Chapter 78: Catching the Thief
The locks were all intact—they hadn’t been forced open but had been unlocked with a key and then relocked.
There were two sets of keys to the Small Tea Room: one set was held by Pear Moon, and the other was kept by Granny Zhao.
Granny Zhao’s keys hung on the wall of her room and were never carried on her person.
It was entirely possible that the thief had stolen them to use or had made a duplicate set.
When Pear Moon usually locked doors or cabinets, the keyholes faced the right.
Now, the keyholes were all facing left, clearly locked by a left-handed person.
In all of Phoenix Ripple Courtyard, only Xiafu was left-handed!
Suppressing her rising anger, she opened the cabinet to take stock.
Nothing else was missing—only one cake of Phoenix Cluster Sparrow Tongue Tea was gone.
This was a gift from Old Madam Ning at the beginning of the year, a premium spring tea originally intended as tribute to the imperial family.
Four cakes had been sent in total, and Shen Shi treasured them dearly.
She had sent two back to her maiden home, opened one for herself to drink, and one complete cake remained.
This fine spring bud Sparrow Tongue Tea cake, if sold, would fetch at least thirty taels of silver.
The thieving maid certainly had an eye for quality, targeting only the most valuable items.
“Seeking death!” Pear Moon cursed under her breath.
If the theft hadn’t affected her directly, she wouldn’t have bothered with the matter.
But now that she had been wronged, she wasn’t one to be trifled with.
Glancing sideways, she saw the maids in the outer room chatting idly.
Xiafu sat among them, her eyes darting about, occasionally drifting toward Pear Moon with deliberate or unintentional glances.
Pear Moon gently closed the cabinet and calmly added charcoal to the tea stove.
“Xiao Yue, the courtyard hasn’t been peaceful lately. The maids have lost quite a few things. Even Granny Fan from the kitchen said some fish, shrimp, and eggs went missing. You have quite a bit of premium tea in your room—you should make sure to lock the cabinet properly.”
Xiafu spoke gently, her face full of concern.
“If you lose something of your own, you can only blame your own misfortune. But the items in the tea room and kitchen are for the masters’ use. If they go missing, it’ll be a huge trouble.”
“Not only will the thief go uncaught, but Granny Zhao will first accuse you of negligence. You could lose your position, be caned, or forced to kneel as punishment. And even after the caning, you’d still have to pay for the missing items out of your own pocket.”
These rules were utterly tyrannical, frightening the young maids.
“Ah? Granny Zhao is so unreasonable!”
Xiafu quickly shushed them, frowning deeply as she spoke vividly.
“Granny Fan from the kitchen lost items worth over ten taels of silver. Afraid of Granny Zhao’s scolding and punishment, and even more afraid of losing her position as the small kitchen’s supervisor, she paid for the losses out of her own pocket.”
“The young mistress is the mistress of Ningguo Mansion. If word got out that there were thieves around her, Phoenix Ripple Courtyard would lose all face. So, everyone must be extra vigilant to keep the thieves from acting. Stability is the way to manage a household.”
While spouting this twisted logic, Xiafu faced the others but directed her words toward Pear Moon.
When Xiang Rui lost her bracelet in the morning, Xiafu had gone over and said the same thing.
Now that Pear Moon had lost a tea cake, she was repeating the same script.
Unfortunately for her, Pear Moon was no Xiang Rui—she didn’t buy into this nonsense.
“Thank you for your concern, Sister Xiafu. The Small Tea Room cabinet is locked—nothing will go missing!”
“Xiao Yue is so meticulous, doing her job well.”
Seeing that Pear Moon hadn’t caught on, Xiafu felt relieved and sat back with a smile, chatting idly.
Pear Moon sent Autumn Abundance to keep an eye on Xiafu and had Huan Huan watch the tea room, then slipped away to Tranquil Study to find Jade Ink.
Although Sparrow Tongue Tea was valuable, it wasn’t particularly rare in Ningguo Mansion.
She borrowed a cake from Jade Ink and quietly tucked it into her sleeve.
In the late afternoon, as the sun began to set, Shen Shi and the Ning family young ladies returned from the Tan family.
First, they went to Brocade Prosperity Hall to see Madam Ning and discussed the matter of visiting the Tan family, then each returned to their own courtyard.
Shen Shi, supported by Zhi Qing’s hand and shielding her head with a gold-dusted round fan, swayed as she entered Phoenix Ripple Courtyard.
She left with a sullen face and returned still looking thoroughly displeased.
Pear Moon brought a cup of Sparrow Tongue Tea and a plate of lotus root powder cake into the Main Chamber.
Shen Shi frowned and ordered them placed on the Bing Jian, intending to drink the tea only after it had cooled.
Dong Mei, carrying a gift box, was just about to set it down when Shen Shi unleashed a torrent of scolding upon her.
“What are you leaving it in this room for? Take it to the Storehouse!”
Dong Mei was startled and hurriedly retreated with the items.
Miss Tan’s birthday banquet was exceptionally grand.
Apart from the Ning family womenfolk, several women from other hereditary noble families also attended.
Shen Shi, a first-rank Duchess, didn’t even get a seat at the head table.
With General Tan being only a fourth-rank military officer, he certainly wouldn’t have such extensive connections.
Most likely, they were trying to use the Tan family to curry favor with either Eunuch Lu or Ning Yuanjun.
Since they came to flatter, the birthday gifts they brought were particularly lavish.
With everyone giving extravagant gifts, Shen Shi’s own offering seemed insignificant.
According to the capital’s customs, all birthday gifts must be displayed on a large red felt spread over the banquet table.
Shen Shi had only pastries and fruits, which looked decent when displayed, especially the plate of lychees.
The rest, like fabrics and jewelry, were too shabby to present, even inferior to what Miss Ning had gifted.
Midway through the banquet, Eunuch Lu sent a young eunuch to deliver birthday gifts to his goddaughter.
Two pairs of golden begonia flowers, a pair of golden peach wine cups, a foot-tall red coral tree, and a jade table screen.
The four gold-traced lacquer boxes were dazzling, eliciting gasps of admiration from all present.
Shen Shi grew even more uncomfortable and left before the banquet concluded.
The return gifts from the Tan family only made her angrier the more she looked at them.
After changing clothes in the Dressing Room, Shen Shi put on a casual gauze gown and reclined on the cool daybed, fuming.
For some reason, Shen Shi simply couldn’t stand the Tan family, especially Tan Leyao.
There was another matter today that left her extremely displeased.
At the banquet, Tan Leyao led out the black horse gifted by Ning Yuanjun.
Some quick-witted, flattering guests praised it extravagantly.
Shen Shi had been very displeased yesterday when Ning Yuanjun gifted the horse, finding it highly improper.
Seeing Tan Leyao flaunt it today only lowered her opinion further.
An unmarried young lady accepting a gift from an unrelated man and publicly displaying it—such rustic behavior lacked any semblance of a refined maiden’s demeanor.
The Sparrow Tongue Tea had chilled. Shen Shi picked up the cup and drank, but it still couldn’t dispel her inner heat.
She ordered Xiafu to fan her and called for Pear Moon to brew another cup of Elsholtzia Decoction.
Pear Moon bent to collect the tea tray. As she exited, she passed by Xiafu.
“Sister Xiafu, your handkerchief fell into the Bing Jian!”
The rosewood cover was slightly ajar, dripping icy water.
Half of Xiafu’s handkerchief was soaked inside, mostly drenched.
“Oh…” she hurriedly pulled out the wet handkerchief.
Plop!
The handkerchief’s tassel dragged out a palm-sized red paper packet, which happened to fall onto the floor.
“This is Phoenix Cluster Sparrow Tongue Tea. Sister Xiafu, why are you carrying a tea cake?”
Pear Moon smiled sweetly, her lively eyes fixed on Xiafu’s face.
“What tea cake? This isn’t mine!”
Xiafu panicked and hastily tugged at her handkerchief.
The kingfisher-feather-adorned handkerchief was dripping wet and had caught on something, producing a series of crisp, clattering sounds.
A large bunch of copper keys scattered, clinking sharply against the floor tiles.
Shen Shi couldn’t help but sit up, and Granny Zhao from the outer room lifted the curtain and entered.
Both women frowned deeply, staring blankly at the tea cake and the keys.
Pear Moon retreated two steps with the tea tray, quiet as a little quail.
“It wasn’t me who took it! I didn’t steal the Sparrow Tongue Tea cakes! I didn’t take Granny Zhao’s key either!”
Xiafu trembled all over as if she had seen a ghost wall, instantly collapsing to her knees.
“I didn’t steal it, it wasn’t me!”