Lu Zhaoling spared a lazy glance for Madam Lu.
"Since you claim you didn't take them, then let's report it to the authorities."
Madam Lu instantly exploded in a fury. "Lu Zhaoling, are you out of your mind? Reporting to the officials over such trivial things?"
"Oh? And how do you know they are trivial?"
"Didn't you write them all down?" Madam Lu pointed angrily at the crumpled ball of paper on the floor.
"You managed to see everything with just a single glance?"
Lu Zhaoling leaned back slightly, sitting in an exceptionally indolent manner. Her tone was equally indifferent as she continued, "If nothing else, those few feet of Plain Moon Gauze left over from my dressmaking are worth at least a hundred taels.
That was a gift from Prince Jin's Manor; you can't buy it anywhere else. Furthermore, the pouches and handkerchiefs personally embroidered by my two maids are also worth a fortune."
"They're just two maids! How valuable could their embroidery possibly be!" Madam Lu shrieked.
Though Lu Ming had found her incredibly stupid just moments ago, he felt there was no issue with her words now. How much could some trinkets embroidered by two maids actually be worth?
In truth, Qingyin and Qingbao were a bit confused as well, but they exchanged a look and kept their mouths shut. Their lady must have a reason for saying this, and they couldn't afford to drag her down.
"You know of Nanny Qing from Prince Jin's Manor, don't you? In her youth, she served in the palace, even attending to the former Empress Dowager. Her embroidery skills were legendary back then; the Empress Dowagers and Consort Dowagers of the palace used the silk handkerchiefs she made."
Lu Zhaoling paused for a beat. "Of course, you two probably wouldn't know. After all, Master Lu is but a minor official, and you, Madam Lu, have no noble title. You haven't reached a level high enough to encounter such things."
She took the opportunity to trample on the couple's pride, and as expected, their faces darkened even further with rage.
"Qingyin and Qingbao were personally taught their embroidery skills by Nanny Qing. So, tell me, is their work valuable? I'm not boasting, but if word got out, a single silk handkerchief they embroidered could sell for ten taels of silver. Add in the fact that they are made from Plain Moon Gauze, and twenty taels would be considered a bargain."
"Why don't you just go and rob someone instead! Twenty taels for a single handkerchief! It's just a few embroidered flowers..." Madam Lu felt a sharp pang in her heart and couldn't help shouting again.
Lu Ming's face was utterly black. Stupid. She was being stupid again. She wasn't even as good as the Second Concubine!
Lu Zhaoling acted as if she hadn't heard the latter half of Madam Lu's sentence. She simply arched an eyebrow. "Besides, I'm a child who grew up in the countryside. I'm terrified of being poor and haven't seen much money in my life. To me, even a single tael is a massive amount. Naturally, I have to report this to the authorities."
Hadn't they been constantly mocking her for being a country girl, a little village wench? Now she said it herself, leaving them speechless.
"Qingbao, go report it. I believe that given my status as the future Princess Consort of Jin, the officers will show some face and investigate thoroughly. If they catch the thief..."
Qingbao suppressed a smile, stepped forward, and responded loudly, "Yes!"
"Wait!" Lu Ming called out sharply, stopping Qingbao in her tracks.
He stared at Lu Zhaoling. He could see that she wasn't joking; she really intended to report this to the officials. Such a small matter could be uncovered by the guards in no time.
By then, the Lu family would be "famous" once again.
If word got out that Lu Ming's wife had taken advantage of her daughter's absence to pick her locks and steal a few scraps of cloth and trinkets, they would be the laughingstock of the city! The humiliation would fall squarely on him.
His colleagues would mock him. What kind of woman had he married? How could her vision be so petty and shortsighted?
In the future, if anyone dared to call Lu Zhaoling a country-raised village girl, she could simply retort: Madam Lu even steals the scraps of a village girl like me. That alone would pin them to a pillar of shame they could never escape.
Thinking of this, Lu Ming's face turned a shade of red so deep it looked ready to drip blood.
Meeting Lu Zhaoling's mocking, half-smiling gaze, Lu Ming's fury surged to the crown of his head. He spun around, raised his hand, and delivered a vicious slap to Madam Lu's face.
Slap!
The force of the blow knocked Madam Lu's head to the side, leaving her ears ringing.
Lu Ming himself was stunned. His rage had incinerated his reason, and he had momentarily lost control. The moment the slap landed, he snapped back to his senses.
He shouldn't have hit her.
No matter what, she was his primary wife, the mistress of the Lu household. She was supposed to manage Lu Zhaoling whenever he wasn't home. Now, provoked by Lu Zhaoling, he had struck her, causing her to lose all face in front of the girl. How was she supposed to discipline Lu Zhaoling after this?
Just as Lu Ming was frantically trying to think of a way to salvage the situation, Madam Lu shrieked and lunged at him.
"You heartless beast! You actually dared to hit me! I've been married to you for over a decade, borne your children, managed your entire household, and even raised those illegitimate children for your concubines! And yet you hit me? Waaaaah, I don't want to live anymore!"
Caught off guard, Lu Ming was scratched by her nails, leaving three bloody furrows down his face.
"Have you gone mad!"
What little reason Lu Ming had regained was clawed away by her. He grabbed her hands and shoved her. Madam Lu stumbled back, falling toward Lu Zhaoling and collapsing onto her knees beside the soft couch.
This was a development Lu Zhaoling hadn't anticipated.
"Such a grand gesture of respect?" Lu Zhaoling teased, raising an eyebrow.
Madam Lu's eyes were rimmed with red from fury. Seeing Lu Zhaoling's feet right in front of her, she suddenly remembered the birthmark on the girl's ankle. She immediately reached out and yanked at Lu Zhaoling's sock.
Lu Zhaoling had sensed the movement the moment she started, but her eyes flashed, and she chose not to dodge. Her cloth sock was violently pulled off by Madam Lu.
"I'm going to see for myself if you actually have that birthmark!"
This Lu Zhaoling was far too arrogant; she was nothing like the Lu Zhaoling the old family members had described. If she could expose her as an impostor, she could throw her out!
At her unexpected action, Lu Ming's eyes also fixed on the spot, his heart leaping into his throat.
Lu Zhaoling took in his expression. So, they had been suspecting her of being a fake all along. Well then, she would let them see.
Qingyin and Qingbao stepped forward with frowns, just in time to see Lu Zhaoling's sock being removed. On her slender, snow-white ankle was a small, pale red birthmark, shaped like a curved crescent moon.
Had her skin not been so incredibly fair, such a faint crescent would have been hard to notice. It was as pink as a cherry blossom, making her delicate ankle look even more exquisite.
"No... how can there be a birthmark? How can this be..." Madam Lu was utterly devastated.
Qingyin quickly pulled Lu Zhaoling's sock back on. Lu Zhaoling leisurely retracted her foot beneath her skirt.
"So, Madam Lu has been suspecting that I am not the daughter of the Lu family? Tsk, tsk. If this gets out, I won't be the one losing face. You can't even recognize your own daughter and had to rely on a birthmark to confirm my identity. It just goes to show how little you've cared about me all these years."
Lu Ming's heart sank. If this were spoken of, the Lu family would once again become a joke! They had already lost enough face in the Imperial Capital recently!
He grabbed Madam Lu and hauled her up. "Let's go!"
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