Chapter 554: Chapter 554

Wang Gui and He Xiang were both so scared that they were shivering, but still mustered the courage to say, "It was, it was all given by Miss Chun Tao. Chun Tao said as long as we did as she told us, to place the doll in Miss Qiao’er’s charcoal, she would give us one hundred Silver Taels. I, I couldn’t resist the temptation and agreed."

He Xiang also hurriedly said, "Sister Chun Tao said that as long as I framed Miss Qiao’er, she would give me ten Silver Taels."

After speaking, she burst into tears.

Ming Yufang’s face turned livid.

She glared at Chun Tao fiercely.

Chun Tao quickly cried and defended herself, "It’s not true, madam, where would I, a servant, get so many Silver Taels to give to Wang Gui and He Xiang? I was sold to the Duke Mansion as a servant since I was a child; where would I find the Silver Taels?! It must be, it must be the young madam who deliberately found Wang Gui and He Xiang to frame this servant! I admit that I was negligent in Miss Qiao’er’s death, and if the young madam wants to punish me, so be it, I have no complaints. But for the young madam to frame me in this manner, I would rather die than submit!"

The display was one of great grievance and injustice.

"Chun Tao doesn’t have that much silver, but does that mean my sister does not have it?" Xie Ruotong looked towards Xie Ruilin.

Xie Ruilin’s face was pale at this point.

Looking into Xie Ruotong’s eyes, she seemed somewhat panicky.

She tried to maintain her calm and said, "I can understand sister’s grief at the loss of Qiao’er, but for sister to frame someone so recklessly, it is indeed overbearing. Why on earth would I curse my own child? The child that I and Yanqing finally had with so much difficulty, which I care for so trepidatiously and fearfully every day, why would I do such a thing?!"

She also could not help but burst into tears.

"Whether a curse works or not..." Xie Ruotong turned her gaze to Ming Yufang, "Mother-in-law, this is but superstition. We have only heard stories and never witnessed it ourselves. To put it plainly, a curse is nothing but a thought in one’s mind, something that brings comfort to oneself, yet in reality, it is ineffective. And since it is a useless thing, doing so has no effect on oneself, yet can be used to frame another."

"Sister, I bear you no grudge or malice..." Xie Ruilin refuted. Follow current novels on n0velfire.net

"No grudge or malice?" Xie Ruotong sneered, "Hasn’t my sister always held a grudge that I took the place of the young madam of the Song Family from her?"

"I haven’t," Xie Ruilin denied, "I have never thought so, sister is overthinking it. You keep saying that the money for Wang Gui and He Xiang was from me, what proof do you have that it was me?!"

Xie Ruotong smiled lightly.

That smile made Xie Ruilin’s heart tremble.

As if she had fallen into Xie Ruotong’s trap.

She watched Xie Ruotong nervously.

Watching as Xie Ruotong slowly took out a golden hairpin from her sleeve.

Xie Ruilin, upon seeing the golden hairpin, clearly panicked.

"Isn’t this the dowry given to you by grandma?" Xie Ruotong asked.

"How, how is it with you?!" Xie Ruilin asked loudly.

"I redeemed it from the pawnshop," Xie Ruotong said, "Because of its exquisite craftsmanship, and it was clear it came from within the palace, the pawnshop owner said, at the time it was pawned to him, he paid out one hundred and fifty Silver Taels."

Xie Ruilin clenched her teeth.

Desperately trying not to collapse.

At that time, in order to frame Xie Ruotong, she naturally needed to use silver to tempt them, thinking of exchanging her dowry for money; when she saw that golden hairpin she became angry, recalling the differences between what grandma gave her and Xie Ruotong. Without even thinking, she instructed Chun Tao to pawn the golden hairpin.

"I have the debt acknowledgments here." Xie Ruotong took out the debt notes.

One was for the pawn transaction.

And one for redeeming it.

The truth was laid out plainly for all to see.

No matter what Xie Ruilin said, it was just a pretext.

Ming Yufang also saw clearly now.

Her indescribable anger.

To think that after such a commotion, it turned out to be Xie Ruilin who was playing tricks.

That it was indeed she who cried ’Stop thief’ while being the thief herself.

And to go so far as to deceive her.

Causing her to lose face in her own home.

Ming Yufang bellowed, "Xie Ruilin, what else do you have to say?!"

Xie Ruilin, startled by Ming Yufang’s voice, shuddered.

She quickly pointed to Chun Tao, "Chun Tao, you actually did such things behind my back?! I always knew you harbored ill will towards Qiao’er; back in the Duke Mansion, you were always overshadowed by Qiao’er, always losing the spotlight and rewards to her. I never expected that after leaving the Duke Mansion, you would do such things to frame her, doing all this behind my back!"