CHAPTER 371: CHAPTER 371 FAMILY RULES

Although Su Jin asked one more question, she really didn’t think much about it.

She just assumed that Young Master Su was sending her a message indirectly to avoid suspicion.

After all, people from the Dongxiang Marquis Mansion are very particular about appearances; dressing as a woman is something they wouldn’t do.

Su Jin underestimated Young Master Su’s resilience and adaptability.

Hiding in the shadows, Young Master Su felt relieved when he saw the message-carrying little beggar was rewarded with a tael of silver by Su Jin.

Exhausted from the morning, his stomach growled from hunger.

Previously hesitant to disguise as a woman, he had now taken the plunge and wasn’t going to let himself suffer.

Young Master Su headed towards the Drunken Immortal Pavilion.

However, Young Master Su was still too young, not understanding the principle of not flaunting wealth.

Three young girls entered the Drunken Immortal Pavilion and ordered a table full of delicacies, drawing too much attention.

Immersed in the delicious food, they failed to notice they were being watched.

Peony Garden.

Princess Nanzhang reclined on the Imperial Concubine’s Couch, while a maid was massaging her legs.

Mrs. Zhao walked in, calling, "Commandery Princess."

Princess Nanzhang opened her eyes and asked, "How is Yuyu?"

"The young lady’s face is better than it was yesterday. It should return to normal in a few days," Mrs. Zhao replied.

Princess Nanzhang felt somewhat relieved.

At this moment, a maid came in from outside and whispered a few words in Princess Nanzhang’s ear.

Princess Nanzhang’s brows furrowed into a twist, "What do you mean succeeded but failed?"

The little maid quickly replied, "The servant had already managed to steal the jade pendant; the Eldest Young Madam and her maid were completely unaware. The servant tucked the jade pendant in his clothes, not realizing someone else had taken it at some point."

It was truly unfortunate for a thief to encounter another thief.

Princess Nanzhang’s face turned green with fury, managing to succeed once, only to succeed halfway.

The jade pendant was worn by the Emperor personally and held great significance.

She intended to give this jade pendant to the Second Prince.

Of course, directly giving it would not do, since the jade pendant had already been bestowed on Su Jin by the Emperor, making it Su Jin’s possession.

Princess Nanzhang also knew it belonged to Su Jin, and giving it to the Second Prince would be asking for trouble.

The Second Prince and Eldest Prince left the Capital to assist the Emperor and have not returned yet.

If the Second Prince saw the jade pendant in a jewelry shop and questioned its authenticity, what if, to prevent others from buying this fake jade pendant and causing unnecessary trouble, he bought it in front of the Eldest Prince?

The Eldest Prince would naturally serve as the Second Prince’s witness.

After returning to the Capital, the Second Prince would show the fake jade pendant to the Emperor, who could surely recognize the pendant as real.

The jade pendant bestowed upon Su Jin ended up outside the Capital, only to be bought back by the Second Prince as a fake, this would be a great disrespect to the Emperor.

The pendant being bestowed to her yet unable to be kept was destiny between her and the pendant.

By then, with pressure from the Empress Dowager and the officials, the Emperor would naturally bestow the jade pendant to the Second Prince.

Though it was a roundabout way, obtaining the jade pendant was key.

Who would have thought that a perfect plan was completely ruined by an unknown thief?

This feeling of everything going wrong drove Princess Nanzhang crazy.

Mrs. Zhao comforted Princess Nanzhang, "Commandery Princess, don’t be angry. At least you succeeded partially; losing the Emperor’s bestowed jade pendant is already a big enough offense for the Eldest Young Madam to worry about."

Princess Nanzhang’s mood did not improve at all.

"If I reveal that the pendant was taken, it’s as good as admitting outright that I ordered it stolen," Princess Nanzhang replied in frustration.

"It was careless of me," Mrs. Zhao hurriedly said.

"But the truth will come out sooner or later."

Princess Nanzhang could only console herself in this way; if they could catch the female bandit or if someone from the Dongxiang Marquis Mansion searched for the pendant, it might get reported to the Emperor sooner.

Princess Nanzhang closed her eyes, and the maid continued massaging her legs.

However, it was only a moment before she opened her eyes again.

A maid walked out, and another maid ran in, accidentally bumping into the maid, causing the teacup she was holding to crash to the ground.

In the quiet room, the shattering of the teacup was particularly jarring.

Princess Nanzhang opened her eyes displeased, and the two maids knelt down in fear with a thud.

Mrs. Zhao reprimanded, "Careless!"

The incoming maid quickly said, "This servant has urgent news to report to the Commandery Princess."

"What is it?" Princess Nanzhang asked.

"Miss Liao and the Elder Yong Cheng’s Young Lady got into an accident on the street," the little maid reported.

"During the commotion, Miss Liao accidentally bumped into the Young Lady of the Elder Yong Cheng Mansion, causing her to touch a boiling hot pot, severely scalding her hand, and she fainted on the street. I heard she was carried back to the mansion."

Princess Nanzhang was surprised, but Mrs. Zhao asked, "What kind of commotion happened on the street, causing them to be so careless?"

"I heard it started because the Eldest Young Madam and her maid were chasing a dog," the little maid replied.

Mrs. Zhao, "...."

Wherever the Eldest Young Madam goes, disaster follows.

Mrs. Zhao turned to look at Princess Nanzhang, only to see the anger on the Commandery Princess’s face dissipate into a cold smile.

"This time there will be a good show to watch."

...

Su Jin rode the carriage back to the Duke Zhen Country Mansion.

As she got off the carriage, her eyelid started twitching, and a bad premonition welled up inside her.

Just as she stepped into the Duke Mansion, a maid informed her to go to Qihao Hall.

Su Jin went to see the Old Madam with confusion.

Passing the screen, she heard muffled sobbing, and the Old Madam’s cold but compassionate voice came, "It’s not your fault, don’t cry."

"But Sister Chen’s hand is so severely scalded, it’s hard not to leave scars," Liao Xue cried.

Xie Jinxiu stood to the side and said, "From now on, whenever the big sister-in-law goes out, we should avoid her; otherwise, we might get dragged into misfortune unexpectedly."

Su Jin’s brows twisted into a frown.

How did it get related to her again?

She stepped in, and the Old Madam looked at her with unprecedented coldness.

Su Jin’s eyelid twitched even more.

Su Jin walked forward, bowed to give respects to the Old Madam, and said, "Did the Old Madam call me for something?"

Her calm voice only fueled others’ anger.

The Old Madam’s lips trembled with anger.

Xie Jinxiu looked at Su Jin with a hint of schadenfreude in her eyes, "The big sister-in-law caused quite a trouble today."

"What trouble did I cause?" Su Jin asked, displeased.

Xie Jinxiu laughed, "Big sister-in-law chased a dog on the street, causing chaos. The Elder Yong Cheng’s Young Lady got her hand scalded and it’s said the skin on the back of her hand is thoroughly cooked. Does big sister-in-law still think she hasn’t caused trouble?"

Su Jin’s tightly knotted brows couldn’t be untangled.

When she chased Little Black, she didn’t bump into anyone.

She looked at Liao Xue, "If I caused the trouble, then why is Miss Liao crying?"

Liao Xue glared at Su Jin, "Because of you! If you hadn’t caused such a mess on the street, would I have had to bump into the Elder Yong Cheng’s Young Lady to avoid others, causing her to scald her hand?!"

Su Jin was speechless,

Was this openly trying to frame her?

"If Miss Liao wants me to take the blame for the Elder Yong Cheng’s Young Lady’s scalded hand, then should I blame those two carriages for colliding, causing my carriage to stop suddenly, and Little Black jumped out when we weren’t ready, leading to chaos on the street?" Su Jin retorted.

Such a blame led nowhere.

No one wished for the carriages to collide.

It was just an accident, failing to hold onto the dog; she and Xingxing were at fault, but one couldn’t blame it all on others.

Su Jin acknowledged her fault, but it was impossible for her to take all the blame.

Moreover, the truth of what happened, according to Liao Xue and Xie Jinxiu, she didn’t believe.

People tend to avoid mentioning things adverse to themselves, which is human nature, especially considering her and Liao Xue’s past grudges.

But with the Old Madam fuming, Su Jin’s defense would only add fuel to her fire.

With a cold stare, the Old Madam said, "Does the Eldest Young Madam feel justified chasing a dog through the marketplace?!"

Su Jin was left speechless.

Though there were justifications, what she did was indeed wrong and indefensible.

And then—

She was punished.

She was punished to reflect in the Buddhist Hall, copying the family rules five hundred times before she could come out.