Chapter 407

Chapter 407 The Scene Where the Thief Cries out to Catch the Thief

“What did you discover, Second Brother? Why do you think it’s impossible? Have you concluded that the jade pendant is in my possession, or is there another reason?” Qu Moying spoke coldly. “Please explain clearly, what is the truth behind this? Why are you so certain that I took the jade pendant?”

Qu Mingcheng panicked; after all, he was still young and hadn’t experienced a situation like this before.

Especially the gazes of the people present, including his own father and grandmother, carried a hint of anger.

Feeling flustered, he suddenly felt the weight of the jade pendant in his hand increase tenfold.

“Fourth Sister, perhaps I made a mistake,” Qu Mingcheng said, putting down the jade pendant and stammering.

“Second Brother, if you made a mistake, then you falsely accused me of stealing Third Sister’s valuable jade pendant. I wonder if you have also made a mistake regarding this matter. Perhaps Third Sister’s jade pendant is still in her courtyard and hasn’t been lost at all,” Qu Moying sneered, a faint trace of mockery appearing on her lips. “Earlier, you mentioned that if the jade pendant wasn’t found with me, you would personally search Third Sister’s belongings. I wonder if you still intend to keep your word?”

“Of course… of course, it still counts!” Qu Mingcheng had no choice but to force himself to respond. At this moment, all he wanted was to escape. His gaze shifted and fell upon Yu Dong, who stood timidly by Qu Moying’s side. He pointed his finger at her and said, “Fourth Sister, I still have some doubts. Why was Yu Dong so frightened earlier? She appeared guilty, as if she had something to hide.”

“You should ask Yu Dong herself!” Qu Moying said coldly, turning her head to look at Yu Dong.

Yu Dong stepped forward and respectfully bowed to the Old Lady and Qu Zhizhen. Then, she raised her head and looked at Qu Mingcheng. “Second Young Master, you said I was frightened, but I only wanted to protect my lady’s precious belongings. These were all left to her by the late lady. I was afraid they might get damaged, so I took them away.”

“Then why were you so nervous?” Qu Mingcheng’s gaze remained fixed on Yu Dong.

“I was nervous because each item left by the late lady holds great significance to my lady,” Yu Dong replied.

Qu Mingcheng wanted to ask further, but the words stuck in his throat. With a cold glare, he cast a disdainful glance at Yu Dong. At this point, he finally understood that this maid had clearly set him up. The previous purse was probably deliberately shown to him, making him feel more at ease the more he looked at it.

“Second brother, let’s go. Let’s go and see Third sister. Maybe she has found the jade pendant again!” Qu Moying interrupted Qu Mingcheng’s words.

“Grandmother, may we go and visit Third sister?”

“Granny Wu, you go with them.” The Old Lady nodded and instructed. At this point, it was indeed necessary to go and see Qu Qiuyan’s situation. It was frustrating that the situation had escalated based solely on Qu Qiuyan’s one-sided account, and she felt a sense of annoyance.

At this time, she really had to give Qu Moying an explanation. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be justifiable since things escalated to this extent.

Qu Zhizhen frowned, wanting to speak up to stop them. However, after glancing at Qu Moying’s angry expression, he ultimately remained silent and simply waved his hand.

This time, Qu Mingcheng and Qu Moying led a group of people to Qu Qiuyan’s Furong House.

Inside the Furong House, Qu Qiuyan was still awake, sitting under the lamplight, waiting for news from Qu Mingcheng. She was in a good mood, laughing and chatting with a few maids.

Amidst their lively conversation, they heard a commotion outside the gate. Thinking that Qu Mingcheng had returned, Qu Qiuyan wasn’t too surprised and had the maids draw the curtains.

To her surprise, it wasn’t just Qu Mingcheng who entered but also Qu Moying. Seeing Qu Mingcheng’s grim expression, Qu Qiuyan became uneasy.

“Second brother!” Qu Qiuyan stood up and respectfully bowed to Qu Mingcheng before turning her gaze to Qu Moying at the side. She spoke in a nonchalant tone, “Why is Fourth sister free to come here at this hour?”

“I was originally going to sleep, but Second brother said there was turmoil in the Mansion. So we came to your place to see if the jade pendant was truly lost,” Qu Moying said coldly.

Qu Qiuyan was momentarily stunned, unable to react. She then shifted her gaze to Qu Mingcheng and said, “Second brother…”

“Fourth sister mentioned that your jade pendant might not be lost, so we came to take a look together,” Qu Mingcheng’s expression was grim. Throughout the journey, he had pondered on the situation, growing increasingly annoyed. Everything had been prepared, so why did Qu Moying manage to escape at the end? Was it because of that despicable maid, Yu Dong?

“Third sister, you claimed that the jade pendant was lost, but I believe it may not be. I want to help you search for it. Father and grandmother are still waiting. Second brother, let’s have someone search for it!” Qu Moying sat down on a chair and spoke without politeness.

“Coming to my place to search for my lost belongings?” Qu Qiuyan finally understood and immediately became furious.

“Let her search, Third sister!” Qu Mingcheng impatiently interrupted Qu Qiuyan’s words. He was in a very unpleasant mood, feeling like he had been punched but retaliated with heavy cotton.

He felt stifled to the point of wanting to vomit blood!

Qu Qiuyan wanted to say something more, but seeing Qu Mingcheng’s attitude, she realized that the situation had changed. So, she no longer opposed and coldly instructed the maids around her to step back.

This time, it was Yu Dong and a Granny brought by Qu Mingcheng to search. The Granny casually searched two places and then stopped for the sake of the Second Young Master.

Yu Dong had fewer scruples and, after rummaging through the items, found a small cloth pouch by the window on the desk. Opening it, she discovered a jade pendant inside.

“My lady, take a look at this,” Yu Dong walked over and handed the cloth pouch to Qu Moying.

Qu Moying reached out and took it, holding it up to the light and smiling faintly. “There is a word inside. I wonder if this is the piece Third sister was searching for.”

Saying this, she passed the jade pendant to Sister Wu.

Granny Wu took it and glanced at Qu Qiuyan, her expression turning unpleasant.

Qu Qiuyan didn’t pay much attention initially, but after hearing Qu Moying’s words, she examined it closely and her face changed drastically. She immediately recognized this jade pendant.

However, she had already given this jade pendant to Qing Mei, asking her to deliver it to Yu Dong. So how was it still here now?

Her gaze shifted to Qing Mei by her side, and her eyes grew cold and fierce.

“Third Lady, could you please come with me?” Granny Wu turned to Qu Qiuyan and asked in a gentle tone. The situation had reached a point where it was beyond the control of a mere servant like her.

Qu Mingcheng simply couldn’t believe what he was seeing. His gaze shifted from Qu Qiuyan’s face to the Qing Mei on the side. Qing Mei could no longer stand, trembling uncontrollably. Her mouth opened but no words came out. How could she speak when she was the one who gave the jade pendant to Yu Dong?

Looking at Qu Qiuyan’s face, Qing Mei turned deathly pale and her body swayed. She reached out to grasp the edge of the table, filled with despair. The situation had changed too quickly. She never imagined it would backfire on her.

Qing Mei was the only one left behind as the three Qu siblings led the way back to the Old Lady’s residence.

As soon as they entered, Qu Qiuyan knelt before the Old Lady, crying and saying, “Grandmother, I truly have no idea why that jade pendant was there. Someone must have intentionally taken it. I thought it was lost, so I hurriedly told my brother about it. I never expected it would still be with me.”

At this point, Qu Qiuyan had no choice but to acknowledge the situation.

The Old Lady had already learned about the incident from Granny Wu. After taking a glance at the jade pendant, she handed it to her son and gestured to him, pressing her head, “You ask.”

Qu Zhizhen also took a quick look at the jade pendant. This time, it was clear. When he shone a light on it, he could clearly see a word engraved inside. It was indeed Lord Jing’s jade pendant. Comparing it to the other one obtained from Qu Moying, they were not identical, but when they were not placed together, they bore some resemblance.

“Qiuyan, how could you allow such an important item to be hidden, leading to such a huge commotion?” Qu Zhizhen paused for a moment before speaking.

“I… I truly didn’t know, father. I also didn’t know someone around me would do such a thing. Father, please rest assured that when I return, I will thoroughly investigate this matter and find out who is responsible,” Qu Qiuyan said, pressing the corner of her eye, her voice tinged with sadness and grievance.

Qing Ju, standing behind Qu Qiuyan, trembled. Her face immediately turned pale. Were they going to pin the blame on someone else again? The person who could enter the Third Lady’s room must be someone close to her.

“Father, since it was the sister’s carelessness, punishing the people around her would be appropriate,” Qu Mingcheng also stepped forward to mediate.

Qu Moying sneered inwardly. The two siblings had reached such a point, where everything was laid bare. Yet they still put on this act, pretending to be wronged, attempting to smooth things over. Things were not as simple as they seemed.

“Father, when my Second brother came over, he didn’t clearly see the jade pendant in Yu Dong’s hand. He hastily accused me of taking Third sister’s jade pendant. However, I don’t understand why he was so certain. The hiding spot for the jade pendant is not a place an ordinary person can find. Father, please ask my Second brother and Third sister to clarify the situation.”

Qu Moying coldly smiled. Even though her eyes were veiled, they could still sense the coldness on her face. “The situation has unfolded mysteriously. Leaving aside the origins of Third sister’s jade pendant, even if I did have ulterior motives, how would I know that the jade pendant was with her? With so many people around Third sister, isn’t it possible that someone else took it?”

The jade pendant belonged to Lord Jing. When it fell into Qu Qiuyan’s hands, she naturally treated it as a precious possession. Such an important item could not be easily obtained by Qu Moying, even if she truly had intentions to do so.

Of course, there was another possibility—someone was framing her.

Recalling what his son had said earlier, his certain expression when Qu Moying brought over the jade pendant, and the current situation, Qu Zhizhen was almost certain that his son and third daughter were involved. He was extremely infuriated.

“Fourth sister, don’t accuse others baselessly. I genuinely thought that the jade pendant was missing, and genuinely believed that the jade pendant belonged to her. I didn’t think further than that!” Upon hearing Qu Moying’s words, Qu Mingcheng couldn’t sit still and hurriedly defended himself.