Chapter 26 Catching a Thief
"Madam, please stay." Xu looked at her meaningfully.
"What else do you want to do?" Pei Jiaojiao's tone was a little unhappy, and she looked at Xu with resentment.
Xu shook her head: "This is a bit offensive, but it concerns Madam's face and dignity, so I have to stop Madam."
"Madam, where did the hairpin come from?" She pointed at the hollow hairpin on Pei Jiaojiao's head.
The hairpin outlined by the hollow gold threads is lively and charming.
A hint of guilt flashed across Pei Jiaojiao's brows, but she quickly straightened her back.
"It was given to me by my husband. It is an heirloom in his family. How come, wife of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery, you can't even afford such a small thing?" This hairpin was given to Jing Huai by the Marquis when she passed the imperial examination last time.
Xu's eyebrows and eyes were sharp.
"This is really strange. How could my dowry be worn on your head?!"
"Dengzhi, report to the authorities!" Xu's eyes flashed with coldness.
This is something from her private vault!
Lu Yuanze, you are so brave!
He eats her food, wears her clothes, and even uses her dowry to support his mistress!
Today, I must skin him alive!
"Don't call the police!" Pei Jiaojiao suddenly shouted.
The soft and tender voice was almost blocked.
"This hairpin was given to me by my husband's family. Do you have any evidence to prove that it is yours? How can you slander me out of thin air?" Pei Jiaojiao burst into tears before she could speak, which made many people feel distressed.
She has a slim figure, and even if she only reveals her pair of watery eyes, she is captivating.
Xu's beauty is dignified and generous.
Dengzhi didn't dare to leave, so he sent someone to sneak out and report to the authorities.
"Evidence? This hairpin was made by me when I was fifteen. I drew the blueprint myself and had someone make it myself. There is no other hairpin like it in the world!"
"The blueprints are still in my house. Do you want to see the evidence?"
"Or maybe you've never taken a close look at it." A trace of resentment welled up in Xu's heart. She was only fifteen years old, and the first time she fell in love, she threw herself into the fire and destroyed her true love.
"This is a token of love between me and the Marquis. My name and the Marquis' name are engraved inside the gold hairpin, symbolizing our everlasting love." How ironic.
This was the design she had personally done to commemorate her love with Lu Yuanze. There were countless gold threads layered on top of each other, and wrapped inside the hairpin were her and Lu Yuanze's names.
Xu felt a dull pain in her chest.
Suddenly, a pair of small hands grasped her index finger.
[Mother, don’t be angry, don’t be angry.] You will get sick from anger, but your enemy will be happy. 】
Xu smiled at Chao Chao.
Not long after, the officers arrived.
Pei Jiaojiao's face turned pale and the maid behind her glared at her suddenly. This was the maid left behind by Lu Yuanze.
It was both to serve her and to look after her.
"Who reported this to the authorities?" The man looked dignified. When he saw Xu, he bowed to her.
Xu now has a third-rank imperial title, and those guards in the capital city have made a clear note of who they should not offend.
The daughter of the old Taifu and the younger sister of the current Shangshu Xu Yiting.
Minister Xu ascended to the position of Minister at the age of 37. Everyone in the capital was afraid of him.
The Xu family is really lucky. Originally, His Majesty was wary of him, and Xu Yiting had been in the third-rank position for eight years. Who would have thought that he would be framed one day.
Instead, he got promoted.
"It was this servant who reported it to the officials. The hairpin on this lady's head was my wife's dowry. I don't know how it ended up on this lady's head!"
"This lady is the mother of Lu Jinghuai, a young genius in Beijing. She can't be a thief, right?" Dengzhi covered his mouth and chuckled.
A famous young genius, with natural talent, but unfortunately, he stepped on the eldest son Lu Yanshu to get to the top!
Pei Jiaojiao's face flushed.
The mother who was just called a genius boy, was praised so highly, but now she was thrown down so badly.
"I didn't steal!" Pei Jiaojiao glared at Xu.
She was just jealous that she had a genius son!
Dengzhi quickly pulled the hairpin off her head, but the hairpin was caught in her hair.
Dengzhi didn't feel sorry at all and just pulled it straight.
The hairpin was snatched away in an instant.
Dengzhi was so upset that she stepped on the hairpin and bent it.
Then Lu and Xu were revealed.
"This, this is really Madam Xu's hairpin! Madam Xu's name is even on it." The onlookers were amazed and pointed at Pei Jiaojiao.
"Could it be that the mother of the genius boy is actually a thief!?" Someone even murmured, which made Pei Jiaojiao so excited that she trembled all over.
"No! It's not me!" she almost roared! Pei Jiaojiao was so angry that she was shaking all over. The maid held Lu Jingyao and hurriedly winked at the servant.
"Genius boy, Lu Jinghuai's mother is actually a thief. She even stole someone else's dowry!" The onlookers laughed out loud.
"I didn't, I didn't steal!" Pei Jiaojiao was panicked. Her son now had a very good reputation and was on a very good track. He also made friends with important people.
Dengzhi glanced at her with disdain: "I didn't steal it, so why is this thing on your head?"
"You said you didn't steal, then call your husband out for a confrontation."
Pei Jiaojiao suddenly fell silent, biting her lips tightly, not daring to say Lu Yuanze's name.
This sentence made my scalp tingle with fear.
When everyone saw this, they thought, hey, there really is something fishy going on.
"You said you didn't steal, so why don't you dare to ask your husband to come?"
"This lady is dressed like a decent person, but she actually stole someone else's dowry!"
"Oh, that genius young man, could it be that he used stolen things to betray his people?" At this moment, they were standing at the gate of Jinpin Building, and many people were coming and going, pointing and talking.
Dengzhi said inconspicuously: "I heard that he got engaged to the Jiang family a few days ago and brought a lot of gifts. Was this gift also stolen?"
Pei Jiaojiao's eyelids were twitching.
The officials couldn't afford to offend the Marquis' Mansion, but they were afraid of Pei Jiaojiao's son.
Lu Jinghuai studied at Tianhong Academy and was said to have been accepted as the dean's last disciple. The dean even said that Lu Jinghuai's talent was enough to win the top three prizes!
The officer said, "Madam, please come with me."
Pei Jiaojiao didn't want to leave. If she left, she wouldn't be able to explain herself today.
The maid glanced at her and tugged at her sleeve. If she didn't leave, staying here would only make things worse. It will be of no benefit to Mr. Lu in the future!
The reputation you worked so hard to build will be destroyed in an instant!
Pei Jiaojiao left reluctantly.
"I will go with you, sir." Dengzhi represented Xu and went to the yamen together.
He also asked Yingxue to go back home to get the blueprints and dowry list from that year.
Xu picked out a gift for Chaochao and then returned home leisurely.
As soon as she returned home, the old lady asked someone to invite her to Deshan Hall.
Nanny Lin came in aggressively with a fierce look in her eyes.
Xu stood outside Deshan Hall.
"The old lady is taking a nap. Thank you for waiting for me." Nanny Lin had a bad look on her face and had no intention of letting the lady in.
Xu raised her eyelids slightly.
When they first got married, the old lady set rules for her in the same way.
At that time, Lu Yuanze advised that the old lady had raised them alone and had suffered a lot, and if she had some emotions, let Xu bear more of the consequences.
Xu was standing outside the door, feeling dizzy from the sun.
And now...
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