Chapter 40 Chapter 40 The old lady’s birthday party.
Everything was fine in the evening. The Duke and the old lady had a little unpleasantness. The old lady was so angry that she said she wanted to go back to her room for dinner. The Duke also came back to have dinner with his aunt.
The two of them talked for a long time, and the concubine laughed happily. But in the middle of the night, the Duke found that the concubine was kicking him, but no matter how he called her, she would not wake him up.
When the light was turned on, the concubine was biting her lip, her eyes were tightly closed, she was sweating profusely, and her whole body was stiff, which frightened the Duke terribly.
He quickly called the court doctor.
...
"What is panic disorder?"
The court doctor explained, "My aunt must have suffered a fright. In other words, she was frightened. This usually happens to children who can't help being frightened. I'm afraid the reason my aunt got this disease is because this matter has been buried in her heart and she can't let it go."
The court physician gave her acupuncture and half a bowl of tranquilizing soup. My aunt now seemed much calmer, though she hadn't woken up yet.
Xiuhong followed the court doctor out and listened to what he said about the things to pay attention to in the next few days.
The Duke sat on the edge of the bed, gazing solemnly at his concubine's pale and thin face.
The flesh that had gained after returning to Beijing was lost again in just a few days.
Shan Cha wanted to stay and serve the concubine, but the Duke said without hesitation, "Come back tomorrow after I leave."
"Then tonight..."
"I'm here tonight."
Shancha was afraid of the Duke, so she agreed immediately. Finally, she glanced at her concubine uneasily and left.
That night, the lights in the main courtyard bedroom were still on. The Duke leaned against the head of the bed and stared at the concubine for half the night.
When Jasmine woke up, the sky was still gray. She opened her eyes and stared at her grandfather.
Jasmine shuddered, and the Duke quickly patted her, "Yes, Master, I'm here. It's okay."
"Slave..." Jasmine opened her mouth, unable to believe her voice was so hoarse.
The Duke patted her again and said, "Stop talking and rest for a while. You were talking in your sleep all night, so it's normal for your voice to be like this."
Upon hearing this, Jasmine jumped up from the bed and said, "What...what did I say?"
The collar of the Duke's clothes, which he had just put on, was twisted askew.
The Duke patted his concubine's back repeatedly and said soothingly, "She didn't say anything. It was all nonsense. I didn't hear it clearly."
Jasmine stared into his eyes. The Duke's eyes looked at her with helplessness and pity, but no doubt.
Jasmine let go and sat down dejectedly.
She probably didn't say anything special, otherwise the Duke would definitely ask and would definitely suspect her.
Jasmine couldn't help but curl the corners of her lips, and suddenly remembered that her grandfather was still here. She turned away with a dull look in her eyes and shuddered again.
The Duke was at a loss, so he had no choice but to hold her and explain again and again: "Jian'er, I can assure you that I don't mind. It's not Jian'er's fault that you were bullied."
Jasmine knew he had misinterpreted the idea. She curled her lips again, smiled at her grandfather, nodded, and said in a hoarse voice, "Jian'er knows."
"You don't know." The Duke sighed inwardly. He thought, if you knew, why would you faint from fear?
But no matter how many times I explain it, it doesn't work. I'm afraid I have to take it slow.
"I have to go. I'll be back with you later." The Duke took two steps forward, then turned back, worried, "Don't let your imagination run wild."
"good."
Jasmine watched the Duke's back as he walked away. Then she looked at the wind chimes hanging from the ceiling, secretly hating herself for being so useless.
He was so frightened that he paralyzed just by hearing a few words from the Duke.
Jasmine told herself there was nothing to be afraid of. Kyoto was so far away from that place. Was she still afraid they would come looking for her?
Even if they came to find her, she had changed so much that she would never admit it and they would not be able to do anything to her.
But will they go to the Duke?
Jasmine recalled what her grandfather had said to the old lady and the others in the backyard living room yesterday afternoon.
"What if my aunt committed a crime?"
The Duke's expression was as serious and stern as ever: "Of course, we will follow the rules."
When Jasmine thought about that day, she couldn't help but curl up and tremble all over.
Shancha pushed the door open and, seeing this, dropped the soul-soothing soup in her hand and rushed over.
"Auntie, Auntie, please don't scare me! What's wrong with you? Tell Shancha. Is there anything you can't tell Shancha?"
Shancha also wiped away her tears.
Jasmine shook her head: "I'm sorry, I can't tell you."
"Okay, if you can't tell me, then don't tell me. It's not a big deal."
Seeing that she was cold all over, Shancha hugged her with both hands and feet.
...
After the court session today, His Majesty called the Duke to talk for a while.
His Majesty comforted him about the Luo family girl, and first said that it was normal to cancel an engagement these days, and then said that His Majesty was fine now, and had sent two concubines out of the palace not long ago.
She told the Duke not to take it too seriously and not to be disappointed in other young ladies. She also promised to find him a virtuous and sensible lady from a wealthy family.
The Duke thanked His Majesty and greeted Him. He said he had something to do today and did not want to go to the garrison camp.
His Majesty is very easy to talk to, so let him do as he pleases.
Afterwards, the Duke hurried home.
As soon as I entered the main courtyard, I saw my aunt, who was smiling and lively.
If he hadn't seen with his own eyes last night that his aunt couldn't wake up no matter how much she was called, the Duke would have been deceived by her.
The Duke didn't know how to comfort his aunt, so he thought of buying her some delicious food and fun things to make her happy.
So the Duke came out of the palace and went into Concubine Liang's clothing store and the snack shop opposite, packed up some things and then hurried back.
At this moment, both hands were full. Jasmine saw this, her eyes sparkled, and she even joked: "My Lord, I bought it for nothing, I am fine now."
"It's worth buying. I can eat and use it anytime."
Jasmine took it, but did not take it back to her room. Instead, she and Shancha Xiuhong started to rummage through the package in the courtyard.
The Duke was watching from the side.
After the concubine had finished looking through the things and distributed a few packets of snacks with the two maids, and the concubine came over with two oil-paper packets, the Duke spoke.
"Jiang'er, are you really okay?"
Jasmine nodded and shook her head: "It's really okay!"
The Duke was skeptical, but there was nothing he could do. The court doctor also had no good solution and only said to slowly heal the disease.
The Duke wondered if the court doctor was incompetent. Or maybe he should change doctors.
Or you could go to the palace and ask for an imperial physician.
The Duke invited him, and the next day after court, he borrowed Zhang Yuanpan from the palace.
Hiring an imperial physician for a concubine? And he hired Zhang Yuanpan, the imperial concubine’s special doctor!
Everyone in the Duke's Mansion was extremely surprised when they heard about this.
When the old lady stopped him for questioning, the Duke replied, "If it were my mother, I would have gone to the palace to fetch the imperial physician. The reason I asked Your Majesty to borrow Zhang Yuanpan today is because I learned that the Imperial Concubine's heart disease was cured under Zhang Yuanpan's careful care, and I'm sure he could cure the Imperial Concubine as well."
Whether the concubine could be cured or not, the old lady didn’t bother to care. In her ears and mind, the old lady only heard the first half of the Duke’s words.
He actually said that if it were her mother, she would also go to the palace to invite the imperial physician!
How could the old lady not be moved! The old lady's eyes were filled with tears, and after the Duke left, her tears were even more flowing.
The Fourth Master, standing by, looked coldly at the loving mother and filial son scene before him and reminded his mother, "Mother, you are the old lady of the Duke's Mansion. You can just send a servant to the palace to fetch the imperial physician. Perhaps there is no need to fetch him. His Majesty can just send someone directly upon hearing about it."
"That makes sense." This woke the old man up.
The old lady paused in her sobbing, glanced at the Fourth Master, turned silently and went into the house.
...
"President Zhang, how is my aunt?"
"Please rest assured, Duke. From what I can see now, my concubine is doing very well."
Judge Zhang paused and said, "If the concubine does this again, please come and call me, my lord. Only then will I know the extent of her illness."
"Okay, I'll send it to Zhang Yuanpan."
"My Lord, please stay."
When the Duke reentered the bedroom, he was in high spirits. Court Judge Zhang said the concubine was not ill. So it seemed she was truly well.
Jasmine never thought that one day she would be able to see the imperial physician.
She is indeed an extraordinary person in her grandfather's heart.
Jasmine thought back on the past six months, and it seemed that every time, her grandfather stood by her without hesitation.
How could there be a man in this world who treats his concubine so well? Jasmine had never seen it, let alone heard of it.
I’m afraid she is the only one like him in this world.
Jasmine heard her grandfather say with a chuckle, "This time, I'm truly relieved."
Jasmine extended her hand, and the Duke walked to the bed in perfect tacit understanding, sat down, and took her hand.
Jasmine looked at him, a little hesitant to ask, but she couldn't help but ask.
"Why are you so nice to Qiang'er?"
The Duke thought for a moment and asked with a smile, "Is my master treating you well?"
Jasmine nodded.
The Duke thought for a moment, then asked sincerely, "How has my master treated you well?"
Jasmine was speechless for a long moment before she began to count them off one by one: "There are so many. For example, when Jiao Er was bullied by the eldest young lady, I helped Jiao Er to fight back, and I even went to the old lady to seek justice for Jiao Er. Jiao Er was also bullied by Madam Luo, and I took Jiao Er to Jingzhao Prefecture and avenged Jiao Er. And then there are the many good things I gave Jiao Er, including those three paintings and the imperial physician I hired for Jiao Er. It's too many to count."
"If you hadn't told me, I wouldn't have remembered there were so many." This was the Duke's true words.
Jasmine thought for a moment and asked again, "What if Jian'er wasn't a servant? If someone else became Jian'er, would Master treat her so well?"
The Duke was a little puzzled by this question: "Who to replace?"
"For example...it could be any princess, or the Luo family's wife, or any other young lady."
"Won't."
Jasmine trembled violently: "Why?"
"I'm afraid I can't get along with them. I only get along with Jian'er."
The Duke hinted at something, paused, and then said, "I finally understand why I was so kind to Qiang'er."
"Why?"
"Of course it's because Jian'er is good."
When Jasmine was grabbed by the waist and fell uncontrollably onto her grandfather, there was no need to ask what was wrong with her.
"Do you like stubborn people so much?"
The Duke held his concubine close to him, feeling a little awkward, and said the truth in his heart: "I love her very much."
Jasmine knew that there was no point in asking anything at that moment.
Besides, she was afraid.
She is still confused.
What does she want to know?
Do you know if this man has her in his heart? How much of her is there? Will he not marry for her? Can he live with her for the rest of his life?
She clearly couldn't bring herself to ask, yet she kept trying. Jasmine really hated herself!
What right did she have to embarrass the Duke? He didn't owe her anything, it was she who had wronged him.
Even if she was given a chance, so what?
She was not qualified. She would only bring about her own destruction more quickly.
She could only hide in the backyard and live a miserable life.
That's what she thought at first. As long as she had enough to eat and a bed to sleep in, she would be content with that.
But she didn't know when she had other ideas. As someone treated her better and better, the idea gradually sprouted in her mind.
She wanted to pull it out, it was so painful.
Jasmine knew that the only person she could think of and get at the moment was the person at that moment.
Therefore, she is very dedicated and excited.
The Duke didn't think much of it. After all, his concubine was still ill, so he had to be considerate. He just planned to hug her through her clothes.
But he didn't expect that his aunt would take the initiative to take off his clothes.
The Duke said "no", but the concubine insisted. What could the Duke do?
The Duke agreed reluctantly.
I don't sleep with my aunt very often during the day.
It feels very different from at night.
The aunt was very different today, her cries were particularly miserable.
"Be a stubborn boy, bear with it for a while." It would be embarrassing if someone heard this.
"I can't help it."
The Duke had no choice but to bite her lips.
...
The Duke felt a little guilty as he helped his concubine fix her collar.
How could he take advantage of someone's misfortune?
How could he indulge in adultery in broad daylight?
The Duke was not afraid of the news getting out or of his reputation being ruined. He was only afraid of leading the good men of the Great Qi Kingdom astray.
The old Duke said that a man's career was ruined by lust. So for more than 20 years, even after the old Duke passed away, he did not cross the line.
Thinking about it now, the Duke found that what the old Duke said was absolutely right.
Who would have thought that one day he would pick up a concubine!
The Duke stood under the bed and changed his clothes, while the concubine leaned softly against the bed, as if she was dead, with her hair loose, her cheeks flushed, her lips swollen and bright red, and she looked at him with light in her eyes.
The Duke felt the urge to continue destroying her. He took a deep breath and continued to tighten his belt.
"Stubborn boy, take a break. I'm going out to do something." Then the Duke turned around and ran away quickly.
Fortunately, Chunli and the others have been transferred.
The Duke pushed the door open and saw that there was no one in the courtyard, and he felt relieved.
"Your servant greets the Duke." The Duke turned around abruptly and looked at Shan Cha before he could finish his breath.
"When did you come?"
She couldn't possibly admit that she had sneaked away to the kitchen to get something to eat, right?
Shancha replied respectfully, "I am always here."
The Duke slowly put his hands behind his back and said with his usual solemn expression, "Don't tell anyone about what happened today."
What's the matter? Shancha didn't dare to ask, so she just answered: "Yes."
"Go and keep your aunt company."
"yes."
After seeing the Duke leave, Shan Cha entered the bedroom and asked Auntie, "The Duke just told me not to tell anyone. Auntie, what is it that you can't tell anyone about?"
As she got closer, Shancha saw the aunt's shy and timid face, and then looked at her lazy appearance with her back unable to straighten. How could Shancha understand?
Without waiting for the concubine to ask, she suddenly realized and said, "Don't worry, concubine, I will remember the Duke's words and I won't tell anyone."
Jasmine also knew that she had been too presumptuous today.
How could she forget that her master had always been well-behaved, and now she had seduced him into bed in broad daylight. If he was to be exposed one day, he would be vomiting to death.
If it were her, she would definitely not pay any attention to this bitch who seduced her into breaking the rules.
Fortunately, the Duke returned in the evening, still calm and composed, with a tolerant look on his face.
Jasmine apologized to him: "I won't dare to do it again next time."
The Duke had forgotten everything, but when he heard Auntie's words, he remembered what happened that day. The Duke said, "I don't blame you, I only blame myself."
The Duke looked at his concubine with a complicated expression and added, "If Jiao'er wants to in the future, we might as well have dinner earlier."
Jasmine covered her face and nodded: "I will listen to you, Master."
...
The Duke would blame himself for three days if he accidentally slept with her during the day.
Jasmine didn't dare to think about it. Jasmine was relieved.
Fortunately, she didn't say the bold words she was thinking of, otherwise she would have been kicked out of the house by now.
Jasmine warned herself not to think too much, and that being a concubine would help her live longer.
Jasmine deliberately told herself that the Duke did not actually like her. If it was anyone else, even the lady from the Luo family, the Duke would definitely be respectful and polite to her.
The Duke liked to cling to her simply because she was the only woman he had at the moment. Once he got married and had someone else, things would naturally be very different.
She couldn't accept it now, and her life in the future would probably be even more difficult.
Too much sweet fruit would also cause toothache. She had to learn to eat in moderation.
Forcing herself to give up sweet fruits was really painful, so Jasmine had to force herself to think about the past days.
As expected, she became very satisfied with her current life.
That's right. Jasmine just wants to have enough food to eat and a roof over her head to protect her from the rain!
Suddenly, my aunt cheered up again.
...
"Auntie, I heard that August 8th is the old lady's birthday. Should we send her off?"
"Nonsense. Everyone in this house has a birthday gift."
"oh."
Unsure of what to send, Jasmine took Shancha out to inquire. There were only two young wives in the mansion now, so the eldest and fourth young wives interacted more frequently than usual.
Jasmine was looking for the fourth young master's wife, and it happened that the eldest young master's wife was also there.
Ever since the last time the wife of the Luo family was rejected from the engagement, the eldest young lady's wife saw that Jasmine's aura was not just a little weaker.
She has completely changed. The clothes she wears recently are all in soft colors, like a small white flower.
Seeing Jasmine, the eldest young lady's wife stood up even faster than the fourth young lady's wife. With an awkward smile on her face, she greeted her, "Auntie is here."
Although she gave her aunt a top-quality fertility-delivering Guanyin statue, and later secretly sent many good things to the main courtyard, the eldest young lady was still uneasy.
I always feel that my aunt will blame her.
In the past, the eldest young lady did not dare to go to the main courtyard. She wanted to meet the concubine by chance, but she never did.
The eldest young lady's wife was not one to hold back. Seeing them, she ignored the situation and immediately grabbed Jasmine and said, "Auntie, I'm sorry for you. I have a bad temper, and I couldn't get angry enough so I went to the Luo Mansion."
The eldest young lady's wife hurriedly explained, "But I just wanted to make things difficult for you, not to actually harm you. The Duke's Mansion is so strict, even if I had said I would sell my concubine, the Luo family girl certainly wouldn't have been able to do it. But I didn't expect her to go find Madam Sun again." The eldest young lady's wife looked at Jasmine with a dejected expression, "Aunt, please forgive me."
It turned out that she was the one who reminded Luo Ming'er.
Jasmine grabbed the eldest young lady's hand and said, "You're worrying too much, Madam. How could I blame you? This matter has nothing to do with you. On the contrary, during the time I've been in the mansion, you've taken good care of me. I'm only grateful."
Jasmine knew that some things needed to be said openly. "Also, before, the Duke... please don't take offense, Madam. The Duke thought the Madam was bullying me, and I later explained to him. This is how Jasmine and Madam get along. Jasmine knows that Madam is only aggressive on the surface, but she's actually a good person."
Oh my god. Aside from the old man, everyone else either glared at her or wanted to turn around and run away. She hadn't expected there was someone else who understood her so well.
The eldest young lady's eyes were filled with tears and she could no longer hold back and hugged her aunt: "Jasmine!"
"Madam Eldest Young Master!" Jasmine hugged her back.
Jasmine is not stupid, so how could she come into conflict with the eldest young master's wife?
However, she really wasn't angry. After all, she had received a lot of benefits from others.
Besides, she didn't suffer any loss. After all, it was the eldest young lady who was taken advantage of by her.
Thanks to what the eldest young lady said in front of Mrs. Luo, Mrs. Luo went to find Mrs. Sun, who used the third master to kidnap her.
Then the Duke asked the Luo family to break off the engagement.
Jasmine felt that she should get along well with this young lady in the future. After all, there was only one of her in this mansion. She had to cherish her.
So, Jasmine took the initiative to hold the eldest young lady's hand and smiled even more brightly.
Perhaps Jasmine felt that she had neglected the Fourth Young Master's wife, so she pulled the First Young Master's wife to sit around the stone table together.
"Today, Jasmine came here specifically to ask for advice from the Fourth Young Master's wife. It's even better that the First Young Master's wife is here too. I wonder what gifts the two ladies have prepared for the old lady?"
She had just felt sorry for them, but when the eldest young lady heard Jasmine's question, she answered without hesitation, "I prepared a longevity Buddha."
Thinking of her aunt's poverty, the eldest young lady's wife leaned over and whispered in Jasmine's ear: "If your aunt is short of money, you can just go to my place."
Jasmine: "Thank you, Madam."
The Fourth Young Master's wife had someone bring out a box. When she opened it, she found two sets of light-colored pajamas. Jasmine exclaimed, "Could this have been made by the Fourth Young Master's wife herself?"
The Fourth Young Master's wife blushed and shook her head: "It's my maids. They are very skillful."
Jasmine knew that the Fourth Young Master's wife was the daughter of a prominent family, and the maids she was talking about were probably the four she brought from her mother's home.
For example, when the eldest young lady married into the Duke's Mansion, she only brought two personal maids with her, while the third young lady only had one. This shows how favored the fourth young lady was in her natal family.
Jasmine sighed, "The gift from the eldest young lady's wife was expensive, and the gift from the fourth young lady's wife was thoughtful. So what should I give?"
Before she could think of a gift, Jasmine thought of something else: "By the way, does the old lady have a birthday party every year?"
If we hold it every year, doesn’t that mean we have to send it every year?
Just thinking about it gives me a headache.
When the eldest and fourth young wives heard this, they looked at each other in tacit understanding and said nothing.
Jasmine naturally noticed the exchange of glances between the two, but she didn't understand why.
The Fourth Young Master's wife smiled and said, "It's not held every year. The old lady doesn't like to be so ostentatious. Usually, the family just gets together for a meal. It's only... once in a while."
Jasmine had initially assumed this was the old lady's fiftieth birthday. It wasn't until the eve of the old lady's birthday that she overheard the kitchen steward mentioning that fifty-four peaches would be placed on the table.
This means that the old lady is not celebrating her 50th birthday, but her 54th birthday this year.
The old lady had celebrated her 50th birthday before.
There has never been an exception, why is it an exception this year?
Jasmine couldn't figure it out. But she thought, this matter has nothing to do with her. The two young ladies didn't tell her, maybe it was related to the old lady's private matters.
Jasmine didn't ask either.
As a birthday gift for the old lady, Jasmine prepared a comb that she made herself.
After all, she was just a concubine, and could not be compared with the two young ladies. After thinking about it, the most important thing was to show her affection.
The comb was a wooden comb bought from a stall outside. After Jasmine bought it, she processed the top of it.
The words "Everything goes well" were engraved on it, and a red tassel was hung on the bottom. When it was placed in the box, it immediately looked presentable.
With all the gifts prepared, Jasmine was just waiting for the old lady's birthday.
...
On August 8th, the sky was clear.
All the guests at the Duke's Mansion were dressed festively, with dazzling smiles on their faces, as they walked in through the main gate of the Mansion.
If there are many guests, they must be divided into male and female guests.
The Duke and the three masters were in the front yard greeting the male guests. Yes, the third master also returned today with his wife and daughter.
As for the female guests, there are naturally three young ladies to take care of them.
The backyard living room was bustling with activity. There were young ladies who came alone, and there were also older ladies who came with their young wives to congratulate.
"...These are Ruyue and Rufan, right? They were just two little kids back then, but they've grown up so fast."
The old lady sat at the top, looking at the two girls wearing powdered rouge and light green skirts below, she was so happy that she couldn't stop laughing.
"That's right. The last time we two sisters met was ten years ago. They were still little, weren't they? Fortunately, now is the perfect time."
“It fits perfectly!”
The old lady was holding onto the young lady beside her and was reluctant to let go. But she couldn't, because another guest had arrived.
"Madam, we are late, please don't blame us! Zhuzhu, please go and pay your respects to the old lady."
"Zhuzhu wishes the old lady a prosperous life every year and a carefree life every year."
The two people who came in were a mother and daughter.
"Okay, okay! Good boy, stop being so polite!" The old lady was also very happy and smiled.
The old lady's younger sister, the wife of the magistrate of Hengyang, Xiangzhou, who was originally sitting next to her, had already stood up and moved to a seat nearby.
At this moment, the wife of the Maozhou prefect quickly stepped forward, took the old lady's hand, sat down beside the old lady, and started chatting with her enthusiastically.
Jasmine, who stood silently behind the three young ladies and helped greet the young female guests, finally understood why the old lady wanted to hold this birthday banquet.
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