Chapter 600: Chapter 600: Hard to Guard Against a Family Thief

Mo Lingwei walked up behind her, his gaze lowered to watch her communicate with the little mouse.

To him, the little mouse was just letting out a series of squeaks, but Shen Ningning seemed to truly understand, asking in surprise, "Really? Are you sure you saw it clearly?"

Then, something magical happened. The mouse actually nodded.

Mo Lingwei raised an eyebrow. ’Sometimes I worry my wife is too capable,’ he thought. ’What do I do if I can’t compare?’

This, for instance—communicating with animals—was something he could never learn.

But on second thought, he felt a surge of pride. ’Other men’s wives might be gentle and considerate, or skilled at laundry and cooking, but my little wife can talk to animals!’

Ah, but she wasn’t his wife yet.

Mo Lingwei’s expression darkened at the thought.

Having learned the truth, Shen Ningning pulled a piece of malt candy from her sleeve. "Thank you for coming to tell me. This is your reward."

The little mouse clutched the large piece of candy with both paws, squeaking in a language only Shen Ningning could understand—

"No need for thanks. You can call me Heroic Mouse. We hate humans and normally wouldn’t help you. But our Mouse King said you’re a generous woman and a good person, so he sent me to inform you. We’re the ones who took the food from the Ma Mansion and gnawed on the cabinets. That was because you said to teach him a lesson. But the missing gold and other things have absolutely nothing to do with us. That was a human’s doing!"

It had just finished telling Shen Ningning the specific details.

Now, hearing its words, Shen Ningning couldn’t help but break into a smile, her bright face beaming.

"I understand. You can go back now. Leave this to me. I’ll be sure to get to the bottom of it."

The little mouse nodded, then, clutching its candy, scurried back into its hole in the corner of the wall, HUFFING AND PUFFING.

Shen Ningning stood up and turned to see Mo Lingwei watching her.

"What did the mouse tell you?" he asked in a low voice, looking very curious.

Shen Ningning blinked her long lashes. "It said that when they went to Lord Ma’s house last night, they saw the person who really stole the golden Buddha."

With that, Shen Ningning’s gaze shifted to the ashen-faced Lord Ma.

The young woman walked over and asked meaningfully, "Lord Ma, do you still believe Manager Wen stole your golden Buddha?"

Lord Ma was suspicious in his heart, but he didn’t dare say it out loud.

"Not anymore, not anymore," he said, waving his hands repeatedly. "Perhaps I just forgot where I put it. I’ll have my men search for it again."

Hearing his tone, Shen Ningning was certain he still believed that Manager Wen had stolen it, or that Manager Wen had asked her to arrange for someone to break into his house in retaliation.

So, Shen Ningning pursed her pink lips. "I know where your golden Buddha is. A kind-hearted hero just told me."

"Where is the golden Buddha?" Lord Ma asked anxiously.

The surrounding commoners began to mutter amongst themselves—

"I told you! The Princess was definitely talking to the earth itself just now."

"Or an invisible immortal! Otherwise, how would she know where the gold is!"

Shen Ningning said calmly, "As the saying goes, the enemy within is the hardest to guard against. Go look in the chest under your son’s bed. You should find more than just the golden Buddha. The jade you lost before should also be there. And perhaps you’ll find an even bigger surprise."

Lord Ma was stunned. He owned several pieces of fine jade he had cherished for many years. They were a solid purplish-green, a variety known as "Spring with Color," and were completely free of impurities. They had been part of his wife’s dowry, but because he was so fond of them, he had kept them for himself. Many of his beautiful concubines had asked for them, but he could never bear to part with them.

But just half a month ago, the jade had vanished. Lord Ma had turned the entire mansion upside down but couldn’t find it. He didn’t dare make a scene, terrified his wife would find out.

’How could Princess Funing possibly know about this?’

To find out the truth, Lord Ma immediately prepared to return home. Mo Lingwei sent two guards to accompany him, lest he refuse to admit the truth.

During the wait, the garrison commander invited Mo Lingwei to take the judge’s seat in the county government office to rest for a while. But Mo Lingwei didn’t sit, instead guiding Shen Ningning to the chair.

"You sit and rest."

"What about you?"

"I’m not tired." Mo Lingwei’s thin lips pressed together as he glanced down at her.

Shen Ningning noticed the faint dark circles under his eyes. He must not have slept well while traveling day and night.

She grumbled, "What are you even doing here? I left you a letter. I was going to head back as soon as I finished things."

Mo Lingwei narrowed his eyes. "You heartless girl. I chased you for a thousand miles. What else could it be for? It’s for your safety, of course. I can’t rest easy with you out here all by yourself."

A warmth spread through Shen Ningning’s heart. She blinked and asked, "And Uncle Emperor was willing to let you leave?"

"He didn’t know when I left, but I also left him a letter. I learned that from you."

Hearing this, the young woman could just imagine the Emperor hopping mad after finding that letter.

She sighed helplessly. "Why don’t you head back after we’ve handled things here?"

"Trying to get rid of me? Impossible." Mo Lingwei’s refusal was decisive. He snorted coldly. "Without me, even if you could have settled today’s matter, it would have been more troublesome. So, I am quite useful. Take me with you. At the very least, I won’t cause you any trouble, and you’ll have an extra personal guard."

Shen Ningning burst into a fit of laughter.

The garrison commander cautiously had someone serve tea, bowing as he attended to the Crown Prince and the Princess. Even Manager Wen and his family were given stools to sit on.

Before long, the Crown Prince’s two guards returned, dragging a bruised and swollen young man with them. Behind them followed an infuriated Lord Ma.

"How did I end up with a bastard son like you! So it was you who stole it to pay your gambling debts! You son of a bitch, I’ll beat you to death today!"

He raised the club in his hand, and the young man cried out in terror. One of the Crown Prince’s guards immediately raised a hand to stop him, saying coldly, "Stop. Any more and you’ll kill him. How can we bring a dead man to justice?"

The garrison commander immediately had Lord Ma explain the entire sequence of events.

It turned out that the golden Buddha had indeed been stolen by Lord Ma’s son. He had returned to the house alone last night when no one was home to take it.

He had developed a gambling addiction and wracked up a huge debt of five thousand taels of silver.

But he didn’t dare tell his family, afraid that Lord Ma would break his legs.

When he stole the golden Buddha last night, the little mice had seen everything clearly, including where he hid it.

Mr. Ma knelt in the hall, begging Shen Ningning and Mo Lingwei to be merciful. But Shen Ningning spoke sternly, "You stole valuables. Even if you are Lord Ma’s family, you have still broken the law. According to the value of the golden Buddha and the jade, you are to be punished with fifty strikes of the cane and imprisoned for three months, to serve as a warning to others!"

This time, Lord Ma had no excuses left to make.

The truth was completely revealed, and the commoners cheered and applauded.

Manager Wen was so moved he was in tears.

That night, to express his gratitude for Shen Ningning and Mo Lingwei’s kindness, Manager Wen prepared a lavish banquet at his home in their honor.

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