"What did you say?"
Upon hearing this, the Seventh Princess suddenly stood up and strode over to Chunxia. Her charming fox eyes widened as if she wanted to stare a hole through the empty box.
"The blood jade you put in the box is gone," Chunxia repeated tremblingly.
The Seventh Princess's blood jade had vanished, causing a moment of chaos. Everyone fell silent, fearing the Seventh Princess's wrath.
"Princess, please calm down." Shen Jinshu hurriedly spoke up to comfort her, her eyes inadvertently glancing at Song Zhiyu in the corner, her gaze somewhat intriguing.
"Explain yourself clearly. If the Blood Jade cannot be found, you will have no choice but to atone with your death." The Seventh Princess said sternly, her words full of threat.
However, Song Zhiyu sensed a hint of impatience in her voice. Her sharp gaze darted back and forth between the Seventh Princess and Shen Jinshu, while she calmly continued to sip her tea, patiently waiting for their next move.
Chunxia knelt on the ground, touching her forehead to the ground, making it impossible to see her expression. "This servant took Miss Song to change her clothes as Your Highness instructed, but when this servant returned to the Lotus Pavilion, only Chunyue was left there."
"This servant intended to wait for the princess's return at the lotus pavilion, but was summoned by the concubine and had to leave for a short while. Who knew... who knew that in the short time I was gone, the Blood Jade had vanished."
Her tone was flustered, but her words were quite organized, and she even intentionally or unintentionally drew everyone's attention to Song Zhiyu.
Song Zhiyu naturally understood Chunxia's implied meaning, and her gaze fell on the sachet at her waist, giving a cryptic smile.
The Seventh Princess was overjoyed, seeing that things were developing in the direction she had expected, and couldn't help but feel a little anxious.
"Chunyue, how dare you steal this princess's blood jade! You lowly wretch, you should remember your place. Some things don't belong to you, so don't covet them. Stealing them is useless."
As she said this, her disdainful gaze swept directly over Song Zhiyu, and anyone with eyes could see that she was making a veiled attack.
Song Zhiyu lazily lifted her eyelids, her clear, watery eyes fixed on the Seventh Princess.
"Your Highness, please understand. Even if you gave me ten times the courage, I would never dare to covet anything of yours."
"I had an upset stomach earlier, and seeing Miss Song nearby, I begged her to watch the box for me. I was afraid something might happen, so I didn't dare delay and came back in a moment." Chunyue kowtowed repeatedly. If she had known the blood jade would be lost, she would have rather died from stomach pain than leave her side.
As soon as he finished speaking, the ladies present began to murmur among themselves, all unconsciously turning their gazes toward Song Zhiyu.
"If that's the case, then the Blood Jade must have disappeared during the time when Chun Yue left."
Mingzhu scoffed, practically pointing her finger at Song Zhiyu and saying, "How could someone who's never seen the world not covet such a precious treasure as Blood Jade? Isn't it clear who stole it?"
"..."
Facing the disdainful looks of the crowd, Song Zhiyu sneered inwardly and moved her lips as if to speak.
Suddenly, Shen Jinshu's soft and melodious voice spoke first.
"Princess, my second sister may have made a mistake in a moment of confusion. Please, for my sake, don't pursue the matter any further."
After saying that, she turned to Song Zhiyu and said softly, "Second sister, please hand over the Blood Jade. The princess will not make things difficult for you for my sake."
Shen Jinshu's gentle and sweet words, seemingly pleading for mercy, easily convicted Song Zhiyu.
The Seventh Princess nodded arrogantly, her words carrying a condescending air of bestowal, "Sister Jinshu is right. If you know what's good for you, hand over the Blood Jade. For her sake, I, the princess, may spare your life."
But while the death penalty may be avoided, punishment is inevitable.
If Song Zhiyu admits to theft today, this accusation will follow her for the rest of her life.
She will be despised forever and will never be able to turn her life around.
Even if the Crown Prince likes her, what good will it do? Someone of such low character is destined to be unable to marry into the royal family.
Let alone the Crown Prince, even families with respectable backgrounds in the capital wouldn't give Song Zhiyu a second glance.
The Marquis of Chengen's mansion would absolutely not allow a daughter who is dishonest and of low character.
What good is a real heiress if she has no power or influence, no favor, and can't bring any benefits to the Marquis's mansion? In the end, she will only be abandoned.
The Seventh Princess, with a dignified and self-righteous expression, said, "Song Zhiyu, it is a fact that you stole my Blood Jade. But I am kind-hearted and, for the sake of Sister Jinshu, I am willing to let you off the hook."
All you need to do is write a confession, publicly revealing your crimes and requesting to enter the Repentance Courtyard to repent and atone for them.
The moment the words "Repentance Academy" were uttered, everyone gasped in shock.
The Repentance Courtyard was specially established by the Empress Dowager to punish the daughters of officials who had made mistakes, so that they would realize their errors, sincerely repent, and never repeat them.
The women who entered the Repentance Courtyard were all people who had made serious mistakes and had been abandoned by their families, but the Empress Dowager was kind-hearted and willing to give them a chance to repent.
As long as they pass the examination of the Repentance Academy, all the mistakes they made in the past can be wiped clean.
But this test is something that ordinary people can hardly endure.
None of the women who were sent to the Regretful Heart Academy by their own families came out alive; they all wasted their lives there.
Hearing this, Song Zhiyu couldn't help but laugh. She slowly stood up and walked closer to the two of them. "What are you so afraid of that you're so eager to convict me?"
The Seventh Princess wanted her to voluntarily enter the Repentance Courtyard, not only to ruin her reputation but also to take her life.
Once you're in the Repentance Academy, it's not so easy to get out. Those with weak wills might be driven insane.
Thinking of the painful experience she had in the Regretful Heart Courtyard in her previous life, Song Zhiyu's eyes darkened, and instead of being angry, she smiled.
"You accuse me of theft, but where is the evidence? The Lintian Dynasty has always upheld the law, and no crime can be established without evidence. The Seventh Princess has convicted me so casually; does she disregard the law?"
The Seventh Princess's expression changed drastically. What a sharp tongue she had! She had truly underestimated Song Zhiyu.
But no matter how much Song Zhiyu said, it was nothing more than a last-ditch resistance.
The Seventh Princess has set up this trap today to destroy Song Zhiyu, and she will not let her escape easily.
"Getting evidence is simple; just search you. If you're truly innocent, why would you be afraid of a search?" The Seventh Princess was determined to ruin Song Zhiyu's reputation, making the word "search" sound casual.
She adjusted the hairpin in her hair and, without giving Song Zhiyu a chance to react, gave the order, "If Miss Song wants to prove her innocence, she'd better cooperate obediently. Now, let's get started."
If soft tactics don't work, she'll try hard ones; she refuses to believe she can't handle Song Zhiyu.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
