The Devious First Daughter

191 - 200

The palace maids and eunuchs were very cooperative, so after a short while, the investigation of them was over. That hair-pin was not on them!

“Do I really have to search these Young Ladies for the hair-pin?”

Honored Consort Ya was in a dilemma. Her face darkened. All the Young Ladies were from noble families, and it would be an insult to them to search them. But if She did not ask people to search them, she did not know how to solve the problem. Furthermore, the palace maids and the eunuchs had already been searched.

“Are all the palace maids and eunuchs who were present just now here? Could any of them haven’t been searched yet?” None of the Young Ladies would like to be searched, so someone could not help asking.

“Sure enough. There were many palace maids and eunuchs bustling around here just now. Maybe someone has passed by here occasionally and took the hair-pin away,” another Young Lady said, following the first one. If they were searched here, they would feel ashamed to show their faces in public in the future.

“Your Highness, please check again if there were anyone else had passed by here just now,” A Young Lady stepped out the crowd and suggested, bowing to Honored Consort Ya respectfully.

Honored Consort Ya was thinking about this as well. She knew that she could not order people to search the Young Ladies. Otherwise, it would stir troubles up. She then nodded and gestured that Young Lady to sit down.

She ordered the palace maid beside her to bring all the palace maids and eunuchs in attendance at the party, including someone passing by here, someone picking plum blossom here, and someone fetching things here. After a short moment, about twenty or thirty more palace maids were brought here.

Looking at one of the palace maids, Ning Xueyan smiled slightly. It was the one who had given the note to her.

When these palace maids and eunuchs were about to be taken away and searched, Lanning suddenly said, pointing at one of the palace maids, “Miss, she stole your bracelet! Look! It’s still on her wrist!”

There was an uproar when the crowd heard that someone had stolen a bracelet and been caught. They looked at the palace maid who was being pointed at by Lanning and saw an extremely delicate bracelet set with precious gems.

Seeing that everyone, including Honored Consort Ya and Honored Consort Shu, who were sitting on the principal seats turned to her, the palace maid was so scared that she immediately covered the bracelet with her hand, trying to hide it from others. She repeated subconsciously, “This is… mine. I didn’t steal it.”

“It’s yours?” Lanning walked over to her and lifted her wrist in front of everyone. “This bracelet was left by Madam Ming to my young master, and it also bears the name of Madam Ming. Do you want to argue that Madam Ming gave it to you?” Lanning shouted angrily.

Ming Feiyong had given this bracelet to Ning Xueyan, saying that Madam Ming liked it most before marrying to Ning Zu’an. The bracelets were originally a pair, but unfortunately, one was broken, so she did not wear them again since then, and left it in the Ming Manor. Maybe because Madam Ming was still very young at that point, she had asked someone to carefully carve her name on the bracelet.

.....

Madam Ming had hidden herself in Bright Frost Garden for years. She even had never left Bright Frost Garden, let alone coming to the imperial palace. Therefore, it was impossible for her to give the bracelet to a palace maid at imperial palace. Obviously, the palace maid was lying.

Ao Chenyi narrowed his eyes and quietly looked at Ning Xueyan, who was standing beside Lanning with an anxious look. He then looked at the pale palace maid and Ning Qingshan, who was on the other side. His lips curved up and a faint smile appeared on them. “This little girl is not that generous, and she won’t bear to suffer a little loss!”