After thirty strokes of the cane, the once spotless clothes of Xiaocui were already stained with blood. Gu Jiangyue looked at the blood - soaked Xiaocui and then at the clean courtyard. She was quite satisfied.
Xiaocui didn't die. Gu Jiangyue ordered her to be taken away. In Gu Jiangyue's past - life memories, Xiaocui had done another thing. It was precisely because of this incident that Gu Jiangyue had suffered thirty strokes of the cane from the old matriarch for no reason.
The mastermind behind this incident was Gu Zhuying, the legitimate - born eldest daughter of the second branch of the Gu Mansion. Gu Zhuying was older than Gu Yimiao and could be considered her elder sister. However, Gu Yimiao didn't think so. She always believed that as a concubine - born daughter, Gu Zhuying didn't deserve to be called her elder sister.
Although Gu Zhuying was concubine - born, she was much smarter than Gu Yimiao. She managed to avoid disasters by constantly coming up with bad ideas for Gu Yimiao.
The target of their bad ideas, of course, was always Gu Jiangyue, who was out of favor.
This time, it would also be Gu Zhuying's scheme.
Most of the young ladies in the Gu Mansion knew that the old matriarch loved jewelry, especially a pair of jade bracelets made of Mu Long jade, which were once bestowed by the emperor.
Gu Zhuying's plan was to instigate Gu Yimiao to give these Mu Long jade bracelets to Xiaocui and let her put them in Gu Jiangyue's room, so as to frame Gu Jiangyue for stealing them.
If the old matriarch found the bracelets missing, it would surely cause a great stir. And if the bracelets were found in Gu Jiangyue's room, she would surely be in big trouble.
Gu Zhuying's plan was indeed a good one, and it had succeeded in the past life. As a result, Gu Jiangyue had suffered thirty strokes of the cane for nothing.
But she was no longer the former Gu Jiangyue who was at others' mercy. How could she let these people succeed?
She had beaten Xiaocui today just to humiliate Gu Yimiao. Gu Jiangyue had a premonition that this incident was about to happen soon.
Gu Jiangyue randomly selected a few familiar servants from the remaining ones and dismissed the rest.
She was certain that among these servants, apart from Xiaocui, there were also spies from other yards. It was better to send them all back. Besides, she preferred a quiet environment.
In the past two days, the Gu Mansion had been relatively quiet. Gu Jiangyue asked Zhiyuan to keep a close eye on Xiaocui's movements.
Xiaocui had been beaten to a pulp and had been quiet for a few days. But Zhiyuan noticed that as soon as Xiaocui could get out of bed, she went to see Gu Yimiao again. No one knew what they were talking about.
Zhiyuan saw Gu Yimiao give Xiaocui a red - sandalwood brocade box. The red - sandalwood was of excellent quality, with a smooth surface, looking extremely valuable.
Zhiyuan thought Xiaocui was acting furtively, so she told Gu Jiangyue about it.
"Miss, what do you think she's up to? In my opinion, she doesn't seem to be up to any good."
Zhiyuan was sitting opposite Gu Jiangyue. She got along well with Gu Jiangyue and didn't need to be formal. So she propped her elbows on the table and watched Gu Jiangyue sipping tea listlessly.
Hearing Zhiyuan's report on Xiaocui's movements, Gu Jiangyue gently put down the teacup in her hand. A perfect smile played on her lips.
She was a bit surprised that they were going to take action so soon.
"Keep a close eye on her recently. She's a servant beside Gu Yimiao. She can't be up to any good."
Hearing this, Zhiyuan suddenly nodded in realization, looking as if she had just understood.
Gu Jiangyue never intended to hide things from Zhiyuan. In this deep and complex mansion, it was not easy to find someone who was truly sincere to her. Why should she be so guarded against her own people?
"Don't worry, miss. I'll definitely keep a close watch on her."
Zhiyuan nodded firmly at Gu Jiangyue.
Less than a day after getting the box, Xiaocui couldn't wait to take action.
She hated Gu Jiangyue to the core. She was used to being domineering in Gu Jiangyue's yard. With Gu Yimiao backing her up, she was not afraid of anything. But Gu Jiangyue's actions had made her lose face, and Gu Yimiao had also started to neglect her.
So she must seize this opportunity, complete the task well, teach Gu Jiangyue a lesson, and vent her anger.
Holding the box, Xiaocui sneaked into Gu Jiangyue's room quietly at noon when there were few servants in the yard and Gu Jiangyue was not around. She specifically chose an inconspicuous place and carefully placed the brocade box under Gu Jiangyue's bed.
However, she didn't know that everything she did was watched by Gu Jiangyue and Zhiyuan.
As soon as Xiaocui left, Zhiyuan quickly stepped forward and picked up the box.
When opening it, she specifically told Gu Jiangyue to stay away, for fear that there was something bad in the box.
Seeing her vigilant look, Gu Jiangyue couldn't help smiling. She directly stretched out her fair and slender hands and slowly opened the box.
What came into view was a pair of exquisitely - crafted jade bracelets. The bracelets were entirely green and transparent, obviously made of top - grade jade. The delicate peony carvings on them were even more luxurious.
Zhiyuan had never seen these jade bracelets before. She wondered where Xiaocui, a mere servant, had gotten such a seemingly priceless thing.
Frowning, she asked curiously, "Miss, what are these?"
"The Mu Long jade bracelets. They are the old matriarch's favorite ornaments."
Gu Jiangyue closed her eyes. Her voice was calm, showing no sign of panic.
She had guessed correctly. Even in this new life, seeing these jade bracelets still made her a little scared. Thirty strokes of the cane had beaten her to a pulp.
She was just a delicate young lady. Moreover, in the Gu Mansion, her monthly allowance was constantly deducted, and she was always hungry and cold. Those thirty strokes of the cane had almost cost her her life. During that period, she had to stay in bed, and no one had truly cared about her.
The old matriarch had simply ended this tragedy with a cold "Take care of yourself."
There was love in the Gu Mansion, but no one was willing to love her, Gu Jiangyue.
"Oh no, miss. Let's quickly return these jade bracelets to the old matriarch!"
Zhiyuan exclaimed in shock. She was not a stupid person. After a little reminder from Gu Jiangyue, she naturally understood the whole situation. Xiaocui was trying to frame their miss.
Looking at the jade bracelets, Gu Jiangyue sneered silently in her heart.
It was impossible to return them. Since Gu Yimiao had gone to so much trouble to steal these bracelets from the old matriarch, why not make good use of this incident and not waste Gu Yimiao's "kindness"?
The jade bracelets were still in a heavy wooden box. It seemed that Gu Yimiao also knew the value of these bracelets and didn't dare to move them casually. In that case, Xiaocui must not have seen the true appearance of these bracelets. After all, Zhiyuan had been secretly observing Xiaocui in the past few days, and since Zhiyuan hadn't seen them, it could prove that Xiaocui hadn't either.
"Zhiyuan, let's go."
Gu Jiangyue directly reached out and took out the jade bracelets from the wooden box. A long - lost smile appeared on her lips. She walked straight in the direction of Xiaocui's residence.
This time, get ready to receive this "big gift" well.