Chapter 24 Performing a Grand Opera
The air in the central hall was filled with the gentle fragrance of sandalwood incense.
Shen Qingshu sat in the main seat, while Zhang Shi sat in a side chair.
Lu Zhaoruo knelt on the prayer mat, several handkerchiefs soaked through, and cried so hard she almost passed out: "Uncle! If the traitor in the family is not eliminated, it means the family rules are not strict! If word gets out, people will only laugh at our Shen family for not being able to control even our servants, ruining the reputation of the Shen family."
Behind her, servants knelt in order of rank: in the front row were her personal servants Shitou and Dongrou; in the middle were the handymen Cao Hai, Xing'er, and Tao'er; in the back row knelt the kitchen lady and the old granary head, while the guards stood under the eaves...
Zhang scratched the rim of the teacup with her fingernails and sneered, "Could it be that you forgot where you put it? I think you've become confused these past few days because of your illness."
Lu Zhaoruo cried and said, "My daughter-in-law and Dongrou searched the room three times, turning over everything under the bed and on top of the cabinets."
Dongrou lowered her head: "I saw Xing'er acting suspiciously in the eldest mistress's room earlier, so I was sure I wasn't wrong about her. In the past three days, I've also seen her lingering under the eldest mistress's window... Therefore, the jewelry that went missing from the eldest mistress's room must have been stolen by Xing'er."
Xing'er showed no remorse and instead said loudly, "Madam, I did not steal from Madam's room. Dongrou is going to frame me again."
She looked at Dong Rou: "Could it be that you were wronged last time and are still holding a grudge?"
Dongrou pointed at her: "You stole it, your whole family are thieves."
She suddenly raised her voice, "Cao Hai steals wine every month to sell; the kitchen maid steals silver and charcoal to sell; Tao'er was caught stealing oil and salt by a maid and begged me to keep it a secret! The old granary manager even opened the back door to let the porters in to steal grain..."
Cao Hai's expression changed drastically, his eyes flashing with a fierce light.
Xing'er's hands, gripping the hem of her clothes, were damp with cold sweat.
The old woman secretly glanced at Zhang, then quickly lowered her head.
Cao Cangtou lay on the ground, trembling all over, wondering when he had been discovered.
After all, his family had no idea that Dongrou knew so much detail...
Fortunately, Lu Zhaoruo possessed memories of her past life.
After a moment of silence, the old woman in charge of the kitchen spoke first: "Nonsense!"
She crawled half a step on her knees. "My lord, please see the truth! My whole family are servants born into the family. We've been with the Shen family for thirty years, and we wouldn't even dare to take more than a piece of charcoal! But this little hussy Dongrou has been framing us time and time again. Could it be that she's deliberately trying to drive us out of the Shen family?"
Dongrou hurriedly replied, "Master, everything I said is true."
Shen Qingshu's face was gloomy. He ordered, "Give the warehouse key to Shi Tou. Shi Tou, go and check!"
Zhang hesitated before handing the key to Shi Tou. Shi Tou took the order and left, returning shortly after, kneeling on the ground with the account book in his hands: "Reporting to Master, I went to the storeroom and checked the inventory. Three jars of official brew are missing, the silver-boned charcoal has been mixed with thirty percent ordinary charcoal, the rice is almost gone, and the oil and salt are all empty..."
Shen Qingshu slammed his fist on the table in anger.
But the family of the old woman who worked at the kitchen door were not flustered at all.
The old woman working in the kitchen glanced at Zhang's face and suddenly raised her voice: "This old servant has something to say. Why did this hussy Dongrou have to lose things as soon as she arrived?"
She glanced sideways at Lu Zhaoruo: "Who knows, it might be embezzlement by someone in charge!"
Dong Rou kowtowed: "This servant would never dare!"
Xing'er immediately chimed in, "Maybe you stole it yourself."
Zhang slowly skimmed the tea foam, then suddenly slammed the teacup down: "You lowlife!"
Lu Zhaoruo lowered her head, wanting to laugh.
Dongrou cried and said, "Madam, I didn't steal anything. It was definitely that family who stole it."
"Someone come here!"
Suddenly, Madam Zhang shouted, pointing at Dong Rou: "Slap this wretched girl until she tells the truth!"
Granny Zhou rolled up her sleeves and was about to step forward when Lu Zhaoruo blocked Dongrou's way, deliberately making her voice tremble: "Dongrou is my daughter-in-law's personal maid. If you say she stole something from the main house..."
Suddenly looking up, her eyes brimming with tears, she asked, "Could it be that my daughter-in-law is going to steal my things and confiscate them?"
The old woman immediately chimed in, raising her voice, "Madam, if she didn't have her master backing her up, she wouldn't dare to do it even if you gave her ten lives!"
This is self-explanatory...
Lu Zhaoruo wiped her eyes with a handkerchief again, tears dripping down her cheeks. She smiled gently and said, "Uncle, please forgive me! The lost items are the copper-plated silver hairpin and hollow silver earring that my husband personally gave to me. The silver bracelet was also a gift from him in front of you! These were all gifts from my husband, and I have always treasured them. How could I have stolen them to keep them? It doesn't make sense at all!"
Zhang's expression turned pale, and she secretly gave Xing'er a sharp look.
Xing'er's shoulders trembled.
She just kept stealing without realizing that these were gifts from her lord.
Lu Zhaoruo crawled forward on her knees, placed her hands on the ground, and bowed deeply with her forehead against the back of her hands: "Uncle, if Dong Rou has uttered even half a lie, I am willing to share the punishment of twenty strokes of the cane with her and be expelled from the Shen family. I only ask that you investigate thoroughly and not let the gifts given by my husband be tarnished!"
Expelled from the Shen family?
That's impossible!
Shen Qingshu pondered, "That makes some sense..."
After speaking, his gaze swept over the family like a knife, and the people immediately shrank back.
"My lord!"
Zhang interrupted abruptly, the teacup clinking against the table, "Even if it has nothing to do with her, this lowly maid still stole from her own servant!"
She pointed at Dongrou: "She must have stolen the money to fill her family's poverty hole! Otherwise, why would she have come back so eagerly after being sent back..."
She suddenly slammed her hand on the table and shouted, "What else could it be but harboring wicked intentions? Guards! Give this wretched servant thirty slaps and smash her mouth to pieces!"
Granny Zhou grinned maliciously as she approached: "This old servant will personally teach this scoundrel a lesson..."
Lu Zhaoruo shielded Dongrou behind her. This Zhang family member was even more insidious and despicable than she had expected.
Granny Zhou's calloused hands suddenly gripped Lu Zhaoruo's sleeve, as if she were about to roughly pull her away...
Lu Zhaoruo, however, grabbed her wrist with her other hand, still appearing gentle and serene, but her eyes suddenly turned cold: "The 'General Principles of Criminal Law' states that 'all judgments must be based on the prescribed legal code, and those who violate it shall be punished with thirty strokes of the cane.' Today, since there is no evidence of stolen goods, you want to resort to private torture?"
She was actually nervous too.
Why hasn't my brother arrived yet?
Shen Qingshu's teacup suddenly tilted, spilling water onto the hem of his robe.
This daughter-in-law actually used the Criminal Code to put him in a difficult position! If he indulged his wife, he might be accused of "lax household management"; if he gave in, it would damage the authority of the head of the household...
He pondered for a moment and said, "This matter needs to be examined more thoroughly..."
Sudden.
The gatekeeper stumbled into the main hall, knelt down with a thud, and urgently reported: "Your Honor! County Inspector Lu has arrived with official credentials, leading more than twenty soldiers and escorting a broker, who are waiting outside the gate."
His voice trembled, breaking into broken sentences: "They said... they said they caught a broker who specializes in collecting stolen goods, and among the jewelry they seized... there were the eldest daughter's jewelry, as well as our pear blossom white jewelry and last month's silver bone charcoal... The broker confessed everything, and even signed the confession..."
Zhang's fingers loosened, and the teacup fell to the ground with a "clatter," causing his back to slam against the back of the chair.
Shen Qingshu paused slightly as he held the teacup, the tea spilling over the rim. His sharp gaze swept over Zhang Shi, and he knew perfectly well that his wife had condoned the servants' theft.
He said coldly, "Bring it in."
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