Chapter 52 Frame (1)
Li Youde originally planned to stay in the palace for a few days and perform well, but at noon, someone came to him and said that something had happened in the residence. After hearing what that person said, he was so frightened that he almost went crazy fromanger. He no longer cared about performing well and rushed back to Li residence to inquire about what had happened.
The study was always guarded by someone and was even stricter than the treasury. Aside from him, no one could come in without permission. Last time, that little thief sneaked in, but he was also found immediately. Thus, he returned without any achievement. And among the compartments of the study, he chose one to put his treasure. As usual, he put the treasure in a brocade pouch, put it in a porcelain bottle and hung it high on the beam of the room to give himself the omen of rising higher (being successful). Usually, he hardly came to that compartment. However, when he opened it now, he found broken porcelain pieces on the ground and the thing that was hidden inside, not a trace could be seen anymore.
The servants that guarded the study said that no one came in all morning. When they heard the sound of the porcelain being broken, they immediately went in to check. They only saw the broken porcelain pieces on the ground, but there was no one. They were immediately scared and went to the palace to inform him, but he was hindered by another matter at that time. The servant who went to inform him waited for a long time and didn’t get to tell him the bad news until the afternoon.
Li Youde’s expression was bad all the way and when he came back, he let the servants who guarded the study suffer twenty beatings first. The thing would naturally not fly away on its own. Presumably, these people were negligent in their duties. However, after suffering a beating, they still insisted that the thing really disappeared without a trace. He couldn’t help but get anxious. Could it really be someone who had fallen from the sky?!
Li Youde didn’t know where his thing went and there was no trace to be found. So, he had to take the people and search the courtyards one by one. The first place where he searched was naturally Chrysanthemum Yard where he lived.
Before Li Youde noticed her, Chen Hui took the opportunity to step back in a hurry and went back into her room.
Looking at Li Youde’s reaction, there is no doubt that the treasure in her hand is Li Youde’s. So, where was this thing hidden in the first place? It must not be Chrysanthemum Yard, otherwise, he would’ve rushed to the place where he had hidden them instead of letting people start searching. Then, the place where you could hide things should be the storeroom…No, it’s the study!
She knew that even if Li Youde retrieved his treasure from her, he would not mistake her for stealing it. After all, she never left from the moment he left until he came back to Chrysanthemum Yard. The rest of the servants could testify for her. Moreover, how could she sneak in with so many people guarding the study? It was not the loosely guarded Chrysanthemum Yard.
The issue was that it was not gold and silver jewelry that had been stolen. It was Li Youde’s big treasure, his trigger! He didn’t even want people to see his lower body, let alone his thing! If she offered it with both hands at this moment, would Li Youde chop her off directly?
Chen Hui suddenly remembered a not urgent matter…How did this thing come to her? Was it really brought by Ziyu? But it was impossible for Ziyu to sneak into the study. Moreover, even if she sneaked into the study, she didn’t steal anything good but stole this thing? She must be sick!
But if it isn’t Ziyu, who could it be? Today, there was only her and Xiao Tiao. Only Ziyu had been here once and the others have never been in or out of her room…And the only person who could enter and exit the study freely was Li Youde. It couldn’t be that Li Youde wanted to harm her, right?! If he really wanted to mess with her, it was a simple matter. He didn’t even have to give a reason. It was impossible for him to use his treasure to make a joke! The possibility that it was him was very low, could it be a ghost?
…Wait, not a ghost, it’s Li Sancai!
Chen Hui suddenly remembered that when she returned after sending Li Youde off, she saw that incompetent cat Li Sancai escape into the direction of the study. At that time, she told the truth to Qingshu, but it was a pity that Qingshu didn’t believe her and left immediately. What happened afterward. Li Sancai returned to Rely Bamboo Pavilion? Was he carrying this pouch with the thing?
So, this matter was done by Lady Jiang? After Lady Jiang got this pouch and got to know what was inside, she let Ziyu take it and frame her? If she hadn’t discovered it in advance, Li Youde would’ve caught her, right? But…this is not right. She and Xiao Liu saw Li Sancai enter the study. Xiao Liu could testify. Then, the implicated one would be Lady Jiang, the owner of Li Sancai. What did it have to do with her, the outsider? Even if she was caught with the thing on her, even a fool would know that she had been wronged. Lady Jiang’s goal wouldn’t be achieved. She didn’t believe that Lady Jiang would be so dizzy as to do this kind of illogical thing that didn’t bring her any good. Could it be done by Li Sancai? That foolish cat knew that she disliked it, so, it took revenge on her? Then, it really got intelect! Now, it was before the founding of the PRC, so, it’s impossible.
While thinking about it, Chen Hui hid the pouch in her sleeve and asked Li Youde from a distance, “Lord? What are you looking for?”
Li Youde was raging when he heard Chen Hui’s soft voice and his head cleared. He turned his head to look at Chen Hui. His mouth opened and closed. He frowned, avoided her gaze and said, “Something important has been lost from the study.”
Chen Hui asked surprised, “The study? Who is so capable?”
“The guards said that no one had entered or exited,” When Li Youde spoke till here, his eyes were hostile, “Heh, no one entered or exited, how did the thing got lost then?”
Chen Hui pretended to not know, “Lord, what is the thing that was lost? Is it big?”
Li Youde was silent for a while before he said, “It’s not too big…” While he was speaking, he looked at the servants who were searching and said loudly, “Search carefully!”
Chen Hui said with sudden enlightenment, “If the thing is not big…lord, maybe it was picked up by a cat!”
Li Youde got a shock. He hung the thing on the roof. A person would not even be able to reach it even if they stood on a stool. A ladder must be needed. It all made sense if it was a cat. The pouch was not too heavy for a cat…Thinking until here, his face became paler. If it was really taken by a cat, it wouldn’t…no, no! He had tied the pouch. How could an animal open it?
“Cat? What kind of cat?” Li Youde asked, but as soon as he finished asking, he realized that there was only this one cat in the residence.
“It’s the one that Lady Jiang kept,” Chen Hui said. As if thinking of something, she beckoned not far away, “Xiao Liu, come here!”
Xiao Liu ran to Li Youde quickly with some anxiety and confusion on his face.
Chen Hui said, “Xiao Liu, when we returned from sending lord off in the morning, we saw that cat kept by Lady Jiang go into the study, right?”
Xiao Liu was dumbstruck. Seeing Li Youde’s gloomy face, he didn’t dare to delay and said, “Answering lord, as Lady Chen said, when this little one returned with Lady Chen today, this little one saw Lady Jiang’s cat go into the direction of the study. Miss Qingshu also came to look for it. Lady Chen told miss Qingshu about the whereabouts of the cat. Miss Qingshu didn’t seem to believe it and went back to Rely Bamboo Pavilion. This little one doesn’t know what happened afterward.”
Li Youde’s face turned green. He immediately turned around and walked out quickly.
When Chen Hui saw this, she immediately followed. She also turned her head to signal Xiao Liu to not fall behind. Xiao Liu didn’t know what had happened. He felt intuitively that it was not something good, but how lowly people think counts for little. He didn’t have the right to keep away from the problem. He could only keep up with them while struggling inwardly.
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gee XD that cat ıs just….