"You guys are overthinking it, I never said Officer Cao was a suspect. I just said it was quite a coincidence that you met at night." Tianmiao smiled, also denying it.
"Really, Boss Tian, you scared me to death with the way you talk." The young Prince patted his chest, "Alright, alright, can we eat the roasted whole lamb now? You three are in for a treat today; I personally helped with the roasted whole lamb."
"Oh? Really? That’s something to look forward to." Cao Zhengying’s eyes lit up, "I now have something to brag about, having eaten the young Prince’s roasted whole lamb."
"No, no, it was Dong Xiao who made it, I just helped a little." The young Prince waved his hand, "I can’t take the credit."
"Alright, let’s go, to the backyard, the wine is ready too." Tianmiao called out.
In the backyard, a long table was already set up, with a small dagger in front of each seat, a long and wide iron plate for the mutton, and large bowls of fine wine were also poured.
"Good wine." As soon as Cao Zhengying sat down, he exclaimed.
That meal was unusually satisfying for everyone.
After the meal, Cao Zhengying paid the silver note to Kong Hou, bid everyone farewell, and went to the inn to stay.
Xu Lang, Shen Hanshu, and the young Prince strolled in the courtyard to digest the food; they were too full and couldn’t sleep yet.
Tianmiao lazily sat under the eaves, watching the three strolling in the courtyard, then suddenly said slowly, "I really didn’t say Officer Cao was a suspect. But could someone he knows be a suspect?"
The three who had been circling stopped in their tracks and turned to look at Tianmiao.
"Who among you brought Old Mr. Sun back? Did Officer Cao have contact with Old Mr. Sun?" Tianmiao asked again.
"I took him back. No, he didn’t." Shen Hanshu frowned, not knowing what Tianmiao was implying, but still answered truthfully.
"Boss Tian, what exactly are you trying to say?" Xu Lang felt a sense of foreboding. They had known Cao Zhengying for many years, and their friendship was deep. If Cao Zhengying really had a problem, they wouldn’t feel good about it.
"But Officer Cao had the scent of the wine I gave to Old Mr. Sun on him." Tianmiao didn’t answer Xu Lang but continued speaking leisurely to Shen Hanshu, "So at that time, it was Shen Hanshu who escorted Old Mr. Sun home, Xu Lang went after the culprit. When you came back, Shen Hanshu had the smell of wine on him, Xu Lang did not, yet Officer Cao did."
"This, this doesn’t prove anything." Xu Lang frowned and shook his head, "We didn’t catch the culprit, I returned with Zhengying, then met up with Hanshu..."
As Xu Lang said this, he abruptly stopped talking, and his expression changed.
"You’ve all drunk my wine. It smells fragrant when you drink it, but if you haven’t drunk it or spilled it on yourself, it won’t leave any scent." Tianmiao finished speaking, got up, and went back inside.
Xu Lang and Shen Hanshu stood there for a long time without speaking.
The young Prince stroked his chin, pondering for a moment, then said, "According to this, when the culprit kidnapped the old man, they knocked over the wine jar, spilling it on themselves. Great Hero Shen, you escorted the old man home and also got some on you. But Great Hero Xu, you didn’t have any, so you didn’t have the scent. But Officer Cao had contact with the culprit, so he also had the wine scent. Does Officer Cao know the culprit?"
"This..." Xu Lang’s face was solemn, and it took him a long time to utter a single word. But he couldn’t say anything more. If it was really as Boss Tian said, then there was no way for Cao Zhengying to clear himself of this suspicion.