*trying to hide it makes it more conspicuous (idiom); A
cover up only makes matters worse.
"Grandmother is right, naturally the Mansion is not
haunted, what is haunted are ‘people’s 'hearts'!" Nangong Yue said aloud:
"At first, granddaughter thought that my brother was mistaken, but it
wasn't until Ning Pozi in the Mansion presented an object that
granddaughter was sure that it was someone pretending to be a ghost!
"What is it?" Su Shi asked in a cold voice.
"A ghost mask and a white coat were thrown down in
haste last night by the person who pretended to be a ghost when he escaped to
the back door of the garden because he was bumped into by Ning Pozi.
Granddaughter has brought it with her." Nangong Yue took a blue bundle
from Yi Mei's hand and presented it with both hands.
The eyes of the crowd were instantly focused on that bundle,
their gazes shining as they all thought to themselves: could it be that someone
really pretended to be a ghost to scare people?
"Bring it to me and let me see." Su Shi said in a
deep voice.
"Auntie, no!" Su Qingping said with a worried look
on her face, "Such a filthy thing should not defile your old lady’s
eyes."
"Ping Biaogu's words are wrong." Nangong
Yue said with a straight face: "The real filth is in the hearts of the
people. Yesterday, that man pretending to be a ghost scared my elder brother.
If we don't investigate this and find that person out, I don't know who else
will be killed tomorrow!"
She said, without waiting for Su Shi's reply, she
decisively opened the bag ...... Even though everyone was prepared, they
couldn't help but suck in a breath of cold air at the sight. The ghost mask was
so hideous that it was already creepy in the daytime, not to mention at night!
"Ah ......" Nangong Lin even screamed half in
terror, the latter half being muffled by her own tightly clasped hands.
Su Shi's eyes clouded over, still not saying
anything.
Nangong Yue was not in a hurry and continued unhurriedly:
"Grandmother, Granddaughter looked closely at the mask last night and
could not see anything special about it. Only this white robe, granddaughter,
thinks that the fabric is Songjiang fine cloth." Nangong Yue's words were
like a drop of water in a hot frying pan, causing a clatter.
Su Shi's brow almost knitted into a twist at her words. The
Songjiang fine cloth was a new fabric introduced by the Jinxiu Cloth House only
in the last year. This fabric is produced in small quantities and can be said
to be in excess of demand. In the past days, the Nangong House was in mourning
in its old mansion and showed itself in a low profile, so it never imported
this fabric at all.However, after entering the capital this time, someone
showed goodwill to the Nangong House and sent a few pieces of cloth. It is hard
to believe that this haunting is still related to the master of the house?
Then no matter who we find out it is, it's a big joke!
If word gets out, I'm afraid it will become the laughing
stock of the entire royal capital!
Su Shi's eyes were gloomy and uncertain, her right hand
gripping the armrest of her circle chair tightly.
This fabric is...... Su Qingping's eyes flashed and she said
with a curious look on her face: "I see nothing special about this fabric;
it's just ordinary white cloth. How did Yue Jie'er decide that it was
Songjiang fine cloth?"
Nangong Yue picked up the white robe and said, "As we
all know, although Songjiang fine cloth looks like ordinary fine cloth, it has
one characteristic, that is, when it meets water, it becomes more snug and soft
and absorbs sweat. There are not many pieces of this cloth in the Mansion, Wang
Mama, am I right?"
"Yes, Miss Third." Wang Mama hurriedly
said, ""If this old slave remembers correctly, each of the three Furens
in the Mansion got one piece. Eldest Miss and Su Biao guniang got
one piece each."
Zhao Shi nodded slightly, "That is indeed true."
When Su Qingping heard this, she was astonished and said
nervously, "I, I also have......" and then she suddenly blushed:
"Yes, I remember. Aunt had sent someone to deliver over a fine white cloth...... but my eyes are too clumsy to recognize the gold and jade, and I have
let the pearl fall into the dust." Speaking later, she lowered her head in
shame, revealing her slender white neck, but there was a flash of obscurity in
her eyes. So that was Songjiang fine cloth, the subordinate who delivered it
for Aunt did not remind me, so i made a joke of myself!
Nangong Lin was furious in her heart: As the proper young
lady of Nangong Mansion, she had not been able to get it. But a poor relative
like Su Qingping, who had no vision, had got it. Grandmother's heart is so
biased! Surely it was her mother who was best for her!
Su Qingping's heart turned to relief and her eyes darted
around and she had an idea. She suddenly said to her maid, Liurong:
"Liurong, go and fetch my Songjiang fine cloth for the Third guniang to
see."
"Yes, Eldest Miss." Liurong led the way and went
away. Su Qingping lived in the side courtyard of Rong'antang, not far
away, and in a short while, Liurong brought a white cloth in her arms.
At Nangong Yue's gesture, Yi Mei went up to look at it and
returned, " Miss Third, it is indeed Songjiang fine cloth."
Su Qingping couldn't help but hook the corners of her mouth,
a glint of smugness flashing in her eyes.
Nangong Yue saw all this in her eyes and her heart sank: In
accordance with reason, Su Shi has not yet made a statement, Su Qingping
doesn't need not be so eager to show her innocence at all, but she has done so.
From what I know about this woman, Su Qingping never does anything useless,
could it be that......
Nangong Lin's gaze fell on Su Qingping's cloth, Thinking
that I had a clear conscience anyway, she simply stepped forward and said:
"Third jiejie, my mother has already given me her Songjiang fine
clothes to make my inner garments. The scraps of fabric are still there, so
I'll send Xing Yu to fetch them." She gave a wink to her maid, Xing Yu,
who immediately responded and went away.
"Please trouble fourth meimei." Nangong Yue
bowed her body, and said to Yimei, "Yimei, go and fetch my mother's fine
Songjiang cloth as well ......"
"That won't be necessary." Zhao Shi interrupted
Nangong Yue, "And how would second sister-in-law go about harming Xin
Ge’er!"
But Nangong Yue still insisted on her own opinion:
"Eldest Bomu, my mother naturally would not harm Xin Ge’er,
but niece is also afraid that there are internal thieves. It's better to check
the evidence one by one." Yimei hurriedly took orders and went away.
The situation had come to this point and Zhao Shi could
not help but frown. If she didn't take a stance now, it would be as if she was
acting with a guilty conscience, so she said to Ying Mama: "Ying Mama,
go and fetch the Songjiang fine cloth of Zheng Jie'er and mine."
"Yes, Eldest Furen." Ying Mama also
retreated.
Su Shi remained seated in her round chair, her face grim,
indicating nothing.
The waiting was always so long, and for a moment there was
silence in Rong'anTang, Nangong Lin quietly came over and tugged on
Nangong Yue's sleeve, muttering in a whisper: "Third Jiejie, who do
you think it could be?"
Nangong Yue's face revealed a smirking expression, "How
would I know this?"
"Then who do you most wish to find out?" Nangong
Lin's words were clearly ill-intended.
A sneer appeared on Nangong Yue's face: "That's not
right, Fourth meimei! I believe that neither Eldest Aunt, Third Aunt nor Eldest
jiejie would do such a despicable thing. But with this tone of voice, could it
be that meimei is suspicious of......" she deliberately wanted to
say something but then stopped. In fact, originally Nangong Yue had also
suspected Third aunt Huang. After all, Huang Shi had just picked up a fight
against herself and her mother not long ago. But now, looking at Nangong Lin's
attitude, she was almost certain that the matter should have nothing to do with
Huang Shi.
Instead, it was "her" ..... Nangong Yue gave Su
Qingping a meaningful glance, there was something really odd about the
behaviour of her Ping Biaogu.
