Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 774 - 772

Chapter 774: 772

In the end, Du Yijin’s learning of the ceremonial rites naturally came to nothing, all thanks to Shangguan Ruixi’s self-hurting strategy.

Despite the injuries on his hands and feet, Shangguan Ruixi insisted on finishing the tea ceremony before leaving the palace, saying that the Empress Dowager had been looking forward to tasting the tea made by his wife for a long time. He couldn’t let her down!

The truth was, he feared that if he didn’t finish this time, there would be another unimaginable ordeal waiting for him. His poor body just couldn’t take it anymore!

Self-hurting strategy, although effective, was quite agonizing indeed!

The Empress Dowager couldn’t win against him and could only agree.

Xiao’er even wanted to give him an Oscar Award for his acting skills. No one could beat him!

Finally, when the tea ceremony was over, everyone unanimously breathed a sigh of relief.

The Empress originally planned to keep everyone for dinner at the palace and casually invite the new brides to play mahjong, hoping to see if there was a new addition to her group of friends who played mahjong.

But now, she had completely given up on that idea! The children should go back to their mansions as soon as possible! The night was too long, and so were the dreams!

Outside the palace gate, Xiao’er took out a can of burn ointment from a drawer in the carriage and asked Yang Liu to give it to Shangguan Ruixi.

She really wanted to thank him for his sacrifice!

Shangguan Ruixi and Du Yijin were sitting in the carriage. Du Yijin looked at Shangguan Ruixi’s hand, which was wrapped like a rice dumpling, and felt very distressed.

Noticing Du Yijin’s gaze, Shangguan Ruixi caught a glimpse of self-blame and deep concern in her eyes. His heart leapt with joy: getting hurt was totally worth it!

He couldn’t help but jest, "Now we can truly say we share weal and woe! Both of us have been injured! Luckily, I only hurt one hand and can still feed you."

Hearing this, Du Yijin felt even worse, "I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. Because of me, you got hurt."

"It’s not your fault. I just wasn’t careful enough," Shangguan Ruixi reassured her.

"I can see clearly." Du Yijin whispered. Her heart was not blind. As a child who lost her mother at a young age, she was very sensitive. She could tell who was sincerely nice to her.

Shangguan Ruixi’s heart warmed at her words, suddenly feeling that whatever he suffered was worthwhile.

...

When the two returned to the mansion, Shangguan Ruixi escorted Du Yijin to her courtyard. By then, the maids had already checked the dowry list and stored them all in the warehouse.

Qingfeng walked in with the dowry list, saluted the couple, and reported, "Crown Prince, Crown Princess, several pieces of jewelry from the Crown Princess’s dowry are missing."

"How could this happen?" Du Yijin was bewildered when she heard this.

Before the wedding, she remembered her father had assigned people to guard the warehouse. How could anything be lost!

"Have you checked thoroughly?" Shangguan Ruixi, who was about to go to his study room, stopped in his tracks upon hearing this.

"This servant has checked twice. There is absolutely no mistake."

Upon hearing this, Shangguan Ruixi frowned. If it was done by someone within the mansion, he would show no mercy!

"What exactly was lost?" Shangguan Ruixi asked coldly.

The maid read out the list of jewelry that was missing, based on the dowry list.

Shangguan Ruixi frowned even more tightly when he heard this. "That bracelet is an heirloom, passed down from the Empress Dowager. The Empress has one and my mother has one, it can’t be lost. Qingfeng, call Manager Furong over," he ordered.

Yijin believed that the people of Prince An’s mansion would not steal her dowry, if it was missing, it must’ve been lost at her maternal home!

Once the dowry was lost at Du Mansion, Yijin could only think of Mrs. Gu as the culprit.

However, the warehouse was always guarded by the accounting room, and only Du Wei had the key to the little Buddhist temple that her mother kept. She couldn’t understand how her dowry was lost.

"Xiao Yue!" She decided to ask the maid who had accompanied her from her maiden home.

Xiao Yue quickly came in. After marrying into Prince An’s Mansion, Xiao Yue felt inferior. Although she was still Yijin’s head maid, she realized that she knew nothing! Every move she made was ridiculed by the other maids in the courtyard.

The rules regarding the temperature of water for washing face, gargling, and bathing, the kind of water to be used for which tea, and not to mix them! The temperature of the prepared tea should just be right for drinking when serving to the master which means not a degree colder nor a degree hotter! Even the posture for making and serving tea and the posture for walking were stipulated! In short, even if she just sits there and does nothing, it’s always wrong!

She was heavily hit today! Hence, she was excited when Yijin called her, and involuntarily tears filled her eyes as she looked at Yijin.

Yijin was taken aback when she saw her this way. "Xiao Yue, what’s wrong?"

Upon hearing this, Shangguan Ruixi turned his head to look at her.

The way Shangguan Ruixi carries himself now was a far cry from the stern air he had when he kicked Gu Hongxia in Du Mansion. He was more like a cultured young man, gentle and refined like jade.

Xiao Yue glanced at him unintentionally and her heart beat wildly.

She was about to voice out the grievances she’d been experiencing in Prince An’s Mansion, but suddenly couldn’t get the words out. She shook her head and said, "Miss, I got sand in my eyes from the wind just now. What do you need me for?"

Yijin had something on her mind and didn’t think much about it, so she asked, "Just now Qingfeng was checking in my dowry, and found out that a few pieces of jewelry are missing. Can you go back home and ask the accounting room if anyone went into the warehouse?"

Xiao Yue was startled upon hearing this and stuttered, "Is... is the dowry missing?"

Seeing her reaction, Yijin asked, "A few pieces of jewelry are missing. Xiao Yue, do you know something about it?"

Xiao Yue, subconsciously glanced at Shangguan Ruixi who was also looking at her at this point.

Blushing, Xiao Yue lowered her head. She suppressed the wild beating of her heart and said quietly, "Yesterday, before people from Prince An’s Mansion came to lift the dowry, the accounting room suddenly had a stomach ache and had to step out. I happened to see this and offered help to guard the warehouse for a while. Then, Mrs. Gu came by and told me that the people from Prince An’s Mansion were here for the dowry and asked me to quickly go change into a suitable dress to accompany you as your maid for marriage, and she would guard the warehouse for a minute or two during my absence. Being able to follow you, Miss, made me really happy. Further, I could hear the music for welcoming the bridegroom already, so the people to lift the dowry would surely come in fast. As the accountant was also just going to use the restroom so it won’t be lengthy, I didn’t think much about it and gave the key to Mrs. Gu before running off to change."

At this point, what was unclear to Yijin anymore!

Mrs. Gu must have secretly taken these jewelries!

That is why Mrs. Gu did not want Xiao Yue to accompany her as the maid during marriage initially but agreed later.

And Mrs. Gu had a previous record! When she and Princess Rui used to earn silver together, Mrs. Gu had once sneaked into her room and threw everything in a mess, just to find that silver. She was caught red-handed by her. Since then, every time she went out, she always locked her room!

How could she think that Mrs. Gu would take her dowry! She even took the heirloom of Prince An’s Mansion!

Yijin was so angry that she clenched her fists; How could she be so outrageous! She even dared to steal her own dowry!