shows how much the emperor loves his daughter.

However, behind this doting lies his deep worry about his children's inability to grow up healthily.

"Lin Zhiruo is very knowledgeable about everything in nature. Could you please impart some of your knowledge to her?"

Imperial Concubine Yuyao stroked the princess's hair, her tone pleading.

Because she was pregnant, she was unable to accompany the princess on her outings and could only entrust this important task to Lin Zhiruo.

"Empress Yuyao, this isn't appropriate, is it? I'm afraid Lin Zhiruo might teach her something inappropriate."

Upon hearing this, Caiwei hurriedly tried to dissuade him.

However, Imperial Concubine Yuyao only smiled slightly, and that smile was full of trust and expectation for Lin Zhiruo.

"I believe Lin Zhiruo will be able to strike a balance. After all, no one can predict what challenges and opportunities she will face in the future."

There was a hint of depth in Concubine Yuyao's words, as if she was hinting at something.

(Well, this is indeed a woman who cannot be underestimated.)

Lin Zhiruo pondered secretly in her heart.

Although the princess was young and ignorant, her status was extremely noble.

Ten years later, she might become the princess of another country.

Whether marrying a minister or marrying far away, she needs to have enough knowledge and wisdom to face future challenges.

The reason why Concubine Yuyao hoped that Lin Zhiruo could teach the princess some natural knowledge might be due to this consideration.

"Ok."

Although Caiwei was reluctant, she finally agreed reluctantly.

She knew Concubine Yuyao's temper and determination very well, and she also understood that she could not change her decision.

With Concubine Yuyao waving goodbye, the princess and her entourage embarked on their adventure.

The princess saw the world outside the Glass Palace for the first time and cheered with excitement.

She saw more maids and guards than in the palace, and looked around curiously.

Lin Zhiruo was originally worried that the princess would cry out of fear, but it turned out that her worry was unnecessary.

The princess is truly courageous. She bravely explores this unknown world, as if she wants to engrave every moment in her heart.

The princess jumped and skipped along the way, making all kinds of happy noises.

Sometimes she turned to Lin Zhiruo or Caiwei, pointing at something and asking their names.

The two of them patiently answered every question she had, even though she might not fully understand them.

But she responded to their words excitedly by shouting "Woof woof" like a curious puppy, as if she understood everything.

The two guarding eunuchs kept a proper distance and watched everything around them vigilantly.

In this harem, children are undoubtedly a rare existence.

They all knew that the princess was the only child here who was under ten years old, so her every move was closely watched.

Some people smiled kindly because they hadn't seen the child for a long time; some people stepped back in horror when they discovered the princess's identity; and some people had complicated expressions on their faces and just stared at the future princess quietly.

Everyone has different opinions about the princess, but her arrival undoubtedly adds a touch of color to this dull harem.

The princess was too young to understand the meaning behind these looks.

But as she grows up, she may gradually understand the meaning and expectations these gazes represent.

Princess Ai Ling is full of curiosity and desire for everything around her.

She shuttled through the crowd like a happy little bird, making Caiwei, who was holding her hand, very troubled.

The original plan was to go from the Glass Palace to the cherry orchard in the west to pick cherries and then return to the palace, but he ended up taking many detours along the way.

When the group finally approached the palace gate to the west, Caiwei was just breathing a sigh of relief at having reached their destination...

Suddenly, a sharp "Wow" was heard.

The sound sounded like a baby crying, but the princess looked around for something.

Just when everyone was confused, the princess suddenly broke free from Caiwei's hand and ran away.

Caiwei hurriedly chased after her and saw the princess sticking her head into the gap between two buildings.

"Princess, no!"

Caiwei shouted in panic.

However, her cry overlapped with a high-pitched "meow~".

It turned out that the princess was trying to find something by crawling into the gap.

Seeing this, Lin Zhiruo hurriedly walked towards the buildings in place of the princess, leaning sideways to see what was going on.

"I'll go take a look."

Lin Zhiruo said.

There was a certain determination and courage in her voice.

"Lin Zhiruo!"

Caiwei and the princess' voices rang out at the same time.

Caiwei reluctantly stepped aside to let Lin Zhiruo in.

Lin Zhiruo crawled into the deepest part of the crack in the wall to look for the little life that made the sound.

In the dim corner, Lin Zhiruo finally saw those golden eyes.

As she reached out to grab it, the thing slipped away from her feet.

“Meow!”

The princess's and Caiwei's voices overlapped again.

They were all anxiously waiting for Lin Zhiruo's response.

Caiwei held the princess's hand tightly to prevent her from running in.

Just then, a dirty kitten ran out from the crack in the wall.

When it saw a group of humans suddenly appear in front of it, it was so scared that its hair stood on end and its tail trembled nervously.

“Meow!”

The princess pointed at the kitten and shouted excitedly.

She wanted to catch it and have some fun with it.

Lin Zhiruo tried to climb out from the crack in the wall, but found that she was stuck and unable to move.

(It's going to run away!)

Lin Zhiruo thought to herself.

At this moment, a strange palace maid suddenly stood in front of the kitten.

The kitten's attention was focused on Lin Zhiruo and the others, and he didn't notice this sudden "enemy" at all.

So, it was easily caught by the palace maid.

After the maid caught the kitten, she turned to look at Lin Zhiruo and the others and asked:

"Do you want this?"

There was a hint of childish innocence in her tone.

She was very tall, but her facial features were very childish. She looked about the same age as Lin Zhiruo, or perhaps even younger.

She was wearing fashionable clothes, exuding a contradictory and mysterious aura.

"Thank you."

Lin Zhiruo said gratefully.

When she reached out to take the dirty kitten, she saw it trembling in the maid's hand.

Lin Zhiruo took out a handkerchief from her bosom, carefully wrapped the kitten, and picked it up.

Even through the handkerchief, they could feel its little heart beating violently, as if asking for help, and it made a faint "meow~" sound.

It seemed to have run away out of fear, but it had exhausted its strength after just a few steps and was now in a state of collapse.

"Maybe it's hungry? You guys take good care of it. I'm leaving first."

The palace maid smiled, waved, then turned and left.

Her figure gradually faded away in the afterglow of the setting sun and finally disappeared from sight.

Lin Zhiruo looked at the kitten in her hands, and an inexplicable emotion surged in her heart.

She decided to take it back to the princess.

Perhaps the arrival of this little life will add a new color to the princess's life.

"...Lin Zhiruo, what is this?"

Caiwei looked at the kitten, raised one eyebrow and showed a puzzled expression.

The princess called out "Meow, meow," urging Lin Zhiruo to show her the cat.

However, Caiwei didn't dare let her touch the dirty kitten.

But they couldn't just leave it alone, so they had to interrupt their walk and return to the palace with the kitten and the princess.

The princess took a keen interest in the kitten.

She imitated the sound of a cat and urged Lin Zhiruo to show the cat to her, but Caiwei refused to let her touch the dirty little creature.

In desperation, Lin Zhiruo had to comfort the princess with her favorite snacks, and then took the kitten to the Shangshi Bureau.

She knew that if this continued the kitten might die, so she had to find a way to save it as soon as possible.

However, Lin Zhiruo's heart was full of doubts and confusion.

This season is indeed the breeding season for animals, but that is outside the harem.

There are almost no animals that can be called pets in the harem.

Although a very small number of concubines would raise exotic birds in bird cages, it is said that keeping pets such as cats and dogs was strictly prohibited.

Even if one wants to keep a pet, one must obtain the emperor's consent, and one cannot keep male and female pets together.

If animals are brought in, all males must be castrated to prevent them from reproducing.

Such regulations sound very strict, but they are also for the sake of order and safety in the harem.

It can be difficult to deal with a pet once it escapes.