Lanqin didn't sleep well all night because what happened to Nian Shi involved Wu Shi. If no clues could be found, Wu Shi would inevitably still be considered a suspect.
Meanwhile, in the west courtyard, Madam Wu still couldn't sleep well. After returning with Wu Ruyue and Namin, she summoned all the maids in the room who could get close to the dressing box.
Namin was naturally put to bed first, while Madam Wu summoned Wu Ruyue and her maids Hongying, Hongqian, and Xiangyun to question her.
"How did my pearl hairpin end up in the east courtyard? Did it grow legs and run there by itself, and just happen to go to the room where the food is kept?" Madam Wu said with a gloomy face. She felt that there must be a spy in her place, otherwise there was no way to explain it.
The three maids had served Wu for many years, but the others had never even entered Wu's bedroom.
“Princess, we don’t know either. We saw your pearl hairpin this morning. I saw it when I was combing your hair,” Hongying said.
“That’s right. So that thing must have been taken after you finished dressing today. Only the three of you came into this room, so the person who took it must be one of you.” Madam Wu stared at the three people standing in front of her. All three of them were the people she trusted most. If the facts weren’t right in front of her, she really couldn’t believe that one of them had betrayed her.
The three looked at Wu Shi in bewilderment, none of them willing to admit that they had betrayed their master.
"What do you three have to say? Do you have anything to say? If you can't find out, I'll punish all three of you." Madam Wu was determined; she could only clear her name by forcing out who had betrayed her.
However, Hongying, Hongqian, and Xiangyun remained silent because they hadn't seen anyone take the item.
Wu Ruyue kept her head down, sitting next to Wu Shi, her expression inscrutable.
"Alright, that's all for today. Go and think about it. If no one comes to report by tomorrow morning, then the three of you will all be punished together." Madam Wu waved her hand and said, "Ruyue, you must be tired. Go and rest."
This was the first time the three maids had been reprimanded by Madam Wu in this way. Madam Wu then ordered a maid outside to bring in water to help them wash up. The three maids lived in the wing room to the left of Madam Wu, and because they often had to go in to serve her, they lived in the same room.
At this moment, the three silently entered the side room and lit candles in the dark. None of them knew who had betrayed Wu.
“Hongxi, the three of us have been following the princess for over ten years. I believe you wouldn’t betray her,” Hongying suddenly said.
Hongxi glanced at Hongying and nodded, saying, "You wouldn't know either. We've been busy washing and drying the princess's clothes all day."
When Xiangyun heard them say that, she quickly said, "I didn't betray the princess. I've been embroidering the princess's dress all day without stopping, and I haven't had time to go to the East Courtyard."
The three maids talked about what they had done that day, as if they could all testify to each other that none of them had ever left the room, so how could they have gone to work as spies?
“Actually, there’s another person who can also access that thing, and she even disappeared for a while during the banquet. Couldn’t we just put that beaded flower in a place that’s detrimental to the princess?” Hongying suddenly said.
"Who?" Hongxi and Xiangyun asked almost in unison.
“Princess’s younger sister! Wu Ruyue!” Hongying said.
Hong Qian and Xiang Yun looked at Hong Ying in surprise. They both had some opinions about Wu Ruyue, but they were still somewhat taken aback by Hong Ying's opinion.
“She’s the princess’s own sister, how could she conspire with others to harm the princess?” Hong Qian said.
“But she’s not happy with the marriage arranged for her by the princess. You all saw it,” Hongying said. “She went to the princess’s room several times today.”
"The princess would never believe it. After all, she's the princess's own sister," Xiangyun said, still finding it impossible. "What good would it do her to harm the princess?"
Hong Qian nodded and said, "That's right, harming Gege won't do her any good at all."
"Not necessarily, perhaps someone offered her something in return?" Hongying said.
“Sister Hongying, if you have such doubts, why don’t we go and tell the master? This matter should not be publicized, nor should it be delayed any longer,” Hongxi said.
“But will our mistress believe us? She might think we’re shirking responsibility and trying to shift the blame onto her sister,” Xiangyun said.
"Keep an eye on this Miss Wu. If it really was her doing, then she will definitely take further action," Hongying said.
The three maids discussed this amongst themselves, while Wu Ruyue returned to her room, feeling extremely conflicted. Because the pearl hairpin was indeed the one she had taken from her sister's dressing case.
When Lady Fucha approached her, she offered to help her stay in the Prince's mansion if she stole one of her sister's pearl hairpins and gave it to her. It turned out that Lady Fucha had seen through Wu Ruyue's covetousness of the Prince's wealth and her unwillingness to return to the Wu family to await marriage. So, one day, she "accidentally" met Wu Ruyue in the garden and directly discussed her terms: if Wu Ruyue did something for her, she would help her achieve her desires. Wu Ruyue initially refused, but upon hearing Lady Fucha's words, she became somewhat tempted.
But now, she regretted it. Wu Ruyue never expected that what Fucha Shi meant by helping her was this. Now that her sister was suspected by the Fourth Prince, she might be punished. And she didn't dare to expose Fucha Shi, because she had already been involved. If she exposed Fucha Shi, then Fucha Shi would reveal her true thoughts to the Fourth Prince. Once the Fourth Prince knew what kind of woman she was, would he still like her? Therefore, even when Wu Shi was questioned by Nian Gengyao, Wu Ruyue gritted her teeth and did not stand up.
Wu Ruyue regretted cooperating with that Fucha woman. Regardless of whether Fucha was caught by the Fourth Prince in the end, she knew Fucha would expose her. Once Fucha exposed her, she would no longer be able to stay in the Prince's mansion, let alone marry the Fourth Prince.
Wu Ruyue angrily threw the handkerchief in her hand to the ground. Yingcao and the others who served her stood silently by, seeing her lose her temper. They were thoroughly fed up with serving this second mistress.
"What are you all standing there for? Do you expect me to wash myself?" Wu Ruyue said. She knew that these people didn't treat her as a proper mistress. At this moment, she was thinking about what would happen if she were eventually found out that she was involved in the Nian family's affairs. As a result, she became more and more irritable.
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