Chapter 131 - 129: He Can’t Beat Lu Ying
Upon Shen Yinning’s questioning, Lu Qianqian nervously tugged at her handkerchief.
Years ago, she took an interest in Cheng Hui’s jewelry. After the Shen Family was confiscated, she begged her mother, the Crown Princess Consort, to ask the Emperor for Cheng Hui’s wedding dowry, including all her jewelry. However, the Empress Dowager interfered and brought Cheng Hui’s dowry to Cining Palace, leaving even the Emperor unwilling to say much.
She was particularly fond of the Pomegranate Red Eight Treasure Gold Head Ornament, so while paying respects to the Empress Dowager, she discreetly took it from Cining Palace’s storeroom.
After all, Cheng Hui’s jewelry collection was so vast that losing one set would not be noticeable.
Later, she wore Cheng Hui’s jewelry around town in high fashion. Seeing that no one paid much attention, she became bolder. Over the past three years, she had quietly taken several sets of rare, priceless ornaments from Cining Palace’s storeroom. Since Cheng Hui was low-key and had never worn these pieces publicly, and given the Cheng Family’s distant location in the Northwest, there was no one who could recognize her jewelry was from Cheng Hui’s dowry.
Today, she had pinned the theft of the golden hairpin on Shen Yinning solely because she had come to consider the hairpin as her own.
But she had forgotten that the jewelry originally belonged to Shen Yinning...
"Why does the Princess remain silent?" Shen Yinning asked softly, "Could it be that she feels guilty like a thief?"
"What nonsense are you talking about?!" Lu Qianqian shouted like a provoked cat, "This golden hairpin was clearly bestowed upon me by the Empress Dowager; I did not steal it!"
"Since the Princess insists, then perhaps we should both enter the palace and present this matter openly before the Empress Dowager for confrontation."