Looking at the young Emperor again, no significant change appeared on his face after hearing the chef claim the making of the pastries.
However, he suddenly turned to Lin Yi beside him and said:
"Little Lin, go and let him have a taste of these pastries."
Lin Yi, who was somewhat confused, suddenly heard the young Emperor's voice, first startled, then quickly stood up from the ground with a somewhat numb sensation.
He then picked up the tray filled with delicate pastries in front of him and walked towards that chef.
At this moment, the chef was already dumbfounded, and sweat was beading on his forehead.
The only thought in his mind was that there must be something wrong with the pastries he made.
Perhaps, they were extremely awful in taste.
He was really panicking now, fearing that the Emperor's displeasure might lead him to be dragged out and beheaded.
After all, the most difficult to guess since ancient times are the thoughts of an Emperor.
The young Emperor, kneeling before the desk, kept his eyes fixated on the chef, as if trying to see through his heart.
However, despite her efforts, she could not hear thoughts like Lin Yi could.
Meanwhile, Lin Yi, after bringing the plate of pastries in front of the chef and seeing him still dazed, directly placed the plate in front of him.
This action jolted the chef back to reality.
Looking at the pastries he made, he tentatively stole a glance at the young Emperor, then bracing himself, picked up a piece of pastry and carefully put it into his mouth.
However, as soon as the pastry entered his mouth, a burst of unusual sweetness and freshness filled his palate.
This made the chef momentarily stunned.
A puzzled expression crossed his face.
He muttered to himself that the taste was right, the same as what he had tasted while making them.
The genuine confusion displayed on his face was all seen by the young Emperor.
This made her frown even deeper.
Could it be that this guy really doesn't know anything? Is he pretending, or is there something else going on?
Or is it truly a misunderstanding, and they didn't know the pastries were poisoned?
However, while the young Emperor was pondering, Lin Yi's voice suddenly echoed in her mind:
"Ha, this woman is really bimbo; the chef definitely does not know about this matter. If he knew the stuff was poisoned, would he dare to come after being summoned? He would probably have died of fright already.
Clearly, there are two possibilities; one is that everyone is unaware of the Seven Star Grass, and the other is that someone has used this chef…"
With this thought, it instantly dawned upon the young Emperor.
It seems that the chef indeed was unaware of the real situation, someone must have used him.
So, the Emperor's gaze softened somewhat as she looked again at the chef:
"How is it? The taste is superb, right? I really like it. Consider this piece of pastry as your reward, and later, go to the Internal Affairs Department to receive fifty taels of reward silver."
Upon hearing this, the chef, who had been anxious, instantly relaxed like a deflated balloon.
And he couldn't help but knock his head on the floor three times in rapid succession towards the young Emperor, repeatedly expressing his gratitude.
The young Emperor, seeing this, did not give him another look but simply waved her hand:
"Alright, you may leave."
As all this unfolded, Lin Yi's eyebrows slightly furrowed, really wondering what the young Emperor was up to this time.
And his inner thoughts were simultaneously transmitted into the mind of the young Emperor.
Only hearing his puzzled doubts, the delicate corners of the young Emperor's lips slightly curled up, revealing a charming smile.
At the same time, a cold snort followed in her heart.
She found that she really enjoyed watching this guy being deflated.
After the chef left, the young Emperor immediately called out to the old eunuch outside the door,
"Go investigate his background thoroughly for me, but don't startle the grass and scare the snake."
The summoned old eunuch responded immediately upon hearing the order and quickly left the hall.
However, Lin Yi couldn't help feeling as if the deeply wrinkled old face seemed to flash him a strange smile.
This made Lin Yi feel very uncomfortable.
But now, Lin Yi finally understood the young Emperor's intentions.
It seems this woman had not relaxed her suspicions after all; letting the chef go and rewarding him was to dig out the person behind him.
It looks like this woman still has some tricks up her sleeve.
Moreover, Lin Yi also realized something else—it seemed that the sinister-faced old eunuch must be one of the young Emperor's trusted aides.
No wonder such covert affairs were entrusted to him.
It's no surprise the old fellow always had such a sullen demeanor.
But it was unclear what that strange smile meant for him.
It seemed that he would have to be cautious of that old fellow going forward.
"Hehe, you think it's over just like that? You're still too naive."
Suddenly, just as Lin Yi was lost in his thoughts standing next to the young Emperor, she blurted out such a phrase.
This involuntarily made Lin Yi look up at the young Emperor.
He also wondered, was the young Emperor just talking to him?
This thought came because, at this moment in the hall, aside from the young Emperor, there was only him.
Sure enough, as he looked up, he saw the young Emperor looking at him with a half-smile.
However, before Lin Yi could react, the young Emperor suddenly waved her hand in front of her and then said something that baffled Lin Yi:
"Go ahead, I want to see who is in such a hurry."
[Go ahead? Is she talking to me??? Does she want me to keep an eye on that chef?]
However, just as his mind was completely baffled, he suddenly heard a very cold female voice in his ear.
"Understood!"
Although it was just one word, Lin Yi truly felt the chill in its tone.
It seemed completely devoid of emotion.
And importantly, the voice did not come from the young Emperor.
But no matter how surprised Lin Yi looked around, he could not spot a third person.
Just at that moment, suddenly with a creak,
the window behind the hall eerily opened by itself, and then Lin Yi just saw a blur, as a white figure instantly disappeared through the window...
...End of Chapter…