Chapter 71 Chapter 71 He actually said, "I saw her clearly." ...
Before the Duke returned home, the old lady had already learned what had happened from the servants who went out to inquire and report.
It's no wonder that the old lady was so angry and resentful. She and the eldest young lady, who was relieved to hear that Jasmine would not come in, scolded Jasmine from beginning to end.
Not satisfied, the eldest young lady even said she would go out and order a doll to stab the villain to death.
At this time, the Duke came back.
The old lady hurried forward: "Erlang..."
The old lady didn't know how to persuade her.
After all, she had said everything she needed to say, and the Duke insisted on putting his face forward to be hit. What else could she say?
Looking at the Duke's calm face, the old lady felt a pang of sadness. Of the four lords in the mansion, the Duke had inherited the title, but both those outside the mansion and the old lady felt, from the bottom of their hearts, that he was the most unfortunate and pitiful of the four.
Now this person is even more pitiful.
The old lady was so angry that she slapped the Duke's arm and said, "Why are you looking for her?"
Even the eldest uncle patted the Duke's shoulder sympathetically and said, "If you're willing, I'll find you someone more caring than your concubine..."
The old man suddenly changed his words: "No, that's wrong! I want to find you a beautiful girl who is so beautiful that even my aunt can't catch up with her even if she rides a thousand-mile horse. How about that?"
"Thank you, brother."
After bowing to the old lady, the Duke turned around and left.
The Fourth Young Master's wife muttered quietly, "After today, I'm afraid the entire capital will know that the Duke has been rejected twice by his concubines."
The old man sighed, "Yes, the Duke's Mansion is now supported by Second Brother's reputation. This time, who knows how bad the rumors will be. I'm afraid our Duke's Mansion will become a laughing stock in the future."
The old lady slammed the table loudly. "What's so small a thing as this? Erlang fought bravely for the Qi Kingdom, guarding the border for over a decade. Who dares to laugh at him? If anyone dares to laugh at him, you guys should be bolder and tie him up and send him to Jingzhao Prefecture. I want to see what the Jingzhao Prefecture governor decides!"
No one spoke.
The next day, the Duke went to court as usual and then to the garrison camp. Of course, no one was foolish. The common people looked at the Duke's dejected figure on horseback, their eyes filled with only heartache and helplessness.
How could they possibly laugh at it? Even if someone gossiped about it behind the scenes, if the discussion got a little heated, they would be pointed at the back of their heads and condemned.
For the next few days, Jasmine found a lot of extremely smelly feces piled up at the gate of the yard.
Biyue and Xiyue pinched their waists and cursed at both ends of the alley, but Jasmine did not react at all. She just let the two of them pick up their nests and go to the vegetable garden.
Not only at the gate, but also when Jasmine went out in the morning, she would be splashed with feces. When she turned back, she would find no one.
I had no choice but to walk with an umbrella even on a sunny day like Shancha.
Fortunately, no one in the shop targeted her.
After this incident, more people recognized Jasmine as the concubine who had an affair in the Duke's Mansion.
The shop was the place where she interacted with the most people. Jasmine didn't believe that they didn't know, but strangely, no one ever asked about it, and even when they saw her, their eyes were as normal as usual.
This was a good thing. Jasmine did not inquire into the matter and continued to get along with everyone as usual.
Many female customers recognized her, and even her regular customers didn't like her. They just gave her the cold shoulder.
Jasmine guessed that they didn't dare to act recklessly because of the shop.
If it were in the past, Jasmine would never have tolerated being targeted like this and would have tried every possible way to retaliate.
But this time, surprisingly, Jasmine wasn't angry at all. On the contrary, the more people looked down upon her and scolded her, the better she felt.
If she didn't have to go to work and couldn't get her clothes dirty, she would be willing to handle more manure.
As soon as Madam Lu entered the room, she rushed straight to Jasmine, not even looking at what she was buying. She just stared at Jasmine and whispered, "You're so brave! You dare to reject the Duke from a thousand miles away. By the way, what's wrong with the Duke?"
Jasmine's smile faded: "Why is Madam asking this?"
Mrs. Lu did not hide it from her: "I had originally planned to send my niece, who just came of age last year, to the old lady for her review. And now, seeing that you have a deep hatred for the Duke, I think there must be a reason."
After looking around, Madam Lu asked in a lower voice, "Does the Duke have a hidden illness that he cannot reveal?"
Jasmine's smile had vanished from her face as she flatly denied, "No. The Duke is fine."
Seeing that she didn't seem to be faking it, Madam Lu asked again, "Could it be that the Duke has a special fetish? Like hitting people, or not being warm enough in bed..."
"Madam Lu, please be careful with your words," Jasmine said coldly. "The Duke has a good temper and good health. He's always kind to me and me. Madam Lu, please don't say such things again. Otherwise, I can't promise to tell anyone else what you asked me."
"You...why are you so fierce? If you don't want to ask, then don't ask." Mrs. Lu never expected that the maid who used to be so gentle and treated her like a mother and daughter would actually lose her temper with her.
Mrs. Lu forgot to curse back. She just felt confused and snorted at Jasmine, then turned around and walked away.
Jasmine snorted at the burly man, then glared at him hatefully, muttering, "Gossip!" The shopkeeper, observing this scene, shrugged and thought, "The man the master has chosen is truly no ordinary person."
The Third Young Master's wife and Qi'er also came to visit her. Jasmine informed the Third Young Master's wife early in the morning and wrote down her new address in the letter.
As soon as the Third Young Master's wife got out of the car, she was so overwhelmed by the stench at the courtyard gate that she dared not enter. She had a brief conversation with Jasmine in the alley, and when she learned that Jasmine was still safe, she felt relieved.
"Okay, I came to see you because I was worried about you. If you're okay, we'll leave."
Jasmine didn't want to keep her. She put the homemade cakes that the Third Young Master's wife had brought her back into the house, grabbed a chicken and threw it into their carriage. Then she said, "Let's go. Go slowly with Qi'er."
The Third Young Master's wife got on the carriage. Something occurred to her, so she stuck her head out and asked, "It stinks. Won't the people in this alley cause you any trouble?"
Jasmine: "Really? No. Maybe if I close the door I won't be able to smell it."
The Third Young Master's wife nodded. "That's possible. I see that the residents here are not ordinary people."
They both understood this. Most women from other houses kept to themselves and behaved in a low-key manner. Even if they were dissatisfied, they would not dare to cause trouble.
What's more, many people now know that she, Jasmine, is the concubine Jasmine who asked to leave the Duke's Mansion, unwilling to be the Duke's concubine, and turned to the arms of the new runner-up.
Because of her courage, people in the alley didn't dare to cause trouble for her.
After seeing off the Third Young Master's wife, Jasmine turned back to the house and inadvertently saw a beautiful lady standing at the door of the next yard.
The beautiful lady was looking at her. When she saw Jasmine looking at her, she turned her head, and the courtyard door was slammed shut with a bang.
Jasmine keenly realized that the beautiful lady was resentful of her.
Jasmine didn't think too much about it. She just thought that she was impolite last time and locked the other person out, so the other person ignored her.
They hadn't interacted much in the first place. Jasmine pretended nothing had happened and returned to the yard.
Shancha went out for a while and came back, following Jasmine closely. Jasmine glanced at the two people feeding chickens in the yard, then turned and went into the house.
Shancha closed the door tightly and said to Jasmine, "Madam, Datu and the others are back."
"How do you say that?"
...
The Xu family in Xuzhou was a massive cancer. Jasmine didn't want to be threatened again. Although the Xu family hadn't made any moves at the moment, there was no guarantee they wouldn't in the future.
Instead of living in fear every day and being forced to wait, it would be better for her to take the initiative and solve the problem once and for all!
So, a few days ago, Jasmine asked Shancha to go to Dongcheng to find Datu and the others, and bribe them to go to Xuzhou to inquire about the news.
She didn't trust anyone else, but Datu and the others were just refugees and beggars, so they wouldn't arouse suspicion.
I thought Datu and the others would be away for at least a few more days, but I didn't expect them to come back so soon.
Shancha told them everything they had found out.
"...Ever since the eldest son of the Xu family's head master was sentenced to death and the head master was brought down, the Xu family seemed to be at peace. However, Datu and the others noticed something amiss on their second day in Xuzhou. An entire shop that once belonged to the first master of the Xu family was now the property of the second master, while two docks and over a hundred ships fell into the hands of the third master. And not only that, but Xu Qushi had also gone mad."
Shancha continued gloatingly, "To verify the truth, Datu and the others secretly went to see it, and it was indeed Xu Qu herself. She was chained up, unable to speak clearly, and looked to be limping. She deserved it."
Jasmine frowned, thinking deeply.
Shan Cha waited a long time for her to speak, and anxiously asked, "Madam, how are we going to take advantage of this? It was Xu Qu and Xu Fang who coerced us in the beginning, and now that Xu Qu is finished, all we have to do next is deal with Xu Fang."
Jasmine finally came back to her senses and looked at her, "It wasn't necessarily their idea for Xu Qu and Xu Fang to come to the Duke's Mansion."
Shancha immediately understood what this meant.
That means there's someone behind this. Shan Cha asked in fear, "What if the entire Xu family knows my wife's secret? What should we do?"
Jasmine shook her head. "Not even the entire Xu family would be involved. If everyone knew about it, it would have been impossible to hide it. The people behind this also know that only evidence that you hold in your own hands counts. If everyone knows about it, it's no longer a good thing."
"Who is the person behind this?"
"Second Master Xu." Jasmine saw Shancha's puzzled expression and explained, "Second Master has benefited the most, and Xu Fangshi is his legitimate wife."
Now that the Second Master was the head of the Xu family, Jasmine was certain that the Second Master would not share the evidence and benefits he had obtained with the Third Master. The reason why the First Master's belongings were given to the Third Master was because they were stolen goods.
I couldn't hide it from the Third Master, so in order to shut him up, I had to split it with him.
Shan Cha suddenly had an idea: "I got it, Madam, have you also thought of using this to threaten the Second Master of the Xu Family not to betray us?"
Jasmine curled her lips. "You're half right. I wanted to threaten them back, but not with this matter. If Datu and the others could find out, how could the court not find out? It's very likely that the court deliberately ignored it. Xu spent a large sum of money to buy it back from the court, but this possibility is very small. So I guess the most likely thing is that even if the court took over the shop or the wharf, it would be useless. It would be a hot potato, so they simply returned it to them."
Jasmine had once heard Mr. He explain to He Congde that the reason merchant families could survive under imperial power was because some merchants possessed genuine skills. Their ancestral craftsmanship and complex network of connections were so difficult to swallow that even if someone tried to appropriate them, they would only choke to death.
He Congde, who was only ten years old at the time, asked in return: "What if the imperial court deals with it?"
Mr. He: "In these peaceful and prosperous times, a wise ruler would only wish the best for the people, as long as it doesn't threaten the imperial power. Do you know how many ordinary families would be reduced to poverty if a merchant were to die?"
Shancha groaned, then said with a bitter face, "So, our efforts were in vain? We spent a lot of money on this."
Jasmine: "It's worth it. I suspect the Xu family is up to something. Since the imperial court can't take over the shops and the docks, the Xu family must have a way to prevent the imperial court from taking other things."
"What? Big Rabbit and the others didn't say anything else."
"have no idea."
After a long pause, Jasmine continued, "It doesn't matter what it is. What's important is that we've figured out a way. As long as the Xu family has something fishy going on, they'll fall for it."
Jasmine sent a letter to Xu Fang that day, and the content of the letter was polite and euphemistic.
Jasmine first asked how he was, then talked about her recent situation, and casually mentioned that when she was at the Duke's Mansion, she heard the Duke say that he suspected that Xu was hiding something.
"...At that time, the Duke said he wanted to make a comeback. Jasmine thought we were family and would keep in touch in the future, so she pestered me and didn't let me go. But these are just small matters. Second Aunt, please don't take it to heart. By the way, Second Aunt, have you contacted Jasmine's parents recently? Are they doing well?"
To outsiders, it looked like an ordinary letter, but Xu Fang, who was far away in Xuzhou, knew what she was up to as soon as she saw it.
After showing the letter to the second master for review, Xu Fangshi replied immediately at the second master's instruction.
Jasmine received the letter three days later, along with a brocade box. The letter contained nothing else but the words, "Auntie, everything is well at home."
Jasmine asked Shancha to burn the letter and then opened the brocade box, which turned out to be full of gold beads.
Jasmine was startled for a moment, then she and Shancha smiled at each other. Unable to contain themselves, they both burst into laughter again after a moment.
Biyue and Xiyue in the courtyard looked at each other, thinking that she was so happy that she was crazy. But it was also true that a slut would soon be able to enter the He Mansion as the main wife. Who could not help being happy?
Now that she had the leverage to control the Xu family, Jasmine suddenly came alive. She asked Shancha, "What do you think about us returning to the Duke's Mansion?"
Shancha was not very happy: "Our lives are getting better and better now. Even after leaving the Duke's Mansion, we still have soft beds to sleep on and meat to eat. We don't have to kneel down and serve others everywhere."
Shancha knew her and said, "My lady, I know the Duke treats you very well and you're reluctant to leave him. But it's only temporary. What if he turns against you once the Duke's wife comes into the family? Don't forget, my lady is just a concubine who can be trampled upon by anyone. We might not be able to leave him when the time comes."
Yes, she had finally gotten out. Jasmine nodded: "You have a point. I will listen to you."
The two looked at each other and smiled again.
...
Shancha peeked out, and when she saw Jasmine coming back, she lowered her head in panic.
When Jasmine came closer, Shancha glanced at her again and saw that her face was terribly gloomy. Shancha knew that it was over.
"My lady knows?"
Jasmine nodded.
Shancha hurriedly apologized, "I didn't mean to hide it from you. I was just worried you'd be too upset if you saw it. Anyway, it's impossible."
"I don't blame you."
Shancha asked in disbelief, "Really?"
Jasmine: "Go do your work."
Seeing that she really didn't mean to blame herself, Shancha went backstage happily.
As I fiddled with the gold jewelry in front of the counter, the image of the man and woman was still in my mind.
She didn't understand. Why did Duan Zhi's ghost linger around?
It must be intentional. Otherwise, how could the two of them keep running into each other again and again?
Or... wasn't it a chance encounter? Was it a tryst between the two?
A scene from the past suddenly emerged in Jasmine's mind.
In a corner of the back garden of the Grand Princess's Mansion, between the paths in the rockery and flower corridors, the Duan family's wife was looking at the Duke with narrowed eyes and a bright smile, while the Duke was quite uncomfortably pursing his lips and turning his head away, the red glow on his face could illuminate the earth.
She had asked him, and he had said he didn't like her. But Jasmine knew clearly that if she hadn't interfered, the Duke wouldn't have disliked Duan Zhi. On the contrary, they might have fallen in love and become a loving couple. Duan Zhi would probably be very happy to know that she had left the Duke's Mansion.
How could Jasmine not feel sad and hateful?
Even though she knew it was her own fault, she couldn't stand it.
I don’t know what the two of them were talking about.
The shopkeeper walked past, and Jasmine called out, "Shopkeeper."
The shopkeeper turned around as if frightened and asked, "What do you want?"
"I'm sorry I scared the shopkeeper." Jasmine clutched her stomach and continued with a grimace, "Well, my stomach aches. I want to go home and rest this afternoon. Is that okay?"
"Go...go." The shopkeeper asked her again, "Or let Shancha take you back?"
Jasmine flatly refused, "No need. The shop is short of staff, so let her help out here. I can handle it myself. Goodbye, boss."
Jasmine disappeared in a gust of wind.
Shancha was stunned when she didn't see her wife. She was even more incredulous when the shopkeeper told her that her wife had gone home because of a stomachache.
...
The Duke and Mrs. Duan met by chance at the Weixianlou next door.
His Majesty forced him to take two days off. The Duke had nowhere to go and didn't want to stay in the mansion, so he went to Weixianlou to spend time.
As a result, he had not been sitting there for half an hour when Mrs. Duan arrived. Perhaps she happened to see him, so she came to greet him.
"Could I ask the Duke for a drink?"
The Duke was not good at rejecting people, especially when the other party was polite and reasonable, and was a woman. So the Duke said, "Madam, please do as you please."
The Duke thought she was just going to have a drink and leave, but they ended up chatting for most of the hour.
Of course, most of the time it was the Duan family lady who did the talking, and the Duke listened. Occasionally she would ask him a question, and the Duke would answer truthfully.
"...The Duke is so kind and righteous that not only did he not blame her, he even helped Aunt Moli and Assistant He."
Seeing that the Duke remained silent, Duan Zhi continued, "I heard that Assistant He has proposed marriage to Aunt Moli. I'm sure Aunt Moli will be entering the He residence soon. Aunt Moli is truly fortunate. She had the Duke's protection in the past, and Assistant He in the future. I just hope she doesn't make any more mistakes in the future and stays true to herself as Madam He."
Anyone could hear the ambiguity in these words. The Duke looked up at her and asked, "Madam Duan, are you blaming her?"
Duan Zhi nodded without hesitation: "There are some things that I have been holding in my heart for a long time. I don't mean to kick you when you are down, but in the past, the Duke trusted me, so it would be futile for me to speak out. But now, I want to ask the Duke, have you seen my true face?"
Duan Zhi asked seriously, and the Duke turned his eyes away before saying, "I see clearly."
Duan Zhi couldn't hide the joy on her face.
Jasmine, who was eavesdropping in the half-open box next to him, felt extremely bitter.
He actually said "I saw her clearly".
What was she like in his eyes?
Duan Zhi: "Do you believe my daughter's words today, Lord? It was really my aunt who kidnapped my daughter that day. Maybe those four men had nothing to do with my aunt, but it was definitely my aunt who bribed those beggars to trick my daughter away from the beginning."
The Duke asked, "Do you have evidence?"
Duan Zhi: "Yes. I discovered that my aunt had been to the East City Charity Granary not long ago and had a lot of conversation with those beggars."
"She's only been there twice, and both times to help. Those beggars are also disaster victims, so it's perfectly normal for her to talk to them."
Duan Zhi added, "Also, a few days ago, those little beggars left the charity granary and went to Xuzhou."
The Duke looked at her in confusion.
Madam Duan continued, "The day before the little beggars left the charity warehouse, the people I sent saw Shan Cha, who was with my aunt, rushing from the back alley of Nanfu Street to the East City Charity Granary to look for the little beggars."
"Maybe it's a coincidence. Why would she bribe those beggars and go to Xuzhou?"
"The little beggar went to Xuzhou, intent on finding out about the Xu family. The Xu family is the old lady's mother's family, and I have my suspicions..."
"Oh no, there's a fire!"
I don't know who shouted this. No one noticed it at first, but now the box was suddenly filled with smoke.
Yan Pu ran to the door and found that the smoke in the corridor was even thicker. He turned around and called out to the Duke, "Master, there really is a fire! Let's get out of here quickly."
The Duke stood up and gestured for Madam Duan to walk in front of him.
Duan Zhi felt warm in her heart, and without any pretense, she left the house with the two maids without even thanking him.
The Duke walked out of the box and found that the smoke was coming from the right, and the smoke was thickest in the boxes on the second floor where they were.
He thought that there might be a fire next door, so he turned around and walked quickly to the box on the right.
My aunt was kicking a tablecloth on the ground. Most of the tablecloth was already burned, and it was obvious that the smoke around it came from there.
The Duke immediately strode into the room, pulled Jasmine behind him, and with a quick move, he knocked the round table over and pressed it onto the fire.
"Quick! Hurry up!"
"Why did it catch fire out of nowhere? Is my wife okay?"
At the same time, several waiters came in with basins of water and poured them over the place where the smoke was coming out. The smoke became even bigger, but fortunately the sparks were completely gone.
The shopkeeper recognized the Duke and apologized quickly, "I deserve to die for putting you in danger. Are you okay?"
The Duke turned around to look at Jasmine.
Jasmine smiled and waved at the shopkeeper, "The Duke is fine, and neither am I. Fortunately, the fire was put out in time. Shopkeeper, don't worry."
The shopkeeper was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes. He bowed and thanked her: "Thank you for your kindness, madam."
"No need to be so polite, boss!" After saying this, Jasmine subconsciously glanced at her grandfather, and her heart suddenly shuddered.
The shopkeeper was particularly polite, and then he went on to greet the Duke with formalities. The Duke reached out and stopped him, saying, "You are the victim in this matter."
Before the shopkeeper could say anything, a silver ingot was thrust into his hand. The Duke then added, "The fire was caused by my carelessness. If this compensation isn't enough, feel free to go to the Duke's Mansion and claim it."
As he spoke, the Duke bowed to the shopkeeper again. The shopkeeper was flattered and said, "I don't deserve it," and wanted to return the silver.
The Duke just strode away.
Jasmine had only one thought in her mind.
She's finished!
He guessed that she was the one who set the fire.
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