Chapter 33: Yi Shuang
“So as it turns out, Xiang Qiao covets money and valuables yet blames others ah!”
A single stone caused a thousand waves. The guests immediately started to comment. Originally, it was thought that the second young lady of the residence hated the third miss, that was having disagreements between the sisters. Jiang Li maliciously cursed Jiang You Yao. But unexpectedly, in the end, it was actually the close-fitting servant girl who was a money-grubber but blamed others.
This kind of thing was really simple. It originated from Jiang Li’s close-fitting servant girl, Xiang Qiao, who was p.r.o.ne to stealing and wanted to steal Jiang Li’s gift for Jiang You Yao. Yet she was afraid the matter would be exposed when it was investigated on her. So she simply looked for a head ornament with a much inferior quality as a subst.i.tute.
Xiang Qiao shook her head desperately, holding Jiang Li’s calf as she said: “No, no! All those jewelry were given by second miss! They weren’t stolen by this servant! Second miss, quick say a few words on behalf of this servant ah!”
Those jewelry and hair clips indeed were not stolen by Xiang Qiao. But Jiang Li also wouldn’t admit it.
Jiang Li merely looked at her and lamented: “Xiang Qiao, I didn’t treat you thinly. Why are you treating me like this? Besides, I didn’t have plenty of silver money. The entire silver was spent to buy the head ornament for third sister. What remained was just the jewelry. This jewelry was not cheap, if giving you one or two piece, then it’s nothing much. But giving them all to you, afraid there are very few people in Yanjing who can be so generous!”
Every guest in the surrounding nodded. It was precisely like she said. If the people below did something very well, bestowing a bit more of something was understandable. But whoever’s money wasn’t brought in by the wind. To have such a generous hand, using a small box of jewelry to bestow it to the person below, wouldn’t happen unless the person’s brain was broken. Furthermore, Jiang second miss just now mentioned, all her silver was used to buy Jiang third miss’s birthday present and all that remained were those jewelry. It was even more impossible to consciously give them away to people. It was not worth it ah!
Xiang Qiao looked dazedly at Jiang Li. Jiang Li had a sincere expression, not the slightest trace of falsehood was seen, almost confusing Xiang Qiao.
Her eyes were only fixed on Jiang Li’s small box of treasures. When Jiang Li bestowed the rewards to her, she happily accepted them. But she didn’t realize that a Master bestowing so many things to the lower person was naturally too abnormal. She only thought it was due to Jiang Li being a country b.u.mpkin and not understanding the ways of the world. Nevertheless, she didn’t foresee that quickly receiving these refreshing things would in turn become a seal that would press her to her death.
Ji Shuran let her put her hands on the birthday present Jiang Li was going to send. But Xiang Qiao’s mouth was raised wickedly in recent days and her courage also became big. Her mind moved upon seeing the head ornament. By lucky coincidence, in the courtyard she heard the servant girls chatting about a jewelry craftsman who could produce counterfeit articles. Soon after, she looked for him and spent a bit of money to make an identical head ornament.
Apart from the difference in purity, there wasn’t any error on the surface. Xiang Qiao thought, on the day Jiang Li couldn’t dispute the matter, the people in the Jiang family would punish her and that head ornament would naturally be treated as an inauspicious thing. This matter could be considered as over.
In this way, she could both fulfill her task from Ji Shuran to set up Jiang Li while she would also freely get the head ornament.
What Xiang Qiao didn’t expect was that during this frenetic situation, Jiang Li could still discover that there was something amiss with the head ornament. Moreover, Jiang Li had merely touched the real head ornament for a while, how could she argue so calmly. What was even more unexpected was that head ornament actually turned up in her own room.
She had obviously placed the head ornament in a small box and buried it in a safe place ah!
Who did it? Xiang Qiao raised her head to look and came in contact with Jiang Li’s eyes and her heart shivered.
Perhaps Jiang Li had known since earlier what she was about to do. She had been watching without batting an eyelid from the beginning. Thinking about it, those jewels bestowed by the main courtyard were originally the least in her mind. But now, they seemed to enforce the proof that she was a thief.
Jiang Li had started her conspiracy since that time!
How was she an ignorant country b.u.mpkin? She knew everything, yet still pretending to be ignorant!
Suddenly Xiang Qiao felt desperate. She had messed up Ji Shuran’s scheme, Ji Shuran naturally wouldn’t forgive her easily.
At this time, Jiang Li again said: “Actually there’s something I don’t understand. Xiang Qiao, you exchanged my head ornament and used an inferior counterfeit to give third sister. When third sister received it, she would probably think that I don’t have much silver. But why did you want to risk the danger of being discovered and deliberately made many knife scars on the gem. Shifting the blame on me, nearly causing me to be rejected by my father and mother.” Jiang Li spoke patiently and systematically, “When I think about it, you have no reason to do it. Could there be someone behind who told you to do so?”
When the last sentence came out, there was a subtle change in the facial expressions of the guests.
Who was behind it, the Jiang’s stepmother and stepdaughter’s complicated relationship suddenly appeared vividly before everyone’s eyes. Ji Shuran’s heart skipped a beat, wishing she could hold and tear Jiang Li to bits. She stood slightly sideways and secretly gave Xiang Qiao a warning look.
Xiang Qiao was extremely afraid. She clenched her teeth, her mind was in a jumble. She wept while looking at Jiang Li: “Second miss, you clearly instructed this servant to do so. You said that third miss doesn’t deserve to use that head ornament and asked this servant to look for an identical head ornament for thisservant to cut and scratch with a knife…….”
“Really full of lies.” Jiang Li sighed and shook her head. She was standing upright and looking down at her: “You just said the words and now you want to go back. This kind of lies, you don’t need to say it again. Moreover, you didn’t explain how you stole my box full of jewelry.”
Then Jiang Li looked at Ji Shuran and spoke: “Mother gave me this servant girl, saying that she is excellent and hardworking. Normally I don’t dare to neglect her. Unexpectedly, this servant girl is actually light-fingered and still dared to shift the blame on the master. Mother, this time you’ve made an error in judgement.”
Ji Shuran only felt her face was hot as if she was being slapped in public. Just now, she still vowed and testified for Xiang Qiao’s character in front of everybody. Yet at this time she had no choice but to withdraw her own words.
Ji Shuran smiled and spoke with difficulty: “It’s all mother’s fault. Mother……. was not clear with the person, making you suffer from injustice.”
How could the mistress who was in charge of the family be unclear of the people. Yet, to place such a hateful person by the stepdaughter’s side, the madams who sympathized with Ji Shuran before were immediately hit in their hearts.
Ji Shuran saw the expressions on the guests’ faces and her heart was extremely angry. At this moment, she understood Jiang Li’s purpose. Jiang Li wanted to use this matter as a pretext to return Xiang Qiao and remove the nail she installed in the Fragrant Courtyard.
Jiang Li smiled in her heart. Ji Shuran thought she only wanted to remove Xiang Qiao, this one nail? No, she simply didn’t have time at the Jiang family to waste her mind on this trifle matter. Some things just needed to be done cleanly from the beginning so as to save many troubles in the future.
“Mother wasn’t completely unclear about people.” Jiang Li smiled and said: “This time with this matter, I still need to thank mother for giving me another servant girl, Yi Shuang. If it wasn’t due to Yi Shuang’s reminder, I also wouldn’t know Xiang Qiao is the kind of person who turns her back on her master.” She glanced accurately at Yi Shuang who was standing behind the people and sincerely said: “This time, many thanks to Yi Shuang.”
Xiang Qiao who was on the ground was stunned. She suddenly understood many things, like sparks from hitting fire rocks together. But her mouth was already blocked by an old servant with a cloth and she couldn’t speak at all.
Yi Shuang who was hiding behind the crowd was dumbfounded. Ji Shuran looked at her, making her feel ice-cold.