Faced with Su Ruojin's question, Zhao Jingning looked confused. "I've never dared to part with this jade pendant since my grandfather gave it to me. It couldn't have been switched."
"Have any unusual events happened around you?" Su Ruojin asked again.
Zhao Jingning shook her head. "No, everything is as usual... Wait!" Zhao Jingning suddenly exclaimed.
“I remember now. When I took my grandfather to Tianning Temple, he was receiving treatment in the meditation room while I waited outside. I felt very sleepy and fell asleep for about half an hour.”
Was there no one else with you at the time?
It's impossible for the young lady of the Zhao family to go out without a maid.
Zhao Jingning said, "No, only two people are allowed in Master Tianyi's courtyard. My maid can only wait outside."
If Zhao Jingning were to fall unconscious within half an hour, it would be enough time for someone to switch the jade pendant on her body.
Tianning Temple?
Zhao Guangtao's eyes flickered slightly. He suddenly remembered what Master Tianyi had told him. Just as he was about to say something, there was a knock on the door.
"Miss, Miss, Yingzi is missing! Qinniang is going crazy!"
Yanluo's urgent voice came from outside the door.
Su Ruojin hurriedly opened the door, "What happened?"
Yingzi had been staying at the Zhao residence the whole time; it was impossible for her to have disappeared without a trace.
Yanlu hurriedly explained, "Qinniang took Yingzi out today, saying she was going to the market to buy some things, but when she turned around, Yingzi disappeared."
Qinniang searched the streets for a long time but couldn't find the child, so she had no choice but to run back to the Zhao residence for help.
"Let's go take a look!" Su Ruojin didn't care about anything else. After saying to Zhao Guangtao, she left with Yanluo.
Qin Niang was already sobbing uncontrollably. When she saw Su Ruojin, she immediately knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly. "Miss, please help me find Yingzi. Without her, I don't want to live anymore."
Yan Luo quickly stepped forward to help her up, and Su Ruojin asked, "What exactly happened?"
Qin Niang then recounted the details.
Back in her hometown, Qinniang often embroidered handkerchiefs and sold them at the market to supplement the family income and save some travel expenses for her husband to take the imperial examination.
Now that she's arrived at the Zhao residence, she hasn't forgotten about this matter. Just then, she ran out of embroidery thread, so Qinniang told Yanluo and took Yingzi to the market to buy some more.
The market was crowded. At first, Qinniang held Yingzi's hand tightly. When they arrived at an embroidery stall, Qinniang let go of Yingzi's hand and let her stand aside while she picked up the embroidery thread.
After she finished selecting the embroidery thread, she turned around and found that Yingzi was gone.
Qin Niang initially thought Yingzi was just curious and was looking at the trinkets on other stalls.
But she searched the whole street four or five times, asking every vendor, but none of them had ever seen Yingzi.
Qinniang was on the verge of collapse from searching so hard that she had no other choice but to return to the Zhao residence to ask Su Ruojin for help.
"Miss, please help me. As long as Yingzi can be found, Qinniang is willing to serve you like a slave for the rest of her life." After saying this, Qinniang was about to kneel down again, but Yanluo held her back tightly.
Su Ruojin hesitated for a moment, then said, "Qinniang, don't worry, I'll send someone out to find Yingzi, Yanluo, and Yanmo."
To find someone, you naturally need to know what they look like first. Su Ruojin sketched Yingzi's appearance in just a few strokes.
"Have someone make a copy of this portrait so that our people can help us find it."
"Yes, Miss." Yanluo picked up the portrait and prepared to leave.
"Give me a portrait too. You don't know Yunqi as well as I do. I'll have the Zhao family look for one as well."
At this moment, Zhao Jingning also arrived and spoke up.
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