The Self-cultivation of a Salted Fish Concubine

Seeing Feixu leave, Concubine Lu did not show any joy at all.

Because she saw that the maidservant beside Concubine An was safe.

Concubine An had not received much education. She had two maids, one named Ping'an and the other named Jixiang.

Concubine Lu was this kind of Jixiang. Later, she climbed into the bed and became a concubine from a maid.

Ping'an is steady and has always been relied upon by Concubine An, and all the affairs in the yard are also left to Ping'an to manage.

And Ping'an has always disliked Concubine Lu's sneaky behavior and always suppresses her.

Concubine Lu was not afraid of Concubine An, but felt a little uneasy when she saw Ping An.

Ping An stepped forward, unfolded a piece of paper, and said softly, "Reporting to the princess, everyone in the yard knows that my master has a good temper."

"If anything is missing from the yard, they never make it known, and they don't let the servants intervene. They just say that no one would steal unless they are forced to do so."

"I am a petty servant. Whenever I lose something, I always keep a record of it. At least I can keep some evidence to avoid being bitten by others in the future."

Ping'an's indifferent gaze fell on Concubine Lu.

Concubine Lu was a little panicked and had a bad feeling.

Fang Yuaner sent someone to secretly report the charcoal theft to the princess. Before the news got out, Concubine Lu was naturally caught off guard.

Ping An unfolded the paper and began to read the words on it: "On October 29th, throw half a pound of silver charcoal and ten pounds of black charcoal."

"November 3rd: Lost a white fox fur, a pair of cloisonné and red coral earrings, and ten kilograms of charcoal."

"On November 8th, twenty ounces of silver, a pair of silver-wrapped double-clasp bracelets, and three pounds of silver-thread charcoal were lost."

……

With every word Ping An read, Concubine Lu's face turned paler.

She frantically thought about how to deal with the situation.

It is impossible that she stole the things herself.

Concubine Lu asked the sisters who were still serving Concubine An for help, so that she could steal so many things from Concubine An like an ant moving house.

She knew Concubine An's character well, and she stole some unimportant but somewhat valuable things.

It was like cutting Concubine An's flesh, but it didn't hurt her enough to make her cry out in pain, so she would just endure it.

No matter how much I planned, I didn't expect Ping An to see it all and record all the lost items.

Now that the incident has happened, all the details are being discussed, and Concubine Lu has nowhere to hide.

She is also cautious.

Concubine Lu had the stolen gold and silver jewelry taken away to be melted down.

He also took the silver outside to exchange for banknotes and buried it in a hidden corner.

She found a way to send things like fox fur back home to be processed.

The only thing left is the silver charcoal, which needs to be used every day and cannot be hidden.

Concubines are not qualified to use this thing.

Concubine An had some, but the princess gave her some specially out of sympathy for her pregnancy.

Ping An is indeed the person who knows Concubine Lu best.

She said, "Master Lu is quite cautious. I think the stolen items have been disposed of. Even if there is Ju Zi's confession, it will not implicate her."

Juzi was the maid who helped Concubine Lu to steal Concubine An's things.

When Concubine Lu heard this name, her heart sank.

Ping An said slowly, "There's only one thing, and I think I can still find it."

Mother Li asked curiously, "What is it?"

"Silver charcoal."

Ping An: "You should be able to find this thing in Master Lu's room now. My master's silver charcoal was given to us by the princess out of pity. Master Lu is not qualified to use it."

"She stole this silver charcoal and she's reluctant to use it all up right now, so there must be some left."

Ping An's calm tone was tinged with sarcasm, "After all, if it's all used up, the girl should go to my master's room to get it."

Madam Li immediately said, "When I was searching for musk, I did find silver charcoal in Master Lu's yard. There was about half a pound left."

"At the time, I thought it was a gift from a concubine, so I didn't pay much attention to it."

"I will send someone to get it immediately."

Of course, what Mother Li said was a cover-up.

The princess had received the news long ago. When she went to search the courtyard, she deliberately observed the charcoal fire, which was why she reacted so quickly.

The princess asked Concubine Lu, "Do you have anything else to say?"

Concubine Lu's throat moved, and she suddenly knelt on the ground, "I plead guilty!"

"These things were indeed taken by me. If the princess wants to punish me, I will not complain at all."

"I only ask that the princess allow me to explain a few more words."

Everyone in Qingsong Courtyard was quite surprised that she confessed so quickly.

I thought I would need to produce a lot of evidence and argue for a while.

Only Ping An remained indifferent, as if he had expected this.

Concubine Lu is thick-skinned, ambitious and selfish, but she always knows how to adapt to the times and can tell right from wrong.

She knew she couldn't escape the crime of stealing.

Rather than struggling to death and angering the princess, it is better to just agree honestly.

She then took the opportunity to cry a few words and put half of the blame on the princess so that the princess would give her a lighter punishment.

She always liked to treat Concubine An in this way, and it always worked.

The princess asked lazily, "What else do you want to explain?"

Concubine Lu said, "I know that taking something without asking is stealing, but I really have no choice!"

Concubine Lu had tears in her eyes and looked miserable.

"The people in the backyard look down on me, even a servant girl."

"If you don't give me some money, I won't even be able to command the maids in the courtyard. The managers above me keep cutting into my salary. I only get five taels of silver a month, but my life is worse than being a maid."

"If it were just the food that was withheld, it would be fine, but in this winter without coal, I can't survive!"

The princess was not like Concubine An. After hearing a few words from Concubine Lu, she began to soften her heart and reflect.

She simply asked calmly, "So you went to steal from Concubine An?"

No matter how thick-skinned Concubine Lu was, she couldn't help blushing when the princess accused her of stealing in public.

She gritted her teeth and lowered her head, giving up all her dignity and lowering her head even lower.

"It was because I, your servant, was blinded by my own greed that I did such a stupid thing!"

Princess: "The palace has its own rules. Someone is withholding your money and food. Why didn't you send someone to inform them?"

"If everyone is like you, stealing from other houses when they need something, then Prince Jing's Mansion will become a den of thieves, right?"

Concubine Lu raised her head, looking at the princess with a pair of misty eyes, "But...but I dare not."

Why not?

Isn’t it because these managers are complicated and have their own backers?

The biggest supporter among them is the princess.

Her "dare not" can be understood as not daring to complain, or not daring to offend the princess.

The princess's expression darkened slightly.

This was also the reason why she told King Jing yesterday that she wanted to lose face.

No matter how the case of Concubine Lu stealing coal is tried, the princess is at fault and she cannot escape this.