Chapter 76 Chapter 76 "I hate people mentioning 'Bai Xiang' the most..."
"But where can I find it?"
"Aren't there enough girls visiting Concubine Liang's clothing store? I'll be at work tomorrow. If I look carefully, I'll find it."
"You're not going to bother the Duke anymore?"
Jasmine dejectedly said, "He said some really nasty things today. I need to take it easy."
Shancha was curious: "How bad is it?"
Jasmine didn't want to say it, but the girl kept pestering her to say it. Jasmine had no choice but to say it.
After hearing this, Shancha remained indifferent.
Jasmine was fed up: "What do you mean?"
Shancha: "My lady, just be content. I've thought about it. If I were the Duke, and my lady treated me like this, I would definitely beat her up to vent my anger, then lock her up and torture her every day."
Jasmine didn't want to talk anymore. She knew she shouldn't say anything.
...
For a whole day, Jasmine memorized the appearance, age, family background and birth dates of several girls.
Each of them is a virtuous and well-mannered lady from a noble family, and each of them is extraordinarily beautiful.
Jasmine picked out the two best ones, thinking of finding an opportunity for Mrs. He and the girl to meet first.
But Jasmine immediately found out that the two girls would be entering the palace for selection next year.
It would be a pity to give up. After finding out that the girl's family had no intention of entering the palace and was only chosen by the Queen Mother, Jasmine decided to snatch the opportunity away from her.
Your Majesty already has concubines, so what if one or two are missing? Good iron should be used on the blade!
Jasmine glanced at the second floor. It seemed that the head shopkeeper was not here today, otherwise she would have wanted to thank her.
The head shopkeeper seemed to care about her a lot.
...
"Is that the wife of Censor Li? What a pity." Mrs. He murmured regretfully.
Mrs. He was having tea with several ladies she knew well at Dongshun Teahouse. The ladies were sitting on the second-floor corridor and couldn't help but take a few more glances at the girls approaching from the first-floor living room.
It's not that the girl's face is particularly beautiful, but she has an aura that makes people know at first glance that she is not comparable to ordinary ladies.
Her every move was calm and relaxed, her eyes were bright, and everyone she looked at couldn't help but feel complacent, and everything she looked at seemed to be glowing.
One lady lamented that it would be great if this was her daughter.
Mrs. He also sighed in her heart. How wonderful it would be if the girl in front of her could be her daughter-in-law.
When Li Jun went upstairs to pay his respects to the other ladies, Mrs. He was even more disappointed.
"I will hold a banquet at home some other day. I hope the ladies will come."
“I’ll definitely be there!”
"Don't worry, I'm on time!"
Li Qi looked at Madam He with a smile and nodded to her.
Mrs. He was flattered and her smile was extremely bright.
Li Xun is the daughter of the new Imperial Censor Li Yanhai, who is highly valued by His Majesty and has an immeasurable future.
Someone noticed that Li Jun had deliberately greeted Madam He. After Li Jun left, someone hurriedly asked Madam He, "When did Madam He become acquainted with Madam Li?"
When the ladies heard this, they all looked at Madam He.
Among the many ladies, Madam He was the least noticeable. She was not from Kyoto, her residence was only a fourth-rank mansion, and she had no imperial decree. Since she came to the capital, she was often ignored and despised.
But for the sake of her husband and son's future, Mrs. He was usually able to endure it and shamelessly mingled with the noble ladies of Kyoto City.
At the beginning, Madam He listened to the father and son, without having to cater to them or win them over. The father and son each worked hard in their own positions. As long as they worked hard, one day they would be noticed by His Majesty and the people.
But later Mrs. He herself discovered that this was not the case.
It was something that everyone did, even the eldest princess in a high position, or even the wife of a lowly official. How could she hold her father and son back?
Mrs. He had initially refused to let Jasmine in because she thought she wasn't worthy of a respectable family. Taking her out would only make her a laughing stock.
Later, she couldn't resist her son's request, her master also persuaded her, and she found that Jasmine also had her good points, so she decided to compromise.
But now, looking at the lady from the Li family, she regretted it again.
How wonderful it would be if the lady from the Li family became her daughter-in-law? When the new daughter-in-law came home, they would host a banquet together. Which lady would dare to give her the cold shoulder again?
The most important thing is that the lady from the Li family is suitable. Just thinking about it, He Congde and her would look so well-matched together.
Mrs. He sighed in regret. Unfortunately, it was too late to say anything.
...
Li Qi looked at the person in front of her coldly. Although the other party was helping her, Li Qi was unwilling to give her a good face.
Originally, she didn't want to say it, but when she thought of He Chenshi who was betrayed, Li Quan couldn't help it.
"Minister He begged the Duke on his knees for you, and Madam He, despite her reluctance, finally agreed to let you into the He Mansion. If you didn't want to, why did you agree to the He Mansion's proposal in the first place?"
She was rude, but Jasmine was even ruder: "Don't worry about my affairs, ma'am. Just take care of yourself."
Li Qi nodded and said nothing more. He only asked, "What should we do next?"
"Just wait, my lady."
After sending Li Jun away, Shan Cha patted her chest and asked, "My dear, you're frightening me to death. How dare you be so mean to her? What if she gets angry and doesn't agree to our request?"
Jasmine: "You're mistaken. We're not asking her for anything, she's asking us for something."
Shancha looked confused.
Jasmine had two outstanding ladies in her hands, one of whom was of course Li Jun. Originally, Jasmine had considered another young lady from the Prince of Xiang's mansion, but after accidentally learning that the Li family lady had met He Congde and after considering several matchmakers, Jasmine decisively chose the Li family lady.
As expected, Madam Li was interested in He Congde. When she learned that He Congde was deeply in love with his sweetheart and even knelt down to beg the Duke for her lover, and after they got engaged, Madam Li was really depressed for a while.
Madam Li didn't like wearing fancy clothes and jewelry, but when she learned that Jasmine was in the shop, she wanted to take a look at what the lady that He Chenshi liked looked like.
Then, Madam Li was greatly disappointed.
He is a sycophant, slick and greedy, and his appearance is also very ordinary.
What surprised Madam Li even more was that one day this man actually asked her if she was willing to marry He Chenshi.
After hearing this woman's plan, Lady Li immediately despised her even more and felt even more sorry for He Chenshi.
Because she felt so distressed, Madam Li naturally agreed to cooperate with this woman.
Then he went to Dongshun Teahouse and "accidentally met" Mrs. He.
Mrs. He was indeed very satisfied with herself after being chosen by this woman. Madam Li did not want to admit that it was this woman who was so accurate in her predictions. She felt that it was all her own credit and that she was too outstanding to be liked by Mrs. He.
Some things have to be struck while the iron is hot. Jasmine turned around and took Madam Li to the East City Charity Granary.
After Mrs. He finished looking at it, of course she had to let He Congde see how beautiful Madam Li was.
Jasmine ordered Madam Li to listen to her, and Madam Li cooperated very well.
When He Congde came over, Madam Li was helping to distribute rice bags to the victims with her maid.
When the soldiers distributed rice bags, two people would pack them up at the back and hand them to the victims in line. But Madam Li was different. She had her maids hand out empty rice bags to the victims one by one, and then the victims lined up to receive the rice, holding the bags with their hands.
Three scoops for one bag of rice, not only is it orderly, but the speed is also faster than usual.
When He Congde came over, he saw this scene and was shocked. He quickly stepped forward and saw that it was a strange woman. He was even more surprised. His face suddenly turned solemn and he stepped forward to greet her.
Jasmine, who was hiding in the dark, watched the two of them bowing to each other and chatting and laughing, and she felt relieved.
Just wait a little longer. At least give them three opportunities to meet. Then it won't be too difficult for her to break off the engagement.
Looking at the perfect match not far away, Jasmine couldn't stop smiling. Why did she have the illusion that she was watching her eldest son looking at other girls?
But things didn't go as smoothly as she thought.
After two attempts at matchmaking, Jasmine made an appointment with Lady Li for the third time, but Lady Li did not show up. She simply had her servants send her away and told her not to come again.
Jasmine was bewildered, but since she couldn't see Madam Li, she couldn't ask for clarification.
It was not until He Congde came to see her that Jasmine found out what was going on.
He Congde did not hide anything and told Jasmine directly that he rejected Madam Li.
Jasmine was certain that he must have discovered her plan!
He Congde didn't expose her: "The Li family lady seems to be interested in me. She is indeed very nice, but I already have someone in my heart. She knows it now, so she should be more tactful in the future."
Jasmine asked curiously, "If there's anyone in this world who understands me, it's none other than Brother Congde. With me being what I am, what does Brother Congde like about me?"
He Congde laughed: "You asked, have you forgotten?"
He Congde said without thinking: "You are good in every way. You are good-looking and have a good temper."
"The second-place candidate only knows the word 'good'?" Jasmine herself couldn't believe she was that good.
He Congde knew what she was going to ask, so he smiled again and said, "Many things have nothing to do with Baixiang's young age. If I have to blame anyone, I will only blame those people and the hateful fate."
Jasmine was really touched.
He seemed to always be on her side, whether in childhood or now.
Especially since he was the runner-up in the imperial examination and an official.
"I thought about it, I still don't want to harm you..."
"Once we get married, the He Mansion will be Jasmine's home. All the things that happened before will never happen again."
Jasmine was so upset and embarrassed when he interrupted her.
"Jasmine, there won't be anyone who understands you better than me, or is more suitable for you. Please believe me."
Beg her?!
It became even more difficult for Jasmine to speak.
Jasmine considers herself a cruel person, but it is really difficult for her to say harsh words to He Congde.
Her heart wasn't made of stone either.
After He Congde left, Jasmine regretted her decision. Why couldn't she be more ruthless?
She is so useless, how can she achieve success in the future?
Next time. Next time, she would definitely seize the opportunity. No matter what this person said, no matter how much he begged, she would never show mercy.
Witnessed by Yao Ping, the chief steward in front of His Majesty, the Duke formally went to the Marquis of Changping's mansion to present the proposal.
The two parties had already matched their horoscopes and set a wedding date. However, as the delay could lead to more trouble, His Majesty moved the wedding date forward.
The wedding date was set for two months later.
Shancha chuckled when she heard this, "What a coincidence. My dear, your wedding with Mr. He is also in two months."
Jasmine glanced at her expressionlessly, and Shancha quickly put away her smile and pretended to be serious.
"My dear, what should we do next?" Although she asked this, Shancha was secretly happy, thinking that she must have reached the end of her rope.
Shan Cha still preferred her wife to marry into the He Mansion rather than the Duke. She swore, it wasn't for herself. As she said, being a concubine for a lifetime was just that. It wouldn't be as comfortable as being the wife of a legitimate official in the He Mansion.
My wife must be crazy to want to go back to the Duke's Mansion. Shancha felt that with time, my wife would eventually understand.
"There's one last solution left."
Shan Cha was taken aback when she heard this, and asked at a loss, "What can I do?"
How come my lady has any other solution?
How is this possible.
"I didn't want to use this method originally, it's too despicable, but now I have no choice. No matter whether it's He Fu or him, once they know about this, they will definitely agree to me."
Being spurned and despised, she accepted it. After a while, in two years, she would just be the glamorous concubine of a duke.
Jasmine spoke firmly, but Shancha looked at her and became more and more frightened.
Shancha was about to persuade her when Biyue's voice rang out from the doorway: "Madam, Chunniang from next door is here."
Chunniang was the beautiful lady who lived on the right side of their courtyard. Ever since she was locked out by Jasmine last time, Chunniang had never spoken to her again.
Jasmine goes out.
Chunniang stood at the door, glanced at both sides of the alley, and then stepped into the courtyard. She walked quickly to Jasmine and asked nervously, "Are you not here this afternoon?"
Jasmine nodded suspiciously.
Chunniang: "Two men knocked on my door, asking about you. Although they were very nice, I thought they were very strange, indescribable. I said I didn't know and sent them away."
There have been quite a few people trying to find out about her lately. Some bored commoners even threw feces at her door a while ago in an attempt to avenge the Duke.
And Duan Zhi, secretly hiring someone to keep an eye on her. Now that the Duke is engaged to Wan Sui'er, I don't understand why he has to pick on her.
Jasmine didn't take it seriously. She wasn't shy about it, so she let them stare. As long as they didn't get into a fight with her, she'd let them do what they wanted.
At this time, Xiyue, who heard this, stood up and said, "But they are two dark-faced people with wretched smiles, who look very shabby?"
Chunniang: "Exactly."
Jasmine had a hunch that something was wrong when she heard this. She turned to Xiyue and asked, "Did you open the door? What did you say to them?"
Bi Yue immediately said, "They didn't open the door. We thought they were begging, so we kept silent. They knocked on the door for a while and then left."
Jasmine then asked Chunniang, "How did those two find out about me from you?"
Chunniang: "They have your portrait."
Jasmine asked anxiously, "What kind of portrait?"
Chunniang was puzzled and said blankly, "It's a picture that's two palms wide. The person painted on it looks very similar to you, but not as beautiful and delicate as you."
Jasmine suddenly fell silent.
Only Shancha felt that something was wrong with her wife. She worriedly hugged her wife's arm and found that she was shaking.
Shancha thanked Chunniang and asked Biyue and Xiyue to close the door tightly and not allow any strangers to open it.
Shancha helped Jasmine back to the house.
"Madam, do you know who those two men are?"
Jasmine shook her head. She wasn't sure, but those people immediately popped up in her mind.
She had changed her appearance. Kyoto was so far away. It was impossible for them to find her. She must have guessed wrong.
"It might be Duan Zhi again."
Shan Cha didn't suspect anything and angrily cursed, "She didn't go after the Wan family girl, so she blamed us? She must have a worm in her brain!"
Jasmine knew that if it was really those people, they would definitely come back. But she didn't expect them to knock on her door that night.
Jasmine had just finished washing up and was lying down when she heard a knock on the door. She jumped out of bed and rushed out the door. Once she was outside the eaves, she moved slowly and lightly.
Biyue and Xiyue were both in the courtyard, looking at her bewilderedly. Jasmine looked at the two of them and waved.
The three of them stood in front of her. Jasmine looked around at them and said quietly, "I'll open the door."
The three of them were frightened by her words. Bi Yue was about to speak, but Jasmine covered her mouth.
"Listen to me. I am your master now, and you must obey me. You will do whatever I do. You will do whatever I say. Do you understand?"
The lady's eyes were murderous. The three of them nodded hurriedly.
Jasmine pushed the two of them apart. Shancha wanted to walk ahead of her, but Jasmine held her back and said, "Listen to me."
The camellia fell back again.
Jasmine walked to the door. The knocking had stopped. Jasmine peeked out through the crack in the door. She only saw a face, a stranger.
Despite this, Jasmine still didn't dare to take it lightly.
When there were two more knocks on the door, Jasmine opened it with a swish.
Yawning, he asked, "Who are you looking for?"
The dark and strong man was stunned when he saw the face in front of him and exchanged glances with the shorter man next to him.
The short man hurriedly pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket, looked at the woman who had appeared in the door, then looked at the portrait, and shouted excitedly: "Found it!"
Jasmine panicked: "You're looking for me? Who are you?"
As he spoke, he seemed to have just remembered that he had to close the door.
The two men had expected her to do this. The dark and strong man put his foot against the door and pushed it gently, and the door opened again.
Jasmine was knocked back repeatedly.
The two men squeezed in through the door.
"What do you want to do? I'm calling for help?" Jasmine threatened.
The two men were not at all alarmed. The dark and strong man asked with a half-smile, "Are you Qin Baixiang? It's really not easy to find you all this way. Look at you now, you are no different from a noble lady in Kyoto City. As a daughter, how can you not take care of your elderly parents? Isn't it too unfilial to hide away and enjoy your life alone?"
Jasmine was furious: "Who are you? What the hell does this have to do with you?"
The dark and strong one said: "We are your parents' friends. They missed their daughter and their legs and feet are not very good, so they asked us to help them look for her. So here we are."
Jasmine: "What are you going to do if I don't go back?"
The short one: "Of course I'll report it to the authorities."
Jasmine knelt down upon hearing this. The two men's faces were filled with pride.
Shancha and the other two looked at her in surprise.
"My wife!"
Jasmine ignored Shancha and the others and only begged the men, "Can you two please let me go? I don't want to see the officials, please!"
Jasmine remembered and said hurriedly, "I can give you silver, any amount you want."
"Okay. Then take out the silver."
Jasmine asked Shancha to go.
Shancha hurried into the house.
Bi Yue was shocked and whispered to Mo Li: "Madam, why don't we just let them report it to the authorities? Our Master is an official, why should we be afraid of them?"
Jasmine slapped him: "You're so talkative!"
Bi Yue was stunned.
Shancha ran out holding a money box, which was full of silver and gold bars, and underneath it was a thick stack of silver bills.
The two men were stunned. They knew it could succeed, but they didn't expect it to be so easy.
Before Jasmine could say anything, the short man had already snatched the money box from Shancha's hand. After confirming that it contained real gold and silver, he closed the box and demanded fiercely, "Why is that all? Where did you hide the rest? If you don't tell me, I'll make you suffer!"
The tall and strong man stared at Jasmine without turning his head and said, "Why ask them? We can go into the room and search it ourselves."
The shorter man understood immediately. He looked at Biyue and Xiyue and said as a matter of course, "That's right. It's late, so we should stay the night."
"Don't even think about it!" Jasmine shouted.
The short one: "Do you want to see the official?"
Jasmine suddenly became timid again. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she begged helplessly, "Please don't report it to the police. I'll give you whatever you want."
The girl's sobs and soft words made the two men's blood boil. The shorter man grabbed one of them in each hand and couldn't wait to push Biyue and Xiyue into the main room.
"Master, I can walk by myself." Jasmine got up obediently and followed the short man in front.
"Go to the next room?" The dark and strong man laughed and thought it was not impossible.
The dark and strong man took two steps, turned around and glared at Shancha fiercely.
Shancha raised her hands and hurried to follow her wife.
The door closed. Soon, a woman's sobbing and a man's moaning could be heard from inside.
Half an hour later.
"Okay, stop crying. Come on and help me."
Jasmine didn't bother to look at Biyue and Xiyue, who were hiding in the inner bed with their shoulders hunched. She turned around and instructed Shancha, "Tie him up tightly."
Shancha struggled to tie the knot and said without turning her head, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Soon, the two men were tied up, gagged and thrown to the ground.
Jasmine sat on the edge of the bed with her legs crossed, the three maids standing on either side of her. Jasmine was not in the least bit anxious, waiting for the two to wake up.
Jasmine had already prepared some incense for the dead in the main house. She also had two traps inside and outside the house, just to prepare for today.
Biyue and Xiyue both had their collars ripped open, and just when they thought they were doomed, the two men fell back onto the bed and didn't move.
The two were so frightened that they fainted immediately.
Jasmine fed the two girls the antidote, and the first thing she said was that they help Shancha kidnap someone. How could they not be scared!
But the woman in front of them looked even scarier than the two men, so the two girls had no choice but to do as they were told.
Shancha: "My lady, they haven't woken up yet. Do you want to give them the antidote?"
It was indeed getting late, but Jasmine felt a little sorry for the antidote.
Jasmine: "Go get my whip."
Shancha walked away happily and came back in a blink of an eye, holding a small, not particularly eye-catching whip in her hand.
Jasmine took the whip, tried to swing it twice, and walked in front of the man.
The whip came down.
Suddenly, the shorter man's mouth and chest curled up into a grin.
The short one screamed and woke up.
Jasmine whipped him again, and the dark and strong man woke up.
The short one was the first to react. He struggled several times, but when it didn't work, he started cursing, "Bitch! Let us go!"
The dark and strong man also realized that he was tied up. He panicked and glared at Jasmine angrily: "What do you want to do to us?"
Jasmine said nothing and whipped him a few more times. The shorter one didn't believe it and cursed even more vigorously.
Jasmine's attacks became faster and more brutal.
The short one finally calmed down.
Jasmine was exhausted. When they stopped, their faces and bodies were covered in bloodstains.
Jasmine lamented, "Why isn't there any blood spray?"
The two were shocked when they heard this. The dark and strong one couldn't help but beg for mercy: "Bai Xiang, we are relatives. We don't want any money or anything. Don't worry, we will pretend we haven't seen you when we leave here. How about you let us go?"
He was responded with another whip on the head.
Jasmine said angrily, "I hate it most when people mention the word 'Bai Xiang'!"
"Don't mention it, don't mention it again, please forgive us, what do you think about us giving you whatever you want?"
"Why are you wasting your time talking to her? I don't believe she can kill us. Come on, do something ruthless if you can!"
The short man had a gloomy face, spat out a mouthful of blood foam, and looked at Jasmine provocatively.
Jasmine looked at him with a half-smile: "Fetch some water."
The lady didn't look back, but Shancha knew that he was talking to her, so she shouted "Yes" and went to fetch water proudly.
The shocked and frightened Biyue Xiyue dared not stay with Jasmine, and took the initiative to follow her.
"Throw it in."
Biyue and Xiyue didn't dare to do so, but seeing Shancha doing so, they also followed suit and lifted the shorter man's feet.
With a "splash", the short man was thrown into the tub. Just as he was about to raise his head, Jasmine held his head down and did not let go even though he struggled in the water.
Jasmine stared coldly at the dark and strong man: "Tell me, how did you find me?"
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