Clearly, Empress Qi was starting to distrust her.
Yue Xiaomin looked coldly at Luo Zhiwan. She didn't understand how the luminous pearl could have disappeared when she had clearly placed it under Luo Zhiwan's bed, somewhere she was sure Luo Zhiwan wouldn't find it.
Yue Xiaomin probably never imagined that when Empress Qi summoned Luo Zhiwan to the palace, she had already begun to suspect Empress Qi's intentions.
After waiting outside the palace for a day, she came to understand many things.
When she returned to Donghui Courtyard, she recalled what had happened that day. She guessed that Empress Qi would not have said a few meaningless words to her for no reason, and it was not normal for Yiming to be kept in the palace for a day. They must have had another purpose in doing so.
At the time, she couldn't guess what her purpose was. When she sat in front of the bronze mirror, preparing to remove the heavy jewelry and go to sleep, a bead on her earring accidentally fell off. She hurriedly bent down to look for it and eventually found the suspicious box under the bed.
She tried to open the box, but it was locked and she couldn't open it. She immediately wondered how a box could suddenly appear under her bed? And the box looked very high-end; the contents must be very valuable!
So she left the Crown Prince's residence that very night, found a craftsman's shop, and spent a lot of money to have an identical little box made for her overnight, with her name engraved on it.
It wasn't until the next morning, when Rouge brought people to search the place, that she realized the small box actually contained a precious luminous pearl.
While she was relieved to have escaped a disaster, she instructed Hu'er and Chun'er to cooperate in placing the real luminous pearl under Yue Xiaomin's bed.
She never dreamed that the luminous pearl that was originally lying under Luo Zhiwan's bed would end up under her bed.
In a short while, Rouge indeed appeared before Empress Qi with the box containing the luminous pearl.
"Your Majesty, this box was found under Miss Yue's bed."
"Open……"
Empress Qi's face had turned ashen by this moment.
All eyes were on Rouge's hand as she inserted the gold key into the lock and easily opened the small padlock.
In an instant, a gleaming silver light appeared before everyone's eyes, "Wow!"
Apart from Empress Qi and Rouge, who here has ever seen such a rare item as a luminous pearl?
After a gasp from those present, Yue Xiaomin immediately stamped her feet in frustration.
"Impossible, this is impossible."
She shook her head frantically, “This thing can’t be in Suiyu Pavilion, it should be in Donghui Courtyard, Aunt, you have to believe me, I never dared to have any wicked thoughts about this luminous pearl.”
Seeing that she had made a mess of things in her haste, Luo Zhi stepped forward and questioned her sharply.
"Miss Yue, why does this thing have to be in Donghui Courtyard? Did you put it here?"
Yue Xiaomin blinked hard a few times, then turned to look at her.
"Luo Zhiwan, you must be trying to frame me, deliberately putting this under my bed, right?"
"Oh……"
She gave a helpless, bitter smile.
“Yesterday I went to Fengyou Palace and only spoke three sentences with the Empress. Moreover, Rouge and the servants of Fengyou Palace were watching me the whole time, asking me how I had time to take the luminous pearl when I didn’t know its location. If I had actually taken it, I would have hidden it away long ago and taken it with me after this matter was over, living a life of comfort and ease. Why would I have put it under your bed?”
Her words seemed to make some sense, and Empress Qi's face turned ashen at that moment.
Yue Xiaomin hurriedly turned to look at her, desperately trying to explain.
"Aunt, I really don't know how this luminous pearl ended up with me, I really don't know..."
"Okay, that's enough."
Empress Qi was afraid that she might say something she shouldn't in her haste, so she interrupted her in time.
In front of so many people, she couldn't help but give Yue Xiaomin a symbolic punishment, so she could only say in a cold voice:
"Take her back to Fengyou Palace. I will interrogate her thoroughly."
Upon hearing this, Luo Zhiwan turned to look at Leng Chuchen.
"Your Highness, your betrothed Yue Xiaomin stole the luminous pearl, and I was almost wrongly accused. Even if I am just a concubine, you must seek justice for me."
Her meaning was clear: she couldn't take the blame for Yue Xiaomin for nothing.
At this moment, Yue Xiaomin was so frightened that her face turned deathly pale.
Once she has a history of theft, even if her imperial aunt manages to save her life this time, she will never be able to enter the Crown Prince's residence as his principal wife.
How could she accept such a terrible outcome?
"Imperial Aunt, you have to save me, you have to save me! I'm about to marry Brother Chen, I can't live without him!"
Luo Zhiwan's lips curved slightly; it seemed she didn't want to give up her position as Crown Princess.
Leng Chuchen's eyebrows twitched slightly, and she gave a cold snort.
"Since ancient times, the royal family has never allowed anyone with a bad record to enter the palace. This time, Yue Xiaomin dared to steal the luminous pearl. This is a matter of great importance. Mother, you should report to Father and inform the Yue family so that they can be dealt with appropriately!"
"No, no, I didn't steal this luminous pearl. I have no idea where it is. Rouge gave it to me. Rouge, you have to prove it to me."
Seeing that she was pointing the finger at her, Yan Zhi looked at Empress Qi in a panic. She was afraid that Yue Xiaomin would tell the truth at this moment, and then how would the Empress handle the situation?
Seeing that she was now speaking without restraint, Empress Qi gave her a stern reminder.
"Yue Xiaomin, you are wrong to steal, and I will plead for you before the Emperor because it is your first offense and you did not damage the luminous pearl. But I did not expect that you would try to pin the blame on someone else. You are really too stupid."
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