Chapter 245 Theft

When the woman saw this old man, her eyes went wide in alarm, and she spun around, terrified, to run.

But as she spun around, she found herself face-to-face with Ji Yuntang, whose face was full of smiles, though the chilly glint in her eyes sent a chill down the woman's spine.

She instantly felt like a venomous snake had locked onto her.

Turning back again, she met the old man's weathered face, tinged with anger.

In that moment, she felt completely trapped.

The old man walked over, pounding his cane hard against the ground, and said furiously, "Widow Yang, what are you doing here? Your two kids at home are hoarse from crying from hunger, and you don't even care. Instead, you're causing a scene in the street. You've brought shame to Osmanthus Village!"

This old man was the village head of Osmanthus Village. The reason Ji Yuntang had sent Wang Sheng to investigate the woman's background was that she'd noticed the woman's clothes and look were very plain and modest.

She figured the woman came from a poor family and wouldn't blow three hundred taels of silver on a skincare set.

Plus, the skincare set was meant for a different age group.

After Wang Sheng's investigation, he discovered that the woman was from Osmanthus Village. Her husband had died a few years ago, leaving her with two daughters, the elder aged five and the younger just three years old.

She was now raising both kids alone, barely scraping by.

She only got by thanks to handouts from the villagers.

But Widow Yang was clearly a sharp-tongued troublemaker. She had a terrible reputation in the village and was known for regularly beating and mistreating her two daughters.

If Wang Sheng hadn't gone to Osmanthus Village today, found Widow Yang's house, and heard the heartbreaking screams of the kids inside.

Those two kids might have starved or gotten sick.

Widow Yang was genuinely freaking out when she saw the village head.

She wasn't scared of other people, but she was terrified of Village Head Qin, who strictly stuck to the rules.

After all, one word from him could determine the fate of her and her two girls.

Widow Yang hadn't expected Wang Sheng to bring Village Head Qin. She stood there frozen, not knowing what to say.

"Village head, I... I'm here..."

Just then, a young woman in a blue tight-fitting outfit walked out of the crowd. She had a heroic air about her, with her hair tied up high. Her skin wasn't as fair as other young ladies in the capital; instead, it had a healthy tan. Her eyebrows and eyes were sharp and crescent-shaped, and a black sword hung at her waist, the red tassel swinging as she walked.

The woman approached, clasped her hands in a bow to Ji Yuntang, and said with respect, "Princess Ye, may I take a look at that skincare set?"

Ji Yuntang narrowed her eyes a little, sizing up the striking woman in front of her. She felt an odd sense of familiarity about her.

But she was certain she did not know this woman.

At this moment, Tao Zhi came over and whispered to Ji Yuntang, "Princess, this is the second daughter of the Dingyuan General's Mansion, Pei Zhiyi. I heard that Miss Pei has always been into swords and martial arts since she was a kid, and she never liked staying in the manor to learn sewing and etiquette. So after she turned fourteen, she followed the Dingyuan General to fight on the frontier. She just got back a few days ago after a victorious campaign."

Upon hearing this, Ji Yuntang understood.

No wonder she felt a familiar aura about the woman. It turned out she had also been on the battlefield, carrying the iron-blooded spirit of a soldier.

Perhaps because she herself had once been a military doctor, often accompanying troops in battle.

Thus, Ji Yuntang felt a sense of camaraderie and goodwill toward this heroic and spirited woman before her.

She smiled slightly and said, "So it's the daughter of the Dingyuan General. I've been rude—I'm sorry for not recognizing you earlier."

"May I ask why Miss Pei wants to look at this skincare set?"

Pei Zhiyi was also a straightforward person. She said outright, "Princess Ye, you may not know this. A few days ago, my father and I had just returned to the capital after our victorious campaign. I heard that the skincare products from Wan Zhuang Lou were especially popular among the ladies in the capital, and the best part was that they could lighten your skin."

"So my dad had someone buy a set for me. It was exactly this whitening and beautifying set."

"At first, I didn't believe it would work that well. But after using it for three days, I found it really did lighten my skin. So I followed the instructions and used it every morning and evening. Now, after about ten days, my skin is already a shade lighter than when I came back from the battlefield."

At this point, Pei Zhiyi's tone suddenly changed, and her voice turned much colder.

"But two days ago, our manor was robbed. The thief didn't just steal five thousand taels of silver plus some porcelain and jewelry—they also stole this skincare set from my room."

"When I got back with my dad and brother, the place was already broken into. My brother reported it to the authorities, but so far, there's been no sign of the stolen stuff."

The next moment, Pei Zhiyi grabbed the hilt of her sword and glared coldly at Widow Yang.

"Losing the silver and jewelry is no big deal, but losing this skincare set really upset me."

"Everyone in the capital knows how hard it is to get a skincare set from Wan Zhuang Lou. My dad called in a ton of favors and spent a lot of money just to get this one for me. Since it was stolen, I haven't been able to eat or sleep well for the past two days."

"Whenever I think about it, I want to draw my sword and chop that damn thief into pieces to avenge my skincare set."

Ji Yuntang raised her eyebrows slightly. She hadn't expected that a proper daughter of the General's Mansion would be so obsessed with a skincare set.

She had gotten to the point where she couldn't eat or sleep after losing it.

Ji Yuntang glanced at the skincare set and asked softly, "Miss Pei, do you think the set Widow Yang brought is the one you lost?"

Pei Zhiyi nodded, "Yes, every item in my set was already half-used. The one I cherished the most was the fragrant face cream. Every time I washed my face, I would slather it all over my face and neck. So the face cream should be the one that's used up the most."

"Just let me take a look, and I'll be able to tell if this is my set."

Ji Yuntang agreed.

"Alright, go ahead and have a look."

She also wanted to know where Widow Yang had gotten that skincare set.

From what Village Head Qin and Wang Sheng had said, Ji Yuntang could easily deduce Widow Yang's predicament and character.

Three hundred taels of silver was not much for the young ladies in the capital.

But for Widow Yang, it was an astronomical sum. She couldn't possibly afford it.

Moreover, this set was limited in quantity; it wasn't something she could buy even if she had the money.

After carefully examining the set, Pei Zhiyi was furious. She said to Ji Yuntang with certainty, "Princess Ye, I've checked it. This is my lost set. The amount of cream inside matches what I'd already used."

"She must be the one who stole from the Dingyuan General's Mansion and then came here to frame you."

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