Chapter 220 Beauty's Schemes (23) - New Clues to the Case
Cui Zeyu summoned a subordinate and asked him to take a handful of rice, wrap it up, and go back to check if there was any medicine inside.
Ning Shu thought for a moment: "Sir, if the sleeping potion has been washed away with water, is it still so effective?"
Cui Zeyu thought for a moment. According to Yin Xinyue, she fainted after eating about half of the rice.
This certainly doesn't look like the result of being washed.
"you mean?"
Ning Shu: "I found another water tank inside. Could the water in it have been drugged as well?"
Cui Zeyu thought Ning Shu's words made a lot of sense, so he asked his subordinates to fetch some water as well.
Ning Shu and Tuya went back to the kitchen to search again. Tuya accidentally knocked over the cabinet where the seasonings were previously stored.
The cabinet doors may have fallen into disrepair over the years and could no longer be closed.
While tampering with the cabinet door, the graffiti artist saw those bottles and jars again.
He first cleared them out, put them on the ground, and tried to repair the cabinet door.
Ning Shu saw this and said, "Don't touch the cabinets. Nobody lives here."
Graffiti: "But I broke it, how can I be so embarrassed?"
Ning Shu didn't say anything more, but she suddenly thought, if the water was also drugged, could the seasonings also be drugged?
She took all the bottles and jars to the yard and opened them one by one to look at them. When Cui Zeyu saw her doing this, he also came over.
"What's wrong?"
Upon hearing Cui Zeyu's question, Ning Shu also expressed her own suspicions.
Cui Zeyu frowned. If he had really been drugged, then the fisherman was no longer trustworthy.
Ning Shu suddenly exclaimed "Huh?" and Cui Zeyu asked curiously what was wrong.
Ning Shu pointed to a jar of salt and asked, "Sir, do you think these white things look a little different from salt?"
Cui Zeyu took the jar and examined it carefully. It was indeed different, and there was even some dirt mixed in with the salt.
He picked up a thin twig from the ground and began to rummage through the salt in the jar. There was no soil at the bottom, only on top.
Why is there soil only on top?
Ning Shu felt as if he had discovered something: "Sir, what have you discovered?"
Cui Zeyu: "We should also take this salt back and check it."
Ning Shu didn't say anything, which was a good thing. She wouldn't say anything if it was beneficial to the mission.
They searched the Wu family's house again but found nothing.
Cui Zeyu was right about one thing: the Wu family's economic situation was indeed not good, and they could only make ends meet.
Ning Shu found it strange that the Wu family, which was not well-off, could introduce Yin Xinyue to any kind of potential partner. Her mother must have lost her mind.
After leaving the Wu family, it gradually got dark.
Ning Shu remembered the reward he had received, and then took the initiative to extend an invitation: "If you don't mind, sir, let's go out for a meal together?"
Cui Zeyu hadn't expected Ning Shu to be so enthusiastic. After thinking for a moment, he nodded, since he needed to eat anyway.
But to his surprise, Ning Shu still chose Cui Feng Lou, and he glanced at Ning Shu again.
Isn't this a bit too much spending on a maid? It's even more extravagant than that of a sixth-rank official.
Ning Shu didn't actually have any other intentions; she simply loved to eat.
Besides, Cui Zeyu is still my teammate. I'm enjoying all the good things in the dungeon, how could I forget him?
If they were to leave the instance, wouldn't Cheng Chuan blame her? So she didn't hesitate to bring him along.
Graffiti exclaimed happily, "Sister Ning, you've struck it rich! You even went to Cuifeng Tower!"
Ning Shu said smugly, "To tell you the truth, I received a reward yesterday, which is just enough for a big meal."
The graffiti flattered, "My sister Ning is still the best."
Cui Zeyu suddenly asked, "Why do you call her Sister Ning? Is her surname Ning?"
Ning Shu and Tuya's smiles froze for a moment. They almost forgot that this guy wasn't exactly on their side anymore, and having an NPC identity was always a problem.
Ning Shu could have followed Cui Zeyu's explanation, but he was worried that since Ruyi's surname wasn't Ning, it would be even more difficult to explain.
He simply made up another excuse: "My nickname is Xiao Ning, so he calls me Sister Ning."
Cui Zeyu became even more curious about their relationship. How close must they be to call each other by nicknames?
"What's your relationship?"
Ning Shu rolled her eyes. She had originally intended to say that they were siblings, but then she remembered that if the graffiti was of her younger brother, he would be a distant relative of the Dowager Consort, so she quickly stopped herself.
To put it another way: "We were neighbors in our hometown and grew up together, so we're quite close."
Cui Zeyu didn't say anything more, and the three of them went to Cuifenglou for dinner.
They couldn't go to the private room this time, firstly because they weren't qualified, and secondly because they felt it was unnecessary.
They're here to eat, so it doesn't matter where they are; they don't have a choice of seats, they'll just go wherever there's a table.
Ning Shu realized that Cui Feng Lou's dishes were ridiculously expensive. Three people could only order three dishes, no more, so they had to eat more rice.
Cui Zeyu then realized that it wasn't that she was arrogant, but rather that she was ignorant, and she immediately felt better.
Otherwise, how pathetic would it be for an official's salary to be less than that of a maid?
After dinner, it was already quite late, so Cui Zeyu parted ways with them, and Tuya very gentlemanly escorted Ning Shu home.
Graffiti, feeling obligated to pay his debts, said, "Sister Ning, I know a shortcut that's very close to Prince Rui's Mansion. Let me take you there."
Ning Shu agreed.
But after they turned into a small alley and walked for a short while, the graffiti suddenly stopped and gestured for Ning Shu to be quiet.
Ning Shu immediately remained silent, while Tuya listened carefully to whatever was happening.
The more he listened, the more his brows furrowed, and finally, after a long while, he spoke:
"Sister Ning, I just overheard some people plotting something. It sounds like it involves the smuggling of salt."
When we investigated the Wu family today, didn't they say there was a problem with the salt? Should we follow up?"
Ning Shu was initially reluctant to get involved when he heard it concerned the sale of smuggled salt, since their cases were all related to drugs.
But when he thought about how Cui Zeyu had packed up the salt and other seasonings to take back for testing, he felt that perhaps this was a clue that the dungeon had given them.
She said decisively, "Keep up."
The two followed their target discreetly. Graffiti had excellent hearing, so they didn't lose track of him.
Suddenly, the graffiti stopped and said to Ning Shu, "Sister Ning, that person is moving bricks, it looks like he's stuffing something into a place."
Ning Shu: "Then remember the location. After he leaves, we'll go get the things."
The graffiti nodded, and after waiting for a while, it finally spoke: "He's gone."
Ning Shu: "Let's go, let's get the things."
The graffiti led Ning Shu to the place where the person had been, which was the backyard wall of a house.
Tuya thought about the location of the sound he heard, which seemed to be near the base of the wall: "Look down there and see if any bricks are loose."
The two started feeling around on the wall, when suddenly Ning Shu touched a loose brick: "Here."
The graffiti quickly came over to take a look. Ning Shu carefully moved the bricks aside and found that there was indeed a hole at the base of the wall, with a piece of oil paper lying inside.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
