After leaving the hall, the Duchess walked toward the courtyard where Li Jiaojiao was with a dark expression.
Granny Yu and Xiao Lü, their faces pale, followed behind her.
Granny Yu gritted her teeth and said, "Madam... has made such a fool of herself... I'm afraid the Third Miss can't stay... Ah!"
"Slap!" The Duchess turned around and slapped her across the face.
Granny Yu was suddenly slapped by her, both shocked and aggrieved. When she looked up, she met the Duchess's cold and stern face:
"Make a fool of ourselves? Haven't we made enough of a fool of ourselves already? Now that we're in this situation, if we kick her out, wouldn't we be even more of a laughingstock?"
She has become the laughing stock of the entire capital.
If Li Jiaojiao is kicked out again, that bitch Ye Caiping will definitely think she's afraid of her!
She, Wan Shu, would rather not steam buns than fight for pride! She insisted on keeping Jiao Jiao here!
The Duchess, with a sullen face, quickly walked to the courtyard where Li Jiaojiao lived.
Li Jiaojiao has woken up.
She thought she would be kicked out of the Duke's mansion, but unexpectedly she returned after waking up.
A series of footsteps sounded, and Li Jiaojiao turned around to see the Duchess of the State walking in.
Her expression changed slightly, and she was about to get up.
"Alright, sit down!" The Duchess gestured for her to sit down.
Li Jiaojiao's eyes reddened: "Mother... I know you hate me..."
She knew that the Duchess had already forgiven her! Otherwise, she wouldn't have stayed despite the pressure.
Li Jiaojiao felt a surge of shock and emotion: "Mother, you have to believe me... Although I was implicated in the cheating case... it was all my brother's doing."
“My brother, Li Ziming, somehow got the answer and went around asking people for advice. He forced me to go with him... I was just a little girl, what did I know about the imperial examinations? I just thought he was just visiting people to ask for knowledge normally.”
"Later, he was arrested, and I was implicated because of him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been sentenced to three years while I only got one month... If Mother doesn't believe me, she can check..."
"After I got out of prison, I was afraid my stepfather would sell me, so I didn't dare go home. I was looking for a place to go, but I was caught by traffickers and sold to the capital."
"After being adopted by you, Mother, I thought of my mother back home. My mother was beaten by my stepfather every day and lived a life worse than that of pigs and dogs."
“I feel heartbroken whenever I think of her, so I immediately asked the Dongshan Real Estate Broker to help me buy her out. She’s living in my hometown now.”
"This is all I have. If Mother doesn't believe me, she can have someone investigate."
Li Jiaojiao cried until her eyes were red, feeling both wronged and desperate.
The Duchess was initially angry, but upon hearing about her tragic background and experiences, and seeing her swollen face, she softened.
Even after becoming wealthy, he never forgot his birth mother; he was a filial son!
The Duchess sat down beside her bed and said reproachfully, "Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?"
"I...I'm afraid my mother will dislike me..."
"Silly child, is your mother the kind of petty and old-fashioned person?"
"Mother!" Li Jiaojiao rushed over and hugged the Duchess tightly. "It was my fault for being ignorant... I've only been here a few days, and there are so many things I don't know or haven't learned... I always thought that dukes, marquises, earls, and barons... were just a higher class... and I didn't understand anything else, which is why things have turned out like this!"
The Duchess blushed deeply upon hearing this.
Actually, it's all her own fault! She never told Jiao Jiao the true situation of the Duke's mansion.
However, who would tell their newly adopted daughter that their family is struggling to make ends meet and no one is willing to take up an official post... How embarrassing!
Naturally, the easier ones to talk about are those of the ranks such as duke, marquis, earl, and baron...
The Duchess patted her on the back: "Alright... what's past is past."
Li Jiaojiao felt a pang of bittersweet emotion.
In this world, besides her mother, there is no one else who treats her so well!
Li Jiaojiao's emotions were genuine!
She stepped out of the Duchess's embrace and looked at her timidly: "Mother...actually...there's something else I'm hiding from you. There was another person who was bought into the household with me..."
As she spoke, she revealed Gu Han's existence.
Li Jiaojiao knew that if she caused a scandal that landed her in jail, not only would she not be able to marry into a noble family, but even a slightly better family would not want her.
Her only hope was Gu Han!
As long as she helps Gu Han regain his position as heir apparent, Gu Han will definitely marry her and make her his heir apparent's wife!
The Duchess listened as she recounted how she rescued Gu Han from the street and brought him home, how she treated his illness and took him in...
Overjoyed, he asked, "Are you telling the truth? You saved the former heir of the Marquis of Ningguo's family?"
Li Jiaojiao nodded emphatically: "Perhaps it is our fate that we were sold into this place together. I was adopted as his goddaughter, while he... I can't help him for the time being, and I'm afraid he will be recognized, so I sent him to the manor."
"Good, good, good!" The Duchess grasped her hand tightly. "Mother was right about Jiaojiao. Jiaojiao is kind-hearted and sincere! Your imprisonment was all because of someone else's involvement! Poor thing..."
As he spoke, he touched her little face.
"By the way, what about Gu Han's feelings towards you...?"
"He... said he liked me, said he would marry me someday. But... I don't know anything about him. I'm just a girl, I don't understand these things. I only listen to my mother's arrangements..."
If she hadn't promised the Duchess of Pingguo to find a match for the heir of the Marquis of Dingguo, she would have admitted that she also liked Gu Han.
Lady Pingguo said excitedly, "Yes, yes, how can you decide such a thing on your own? Don't worry, I will help with Gu Han's matter. But you can't tell Gu Han that I want to marry you off to another man... I'm afraid he will mind."
Li Jiaojiao nodded shyly.
The Duchess breathed a sigh of relief.
If their Duke of Pingguo's mansion helps Gu Han regain his position as heir apparent.
Gu Hanfeng married Jiaojiao in a grand ceremony, and then recounted how he had fallen on hard times and how Jiaojiao had not looked down on him, rescuing him, a "beggar," and taking him home to seek medical treatment. That would prove that Jiaojiao was a kind person.
Then we can spend some money to publicize it, and everyone will know that Jiaojiao was implicated in the crime when she went to jail.
Along with that, it also proves that she is not blind.
Moreover, she has always been at odds with the Mei family, so if she can help Gu Han seize the throne, it would be killing two birds with one stone.
Li Jiaojiao was overjoyed: "Mother...how do you plan to help Gu Han...?"
Lady Pingguo's smile froze slightly: "This... needs to be considered carefully."
The Ningguo Marquis's mansion is not one to be trifled with.
The current Marquis of Ningguo, Gu Shen, is quite formidable, serving as the Deputy Commander of the Third-Rank Imperial Guard, a position that commands great prestige.
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