Chapter 389 Clues
Without saying a word, Li San Niang stepped forward from behind, eager to follow Di Renjie to investigate the case, which greatly impressed Di Renjie's men.
Sizhi Su Qi dismounted and rode with another official, giving his horse to Li San Niang and Qiu Xiang.
On the way back to Yunshao Academy, Su Qi quickly recounted the whole story.
Li San Niang's face was serious, but she was cursing in her heart.
"Well, what a fine Temple Gate! All you do is resort to underhanded tricks. If you're so capable, why don't you confront us head-on!"
This kidnapping of Princess Taiping and the children of officials was clearly intended to use them as leverage to make Emperor Wu and his officials hesitant to act against them!
Li San Niang couldn't ride a horse, so she relied entirely on Qiu Xiang behind her to control the reins and follow Di Renjie and the others.
Even with the Imperial Guards clearing the way, it still took them about half an hour to get back to Yunshao Courtyard.
Li San Niang was currently examining the bodies of several guards who had died vomiting blood. Based on the symptoms of poisoning, although Li San Niang could not confirm what kind of poison it was, she had a general idea of the possible causes.
"Minister Di, I would like to go and see the room where the nobleman is staying."
At Di Renjie's signal, Su Qi took the lead and walked ahead, followed by Li Sanniang and Qiu Xiang. The Prince of Xiang, who had been sitting together, saw that Li Sanniang seemed to have some real skills, so he sent one of his servants to follow her.
When Li San Niang arrived at the room where Princess Taiping and Wang Shiban Niang and the dozen or so young women had stayed, she looked around carefully and faintly smelled a lingering floral fragrance.
Li San Niang could also imagine that these young women all wore makeup, so it was perfectly normal for the room to smell of flowers.
But there must have been a reason why she caught Li San Niang's attention.
"This fragrance is very similar to the scent of the young woman who came for the consultation that day. Could it be her?"
Yes, Li San Niang recognized that the scent was almost identical to that of the shy female assassin named Xiao Tu who had come to the clinic disguised as a husband and wife with the Holy Son of the Temple Gate!
Li San Niang knew that the best time to rescue someone from this kidnapping was only within the first few hours after they were discovered missing.
So, Li Sanniang thought that since she had agreed to help, she had to take it seriously. Therefore, Li Sanniang activated her superhuman X-ray vision.
Having an external cheat makes all the difference; Li San Niang discovered a hidden compartment right in the center of the roof!
There's someone in the mezzanine!
"Minister Di, is there a third floor here?"
The manager of Yunshao Courtyard, who had been standing by with a mournful face, was brought over at this moment.
"It can be considered to have a third floor, but because it's a pointed building, the upper floor is only about the height of a three-year-old child, and it's mostly used to store things that aren't used much on a daily basis."
Di Renjie immediately ordered the soldiers to go up and check. The shopkeeper pointed out the location of the door and found a ladder. When the soldiers climbed up, before they even opened the door, they saw a blurry, dark gray handprint on it.
"Minister Di, there are handprints here!"
"Watch out! Find something to shield yourself."
Li San Niang was very anxious, but she couldn't openly say that there were no bad people in the storage room, but that the servants and maids inside had been drugged.
Next, the soldiers went up and crawled inside, immediately discovering five women and three servants who were still breathing.
Of these five women, two were maids of Princess Taiping, and three were maids from noble families who were present at the time.
"Di Shaoqing, they're all alive, but they must have been hit on the head and are unconscious!"
"I know the art of acupuncture and can awaken them. Young Master Di, would you like me to use my needles?"
Di Shaoqing naturally agreed. At this moment, Su Qi felt fortunate. "Luckily, I saw Li San Niangzi on the street. Look, we have a breakthrough and found her!"
Although they were just maids and servants, at least there was a breakthrough.
Di Renjie naturally agreed to let Li Sanniang use the needles. Li Sanniang first checked the pulses of these people and found that they were just unconscious and there were no signs of poisoning. She breathed a sigh of relief.
Then Li San Niang took out the gold needle pouch she always carried with her, sterilized it over a candle flame, and gave the unconscious servants acupuncture.
Li Sanniang watched as the soldiers led the men away separately, and she knew that they would be interrogated separately in order to determine the truth of their statements.
At this moment, the manager of Yunshao Courtyard was sweating profusely. It was still the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, and the cold winter was not yet over. Even though there were several charcoal braziers burning in the room, it shouldn't have caused him to sweat so much.
The shopkeeper really didn't expect that he would actually find someone in the storage room that he usually used to store things that he rarely used throughout the year!
It wasn't just one person, it was eight people!
"It's over, it's over, my life is beyond saving, beyond saving, even the prince can't save me."
It turns out that the Yunshao Courtyard in Chang'an City, which makes a fortune every day, is the property of a prince from the Li family clan. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to build such a tall building right under the emperor's nose to do business!
As the prince listened to the servant's whispers in his ear, he looked up at Li San Niang, who was standing next to Qiu Xiang, and couldn't help but think, "This Li San Niang is indeed quite capable."
When Prince Xiang faced Emperor Wu, he was naturally filled with fear and dared not look up at the emperor's face.
Li San Niang was just a woman, and even though she was a female doctor, and Di Renjie treated her with respect and even invited her to help, what did that amount to?
Li San Niang could feel the Prince's undisguised scrutinizing gaze. She knew that this person must be someone in a higher position. Although Di Renjie had not introduced this person, she could see that he was sitting firmly in his chair at this moment, listening to reports on affairs. How could he be a small fry?
Hearing cries of pain, pleas for mercy, and weeping coming from the nearby house, Li San Niang knew that the soldiers had acted rashly during the interrogation, in a rush.
Feeling somewhat unhappy, Li San Niang thought that she had done enough to help, so she walked to Di Shaoqing's side, intending to take her leave.
"Young Master Di, this is all the help I can offer. I really can't be of much assistance with the follow-up search. I have young children waiting for me at home, so I'll take my leave now."
Di Renjie could tell that Li Sanniang was a physician and felt somewhat guilty about the soldiers' actions. Moreover, Li Sanniang had already helped find the missing maids and servants, which provided a breakthrough. They should be able to find other directions to investigate where Princess Taiping and the others had been taken.
Di Renjie then said, "I'm sorry to trouble you, Third Sister. I've disturbed your time with your family. I'll send someone to take you back."
Li San Niang and Qiu Xiang had both reached the door when the person who had been standing behind Prince Xiang spoke up: "Wait a moment!"
"The case isn't solved yet, and the missing person hasn't been found. Isn't it a bit inappropriate for Li San Niangzi to leave now?"
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