Chapter 92 Chapter 92 Only the hands and feet are still dishonest. ...
"It doesn't hurt."
"How can it not hurt?" Jasmine didn't believe him.
Knowing she wouldn't agree, Yan Ke waited until he finished applying the medicine before accompanying his wife to wash her face and change clothes.
They found the inn next door, where there were only two of them. After closing the door, Jasmine couldn't help but hug the man tightly.
Yan Ke only felt a warmth in his heart. He sighed.
"It's been a few days since I've hugged my stubborn son like this."
The two hugged each other for a long time before Jasmine reluctantly let him go. She didn't let Shancha serve her either, as she just wanted to be alone with him.
Jasmine slowly washed herself, and Yan Ke finally saw the familiar little round face in the mirror. He said proudly, "Just now, when Jian'er rushed in front of the horse, I recognized him immediately."
His wife's eyes really lit up.
The Duke added, "Even if he turned into ashes, I would still recognize him."
Jasmine couldn't laugh anymore. Is this... some kind of love talk?
The Duke noticed that her expression was off and asked innocently, "What's wrong?"
Jasmine shook her head and forced a smile, thinking that he cared about her after all.
"By the way, Master, is Manxi being well behaved?"
Yan Ke didn't know whether to nod or not, so he said honestly, "Don't worry, Man'er is fine. He's just not very well behaved."
Jasmine asked again: "What happened to our daughter?"
Yan Ke sighed: "She beat up the Second Prince in the palace."
Jasmine gasped.
After a while, she found out that the two little guys were after a kite with big wings. They were obviously two identical kites with big wings, but Manxi had to take whichever one the second prince wanted. The second prince had always been a pampered kid, so he threw them away immediately and said he didn't want to play with her anymore.
Manxi immediately rushed over and punched the man in the face several times. When her father and the emperor questioned her, the little girl remained unfazed, saying she'd only intended to hit him once, but the Second Prince had a chubby face, making him particularly easy to hit. She couldn't help but hit him a few more times.
After all, she was the daughter of his trusted and important minister, and the girl was less than two years old. The Second Prince cried miserably, but there were not many marks on his face. His Majesty and the Imperial Concubine were very easy to talk to and said that the matter would be forgotten.
Jasmine was terrified after hearing this and hurriedly said, "Don't let Man'er enter the palace again in the future. She's still young now, but she'll be a little older. If she really hurts the Second Prince, how can I compensate her?"
Jasmine broke down at the thought, tears welling up in her eyes. She only had this one daughter.
Yan Ke couldn't help but sigh again: "I was worried about Manxi being alone in the mansion this time, so I sent her to the palace."
Jasmine stared at him blankly, and after a long pause she asked with difficulty, "Why, Master?"
Yan Ke: "It was Man'er's request. She stayed at home for two days and said she missed the Second Prince. I didn't agree at first, but when I went to the palace, His Majesty also said that the Second Prince had been thinking about playing spinning tops with Man'er. So I agreed. Don't worry, Jian'er, with the Imperial Concubine watching over you, you'll be fine."
Jasmine was extremely anxious and said she wanted to return to Beijing immediately.
"I'm afraid we'll have to rest here for a few days. The old lady is frightened and may not be able to continue on her journey. Besides, the fire in the restaurant was deliberately set. To set fire in broad daylight is simply lawless. We can wait for the county magistrate to investigate before returning."
Jasmine was also helpless.
"Is Jian'er injured?"
Moli had just washed her head and face, and when she heard Manxi's story, she had forgotten what she was doing. Only now did she untie her belt and change her clothes.
Afraid that she would get cold, Yan Ke took the quilt from the bed to shield her. He then carefully examined her and made sure that everything on her body was fine. Then he wrapped her tightly in the quilt and laid her sideways on the bed, saying, "Change in the quilt. It's okay if you get a little dirty."
While Jasmine was changing, Yan Ke sat on the edge of the bed and asked in confusion, "I heard from the servants that it was Jian'er who brought a few beggars to help rescue people, and it was also those little beggars who helped Jian'er escape first? Does Jian'er recognize them?"
On his way back to the clinic, Yan Ke met a few beggars and discovered that they were all girls, two of whom were no more than seven or eight years old.
Several people were injured, especially the oldest one, who was bleeding profusely from his head. Yan Ke took them all back to the clinic.
Yan Ke dealt with refugees the most. He knew that people who had suffered hardships and humiliation were the most timid and usually indifferent.
That's why I ask this question.
Jasmine replied calmly, "Maybe I gave them the meat. When we first arrived at the restaurant, I saw they were so young and pitiful, so I gave them the dishes on the table first."
Yan Ke didn't doubt it and nodded: "So that's how it is."
"I don't know. I woke up from the choking. It was foggy all around. I wanted to go out, but I found a huge fire outside. I thought I was dead."
Jasmine thought back to that moment and quickly jumped up to hug her grandfather. "I'm so scared I'll never see you and Man'er again."
"It's all right. It's all my fault. If I had left a moment earlier, you wouldn't have had to go through this disaster."
Jasmine hugged him tightly, and recalled with lingering fear: "When I opened the door, the smoke outside was even thicker and it was scorching hot. If I hadn't heard Shancha's cries, I might have died if I ran out. Fortunately, I heard them. They were both under the window, holding hands. Just as I was about to jump, I thought of the old lady."
To be exact, Jasmine did hear Madam Qian's voice, but she didn't admit it, making it seem as if she hadn't remembered it. After all, she had half the credit for saving the old lady, and she was safe and sound. What was wrong with telling a little lie?
"I didn't realize how timid the old lady was. She refused to jump no matter what I did. I had no choice but to rescue my fourth brother's wife from the next window. When I came back to help the old lady, she and Nanny Qian had already fainted. Fortunately, I arrived in time. Otherwise, it would have been terrible."
Jasmine covered her chest with her hands. She was really scared.
The old lady is dying, but she is fine. Her spine will probably be exposed by the people of Qi State, and her grandfather will probably suspect her again.
Yan Ke patted her head: "It's okay, I'm here. You've been scared all day, go to sleep first."
Jasmine held him tightly and asked, "By the way, Grandpa hasn't told me why he came here yet?"
Yan Ke's face turned serious. "I heard in the capital that you and the Xu family had a conflict. I was worried and rushed here overnight. On the way, I learned that you were here, so I thought of taking you back home with me."
Jasmine felt strangely guilty. She didn't dare to say a word, and didn't dare to look up.
Fortunately, her father didn't ask about what happened in Xuzhou. He must have come here because he heard something from someone. Their conflict with the Xu family in Xuzhou was no secret.
However, one night later, in the evening of the next day, the local county magistrate came to ask to see the Duke to report that the restaurant had been burned down.
The county magistrate arrested two arsonists, who turned out to be temporary workers hired by the restaurant. Because they were very familiar with the restaurant, they escaped quietly after setting the fire.
"...After being arrested, the two were terrified and immediately told me about accepting money from the Xuzhou man. I immediately went to arrest the Xuzhou man they mentioned. However, the Xuzhou man kept making excuses. Fortunately, I was quick-witted. I figured that the old lady happened to be at the restaurant that caught fire, and the arsonist appeared in Xuzhou. Could he be related to the Xu family?"
The county magistrate's face lit up with pride as he spoke. He looked as if he was begging for the Duke's praise, glancing at him from time to time. Seeing no reaction, he continued, "After extensive investigations, day and night, I've finally uncovered some clues. The person behind this is none other than Xu Fang, the wife of Xu Wuhou, the Marquis of Xuzhou."
This place was not far from Xuzhou, so the county magistrate knew before anyone else about the discord between the old lady of the Duke's Mansion and her natal family, the Xu family. Now that he had revealed the murderer as Xu Fang, he had no qualms and was even more proud, believing he had definitely accomplished something.
Yan Ke knew that the old lady and Xu had a conflict, but he never expected that Xu would be so bold as to directly kill someone.
Yan Ke's face was gloomy. Finally, he asked the county magistrate, "Are you sure it's Xu Fang? Is the evidence conclusive?"
The county magistrate nodded repeatedly, "Don't worry, Duke. Without solid evidence, I wouldn't dare speak rashly!"
Yan Ke nodded and said, "Come with me to Xuzhou."
When the old lady learned that the arsonist was Xu Fang, she thought it was the order of the Second Master Xu. After all, he was her half-brother, so she immediately covered her heart and cried bitterly.
Nanny Qian comforted the old lady.
Jasmine didn't even notice when the Fourth Young Master's wife approached her. When she did, she flinched, as if frightened.
The Fourth Young Master's wife asked her, "What did you do that day?"
...
Yan Ke took Zuo He to Xuzhou at noon, while Chun Li stayed with the old lady to look after her.
When he didn't return that night, Jasmine became even more uneasy, and the old lady was also very worried. She kept muttering, "This isn't right. What could have delayed him all night?"
Everyone in the Duke's Mansion worked hard all night, and fortunately Yan Ke came back early the next morning.
Also escorted on the road was Xu Fangshi.
The Duke hadn't slept for two hours, and now he was rushing on the road, looking so sloppy that it was almost unbearable to look at. But his innate aura remained undiminished.
Jasmine sat on the stool, not daring to look up at him, and had breakfast served by the servants. The old lady sat aside and asked him to eat slowly. After a while, she asked him if he had investigated the arson thoroughly.
Yan Ke looked up and said, "We've investigated thoroughly. It was definitely Xu Fang who ordered the arson."
The old lady said angrily, "For this key, he actually wants to kill me. What a cruel heart!"
Anyone could tell that the person the old lady was talking about was Mr. Xu.
Yan Ke looked at Jasmine, who noticed it from the corner of her eye and turned her face away even more guiltily.
Yan Ke retracted his gaze and said to the old lady, "It's not Mr. Xu."
Everyone was puzzled.
The old lady looked up in astonishment. "What did you say? No? Why couldn't it be him? Besides him, who else could have the power to manipulate Xu Fang?"
Yan Ke: "Xu Fang set the fire not because of my mother, but for other reasons."
"Why is that?"
Yan Ke: "I will discuss this matter with mother in detail after we return. Please excuse me, Erlang, to go back and pack. It's still early, so we will set off for Beijing today."
The old lady nodded. "No rush, we can return later. You've been tired all day. Once you've rested enough, we can set off anytime."
Yan Ke immediately stood up and strode out.
The old lady saw that Jasmine hadn't followed and frowned, "What are you standing there for?"
Only then did Jasmine leave the stool and follow him out.
When she was helping her master change his clothes, she didn't hear him speak, and Jasmine didn't speak either.
I just thought, he doesn't know? That's impossible. Does that mean he doesn't intend to bother with her?
That's right. When I first found out that she was a murderer and that she got pregnant on purpose, I could have forgiven her, let alone such a trivial matter as this one.
Besides, it was Xu Fang's own fault.
Jasmine instantly felt relieved.
It was already midnight when the carriage arrived at the Duke's Mansion. Although she was very tired, thinking of Manxi's return tomorrow, Jasmine still held him, intending to have a good, tender moment with her master.
"Go to sleep. You have to get up early tomorrow." With these words, the Duke lay there like a dead fish.
Jasmine's intuition wasn't right, but he was also right: he would definitely have to attend court early tomorrow. It was already very late, and even the strongest person couldn't handle the lack of rest they had in the past two days.
Jasmine stopped thinking about it. However, her hands and feet were still restless, clinging to her grandfather's side.
It was not until the next day, before dawn, that Jasmine was pulled out of bed.
She half opened her eyes and found that the person who caught her was her grandfather.
She asked hastily, "Where to?"
"Go to Jingzhao Prefecture."
Jasmine woke up with a start.
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