Chapter 179: Chapter 177: Too Bold, Too Ruthless
Shang Ruyi looked at him for a while and said, "You’re quite stubborn."
"..."
"It’s a pity, others are stubborn because they are innocent, but you are stubborn just to quibble. Fine, I’ll make sure you understand since I have two pieces of evidence in my hand."
Hearing this, everyone present was also taken aback.
Aunt Hui hurriedly asked, "What are the two pieces?"
Just as they were talking, Yu Wenye gave a subtle glance to Mu Xian, who had moved to the side. Mu Xian understood and carefully exited, while Shang Ruyi said, "Actually, I was certain the person who pawned the Yue Kiln Cup was him, because of the date on this slip."
"Date?"
Aunt Hui looked and suddenly trembled, while Hu Hua’s face instantly changed.
Shang Ruyi calmly said, "On the day the Yue Kiln Cup was stolen, Chang Wan was locked in the firewood room, so the pawnshop affair had nothing to do with her; and since that day, only the people from your tea room would go out; at the same time, I had She’er instructed to close all the back and side doors of the Duke Mansion, allowing you only to use the side door, so I remember clearly who came and went."
"On the 26th of the twelfth lunar month, it was you who carried the food box to Tinghe Building to get the pastries; on the 27th, it was you again; on the 28th it was Chen He, and on the 29th it was Li Sande... Hu Hua, do I need to make it any clearer?"
Hu Hua’s face gradually lost color, turning pale inch by inch from the neck up.
He looked at Shang Ruyi, then at Aunt Hui, and then at the Duke, who remained impassive. His legs were trembling like lutestrings, yet he insisted, "But, even if I went out that day, how can you be sure I took it? With so many guests coming and going, perhaps it was someone brought by another family?"
Shang Ruyi said, "At this point, you’re still trying to falsely accuse others?"
Hu Hua stiffened his neck and said, "I, I am innocent."
Shang Ruyi shook her head in disappointment, "The words ’innocent’ coming from your mouth are truly tainted."
After speaking, she let out a cold laugh and said, "In fact, I only need to send someone to invite the Chao Feng from Dengfeng to recognize the person, and the matter can be settled."
Hu Hua immediately showed a look of fear.
However, Shang Ruyi looked up at the sky outside and said, "It’s just that it’s already late and so cold, so there’s no need to go to such lengths. Have you forgotten that even if you pawned the cup and destroyed the pawn ticket, you surely didn’t destroy the silver you received."
Hu Hua’s face instantly turned white.
Before he could argue, Mu Xian’s heavy footsteps sounded again outside, more urgent this time.
He came in briskly with a cloth bundle in his hands and placed it directly on the table, "Duke, Second Young Master, Young Madam, these are the things just found in Hu Hua’s room: a package of thirty taels of silver, along with a string of coins and some loose money."
Yu Wenquan’s face darkened instantly upon seeing the thirty taels of silver, "Hmph!"
Hu Hua had no way to argue, collapsed to his knees, and repeatedly kowtowed to them, "Duke, Duke, spare me, have mercy on me just this once!"
Yu Wenquan would not pay him any heed, only Shang Ruyi said coldly, "Hu Hua, you chose not to work well in the tea room but had to steal, stealing during Madam’s funeral, and what’s more, stealing the Yue Kiln Cup left by Madam. You even tried to frame Chang Wan, who served her. Are you simply too bold, or too malicious, thus disturbing Madam’s spirit in heaven?"
Upon hearing this, some people in the dining hall already turned pale.
Yu Wenquan angrily ordered, "Take him away!"
Mu Xian was ready to come around and grab him, but Hu Hua, scared out of his wits, knelt down and kowtowed frantically, crying and begging for mercy, "Duke, spare my life, Young Madam, please spare me!"
Shang Ruyi signaled Mu Xian to slow down while coldly saying, "I made myself clear just now, confess sooner and it can be counted as voluntary surrender, and you would simply be expelled; but if you stole and didn’t admit it, then you’re determined to be a thief. Since you’re a thief, the forty strokes aren’t avoidable. Think clearly while being beaten, if you dare—steal again in the future!"
She deliberately emphasized the word "steal" and stared intensely at Hu Hua.
This time, Hu Hua panicked and said, "Young Madam, I, I didn’t steal the item, I just took it out, the thief isn’t me!"
As soon as he said this, someone in the crowd panicked.
Uncle Gui stepped forward, "You shameless Hu Hua, are you trying to drag someone else down at this time?"
Seeing him come forward, a hint of disdainful coldness crossed Shang Ruyi’s face, and Yu Wenquan furrowed his brows at him. It was then that Uncle Gui suddenly realized but had no time to react before Hu Hua wiped his snot and tears with his sleeve, turned and pointed at him, "It was clearly you who embezzled the item and were afraid the Young Madam would search for it, so you asked me to take the opportunity of going to Tinghe Building for pastries to dispose of the cup."
He turned to Shang Ruyi, "Young Madam, I swear to heaven, I truly didn’t steal, it was Uncle Gui!"
Uncle Gui’s face twisted with anger as he pointed at him, yelling, "You’re slandering me!"
Hu Hua didn’t argue further with him but instead appealed to Shang Ruyi, "Young Madam, I really didn’t steal the item, I was only greedy for money. Uncle Gui took the cup and asked me to take it out of the mansion and dispose of it without being seen, and he gave me a string of coins. I, I was really confused..."
Shang Ruyi glanced at the cloth bundle, noting the string of coins and other loose money, and shook her head with a cold smile.
She looked up again at Uncle Gui, who was clearly flustered, and said, "This cup has only passed through three hands—you, Hu Hua, and Chang Wan. Now it has been proven that Chang Wan is innocent, so her words are trustworthy. Do you remember what Chang Wan said that day?"
"...!?"
Uncle Gui was stunned.
Shang Ruyi sneered, "Chang Wan made it very clear: the cup was returned to you for record-keeping, but you insisted that it wasn’t the case. Clearly, this statement is false. Compared with Hu Hua’s words, the matter becomes quite evident."
"..."
"From the beginning, you decided to slander Chang Wan, so when the item came to you, you didn’t record it; once exposed, you heard that I planned to search the mansion for this cup. To protect yourself, you could only destroy the cup and couldn’t leave any traces in the mansion, so you asked Hu Hua to take the opportunity to send the cup out to the Tinghe Building, making you feel at ease."
Here, her words abruptly stopped.
Everyone in the dining hall felt a breath being held; they only saw Shang Ruyi turn her head towards Yu Wenquan and say, "Father, how should this matter be dealt with, please make the decision."
Yu Wenquan’s face was somber, and he only gave Uncle Gui a cold glance before saying, "Expel him from the mansion. Settle his wages, and in the future, he is not allowed to come near the Duke Mansion by even a step!"
Uncle Gui fell to the ground with a thud, "Duke."
Yu Wenquan seemed unwilling to see him any longer and immediately got up and walked out, while Shang Ruyi calmly said to Aunt Hui, "Aunt Hui, Uncle Gui’s wages will trouble you. As for Hu Hua, there’s no need to continue employing him."
Aunt Hui did not display any emotions and respectfully said, "It is my duty."
After speaking, she walked up to Uncle Gui, "Come with me."
Uncle Gui shrank back, got up, and followed her, while the rest of the people in the tea room dispersed.
Shang Ruyi pointed to the silver in the cloth bag on the table and said to Mu Xian, "Take this money to Dengfeng and redeem the cup. Be careful not to damage it."
Mu Xian put away the cloth bag, "Yes."
After speaking, he turned and walked out.
The dining hall was left with only the three people at the dining table and Tushere and their group, making the atmosphere eerily quiet.
Yu Wenye, who had remained silent, suddenly said, "How are you so sure he would pawn the cup? What if he decides to just throw it away?"
Shang Ruyi looked back at him and gave a wry smile, "I’m also taking a gamble."
"A gamble?"
"If I had enough people at hand that day, I could have sent someone to follow him, catching him red-handed. But without enough people, I could only gamble. Actually, if the item simply disappeared, he might have stolen it, but since the theft involved not being logged, the issue could only lie with Chang Wan and Uncle Gui. I deliberately closed the back door and side door, allowing only the tea room people to exit, forcing them to take the side door as their escape route, pressuring them to deal with the cup."
"And then?"
"Then, Uncle Gui, feeling afraid, would definitely deal with the cup as quickly as possible through this line."
Yu Wenye said, "I still say, what if Hu Hua really wants to throw it away?"
Shang Ruyi said, "He didn’t steal the item himself but went to finalize the matter, indicating someone promised him great rewards. Undoubtedly, he is a greedy person, and how could a greedy person resist such a huge profit?"
Yu Wenye said, "You mean, that cup?"
Shang Ruyi nodded, "I deliberately mentioned that this cup could easily fetch dozens of taels of silver at any pawnshop. How could he not be tempted? Even if Hu Hua isn’t the one dealing with the cup, my words would make whoever has the cup understand."
"...Mm."
"Then, I rewarded him with an additional string of loose coins."
"What was the reason for that?"
"If a person hasn’t tasted good things, they can’t be tempted by them. Only by letting them taste the sweetness will they be reluctant to destroy something valuable. He got so much money from me and from the person who entrusted him with the task; rather than being satisfied, his insatiable greed only grows—that is the nature of a greedy person."
"..."
"This way, I am certain he will find a place to pawn that Yue Kiln cup."
"..."
Yu Wenye looked at her, silent.
However, whether it was because the candlelight flickered from across, the light shimmered in his eyes.