Chapter 43 Chapter 43 "She is a murderer, catch that...
"This woman is so bold and presumptuous" is just six words. The ladies in front of him are all the top people in the backyard, who doesn't understand this?
The old lady looked at Madam Meng with a ferocious expression.
Mrs. Meng reacted quickly, walked up to Meng Ruyue, and slapped her in the face.
He couldn't kneel down and fell directly to the ground.
No one expected Mrs. Meng's reaction.
How could a lady of marriageable age hit someone without authorization, especially in front of everyone?
Everyone reacted inwardly. They were afraid that Madam Meng had long harbored resentment towards her niece. And since her niece had no one to back her up, Madam Meng had the audacity to do this.
The old lady's expression became even uglier. Seeing that Madam Meng was about to kick Madam Meng, the old lady quickly spoke up.
"Mrs. Meng!"
Madam Meng turned around and said, "Sister, don't try to persuade me. I'll just beat this shameful thing to death!"
"This is the Duke's Mansion. It's not your Meng Mansion."
Madam Meng, about to lift her foot, froze. She turned to the old lady and said, "Please forgive me, old lady. I was really pissed off by this idiot. Don't worry, old lady. I will take him back and punish him severely. I will give you and the Duke an explanation."
This question hadn't even been asked clearly. This was the first time she had seen someone so eager to take the blame.
The old lady sighed. Idiots, all of them!
But the Duke would not lie. The girl from the Meng family had forced the Duke to jump off a tree, and she did not make any excuses. This was clearly the case.
After Madam Meng took Meng Ruyue away, the old lady still asked Yan Pu.
Yan Pu said, "Mrs. Meng suddenly appeared and asked the Duke to take her as his concubine. The Duke told her to respect herself, but she tried to make a move. Without a word, the Duke jumped up a tree and told me to hurry and find the old lady."
Everyone sighed. This Madam Meng was really brave!
It's a pity that he lacks some brains.
There is another joke in Kyoto.
Today's birthday banquet ended abruptly with the Duke being forced to jump off a tree.
Let the three gentlemen see off all the guests.
Backyard living room.
The old lady, now free, was about to talk to the Duke about the Lin family's wife. But just as she was praising her gentleness and virtue, the Duke interrupted her, saying, "My son understands your mother's good intentions, but the series of incidents today are not a good sign. Let's talk about the marriage later."
“But you…”
"Mother is tired too, so she should rest early today. Is there anything else?"
Just like the Duke said, there were a series of accidents today. The women involved were all the ones she favored.
The old lady was speechless. She was too embarrassed to ask the Duke to understand.
The old lady nodded, her face full of vicissitudes. "Is it a good omen? Then forget it. If there is nothing else, the Duke should go and rest."
The Duke took his leave and strode away.
The old lady was regretful. It was not easy to hold a banquet and hint at the ladies. But in the end, it failed.
But the old lady was also very open-minded.
The Lin family lady was okay in appearance, but her personality was too soft. If she could exploit her, I'm afraid others could exploit her as well. Besides, if she really chose such a person as the Duke's wife, she would be spitted at by those outsiders in the future.
It is indeed inappropriate.
And this time, there was really no suitable young lady among the young ladies brought by each family to the banquet.
Forget it. There's still a long way to go.
Thinking of this, the old lady didn't feel so sad anymore.
Then I thought of Madam Meng and Madam Liang. Madam Liang's wife was a glutton, but the most hateful one was Madam Meng!
The two ladies he brought with him were both very difficult to deal with!
The old lady hated herself for misjudging someone: "It shows that the Meng family is also rotten!"
Nanny Qian echoed, "That's exactly what the old lady said. Second Lady Meng had the audacity to barge into the Duke's main courtyard, while First Lady Meng had him pinned against a tree. It's a good thing they were able to reveal their flaws; if they had actually gotten into the Duke's mansion, it would have been disastrous."
"Your words remind me. You don't have to give me Qu Lianxi's next letter."
The old lady felt nauseous whenever she thought of the scene where Madam Meng slapped her niece in public.
Aunt Qian: "Yes, I will remember this."
...
Outside the mansion.
After seeing off all the guests, the Third Master and his family of three also planned to leave.
The Third Master carried Qi'er onto the carriage and looked back at the Third Young Master's wife. She stood still and said, "We haven't said goodbye to the old lady yet."
When the Third Master heard this, he turned his face away, obviously not very happy.
The Third Young Master's wife didn't want to get angry with him over such a small matter, so she walked to the doorman with a smile and asked the doorman to convey the message.
"The old lady must be tired today. Third Master dare not disturb her. I'll trouble you, Manager Xu."
The doorman bowed and replied, "Madam San Shao and Master San, don't worry."
The Third Young Master's wife turned around and saw a figure at the side door. She looked over again in disbelief.
When Jasmine saw that she noticed her, she smiled and waved.
The Third Young Master's wife pursed her lips and smiled, turned around, and got into the carriage with the help of the Third Master.
Qi'er's eyes flickered outside the car window: "I think I saw my aunt, don't we need to say hello to her?"
The Third Young Master's wife hugged her and said softly, "No need, mother has already greeted the aunt."
The Third Master turned his face away and remained silent.
The Third Young Master's wife didn't want to say much, but it wouldn't be good for them to continue living like this.
After Qi'er fell asleep in her arms, the Third Young Master's wife whispered, "The old lady invited us, which means she still regards the Third Master as a member of the Duke's Mansion. Why should the Third Master be angry?"
The Third Master snorted coldly, "You've always been smart, why are you so confused now? The old lady doesn't treat us as members of the Duke's Mansion at all. She's just worried that if we're not around, people will gossip about us and she's afraid of affecting the reputation of the Duke's Mansion!"
"Then we are invited as well."
Third Master: "You don't have to say it. I will never forgive that vicious and hypocritical woman in my life. I could only tolerate it before, but now that we have left the Duke's Mansion, how can I, a barefoot person, be afraid of her?"
The Third Young Master's wife only felt sad. She was too lazy to say anything more.
After waiting for a long time without a response from the Third Young Master's wife, the Third Master became anxious again: "Why don't you say anything?"
This time, the Third Young Master's wife turned her face away and said, "In the past, you were the Third Master, and I had to obey him. Now, the Third Master has everything. If I don't want to talk, then I won't talk."
The Third Master choked.
...
The main house in the east courtyard.
"Our Duke is truly popular. One, two, three young ladies are all rushing to get him. If the door to the Duke's Mansion is thrown open, won't the Duke be completely exploited?"
The eldest young lady laughed heartily when she thought of that scene.
The master really didn't want to mock his second brother, but when he thought of the scene of the Duke squatting in the tree, he couldn't help but laugh: "Second brother is really something, scared like that by a little girl. If it really doesn't work, just take her to the room."
As soon as the master finished speaking, the eldest young lady's wife pinched his cheek.
"Do you think the Duke is a jerk like you?"
"Husband... Madam, I was wrong. Madam, don't you hate my second brother the most? Why are you still speaking up for him?"
That's right. The eldest young lady's wife was also taken aback.
Then he used both hands and twisted the old man's ears even harder.
...
Four rooms in the west courtyard.
The Fourth Master was worried: "I wonder which one Mother will choose for him."
The Fourth Young Master's wife said, "Don't worry, Fourth Master. You'll know when Ting'er comes back."
The Fourth Master nodded, a sardonic smile on his face, and said, "Our Duke is quite interesting. Is that girl from the Meng family a thorn? She's hiding in a tree. If you don't like her, just push her away. Who can blame the Duke?"
The Fourth Young Master's wife didn't agree with this and there were some things she didn't want to say, but when she thought about how the Fourth Master only had sex with her once a month and the rest of the time he was hanging out with that concubine...who should be the Fourth Master's concubine Wu, the Fourth Young Master's wife was so angry that she was shaking.
The Fourth Young Master's wife could no longer bear it. Her voice remained calm as always: "I think the Duke's behavior is very polite and proper. People outside say how outstanding the Duke is, but few know that his character is also excellent. I'm afraid that no man in Daqi can compare to him."
The fourth master was extremely sad. The mother and the wife were praising other men in front of him. The fourth master felt that he was really miserable.
The Fourth Master knew what the Fourth Young Master's wife meant. He responded with a deft retort, "Madam, why do you think I like Concubine Wu's couch instead of Madam's?"
The fourth young master's wife stood up suddenly.
"No matter how convincing she is, Madam is not that gentle and docile. Now that her true colors are revealed, I, the Fourth Master, feel sick."
Before the Fourth Young Master's wife could finish her words, the Fourth Master unilaterally announced, "Alright, no more quarreling."
The fourth young master's wife vomited to death.
"Let's get back to business. Why do I feel like today was staged? First, the Second Lady of the Meng Family broke into the main courtyard, then the Lady of the Liang Family ate in the kitchen, and then the First Lady of the Meng Family blocked the Duke's way. It doesn't make sense. Could it be that the Duke is unhappy with the marriage arranged by my mother and is deliberately causing trouble?"
The Fourth Young Master's wife was still angry. After hearing what the Fourth Master said, she calmed down for a while before saying, "Fourth Master, are you referring to the Duke? All men in the world have evil intentions, not even the Duke."
"Madam, can you still speak properly?" The Fourth Master asked word by word through gritted teeth.
The Fourth Young Master's wife: "I am telling the truth. Why can't I tell the truth?"
The Fourth Master felt he couldn't stay any longer. He stood up and left. As he reached the door, Ting'er happened to come in.
The Fourth Master stopped again and asked, "What did you find out?"
Ting'er bowed to the two masters before saying, "The old lady wanted to discuss the Lin family's wife with the Duke, but the Duke flatly rejected the marriage."
The couple looked at each other in confusion.
The Fourth Young Master's wife asked again, "Did the old lady agree?"
Ting'er nodded: "That's right."
The Fourth Master said, "Am I right? Our Duke is waiting here. Maybe he arranged this on purpose."
The Fourth Young Master's wife pondered this for a long time before shaking her head. "No. He's the Duke. If he doesn't want to, there are plenty of ways to do it. Why bother with so much trouble? This isn't the Duke's style."
The Fourth Master snorted coldly and walked away.
The Fourth Young Master's wife yelled at the Fourth Master's back, "Mother believes in the Duke, but the Fourth Master doesn't. Does the Fourth Master really not believe it, or does he just hate the idea that the Duke is better than you?"
Without even turning his head, the Fourth Master walked straight from the living room into Wu's side courtyard. He grabbed Wu's hand and went into the bedroom, where he pressed her down and began to lick her.
Aunt Wu knew that the fourth master had just come out of the main room and was venting his anger, so she twisted her waist even more wildly, gently caressing every inch of the fourth master, and whispering soft words into his ears as if they were free.
After rolling around with his aunt twice, the Fourth Master's good mood returned.
The Fourth Master asked Aunt Wu, "Who is better, your master or the Duke?"
Aunt Wu: "Needless to say, he is my master, of course."
The Fourth Master was very proud and asked again, "What's good about it?"
Aunt Wu was stunned for a moment, then quickly said, "My master is good in every way."
The Fourth Master frowned. "Where are you? Tell me."
Aunt Wu: "The Fourth Master... uh, his handwriting is more beautiful than the Duke's! Also, he's more handsome! And his voice is more pleasant!"
The Fourth Master was speechless. He grabbed Aunt Wu by the back of her collar and pulled her off him: "Don't follow me." Then he walked away.
Aunt Wu was left alone, about to cry. "Master, Master, what did I say wrong? Please tell me, I will change it."
The Fourth Master's anger flared up again. Concubine Wu was so hypocritical! It was true that time revealed a person's true character! He had finally seen how hateful women could be!
The Fourth Master suddenly thought of the scene before noon when the Duke won the archery competition and Aunt Jasmine was so happy as she hugged him.
Yes, that's the look a woman shows when she sees a man.
Why is it that all the good things in the world belong to Yan Ke? Yan Ke can easily obtain them, but he can’t get them no matter how hard he tries! Why?
The Fourth Master strode out the door. The servant Changping caught up with him and asked, "Where are you going, Fourth Master, at this late hour? Does the old lady know?"
The Fourth Master didn't answer, but just strode out.
Changping hugged the Fourth Master's legs and was about to cry: "Fourth Master, if you leave the door, the old lady will skin me alive! You can't go out!"
Seeing the Fourth Master struggling, Changping shouted, "Hurry up and tell the old lady that the Fourth Master is at the east door!"
The Fourth Master has no desire to live.
...
When the Duke entered the main courtyard, he saw his aunt lying in a rocking chair, looking up at the stars in the sky.
When the concubine saw him, she was about to get up, but the Duke pushed her back down. He then dragged a chair over to the table and sat down next to the concubine.
Jasmine sat cross-legged on the recliner and said, "You must be exhausted today, so take a bath and go to bed early."
"Um."
The Duke waited for a while, but when his concubine didn't speak, he looked at her curiously and said, "I thought you were being stubborn and asking questions."
"What do you want to ask?"
"Ask about the Meng family's wife."
"May I ask?" Jasmine was naturally curious. But she was afraid of angering the master. Besides, he had just returned and must be very tired. She was afraid he would dislike her.
Jasmine said honestly, "I'm afraid the master will be unhappy."
The Duke smiled and said, "I'm not that petty."
Jasmine's eyes lit up and she asked, "Why did you think of hiding in a tree?"
The Duke suppressed his smile and said, "She has bad intentions. My Lord has discovered this. If I get entangled with her, it will only lead to trouble. It's better for her to hide."
Jasmine: "Why does she have bad intentions?"
The Duke looked into his concubine's eyes and said, "She fell and almost fell on me."
Jasmine's heart skipped a beat. She lowered her eyes and asked awkwardly, "How did you find out? What if Madam Meng really fell?"
The Duke said: "This is the second time she has come to see me. What can a little girl like her say to me? Once or twice, I will keep her in my sight."
Be cautious? Because she fooled him once? So he's cautious?
The Duke continued, "Besides, she's not stubborn. Of course, I don't trust her."
Her grandfather said he believed her!
Jasmine was touched, yet also felt guilty. Her grandfather still didn't know that she had deliberately set him up in order to keep him.
No one likes to be deceived. Jasmine didn't even dare to think about how the Duke would look at her, let alone how he would treat her, after he found out.
She can only take one step at a time.
The Duke said, "Today's birthday banquet was specially organized by the old lady for me. The purpose was to choose a husband. It's a pity that so many things happened today. It's obvious that God is interfering. Therefore, I refuse the old lady's invitation."
Jasmine hadn't expected this. After all, judging by the old lady's intentions, she was finally going to choose the Lin family lady. "Did the old lady agree?"
The Duke nodded: "I agree."
Jasmine immediately knew why she even needed to ask. The women were all chosen by her old lady, and the successive incidents involving the ladies had nothing to do with her.
The Duke of Guo did not bother the old lady because of the mother-son relationship. How could the old lady have the courage to refuse?
Jasmine licked the corner of her dry lips and asked, "But I'm not a child anymore. If I refuse now, I don't know when I'll put it on the agenda next time. Aren't you anxious?"
The Duke looked up and said, "I'm not really worried. Is Jian'er worried about me?"
Jasmine wanted to shake her head to deny it, but she also wanted to nod to admit it. After hesitating for a while, she was in a dilemma. She couldn't decide whether to nod or shake her head.
The Duke's eyes were clear as he looked over. He glanced at the bright moon in the sky and said softly, "It's getting late. Let's go inside."
The Duke stood up and extended his hand to her.
"good."
Jasmine grabbed the hand.
In the middle of the night, Jasmine leaned on her grandfather's arm as usual.
When she first entered the Duke's Mansion, she would often dream of some scary scenes, but as she stayed there longer, she no longer remembered them.
Sometimes she felt like it was a dream. She had never lived in that place. The Duke's Mansion had always been her home.
But that night, she remembered it again.
The scissors in her hand stabbed into the man's chest with a "whoosh." That wasn't someplace else, it was the chest, and it would kill him.
She ran for her life, running and running. The road seemed endless, and the night seemed endless too.
Many people behind me shouted: "She is a murderer, catch that murderer!"
"Why are you so vicious? He just meant well and asked you to marry him. Do you really have to kill him?"
"At such a young age, you're already so vicious. What will happen to you in the future?"
"This is all caused by you, a lowly servant, right? You just don't want us to marry the Duke. You want to keep him all to yourself, but are you, a lowly servant like you, worthy enough?"
"I know it was you, Auntie. You deliberately tricked me into thinking the Duke liked fat girls. You wanted to embarrass me, didn't you? You have such a vicious heart!"
"Cut open her heart and see how dark it is!"
"Maybe she has no heart at all."
...
"Stubborn! Stubborn!"
My aunt is sick again.
This time, even the acupuncture given by the court doctor was of no use. The concubine closed her eyes, muttered something, and punched and kicked.
It was only when the Duke climbed onto the inner bed and held the person down that the court doctor had the opportunity to act.
"Master, help me! Only you can save my life!"
Auntie's eyes were wet with tears and she cried miserably. It was obvious that she was having a nightmare.
"I'm here. Don't be afraid, stubborn boy."
The Duke just couldn't understand why, after more than half a year, the concubine still couldn't forget how she was almost kidnapped.
His aunt told him at the time that she had encountered human traffickers and had to escape for her life.
But the traffickers did not succeed.
The Duke sighed, the young lady is just a young lady, weak and timid.
He will need to take good care of her in the future.
"Don't dig my heart out, don't!"
The concubine opened her eyes with a start. If the Duke hadn't been quick, she would have jumped. If the needle had gone inside her, it would have been disastrous.
"Master is here. This is the Duke's Mansion. No one will bully a stubborn person."
Jasmine slowly came back to her senses and stared blankly at her grandfather for a long while.
The Duke thought his aunt would hug him and continue crying, but who knew:
"Have I spoken nonsense?" When asking this question, the aunt's expression was extremely serious.
The Duke of Guo said, "No."
The aunt stared at him for a moment before nodding, and the solemnity on her face eased.
The court physician was speaking to the Duke outside, "It seems the concubine is recovering. Rest well, and she should be fine."
The Duke asked anxiously, "But this is the second time it's happened. How could it be like this out of the blue?"
The court physician said, "But I have taken your pulse again and again, and you are fine. If it's not physical, then it must be mental. I'm afraid it's the same thing."
The Duke had previously told the court physician that his concubine had been frightened by human traffickers.
The court physician was also puzzled. "It's been six months now. Even if he couldn't forget it, he shouldn't have been frightened so many times. I'm afraid I've taken the wrong pulse. Your Majesty, why don't you ask Court Judge Zhang to come over and take another look?"
The Duke nodded.
In the bedroom.
Jasmine couldn't hear the sounds outside. She looked at the hanging wind chimes, her heart still beating fast as she covered it.
No one knew better than her why she had nightmares.
Jasmine's mind once again reflected the scene of her conversation with Madam Meng Er and Madam Liang Xiao.
The reason they couldn't enter the Duke's Mansion was all because of her. She wasn't careless, she did it on purpose, she was just vicious!
So, now that everything is fine, the retribution has fallen on her again.
She brought this upon herself.
But she has no regrets.
If she had to do it again, even if she knew there would be retribution, she would still do it.
Jasmine had warned herself countless times that if she did this, she would only end up in ruin. Her current life was already precious and good, and she needed to be content.
But when she really saw so many beautiful young ladies smiling at the Duke, and thought that the arms she rested her head on every night would one day be replaced by someone else, Jasmine couldn't bear it.
The longer she stayed in the Duke's Mansion and the longer she looked at her master, the more unbearable she became.
Not to mention seeing him talking to another young lady, just imagining it would make her feel so uncomfortable that she couldn't breathe.
Jasmine thought sadly, perhaps this was her fate.
Since sleeping soundly can also be painful, why not just leave it as it is?
At worst, she would be kicked out. When she experienced the hard times again, maybe she would be able to experience temporary satisfaction again.
That afternoon, Judge Zhang came to check Auntie's pulse and asked her a lot of questions.
Jasmine was sweating profusely from the question.
Zhang Yuanpan was very perceptive, otherwise he wouldn't have been so successful in the palace. He took one look at the concubine's expression and asked three questions before stopping.
He also tried to comfort the aunt in a subtle way: "Maybe it seems like a big problem to you, aunt, but in the eyes of the Duke, it's probably just a small matter. Please don't worry."
Jasmine thanked Judge Zhang.
Judge Zhang went to the outer room to talk to the Duke again.
"There's nothing seriously wrong with Auntie's body, she just tends to overthink things. It's a mental illness."
What Zhang Yuanpan said coincided with what the court physician said.
The Duke asked, "What medicine can cure it?"
Zhang Yuanpan: "Medicine is useless. You need to be relieved. If Auntie can tell you what's bothering you, you will naturally recover."
The Duke nodded. "What my aunt has said to me is purely because of those human traffickers. I wonder if I could bring all those traffickers before my aunt, would she feel any better?"
Zhang Yuanpan had heard from the Duke last time about the concubine's encounter with human traffickers. Zhang Yuanpan didn't think that this was the only incident, but was afraid that the concubine had concealed something else.
But Zhang Yuanpan knew he couldn't say this. So he just said, "The Duke might give it a try."
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