Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

The maid on the ground suddenly raised her head upon hearing Xia Yu's words. She glanced at Xia Yu first, then looked at her mistress with a wronged expression.

"Madam, I did not take that ring."

“I’ve been using this girl for years, and I trust she won’t take it,” Madam Fu said firmly.

"Oh, she's your maid, so of course you'll speak up for her. Your words don't count; you should search her." Xia Yu retorted to Madam Fu using the same words Fu Fen'er had just said.

"You..." Xia Yu's words enraged Madam Fu, but she couldn't find the right words for a moment.

Seeing her mistress at a disadvantage, the maid on the ground lowered her head, thought for a moment, and then gritted her teeth and said...

"To prove my innocence, I am willing to be searched. But if I may be so bold as to ask, if the ring is not found on me, shouldn't Miss Zhang also have me searched to prove her innocence?" As she finished speaking, she looked up and stared directly at Xia Yu.

"That's only if you're innocent," Xia Yu said calmly, without giving a definite answer.

The girl was absolutely certain that she hadn't taken anything from anyone, and that she had indeed placed the ring on Xia Yu's person.

"Alright, then I will prove my innocence first, and I hope Miss Zhang will not go back on her word." As she spoke, she stood up, opened her arms, and let people search her.

Seeing that the two had gone this far, Madam Jiang could only give the old woman beside her a wink, signaling her to check if there was anything wrong with the girl's belongings. At the same time, she glanced at Xia Yu with some concern. Although she had been somewhat cold to her, if she really caused a scandal at her family's banquet, her husband would probably be very angry with her, and the First Prince needed her help right now.

Thinking that this small matter might affect important family affairs, she regretted her actions. So she quietly instructed her maid, Shishu, to summon her husband and Grand Tutor Li.

The old woman walked up to the girl and said modestly, "I'm sorry to offend you, young lady," before reaching out to check her.

After a thorough search, nothing was found hidden on her. Seeing this, Madam Fu gave Xia Yu a smug sidelong glance.

Finally, the old woman removed the two purses from the maid's waist to inspect them. The first one seemed fine; there was nothing wrong with it. But when she opened the second one and emptied its contents into her palm, the old woman's brow furrowed deeply.

He presented the item to Madam Jiang, who picked up a ring from the items and examined it closely.

The maidservant beside Jiang noticed the design of the ring and whispered something in Jiang's ear. No one heard what they said, but judging from Jiang's expression, everyone knew things weren't so simple.

The maid also saw the ring in Madam Jiang's hand, her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly looked at the lady. How could something that wasn't hers be in her purse?

"This ring doesn't seem like something a young girl like you should have," Madam Jiang asked Madam Fu's maid.

“That was a gift I gave her,” Madam Fu quickly interjected.

The maid was hesitating about how to answer Jiang's question when she heard her mistress speak like this. She felt that something was amiss, but since her mistress had admitted that the ring was a gift from her, what could she say?

So he lowered his head and echoed his master's words.

"This was a gift from my mistress. I rarely wear it; I only take it out once or twice when I accompany my master out. I only took it off and put it in my purse while serving my master at the banquet." After saying this, she looked at Xia Yu again and continued...

"I suppose this is the ring Miss Zhang saw me putting into my purse earlier."

This girl's reaction was incredibly quick; she cooperated very well with her master.

Jiang sighed inwardly, handed the ring to Madam Fu, and said to her...

"Take another look. Is this really what you gave to that girl as a reward?"

Madam Fu picked up the exquisite jade-clasp gold-threaded ring and said to Madam Jiang with great certainty...

“Madam Shen, this ring was indeed a gift from me to this girl, and she cherishes it very much.”

"Are you sure?" Jiang asked again.

“I’m sure. Why don’t you ask everyone here if they’ve seen this ring before?” Madam Fu held up the ring and showed it to the other ladies.

"Huh, I think I saw it on someone's hand today?" Gao, Xia Yu's newly recognized relative, spoke up as she looked at the ring and recalled everything that had happened since she arrived at the Shen residence that day.

“It belongs to Miss Zhang. Miss Zhang was wearing this ring at the time. I saw it clearly. This is Miss Zhang’s ring,” Madam Gao said loudly to Madam Fu. Her voice was not quiet at all.

In an instant, everyone looked at Xia Yu. The girl hadn't expected that the ring would belong to Xia Yu, and hurriedly looked at her mistress, only to see her mistress give her a reassuring look.

"Oh, I didn't expect Miss Zhang to have such a ring. I wonder where you bought it? But the one I have here is indeed a gift I gave to this girl."

If the ring belonged to someone else, Madam Fu might have to consider what to do next. But since it belonged to Xia Yu, she was determined to insist that the ring was a gift she had given to the maid, so who could say otherwise?

Madam Jiang had originally intended to give her a chance to admit that she had misjudged the girl and that she hadn't actually given the ring to her. Although losing a girl would at least save face, the worst outcome would be that she would be blamed for failing to discipline her servants. But now that she insisted that the ring was indeed a gift to the girl, Madam Jiang had no choice but to accept it as it was.

It's hard to reason with a damned devil. Jiang felt a bit annoyed when she saw Xia Yu's amused expression, but she still gave Shi Hua a wink.

Shi Hua had served Madam Jiang since childhood, so she naturally understood the meaning behind her glance. She cleared her throat and waited until everyone's attention was on her before speaking to the Madam.

"Madam Fu, this ring is one of the gifts I gave to Miss Zhang this morning on your orders. Please take another look and make sure it's the same ring you gave to the maid?"

Upon hearing Shi Hua's words, not only was Madam Fu stunned, but everyone present was also taken aback. They never imagined that this ring was a gift from Madam Shen to Miss Zhang. If that were the case, wouldn't the Fu family's maid have truly stolen Miss Zhang's ring? And wouldn't Madam Fu's words just now be seen as protecting her own maid?

Why would they protect their own maid? It was so they'd have an excuse to search Miss Zhang later. Why were the Fu family servants so certain Miss Zhang had taken the ring? Because they were the ones who placed it on her. This was a clumsy frame-up. Which household hasn't had something like this happen before?

The ladies present, all seasoned veterans of powerful families, immediately understood the crux of the matter. In an instant, everyone's gaze towards Madam Fu changed. They'd seen fools before, but never one this utterly foolish. Trying to frame a powerless maid was one thing, but the scheme failed, and she was outmaneuvered instead, digging herself a deep pit and willingly jumping in. Immediately, everyone unconsciously distanced themselves from her, afraid of catching her madness.