Bai Qianmo asked, "Did you pawn it because you were short of money before?"
"Impossible. You had been carefully treasuring the jewelry that Madam gave you, afraid of losing it, and you couldn't bear to wear it with you. Moreover, those gemstone pendants were Madam's favorite pieces of jewelry, which is why I was able to discover that they were missing so quickly."
Bai Qianmo rested one hand on her chin, her eyes slightly lowered as she pondered.
When was the last time you saw these pendants?
Xiao Huan thought carefully: "Oh, I remember now. It was on the day we moved back to the Xu family's house. When I was taking care of my jewelry, I opened the jewelry box. I remember it very clearly. The pair of gemstone pendants were still in the box at that time."
"So, these gemstone pendants were lost sometime after we returned to the Xu family?"
Xiao Huan nodded firmly: "It must have been lost after we returned to the Xu family."
Where have you kept these pieces of jewelry since you brought them back?
Xiao Huan stood up: "Miss, please come with me."
Bai Qianmo followed Xiao Huan into the inner room. Xiao Huan pointed to one of the mahogany wardrobes, opened it, and inside was a locked compartment. The compartment was integrated with the wardrobe and was specifically for storing valuables.
Xiao Huan pointed to that compartment and said, "It was Miss who personally put the jewelry box into this compartment."
How did you open this compartment?
“Miss, don’t you remember? I’ve always kept the key.”
Bai Qianmo stared straight at Xiao Huan and asked, "Why did you suddenly open the compartment to check this jewelry box today?"
Xiao Huan stared at Bai Qianmo with a somewhat aggrieved expression.
"Miss, you don't suspect that I stole those pendants, do you?"
Bai Qianmo walked to a chair and sat down, then picked up the teapot and poured herself a cup of tea.
Seeing that her young mistress remained silent, Xiao Huan felt a surge of grievance.
“Miss, if you suspect that Xiao Huan stole the pendants, Xiao Huan… Xiao Huan allows you to bring people to search my room, but Xiao Huan still has to say, I really didn’t steal those pendants.”
Bai Qianmo took a few sips of tea and saw that Xiao Huan was crying anxiously.
Instead, she suddenly laughed.
"I just asked you why you opened this compartment today, what's the rush to explain? Don't overthink it!"
Xiao Huan sobbed and wiped her tears with her sleeve.
"Miss, Xiao Huan has been by your side since she was little, and she has never secretly taken any of your gold or silver jewelry. I feel wronged, sob sob..."
"Alright, I didn't say you stole it, but if you want to find the real thief, you have to think about every detail. I just looked at the lock on this compartment, and it's not an ordinary lock. It can't be opened without a special key."
Xiao Huan calmed down and blinked her big, watery eyes.
"Miss, do you mean that the person who stole the pendant used a key to open the hidden compartment?"
"Are you sure you haven't touched these pieces of jewelry since you locked them in the locker?"
Xiao Huan thought for a moment and shook her head: "No, this is the first time I've opened it in the half month since we moved here."
"We've come full circle. Why did we open it today?"
Xiao Huan looked aggrieved: "It was Li Ma who said that there was a thief in the First Madam's courtyard yesterday, and she asked everyone in the courtyard to check their valuables to see if anything was missing. I thought of the dowry that the First Madam left for you, so I opened it to check, but I didn't expect that a pair of pendants would really be missing."
Is a thief in the First Madam's room?
Yesterday she broke into the First Madam's room at night, pretended to be a ghost to scare her, and today she even invited a Taoist priest from the Taoist temple to perform a ritual at the mansion. How did that turn into attracting thieves?
"Who is this Aunt Li you're talking about?"
"She is the stewardess in charge of the miscellaneous items in the inner courtyard. Her main job is to distribute personal items to each courtyard, and she also manages the monthly profits."
When you opened this cabinet, was there anyone else in the room?
Xiao Huan nodded: "When I opened the cabinet, besides me, there was Li Ma and two women in charge in the room. I checked the jewelry box in front of them."
Has this jewelry box been touched by anyone else?
Xiao Huan thought carefully for a while and pointed to the spot where Bai Qianmo was sitting.
“I was sitting here at the time, with the jewelry box on the table. Li Ma was standing to my left, and the other two old women were standing to my right.”
Having heard this, Bai Qianmo had basically pieced together the whole story.
"During the process of you opening the box, did Li Ma try to talk to you or attract your attention?"
Xiao Huan stared wide-eyed in astonishment at Bai Qianmo.
"Miss, how do you know that Aunt Li spoke to me back then?"
Bai Qianmo shook her head: "Silly girl, those pendants were probably stolen by the old woman standing to your right while you were talking to Li Ma."
“Miss, now that you mention it, I understand. When I opened the jewelry box, Aunt Li suddenly asked where you were. Why would she entrust me with the key to such valuable jewelry, and even asked who would be responsible if anything was lost?”
“Li Ma’s tone was very bad at the time. I got angry and argued with her for a few words. So at that time, my attention was completely drawn to Li Ma. The two old women standing to my right had a good chance to steal things. I went to confront Li Ma.”
Xiao Huan was about to rush towards the door in a huff when Bai Qianmo grabbed her sleeve and stopped her.
"Without any evidence, even if you go to Li Ma to argue, she won't admit it."
“Those pendants were the lady’s favorite pieces of jewelry. After she passed away, she left them to Miss for safekeeping. I’m so stupid to have lost something so important.”
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