Liu didn't know what the wife of Marquis Yongning wanted.

On the day of Sheng Xiyan's coming of age, the wife of Marquis Yongning came to watch the ceremony and said that she had a few important words to tell her in private. Then, she exposed the fact that she had embezzled Xu's dowry to support herself.

Liu was panicked at first and refused to admit it with gritted teeth.

However, Liu knew in her heart that since the wife of Marquis Yongning had become suspicious, the truth would be revealed sooner or later after Sheng Xiyan got married. If the Marquis Yongning's Mansion came to her house to help Sheng Xiyan make trouble, she would definitely be in trouble.

Just when she was panicking and at a loss, it was the wife of the Marquis of Yongning who took the initiative to propose that if she was willing to give her something from the Xu family and cancel it from the list of Sheng Xiyan's dowry, the matter would be written off. After Sheng Xiyan married, she would also help the Liu family to control Sheng Xiyan, so that the Liu family could still get 50% of the dowry income of the Xu family.

At that time, Liu was tempted.

She did not agree directly, but the two of them had already reached a tacit understanding on the matter.

If it weren't for this sudden marriage proposal, things wouldn't have turned out like this.

Since the wife of the Marquis of Yongning was already here, she did not hide the truth from her and said, "It is a jade pendant."

"Jade pendant?" Liu was confused.

The Xu family has been practicing medicine for generations. As far as Liu knew, Xu's dowry included two hundred-year-old ginsengs and an aged Polygonum multiflorum. She originally thought that the wife of Marquis Yongning would be interested in these, but she didn't expect that it would be a jade pendant.

With the wealth of the Yongning Marquis's Mansion, what kind of top-grade jade pendant could they not find? Why did they choose Xu's?

Liu asked again: "What kind of jade pendant is it?"

The wife of the Marquis of Yongning's eyes darkened, and she said bluntly, "A piece of white jade with auspicious clouds and a unicorn carved on it. It should be Xu's personal belongings."

She had only seen Xu wearing it once a few years ago. So many years had passed, and if she hadn't discovered it by accident a few years ago... she probably wouldn't have remembered it.

The more Liu listened, the more puzzled he felt.

I just can't understand why a marquis' wife would be so obsessed with a jade pendant.

But she never dwelled on trivial matters. If she couldn't figure it out, she didn't figure it out. She asked with a smile, "Could you please draw the shape of the jade pendant, Madam Hou?"

The wife of the Marquis of Yongning dodged her question and simply said, "If you can help me fulfill my wish, I will pay you 20,000 taels of silver."

Twenty thousand taels?!

Liu was shocked and couldn't help curling her lips. If she had 20,000 taels of silver, not only could she make up for the loss, but she could also save a lot of money for herself.

That is, what kind of jade pendant can be worth 20,000 taels of silver?

She had heard Sheng Xingan say that because Old Lady Xu had only one daughter, Xu, he had emptied out his family's savings when he bought her dowry. Even so, he only bought some more land and shops, which added up to less than 10,000 taels. How could a jade pendant of Xu be worth 20,000 taels of silver?

Liu couldn't help asking, "Madam Hou, please tell me the truth. This jade pendant..."

"Madam Sheng," the wife of the Marquis of Yongning frowned, not wanting to beat around the bush, "I'll tell you the truth. You earned the 20,000 taels of silver. If you don't believe me, you can take a look at the jade pendant after you find it to see if it's worth that much money. As for why I want it, I won't tell you more."

The wife of the Marquis of Yongning asked patiently, "Madam Sheng, please give me a definite answer, yes or no?"

Liu's heart beat faster. She picked up the teacup and pretended to take a sip, her mind full of thoughts.

There is no doubt that since the wife of Marquis Yongning was willing to pay 20,000 taels of silver in exchange for this jade pendant, the value of the jade pendant must be far more than 20,000 taels.

At this moment, she couldn't help but want to take off the jade pendant herself, but Sheng Xiyan was pressing her too hard, and it was impossible for her to raise so much money to fill the account in such a short time. If she stole the Sheng family's property to sell it and Sheng Xingan found out, she would be finished.

Lady Yongning was her only choice.

Seeing that Liu was a little hesitant, the wife of Marquis Yongning winked at the nanny she brought with her. The nanny took out a silver note, stepped forward and presented it to Liu with both hands.

The wife of the Marquis of Yongning said calmly, "Madam, I am sincere."

Liu subconsciously took the banknote. The amount on it made her hands tremble. She fixed her eyes on it and licked her dry lips.

She had spent eight years trying her best to embezzle more than 10,000 taels of silver, but now, there was a full 20,000 taels of silver in front of her.

Seeing a jade pendant of unknown value and a silver note worth 20,000 taels placed together, Liu's heart was immediately swayed.

"good!"

The greed in Liu's eyes could not be hidden at all. Lady Yongning curled her lips in mockery, her heart filled with ecstasy, as if a great opportunity was within her grasp.

The wife of the Marquis of Yongning took a sip of tea to calm herself down, and asked, "What about the jade pendant?"

Liu thought for a moment and said, "All of Xu's dowry was put in the storeroom, and her belongings were also in there."

After Xu passed away, Sheng Xing'an took charge of sealing up all of Xu's usual things, leaving nothing behind.

Liu knew that the wife of the Marquis of Yongning was unwilling to draw the picture because she didn't want to leave any evidence. For the sake of the 20,000 taels of silver, she said kindly, "Madam, if you are unwilling to draw the picture, then go find it yourself."

Liu didn't know how many jade pendants were in the storehouse. If she found the wrong one, she would have to look for it again. Going back and forth would waste time and inevitably attract attention. It would be better to let the wife of Marquis Yongning go by herself.

Going to someone else's storehouse to look for something was something that was not in accordance with the rules. Lady Yongning Marquis had never thought about it before, but now, she nodded excitedly upon hearing this, and was a little impatient.

Just as she was about to leave, Hubo stood outside Xiangfei's bamboo curtain and reported, "Madam, Xigui from the eldest lady's place wants to see you. Xigui said he has something to report to you, Madam."

Liu's expression was a little subtle. Since Fangfei left, Xigui had become the most powerful person in Cailu Courtyard. She had also tried to recruit Xigui, but Xigui never responded. These days, Liu was busy making up for her losses and had no time to care about a little maid. She didn't expect that she would come to her on her own? Did she figure it out?

Liu looked at the wife of the Marquis of Yongning and hesitated for a moment, wanting Xigui to come back later, but Hubo said, "Madam, Xigui said that the matter is very important and it concerns the eldest daughter. Please be sure to see her."

Although the wife of the Marquis of Yongning was anxious, she was not in a hurry and said considerately, "I am a little tired."

Liu nodded slightly to the wife of Marquis Yongning and walked out.

Xigui was waiting in the east room. When he saw her come in, he bowed respectfully.

"If you have anything to say, just tell me..." Liu asked directly after sitting down.

A little maidservant is definitely not as important as her deal with the wife of the Marquis of Yongning. Liu originally wanted to just meet her and leave, which was also to give Xigui face, and she would definitely be more loyal to her in the future. Who knew that before she even picked up the teacup, Xigui said, "Madam, the eldest girl is secretly learning medicine."

As soon as these words came out, the indifference in Liu's expression disappeared, and she sat up straight: "Tell me in detail."

This conversation lasted for a full half hour, and when Xigui took his leave, Liu's head was still a little hesitant.

It seemed like she had talked about something very important just now, but she kept going on and on like a cartwheel, and didn't get to the point for a long time.

Liu rubbed her eyebrows and went back to the main room.

The wife of the Marquis of Yongning was already getting impatient waiting. Liu pretended not to notice her unfriendly expression and made a gesture of "please", "Madam, let's go."

The wife of Marquis Yongning was cheered up and no longer cared about Liu's neglect of her, and stood up.

It was noon, and the summer sun was somewhat scorching. Normally, Lady Yongning Marquis was most averse to walking outside at this time, but today she didn't care at all. Her expression showed nervousness, uneasiness, excitement, and more of anticipation.

Mrs. Liu only brought Nanny Sun and Amber with her and led her to Warehouse No. 3 in the inner courtyard. Although she had given the key to Sheng Xiyan, she was the mistress of the house and had a spare key.

Aunt Sun opened the warehouse door with a key.

The storeroom was of a standard size, had not seen light for years, and was rather dark, with a faint smell of mold. Lady Yongning Marquis frowned and covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief.

In the warehouse, all kinds of things are properly classified and someone cleans it regularly, so there is no dust.

Liu had been to this warehouse before and had a general idea of ​​its layout.

They walked to the innermost part with a clear purpose, where there was a row of five-layered yellow pear wood racks, on which were all the jewelry that Xu had worn during her lifetime, including hairpins, hairpins, earrings, necklaces, and some jade pendants. There were dozens of pieces in total.

Liu opened the boxes one by one until a jade pendant appeared. The eyes of the wife of the Marquis of Yongning lit up as if they were glowing.

That's it!

White jade with auspicious clouds and a unicorn on it. To be more precise, there is a unicorn standing on auspicious clouds.

The wife of Marquis Yongning's heart was pounding. She carefully picked up the jade pendant, rubbed it repeatedly in her hand, and looked greedily.

Liu took a look at it from the side. The jade of this jade pendant was indeed of good quality, with a delicate and moist texture, as white as cream, and flawless. It was quite rare, but no matter how rare it was, it was definitely not worth 20,000 taels of silver.

Liu became even more curious, as if a feather was twitching at the tip of her heart.

Finally she held back her question and said with a smile, "Madam, let's go out."

The smell in the warehouse was really bad, and it was midsummer, so it was unbearably hot and stuffy.

The wife of Marquis Yongning got what she wanted, and her face was full of smiles. She put the jade pendant into her sleeve pocket with satisfaction and went out with her.

"Ma'am, watch your step."

The warehouse was dark, and Nanny Sun was leading the way in front, speaking attentively.

The door opened.

The sunlight shone in from outside the door, casting a dazzling light into the dark warehouse.

Under the sunlight, there stood a young girl wearing a scarlet embroidered jacket with ten different patterns. She stood straight facing the wind, her skirt swaying in the wind, and the camellia flowers on her skirt bloomed brilliantly.

There was a hint of smile on the corner of the girl's mouth, and her beautiful almond-shaped eyes were clear and bright, as if they could see through all the evil spirits in the world.

It was Sheng Xiyan.