Xinlan, standing by, was stunned. Shui Ling had just arrived at Zhaoyuan; if she were looking for something, she should be more familiar with it. "Miss, perhaps it would be better to let..."
"Sister Xinlan need not worry. Since Miss sent me, she must want me to adapt here faster. It wouldn't be too late to ask Sister Xinlan if I can't find it," Shui Ling interrupted before Xinlan could finish. She had a feeling that Miss's request was not just about finding an earring.
Turning into the inner room, Shui Ling opened the vanity drawer as instructed by Ji Zizhao. To her surprise, it was empty. Not only was the earring missing, but there were no other jewelry items either.
Shui Ling turned to call Xinlan to take a look, and happened to see Yong Mei wearing a pair of white jade earrings.
Shui Ling trembled, looking at Ji Zizhao in disbelief.
Miss, what is she trying to do...?
"Sister Xinlan, please come and see. I can't find the earring Miss mentioned." Shui Ling suppressed her shock and, while calling out, poured all the jewelry from the vanity box into the drawer.
She had come to the Ji family not for the entire Ji family, but solely for the eldest daughter of the Ji family.
Therefore, no matter what the matter was, with just one command from the eldest daughter, she would not hesitate, even unto death.
Standing in the inner hall, Ji Zizhao watched Xinlan's hurried figure and knew that Shui Ling had understood her intentions.
A moment later, Xinlan also came out empty-handed. "Miss, there are indeed jewelry items in the drawer, but I've searched everywhere and can't find the white jade earring Miss mentioned."
Ji Zizhao frowned. "How can that be? I clearly remember putting it in the drawer."
Yong Mei had always been meticulous about her attire and knew everything about Miss's good things. Hearing this, she also spoke up, "I've never seen Miss wear white jade earrings."
Ji Zizhao's gaze was distant. "My father specifically brought those earrings back for me from Nanjiang years ago. I've always been reluctant to wear them, so I kept them at the bottom of the drawer for safekeeping."
Upon hearing that it was something her husband had given their daughter, Lin Wanyun also became concerned.
If the person were still alive, it might not seem so important. But now that he was gone, the remaining items were relics!
Just as Lin Wanyun was about to have everyone in the courtyard come in to search, she saw Yong Mei inexplicably wearing a pair of white jade earrings.
In an instant, Lin Wanyun's expression darkened.
"Yong Mei, where did you get those earrings?"
In Yulin, there was a strict hierarchy for wearing jewelry.
Royalty wore gold; other people of status wore jade, and common families could only wear silver. As for those like Yong Mei, who were sold into mansions as servants, they could only wear cheap stone ornaments.
Even if a master bestowed precious jewelry, a servant absolutely could not wear it out. Instead, they had to obtain a pawn ticket personally written by the master and pawn it at a Yulin pawn shop for silver.
Yong Mei never expected that the earrings she had secretly worn would attract the attention of her masters. Terrified, she quickly knelt on the ground. "Madam, please investigate. These, these earrings were, were given to me by a master..."
Lin Wanyun frowned. "Who gave them to you?"
Yong Mei knelt on the ground, trembling uncontrollably.
She had received these earrings yesterday from Miss Luohong when she delivered a message. She knew she shouldn't wear them out, but she couldn't resist putting them on. Thinking that there were quite a few servants in the mansion wearing stone jewelry, she planned to pass it off as stone if anyone asked.
"It was, it was given by a wet nurse. She said it was just inexpensive milky white stone."
Lin Wanyun almost laughed with anger. "Milky white stone? I didn't realize what kind of milky white stone could resemble white jade so closely. Perhaps you can identify that wet nurse, so as to prove your innocence."
Yong Mei's mind was in chaos, and her body trembled even more violently. "Madam, I, I..."
Lin Wanyun looked at Yong Mei, who was clearly acting guilty, and her face turned completely cold. When had her Ji family become so tainted?
Ji Zizhao walked to her mother's side and softly persuaded, "Although this incident occurred in my courtyard, I am willing to let Mother handle it. I only hope Mother will calm her anger and not harm herself by getting upset."
"I will certainly investigate this matter. You, prepare yourself. Don't forget that attending the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet in the palace today is the important matter." Lin Wanyun suppressed her anger and then looked at the wet nurse beside her. "Take this dishonest person to Yun Yuan!"
The wet nurse of Yun Yuan received the order and dragged Yong Mei away.
Xinlan, having grown up with Yong Mei, followed them out with concern.
Shui Ling stood by the window, watching Yong Mei crying out about her injustice, her fingers tightly clasped over her chest.
"Do you think my methods are too insidious?" Ji Zizhao's voice suddenly sounded beside her.
Shui Ling snapped back to attention and turned, lowering her head. "I just feel this matter is not honorable."
Ji Zizhao smiled, her fair face filled with cold indifference. "To do no harm to oneself and no harm to others is called tolerance. To harm oneself and do no harm to others is called cowardice. To do no harm to oneself and harm others is called indulgence of evil. Only those wicked individuals who constantly devour flesh and blood without spitting out bones will often speak of righteousness. The honor I understand is not feminine compassion, nor is it the indulgence of evil."
Shui Ling looked at Ji Zizhao, bewildered. "Miss, are you saying Yong Mei deserves her fate?"
Ji Zizhao held Shui Ling's tightly clenched hands, helping her to loosen them. "Towards the wicked, we often wish to make them pay for their crimes through righteous means. But this world often does not allow so-called righteousness to cast its shadow over us. Therefore, for the wicked, the means do not matter, as long as they can make them pay the price."
Ji Zizhao never considered herself a good person, nor did she ever wish to be one.
The Ji family's motto was: upright and selfless, sacrifice oneself for righteousness, serve the country with utmost devotion, and do one's best for the people. Su Dan Novel Network.
Therefore, every man of the Ji family was a true gentleman, standing tall, and a passionate man with unwavering integrity.
Ji Zizhao knew she could not achieve this, which was why she had refused to study martial arts or teachings back then, preferring to go with the flow and let life take its course, rather than hypocritically deceive her grandfather and father with a false demeanor.
She could consider the overall situation, but she could never be foolishly loyal or filial.
No one could trample on her bottom line and revel freely. The Sun family could not, the Zhao family could not, the Fifth Prince could not, and even...
The current Emperor could not!
If this were a path of no return, she vowed to drag the wicked down with her, and would never be magnanimous enough to compromise!
Shui Ling looked at the Miss beside her, standing by the window, her eyes clear and cold. Though she hadn't spoken a word, the aura she exuded was far more awe-inspiring than those who spoke in grandiloquent terms.
This kind of presence, she had not even seen in the old general of the Ji family.