Chapter 78 Chapter 78 "She killed someone, so she should be punished...
Two days ago, Jasmine went to the clinic and confirmed that she was pregnant.
She knew that using such a trick was too despicable and unfair to the child, but she had no choice.
Every night for the past two days, she would hold her belly and ask for the baby's forgiveness.
She will definitely love her even more and take good care of her in the future. She has her parents' love and care, and she is the most glorious and happiest little girl in Kyoto!
I’m afraid it may not be a little girl.
But Jasmine wanted to be a little girl. It didn't matter if she wasn't as gentle and sensible as other noble ladies, and it didn't matter if she was naughty and mischievous.
In short, as her mother, she will always support her behind the scenes!
Should she tell He Congde about this first, or tell the child's father?
It’s better to let the child’s father know first!
When the Duke was teaching Wan Sui'er to ride a horse for the second time, he "accidentally" met his aunt again.
"What a coincidence!"
The concubine stood not far away and waved at him. The Duke grabbed the reins and turned away.
This was only Wan Sui'er's second time riding a horse. Suddenly the horse circled and she couldn't sit still. She screamed and almost fell down.
The Duke grabbed Wan Sui'er's arm and tried to steady her. The concubine rushed over, pushed him aside, and asked Wan Sui'er, "Madam Wan, do you want to get off the horse? Let me help you."
Before Wan Sui'er could say anything, she was pulled off the horse.
"Be careful." The Duke was quick to support Wan Sui'er's waist, so she didn't fall.
The Duke turned and looked at the concubine with a stern look in his eyes: "What are you doing?"
The two dimples on my aunt's face seem to be able to speak.
Jasmine smiled mysteriously and said, "Jian'er has some good news to tell you. Can you please excuse me for a moment?"
"No."
The Duke refused without a second thought.
Should she say it in front of Wan Sui'er? She didn't mind anyway.
Jasmine grabbed the Duke's hand, and the Duke tried to break free but couldn't. Jasmine held her grandfather's hand with both hands and slowly moved it to her belly.
"Master, feel it, what do you think is inside?" Jasmine's eyes sparkled.
Duke: "Besides being full of bad intentions, what else is there?"
Jasmine told herself not to be upset. She grinned again, "No, guess again."
"My wife!"
Before the Duke could say anything, he heard an extremely anxious voice.
It was Shancha. Jasmine turned around and saw Shancha running towards her, sweat all over her face and face, filled with fear and anxiety.
Jasmine was stunned and forgot to react for a moment.
Shancha came up to him in a blink of an eye: "Come on, follow me!"
Jasmine turned stiffly to glance at the Duke, still unable to speak. Shancha dragged her away with brute force.
The Duke frowned, watching the concubine's figure disappear into the distance. His palm still held the concubine's body temperature.
What did she say just now?
The Duke, who had no children and had never expected to have any, naturally had no idea what his concubine would say.
Wan Sui'er on the side seemed to be thinking about something.
...
"What's wrong?"
Shancha still looked terrified. Even though she was sitting in a carriage with the wind blowing in her face, beads of sweat kept rolling down her forehead.
Shancha drove the car so fast that it flew up, but she still felt it was not fast enough and kept beating the reins.
Jasmine realized that the road she was taking was actually the opposite direction to Kyoto City. She climbed out of the carriage, sat on the shaft, and fought with Shancha for the reins.
Shancha was frightened and turned her head to look at her.
Jasmine: "Is something wrong?"
Shancha nodded without saying a word, tears streaming down her face.
"How is that possible?"
Jasmine guessed it, but she couldn't figure it out. How could he be discovered?
"Those two men have been sold into forced labor, and I've also taken care of Madam Duan. Mita Village is so far from Kyoto City, they can't find it. Could you be mistaken?"
Shancha shook her head. She hugged her wife tightly and took a long breath before swallowing back her sobs. She took a deep breath and spoke, "But your parents really are here! The Jingzhao prefect sent a lot of soldiers to arrest you. Wutu came to find me, so I came to find you. We can't go back to Jingdu now, we have to leave quickly."
Jasmine was also very scared, and she forced herself to calm down.
After a while, Jasmine asked, "Did you bring any money with you?"
She came from the shop, so how could she have any money? Even if she had thought of it, she couldn't go back to the courtyard. Besides, she was so scared that if her wife hadn't mentioned it now, she wouldn't have thought of it at all.
Shancha shook her head with a bitter face.
Jasmine felt something was wrong. She was really scared. Especially since she was the one who got involved. Jasmine comforted him, "It's okay. Wait until the storm is over. At worst, I can come back secretly to get it."
That being said, Jasmine knew it was impossible. Officials loved to extort money from the people, especially criminals. How could they possibly return the money they had confiscated during a house raid?
But life is the most important thing.
Jasmine, suppressing her heartache, let Shancha get in the carriage to rest for a while while she drove the carriage. She would take over in half an hour.
...
Today, the atmosphere in the Duke's Mansion was particularly strange. Everyone gathered in the front courtyard, each face filled with fear and sighs.
As soon as the Duke stepped through the door, he could still hear the noisy discussions coming from the living room, but when he entered the living room, everyone fell silent again.
The Duke did not suspect anything and walked forward to greet the old lady, waiting for her to ask him how his day was.
Unexpectedly, the old lady didn't speak for a moment. The Duke thought that perhaps the old lady wanted him to speak first, so he said: "Today, Zifu accompanied Wan Niangzi on a horseback ride and had lunch at noon..."
"Let's not talk about this for now." The old lady interrupted him.
The Duke couldn't help but wonder.
The old lady looked at him, her face full of disbelief and fear, and said, "Do you know that your aunt is a murderer?"
...
After a while, after listening to what the old lady said, the Duke stood in the guest hall, his face frosty, and he was silent for a long time.
Everyone saw the Duke's reaction and understood.
Anyone who knew their partner was a murderous demon would be shocked and angry. The Duke was no exception.
The old lady advised, "It's a good thing that woman left quickly, otherwise our Duke's Mansion would have been ruined by her and its reputation would have been ruined. The He Mansion would also be in trouble."
The old lady continued with a sullen face, "It's all their own fault. They can't blame anyone else."
The eldest young lady was terrified and clutched her chest. "She actually dared to kill someone. How dare she?"
The old man murmured in agreement, "It's a good thing he left and never came back. Otherwise, given the relationship between Madam and her, she wouldn't have lived long."
The eldest young lady's wife became even more frightened and hid in the master's arms.
The old man took the opportunity to hug her. "It's okay, this time with the Jingzhao prefect taking action, she's dead."
The Fourth Young Master's wife said, "I heard that the person ran away. She is quite well-informed. I wonder who warned her."
The old lady suddenly remembered and asked, "The shopkeeper at Concubine Liang's clothing store said she didn't go to work today. Erlang, did she come to see you today?"
"No." The Duke did not want to lie, but he was in no mood to explain at the moment.
The Duke bowed and left.
The old lady wanted to say something to him, but she was too late.
Ever since Auntie left, the Duke would often think of her in the dead of night, thinking of her words, her voice, her smile.
We have only known each other for less than two years, but it feels like we have been together for half a lifetime.
And all these memories are just my aunt's false feelings.
It turns out that she is not only hypocritical and a habitual liar, but also a cruel murderer.
It seems that he has never understood her.
Xiuhong looked into the room without any peripheral light. She could not see what was happening inside, but she knew that the Duke must be sitting in the chair in the living room in a daze, just like he had done for many days before.
Xiuhong was incredibly sad. Did her aunt really kill someone? How could she have done that?
There were a few crisp "clang" sounds.
Xiuhong was startled and stared at the door, not daring to get close.
...
"How... is it possible?"
After hearing what happened, Mrs. He fainted.
When she woke up again, Mrs. He only saw Mr. He. Seeing that it was already dark outside, Mrs. He grabbed Mr. He's sleeve and asked, "Where is Congde? Why hasn't Congde come back yet?"
Mr. He was afraid of irritating her further, so he said, "He's still in the charity warehouse. He's busy, you know that."
"So he doesn't know about this yet." Mrs. He was relieved immediately.
Then, Madam He beat her chest and stamped her feet again: "God damn it, what sin did our family commit! How could we have provoked such a disaster!"
Mr. He's expression was equally solemn and confused. "How could Baixiang do such a thing? She shouldn't have done that."
After all, she was still his student. Especially since she was the only female student in the school, she was very smart and he admired her very much.
Mr. He especially remembers that he taught his little girl to write her name, and she memorized it after only teaching her once.
I originally thought that she already knew her own name, but later on, whatever I taught her, she could learn it right away, even better than He Congde.
Mr. He felt regretful at the time, thinking how great it would be if the baby was a boy.
It was for this reason that even though Qin Baixiang had been a concubine to the Duke, Mr. He agreed to He Congde marrying her.
But I never expected that this would be the result.
Congde should be back from Jingzhao Prefecture soon. What will he do? Mr. He couldn't help but worry.
To confirm that Jasmine really killed someone, Congde should let her go, right?
Yes. Definitely.
Even if he didn't want to, there was nothing he could do.
He Congde returned home in the middle of the night. Mr. He had been waiting for him. When he saw him walk in, Mr. He went forward and asked, "What's going on?"
He Congde didn't speak for a while.
Mr. He immediately understood. He sat back down and asked, "Did Baixiang really kill someone?"
He Congde's eyes were bloodshot and his face was blue after a night. He was a little at a loss.
Mr. He said, "Sit down and talk. Have a drink of water."
He Congde's hands were shaking as he took the cup, and it made a crisp sound when it knocked against his teeth. He tilted his head back and drank it before he spoke, "Dad, do you have any way to save her?"
Mr. He: "First, tell me the whole story."
He Congde had forgotten about it, but when he was reminded of it, he told everything he had learned in Jingzhao Prefecture.
"...Not only her parents, but also the witness who saw her committing murder came with their own eyes. They also brought a pair of rusty scissors as physical evidence. I don't know how they found Kyoto City, but this matter is already confirmed."
He Congde was more frightened than ever before: "Dad, do you know Baixiang has escaped? I'm afraid this matter cannot be reversed."
Mr. He didn't answer for a long while and asked, "Did you ask Baixiang why he killed people?"
He Congde's face suddenly turned gloomy. He gritted his teeth and squeezed out the words: "Two people bullied Baixiang, so Baixiang stabbed one of them and then ran away."
At first, the couple and the witness did not tell the truth. They just said that Baixiang was naughty and refused to admit punishment after doing something wrong. After being punished, he became angry and stabbed someone with a pair of scissors.
But the Jingzhao prefect was a very smart man. He used some tricks and threats to make the three men tell the truth without saying a word.
Upon hearing this, He Congde could hardly control himself. He didn't know how much strength he had to exert, his nails digging deep into his knees, before he could barely restrain himself from going forward to kill.
Mr. He's face showed hope. "Then there's still room for reversal. Baixiang was careless and was protecting herself. At most, he'll go to jail, but he won't be executed."
He Congde was silent for a moment, then said, "Dad, you know, she deliberately hid the scissors under her pillow."
Mr. He said nothing.
There is a difference between being fully prepared to stab someone and accidentally hurting them.
After a long time, Mr. He said: "She must have known that those two were going to bully her, so she hid the scissors."
He Congde continued slowly, "But she didn't hide the scissors. Maybe she's still in Santian Village. I don't know whether she's alive or dead. Dad, how can you blame her for this?"
When he said the last sentence, He Congde could no longer hide his excitement.
Before Mr. He could say anything, Mrs. He suddenly ran out from behind.
Mrs. He looked from her husband to her son, her face filled with surprise and grief. "Why can't I blame her? She killed someone. There's no woman as despicable as her in this world! Our family was almost implicated by her. I'm afraid the He family's reputation and your father and son's careers would be in jeopardy. How can I not blame her?"
He Congde stepped forward to support his mother: "But mother, she was also forced to do so. She was the one who was bullied."
"That's her fault too! She's just unlucky. She knew she had a bad fate, but she still wanted to harm others. Our family has done everything for her, but she turned against us. How can we not blame her?"
He Congde seemed to have no way to refute it. He just stood there with a look of pain on his face.
Mrs. He looked at her son, realizing she had been impulsive. She said slowly, "De'er, you must not wade into this muddy water. You know how difficult it is for our family to gain a foothold in Kyoto. You are the only one in the He family, and you haven't yet established any branches. You must not ruin yourself because of her."
"Mom means you don't want me to save her?" He Congde shook his head and stepped back. "But I'm the only one she has. She's my fiancée. If I don't do anything, I'm afraid people outside will gossip about me."
Madam He glanced at Mr. He and then said, "You can save her, just do your best. I only ask one thing of you, that this marriage be cancelled."
Mr. He stood still and said, "Your mother agreed to your promise once before, and this time it's time for you to compromise."
After a moment, He Congde replied, "Okay."
...
"Your Majesty, why is he sending us on a mission at this time? You don't even bother to show some consideration for our master."
Chunli glanced at Zuo He and said in a numb voice, "Your Majesty is doing this for my own good."
"What's wrong?" After saying that, Zuo He suddenly thought of it.
It's for the Duke's own good. The concubine had caused an even bigger disturbance, and His Majesty was worried that the Duke would be too upset and would have more trouble imagining things if he had nothing to do, so he sent someone out.
They said they wanted the Duke to investigate the smuggling on Lu Island, but a small Lu Island wouldn't need their Duke. It was clearly intentional.
After thinking it through, Zuo He stopped talking.
The group continued on their journey on horseback.
Zuo He was not only worried about his grandfather, but also about Chun Li.
How could Chunli possibly let it go? That girl might know what his aunt had done. If Jingzhao Prefecture found out and she concealed the truth, she would be an accomplice!
Zuo He advised again: "I have been with that woman day and night for more than a year, it is normal that I can't stand being deceived, but you have only spoken to that girl a few times, you don't have to take it to heart."
Chun Li stared blankly ahead: "I don't want to take it personally, but I can't."
Zuo Hechou, he really had no other choice.
It was two days later that we arrived at Lu Island.
"Rest today and go to the local county government tomorrow morning to inquire about the situation."
The Duke has spoken.
Zuo He: "My subordinates are not tired, so why don't we go to the county government today?"
The Duke looked at him and said, "No need."
In the evening, Zuo He dragged Chunli to go drink with the Duke.
"I appreciate your kindness. You know how drinking can lead to mistakes."
Zuo He fled in shame.
The two of them no longer mentioned drinking, and Chunli didn't want to stay in the house. Zuo He tacitly accompanied him to a corner of the inn's living room to sit and drink tea.
Chunli stared blankly at the passing scenery outside the window. "Even though she was cruel, I couldn't just stand by and watch her die. I thought it would be better if I escaped. It's a pity that I'll never see her again."
Zuo He asked in confusion, "That girl has no family background, no beauty, and she's not a lady at all. What do you like about her?"
Chunli was still staring out the window, a look of melancholy on his face. "I don't know. I also want to know why I became so obsessed. My family chose a wife for me, and that girl was perfect in every way. But every time I think about opening my eyes every day and seeing someone other than her, I feel bitter and astringent."
Zuo He was even more puzzled: "But you didn't open your eyes and see her right now, did you?"
Chunli: "How is that the same? Before I got married, at least I could fantasize, at least I had expectations. But once I got married, I always had to take care of my wife. I'm afraid that in this life..."
Chun Li suddenly stopped talking. Zuo He waited a long time for him to continue, so he asked curiously, "Why didn't you say anything?"
After he finished speaking, Chunli jumped up, then flew into the sky like a frightened bird and slipped out of the inn door.
Zuo He followed him out, but the man disappeared.
"Where have you been?"
When Chunli came back, it was already evening. The Duke and his brothers were having dinner around several tables in the living room on the ground floor.
Chunli did not return to Zuo He, but walked up to the Duke with a serious expression.
The Duke asked in confusion, "What's the matter?"
Chunli moved closer and asked quietly, "Master, can I have a moment to talk?"
The Duke didn't feel that there were outsiders around, but he had never seen Chunli like this before. The Duke didn't say much, but stood up and walked to a corner where there were fewer people.
"Tell me, what's the matter?"
Chunli then said, "I saw Auntie and Shancha here."
The Duke looked at the inn's door with an unpredictable expression: "He ran pretty fast."
Chun Li did not suspect anything and said anxiously: "Master, the people from Jingzhao Prefecture are on the same road with us. We can't just sit there and watch."
The Duke looked at him.
Chunli continued, "Master, please quickly find a way to lure the people from Jingzhao Prefecture away. I will then find a place to settle them, master and servant."
"Who taught you to use public power for personal gain and break the law?"
Chunli was startled and looked at the Duke in disbelief: "Master..."
"She killed someone, so she should be punished. Her girl was an accomplice to the crime, so she is equally guilty."
Chun Li panicked: "I thought you would not be willing to see my aunt die. Why would you..."
"This won't happen again." The Duke gave him a final warning glance, strode away, and then called Zuo He again.
"Notify the people in Jingzhao Prefecture and ask them to follow me to arrest the person."
...
Jasmine fled in panic for four days and only settled down in an abandoned house on Lu Island last night.
The two of them had nothing to eat last night. In the past few days, they had sold the pearl hairpins and earrings on their heads in exchange for silver. They had spent a lot of money on food and drink along the way, and on buying feed for the horses.
But yesterday, Jasmine discovered that they were being targeted. After much thought, she could only sell the jewelry she had on the road to betray them.
Jasmine knew that she could no longer rely on selling jewelry to pay back the debt, so from last night until now, the two of them had not eaten a single piece of bread and had only relied on drinking water to fill their stomachs.
It was not until the afternoon, when the sun was scorching and they thought the soldiers were resting, that Jasmine and Shancha came out to look for something to eat.
Shancha was rummaging through a barrel in front of the inn when she noticed something was wrong. She looked up and met a face that looked very much like Chunli.
Shancha turned around and saw Zuo He standing beside her. She realized that she had not recognized the wrong person, so she jumped up and ran away with Jasmine.
They were weak women with no skills, how could they outrun the agile warriors?
In a blink of an eye, Chunli stopped him.
Jasmine glared at Chunli warily, and Shancha rushed over to beg for mercy. Seeing Chunli's expression moved, Jasmine's face changed immediately and she began to beg as well.
Chunli hadn't thought about what to do with them at first, so he told them that people from Jingzhao Prefecture were searching for them nearby, and told them not to worry, as he would go back and tell the Duke, who would definitely find a way to save them.
Jasmine escaped without waiting for the Duke to arrive.
Shancha was puzzled: "Madam, why?" Shancha felt that they might not be able to escape if they relied on just the two of them.
If the Duke is around, they will have a better chance.
Jasmine said nothing, simply dragging her away from the abandoned house. The two of them sat in a carriage parked on a secluded road. From their position, they could just see a corner of the dilapidated house.
When Shan Cha saw a group of men rushing in with knives and fierce looks, she knew everything.
"Chun Li lied to us!"
Jasmine: "Not Chunli."
"That's... the Duke?"
"Who else but him?"
Jasmine was heartbroken, but strangely, she didn't blame him at all.
How could a powerful official who always values rules and laws break the rules for her?
She had thought of this day as early as when she was still in the Duke's Mansion.
Looking at the familiar figure that appeared, that indifferent and majestic face, Jasmine felt heartbroken beyond words.
She didn't stop and said to Shancha, "Let's go."
Shancha was waiting for instructions, and she whipped the horse whip, and the carriage galloped away on the path.
They must leave Lu Island immediately.
But when the carriage was ten feet away from the county gate, Jasmine hurriedly asked Shancha to stop the carriage.
There were more guards at the city gate. There had been only four of them when they arrived, but now there were more than ten, and the inspection was more thorough.
"My dear, what should we do?" Shancha was extremely scared.
Jasmine forced herself to remain calm: "Besides the city gate, there must be other ways."
Even if there were paths, they weren't for humans. Not to mention the forest guards. Even if they could escape their sight, they still had to wade through the thorn forest swamp.
In the past, she would have braved mountains of swords and seas of fire. But now she couldn't do it.
Shancha was even more frightened.
As the two were hesitating, Jasmine was frightened by a shadow that appeared behind her.
"My lady, come with me."
He was an ordinary, plain-looking man, dressed in ordinary clothes, but his eyes were sharp and his steps were vigorous. Jasmine knew at first glance that he was no ordinary person.
No one would harm her at this time.
Jasmine pinched Shancha, who nervously hugged her arm and followed the man.
An hour later, Jasmine left the city gate, but her carriage was gone.
The man threw her a bag of silver, enough for them to use for half a year.
"I wonder who asked the young man to save us?"
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