Chapter 291 Outright Robbery
She suddenly stopped, gripping her cane tightly, the veins on the back of her hand bulging. She took a deep breath to suppress her anger and said coldly, "Your Majesty the Empress must be mistaken?"
"Didn't you arrange for someone to take all of your dowry with you after you left the Huo family, after you and Liu Ruolan had finished counting it? It caused quite a stir back then. How can you lie through your teeth now?"
Shen Qingci chuckled softly, casually brushing a stray hair from her temple: "Oh? Is that so?"
"But how come I remember there were several boxes of precious items, as well as a few jade ornaments, which were too valuable at the time and were stored in your private treasury for fear of being damaged on the way?"
“Those things are all treasures of the Shen family, priceless. I thought I'd come back for them anyway, so I didn't take them with me. What? Is the old lady getting old and her memory failing her? Or perhaps…”
Shen Qingci leaned forward slightly, staring intently at Old Madam Huo, her voice lowered, carrying a dangerous aura: "Old Madam, do you also want to follow Liu Ruolan's example and take what belongs to me for yourself?"
Madam Huo was so angry that she trembled all over and her face turned ashen.
Of course she remembered that Shen Qingci's dowry had long been emptied, leaving nothing for the Huo family!
This is clearly a despicable woman deliberately using this as an excuse to extort money! She's here to take revenge on the Huo family!
However, looking at Shen Qingci's fearless appearance, and considering the current situation of the Huo family and Shen Qingci's status as Empress, how could she dare to really break off relations?
"You...you..." Old Madam Huo stammered for a long time, and finally could only grit her teeth and swallow her anger, squeezing out a sentence through her teeth, "Perhaps...I misremembered. Since Your Highness said it was left behind, then...then let someone go to the storeroom to look for it."
“However,” Madam Huo’s tone shifted, a hint of ruthlessness flashing in her eyes, “if it can’t be found, then that’s not my problem. After all, there are many people and all sorts of people in this mansion now, and who knows which dishonest servant might have taken it.”
Shen Qingci didn't care about her excuses, and said with a half-smile, "It's alright, it doesn't matter if we can't find it."
"I believe that, given the old lady's character, she would certainly compensate for the lost items. After all, although the Huo family has declined, it still has the face of a century-old family, doesn't it?"
"Wanqing," Shen Qingci turned and instructed, "Take some people to the storeroom and 'search' carefully. Remember, that's my dowry. Every single item must be checked meticulously. Don't miss anything."
Wanqing understood immediately and replied loudly, "Yes! This servant will go right away!"
With that, Wanqing led several guards and rushed toward the Huo family's private treasury.
Seeing this scene, Old Madam Huo was so angry that she almost couldn't breathe. Her vision blurred, and she could only hold onto Wang Mama's hand, panting heavily, her eyes filled with resentment.
This is retribution! It's all karma! I shouldn't have provoked that wicked person in the first place!
Before long, Wanqing, accompanied by several guards, hurriedly carried out several heavy boxes from the storeroom and lined them up in the courtyard.
Wanqing dusted off her hands, a smug smile on her face, and walked up to Shen Qingci, curtsying: "Your Highness, I just checked our dowry list carefully. Everything in these boxes is definitely on the list."
She paused, glanced meaningfully at the pale-faced Madam Huo beside her, and sighed with feigned regret: "However, even if we find these, there are still many things that we haven't found."
"As the old lady said, it must have been stolen by some careless servant. When we get back, I will make a detailed list of lost items and bring it to the old lady."
"We can only trouble the old lady to make sure to compensate us at the original price."
Upon hearing this, Madam Huo felt her head throb and the veins on her forehead bulged.
She gritted her teeth, trying to maintain the last shred of dignity, and squeezed out her voice through clenched teeth: "In that case, may I take a look at what rare items are in Her Majesty the Empress's so-called dowry that she 'lost and found'?"
Shen Qingci glanced at her with a half-smile, then casually instructed Wanqing, "Since Old Madam Huo wants to see it clearly, then let her see it. It will also let her know that we haven't wronged any innocent people."
With a smile in her eyes, Wanqing responded crisply and stepped forward. With a few quick clicks, she opened the brass locks on the boxes one by one. The lids were lifted, and the dazzling jewels inside instantly dazzled everyone's eyes.
"Please take a look, Madam. These are all part of our Lady's dowry."
Old Madam Huo squinted, her gaze sweeping over the contents of the box. With just one glance, she felt a sharp pain in her chest and nearly fainted.
That damned maid isn't looking for a dowry; she's clearly emptying her family's coffers!
What she found were all the most treasured items from the Huo family's private vault, each one a priceless treasure!
Shen Qingci's dowry? These things have absolutely nothing to do with Shen Qingci!
That half-person-high Buddha statue was a gift from the late emperor to the old marquis! That set of kingfisher feather-inlaid gold headdress was part of her dowry! And those priceless blood jade ruyi scepters... were the family heirlooms she planned to leave to her future granddaughter-in-law!
Madam Huo was trembling with rage: "This...this is utterly absurd! Many of these items are not part of the Empress's dowry at all!"
She pointed at the white jade Guanyin statue, her fingers trembling: "For example, this white jade Guanyin statue that grants children was a gift specially given to me when I celebrated my sixtieth birthday two years ago! How did it become part of the Shen family's dowry?"
She pointed to the box of expensive silks and the set of kingfisher feather headdresses next to her, and said through gritted teeth, "And these things in this box, those are clearly Liu Ruolan's dowry from back then!"
Wanqing, however, was completely unconvinced and refused to listen to reason. She argued, "Madam, you're wrong. My eyes are sharp. I compared each item to Miss's dowry register from back then. There's no mistake."
"It must be that the old lady is getting old and her memory is failing."
"The old lady said this is a birthday gift, so who sent it? Why don't we invite the person to the manor now and have a confrontation? If there's really a mistake, I'll kowtow to you and apologize!"
“You say this is Liu Ruolan’s dowry, then it’s even simpler. Why don’t we call Liu Ruolan over and ask her? If she says it’s hers, we’ll return it to her immediately, without hesitation!”
Madam Huo was so angry that she was trembling all over, her face turning from green to white, and then from white to red.
Ask someone to come and ask? Shen Qingci is now the Empress, wielding immense power in the court!
Even if the person who gave the gift had ten times the courage, would she dare to say "no" to Shen Qingci?
Of course, she would never admit it! She would only agree with Shen Qingci's words, saying that it originally belonged to the Shen family!
And Liu Ruolan... that bitch is long dead! Her bones are cold!
Where is she supposed to ask for it? From the underworld? This is clearly a curse upon her!
Looking at Wanqing's confident and fearless demeanor, and then at Shen Qingci, who stood by with a calm expression as if watching a play, Old Madam Huo knew in her heart that she was destined to suffer this injustice in silence.
This is outright robbery!
But circumstances are beyond her control, so what could she do?
She could only grit her teeth and swallow her anger and humiliation, saying in a trembling voice, "Perhaps...perhaps I've misremembered. Since it's all on the list, then...then take it."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com