Chapter 75 Chapter 75 "Over the past year, Auntie is really...
Fortunately, there were many people on the street, and the Duke did not ride a fast horse, but he was still frightened by the concubine who rushed out.
"What?"
"Jiang'er, I have something to say to you."
"I have nothing to say to you. Get out of the way."
Jasmine stopped the horse and refused to let it go.
It wasn't the first time that the Duke had his horse stopped by a woman. Everyone wanted to see what the woman who stopped the Duke's horse this time looked like.
Seeing more and more people stopping to watch, the Duke had no choice but to dismount. It would be inappropriate to follow his concubine into the back alley, so he turned and stepped into Concubine Liang's clothing shop.
I bumped into someone head on. It was the head shopkeeper of Concubine Liang's clothing store.
Others may not know who the head shopkeeper is, but the Duke knows. He immediately bowed and said, "May I borrow your precious place, Madam?"
Yuan Liangliang said generously: "Feel free to use it, you're welcome."
The Duke walked up to the small room on the second floor, which was reserved for the head manager to rest and drink tea.
After a while, Jasmine went upstairs and closed the door of the small room behind her.
Yuan Liangliang, who wanted to peek: ...
"Just say what you want to say." The Duke's face was extremely cold.
He obviously guessed that what she did yesterday was just a trick.
Jasmine asked resentfully, "Didn't Master say that he wanted Jian'er to continue pretending, to stay in the Duke's Mansion for the rest of his life? Why can't he do that now? But Master has a new love? Do you like Miss Wan more than Jian'er?"
The concubine's words made him sound like a playboy who frequented brothels. The Duke was furious and shocked, and he didn't know how to react.
Jasmine rarely saw such exasperation on this man's face, and knowing she had gone too far, she stepped forward and took his hand.
The Duke shook it off.
Jasmine stared at him with hurt eyes.
The Duke was ashamed and angry, his eyes filled with sorrow. "Since you have agreed to marry into the He family, you should have stayed put and waited for your marriage. You and I are no longer related. How can you be so presumptuous?"
Upon hearing this, Jasmine couldn't help but get excited. She took another step forward, leaving the Duke with no way to retreat. "I'm a man, shouldn't I take Qiang'er back?"
The Duke's face was filled with astonishment. After a moment, he uttered a few words: "You left on your own."
Jasmine pressed against him, "Even if Qiang'er left on his own, do I have to agree? Can't I just imprison him in the backyard? You're the Duke!"
Jasmine was so angry that she wanted to carve the words "Master, you are so useless" on her face.
The Duke was even more unbelievable. He seemed a little pitiful to be squeezed into the corner by his concubine.
"How can you say that?"
"Okay, let's not talk about this anymore. It's over."
Before the Duke could scold her, he saw his aunt leaning against him, closing her eyes and sighing.
He actually met such a shameless girl.
Then I heard my aunt say, "Master, don't worry. In a few days, I will go to the He family to cancel the engagement. The reason why I want to wait a few days is that it would be too hasty to say it now, and I am afraid that Madam He will not be able to bear it. Then I will not say that I want to return to the Duke's Mansion, but will say that I am not worthy of you. I promise that when I go back, I will behave myself and live a good life with you. I will never let you down. Is that okay, Master?"
Jasmine didn't hear the response in time, and when she looked up, she happened to meet the Duke's dark eyes.
How could Jasmine not see the storm brewing on that face?
"Get out!"
Before he could push her away, Jasmine stretched out her hands and tightly hugged his waist.
"Why? Master was willing to take Qiang'er back before, why don't you want to now? Madam Wan agreed, and Qiang'er can wait until Madam Wan comes home before going back."
The Duke was heartbroken. He then uttered a few cold words: "You don't deserve it."
Jasmine suddenly saw the contempt in his eyes. She was stunned for a moment before the Duke pushed her aside and strode away.
When Jasmine chased him to the door, he had already gone downstairs and walked out of the shop like a gust of wind.
Jasmine's mind went blank. She had clearly planned everything perfectly, so what had gone wrong?
She had dealt with the Xu family and was confident that she could deal with the He family. She even successfully got the mother and daughter of the Wan family to pretend to take the initiative to propose something. As long as the Duke agreed, everything would be fine.
She understood that he did not agree to the Wan family's mother and daughter, but it didn't matter. As long as she stepped forward and begged him again, he would definitely relent.
After all, he had been soft-hearted towards her countless times before, and her stubbornness was special in the Duke's heart.
He said in person that he would let her pretend in the backyard of the Duke's Mansion for the rest of her life. He did not mind her pretense, nor did he mind her having two hearts.
But why doesn’t it work this time?
Jasmine couldn't understand.
After thinking about it, there was only one possibility. He really fell in love with Wan Sui'er, but he had someone new and didn't want her anymore.
That's right, she's no match for Wan Sui'er. Anyone with eyes can tell.
Jasmine recalled the look in his eyes just now. In the past, he looked at her with tolerance and doting, but now there was only strangeness and contempt in his eyes.
He is so strange.
"Are you okay?"
Yuan Liangliang waved away Xiangdai and the others and walked up to her alone.
Jasmine: "I want to go back and rest for two days, is that okay?"
Yuan Liangliang nodded of course: "Okay. I'll let Shancha go back with you."
Seeing the person walking away, Yuan Liangliang couldn't help stamping his feet.
Xiang Dai and the others stepped forward to comfort her: "Master, don't be sad. Jasmine is no longer needed. We always have other ways."
Yuan Liangliang clenched her fists. She didn't know whether she felt sad that the chess piece was useless or she couldn't bear to see Jasmine suffer.
"That man appears to be tolerant and reasonable, but in reality, his heart is harder than stone. Jasmine has already admitted her mistake, and she's not trying to compete with the Wan family for the position of Duke's Wife. How dare he hurt her like this? Let's go back to the palace!"
The imperial concubine was still angry when she returned to the palace, and she started talking to His Majesty about the Duke's faults.
His Majesty was of course on the side of the Duke, but seeing that the Imperial Concubine was extremely angry, he was afraid that something bad would happen to her, so he had to pretend to scold the Duke.
The Imperial Concubine couldn't help but see this, so she asked, "Your Majesty, do you really think the Duke did nothing wrong? Your Majesty, tell the truth."
Seeing the serious look on the Imperial Concubine's face, His Majesty also spoke seriously, "The Duke is right. That concubine asked to leave the Duke's Mansion. If it were me, I would have beaten her to death. But the Duke not only didn't hurt her, he let her go. But this woman is so heartless that she agreed to the He family's proposal and now wants to go back. This kind of woman deserves to be thrown into a pig cage. No one would want her, let alone the Duke."
The imperial concubine was furious.
His Majesty said with an innocent face: "Liang'er asked me to speak seriously."
"What if Jasmine has something to hide?"
Your Majesty: "She hurt the Duke and He Congde. A simple statement of unspeakable secrets cannot atone for her guilt."
The imperial concubine was furious: "I am not asking Your Majesty to make a judgment! What I want to say is..."
Yuan Liangliang decided to put it another way: "If it were me, Your Majesty would also beat me to death and put me in a pig cage?"
His Majesty pondered. Seeing the Imperial Concubine gasp, he quickly replied, "Of course not."
"Will that drive me out of the palace?"
"You're dreaming."
"Then what will Your Majesty do?"
Your Majesty: "Imprisonment, for life."
Yuan Liangliang slapped his thigh and said, "Is that right? Then why can't the Duke imprison Jasmine for life?"
Your Majesty thought: "Perhaps the Duke does not love that concubine as much as I do the Imperial Concubine."
It seems that this is the only explanation.
Yuan Liangliang was heartbroken again for losing a chess piece.
As for the life or death of this chess piece, Yuan Liangliang was not worried. After all, He Mansion was the best choice.
...
Jasmine did not give up, thinking that as long as she was thick-skinned enough, the Duke would definitely relent.
Therefore, during the two days when she didn't go to work, Jasmine was always waiting for the Duke, and the Duke had to take a detour.
Unable to catch him on the way home from court, Jasmine went to hang around the guard tent.
The soldiers guarding the gate thought she was the wife of a brother in the camp, and asked her what she wanted, if she had any words or things she could convey on their behalf.
Finally she said that she didn't want to bother them.
The gatekeepers ignored her, but she didn't leave after two hours. Seeing that it was time for lunch, the gatekeepers asked her again, "Who are you looking for? We can call him out for you."
Jasmine's eyes lit up when she heard this: "I'm looking for the Duke. Please let me know."
The four gatekeepers looked at each other.
A soldier asked again, "I wonder who the Duke is to whom the lady belongs?"
Jasmine: "I am the Duke's concubine."
The four soldiers were overwhelmed and stood firm at their respective positions.
Jasmine looked at this and that, snorted, and turned her head away.
If you don't want to help, then don't help.
The news that the Duke had been abandoned by his only concubine had spread throughout the garrison. Both Chun Li and Lieutenant General Zuo He remarked that the Duke had only this one concubine. He had always taken good care of her, but in return, she had simply turned her back on him.
Not to mention the common people, the garrison camp certainly also hated the unfaithful concubine.
The soldiers of the garrison gave the woman a cold glance and remained silent. However, since it was related to the Duke, one of them went to report it. He happened to run into Chunli and told his deputy.
Chunli nodded to show that he understood, turned around to enter the tent, but was stopped by Zuo He. Chunli insisted on going in.
Zuo He didn't stop him.
"Aunt Jasmine is here."
"Don't worry about that woman."
The two men spoke to the Duke from front and back.
Chunli added, "My aunt came here early this morning and has been waiting outside the camp for nearly two hours."
Zuo He: "She can wait as long as she wants. It won't kill anyone to bask in the sun."
"Leave her alone."
Hearing the Duke's words, Zuo He raised his eyebrows proudly towards Chun Li.
Chunli had nothing to say and was just worried in his heart.
After a while, the Duke got up and went out.
The two thought the Duke was going to train the troops, so they followed him and found that he was going outside the camp.
Only then did the two realize that the Duke was holding a kettle and cakes in his hands.
The Duke stopped and said without looking back, "No need to follow me." Then he walked forward again.
The gatekeepers moved the fence aside. Jasmine watched the people come out, surprised and delighted.
Without a word, the Duke handed her a kettle and threw the cake wrapped in a handkerchief onto it.
Jasmine was so moved that she looked at her grandfather with tears in her eyes.
"Don't think I don't understand your tricks. Even if I starve to death, I won't fulfill your wish."
Jasmine: "We're all starving. It doesn't matter if we don't get what we want."
"Eat quickly, and leave quickly after eating."
The Duke in the camp was dressed in military uniform and looked more cold-blooded and ruthless than ever.
But he was afraid that she would be thirsty or hungry, so he brought her some food. Jasmine didn't feel that he was cold at all, but only felt warm in her heart.
Jasmine hugged the kettle tightly: "This is a gift from my grandfather. I can't bear to part with it. I'll use it when I get back."
"It's up to you." The Duke turned around and left with a cold face.
The gatekeeper couldn't help but say, "General, my aunt just ate!"
The second gatekeeper agreed, "Yes, General. We saw it with our own eyes. The concubine had plenty of food, cakes and preserved fruits hidden in the carriage. She even tried to bribe us with a roast chicken to let her in, but we refused."
The Duke turned to look at her in disbelief, then strode towards her.
Jasmine sensed something was wrong, and by the time she realized what he was about to do, the kettle and cakes in her hands had been snatched away again.
The Duke said seriously, "You don't deserve it."
How come she is not even worthy of drinking a sip of his water now?
Jasmine watched the man walk away, and she was separated from him by the fence and could only watch his receding back.
She kicked the fence angrily.
Goalkeeper: "If you break it, you have to pay for it!"
Jasmine glared at someone angrily.
Of course, Jasmine wanted to wait until the Duke came out. He had to go back to the Duke's Mansion eventually. She had already waited for three hours, so another hour or two wouldn't hurt.
Even if he has to come back in the middle of the night, she will accompany him to the end!
But Jasmine wanted to go to the toilet. She held her belly and asked the gatekeeper where the toilet was, but the gatekeeper ignored her.
Jasmine had no choice but to look around and head towards a patch of grass that was half a person's height.
The four soldiers were all shocked.
They only knew that the Duke's concubine was an ungrateful and bad woman, but they never expected that she was also so rude.
It would be a great blessing for the Duke if this girl left him!
Chunli would come out from time to time to take a look at the camp gate. This time, he didn't see his aunt, so he went to the gate to check out out of curiosity.
Upon hearing the news, Chunli hurried back to report.
"What time did you go?"
Chunli didn't think too much about it. After a moment's hesitation, he replied, "She was gone only a short while ago. Auntie went far away. We have people guarding the area, so she should be fine."
"Keep going!" After instructing the soldiers to continue practicing with spears, the Duke grabbed the spear and strode out of the camp.
When the Duke arrived at the gate of the camp, he found that his concubine was not there. A carriage was standing alone in the grass not far away.
"Where did the people go?"
The question is of course for the gatekeepers.
Following the direction pointed by the gatekeeper, the Duke quickly went over.
This is the main camp of the garrison. No thief would dare to come here and seek death.
The Duke was not worried that anyone would harm his concubine, but the area around him was all uncultivated lush forest and there might be snakes in the grass.
Jasmine, on the other hand, wasn't afraid of snakes, but rather of bad people. However, she knew there wouldn't be any here, so she walked away confidently before taking off her pants and squatting.
Jasmine's scalp went numb when she suddenly heard a rustling sound behind her. She tightened her belt and slowly turned around, only to see the silver tip of a gun that had emerged from the bushes at some point in time.
Jasmine knew she couldn't escape. She hadn't even pulled up her pants yet, so how could she outrun the sharp blade behind her?
After the Duke discovered the back of the head in the grass, he stopped and used the tip of his gun to part the grass on both sides. If there were any snakes or insects, he could kill them directly.
Unexpectedly, a shadow pounced towards him.
The opponent's target was his chest.
If the Duke didn't know who was in front of him, he would have another cruel trick.
But at the moment, the Duke was still being hit by the concubine's head. The concubine was very strong, and the Duke took several steps back before he could steady himself. With his free hand, he grabbed the concubine's collar and pulled her away.
Jasmine struggled for a moment, and immediately realized that the person in front of her was none other than the Duke.
Jasmine stopped moving, then reacted and asked hurriedly, "Why is it Master? Is Master okay?"
Of course, the Duke was fine. Although the concubine's head was very hard, if it could break him, how could he come down from the guard post?
"Nothing."
Seeing that she was fine, the Duke turned around and left.
Jasmine wanted to reach out and grab his sleeve, but as soon as she touched his sleeve, she quickly retracted her hand and grabbed her own waist.
The Duke actually understood it.
Not only is the aunt immoral and of bad character, she is also rude and unreasonable.
"Over the past year or so, Auntie has been really good at disguising herself."
The Duke turned and strode away. This time, Jasmine did not catch up.
She sniffed and couldn't help but reddening her eyes.
He despised her.
Jasmine looked down at herself. Not only did he dislike her, but she also disliked herself.
But what can she do?
"It's not like I'm a wife, so why not just be a concubine?"
...
"Has the person left?"
Seeing Zuo He shaking his head, Chunli turned to look at his grandfather.
It was already dark.
The Duke said, "I will sleep in the camp tonight."
"Then I'll sleep in the camp too."
"I'll stay too."
The Duke did not expect his concubine to be so persistent that she was still blocking the way until nearly midnight.
After a simple dinner, the Duke and several lieutenants exchanged sparring sessions outside the tent. A gatekeeper came running in with a report: "General, the concubine said she only wanted to say one more word to you."
The Duke threw the stick to Zuo He and headed towards the gate.
"What else do you want to say?"
Jasmine looked at him and said, "Is it not okay to just be a concubine?"
"No." The Duke said without hesitation.
"You've finished your sentence."
"Why not?" Jasmine asked unwillingly.
The Duke knew that she was going to go back on her word, so he turned around and left impatiently.
If she didn't leave now, she would have to sleep on the streets when the city gates closed at midnight.
Jasmine climbed onto the carriage with two legs that didn't look like her own and pulled the reins.
The horse, having eaten and drunk its fill, let out a howl, stamped its hooves, and ran back the way it came.
"Auntie, you are really brave." How dare you walk such a long distance alone at night.
Chunli was riding on his horse, feeling emotional.
Zuo He said coldly: "Women with bad intentions are very bold."
Chunli looked at the Duke worriedly: "The Duke seems to treat Auntie very well."
They had said this before, but it was different now.
The current concubine is good for nothing and is no longer the Duke's concubine, but why is the Duke concerned?
Ever since the concubine left the house, the Duke has behaved very abnormally, and all of this is because of the concubine.
For example, right now, we finally managed to get our aunt to leave, but this master is still worried and wants to accompany her for a while.
And send it secretly.
The Duke didn't respond. Chunli didn't expect his master to say anything, so he asked again, "Since you can't let it go, why don't you agree to my concubine?"
Zuo He looked at Chun Li in shock: "Are you crazy? How can a woman like that stay with me?"
Chunli wanted to defend his aunt, but after thinking about it, he didn't know what to say, so he simply ignored him.
The Duke looked at the small carriage and said calmly, "Zuo He is right. How could I possibly keep someone like this? She doesn't deserve it."
Chunli was puzzled: "Then why did you send her?"
She is no longer a concubine. The words "respecting and fulfilling one's responsibilities" that the Duke used to talk about are no longer applicable to her.
The Duke was silent.
Zuo He looked at the Duke and couldn't help but feel anxious.
Jasmine didn't expect He Congde to come to the courtyard.
He Congde seemed to be riding a horse to find her, and the two looked at each other from a distance in the alley in front of the courtyard.
Jasmine got off the carriage and asked Biyue to drive it away. She stepped forward and asked, "Why are you here?"
He Congde's face was gloomy and he asked her, "Where have you been?"
Jasmine said something nonsense: "I went for an outing in the suburbs."
He Congde frowned and looked at her, as if thinking about how to say next.
Jasmine's stomach growled with hunger: "Let's talk inside." She took the lead and stepped into the courtyard, calling out: "My dear, I'm back. Is there anything to eat?"
Shancha rushed out of the house: "My dear, why did you come back so late? If you don't come back soon, I will report it to the police."
It was really late. He Congde didn't plan to go back in. He was about to tell her to go to bed early and that he would come to see her tomorrow. But he caught a glimpse of several figures out of the corner of his eye and looked up.
Under the pale moonlight, He Congde and the man on the horse looked at each other from afar.
He Congde withdrew his gaze, turned around, and stepped into the courtyard gate. He closed the gate behind him.
Chunli and Zuo He exchanged a worried look.
"They haven't even gotten married yet, how can you let a strange man into the courtyard in the middle of the night?" Chun Li complained to his aunt, and couldn't help but grumble, "You've corrupted that girl."
"This guy picked her up so casually that he has no sense of shame. It seems that even if he takes a concubine in the future, he will have to choose carefully."
"Let's go back." The Duke turned his horse around.
Three fast horses galloped down the street in the moonlight.
...
After parking the carriage in the next corner, Bi Yue came back and found the courtyard gate closed, feeling depressed.
The door was slammed with a loud bang.
It was Shan Cha who opened the door: "What's going on? Your young master locked it."
Bi Yue fell silent for a moment. Young Master didn't leave?!
He Congde did not enter the room, but stood in front of the door and talked to Jasmine.
"I've discussed it with my mother, and setting the wedding date six months from now doesn't seem appropriate. The end of next month would be a better auspicious date. What do you think?"
"ah?"
Jasmine, slurping noodles, rushed over to him with the bowl in hand: "What do you mean?"
He Congde repeated it again.
Jasmine finally heard clearly. She turned around, put down the bowl of noodles, wiped her mouth and hands, and went to the door again.
"There's something I want to tell you."
He Congde: "It's getting late. You should get some rest. We can talk tomorrow if you have anything to say."
He Congde didn't give her a chance to speak. He turned and walked to the courtyard, then looked back at her: "Think about it carefully. If you have anything to say, speak up."
Jasmine replied dryly, "Okay."
"He knows."
The door closed. Jasmine recalled He Congde's reaction just now and confirmed that he knew it.
"He might also know that I've been looking for the Duke these past few days."
Shancha couldn't help but say, "Look at what you've done, my lady. Lord He is such a good man."
Jasmine also knew that He Congde was a good person.
"Yes, he's very good." Jasmine suddenly recalled her childhood. "He was very obedient when he was little. He not only listened to his parents, but also to me. I asked him to herd sheep for me, and he went. He ended up being chased by two old rams, haha."
Jasmine wiped the tears from her eyes and continued, "He's a good person in every way. He doesn't even mind me being a slut, and he always feels sorry for me. He can't even figure out the accounts. How do you think he got the job?"
Shancha looked at her and suddenly hugged her waist: "No more talking. You don't have to feel sorry for anyone. He wants to marry you because he wants to. It has nothing to do with you."
"That's not what you just said."
Shan Cha apologized, "Isn't it okay if I was wrong? My wife didn't want to do this either. Let's talk to him clearly tomorrow. If my wife doesn't feel comfortable talking, I'll do it. I must make it crystal clear. Madam He might get angry and question me, but I won't. I'll kneel down and beg for their forgiveness."
Jasmine: "If kneeling down could even things out, that would be fine. I'm just afraid I can't pay it back."
"What should we do then?"
"I plan to find him a girl. The best one in Kyoto. Just like the Duke, who has Wan Sui'er." Jasmine said the last sentence with gritted teeth and bulged eyes, which scared Shancha so much that she fell back.
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