Chapter 55 Encounter
"What happened?" The second boss and Manager Wang walked over, and it was the second boss who asked the question.
The second master had just gone to the money exchange across the street to exchange silver. As soon as he entered the main hall, he heard Manager Wang say that the daughter of the Marquis had lost something at Huichun Hall. So he went with Manager Wang to look for it, but unexpectedly saw this scene in the side room.
This room was a rest room specially prepared for Gu Jiao. Although Gu Jiao didn't use it often, no one would usually break in. When the maid said that "someone stole my young lady's things," they thought that the little thief had come in.
The two discovered that there were only two people in the room: a maid from the Marquis's mansion and Miss Gu.
So, is the little thief the maid mentioned Miss Gu?
The young maid didn't recognize Gu Jiao. Seeing the second master and Manager Wang arrive, she immediately pointed at Gu Jiao and said, "You've come at the perfect time! This little thief stole my young lady's jade pendant! She also stole my young master's jade thumb ring!"
The second landlord was taken aback: "Is there some misunderstanding? She wouldn't steal anything!"
How could a little girl possibly steal anything? She could freely enter and leave his accounting room, and she had never touched any of the valuables inside.
Moreover, the girl's eyes are open and honest. If she were really caught red-handed, she wouldn't be completely without a hint of guilt.
Manager Wang, however, did not think so. Although he did not go to the Marquis's mansion that day, he heard from the second boss and the old doctor that Miss Gu had saved young master Gu, and that she had the opportunity to steal the young master's jade thumb ring.
Adding to the fact that the young lady of the Marquis's mansion had just arrived at Huichuntang today, and her jade pendant had been stolen and appeared on Gu Jiao's table, Manager Wang couldn't help but have some doubts.
The maidservant retorted angrily, "What do you mean she wouldn't steal? Are you implying I'm framing her? Who does she think she is that I would travel all this way to frame her!"
These words may be harsh, but they are true. The little maid is a servant of the Marquis's mansion, and her status is more noble than that of many young ladies from wealthy families. If she were to frame someone, she would have to find someone of a higher status. Gu Jiao, a country bumpkin, is like an ant on the ground. Even if she were crazy, she wouldn't go out of her way to trample on her.
Unless she really stole something from the Marquis's mansion.
"Are you sure you haven't mistaken her for someone else? There are many things in this world that are the same." The second boss still firmly believed that Gu Jiao was innocent.
"I admit my mistake?" The maid laughed angrily. "Do you think the ornaments my young lady and young master use are some cheap, common things? This jade pendant was a gift from the palace. Your entire Hu family couldn't afford it even if they sold everything they owned!"
The second boss's face paled for a moment. If it was something so precious, it certainly couldn't be Gu Jiao's, but he still didn't believe Gu Jiao would steal it: "Isn't it allowed to have fakes?"
Who knows, maybe what Miss Gu is holding is fake!
Manager Wang glanced at the second master with concern. The second master trusted Gu Jiao implicitly, which would undoubtedly offend the Marquis's mansion. He didn't want anything to happen to the second master.
Just as he was carefully choosing his words, intending to persuade Gu Jiao to admit her guilt and not offend the Marquis's mansion, Gu Jiao spoke calmly: "It's not fake, it's real."
"Listen to her! She admitted it!" the maid said fiercely.
"Yu Ru".
A soft yet elegant voice slowly rang out from outside the door.
"Miss! You've arrived!" The maidservant quickly changed her expression to one of respect and bowed to the young girl.
A young girl wearing a dark blue veil slowly entered, carrying the veil's veil and skirt. Her hair was styled like clouds and the moonlight, and her demeanor was graceful and elegant.
She wore perfumed powder that only noble ladies in the capital could afford, and with each graceful step she took, a subtle fragrance wafted through the air, filling the entire room with a pleasant aroma.
"Achoo!" Gu Jiao sneezed.
She's allergic to this kind of fragrance.
The maid glared at Gu Jiao angrily. She didn't even bow to her young mistress and dared to sneeze so rudely. A country girl is a country girl, she can never be respectable!
The girl said in a normal tone, "This jade pendant cannot be fake. The jade it is made of is Kunshan goat fat jade. In Zhao Kingdom, only the royal family has the right to mine it. Counterfeiting royal items is a serious crime, not to mention that it is impossible to make an exact replica."
"Oh." Gu Jiao touched her chin.
"What kind of attitude is that?" The maid continued to glare at her, but because the daughter of the Marquis was present, she was not as domineering as before.
The girl looked at Gu Jiao and said gently, "You must be that little medicine boy."
"Mm," Gu Jiao replied, without asking how she guessed it, since it wasn't hard to guess.
The girl said calmly, "I'll give you the jade pendant, but I'll return the jade thumb ring. I'll pretend this never happened."
"Miss!" the maid stamped her foot.
Manager Wang never expected things to take such a surprising turn. The young lady of the Marquis's mansion is truly magnanimous. She gave away such a valuable gift so readily and without making a fuss, thus protecting the reputation of Miss Gu and Huichuntang.
Seeing that Gu Jiao remained silent, the girl continued, "The jade pendant is mine, you can take it if you like, but the jade thumb ring belongs to my younger brother, I must take it back to him."
Manager Wang was frantic, urging, "Agree! Agree!"
Gu Jiao glanced at the girl expressionlessly and said, "Take the jade thumb ring back, and put the jade pendant down."
She had suspected for a while that the jade thumb ring belonged to the young master of the Marquis's mansion, and now her guess had been confirmed.
She didn't explain that the jade ring had accidentally slipped into her sleeve while she was rescuing the young master, firstly because she couldn't recount the rescue process, and secondly because the master and servant simply wouldn't believe her.
If that's the case, why should she waste her breath?
The girl said, "You certainly know how to pick things. This jade thumb ring only has special meaning for my younger brother. In terms of value, it is indeed not as valuable as that jade pendant."
Gu Jiao said, "I'm returning the jade thumb ring to you because it truly belongs to your brother. The jade pendant doesn't belong to either of you, so you should return it to me."
The maid scoffed, "If it's not my master's, is it yours? Why don't you take a piss and look in the mirror? Do you even deserve to wear such a precious jade pendant?"
Girl: "Yuru."
The second master frowned: "Miss, please watch your words!"
“There’s nothing I can do if you don’t believe me.” Gu Jiao said, then stretched out her hand. “I’ll say it one last time, give me back the jade pendant.”
The maid took a step back: "You're dreaming! This belongs to my young lady!"
The girl cracked her knuckles, suppressing her anger, and said to the second boss, "You saw what happened today. She confessed to the theft. Considering that your Huichuntang treated my brother's illness, I won't report it to the authorities. But I hope this kind of thing won't happen again!"
Gu Jiao only admitted to one thing from beginning to end: that the jade thumb ring belonged to the young master. She did not say that she stole it herself. However, in the other party's mouth, it became that she admitted to stealing it.
(End of this chapter)
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