Chapter 60 Chapter 60 How should we drive them away this time? ...
Jasmine didn't dare ask, but she was genuinely curious. How had the Fourth Master gotten dragged into this?
Jasmine asked cautiously, and the Duke had already told her.
The Jingzhao prefecture governor realized that the matter was related to the Fourth Master and used more ruthless means to finally get the four suspects to speak. Once the four suspects' words were checked, the truth was revealed.
Li Fuyin has solid evidence to prove that the real culprit behind the kidnapping of Madam Duan is the Fourth Master. However, because the Fourth Master is from the Duke's Mansion,
After the court session, Li Fuyin privately discussed the matter with the Duke. As expected, the Duke immediately rushed to the Ministry of Personnel, arrested the Fourth Master, and handed him over to Li Fuyin, demanding that the matter be handled impartially.
Jasmine had previously been puzzled by the matter of the four suspects. She had also wondered how it could have been such a coincidence that Liutu had released the suspects late at night, and that Madam Duan had just happened to run into the four suspects.
It turned out to be the Fourth Master.
Jasmine suddenly understood. It turned out that while the Shangshu Mansion, the Duke's Mansion, and the Imperial Guard were searching for someone, the Fourth Master was also looking.
Unfortunately, the Fourth Master found him first.
Jasmine knew exactly what the Fourth Master was up to. While the Old Madam might tolerate Madam Duan entering the house, the Fourth Master definitely couldn't.
At present, the Duke's Mansion was his Fourth Master's home, providing him with a shelter. But once Madam Duan came into the family, his Fourth Master would become a side branch. Once she was driven out, the Duke's Mansion would truly have nothing to do with him anymore.
How could the Fourth Master tolerate this? After learning that the Old Lady was planning to compromise, the Fourth Master was eager to take action himself.
Jasmine fanned her master, "Master, calm down. What will become of the Fourth Master?"
"Ten years in prison."
Jasmine tightened her grip on the fan handle and asked carefully, "Will the master plead for the Fourth Master? I suggest asking the Jingzhao prefect to reduce his sentence by two years."
"I knew he was narrow-minded and impulsive, but I never thought he would do such a cruel thing. He wanted the life of the Duan family's wife. How could I let him off so easily?"
Jasmine's heart sank as she listened to the harsh words and looked at the Duke's serious face.
She shuddered, and the fan in her hand trembled uncontrollably.
The Duke was furious, but he saw his concubine's reaction. He stood up, embraced his concubine, and patted her on the back twice. His expression remained unchanged, but his voice softened. "I don't want to be too heartless. As the old lady said, when we were young, I had a good relationship with the fourth son. But later, I had less and less time to play with him, and he grew up and didn't like playing anymore, so we gradually became distant. But if I'm unfair, wouldn't the people of Qi follow suit? How will Your Majesty rule the country in the future? It's only ten years, it's gone by quickly."
Seeing that his aunt was still trembling, the Duke simply took her into his arms and asked her, "Is this a better way to be stubborn?"
"Much better."
After that day, the Duke went to and from court as usual. The old lady had to work hard, and even the fourth young master's wife went back to her parents' home twice.
But it's all useless.
The old lady even went to the old minister with all her dignity, and the old minister agreed to go to Jingzhao Prefecture to plead for mercy. However, when the Duke found out, he was not grateful and asked Li Fuyin to do whatever he wanted.
At that moment, the court and the people all praised the Duke for his great courage in sacrificing his own family for the sake of justice.
Even though he knew that the old lady was angry, the Duke still went to the old lady's yard that day.
I don’t know what the Duke said, but the old lady didn’t continue to use her connections to save the Fourth Master, but her attitude towards the Duke became much colder.
Jasmine hadn't seen her grandfather go to the guest hall for dinner for several days. He always came to the main courtyard to eat with her.
The Fourth Young Master's wife hadn't appeared in a long time. The only time she did so was when the old lady asked her to go and see the Fourth Master.
The old lady prepared various things for the fourth young master's wife to take with her, and also asked her to deliver a message to the fourth master.
The old lady asked the fourth young master's wife to persuade the fourth master to be obedient in prison. If he behaved well, he could be released three years early.
The prisons of Daqi State were not simple. Except for the death row prisoners, who were imprisoned until death, all other prisoners had to work and could not eat for free.
Since Emperor Jingxuan ascended the throne, he had changed the prison rules. Prisoners would be fed well, but they were required to work for six full hours a day.
If you don't comply, you will be sentenced to more time, but if you behave well, your sentence will of course be reduced.
The better you perform, the more you lose!
But Jasmine didn't understand why the old lady was so sure it would be three years, and not just three days or three months?
Jasmine suspected that this matter was related to the Duke.
Wu Yi Niang made a scene on the spot and insisted on going to see the Fourth Master, but was pinned down and beaten by the old lady. As luck would have it, Wu Yi Niang became pregnant, and the baby died after two months of pregnancy.
The Fourth Master didn't have any children. The old lady fainted from anger.
Jasmine was afraid of attracting attention, so she only glanced at the old lady and then turned back. She didn't move forward again.
After returning from prison, the Fourth Young Master's wife regained her usual voice, smile, and demeanor. She spent more time with the Old Madam than usual.
Jasmine not only avoided the old lady, but also avoided the fourth young master's wife.
Afraid they would misunderstand her, Jasmine even spread the word that she would make shoes and socks for the Duke in the courtyard. Although the ones she bought were more exquisite, they were definitely not as comfortable and warm as the ones she made herself.
Jasmine also did not forget to go to the charity granary to find He Congde.
So when the Duke returned, she presented him with the results of half a day's work: a deerskin sole she had knitted. The Duke smiled and said, "Well, thank you for your help, Stubborn."
Then she suggested going to the charity granary for another day, and she made up a very convincing reason.
"I am unwilling to give up. How can I retreat after just one day? At least two days. What do you say, Master?"
The Duke thought that his concubine had been staying in the mansion for a few days and was getting bored again, so he agreed to her request.
Jasmine was worried that He Congde might be on his day off, but she had no one to ask. She couldn't be so bold as to ask her grandfather, so she decided to take a gamble.
Fortunately, He Congde is here.
He Congde was the runner-up this year. His Majesty asked what to do with the disaster victims in Zhongzhou, and He Congde was the only student who gave the most satisfactory answer.
His Majesty personally appointed him as the Censor, responsible for the aftermath of the disaster in Shangjing.
A new official has three things to do. He Congde worked incredibly hard. He didn't even take a single day off out of the four days a month.
Before the roosters even crowed, he had already risen early to attend court, always the first to sign in. Old Shangshu Duan Meng had always been the first to arrive, but now he was the second earliest.
The old minister had intended to compete, but one day he woke up too early and fell down at his doorstep. From then on, he didn't dare to fight for it anymore and sadly gave the honor to the young man.
Today, after the Duke left the court, he chatted with His Majesty for a while and was delayed for a while before returning home to pick up his concubine.
So when Jasmine arrived at the East City Charity Granary, it was already past noon. The soldiers there were as busy as ever.
Lord He, dressed in a crimson official robe, was easily recognizable. He was personally leading his men in distributing potatoes to the disaster victims.
Jasmine knew why he hadn't looked for her. He must have been too busy to leave.
But Jasmine didn't regret making this trip. What if Lord He finally remembered to look for her after he was done with his work? That would be hard to prevent.
Jasmine stepped forward to help without saying a word.
After all the potatoes were distributed, I saw it was her when I raised my hand to wipe the sweat off my face.
He Congde stared at her blankly.
Jasmine smiled at him and bowed, "How are you, Lord He?"
He Congde bowed in return, but he didn't know how to address her. Madam? Or Aunt?
Jasmine asked, "Why are you giving out potatoes today?"
He Congde: "There's not enough rice. We only distribute it once every two weeks at most. It's definitely not enough for the victims. So I decided to buy these potatoes."
Jasmine asked again: "Then why don't the potatoes be distributed together with the rice bags?" It would be much easier if they were distributed together.
He Congde: "It will take some time to collect these potatoes. There must be enough to distribute to everyone, otherwise it will cause trouble."
Jasmine smiled with relief: "Brother Congde is still as smart as ever."
These words made He Congde stunned again.
He didn't know whether he wanted to cry or laugh, but his eyes were red, but it was not obvious because of the contrast with his official robe.
"You finally admit it."
"Sir He, may I have a moment with you?"
The long-lost brother Congde turned back into Lord He. He Congde felt lost for a moment and nodded: "Follow me."
They did not look for an empty charity granary, but just talked while standing on a high slope that was visible to everyone but far away.
The most upright place.
The grass was green and the sky was blue, just like that day of that year. It was a pity there were no lively flocks of sheep beneath our feet.
He Congde wanted to grab her hand, but immediately retracted it. He asked the question that had been lingering in his mind for the past few days: "Why did Baixiang become the concubine of Duke Yan?"
After they parted that day, although He Congde was busy, he also went to inquire about the inner residence of Duke Yan.
He learned that Duke Yan did have a concubine named Jasmine, who had followed Duke Yan back from guarding the border.
He Congde thought about it for a long time. He couldn't understand how she could have any connection with Duke Yan. She should have stayed in Luoxia Town, Yizhou and waited for him to come back to find her.
Jasmine had already prepared her answer: "My parents wanted to marry me to Erhei from the village, but I didn't want to, so I ran away. They kept chasing me, but luckily I met the Duke."
"He saved you, so there's no reason for him to take you as his concubine. Did Duke Yan force you?" He Congde asked.
Jasmine quickly shook her head. "You misunderstood. I volunteered. The Duke is a very kind person and treats me very well. Compared to the past, the life we have now is beyond my wildest dreams."
He Congde closed his eyes and then said, "But you don't really like him."
"But that's not important to me. I learned it from Brother De."
He Congde's face was filled with guilt, and he nodded repeatedly: "I know. I..."
He choked up, almost choking on his saliva. He took a moment to calm down before continuing, "I've already decided to go back and pick you up once I'm done with the work at hand. But I never expected you'd already arrived in Kyoto. I'm actually a step too late."
Jasmine didn't feel much. She nodded to indicate that she understood. "I knew Brother Congde was a good man."
"You don't know." He Congde became more and more excited as he spoke, and asked her, "Do you blame me for leaving without saying goodbye?"
Jasmine shook her head.
But He Congde was convinced that she blamed him.
He excitedly explained, "My mother caught us talking that day. I had planned to sneak out to find you later. But they kidnapped me and left the village that day. I had no choice."
"Bai Xiang, I really regret not agreeing to your request that day. If I had known we would be separated for many years, I would have agreed to whatever you said that day. I was so surprised at the time that I didn't react. Please forgive me, okay?"
So that's what's happening.
Jasmine did blame him. Later, she thought he might have been kidnapped or coerced into leaving without saying goodbye. She was right.
Of course, Jasmine didn't want to say anything overly complicated and meaningless now. She simply said, "I don't blame Brother Congde. I know he definitely didn't mean it. We're both very successful now, and I'm happy for him. Congratulations. Please also congratulate me on marrying my ideal husband."
He Congde almost collapsed.
The emotions that had been suppressed for a long time finally burst out: "What kind of ideal husband is that? Even if he is a good man, you are just his concubine. Did he give you the sedan chair and wedding dress?"
"have."
"impossible!"
"It's true. If you don't believe me, I'll show it to you next time. There's not only the wedding dress, but also a set of golden headgear given by the imperial concubine."
He Congde's expression froze in a ferocious moment: "But she is also a concubine! Do you know what it means to be a concubine in someone's backyard?"
Jasmine knew he was going to keep on talking.
As expected!
"Even if he is Duke Yan, it makes no difference. You have to serve the mistress morning and night. If you are not careful, you will be looked down upon and scolded. The children you give birth to will always be bastards."
Jasmine was impatient to hear this and interrupted, "So what does Brother Congde mean? Should I escape by climbing over the wall, or should I wait for you to rescue me?"
He Congde was speechless for a moment. He just stared at her in a daze with his face flushed.
Jasmine didn't want to embarrass him. "It's too late to say anything. I came here today specifically to see Brother Congde. To be honest, I was afraid that the Duke would find out about you coming to see me, so I wanted to make things clear with you. Brother Congde, please just pretend you didn't hear what I said that day, okay? And don't mention it to anyone, okay?"
Jasmine didn't trust others, but she could trust He Congde. She just wanted to remind him, fearing that he might accidentally let something slip.
After all, he and her grandfather served in the same court, so maybe they drank and chatted together. It was also very possible.
He Congde just looked at her with a sad face. Jasmine didn't wait for him to reply and changed the subject, "By the way, are Mr. He and Auntie okay?"
This time He Congde nodded: "You... don't blame them, right?"
Jasmine shook her head. "How could that be? It was Mr. He who taught me how to read and write, and my aunt made me cakes every day. I get to eat whatever Brother Congde has. I can't thank him enough."
——"This plate of crispy pastries is Congde's favorite, but there's only this much left, so don't share it. I remember there were a few mung bean cakes left yesterday, take them."
He Congde's mind suddenly popped up these words from his mother. He couldn't say more.
After he finished speaking, Jasmine saw that he was still not speaking, and she became impatient, so she bowed and walked away.
"Bai Xiang!"
Jasmine didn't reply, she just stopped and listened to what he had to say.
"Just wait for me, I will find a way to save you from this misery!"
Jasmine jumped up in shock when she heard this and turned back.
...
When she returned to the Duke's Mansion in the evening, Jasmine was still thinking about the same thing.
Should she have convinced him?
When Jasmine was about to leave, she heard his outrageous and arrogant words and immediately ran back to reason with him.
She talked until her mouth was dry. She used words of persuasion, threats, and almost everything she could think of.
But He Congde said only one thing: "Don't worry, I won't do anything unless I'm absolutely sure."
It would be strange if Jasmine could feel at ease!
But she had no choice but to hope that this guy would never be sure.
Jasmine looked at her grandfather and thought that He Congde would never be able to be sure of anything in his life. After all, he couldn't afford the consequences of offending the Duke.
Even for his parents, he shouldn't dare to do that.
Jasmine felt much more at ease after thinking about it this way.
A few days later, when the deerskin boots she made for her grandfather were nearing completion, she no longer remembered the incident.
Today, it’s finally finished!
Jasmine couldn't wait any longer, so she went to the gate of the mansion with her deerskin boots, looking forward to the road leading to the garrison camp.
"Go and see, the Duke is being blocked again!"
"What? How many this time?"
This is strange!
Jasmine followed a few civilians and ran in one direction.
Seeing the scene before her, Jasmine finally understood the meaning of what she had just heard.
The Duke hadn't expected to be stopped by a few girls. Judging from what was said by those around him, this wasn't the first time.
The common people had watched this happen twice before, but the women who stopped the Duke the first two times were not as fierce as the one this time.
This time, the girls were not only full of vigor, but also five of them came at once, demanding that the Duke accept them all.
The girls were really confident. The one in the middle puffed out her chest and said, "My Lord, my family runs a martial arts school. When I become your concubine, how great would it be if I could practice martial arts with you?"
"My Lord, I'm a butcher in my family. I have plenty of strength. If you don't believe me, just try it." The other one was not willing to be outdone and stretched out his arm in front of the Lord.
"I have admired you, Duke, for a long time. Please give me a chance!"
"My lord..."
Some people even started to make a noise: "Your Majesty, why don't you just agree to it, so that you can enjoy the happiness of having two wives."
"You fought for Daqi on the battlefield and made great contributions. Even if you surrender ten or twenty people, no one would blame you."
After all, they were just common people, and they hadn't broken any laws or discipline. The Duke had said, "Please make way," but when that didn't work, he had no choice but to force his way in.
But he didn't rush in, he let Chunli Zuohe go first.
"Harutachi Saga!"
Chunli and Zuo He were also in a dilemma. But this was a military order. They dared not disobey.
The two men held up their scabbards and protected the Duke forward. But what good was that? In a blink of an eye, they were pushed aside.
Seeing the five ladies about to pounce on him, and the common people watching behind them, the Duke had no way to retreat and said sternly, "I don't like you! How can I accept you into my mansion?"
"I don't believe it!"
"I don't believe it either!"
"That's right, what's wrong with my daughter?"
The Duke didn't want to chill the people's hearts, but he couldn't care less at the moment: "I like well-behaved and sensible girls."
"We are also well-behaved and sensible."
"Yes, we can also be well-behaved and sensible!"
The Duke said: "But you look too majestic and powerful, you don't look like weak girls at all."
The five ladies were stunned.
There was even louder noise all around.
"You... actually judge people by their appearance."
"I thought you were different from other men and that you would appreciate me. I never thought I was blind!"
...
Half an hour later, in the backyard of the Duke's Mansion.
"How could Jian'er run so fast just now?" The Duke's voice sounded somewhat unhappy.
He had just seen his aunt standing on tiptoe to watch the fun and wanted to pull her along to run away. But when his aunt saw him looking at her, she turned around without a word and ran away with Shancha, faster than a rabbit.
Jasmine smiled awkwardly and explained, "I'm not wearing a veil, so I can't be seen. I plan to go out later."
Jasmine said, quickly presenting her masterpiece: "Master, try it and see if it fits you."
When I saw the deerskin boots given by my aunt, I tried on the shoes with her help. They were neither too big nor too small, just right.
The aunt bared her teeth and asked, "Do you like it, Master?"
The Duke's expression finally eased a little.
Seeing that he was no longer angry, Jasmine moved her chair closer and closer to him, propping up her chin with her hands and asking with sparkling eyes, "I heard that this isn't the first time I've been intercepted. How did I escape the other two times? Why didn't I tell you?"
"What's there to say about this?"
"Now that I know, can you please tell me in detail?"
The Duke really wanted to refuse, but seeing how happy his aunt was, he really didn't want the dimple to disappear.
He had no choice but to put on a serious face again and tell what happened that day.
Jasmine asked curiously, "Is there no one you like?"
The Duke was lost in thought as he stared at his concubine. He turned away for a moment and said, "To say such shameless things to a man in broad daylight is not the behavior of a good family. How could I possibly like it?"
Jasmine couldn't help but feel sorry for herself.
Turning around, he asked again, "What if the old lady gave me two gentle and sensible girls? Would I like them?"
"I don't like it." The Duke said firmly. How could he like it when he had never even seen it?
"Will you allow them to join you?"
The Duke finally sensed something was wrong.
Just as he was about to ask, Nanny Qian, who was beside the old lady, came over and said with a smile, "Duke, the old lady said she wants to discuss something with you. Are you free?"
The Duke glanced at his concubine and followed Nanny Qian.
When he came back, the Duke was followed by two girls.
Jasmine already knew what was going on, so she wasn't surprised.
Jasmine had never seen the person before, she had only heard about him. When she saw him approaching, she began to observe him from a distance.
Unlike those who stopped the Duke on the street, the two people before him were both well-mannered and well-educated. At least that was how Jasmine appeared on the surface.
The Duke's face was a little embarrassed. He walked up to the concubine and said, "The old lady chose it. It's hard to refuse."
When Jasmine heard him speak, she withdrew her gaze from the girl's face and raised her eyes to look at her master. With a smile as bright as a flower, she said, "Congratulations, master, on having two new concubines. Master, don't worry, I will teach them the rules of the main courtyard as soon as possible, and they will serve you well together in the future."
The Duke responded and walked into the house.
Jasmine did not follow him into the house as usual. When the Duke reached the corridor, he stopped, turned around to glance at the busy concubine, and then walked back into the house.
"What are your names?" Jasmine asked with a gentle smile.
"To answer your sister's question, my name is Fu Rou."
"My name is Xu Lin'er."
"How did the old lady take a fancy to you?"
Jasmine hadn't expected that both of them were relatives of the old lady's mother's family. Fu Rou was the daughter of the old lady's concubine's sister, while Xu Lin'er was the legitimate daughter of the old lady's cousin.
The old lady is the eldest daughter of Marquis Xu Wu. She would rather choose a girl from the Luo family than from her natal family. But now she has found one again, and she wants her to be a concubine.
Jasmine had heard vaguely that the old lady and her parents' family didn't get along well, and even this year, not many people from her parents' family came to celebrate her birthday.
Since you are not on good terms with your natal family, why are you choosing someone from her natal family this time?
Jasmine had a vague guess.
I'm afraid it's related to the Fourth Master being imprisoned. Now that the Fourth Master can't get out and the Duke is disobeying her, she feels like she has no one to turn to and is being taken advantage of by the Xu family.
Jasmine felt that this was definitely the case. The old lady was so fragile right now. She would definitely agree to any request made by Xu.
Jasmine figured it out in a flash, and then took the two of them to familiarize themselves with the main courtyard.
In addition to the main courtyard where the Duke lives, there are three small courtyards in the main courtyard. In addition to the one she lives in, there are two more, one for each of them.
"Work together to serve the Duke well. The Duke will not treat you unfairly. Especially since you are the old lady..."
Listening to the concubine's clear voice gradually fading away in the courtyard, the Duke just sat there steadily as usual.
When her aunt came back, she was alone.
The aunt smiled and explained, "Don't worry, Master. I've already arranged for them. Since it's the first day for the two young ladies to come, I'll let them get familiar with the people and things in our courtyard first. As for sleeping with you, Master, when do you think it's convenient?"
"You decide."
The Duke spoke very sparingly, uttering two words.
Jasmine nodded quickly, "Okay, I'll definitely choose an auspicious day. By the way, do we need to set up two tables in the courtyard?"
After a moment, the Duke spoke: "There have been many things going on in the palace recently, and natural disasters have occurred frequently in various places. It is not advisable to be extravagant."
"I understand. Then Master..."
"I have something important to do tonight, so I'm afraid I'll be back late."
After he finished speaking, before the concubine could say anything else, the Duke had already strode out the door.
Jasmine trotted after him, escorting him to the courtyard gate. She waited until her grandfather was out of sight before returning.
Bad mood?
Because of the old lady?
Money makes the world go round. Jasmine soon found out what the old lady had said to the Duke.
The old lady did not force the Duke, but asked him to accept the two concubines for her sake, just like she asked him to save the Fourth Master.
The Fourth Master had no children, the Third Master had only a daughter, and the Eldest Master had a son, but only one. The Duke's family was small, so they needed to expand their family.
The Duke agreed immediately.
Having been with the Duke for a year, Jasmine knew him quite well. He must have thought that since the Fourth Master had already broken the Old Madam's heart, he didn't refuse such a trivial matter as taking a concubine.
But this is also a disguised form of coercion. The Duke would be unhappy, right?
Jasmine didn't think about these useless things, and only planned how to drive the two away this time.
As usual, it has to be done without anyone noticing. What should I do?
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