Chapter 68

Chapter 68

Seeing Fei Xu leave, Concubine Lu didn't look happy at all.

Because she spotted Ping'an, the head maid of Concubine An.

Concubine An had little education. When she first got two maids, she named one Ping'an and the other Jixiang.

Concubine Lu was that Jixiang, and later climbed into the master's bed, going from a maid to a concubine.

Ping'an was steady and always trusted by Concubine An, even in charge of the courtyard.

Moreover, Ping'an had always disapproved of Concubine Lu's sneaky, lazy behavior, always keeping her in line.

Concubine Lu wasn't afraid of Concubine An, but Ping'an made her nervous.

Ping'an stepped forward, pulling out a piece of paper, and said softly, "Princess, everyone in the yard knows my lady has a good temper."

"She never kicks up a fuss when things disappear, and she doesn't ask me to do anything about it. She says no one would steal unless forced to the extreme."

"But I am narrow-minded. Every time something is lost, I note it down, just in case we need proof later so we don't get blamed for it."

Ping'an gazed coldly at Concubine Lu.

Concubine Lu's heart started pounding with dread.

The theft of charcoal had already been secretly reported to the princess by Fang Yuaner's people. The news hadn't spread yet, catching Concubine Lu completely off guard.

Ping'an opened the paper and started reading the words on it: "On October 29th, half a catty of silver-wire charcoal and ten catties of black charcoal were lost."

"On November 3rd, one white fox pelt, one pair of cloisonné red coral earrings, and ten catties of black charcoal were lost."

"On November 8th, twenty taels of silver, one pair of silver-wire double-ring bracelets, and three catties of silver-wire charcoal were lost..."

With every word Ping'an read, Concubine Lu's face got whiter.

She desperately tried to think of a way out.

Of course, she hadn't done the stealing herself.

Concubine Lu had gotten help from a maid still working for Concubine An, moving things out little by little.

She relied on Concubine An's easygoing nature, stealing items that were not insignificant but also not too valuable—enough to hurt but not enough to make Concubine An complain, so she'd just put up with it.

What she hadn't expected was that Ping'an noticed everything and recorded every lost item.

Now that it was exposed item by item, Concubine Lu had nowhere to hide.

She had been careful.

The stolen gold and jewelry, she'd had someone melt them down outside.

The silver, she'd exchanged for banknotes and buried in a hiding spot.

Things like the fox pelt, she'd sent home to get rid of.

Only the leftover silver charcoal was used every day and couldn't be hidden.

A concubine wasn't allowed to use this charcoal.

Concubine An had some, given only because the princess felt sorry for her being pregnant.

Ping'an, who knew Concubine Lu best, said unsurprisingly, "Concubine Lu is very careful. I figure the stolen stuff has all been gotten rid of. Even if Orange confesses, it might not implicate her."

Orange was the maid who helped Concubine Lu steal from Concubine An.

Hearing that name, Concubine Lu's heart went cold.

Ping'an continued slowly, "Only one thing should still be found."

Mother Li asked curiously, "What is it?"

"Silver-wire charcoal."

Ping'an said, "It should still be in Concubine Lu's room. My lady's silver charcoal was given out of the princess's kindness; Concubine Lu has no right to use it."

"She stole this charcoal and couldn't bear to use it all at once. There should surely be some left."

Ping'an's tone was calm but sarcastic. "After all, if she used it up, she'd have to send a maid to my lady's room for more."

Mother Li immediately said, "When I searched for musk, I saw silver charcoal in Concubine Lu's courtyard, about half a catty left."

"I thought it was a gift from some Shu Fei, so I didn't pay attention."

"I'll have someone bring it right away."

Of course, Mother Li was just covering up.

The princess already knew. When she searched the yard, she made a point of checking the charcoal, so she reacted fast.

The princess asked Concubine Lu, "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Concubine Lu swallowed. Then she dropped to her knees. "I admit it!"

"These items were indeed taken by my orders. Whatever punishment Her Highness decides, I won't complain at all."

"I just beg Her Highness to let me explain a bit more."

Her quick confession surprised everyone in the Green Pine Court.

They'd expected more evidence and a long argument.

Only Ping'an stayed calm, as if she'd seen it coming.

Concubine Lu was thick-skinned, ambitious, and selfish, but she also knew when to play along and could read the room.

She knew she couldn't get out of the theft charge.

Rather than fight for no reason and make the princess angry, it was better to just confess meekly.

Then she could shed a few tears and say she had no choice, putting half the blame on the princess for being too soft, to get a lighter punishment.

That was her usual trick when dealing with Concubine An, and it always worked.

The princess asked languidly, "What else do you have to explain?"

Concubine Lu said, "This servant knows that taking without asking is theft, but this servant truly had no other choice!"

Tears glistened in Concubine Lu's eyes, her expression one of utter misery.

"In the back courtyard, even a lowly maid looks down on this servant."

"If I didn't hand out some silver, I couldn't even get the maids in my own courtyard to obey. Moreover, the supervisors above take cuts at every level, and with a monthly allowance of only five taels of silver, my life is worse than when I was a maid."

"If it were just a little food being skimped on, that could be borne, but in winter, lacking coal, I simply couldn't survive!"

The princess was not like that Concubine An, who would become soft-hearted and start reflecting after hearing a few words from Concubine Lu.

She only said coolly, "So you went to Concubine An's place to steal?"

Even with her thick skin, Concubine Lu couldn't help flushing when the princess accused her of stealing in public.

She gritted her teeth and lowered her head, abandoning all dignity, lowering her head even more.

"It was this servant who was blinded by greed, and did such a foolish thing!"

The princess said, "Prince Jing's manor has its own rules. If someone was withholding your silver and grain, why did you not send someone to come inform me?"

"If everyone acted like you, stealing from other people's homes when you lacked something, wouldn’t Prince Jing’s manor become a den of thieves?"

Concubine Lu looked up, her eyes misty as she gazed at the princess. "But... but this servant dared not."

Why did she not dare?

Wasn’t it because these stewards were all interconnected, each with their own backing?

And the greatest patron among them was the princess herself.

Her words "I dare not" could be understood as not daring to report, or as not daring to offend the princess.

The princess's expression darkened slightly.

This was precisely why she had told Prince Jing yesterday that she would have to lose face.

No matter how the case of Concubine Lu's coal theft was handled, the princess was at fault—this was unavoidable.