"Wait a minute, did you just say you smelled a fresh fragrance?"
"Yes, I thought it was the smell of the sachet that a sister brought over to eat breakfast, but when I looked up I didn't see it, but I saw that my baby girl was missing."
"Does that mean the fragrance appeared at the same time as your baby disappeared?"
"...Should, probably."
"Have you told the errands at the Yamen about these things? I'm talking about the fragrance."
"I told you, what's wrong?"
The stall owner looked confused. It was just a scent. If it hadn't been almost the same time as when he discovered that the child was missing, he wouldn't have remembered it at all.
Shen Hao sighed. From the expression of the stall owner, he understood that this guy probably told the government officials and the officials didn't take it seriously, so there was no record of this "fresh fragrance" in the file.
"You, you, forget it, I don't blame you, just keep talking." Shen Hao shook his head and did not explain. He asked the stall owner to tell him everything about the day again to make sure that nothing was missing.
"Brother Shen, what do you do?" The stall owner also felt that this customer was unusual and was too concerned about the disappearance of his daughter. He secretly guessed that he was someone from the Yamen?
"Me? You'll know later. Okay, let's go. Just put it on the meal bill."
"Oh, then walk slowly."
Watching Shen Hao leave, the stall owner felt that Shen Hao looked more and more familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere else before, but he couldn't remember it.
...
Back at the public house, Shen Hao sent an urgent order to both Wang Jian and Zhang Liao.
"Check with all parties involved in the case: Did they smell a fragrance during the period when they discovered the child was missing? Do it quickly."
The order was quickly passed through the intelligence channel of Xuanqing Guard to Wang Jian and Zhang Liao who were handling the case outside. The two people quickly began to verify the requirements in the order, and then hurriedly reported the situation back. Summary reporting.
Although every step of the trip was as fast as possible, it was the afternoon of the next day when Wang Jian and the others' summary arrived in Shen Hao's hands.
The information that came back said that among the eighteen merged disappearance cases, the parties involved in sixteen more cases said that they indeed smelled a strange fragrance, and the time was at the time when they found the child missing. The parties involved in the remaining two cases cannot remember them, so they are not sure.
In addition, Wang Jian and Zhang Liao also conducted a small-scale review of the places where the eighteen cases occurred overnight. According to the memories of the parties involved and the records in the files, the strange fragrance should not have appeared at the places where the cases occurred.
There are also suspicions about whether it is the sachet of a passing woman, but maybe one or two are coincidences, and more than a dozen cases are all coincidences?
Therefore, this fragrance must be related to the disappearance case.
Either it is the scent that overflows when the criminal performs a certain method, which is a trace of crime. However, this kind of trace is very secretive and lasts for a short time, so it is ignored.
There is also a possibility that this fragrance is indeed a sachet, but it does not come from passersby, but from the criminal. If so, the perpetrator is likely to be a woman. After all, it is almost impossible to see men wearing sachets in this world.
"Sachet...this is a bit troublesome."
...
After getting off the job, Shen Hao did not choose to go home, but instead asked the guards to take him to Jinxiu Pavilion.
Having been in this world for more than eight years, Shen Hao is no longer curious about Fengyue. His usual needs are met in these places, and they only cost money. The officials of Xuanqingwei are never short of such money.
It's just that the more you play, the less interested you will be, and because he's usually too busy with official duties, Shen Hao prefers to spend his free time practicing or resting.
But Shen Hao had something on his mind today, and Hualou was the place where he felt he could help him the fastest.
As soon as he got off the carriage, the madam who was standing at the door and looking around saw Shen Hao immediately.
"Ouch, isn't this Mr. Shen? Come in quickly, come in quickly!" At the same time, he turned around and shouted to Little Turtle behind him: "Mr. Shen is here, go and clear out the Tianzihao wing!"
Even Jinxiu Pavilion would not dare to offend someone like Shen Hao who was like a poisonous snake in Li City, let alone let Shen Hao sit in the hall.
After sitting down, Shen Hao smiled and said, "I have something to do today and I want to see Miss Wen Xiuyun. I wonder if Miss Wen has time?"
"Mr. Shen, you are here. Xiuyun will definitely come to have a drink with you. Please sit down for a while. I will call her right away!"
The madam smiled so hard that her face wrinkled. Normally she would not have called out the diva who was dominating her scene so easily, but since Shen Hao gave Wen Xiuyun a song "One Cut Plum", this Shen The general flag has become the most popular guest of Jinxiu Pavilion.
A good song that can be sung is definitely no less valuable to a singer than a high-quality elixir.
As soon as the madam left, the maids immediately brought out plates of wine and food. It's dinner time now, and the guest is alone, so he probably wants to eat something first. There is no need for Shen Hao to give orders in this regard, someone will naturally take care of it. It’s just that the cost won’t be any less. There is no such thing as "discount" in a place like Hualou.
Shen Hao was indeed a little hungry, so he asked for food and started eating the dishes on the table without even drinking wine.
Not long after, the door of the wing was pushed open, and Wen Xiuyun came. She still looked charming, but unlike last time, she was wearing a long white dress today, and her hair was draped directly on her shoulders.
"Xiuyun has met Mr. Shen Qi."
"Sorry, I was a little hungry, so I used my chopsticks first. You haven't eaten either, right? How about we talk about something while eating?"
"Okay." Wen Xiuyun nodded with a smile and sat down next to Shen Hao.
Compared to Shen Hao who eats with big mouthfuls, Wen Xiuyun is much more delicate. She eats slowly and delicately, looking elegant. If it were not in a flower house, it would be difficult to equate a woman with this temperament with a singer.
"Has Miss Xiuyun done any research on sachets?"
"Sachet? I know a little bit. Why is Mr. Shen still interested in these?"
"Haha, I wasn't interested at first, but I have a case in hand, so I'm interested now. I wonder if Miss Xiuyun can introduce me to Shen?"
"Of course you can, but will Mr. Shen Qi give me another poem? Hehe, just kidding, but I really want to thank Mr. Shen for the poem he gave me before. Now the whole flower house in Jingxi is It's being sung. By the way, the song "Bu Suanzi·I Live in Baijiangtou" that you gave to Sister Lianxiang before is also widely sung!"
"Haha, you can like it, but I don't have any new words recently. I'll talk about it later when I have some inspiration."
"Yeah, I'll wait."
Both of them smiled and picked up the small wine glasses on the table and clinked them. Wen Xiuyun continued: "Speaking of sachets, there are mainly two types. One is the sachet that smells after dried and kneaded flowers and plants. This kind is called " "Single fragrance"; the other is made from animal fat or body parts, which is called "sweet fragrance". Each fragrance type is divided into dozens of detailed fragrance types..."
Shen Hao's lips twitched when he heard this, and he thought to himself: Oh my god, is this even a little understanding? Women are terrible.
After talking about a stick of incense, Wen Xiuyun temporarily stopped. Shen Hao quickly interjected: "Is there a sachet that can emit fragrance and cover half of the street?"
