Ling Qingwan pretended not to know, but in fact the jade pendant was now on Wei Xun's body.
But if Sima Yan knew about this, she would probably faint from fright.
She went to such lengths just to suppress Ling Qingwan and humiliate her so that she could take the opportunity to please Wei Xun.
Ling Qingwan felt it was not worth it when she thought that Sima Yan used the relics left to her by her late father as a tool to frame others.
She felt sorry for Sima Yan's father and also for Sima Yan.
Why would she do this for a man who doesn't belong to her at all
"But my young lady has always carried the jade pendant with her, and she has never lost it in all these years. Today, just when I offered you a cup of tea, the jade pendant disappeared. How could such a coincidence happen in this world?"
Cui Tao was dissatisfied and refuted Ling Qingwan's words.
Yes, there is no such coincidence in the world. It was all planned by Sima Yan.
Ling Qingwan's mind was as clear as a mirror.
"Tsk, I didn't expect that the second young lady of the Ling family looked respectable, but it turns out that she has such dirty hands and feet."
"Have you forgotten? The Ling family is no longer as glorious as before. With his father's monthly salary, they have to support a large family. How can they not live in poverty? Maybe she was tempted by the money and wanted to steal the jade pendant to exchange for silver."
"Yes, yes, yes. Since it is the only thing that Miss Sima's father left her, the jade pendant must be very precious."
People around were whispering, a mixture of accusations and doubts, and every word reached Ling Qingwan's ears.
The thing Ling Qingwan heard most often was that she came from a rural background, so it was no wonder that she had such dirty hands.
Just because she had lived in the countryside for ten years, could any dirty water be thrown on her? Ling Qingwan snorted inwardly.
"Words are not enough, and there is no point in us arguing like this. Why don't you, Lord Sima, take charge and find someone to search me on the spot. Then, everyone will know whether I stole Miss Sima's jade pendant or not. If it is really found on me, I will personally apologize to Miss Sima. As for the punishment, you can ask me to pay compensation or send me to the authorities, as long as Miss Sima is happy."
After Ling Qingwan finished speaking, everyone present was shocked.
They didn't expect that Ling Qingwan had such a strong temper.
"However, if the jade pendant is not with me, Ms. Sima, including those who are here to accuse me, must apologize to me."
Then, Ling Qingwan added a sentence.
Cui Tao was certain that Ling Qingwan had stolen the jade pendant. Now Ling Qingwan proposed a solution. If they disagreed, wouldn't it be tantamount to admitting that they had wronged Ling Qingwan
Everyone was in a dilemma and agreed to Ling Qingwan's request.
Seeing Ling Qingwan so determined, they couldn't help but lose some confidence. The guests invited by Lord Sima today were all well-known figures in the capital, and they couldn't afford to apologize to a little girl like Ling Qingwan.
Everyone could only pray that things would go as they expected.
Lord Sima followed Ling Qingwan's arrangements and randomly selected six people, one of whom was Gu Zhi.
Ling Qingwan and Hong Shang were both taken to the backyard, and the six men entered the room one by one and searched them in turn.
When Gu Zhi came in, Ling Qingwan smiled at her.
"I'm sorry for wronging you."
Gu Zhi put his hand on Ling Qingwan's shoulder, searching her from top to bottom, while talking to her.
"It's even more unfair to be wronged." Ling Qingwan raised the corners of her mouth slightly and said softly.
"You actually have other solutions." Gu Zhi sighed.
Firstly, the jade pendant was definitely not on Ling Qingwan, and secondly, Ling Qingwan was there to support her. Ling Qingwan's decision to have someone search her was, in everyone's opinion, a bad idea.
This move not only wronged Ling Qingwan, but also took things to a new level.
In the current situation, whether the jade pendant is with Ling Qingwan or not, one of her and Sima Yan will be embarrassed.
"If I don't prove my innocence, those people present will not let me go. My reputation as a thief will spread throughout the capital and bring me more trouble." Ling Qingwan told Gu Zhi.
"You're right." Gu Zhi figured it out. "People just follow the crowd. The only way for you to stop them is to prove your innocence in the most straightforward way. Otherwise, even if the prince backs them up, they won't accept it."
"You understand me." Ling Qingwan chuckled.
"I dare not." Gu Zhi nodded.
As they finished talking, Gu Zhi finished searching her. After she left, the next person entered the room.
After a lot of trouble, it was nearly half an hour later when Ling Qingwan and Hong Shang came out.
Everyone was waiting in front of the stage.
Ling Qingwan and her group came back and immediately attracted the attention of everyone present. She saluted Sima Lord and returned to her seat.
Wei Xun naturally held Ling Qingwan's hand tightly again.
"How's the situation?" Some people in the crowd couldn't wait to know the result.
The six people all shook their heads, indicating that they had never found the jade pendant on Ling Qingwan or her personal maid.
For a moment, there was an uproar.
The most flustered among them was Cui Tao.
It was she who instigated Ling Qingwan to steal Sima Yan's jade pendant. Now that the jade pendant is not with Ling Qingwan, how should she explain it
But this shouldn't be the case... Sima Yan clearly swore to her that she had stuffed the jade pendant into Ling Qingwan's body during the toast. How could the jade pendant disappear out of thin air
"Since Miss Sima misunderstood Wanwan, shouldn't she come forward and apologize to Wanwan?" Wei Xun suddenly spoke to Lord Sima.
The huge deterrent force made everyone terrified. Lord Sima dared not neglect it and immediately sent someone to call Sima Yan.
Originally, this matter was Sima Yan's fault. Even if Wei Xun didn't mention it, Lord Sima would have asked Sima Yan to apologize to Ling Qingwan in public.
Soon, Sima Yan came after hearing the news.
"Yan'er! Apologize to Miss Ling Er quickly." Lord Sima urged Sima Yan.
Sima Yan was somewhat reluctant.
She turned her head and met Wei Xun's eyes.
Sima Yan was shocked.
When Wei Xun looked at her, his eyes were full of disgust, as if he was an enemy. Sima Yan had never seen Wei Xun like this before, and she was immediately frightened.
"It was my fault for not being able to discipline my maid properly. I didn't stop her, which eventually led to a big mistake and caused Second Miss Ling to suffer. Here, I apologize to Second Miss Ling on behalf of my maid. I will discipline the servants around me in the future. I promise that what happened today will not happen again. Please forgive me, Second Miss Ling."
Sima Yan pretended to be sincere and lowered her head to apologize to Ling Qingwan.
It was clearly Cui Tao who was instigated by her, but she pushed all the blame onto Cui Tao. What a nice apology.
Ling Qingwan denied it, and Wei Xun also denied it.
"Miss Sima, you lost the jade pendant your father gave you. I see you are worried about this, so today I will show you mercy and help you find the jade pendant."
After hearing this, Sima Yan's expression suddenly became flustered.
"Someone! Go to Miss Sima's room and search carefully. You must find the jade pendant today."