Jian Ning subconsciously looked at Ma Fuquan. This was a habit formed in the special police force. Whenever there was a mission or an unexpected situation, the team members were used to looking at the captain's reaction first.
Huo Jincheng caught her subconscious reaction, and his suspicion grew even more.
He noticed Jian Ning, and Ding Youtian noticed him too. "Brother Ma." Ding Youtian kicked Jian Ning under the table. "You've been working in the government for so long. Chasing and arresting criminals shouldn't be difficult for you, right?"
"This is what Brother Ma does. Let's listen to what he has to say." Jian Ning herself also noticed the glance given by Huo Jincheng. Fortunately, Ma Fuquan used to be a constable and is now the head of the police. She thinks he is normal, right?
I don't know what Huo Jincheng is so sensitive about, but it does warn her to be more restrained. Prince Pingnan and Zhuo Qingmu have both asked her about the drone, so what can she say? She can only bring up her master, Grandma Wu, the reclusive master.
Things given by the master should not be shown to others easily.
The ancients attached great importance to respecting teachers, so after she said this, they really stopped asking questions, and this was considered an excuse to get away with it.
"From her social..." Ma Fuquan paused, swallowing the words "social connections" in time. He chuckled while pinching the dumplings and said, "First, we should start by investigating the people around her and follow the clues. Where can a woman like her hide?"
Ma Fuquan had heard some of Huo Jincheng's stories about Prince Pingnan's Mansion these days, and had also communicated with Jian Ning through the electronic screen. He knew everything that had happened.
"When did you find out that the person was missing?" he asked Duan Yu.
"My father rushed into her courtyard as soon as he came back, but didn't see anyone. He asked the servants there, but they all said they didn't know." Duan Yu said, then looked at Jian Ning, "Dad took people to the Zhuo Mansion."
"Was it Xinping who tipped her off?" Jian Ning was secretly annoyed. She hadn't guarded against Duan Xinping. After all, they were mother and daughter. She was careless and underestimated the power of family affection. She thought that Duan Xinping didn't have the courage to challenge the patriarchy.
"Daddy was very angry. He took people to the Zhuo Mansion without even changing his clothes. Will my elder sister and second sister be in trouble?" Duan Yu looked a little worried. Duan Xinping had been practicing martial arts with his mother and was very kind to him. He didn't want Duan Xinping to be involved in Aunt Min's affairs.
Zhuo Mansion.
Duan Xinping and Zhuo Qingmu, who had changed back into women's clothes, both knelt in the yard. Zhuo Qingmu's father was only a ninth-rank prison warden. As a concubine's daughter, Duan Xinping could only choose to marry a lower-ranking man if she wanted to be his legal wife.
Fortunately, Zhuo Qingmu treated her very well, and her mother-in-law was not a meddlesome person. She had always lived a comfortable life in her husband's family. At this moment, she looked at the frosty King Pingnan with tears in her eyes, "Daddy, for the sake of my sister's safe return, and for the sake of my aunt raising three children for you, I beg you to spare my aunt's life!"
After she said that, she began to kowtow.
Seeing this, Zhuo Qingmu kowtowed without saying a word, and blood soon appeared on the foreheads of both of them.
The warden and his wife wanted to persuade her but didn't dare, and the servants all stayed away, not daring to approach. Prince Pingnan raised his hand and said, "Forget it! If you insist on not telling me where she's hiding, I won't ask you any more. I'll just pretend I never gave birth to you. From now on, you are no longer my daughter, and I will never let that vicious woman go!"
The Zhuo Mansion was a compact, two-story house. The servants brought by Prince Pingnan had searched it thoroughly, but there was no trace of Min. He clasped his fist at Zhuo's father and said, "I'm sorry!"
"Your Highness, you are too kind." Zhuo's father nodded and bowed carefully. How could a mere prison warden dare to challenge the Prince of Pingnan? He diligently escorted the Prince of Pingnan and his entourage to the gate of the mansion. Turning back, he saw his son and daughter-in-law still kneeling in the courtyard. He sighed, "How foolish! How foolish!"
He flicked his sleeves and walked into the room.
"Husband, my father doesn't recognize me anymore, what should I do?" Duan Xinping cried breathlessly and fell into Zhuo Qingmu's arms.
"It's okay. When my father-in-law calms down, I'll go with you to apologize to him later." Zhuo Qingmu hugged her and stood up, then asked, "Did you really tell my aunt?"
"I don't want to do that either. You know I've never been close to her. But she is my mother after all!" Duan Xinping said and burst into tears again.
When Prince Pingnan came out of Zhuo's mansion, the palace soldiers who were sent to inquire at the city gate also came back. There was a portrait of Min in the palace, and they took it to the city gate to inquire. The guards at the city gate said they had no impression of the portrait after looking at it.
Where could that vicious woman have hidden if she hadn't left the city?
Prince Pingnan pondered for a moment, then took his men to the prison. Only then did he learn that Hou Balai had been transferred to the prison of the Ministry of Justice, so he took his men to the prison of the Ministry of Justice again.
Jian Ning left Duan Yu to eat dumplings together. She also made some steamed dumplings and planned to go with Duan Yu to bring them to Prince Pingnan, the Princess, and Concubine Li to try.
"Eldest sister, if Aunt Min wasn't at Brother Zhuo's house, where do you think she would hide?"
"Brother Ma, let's not talk about it anymore. Let's start by investigating the people around her. She might be in the Zhuo Mansion or hiding at Aunt Peng's place. Aunt Peng's son is in jail, but she's not in there. Did you see her at the mansion when you came?"
"That old woman hasn't been here for a long time. She seems to have seldom come to the house since my eldest sister sent her son to jail."
After eating dumplings, Jian Ning picked up the food box and took a carriage with Duan Yu to the Prince of Pingnan's Mansion. Just after passing the flower hall, they heard Duan Xinyan making a big fuss. Several maids and old women were pulling her at the other end of the corridor because Concubine Li had ordered them to keep an eye on her and not let her go to Jian Ning to cause trouble.
Seeing Jane Ning coming, she angrily broke free from the maid and ran towards Jane Ning.
"Third sister." Duan Yu took a step forward to stop her from coming closer.
"Get out of here!" She was so furious that even if she had some strength, how could she push Duan Yu away? It was Jian Ning who pulled Duan Yu away, "What are you crazy about? Are you itching for a fight?"
"Why? Everyone says you forced my mother away. Why did you cause so much trouble when you came back? Daddy ignored me, and he ignored me when I called him. What did my mother do to provoke you? Why are you so angry with my mother?"
Jian Ning sneered, "You will know what your mother did. Besides, if I hadn't come back, you would have married into Prince Yong's mansion."
"Ah!" she screamed, "I hate you! I hate you!" She stomped her feet several times and ran towards the inner courtyard crying.
"Ignore her, let's go see mother. I heard from my aunt that mother has been much better in recent days."
"I don't care about her, let's go."
The princess had indeed improved considerably. Seeing Jian Ning, she eagerly came forward, pulled Jian Ning up and down, looked her over for a moment, then looked at Concubine Li with tears of joy. She nodded and said, "It's Ning'er, my Ning'er. Ning'er, you've grown up. Your father came back and told me that you and your daughter have already met. Is what your father said true?"
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