Behind Su Li, the maids Mo Hua and Si Qin were so excited their eyes sparkled with joy.

  They remembered every siem belonging to their mistress clearly. Without hesitation, they began direg the servants to start moving the items.

  e Xia immediately tried to stop them. "First Miss, weren't these things gifts you gave to the Seiss? How you take them baow? If this gets out, won’t people say that the First Miss is stingy?"

  Su Li smiled calmly and replied, "e Xia, these were ihings my sister borrowed. She promised to return them after a while, but I think she must have been too busy and fotten. Since we’re here today, there’s no need for my sister to trouble herself with returning them—I’ll just take them back myself. Don’t worry, my maids know my belongings very well. They won’t take anythira." And they won’t miss a single piece either.

  Su Yue tried tle a up to stop them, but the movement caused her so much pain that she inhaled sharply and colpsed bato the bed.

  "Su Li! You’re robbing me! I’ll tell Father about this!"

  Su Li maintained her smile, unfazed.

  Wei Yuanyao sneered. "My cousin is simply taking back what’s hers. What grounds do you have to pin? Many of these items were part of my aunt’s dowry—did you really think you could just take them?"

  Su Mother added coldly, "I’ve reated you unfairly, yet you dare to covet what doesn’t belong to you? Look around your room—does this look like the room of a e’s daughter? It’s better furhan Li’er’s! You won’t o pin to your father, for I’ll be sure to let him know myself!"

  e Xia watched helplessly as the servants carried item after item out of the room, her heart ag.

  Those were all precious treasures! She regretted not having taken them a few days earlier to sell for silver.

  She had retly pawned much of her own jewelry to scrape together 400,000 taels for Xia Jiang, leaving even her daughter’s possessions nearly emptied, and now this? It felt like someone was stabbiraight in the chest.

  But when she heard Su Mother mention inf the master of the house, she quickly interjected, "Madam, the Seiss is still young and doesn’t fully uand. Haven’t all the borrowed items beeurned already? Let’s not trouble the master with this matter."

  If the master found out, Yue’er would surely face yet another punishment.

  Su Yue looked around at her now-bare room, so angry she nearly spat blood. Su Li was taking advantage of her weakeate to pletely ruin her!

  She gred at Su Li with hatred.

  Seeing her expression, Su Li smiled and asked, "Sister, what kind of look is that? Are you upset with Mother’s decision? Do you want Father to intervene and make a judgment?"

  Through gritted teeth, Su Yue replied, "You’re joking, Sister!"

  Why does Su Li seem like a pletely different person? She was never like this before.

  Gng at Wei Yuanyao behind Su Li, Su Yue’s eyes flickered with suspi.

  It must be Wei Yuanyao’s doing! Just wait! I’ll ehis for now, but we’ll see who ughs st!

  Mo Hua stepped forward excitedly. "Madam, we’ve finished moving everything."

  Su Mother looked at the nearly emptied room and asked, "Are you sure you didn’t remember wrong? Could there really have been so many of Li’er’s things here?"

  Mo Hua shook her head, then suddenly excimed with a sparkle in her eyes, "Oh, I fot something! The brocade quilt with gold threads on the Seiss’s bed also came from the First Miss’s room!"

  Hearing this, Wei Yuanyao burst into ughter. "Cousin, your maids are absolutely delightful."

  Infuriated, Su Yue shouted, "Take it! Take everything!"

  Su Li replied lightly, "o take the quilt—it’s been stained with blood."

  This remark made Su Yue’s chest heave with fury, but she owerless to do anything.

  Seeing how bare the room had bee, Su Mother remarked that it was inappropriate and instructed Su Yue’s maid, "Later, speak with the steward a some new furnishings."

  "Yes," Liu’er replied cautiously, stealing a g her mistress and l her voice.

  Su Li took her mother’s arm and said, "Mother, let’s leave. I’ll escort you back. My sister needs rest to recover, so we shouldn’t disturb her any longer."

  Su Mother nodded.

  With Wei Yuanyao and Su Li fnking her, Su Mother left.

  Watg their retreating figures, Su Yue’s eyes glinted with venom.

  e Xia tried to calm her daughter. "Yue’er, just lie down and don’t think too much. Focus on rec first."

  To Su Yue, the past few days had been an unending string of misfortunes.

  First, she broke out in rashes that hadn’t yet subsided. Then the Qionghua Baurned into a disaster, branding her a ughingstock among the noble dies.

  Now her body ached all over, and that mother-daughter duo had taken back every siem she had painstakingly acquired from Su Li.

  "Mother, don’t you think Su Li has ged?" Su Yue asked.

  e Xia paused, sidering the question.

  It was true. Her brother had mentiohat Su Li had been the oo uhose secret ats, and the once-affeate girl hadn’t spared her a single goday.

  Sitting at the bedside, e Xia mused, "People don’t just suddenly bee enlightened. She’s been foolish for over a decade—how could she suddenly bee so clever?"

  Su Yue narrowed her eyes in anger. "It must be Wei Yuanyao! How hateful! Just wait until I recover—I’ll make her pay!"

  Outside Su Yue’s courtyard, Wei Yuanyao burst into ughter.

  "Cousin, did you see Su Yue’s expression just now? It was hirious!"

  Su Li smiled softly but didn’t reply.

  The group returo the main courtyard, where the servants brought out fruits, snacks, and tea.

  Looking at her daughter, Su Mother said, "Li’er, you’ve been far too careless, letting Su Yue take so many of your belongings."

  She sighed inwardly. Her daughter had always said she felt distant from her, but wasn’t it true the other way around too? The past two years, she had been so busy managing the household and the shop that she hadn’t noticed someone plundering her daughter’s rht under her nose.

  Su Li took her mother’s arm and said pyfully, "Mother, I was foolish in the past, but I won’t let it happen again."

  Wei Yuanyao nodded in agreement. "Cousin really has ged a lot. Su Yue is so greedy—she eve her sights on the Jadeite Twelve-Piece Set. Ae how kind Cousin has been to her, she still tried to smear Cousin’s oday. Fortunately, Her Majesty the Empress saw through her schemes!"

  Su Mother frowned. "What happened?"

  She only khat Su Yue had been punished by the Empress but didn’t know the details.

  Wei Yuanyao reted everything that had transpired at the Qionghua Ba, leaving nothing out.

  When Su Mother finished listening, she smmed her hand oable in anger, causing the teacups to ctter.

  "eous!"

  Su Li held her mother’s hand and said, "Mother, don’t be angry. Didn’t her pn fail in the end?"

  Su Mother’s tone remaiern. "This time, your cousin resent to expose her. But what if she hadn’t been? Wouldn’t her dirty deeds have fallen on your shoulders instead? Foolish Li’er, you’ve treated her so well, yet she has such a wicked heart. Don’t be so naive iure."

  That mother-daughter duo is no good! How blind I’ve been all these years!

  Su Li nodded early. She had already resolved to never let Su Yue gain the upper hand again.

  After venting her anger, Su Mother noticed the te hour and turo Wei Yuanyao. "Yuanyao, why don’t you stay over tonight? I remember how close the two of you used to be when you were little. You stay in Li’er’s courtyard."

  Su Li beamed. "That’s wonderful—I’ve been wanting to chat with Cousin more!"

  Seeing the two girls so cheerful, Su Mother instructed a servant, "Go inform the kit to prepare extra dishes for tonight. Make sure to include some sweet-and-sour ones."

  Wei Yuanyao ughed. "Aunt still remembers my favorite fvors?"

  Su Mother smiled. "Of course, I do. You love sweet-and-sour, while Li’er loves spicy."

  The three of them tinued chatting happily in the main courtyard, the atmosphere warm and harmonious.

  Later, after Su Shangshu issued his instrus, they had diogether. Su Li and Wei Yuanyao theired to rest, arm in arm.

  [--------------------------------------------]

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