Chapter 32 Chapter 32 Three stubborn people in one mouth.
The thunder above seemed to be responding to the call of the Censor's wife.
A thunderclap sounded, and Jasmine stood up straight. She said to the Censor's Wife, "I don't believe Madam would dare. I am the concubine whom the Duke solemnly welcomed into the family at a banquet. If Madam is not afraid, then is the Censor not afraid too? Madam, are you really not afraid of bringing disaster to your children, of losing the greater good over the smaller one?"
The Censor's wife was so angry that she wanted to climb onto the table and yell, "How dare you threaten me, you servant! None of you can leave today!"
As he said that, he picked up the fruit plate on the table and smashed it down.
Jasmine raised her arm to block the blow, but she didn't feel the expected pain. There wasn't even a sound of the fruit plate hitting the ground.
Jasmine had a bad feeling, so she lowered her arms and looked up, only to see the Duke standing in front of her.
The Duke was holding the pink porcelain fruit plate in the palm of his right hand.
The Duke stepped forward, placing the fruit plate securely on the Censor's wife's table before speaking, "That girl pushed your lady to save herself, but when your wife hit someone, it was intentional. No matter who it was, even if it was a beggar on the street, your wife cannot escape blame."
The Censor's wife was horrified. She had expected the Duke's Mansion to send someone, but she hadn't expected the Duke to come in person. Or perhaps, just as she had returned to the mansion, someone arrived right after her.
The censor's wife glanced at Jasmine and felt confused. She had clearly heard that the concubine was not favored.
The Censor's wife immediately realized that the Duke was simply too upright and responsible. Perhaps he wasn't particularly fond of this concubine, but she was his, so he naturally wanted to protect her. Anyone in the Duke's Mansion would probably do the same.
The Censor's Wife calmed down instantly and bowed to the Duke Yingying before she spoke with tears in her eyes, "I just lost my mind. I hope the Duke will forgive me."
Upon hearing the news, Imperial Censor Mu Yaozhi finally arrived home.
She ran straight up to the Duke and bowed, saying, "Please forgive me, Duke Yan. It's my wife who has offended my concubine. It's going to rain soon, so why don't we go into the living room and talk?"
The Censor's Wife glanced at Mu Yaozhi with resentment. She thought to herself, their daughter had suffered such a great humiliation, and he, as a father, was going to apologize to her?
But who made the Mu family decline?
The Duke kindly asked the Imperial Censor, "Your daughter is still in the house. Would you like to go in and take a look first, Master Mu?"
The Censor's wife was filled with mixed feelings and thought, "The Duke is quite kind."
Mu Yaozhi said without hesitation, "The palace physician is watching, and my daughter is definitely out of danger. Please come this way, Duke!"
The Censor's Wife glanced coldly at the man surnamed Mu, her face devoid of emotion. She had long known that he was the answer.
The Duke said no more, nodded, turned around and extended his hand to Jasmine.
Jasmine was stunned, then she held her grandfather's hand tightly.
The Duke then stepped forward.
“Camellia!”
Chunli helped Shancha up and went to untie the rope for her.
Seeing this, the censor's wife asked sternly, "What are you doing?"
Chunli raised his eyes, letting the censor's wife see his face clearly. "What did you think I was going to do? I, Han Chunli, am the legitimate son of the Shangshu Mansion. I would never let anyone escape before the matter is thoroughly investigated. It's just that it's going to rain, and this girl is injured. If she continues to stay in this courtyard, she might get into trouble. Even the Jingzhao Prefecture has no right to lynch her."
The Censor's wife was speechless. It was fine if she didn't understand why Duke Yan was helping his concubine, but Han Chunli had nothing better to do than stand up for a lowly servant?
But the censor's wife also couldn't offend him. She could only watch Han Chunli take the man away.
The guest hall in the front yard of the Mu Mansion.
Only Shancha knelt in the middle of the living room. Jasmine stood behind her grandfather. The others sat down in their assigned positions.
Since the Duke was present, he was invited to the seat of honor. Mu Yaozhi took Madam Mu's usual seat, and the Censor's wife had to sit to the side.
As a result, the censor's wife felt that her momentum was a little weak.
Just as she was thinking about waiting for the Duke to ask questions, lest she lose the initiative, the Censor's wife was still a step too late when she was about to take the initiative.
"Before I came here, I heard that your daughter was teasing my concubine's maid and wouldn't let her leave. The maid was frightened and had no choice but to bump into your daughter. Your daughter's head was hit simply because she was standing in an unfortunate position. She rolled down the steps from the pavilion and hit her head on the stairs. Is what I said the truth?"
The Duke's words were directed at Mu Yaozhi.
Mu Yaozhi didn't think that Duke Yan would speak nonsense. Without even a glance at the Censor's wife, he nodded and said, "What the Duke said is true."
The censor's wife was so angry that she was stunned.
The Duke continued, "If this is the truth, then if this girl was beaten to death, wouldn't it be unfair?" This time, the Duke was looking at the Censor's wife.
The Duke looked at the Censor's wife solemnly and added, "Even if Madam were to go to Jingzhao Prefecture, things would still be difficult."
The Censor's Wife glanced at her trusted maid who had sneaked off, then forced a smile and looked at the Duke. "Your Highness, you may not know this, but my Ziqing stopped that maid to seek justice for Madam Luo. She injured Madam Luo and tried to escape. Ziqing and Madam Luo were close friends, so how could she not help? That's why she stopped the maid. Who would have thought she would resort to violence?"
The censor's wife grew increasingly furious as she spoke. She looked coldly at the maidservant kneeling below, wishing she could skin her alive.
Turning back, the censor's wife glanced at Jasmine again. They both deserved death!
The Duke didn't know much. He only heard from the steward that his concubine and Shancha were taken away by the censor's wife, and the censor's daughter teased Shancha, who accidentally hurt the censor's daughter.
As for the rest, the steward didn't say anything. After hearing what the Censor's wife said, the Duke lowered his eyes and asked Shan Cha in a deep voice, "Shan Cha, is this true?"
Shancha thought she was really going to be beaten to death and was already terrified. She had just been half-dragged here by Chunli. Now being questioned, she stuttered and couldn't speak.
Jasmine stepped forward, kneeling beside Shancha and saying, "Your Excellency, what the Madam said is true, but this is a different matter. Shancha accidentally scratched Madam Luo, and we've already apologized to her. We only left after she agreed. But the Censor's wife insisted on stopping Shancha. Many other women followed the Censor's wife, making fun of her and teasing her. They formed a circle around her and wouldn't let her leave. They did it on purpose. Shancha is always timid, so she bumped into her."
Jasmine knew that it was impossible to take Shancha away safely today. All she could do now was to save Shancha's life. As long as she was alive, it would be enough.
She also didn't want to embarrass the Duke.
Jasmine kowtowed to the Duke, then unbendingly kowtowed to the Censor's wife, unable to get up. "I know Shancha has indeed committed a grave offense today, and she owes you an apology to your ladyship. However, her crime is not punishable by death. Could you please spare her life, Madam? I am willing to endure any beatings or scoldings you may have."
The Censor's wife's eyes lit up and she nodded repeatedly, "My aunt, your idea is good. Very well, I will spare her life. I will hit her back the same way she hit my daughter. Coincidentally, there is also a pavilion in the Censor's mansion."
The Censor's Wife turned to look at the Duke and spoke with measured emphasis, "I will be fair and impartial, and will not bend the law to the slightest advantage. Please bear witness to this, Duke."
The Duke frowned and was about to speak when his concubine interrupted him, "But Madam, your daughter can hire an imperial physician, but I am a worthless girl. If the outside clinic knew that she had offended the Madam Censor, I'm afraid she wouldn't even be able to hire a doctor. Isn't it obvious that Madam wants her life too?"
Madam Yushi: "What Auntie said makes sense. But this is a different matter. If Auntie's maid can't find a doctor, what does it have to do with me? I only know that this maid hurt my daughter. If I don't avenge my daughter, what kind of mother am I!"
When his head hit the ground, there was a "bang" sound, and everyone knew how painful it was just by listening to the sound.
The Censor's wife was so frightened that she jumped in her chair.
"Madam, I will apologize to you on behalf of Shancha."
Jasmine said this and bowed her head again.
When he was about to kowtow for the third time, he was grabbed by the Duke.
The Duke's expression was gloomier than ever before: "How could you not know that my aunt is still a stubborn person?"
Her eyes were covered with blood red. Jasmine reached out to wipe her eyes and tried to wave her grandfather's hand away.
The Duke is sure that his concubine is a stubborn person!
The Duke would not let her succeed, and turned to the Censor's wife and said, "If your aunt's plea fails, I wonder if I can ask your wife for mercy?"
The Censor's wife was stunned to one side. Mu Yaozhi was anxious. He stood up and saluted the Duke: "What are you talking about? Don't worry, I will protect this girl's life."
"You..." The censor's wife looked at Mu Yaozhi in disbelief.
Mu Yaozhi interrupted her: "Shut up!" Mu Yaozhi smiled apologetically at the Duke, "Women always like to quibble. I hope the Duke will understand!"
The Duke nodded and said, "I hope Lord Mu and his wife will send the tea back to the Duke's Mansion tomorrow. My wife and I will be waiting at home."
“Yes, yes!”
Mu Yaozhi really wanted to say, "My Lord, why don't you take this maid back now?" But he knew that his wife would not be willing to do so, and the Duke has always been fair, so he was afraid that it would backfire.
The Duke pulled Jasmine up from the ground and said, "Let's go back."
The Duke did not let go, but held on to his concubine's arm and walked out the door.
The Duke walked slowly, and Mu Yaozhi followed him respectfully. It seemed that it took him half a day before he stepped out of the guest hall.
As soon as they walked out of the screen wall, they saw Mrs. Luo and Luo Ming'er walking quickly into the gate of the Censorate's Mansion, led by the servants of the Censorate.
When the mother and daughter saw the Duke, they walked even faster and stepped forward to pay their respects.
"My lord."
"My daughter greets the Duke."
Luo Ming'er saw Jasmine and exclaimed, "What's wrong, Auntie?"
As he spoke, he stepped forward to wipe the blood off Jasmine with the silk handkerchief in his hand, but Jasmine subconsciously dodged him.
Luo Ming'er was stunned, her raised hand frozen there. After a moment, she withdrew her hand and said to the Duke, "Please don't blame me, Duke. What happened today was just a misunderstanding."
The Duke nodded. "Yes, I understand. I will explain your injury tomorrow. It's getting late, so I'll leave first."
Mrs. Luo quickly moved aside.
"Farewell to the Duke."
Only after seeing the Duke's back disappear did the mother and daughter look to the other side.
Madam Luo hurried into the living room. "Madam Censor, I'm sorry. We came here just as the people from the Censorate arrived. I never thought we'd be a step too late!"
Luo Ming'er followed behind Mrs. Luo and asked with concern, "This is all Ming'er's fault. How's Ziqing? Ming'er will go and check on her now."
The censor's wife said angrily, "No need."
The Censor's Wife knew that the mother and daughter were deliberately late. If they had come earlier, would she have needed to invite them?
It is obvious that they want to draw a clear line with the Censorate.
The Censor's wife was no fool. She immediately thought of something and asked bluntly, "Why is Madam holding a flower viewing banquet today? And why did you deliberately invite the Duke's concubine? What are you thinking?"
As soon as these words were spoken, not only Luo Ming'er's face darkened, but Mrs. Luo also looked unhappy.
Luo Ming'er: "Madam, no matter how angry you are, you shouldn't take it out on others. I invited your daughter because I'm on good terms with her. Now that you've said that, I'm afraid I won't dare to invite your daughter to play with me next time. Mother, since we're not welcome here, let's just leave."
Luo Ming'er said this and turned around.
Mrs. Luo snorted coldly and followed.
"you……"
The censor's wife was furious. But she didn't know what to do with the mother and daughter, so she could only throw a few teacups to vent her anger.
Luo Ming'er is certainly not afraid of the Censorate. So what if the Censorate is bigger than the Vice Minister's Mansion? She will be the wife of a Duke in the future, so how can the Censorate be comparable to her?
Besides, the current Censorate is no longer as strong as it was during the time of the previous emperor. Everyone in Kyoto knows that the Grand Censor Mu Yaozhi was suppressed by His Majesty.
Who knows, this Censorate might be gone in the next moment.
Mu Yaozhi sent the Duke away, and turned back to see the mother and daughter of the Luo family getting on the carriage with a smile on their face.
When he returned to the living room, he saw his wife ordering someone to bring a stick to beat the girl.
Mu Yaozhi was furious: "Are you really going to hit me?"
The Censor's wife glared at him, "The Duke said he could fight, so why did you stop him? Since you came back, have you even glanced at Ziqing? She bled so much, and it took three whole hours to bring her back from the brink of death. I only have this one daughter, Mu Yaozhi. If you don't feel pain, I do!"
The Censor's wife burst into tears: "I tell you, Mu Yaozhi, even if the Duke instigates His Majesty to close this Censorate, I will avenge my daughter today!"
After the Censor's wife finished speaking, she wiped away her tears and shouted to the outside, "Go! As long as he's still alive, we can send him back to the Duke's Mansion tomorrow morning!"
"Madam, do you still want her life?"
Mu Yaozhi and the censor's wife looked at the person who spoke, and were both surprised when they saw who it was.
Mu Yaozhi: "Why didn't you follow the Duke?"
The Censor's wife held her neck high and said, "Today's incident has nothing to do with Deputy General Han."
Chunli: "But the girl who was beaten by the Madam is related to me."
The censor's wife was stunned. Without time to be surprised, she glared and asked, "I will beat her to death. What do you think?"
"Please, Madam, spare her half life and let Chunli take over the rest."
...
"I have a feeling that the Censor's wife won't let Shan Cha off easily." The more Jasmine thought about it, the more she felt this was possible. She leaned out and shouted, "Stop the car! Turn around!"
The Duke pulled her back and looked at her gravely: "With Chunli here, nothing will happen. Just take care of yourself first."
Jasmine thought about it and felt relieved.
"From now on, I won't call you Jasmine anymore. I'll call you Jian'er. What do you think, Auntie?"
Jasmine was in no mood to joke with him: "Whatever, sir."
The Duke saw the blood on her forehead about to flow into her eyes, so he reached out and carefully wiped it away for her. Jasmine was embarrassed: "I can do it myself."
The Duke did not force her and let her take the handkerchief in his hand. He saw her carefully put it on her forehead. She still winced in pain, but did not make a sound.
After just two wipes, she was already sweating profusely. The sweat mixed with the wound, causing her to grimace in pain.
Seeing her clutching her forehead and hunched over, the Duke couldn't bear it. "Jiang'er, let go."
He's not kidding? Jasmine's ferocious expression froze when she heard his new name.
By the time she reacted, the Duke had already taken the handkerchief and was wiping the blood and sweat from her forehead.
Jasmine happened to see her grandfather's chin, where a fine layer of stubble had appeared. He had just shaved it clean that morning, but now it had sprouted again. It was obvious that it was late.
It's all because of her.
At first, she didn't want to cause trouble because she was afraid that the Duke would chase her away. But now, she knew he wouldn't. But she was still afraid of causing trouble for him.
"I'm sorry, Master. Don't you blame me?"
The Duke asked uncertainly, "Do you want to be blamed by me, Qiang'er? Or do you not want to?"
Jasmine really wanted to refuse the title. It made her feel uncomfortable. But since she had just gotten her grandfather into big trouble, and she had agreed to it herself, Jasmine could only endure it silently.
Seeing that she remained silent, the Duke added, "But I cannot go against my conscience. Seeing Jian'er like this, I feel only pain in my heart."
The Duke's eyes were incredibly gentle, and Jasmine couldn't stop looking at them. By the time she reacted, her hand had already touched her Duke's eyebrows.
He didn't refuse, so Jasmine simply touched him several times without restraint.
"Master, we're here."
Zuo He reached out and lifted the curtain, and then all three of them were stunned.
Zuo He looked the most terrified.
Inside the carriage, the Duke and his concubine were caressing each other and gazing at each other with deep affection. If he hadn't interrupted them, they might have been able to take things a step further.
The curtain was thrown down again with a "swish".
The Duke said, "I didn't think about it. It's not my fault. As long as I'm not angry, I won't think too much."
Jasmine's face twitched, and the little touch of emotion in her heart almost disappeared.
"Stubborn, get down now."
"Jian'er is injured, please call the doctor."
The Duke then asked the court physician, "How is Jian'er?"
The court doctor shook his head and said helplessly, "Your Majesty's forehead is easy to fix. Just apply the right medicine and the scar will disappear in about a month. I guarantee your face will be back to normal in two months. But your Majesty's arm isn't doing well. Did you accidentally pull it?"
Jasmine glanced at the Duke, who immediately understood. It seemed he had pulled Jian'er's arm.
Jasmine didn't wear the bandage today because she was going to the Luo Mansion. She thought it had been so many days, so it wouldn't be a big deal if she didn't wear it for one day.
Jasmine waved her left arm and asked the court doctor uncertainly, "But I can move. Why is it not so good?"
The court doctor raised his arm and gestured to Auntie: "If you don't believe me, try this."
Jasmine slowly raised her hand, but before she had raised it halfway, it got stuck.
She wanted to cry but had no tears: "My hand...Doctor, can my hand be saved?"
The Duke asked solemnly, "Do you want to interrupt and reconnect?"
Jasmine wanted to die.
The Duke saw the tears welling up in her eyes and comforted her, "Jiang'er, I'm with you, don't be afraid."
The court doctor then spoke up, "The Duke's injury is serious, but Auntie's arm is only slightly dislocated. As long as she continues to wear the bandage for a few more days and avoids bumps and bumps, it will heal on its own."
That night, Jasmine thought her grandfather would ask what happened in the Luo Mansion, but he didn't.
The next morning, the Duke unexpectedly did not attend court. Jasmine then learned that her husband had taken leave and planned to visit the Luo Mansion that day.
Jasmine didn't really want to go, but her grandfather went because of her. She was also worried that the Luo family mother and daughter would talk nonsense, so she couldn't rest assured unless she was watching them personally.
The Mu family kept their promise. Jasmine was washing herself with one hand when Shancha was sent back.
After simply washing her face and without even tying her hair, Jasmine hurried to check.
Shancha's buttocks were bruised, but the court doctor said it was just a flesh wound.
After the medicine was applied and the court doctor and the female doctor left, the two looked at each other from a distance.
Shancha finally couldn't hold back her tears and burst out. Jasmine's eyes also felt hot for some reason.
They looked at each other in silence, both of them shed tears.
"Auntie..."
Jasmine went over and held her hand. Shancha wiped her tears and asked, "Auntie, are you still in pain?"
Jasmine shook her head: "It doesn't hurt."
How could it not hurt? She wasn't stupid. Shancha's tears fell even more fiercely.
No one knew when her relationship with her aunt had reached this point.
It was obvious that they were at loggerheads at the beginning, and neither of them was willing to submit to the other. When she saw that she had won the favor of the Duke, she became even more dissatisfied with her.
Later, the relationship eased because she saw that her aunt was useful. If someone asked her if her aunt would care about her if she accidentally made the mistake she did today, she would definitely insist "no".
What if my aunt fell from power? Would she suffer with her? She definitely said no.
But the aunt risked her life for her. How could Shancha not be moved?
Some words are too unfamiliar to say. Shancha looked at her aunt, tears streaming down her face. Thinking of her own life, she began to smile again.
I guess there won't be much need for her and her aunt to talk about it in the future.
Jasmine wrung out the handkerchief, and they both wiped their faces before she said, "I thought the Censor's Wife wouldn't let you go. My Master said Chun Li was here, and I was wondering what Chun Li would do last night. It seems the Censor's Wife still cares about the Duke's Mansion and only gave you a beating."
Shancha didn't know what she was thinking about, and her expression was dazed.
Jasmine looked at her and guessed what was going on: "Is it still because of Chunli? Is Chunli okay?"
"Chun Li took the punishment for me afterwards."
Jasmine had never expected the Censor's Wife to be so cruel that she even dared to attack the Shangshu Mansion's legitimate son and a deputy general with great military achievements.
Shancha was lost in thought, and Jasmine let her be, quietly retreating. She told Xiuhong to look after her while she went to find the Duke.
There are important things to do today.
The Duke prepared two boxes of gifts for the Luo family.
It seemed that Shancha accidentally hurt Mrs. Luo, but when it was spread out, it was said that Jasmine did it or that Jasmine instigated the maid to do it.
Jasmine was the Duke's concubine, and Mrs. Luo was his wife-to-be. The Duke felt that he had to go to the Luo family to explain himself.
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