HLnovel Chapter 127 Setting a Trap
Chapter 127 Setting a Trap
Chapter 127 127 Setting a Trap
"Oh no! Miss's jade hairpin is gone!" Ling Shu exclaimed in surprise.
Ye Lingyue said, "Sister Lingshu, did you put the jade hairpin somewhere else when you were cleaning the house and then you forgot about it?"
"Impossible!" Ling Shu ran to Ye Pianran with an empty brocade box in her hands, her face extremely anxious: "Miss, I clearly put the jade hairpin in this box, but I don't know why it has disappeared!"
"That was a top-quality jade that Prime Minister Gongsun specially sent to the far north to find and polish when Miss came of age, as a gift for her!" Lingyi's face also turned extremely ugly. "How could such a precious thing be lost like this?"
"Don't panic, search the room carefully. It doesn't have legs, so it couldn't have run away on its own." Compared to the anxiety of the two women, Ye Pianran seemed particularly calm.
"Yes!" Ling Shu and Ling Yi responded, turning around to begin searching carefully. But no matter how hard they looked, they couldn't find the jade hairpin.
"It's not inside, but what about outside?" Ye Pianran said. "Perhaps I accidentally dropped it in some corner?"
Ling Shu immediately said, "This servant will go find it right away!"
Ling Shu and Ling Yi hurriedly ran out of the house. After they had gone far away, Ye Lingyue glanced at Ye Pianran before getting up and chasing after them: "My two elder sisters, Yue'er will help you search."
However, even after searching the entire Lanxin Courtyard, they still couldn't find the jade hairpin.
Ling Shu returned to the room, dejected, and knelt down before Ye Pianran with a thud. Tears welled in her eyes, and she choked out:
“Miss, the jade hairpin was lost by me. I failed to take good care of it, and my sins are unforgivable. Please punish me!”
Ye Pianran took out a handkerchief and gently wiped away Ling Shu's tears, saying, "Why are you crying? I just said that the jade hairpin has no legs, so it couldn't have run away on its own. It must still be in the Marquis's mansion. You need to search carefully again."
Lingyi was much more composed than Lingshu. After hearing Ye Pianran's words, she immediately understood:
"Does Miss mean that someone stole the jade hairpin from your room?"
"This! This!" Ling Shu choked for a moment, then quickly waved her hands: "It wasn't me who stole it!"
“Of course it wasn’t you. With your inability to keep things to yourself, if you did something wrong, Miss would immediately notice,” Lingyi said with a hint of helplessness.
Ye Pianran asked, "Does anyone remember when was the last time I wore that exquisite silk-coated jade hairpin?"
Lingyi was particularly concerned about Ye Pianran's matter. After thinking for a moment, she said, "It was when the Third Prince was rescued by Miss and brought back to the mansion. While Young Master Xun was not in the mansion, Miss went to the inner courtyard to select maids for Madam."
Ling Shu immediately remembered: "That's right, it was at that time!"
After saying that, she and Lingyi looked at each other and said in unison, "Could it be Jasmine?"
Ye Pianran's expression remained unchanged, and her brows did not twitch at all: "Lingyi, when you stayed here last night, did you leave the room?"
Lingyi said, "This servant did leave, but I did not leave Lanxin Courtyard. I only went to Madam's place."
"When you went to the madam's place, did you see Jasmine in her room?"
Lingyi: "No!"
"It must be her!" Ling Shu clenched her fists excitedly, almost jumping up from the ground. "She must have secretly coveted Miss's jade hairpin, which is why she stole it while Miss was not in the room! Miss, there's no time to lose, let's go and catch her right away!"
As soon as Ling Shu finished speaking, a very familiar dialogue box suddenly appeared before Ye Pianran's eyes:
Accept side quest 1: Retrieve the exquisite jade hairpin with pearls and threads.
Task Difficulty: Easy
Mission progress: 0%
Ye Pianran was stunned for a moment, then felt a bit amused and exasperated. Was this task... triggered too casually?
Closing the suddenly appearing dialog box, Ye Pianran saw Ling Shu, Ling Yi, and Ye Lingyue all looking at her expectantly, awaiting her next instructions. She said, "Although Jasmine is a suspect, we don't have direct evidence. If we wrongly accuse someone, it will inevitably dishearten the servants in the manor. Moreover, the Spider Silk Hairpin is no ordinary item. It was not only a gift from my maternal grandfather, but also something my father personally pinned on my hair when I came of age. Stealing it without permission is an unforgivable crime punishable by death."
"So, what does Miss mean..."
Ye Pianran asked, "How about this, Ling Shu, come with me to tell Father about this, and then Father can ask the guards to search the entire Marquis's residence carefully. The truth will naturally come to light."
Lingyi: "Then what should this servant do for Miss?"
Ye Pianran smiled and said, "You two, come closer."
Lingyi and Ye Lingyue moved closer to Ye Pianran. Ye Pianran whispered something in their ears, a sly glint in her bright phoenix eyes.
After listening, Lingyi understood perfectly and nodded solemnly: "Miss, go ahead with peace of mind, leave everything to us."
The three accepted their orders, and Ye Pianran got up and took Ling Shu to see Marquis Anshi.
After a night of tossing and turning, Marquis Anshi was exhausted. He had already left Fangcao Garden and returned to his room to rest. However, before he could even take off his outer robe, he heard an announcement from outside that Ye Pianran had urgent business to attend to.
Marquis Anshi really didn't want to see Ye Pianran, but she had done a great service last night. He pretended to dawdle for a while, but finally snorted and said, "Let her in."
With permission, Ye Pianran led Ling Shu into An Shihou's room. After they had exchanged greetings, An Shihou said coldly, "Speak, Ran'er, what urgent matter do you have this time?"
"Father, when I got up this morning, I found that something was missing from the room," Ye Pianran said.
Marquis Anshi said dismissively, "I thought it was something important. If something is lost, we can look for it. If we really can't find it, we can just send someone to find another one."
"Father, what I lost is no ordinary item." Ye Pianran's eyes, peeking out from behind her veil, were unusually filled with anxiety. "What I lost was a fine white jade that my maternal grandfather specially sought out in the far north. It took him forty-nine days to meticulously carve and polish it. It was the exquisite jade hairpin with coiled threads that you personally arranged for me when I came of age!"
Marquis Anshi's expression turned serious as she spoke: "Is this true? Have you looked for it?" Not to mention that the hairpin that a girl wears when she comes of age is as important as the hair ornament that a man wears when he comes of age, that jade hairpin was a gift from Prime Minister Gongsun, and there is only one in the world. Losing this thing is indeed a very big deal!
"I have already sent the servants to search the house and the yard carefully, but we still can't find it." Ye Pianran lowered her head, her voice sounding very disappointed. "If it weren't for a last resort, I would never have disturbed Father's rest at this time, but this hairpin is too important to me, so I have no choice but to ask Father for help."
"Do you remember when you last saw that jade hairpin?" Marquis Anshi asked.
Ye Pianran glanced at Ling Shu, who understood and stepped forward to tell her about the last time Ye Pianran wore the jade hairpin and the recent discovery of someone acting suspiciously near Ye Pianran's house. However, she did not specify that the person was Jasmine.
"My lord! That person must have secretly stolen the jade hairpin from Miss's room last night while she was treating Consort Meng at Fangcao Garden. Only one night has passed, so that person probably hasn't had time to leave the manor and move the hairpin. If we search the manor carefully, we're sure to find it!" Ling Shu said tearfully, "Please, my lord, do justice for Miss!"
"This is outrageous! How could such petty theft occur in the Marquis's residence!" Marquis Anshi roared. "Guards! Guards!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the guards standing outside the door rushed in:
"What are your orders, Lord Marquis?"
Marquis Anshi shouted sternly, "Someone in the manor has stolen a priceless treasure from the young lady's room. Take your men and search the place thoroughly! Do not leave any servant's room unsearched! Once you find out who stole it, have them beaten to death on the spot!"