Chapter 55: Meeting at 55
“What happened?” The second wholesale dealer and shopkeeper Wang asked, the question posed by the second dealer.
The second dealer had just gone to exchange silver at the bank across the street, and no sooner had he entered the grand hall than he heard shopkeeper Wang talk about the Marquis’ daughter losing something in Huichun Hall. He went with shopkeeper Wang to look for it, but unexpectedly saw this scene in the side room.
This side room was specifically prepared as a rest area for Gu Jiao. Although Gu Jiao didn’t use it often, people rarely intruded. When the maid said, “She stole my young lady’s belongings,” they thought it was a little thief who had sneaked in.
But then they found there were only two people in the side room – Marquis’ maid and Miss Gu.
So, is Miss Gu the thief the maid was referring to?
The little maid didn’t know Gu Jiao. When she saw the second dealer and shopkeeper Wang come up, she immediately pointed to Gu Jiao and said, “It’s good that you are here! It’s this little thief who stole my young lady’s jade pendant! She stole my young master’s jade thumb ring too!”
The second dealer was stunned, “Might there be some misunderstanding? She wouldn’t steal!”
How could the little girl steal? She could freely access his accounting room, and she had never touched the valuable objects in there.
Moreover, the girl’s eyes were clear. If she had really been caught stealing, she wouldn’t be so unashamed, surely?
But shopkeeper Wang didn’t think so. Although he hadn’t accompanied them to the Marquis Residence that day, he heard about it from the second dealer and the old doctor later. It was Miss Gu who had saved the Young Marquis. She had the opportunity to steal his jade thumb ring.
Moreover, the day the Marquis’ daughter came to Huichun Hall, the jade pendant was stolen and appeared on Gu Jiao’s desk, which made shopkeeper Wang suspicious.
The little maid became angry: “What do you mean she wouldn’t steal? Mean to say I am falsely accusing her? What does she amount to, that it would be worth it for me to travel all the way here to frame her?”
This was not a pleasant thing to say, but the logic was not unreasonable. The maid worked for the Marquis, her status was even more eminent than many rich families’ daughters. If she wanted to slander someone, she would pick someone of suitable standing. Gu Jiao was like an ant on the ground, she wouldn’t go out of her way to squash her.
Unless she really stole something from the Marquis Residence.
“Are you sure you didn’t mistake this for something else? There are many things in this world that look the same.” The second dealer still stubbornly believed in Gu Jiao’s innocence.
“Mistook?” The little maid grinned sarcastically, “Do you think the ornaments my young lady and young master wear are cheap stuff from the street? This jade pendant is a gift from the palace. Your entire Hu Family couldn’t afford it even if you were to squander all your wealth!”
The second dealer’s face turned pale for a moment. If it’s such a precious item, it certainly couldn’t be Gu Jiao’s. But he still didn’t believe that Gu Jiao would steal, “Isn’t it possible that it could be a fake?”
Perhaps the item in Miss Gu’s hand is fake!
Shopkeeper Wang glanced at the second dealer worriedly. The second dealer had absolute trust in Gu Jiao, which would undoubtedly offend the Marquis Residence. He did not want the second dealer to get into trouble.
Just as he was considering his words, planning to persuade Gu Jiao to confess and not to offend the Marquis Residence, Gu Jiao said faintly: “It’s not fake, it’s real.”
“You heard her! She admitted it!” The little maid said viciously.
A gentle, distinguished voice slowly sounded from outside the door.
“Miss! You’re here!” The little maid immediately assumed a respectful expression and bowed to the young lady.
The young girl, wearing a dark veil, raised the gauze of her veil and her skirt hem, and walked slowly. Her demeanor maintained elegance and composure.
She was wearing a perfume that could only be afforded by a noble lady from the capital. As she moved lightly, a faint essence filled the room, making the atmosphere fragrant.
“Achoo!” Gu Jiao sneezed.
She was allergic to this kind of perfume.
The little maid glared at Gu Jiao. Seeing that she didn’t bow to her lady and even dared to sneeze rudely, she thought that a village girl was just a village girl, never able to be refined!
The young lady spoke as usual, “This jade pendant cannot have a counterfeit. The jade used is a Kunlun mountain mutton-fat jade, and in Zhan Country, only the royal family has the right to mine it. Counterfeiting things used by the royal family is a serious crime, let alone it is impossible to replicate it exactly.”
“Oh.” Gu Jiao touched her chin.
“You, what’s that attitude?” The little maid continued to glare at her, but because the Marquis’s daughter was present, she was not as domineering as before.
The young lady looked at Gu Jiao and said in a warm voice, “You are that little drug boy, right?”
“Mhm.” Gu Jiao responded, without asking how she had guessed it. It was not hard to figure out.
The young lady said slowly, “Take the jade pendant as a gift, return the thumb ring to me, and I’ll act as if nothing happened.”
“Miss!” The little maid stamped her foot.
Shopkeeper Wang did not expect such a dramatic turn in the situation. The Marquis’s daughter was truly magnanimous! Such a valuable item was given away without a second thought. Moreover, she didn’t publicize it, saving both Miss Gu and Huichun Hall’s reputation.
Seeing that Gu Jiao remained silent, the young lady continued, “The jade pendant is mine, if you like it, you may take it. But the thumb ring belongs to my brother. I need to get it back to return to him.”
Shopkeeper Wang was anxious at the side. He thought, hurry up and agree, hurry up and agree!
Gu Jiao looked at the young girl expressionlessly and said, “Take back the thumb ring, leave the jade pendant with me.”
She had suspected earlier that the jade thumb ring belonged to the young Marquis, and now it confirmed her speculation.
She did not explain that the jade thumb ring accidentally slid into her sleeve pocket while she was rescuing the young Marquis. Firstly, she could not describe the rescue process, and secondly, they would not believe it.
So why waste her breath?
The young lady said, “You sure do know how to pick things. This thumb ring only has special significance to my brother, and when it comes to value, indeed it’s not as precious as the jade pendant.”
Gu Jiao said, “The thumb ring is yours because it indeed belongs to your brother. The jade pendant is not yours, so you have to return it to me.”
The little maid snorted, “Not our master’s? Could it be yours? Don’t you pee and look in the mirror, can you even afford such a valuable jade pendant?”
The young lady: “Yu Ru.”
The second dealer frowned, “Please watch your language, young lady!”
“If you don’t believe me, I can’t help it.” Gu Jiao finished, stretching out her hand, “I’ll say it one last time, give me back the jade pendant.”
The little maid stepped back, “Dream on! This is my young lady’s!”
The young lady squeezed her fingers, suppressing her anger, and said to the second dealer, “Second dealer, you have witnessed everything today. She has openly admitted to her theft. In consideration of your Huichun Hall treating my younger brother’s illness, I will not inform the authorities. But I hope nothing happens again!”
From start to finish, Gu Jiao only admitted one thing: that the thumb ring belonged to the young master. She never said she had stolen it. However, in their talk, they turned it into her admitting to theft.