Things get crazy in the palace when the rat returns. He goes after all the shiny things, and then stashes them in Dongwa's bed. Things could turn out bad for Dongwa as he gets accused of stealing. Can Sagwa help prove he is innocent or will she just make things worse?
It had been a long time since the rat had returned to the palace the last time, tricking Sheegwa, and the time before that he tricked Sagwa. But this time he would try to avoid the cats, while going to steal some of the Magistrate's things. He crept into the palace walls unseen. He climbed up the stairs, to small for the approaching Reader to see, he runs up the stairs and hides behind one of the Magistrate's shelves. "Baba are you going to come to my next Kung Fu demonstration?" asked Dongwa. "It depends Dongwa, I have a lot of scrolls left, I promise that IF I get my work done, I will head straight over there" said Baba. He respected Dongwa's love for Kung Fu and he wanted to make sure that his work didn't get in the way of spending time with him, but sometimes the Magistrate piled up work on Baba. "I understand Baba" said Dongwa as he left to go play with the alley cats. Baba soon left the room as well to go fetch a snack. "Alright he's gone!" said the rat. "He he he! It's all mine!" He said, as he grabbed a few jewels off of the desk by Tai Tai's bed. "I'm going to be rich!" he said as he looked at his shiny prizes. The sounds of footsteps could be heard coming up the stairs. "Baba Miao, I have some new rules to write, so let's get started" said the Magistrate as he led Baba back up the stairs. "Uh oh! I've got to put these somewhere" said the rat. He then decides to climb the beds and put them in Dongwa's bed. "They will never look here" he said as he covered them up with Dongwa's pillows. He had just got back in his hiding spot when the Magistrate's head could be seen coming up. "Suckers" whispered the rat.
In the alley, Sagwa, Dongwa, Han Han, and Jet Jet were playing with a ball that they found in the alley. "Pass it here Dongwa!" said Han Han as Dongwa caught it. "Here!" he said as he threw it Han Han's way. "Got it!" she said as she caught it. "Pass it here Han Han" said Sagwa. Han Han then rolled it on her back and off her tail in Sagwa's direction. Sagwa was ready to catch it only to have it caught right in front of her by Jet Jet. "Hey!" protested Sagwa. "You can't snooze or you lose" replied Jet Jet. "Sagwa! Dongwa! Time for dinner!" said Mama Miao. "Finally! I am starving" said Dongwa. "Bye guys, see you later" said Sagwa as she and Dongwa leave. "That's ok Han Han, we can practice so we can whoop up on them tomorrow" said Jet Jet. "Sounds like a plan" said Han Han.
"Aiya!" said Tai Tia as she had gone up to her room to discover that her jewels had been taken. "What is it my cherry blossom?" said the Magistrate. "My jewels are GONE!" said Tai Tai in horror. "Not to worry my dear, I will send one of your little dogs to sniff them out for you. I mean, who in the right mind would want to steal jewels in broad daylight? Right?" he said trying to comfort her a little bit. "Just find them!" she said. "Alright dogs, go find the jewels" commanded the Magistrate. The sleeve dogs started to sniff around, then one of them caught a scent that led to the cat beds. "What? Why are you circling the cats' beds?" said the Magistrate. Baba was in the room as well, and his eyes got wide when the dogs circled his family's beds. "Why are they circling the beds" he said to himself. "Hey, I smell it real strong over here" said Pong. "Let's get him to come over here" said Ping. The dogs, then begin to bark repeatedly until they could get him to come over. "Are you serious?" said the Magistrate. "I don't think that my cats would have done such a thing. But if it makes you little yappers happy, I will check the beds." Sheegwa's bed was clear so was Sagwa's, then he checked Dongwa's. "What is this?" he said as he pulled a necklace out from under Dongwa's pillows. He also pulled out a couple of diamond rings and earrings. "No! Not Dongwa!" he said. "Dongwa?" said Tai Tai. "This is very strange! Why would one of your cats steal from us?" "I don't know, but I do know that Dongwa is in big trouble!" said the Magistrate as he stormed down the stairs. Baba couldn't believe his eyes. "This cannot be happening! Dongwa is no theif!" said Baba to himself. He quickly ran down the stairs after the Magistrate.
The Magistrate stormed into the kitchen and walked right up to the cats and grabbed Dongwa. "What is this?" said the Magistrate as he held the jewels up to Dongwa's face. Dongwa was confused, why did the Magistrate grab him just to show him the jewels? "We found these jewels hidden in your bed! You ungrateful cat!" said the Magistrate. Dongwa's face went from confused to worry. The Cook, who was making the Magistrate some noodles, wasn't convinced that it was Dongwa. "How do you know it was him, your highness?" asked the Cook. "Because they were found in his bed, that is why!" said the Magistrate. The Cook decided not to talk back. "For what you have done, you will be banished from the palace, forever!" declared the Magistrate. "No!" thought Dongwa. It wasn't fair, he could do nothing to defend himself or convince the Magistrate that it wasn't him. "Theives will not be tolerated here in the palace!" said the Magistrate as he takes Dongwa's collar. "Cook throw him in the alley! He will never see the inside of the palace again!" said the Magistrate. The Cook could not say or do anything to help his little friend. Nor could he do anything to change the Magistrate's mind. "I'm so sorry Dongwa" said the Cook as he took Dongwa to the alley and put him down. Dongwa could only sit there, with tears running down his eyes. He had lost everything, and he didn't even know why. It didn't matter, he was now an outcast.
Back in the palace, Mama Miao was crying for Dongwa, as Baba held her close to him. "Baba do you really think that Dongwa did steal those jewels?" asked Sheegwa. "Of course not, Sheegwa, I believe I know my own son well enough to know that he is not a thief" said Baba. Tears were going through Sheegwa's eyes. "Oh Sheegwa, I'm sorry. I am just really taking his banishment really hard" said Baba. "We all are, Baba" said Sagwa. "I will sneak out and find him tonight, and try to talk to him. He needs to know that we still care" said Baba. "Can I come too?" said Sagwa. "No, my dear, you need to go to bed tonight. Besides I need to speak with him alone" replied Baba. Sagwa understood what Baba meant, and what he wanted to do, so she agreed. "Dear, just please tell him we are trying our best to figure this out" said the crying Mama Miao. "I will my dear" said Baba as he set out to find Dongwa. Meanwhile the rat realizes he has a ring stuck on his ankle so he will have to remain hidden until this shakes out. It didn't seem to bother him when he found out one of the kittens took the fall for him. "Better him than me" he thought to himself as he had an evil grimace on his face.
