C13 Hua Xiangxue Went Berserk

Jing Yeli looked at Hua Xiangxue, momentarily touched by her sorrowful smile. He slowly extended his hand, his tone unexpectedly gentle.

"Hand over the jade pendant to me—"

Hua Xiangxue retrieved the pendant from her pocket, and an attendant stepped forward to take it, passing it to Jing Yeli.

Holding the pendant, Jing Yeli spoke softly, "Assistant Minister Hua said this pendant was a birthday gift for your youngest daughter last year?"

Hua Gongfeng nodded without looking up, replying, "Yes."

Only after answering did he slowly raise his head, and when he inadvertently glanced at the pendant in Jing Yeli's hand, he was struck as if by lightning. His eyes were filled with disbelief and panic.

Jing Yeli turned his gaze to Hua Yunjin, who was kneeling not far away. "Young lady, is this the pendant you lost?"

Hua Yunjin lifted her head, about to speak, but Hua Gongfeng anxiously tried to interject. The attendant immediately admonished, "Please, Lord Hua, let the prince finish his questions."

Hua Gongfeng's face turned pale. He never imagined that the pendant would have such significant origins, even if it cost him his head!

Unaware of the pendant's importance, Hua Yunjin looked at it, her eyes shining. "Yes, Your Highness, please help me. This is indeed the pendant that was taken from me!"

Jing Yeli smiled slightly. "Mrs. Lau, what do you think?"

Lau Yuemei had kept her head down since entering the room, but now she slowly lifted it, her eyes lighting up when she saw the jade pendant. She knew Hua Yunjin didn’t own such a pendant, so where did Hua Xiangxue get it? There was no time to ponder.

At this point, even if it was just to protect her daughter, she had to grit her teeth and claim it. Besides, the family had the support of the head of the household. With this thought, she nodded resolutely, “Yes, that’s right!”

Jing Yeli smiled, and Hua Gongfeng felt a chill run down his spine. He dropped to his knees, hurriedly changing his tune, “Your Grace, please forgive me. Earlier, I didn’t see clearly and thought it was the pendant I gave my younger daughter last year! These two pendants look very similar, and it seems Mrs. Lau and my daughter got them mixed up. This isn’t the pendant I gave my daughter. Please, Your Grace, see the truth!”

Hua Yunjin, who thought she was about to get the pendant, looked puzzled. She quickly tugged on Hua Gongfeng’s arm and asked, “Dad, what’s wrong? That’s clearly—”

Hua Gongfeng, in a panic, slapped her hand away. The slap stunned Hua Yunjin, Hua Xiangxue, and Mrs. Lau.

“Stop your nonsense!” Hua Gongfeng scolded angrily, then turned to Hua Xiangxue and demanded coldly, “Xiangxue, tell me honestly, where did you get this pendant?”

Hua Xiangxue was taken aback. Suddenly, the urgency was gone, and Hua Gongfeng seemed flustered. Clearly, the origin of the jade pendant had startled him! Could it be that the pendant was stolen by that little thief, and that's why he was so anxious when it was taken from him?

Oh no! How did I not think of this sooner?

As this thought crossed Hua Xiangxue's mind, she glanced at Hua Gongfeng with an innocent expression. "Didn't you say it was a gift for my sister? And didn't Mrs. Lau and my sister also claim it was theirs?"

Mrs. Lau sensed something was amiss, but Hua Yunjin remained oblivious. Having never been punished before, she was first stunned and then quietly began to cry in distress.

But at this moment, Hua Gongfeng couldn't care less about Hua Yunjin's feelings. If this was all nonsense, the Hua family might not be able to bear the consequences.

"What nonsense are you spouting?!" Hua Gongfeng, seething with anger, slapped Hua Xiangxue. This slap was much stronger than before, and the hatred in his eyes was palpable, so much so that even Yeli and the others could feel it.

"Haha—" Hua Xiangxue hadn't expected Hua Gongfeng to slap her so naturally.

Right now, Hua Xiangxue was furious!

Seeing Hua Xiangxue stand up, Xia Wen quickly moved forward, but Jing Yeli raised a hand, and Xia Wen obediently stayed behind him.

“Hua Gongfeng—you said this jade pendant was a gift for your precious daughter—you said I shouldn’t have taken it from her—you said I was acting recklessly because of your favoritism—now, let everyone see, from the beginning until now, when have you ever stood up for me? Now that you see there’s a problem with the pendant, you’re still trying to pin it on me!

Hua Gongfeng, can you be fair? I’m your daughter too! My mother was your lawfully wedded wife! All these years, you’ve ignored me! Anyone with eyes can see the difference—look at what your eldest daughter is wearing compared to your precious daughter. Even Mrs. Lau, one of your concubines, dresses better than I do!”

Hua Xiangxue couldn’t hold back any longer; she had reached her breaking point!

Her barrage of sharp questions caught Hua Gongfeng off guard, leaving his face alternating between shades of green and black. Yet, despite opening his mouth, he found himself speechless, unable to refute her.

He never expected that his once timid daughter, who barely dared to speak up, would change so drastically.