The Double-Chapter 34 - 32 Shifting the Blame

34: Chapter 32 Shifting the Blame

34 -32 Shifting the Blame

“This headdress is a fake,” she lowered her gaze, “this is not my headdress.”

A moment of silence fell over the crowd.

Madam Liu was the first to speak.

She asked, “Miss Jiang the Second, what do you mean by this statement?”

Jiang Li smiled slightly and handed the headdress to Madam Liu, casually saying, “I spent four hundred taels of silver on a ruby headdress at the Auspicious Building in Yanjing City.

There are only three of those in the entire Auspicious Building because the rubies are of exceptionally good quality and radiant in color.” She paused before completing her thought, “But the one in my hands right now is crudely made and the color is dull.

It’s not even worth forty taels, let alone four hundred taels of silver.”

“You mean to say…” Tonger couldn’t help but inquire.

“Even if I truly wished to curse my younger sister, I wouldn’t use such a shabby little item,” Jiang Li said with disdain.

“This is not the headdress I bought.

Someone has taken mine and replaced it with this trash.”

Someone had taken her headdress!

The situation took a sharp turn in an instant, and everyone suddenly understood.

But moments later, they plunged into even deeper confusion.

Madam Jiang the Elder said, “Little Miss Li, someone has taken your headdress.

What does this mean?”

Jiang Li turned around, gave Madam Jiang the Elder a faint smile, and said, “Old madam, don’t worry, I’ll make everything clear right now, what exactly is going on here?”

Madam Jiang the Elder was taken aback.

Before the guests, Jiang Li called her “old madam” instead of “grandmother,” a difference that indicated their closeness or lack thereof.

Was this a sign of resentment?

Was it because she hadn’t stood by Jiang Li’s side when she had fallen into a tough spot just a moment ago?

Surprise flashed across the faces of both Jiang Youyao and Ji Shuran.

This was not how things were supposed to unfold.

Ji Shuran felt uneasy, not wanting Jiang Li to disrupt her plans, so she said, “Lili, how could this precious ruby headdress be fake?

You must have mistaken it for another.”

“Impossible!” It was Madam Liu who spoke.

She stated emphatically, “Nothing of this poor quality could come from the Auspicious Building.

All of you are regular guests there, and you would recognize it immediately.” Madam Liu handed the headdress back to the ladies nearby.

After examining it, they all nodded in agreement.

They confirmed Madam Liu’s assertion.

Ji Shuran’s brows furrowed.

She looked at Jiang Li and suddenly realized that from the beginning, even when the crack in the precious headdress was discovered, through the accusations and strange looks from everyone else, Jiang Li had never lost her cool.

Jiang Li showed signs of confusion, regret, and remorse, but she did not show panic, anger, helplessness, or despair.

Even now, Jiang Li’s lips still bore a gentle smile, exactly the same as when she first arrived.

What time was this to be smiling?

What could possibly be so amusing?

As Ji Shuran thought about it, she felt more and more uneasy, and subconsciously following Jiang Li’s downward gaze to the ground, she too looked there, only to see Xiangqiao kneeling as if about to collapse.

Xiangqiao was trembling.

Jiang Li crouched down, reached out to help Xiangqiao up, looking at her with the same tenderness and affection in her eyes, her tone still as kind as before.

She said, “Xiangqiao, was it you who stole my headdress?”

“No, it wasn’t.” Xiangqiao adamantly denied, “I did not do such a thing.”

“Then this is truly strange.” Jiang Li muttered with a hint of confusion, “If you say you saw with your own eyes how I carved the ruby headdress, how come the headdress that’s there now has clearly been switched by someone else?

Are you suggesting…

you saw a ghost?”

Her last two words were spoken extra gently, but they sounded sinister and ghostly to Xiangqiao’s ears. freeweɓnøvel.com

“Third Sister, you say Xiangqiao took your headdress, do you have any evidence?” Jiang Yue couldn’t help but ask.

“Evidence?” Jiang Li stood up again and said with a smile to Ji Shuran, “Mother, as the matriarch of the principal residence, please dispatch someone right now to search Xiangqiao’s room for the whereabouts of that ruby headdress.

All the ladies and sisters are here, perfect to bear witness.

This way, Jiang Li can clear her name without being wrongfully accused later on.”

The guests felt somewhat uneasy upon hearing this.

Jiang Li’s remark was an accusation that they had placed themselves in a superior position while remaining detached as mere spectators, carelessly assuming Jiang Li to be the instigator.

Ji Shuran kept a smile on her face but clenched her teeth.

She wasn’t foolish and realized that her plan to frame Jiang Li had borne no fruit today.

She was surprised that Jiang Li had managed to turn the tables, a person without connections or silver in Jiang Residence managed to rise up.

But she feared Jiang Li had more tricks up her sleeve and subconsciously glanced at Xiangqiao again.

When Jiang Li mentioned searching the room, Xiangqiao breathed a sigh of relief, which Ji Shuran caught in her eye, prompting a quick calculation.

Knowing that Jiang Li probably wouldn’t find anything, she dispatched a few people, and indeed, they went to search Xiangqiao’s room.

Once again, silence returned to the main hall.

At this moment, Jiang Yuanbai finally realized something seemed amiss.

He looked at Jiang Li, seeing his daughter standing not far from Jiang Youyao.

Jiang Youyao was dressed elegantly, her hairpin elaborate, while Jiang Li was dressed simply.

If it weren’t for her own striking appearance, she would seem no more noticeable than a maid in terms of attire.

Jiang Yuanbai felt somewhat uncomfortable again.

Jiang Yuanbai cared about his image and was protective of his own.

Even if he disliked and was annoyed with Jiang Li, he didn’t wish for her to tarnish Jiang Residence’s reputation in front of the guests.

Moreover, at this juncture, it was evident that there was more to the headdress incident, and Jiang Yuanbai then felt he may have been too harsh with Jiang Li just before.

What everyone was thinking, Jiang Yuanbai’s regret, Ji Shuran and Jiang Youyao’s disappointment, Jiang Li didn’t care at all.

She stood in the courtyard, eyeing Xiangqiao who was struggling to appear calm, and suddenly felt like laughing.

Ji Shuran and Jiang Youyao’s intentions had been clear to her for a long time.

However, what she intended to do was not just to prove her innocence.

People might not harm the tiger, but the tiger bears ill will.

Having Ji Shuran’s people in Fangfei Garden was a disaster waiting to happen.

Jiang Li had learned from her past tragic experiences to nip problems in the bud and eliminate them completely.

Before long, the people sent to search Xiangqiao’s room returned, and to ensure fairness, Madam Jiang the Elder had also sent her own maid to accompany them.

Aunt Zhang returned to Madam Jiang the Elder’s side with her entourage and glanced at Xiangqiao on the ground, saying, “Madam, we found the ruby headdress in Xiangqiao’s room.

There are no knife marks; it appears to be the real thing.”

Xiangqiao’s knees buckled, and she murmured, “Impossible.”

Jiang Youyao was also taken aback, and when Ji Shuran saw Jiang Li’s smile grow, her scalp tightened.

Indeed, Aunt Zhang hesitated for a moment, then said in front of all the guests, “The servants also found many valuable jewelry pieces in Xiangqiao’s room, which likely are the betrothal gifts Madam of the Principal Residence gave to Miss Jiang the Second.”

Jiang Li was surprised for a moment, and for the first time, there was anger in her voice, yet upon careful listening, it seemed laced with a hint of mockery.

She said, “It seems Xiangqiao coveted the treasures and framed someone else!”