Jade Without Fragrance

   Chapter 231

  Cheng Maoming looked natural, and he didn't realize that there was anything wrong with his words.

  Honglu Siqing couldn't help but glance at Qi Shuo and found that Prince Jing looked more natural.

   He stroked his beard blankly, suspecting that the problem might be himself.

  Lin Haoyi glanced at Cheng Maoming vaguely.

The tone of    "our prince" is so strange, what did Ah Shuo do to Governor Cheng Da?

   "Do you want to draw the missing maid?" The envoy Yuliu agreed without hesitation, "Yes. But I haven't paid much attention to that maid, so let the people who get along with her tell me."

  Everyone turned to the courtyard. After the tables and chairs were set, three maids in jade costumes came over.

  The envoy Yuliu pointed at them and said, "They all serve the princess with the missing maid, and they get along very well day and night."

   The three maids bowed their knees and looked at Qi Shuo with the curiosity and excitement of a girl of this age when she saw the young handsome man.

   Qi Shuo glanced at them and said calmly, "Let's start."

   Next is one person asking questions and three answering.

  What age and height of the missing maid, from face shape to figure, as the question became more and more detailed, a young girl appeared on the paper.

   "Look at it, is that so?" Qi Shuo put down his pen, his tone was gentle and polite.

   "It's Bailing!" The maid who spoke first blushed.

  Qi Shuo glanced at her, and turned his warm eyes to the other two maids.

  The two maids nodded again and again: "It's too similar, Bailing looks like this."

  The envoy Yuliu glanced at the portrait and couldn't help but be surprised: "The prince's painting skills are really amazing, I have never seen this kind of figure painting before."

  Yu Liu has many talents who are good at drawing figures, but the more important thing is the artistic conception. If you really want to find someone in front of the portrait, it is just a joke.

   "That's right, our prince's painting method is unique." Cheng Maoming said proudly.

   Hongyu Siqing couldn't help but look over again.

   What's with the proud tone of Governor Cheng?

   At this time, a Jinlin Guard came over and whispered in Cheng Maoming's ear: "Great Governor, I searched the guest house again, but still found nothing."

  Cheng Maoming nodded to show that he understood, picked up the portrait carefully and blew it, and instructed his subordinates: "Let those painters draw more portraits according to this painting, and distribute them to those looking for them."

   The subordinates took orders and left.

   "Do you need to ask anyone else?" Yuliu envoy expressed the intention of seeing off guests.

  Cheng Maoming pretended not to see it: "In order to find your country's maid as soon as possible, of course you have to ask more people."

   Yuliu's envoy showed impatience: "Didn't you ask about it yesterday, no one saw Bailing go out."

   "Then ask again, in case there are any omissions." Cheng Maoming said earnestly, "The longer it drags on, the more dangerous the envoy said, right?"

   "Lord Cheng, do it yourself." The envoy Yuliu said lightly.

   Soon the doorman was called.

  The guest house was originally a place for temporary accommodation of foreign guests, and the gatekeepers were naturally Dazhou people. The doorman answered every question and was very cooperative, but there was no useful information.

   These words were actually asked yesterday. Cheng Maoming only felt anxious when he heard it, and couldn't help but stare at Qi Shuo from the corner of his eye.

   Prince Jing won't say anything? It's hard for him to do that.

   A soft voice suddenly sounded: "Why don't you ask the maid of Yuliu who went out when she was missing, maybe someone who went out can provide some clues."

   As soon as these words came out, many eyes turned to the handsome young man who had been silently beside Prince Jing.

   Cheng Maoming was surprised when he found out that it was Lin Hao who spoke.

   This is a new way of investigating a dead end! If Prince Jing proposed it, he felt that it was normal. Who made Prince Jing his lucky star——

  Wait, Lucky Star?

  Cheng Maoming slowly looked at Qi Shuo, his heart was shocked.

   Prince Jing brought the second girl Lin, is it destined that the second girl will help him? Therefore, it is still because of Prince Jing.

   At this moment, Cheng Maoming was suddenly full of confidence in finding out the disappearance of Yuliu maid.

  Lin Hao: "..." Regardless of whether what she said makes sense or not, what did Governor Cheng see Ah Shuo do?

"This is--"

As soon as the envoy Yuliu spoke, Cheng Maoming coughed suddenly: "Cough, it makes sense."

   He turned to the doorman and drew the attention of the others: "Do you still have any impressions of the people who came in and out yesterday?"

  The doorman looked embarrassed: "There are many people who come in and out every day, and the common people may not remember them all."

   "It's okay, remember to say as much as you want."

   "It seems that during that time period, there were no distinguished guests from Yuliu, and all those who went out were people from our inn..." The doorman tried to recall.

The people who were soon mentioned by the doormen were called, including the clerks and helpers who went out to buy things, the women who brought the clothes to wash, a few servants who left after finishing their work, and the little maids who came out to buy groceries when the merchant passed by... …

The    guest house is of a special nature. It is neither a yamen, nor an inn, nor a private residence. Most people leave after finishing their day's work, but only a few stay overnight. Fortunately, it was not before noon when the maid Yuliu was found missing, and not many people left.

   "Tell me, when did you leave, and did you see anyone with suspicious behavior?" Cheng Maoming said with a stern face.

The clerk was the first to answer: "As soon as the day dawned, the villain took the two of them out to buy. There are distinguished guests, so the food can't be sloppy. The chicken, duck, vegetables and vegetables have to be the freshest... When are you coming back? , usually come back at this time."

   "The little woman lives nearby. Today, she came to deliver the starched and washed clothes. She stayed in the guest house for a quarter of an hour before returning home."

   "The maid didn't go out, so I bought a few embroidery threads outside the door." The little girl who said this was afraid and aggrieved.

   "Little people..."

  Cheng Maoming listened, frowning: "Haven't found anyone wrong?"

   Everyone shook their heads in unison.

   Cheng Maoming's face was gloomy, and he asked the doorman, "Is there anyone else?"

   The doorman shook his head: "Xiaomin really can't remember."

  Cheng Maoming glanced at those people: "Then what they said is different from your impression?"

  The doorman heard this, swept over those people one by one, and said hesitantly: "There's no difference—"

   When he glanced at a man next to Xiaoli, he paused: "Hu Da seems to have gone out again."

  The man named Hu Da is the assistant of the clerk, and together with another assistant, he is responsible for transporting the purchased things back.

   Hu Da became anxious when he heard it: "Old Zhang, you can't talk nonsense. I haven't been out since I came back with Liu Tou. I've been helping in the back kitchen. Sister Wang can testify."

  Cheng Maoming finally heard some inconsistency, so naturally he couldn't let it go, and immediately called the cook to ask.

  The cook nodded embarrassedly: "Because I bought a lot of fresh water chestnuts to peel, I was too busy so I asked Hu Da to help clean it up."

   "Look, my lord, Xiaomin didn't lie."

  Cheng Maoming glanced at the doorman.

  The doorman looked embarrassed: "That may be a mistake, so many people come and go in a day..."

   Qi Shuo watched silently, his heart moved.

   (end of this chapter)