Chapter 51 Chapter 51 There is still someone who cares about her...
She knew she couldn't bring it up herself; she had to let the old lady decide on the punishment. Madam Lu looked at the old lady and said, "I truly don't deserve your personal apology. I'll leave this matter to the old lady. I trust she'll make the decision. But regarding today's matter, please explain clearly. What's the matter with the gold hairpin in your hair? If it was accidentally put on wrong, then it's the maid's fault. If it's something else, what is the reason?"
"That's the maid's fault. And the aunt can't see the back of her head."
As the old lady finished speaking, the concubine quickly said, "That's not the case. To be honest, I wore the gold hairpin on purpose. My maid combed my hair, and I sent her away, so I secretly put it on my head. I didn't intend to wear it outside, but the hairpin was so beautiful that I forgot to take it off. I am guilty and I should be punished."
Compared to "wearing it wrong", everyone felt the truth of what the aunt said now.
After all, women have always loved to look pretty. Especially when wearing shiny gold on the head, which girl can resist being moved?
"My aunt doesn't have the guts, but she has the heart." Mrs. Lu looked at the old lady. "How do you think this matter should be handled?"
This was pure coercion. The old lady had known that the Lu family was not someone to be trifled with. But she had not expected them to be so difficult.
The old lady made up her mind that once today's matter was over, she would find a way to solve the problem of this mother and daughter once and for all!
"It really is you, girl! You seem obedient on weekdays, but I never thought it was just on the surface. Well, it seems I can't avoid punishing you today. Come, drag me to the ancestral hall to reflect on my actions for three days. Not even an hour less!"
"Yes, old lady." Two maids came up immediately and pretended to grab Jasmine.
"Wait."
At this time, Madam Lu said, "I didn't expect the rules of the Duke's Mansion to be so lax. My concubine, you didn't know the rules and flaunted yourself wearing a gold hairpin in public. You just need to reflect on this for three days. I would like to ask if all the ladies' mansions are like this? If so, I have nothing to say."
Of course this is not possible.
No lady would admit that she is incapable of managing the backyard. Even if she is, she has to pretend that she is not.
Then, some ladies who were on good terms with Mrs. Lu or wanted to curry favor with her jumped out and said, "How is this possible? If this happened in my backyard, I would have kicked her out long ago if she dared to do this."
"That's right. If my aunt dares to be so arrogant, I won't let her live."
"That's right."
The old lady's expression was even uglier than before. Mrs. Lu was trying to force her to drive the person away.
The old lady also wanted to drive the concubine away, but she couldn't, at least not by her order.
The old lady couldn't admit she was afraid the Duke would blame her. She could only puff out her chest and resist the criticism, "I don't mean to contradict the young lady, but my concubine has always been well-behaved and always serves me. I'm not afraid of being laughed at. She does a better job than any of the other daughters-in-law. I simply can't bear to kick her out. If a little woman steps out of the Duke's mansion, it would be the end of her life. I hope the young lady will bear with her."
The more the old lady protected the concubine, the more unhappy Lu became. With the old lady and a concubine, how could Zhi'er handle it? She was afraid she might be murdered in the mansion, and she, as a mother, wouldn't even know in time.
The Duke was a man of integrity. Even if he later learned that it was Lu who did it, and the reason, he would probably not react. Even if he was angry, he would definitely not involve Zhi'er.
After Zhi'er entered the Duke's Mansion, they lived together day and night and developed feelings for each other. Who would still remember what happened today?
After thinking it over, Lu said frankly, "It's a great taboo for a concubine to not know the difference between high and low. Even the Imperial Concubine didn't dare to casually wear a gold hairpin in her residence. Could it be that the old lady thinks a concubine in the Duke's Mansion is more noble than the Imperial Concubine?"
This is killing me! When has the old lady ever been so embarrassed? This Lu family is too much!
But since Lu had brought it up, the old lady thought it was a good idea. She deliberately said, "How can the concubine be compared to the imperial concubine? Young Madam is absolutely right. So, how do you think the concubine should be punished?"
The more Jasmine listened, the more she felt something was amiss. She knew this had gone too far. She wanted to sow discord between the old lady and the Lu family, and use the old lady to get rid of the Lu family and their daughter.
But she didn't want to be kicked out of the house.
Look at the old lady's expression, she seems to be about to agree.
Jasmine had no choice but to throw herself at Madam Lu's feet: "Young Madam, please give me a chance to live!"
Mrs. Lu never expected that she would turn her head and rush towards her. She was so scared that she quickly stepped back, but was grabbed by a pair of hands by the ankle.
"I promise that I will never make mistakes again in the future. When you come to the mansion, I will serve you well. Please treat me as a poor cat or dog, okay?"
The concubine cried bitterly. The ladies did not feel sorry for her. On the contrary, seeing her reminded them of the little devil in their own house, and they were even more disgusted with her behavior.
But this wasn't their house, so it was a different matter. Some ladies, in order to please the old lady, and seeing the Duke and the concubine interacting, immediately spoke up for the concubine.
"Look how pitiful the concubine is. Young Madam, why don't you show some mercy?"
"Beating him to death or driving him out of the house is indeed a bit too much. How about Madam Du just taking a step back?"
Lu knew she couldn't get her wish today. Since she couldn't drive her away, she had to make her concubines remember her tactics. Her Zhi'er had her as her mother. She wanted her concubines to never dare to mess with Zhi'er again.
Lu looked down at her concubines and said, "Since the ladies have pleaded for you, and since you know you are wrong, I will forgive you this time. But you should also be taught a lesson."
Lu then turned to the old lady and said, "I feel that kneeling or doing hard labor are too lenient. I beg you, old lady, to allow me to be caned thirty times. This will teach me a lesson."
...
Shancha watched her aunt being dragged away. She wanted to chase after her, but was stopped again.
She doesn't understand how things turned out like this?
All the ladies gathered in the corridor and watched their aunt being tied to a stool and publicly executed.
"Auntie! Why did you hit my aunt? You might as well kick her out!" Shancha had been beaten before and knew the pain. It wasn't easy to heal. Just when I thought it was healed, it would break again. And then, after sweating, it would break again.
It's really good, but it will leave a scar that is extremely itchy.
She would rather her aunt be driven out. When the Duke comes back, they can beg him again. It's no big deal.
But if you get beaten, you get beaten.
Shancha's hands were handcuffed behind her back by two men, and a piece of cloth was stuffed into her mouth, so she could no longer howl.
Jasmine lay on the stool. She didn't feel embarrassed, but was only thinking about what she had not considered.
It seems that her preparations were not thorough enough. Look, she wanted to bite someone, but ended up getting bitten.
Jasmine wasn't upset at all. Perhaps this was the result of her own cleverness.
Every failure is a learning experience.
"ah!"
But it really hurts.
The hammering in my ears was incredibly harsh, the sound alone hurting. The first five hits were a stinging pain, but by the sixth, it had become a dull ache.
Jasmine felt a little numbness in her lower back. Was she afraid that she had been beaten into a pulp?
Will she die?
But thirty lashes won’t kill anyone.
If you don't want to, you won't be afraid.
Jasmine forced herself to think about something else. The reason she was beaten today was because she hadn't expected the old lady to be such a coward.
I thought the old lady would be so strong to protect the dignity of the Duke's Mansion. Even if she hated me, she was still a member of the Duke's Mansion. Hitting her would be like hitting the Duke's Mansion in the face. How could the Duke's Mansion be easily manipulated by others?
It turned out that she had misjudged the old lady for the past six months.
If she were given another chance, she would never expose herself so easily. She would have to be more cautious.
Maybe she should.
She could play nice with both sides, and then "carelessly" speak ill of the Lu mother and daughter in front of the old lady, and then pretend to be "careless" to slander the old lady in front of the Lu mother and daughter.
When the situation gets out of control, she will reap the benefits.
It’s a pity that there is no chance to do it again.
Sweat soaked her eyelids, and in the blur, Jasmine saw her grandfather.
If she hurt her arm or fell, her grandfather would be very worried. If he knew she was beaten, her grandfather would be even more distressed.
She was so lucky that there was someone in this world who cared about her.
Jasmine found that her butt didn't seem to hurt as much anymore.
When the Duke entered, the concubine had just finished being beaten with thirty lashes of the cane. The Duke tried to grab the cane, but the servant flinched and said, "Duke, it's over."
Many people around him greeted the Duke, and the old lady also asked the Duke "Why did you come back at this time" and tried to explain something.
But the Duke had no time to think about anything else. The dress of Metasequoia Red was stained a shocking crimson, and the concubine did not move.
He didn't dare to hug her, so he squatted down and called softly, "Jiang'er?"
The Duke himself felt uncomfortable with the sound of the words coming out.
He held his breath and reached out to touch his aunt's nose.
Jasmine reached out and grasped the fingers in front of her eyes. She turned her head with difficulty and curled her lips, "Jian'er is not dead yet."
The Duke was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter: "He's not dead, that's good."
Jasmine reached out to the Duke, but the Duke had no idea where to start, so he simply picked up his concubine and the bench and left.
Everyone was left looking at each other in shock.
Nanny Qian leaned over to the old lady's ear and whispered, "Don't worry, my lady. Since we have informed the Duke, he will definitely not blame you."
"But he just..."
The old lady didn't finish her words, but Madam Qian understood. "The Duke was so worried about my concubine dying that he was too busy trying to save her to hear anything else. My lady, don't worry."
He only had his aunt in his eyes. He didn't bow to the old lady, nor did he greet anyone present. He just carried his aunt away.
Lu Shijue felt it was unbelievable as she watched the Duke's disappearing back.
"Let me go!" Shancha's mouth was blocked and she yelled incoherently.
Shancha struggled, and was only released after the old lady spoke up.
She took the cloth out of her mouth, spat twice, and ran after her aunt.
The ladies were thinking of saying goodbye, but then they heard the old lady say, "Young Madam, you must still be feeling aggrieved. It just so happens that the Duke has returned. Young Madam, don't be in a hurry to leave. It won't be too late to leave after you've explained your grievances to the Duke."
I only heard Lu's powerful reply: "Don't worry, old lady, I won't leave."
The ladies were in no hurry to leave. After all, it was still early and there was nothing to do at home. It wouldn't be too late to watch a good show before leaving.
...
The Duke did not ask about the concubine, but just watched the palace doctor instruct the maid to apply medicine to the concubine. After confirming that the concubine would not die, he let the concubine have a good rest.
The Duke turned around and left.
Her grandfather hadn't asked, and Jasmine didn't dare to speak up. After all, it was her own fault, and she didn't bother to lie.
Seeing the Duke go out, Jasmine stuck her head out and met Shan Cha's eyes as she ran back in a panic after seeing the Duke off.
Shancha came closer to her and asked, "Will the Duke stand on our side?"
Jasmine wasn't at all nervous. She had already figured out how to face her grandfather when she decided to expose herself.
Jasmine had also tried repeatedly. She was dressed gorgeously, and the Duke was not angry, but praised her beauty. She wore a gold hairpin in front of the Duke, and he just pretended not to notice. Besides, this gold hairpin was one of the headgear that the Duke had given her.
She wore it out accidentally, so how could her grandfather really blame her for it?
Besides, she has been beaten now. She will never do that.
Jasmine comforted Shancha: "Don't worry, it's nothing serious."
Even though my aunt said that, Shancha was still very nervous.
...
When the Duke was called back to the mansion, he heard the doorman explain the whole story on the way.
Therefore, the Duke knew why Mrs. Lu was making things difficult for the concubine.
Last night, the Duke heard from his aunt that he and the eldest young lady's wife were going to visit Madam Duan, and his aunt also asked him which dress looked best on him.
The Duke chose the red Metasequoia dress. He thought it made Auntie look more energetic and rosy in it.
The doorman said that the concubine was wearing a gold hairpin, which was why Lu Shi kept pestering her. The Duke didn't know that concubines couldn't wear gold when he first returned to the capital.
It was only later when the old lady learned that he had given a set of gold headgear to his aunt that she subtly reminded him.
The Duke knew that since he had given the concubine away, there was no reason to take it back. Fortunately, the concubine was obedient and never wore it outside. At most, she would only wear it in her room to entertain herself. The Duke forgot about it afterwards.
Until today, the doorman came to tell him that his aunt had a conflict with Lu because of wearing a gold hairpin.
This matter was his fault. The Duke had already thought about how to explain to Lu and apologize.
But when the Duke came back, he saw his concubine being beaten and covered in blood.
The apology in his heart disappeared in an instant, leaving only anger.
The Duke entered the backyard living room and saw Lu. The first thing he said was, "Even though my wife is a concubine, she is still a human being. The young lady was too harsh."
Seeing that the Duke was only targeting Lu, the old lady was secretly delighted. It couldn't be better!
Lu explained calmly, "Does the Duke understand the whole story? If so, he should know that it was the concubine who made the mistake first. The concubine knowingly committed the crime, and if she is not punished, she will inevitably do something even more heinous in the future."
"It's not the Young Madam's turn to give orders in the Duke's Mansion."
Unless it involves official business, the Duke is usually polite and courteous to others.
But facing Lu, the Duke's expression was very serious. Even his words could be described as harsh.
Mrs. Lu was also shocked. But whether for her daughter or her reputation, she didn't intend to back down.
"In a few months, the Duke will marry my daughter. Could the Duke understand my concerns as a mother? My aunt has been acting so unruly in front of Zhi'er. Once Zhi'er comes home, she will surely become even more aggressive."
Lu pointed at the old lady and said, "She turned a blind eye to this for fear of offending the Duke. But as a mother, I cannot tolerate this. The Duke has always been very particular about etiquette and rules. Could you please tell me what I did wrong?"
The Duke's expression was as dignified as ever. "Madam Duan has her mother to love her, but my concubine is all alone. What the young lady thinks is impertinence is simply my concubine's ignorance of etiquette. They all say that the young lady is generous and decent, but I don't think so today."
Mrs. Lu looked up at the Duke and asked, "Duke, are you seeking justice for my concubine?"
The old lady thought to herself, let's end it, let's end this farce quickly. From now on, let's go our separate ways, the marriage is over, and we're even!
"Justice must be sought. Now that she has entered my family, I will not allow anyone to bully her."
Mrs. Lu was even more shocked: "How does the Duke treat you?"
The Duke said: "As a mother, you cannot tolerate her, and I am sure that Madam Duan will not tolerate her either. Since the ceremony has not yet taken place, I will personally ask His Majesty to revoke this decree granting the marriage."
Everyone present gasped.
The old lady sat there in a daze. She wanted to ruin this marriage, but she was just dreaming. How could it come true so easily?
The Duke wants to cancel the engagement?! This is going to be a huge scandal!
Ordinary people would think twice before breaking off an engagement, but the Duke's act was a gift from the emperor, and he just said the word "break off" so easily?
If the man breaks off the engagement, it is a great humiliation for the woman.
The Duke of Guo was actually doing this for a concubine. Oh my God.
Everyone stared at Lu, waiting to see how he would react.
Of course, Mrs. Lu didn't expect that either. How could she possibly have thought of that?
How could Duke Yan do this?
Lu pointed at Duke Yan and spoke for a long time, "How dare you?"
The Duke looked at Lu and said seriously, "Young Madam, don't worry too much. The two families are not suitable, so it's understandable to cancel the engagement. I'm sure His Majesty won't refuse."
Is that what she meant?!
She was the one who caused the disturbance today, and her father-in-law hadn't heard about it yet. If Duke Yan really went to His Majesty to ask for permission because of her, not only would his daughter be humiliated, but the entire Shangshu Mansion would be humiliated.
What's more, her always bright and sensible Zhi'er...
Lu didn't dare to think further.
Lu knew that everyone around her was laughing at her. She didn't want to back down, but now she had no choice.
"My Lord, could you please spare me a moment to speak?" It was with such great difficulty that these words came out of Lu's mouth.
When the women saw the two families avoiding each other, their faces were filled with disappointment.
Fortunately, they all understood the attitudes of Lu and the Duke. That was enough.
I just don't know if this marriage can be cancelled.
The old lady smiled and stood up to see the guest off.
The ladies were reluctant to leave, but they had to pretend to say goodbye.
The old lady smiled and begged everyone to go out and keep their mouths shut, and the female members of the family readily agreed.
But once they left the house, they gathered in groups again and had heated discussions.
In just two hours, the news of the broken engagement between Duke Yan's Mansion and Minister Duan's Mansion spread throughout the four main streets of Kyoto City.
But the message was interrupted again.
It's all rumors! I didn't call off the engagement!
The Duke personally came out to clarify.
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