Although Zhi Yuan was a bit confused and didn't know what Gu Jiangyue was up to, she still nodded and quickly followed. The two walked one after another into Xiao Cui's room.
Xiao Cui's room was not luxurious, but compared to those of ordinary servants, it was quite decent.
Gu Jiangyue didn't say much. She casually placed a pair of jade bracelets on the table, then took the box from Zhi Yuan's hand and carelessly tossed it aside.
"Miss... This!"
Zhi Yuan was shocked by her miss's actions. She widened her eyes and stared at all this in disbelief.
Such precious things, yet her miss just left them like this.
"This is what we call lifting a rock only to drop it on one's own feet," Gu Jiangyue said, turning to look at Zhi Yuan with a squinted - eyed smile.
The reasons why Zhi Yuan followed Gu Yimiao were, first, that Gu Yimiao could back her up so that she could act arrogantly among the servants in the Gu Mansion; second, Gu Yimiao's mother, Shen Menglan, was in charge of the family's finances, and she could get a lot of benefits from it. Since Shen Menglan had only Gu Yimiao as her daughter, following Gu Yimiao, she might also receive some rewards.
It had been like this before, and this time would be no different. Sure enough, when Gu Jiangyue saw Xiao Cui again, she was already wearing that pair of jade bracelets on her hands.
When Xiao Cui noticed Gu Jiangyue looking at her, she deliberately stretched out her hand to cover the bracelets.
She never imagined that these were not rewards from Gu Yimiao for a well - done task this time, but a trap set by Gu Jiangyue to ruin her reputation.
Xiao Cui had just placed the box under Gu Jiangyue's bed at noon. In the afternoon, she couldn't wait to find Gu Yimiao and told her that she had succeeded, and even received a good deal of praise.
Gu Jiangyue naturally saw all these. After she placed the jade bracelets in Xiao Cui's room, she didn't go anywhere. She just sat quietly in her room, waiting for the uninvited guests.
Near evening, Gu Jiangyue finally waited for Gu Yimiao, and beside Gu Yimiao was the anxious old matriarch.
The old matriarch's hair was gray, but it was neatly combed. Her usually steady steps seemed a bit unsteady due to today's panic.
The stick in her hand hit the ground, making a dull sound. The sound was getting closer and closer to Gu Jiangyue, but she still sipped her tea carelessly until these people stepped into her room.
Gu Jiangyue looked up at the two of them. The shrewdness in her eyes flashed by, and then she put on a look of timidity. She quickly stood up and curtsied slightly to the old matriarch.
But the old matriarch had something on her mind and didn't care about these formalities. She waved her hand, indicating that Gu Jiangyue didn't need to do so.
"Grandmother, we've searched everywhere in the mansion. Only Sister Jiangyue's yard hasn't been searched yet," Gu Yimiao whispered in the old matriarch's ear in a voice that was not really soft.
The implication of her words was obvious. The thing the old matriarch was looking for must be with Gu Jiangyue.
"I wonder what brings you and Sister Yimiao here so late?" Gu Jiangyue's cold voice rang out in the room. In her white dress, she looked especially elegant and pure at this moment.
Gu Yimiao got angry when she saw Gu Jiangyue's high - and - mighty look. She was not a patient person. She stepped forward and pointed at Gu Jiangyue's nose and said,
"Tell me, did you steal Grandmother's Jade Dragon - Admiring Bracelets? Grandmother has been kind to you. As a young lady of the Gu Mansion, you don't know how to be grateful. Instead, you steal. You've shamed the Gu Mansion."
The look in Gu Yimiao's eyes when she looked at Gu Jiangyue was full of obvious disgust. After her tirade, she didn't give Gu Jiangyue a chance to defend herself. If an uninformed person heard her righteous words, they might really believe it.
Gu Jiangyue glanced at her calmly and said word by word, neither overbearing nor humble,
"Please, Grandmother, see clearly. How could I steal?"
The old matriarch's old and imposing voice sounded,
"Jiangyue, if it was really you, if you take out the thing now, Grandmother can punish you more leniently."
"That's right. Don't be so ungrateful," Gu Yimiao quickly chimed in excitedly when she saw that the old matriarch was on her side.
Gu Jiangyue scoffed in her heart. What a good grandmother she was. She didn't even bother to listen to a single word she said. Without even searching, she could conclude that it was she who had stolen the thing. The so - called harmony and love in the Gu Mansion had nothing to do with her at all.
Although this was what Gu Jiangyue thought in her heart, tears still welled up in her eyes. She trembled a little, and even her voice was tinged with sobs.
"It really wasn't me, Grandmother. You can send someone to search my room, but I didn't do it, and that's that."
When she said the last sentence, she deliberately looked up at Gu Yimiao. Her eyes were full of determination, which made Gu Yimiao tremble all over.
Gu Yimiao really wanted to rush forward and tear off this person's disguise. The other day when she slapped Xiao Cui, she wasn't so weak.
"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and search!" Gu Yimiao averted her eyes from Gu Jiangyue and shouted at the maids following her to start rummaging through Gu Jiangyue's room.
Gu Jiangyue wiped the tears from her face. When Gu Yimiao wasn't paying attention, the corner of her lips curled up in a well - timed, mischievous smile.
This room had cost Shen Menglan a lot of silver. Before Gu Yimiao brought the old matriarch here, she had specifically told these maids not to damage anything. These were the furniture that had cost her a lot of silver. If they were damaged, she might have to buy a new set.
Gu Jiangyue noticed at a glance that although these maids were searching in her room, their eyes were almost glued to the bottom of her bed. They would go and rummage from time to time, then leave with a look of confusion in their eyes.
Finally, a maid stood up. She buried her head so that her face couldn't be seen clearly, and her body was shaking like a sieve.
"Miss, we... we didn't find anything," her voice got softer and softer.
Gu Yimiao probably didn't scold them because the old matriarch was still there, but she still gave the maid a harsh look, with a warning in her eyes.
Seeing the maid retreat to the side, Gu Yimiao was filled with anger and didn't know where to vent it. She noticed Gu Jiangyue, who had a calm expression, and loudly questioned her,
"Where did you hide the thing? We've searched the whole Gu Mansion. It must be with you!"
Even the old matriarch showed a hint of confusion on her face.
At this moment, Zhi Yuan dragged Xiao Cui in from the door.
"Miss, what's going on? Why aren't you resting so late?" Zhi Yuan's voice was not soft. Usually, in such a tense atmosphere, Zhi Yuan would definitely not dare to speak. But today, Gu Jiangyue had given her a task. She originally thought it would be very difficult to bring Xiao Cui here.
But unexpectedly, Xiao Cui actually wanted to come and see Gu Jiangyue anger the old matriarch and finally be punished.
Hearing Zhi Yuan's voice, everyone stopped and looked in her direction. When they did, the sharp - eyed ones immediately noticed the jade bracelets quietly on Xiao Cui's hands.