My elder sister is so noble, this time it's my turn to strike back

"Miss!"

Xiang He looked at Qiu Yao with a hurt expression and tried to take two steps forward, but every time she took a step forward, Qiu Yao took a step back. It was clear that she was trying to avoid her.

At this moment, Xiang He felt as if something in her heart was shattered to the ground and could never be picked up again.

At this moment, someone in the crowd said, "Madame Li is here."

Then, everyone automatically divided into two columns, leaving a passage in the middle.

When Xiang He looked up again, she saw Nanny Li walking towards her with a serious face. Behind her was Qiu Ning, holding a rattan stick in her hand.

"Mammy, you've arrived just in time. Qiuyao stole the jade pendant my mother left me. I caught her red-handed but she still refused to admit it. I beg you to investigate this matter and punish this thief severely!"

As soon as Nanny Li stood still, Song Lian couldn't help but step forward and report with a righteous look on her face.

"Oh? Is there any evidence?" asked Nanny Li.

Song Lian knelt upright on the ground and answered calmly, "Madam, all the sisters present here can testify that this jade pendant is a relic left to me by my mother. I wore it several times before Qiuyao was imprisoned in the Criminal Bureau."

"Because it's so important, I've always kept it close to me. I only took it off last night when I was bathing, and Qiuyao was the only one who entered the bathroom during that time. Today, I found the jade pendant in her room, so I can be sure that Qiuyao stole it."

After listening to this, Madam Li asked, "If this item is so important, why didn't you come out to look for it when it was lost?"

Song Lian replied, "It was already too late, and everyone had already gone to bed, so I didn't want to go out and look for it. I just thought I'd go back to the bathroom early this morning to see if I had left it somewhere. This morning, I searched the bathroom inside and out, but couldn't find it. That's why I thought of coming to Qiuyao's place to check."

Upon hearing this, Madam Li nodded thoughtfully, then turned to ask Qiuyao, "Qiuyao, do you have anything to say?"

Qiuyao was called out by name and stepped forward, kneeling before Matron Li. She replied, "Matron, this is a complete frame-up. Qiuyao is willing to guarantee it with her life."

The injuries on her face were very obvious and her hair was messy, but in order to show the grace of a daughter of an aristocratic family, she still knelt there with her back straight.

From an outsider's perspective, it does seem like he was somewhat wronged.

Nanny Li frowned, "If that's the case, then how do you explain why this jade pendant appeared in your room?"

Qiuyao also frowned and answered truthfully, "Madam, I don't know, but someone must have secretly put it in there when I wasn't paying attention."

Then, Qiuyao thought carefully in her mind about who had entered the room from last night until now.

Those who work here are the family members of officials who have made mistakes. They don't have one room per person, but four people in a room, and sometimes six or eight people in a room.

The room Qiuyao was in was a six-person room. If someone deliberately framed her, it could have been the other five people in the dormitory.

But she knew that once she said this, it would seem unfounded and would offend all five of her roommates.

At this time, Nanny Li called the other five people who shared the same dormitory with Qiuyao and questioned them one by one.

"From last night until now, have any of you approached Qiuyao's bed?"

The five criminal girls standing in a row all shook their heads in unison and said, "Madam, no."

"Mammy, after the twilight hour last night, we all went to bed one after another. Nothing special happened, but I remember Qiuyao was the last one to come back."

One of the sinners answered, and the others nodded in agreement, "That's right, Madam. I remember too. Qiuyao was the last one to come back, and everything went smoothly throughout the night."

Since she couldn't get any valuable information from the other people, Nanny Li had to turn her attention back to Qiu Yao.

"Qiuyao, now that all the evidence points to you, do you have a way to prove your innocence?"

Qiuyao realized that something was wrong. She wanted to say that she was innocent, but no one was willing to believe her. The only solution now was to divert the blame.

After a moment's thought, she half-bowed towards Madam Li, then said, "Madam, although I have no way to prove my innocence, a few days ago, Song Lian and I had an argument over Xiang He's matter. Many people present witnessed this, so I have reason to suspect that Song Lian is deliberately robbing me in order to frame me. She's deliberately crying thief, and her goal is to drive me out of this laundry."

As Qiuyao finished speaking, everyone present recalled that a few days ago, Song Lian almost had a fight with Qiuyao, but was later persuaded to back off.

Seeing that the direction of things began to change, a trace of panic flashed across Song Lian's eyes, which had been confident of victory. It was quick, but it was still caught by Qiu Ning beside her.

Qiu Ning narrowed his eyes and lowered his gaze, not knowing what he was thinking.

Song Lian then defended herself, "Don't talk nonsense here. It's common knowledge that I treasure this jade pendant very much. How could I take out something like this just to frame you? Wouldn't it be more convincing if I just put some jewelry there?"

When everyone heard this, they felt that what Song Lian said made a lot of sense. Many people began to discuss:

"Yes, Song Lian treated this jade pendant like an eyeball. I don't think it can be used as evidence to frame someone."

"That's right. If I accidentally lose it, it would be like losing my deceased mother's belongings, which would be a great act of unfilial piety..."

"..."

At this time, Madam Li asked again, "Since you have suspicions, do you have any concrete evidence?"

Qiuyao shook her head.

The incident happened suddenly and she was completely unprepared. Where did she get the evidence?

All she had learned since she was a child were poetry, songs, calligraphy, and painting. She knew nothing about things like investigating a case and unraveling the mystery.

Qiuyao was very anxious, and sweat broke out on her forehead.

At this time, Madam Li said again, "According to the rules, if you cannot prove your innocence, you will be tortured until you tell the truth. Come, bring the cane!"

As Nanny Li finished speaking, Qiu Ning stepped forward behind her, holding the rattan stick in both hands.

Seeing this, Qiuyao widened her eyes and blurted out:

"Are you trying to force a confession out of me? Even the Dali Temple needs to rely on evidence to investigate and convict. How could you do this?"

"Shut up!" Nanny Li suddenly shouted.

"Qiuyao, the Crime Bureau is under the jurisdiction of the Empress Dowager. This rule was also formulated by the Empress Dowager herself and has been in use for many years. Are you dissatisfied with the Empress Dowager with your words?"

Qiu Yao: "..."

Naturally, she didn't dare to express any dissatisfaction with the Queen, as it wasn't like she wanted to die.

Matron Li: "Song Lian found stolen goods under your bed. You can't prove your innocence, and there's no concrete evidence to prove Song Lian stole from you. So I can only punish you according to the palace rules."

Just when Qiuyao thought she was doomed today, a voice suddenly rang out from behind:

"I stole the things, so if you want to punish me, punish me!"