Chapter 190: Cheng Yunshuo Earns Merit

Chapter 190: Cheng Yunshuo Earns Merit

"This is really something rare and special!" Lady Wang exclaimed upon seeing the gold-inlaid snuff bottle, full of praise. "No wonder they say the Marquis's Mansion is wealthy. In our small households, we've never seen such a thing! Look, it's even inlaid with gold threads!"

"Yes, for such a small item to have gold inlay, it must be from an incredibly wealthy family!"

"We’re lucky to see such a beautiful thing thanks to our connection."

Amidst the flattery, Lu Lingyun's voice rose. "This is not from the Marquis's Mansion."

She looked at the snuff bottle, her brows furrowing more and more.

"A'Ruo, where did you get this!"

As her words fell, everyone turned to look at A'Ruo, who was even more bewildered.

"My master gave it to me..."

"Did Cheng Yunshuo give it to you?" Lu Lingyun asked.

A'Ruo felt a pang of guilt. The item had been found in Cheng Yunshuo's clothes during washing. He hadn't said it was for her, but if it wasn’t for her, then who was it for?

She glanced at Lu Lingyun but quickly looked away. "Yes."

"I'll ask Cheng Yunshuo about it," Lu Lingyun said, putting the snuff bottle away. Seeing A'Ruo's expression, she added, "You don't need to worry too much. I'll just ask, and if there's no issue, I'll return it to you."

Hearing this, A'Ruo felt reluctance and a hint of panic.

What did she mean? Was it really not something Cheng Yunshuo had gotten for her?

If it wasn’t for her, then it must have been something he bought for her elsewhere. Was Lu Lingyun envious of her?

With a frown, but not daring to say a word against Lu Lingyun, A'Ruo watched as she collected the snuff bottle and left after greeting everyone.

After Lu Lingyun left, A'Ruo's aunt quietly asked her, "A'Ruo, was this really given to you by Cheng Yunshuo?"

"Of course it is!" A'Ruo replied with a snort.

"But I feel like Lu Lingyun said there was something questionable about its origin."

"She's just jealous of me!" A'Ruo turned her head away with a resentful look.

Lady Wang, who had been observing, rolled her eyes internally. Then, she suddenly thought of something and said, "That's not right!"

"What is it?" everyone asked.

Lady Wang, realizing something, said, "That item really isn't an ordinary object. I feel like it's something from the imperial palace!"

When the word "imperial palace" was mentioned, the entire room fell silent.

Lady Wang, with a serious expression, looked at A'Ruo. "A'Ruo, where did you really get this!"

"It's... my master gave it to me..."

Lady Wang, who had watched A'Ruo grow up and knew her to be someone who loved to show off, especially when she got something new, said with a cold face, "Listen, there have been frequent thefts in the palace lately, and this is a big issue. Don't mess around for the sake of saving face!"

A'Ruo's face went blank as she heard this. She stood frozen for a moment before turning and heading back to the mansion.

She returned to the mansion just as Cheng Yunshuo came back as well.

Lu Lingyun had sent someone to notify him, asking him to come back.

At that moment, they were in Lu Lingyun's courtyard.

Cheng Yunshuo looked at the gold-inlaid snuff bottle that Lu Lingyun took out, feeling bewildered. "Where did this come from?"

"Isn't this something you gave to Du Ruo?"

"I gave it to her?" Cheng Yunshuo was very puzzled. He picked up the gold-inlaid snuff bottle and examined it carefully. Being someone who knew about valuable items, the craftsmanship and material told him that this was not something an ordinary person could use.

"I've never seen this before," Cheng Yunshuo admitted truthfully. He looked at the others, "Go and fetch Concubine Du."

After a short while, Du Ruo arrived.

Du Ruo's heart was racing, but upon seeing Cheng Yunshuo, she felt a little more reassured. "Teacher..."

Before she could finish, a sharp rebuke cut her off, "Du Ruo, where did you get this?"

At that moment, Du Ruo's heart sank, and with it rose a sense of grievance.

She pressed her lips together, her eyes welling with unshed tears, saying nothing.

"Concubine Du, didn't you say that this was given to you by Crown Prince Cheng Yunshuo?" Lu Lingyun asked.

She wasn’t concerned with other details; she just wanted to know the truth. This was a matter concerning the safety of the Marquis's Mansion.

Cheng Yunshuo could give Du Ruo whatever he wanted and spoil her.

But when it came to serious matters, and it involved her interests, she had to get to the bottom of it.

Under Lu Lingyun's cold tone, Du Ruo reluctantly said, "I found it in the Crown Prince's armour."

"My armour?"

"It was the day you were drenched in filth and took off your armour in my courtyard!" Du Ruo blurted everything out.

After she finished speaking, both Cheng Yunshuo and Lu Lingyun stood frozen in shock. Lu Lingyun's eyes widened as she looked at Cheng Yunshuo.

"You brought this with you..."

Cheng Yunshuo suddenly realized. The thing he brought with him... this snuff bottle must be from the palace!

And it was one of the stolen items from the palace!

He instantly understood. It must have been hidden in the latrine, and when the filth was splashed all over him, this snuff bottle ended up on him.

He had found where those items were!

Realizing this, Cheng Yunshuo immediately looked at Du Ruo, his eyes filled with reproach, "Such an important item, why didn't you tell me!"

"I..."

Hearing this, Du Ruo felt a wave of hurt surge through her.

How was she supposed to know that it was something so important?

And wasn't this supposed to be something Cheng Yunshuo intended to give her!

"You're really acting recklessly. How dare you hide something like this? You almost ruined something important," said Cheng Yunshuo as he inspected the snuff bottle thoroughly, confirming without a doubt that it was indeed something from the palace. Without wasting any time, he added, "I need to return to the palace! If anything happens, I’ll hold you accountable!"

As soon as Cheng Yunshuo finished speaking, he turned and left. Throughout the entire time, Du Ruo watched him intently, only looking away when his figure had completely disappeared.

He hadn't looked at her once.

Nor did he care to listen to her explanation.

And he even told her to wait.

Du Ruo couldn’t pinpoint her emotions, but all she felt was an overwhelming sense of injustice. Her eyes brimmed with tears, and she clamped her lips together.

Lu Lingyun, seeing her heartbroken expression, said, "Concubine Du, you should go back first."

As her voice fell, Du Ruo, who had been standing there like she was being punished, covered her face and ran back.

The next day, Cheng Yunshuo returned.

Grinning from ear to ear.

The palace had spent the entire night capturing the palace insiders. Thanks to Cheng Yunshuo bringing back that snuff bottle, they had an effective lead and traced the source of the stolen items from Consort Shufei's palace, getting to the bottom of the case.

The traitors had hidden all the stolen goods in the latrine, and as the investigation intensified, they resorted to desperate measures to move the items out bit by bit, unnoticed until Cheng Yunshuo diligently inspected it.

For his contribution to the case, Cheng Yunshuo met with the emperor for the first time and received praise.

He was promoted to the rank of fifth-grade Imperial Guard.