Chapter 62 Chapter 62 "What does Auntie want for herself...

When Jasmine was summoned by the old lady, she brought her a box of pastries. Before the old lady could speak, she said, "I understand. I will persuade you well. Even if the Duke blames me, I will speak well of my two sisters. I know that if you are driven out by your husband's family, your life will be cut short. I cannot bear to see that happen. I will definitely..."

"That's enough."

The old lady interrupted him solemnly.

Jasmine looked at the old lady with innocent eyes.

The old lady realized she was just a good pretender. Too lazy to deal with her, she asked bluntly, "But did you do this on purpose?"

"...What did this servant do on purpose?"

The old lady said: "She deliberately encouraged Concubine Fu and Concubine Xu to seduce the Duke."

Jasmine knelt down and waved her hands in panic, saying, "How dare I? I don't have the ability to do that."

"You don't have to pretend. But you told them that the Duke likes gentle and kind women? And you deliberately said that the Duke had no intention of sleeping with them to make them anxious? When they arrived at the main courtyard, you deliberately let them in to make a mistake. Auntie is so scheming!"

"Old Madam, you truly misunderstood. I did tell my two sisters about the Duke's preferences, but I didn't lie. The Duke asked me to choose an auspicious date, but I hadn't chosen one yet, so I should have explained this to my two sisters. I didn't mean to do that... My two sisters are concubines just like me, so how could I stop them without reason? However, I was indeed wrong in this regard. I should have told you, but I was frightened by my two sisters, so I had no choice but to run away."

"You're the only one with so many excuses! Why did you say you were scared?"

Jasmine blushed and said, "My two sisters said...they wanted me to serve you together with them. I thought it was ridiculous and useless, so I ran away."

It's fine if they were together! But they also had to be together with my aunt and my three companions!

They rebelled! Where is the Duke's Mansion? It can't be a brothel!

The old lady's chest heaved with rage. She ignored the concubine's excuses and shouted, "Go, lock them up! Don't send them any food without my permission!"

After her anger subsided a bit, the old lady was still furious with her aunt. But her aunt's words were flawless, and the old lady had no choice but to tell her to go back.

Jasmine bowed and walked away briskly.

The old lady stared at Jasmine's retreating figure with a sinister gaze: "What do you think of her?"

Madam Qian also stared at the concubine's back: "I didn't notice it before, but it seems that the concubine can escape easily every time. It makes me suspicious. This girl is scheming."

The old lady said: "That's right. If you think about it carefully, she seems to be able to win against anyone."

Nanny Qian looked at the old lady worriedly: "Madam, my concubine has been with the Duke for a year. You can't touch her now."

"Do you think I'm stupid?" The old lady glanced at Nanny Qian and continued, "I have an idea that will kill two birds with one stone. Just follow my instructions and tell Xu Shi."

"yes."

"Wait." The old lady suddenly thought of something else. "You don't need us. Find a little girl to talk to those two idiots. It's better to get it out of their mouths."

...

Jasmine returned to the main courtyard refreshed. She was about to think of a few more ways, but she never expected her first move to succeed.

This time the opponent is a little too weak.

Suddenly, Jasmine thought of her grandfather again. After all, she had used him and was the one who had wronged him first.

Since she couldn't say it directly, Jasmine could only practice it.

She decided to make him another pair of deerskin boots. When the Duke returned, she had just finished sewing the soles.

Sewing the soles of shoes takes a lot of effort. The Duke looked at the concubine's red fingers and said, "Don't bother."

If it were Aunt Xu or Aunt Fu, they would be worried and wonder if the Duke would like what they did.

But Jasmine understood him, and she smiled brightly and said, "I'm fine. I didn't know how to cheer you up, so I thought of using this to please you. Are you happy, Master?"

After Auntie said this, the Duke, who had almost forgotten about it, remembered it again and said solemnly, "I'm happy."

Jasmine couldn't help but reach out and pinch her grandfather's cold cheek: "This is what happiness is."

The Duke had no choice but to cooperate with his aunt, frowning and curling his lips.

"Master is so nice." Jasmine sighed.

Auntie is really something, always praising him. Although Auntie always praises him, but every time she says it, the Duke always feels at a loss.

The most important thing is that he really doesn't know what's good about himself. What has he done?

The aunt leaned against his shoulder and said, "All men like to be hugged by women. But my master is not like that. The two aunts wanted to serve him together, but he even drove them away. He is really good."

Jasmine looked up and praised it again solemnly.

"You're too kind, Qiang'er," the Duke said, turning his head away. This was all worthy of Auntie's praise. Auntie's expectations of her husband were truly quite low.

Jasmine looked up at her grandfather in a daze for a while, and the Duke saw that his concubine was motionless out of the corner of his eye, so he didn't dare to move, and even slowed down his breathing.

Jasmine: "Do you like Madam Duan?"

Why is the aunt bringing up Madam Duan again?

The Duke was puzzled and looked at his aunt: "Why do you ask this?"

Jasmine: "At the Grand Princess's residence, I looked at Madam Duan with the same look. I felt shy and dodged. If it weren't for that incident, I would be very happy to have Madam Duan as your wife, right?"

The Duke recalled what happened at the Grand Princess's residence. It took him a long time to remember the day.

"It's not like."

If the concubine had asked this question before Madam Duan got into trouble, the Duke really wouldn't have known how to answer.

But now, the Duke confirmed it. He also stated clearly, "I don't like her. I'm not afraid of you laughing at me. When facing a woman, no, I should say a woman, whenever she stares at me directly, I always feel awkward. And Madam Duan's cheerfulness and understanding are all fake. She's actually more thoughtful than even Minister Duan. If she weren't a woman and had more integrity, she could be recommended for a position in the court."

Upon hearing this, Jasmine immediately forgot about Madam Duan and anxiously asked, "Master, do you think Madam Duan is too thoughtful and deep, and that's why you don't like her?"

The Duke nodded. He didn't understand why Auntie had to repeat the question. Wasn't what he said just now clear enough?

Jasmine's heart suddenly sank. It seemed her grandfather hadn't noticed her. If he finally found out she was no better than Madam Duan, he might even hate her.

Fortunately, she was ready to pretend for the rest of her life. Fortunately, pretending to be someone he liked was easy.

What’s even better is that the time spent with this guy goes by very quickly.

Jasmine hugged the man in front of her tightly. The Duke whispered in her ear, "Does Jian'er want to take a bath?"

"good."

Auntie didn't move.

This is his yard. The Duke immediately picked up his concubine and strode down the corridor.

...

"Aunt, someone is asking about your background." Shancha came up to Jasmine and said.

Jasmine was contemplating a beautiful embroidery pattern on her boots when she suddenly heard Shancha's words. The needle and thread in her hand suddenly dug into her fingertips. She remained motionless, looking up and asking, "But the old lady?"

"Auntie, your hand is bleeding! Doesn't it hurt? Be careful not to dirty your shoes. I've almost finished them."

Shancha snatched the boots away, but Jasmine grabbed her wrist and asked again, "Who is it?"

Shancha then said, "It's not the old lady, it's those two." Shancha looked at her aunt in confusion, not understanding why she reacted so strongly.

Those two are Madam Fu and Madam Xu.

They couldn't get out of bed, so why were they checking on her? It was to pass on a message.

It must be to spread the message.

But it shouldn't be a big deal. No one in the mansion knows her true identity. Where can the two concubines go to find out?

Thinking of this, Jasmine's tense back relaxed.

But she didn't expect that the old lady would invite her over in the afternoon.

The old lady came up and asked, "Where in Yizhou are you from, Auntie?"

"Madam, I am from Luoxia Town, Yizhou."

"You said earlier that your family suffered a disaster, your parents and brothers were all gone, and you were the only one who escaped?"

"yes."

"Where are you from in Luoxia Town?"

The old lady's questions were quite detailed. Jasmine answered in detail, "I am from Tian Village in Luoxia Town."

The old lady nodded and waved her hand to signal her to leave.

After the people left, the old lady said to Tao'er, "Go and reply to the letter."

"Yes." Taoer went down.

"Why do you think Xu is investigating the concubine?" The old lady really couldn't understand. Not only did she not understand, she was also angry!

"I wanted to stay out of it, but they kept harassing me. Do they really think I'm easy to bully?"

Nanny Qian patted the old lady's back to comfort her, "Xu has set her sights on you. You can't refuse. Let's inform the Duke and let him handle it."

"No! How will he view me as his stepmother? If outsiders knew, I'm afraid they would think that I, the old lady of Duke Yan's mansion, am a useless piece of shit! Absolutely not..."

"Okay, don't be angry, I won't say anything more."

...

Jasmine now confirmed that someone was really investigating her.

It’s the old lady’s maiden family, Xu.

It was no secret that the old lady and the Xu family had a bad relationship. The old lady would not tell Xu about anything going on in the Duke's Mansion. It must be the second daughter of Xu Fu.

What had the second daughter of Xu and Fu said about her? Why would Mrs. Xu think of investigating her?

Fortunately, Xu couldn't find anything.

She was from Luoxia Town, Yizhou, but not from Tian Village. She was from Santian Village, the village next door to Tian Village. Because Santian Village was located on the mountainside, the people in the village were safe and sound.

But Tiancun was not so lucky; the entire village was washed away. With no evidence, what could Xu find out?

But Jasmine couldn't swallow this. Why did the Xu family investigate her just because they wanted to, while she could only live in fear and be helpless against them?

Don't give her a chance. We'll see.

"My aunt's face is so scary, I'm afraid."

Shancha hunched her shoulders and shivered.

Jasmine raised an eyebrow, "Really? That's not good. It's better to be feared than to be bullied."

Shancha thought the same thing and encouraged her aunt: "Then continue to be cruel."

Jasmine said seriously, "Not yet. We have to bide our time."

"Listen to my aunt."

In the next few days, there was no news from Xu.

Jasmine presented another pair of deerskin boots to her grandfather. This pair, made secretly, was even more impressive than the previous one, with two auspicious clouds embroidered on them and a few little white sheep running beneath them.

At first glance, he saw a few white spots on the black boots, the identity of which was unclear. After hearing his aunt's explanation, the Duke finally knew what they were.

As long as the shoes can be worn for walking, it's fine. The Duke was not picky at all and praised the concubine's craftsmanship without any pretense: "Jian'er's craftsmanship is really good. I like it very much."

Of course, Jasmine believed it and was overjoyed.

That day, Jasmine heard that Xu from Xuzhou had come uninvited.

She shuddered suddenly.

"Aunt, the old lady wants you to meet the guests." Xiuhong walked over and said with a worried look on her face.

Jasmine asked, "Does anyone know if they're all here?"

Xiuhong: "They are the old lady's eldest sister-in-law Xu Qu and the second brother's sister-in-law Xu Fang."

"Have you told me what you came to see the old lady for?"

Xiuhong shook her head: "I didn't say anything. As soon as I entered the door, I asked the old lady why she didn't see my concubine. I think you are not a good person."

Xiuhong comforted him, "But don't be afraid. This is the Duke's Mansion. No one dares to bully you. There are guards left by the Duke in the mansion. If they dare to act presumptuously, I can just bring the guards and kill them."

Jasmine nodded: "Good job."

He immediately reminded her, "Don't be impulsive. If anything happens, I will call for help. If I don't, you can't bring anyone here."

Xiuhong nodded: "Yes, I will remember it."

In the Yayuan guest hall, to the right and lower right of the old lady sat two women, one stout and one thin. The stout one was Xu Qu, and the thin one was Xu Fang.

Behind them were the servants and maids they had brought with them. Two or three of them had beautiful faces, clearly distinguishing them from ordinary people.

As soon as the old lady saw Jasmine, she said to the two of them, "Look, someone is coming."

Xu Qu and Xu Fang looked towards the door.

Jasmine stepped forward and saluted, and the two men stared at her intently.

Xu Qushi smiled and said, "I thought my aunt was a genius, but now I see that she is just a weak young lady."

Xu Fang echoed Xu Qu: "Sister-in-law, haven't you forgotten about those little bitches in your house? Sometimes, weak young ladies are the most terrifying."

Xu Qushi added, "You are right."

Jasmine didn't raise her head, but looked at the old lady for help. The old lady lowered her eyebrows and pretended not to see.

Jasmine then pretended to be mute.

Xu Qushi was surprised that she had no reaction at all, and she knew that this woman was really not simple. Fortunately, they came prepared.

Xu Qu glanced at the old lady, then smiled at Jasmine and said, "Those two girls were ignorant and caught the Duke's eye. This time we are here to take them back. To make amends to the Duke, I have personally selected three girls. They are all gentle and sensible, and will never do such shameless things again. Aunt, are you willing to take a look?"

Jasmine bowed, her face filled with fear as she said, "I dare not. I am only a servant, how can I pick on the masters and ladies of the Xu Mansion? I absolutely dare not."

The old lady just watched coldly. She thought, this is the same trick again. She's been seen through! She's still pretending!

Xu Qushi smiled and said, "Auntie, it only took you one day to get rid of those two. Your ability is obvious to everyone, so why should you be so modest?"

Jasmine quickly raised her eyes and caught a glimpse of the ambiguous smile on Xu Qu's face.

Do they know? How much do they know?

The old lady also knows?

Jasmine glanced at the old lady again, but she didn't expect that the old lady was also looking at her coldly. Jasmine calmly withdrew her gaze.

She lowered her head again and said, "Madam, you have misunderstood. The two concubines were punished because they angered the Duke. This has nothing to do with me."

Xu Qushi: "Okay, if Auntie says it's okay, then it's okay. Let's not talk about this anymore. I still ask Auntie to take care of these three girls. In the future, you will need your care."

Xu Qu didn't wait for Jasmine to refuse and waved to the three girls to come forward.

"Bow your greetings to my aunt."

After hearing what Xu Qu said, the three girls bowed and greeted Jasmine, and then introduced themselves.

In short, all three of them have the surname Xu.

After Xu Qushi mentioned that the three of them would be handed over to the concubine for discipline in the future, Jasmine tried to refuse again.

"Madam, it's not that I don't want to, but I am of humble status and not a smart person. How can I take care of three ladies? Please forgive me, Madam."

"Aunt, are you determined not to agree?" This time it was Xu Fang, who had thin cheeks and a square forehead, who spoke.

Jasmine said nothing.

Xu Fangshi: "As long as Auntie agrees, the Xuzhou Xu Clan will be your support in the future, and we can be a family. What do you think?"

What if she didn't agree? Jasmine was wondering why they were so confident.

Xu Fang suddenly stood up, took two steps closer to her, and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "If Concubine Qin doesn't agree, then forget it."

Jasmine still had her brows lowered, and her hands, clasped in front of her abdomen, clenched tightly into a ball when she heard the words "Auntie Qin".

They found it!

How is that possible? How could they possibly have found out?

That's impossible.

Jasmine's face was still calm, with only beads of sweat rolling down her forehead, wetting the hair by her ears.

Xu Fang asked her again, "Auntie, have you thought it through?"

Jasmine nodded, "I'll listen to you, Madam. I will give the three ladies a good warning and teach them to be cautious."

Xu Fang and Xu Qu looked at each other and laughed.

The old lady was stunned. She seemed to have not expected that the concubine would compromise like this.

The old lady cursed inwardly: "They are all useless!"

In the afternoon, Xu Fang and Xu Qu said goodbye to the old lady and returned home. They seemed not to be worried at all that Jasmine would pretend to obey them but actually bully the three ladies to death.

Jasmine knew they must have sent people to stake out the situation. Perhaps they even had spies planted inside the Duke's Mansion.

The words "Mrs. Qin" kept rolling around in Jasmine's mind. This was definitely not a coincidence.

Since they knew her last name was Qin, they must have known she was Qin Baixiang and had definitely found Santian Village.

As long as she doesn't cooperate, Xu will tell the Duke about her murder and escape!

She's finished!

Jasmine didn't think about how they found it. She only thought about what she was going to do.

Right now, I'm afraid I have no choice but to cooperate with Xu and agree to everything Xu asks.

"Auntie's face looks so scary. Even scarier than last time." There was worry in Shancha's eyes.

"Cha..." Jasmine wanted to tell her the whole story, but she didn't dare.

They had been together for a whole year, and Shancha felt that she and her aunt were dependent on each other. She also understood her aunt a little.

Seeing that Auntie didn't continue, Shancha took the initiative to speak: "What's the matter with that lady calling Auntie Auntie Qin? Auntie has been uneasy since she came back. Can you tell me why?"

Jasmine stared at her with flickering eyes for a long while before pulling her over and whispering in her ear, "My name isn't actually Jasmine. My real name is Qin Baixiang..."

Shancha had long guessed that her aunt had a secret, but she didn't expect it to be such a shocking secret!

Auntie...she actually killed someone! And she's even absconded from the crime!

Seeing Shancha's eyes wide open and a frightened look, Jasmine felt uneasy.

Shancha clenched her fists, the size of steamed buns, and asked fiercely, "Did that dead man bully my aunt?"

Jasmine didn't have time to elaborate, so she just said a few words roughly. Unexpectedly, she guessed it. "How did you know?"

Shancha had a look on her face that said, "Needless to say, why else would I kill someone? That person must be a bad guy."

Jasmine was touched. She hugged Shancha tightly and said, "I didn't want to tell you, but we're in this together. If anything happens to me, you won't have an easy time in this mansion. Shancha, you're going to be dragged down by me."

"I'm not afraid of being dragged down, I'm just afraid that Auntie will abandon me. Auntie can tell me this, it means she has a conscience."

Next, Jasmine told Xu that she had discovered her true identity and was blackmailing her. The two began to plan how to deal with Xu.

...

In the evening, Shancha came to persuade her again: "Auntie, don't worry about it. If the Duke knew that you are..." Shancha looked around and lowered her voice, "...a murderer, he would definitely not tolerate you. We are the ones who have been caught, and for now we can only obey Xu's orders. In other words, Auntie, do you want your life or your man?"

Shancha said irritably, "Oh, there's no comparison. We're dead, but the Duke will eventually sleep with another woman. If I, your concubine, add fuel to the fire and please Mrs. Xu, maybe the Duke will be happy."

Just like Camellia said, Jasmine had no choice.

Among the three girls sent by the Xu family, Jasmine chose the tall one who was the most gentle and cheerful.

The girl who was chosen was extremely frightened. She didn't expect that she would be chosen first, and tonight.

She still vividly remembered how Fu Rou and Xu Lin'er were beaten in the battle.

Jasmine comforted her: "Don't worry, the Duke has agreed, I will let you in again."

The girl calmed down a little.

"Is my master back?"

Jasmine stepped forward to help hold the official hat.

He came back a little late today, and the sky outside was visibly getting dark. The Duke nodded to his concubine and went straight into the corridor.

As for the girl from the Xu family who was standing by the long table in the courtyard, he ignored her.

The girl knelt there in fear, waiting for the person to enter the house and the door to close before she raised her head and gasped.

Tonight's dinner is served indoors.

When it comes to just her and her grandfather, Jasmine usually takes the initiative to take on the task of serving the dishes, and even Shancha doesn't need to be around.

But today is different.

Jasmine glanced at her master and covered her stomach with her hands: "Master, I have a stomachache today."

The Duke frowned and asked, "Have you summoned the palace doctor?"

Jasmine said shyly, "I am not sick."

The Duke understood. After all, he didn't know it a year ago, but after sleeping in the same bed with his aunt every day for a year, he inevitably understood it during those two days when his aunt was pregnant.

The Duke asked with concern, "Do you have a hand warmer with you?"

Whenever my aunt felt unwell, even during the hottest days of summer not long ago, she would always carry a hand warmer in her arms.

Jasmine nodded: "I understand. I can't serve you food today, so why not ask a maid to come in and serve you."

"Why do you need someone to wait on you for a meal?"

If it weren't for the aunt being so proactive, he wouldn't need her to wait on him for meals on normal days. Today, the aunt wasn't available, so it was okay.

The Duke rolled up his sleeves, poured a bowl of soup, and placed it in front of the concubine first, and then in front of himself.

He didn't even use a spoon to drink the soup, instead bringing the bowl directly to his lips. But Jasmine didn't find it rude at all; on the contrary, it made her feel that this was the way to drink soup.

Jasmine: "Let's call a maid in. I'm in so much pain that I don't even have the strength to stretch my hands."