"Sister truly keeps me in her heart. I only mentioned it casually, and I never expected you to arrange for it to be delivered. I'm truly touched," Li Guiren said as she eagerly went to look at the painting. Her greatest hobby since childhood was painting and appreciating art. Seeing the magnificent and grand momentum of the painting, she knew it was an authentic piece.
Seeing the two mistresses chatting happily, Mo Yu pulled Yu'er along to exchange pleasantries. "Last time I visited your room, I saw you embroidering. I thought to myself, your embroidery skills are so good, could you teach me?" Su Dan Xiaoshuo Wang.
"I'm just embroidering for fun. It's a rare treat that Sister appreciates it," Yu'er said, quite pleased. She then led Mo Yu into her room.
As they discussed embroidery techniques, Mo Yu discreetly surveyed the room, looking for a place to hide something.
"Is Sister feeling unwell? You seem a bit distracted," Yu'er asked with concern, noticing Mo Yu's vague answers several times.
"No, I'm just not sleeping well lately, so my concentration is off. I'm so sorry, could you please tell me again?" Mo Yu quickly came up with an excuse. This time, she dared not be so blatant, feeling a sense of urgency. Where could she possibly hide it without being noticed immediately?
Casually looking up, her heart leaped, and an idea instantly formed. "Yu'er, did I just hear someone calling you outside? Do you want to go and see?"
Yu'er tilted her head to listen, then said with some confusion, "No, I didn't hear anything."
"I heard the voice just now, it sounded very urgent. Perhaps it's something important, and they thought you weren't here since you didn't respond after calling for a while?"
"Really?" Yu'er hadn't intended to go out, but then she considered that this palace housed not only her own mistress but also Consort Wei. If it were one of Consort Wei's maids calling her and she didn't go, it would be quite troublesome. She quickly asked Mo Yu to wait there a moment and went out to check.
Seizing the opportunity, Mo Yu took the item from her怀里 (huái lǐ - embrace/bosom) and placed it on the roof beam. Confident that it was secure, she sat on a stool and picked up Yu'er's handkerchief to continue embroidering.
A short while later, Yu'er returned, smiling. "No one seemed to be looking for me. I just took a walk around outside and didn't see anyone. Sister must have been hearing things."
"I'm truly sorry for causing you to make a wasted trip," Mo Yu said apologetically.
"Don't say that, Sister. You were looking out for me. Sister is quite talented at embroidery. Although I wasn't paying close attention earlier, the embroidery you've done is really excellent," Yu'er said, looking at Mo Yu with pleasant surprise.
"You flatter me, Sister. It's all thanks to your excellent teaching. Let's stop here for today. I'll practice diligently when I get back. Let's go to the courtyard to wait, perhaps the mistresses will be out soon." Her objective achieved, Mo Yu didn't want to linger in Yu'er's room and quickly found an excuse to leave.
Yu'er nodded. For them, their mistresses came first.
The two women in the room admired the painting and felt inspired to paint again. Seeing that it was getting late, Noble Lady Lü proposed to take her leave, and Noble Lady Li quickly escorted her out.
Back in her own room, she asked about the progress of the matter, and Mo Yu nodded affirmatively. She breathed a sigh of relief.
The next day, they sent someone to invite them over again. Since they hadn't finished painting the previous day, Noble Lady Li and her maid happily accepted.
As soon as they left, Noble Lady Lü began searching for her heirloom treasure. She mentioned it was the only thing left to her by her late mother, which she cherished and admired daily, holding immense sentimental value.
Initially, the search for the item was confined to their palace. Later, fearing blame, people began searching their own rooms to see if anyone had framed them by planting the item. Gradually, the news spread throughout the harem, mainly because the people from their palace were openly discussing it when they went out.
Soon, the Empress heard about it. Although the Empress was unsure if it was true, the item had to be found. After all, such an incident occurring under her jurisdiction had a negative impact, and she feared the Emperor would deem her incapable of managing the harem.
The Empress personally dispatched people to search their palace thoroughly. She then inquired if anyone had visited before the item went missing.
Mo Yu stepped forward somewhat hesitantly and said carefully, "Reporting to Your Imperial Majesty, Noble Lady Li and her maid Yu'er had visited. However, it's unlikely to be them, as they have visited many times before, and nothing has ever gone missing from the palace."
Upon hearing this, the Empress immediately sent people to search their entire palace, both inside and out. However, nothing was found. Noble Lady Lü was stunned by the result and glanced silently at Mo Yu, who also looked bewildered, unsure of what had gone wrong.
However, both mistress and maid quickly regained their composure and continued to look distressed. It wasn't that they didn't want to implicate Noble Lady Li, but doing so too obviously in front of so many people would inevitably reveal flaws and arouse suspicion, proving to be a loss.
Ultimately, after extensive searching, nothing was found. Some consorts grew displeased and directly complained to the Emperor. After all, the Empress had turned the harem upside down searching for the heirloom treasure, and even they had not been spared.
Consequently, when the Emperor heard that something had gone missing from the harem and had not been found for so long, he was surprised by how cunning the thief was. He worried what would happen if the Imperial Study were to be robbed one day and the Imperial Seal taken. Thus, he personally joined the search.
He dispatched secret guards, instructing them to find the item at all costs. He wanted to see who dared to be so bold.
The secret guards found the item in just one day. Upon hearing the location where the item was found, the Emperor angrily slammed the table. "What does she mean by this? Crying wolf! I was made to look like a clown, led by the nose by her."
Hearing this, the secret guards quickly lowered their heads, trying to minimize their presence. Matters between the masters were not for them to interfere in.
In truth, Noble Lady Lü was also bewildered, feeling that the situation was escalating beyond their control and becoming somewhat panicked. They didn't even know that the Emperor had already found the item.
The next day, when paying respects to the Empress, Noble Lady Lü felt that the Empress's gaze was somewhat meaningful. She tried to recall her recent actions and had a bad premonition.
Soon, this premonition came true. When Noble Lady Lü saw the hairpin that appeared in the Empress's hand, she was momentarily startled, unsure where the Empress had found it.
"Does Noble Lady Lü perhaps wonder where this item was found?" the Empress asked, lowering her head to sip her tea, her expression unreadable.
"This concubine is naturally curious," Noble Lady Lü replied respectfully, standing up.
"In fact, His Majesty gave this to me. It's just that the location where it was found has made His Majesty very angry," the Empress said, pausing midway and looking at the curious gazes of the surrounding consorts, piquing their interest.