Chapter 3 Chapter 3 Want to consummate the marriage with your wife first?
There was a wheezing and heavy breathing sound, and the smelly hot air sprayed on the top of the head.
She opened her eyes, and sure enough, they broke in again!
The man with a dark face and yellow teeth grabbed her arms with a ferocious expression, while the other held down her feet: "Let's see where you can escape this time!"
"Don't come over here... Dad! Mom!"
"Dad! Mom! Help!"
She didn't know how many times she called out, and even though her voice was very loud, her parents never came.
"I won't resist anymore. Please be gentle."
"That's right..."
The stinky man was smiling a moment ago, but suddenly his expression froze and he slowly lowered his head to look at his chest.
"You killed him..."
"Someone, there's a murder! Someone's dead..."
...
Jasmine awoke with a start. She looked around frantically and realized she was still in the bucket. The water was cold, but she was still sweating profusely.
She reached out hurriedly and turned her hand over and over. She breathed a sigh of relief when she found neither the rusty scissors nor blood in her hand.
She sank her head into the water for a while, and then she seemed to hear someone calling her from outside the door. She poked her head out and replied, "I'm coming."
Her voice was hoarse and trembling, and it didn't feel like hers.
Jasmine quickly climbed out of the bathtub, wiped the water stains on her body and head, put on her clothes, opened the door and went out.
...
It was already getting dark, and the Duke still thought that his concubine would not come. After all, she had been traveling for many days, and a young woman was not as strong as him.
After taking a shower, he had nothing to do, so he played with an iron ball for a while, worked up a sweat, and then took a cold shower. Only then did the Duke decide to rest.
Just after turning off the lights and climbing into bed, he heard a rustling sound outside the door. The Duke looked at the door and saw that it was pushed open from the outside.
Who dares to barge in without saying hello?
No one has reported yet. The Duke immediately thought of who it was.
The door was only a tiny crack open, but the young woman squeezed in easily. She turned around and carefully closed the door again.
The Duke did not say anything, just waiting to see what she was going to do.
The woman tiptoed towards his bed. When she was a few steps away from the bed, she stopped.
"Master, are you asleep?"
Duke: “Not yet.”
Hearing this, Jasmine took two steps forward, her toes touching the edge of the bed. She reached inside the bed curtains.
The Duke moved back to avoid her claws. Seeing her knees on the edge of the bed, the Duke had no choice but to ask again, "Is there something wrong?"
Jasmine retracted her hand, paused, and then said, "This servant is here to help you go to bed."
The Duke: "No need."
Another pause.
Jasmine asked, "Why, Master?"
The concubine's voice was filled with anxiety. The Duke knew that he had hurt her feelings and felt regretful and wanted to make amends.
Then she continued, "Master, are you afraid that Madam Luo will be unhappy if she finds out? Master, don't worry, I'm not seeking favor, and I won't compete with Madam Luo for anything. I just want to fulfill my responsibilities. Since you have taken me in as your concubine, I should do what a concubine should do."
The Duke thought this made sense. What was wrong with his concubine sleeping with him? There was absolutely no problem at all.
Perhaps because she didn't hear the Duke's refusal, Jasmine also kicked up with her other knee.
She smelled the vigorous scent that belonged only to men, suppressed the panic in her heart, and crawled forward on her knees.
Before he knew it, the Duke had retreated to the innermost part of the bed.
The Duke had long legs, so he could only cross his legs in grievance, watching the concubine's knees rushing towards his legs, but he had no way to avoid it!
"careful!"
As soon as she finished speaking, she fell into his arms.
This was the third time the Duke had touched her. The first time was when he rescued her. He was riding a horse, and she had a leg injury, so he had to carry her. The second time was in the cave, when she threw herself at him...
It felt like hugging the half pig given by the villagers, except that the pig's body was cold and hard, while the concubine's was soft and warm.
Especially today's concubine, she seems softer and hotter.
My concubine's shoulder felt like it was on fire, burning so much that the Duke immediately withdrew his hand. Then he touched my concubine's hair, which was cold.
The Duke felt his hair again, uncertain, and asked curiously, "Why is it wet?"
Jasmine also touched it herself and found that it was indeed the same. Oops, she was in such a hurry that she forgot to twist it.
Jasmine was too lazy to lie to him about this, so she told him the truth: "I forgot."
"Be careful not to catch a cold."
Four low, powerful yet gentle words echoed in Jasmine's ears, and in the blink of an eye, a scarf was covered on her head.
In the blink of an eye, the lights in the dormitory came on.
Jasmine knelt on the Duke's cold, hard, and wide bed. Through the towel, she looked at the Duke's tall figure walking towards her barefoot.
The Duke stopped by the bed and said, "You've been tired these past few days. Dry your hair and go back to your room to sleep."
The Duke felt that this was a bit pale, and was afraid that it would make his concubine sleep poorly all night. So he thought about it and said, "There is no rush to serve you in the bedroom. We can do it another day."
We have to make preparations.
Jasmine had nothing to say and left the bedroom in shame. As she walked along, the Duke's guards were still standing straight, watching closely.
But Jasmine knew how they were probably laughing at her in their hearts.
The key point is not just the Duke's bedroom. When Jasmine returned to the small side courtyard in the main courtyard, the maids in the courtyard also opened their mouths, wanting to say something but stopping themselves, with their eyes flickering.
What else did Jasmine not understand? She hurried into the house, leaning against the closed door before she breathed a sigh of relief.
After a while, she took the mirror in front of the dressing table and looked at herself in the mirror.
Jasmine knew that she was not outstanding in appearance and could not compare with the beauties in Kyoto, but she was still a woman after all.
Why didn't the Duke want it? Could it be that he was after the Luo family lady? Did he want to consummate his marriage with his wife first?
Jasmine couldn't think of any other possibility. Jasmine was discouraged.
If she forced herself on him, firstly she didn't have the ability to do so, and secondly it might anger this gentleman, which would probably not be worth the effort.
What else can we do?
That night, Jasmine lay awake in bed, still clueless until dawn. Having no choice but to get up, she reminded herself that every step she took in the Duke's Mansion must be perfect.
As long as she waits for the wife of the Luo family to come in and for the Duke and the Duchess to recognize her, she will have a firm foothold in this backyard.
She was truly reborn.
...
The next day, when the Duke got up, he saw his concubine standing by the clothes rack.
As expected, the concubine's eyes were extremely dark, clearly she hadn't slept well last night.
The Duke sighed. He had originally thought that a couple of days later would be fine; after all, he had just returned and had many things waiting for him to deal with.
But seeing the concubine like this, the Duke sighed and decided to give the concubine an explanation first.
The Duke dressed neatly, told Jasmine about his itinerary for the day, and left.
Jasmine didn't expect him to report to her and was stunned for a moment until the Duke disappeared and Shancha called her, then she came to her senses.
"Not everyone can dream of being the Duke. Even though he has accepted you as his concubine, it doesn't mean you can climb over his head. You'd better take care of yourself."
"Thank you for the reminder." Jasmine smiled at her.
Shancha was inexplicably angry: "Why are you pretending to be so rude to me? Don't think I don't know that you deliberately tricked the Duke that day! Otherwise, how could the Duke have..."
"I advise you to be careful about what you say when you have no evidence," Jasmine interrupted her.
Shan Cha really had no evidence, otherwise she would have exposed her in front of the Duke long ago.
Shan Cha was so angry that smoke came out of her nostrils: "Believe it or not, I will go to the Duke and report you right now. It doesn't matter if I don't have evidence. As long as the Duke suspects you, that's enough!"
Jasmine was truly afraid she would do so. She quickly stepped forward, hugged Shancha's arm, and begged for mercy with a touch of flattery: "Sister, Jasmine believes I've always been polite to you and never neglected you. Why do you hate me so much? Tell me, and I'll apologize."
Seeing that there was still a spark in her eyes, Jasmine simply grabbed Shancha's hand and knelt down.
Shancha was shocked. Making the Duke's only concubine kneel before a servant girl like her! This could easily lead to misunderstanding.
Shancha looked around hurriedly and saw no one nearby. Without even having time to breathe a sigh of relief, she hurriedly picked up the person.
"What are you doing?"
Tears welled up in Jasmine's eyes as she stood up. If Shancha hadn't felt she'd already seen through her as a bitch, she would have fallen for her trick.
After all, that was how the Duke was fooled by her!
Jasmine took off the only bracelet on her wrist and gave it to her. "This was given to me by the Duke on the way back to the capital. The hairpin on my head needs to match my clothes, so I can't give it to you. This bracelet is just a small token of my appreciation."
Jasmine was about to put it on her, but Shancha refused and pushed her away, "Who wants your things? Do you think you're a wealthy lady? You only have these two things, and you're embarrassed to give them to me and even take them!"
Jasmine held the bracelet tightly in her hand: "Camellia."
Shancha turned her face away. When she heard her trembling voice calling her, she hardened her heart and ignored her.
Jasmine continued, "Do you know why I want to stay with you? It's because I ran away from home. My parents want to sell me for money, and they must be looking for me everywhere right now. I'm going to be kicked out of the Duke's Mansion, and I'm doomed."
Camellia's face was moved.
"So, I beg you, Shancha. Considering how pitiful I am, please give me a chance to live, okay?"
Shancha looked at her with mixed feelings. Her face was covered with dark circles and her face was covered with tears and snot. Even the Duke would feel nauseous just by looking at her.
Shancha turned away and said irritably, "I don't have any evidence, what can I do to you? Don't act like I'm bullying you."
Jasmine burst into laughter and went forward to hug her: "I knew Shancha was a kind-hearted girl!"
Shancha was so disgusted: "Hey, you wiped it on me. I just changed into new clothes this morning."
...
The Duke had just won the battle against Sumikoku not long ago. Now Sumikoku was on high alert and couldn't even heal itself, while also having to guard against the nearby foreign countries that were coveting them.
Both the Duke and His Majesty know that, at least in recent years, Yu State has not dared to seek trouble with Da Qi and thus risk its own life.
Therefore, His Majesty gave the Duke the opportunity to return to the capital and marry. He also promised that the Duke could stay in Kyoto for the next two years, raise a child, and then, depending on the situation, he could return to guard the border.
The Duke felt that he could not bear the title of General and Duke, receive double salary, and eat for free without doing any work.
Besides, he was not used to being idle, so he asked His Majesty for permission and took his subordinates to the garrison camp to help His Majesty train the troops.
Not to mention how miserable the soldiers in the garrison camp were when the Duke went there.
In short, when the Duke returned home in the afternoon, his energy was not affected at all.
The old lady had thought he would be back in the evening, but when she saw him coming back now, she asked Madam Qian, "Is it past 3 p.m. now?"
Madam Qian was the old lady's maid, and she replied, "Madam, it's just past noon."
"That's right. I was wondering why it's still so bright outside. How is that possible?" The old lady asked the Duke again with a smile, "Duke, why are you back at this time? Is there something wrong?"
As a first-class duke or general, retiring early is certainly not a problem at all. Even if you fish for three days and dry the net for two days, it's no problem at all.
The problem is that this is Duke Yan!
Thinking back to the time when the eldest son, who was still a toddler, was locked up and taught by the old Duke through words and deeds, he obviously felt it was very hard, but he managed to hold on for several years.
The most surprising thing is that, without the old Duke telling him, he would get up before dawn and never return to his bedroom until dark, without missing a single day.
That's why the old lady was surprised.
The old lady and several young ladies present, including the fourth uncle who did not go out with his two brothers to pet the cats and dogs, all looked at the Duke curiously.
The Duke nodded and said, "Yes, there is something."
How can you hit someone with a stick and make them fart?
The old lady asked again, "What's the matter?"
The Duke was too bothered. He had already made up his mind to go back to his courtyard, close the door, and have a simple meal. So he said, "It's a small matter. Don't worry about it, mother. If you have nothing else to do, I will go back to my room first."
The old lady nodded and let him go.
After the people left, the eldest young master's wife couldn't wait to ask, "Did you see that Deputy General Zuo was holding such a big box. I wonder what's in it?"
It’s not a good idea to chase after him and find out what’s going on.
Fourth Uncle: "It could be a weapon. Second brother always likes to wield swords and guns."
The Fourth Young Master's wife asked, "Why is the box covered with a red veil?"
The fourth uncle couldn't explain it. "Maybe he was afraid the box would get dusty? And where did he happen to pick up the red veil?"
After hearing this, everyone disagreed.
The Third Young Master's wife spoke mysteriously, "Mother, I heard something this morning."
The eldest young lady's wife had a premonition that she was trying to steal her credit, and she was horrified and quickly interrupted, "Ah, Third Sister-in-law, you're not going to talk about the Duke's concubine who was kicked out of the bedroom by the Duke last night, are you?"
The third young lady twisted her handkerchief and glared at the eldest young lady.
The eldest young master's wife ignored her and turned to the old lady with a smile on her face, saying, "Mother, you can be at peace now. The Duke deliberately ignored the concubine for the sake of the Luo family girl, which shows how much the Duke values the Luo family girl. And the Luo family girl listens to you, mother. Isn't that the same as the Duke also listening to you?"
Of course the old lady liked to hear this, but as the old lady of the Duke's Mansion, she couldn't show it too obviously.
The old lady frowned and said, "Why is the Duke going through all this trouble? He doesn't even have many people around him to serve him. The daughter of the Luo family has only been married for over half a year. How can I, as a mother, feel at ease?"
The old lady almost blurted out, "Send a few maids to wait on him in his room first." She finally suppressed the words that were on the tip of her tongue.
The reason why the old lady was able to become the new Duke's wife a year after the old Duke's original wife passed away was that she was very scheming.
She knew that controlling someone required gradual progress, not impatience. Since the Duke was willing to marry the Luo family girl, she had to take this first step. If the Luo family girl didn't win the Duke's heart or was difficult to control, then she could consider other options.
"Madam, the guards around the Duke are decorating the main courtyard with lights and lanterns." Qiuhong, the old lady's spy planted in the main courtyard, ran back to report.
The eldest young lady's wife was confused: "It's not New Year or a festival, why are you hanging lanterns and decorations?"
The eldest young lady was not the only one who was confused.
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