Author: Piki
After hearing Wu Sheyue’s words, Jiang Qingxue’s face had already turned pale. She shouted sharply, “Bring it to me!”
Ning’er, standing nearby, knew Wu Sheyue was counterattacking. She quickly stepped forward, forcefully pulled the cloth bundle from Nanny Wang’s hands, and gave it to Jiang Qingxue.
Nanny Wang trembled all over in terror and felt that she was finished.
Wu Liuyun and Jiang Qingxue looked together at the broken jade. They had both been born into great households. Their daily lives were filled with brocade clothes, fine food, music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. They still had some judgment when it came to jewelry. The cut surfaces of those fragments were gray. It really was Jingbai jade. Jiang Qingxue suddenly threw the fragments onto the ground, while Wu Liuyun frowned and stared at Wu Sheyue in confusion.
Nanny Wang was frightened out of her wits and explained in panic, “Madam… could that gray have come from dust when it was swept up?”
Wu Sheyue raised an eyebrow and cut in, “Then soak it in water. Mother, after soaking, the gray may show a faint green.”
Jiang Qingxue clenched both hands and looked at Nanny Wang, who had collapsed on the ground crying. This was someone she had brought from her maiden family. She trusted her own people more, which was why she had Nanny Wang manage the storeroom.
Even in her anger, Jiang Qingxue did not strike again. She merely gritted her teeth and asked, “Tell me, where is my mutton-fat jade?”
At such an advanced age, Nanny Wang lay on the ground weeping with old tears streaming. “This old servant doesn’t know either. This old servant’s eye is shallow. I cannot distinguish this jade from that jade. They are all white… this servant also always thought it was mutton-fat jade.”
Compared with Wu Sheyue, Jiang Qingxue still trusted Nanny Wang more. Seeing Nanny Wang like this, Jiang Qingxue’s expression loosened slightly. Could Nanny Wang truly have been unaware?
Wu Sheyue observed their expressions. Naturally, she was not pleased with Jiang Qingxue treating them differently. She couldn’t help speaking again. “Nanny Wang, you are the one who manages the storeroom. Now that the item has changed, no matter how one looks at it, it should be your responsibility, right?”
Nanny Wang’s drooping tearful eyes looked toward Wu Sheyue, as if she had thought of something. She said anxiously, “N-no, that’s not right. Why did Third Miss suddenly come to the storeroom today? And after coming, why did she insist on seeing the inventory? And why did she just happen to pick up this replaced Taiji ball? How can there be such a coincidence? Third Miss! Where did you hide the ball? Don’t frighten this old servant!”
Wu Liuyun, who had always looked calm, also nodded. “Looking at it this way, Nanny Wang and Third Sister are both suspect.”
Wu Sheyue rolled her eyes at Wu Liuyun. “Eldest Sister, Yue’er naturally had an important matter in coming to Nanny Wang. And Yue’er also asked Nanny Wang to speak privately. How could Yue’er know Nanny Wang would refuse? You say I picked out the fake one at a glance, but Yue’er only dared touch it because it looked cheap. There are so many inexpensive things in that storeroom. Maybe no matter which one Yue’er broke, this same play would have happened.”
“What did you say?” Jiang Qingxue strode up to Wu Sheyue. Her usually gentle, sweet expression had almost turned ferocious.
Nanny Wang only felt the world spin before her eyes. She cried hysterically, “Third Miss! You, you’re lying! You cannot slander me like this!”
Wu Sheyue seemed frightened and stepped back. “Yue’er only said I didn’t hide any mutton-fat jade ball. There are plenty of inexpensive objects in the storeroom. Why is Nanny Wang so agitated?”
Jiang Qingxue’s voice was icy. “Anything placed in the same storeroom as the mutton-fat jade Taiji balls should be of equal value. Every piece is worth a fortune. Do you know what you are saying?”
“Yue’er knows. If Mother doesn’t believe me, you can go look for yourself.”
Upon hearing this, Nanny Wang immediately crawled forward on her knees and grabbed Jiang Qingxue’s leg. “Madam! This servant has guarded the storeroom tightly and never allowed anyone to enter or leave. Nothing has ever happened before. Only the mutton-fat jade that Third Miss touched today was wrong. Madam, please believe this old servant!”
Jiang Qingxue had actually already been persuaded by Wu Sheyue. As long as she went and looked, they would know what was true and false. But with Nanny Wang like this… she couldn’t bear it. If she truly went to look, and Wu Sheyue had made a mistake, she could still excuse it by saying she herself had no eye for goods. But Nanny Wang would be estranged from her.
Nanny Wang turned to plead with Wu Liuyun. “Eldest Miss, this old servant watched you grow up. You know what kind of person this servant is. This old servant only begs the two masters for a bit of trust.”
Wu Liuyun tugged Jiang Qingxue’s sleeve. “Mother, Nanny Wang and Nanny Jin have both served us for many years…”
Jiang Qingxue looked at Nanny Wang kowtowing again and again, as if she could not feel pain. If one said Nanny Wang was not guilty, perhaps no one would believe it.
But Jiang Qingxue knew that everyone in the storeroom skimmed a little grease to some degree. Nanny Wang had followed her for so long. Even regarding Nanny Wang’s little bit of gold and silver, she had never wanted to ask. She truly did not want to wrong Nanny Wang over those small scraps.
Wu Sheyue was already somewhat annoyed. Such a simple matter was actually being made so difficult. She opened her mouth. “Nanny Wang, you still haven’t put down the account book, have you? The account book should record where each item is placed, right?”
Jiang Qingxue pressed, “So what?”
Nanny Wang felt that if Wu Sheyue said one more sentence, she would die on the spot.
“Yue’er remembers that on the top layer of Box Bing, from left to right, there are thirteen gold hairpins, all peacock-shaped and inlaid with agate eyes. Beside them are the black-and-white twin-dragon Taiji beads. Then there is a red-jeweled necklace with blue enamel and gilt, and a coral-red peony necklace. Correct?”
As Wu Sheyue spoke, Jiang Qingxue did not order anyone else. She bent herself and urgently pulled the account book from Nanny Wang’s arms, then began flipping through it.
“I couldn’t see the lower layer. But in the neighboring Box Kui, there was one tray of gold-thread embroidery floss, two bolts of silk brocade, five pearl necklaces with violet jadeite pendants, two pots of glazed four-season beans, one ivory cup and a pair of ivory chopsticks, and six small silver bowls. Correct?”
Everyone stared in utter shock at Wu Sheyue’s mouth as it opened and closed, as if they were looking at some kind of monster.
Jiang Qingxue’s eyes nearly split with rage as she looked at the account book in her hands. What Wu Sheyue had recited matched the records in the ledger exactly—except the rubies had been swapped for agate, six necklaces had become five, and the silver bowls were clearly supposed to number ten. As for the jade, emeralds, and other stones, who knew whether those had been replaced with inferior goods too?
Nanny Wang slapped the ground and wailed, “Third Miss, why are you framing this old servant? Why… You must have switched the things in the storehouse yourself. Otherwise, how would you know all this so clearly?”
Nanny Wang had completely broken down. As she spoke, she staggered to her feet and lunged toward Wu Sheyue to grab at her.
“Nanny, weren’t you the one who said, ‘This servant has always guarded the storehouse tightly and never allowed anyone in or out. Nothing has ever gone wrong before’? That was what you said, wasn’t it?” Wu Sheyue not only failed to dodge but stepped forward and held Nanny Wang’s arm. Ning’er came forward to help restrain her, while Bailian, afraid of being caught in the scuffle, quickly took a step back.
In the struggle, there was a ripping sound. Wu Sheyue tore the sleeve clean off Nanny Wang’s outer robe, and the collar was pulled open as well. What showed underneath was not a white inner garment, but a dark green robe embroidered with golden coiled flowers. The gold thread gleamed under the sun. One sleeve alone was enough to reveal how rich and dignified the garment was.
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