Chapter 105

◎Please become a monk/nun◎

But now, how is Yu Ze supposed to face this? Aunt Xu wished she could go back twenty years and drown the one in Jinghua Courtyard on the spot, so as to save herself from being upset today.

Duan Yuze was at a loss. His years of hard work had almost gone to waste. How could he accept this? But now it was all in vain.

No matter how unwilling he was, the facts were as they were, and he had no way to break the deadlock; he could only resign himself to fate.

Her back slumped in despair, utterly defeated. "What am I even fighting for?"

"Yu Ze, how can you belittle yourself like that? That person is inferior to you in every way. If it weren't for Madam's favor, we don't know if he would even be alive!"

Duan Yuze had never questioned why Duan Jingchuan had a bad relationship with his stepmother. But hearing his aunt's tone, as if she knew something, he calculated Duan Jingchuan's birth time.

He was only two years old at the time and couldn't remember anything. He had rarely seen his father and had grown up with his aunt in the Marquis's mansion. Could it be...?

His heart skipped a beat. "Auntie, have you done anything inappropriate regarding the young master?"

A fleeting look of guilt crossed Aunt Xu's face. "How could you doubt me? It's Madam herself who doesn't like the Heir Apparent. No, he's not the Heir Apparent anymore, he's the Marquis of Le'an." Her tone was unmistakably sarcastic.

Duan Yuze was skeptical, but couldn't help but warn, "Auntie, you're mistaken. If I can win, it's my ability; if I can't, it's my fate. The Marquis of Dingbei's mansion is a place of honor and integrity; it shouldn't be tarnished because of me."

Aunt Xu's fingertips turned white. She suddenly stood up, not daring to look Duan Yuze in the eye. She pretended to be nonchalant and said, "Auntie knows what she's doing. You can go now. Don't forget to pay your respects to Madam."

After Duan Yuze left, Aunt Xu could no longer hold on and slumped into a chair, muttering, "Yes, I didn't do anything. It was all the madam's choice. What could a concubine like me do?"

Finally, she seemed to have convinced herself, and her expression returned to its calm and composed state.

Then, as if remembering something, she immediately frowned and began to shout in feigned impatience, "Master's illustrious reputation has been ruined by the young master! I am not reconciled! Is that troublesome Marquis of Le'an any better than the Marquis of Dingbei's mansion?"

The old nanny standing nearby quickly advised, "Madam, be careful what you say! What would happen if the young master heard you!"

“He wants to leave the Marquis of Dingbei’s mansion, and I’m not even allowed to say a word to him! So what if he’s the heir? I’m more than ten years older than him, can’t I even say a word to him?”

The commotion from Consort Xu's side reached the ears of Madam Qin and Consort Wang.

Looking at her two children, Aunt Wang warned them, "You must not say anything more about this matter, nor interfere. In any case, the position of heir will not fall into your hands, and the rise and fall of the Dingbei Marquis's mansion will not be on your shoulders. Do not be the first to act."

Looking at Duan Yuche's innocent face, Aunt Wang had a headache. How could he have such a naive and brainless personality? She patiently advised him, "Especially you, Yuche, you're not a child anymore. Don't follow Zege around all day. Doing your job properly is the right way."

Duan Yuche grinned and said to Aunt Wang in a coquettish tone, "Aunt, I'm not stupid, don't worry!"

Aunt Wang then turned her warning gaze to Duan Yutang, "Yutang, I know you have ambitions, but being born out of wedlock is a status you can't change."

Duan Yutang was indignant. "Does Auntie really want to be subservient to others for the rest of her life?"

Aunt Wang shook her head, looking ten years older in an instant. "Does marrying into a powerful family mean you don't have to live at the mercy of others? With your status, how can you be content to be the wife of a powerful person?"

Aunt Wang lived an unhappy life in the first half of her life, but in the second half, she suddenly understood.

The bitter fruits of everything ultimately stem from her initial choices. If she hadn't been so determined to curry favor with the young general, why would she have been confined to this deep mansion, unable to leave for the rest of her life?

Her former confidante, who would even give her a second glance now? It all comes down to the fact that she was merely a concubine.

Seeing that Duan Yutang was unmoved by reason, Aunt Wang wearily waved her hand, dismissing the two. Well, the Marquis's mansion has been busy lately, so there shouldn't be any problems. She'll just keep a close eye on things. She can't let her daughter follow in her footsteps.

Unlike Aunt Wang's calm demeanor, Qin Shi smashed a set of her favorite teacups as soon as she woke up.

"How dare this little bitch lay a hand on her mother-in-law? Does she think she's going to turn the world upside down?"

Granny Feng hurriedly advised from the side, "Madam, please keep your voice down."

"I'm speaking softly! Am I supposed to give her any face?" Madam Qin said indignantly. If it weren't for Granny Feng holding her back, she would have gone to Jinghua Courtyard long ago to drag that bitch Feng Ran out and give her a good beating.

Granny Feng could only sigh silently. If it were an ordinary person, Feng Ran would have been fine with a beating, but she did it right under the nose of Marquis Duan.

Since Lord Duan didn't pursue the matter, it proves that he wanted to settle things peacefully. Even if he was unwilling, he couldn't bring the matter to the forefront.

Moreover, Feng Ran is no longer the Crown Prince's wife, but the rightful Lady of the Marquis. The Lady of the Marquis and Duan Jingchuan already had a bad relationship, so Feng Ran has no need to take care of her mother-in-law's feelings.

In terms of status, they are equals, so what reason is there to teach her a lesson?

But Granny Feng absolutely could not say these words aloud, so she could only try to appease her indirectly: "I suppose they will build another residence, so it's best for Madam not to see them in the future!"

Qin spat viciously, "Does he think he's so capable? This Marquis of Le'an sounds impressive, but he has no real power, his position isn't hereditary, and he's short-sighted. Let him go! If he has any ambition, he should never set foot in the Dingbei Marquis's mansion again."

"Oh dear, where are you going, Mother? Are you perhaps going to that nunnery in the suburbs for some quiet contemplation?" Feng Ran's lazy voice came from the doorway. Without knocking, she pushed the door open and came in.

Several maids followed behind her, their faces bitter. They shook their heads repeatedly at Granny Feng, for they dared not stop Feng Ran, who was now the Lady of the Marquis.

Feng Ran stared at the winking maids behind her with a half-smile, and chuckled, "Alright, you've delivered the news. Now you may leave. I need to have a good talk with my mother today."

Qin Shi felt a sudden panic, a sense of guilt creeping over her for some reason. She shouted, "What do you mean? How dare you barge into my room! What about the rules?"

Feng Ran, who had come alone, smiled slightly upon hearing this. She looked around, found a place to sit down, and said slowly, "Mother, please don't be offended. I thought you were still terrified by the cockroaches, which is why I was a little impatient."

The mere mention of cockroaches ignited a fire within Qin, so intense it shot straight to the top of her head, causing the rosewood table to tremble with a loud crash.

Feng Ran grinned, wondering if her hand hurt.

It was naturally painful; Qin's hand was completely numb, but she didn't want to show any weakness. She endured the pain and said sarcastically, "It's impressive that you still dared to lift it up. You also have cockroaches on your neck. Why don't you stretch it out and let me catch one!"

Feng Ran remained noncommittal, skipping the topic. She wasn't there to discuss cockroaches, much less to apologize. "Mother, that nunnery in the east of the city is quite nice. The scenery is beautiful, and the food is excellent. Why don't you consider it?"

Qin was furious. "You scoundrel, is that something you should say to your mother?"

Who gave her the audacity to try and expel her from the mansion and send her to a nunnery to live a life of seclusion with just a few words?

Qin felt as if her internal organs had been blown up, and a series of booming sounds filled her ears. If it weren't for the fact that she was wary of Feng Ran's strange strength, she would have liked to gag her and give her a good beating.

Feng Ran was extremely arrogant, as if the words of forcing her mother-in-law to become a nun did not come from her mouth. Instead, she regarded it as a great thing and tried to persuade Qin Shi with kind words.

“Mother has rarely left the Dingbei Marquis’s residence in her life. I’ve come to understand that Father no longer cares for women and rarely even sets foot in the inner courtyard. What’s the point of Mother keeping to herself in an empty room? She might as well go to a nunnery to cultivate her mind and temper. Perhaps after she’s let go of all her anger, Father will be able to see her beauty again.”

This is something Feng Ran only discovered later. After Duan Jingchuan finished recounting his childhood experiences, she began to pay attention to the relationship between the Dingbei Marquis's mansion and his wives and concubines.

You wouldn't believe it until you see it, and what you find is astonishing: the Marquis of Dingbei never stays overnight at any of his wives' or concubines' homes; their relationship is more like a formality.

After some subtle probing, Feng Ran realized that the old Marquis Duan might also be regretting his youthful folly, which was why he had given up on women.

That's why the wives and concubines in the back courtyard get along so harmoniously. After all, the old Marquis Duan doesn't favor any of them, and these wives and concubines have reached some kind of consensus in the dark, which is why they live in peace.

She was neither happy nor sympathetic about this, but when it came to Duan Jingchuan, she was willing to play the villain.

There aren't many people in the Dingbei Marquis's mansion who truly like Duan Jingchuan, but only this one dares to openly display her malice and is capable of harming him. How can she keep her in the mansion any longer?

With Feng Ran tearing away this veil of pretense, Madam Qin's face turned pale. Forgetting all about maintaining the airs of a Marquis's wife, she angrily retorted, "What are you saying, you wretch? Believe me or not, I'll have Jingchuan divorce you!"

Feng Ran twitched the corners of her mouth, her face full of mockery, her dark eyes fixed on Qin Shi without missing a beat.

“I am confident that my husband will not divorce me. Mother, if I whisper in my husband’s ear and he tells Father that as long as you divorce me, he will obediently inherit the title of Marquis of Dingbei and reconcile with Father, do you think Father will agree?”

Duan Zhengjin knows how.

Qin knew this perfectly well.

It was precisely because she knew this that she became hysterical without any real confidence. Her anger seemed to have been strangled, and her arrogance seemed to have been punctured, leaving her weak and limp.

Feng Ran didn't say much, and gave a proper curtsy to Madam Qin, "Mother, your daughter-in-law will take her leave. If you've made up your mind, your daughter-in-law will personally escort you."

The door, once open, was closed again. The sunlight that shone through was fleeting, a warmth that Qin could never grasp no matter how hard she tried.

She stood there stunned for a long time, until she felt her hand was wet. When she raised her hand to touch it, she realized that she was already in tears.

Granny Feng was also frightened by Feng Ran's arrogant attitude. She then reacted and said fiercely, "Madam, Jinghua Courtyard is indeed too arrogant. The Marquis values ​​rules the most and probably doesn't want such a daughter-in-law. We must not let her off."

Suddenly, as if all her strength had been drained, Qin smiled bitterly, "She's right!"

A note from the author:

Some people used to dislike Qin Shi and wanted her removed from the game. I don't like death; it beautifies many things. Only by living can we grow and truly let go.