"Greetings to my paternal aunt."
"Shu'er, you must know that many things have been lost in the manor. How is your situation?"
"Replying to my paternal aunt, nothing has been lost on Shu'er's side."
"Has Shu'er checked carefully? Your paternal aunt will inspect it with you."
"Alright, please follow me, paternal aunt."
Seeing the boxes of items neatly arranged in the room, the madam was deeply shocked. Did the thief pick and choose, or...
Lady Bo immediately put on a stern face and stared at Jun Jiuli. If she were a truly young girl, she might have been scared to tears.
"Shu'er, tell your paternal aunt the truth, have you met some disreputable people outside?"
Jun Jiuli's tears immediately fell. "Paternal aunt, why do you say such a thing? Are you suspecting Shu'er? Shu'er has just returned to the capital and has never stepped outside. Besides the people in this manor, who else could Shu'er possibly know?"
"Don't play the victim. If you hadn't colluded from the inside, why wouldn't the thief steal your things?"
Jun Jiuli acted as if she was utterly broken, weeping and wailing loudly.
"Paternal aunt, this is how you think of Shu'er. Shu'er traveled a long distance to the capital and treated everyone in the manor with sincerity, only to be met with such a torrent of slander? If these words spread, Shu'er would rather die."
Lady Bo frowned in disgust. "Don't think that crying loudly makes you right. As soon as you returned, unfortunate events began to happen in the manor, and my suspicions are not unfounded."
"Paternal aunt, what kind of flawed logic is this? I didn't lose anything, so it means I stole it. Paternal aunt, haven't you gone too far? Shu'er is only twelve this year, how could I possibly have the ability to take away so many things overnight?"
"The items must still be in the manor. If you wish to prove your innocence, you shall open these boxes. If everything inside belongs to you, then consider your paternal aunt to have misunderstood you and I will apologize."
"Father, do you see this? My paternal aunt, as an elder, is actually humiliating me like this. Regardless of whether anything is found today, my reputation is ruined. Father, Shu'er misses you so much. Your daughter will come to join you now, *wuwuwu*~"
As Jun Jiuli spoke, she moved to smash herself against a nearby pillar. Lady Bo was stunned. She had only intended to search the room and hadn't expected things to escalate to this point.
Lüluo also stood by, dazed. Lüzhu immediately rushed in from the door and grabbed the hem of Jun Jiuli's skirt.
"My poor young lady, please don't do anything rash. Your servant has invited the Prefect of the capital, Lord Tang, who will surely uphold justice for you."
"I don't want to live anymore. My only remaining family in this world slanders me like this. What meaning is there in my living? *Wuwuwu*~"
Lord Tang had overheard everything from outside and, thinking of the young girl's pitiable background, felt a slight displeasure towards Lady Bo.
"Miss Zhao the Second, please do not be so impulsive. This case will be handled by this official. Justice and fairness reside in the hearts of men."
Jun Jiuli wiped her tears and immediately bowed to Lord Tang.
"It was my daughter's distress that made me act impulsively. Thank you, my lord, for your guidance. The pure will remain pure. I implore my lord to grant my daughter justice."
Lady Bo stood by, extremely embarrassed, cursing Jun Jiuli in her heart hundreds of times.
"Lord Tang, thank you for making this trip. My niece is young and does not understand things. This is merely a family matter, and the manor does not intend to report it to the authorities."
"Looking at the young lady of the manor, this does not seem like a minor issue. Furthermore, someone has reported the crime, and this official cannot ignore it."
"This..."
Lady Bo was momentarily speechless. She sent someone to fetch the master of the manor and then looked at Jun Jiuli very kindly.
"Shu'er, do not be afraid. Your paternal aunt was just too anxious. Lord Tang has many matters to attend to. Let us resolve this small matter ourselves."
"How can this be considered a small matter? I heard that even your paternal aunt's dowry was lost. This adds up to a great deal of money. We must ask Lord Tang to investigate thoroughly, so that you will not try to shift the blame onto me in the future."
Lady Bo's face contorted. "How can you still hold grudges, child? Don't families have their tiffs?"
"Lady Bo, are the lost valuables truly as substantial as Miss Zhao claims?"
"Of course. Lord Tang can accompany me to inspect them."
It was too late for Lady Bo to stop him, so she could only follow Lord Tang. After inspecting the manor, Lord Tang was at a loss.
"With so many items, did you not hear any disturbance last night?"
The master of the manor arrived in a hurry. "Thank you for your trouble, Brother Tang."
"Brother Tang, you are too kind. This is my duty. Did you discover any clues this morning, or do you have any enemies?"
The master of the manor shook his head. Lady Bo immediately responded.
"I have searched everywhere I could, wishing I could dig up the entire manor. I have asked all the neighbors, and they also heard no disturbance last night, which is why I suspected the items were still within the manor."
Lord Tang also found the matter peculiar. He had investigated several crime scenes and found no trace whatsoever.
Jun Jiuli: "With Lord Tang present as a witness, Shu'er is willing to open her boxes to prove her innocence."
The group returned to Jun Jiuli's courtyard, and all the boxes were opened. Everything was inventoried. Lady Bo examined them carefully and found not a single item belonging to the manor.
"How can this be? How could it be such a coincidence? Why would the thief only refrain from stealing from Shu'er's side?"
"How could Shu'er know? All of Shu'er's boxes were locked. They would be useless even if stolen. Did paternal aunt forget to lock them?"
"How could I possibly have forgotten to lock them?"
"Then perhaps they felt they had enough, or perhaps they saw Shu'er as pitiful and didn't steal from my side."
"What are you saying? Did your paternal aunt and I not treat you well? Your paternal aunt was just too impulsive, she had no ill intentions."
"What paternal aunt said today was very harsh. Does paternal aunt dislike me? Uncle, my father also has several residences in the capital. Please allow your niece to move out, so I don't get in paternal aunt's way."
"Silly child, you are my Zhao family's daughter. You are so young, how can you move out to live alone? Your paternal uncle guarantees that such a thing will never happen again."
"Paternal aunt slandered me today for stealing, what else will she say tomorrow? Shu'er is so scared. If outsiders who don't know the truth hear about this, how will Shu'er live? *Wuwuwu*~"
Water Child: "Host, you are quite the actress. This time, you definitely can't escape."
Jun Jiuli: "One must use their talents occasionally."
Lord Tang wore a stern expression. "Master of the Manor, if I may overstep my bounds. Miss Zhao the Second is the only blood relative of your second brother. How can you bear to see her live so cautiously?"
"Brother Tang, you are right. It is I who has been negligent."
"Since no further progress can be made by staying here today, I shall take my leave."
The master of the manor escorted Lord Tang out. Lady Bo glared at Jun Jiuli with gritted teeth.
"Second daughter, I underestimated you. You deliberately set a trap for me today."
"Paternal aunt, what are you saying? When things are lost in the family, one should report it to the authorities. What is the point of family members suspecting each other?"
Lady Bo flicked her sleeve and snorted.
"We shall see."