Chapter 50 Chapter 50 "It is my fate as a servant that is short-lived."...
"But you fell?"
The old lady, who was about to leave, stopped and glanced at the two of them.
Jasmine nodded: "It was my fault for not being careful."
The old lady thought she would complain to the Duke, and was surprised that she didn't.
Could it be that because she is an old lady, she dare not say it, and wants to secretly complain to the Duke at night?
The old lady felt that this was definitely the case. But she was not afraid. The old lady believed that the Duke would definitely stand on her mother's side!
The old lady finally glanced at Jasmine coldly, turned around and left.
"Where are you hurt?"
"The servant was not injured."
"That's good. I'm going out."
Jasmine saw her grandfather out the door, watched him mount his horse, and drove off before returning.
"My aunt didn't tell the Duke, but she was afraid that he would find out that I'm a bad person?"
Jasmine glanced at her coldly before saying, "Yes, you guessed it right."
Shancha nodded seriously, "I truly can't tell you. In the Duke's mind, my concubine was considerate, gentle, and well-behaved. But it turns out it was all an illusion. My concubine is actually a treacherous, cunning, and hypocritical woman with many schemes. How could the Duke accept that?"
Jasmine walked quickly forward, and Shancha chased after her, saying, "But don't worry, auntie. Men can be unreliable, but at least you still have Shancha. Shancha will always support you."
Jasmine gave her a smile: "Thank you so much."
Just like Shancha said, Jasmine was afraid that the Duke would discover her secret.
Once the Duke finds out, there's no need to guess, it's clear what her fate will be.
But even so, she didn't want to do nothing, waiting for the girl from the Duan family to come home, waiting to see the girl from the Duan family and the Duke get married and spend their bridal chamber together.
She can't do it.
Now, as she expected, the fourth young lady's wife helped her lead the Lu mother and daughter to the garden. She gave the Duan family girl a flower fan, and the Duan family girl was injured, so the old lady punished her.
She then involved the Fourth Young Master's wife. When the Old Lady found out, in order to prevent the Lu mother and daughter from thinking that she favored the Fourth House, she decided to punish the Fourth Young Master's wife, and as expected, the Fourth Master fell into the trap.
Next, it’s up to the Lu mother and daughter.
The Lu family mother and daughter discovered that the old lady had a good relationship with the Duke, so they wanted to please her. But now they discovered that the old lady only had the Fourth Master in her heart. I think the Lu family mother and daughter would back off, right?
What will the old lady do when she finds out?
Jasmine knew she didn't have the ability to do so. If the old lady really sided with the Lu mother and daughter, she would be the only one who would suffer. Jasmine certainly couldn't help them.
She had to use the old lady's help to stop this marriage.
...
Elegant Garden.
Ever since returning from the Fourth Master's courtyard, the old lady has been lamenting. First, she talked about her biological Fourth Master, crying about what to do with him. Then she talked about the Duke.
"Even those who are not biological children are more filial than biological children. Erlang is so sensible, I feel bad."
The old lady was really upset. Sometimes she would rather the Duke treated her badly, then she wouldn't be so entangled and embarrassed.
But precisely because it was so good, and because it was genuine and good for everyone to see, the old lady felt guilty and at a loss, but of course she was more proud and relieved.
So much so that at this moment, the old lady was wiping away her tears again and again.
The old lady then spoke to Nanny Qian about the Duke's childhood.
"...That was the first time I'd seen him since I married into the Duke's Mansion six years earlier. He was only as tall as my waist. His mother had died when he was born, and his father had gone off to guard the border, leaving only a group of men to watch over him as he studied and practiced martial arts. When he saw me, he actually knew who I was and said, 'Mother, you're all right.'"
The old lady and Nanny Qian said solemnly, "You know, it's not that I don't want to take good care of him, but his father doesn't allow anyone to get close to him or disturb him, so I had no choice at that time."
Nanny Qian saw that she had been wiping tears for two hours and saw that seven or eight handkerchiefs were wet.
Nanny Qian knew she couldn't persuade her, so she suddenly had an idea and diverted the old lady's attention. "This is terrible, Madam," she said. "Do you think Mrs. Lu will misunderstand you again after seeing what happened today?"
The old lady was reminded now and remembered that there was something more important.
Of course.
The reason Lu came to show her goodwill was because she felt her old lady had a close relationship with the Duke. But after the Fourth Master's outburst today, coupled with her foolish words, Lu was definitely suspicious.
Even if the Duke doesn't mind, if Mrs. Lu knows that she, the old lady, favors her own fourth son, she will probably still want to avoid suspicion.
"I... I probably didn't say anything today, right?" The old lady couldn't remember at all and asked with a hopeful hope.
After Nanny Qian finished speaking, the old lady wanted to wipe away her tears again.
As expected, in the next few days, Mrs. Lu did not look for the old lady again.
The old lady waited and waited, thinking that time was short, perhaps just two days. But two days passed, and then two more.
You know, for the past month, Mrs. Lu had sent her something or sent her an invitation every three days. But now, ten days have passed, and there is still no movement from Mrs. Lu.
The old lady had waited enough. She decided to test the waters. If Mrs. Lu really decided to break away from her, then she would have to find another way.
The old lady sent an invitation to Mrs. Lu, saying that the Duke's Mansion would hold a tea party in three days, and asked Mrs. Lu to bring Duan Zhiwu with her.
The next day, Mrs. Lu replied that she would definitely come. The old lady thought she had misunderstood her.
Until the day before the tea party, Lu sent someone to deliver a letter to the old lady, saying that Duan Zhi had an upset stomach. As a mother, she was really worried. She could not attend the old lady's banquet this time, but she would definitely attend next time.
The old lady is not a fool. This is clearly an excuse.
Once at the Grand Princess's Mansion and once at a tea party, twice she, the old lady, was neglected by the future Duchess. If this got out, who would still take her, the old lady, seriously?
The old lady was extremely angry and immediately began to think of a way to deal with the Lu mother and daughter.
Her old lady's action would be too cumbersome. She needed a helping hand.
Soon, the old lady spoke: "The Duan family's wife is ill, and the Duke's Mansion must find someone to visit her. Let Dalang's wife and Aunt Moli go."
Madam Qian hesitated and asked, "Madam, isn't it inappropriate to let Aunt go? Aunt is quite well behaved. That day, she was punished by you to kneel, and she hasn't said a word since she went back."
The old lady was dissatisfied: "When did you become so close to that concubine?"
Madam Qian hastily denied, "How could that be, my lady? I am simply worried about the Duke. If anything were to happen to the concubine, wouldn't that cause the Duke much worry? He's already too busy with official duties away from home to handle them, so he'd better avoid domestic troubles if possible. What do you think, my lady?"
"You are the only one who cares about the Duke. As a mother, I am cold-hearted and cold-blooded."
"My lady, what are you saying? No one knows better than me how considerate you are to the Duke."
The old lady sighed and said, "She's just a concubine. If this concubine is gone, there will be another one. As long as she enters the main courtyard, the Duke will definitely treat her equally. Erlang treats that concubine well because he is just fulfilling his duty."
Madam Qian thought about it carefully and said, "What the lady said makes sense."
The old lady said: "That concubine, I always feel that she is not a peaceful one."
"What do you mean, my lady?"
The old lady shook her head: "I can't say. Normally, an old thing like you can see that she is well-behaved. But a truly well-behaved person must be hiding in the backyard, afraid to go out."
Madam Qian: "It seems to me that my aunt doesn't like to go out."
The old lady said, "But she wanted to please the daughter of the Duan family and even persuaded Silang's wife to help her. And before that, she had frequent contact with the daughter of the Luo family. If there wasn't solid evidence proving that it was the third brother who colluded with Madam Sun to kidnap the person, and that the daughter of the Luo family was the one who interfered, I would have suspected that she was the one behind the breakup of the marriage between the Duke and the daughter of the Luo family."
After hearing what the old lady said, Madam Qian also remembered some things. But she couldn't just guess blindly, even in front of the old lady.
Madam Qian simply said, "Madam's words make sense. Shouldn't we then remind the Duke?"
"No need. No matter what, she would never harm the Duke. We have no evidence right now, so let's go. If she is really a troublesome person, she will reveal her true intentions in the future."
"Yes, ma'am."
...
A tea party was held at home, and Jasmine and the eldest young master's wife were sent to visit the Duan family's wife.
Today, Jasmine wore the Metasequoia red Liuxian dress given to her by the eldest young lady, and pinned several pearl flowers on her hair, which made her look much brighter.
The eldest young lady was stunned when she saw it for the first time.
Jasmine asked, "Does it look good?"
Of course the eldest young lady said it looked good. She had chosen the dress, so how could it not look good?
Madam Duan still smiled at Jasmine with a warm and polite manner. However, Madam Lu's attitude towards Jasmine was completely different from the warm and friendly attitude she had shown at the Grand Princess's residence.
If we say that in the Grand Princess's Mansion, Mrs. Lu treated Jasmine like a mother treated her long-lost daughter, then right now it was like the high and mighty Young Lady of the Shangshu Mansion treated a maid who had made a mistake.
Jasmine knew why.
And Mrs. Lu was equally distant towards the eldest young lady.
The eldest young lady felt that she was not liked by others. Although she was the daughter of a merchant, she was raised in the palm of her hand since she was a child.
The eldest young master's wife also knew that she couldn't get angry, so she said to Mrs. Lu with a forced smile, "I'm glad Madam Duan is alright. It's getting late, so we'll go back. Madam and Madam, please don't see me off."
Jasmine bowed beside the eldest young lady and left with her.
"Wait." It was Lu.
The eldest young master's wife turned around and asked doubtfully, "Madam, is there anything else?"
Mrs. Lu just looked at Jasmine and asked, "Where did you get that hairpin on your head?"
Jasmine touched her head, looking a little panicked: "Jasmine only wore the pearl flower, not the hairpin?"
Jasmine leaned towards the eldest young lady's wife and said, "Madam, is there anything?"
The eldest young lady's wife frowned and asked in a low voice, "Why didn't I see it when you came out? When did you wear the gold hairpin?"
Under normal circumstances, the eldest young master's wife would not bother to care about her. But now, facing the Lu mother and daughter, they were in the same boat.
Jasmine became even more panicked when she heard this. She shook her head and said, "I don't know."
Shancha was quick-witted and quick-handed. She pulled the golden hairpin off the aunt's head and hid it in her sleeve.
When Mrs. Lu stood up and walked over, the golden hairpin on Jasmine's head had disappeared.
But Lu saw clearly the actions of the concubines and maids.
Mrs. Lu asked Jasmine with a sullen face, "How can a concubine like you flaunt a golden hairpin in public?"
Jasmine's knees weakened, and she knelt down to explain, "Jasmine didn't mean to do that. I must have been in a hurry and accidentally took the wrong thing. Please don't blame me, Madam."
The concubine is so soft-hearted! The eldest young lady was very disgusted. The eldest young lady also thought, when will it be the turn of the young lady of the Shangshu Mansion to teach the people of their Duke's Mansion a lesson?
The eldest young lady immediately stepped forward and stood in front of Aunt Moli: "Young lady, don't forget, Madam Duan hasn't even entered our mansion yet. It's probably a little early for you to lecture Aunt Moli."
Mrs. Lu glared at the young lady with sharp eyes.
After the eldest young lady finished speaking, she grabbed Jasmine and stood up, deliberately speaking loudly to the concubine, "You are the Duke's favorite concubine. If you kneel down to others casually when you go out, you will only bring shame to the Duke. What's wrong with wearing a gold hairpin? Just wear it! It was given to the concubine by the Duke. He must have tacitly allowed you to wear it."
The eldest young lady's wife looked at Lu provocatively again: "The Duke tacitly agreed, but Madam doesn't agree. Could it be that Madam thinks the Duke has done something wrong?"
A concubine and a daughter-in-law of a Duke's mansion had the audacity to act so arrogantly in front of her. Mrs. Lu couldn't swallow this humiliation. "It's a well-established rule in Daqi that concubines don't wear gold. Whenever she goes out, everyone says it's okay. So why shouldn't I? Madam, there's no need to use the Duke's power to pressure others. Since I'm right, I have nothing to fear."
The eldest young lady's voice was sharp as she asked again, "What will the young lady do? Will she beat up my aunt, or will she detain us all?"
"Of course I'll ask the old lady to judge the matter." Mrs. Lu showed no sign of backing down and said to the eldest young lady, "And regarding the eldest young lady's impassioned speech today, I'd like to ask the old lady how she manages the household."
The eldest young lady's heart trembled, and she subconsciously took a step back, then stood firm again. Although her heart was beating fast, she had the determination not to lose.
Madam Duan heard the noise and could no longer bear it, so she ran out from the inner room and hugged Lu's arm: "Mom, let's forget it."
Lu pointed at the eldest young lady's wife and said, "They were the ones who started the clamor here. If we let them off today, who knows how they'll torment you when you enter the Duke's Mansion. We can't let them off."
The mother and daughter spoke softly, but the eldest young lady had good hearing. Hearing that she was being called a "little person," thinking that Lu looked down on her as a concubine, the eldest young lady's anger flared up again, and she retorted, "Young lady, don't speak so early. Who knows, Madam Duan might be just as capable as the daughter of the Luo family?"
Mrs. Lu was furious. The anger that had just subsided due to her daughter's dissuasion suddenly flared up again. She turned to Duan Zhi and said, "You should rest well at home and recuperate. I'll go to the Duke's Mansion now."
Madam Duan held Lu's hand tightly, but Lu waved it away and strode out the door with a flick of her sleeves.
The eldest young lady's wife looked at Lu's uncompromising back, feeling extremely uneasy. Then she thought again, Lu was targeting the old lady. If the sky fell, the old lady would hold it up.
The eldest young lady's wife felt relieved and hurried forward.
Jasmine bowed to the anxious Madam Duan and was about to leave when she heard Madam Duan's voice: "Your dress is really beautiful. You must have put your gold hairpin on correctly."
This is not a question.
What a joke. How could Jasmine admit that? With an innocent look on her face, she turned around and said, "Jasmine doesn't know what you mean by that. Is there anything else, Madam? If not, I'll excuse myself and leave first."
Jasmine said this and bowed again.
Madam Duan pressed on, "Did the golden hairpin really come from the Duke?"
Jasmine nodded.
Madam Duan: "Why did the Duke give you a golden hairpin?"
Jasmine: "Master said that Jasmine was the first one to come in, so we can't let her down."
"Even so, I don't believe it." Madam Duan still had a gentle smile on her face.
Jasmine didn't like her attitude. No matter how she provoked him, she remained indifferent. Jasmine was a little annoyed, but she pretended very well: "Yes, Master is not treating Jasmine like this. Perhaps if it were someone else who was his aunt, he would definitely treat her like this. Jasmine, take your leave."
Jasmine turned and left.
Madam Duan couldn't help but have red eyes.
She knew it long ago. He had a concubine.
Given his character, now that he has welcomed my aunt into the family, he will definitely take good care of her.
But she didn't love him before. And now, she has fallen in love with him.
Madam Duan felt so much pain, a pain she had never experienced before.
...
The tea party was specially held for the Lu mother and daughter. Even if they didn't come, everyone had been invited, and the old lady couldn't refuse them all.
So it is still being done today.
The backyard living room of the Duke's Mansion was bustling with activity. All the ladies had gathered together.
In a corner, several women were discussing why they hadn't seen Lu's mother and daughter. One of them was saying, "Could they have had a falling out?" At this moment, Lu came in angrily.
The living room suddenly fell silent. The old lady simply wanted Jasmine to cause trouble for Mrs. Lu, and then wait for Mrs. Lu to reveal her true intentions so that she could close the net.
But the old lady didn't expect that Mrs. Lu would come so soon.
It would be best if the Lu family revealed their flaws at this time.
But the old lady didn't dare to expect things to go too smoothly, especially since it looked like Lu was here to call for punishment.
The old lady glanced at the eldest young lady's wife and Jasmine who appeared with them, and didn't notice anything wrong at first.
At this time, Lu bowed and said, "Old Madam, I have come here today for two reasons. The first is that the eldest young lady has spoken out against me in the Shangshu Mansion. I don't know how I have offended her, so I have come to seek justice from you, Old Madam."
"Who is speaking so arrogantly? It's obviously Young Madam, but you are disrespecting her and slandering her!"
"I haven't finished speaking yet, please wait a moment, Madam."
"I..." The eldest young lady looked around. She felt that everyone was looking at her in a strange way. It seemed that everyone believed Lu and not her?
Lu continued, "Secondly, the Duke's concubine, Jasmine, dared to wear a gold hairpin in and out of the Shangshu Mansion. May I ask if this is the custom of the Duke's Mansion?"
Everyone turned their gaze to Jasmine again. Many of the female guests who had come today had also attended the Grand Princess's first birthday banquet, so they had all met Jasmine.
Today, Lu came in person, and if what Lu said was true, then once the female guest walked out of the gate of the Duke's Mansion, the Duke's Mansion would be in great disgrace.
The old lady was now in a passive position. But Mrs. Lu came prepared. The old lady stared at Mrs. Lu and said, "Young Madam, rest assured. If it is really as you say, I will give you an explanation."
The old lady then looked at the eldest young lady's wife and said, "Master and daughter-in-law, tell me what's going on."
The eldest young lady's wife couldn't wait any longer and quickly asked them to come to visit the patient, but Mrs. Lu's attitude was extremely cold. She even made Aunt Jasmine kneel down and scolded her to tell the eldest young lady's affairs in detail.
The eldest young lady described in great detail the matter of Lu's bad attitude, making the concubine kneel down and scolding her, but she skipped over the rest.
Mrs. Lu sneered repeatedly, "Madam, why don't you tell me why I scolded Madam, and why did Auntie kneel down? If you won't tell me, then I will tell you."
Lu then presented to everyone the scene where she discovered that Aunt Jasmine was wearing a gold hairpin, Aunt Jasmine knelt down to admit her mistake, and the words that the eldest young master's wife said in favor of the aunt, word for word.
"Although our Shangshu Mansion is not as good as the first-class dukes and marquises, it is not something that can be bullied by everyone. My daughter's marriage to the Duke was personally granted by His Majesty. If anyone is dissatisfied, they can ask His Majesty for instructions. Why would they repeatedly cause trouble for us mother and daughter? I hope that the old lady will make the decision for us mother and daughter."
Wasn't the person she was dissatisfied with her the old lady? She even pretended to want her to make the decision.
He came here today, probably to embarrass her in front of so many people, right?
The old lady finally understood Lu's intention.
Today, Mrs. Lu did not intend to go against the old lady. She was really mad at the eldest young lady's wife and the concubine, and she just wanted to force the old lady to punish the two of them.
The old lady was determined not to back down. He tried to ride on her head before she even entered the door, and what would happen after she entered the door? It was like a dream!
The old lady looked at Jasmine and said, "Aunt, tell me what's going on."
Jasmine then spoke and told me that she accidentally put on the wrong hairpin.
"Wearing it wrong? My aunt can't see the back of her head, but can't the maid see it? It's obvious that she did it on purpose. And the gorgeous clothes my aunt is wearing, others don't know, and they think my aunt is the main lady."
Jasmine pleaded with the old lady, "Old lady, I dare not lie. The clothes were given to me by the eldest young lady's wife. I thought there was a banquet at the mansion today, and the old lady asked me to go to the Duan Mansion. I knew I couldn't lose face for the Duke, so I dressed carefully. As for the hairpin..."
The shame and self-blame were clearly visible on my aunt's face.
Lu pressed on, "As for the hairpin, what happened? Auntie has explained it clearly."
The old lady looked stern, wondering if her aunt really wore it to the Duan Mansion on purpose to show off?
The concubine was brought back from outside by the Duke. If this matter gets out of hand, it will affect the Duke's reputation.
The old lady spoke up in time, "Young Madam, why are you being so aggressive? Madam Duan will be the future wife of the Duke of Mount Deer. How can you not tolerate a helpless concubine before she even gets married? It will not sound good if word gets out."
When Lu heard this, she knew that the old lady was biased towards her own people. Then she really couldn't let this matter go.
Since there were many people around today, Mrs. Lu said bluntly, "Old Madam, are you blaming me? But I don't think I'm wrong. Since all the ladies are here today, why don't you let them judge for you?"
The old lady hadn't expected Mrs. Lu to be so stubborn. It seemed like she was deliberately trying to make things difficult for her today.
The old lady had a gloomy face and did not speak for a while, only exchanging glances with Lu.
After a moment, the old lady decided to take a step back. She still had some sense. She knew that if the matter got out of hand, it would be bad for the Duke's Mansion. She could get her revenge another day for the anger she had endured today!
"Today, all the ladies are here to enjoy tea, so why should I embarrass them? Today, it is my fault. I thought Madam Duan was seriously ill, so I ordered Dalang's wife and concubine to visit her. Who knew they would do something bad and upset the young lady? How about I apologize to the young lady?"
Jasmine lowered her eyebrows, a moment of surprise in her heart. The old lady was actually such an old lady. She compromised so easily?
Then wouldn't it be in vain for her to expose herself?
Seeing that the old lady was willing to give in, Lu decided to give in as well. She was about to say, "Just punish the concubine."
At this moment, the aunt crawled to the old lady's feet:
"Madam, this has nothing to do with you. This is all my fault. I have implicated you and the eldest young lady. Please punish me. I have offended the young lady and Madam Duan. I am unlucky. Madam wants to sell me off, and I have no complaints."
The old lady didn't say she wouldn't be punished. She hadn't even had time to say it yet.
She didn't wait for Lu to speak, because Lu would definitely say, "The old lady is not wrong, it's just the concubine who is wrong." Then the old lady would punish the concubine naturally.
When the Duke brings it up, she can easily say that she was coerced by the Lu family.
Unexpectedly, my aunt would suddenly jump out and ask for punishment.
I don’t know if the aunt’s words were intentional, but she was saying that Madam Duan was narrow-minded and wanted to kill all the concubines.
Lu was now certain that this concubine was indeed no ordinary person.
The punishment she received was probably too light. She would only feel at ease if the person was driven out of the house.
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