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“Fourth sister, may I take a look at the drawer beneath the table?” Qu Mingcheng asked politely, turning to Qu Moying.

“Since you’ve come this far, just take a look!” Qu Moying remained unfazed and casual in her response.

Qu Mingcheng nodded at the Granny.

The Granny deftly opened the first drawer, inspected it briefly, and found nothing out of the ordinary. Then she proceeded to open another drawer, followed by shaking her head.

“Miss, there are some of your belongings in here… Some items you’ve collected that are not convenient for others to see.” When reaching the last drawer, Yu Dong suddenly took a decisive step forward, blocking the Granny, her face filled with nervousness as she spoke hesitantly.

Her actions only served to further convince Qu Mingcheng that this particular drawer was where the jade pendant was stored.

“What kind of things does your lady find inconvenient for others to see?” Qu Mingcheng remained composed and turned to Qu Moying for clarification.

Qu Moying seemed unable to come up with an answer at the moment and looked up at Yu Dong.

As everyone’s gaze fell upon her, Yu Dong grew increasingly anxious. She reached out and pressed against the table, as if seeking strength. Her eyes pleaded with Qu Mingcheng as she spoke with a hint of desperation, “Second Young Master, these are some ornaments left behind by the previous lady. They were meant to be placed inside the dressing table, but it hasn’t been tidied up yet, so they were temporarily stored here. If anything were to be damaged, it wouldn’t be good!”

“Fourth sister, I will ensure extra caution, and if anything is accidentally damaged, I will compensate you twofold,” Qu Mingcheng reassured Qu Moying gently.

This was an indication that he was determined to investigate further.

Yu Dong’s face turned pale, and she tightly grasped the handkerchief in her hand.

“Let’s step aside for now,” Qu Moying pondered for a moment before suggesting.

“My lady…” Yu Dong’s voice involuntarily became louder.

“Yu Dong, step aside!” Qu Moying’s face darkened as she gave Yu Dong a skeptical look and waved her hand.

Yu Chun, who was standing nearby, approached and pulled on Yu Dong’s sleeve, leading her away from the table.

The Granny cautiously opened the final drawer. Since Yu Dong had mentioned it, the items inside must be valuable, and she didn’t dare to damage anything.

The drawer slowly opened, and from Qu Mingcheng’s perspective, the first thing that caught his eye was a jade pendant. Immediately, his expression changed. “Fourth sister, what does this mean?”

The Granny also reached out to retrieve the jade pendant, intending to hand it to Qu Mingcheng, but it was snatched away by Yu Dong. “This is our lady’s jade pendant!”

She said, hiding it behind her.

This attempt to conceal the truth amused Qu Mingcheng, and his smile turned cold as he looked at Qu Moying. “Fourth sister, where did you get this jade pendant? Why does the third sister’s jade pendant end up in your possession?”

Based on Yu Dong’s previous behavior, he was convinced that this jade pendant was the one he had Qing Mei deliver.

At first glance, he had suspected as much.

“What do you mean, second brother?” Qu Moying’s expression grew peculiar. “Are you suggesting that I stole the third sister’s jade pendant? I haven’t been to the third sister’s yard recently, so how could I have obtained her jade pendant?”

“Fourth sister, given the circumstances, is there any point in denying it?” Qu Mingcheng furrowed his brow, clearly displeased. “You may not have gone there, but your maid did!”

He then shifted his gaze towards Yu Dong, a hint of threat in his eyes. “Yu Dong, why don’t you tell us what really happened?”

“Second Brother, your words are really funny. Are you sure that I took Third Sister’s jade pendant, and it’s such a mediocre one at that?” Qu Moying smiled and asked calmly.

“Who knows what you were thinking? Perhaps you believe this jade pendant holds special significance, or maybe it’s because Third Sister has treasured this jade pendant.” Qu Mingcheng said coldly, his gaze carrying a hint of aggression. “Yu Dong, tell me, did you steal this jade pendant?”

“Second… Second Young Master…” Yu Dong’s face turned pale.

“Speak up. Since you gave it to your lady, there must be a reason. If your explanation is reasonable, I will ask Father to spare you this time. But if you can’t clarify the situation, don’t blame me for being harsh.” Qu Mingcheng asserted with a cold and imposing manner.

In this situation, anyone with intelligence would shift the blame onto Qu Moying. After all, if such a matter fell on Qu Moying’s shoulders, it might not be a big deal, but if it involved a maid girl, it could be fatal.

Observing Qu Mingcheng’s certainty that Yu Dong was responsible, Qu Moying smiled instead of getting angry. “Second Brother, I know you are the brother of Third Sister, and you naturally stand on her side. But by acting like this, aren’t you afraid of Grandmother and Father’s reprimands?”

“I am Third Sister’s brother, as well as your brother, so I won’t favor anyone. I even agreed earlier that if the jade pendant couldn’t be found with you, we would go and search in Third Sister’s yard. But now? How did you repay my trust? As for Father and Grandmother, you need not worry. Once they learn about your actions, they will both be furious.”

Qu Mingcheng responded.

“Second Brother, are you accusing me of taking Third Sister’s jade pendant?” Qu Moying asked.

“The evidence is right here. Do you still want to argue? Please explain why you took Third Sister’s jade pendant.” Qu Mingcheng’s gaze silently swept over Qu Moying’s face. Although he couldn’t see her eyes, he could observe her composed demeanor, which made him slightly uneasy.

Regardless, the facts were clear. Did Qu Moying truly have another way out? This time, no matter what, Qu Moying had to face the consequences.

“Second Brother, I didn’t take Third Sister’s jade pendant. Since you promised earlier to take me to Third Sister’s residence to investigate, let’s go!” Qu Moying stood up.

“What nonsense! The jade pendant is clearly with you. Why would we need to check Third Sister’s place?” Qu Mingcheng angrily slammed his hand on the table, causing the teacups to jump and spill tea, emitting steam on the tabletop.

In an instant, all the maids and servants in the room lowered their heads, and the atmosphere grew tense.

“Second Brother, are you deliberately causing trouble for me in order to help Third Sister?” Qu Moying’s face darkened. “In that case, let’s go see Grandmother now and settle this matter.”

“Fine. You tell the maid girl to hand me the jade pendant, and we will go together to explain things to Grandmother and Father.” Qu Mingcheng confidently stood up, unafraid and annoyed.

“Yu Dong, give the jade pendant to this Granny,” Qu Moying coldly instructed Yu Dong. Then she looked at Qu Mingcheng and proposed, “Second Brother, let the Granny hold onto the jade pendant. Neither of us will touch it to avoid any further complications. How about that?”

“That works!” Qu Mingcheng nodded.

Accompanied by their respective entourages, the two of them headed towards the courtyard of the Old Lady.

The news had already spread out, and when she saw them approaching, Granny Wu was already waiting by the courtyard gate, ready to lead them in.

The Old Lady, seated above, had a furrowed brow. Qu Zhizhen, sitting next to her, didn’t have a pleasant expression either. He glanced at his son as he entered and then at Qu Moying. His lips tightened, and his brow furrowed. This matter was difficult to handle.

The two individuals entered and first paid their respects to the Old Lady and Qu Zhizhen. Then they took their seats on chairs to the side.

Qu Mingcheng first recounted the events that had just taken place and mentioned that Yu Dong, the maid by Qu Moying’s side, had snatched the jade pendant and hidden it behind her, clearly displaying guilty behavior.

After Qu Mingcheng finished speaking, the Old Lady looked at Qu Moying and asked, “Ying, is this how it happened?”

The Old Lady couldn’t believe that Qu Moying would do such a thing!

“Grandmother, Second Brother’s arrival today was suspicious. He claimed that Third Sister had lost her jade pendant and insisted on searching my room. Then he found a jade pendant and accused me of taking her pendant. He even suggested that if it wasn’t me who took it, I might have sent someone to take it. Since I had previously sent Buddhist scriptures to Third Sister and had some interaction with her, he shifted the blame onto me.”

Qu Moying said coldly.

Qu Zhizhen remained silent, his gaze shifting between his two children as he scrutinized their expressions.

“Mingcheng, how do you know that this jade pendant belongs to Yan?” The Old Lady furrowed her brow, looking displeased as she found it hard to believe the situation.

“Grandmother, you will know once you see it!” Qu Mingcheng said confidently.

The Old Lady observed him closely, nodded, and instructed Granny Wu to take the jade pendant.

Granny Wu took the jade pendant and handed it to the Old Lady. After a quick glance, her frown deepened, and she passed it to Qu Zhizhen without a word.

Qu Zhizhen took the jade pendant and examined it. He fell silent for a moment, then raised his gaze to Qu Mingcheng and asked, “How do you know that this jade pendant belongs to your third sister?”

The jade pendant appeared ordinary, not of the highest quality. Qu Zhizhen had only heard that Lord Jing had lost the jade pendant without any description of its appearance, which led him to doubt.

“Father, if you hold it up to the light and examine the hole where the pendant is attached, you will find words inside,” Qu Mingcheng suggested.

Qu Zhizhen held it up, inspected it against the light, but found nothing. He tried again, still unable to find anything. He looked at Qu Mingcheng and said, “There are no words inside.”

“That’s impossible… how could it be?” Qu Mingcheng involuntarily exclaimed, realizing his mistake in speaking too soon. He quickly corrected himself, “Father, could you take a look? I didn’t check it because the maid wouldn’t let me.”

Qu Zhizhen handed the jade pendant to Qu Mingcheng, who examined it and then held it up to the light. His expression froze.

Doubting it, he took a few steps forward, standing beneath the room’s central lamp, and carefully examined it again. Still, he couldn’t see any words. He began to panic. How could it be without words? He had seen the jade pendant before, and it definitely had words inside. Why were they absent now?

Refusing to believe it, he meticulously inspected every angle, feeling an unsettling sensation in his heart.

Seeing his reaction, Qu Moying sneered inwardly. She had taken this jade pendant from her own collection, which resembled the one Yu Dong had, but it wasn’t apparent at first glance.

Since it wasn’t the same as the one Qu Qiuyan had, it naturally had no words inside. Even if Qu Mingcheng could stare at it forever, it was still impossible for it to have any words inside…