The exquisite hairpin gleamed in Wang Ma's hands. The way everyone looked at Wu Ma changed; no one had expected that an old woman like her would do such a thing.

When Wu Ma saw the hairpin, her expression calmed down. She didn't say anything to explain, and no matter how eloquent Wang Ma was, she remained unmoved.

“Sister Wu, we have both served Madam since we were young. I never expected you to steal from her. If it weren’t for Miss remembering, how long would you have kept it a secret?” Wang Ma said with a pained expression. She then turned around and pleaded for Wu Ma, “Madam, Sister Wu was just confused for a moment. We are all servants in the manor. This old servant dares to be magnanimous and beg you to forgive her this time.”

Ji Meiniang remained silent, but Xiang Wan interjected, "Mother, since it is my daughter's thing that has been lost, could you hand it over to me for questioning?"

Ji Meiniang nodded in agreement. Xiang Wan then took the hairpin and walked around the hall, taking in everyone's expressions. Afterward, she ordered someone to tie up Huan'er, one of the maids who was sweeping in the garden.

Huan'er, her face filled with disbelief, was bound hand and foot and forced to kneel on the ground, crying out that she was innocent. The crowd murmured amongst themselves, wondering what Xiang Wan was up to. After Wang Ma got up, she glanced at them, then immediately lowered her head, her hands unconsciously tightening.

Xiang Wan walked to her side, sniffed lightly, and said, "You haven't showered for several days, have you? You smell awful."

"Young Miss, I change my clothes every day and dare not wear unwashed ones, lest they offend your eyes. If I am arrested for this, I will not accept it!"

Huan'er was sixteen, the age when she could get married. It was understandable that she liked to look pretty. But her mistake was that she changed her clothes twice today.

A maid's daily work, while not exhausting, wasn't so leisurely that she had to change clothes as often as the masters of the mansion. Moreover, she wore light makeup.

Xiang Wan straightened up and said with a faint smile, "Of course not, it's because your clothes don't have the scent of peach blossoms, and I don't like it."

“I am a maid, how could my clothes smell of peach blossoms? I clean the peach orchard every day, I…” As she spoke, Huan’er’s face turned deathly pale in an instant, as if someone had grabbed her by the neck, and she could not say the rest of the words.

"Why aren't you talking? Have you become mute? This is bad! If we take you away now, who knows when a ghost might come and strangle you, making sure you never see the people you want to see again. Strangling... that's the ugliest way to die, your tongue will grow a foot long, the sight... tsk tsk tsk!"

"Miss, please don't frighten Huan'er. She...we...we are timid."

Yuan'er, a maid who was close to Huan'er, couldn't bear to see her friend being frightened by Xiang Wan, so she mustered up her courage and spoke up, but her voice grew softer and softer as she spoke.

Seeing Xiang Wan's gaze fixed on Yuan'er, Huan'er regained her composure and said calmly, "Miss, even if you want to arrest me, you must provide solid evidence. Although I am just a maid, if I am falsely accused, I will kill myself right here in this hall. At that time, your wild guesses and false accusations against me will surely spread throughout the entire capital. My death is nothing to regret, but your reputation will be completely ruined. I hope you will think carefully about which is more important."

Xiang Wan nodded. Someone who dared to do such a thing was certainly not a coward. If she remained silent or denied it, it would be difficult to get information out of her.

"Have any of you here ever seen Huan'er's clothes? You don't need to be too specific, just tell me the colors of her usual clothes."

The people in the hall looked at each other, and some who wanted to speak stopped themselves under the gaze of the people next to them.

Xiang Wan slammed her hand on the table and said sternly, "If you find that what you said is untrue, or that you have concealed it, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Once the young lady unleashed her power, someone else started the conversation.

"Yes, I think I've seen her wearing a mauve dress before."

"I've worn the blue one too."

"Light green and sky blue, I saw her wearing them a few days ago."

"And there's someone dressed all in black."

"Yes, yes, there are subtle patterns on it. I even asked her about it, but she didn't say anything."

After everyone chimed in with their opinions, Xiang Wan had a general idea of ​​what was going on. She then turned to Yuan'er and asked, "You're Huan'er's best friend and roommate. You know best whether the colors of her clothes are right or wrong. Don't lie, or else..."

Yuan'er was startled and turned to look at Huan'er, but Xiang Wan blocked her view.

Everyone was waiting for her answer. Yuan'er was flustered for a moment, and then, under Xiang Wan's gaze, she gave in.

"Her favorite colors to wear are blue and light green, because she says they best suit her skin tone. She also has one or two pieces of clothing in other colors, which are quite old. She always wears old clothes when she goes to work in the garden."

"She has clothes of all colors? Did she change her clothes before coming here?"

"It's been changed, it's a tender, pale yellow."

Upon hearing this, everyone glanced at each other before focusing their attention on Cao Ruwan's maid, Bi'er. Bi'er was wearing a light yellow maid's uniform today.

Cao Ruwan's heart tightened, and she quickly said, "Sister, Bi'er has always liked light yellow. But what does this have to do with Huan'er?"

"Don't worry, it's just that we wore the same clothes, little sister, don't be nervous." Xiang Wan smiled gently at Cao Xiang Wan, making the latter's heart pound.

"Having many colors for my clothes is just my personal preference. Surely you don't want to dictate what color clothes your servants buy with their monthly allowance?"

Huan'er looked indignant, but Xiang Wan didn't care. "That's your freedom. I'm not so idle as to care how you spend your money. But if I don't keep you tied up, someone might say they saw Bi'er go to Wu Ma's room. Although Cao Ruwan and I don't share the same mother, she absolutely won't allow anyone to frame her maid. Don't you agree, Huan'er?"

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