Why am I, a cook, always involved in cases?

Time passed quietly, and the guards' anxiety surged like a hidden tide.

The senior officials were whispering to each other, and from time to time they looked at Wu Muqi with impatience and doubt, as if they were questioning something in silence.

More than an hour had passed since their boss quietly left. This time span, even for a leisurely rest, seemed unusual and hard to believe.

Wu Muqi's heart was filled with regret and self-blame. He thought silently: If I had known that such a change would happen, I would have followed my master at all costs.

However, the reality was as hard as iron and could not be changed, because his master had clearly ordered him not to follow.

He recalled the mysterious instructions his father had given to the maid who always accompanied him, his brow furrowed and his heart heavy.

At the same time, Gao Zhongcheng remained calm and indifferent, as if he was not involved in the matter, and looked at everything around him with an expressionless face.

Unlike Wumuqi's anxiety, Gao Zhongcheng was more like a detached wise man. His behavior was no different from other officials, as if he was not disturbed by this sudden change.

Wu Muqi wanted to discuss countermeasures with his father, but now was obviously not the time.

He endured the irritability and dissatisfaction of the senior officials, but his mind was thinking about his master's whereabouts as rapidly as the beat of a drum.

He had sent his men to search, but deep down he longed to do it himself.

Wumuqi had long been tired of that nominal position. He was anxiously waiting for news from his subordinates, and every second was like a knife's torture.

According to the servant, the master said he wanted to go out for a walk and then left alone.

What made Wu Muqi even more suspicious was that the master had specifically ordered the guards not to follow him. Only the petite maid, holding a water bottle, followed closely behind him.

Wu Muqi knew the identity of the maid very well. Because of this, he was even more convinced that there must be something fishy going on and was anxiously awaiting news.

The atmosphere at the banquet was completely different.

Some people were extremely worried about their master's safety, while others were secretly laughing, speculating on the various possibilities as to why their master and the maid were alone and had not returned.

Wu Muqi was filled with anger and contempt for the latter.

He tried his best to suppress the waves in his heart, but the floor under his feet made a heavy sound involuntarily, just like his inner anxiety, which was difficult to conceal.

In this tense atmosphere, the banquet became increasingly awkward, and it was difficult to end it even though they wanted to.

Wu Muqi knew very well that Xiao Liang could resolve the awkward atmosphere with just a word, but the man just kept drinking by himself, as if he was completely oblivious to everything around him.

Wu Muqi sighed in his heart: "What an unpredictable mind."

If he were not such a cunning person, it would be difficult for him to reach the high position he has today.

And the Arhat who is known as the wise general is even more unfathomable.

However, he was known to have no ambition.

The man who was regarded as a weirdo by the world seemed to be obsessed with worldly affairs recently and did not participate in this hunting trip.

It was not surprising that he was absent from such activities, but everyone in the court was surprised. They never thought that the strange man also had worldly thoughts.

However, this banquet was hosted by Xiao Liang, and if anything unexpected happened, it would be of no benefit to him.

At least, Wumuqi didn't want anything to go wrong while he was in charge.

At this moment, a military officer came hurriedly, and his footsteps echoed in the banquet hall, as exciting as a war drum.

He is tall, young and strong, like a walking fortress.

"How offending."

After the military officer finished speaking, he strode into the banquet hall and went straight to Wu Muqi.

Although Wu Muqi felt that this person was a little rude, no one stepped forward to stop him.

He ordered the military officer kneeling in front of him to raise his head, with a hint of majesty in his voice.

"Why are you here?"

After looking around, the military officer took out a wet cloth from his arms and handed it to Wu Muqi.

Wu Muqi recognized it at a glance. It was a piece of his master's clothing. He secretly glanced at the military officer and speculated in his heart.

He wanted to observe his father's reaction, but in the end he held back and held the wet cloth tightly, as if holding the fate of his master.

"This is……"

A high-ranking official was about to take the cloth, but Wu Muqi quickly hid it, lowered his head, and said in a low but firm voice: "This is my master's clothing."

He tried hard to control his expression and looked at the military officer with sharp eyes.

The military officer lowered his head and said in a low voice, "I found this piece of cloth on the rocks by the river."

As soon as these words were spoken, people around started talking about it, saying that these were traces of clothes being torn.

"There's no one else around. There's a rapid river ahead. The heavy rain over the past few days has caused the river to swell."

The military officer's words were like a cold sword, slicing through the fantasies of those officials who were still making up stories about trysts between their masters and their maids.

Their faces turned pale as paper in an instant, and they began to shout in panic, "Go and search for them!", but it was too late.

The officials left one after another, and only Wu Muqi, the military officer who came to report, and several senior officials including Xiao Liang were left in the banquet hall.

The military officer glanced at the departing officials, stood up, and said in a firm voice, "Then I will go check the place where this object was found."

After saying this, he turned and left.

The moment the military officer looked up, Wu Muqi caught a sneer on the corner of his mouth, but he pretended not to see it.

Wu Muqi ordered two of his subordinates to stay at the banquet venue, while he hurried to the outside of the villa.

Those officials who were worried about the safety of their master had already made arrangements for their subordinates when Wumuqi ordered the search and rescue, so the ones who were panicking now were the ones who were still talking just now.

Wu Muqi dealt with the officials' questions, answering them casually while looking around.

At this moment, the military officer appeared in his sight again, this time with a hunting dog.

The hound sniffed a few times, as if looking for something.

Wumuqi thought it was searching for prey, but unexpectedly, it stopped in front of an official and started barking wildly.

"What...what does this mean?"

The official was frightened by the sudden barking of the hound and his face froze and his voice trembled.

"Ah! Please forgive me, sir!"

"Take this dog away!"