Climbing on the Sparrow Branch – CH 040

Chapter 40: The Truth

“What’s going on?” An Zhi frowned. It was just money to support her parents’ home. It shouldn’t be as exaggerated as beating someone to death, right?

An Jing sobbed and spoke incoherently, “After my uncle left today, madam sent someone to say that she was missing a jade bracelet, which my mother had stolen and given to my uncle.”

Stealing in the inner house was a serious matter.

But An Zhi found it strange. Concubine Cheng was usually cautious and timid, so it was impossible for her to steal anything, let alone steal Meng Jie’s things. Even if she had ten times the courage, she wouldn’t dare to do it.

An Zhi was afraid that something might happen if she was late, so she hurried to the main courtyard with everyone.

When she arrived at the main courtyard, Concubine Cheng had already been beaten with two boards, and Concubine Zhang was kneeling beside her, crying and begging for mercy.

“Madam.” An Zhi first saluted Meng Jie. The two maids carrying out the beating saw An Zhi coming and paused, hesitating whether to continue. “I heard that Concubine Cheng stole Madam’s bracelet, is that true?”

Meng Jie nodded and said coldly, “That bracelet was a dowry my mother left me. Although it’s not very valuable, it means something special to me. If Cheng Pingjin hadn’t come to our house today and I had learned that Concubine Cheng had secretly given Cheng Pingjin something, I wouldn’t have known there was a thief in our house!”

After saying that, Meng Jie’s eyes fell on An Zhi, with a hint of competition in mind.

An Zhi said softly, “I know that Concubine Cheng often does some housework to supplement her family’s income, but she’s always been timid and wouldn’t dare steal madam’s bracelet. Is there some misunderstanding here?”

An Jing also knelt down and cried, swearing that his aunt had definitely not stolen anything.

“Misunderstanding?” Meng Jie had just spoken when Xi’er behind her showed An Zhi a pawn agreement. “Zhi’er, look carefully. It’s written in black and white that Cheng Pingjin pawned my bracelet.”

An Zhi looked at the contract and found it correct. Thinking about Cheng Pingjin’s character, she thought, “Since it was Cheng Pingjin who pawned madam’s bracelet, we should send someone to arrest Cheng Pingjin.”

An Zhi doesn’t care at all about Cheng Pingjin’s life or death.

Meng Jie snorted, “Is there any need to look for Cheng Pingjin? This bracelet must have been given to Cheng Pingjin by Concubine Cheng. Otherwise, how could Cheng Pingjin, a stranger and someone I’ve never met, steal my bracelet?”

Hearing Meng Jie say this, An Zhi knew that Meng Jie wanted to use this matter of Concubine Cheng to show off her power. In fact, it was difficult for her to intervene in this matter, but if she did not help Concubine Cheng, given her personality, Concubine Cheng would definitely not push it to Cheng Pingjin. Then she might really be beaten to death or maimed and sold. However, An Jing was still so young, and An Zhi could not bear it.

“Madam, you’re wrong.” An Zhi still spoke up to defend Concubine Cheng. “Cheng Pingjin has always been a thief. He doesn’t have to steal from the An family. After all, Concubine Cheng gave birth to a son for my father. When my father returns, he will know Concubine Cheng best. Madam, why don’t you bring Cheng Pingjin here and ask him clearly? If you accidentally hurts someone, it will be bad for your reputation.”

When An Zhi said this, she not only mentioned An Chengye, but also brought Meng Jie into the conversation. It can be said that she was directly challenging Meng Jie.

She knew that if she didn’t speak seriously, Meng Jie would definitely not agree to such trouble. Since helping Concubine Cheng meant offending Meng Jie, she might as well offend her completely. After all, after Meng Jie went to the Pei family to report her, there was always a barrier between her and Meng Jie.

When Meng Jie heard An Zhi’s words, her expression changed instantly, and her hand holding the teacup began to tremble. She glanced at Xi’er beside her and saw her shaking her head slightly, unsure. She gritted her teeth and agreed. Originally, she had wanted to show off her power to the people in the mansion. She didn’t care about Concubine Cheng’s life or death. She found that the people in the mansion still listened to An Zhi’s words, so she wanted to use this opportunity to establish her authority.

Seeing Meng Jie nod, An Zhi immediately ordered Fusheng to find someone to capture Cheng Pingjin. “First, go to the gambling houses and restaurants in the capital to look for him. If you find him, gag him and tie him up. Don’t give him a chance to speak.”

After giving the order, An Zhi smiled and praised Meng Jie, “Madam is so considerate and generous. Don’t worry, I will definitely help you get justice in this matter.”

After saying that, An Zhi turned around and helped Concubine Zhang up, then went to check on Concubine Cheng’s injuries.

“Miss, I didn’t steal.” Concubine Cheng cried until her voice was hoarse, but she kept saying this over and over again. An Zhi didn’t ask any other useful questions.

An Zhi had no choice but to wait for people in the courtyard.

She had stood up for Concubine Cheng today, and now everyone in the courtyard respected her. She was afraid Meng Jie would resent her and want her to leave the An family. After all, no one wanted to be the head of the family while their subordinates were thinking about another master.

But this was not what An Zhi wanted to see.

From the moment she handed over the housekeeping power, she hoped that Meng Jie could support the family, but Meng Jie was incapable and short-sighted. She couldn’t just come to her house and say, “Madam, you can’t do this, you should do this, that.” So, life was really hard.

Everyone waited for almost an hour before the servants brought Cheng Pingjin over.

Cheng Pingjin was so thin that his cheekbones were prominent and his eye sockets were sunken.

An Zhi took the cloth from Cheng Pingjin’s mouth and asked, “Let me ask you, did you steal madam’s bracelet?”

“No, how could I possibly get close to the Madam!” Cheng Pingjin cried out in injustice, “Sister, please help me speak up. I came to the An family, but I haven’t even met the Madam yet.”

Yes, An Zhi had thought about this from the beginning, “Just because you haven’t seen her in the An family doesn’t mean you haven’t seen her outside.”

Cheng Pingjin panicked, his eyes flickering. An Zhi noticed something was wrong and asked, “Why, you still haven’t said anything?”

She smiled coldly, “Since you won’t tell me, let’s go see the official. I guess you’re not afraid of Tianbo Mansion, but I heard the new master in Tianbo Mansion is very ruthless. He can tear people’s skin apart with just one interrogation.”

“I’ll speak!” Cheng Pingjin turned his head, finally settling on Concubine Cheng, “My sister gave it to me. Yes, she gave it to me.”

When Concubine Cheng heard this, she was stunned and turned to look at her brother crying, but still couldn’t say a word.

An Zhi glanced back at Meng Jie and saw a slight smile on her face, which further confirmed her guess. She continued to ask Cheng Pingjin, “Then tell me, when did Concubine Cheng give you the bracelet, and how did she give it to you? After you pawned the bracelet, you should have come to give Concubine Cheng money today. Binglu, take someone to Concubine Cheng’s room to see if there is any stolen money. If not, we will send Cheng Pingjin to the authorities. When the time comes, I will definitely ask the interrogator to drink more tea. I am sure we can get the truth out of him.”

After An Zhi finished speaking, she had someone continue to block Cheng Pingjin’s mouth. She turned to Meng Jie and replied, “Madam, if the stolen money is found later, the rest of the matter will be decided by you, Madam.”

Meng Jie’s throat choked, and her chest felt heavy. She hadn’t expected An Zhi to be so clever, to figure out how to lead the matter to the stolen money. She actually knew it wasn’t Concubine Cheng who stole it, because that day when she went to the tailor shop, she saw Cheng Pingjin following her furtively, and she had deliberately left the bracelet for Cheng Pingjin to pick up.

Seeing An Zhi staring at her, Meng Jie felt that this girl’s eyes seemed to be able to see through everything, which made her feel uneasy.

At this time, An Chengye came back. He saw the situation in the courtyard, frowned and asked Meng Jie, “What’s going on?”

Meng Jie said that Concubine Cheng might have stolen the bracelet, which was immediately refuted by An Chengye.

“That’s impossible.” An Chengye’s years of romantic life had one advantage: he understood women. “Concubine Cheng is as timid as a mouse. Even if you gave it to her, she wouldn’t dare to take something as valuable as yours. It definitely wasn’t stolen by her.”