Chu Nanzhi got inside the carriage and inspected it. The luxurious and spacious carriage was cleaned spotlessly. Stroking the light and smooth silk on the inner wall was like stroking delicate skin.
The elegant sandalwood aroma lingers in the entire carriage, refreshing the mind.
Chu Nanzhi recovered from her intoxication and quietly stared at every corner inside. Indeed, as Li Sanmu said, there was nothing unusual.
There were no signs of a fight, and there was no damage to the carriage from the inside to the outside.
It seems that Zheng's accident did not happen on the carriage.
He got off the carriage again, squatted down and looked at the wheels carefully.
The wheels also look brand new, as if they have been specially cleaned with water.
She turned her head to look at the handyman who came with the Qi family, and asked, "Who cleaned the carriage when it returned from outside the city yesterday?"
The handymen shouted in the distance, and then they saw a middle-aged man with a goatee lazily walking over.
Chu Nanzhi glanced at the man: "Is it you who cleans the carriage?"
"It's small."
The man replied nonchalantly.
Chu Nanzhi looked towards the smelly stables again: "Why didn't you clean the stables but only the carriage?"
"Returning to the princess, this carriage is the old lady's favorite car. It was built with a lot of money. My uncle also specially told me that I don't dare to slack off."
This explanation makes sense. After all, it is not a cheap product.
Jiang Xueyi is indeed filial.
No wonder he is much more lovable in the Qi family than his poor uncle Chu Wenyu.
Examining the mustachioed man, Chu Nanzhi asked solemnly: "Did you notice anything unusual when you were cleaning the carriage?"
"Back to Princess, there is nothing unusual."
The bearded man replied: "It's just that there is some mud on the walls and wheels of the car."
"silt?"
Chu Nanzhi couldn't help but frowned.
This place has been experiencing drought for several months. Why is there silt on the official road?
It's quite strange.
It stands to reason that at most it will be covered with some dust.
She waved her hand at the man and pushed him back, then continued to lie down and start checking the bottom of the carriage.
She was used to the subtle scent of sandalwood in the car, and when she unexpectedly approached the wheel, she suddenly smelled a pungent smell of sour rot.
The pungent smell is very familiar, but it is not the mild sourness of bamboo vinegar.
"Li Gongcao, bring me a lamp."
Chu Nanzhi ordered Li Sanmu while looking at the wheels.
After Li Sanmu took out the lamp, Chu Nanzhi took the lamp and inspected it carefully near the wheel.
After sniffing carefully, she discovered that the sour smell was coming from the wheels.
"It's strange, why is there such a sour smell on the official road?"
And silt?
Chu Nanzhi felt puzzled.
Could it be that Zheng's carriage did not always follow the official road and changed its route somewhere?
She continued to look through the wheel, and when she was lost in thought, her eyes suddenly lit up and she saw a purple-red mark on the bottom of the wheel.
Because the entire wheel has been washed by water, although the purple-red mark has been diluted, it can still be seen clearly under the lighting.
I walked closer to the mark and checked again. The bright color did not look like blood.
The blood turns dark red after it dries and solidifies, but the purple-red color stained on the wheels looks extremely bright and bright, more like a color produced by a chemical reaction.
Chu Nanzhi thoughtfully put her nose to the wheel and sniffed it again. A faint sour smell penetrated her nose, making her cough repeatedly.
Hearing the sound of coughing, Li Sanmu quickly bent down and asked with concern: "The princess is not feeling well?"
Chu Nanzhi waved his hand: "Go and Li Dianshi to bring His Highness over. There is no need to call anyone else."
Li Sanmu nodded anxiously, and then left in response.
Chu Nanzhi wiped the mark with her slender fingers, touched it to the tip of her tongue and tasted it. The sourness was mixed with a faint sweet taste.
She thought over and over again in her mind, and suddenly she had an idea.
After Lin Jinxiao came over, Chu Nanzhi saw that Tang Ru and the Qi family had not followed, and asked with relief: "Is there any large dye factory outside this city?"
Lin Jinxiao frowned, thought for a while, and replied unhurriedly: "There are several dye factories in the north of the city. One is in Cangshan Mountain more than ten miles away from the city, and the other is in a village fifty miles away.
."
Chu Nanzhi pursed his lips and shook his head: "In just one night, the carriage cannot travel fifty miles and then turn back. It can only be in the Cangshan Mountain you mentioned."
"Cangshan?"
Lin Jinxiao frowned: "Why do you doubt this place? There are only small roads in Cangshan Mountain, and there are potholes everywhere. It is extremely inconvenient to walk at night."
Li Sanmu suddenly had an idea: "The path in Cangshan Mountain can lead to the Jinglu Canal. Could it be that Mrs. Zheng just went into the mountain to meet Wu Enrong?"
"now it's right."
Chu Nanzhi said with a smile: "Wu Enrong wanted to hide his eyes from others and not meet the Zheng family openly, so he deliberately made it look like he was walking by water, and chose to meet the Zheng family in a secluded mountain, so that no one would notice anything.
."
Lin Jinxiao suddenly realized this and immediately ordered Li Ce: "Ask all the county government officials and coastal defense battalion soldiers to rush to Cangshan Mountain and dig three feet into the ground to find the Zheng family."
When Chu Nanzhi was being pulled away by him, she suddenly turned around, looked at the two magnificent carriages, and hinted: "These carriages should be put under the care of the county government for the time being, and maybe they will become evidence in the future."
."
Lin Jinxiao glanced at the carriage. Li Sanmu and the guards inspected it for a long time but could not find any clues. Could it be that she, the lady, discovered something fishy on the carriage?
In front of so many people, it was hard for him to ask too many questions.
A group of people walked into the courtyard. Tang Ru led everyone and they were looking forward to it. When they saw Chu Nanzhi and Lin Jinxiao, they hurriedly came over and asked, "Have you found any clues, Princess?"
Chu Nanzhi did not answer directly, but simply said: "Narrow the search scope first and search in Cangshan Mountain."
"Cangshan? Does the princess think that my mother-in-law disappeared in Cangshan?"
Jiang Xueyi immediately smiled and shook his head: "This is impossible. How could my mother-in-law run into the mountains in the middle of the night?"
Qi Yuhuan and Qi Yujie were even more displeased when they heard this: "Wu Enrong has been imprisoned by the imperial concubine and King Dongjin, but King Pingning does not interrogate him, but instead goes to the mountains and forests to look for him. Isn't this deliberately playing tricks on us?
?”
Chu Nanzhi sneered and shook his head: "Since you two ladies are so smart, why don't you go to the county prison to interrogate Prefect Wu in person? After all, your Qi family's methods of governing people are no worse than those in prison."
"you"
Qi Yujie was so angry that her face was livid, but Lin Jinxiao blocked her back with one word: "I have said that the princess will be solely responsible for this case. If Mrs. Qi wants to interpret this reasonable inference as a joke, in my opinion
It’s not a bad idea.”
After saying that, he led Chu Nanzhi, Li Ce, Li Sanmu and others to leave Qi's house resolutely.