The Virtuous Wife

Chapter 40: The Pearl Was Stolen

Jingyi watched Haitang walk away and called out softly, "Siqin!"

A woman in tight clothes appeared in front of Jingyi.

Jingyi asked her to lean over and whispered a few words. The corners of Siqin's mouth twitched, as if she was trying her best to endure something. When Jingyi finished speaking, Siqin disappeared again.

Jingyi lifted her skirt and went to the hall, sitting next to Gu. As soon as she sat down, she saw Liu also entered the hall.

Gu saw that everyone was gathered, so she ordered to start the meal. For a while, the hall was full of toasts, congratulations, and compliments. It was really busy!

When the banquet was halfway through, a maid hurried into the hall and whispered a few words in Liu's ear.

Liu pretended to be embarrassed and looked at Gu. Gu said lightly: "Since you have something to do in the yard, go and do it first, but you have to come back early, we are waiting for you to order the play!" Liu agreed and left in a hurry. Jingyi raised her eyebrows and thought: Liu, you really won't give up until you reach the Yellow River! Today, I will let you know what it means to never turn over! Liu didn't come back until the banquet was over. Gu and others didn't take it to heart, just thinking that some concubine was making trouble in the yard. Gu led everyone to take a short rest, and then heard the report from outside that the stage was ready in the flower hall and the play could start. Gu led the female guests to the flower hall. Just after listening to one act, Liu came back with a smile. After Liu sat down, she shook her head slightly in the direction of the old lady. The old lady narrowed her eyes and continued to watch the play without making a sound. The stage began to beat gongs and drums again, and this time the play was "Eight Immortals Celebrating Birthday". The maids began to pour tea for the guests one after another, and removed the cakes and served fruits instead. Liu was so excited that she clapped her hands and cheered. It was not a big deal that she bumped into the maid who was serving fruits.

With a "bang", the fruits were scattered everywhere, and the fruit plate was smashed. The play on the stage was also stopped! Several maids hurried forward to pick up the things and put them on a wooden plate, and took it away.

A few sharp-eyed ladies saw a bead slip out of Liu's sleeve and rolled to the corner of the wall.

"What happened?" Gu asked unhappily.

The little maid hurriedly knelt on the ground and whispered, "Madam, when I was serving fruits just now, I was bumped by the third lady and didn't hold it firmly for a while, so I broke the fruit plate. Please forgive me, madam."

This wonderful day was disturbed by a maid. Just as Gu was about to get angry, she heard Jingyi beside her laughing happily, "Mother, this is a good omen! May you be safe every year!"

Gu was startled, then realized that the word "*" and "*" have the same pronunciation, which means "peace every year"!

All the ladies were delighted when they heard this, "Yes! Madam Su, may you be safe every year!"

For a moment, congratulations were heard everywhere, and the flower hall was filled with laughter again.

"Hey, isn't this Madam's night pearl? Why is it here?" A maid shouted.

Everyone looked over and saw that the maid was holding a yellow apricot-sized pearl in her hand and walking towards Gu.

Gu took it and looked at it, her face suddenly changed, and she said sternly: "Who did this? This pearl is clearly in my bedroom, how could it be here for no reason?"

The maid just now kowtowed and said: "Madam, just now the third lady bumped into me, and I overturned the fruit plate, and saw something slip out of the third lady's sleeve, but I didn't look carefully to see if it was this thing."

"Nonsense! Why did I take the eldest sister-in-law's night-shining pearl for no reason? Don't talk nonsense here!" Liu said excitedly.

The old lady looked at her, knocked on the floor tiles with her cane, and said: "Okay! There are still guests here, don't mess up the etiquette!"

Gu heard this, her eyebrows tightened, this is going to give up! But she is her mother-in-law, what else can she do?

Jingyi took a step forward, looked at the night-shining pearl in Gu's hand, and blurted out: "Mother, isn't this the night-shining pearl that the emperor gave me a while ago?"

One word stirred up a thousand waves!

General Weiyuan's wife Liu, Jingyi's aunt, stood up and walked over, "Sister, since this is a gift from the emperor, it is unusual, but you have to interrogate it carefully."

The other ladies also responded one after another.

Seeing this, the old lady closed her eyes helplessly. It was not something she could easily decide when it came to the "imperial gift".

All the maids and servants present knelt in front of the flower hall, waiting for Gu's interrogation.

After Gu asked one by one, everyone in the flower hall looked at Liu.

Liu was very anxious and said angrily, "Why are you looking at me? Sister-in-law, do you really believe that I will steal your things?"

Gu smiled coldly, "Third sister-in-law, I don't believe you will steal my things. But you just heard it, so many maids and servants saw you leave the table and go to my yard. Don't you plan to explain yourself?"

"I, I didn't do it, why do I need to explain?" Liu turned her head and looked like a dead pig that was not afraid of boiling water.

Gu was very annoyed to see her so arrogant! In front of so many ladies, Liu dared to talk to her like this, which was really rude!

At this time, there was another hurried footsteps outside. Gu took a look and saw that it was Aunt Du who was guarding the yard.

Gu calmed down and asked loudly, "Let me ask you, has anyone been to my yard today?"

Madam Du lowered her head, "Madam, only the third lady has been to your yard, and she also went into your bedroom, saying that your handkerchief was accidentally wet, and the maids around you were busy and couldn't get away for a while, so she came to get another handkerchief for you."

Madam Liu's face turned pale, "You are talking nonsense! When did I go there?"

Madam Du saw that she refused to admit it, and she was not anxious, just said, "Madam, at that time, I was also thinking that you and Madam Liu were not there, and there were only the old slave and two little girls in the whole yard. If something was missing in your room, I really couldn't afford it, so I didn't want to let the third lady in at first, but the third lady insisted that you asked her to come back, and she stretched out her hand and pulled out a peony gold hairpin on her head as a proof." As she said that, Madam Du took out a peony gold hairpin from her sleeve.

Madam Liu took it and showed it to Gu for a closer look.

Gu said coldly: "Third sister-in-law, you were wearing this gold hairpin on your head before you left. How come it is in my servant's hands in the blink of an eye?"

Jingyi's aunt came forward to take a look and shook her head and said: "Isn't it the one she wore before? Third Madam, you are too careless."

One of the ladies who was dressed very elegantly said loudly: "Let me see, isn't this the bead that just slipped out of Third Madam's sleeve?"

Starting with her, the other ladies also said that they saw the bead rolling out of Liu's sleeve.

Liu was so angry that she was shaking all over! She had obviously bribed Liu Tao in Jingyi's yard to let her go to Gu's yard in Jingyi's name, so how come now she went there in person? And there is this gold hairpin as evidence?

The old lady said lightly: "In my opinion, this matter may not be done by Liu. If she really took the night pearl, why didn't she return it to her own yard? Besides, why did she leave a gold hairpin as evidence?"

The ladies heard this and had different opinions. Gu's eyes sank. Indeed, what the old lady said made sense. But the pearl did roll out of Liu's sleeve, which could not be denied.

Jingyi looked up at Liu, and a cunning flashed in her clear eyes. Liu, do you really think you can get what you want this time? I'm afraid you're going to be in big trouble this time!