At three o'clock in the morning, the sun was blazing, making the bluestone slabs of the general's mansion steam. Chen Weiwan lay on the couch with her legs crossed, holding a piece of iced watermelon in her hand, watching Chuntao circling around the room.
"Miss, I can't find your pair of jade bracelets!" Chuntao finished rummaging through the camphorwood box, then went to search the dresser drawers and even under the bed. "They were still in the jewelry box yesterday, how come they're gone today?"
Shen Weiwan bit off a piece of watermelon with a "crack", and the red juice flowed down the corner of her mouth: "What are you panicking about? Could it be that it can grow legs and run away?" She wiped her mouth and suddenly raised an eyebrow to look at the door, "Hey, isn't this my cousin? How come you have time to come to my shabby yard?"
Shen Ruorou, holding the hand of her maid, stepped into the room. She was wearing a brand new lilac-colored silk dress, and the jewels on her head were dazzling. Seeing the mess in the room, a hint of pride flashed in her eyes, but a look of worry appeared on her face. "Sister, what's wrong? I just came back from the Buddhist temple and heard that you lost something here?"
"It's not lost," Shen Weiwan said slowly, shaking the watermelon seeds, "but I can't find a pair of worthless jade bracelets. It's strange to say," she suddenly sat up straight and stared at Shen Ruoruo's wrist, "cousin's bracelet looks so familiar, it seems to be made of the same material as mine."
Shen Ruorou subconsciously covered her wrist, and the bracelet made a crisp sound when it collided: "Sister, you are joking. This is a souvenir my mother left me. How can it be the same as yours?" She paused, and suddenly covered her mouth and exclaimed, "Oh! Could it be that I accidentally took the wrong one when I came to your place yesterday?"
Chun Tao immediately stood up with her hands on her hips and said, "Second Miss Shen didn't come to our courtyard yesterday! But this morning before dawn, I saw your maid Xiaolian sneaking around nearby!"
"You are slandering me!" Shen Ruorou's face turned pale, and she turned to the elders who had followed her and cried, "Elders, please make a decision for me! I was just worried about my sister and wanted to come and see her, so how did I become a thief?"
The third elder in the lead stroked his goatee and frowned at Shen Weiwan: "Weiwan, Ruorou is your cousin after all, you have to provide evidence when you speak."
Shen Weiwan suddenly laughed, laughing so hard that she fell backwards: "Evidence? Third Elder, look at the bracelet on her wrist. There is a word "Wan" engraved on the inside. My mother specially asked a craftsman to carve it!"
When everyone got closer to take a look, they saw a tiny "Wan" character on the inside of the jade bracelet. Shen Ruorou was so frightened that her hand trembled and the bracelet almost fell to the ground.
"No! This is a misunderstanding!" Shen Ruorou screamed and stepped back, "It was my sister who carved the words herself to frame me!"
"Oh?" Chen Weiwan raised an eyebrow and pulled out a piece of paper from her sleeve. "This is the contract my mother signed when she bought the jade material. It clearly stated that the word 'Wan' should be engraved on it. How come my cousin's bracelet also has a contract?"
Shen Ruorou was speechless. The Third Elder's face darkened, and just as he was about to speak, he heard a commotion outside.
"Move aside! I have an important clue!" Xiaolian ran in breathlessly, holding a cloth bag in her hand. "Elders, look! This is what I found at the bottom of Miss Shen's box!"
The cloth bag was opened, and inside was a pair of jade bracelets engraved with the word "Rou". When Shen Ruorou saw it, her eyes rolled back and she almost fainted.
"Well, Shen Ruorou!" The Third Elder's beard trembled with anger. "Not only did you steal the jewelry, but you also want to bite your sister back?"
Shen Weiwan wiped away her non-existent tears at the right time: "Cousin, I know you envy the things my mother left me, but you can't do this! If you like them, just tell me and I'll give you a pair. Why bother switching them?"
This sounded generous, but in fact, every word was a slap in the face. The servants around couldn't help but snicker, looking at Shen Ruoruo with eyes full of contempt.
"I didn't! She framed me!" Shen Ruoruo was completely panicked. She rushed forward and tried to tear Shen Weiwan's mouth, but was pushed away by Chuntao.
"Miss Shen Er, please respect yourself!" Chun Tao stood in front of Shen Weiwan with her hands on her hips. "Our young lady's kindness was not rewarded, and you framed her instead. This matter must be reported to the authorities!"
"Report to the police?" Shen Ruorou's face turned pale. "No! Don't report to the police!" She suddenly knelt down and hugged the third elder's legs. "Elder, please forgive me! I was just confused for a moment..."
The Third Elder shook her hand off in disgust. "Hmph! Considering this is your first offense, and for Ruorou's sake, I'll ground you for three months and make you copy the 'Instructions for Women' a hundred times!"
Shen Ruorou slumped on the ground, her face ashen. Shen Weiwan looked at her miserable state, a cold smile curling up at the corner of her mouth. This is just the beginning.
That afternoon, Shen Weiwan asked Chuntao to spread the news on the street.
"Just tell me," Chen Weiwan said slowly, biting the candied fruit, "the second young lady of the general's mansion was dishonest and stole the heirloom of her eldest sister, but was caught red-handed."
Chun Tao blinked: "Miss, isn't this too direct?"
"Be more direct," Shen Weiwan raised an eyebrow, "and add one more sentence, saying that she pretends to be gentle and virtuous on weekdays, but does all kinds of sneaky things behind her back."
As a result, in less than half a day, the "scandal" of the general's mansion spread throughout the streets and alleys of the capital.
"Have you heard? The second daughter of the general's mansion stole her sister's jade bracelet!"
"Really? I thought she was so sensible!"
"That's right. I heard he even bit back, only to be caught red-handed! Tsk tsk, how shameless he is!"
Shen Ruorou heard the servants' discussions in the house and was so angry that she smashed several teacups. She knew that her reputation was completely ruined.
At this moment, the maid Xiaolian ran in in a panic: "Miss, it's bad! The Seventh Prince is here!"
Shen Ruorou's eyes lit up, and she quickly straightened her clothes: "Quick! Please invite His Highness in!"
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