Chapter 46 Chapter 46 "Auntie, are you thinking about how to...
Since Minister Duan is willing to hand over his granddaughter's portrait, he is also willing to marry his granddaughter into the Duke's Mansion.
In the court, if we talk about rare and precious good men, Yan Ke, Duke Yan, must be the first one.
Minister Duan smiled from ear to ear, which was a rare moment for him. He said to the Duke, "From now on, my naughty granddaughter will be handed over to you, Duke. Please bear with me." Then the matter was settled.
The next steps were to choose a wedding date, exchange gifts, and welcome the bride. Since His Majesty had granted the marriage, he decided to oversee it, decreeing that all arrangements would be handled by the palace.
The Duke and Minister Duan were of course overjoyed and thanked His Majesty one after another.
The wedding date was chosen by the Imperial Astronomical Observatory as an auspicious day six months later, the sixth day of the second lunar month, which happened to be the third day of the Lunar New Year.
...
The elegant garden of the old lady of the Duke's Mansion.
"Don't worry, old lady. The Duke is upright and kind, and he will not leave you alone."
"I believe you. But who can guarantee that after Duan Zhi enters the mansion? Duan Zhi is Duan Meng's legitimate granddaughter, raised by him since childhood. I'm afraid she'll be just as confused as Duan Meng. What's even more worrying is that they will side with each other. If the young couple has a good relationship, how can the Duke listen to me? Since ancient times, when a man marries a wife, his mother has to stand aside, not to mention that I'm a stepmother!"
Madam Qian nodded repeatedly, "I understand what you mean, Madam. But we don't have a good solution right now. That's a marriage granted by His Majesty. Even if the Duke says he doesn't want to marry, that won't work."
The old lady thought for a moment before adding, "What if the Duke and Duan Meng go to His Majesty together to request a break-off of the engagement?"
"Your Majesty is sensible. That's feasible. But how can we get both the Duke and Minister Duan to agree at the same time?"
The old lady was thinking, and when she looked up and saw Madam Qian's face full of fear, she reached out and poked Madam Qian's forehead with a finger: "You are so useless. You have many ways to deal with it. Go and find the eldest lady."
"Yes. I'll go right away."
...
"Why is Auntie always in a daze lately?"
Jasmine lay in her rocking chair, looking up at the sky, ignoring her. Shancha walked over, squatted beside the concubine, nudged her, and whispered, "Auntie, are you thinking about how to prevent the Duan family's wife from entering the Duke's Mansion?"
Unexpectedly, she guessed it right! Jasmine sat up suddenly and turned to glare at her.
Shan Cha pushed the man back down and laid him down, saying proudly, "I've been with my aunt for over half a year. If the Duke doesn't understand me, how could I not understand my aunt?"
Shancha sighed again, "It's so hard to bear to see you fighting alone. What do I want to say? I want to ask you to trust me and let me fight alongside you!"
"It's not that I don't believe you."
"Why is that?"
Jasmine's eyes were complicated, and she didn't want to say anything, but Shancha kept pestering her, asking her to speak.
Jasmine had no choice but to say, "I'm afraid you might do something bad with good intentions."
What did she hear?! "Auntie, are you...thinking I'm stupid?"
Shan Cha was heartbroken and stared at her aunt in disbelief.
Jasmine quickly tried to please him, "I know now that Shancha isn't stupid at all, she's actually quite clever. I misunderstood. Okay, from now on, Shancha will be my right-hand man."
After Shancha heard this, her expression became much better.
"Then tell me, Auntie, how do you plan to deal with the Duan family girl?"
Jasmine looked at Shancha curiously: "Why don't you try to stop causing trouble?"
Another reason why Jasmine didn't tell him was because she was afraid that she would disapprove of him. After all, this girl was even more timid than she was.
Shancha looked at her with a look of “What are you talking about?”
"I'm too lazy to say more. Anyway, I trust whatever Auntie decides. Life is good for us in this main courtyard right now, but that might not be the case once the mistress comes in. Auntie must have thought of this. To avoid a hard life, it's okay to take a risk. Besides, the Duke dotes on you so much, even if someone finds out, he won't do anything to us."
Jasmine didn't say anything else and was just about to discuss her ideas with her when she heard someone calling her.
"Aunt Jasmine, I'm Tao'er, the old lady's servant. The old lady wants to see you."
"Tell the old lady that I will be right there!"
Half an hour later, Jasmine and Shancha returned from the old lady's courtyard.
"Auntie, you're just a concubine. Why would the old lady think of taking you with her? She must be trying to curry your favor."
Jasmine had a bad feeling: "Is there another possibility? Is she trying to use me?"
"Using my aunt for what?"
Jasmine: "Who knows, maybe the Duan family lady will go too."
Shan Cha thought she had changed the subject and was distracted, so she said excitedly, "That gives Auntie a chance to make a move!"
Jasmine seemed lost in thought. "The old lady probably wants to create conflict between me and Madam Duan so that the marriage can be called off. Having said that, the old lady and we share the same idea. It's a pity that the old lady is clearly trying to use me."
Shancha was a little confused, but it didn't matter, as long as Auntie was clear in her mind. "Auntie, do you have any way to deal with the old lady and Madam Duan?"
Jasmine: "Let's walk and see."
Even the two faint dimples on Auntie's face were filled with composure. Shancha nodded confidently, "Okay."
In the evening, Jasmine told the Duke that the old lady wanted to take her to attend the full moon celebration of the eldest grandson of the eldest princess.
The Duke: "Yes. I guess the old lady is worried that you'll be bored at home all day. Make some friends so you can visit more often in the future to relieve your boredom."
Jasmine asked, "Isn't Master going?"
The Duke said, "They invited me, so I should have gone. But after the court meeting tomorrow, His Majesty wants me to attend to something else, so I won't be able to make it."
Jasmine: "Then remember to bring two pieces of bread with you tomorrow morning, so you don't go hungry."
The Duke smiled and nodded, "I'll listen to Qiang'er."
Of course the Duke would not be hungry. After all, he was discussing official business with His Majesty. It was late, so they naturally stayed in the palace to have dinner with His Majesty.
But the next day, the Duke still took two cakes with him in front of his aunt.
In short, it was very unfortunate that the purse in his sleeve was seen by His Majesty with his sharp eyes. When he learned that it contained snacks, His Majesty's face immediately became very ugly.
Then, before noon, His Majesty ordered someone to go to the imperial kitchen to serve food, and deliberately said: "I must not let the Duke go hungry, so that he won't blame me."
...
Jasmine wondered, if her grandfather didn't go, how would the old lady use her?
He simply wanted to use her to make Madam Duan make a mistake, or to make Madam Duan disappointed with the Duke, and then cancel the engagement.
But if her grandfather hadn't gone and seen it with his own eyes, it probably wouldn't have been so easy to accomplish.
Then why did the old lady insist on letting her go?
Jasmine couldn't figure it out for the time being. She simply gave up thinking about it and decided to wait and see what happened tomorrow.
The next day, Jasmine dressed herself up and followed the old lady to the Grand Princess's Mansion with the eldest and fourth young ladies.
As expected, the Duan family lady followed her mother Lu.
Compared with the painting, the lady of the Duan family has a more fresh and refined demeanor and manner.
His manners were dignified, but his eyes were full of spirit. His face was filled with a friendly smile, and he greeted the ladies around him attentively.
The old lady entered the courtyard and saw the Lu mother and daughter who were the center of attention at a glance.
She is the old lady of Duke Yan's Mansion, so it is at least the younger generation who should pay her respects to her elder.
Therefore, the old lady stood still, and she and Lu's mother and daughter each went their own way, smiling and greeting the female relatives who came forward to pay their respects.
But after a long while, until everyone went into the reception hall together, neither Lu's mother nor her daughter came to look for her.
The old lady was furious, but she couldn't show her anger in front of others, so she just took it personally.
The old lady didn't have to go, but the eldest and fourth young ladies had no choice but to step forward.
The one who was anxious was the eldest young lady's wife: "Mother, how about I go and say hello to Madam Duan. After all, we will be living under the same roof in the future, so I have to say hello."
The old lady thought of a plan and nodded, "Go ahead. The fourth son's wife should go too. Oh, and Jasmine should go too. I have Madam Qian to accompany you. You can talk for a while and don't rush over."
The old lady smiled brightly and spoke in a loud voice. Seeing the noble lady beside her looking over, she smiled and explained, "His Majesty has granted a marriage between the Duke's Mansion and the Minister Duan's Mansion. I thought that we would all be one family in the future, so I asked the younger ones to go and pay their respects to avoid any estrangement in the future."
A woman murmured, "Strange, shouldn't Madam Duan have come to pay her respects to the old lady earlier?"
The old lady was just waiting to hear that. Her smile grew even wider. When another person questioned her, she said magnanimously, "It's okay. Perhaps he didn't see it."
On the other side, the eldest young lady was in the lead, also smiling, as she walked past many female relatives and stood in front of Lu's mother and daughter.
"Hello, Madam. Hello, Madam. I'm glad to see you both today. Madam is so beautiful!"
"May I know who you are?" asked the personal nanny beside Lu.
The eldest young lady was stunned. She had been standing behind the old lady just now. If she didn't recognize her, she should at least recognize the old lady, right?
The fourth young master's wife stepped forward and said, "Madam, how are you? I am the wife of the fourth master of Duke Yan's mansion. This is the wife of the eldest master."
The Fourth Young Master's wife then introduced Jasmine: "This is Jasmine, the Duke's concubine."
The Lu mother and daughter did not linger on the eldest and fourth young wives. When they heard the name of the Duke's concubine, they looked at Jasmine twice more.
Jasmine stepped forward and greeted her politely: "My concubine Jasmine greets the Madam and the young lady."
"Get up quickly. Mo Duoli." Lu said, and personally went forward to help her.
This action not only surprised Jasmine, but also caught everyone present who saw this scene by surprise.
The eldest young lady's wife and the fourth young lady's wife looked at each other and saw the shock in each other's eyes.
What's going on? Shouldn't the Lu mother and daughter dislike Jasmine? Why do they seem to like her so much?
What is Lu doing?
And then, Mrs. Lu only spoke to Jasmine, as if Jasmine was her daughter who had been lost for many years and was found again.
The eldest and fourth young wives were completely ignored. Although the eldest young wife wanted to please the Lu mother and daughter, she also had a temper. Seeing that they ignored her, she tossed her head, twisted her waist and walked away.
Seeing this, the fourth young lady's wife naturally followed the eldest young lady's wife.
Jasmine couldn't leave, for Lu was holding her hand. She patted her hand and praised her profusely, then asked her what she did in the Duke's Mansion and how she met the Duke.
The questions he asked were also very polite. It seemed that he simply liked her and wanted to talk to her, rather than just asking her questions.
When Mrs. Lu asked questions, Mrs. Duan stood aside gracefully, blinking and smiling at Jasmine.
She is a very kind and sweet lady.
Jasmine felt that no one was more suitable to be the Duke's wife than her.
Mrs. Lu pulled her daughter over and said to Jasmine, "My daughter has a lively personality. Please take good care of her in the future."
Jasmine bowed in fear and said, "Madam, please forgive me. This is all within my responsibility."
Mrs. Lu nodded in satisfaction, pulled her and said, "Come on, let's go meet Madam Sun."
The person that Madam Sun was referring to was the eldest princess's daughter-in-law, Xu.
Xu had been in the Grand Princess's residence for many years, but had been childless. It was with great difficulty that she finally gave birth to a legitimate grandson. Therefore, today's full moon banquet was held with great fanfare and grandeur.
Jasmine grabbed Lu's hand and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Madam. But the old lady is still waiting for me."
Jasmine said in a low voice, "It is thanks to the old lady that I am able to attend the banquet today. In order to avoid upsetting the old lady, it is better for me to go with her to meet her. I hope the old lady will forgive me." Jasmine spoke sincerely and bowed again after she finished speaking.
Xu Shi had no doubts, and it was difficult to say anything more, so she nodded and let her go. However, in her heart, she felt a new sense of dissatisfaction with the old Duke's wife.
Why was she bringing a concubine with her to the streets when things were going well? She even asked the Duke's concubine to come and pay her respects to her, the future Duke's mother-in-law. How could Xu not understand what the old lady was up to?
Xu looked at her daughter, not wanting to tell her about these unpleasant things. However, she knew she would be entering the Duke's Mansion in six months. If she didn't teach her now, what would her daughter do when she faced those wolves and tigers?
Xu then pulled her daughter over and told her that the old Duke's wife had deliberately brought the concubine with her to intimidate her and her daughter.
"You see, mother was right, right? The Duke's stepmother is no pushover. She must have known she couldn't win us over, so she deliberately acted in a bad way. Remember, from now on, you and the Duke are on the same page. Only when the Duke is well will you be well. Other than that, everyone else in the Duke's Mansion is a burden, so ignore them if you can. Do you understand?"
"I understand, mother. I will remember your teachings."
Look at her daughter, how lively and well-behaved she is. She has carefully raised her for more than ten years, originally wanting to marry her into the family, but her father-in-law fell in love with the Duke.
Duke Yan was a rough man, and he might even have to guard the border someday. Her Zhi'er would either have to go with him or stay alone in the Duke's mansion. Both paths led to a dead end!
The worst thing is that once the Duke leaves, she will be left alone to deal with all the bad people and bad things in the Duke's Mansion.
Just thinking about it made Lu so heartbroken that she couldn't breathe.
Since the marriage was a done deal, the only thing left for her, as a mother, was to pave the way for her daughter. She would marry smoothly into the Duke's mansion and live a carefree life.
She must find a way to make the Duke divide the family property!
The old Duke's wife wants to control her? Humph, today she will let her see her own methods!
Duan Zhi was also feeling uneasy. She asked her mother, "Mom, were you trying to please Auntie just now?"
"You figured it out?" Mrs. Lu nodded approvingly. "She's the Duke's woman. As long as she's obedient, she's yours too. You must treat her well."
Lu added earnestly, "Although you and she share a husband, logically she should be your enemy, but that's a mistake. As the mistress of the household, you should take steps to manage the backyard so the Duke can rest easy in the front. Only those small families are so jealous that they stir up trouble in the backyard. This is completely wrong."
Duan Zhi nodded: "I understand, daughter. Is it like how mother treated the concubines when she was home? For the concubines with bad intentions, mother would collect evidence of their crimes and hand it over to father for punishment. For the concubines with good intentions, mother would win them over."
"clever."
The mother and daughter talked and walked together towards Xu's house.
...
"Why did you talk for so long?"
When the old lady asked, Jasmine told her everything that Lu had said to her.
"...By the way, Madam Duan also said she wanted to take me to see the eldest princess, but I declined because the old lady was still here."
After hearing this, the old lady fell silent, her brows slightly furrowed and the corners of her mouth turned down.
How could the two young ladies and Jasmine not see that the old lady must be extremely angry right now.
It was just because this was someone else's territory that the old lady didn't get angry.
Good job Lu!
He actually dared to win over the aunt in front of her.
Fortunately, my aunt is a well-behaved girl. Thinking of this, the old lady turned to look at Jasmine, her eyes were so kind: "Good child, I didn't misjudge you."
"Thank you, old lady." Jasmine thanked the old lady happily.
"Let's go and see the princess together."
Jasmine was pulled by the old lady and unexpectedly walked ahead of the two young ladies. She looked at the two young ladies anxiously.
The eldest and fourth young ladies looked at her with only kind smiles in their eyes.
The banquet at the Grand Princess's residence was held in a large open space in front of the waterside pavilion. A screen separated the space into two sections, with the female guests at one end and the male guests at the other.
The eldest princess sat at the head of the female guests, while the other side was received by her husband and legitimate son Sun Lang.
The closer you are to the Grand Princess, the more noble your status is.
Lady Yan, the wife of Duke of Yan, sat below the right side of the Grand Princess, and below the other side was the old dowager of Prince Xiang's Mansion.
Lu sat just below the old concubine.
The old lady acted like the old lady of Duke Yan's mansion, and no one dared to say anything.
You have to know that Old Duke Yan was a highly sought-after figure during the previous emperor's time, having shed many blood on the battlefield before being wounded and forced to return to the capital to recuperate. And now there's Young Duke Yan, a beloved figure close to the current emperor.
Among the powerful and influential people in Kyoto, her old lady held a top position. Although rumors abounded that she was a stepmother and would sooner or later be neglected by the Duke, at least her position was unshakable!
The Grand Princess was unaware of the tension between the Old Madam and Madam Lu. She spoke cordially to the Old Madam, "I heard that His Majesty has arranged a marriage between the Duke and the granddaughter of Minister Duan. Madam Duan is here today. Is the Old Madam pleased with her?"
Some grudges must be taken in private. If they are made public, it will only make the Duke's Mansion a laughing stock.
The old lady smiled broadly and nodded, saying, "Very satisfied. From a distance, I could tell he was a clever man."
The old concubine of the Xiang Wang Prince sensed something was amiss and asked, "Why is the old lady watching from afar? Didn't the Duan family's wife pay her respects to you?"
This was said directly. However, the old concubine was older than everyone present, so no one dared to criticize her.
Everyone looked at the Lu mother and daughter leisurely.
Mrs. Lu just smiled at the old lady without saying a word.
The old lady knew that if she didn't speak, her trick would be discovered. She cursed Lu for being scheming and replied to the old concubine with a smile, "Greetings. The Shangshu Mansion is a family of scholars, and they are not unruly. I mean, the first time I saw Madam Duan, I knew that such a delicate lady would get along well with the Duke."
The old concubine nodded: "That's good."
Mrs. Lu listened to the conversation and laughter around her, still sitting upright, smiling without saying a word.
After lunch, a stage was set up in the waterside pavilion.
Jasmine discovered that the process of holding a banquet in this wealthy family was similar. Before noon, everyone sat together to chat and have lunch. In the afternoon, the men played archery, pot throwing, and horse racing, while the women watched a play and ate snacks.
Jasmine withdrew her gaze from the waterside pavilion, glanced at the Lu mother and daughter calmly, then turned around and glanced at the old lady.
The Lu mother and daughter accepted her as their concubine, and the old lady's plan fell through. What would the old lady do next?
Jasmine didn't believe she didn't prepare a second backup.
"Is that person Chang'an, the leader of Ruyi Tower?"
"Didn't they say Chang'an retired?"
The crowd suddenly became lively.
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