Chapter 36 Chapter 36 “I really need to let her see it…

"The eldest young lady has left the house?"

Shancha nodded: "It's out."

Shancha sat down next to the concubine. Since the Duke was not around, the seat next to the concubine was hers.

"But what if Luo Ming'er doesn't have the courage to come to see Auntie? Wouldn't Auntie be wasting her time?"

"It's not all in vain. At most, we'll just get scolded by the eldest young lady. We won't lose any meat, so we won't suffer any loss. But I have a feeling she will come."

"Why did you say that, Auntie?"

Jasmine: "How many times has Luo Ming'er approached us?"

Shancha counted on her fingers: "Three times."

Jasmine: "Let's not talk about the outing. Let's talk about the other two times. One time, we were at a teahouse, and a waiter showed up. The other time, she gave me clothes and jewelry and invited me to the Luo Mansion, and she happened to be having a flower viewing party. No one would believe her if she said she didn't do it on purpose. If she did it the first time and the second time, there will definitely be a third time. We just have to wait and see."

Shancha gnashed her teeth in anger. "How could this cruel woman be so mean? We didn't provoke her, yet she insisted on making trouble for us. We really need to let her see the strength of our aunt."

Jasmine glanced at her: "Auntie, what is my strength?"

Shancha said proudly, "Of course that is a thunderous punishment for a coquettish and slutty woman! I believe in you, Auntie."

"Stop talking nonsense. It will be ugly if it gets out, you know?" Jasmine warned solemnly.

Shancha: "Don't worry, Auntie. I have it all figured out."

Shancha asked again, "But are we just going to wait like this? We can't be sure when they'll strike, or how they'll strike. Waiting like this is like having a knife hanging over your head. When will it end?"

Jasmine: "Soon. After all, the wedding is less than a month away."

Shancha was curious again: "What if she wants to do it after the wedding?"

Jasmine shook her head. "Impossible. After the wedding, she'll be confined to the Duke's Mansion, where her every move will be monitored. She only has this month."

Otherwise, Luo Ming'er wouldn't have attacked her twice in a row.

Shancha nodded with a blank expression.

Three days later, everything was peaceful. Jasmine was getting anxious waiting and even took Shancha out of the house twice.

It’s a pity that nothing was found wrong.

Shancha said firmly that Luo Ming'er would definitely not take action. What should they do then? Once they entered the mansion, it would definitely be the Luo family who would deal with them. They would really be fish on the chopping board!

Jasmine was so annoyed that she went over the whole thing again in her mind, but she didn't think there was anything wrong with her guess.

There was only one possibility: Luo Ming'er was stopped by her mother. Mrs. Luo was timid, so this was very likely to happen.

Thinking that Luo Ming'er would marry smoothly into the Duke's Mansion and enter the main courtyard, Jasmine clenched her fists in her sleeves.

"You're right. Once she walks in, we're really doomed."

"What should we do then?"

"We have to think of another strategy. Since luring them into the trap doesn't work, let's take the initiative and attack."

The two of them whispered for a while, but before they could put their bad ideas into action, Luo Ming'er took action first.

The brides of Qi State send their dowries one month in advance, and the Luo family will send their dowries to the Duke's Mansion tomorrow.

After learning about this, Jasmine suspected that Luo Ming'er would take this opportunity to attack her.

Shancha thought the opposite: "I think it's just a coincidence. Giving makeup is what you should give."

"Let's see first."

"Can't we do both?"

Jasmine shook her head. "It's too risky for us to provoke her. Let's just wait for her to come find us."

Shancha was reluctant to give up her hard-earned life of wealth. If they really took the initiative to attack the Luo family girl and were discovered, there would be only one outcome. "Alright. By the way, is there any problem with the Third Young Master's wife?"

Shancha asked again timidly.

"The Third Young Master's wife is very thoughtful. She has shown her goodwill to us many times. Since she has agreed, there should be no problem."

Shan Cha was so nervous that she muttered, "Auntie said it's okay, so it must be okay."

After failing twice, she guessed that Luo Ming'er would give her a big one.

Was it a frame-up? Was it to frame her for stealing the dowry?

Or poison?

Or is there a killer hidden in the makeup?

Regardless of which one it was, Jasmine had made thorough preparations to ensure she would be safe and sound and to catch the murderer in one fell swoop.

Moreover, she also thought of a way to make the murderer confess the mastermind behind the incident!

After all, she was the concubine welcomed by the Duke himself. When the time comes, not to mention the Duke, even the old lady would have no reason to save Luo Ming'er.

"Why are you so happy, Qiang'er? Tell me."

Shancha was scowling, while Jasmine was thinking about how her plan had come together. She had already caught the murderer, who had confessed that it was Luo Ming'er who had ordered her to do so. Luo Ming'er knelt at the feet of the Duke and the old lady, begging for forgiveness, but neither of them paid any attention to her. The Duke even kicked her away.

Jasmine's shoulders shrugged with joy. The Duke only needed to look at her from behind to know that she must be grinning with joy.

Jasmine froze when she heard the sudden voice.

When the Duke walked up to her, he saw that the concubine was shrugging her shoulders, with a distorted expression on her face, as if she was very frightened.

The Duke asked again in confusion, "What's going on?"

In that instant, Jasmine reacted extremely quickly and forced a smile at her master: "I am dreaming, I won't tell you."

"Well, if you don't want to tell me, then don't tell me." The Duke has always been very easy to talk to.

Jasmine asked him, "Why did you come back at this time?"

It was only mid-afternoon. It had been before dusk before, but now it was after noon. How come he was coming back earlier every day?

The Duke sat down and took the tea offered by his aunt. "When I first joined the garrison, I was very busy. Now that everything is in order and Chunli and the others are here, I think you don't need me anymore, so I came back."

Jasmine nodded, "Indeed. Tomorrow the Luo residence will deliver the dowry, and I'll be busy at the residence as well."

"Is the dowry due tomorrow?" The Duke almost forgot and sighed, "Time flies! It's already been half a year."

The Duke smiled at his concubine and said, "Jian'er has been with me for half a year now."

Early the next morning, the Duke's Mansion was bustling with activity.

The Duke said that he would come back after attending court, but he did not return until someone from the Luo family arrived, which showed that he was delayed by something in court.

The people who came to the Luo Mansion were Luo Ming'er's eldest brother and eldest half-brother. After they entered the house and bowed to the old lady, they ordered the servants of the Luo Mansion to carry the gifts in.

Jasmine stood and watched from a distance until noon. Mrs. Luo stayed in the front yard to set up a banquet to entertain the brothers of the Luo family, and then Jasmine quietly returned to the backyard.

The morning was calm.

Jasmine stayed in the main courtyard. It was almost time for the banquet to end.

Still nothing happened.

"Auntie, the Luo family is gone."

Jasmine was puzzled. He just left like that?

Jasmine asked, "Did anyone stay at the Luo Mansion?"

Shancha: "No. Except for the dowry, everyone else is gone."

Jasmine guessed: "Is there something fishy about the dowry?"

Shancha: "Otherwise, I'll go take a look."

"We can't take the initiative."

"knew."

"Auntie." It was Xizhi who ran over from the Third Young Master's wife. Xizhi whispered in Moli's ear, "The Third Master is back. The Third Young Master's wife said she had to leave for a while and told Auntie to be careful."

Jasmine nodded. "Everyone in the Luo Mansion has left, so nothing should happen. Let the Third Young Master's wife take care of her own business, and don't worry about me today."

"Yes, aunt."

Shancha muttered, "Third Master has been gone for half a month, and he still came back. It seems his leg isn't broken enough."

Jasmine also sighed: "I don't know what the Third Master is doing back."

Shancha: "What can I do? I must have lost again. I'm asking the Third Young Master's wife for money."

"Yeah." Jasmine couldn't agree more.

Just as he was talking about the Third Master's little talk, Qi'er came running over from afar: "Auntie, I'm here to see you!"

...

Three rooms in the north courtyard.

The Third Young Master's wife coaxed Qi'er away before rushing into the house and staring at the Third Master, who had an unshaven beard and looked haggard.

Seeing that the Third Master didn't intend to rummage through the boxes and cabinets as usual, the Third Young Master's wife finally felt relieved and stepped forward to ask, "Where has the Third Master been these days?"

"It's none of your business." The Third Master was impatient with the Third Young Master's wife hanging around in front of him, so he simply stood up and changed his chair, with his back to the Third Young Master's wife.

The Third Young Master's wife was unwilling to give in and chased after him, asking, "Then what did the Third Master come back for today?"

This made the Third Master scowl even harder: "What do you mean? This is my home. Third Master, what can I do when I go home?"

The Third Young Master's wife cried out in poverty, "Whether you believe it or not, I really have no money. I only have the monthly allowance given by the government. Qi'er is grown up now. She will go to school in a year. She needs clothes to dress up. Other young ladies can buy fine clothes from Concubine Liang's clothing store, but for our Qi'er, I can only give her coarse clothes. I beg Third Master to be kind and give us mother and daughter a way out."

This was a stab in the heart of San Ye. San Ye was angry and annoyed, but he couldn't do anything about it, and his eyes were red unconsciously.

The Third Master choked up and said fiercely, "Don't worry, I didn't come back today to ask for money. I wouldn't even consider your little money!"

The Third Young Master's wife got the answer she wanted, and stopped bothering him and turned away.

The Third Master looked at the back of the Third Young Master's wife, and his eyes were bloodshot.

"What is there that I dare not do?" Thinking of Madam Sun's words, the Third Master curled his lips into a sneer.

Yan Long was not afraid of murder or arson at this point, let alone selling a woman! She was just a concubine, so what if he sold her? What if she was discovered?

What's more, as long as the person can't be found, no one can blame him.

With that money, he could start over. Yurong and Qi'er would definitely be happy too.

After thinking it over, the Third Master turned back to his room and went to sleep. He waited for nightfall.

...

"It's strange today. Why hasn't the Duke come back yet?" Shancha glanced outside the main courtyard from time to time.

Since returning to the Duke's Mansion, the Duke has never stayed out overnight. At most, he would come back late, but he would always send someone back to let him know in advance.

It's already past dinner time today, but no one has come to report back.

"Auntie, I'm coming!" Xiuhong ran in from the courtyard.

Jasmine thought someone had returned, so she went out to greet them, but she only saw Xiuhong.

Xiuhong said breathlessly, "Yan Pu is back and in the front yard. Don't worry, Auntie. The Duke is fine. He was summoned to the palace this afternoon to discuss important matters with several ministers. His Majesty said he wouldn't release him until a conclusion was reached, so he didn't come back."

Yan Pu was a servant following the Duke and a household slave in the Duke's mansion.

"I understand. Go eat."

"yes."

"What's the important matter? It's so late, and His Majesty won't let us go back? Could it be that there's trouble in Sumikoku again?" Shancha guessed.

Jasmine pinched her mouth tightly and said, "How dare you talk about the higher-ups? You're tired of living. Be careful, the Duke will sell you out. If that happens, I, your aunt, won't be able to protect you!"

"I was wrong."

That night, even after Jasmine had washed up and gone to bed, the Duke still hadn't returned. The palace gates had already been locked, meaning her husband was staying in the palace tonight?

How could it be such a coincidence?

Jasmine always liked to overthink things. Today, the Luo family happened to be delivering the dowry, but her father was stuck in the palace.

If Luo Ming'er knew about this great opportunity, she probably wouldn't let it go.

With this thought, Jasmine jumped out of bed, walked barefoot, and patrolled the huge bedroom like a thief.

When her grandfather was around, she didn't think the dormitory was big, but now, in her opinion, the dormitory was ridiculously large.

"Camellia?"

Shan Cha, who had just turned off the lights for Auntie and was about to go back to sleep, pushed the door open again and asked, "What's wrong, Auntie?"

Auntie's face showed fear. Shancha understood and said, "Then I'll stay and keep Auntie company."

Jasmine nodded.

Shancha certainly didn't dare sleep in the Duke's bed. She spread out her bedding on the footstool in front of the bed.

Jasmine lay on the high couch, still feeling anxious because she couldn't see Shancha anymore. In the past, she could just turn her head and see her grandfather, but now, all she could see was the window panes, shimmering green and reflecting the dark shadows of the courtyard.

So she took the quilt and went to hug Shancha. Feeling Shancha's warmth and listening to her breathing, Jasmine finally calmed down and closed her eyes.

When this man closed his eyes, his ears became extremely sharp. Especially at this moment. Nearby, he could hear Shancha snoring, and the wind coming through the crack in the door carried the tinkling of wind chimes.

In the distance there was the rustling of leaves and the creaking of doors and windows in the strong wind.

Soon, raindrops began to fall, covering all other sounds with the sound of rain.

Jasmine became even more frightened when she couldn't hear any other sounds. She hugged Shancha tightly.

Shancha was out of breath, so she stretched out a hand and patted her aunt's back, saying, "Don't be afraid, aunt. Shancha is here."

As a result, the girl turned over and fell asleep again.

Jasmine hugged Shancha from behind, put her arms under Shancha's armpits, and put one leg between Shancha's legs. Then she slowly closed her eyes again.

I don’t know how long it took, but amid the sound of the “swish” rain, there came the sound of deliberately slow footsteps on stone slabs, and there seemed to be the sound of clothes rubbing against each other as someone walked.

The sound is at the door!

Jasmine covered Shancha's mouth and then pinched her.

"Don't talk."

Shancha woke up with a start and was about to shout, but when she heard it was her aunt's voice, she immediately stopped.

Shancha also asked quietly: "What's wrong?"

"There's someone at the door."

Shancha was just about to say that maybe her aunt was being too suspicious. It was raining heavily outside, how could there be someone there?

But in a moment, she heard it too.

Someone was using something to pry the door open. The sound was faint, but with both of them listening intently, there was no way they could have mistaken it.

"Aunt, what should we do? The Third Young Master's wife must not be looking at us right now." Shan Cha was extremely confused.

Their complete plan required the assistance of the Third Young Master's wife. It was impossible for the two weak women to handle the situation alone.

It’s over!

Shancha felt that their day was definitely over!

Jasmine grabbed Shancha's wrist and said, "Do you believe me?"

Shancha didn't even have time to nod before she heard a "click" and the dormitory door was pushed open from the outside.

...

In the dim light, the two of them stopped talking and their breathing stopped.

Shancha only felt her aunt's hand covering hers and squeezing it, and then she saw her aunt's shadow slowly retreating.

Shancha reached out her hand but failed to grab her aunt. She could feel someone behind her.

Shancha couldn't move, and she didn't dare to move. If she and her aunt disappeared, the bad guys would definitely not be willing to accept this and would look for them everywhere.

Her aunt risked her life to save her once, so this time, let her stand in front of her aunt.

Shancha lay on her side with her eyes tightly closed, waiting to be stabbed or strangled to death by the bad guy.

There were light footsteps behind her, and the camellia trembled like a sieve.

With a "bang", Shancha was hit on the back. She didn't even scream and was completely motionless.

Then the man took out the bag he had prepared earlier, put it on the ground, and ran away with the person on his back at lightning speed.

Jasmine made sure that everyone had left the house before she hurriedly crawled out from under the bed.

Just as he stood up, he heard the voice of the Third Young Master's wife coming from the courtyard: "How dare you! Who is it?! Come, help my aunt! She's been kidnapped!"

Jasmine ran out quickly.

The rain outside the corridor continued to fall. In the drizzle, at the main courtyard gate, the Third Young Master's wife, wearing a straw raincoat, ran in one direction, shouting as she ran, "Hurry! Capture the assassin!"

Jasmine didn't have time to find an umbrella and rushed into the rain: "Madam Third Young Master!"

It was Xizhi who discovered the aunt chasing them from behind. Xizhi wiped her face and pulled the Third Young Master's wife: "Madam, the aunt is behind us!"

The Third Young Master's wife suddenly turned around and saw that it was indeed her. She burst into tears of joy and rushed forward, hugging Jasmine and wailing, "Auntie, are you okay? Is this really Auntie? I'm glad you're okay!"

"It's me, I'm fine." Jasmine didn't have time to listen to the Third Young Master's wife continue crying. She asked anxiously, "Where's the masked thief? Where did he escape to?"

"That way. We thought the thief was after Auntie, so we wanted to chase her. But to our surprise, Auntie is fine." Xizhi's face changed. "Then, who was that person the thief was carrying on his shoulders?"

Jasmine's voice was trembling: "It's Camellia."

Jasmine said as she sprinted towards the side door.

"Jasmine, the guards are coming!"

The Third Young Master's wife only saw the concubine's back as she turned the corner and disappeared.

The Third Young Master's wife explained the situation to the guards and then went after Jasmine. However, by the time they reached the back door, she had already disappeared.

Xizhi advised: "Madam, let's go back. With the guards here, Auntie and Shancha will definitely be fine."

The Third Young Master's wife was extremely upset: "We were just one step too late. If we had been one step earlier, that thief would never have been able to enter the main courtyard under our noses."

Xizhi: "It's not Madam's fault. Who knew they would actually strike in the middle of the night? Madam, you were so smart and predicted it, rushing here immediately. We did our best. It's just strange. This thief came alone. How did he get into the main courtyard without the guards' noses?"

The Third Young Master's wife's expression suddenly froze. "Yes. How is that possible? Or is it that the thief has been hiding in the mansion, waiting for an opportunity to strike? But where can he hide without being discovered?"

Xizhi suddenly had an idea: "Could it be that the thief is from the mansion?"

The Third Young Master's wife remained silent for a long while.

...

At 3:00 AM, the palace gate opened, and the Duke and several ministers with dark complexions walked out of the palace holding umbrellas.

They went back to change their clothes, there was no need to rest as they had to rush to court soon.

Zuo He was waiting anxiously at the palace gate. When he saw the Duke, he ran over and said, "General, something happened in the palace!"

Zuo He whispered in the Duke's ear.

Just as the minister was about to board his carriage or mount his horse, he heard the neighing of horse hooves.

Turning around, I only had time to see the back of the Chinese nobleman in the rain as he nimbly mounted his horse and rode away.

The next to go were the Duke's personal guards.

The adults were all stunned.

The white-bearded Minister of Rites was helped onto the carriage by two attendants. He said to the three gentlemen who were saying goodbye to him, "Just now in Daming Palace, the Duke was pretending to be calm. He is still too young. How can we dare to entrust him with important tasks in the future?"

The three adults looked at each other, not daring to speak.

The Minister of Rites stroked his beard again and said, "It was I who prevented you all from returning home yesterday. Please don't blame me."

The three lords said, "Your Excellency, the Minister is too kind. You are a veteran of three dynasties, so your instructions must be reasonable. Your Majesty also stayed up all night with you, all for the sake of the country and the people."

"That's good, that's good. Let's go back. We'll see you upstairs later."