Her feeling was not wrong. The next day, business went on as usual, and no one caused trouble. However, that afternoon when she returned home, she sensed something was amiss.
Someone had been in her room. There was a strange, unfamiliar scent, and her belongings had been moved. Although the intruder had tried to restore everything to its original state, it hadn't escaped her notice.
"Lan Yin, who was in my room today?" she asked the maid as she walked out.
"Replying to Madam, it was Fugui's wife. She said she was here to clean," Lan Yin replied, busy cooking. Hearing her mistress's question, she quickly put down her work and looked at her with a hint of confusion. "Is something wrong?"
"Why do you ask?" Wu Caiwei raised an eyebrow, looking at her with a bit of surprise.
Lan Yin said nervously, "I felt that Fugui's wife was very strange today. Usually, when we work together, we chat and laugh. Today, she seemed preoccupied. And when she was cleaning your room, I happened to glance over and saw her placing something on the bed."
"Why are you cooking alone today? Didn't Fugui's wife usually do this?" Wu Caiwei, having a suspicion, quickly changed the subject.
"Her grandson is sick, and she's worried. She wanted to ask for leave, but you weren't home. I figured the work was almost done, so I let her go back first." Lan Yin felt she had a kind mistress. As long as she did her work well, her mistress didn't restrict their freedom. That's why she dared to make a decision on her own in this situation.
"Then you go ahead and be busy. I want some time alone, don't disturb me," Wu Caiwei instructed.
"Yes, Madam." Lan Yin felt relieved after revealing what she had seen and happily went back to cooking.
Wu Caiwei closed the door and quickly went to the bed. She carefully lifted the quilt but found nothing unusual. This absence made her feel that the matter was highly irregular, so she didn't dare to overlook any detail. Finally, inside the pillow, she discovered four gold ingots bearing the mark of the imperial treasury.
Wu Caiwei sneered repeatedly. They thought highly of her indeed, using treasury silver to frame her. If it were discovered, the crime of stealing from the imperial treasury would be undeniable, and a swift execution would be considered lenient.
Fearing any oversight, she searched the room thoroughly three times before confirming that only this one spot had been tampered with.
After some thought, she climbed out through the back window, found an secluded spot, and buried the gold ingots in the earth.
As she returned from outside, she heard a heavy knocking at the door. She felt a pang of fear, thankful she had dealt with the matter quickly. They were too impatient.
Lan Yin was somewhat startled. It was clear the visitors meant trouble. If they continued knocking like this, she had no doubt the door would soon be broken down.
"Madam, what should we do?" she looked at Wu Caiwei with a plea for help.
"Open the door. We steal nothing, rob no one, and conduct ourselves honorably. What is there to fear?" Wu Caiwei said calmly.
Hearing her mistress's words, Lan Yin's panicked heart settled. She hurried to the door and called out loudly, "Coming, coming! Stop knocking."
Hearing a response, the knocking ceased. As Lan Yin opened the door, she saw a group of yamen runners outside and was somewhat frightened. "Are you looking for the wrong place? We are all honest citizens."
The officers shoved her aside. "We are here for you. Someone has accused you of stealing treasury silver. We are here to search."
As they spoke, they headed straight for the main room, which was Wu Caiwei's room.
Wu Caiwei couldn't stand it any longer. "You come here and go directly to my room. Did you already know where the silver was?"
The yamen runner faltered for a moment, then said righteously, "The government is investigating. Irrelevant individuals should not interfere. Besides, the main courtyard is where the master resides, so of course, we must search there first."
Wu Caiwei nodded noncommittally and asked casually, "I'd like to know who reported this."
"That's a secret. No comment," the yamen runner replied, not wanting to say more. He felt this woman seemed to see through everything, as if she could read his mind, which made him a bit uneasy.
Because of her earlier words, when everyone entered her room, they hesitated to go directly for the pillow. Following protocol, they searched various places before finally finding the pillow. To their surprise, there was nothing inside.
The leader saw them fumbling for a while and quickly asked, "What is it? Did you find something?"
Seeing that everyone remained silent, he impatiently said, "What are you dawdling about here for? Found it or not, just say so."
A young man said with some difficulty, "Boss, we found nothing."
"Impossible." The leader's heart leaped. He quickly stepped forward to examine it himself, turning the pillow inside out and back again, but alas, there was nothing.
He then looked at Wu Caiwei beside him, who had remained calm and composed since he entered. He understood everything. The woman had likely discovered it long ago and said nothing, watching them search like clowns. He could only leave with reluctance.
"Madam, was it Fugui's wife?" Although Lan Yin wasn't exceptionally clever, she wasn't foolish either. The yamen runners' actions made her recall Fugui's wife's behavior. It was clear they had colluded to frame Madam.
"It should be. Don't think too much about it. We haven't had dinner yet, and I'm hungry," Wu Caiwei said, taking the lead to sit at the dining table, waiting for the meal.
Lan Yin was utterly impressed by her mistress. After such a major incident, she was still so leisurely and at ease. If it were her, she would have been terrified. It was no wonder she was a maid and her mistress was a lady.
"What did you say? How could it be gone? That's treasury silver! I took a little out temporarily to frame her. Now you tell me it's missing, then what will I use to replenish the treasury? If I use ordinary silver, won't it be discovered at a glance?" the county magistrate said, getting a headache from the report from his subordinates, and he berated them harshly.
"I suspect Ouyang Xue hid the silver," the leader said cautiously, looking at his superior with his speculation.
"Go and bring Fugui's wife here. Ask her if she really put the silver in Ouyang Xue's pillow. If she dares to mess this up, I'll make her wish she were dead," the county magistrate said. He didn't believe she could discover the problem so quickly. After all, his men were tracking her. As soon as she entered the house, they were dispatched. The whole process took little more than fifteen minutes. Su Dan Novel Network.
Fugui's wife was quickly brought in. Upon seeing the county magistrate, she immediately knelt down. "What business do you have with this humble servant, Your Honor? This humble servant has done as you commanded." Fugui's wife said tremblingly. In the eyes of ordinary people, the county magistrate was god.