0036 Jade Exquisite (Part Two)
In less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, A-Jian and the others presented the purse they had found in A-Xing's room to the table next to Old Madam Li.
Madam Li picked up the purse and examined it closely for a moment, then sneered: "This purse is unremarkable. It has neither the famous embroidery of the eldest daughter nor the rose pattern that the eldest daughter usually uses. Why do you expect me to believe that this belongs to the eldest daughter?"
The group's gazes turned to Ah Xing, who shook her head frantically and said confidently, "Madam, please look at the stitching technique used to embroider the pattern on the purse!"
"This needlework technique is called brocade needlework, which is unique to Shu embroidery. There is only one Shu embroidery embroiderer in the entire mansion, and it is said that she was sent by the eldest daughter's maternal grandparents in Sichuan to be her maidservant in the future."
Madam Li's face finally darkened, and she clutched her purse without saying a word.
Seeing this, Ah Xing dared not speak again, and the entire Qichuan Hall fell silent, awaiting Madam Li's decision.
However, the situation took an instant turn. Madam Li suddenly stood up from her seat, took a few steps to the corner of the incense burner, lifted the lid, and threw the purse she was holding into the burning incense ash.
The originally gentle flame suddenly flared up, gradually engulfing the corner of the purse and sending up a plume of acrid black smoke.
Shu Fu was stunned for a moment, and even the composed Luo Shi burst out in surprise at this moment.
"Auntie—"
Madam Li returned to her seat and suddenly grabbed a teacup from the table, smashing it directly towards Ah Xing!
The delicate white porcelain clattered heavily against the screen, shattering into pieces instantly. The spilled tea seeped down Ah Xing's trouser leg and onto her skin.
"You have quite the nerve, you maid! It was clearly your own negligence that caused the problem, yet you dare to try to frame the eldest young lady and sow discord between the sisters of the master!"
Ah Xing was scalded by the boiling tea and collapsed on the ground, unable to utter a single word.
She knew that her future was completely over.
Madam Luo stepped forward to argue, "Aunt, this is clearly..."
Madam Li's tone remained unchanged, and her sharp gaze swept over Luo Shi again: "I've only been living outside for a little over a month, and you've managed to turn the house into this mess, causing a perfectly good Third Sister to lose her reputation for no reason!"
Why did San Niang lose her innocence? It was all thanks to Shu Wei!
Luo cursed inwardly, her brows furrowing, but she had to admit that Shu Fu and she herself had misjudged Old Madam Li's protectiveness towards Shu Wei.
She had been Madam Li's daughter-in-law for over ten years and was confident that she knew Madam Li's temperament well. That's why she dared to present the evidence to Madam Li and openly force her to punish Shu Wei.
Even elders in ordinary families, when faced with irrefutable evidence, would not unconditionally favor one side in order to balance the relationships among family members.
However, the most upright and principled old lady Li favored Shu Wei to such an extent that she even destroyed the evidence in front of them and then turned around and scolded them.
Looking at the sachet that had long since turned to ashes, Mrs. Luo was filled with remorse.
They were too impulsive this time.
"What is the name of the maidservant downstairs?" Old Madam Li asked casually.
"My name is A-Xing." A-Xing knelt on the ground, trembling.
"Ah Xing... Guards!" Old Madam Li suddenly raised her voice and slammed her hand hard on the armrest of the armchair. "Gag this disloyal and treacherous servant girl and drag her to the woodshed. She'll be sold to the slave market first thing tomorrow morning!"
Several burly, rough-looking female servants immediately entered through the door, silenced Ah Xing's wailing cries, and dragged her out without a word.
After a long silence in Qichuan Hall, Luo waved her hand, and the servants who had been sent away returned to the hall one after another, each standing in their own place to serve diligently.
Not long after, Shu Yin returned to Qichuan Hall with her maid, and the entire household of about a hundred people quietly awaited the arrival of the imperial edict.
...
At 3:15 PM, the envoy sent from the imperial city and Shu Wei's carriage arrived at Yongle Ward almost one after the other.
Shu Wei naturally dared not preempt the imperial edict, so she could only stop her carriage and follow the people in the mansion to receive the edict from a distance.
"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Shu Rongguang, the Vice Minister of Rites, is a man of both talent and virtue, and exceptionally courageous and resolute..."
The imperial edict briefly summarized Shu Rongguang's achievements in the southern border region and expressed praise for the entire Shu family before slowly turning to the main topic of the edict.
"In recognition of his contributions to the nation, a first-rank imperial banquet is hereby granted to comfort his family. This is the imperial decree."
After the head eunuch finished reading the decree, a young man stepped out from the group that had come to announce the imperial edict and helped up the old lady Li, who was leading the way in thanking the emperor for his grace.
"Madam, please don't stand on ceremony. Minister Shu is a meritorious official, and you should accept these rewards as they are due," the young man said gently.
Upon hearing that familiar voice, Shu Fu froze on the spot as if struck by lightning.
She glanced up and saw that the young man was very handsome and dressed in fine clothes, clearly not a eunuch.
Sure enough, the next moment she heard Madam Li say, "Your Highness is too kind. It is only with Your Highness personally sending a banquet here that my humble abode is truly honored."
He is a prince...
Back when Emperor Chongde was still a member of a noble family, he led a group of heroes to conquer all directions in order to help his father seize the throne from the last emperor of the previous dynasty.
After the Dali Dynasty was established, most of these people who had made outstanding contributions were granted the title of Duke, while those with the same surname were granted the title of Prince.
The young man before her must have inherited his father's title, but with so many members of the royal family, she couldn't immediately match this prince to a specific person.
Shu Fu glanced at Shu Wei kneeling at the alley entrance again, noticing that Shu Wei's gaze was fixed on this direction, and the deep affection in her watery eyes was almost tangible.
At this point, she finally concluded that this prince was the same person who had called himself "this prince" in the first building that day.
Shu Fu suddenly felt like laughing.
It seems that in the moments she overlooks, everyone around her is doing things beyond her comprehension.
"Minister Shu is both wise and brave, a vital asset to the nation. I begged my imperial uncle for a long time to obtain this gift of a banquet. Please don't be in such a hurry to send me away, Madam," the young man said with a smile.
Madam Li, whose face was usually dignified, showed a rare smile: "Indeed, Your Highness is kind enough to stay, and our household will do our utmost to entertain you."
After saying that, she took the opportunity to step aside and lead the group into the mansion.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
