Chapter 84 Chapter 84 "...Return to Beijing?!"...
Before he could think of a way to refuse, Yao Niang said, "Don't worry, I won't bully her. She will always be your precious concubine. You will eventually marry, and I believe there is no one who understands you better than me, Yao Niang, and is more suitable for you. We can definitely do more together than before. What do you think?"
Yan Ke was helpless. Yao Niang wasn't just another person; she was his comrade and brother. He could reject the girl from Kyoto, but he couldn't hurt Yao Niang's feelings.
What's more, Yao Niang's advice was indeed pertinent. The old lady had written to him frequently over the past two years, and the thing she mentioned most in her letters was lamenting that she hadn't found him a wife.
If I return to Beijing, I will definitely meet her again. So, instead of looking for a strange girl, Yao Niang is indeed more suitable.
When Yao Niang saw that he was hesitant, her eyes immediately lit up and she stared at him fiercely.
But before Yan Ke could say anything, Jasmine came back.
Yao Niang's face was filled with annoyance, and she turned around and glared at the mother and daughter.
"Yan Lang and I have something important to discuss, so please come back a little later, Auntie."
Jasmine ignored her. She held Manxi in her left hand and a diamond-shaped mirror in her right. She shoved the child into her grandfather's arms and held the mirror for the father and daughter to look at.
Jasmine coaxed Manxi: "Don't be sad, Man'er. Look, our Man'er and daddy look so much alike. Man'er is of course daddy's biological daughter."
Manxi burst into laughter, a snot bubble blew out of her nose. Moli didn't have time to wipe her tears. She said to Yan Ke, "How can I doubt that Man'er is not your biological child? Where does my suspicion come from? Tell me."
The aunt's face was filled with shame, anger and resentment, and she looked like she wanted to argue with him.
The aunt's eyes made it difficult to look directly at her. Yan Ke turned away and looked at the mirror in Manxi's hand. The two faces in the mirror, one big and one small, were really similar.
but……
Yan Ke didn't intend to talk about this in front of outsiders, and said to his aunt, "Take Man'er into the house, and we'll talk later."
Unexpectedly, the aunt refused: "No! Master, just speak directly if you have something to say. Hiding it will only make things worse if it gets out."
"Don't make a fuss, everyone is watching outside the door."
How could Jasmine not notice the people peeking out the door? They were all neighbors. If it weren't for the security guards watching the door, they would have barged in and watched their fun while eating sunflower seeds.
But Jasmine didn't care at all and shouted even louder, "I'm not afraid, so why should I be afraid?"
Yan Ke was so helpless. How could he say such unbearable words in front of everyone? Yan Ke tried to bypass his aunt and enter the house.
Jasmine chased after him and reached out to stop him. "If you have anything to say, just say it here."
Yan Ke looked at her gravely, nodded, and said in a deep voice, "That day, in the back alley of Nanfu Street, I saw He Congde enter the courtyard with my own eyes. Is this true?"
He hadn't anticipated the slight resentment in his words. Yan Ke was stunned.
"That's true." Jasmine said.
Two words that were clearly audible.
Yan Ke stopped looking at her and turned away in embarrassment.
Jasmine shouted again, "But so what? He bought this courtyard with his own money, so he can't stop people from coming in. Anyway, he and I are innocent!"
"Hmph. Just because you say I'm innocent, I'm innocent?" Yao Niang sneered.
Jasmine glared at her and then looked at Yan Ke and said, "The doctor said Manxi was bumpy on the road and was a premature baby. Why don't you believe it?"
"Who knows if you are colluding with the doctor?" Yao Niang interrupted again with her arms crossed.
Jasmine looked at her grandfather with a sad face: "What can I do to make you believe that Man'er is your flesh and blood?"
Jasmine was unwilling to accept this and continued, "Look at Manxi. Do you see any trace of He Congde in Manxi's face? How could a man like He Congde, looking at our Manxi, possibly give birth to Manxi?"
These words suddenly woke him up.
That's right, the reason he admired He Congde in the first place was that He Congde was polite and respectful, and he had a strong will. How could a man like that be so frivolous before they even got married?
"Yes, He Congde wouldn't do that. I just thought of it." Yan Ke said to himself.
Jasmine's brows lit up with joy. Was he finally convinced?
Although the reason I believe her is because of He Congde, that’s not important!
Seeing the situation was about to get worse, Yao Niang quickly added, "Manxi doesn't look like her biological father, it's just that Manxi's personality is very much like her biological mother's. What's there to be suspicious about?"
"No, Manxi must be my daughter." Yan Ke said firmly.
How much did he trust He Congde? Jasmine was speechless for a moment. Only excitement remained.
Jasmine struck while the iron was hot: "So, has Master agreed to marry Qiang'er?"
Before Yan Ke could say anything, he saw his aunt crying with joy.
"That's great. Jian'er has finally waited for this day!"
Yan Ke knew her feelings. Even so, he still couldn't bear to see her sad and disappointed.
Yan Ke thought back to the day she gave birth. Whenever she thought about it, her heart would still race. It was a premature birth, and the birth hadn't happened yet. That day felt like half a lifetime.
What else is more important than her?
He looked at her seriously and said, "Okay, let's get married."
...
Manxi didn't know what "getting married" meant. Even after her wet nurse and Shancha explained it to her, she still didn't understand.
It was not until the wedding day that Ai Dunzi woke up early in the morning, put on new clothes, ran out and saw a room full of people and delicious food. She suddenly understood.
Oh! So getting married means having fun together and eating delicious food!
Aidunzi was so happy. She had only just learned to walk, and now she was jumping up and down. When she saw her father, she jumped up and down and threw herself into his arms.
He hugged his father's neck and stretched out his chubby little fingers to find his mother.
Jasmine was wearing a red wedding dress today, which had been hand-sewn for her by the neighbors. It was nothing compared to the phoenix coronet and bridal robe, and even this outfit was not as good as the one her father had given her as a concubine gift when she was in Beijing.
But it’s especially red! Jasmine loves it.
Seeing her grandfather come in, Jasmine was not only excited but also a little shy. However, she put on blush so it was not noticeable.
Jasmine stood up, walked forward shyly, and asked, "Is Jian'er pretty?"
Manxi answered for her father: "Mom is beautiful!"
Jasmine couldn't help but rub Aidunzi's chubby face.
Manxi stretched out her hands to ask her mother to hold her. Her mother's embrace was softer than her father's, and she smelled better than her father. Especially today, her mother was wearing something beautiful, and she liked it!
Jasmine was afraid that she would wrinkle her clothes, so she didn't want to hug her. "Mommy will hug you later. Be good."
As soon as the short guy puffs out his little chest he starts to act like a troublemaker.
Fortunately, her father had amazing arm strength and held her steadily.
Shorty opened his mouth to howl. Jasmine was reluctant to let him go. Faced with this hard-earned little Shorty, Jasmine was surprisingly soft-hearted.
She was about to take the girl back, but Yan Ke pushed her into the nurse's arms and said, "Go out and play with the nurse."
The nurse couldn't catch her, but Shancha was quick-witted and quick-handed. The two of them, one on each side, held up half of Aidunzi's body and carried the screaming little creature out.
The girl turned around and kept calling her mother. Jasmine was heartbroken. She said to her grandfather, "This is your own child."
Yan Ke: "I know. But today is your big day, you don't have to worry about her."
Jasmine felt that what he said was wrong: "It's our big day."
Yan Ke also realized that he had said something wrong and corrected it immediately: "Yes, ours."
Jasmine asked shyly, "Master hasn't said whether Jian'er is good-looking or not."
Yan Ke didn't speak immediately, but looked at her very seriously for a long time.
Jasmine was terrified when she saw it, and only breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the word "beautiful".
"But are you dressed?"
"Okay."
"Then let's go out."
"Um."
Originally, the two hadn't planned to make it a big event, but many people showed up uninvited, including Yan Ke's former subordinates, common people who had been helped by Yan Ke, and people living nearby.
When everyone heard that General Yan was getting married, he said he would come and ask for wine three days before the wedding.
What can they do? They can’t just turn people away, right?
As a result, on the wedding day, the house was packed with people and cars.
I expected a lot of people, but I didn't expect this many. The threshold was really broken!
On that evening when the sky was filled with rosy clouds, Yan Ke took Jasmine to toast at every table.
Although Lushui is also within Daqi's territory, due to its proximity to the border, the customs here are very different from those in other places. The bride is allowed to take off the red veil and walk around with the groom.
Jasmine preferred the present moment to sitting in the room and waiting. However, after wandering around for over an hour, she regretted it.
She didn't expect that the banquet would be set up on the street outside the gate!
Jasmine only blamed herself for being lazy. There were so many enthusiastic people who offered to help run the event, but she really let them do nothing. This led her to underestimate the number of people who came.
Jasmine saw that there were not enough tables and dishes, so someone immediately brought out a large table and served two more tables of dishes.
I thought it was over, but it turns out there's no end in sight.
However, she felt it was worth it no matter how tiring it was to be able to marry her grandfather.
...
Manxi insisted on sleeping with her parents, and Moli couldn't get rid of her, so she had to coax her to sleep herself. After a lot of effort, she finally coaxed Ai Dunzi to sleep.
Jasmine moved the short, sprawled man a little further inside, then pulled the man, who was standing blankly under the bed, onto the bed.
"Husband."
"..." Yan Ke shuddered and sobered up.
Jasmine was dissatisfied with his reaction: "Why don't you call me, husband?"
"……lady."
"Husband." Jasmine happily snuggled into that tall chest.
After a while, Jasmine changed his clothes, and Yan Ke grabbed his collar. "Man'er is here."
"She's asleep."
Yan Ke held on to her collar and refused to let go, so Jasmine had no choice but to call the wet nurse.
Unexpectedly, the short boy started crying as soon as he was picked up. Yan Ke: "Forget it, just put it here."
The nurse replied "yes" and bowed before leaving. Jasmine went to untie his belt again, and when she was about to take off his underwear, Yan Ke whispered, "I'll do it myself."
As he said this, he tiptoed around to the back of the tent.
Jasmine wanted to follow, but she was worried about Manxi. Pinching Manxi's nose, she said unhappily, "It's all your fault, little girl, for ruining your parents' good deeds."
When Yan Ke returned, he had already showered and changed into clean pajamas. Jasmine reached out to hug him, but her arms were restrained. She glared in frustration.
Yan Ke: "Stop making trouble. You've been tired all day, go to sleep."
"Man'er is still young."
Yan Ke was helpless: "That's not right either."
Jasmine compromised. She was only thankful that it was just for this day. Previously, she'd felt so sad and happy, clinging only to her nurse, but now she felt it was a good thing.
The next day, Yan Ke went out, the servants were cleaning the yard, and Jasmine and Shancha Manxi were in the house playing around with the gifts brought by the guests.
When Yan Ke came back, Jasmine had already counted the gift list.
Most of them were gifts from the common people. There were chickens, ducks, geese, eggs, tea leaves, bacon, but only a small number were special gifts. Several generals gave them fine weapons.
Jasmine thought they were being naive. When giving gifts to a newlywed couple, can you just give them what the groom likes? And they even gave him weapons.
But Jasmine also knew that these warriors were all big and strong, and with their wives away, they were bound to be negligent. She only complained in her heart and didn't tell her grandfather.
There were quite a few valuable gifts sent, even the ruler of Yu State sent a gift.
But none of the gifts were as special as the one from Yao Niang!
Yao Niang gave her a large square box. When she opened it, she found only a waxed letter with a stamp on it.
Jasmine knew at a glance that this was to prevent her from peeking.
The more she was not allowed to read, the more she wanted to read it. So when Yan Ke came back, Moli personally handed Yao Niang's letter to him to read. But Yan Ke opened the letter, and before Moli could ask, he turned around and hurried out again.
When she came back, Jasmine finally knew what had happened.
The gift that Yao Niang sent them was actually the head of a spy from Yumi Country!
Yesterday, Yao Niang didn't come, and Jasmine thought she had lost to her and was hiding at home in grief. But it turned out that Yao Niang had gone out to prepare a gift for them yesterday.
For some reason, Jasmine wanted to slap herself. It wasn't that she felt she had wronged Yao Niang, but rather that she felt useless.
When she was in Kyoto, she was no match for Duan Zhi Wansui'er, and now, she is far inferior to Yao Niang.
Not only did she not have a good family background, she also had no ability. She relied on persistence to seduce men. No matter how thick-skinned she thought she was, she felt ashamed of herself.
Especially when her grandfather came back, she was so happy.
Jasmine said sourly, "Then why don't you invite Madam Yao to be your guest?"
Yan Ke was very regretful: "I invited her, but she didn't want to. She didn't want to disturb us."
Jasmine felt even more jealous. But she knew there was no reason for her to make a fuss. The person Lady Yao had caught was a spy from the Umi Kingdom!
It is a major event worthy of praise for both the court and the people.
Jasmine didn't even dare to ask him if he regretted it. Even if she forced him to do it, it would be too late to regret it!
She is the wife, there is no way she will give up her position!
Jasmine was sad for two days. She knew this was probably Yao Niang's revenge, but she couldn't help but feel sad.
Manxi climbed onto her lap, cupped her face, and with her two small, thick eyebrows exactly like her father's, she called her, "Mom!"
After all, the child is still young and can't talk much, but he can also sense that his mother is unhappy.
It turned out to be her biological daughter. Jasmine hugged her daughter and murmured dejectedly, "We are an orphan and a widow, how pitiful."
She just complained like that, but unfortunately, Yan Ke just happened to step into the corridor.
Yan Ke paused. Orphan and widow? Didn’t they just get married?
He knew without asking that his wife was unhappy, but he didn't know why.
Yan Ke knew that she preferred Kyoto City to guarding the border.
So he said it.
"Grandpa...Grandpa said...we should go back to Beijing?!"
Jasmine couldn't believe it.
Yan Ke asked: "Are you happy?"
After asking, I realized that the lady's expression did not look happy, but only shocked and frightened.
Jasmine's mind was a mess, with so many questions that she couldn't answer them clearly at the moment: "What are we going back for? But something happened in the mansion? Will we still be back then?"
Yan Ke said solemnly, "The old lady wrote to me saying that my eldest brother had committed some crime, and that if I didn't go back, the Duke's Mansion would not be able to handle it."
What Yan Ke didn't mention was that his actions during the past two years of guarding the border had not escaped the attention of the emperor. His Majesty had sent him letters to express his regards more than once.
"What crime have you committed, sir?" The crime that the sir must have committed must be serious, otherwise why would the old lady come to see him.
The Third Master had already left the Duke's Mansion, the Fourth Master was in jail, and now he was the First Master. It was not good for the Duke's Mansion to fall into the hands of a branch of the family.
Needless to say, Jasmine knew that unless something serious happened, they might not come back to guard the border.
Originally, Jasmine wanted it very much, but who made her marry her grandfather?
She is a well-known murderer in the capital. No, I guess everyone in the Great Qi Kingdom knows her now.
Her grandfather gave up his title and achievements for her and left. If she goes back, how will others view her grandfather and her?
The key point is that she forced her grandfather to marry her.
"My eldest brother and the third master of the Xu family are involved in smuggling. The old lady wrote to me half a month ago, asking me what to do. I replied. I plan to wait until things here are settled before setting off to return. Now is the time to leave."
"Half a month ago?!" Jasmine excitedly grabbed his sleeve, "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
Yan Ke looked very innocent: "I don't remember."
"Then why did you agree to marry me?" Jasmine was in tears.
Yan Ke: "There is no conflict between the two things."
Knowing that he would have to return to Beijing, he was still willing to marry her. Jasmine suddenly stopped feeling sad.
Busy packing her luggage to return to Kyoto, Jasmine had no time to think about Yao Niang.
It was not until two days later that they set off back to Beijing.
Yao Niang came to see them off on a tall horse with her female soldiers. Her face still had her usual bright smile, as if it had never been affected.
Jasmine truly admired him. For the first time, she realized that being a woman didn't necessarily mean marrying a good husband; being like Yao Niang was quite good.
If it weren't for her grandfather, if she had followed Yao Niang...
Jasmine couldn't help but start dreaming.
When Jasmine went up to greet Yao Niang, she said very sincerely: "I admire Yao Niang's courage and righteousness. If there is a next life, Jasmine will follow her." As she said this, she clasped her fists solemnly.
Yao Niang chuckled and said, "If the Madam is still here in the next life... then I'm afraid Yao Niang won't be able to enjoy it."
Jasmine's fists stiffened. She slowly lowered her hands and gritted her teeth, saying, "Don't worry. I will never let Madam Yao down in my next life."
Yao Niang laughed heartily and looked at Yan Ke and said, "If I can't have you in this life, it wouldn't be bad to have you as my wife in the next life."
The feeling of parting disappeared instantly, and Yan Ke bowed and said, "I won't see you off."
Then he helped Jasmine into the car.
Jasmine lifted the carriage curtain and waved to Yao Niang one last time. Yan Ke watched, puzzled.
Not long after they started traveling, Yan Ke got into the carriage. He couldn't help but ask, "Why was Jian'er so sad the day before yesterday?"
Jasmine thought he was referring to her return to the capital after learning of the old lady's letter. She said, "I'm not sad, I'm just scared. If the old lady finds out we're married after we return, will she faint from rage? And what will the people and His Majesty think of me?"
Yan Ke: "I'm not asking about this. I'm asking about what happened before. What did Jian'er say about orphans and widows?"
Jasmine was stunned. She couldn't remember what he was talking about. "What do you mean by 'orphan and widow'? We just got married, how unlucky! Get out of here!"
Jasmine pushed him and opened the curtain, signaling him to hurry up.
Yan Ke had no choice but to do as he was told and spat out.
Looking back, he wondered if he had really heard it wrong. Why did he seem to have heard it right?
...
Four years ago, when Jasmine first stepped into the Duke's Mansion, she stepped out of the carriage and paid her respects to the old lady and the people in the Duke's Mansion. The same thing happened.
The difference is that this time she is not a concubine, but a wife. And there is also a short and thick son.
During the few days on the road, Jasmine kept repeating to herself that she was an honest and kind person.
When they finally reached the Duke's Mansion, Jasmine became even more low-key and obedient. She followed behind her master, not daring to move a single step.
Manxi was in the nurse's arms, sometimes asking her father to carry her, sometimes asking her mother to coax her to sleep. In the past, Moli would have coaxed her to sleep, but now, Moli asked the nurse to hold the child farther away.
Don't let people think that like child, like mother, or you will attract attention.
When Yan Ke saw this, he stretched out his arms to take his daughter, letting her pull his face, and carried her forward to greet everyone in the Duke's Mansion.
"Man'er, this is grandma."
Manxi rubbed her eyes and pouted as if she wanted to cry. She was sleepy, but her parents wouldn't let her sleep and instead assigned her tasks. Manxi twisted her face, leaned on her father's shoulder, and punched him.
Yan Ke looked helpless. She said to the old lady, "She is just very happy and a little naughty. Please don't blame her, mother."
Not only were the common people sighing, but everyone in the Duke's Mansion also looked terrified.
Everyone still remembers vividly how the Duke sacrificed half his life's achievements in exchange for the freedom of his vicious concubine.
I didn't expect that the baby in my concubine's belly has grown so big. And he's still so naughty. Could it be the Duke's?
The people looked at the Duke with sympathy.
The people at the Duke's Mansion had never expected that the Duke, who had always been a stickler for rules, would not only break them for a concubine one day, but also dote on his daughter to no end. The key point was that the child might not even be his.
Yan Ke knew everyone would be suspicious, so he patted Manxi's butt, coaxing her to turn around, and said to everyone, "Everyone says Manxi looks like me, but does she?"
As Yan Ke spoke, he turned around so that the people could see the faces of the father and daughter clearly.
Then everyone's expression changed again.
Especially when everyone looked at the concubine standing obediently behind the Duke, she was definitely not the type to have an affair. They knew it was just a rumor and the child was definitely the Duke's!
Yan Ke finally felt relieved.
The old lady nodded along with everyone else. She really didn't feel like exchanging pleasantries at the moment, and didn't even glance at Jasmine.
The other people in the Duke's Mansion also forced themselves to smile.
Nanny Qian suggested that it was cold outside and that the child should not be exposed to the wind, so they should go inside first.
The whole family entered the palace in a flash. The onlookers were locked outside the door and dispersed after a long time.
The old lady had been forcing herself to smile, but now she returned to the living room in the backyard and spoke directly about the master.
"Erlang, our Duke's Mansion is finished!"
Yan Ke helped the old lady sit down. She noticed her trembling hands and looked at her hair, which had turned white in just two years. Yan Ke said, "Zi Fu is back. Mother has something to say."
The old lady burst into tears. "God damn it! That damn guy said he was in the antique business, but he was actually digging up graves! And with Xu Laosan. Now Xu Laosan is pushing the blame onto him alone, and maybe our entire Duke's Mansion will be buried with him! You have to think of a way!"
Jasmine stood obediently behind her grandfather and looked up at the very unusual eldest young lady.
She is less talkative and smiles less. Is this because of the shock she received from the old man?
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