Chapter 57 Chapter 57 "Is my aunt weak and timid?"...
He didn't talk about the two things together, but had to talk about them one by one.
Everyone in the guest hall knew that the Duke did it on purpose.
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Lu couldn't believe it. Unable to bear it any longer, she stepped forward in a trembling voice, "Does the Duke really want me to beat Zhi'er again?"
The Duke said: "Even if I wanted to, my wife is weak and timid, so how could I do that? I just want Madam Duan to apologize a second time."
"Is my aunt weak and timid?" Mrs. Lu became even more agitated. "She wore a gold hairpin to show off, and pretended to please Zhi'er. And this time, it just so happened that she was the one who saved Zhi'er. How could such a person be weak and timid? Could it be that the Duke is..."
Lu couldn't utter the word "blind", but the Duke could understand it, and everyone present could understand it too.
Of course, the Duke wouldn't argue with a shrew. He simply said, "The rule that concubines are not allowed to wear gold is not a Daqi law. Young Madam, when will His Majesty add this rule? My concubine is trying to please Madam Duan just to establish a good relationship with her. Since Madam Duan doesn't want to, she should just ignore her. Why bother to be so aggressive? My concubine has always been timid. She could have stood by and watched, but she still tried to save Madam Duan, and nearly got herself killed. You are not grateful, but you turn against me. Is this the etiquette that the Young Madam of the Shangshu Mansion and I learned?"
Just as Mrs. Lu was about to argue, the old minister spoke up, "Zhi'er, why don't you help your mother sit down on the side?"
Lu froze, and let Duan Zhi help her sit down.
Duan Zhifang then stepped forward and bowed to Auntie again, saying, "Duan Zhi misunderstood Auntie that day and hit her. I beg Auntie to forgive me."
Of course, Jasmine waved her hands again and again, saying that it was not that serious and it was okay, and Madam Duan should not take such words to heart.
I thought this matter was finally over.
As a result, the Duke returned to his previous seat and sat down, obviously he had something else to do.
Jasmine didn't care about anything else and just limped over to stand behind her grandfather.
Li Fuyin was a little anxious, and asked, "Does the Duke have anything else to say?"
The Duke's face was solemn. He looked at Li Fuyin, bowed solemnly, and said, "Today, I would like to ask the prefect to be a witness."
"I dare not. It is my honor to serve the Duke."
Everyone present looked at the Duke suspiciously, not understanding what he was going to say.
Duan Zhi had a bad feeling in her heart, but she also thought it was impossible. He had disobeyed the old lady and rejected His Majesty, so how could he do that now?
The Duke looked at Minister Duan solemnly and said, "I admire you, my dear. No matter what happens, I have always been determined to marry Madam Duan. Unfortunately, everyone in your family dislikes my mother and has repeatedly offended her. They say that when a family is harmonious, everything will flourish. When a family is not harmonious, nothing will flourish."
Upon hearing this, the old lady, who had been sitting for most of the day and was extremely tired, was just lowering her head in deep thought. Suddenly, she heard the Duke's words and looked up in surprise.
The Duke then added, "I can change my wife, but not my mother. I'll ask Prefect Li to be a witness today, and I, Yan, will cancel this engagement with the Shangshu Mansion."
The flesh on Li Fuyin's face was trembling. "My Lord, your marriage to the Shangshufu was granted by His Majesty. This is not the decision of this humble official."
The Duke said, "That's all right. I just need the prefect to be a witness. Then you can go before His Majesty tomorrow with me and the old minister to finalize the matter."
Minister Duan was the most confused. Two days ago, the Duke of his country insisted on marrying her, but today he said he didn't want to marry her?
But Shangshu Duan couldn't argue. It was indeed his daughter-in-law who had been disrespectful to the old lady first. He had witnessed it once with his own eyes, and he couldn't be sure how many times she had done so in the past.
Blame him. Because he also disliked the old Duke's wife, the old minister didn't stop his daughter-in-law when she expressed her dissatisfaction with the old lady. In short, it was all because of him not managing the people in the mansion well.
Uncle Duan and Mrs. Lu didn't want to cancel the marriage from the bottom of their hearts. Uncle Duan pulled Minister Duan and said, "Dad, please say something."
Minister Duan sat indifferently, bowing to the Duke, "Since the Duke has made his decision, even if our two families cannot become relatives in the future, we will still be colleagues."
The Duke also bowed and said, "Of course."
"It's getting late, goodbye."
"Goodbye, old minister."
Duan Zhi's eyes fell on the Duke, who was sitting upright with a solemn expression.
Until Mrs. Qiu came to hold her back.
Mrs. Qiu held her mother-in-law with her left hand and her sister-in-law with her right hand, and followed closely behind her father-in-law and husband.
"It's time for me to go back. The Duke won't see me off."
As Li Fuyin said this, he bowed to the Duke and the old lady, then turned around and chased after the old minister who was leaving the house in a heroic manner.
Six little beggars were taken away at the same time.
When Big Rabbit went out, she glanced at Jasmine, but Jasmine only stopped for a moment and passed her by.
Only people from the Duke's Mansion were left in the guest hall.
No one noticed that the Fourth Young Master's wife's anxious heart was instantly relieved.
Seeing the eldest young lady's wife leave in a hurry, the fourth young lady's wife followed closely and said goodbye to the old lady.
The old lady didn't care about anything else at the moment. She just looked at the Duke with tears in her eyes.
"Erlang, Erlang..."
The Duke stepped forward and said, "Zi Fu knows that mother has been wronged."
So the old lady attached herself to the Duke and cried even more sadly.
Jasmine saw the old lady crying endlessly and felt sorry for her grandfather. But if her grandfather didn't leave, she couldn't leave either.
He stepped forward to support the old lady, saying, "Old lady, don't cry and hurt yourself." He then said to Nanny Qian, "It's already past noon. Please trouble Nanny Qian to serve the meal. Don't stay in the living room now. Help the old lady back to the courtyard to eat. It will be better for you to rest early after the meal."
"My aunt is right."
Finally the old lady left.
Now, with no one around, Jasmine thought of Shancha. She looked up and saw Chun Li squatting in front of Shancha. They were so close together, talking quietly, it was unclear what they were saying.
When there are many people, the living room doesn’t feel big. But now, with only a few people, Jasmine feels that Shancha is particularly far away from her.
It was clear that the Duke had just taken two steps from this place.
"Let's go."
"Yeah." Jasmine grinned at her grandfather, her dimples faintly visible on her porcelain-white cheeks.
Jasmine didn't forget to pack her treasure chest. Afraid of falling behind her grandfather, she moved quickly, fastening the boxes and stacking them one on top of the other.
Hold them all in your arms.
Seeing this, the Duke held out his hand. Jasmine didn't dare let him take it.
The Duke: "Don't worry, I won't take anything from you."
"That's not what I meant." Jasmine had no choice but to let go and let her master help her.
Unable to wait to return to the main courtyard, Jasmine followed her grandfather as he walked along the veranda. She stared at his earlobe and couldn't help but say, "Grandpa is so nice."
These three words are full of Auntie's emotion.
I don’t know why, but the Duke liked hearing his aunt praise him.
The Duke has been accustomed to hearing flattery since he was a child, but it is different for the concubine. The Duke is 100% sure that these are the words from the concubine's heart.
The Duke also knew why his aunt praised him.
He smiled warmly and said nothing, waiting for his aunt to continue.
Returning to the main courtyard, the Duke went straight to the cabinet where the concubine had hidden the treasure box and put the box back in the same condition as before.
The Duke only glanced at the square wooden box in the corner and didn't want to say anything, but heard his concubine say, "This was given to me by the eldest young lady's wife. I knew it was inappropriate, so I hid it. I didn't expect it to be discovered today. If you still think it's inappropriate, should I pawn it?"
"No need to trouble yourself. It would be wrong to refuse my sister-in-law's kindness." The Duke said and closed the cabinet door again.
Jasmine's heart was filled with joy.
I couldn't help but wonder, maybe her grandfather wanted her to have a child?
That's right. Other young men his age would have two or three children running around everywhere. Only he didn't have one.
If the legitimate wife cannot marry into the family for the time being, it is possible to pin your hopes on her.
Jasmine decided not to drink the contraceptive soup from today on.
Jasmine suddenly thought of this: since she came into the mansion, no one had forced her to drink contraceptive soup.
At that time, she was still timid, worried that the legitimate wife would embarrass her after entering the house. She was also afraid that giving birth to a bastard son would cause him to be bullied, so she took the initiative to ask the manager of the backyard for it.
But right now, she felt that there was nothing wrong with having a child. Her grandfather would definitely protect their child as well as he would protect her.
The Duke turned around and saw that his concubine was thinking about something happy, covering her blushing cheeks and laughing to herself.
"Stubborn?"
Jasmine heard her grandfather's voice, raised her eyes, and asked, "Master, do you want to take a bath?"
It’s just lunch and we haven’t had it yet.
What's the purpose of taking a bath?
The Duke hesitated for a moment, but politely declined: "Wait until tonight."
Jasmine knew she had misjudged him. Although she felt embarrassed, she was thick-skinned. "Then tonight."
"Hmm." The Duke felt the room was cramped and he couldn't breathe. He simply strode out and told Xiuhong, "Bring lunch to the courtyard."
"Yes." Xiuhong quickly retreated to prepare the meal.
It was already past lunchtime, and the dishes were still warming on the stove. They were served while the Duke and his concubine were sitting down in the courtyard.
The Duke, not knowing what he was thinking, said to Xiuhong, "In the future, ask the kitchen to add two more dishes. Even when I'm not around, I must not neglect my concubine."
"Yes." Xiuhong smiled secretly and retreated.
Could it be that the master had heard her complain that the food in the side courtyard wasn't as good as the main courtyard? Jasmine quickly stopped Xiuhong and explained to her master, "I always think the food in front of me is too much and I can't eat it all. Sometimes I just feel greedy."
"You don't have to beg for food here, stubborn boy. It's open and aboveboard, you can eat whatever you want." The Duke said seriously.
Jasmine suddenly realized that this might be the same thing she had heard from the front yard.
"I am just asking for food."
He actually remembered it.
Jasmine felt that she had to be more careful with her words in the future. She should have known that this man was not as rough as he appeared, and could be very careful sometimes.
Jasmine couldn't help but feel touched. She was so lucky to have met this man.
"I understand." Jasmine replied.
Jasmine picked up two shrimps at once and was busy peeling them, one for her and one for her grandfather.
Hearing her grandfather's serious expression, he said:
"Jiang'er, I'm sorry for you."
Jasmine paused while peeling the shrimp, and in an instant, a myriad of thoughts came to her mind.
Jasmine wanted to say that this had nothing to do with him, but unless she was crazy, how could she say that?
Jasmine lowered her head, then immediately shook it, and hurriedly stuffed the peeled shrimp into the Duke's mouth.
Does Auntie mean that he should stop talking?
The Duke thought he understood the concubine's deep meaning. He looked at the concubine with clear eyes, opened his mouth and ate the concubine's shrimp, and then he really didn't speak again.
The two ate in silence. Jasmine had never known what it felt like to have a poor appetite. But her grandfather's words had made her lose her appetite.
The Duke was eating seriously when he suddenly noticed that his concubine was unusually not moving her chopsticks. He raised his eyes and found that his concubine was staring at him with a fierce look.
"What's wrong?"
Jasmine licked her lip before speaking, "I want to ask, why does Master trust me so much? Madam Duan insisted that I was the one who harmed her, so Master, don't you have any doubts at all?"
The Duke was helpless that his concubine actually asked such a stupid question.
"It couldn't have been done by Qiang'er. The six beggars and the four suspects are two different groups. I previously went to see Prefect Li and confirmed this. Madam Duan didn't know about this, so she misunderstood that it was Auntie's doing."
Misunderstanding? Jasmine didn't think so.
When Jasmine confirmed that she had reached the bottom of the bridge, the four men had just discovered Duan Zhi.
In the second half of the night, Datu and the others released her. She could have left, but she deliberately returned to the abandoned house under the bridge after being released, and was later discovered by the four suspects.
It was clear that Madam Duan had discovered that she was the culprit and did not want to let her off easily. The appearance of the four suspects gave Madam Duan an excuse to frame her.
But Jasmine couldn't tell this to her grandfather.
Jasmine finally understood why no one else would doubt her except Duan Zhi and her daughter.
Even Minister Duan didn't say much.
So that was the problem. Da Tu and the others had no connection to the four suspects. Duan Zhi only had evidence that she and Da Tu recognized. But Da Tu and the others were just children. Even if they had kidnapped Duan Zhi in the first place, they hadn't harmed her and later released her.
The four suspects were the real kidnappers of Duan Zhi, but no one had any evidence to prove that they were related to her aunt.
Of course it was impossible to find evidence because she didn't recognize the four suspects at all.
Then no one would doubt her.
Jasmine was very proud and thought Duan Zhi was a little stupid.
If she didn't insist that the four suspects were ordered by her, and only said that she was involved in the six beggars kidnapping her, she might be able to get away with it.
What a pity.
She thought Madam Duan was incredibly intelligent. She was no more than that.
The Duke didn't understand why his concubine's expression changed again.
There was a smile on the corner of her mouth and a hint of pride in her eyes. After a while, she let out a soft sigh.
The Duke was confused and even more worried. Could it be that my aunt was frightened again?
To prevent his aunt from having wild thoughts in the mansion these days, and since he couldn't be with her day and night. The Duke quickly finished the rice in his bowl while thinking about something.
By the time the concubine came to her senses, the Duke had finished his meal.
The Duke spoke bluntly, "Outside East City, a charity granary has been built for refugees. Jian'er is kind and generous, so I'm sure he'd be willing to donate."
"ah?"
The Duke added, "This time, we don't need to ask for subsidies. We just need to help the court distribute the disaster relief grain."
As the Duke spoke, a smile played on his lips, as if this was some great joyous event and he had guessed that his concubine would be delighted.
"oh."
Of course, Jasmine couldn't say no. Her grandfather made this arrangement because he must have known that she was giving money to Datu and the others and thought she was kind-hearted.
If she refuses, wouldn't she be slapping herself in the face?
She thought it was impossible to distribute disaster relief grain for a year or two. There were probably many soldiers and servants present, and as the Duke's concubine, she could only stand behind the servants and give orders.
Thinking of this, Jasmine was no longer worried. She also promised her grandfather that she would not let him down.
"good."
It was not until two days later that Jasmine realized how foolish and naive she had been.
Not only is there a serious shortage of manpower, but she didn't expect that she, the aunt, would have to do it herself!
She had to do everything herself, including unloading the truck and carrying the rice bags.
For the first time, Jasmine discovered that being a concubine to the upright and poor Duke was actually a tough job.
...
Duan Shangshu Mansion.
The old Shangshu's study.
Master Duan Rong was kneeling before the desk, listening to his lecture. He had been kneeling there for over half an hour since returning from the Duke's Mansion.
Duan Rong didn't understand why his father punished him, as he had done nothing wrong.
He had thought he would kneel for half an hour at most, but it was almost an hour and a half and his father still showed no intention of getting up.
Duan Rong was afraid of his life and would break his legs if he knelt down again. He could not help but beg for mercy: "Dad, I have done nothing wrong, why are you punishing me like this?"
Minister Duan was too lazy to waste time talking to this eldest son. He was incompetent, cowardly, and confused. Minister Duan felt that it was useless to talk to him any more.
Just kneel down. At least it hurts, which is a good thing.
Seeing his father ignore him, Duan Rong couldn't help but nag again, "I know Dad is angry about Duke Yan's decision to break off the engagement, but it was Duke Yan who wanted to break off the engagement with us. If you're angry, you should go to Duke Yan. Or is Dad angry about Zhi'er and Lu?"
Duan Rong suddenly thought that it might be for his wife and daughter. Duan Rong continued, "I didn't know that they were so bold and presumptuous, wrongly accusing Yan Guogong's concubine. If I knew, I would definitely persuade them, but they have always been like this, never explaining anything to me. I am truly innocent."
"Get out and kneel down." Minister Duan gave the order.
Since his father told him to get out instead of leaving, Duan Rong struggled a bit, looked at his father, lay down on the ground ready to die, and then rolled out the door.
Duan Shangshu was so angry that he broke a high-quality sheep's hair brush in his hand.
Duan Xue, the eldest grandson who had just returned from his sister's yard, happened to see his father in such a miserable state. He clenched his fists and then went forward to knock on the door and ask to see Minister Duan.
"Grandfather, it was Duke Yan who went too far. When His Majesty first arranged the marriage, he was a favorite of His Majesty. His Majesty would never force him to do anything, but he didn't refuse. When my sister was kidnapped, His Majesty wanted to cancel the engagement. If His Majesty had done so, my sister's reputation would have been saved, but Duke Yan refused to agree to anything. Now, Duke Yan has called off the engagement just like that. He is so all-powerful that he doesn't even care about my sister, nor does he take our father and our entire Shangshu Mansion seriously. Looking at my mother and sister, my grandson feels truly sad."
Minister Duan looked at his grandson, who was the most capable child to support the Shangshu Mansion.
Minister Duan waved his hand and motioned him to come forward.
Then he spoke: "You only see the pity of your mother and sister, but have you seen the side of them making mistakes but not knowing it?"
Duan Xue was very smart and immediately understood what her grandfather meant without him saying much.
He didn't see it. If he had seen it, he would never have complained like that. And Grandpa knew that he didn't see it, so he asked this question.
"Grandson understands, and I'll keep it in mind." Duan Xue thought of his cheerful and cheerful mother and sister who had turned into shrews before him, and he couldn't bear it. "But Grandpa, even if Mother really was disrespectful to the old Duke's wife, Duke Yan should still ask why. It was clearly the old lady who targeted Mother and Sister first. Also, it was that concubine who provoked Sister first. Grandpa knows Sister's temper, so why would she cause trouble for that concubine for no reason? Grandpa still thinks Duke Yan is going too far."
Minister Duan said without much emotion: "Put yourself in his shoes and think about what you would do if you were Duke Yan."
Duan Xue: "My grandson will naturally advise the old lady to keep things quiet, discipline her concubines, and then welcome her into the house in due time."
Minister Duan: "What about the future?"
Duan Xue thought for a moment before saying, "Given your sister's character, she will definitely prioritize the overall situation. I will also try to persuade the old lady, but if that doesn't work, we can only divide the mansion. As for the concubine, that's beyond the scope of this discussion."
Minister Duan said earnestly, "This is where you fall short of Yan Ke. Do you know where you fall short?"
Duan Xue stared at Minister Duan in shock. But there was no resentment or resentment in his eyes, only the expectation of waiting for Grandpa to clarify his doubts.
That day, Minister Duan talked a lot with his grandson.
Duan Rong knelt outside the door, sweat pouring down his face. He was extremely thirsty, but he didn't dare to ask the servants to bring him a bowl of water.
When Duan Xue came out again, she first helped her father up.
"I can't. Your grandfather won't let me."
"Grandpa agreed to let father get up."
Duan Rong then stood up with the help of his son.
Duan Rong wasn't curious about what his son and father had said, so he just asked, "Are you going to see your mother and sister?"
Duan Xue: "Mother and sister are unhappy. Let's go tomorrow, Axue."
Duan Rong nodded: "You are right. I will go see them tomorrow."
In the past, the son was so focused on studying and practicing martial arts that he wished he could split one day into two. He had no time to care about his useless old father.
But Duan Rong was surprised that his son sent him back to the yard for the first time.
Duan Xue bowed to her father and took her leave.
Walking out of his father's yard, Duan Xue recalled his grandfather's teachings.
"The old Duke's wife is Duke Yan's stepmother. Everyone knows that the old lady wasn't very kind to Duke Yan, but Duke Yan respected her mother and was very filial to her. If Duke Yan didn't do this, the old lady would definitely do everything she could to recommend her own son to the throne. Duke Yan was just a warrior. How could he have fought against the old lady if he hadn't established himself back then? This shows how honest and wise Duke Yan is."
"Your sister is young and thin-skinned. Maybe she can endure it in the Duke's Mansion, but your mother won't. As long as your mother is around, she will find ways to contact your sister. Then there will be a lot of trouble in Duke Yan's Mansion. If you divide the mansion as you said, then the old lady and you will become enemies. Not only the old lady, but also the first, third, and fourth wives of the Duke's Mansion will cause trouble for you. Will you be able to imprison her in Jingzhao Prison or beat her to death?"
These two examples were enough for Duan Xue to understand Grandpa's intention.
Duan Xue pondered deeply. Even though he still felt resentful of Duke Yan, he knew that his grandfather was right. He couldn't be confined to this small space.
Duan Xue decided not to persuade her mother and sister tomorrow.
...
The backyard of the Shangshu Mansion.
Mrs. Qiu looked at her mother-in-law who was full of resentment, and then at her sister-in-law who was pretending to be indifferent.
Qiu had already heard her mother-in-law speak a lot of bad things about the Duke's Mansion, from Duke Yan to the old lady and then to the concubine. Now, her mother-in-law was back at it again, decrying Duke Yan's faults for the second time.
"...Could it be that he thinks my Zhi'er was given to him for no reason? He's just a rough and tumble warrior, and he's not worthy enough! How dare he bring up the matter? If anything, we should bring it up. What right does he have?"
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