Rebirth: Phoenix Riding the Ninth Heaven

When Mrs. Hua arrived in a hurry, she was shocked by the sight: the entire courtyard was filled with a group of kneeling maids and old women! They all lowered their heads, not daring to look straight ahead. And under the eaves, sat a graceful woman—Li Ruoyue. She sat there quietly, like a blooming flower, exuding a tranquil and noble aura.

Beside Li Ruoyue stood a petite, delicate maidservant. This was Lu Zhu. She stood erect, her gaze fixed firmly ahead, as if guarding her master. The courtyard was remarkably quiet at that moment, with only the gentle rustling of the leaves in the breeze adding a touch of mystery to the tense atmosphere.

Madam Hua walked gracefully to Li Ruoyue's side. Her beautiful, dignified face was now filled with confusion. She softly asked, "Ruoyue, what happened? Why do you look like this?" However, Li Ruoyue simply lowered her head in silence, her delicate body trembling slightly, as fragile as a flower swaying in the wind. Tears streamed down her fair cheeks, forming two shimmering tear marks, but she remained pursed, refusing to utter a single word.

Seeing this, Luzhu, standing nearby, couldn't help but feel a surge of rage. Her eyes widened, and she angrily addressed Madam Hua, "Madam, you don't know! This jade pendant has been worn by our young lady since she was a child. It holds so much significance! Now it's gone! Who could be so audacious as to steal it? It's simply outrageous!" Luzhu's voice rose a few notches, her eyes gleaming with anger.

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Hua's heart was shaken, and she turned pale with horror: "How could such a thing happen?" She turned around abruptly, her face as solemn as frost, her eyes as cold as ice, staring intently at the maids and old women kneeling in the courtyard.

Mrs. Hua shouted sternly, "Who dares to steal the young lady's things? Come out to me now! If you confess now, you may still have a chance; but if I find out the truth, you will be in great trouble. There will be no room for leniency!" Her voice was so powerful, like thunder, which made people shudder.

Hearing this, Li Ruoyue's lips curled up slightly, revealing a barely perceptible sneer. She thought to herself, "Hmph! Without my daily indulgence and protection, how could these guys dare to be so arrogant? They dare to gossip and steal! And now they're pretending to be innocent and pitiful. It's truly disgusting!" Her eyes grew colder, like the water of a cold pond, fixed on the nanny and maids kneeling in the yard, trembling uncontrollably.

The maids and servants lowered their heads, their bodies trembling like candles in the wind. They knew they had committed a grave sin, but feared severe punishment, so they resorted to this method to gain sympathy. However, Li Ruoyue was not buying it; she had long seen through their hypocrisy.

Madam Hua stared at the silent, head-down maids in front of her with a sullen expression, her anger growing stronger. Her face, once pleasant, now became gloomy, as if water could drip from it.

She snorted coldly and said in a cold tone, "Great! No one dares to stand up and admit that they stole anything? How brave!" After that, she turned around and shouted at Nanny Wang, who had been standing respectfully beside her, "Nanny Wang, take your men and search the place immediately! Don't leave any room unsearched. Search it thoroughly! I want to see if these little girls can really turn the tables."

Upon hearing this, Nanny Wang quickly replied, "Yes, I obey!" Then, hurriedly leaving the room with a group of servants, she began a thorough search of each maid's quarters. Meanwhile, Madam Hua remained standing, her eyes as sharp as a knife, staring intently at the suspected maids, as if trying to see through their appearances to the secrets hidden deep within them...

What a jaw-dropping sight! Wang Momo, with a solemn expression, led her maidservant as they flitted between the rooms like two busy bees. Their movements seemed a bit hasty and rough, constantly opening boxes and rummaging through cabinets, as if they wanted to thoroughly search every corner of the house.

After a lot of hard work, they finally got something - they actually found two old women, a large amount of loose silver and some girls' jewelry! This sudden discovery made people feel chilled, and at the same time added more mystery to the whole incident.

The houses of Shuanghong and Shuangjiang were then inspected, but no valuable clues or suspicious objects were found. Everything seemed normal, and apart from the two women, there was nothing unusual.

But just when everyone thought the investigation was reaching a deadlock, Liu Qing's room became an unexpected breakthrough. Unexpectedly, in this seemingly ordinary room, a large number of items clearly not belonging to this maid were found! Where did these things come from? Is there any connection between them and the entire incident? A flood of questions flooded their minds, making the already complex case even more confusing...

Nanny Wang frantically searched the room for the young lady's jade pendant, but no matter how carefully she searched, leaving no corner untouched, she could not find any trace of the precious jade pendant. It seemed as if the jade pendant had vanished into thin air without a trace, like smoke.

Nanny Wang groaned inwardly, a thin layer of sweat breaking out on her forehead. She knew that this jade pendant was of great significance to the young lady, and if it were lost, it would probably cause considerable trouble. However, at this moment, the facts were before her, and she was truly powerless.

With no other options, Nanny Wang had no choice but to bite the bullet and go before Madam Hua, revealing the entire story. Madam Hua, who had been leisurely sipping tea on the couch, suddenly grew serious upon hearing this. Her beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, as if she were lost in thought. Then, her delicate brows furrowed slightly, revealing a hint of dissatisfaction and worry.

Madam Hua looked at Li Ruoyue helplessly and asked softly, "Yue'er, are you sure you left this jade pendant at home? But with so many maids in our house, no one knows where it fell. What should we do?" Li Ruoyue's delicate body trembled slightly, her eyes red and tears welled up in them. She choked back tears and replied, "Madam Hua, I really don't know what to do. I'm still young, and I actually lost the relic left to me by my mother. I'm so sad right now! What do you think I should do now?"

Upon hearing this, Madam Hua was at her wit's end, yet she couldn't sit idly by. So, she immediately ordered all the unruly and dishonest women and servants in her courtyard to be summoned. Soon, the servants lined up trembling with fear, awaiting their fate.

Seeing this, one of the maids who was named was so frightened that her face turned pale as paper, her legs went limp, and she fell to her knees with a thud. Then, like a frightened rabbit, she crawled to Madam Hua's feet, and kowtowed desperately, begging, "Madam, please spare me! Madam, please spare me! I won't dare to do it again. Please, Madam, please have mercy on me! In the future, I will reform myself, work diligently, and never do dirty things again, let alone gossip. Please have mercy on me, Madam!" She was crying and looked so miserable.

Li Ruoyue's delicate body trembled slightly, tears streaming down her face like beads from a broken string, her sobs heartbreaking. With eyes filled with resentment and pleading, she looked at the elegantly dressed woman before her, her voice choking with sobs as she pleaded, "Madam! How could you be so cruel as to drive out all the maids and servants in this courtyard? If word of this were to spread, wouldn't it make people think I, as the master, have no authority at all? Even the maids dare to insult and even assault me! Please have mercy and keep those who have done nothing wrong. That way, perhaps we can avoid further misunderstandings..." At this point, Li Ruoyue's tears broke down, as if she was filled with grievances but couldn't express them. The woman addressed as "Madam" sat expressionless, seemingly unfazed.

Madam Hua said with a fake smile, "Oh, after all, our Yue'er is the kindest! In that case, let's sell off those two dishonest maids and Liu Qing who dared to steal things! As for those others... just deduct two full months' salary from them. Just consider it a small punishment, so that they know how powerful we are and can serve you honestly and wholeheartedly in the future. Don't cause any trouble like today again! In this way, I'm sure the master and I will feel more at ease~" After that, she patted her chest lightly, as if she was really relieved.

Li Ruoyue watched quietly as Madam Hua swiftly and decisively disciplined the servants in her courtyard, a surge of anticipation welling up in her heart. Meanwhile, Luzhu, standing nearby, seized the opportunity to speak up: "Madam, could you please hand over the indentures of these remaining maids to Young Lady? That way, their fate would be in Young Lady's hands. In the future, even if a situation like today were to arise again, Young Lady would have someone to rely on, and things wouldn't get so tangled up. After all, knowing their lives depended entirely on Young Lady, these maids would surely carefully consider and weigh the pros and cons before acting." Luzhu looked at Madam Hua expectantly, her eyes gleaming with earnestness. She knew that possessing the maids' indentures would not only grant her absolute control over them, but would also effectively avoid unnecessary trouble and disputes. For Madam Hua, this wasn't a good option, as it would weaken her control over Li Ruoyue, a negative development. She had some understanding of Li Ruoyue. However, in response to Luzhu's request, Madam Hua didn't immediately express her opinion. She frowned slightly and fell into deep thought...