Chapter 37 Chapter 37 "Don't worry, Qiang'er, I will avenge you...
Zuo He caught up with the Duke and said, "Don't worry, sir. Chunli has already gone. Besides, the thieves arrested Shancha, and the concubine just ran out to look for Shancha. She should be fine."
"I hope so."
From afar, the doorman who had been waiting at the door was overjoyed when he saw the Duke's men coming. He and several guards held umbrellas and were about to go forward to greet them.
The Duke's voice came closer: "Has my aunt returned?"
The doorman said truthfully, "My Lord, not yet."
The Duke didn't even glance at him, leaned over his horse's back, and passed by the gate of the mansion at an extremely fast speed.
Seeing the Duke walking away again, the doorman stamped his rain-soaked feet and hurried to the mansion to report.
...
Jasmine was originally following the guards. The thieves could not go far with Shancha, so the guards scattered to look for them. As a result, Jasmine was separated from them.
The guards were not ignoring the concubine, but since it was raining so heavily, they thought that the concubine would definitely run back home by herself.
One of the guards was so kind as to give his raincoat to my aunt and told her to go back quickly while they looked for someone.
Before Jasmine could refuse, the guard had already run away.
In the blink of an eye, everyone in front of me disappeared.
Jasmine put on her straw raincoat, turned her head to look back, gritted her teeth, and continued forward.
The guards would take her into consideration, but not necessarily Shancha. Jasmine was worried and she had to find the person herself.
Jasmine looked around, wondering where the person might be hiding. The masked thief must be hiding somewhere nearby, waiting to be picked up.
Where will the rain come from when it's so heavy?
"It could only be a carriage. A carriage near here."
Jasmine thought it through and ran forward quickly, keeping her eyes looking around. She only stopped when she saw a small path or dead end that the carriage could pass through.
She didn't know how long she had been running or how far she had run. After she lifted the curtain of the third carriage and saw no one, she continued to run forward.
After running for a while, she felt something was wrong and turned back.
The dead end just now was lined with officials' residences on both sides, so how could there be such a shabby carriage?
Thinking of this, Jasmine quickened her pace and returned to the dead end.
Just as they were getting closer, a carriage rushed out of the alley. Jasmine barely avoided it. When she got up from the ground, the carriage had already gone far away.
"Hey! You've caught the wrong guy!" Jasmine ran forward and called out to him, but the carriage didn't stop.
Jasmine saw that there were two men driving the carriage and they changed hands.
If Shancha leaves the city, she will be in danger.
Jasmine chased madly all the way, then stopped, took two steps back, and saw a carriage tied to the path. Without saying a word, she ran over and pulled the reins.
She didn't know how to ride a horse, let alone drive a carriage, but fortunately, when she tried to throw the reins, the horse would run quickly along the road by itself.
Jasmine imitated him and whipped her whip: "Go!"
The horse ran faster.
As the rain gradually subsided, Jasmine caught up with the carriage, but she didn't dare to act rashly.
She was the only one here, there were no guards. She just had to follow them and wait for the people from the Duke's Mansion to come, then they would be saved.
The carriage stopped at the dock. Are they going to transport the camellia out?
Fortunately, there were more than three people on the dock, there were also strangers. Jasmine disguised herself as a stranger and followed the three people on board.
Just as he was settling into the corner of the stern, he heard the chaotic clatter of horses' hooves and shouts from outside the cabin: "The court is investigating a case, don't move! That boat is not allowed to sail!"
It’s Chunli!
Jasmine's eyes filled with tears.
Jasmine bent over and tried to leave the cabin, but was blocked by someone. A pair of muddy feet appeared in Jasmine's sight.
"Excuse me, please let me pass."
The man didn't move. Jasmine tilted her head and looked up, only to see a familiar yet unfamiliar face.
"You are... Third Master?!"
Jasmine was shocked. She immediately realized what was going on. "Chun..."
Before she could even utter the word "Chun Li", Third Master covered her mouth tightly, and then Jasmine was dragged into the cabin against her will.
Chunli's excited voice rang out from outside: "Cha! Cha! I finally found you!"
Jasmine didn't hear Shancha's voice, and Chunli's voice became increasingly erratic as the boat rocked.
Why...is the boat sailing?!
When the boat was some distance from the shore, it turned a corner, and Jasmine's eyes widened just enough to see the situation on the dock.
I saw another group of people coming quickly, the one leading them was not wearing a straw raincoat, his handsome features were clearly visible, it was her grandfather.
Jasmine struggled to climb out of the cabin, but was dragged back by her ankles.
Her face hit the deck and her nose started bleeding.
The shore was completely out of sight. Jasmine glared at the Third Master: "What are you doing, Third Master?"
"My aunt is quite courageous. If she hadn't boarded the boat, I wouldn't have noticed. It turns out I caught the wrong person. It seems that my aunt is not only courageous, but also extremely intelligent. I believe she can live a good life even if she leaves the Duke's Mansion."
Jasmine didn't waste any time talking to him, and only advised him, "Third Master, have you considered the consequences? I'm the concubine that the Duke personally welcomed into the mansion. The Duke won't give up looking for me so easily. If they find out it's Third Master, he can flee for years, even decades, but have you ever thought about Third Young Master's wife and Qi'er?"
Of course the Third Master had thought about it.
Jasmine knew it from his expression. Seeing that he didn't say anything, she continued, "Third Master, do you think that the Duke won't implicate them? Third Master does trust the Duke quite a bit."
The Third Master glanced at her coldly but said nothing.
"Don't worry, Third Master. I also think that the Duke will definitely not implicate innocent people. Third Master took the money and went out to live a carefree life. The Duke will definitely help out for the sake of the orphans and widows."
Jasmine paused, then continued, "But what the Third Master did will surely be known to the whole city. The Duke won't mind, but what about the others? The Third Young Master's wife will be pointed at and criticized by the other noble ladies, and Qi'er will also be looked down upon by her classmates when she goes to school next year."
Jasmine slapped her forehead and said, "Oh, how could I forget? The only person the Third Master loves most is me. He definitely doesn't care about the mother and daughter. Fine, then, let them live or die."
The Third Master clenched his fists and glared at her. Jasmine was afraid that he would really hit her, so she kept her mouth shut.
After a moment, the Third Master's fist still looked very hard.
The Third Master said, "When I have money, I can take them out!"
"Where did the Third Master get the money?"
The Third Master sneered: "Sell the concubine, and it will come naturally."
Jasmine looked regretful. "Third Master, take a look at me. With my looks, are you sure I can get a good price?"
The third master was determined to win and smiled.
Jasmine knew what was going on and continued, "There are so many beauties on the streets of Jingdu, yet Third Master took the risk of kidnapping me, the Duke's concubine. Could it be that someone asked Third Master to do this?"
The Third Master knew he had been tricked. He was shocked and stared at Jasmine in disbelief.
Jasmine continued to guess: "But is it the wife of the Luo family?"
The Third Master's face was almost covered with a smug expression that said, "My aunt couldn't have guessed it."
Jasmine: "It's Madam Sun, right?"
There was no expression on the Third Master's face, and he didn't say a word.
Jasmine: "What are you afraid of, Third Master? I'm going to be sold anyway, so why are you afraid that I'll run away and complain?"
The Third Master thought her words made sense. So what if she guessed it?
"You guessed right. It was Madam Sun. Madam Sun promised me that if I sold you, she would give me a sum of money that I could never spend in my lifetime. So, if Auntie wants to blame someone, blame Madam Sun. I was just following orders."
After the boat docked, Jasmine was taken by the three men to a carriage. After the carriage had been traveling for half an hour, Jasmine heard the Third Master talking to someone.
After a while, the Third Master started arguing with someone. After another while, someone opened the curtain and pulled her out of the car.
Jasmine was locked up in an inn.
Looking at the furious Third Master, Jasmine said, "But Madam Sun has changed her mind and doesn't plan to give you the money?"
The Third Master gritted his teeth, "She gave me half, and said she'd give me the other half after I solved the problem. I made a deal with her, handing over the money and the person, and now she's going back on her word! She thinks my concubine is already here, and there's no way she can escape their clutches!"
Jasmine said fearfully, "Master San, you've got to keep a close eye on me. If they steal or rob me from you, you'll definitely lose all the money you have left."
Of course, the Third Master was also the most worried about this. He only had three people including himself, but the other party had more than ten people in the open.
The third master was angry and anxious, pacing back and forth in the room.
Jasmine was no more relaxed than Third Master. She thought of a way and said after a while, "Maybe they will take action soon. Third Master, why don't you hide me somewhere where no one can find me?"
The place they were in was a small county town a few hundred miles from Kyoto. Jasmine felt that the most conspicuous place was the safest place.
The main reason was that she was afraid that if the Third Master locked her up in a cage in some corner and forgot about her or ran away, she would be in no condition to cry out for help and would really die.
The current nest of female beggars was exactly what she wanted.
Jasmine was crouching at the back, trying to figure out how to escape, when suddenly two pairs of dark, bare feet stood before her.
Jasmine looked up and saw two female beggars staring at her with a fierce look.
Jasmine thought they were dissatisfied with her occupying their territory, so the censor moved further inside.
Unexpectedly, the next moment, two female beggars started to strip her clothes.
Jasmine didn't dare to scream, let alone protect her clothes, and let them snatch them away.
Jasmine hugged her knees and waited for the female beggar to change out of her tattered clothes. She then grabbed the tattered clothes and put them on herself.
"How is it, haven't you found it yet?"
"Damn it! He actually hid the person! If I can't find him, how can I have the face to go back and report?"
"elder brother."
The burly man called "brother" followed his younger brother's gaze and looked towards the path.
Then the burly man waved his hand and led his men to surround the small entrance.
Jasmine felt the sky above her suddenly darken, and she dared not breathe. The man's footsteps were getting closer and closer.
When Jasmine realized that he was about to reach her, the footsteps stopped.
"Help, what are you doing?"
Jasmine peeked out from the corner of her eye and saw the beggar woman who had just robbed her clothes and was wearing them being carried out of the alley by two men.
In an instant, the path returned to tranquility.
Jasmine knew that the Third Master was watching her from a corner. But if she didn't leave now, she would be sure to find him if he realized he had caught the wrong person.
Jasmine pinched her legs hard, took a deep breath, and then rushed out of the path in one step, not caring whether the road she was walking on was right or not. The first thing she had to do was to escape from the sight of the Third Master and those people.
After running for quite a distance, she didn't notice anyone chasing her. Jasmine's face lit up with joy.
After running for two more blocks, he finally stopped at a secluded alley.
She wasn't sure if it was because the Third Master couldn't catch up or if he just didn't want to bother with her anymore. Jasmine didn't bother to find out. She planned to ask for directions back to Kyoto.
After asking three people, they all saw that she was a beggar and either avoided her or drove her away impatiently.
Jasmine was speechless.
From last night until now, she hadn't eaten for almost a whole day and night. Standing in front of the bun stall, Jasmine shamelessly held out her hand: "Only two. I'll definitely pay you back when I have money."
The beggar girl had a pair of clear eyes on her face. Most importantly, the bun-making boy was afraid that the beggars would hang around him and affect his business.
He quickly picked up two buns, wrapped them in oil paper, and gave them to the beggar woman: "Eat over there."
"Hey, thank you, big brother." Jasmine was about to reach out to take it when the sound of horse hooves from far away suddenly came closer. Jasmine turned her head and saw her grandfather's figure flash by.
Jasmine turned her head again and saw only her grandfather's back as he quickly walked away.
Jasmine grabbed the bun tightly and ran after it.
"Master, I'm Jasmine! Turn around and look at me!"
The group of people had already gone far away, so how could they hear anything?
...
The Duke has been on the road non-stop since he heard that his concubine was missing in the early morning.
After chasing Chunli to the dock, he saw that he had only found Shancha. The Duke knew something was wrong. He was afraid that the enemy had discovered that they had arrested the wrong person, and just happened to run into the concubine who wanted to save Shancha.
The Duke was afraid that his concubine might still be in the city, so he ordered Chunli to search carefully for her in the city.
He took Zuo He out of the city to search.
Shancha was abandoned by the other party at the dock, which means that my aunt was taken away on the boat at the dock.
The Duke locked onto the direction of the ship, and when he found it, he heard that it was the concubine who was taken away by three men in a red-painted carriage with a canopy and blue cloth curtains.
The Duke went straight into the small county town.
The Duke was very attentive in searching for his concubine along the way. When his concubine left the house, she was still in her nightgown, and the Duke was confident he would recognize her at a glance.
But the Duke never expected that his concubine would become a beggar!
The red-painted carriage with blue cloth curtains was surrounded by a group of people. The two men driving the carriage were terrified and told everything they knew.
They were the Third Master's cronies, accepting bribes from him to do things for them. Unexpectedly, they brought the concubine here and had a conflict with the group of people who were handing her over. They were no match for the group, and the concubine was abducted.
As for the Third Master, they didn't know where he was.
The Duke immediately went to find the person to take over.
Coincidentally, before the Duke took any action, the group turned back the same way.
Dozens of people rushed into the path, seemingly anxiously searching for something.
The Duke blocked both ends of the path and captured more than a dozen people.
The Duke held the burly man's neck and asked, "Where is the woman we captured?"
"General, please spare my life. I am only following orders. That woman is... is..."
"General, we found the person!"
The Duke strode over and saw a woman squatting on the ground with her knees hugged. The woman's clothes were dirty and wrinkled, but the Duke was very familiar with her and confirmed that this was his concubine!
"Stubborn boy." The Duke immediately stepped forward, picked up his "aunt", and pressed her into his arms.
"I'm here, don't be afraid."
"Master."
The clear and beautiful voice that belonged only to the concubine sounded behind him. The Duke was startled and turned around to see the concubine's face.
The concubine's clothes were dirty and torn, so black that they could not be seen from the outside, and her face was swollen. But the Duke recognized her at a glance; this was his concubine.
The Duke realized it later and pulled the person away. After taking a look at the face, he immediately took a few steps back.
Jasmine remembered something and was about to tell her grandfather that the beggar was a bad man and that it was the beggar who stole her clothes.
Her grandfather turned his back to the beggar, grabbed her shoulders, and looked her up and down for a long time. With only her in his eyes, he asked, "Is Jian'er okay?"
Jasmine swallowed what she was about to say and shook her head: "I'm fine."
Her grandfather's eyes were red. Jasmine was confused and just as she was about to speak, her head was covered by the purple official robe.
She was held tightly in her grandfather's arms, and heard a voice from above her head: "Don't worry, Qiang'er, I will avenge you."
...
"Auntie, you have suffered."
"Aunt, why are you looking for me? Do you really want me to owe you a favor? Now it's okay, now it's okay... ah..."
Jasmine returned to the house in a daze and took a bath in the bathtub with Shancha and Xiuhong serving her.
The two girls cried and wailed, and only then did Jasmine realize what was going on.
"I'm fine."
"How can it be okay? A woman's chastity is more important than anything else. I see the Duke is about to go crazy. But don't worry, Auntie. If the Duke ignores you, Shancha will be there for you."
This matter...
Jasmine recalled that when she came back, the Duke took her on a horse, and she sat in front of her grandfather, wearing her grandfather's official robes.
When they arrived at the mansion gate, she was carried back by her grandfather.
Even if you didn't see it at the time, you can imagine the prosperous scene surrounded by people watching.
This scene, not to mention the suspicions of the two girls Shancha and Xiuhong, is probably spreading throughout Kyoto City that the Duke's concubine disappeared overnight and was raped by a villain.
Jasmine closed her eyes. This was a serious matter.
She was afraid that no one would believe her innocence even if she spoke her mind.
Jasmine was annoyed.
But she was only upset for a short while. She recalled over and over again what her grandfather said in her ear while holding her:
"Don't be afraid, stubborn boy. I'm here."
"Don't worry, Qiang'er, I will avenge you."
She was lucky enough to meet this person.
She is really lucky.
No, it’s more like no one in this world has a better life than her.
Her grandfather didn't even look at the female beggar.
At first, the Duke only took a casual look at her body and accepted her. But her master no longer cared about the beggar girl.
Does this mean that in her grandfather's heart, Jasmine is extraordinary?
Is it unique?
Jasmine couldn't help but laugh.
Her grandfather values her.
She will treat him well in the future. For the rest of her life.
"Auntie, Auntie, don't do this. Shancha is scared..."
"Auntie, Xiuhong is also afraid..."
The two girls suddenly saw the smile on their aunt's face. It would be strange if they weren't afraid of her smiling at such a time.
The two girls couldn't help but hug the bathtub and burst into tears again.
Fearing that something might happen to his concubine, the Duke did not even shave or wash himself, but sat in the courtyard, waiting for his concubine to come out after washing herself.
The Duke suddenly heard the two girls crying and rushed in.
"Stubborn!"
The bathtub was overturned, and Jasmine was held in the arms of the Duke.
The Duke looked at her and found nothing unusual, so he carried her to the bed.
Jasmine was wrapped like a dumpling in a brocade quilt and then laid down on the pillow by her grandfather.
The Duke touched his aunt's face and soothed her, "Have a good sleep. When you wake up, I'll forget what happened today, okay?"
Jasmine explained helplessly: "Master, this servant is really fine."
The Duke covered her mouth and said, "Stop talking, Qiang'er. I don't mind at all, and you are not allowed to mind either. I just want you to be as good as before, promise me."
Jasmine blinked her moist eyes and nodded again.
The Duke finally let her go: "I still have things to attend to. I'll be back later."
The Duke strode away, and Jasmine didn't even have time to hold his hand.
As the Duke turned around and left, Xiuhong and Shancha came in to accompany her.
Jasmine asked Xiuhong, "Why hasn't the Duke washed up yet? Go and check."
Xiuhong chased him out and came back in a moment later: "Auntie, the Duke has taken Zuo Hechunli out."
Jasmine curled the corners of her lips, and tears couldn't help rolling down her eyes.
...
After the Duke came back, he didn't even wait to change his clothes and walked out of the Duke's Mansion with a murderous look on his face.
Everyone in the Duke's Mansion could imagine what the Duke was going to do.
It was the first time the old lady had seen the Duke so angry, and she was horrified. She ordered the steward to quickly catch up and investigate.
The Fourth Young Master's wife stood to the left of the Old Madam, watching the Duke leave through the gate. She hesitated and asked, "Did the Duke find the murderer who murdered the concubine? Who could it be?"
The eldest young lady stood to the right of the old lady, her eyes unfocused and her face as pale as dust.
He actually lost.
How does the Duke know who the murderer is?
The direction the Duke is heading is...Sun Mansion!
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