Chapter 408

Chapter 408 Which Maid Should be Pushed out to Offset the Crime

“Second brother, is it all in my imagination?” Qu Moying sneered coldly. “There are so many impossibilities, yet you insist that it’s me. If you had any doubts, it wouldn’t have escalated to this extent. And now you’re telling me that I’m the one overthinking?”

Qu Mingcheng’s expression turned extremely unpleasant. “Fourth sister, do you really think I did it on purpose?”

Since he wasn’t going to deny it, Qu Mingcheng figured it was better to speak frankly. He increasingly resented Qing Mei for her incompetence in handling matters.

“How could you not know whether it was intentional or not? Some people, some things, leave traces when they are done. As the saying goes, What man does, the heavens are watching. It’s not that there’s no retribution, it’s just that the time hasn’t come.”

Qu Moying mocked.

Qu Mingcheng relied solely on being Qu Zhizhen’s only son.

Back then, when he was just born, he became the backing of Yu. But so what? Wasn’t Yu locked up now?

Qu Mingcheng deeply regretted his involvement. If he had known that Qing Mei would be so incapable, he would never have meddled. It seems that it’s too late now to say anything else.

“Fourth sister…” He wanted to explain, but Qu Zhizhen slammed the table, causing him to retreat two steps. Faced with Qu Zhizhen’s furious eyes, he found himself unable to speak.

Throughout his life, Qu Mingcheng rarely angered Qu Zhizhen. In Qu Zhizhen’s eyes, although his son occasionally misbehaved, he excelled in other aspects. Whether it was his academic achievements or character, Qu Zhizhen considered him superior to his older brother’s son. So, when it came to Qu Mingcheng, praise was more common and punishment was minimal.

And even if there was punishment, it was never severe!

After all, he was Qu Zhizhen’s only son and the sole young master of the West Mansion. The servants always handled him with care.

Qu Moying glanced at Qu Zhizhen, whose forehead veins were bulging, but remained silent.

“Apologize to your fourth sister!” Qu Zhizhen’s voice was stern.

“Father!” Qu Mingcheng cried out without considering his fear. In his eyes, apologizing to Qu Moying, whom he despised the most, was more painful than killing him.

“Apologize now!” Qu Zhi Zhen shouted.

Seeing his father so enraged, Qu Mingcheng’s resentment turned into anger, his eyes turned red. However, he had no choice but to turn around and bow deeply to Qu Moying, lowering his voice: “Fourth sister… I was wrong to blame you!”

Being young, he couldn’t control the tone of his voice, and it trembled with suppressed anger.

“Is it truly a wrongful accusation? You knows the truth best!” Qu Moying had no intention of letting Qu Mingcheng off the hook and sneered.

“What do you mean? Second brother has already apologized to you,” Qu Qiuyan’s eyes turned red with anger. After helping Qing Ju stand up, she rushed to Qu Mingcheng and angrily confronted Qu Moying.

As twin siblings, they could sense each other’s feelings, especially in this situation. Qu Qiuyan could feel the humiliation that made Qu Mingcheng feel ashamed.

“What are you implying, Third sister? Are you suggesting that if second brother committed murder, a simple apology would suffice? And if others refuse to accept it, it’s their fault?”

Qu Moying retorted, refusing to back down.

Since the situation had escalated to this point, she had no intention of retreating.

When these two siblings plotted against her, they probably didn’t expect that the outcome would be unfavorable to them, not her.

“The jade pendant has been recovered, and you haven’t suffered any losses. Why would it escalate to talk of murder?” Qu Qiuyan asked with an unpleasant expression.

“No murder? Isn’t this Lord Jing’s jade pendant? Lord Jing’s jade pendant went missing, and it could have ended up in my possession. How would Lord Jing react?” Qu Moying sneered. “I heard that the second sister went to Lord Jing Mansion before, and it was just a small misunderstanding. But what about me?”

As soon as these words were spoken, Qu Zhizhen’s heart sank, and he suddenly broke out in a cold sweat.

Qu Moying was wanted by Lord Yun. Earlier, when he went to the West Prison, he had been warned that if something happened to her and she became involved with Lord Jing and ended up a lowly concubine, just like Qu Caifeng, this would be consequences.

Although Lord Yun was currently not in the capital, if he returned and decided to investigate, it would be accurate and thorough. The staff at the West Prison were well-informed.

The likelihood of such an event was small, but it existed nonetheless. Perhaps Lord Jing had taken an interest in his fourth daughter, or perhaps Lord Jing was deliberately provoking Lord Yun.

What would he do then? He couldn’t afford to offend Lord Jing, after all, he was the emperor’s son. But he was different; he was just a Vice Minister, someone insignificant in the eyes of Lord Yun.

“Qiuyan, apologize to your sister along with your brother!” Qu Zhizhen, who had initially considered downplaying the situation, couldn’t tolerate it any longer and sternly admonished.

Qu Mingcheng was taken aback. He couldn’t fathom that his father, who had always been tolerant of his sister, would say such things. Could Qu Moying, a blind person, determine his sister’s identity?

Qu Qiuyan, filled with disbelief, turned back and looked at Qu Zhizhen. She let out a sorrowful cry, “Father!”

“Don’t you dare disrespectfully refuse to offer tea as an apology?” Qu Zhizhen’s voice was stern, and a servant behind him approached, pouring a cup of tea and presenting it to Qu Qiuyan. “Third Lady, please apologize to Fourth Lady!”

Qu Qiuyan was overwhelmed with shame and anger. She had to apologize to Qu Moying and even offer tea in front of her father and grandmother, displaying her vulnerability.

She lifted her gaze to her father, but his face remained stern without a trace of warmth. When she turned to look at her grandmother, she too wore an expression of deep displeasure.

Qu Qiuyan’s eyes filled with tears of grievance as they fell, but she had no choice but to accept the tea. Her fingers trembled as she lowered her head to Qu Moying and said, “Fourth sister, I was wrong before… I… offer you tea as an apology!”

“Third sister, I hope such incidents won’t happen again in the future, and the same goes for our second brother. If there is another issue in the future, please make sure our second brother thinks it through before speaking,” Qu Moying coldly responded, her gaze fixed on the two siblings without a hint of fear.

Qu Zhizhen watched the scene before him and let out a heavy sigh. He had always believed that his eldest daughter had a promising future, but now it seemed that his youngest daughter might be the one with the most potential.

Even with her long veil covering her eyes, she exuded an impressive aura.

Since he had started paying attention, he had been amazed by her actions, as if she were a blooming peony, gradually revealing her identity as the Flower Kingdom’s princess.

However, it was a pity that her status was still somewhat low, especially considering the premature death of her mother, making it difficult for her to attain a higher position.

Qu Mingcheng clenched his teeth and forced himself to calm down. After bowing his head slightly, he said, “Fourth sister, I was also in the wrong. I won’t let it happen again.”

“Fourth sister, I… I will be more careful in the future,” Qu Qiuyan also gritted her teeth and suppressed her resentment. With teary eyes, she spoke softly.

Qu Moying accepted the tea as a sign of accepting their apologies. However, after taking a sip and placing the cup down, she asked, “Third sister, this jade pendant must have been hidden by someone close to you. I wonder if it was your private maid or the Granny?”

These individuals were Qu Qiuyan’s confidants and the most likely culprits. The suspicious maid named Qing Mei seemed like a good candidate to be blamed. Qu Moying wanted Qu Qiuyan to reveal her involvement.

Qing Mei was brought up by Qu Mingcheng, and even if she had done something wrong, Qu Mingcheng might not have informed Qu Qiuyan about it. This sudden incident occurred before they had a chance to discuss it, which made the situation quite intriguing.

“It must be Qing Mei, this maid. She only recently came to my side, and I don’t know much about her character!” Qu Qiuyan gritted her teeth and stated firmly.

Qu Mingcheng knew it was not good as soon as he heard Qu Moying’s question. However, it was too late to intervene and stop her. His expression turned pale as he listened.

“How do you plan to handle this, third sister?” Qu Moying pressed for an answer.

Though it seemed like she was pressuring Qu Qiuyan, Qu Moying’s gaze subtly focused on Qu Mingcheng.

“Third sister, let’s wait for our grandmother and father’s decision before taking any action,” Qu Mingcheng quickly intervened, sensing that the situation was unfavorable.

“What do our grandmother and father think?” Qu Moying didn’t give him any leeway and turned to the silent Old Lady, who was sitting above.

“If it’s truly her, we can’t keep such a maid,” The Old Lady had already made up her mind.

“Father?” Qu Moying didn’t wait for Qu Mingcheng to respond and immediately turned to Qu Zhizhen.

“You should inquire about it today, and I’ll send someone to handle it tomorrow!” Qu Zhizhen’s words made Qu Mingcheng’s face turn pale. It was a direct order to end the maid’s life, and he didn’t care about the maid herself; he only had other plans for her.

However, he couldn’t defy Qu Zhizhen’s wishes. He looked up, hoping to plead with the Old Lady, but her gaze carried anger as it swept down upon him. He immediately fell silent.

At least he managed to save himself; that was already good enough. Now he could only take things one step at a time.

“Well, since it was a servant who caused this trouble, we’ll dispose of that servant. Make sure you don’t damage your relationship,” Qu Zhizhen stood up, trying to smooth things over. He was also unhappy about the situation, and after a few words to the Old Lady, he bid his farewell.

“Yes, it’s all my fault for causing such a big commotion, but I didn’t know that the root cause was with the third sister,” Qu Mingcheng quickly responded, following Qu Zhizhen’s lead. His attitude also appeared amicable.

“It’s my fault!” Qu Qiuyan suppressed her bitter resentment, her head drooping as she looked helpless and pitiful. “I hope my younger sister won’t blame me and my brother for this matter.”

“If third sister and second brother can find the person responsible, it would be for the best.”

Qu Moying stated calmly.

Indeed, that would be the ideal outcome. Qu Moying wanted to see who this cunning and audacious Qing Mei really was. She had a hunch that this matter might be connected to Liu Jingyu once again.

Qing Mei had been by Qu Qiuyan’s side for some time now. Whenever she found an excuse to get close to Yu Dong, Yu Dong would discreetly investigate the maid’s background.

In the end, Yu Dong concluded that this maid was no ordinary servant. She was remarkably knowledgeable, astute, and meticulous in her work, making it difficult to uncover her true intentions. Even with Yu Dong’s skills, the information he could gather was limited. Such a maid was not something an ordinary family would possess; she seemed more like someone who had been carefully taught.

Similar to Qu Mingcheng’s diversionary tactics, this situation carried the same meaning. Judging from Qu Mingcheng’s earlier behavior, it was evident that he intended to find a way for Qing Mei to escape. This put the other individuals around Qu Qiuyan, such as the longtime servent Qing Ju, in danger…