After transmigrating into the book, I helped my mother reconcile with her divorced husband.

After a long while, Ji Wanwan finally raised her head and stood up from the ground.

The old lady's words left room for maneuver; if she could change her mind, she could remain in the Marquis's mansion. Xie Chaoyun and Lu Zhiyuan were nothing more than grasshoppers in autumn; all it took was to present that letter to the Emperor, and the Xie family would surely fall, and they would surely die.

With a venomous glint in her eyes, Ji Wanwan twisted the hem of her clothes and said aggrievedly, "Wanwan will listen to Aunt. Aunt is only doing this for Jinyao and Jingyuan's own good."

“Grandmother is naturally thinking of Sister Jinyao and Brother Jingyuan.” Lu Zhiyuan continued, “Because of Aunt Ji and Sister’s commotion, I’ve forgotten the purpose of our visit tonight. Since Grandmother is here, I beg you to do something for Qingzhi.”

Old Madam Lu had heard about Qingzhi's situation, but not in great detail. Seeing that Lu Zhiyuan had brought it up again and again, she knew that this matter couldn't be avoided, so she asked a couple of perfunctory questions.

"Although Qingzhi was my mother's dowry maid, her indenture is with the General's Mansion. According to the laws of our dynasty, Qingzhi cannot be considered a member of the Lu family. Even if she has made a mistake, she should be sent back to the General's Mansion. At the very least, she should be dealt with by my mother, instead of having Aunt Ji use private punishment behind my mother's and the General's Mansion's back."

"Wanwan didn't!" Ji Wanwan shook her head, trying her best to hide the panic in her eyes. She couldn't afford to offend the old lady again, or she would be kicked out of the Marquis's mansion tonight. "Wanwan did hit Qingzhi, but it wasn't like what Yuan'er said, that she used private torture."

"Wanwan was so angry that she forgot she was her sister's person. Besides, Qingzhi really deserved to be punished, and Wanwan was only helping her sister discipline her out of kindness."

"Qingzhi deserves to be beaten?" Lu Zhiyuan knelt down in front of Ji Wanwan, pulling her clothes around her neck. "Aunt Ji, what wrong did Qingzhi do that warrants you going to such lengths to beat her to death?"

"She...she stole the things Brother Huai gave me!" Ji Wanwan said with her eyes closed, "The most taboo thing in the manor is someone with such a dirty hand, especially since she is my sister's servant, managing the shop's accounts. I was only doing this because I was worried about my sister."

She watched as the person was beaten; the way he was beaten, it would have been difficult for him not to die. Now that he's dead, there's no way to prove it. Lu Zhiyuan was just a child; no matter how clever she was, she couldn't be fooled. She composed herself and glanced at Lu Zhiyuan out of the corner of her eye.

Lu Zhiyuan narrowed her eyes and said in a voice just loud enough for everyone to hear, "Catch the thief red-handed. Aunt Ji said Qingzhi stole something, but do you have any evidence?"

Ji Wanwan had no evidence; she just came up with a reason on a whim.

"Hairpin, she stole the hairpin that Brother Huai gave me."

What kind of hairpin?

“A silver hairpin… with a pearl inlaid at the head, and four petals supporting it like little butterflies.” Ji Wanwan suddenly gained confidence: “Brother Huai bought it from the Treasure Pavilion. It was the shopkeeper’s prized possession, and it cost a thousand taels of silver. Qingzhi was greedy and that’s why she stole the hairpin.”

"Has the hairpin been found?"

“Of course it was found. Otherwise, how would I know that the one who stole the hairpin was Qingzhi?”

Lu Zhiyuan gave Lu Yun a wink, and Lu Yun went inside and rummaged around before taking out the hairpin that Ji Wanwan had described. The hairpin was indeed exquisite, especially the pearl inlaid on the head, which was as big as a thumb and emitted a warm glow in the night.

"Please take a closer look, Aunt Ji. Is this the hairpin?"

“Yes, this is it.” Ji Wanwan reached out to take it, but Lu Zhiyuan dodged her.

“This hairpin doesn’t belong to Aunt Ji, nor was it bought from some treasure pavilion. It was part of my mother’s dowry.” Lu Zhiyuan stood up, holding the hairpin. “The hairpin head is not inlaid with ordinary pearls, but with Eastern pearls from the Northern Regions, which were tribute items. There are only eighteen of this size in our dynasty. Twelve of them were inlaid in the Empress Dowager Cixi’s court crown and are now kept by the Empress. Of the remaining six, four were made into earrings and belong to Princess Ping Le. One was broken, and the remaining one is on this hairpin.”

“Even if you want to exonerate Qingzhi, you can’t joke about this tribute item. If this really was something from the palace, how could it have become part of your dowry?” Ji Wanwan pursed her lips and reached for the hairpin, but Lu Yun swayed and blocked her way.

“It’s understandable that Aunt Ji is unaware of the situation, but Grandmother should know.” Lu Zhiyuan handed the hairpin to Old Madam Lu: “The pearl on this hairpin and the broken one were once made into a pair of earrings, and were bestowed by the late Emperor upon Consort Rou, who was banished to the Cold Palace. Popular legend has it that Consort Rou was the birth mother of Prince Yong’an. Although Consort Rou was guilty, the pearl was innocent. However, only one pearl remained, and it had a crack at the bottom. It was polished by the craftsmen in the palace and made into the hairpin we see here.”

Madam Lu examined it carefully: "Indeed, the pearl inlaid on the hairpin is that of Dongzhu."

"My maternal grandfather was rewarded for his meritorious service in quelling the rebellion and received the Emperor's favor. He brought my maternal grandmother to a banquet in the palace, where the Empress Dowager bestowed this hairpin upon her in front of all the civil and military officials. After my maternal grandmother passed away, my maternal grandfather kept the hairpin for her. When my mother got married, my maternal grandfather gave her this hairpin as part of her dowry. Because it was an imperial gift, my mother dared not wear it and kept it in the storeroom." Lu Zhiyuan stared at Ji Wanwan: "May I ask, Aunt Ji, how did this imperial gift, this dowry item, end up in your hands? If it was truly given to you by your father, then I would like to ask your grandmother to inquire with him how he obtained this hairpin."

Madam Lu quickly laughed it off: "How could your father have taken this? Your mother's dowry was kept in her private treasury. Your father has never cared about these things, so why would he touch this imperial gift behind your mother's back?"

“It’s unlikely that Father took it.” Lu Zhiyuan echoed, “Aunt Ji is just Father’s cousin. Why would Father steal Mother’s dowry, especially something like a hairpin, to give to an ordinary cousin with whom he has no special relationship? So, we need to ask Aunt Ji for an explanation on how this hairpin ended up in her hands.”

Ji Wanwan couldn't explain, because the hairpin was indeed a gift from Lu Huai, but Lu Huai had lied and told her he bought it from the Treasure Pavilion. She had many hairpins, but this one was the most precious, and she had accidentally revealed it when she lied.

Little did she know that the hairpin was part of Xie Chaoyun's dowry, and that Lu Zhiyuan not only recognized it but could also clearly explain its origin.

She couldn't say that Lu Huai took the hairpin, nor could she say that she took it. In a flash of inspiration, she shifted all the blame onto Qingzhi.

“I found this at Qingzhi’s residence. Because it was very similar to mine, I took it back as mine. I don’t know if she stole my sister’s dowry or if it was a gift from the palace. This Qingzhi deserves to die.”

"So, Aunt Ji also has one like that?"

“They’re not the same, they just look similar.” Ji Wanwan’s eyes darted away. “Mine is made of jade with silver plating, and the hairpin head is inlaid with ordinary pearls. It’s probably a replica from the Treasure Pavilion. Also, my hairpin isn’t that expensive, it’s only two hundred taels of silver. I hit Qingzhi not because the hairpin was valuable, but because she has long arms and is dishonest.”

"Does Aunt Ji know whose property the Treasure Pavilion is?" Lu Zhiyuan smiled mysteriously: "It belongs to my eldest uncle. What has been sold in the pavilion and what hasn't been sold can be easily found out. So, Aunt Ji, you'd better tell the truth. It's very embarrassing to have your lies exposed."