Chapter 82 Chapter 82 "Is it worth it?"
What kind of reason is this? The people have the same excuse as Your Majesty.
"The Duke is Duke Yan, a general guarding the border. If you beg His Majesty to release my concubine, His Majesty will surely agree!"
Some people also gave the Duke bad advice:
"If you just break into the prison and rescue my aunt, no one will blame you. I just beg you not to leave! Daqi can't live without you!"
"If you don't want to go, we'll go for you!"
The Duke flatly refused: "Absolutely not!"
Everyone in the Duke's Mansion only then realized that the Duke was doing this for a concubine! Just for a concubine, he was willing to give up everything!
The old lady had been so angry yesterday that she hadn't even gotten out of bed yet. Upon hearing the truth, she jumped out of bed and rushed out.
Tao'er was quick to take the cloak and put it on the old lady.
But by the time the old lady arrived at the gate of the mansion, the Duke had already gotten rid of the people and left.
The Marquis of Changping and his wife had already learned what had happened before the Duke arrived. They also learned that the Duke had fallen into depravity for a concubine and was even planning to break off the engagement with his own daughter.
The Marquis of Changping and his wife naturally did not want to give him face and had already thought of how to make things difficult for him.
He must have offended His Majesty now, and I believe His Majesty will not offend the Marquis' Mansion for him.
The Marquis of Changping wasn't afraid that he would rebel. If he did, word would get out that the Duke was in the wrong. Anyway, the Duke was about to become a commoner, so it was a good opportunity for him to get a taste of what it was like to be forced to do things against his will.
But when the Marquis of Changping was ready to strike first when he saw the Duke, he saw the Duke bow deeply to him and then did the same to his wife.
The Duke asked, "Is Miss Wan here? I'd like to apologize to her personally."
Such a great duke, and at the peak of his career, although he wanted to run away with his concubine, he hasn't left yet.
The anger that Marquis Changping wanted to get out was immediately extinguished.
Wan Sui'er, who had been hiding in the backyard with her ears perked up, couldn't help but run out when she heard the maid report that the Duke wanted to see her.
She wanted to ask him how she had wronged him. He actually wanted to break off the engagement.
The anger that Marquis Changping wanted to vent was extinguished by the Duke's two bows. It was not until he heard the Duke mention Wan Sui'er that he took a deep breath and was about to start a fight.
He was interrupted by Wan Sui'er who rushed out.
When the Duke sees someone, he bows without saying a word.
The Duke had already condescended to the Marquis of Changping, but fortunately the Marquis of Changping was a generation older. Yet, the Duke bowed to Wan Sui'er.
Everyone was shocked.
Wan Sui'er's words got stuck in her throat. She tried to move forward but was stopped by her mother and a nanny.
Wan Sui'er's eyes grew moist as she stood there and asked, "Have I ever done anything wrong to the Duke?"
The Duke said without hesitation, "No. It is Yan who has let Madam Wan down."
Wan Sui'er was a little embarrassed to speak, but she couldn't help but ask: "In the Duke's heart, Auntie..."
Wan Sui'er's mouth was covered by the wife of Marquis Changping, and then two maids came forward to help Wan Sui'er down.
Tears rolled down Wan Sui'er's eyes. She was forcibly dragged forward and could only turn her head and look at the Duke unwillingly.
She knew her mother was doing this for her own good. She also knew she couldn't bring shame to the Changping Marquisate. She had no choice but to cooperate.
"You can beat me or punish me as you wish."
Wan Sui'er only had time to hear this one sentence he said.
Who dares to hit the Duke of another country? If Your Majesty doesn't cause trouble for the Marquis' Mansion, the people of Jingdu City will throw rotten eggs and feces in front of the Marquis of Changping's Mansion.
Especially since the Duke was too cooperative. He was someone who was willing to get beaten up, so how could the Marquis of Changping's Mansion give him what he wanted?
After sending the people away, Changping Hou began to sulk again.
The wife of the Marquis of Changping was naturally unhappy, but she had to comfort her daughter right now.
After leaving the Marquis of Changping's residence, the Duke went to the garrison camp again. In the evening, he had a drink with He De, the commander of the Jinwu Guard, and told him everything he had learned in the garrison camp over the past two years.
Before leaving, Duke He Dechong bowed repeatedly and said, "Thank you very much, Duke. Goodbye, Duke."
When he returned home, it was already midnight, but everyone in the Duke's Mansion was waiting in the living room in the backyard.
"You did it for a woman?"
Before the person even entered the door, the old lady rushed to the Duke and argued with him.
In the past, the Duke would have found some excuses, but now, he has recognized himself clearly.
It was his own fault that the old lady did not understand and he was blamed.
But even so, he couldn't stop himself from saving his aunt.
"I've been feeling terrible these past few days, like ants gnawing at me, like iron hammering at me. At first, I thought it was because of my aunt, and I thought it would all be better in a few days. But it hasn't. It was the same the day she left, and it was the same when she got engaged to He Congde. She was imprisoned, and even though I knew she was a bad person, I couldn't bear it. That feeling of being unable to control myself has crushed me. Death would be just like this, I'm afraid."
"You..." The old lady didn't expect that a little concubine would have such a profound impact on him.
How could he...
The old lady couldn't believe it. She had seen many amorous men, but it was rare to see one who was only interested in one concubine.
The others were so shocked by the Duke's words that they were speechless.
He was about to die. What else could the old lady say?
On the third day, the Duke promptly returned the official robes and hat to His Majesty after attending the last morning court session.
His Majesty tried to use the people to put pressure on him, but failed. His Majesty looked down at him with a sullen face, saying nothing from beginning to end, waiting for him to take his leave.
The Duke did not leave and wanted to have a drink with His Majesty alone, but was stopped outside the Daming Palace.
The Duke kowtowed to His Majesty one last time, then turned and strode away.
The palace door opened behind the Duke.
His Majesty looked at the Duke's retreating figure and sneered, "He's actually gone before me. What a lucky guy."
Yaoping didn't dare to respond.
His Majesty glanced at him sideways and returned to the study with a cold face.
...
Jasmine was curled up in the quilt and sleeping next to Shancha. She had nothing to do and nowhere to go, so she had no choice but to eat and go to sleep.
Suddenly, a voice appeared beside her ear, and the voice continued to call her.
Jasmine was so annoyed that she slapped him backhandedly. Wow! My hand hurts!
Jasmine was awakened by the pain, and when she opened her eyes she saw the warden's frustrated face.
"My lady, please follow me."
Jasmine sat up in shock: "Where are you going?"
The warden said expressionlessly, "Get out of prison."
Jasmine was shocked. "How... is this possible? Are you lying to me?"
The warden said impatiently, "You'll know when you get out."
The warden looked at her with a very strange look, and Jasmine became more and more suspicious the more she thought about it.
"You're not trying to play a trick on me? No way."
The Duke's men were still waiting at the door. For the sake of his own career, the warden could not wait any longer. He immediately summoned two jailers and said, "Drag him away."
The prisoners saw this and were sure that the warden was seeking revenge, but they could hardly save themselves, let alone save others.
Jasmine never returned. The prisoners couldn't help but speculate: "Could they have killed her?"
"Who made her so arrogant? Bah! She deserves it." The speaker was the big guy who was going to be executed today.
It's still early now.
As the big guy was saying this, a jailer came to open the door. Four jailers dragged him out of the cell.
The stench of fresh feces and urine spread among the jailers.
Although the jailer was disgusted, he would not bother with a death row prisoner who was going to be beheaded in less than two hours.
In order to serve as a warning to the people, the death row prisoners were paraded around Zhengda Street before being taken to Caishikou.
When the big guy saw the woman getting on the carriage, he thought he was seeing things because he hadn't seen the sun for a long time. He blinked hard and rubbed his eyes with his shackled hands. Finally, he was sure that he was not seeing things.
The big guy yelled, "Hey, she killed someone too. How can she get out of jail while I have to die? It's not fair, this is not fair!"
Jasmine was still confused when she saw Chunli coming to pick her up. She didn't know what happened, why did the Duke rescue her?
After hearing the big guy's words, she subconsciously looked at the reactions of the people around her, fearing that they would find out that it was the Duke's carriage and take their anger out on him.
The carriage was an ordinary one, and Chunli had changed into his casual clothes. Today he did not come as the Duke's subordinate, but as the Duke's brother.
But many people also recognized Chunli, and some people especially recognized her.
Although there were some hateful looks among them, most people looked at her with kindness and tolerance.
The big guy was just pushed into the prison van when a rotten egg was thrown on his head.
Voices rang out one after another:
"You, a death row inmate who kills without blinking an eye and looks so fierce, how can you compare with my aunt?"
"That's the concubine the Duke exchanged for half his life's achievements. You're just daydreaming!"
"Everyone knows that my aunt is innocent! My aunt is brave and fearless. When she is bullied, it is only natural for her to fight back."
An old voice came from the carriage: "Don't take it to heart, Auntie. It's over now. There will be good days ahead. As long as Auntie and the Duke are well, we will be relieved."
Jasmine stuck her head out, and another woman holding a child said to her, "Auntie, please stop thinking about Mr. He. You must not hurt the Duke's heart again."
Needless to say, Jasmine understood what had happened.
She was stunned again and again.
Jasmine poked her head out again and nodded solemnly to the lady: "Well, don't worry!"
Seeing everyone waving to her, Jasmine suppressed her excitement and waved goodbye to everyone as well.
She thought her life was over, but who knew there was still a way out.
How could she not be excited.
...
Jasmine was not sent back to the Duke's Mansion, but was sent out of the city.
She originally thought that she would leave with the Duke after at least two days.
I didn't expect to leave right now.
Jasmine wanted to ask Chunli, but when she stuck her head out, she saw her grandfather not far away. Unbeknownst to her, the carriage had arrived at the city gate.
Jasmine couldn't wait to get off the carriage and ran to her master. She had so much to say that she didn't know where to start.
Although the face in front of her was completely cold, Jasmine still felt a swelling and burning sensation in her heart.
After thinking it over, she asked, "Shall we leave now?"
Looking at the familiar features, Yan Ke's heart sank. He said, "If you don't want to, you can go back."
Jasmine immediately shook her head.
Yan Ke thought she was going to be sent back to jail, so he explained, "Don't worry, you're not going back to jail. You're free."
Jasmine shook her head rapidly and fiercely. Unable to contain herself any longer, she embraced her grandfather's waist tightly. She didn't want to say anything.
After a moment, Yan Ke said again: "Let's go."
"Um!"
Jasmine loosened her arms and took his hand, interlocking their fingers.
Jasmine could now confirm that he only had her in his heart. Madam Duan and Madam Wan were no match for her. Of course, she acted recklessly without any worries.
Yan Ke wanted to pull back, but Jasmine held him tightly, not giving him a chance.
Yan Ke had no choice but to compromise.
Jasmine turned around and saw Shancha and Chunli talking. She opened her mouth and then closed it again. She asked her grandfather softly, "Will Chunli come with us?"
"No."
Yan Ke didn't say much, but Jasmine knew immediately. Chunli was the Shangshu's legitimate son. Even if he didn't return to inherit the family business, he would still be loyal to His Majesty. He might even have to return to guard the border someday.
How could I possibly follow them and become a vagrant?
Jasmine looked at her grandfather again. A sob choked her throat and uttered three words: "Is it worth it?" For her.
She herself didn't think it was worth it to give up half her life's achievements.
Yan Ke didn't want to reply, but he also didn't want to lie, so he said with a serious face, "Worth it."
Even if she didn't go with him, he probably felt it was worth it. Jasmine thought of this, and the tears hanging on her eyelashes finally fell. She hugged her grandfather again, buried her face in his arms, and sobbed uncontrollably.
Over there, Shancha was already running towards Jasmine, leaving Chunli alone, staring anxiously.
Without asking, Jasmine knew that Chunli must have wanted to keep Shancha, but Shancha chose herself.
Before getting on the carriage.
Jasmine patted her back and said, "Have you made up your mind? If you want to stay, we can still write to each other later."
Shancha shook her head firmly: "Kyoto is not suitable for me. Wherever my wife goes, I will go."
"He hasn't left yet." Jasmine lowered the curtain.
Their carriage was getting further and further away from the magnificent gates of Kyoto City.
Shancha didn't even dare to stick her head out to take a look. "He asked me if I wanted to stay. I said no, and then he asked me if I could. I was really moved. He's really nice, isn't he, my lady?"
Jasmine nodded. Although he wasn't as good as her grandfather, Chunli was pretty good too.
Shancha added, "But I don't have a wife in Kyoto. If I get bullied in the future, no one will help me. Even if I cry out for mercy, no one will help me. For the sake of my life, of course I can only refuse. No matter how sad he is, it's not as important as my life."
Jasmine saw the tears in her eyes but didn't burst them. "Just think it over."
Not long after they started walking, Jasmine asked to ride with her grandfather, but was rejected.
It was not until they arrived at an inn in the county town that Jasmine had the opportunity to get close to him.
Jasmine sat next to him.
A square table could just seat four people, but Auntie insisted on sitting next to him.
It was broad daylight, in public, and he really didn't want to be laughed at.
Yan Ke refused with a serious face: "Sit next to me."
Jasmine knew that there was time in the evening, so she did as she was told.
Moved aside.
It's hard to ask about private matters, so Jasmine will just ask what she can ask. "Why did you bring Yan Pu with you?"
Yan Pu looked aggrieved.
Jasmine quickly tried to smooth things over, "That's not what I meant. I was just curious. Yan Pu, your family is all at home. If you follow me out, wouldn't you be separated from them?"
Yan Pu smiled and said, "I've wanted to follow you to the battlefield since I was a kid, but unfortunately, no matter what I said, you wouldn't agree. This time, I begged you again, and you finally agreed. I'm so happy! My parents and sister are also very happy for me."
Seeing how happy he was, Jasmine nodded and said, "From now on, Shancha and I will be grateful for your care."
Yan Pu waved his hands hurriedly: "This is what a servant should do, Auntie, there is no need to say this."
"You still treat me as your aunt?" Jasmine looked at Yan Pu, then at her grandfather, and smiled with pursed lips.
When her grandfather was about to speak to Yan Pu, she quickly stopped him: "I like Yan Pu calling me Auntie. Can you still be Auntie in the future?"
Jasmine quickly added, "Otherwise, it would be inconvenient to go out. If I were to take a pregnant stranger with me, it would be hard to answer if someone asked me about it, right?"
Yan Ke thought about it and said nothing more.
Just then the shopkeeper put the food on the table.
Yan Ke thought she was talking too much and deliberately reminded her: "Let's eat."
When the shopkeeper heard the word "dinner," he glanced at the four of them twice and said with a smile, "Are you distinguished guests from Kyoto?"
Yan Ke nodded: "Yeah."
Jasmine followed closely behind her grandfather and said, "Hey, we left Kyoto because we couldn't stand it anymore. Boss, you don't know how hard it is to survive in Kyoto. Not only is it hard to find a job, but the food and other necessities are also expensive. We can only leave the same way we came here."
Jasmine spoke to the shopkeeper in Mandarin with a Yizhou accent.
The shopkeeper replied, "That's true," and turned to greet other tables.
Three faces looked at her with the same expression. Jasmine explained softly, "When you're out, you always have to be careful."
Seeing her grandfather looking at her with a complicated expression, Jasmine's heart sank. She remained silent until after dinner, then went upstairs to the guest room. After closing the door, Jasmine cornered her grandfather in the room and explained to him.
"I don't want to do that, but I just have to be on guard. Is it okay to be cautious?"
He had not been alone in a room with his aunt for a long time, especially since his aunt was engaged to He Congde and was now pregnant.
The most important thing is that the aunt in front of him is completely different from before.
He felt very awkward and turned his face away stiffly: "Not too much. I'll go out first."
He was about to leave, but Jasmine blocked the door and wouldn't let him go.
"It's not appropriate for a man and a woman to be alone together."
Jasmine showed him her resentful face, and the next moment she pounced on him, but this time she failed.
Her grandfather dodged it quickly. Jasmine immediately raised her lips and chased after him.
The room was small and the door was locked by his aunt. Where could he escape to?
Jasmine got what she wanted and hugged the man in front of her tightly from behind. She sighed for a long time before speaking, "The He family has already called off the engagement. I have nothing to do with them anymore. From now on, Jian'er will continue to be with me. From now on, our family of three will be together forever. What do you say, Master?"
Yan Ke turned around and asked her, "When did He Congde break off the engagement?"
Jasmine: "Mr. He wrote me a letter in prison."
Mr. He wrote to her on behalf of He Congde and the He family. His words were sincere, expressing his apologies and the He family's predicament. He also explained that this was not He Congde's intention, but theirs, and that she should blame them as her parents.
What was remarkable was that Mr. He didn't say a single word against her in his letter. Although the He family didn't help, they didn't add insult to injury either.
Yan Ke frowned and asked, "Aren't you sad?"
Jasmine shook her head without hesitation, "I'd love to. I've already told you, Master, that I don't really want to marry He Congde. Even if Mr. He doesn't tell me, I'm still planning on saying it."
Jasmine had no choice before, but now she had no scruples and told He Congde everything about why she agreed to it in the first place.
"The master came to visit unexpectedly that day and said he would take me back. If I went back, the Xu family would definitely come and threaten me again. I had no choice but to agree to He Congde and his mother. But later, I found a way to deal with the Xu Fang family. I also caught them with something."
Jasmine was very proud of saying this.
Yan Ke: "What's the evidence?"
Jasmine: "Didn't the court seize their shops and docks? They used the same method to avoid confiscation of other properties. I guess they even bribed the officials. I told them that the Duke knew about it. If Xu wanted to tell about me, I could certainly tell about theirs. But I don't know what it was. I was just trying to scare them, and they actually fell for it."
Jasmine was even more proud.
Yan Ke hadn't expected Xu to be so bold as to even fool the imperial court. "Grind the ink for me, and I'll write a letter to His Majesty."
"no problem."
After the letter was sent away, Yan Ke turned to look at her and asked, "Did you leave the Duke's Mansion to threaten you because of Xu?"
Jasmine nodded.
"Why didn't you say so earlier?"
Hearing him ask this, Jasmine's face was full of grievance: "I'm afraid that Master will send me to Jingzhao Prison."
Jasmine couldn't help but hit her grandfather on the shoulder. "It's my fault for always pretending to be fair and strict, and that no one's words will work. If I had known that I would favor Jiao'er, Jiao'er would not have left."
Yan Ke stood there silently.
When Jasmine saw his expression, she quickly put away her playful smile and apologized, "I'm sorry, sir. It's my fault. I shouldn't have said such stupid things."
How could she forget? Her grandfather had taken this step with incredible determination. He had sacrificed everything to save her. How could she speak nonsense?
Jasmine slapped herself.
Yan Ke didn't expect her to do this and grabbed her hand: "What are you doing?"
"I'm sorry, it's all my fault."
"From now on, do not hurt others, and do not hurt yourself. If you have anything to say, tell me, and do not do anything reckless."
He was hugged again.
Although he saved his aunt, he actually had no intention of keeping her. He just knew that she couldn't stay in Kyoto, so he took her away from the troubles and let her go wherever she wanted.
But the aunt was as proactive as ever, saying blunt words. She was the one who said it, and although he didn't know how much she meant it, it didn't matter.
After a while.
"Okay. From now on, our family of three will live a good life."
My anxious heart these days suddenly felt extremely peaceful at this moment.
Jasmine hugged him tightly, and of course she felt happier!
Now that she had said it, she knew his attitude. Jasmine planned to explain more.
"Believe it or not, I hid the scissors, but I didn't intend to kill him. He was the one holding me down, and I was so scared. I didn't expect the scissors to be so sharp and people to be so fragile."
Seeing him just staring at her without saying anything, Jasmine continued, "Jian'er was very timid when he was little. His parents disliked him and he wanted to run away from home, but they beat me, so I didn't dare run. Not to mention intentionally killing someone."
Jasmine looked at him hopefully, and when she saw him nod, she smiled happily and leaned against his chest again.
But two days later, as they were on their way, Jasmine suddenly heard something from Yan Pu.
"Why, Auntie, don't you know? This was done by Duan Xue, the eldest grandson of Minister Duan. Fortunately, the prefect of Jingzhao informed our master, and he arrested the three people immediately. With three witnesses and the money Duan Xue gave them as physical evidence, Duan Xue couldn't deny it. Master handed this matter over to the prefect of Jingzhao for disposal. I think even if the grandson of the Duan family survives, his official career will be ruined."
Jasmine guessed that there must be someone behind the three people going to Beijing to file a complaint with Jingzhao Prefecture. She thought it was Duan Zhi, but she didn't expect it to be Duan Xue.
At the moment, she couldn't care less about Duan Xue. She was just worried about her grandfather having contact with those three people. What did he say to them?
Did he know more? Why didn't he tell her?
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