Everyone couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. In reality, the trifles that were usually not worth much had all been bestowed upon them by their master, while valuable items were meticulously cataloged and stored in the warehouse.
Did the loss of a few items, without their knowledge, indicate their dereliction of duty?
Under Master Gao's imposing gaze, one of the stewards could not bear it any longer. He quickly stepped forward and said, "Reporting to Master, the Eldest Miss did visit. As it was rather late at night, I was the only one on duty. The Eldest Miss said she was merely curious and asked me to be accommodating. Thinking of how you usually dote on her, I thought, what harm would it do to let her have a look? Little did I know, the Eldest Miss went straight to the paintings and scrolls, casually picked out a few, and no matter how I persuaded her, she wouldn't desist, so I could only let her have her way."
Looking at the steward's wronged expression, Master Gao was annoyed. He was a man of seven feet, yet he acted in a manner befitting a woman, which was extremely awkward. Impatiently, he said, "Don't paint yourself as so innocent. Knowing my daughter, while she is indeed willful, if you had insisted that it was my order and that no one was allowed to enter, she wouldn't have dared. It only shows that you didn't truly try to stop her. When you knew she intended to take those paintings and scrolls, perhaps you even felt a sense of smug satisfaction, thinking that I detest those things the most and kept them in a corner, never looking at them."
The steward lowered his head somewhat guiltily, recalling the scene when the Eldest Miss came to find him. "You and your cousin are such ill-fated lovers. You've kept this hidden for so long, and unexpectedly, my people discovered it. However, I will give you a chance. For example, do as I say, or you two will wait for death."
"May I ask what it is?" The steward swallowed and stammered.
"Don't be nervous. I won't ask you to commit murder or arson. I just want you to turn a blind eye. I need to go to my father's warehouse to get some paintings." Gao Xuejuan looked at him calmly, knowing he would agree, especially since what they had done could cause a scandal.
As expected, after a moment of hesitation, the other party nodded resolutely. He knew that many items in the warehouse were inherited from their ancestors, and many chests had never been opened, let alone the paintings and scrolls left to gather dust in the corner. Master Gao did not pay attention to such matters, his entire energy focused on achieving higher official rank and accumulating wealth.
After Gao Xuejuan took away those paintings and scrolls, Master Gao visited several times and even casually wandered around, making the steward extremely anxious. Fortunately, he managed to get through each time without incident.
He carefully tucked the few remaining genuine artifacts into his embrace, fearing they would be stolen.
With the paintings gone, the effect was greatly diminished. Having understood the whole story, he quickly found his daughter and asked her where she had taken the paintings.
When first asked, Gao Xuejuan was still bewildered, not understanding what had happened. Hadn't she heard that her father was inspecting the warehouse with his men? Why was she being implicated? Truly, trouble came from nowhere.
Her father's repeated emphasis made her realize. It was about the paintings she had taken. She had almost forgotten about them. At that time, Liu Moran was waiting for five thousand taels of silver to alleviate her urgent need. She thought of her father's warehouse. Since those items were not hers, she might as well take some. However, if she took anything too obvious, it would be discovered quickly, and if she took anything not obvious, it wouldn't be valuable. After much deliberation, she thought of the paintings and scrolls her father had forgotten in the corner. She had once heard her mother say that those were treasures passed down from their ancestors and should not be trifled with.
Since they were treasures, they could be exchanged for silver. With so many paintings and scrolls, her father usually didn't pay attention to them and likely didn't even know how many there were. Taking a few wouldn't be too conspicuous.
She opened all the paintings and scrolls, choosing whichever she found pleasing. She stealthily went to the pawnshop. Upon seeing the paintings, the pawnbroker's hands began to tremble. He forced himself to calm down and said, "The paintings the young lady is holding are too exquisitely painted. Our master is a great collector of such items, and I genuinely desire them. I will make an exception and offer six thousand taels." Sudan Novel Network.
Gao Xuejuan's mouth fell open, and she stared at him in astonishment, unable to speak for a long time.
The pawnbroker thought she found the offer too low. To prevent the opportunity from slipping away, he quickly increased the price. "Eight thousand taels, eight thousand taels should be acceptable, right?"
This time, Gao Xuejuan was even more stunned. What had she done for the pawnbroker to voluntarily increase the price? However, this was indeed good news for her. She hadn't expected these few seemingly ordinary paintings to be worth more than she had imagined.
"Ten thousand taels is my limit. I cannot offer any higher. If you are still not satisfied, I am powerless." The pawnbroker had originally intended to fleece her well and gain credit from his employer. Unexpectedly, he had encountered an expert. His heart bled, but thinking that he would still receive praise even in this situation, he felt much better.
As Gao Xuejuan left the pawnshop with ten thousand taels, she was still somewhat dazed. She pinched her thigh hard, and the pain made her wince. Instead of being angry, her face bloomed with joy. As she walked, she exclaimed, "The ancestors truly did not lie to me. Everyone says my ancestors were farmers, but do ordinary farmers understand these things? Clearly, they were reclusive masters who enjoyed a pastoral life and thus lived in seclusion here."
But no matter what, gaining practical benefits was the most important thing. The first moment she received the silver, she contacted Liu Moran. Looking at Liu Moran's tearful gratitude, she felt that everything she had done was worth it.
No woman disliked beautiful things, especially with money in hand. She would not skimp on herself. She spent and bought lavishly every day, and soon the five thousand taels dwindled.
When her father brought up the matter again, her heart tightened. However, she didn't intend to hide it, as it was something that couldn't be hidden. Of course, she deliberately omitted Liu Moran and continued to explain that she had lost a lot of money during the competition with Wu Caiwei and urgently needed to fill this gaping hole.
If it were in the past, Master Gao would have felt sorry for his daughter, acknowledging the hardships of life. But today, when his daughter told him that the paintings and scrolls had been sold to a pawnshop, he was on the verge of collapse for a moment. However, thinking that even a pawnshop, upon receiving such excellent items, would surely use them as treasures of the shop and perhaps they were still in their possession, he felt a glimmer of hope. He rushed to the accounting office and withdrew all the silver from the accounts.
When he hurried to the pawnshop and inquired about the whereabouts of those paintings, the pawnbroker was startled. He hadn't expected anyone to inquire about them after such a long time. He quickly explained, "It's not that I don't want to return the items. It's just that the silver received was considerable. Each painting sold for two thousand five hundred taels. As you know, the amount sold is often three times the pawned value, meaning seven thousand five hundred taels. Furthermore, the author was unwilling to sell, and others could not force them. The problem is, these items are no longer in our shop."