Cheng Maoming's expression was natural, not feeling in the slightest that there was anything wrong with his words.
The Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies couldn't help but glance at Qi Shuo, only to find that the Heir of Prince Jing looked even more natural.
He blankly stroked his beard, suspecting that he might be the one with the problem.
Lin Hao also cast a subtle glance at Cheng Maoming.
"Our Heir"—this phrasing was so strange. What had A-Shuo done to Grand Commandant Cheng?
"You want to draw the missing maidservant?" The Yuli envoy agreed without hesitation. "Very well. However, I didn't pay much attention to that maid; it would be better to call someone who spent a lot of time with her."
The group moved to the courtyard. Once the tables, chairs, brushes, and ink were set up, three maidservants dressed in Yuli attire walked over.
The Yuli envoy pointed to them and said, "They all served the Princess alongside the missing maidservant; they spent their days and nights together and were very close."
The three maidservants curtsied, their eyes toward Qi Shuo hiding the curiosity and excitement a girl of their age feels when seeing a young, handsome man.
Qi Shuo glanced at them and said calmly, "Begin."
What followed was one person questioning and three people answering.
The missing maidservant's age, her height, from the shape of her face to her figure—as the questions grew more detailed, a young girl leaped vividly onto the paper.
"Take a look, is this her?" Qi Shuo put down the brush, his tone gentle and polite.
"It's Bailing!" The first maidservant to speak blushed slightly.
Qi Shuo glanced at her, then cast a calm gaze toward the other two maidservants.
The two maidservants nodded repeatedly. "It's too similar; Bailing looks exactly like this."
The Yuli envoy looked at the portrait and couldn't help but be surprised. "The Heir's painting skills are truly remarkable; I have never seen this style of figure painting before."
While Yuli had many talented painters of figures, they placed more importance on spirit and artistic conception; to actually use a portrait to find a person would be a joke.
"Of course, our Heir's painting style can be called unique," Cheng Maoming said proudly.
The Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies couldn't help but look over again.
What was with Grand Commandant Cheng's tone of shared glory?
At that moment, a Jinlin Guard approached and whispered a report into Cheng Maoming's ear, "Grand Commandant, we searched the guest house again, but still found nothing."
Cheng Maoming nodded to indicate he understood. He carefully picked up the portrait, blew on it, and instructed his subordinate, "Have those painters create more copies based on this drawing and distribute them to search for the person."
The subordinate took the order and left.
"Is there anyone else who needs to be questioned?" The Yuli envoy showed signs of wanting to see them out.
Cheng Maoming pretended not to notice. "In order to find your country's maidservant as soon as possible, we must naturally ask more people."
The Yuli envoy looked impatient. "Didn't we ask everyone yesterday? No one saw Bailing leave."
"We still have to ask again; what if there was an oversight?" Cheng Maoming said earnestly. "The longer it drags on, the more dangerous it becomes. Wouldn't you agree, Envoy?"
"Then Lord Cheng may do as he pleases," the Yuli envoy said indifferently.
Soon, the gatekeepers were summoned.
The guest house was a temporary place for foreign guests, so the guards were naturally people of Great Zhou. The gatekeepers answered every question and were very cooperative, yet there was simply no useful information.
These questions had actually been asked yesterday. Listening to them, Cheng Maoming felt only agitation and couldn't help but steal a glance at Qi Shuo.
Wasn't the Heir of Prince Jing going to say something? This was making things very difficult for him.
Suddenly, a soft voice rang out, "Why not ask who left during the time the Yuli maidservant went missing? Perhaps those who went out can provide some clues."
As soon as these words were spoken, several gazes turned toward the delicate youth who had been silently staying by the Heir of Prince Jing's side.
Cheng Maoming discovered that the one who spoke was Lin Hao and looked surprised.
This was a new line of thought for an investigation that had hit a dead end! If the Heir of Prince Jing had proposed it, he would have found it perfectly normal—after all, the Heir of Prince Jing was his lucky star—
Wait, lucky star?
Cheng Maoming slowly looked at Qi Shuo, his heart jolting.
The Heir of Prince Jing brought Second Miss Lin along because it was predestined that Second Miss Lin would help him, right? So, in the end, it was still because of the Heir of Prince Jing.
At this moment, Cheng Maoming suddenly felt full of confidence in uncovering the disappearance of the Yuli maidservant.
Lin Hao: "..." Regardless of whether what she said made sense, why was Grand Commandant Cheng looking at A-Shuo?
"This is—"
As the Yuli envoy opened his mouth, Cheng Maoming suddenly coughed. "Cough, that makes sense."
He turned to the gatekeeper, drawing everyone else's attention as well. "Do you still have an impression of the people who entered and exited yesterday?"
The gatekeeper looked troubled. "Many people enter and exit every day; this humble citizen might not remember them all."
"No matter, say as much as you remember."
"During that time period, it seems no Yuli guests went out; those who left were all people from our guest house..." The gatekeeper tried hard to recall.
Soon, the people mentioned by the gatekeeper were called over: low-ranking officials and assistants who went out for procurement, a woman who delivered laundered clothes, several hired hands who left after finishing their chores, and a little maidservant who came out to buy sundries when a peddler passed by...
The nature of the guest house was special; it was neither a government office, nor an inn, nor a private residence. Most people left after finishing their day's work, and those who stayed overnight were the minority. Fortunately, it was not yet noon when the Yuli maidservant's disappearance was discovered, so not many people had left.
"All of you speak. When did you leave, and did you see anyone acting suspiciously?" Cheng Maoming said with a stern face.
The low-ranking official answered first, "As soon as it dawned, this humble citizen took those two out for procurement. With distinguished guests present, the meals cannot be sloppy; the chicken, duck, and vegetables all had to be the freshest... When did we return? Probably around the middle of the Hour of the Dragon; we usually return at that time."
"This humble woman lives nearby; today I came to return the laundered clothes. I only stayed in the guest house for fifteen minutes before going home."
"This servant didn't leave the grounds; I just bought a few spools of embroidery thread outside the gate." The little maidservant who said this looked both frightened and aggrieved.
"This humble citizen..."
Listening to this, Cheng Maoming's brow furrowed. "None of you noticed anyone unusual?"
Everyone shook their heads in unison.
Cheng Maoming's expression darkened as he asked the gatekeeper, "Is there anyone else?"
The gatekeeper shook his head. "This humble citizen truly cannot remember."
Cheng Maoming glanced at the people. "Does what they said differ from your impression?"
Hearing this, the gatekeeper scanned the people one by one and hesitated. "There isn't much difference—"
When his gaze passed over a man next to the low-ranking official, he paused. "Hu Da seems to have gone out one more time."
The man called Hu Da was the official's assistant, responsible for transporting the procured goods back along with another assistant.
As soon as Hu Da heard this, he became anxious. "Old Zhang, you can't talk nonsense! After I returned with Head Liu, I never went out again; I've been helping in the kitchen the whole time. Sister Wang can testify."
Having finally heard a discrepancy, Cheng Maoming naturally could not let it go and immediately called the cook to question her.
The cook nodded shyly. "Because a lot of fresh water caltrops were bought and needed shelling, I couldn't keep up, so I asked Hu Da to help tidy them up."
"Lord, you see, this humble citizen didn't lie."
Cheng Maoming glanced at the gatekeeper.
The gatekeeper looked embarrassed. "Then I might have remembered incorrectly; so many people enter and exit in a day..."
Qi Shuo watched silently, and something clicked in his mind.
(End of Chapter)