Chapter 106◇

◎Divorce◎

Granny Feng was shocked. "Madam, don't let her words mislead you."

Qin slowly stood up, walked to the bronze mirror, sat down blankly, and stared at her face in the mirror, which was no longer young and beautiful.

Years of sorrow have etched fine lines around her eyes, and the white hairs at her temples were plucked out by her nanny that morning. Yet she is only thirty-seven years old.

Looking back over the years, has she ever been happy? Perhaps she has.

Feng Ran was right; she was indeed trapped in this deep mansion, both physically and mentally.

She admitted that she lived selfishly, loving only herself and ignoring Duan Jingchuan.

But what can you do? Who says a mother has to love her child? Who says a mother has to give everything for her child?

Duan Jingchuan's birth marked the beginning of her misfortune; how could she not harbor resentment?

She can no longer recall what that fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl with her arrogant and haughty demeanor looked like. Perhaps she was even more arrogant and confident than Feng Ran is today!

Today, Feng Ran can say without hesitation that Duan Jingchuan will not abandon her, but what about her? Does she dare to make such a promise?

She didn't dare, not even on her wedding night.

She had considered repairing her relationship with Duan Jingchuan, but one cannot deceive one's own heart. Her motives for repairing the relationship were impure, and her heart was not sincere. Duan Jingchuan was also a sensitive person, so how could he accept her so-called olive branch?

"Granny, perhaps I really should leave the capital for a while." Madam Qin let out a long sigh, letting go of the shell she had been holding up, her brows furrowed with exhaustion.

Granny Feng was shocked, thinking that Madam Qin had such thoughts because of Feng Ran's threat. She quickly said, "Madam, don't panic. I will go and have a good talk with the young master later and have him discipline this unruly lady."

Granny Feng guessed correctly; Feng Ran had indeed come behind Duan Jingchuan's back. Even if Duan Jingchuan disliked Qin Shi, he wouldn't be so heartless as to kick her out of the house; it was all Feng Ran's selfish motives.

If Granny Feng were to approach Duan Jingchuan, even if it angered Feng Ran, Duan Jingchuan wouldn't actually force his mother to leave home; he would have to move out on his own.

Qin shook her head, looking exhausted, and said, "If I stay here, I won't be happy, and neither will anyone else. If I leave, even if I can't find a place to go, I'm sure many people in this manor will be happy."

She was truly exhausted. Over twenty years of relentless pursuit had drained all her strength. So be it, let go of those you can't hold onto.

Seeing that Madam Qin was determined to leave, Granny Feng cautiously asked, "Does Madam wish to divorce the Marquis?"

Qin laughed sarcastically, "Divorce? Why should I set him free? Even if I don't want him anymore, he can never get rid of me in this lifetime."

Granny Feng's eyes stung with tears. She had accompanied the Madam all the way and knew clearly how the Madam had married the renowned General Dingbei with the love of a young girl, and how she had carefully sheathed her claws and persuaded her to accept the constant stream of women in the Dingbei Marquis's mansion.

If she hadn't married Lord Duan, perhaps Qin would never have found love, but she certainly wouldn't have lost herself and could have been a qualified matriarch, living a peaceful life as a wife and mother.

But she got married. Their relationship was once passionate and intense, but she was then discarded like a worn-out shoe. What young girl in the throes of first love could withstand such emotional fluctuations?

Granny Feng wiped her eyes and said gently, "Madam, wherever you go, this old servant will accompany you."

Qin threw herself into Granny Feng's arms and cried like a child, no longer caring about her image, as if she wanted to cry out all the suffering she had endured over the years. "Granny, I was wrong. My life has been a joke."

Instead of comforting Qin Shi, Granny Feng gently patted Qin Shi's shoulder, just like when she was a child, and said tenderly, "Cry, Miss, cry! Everything will be alright in the future. We won't stay in this cage anymore. Granny will take you away now."

Feng Ran, who had displayed her power at Qin's place, returned to Jinghua Courtyard. Upon seeing Duan Jingchuan, she felt inexplicably guilty and wanted to walk past him without greeting him.

Duan Jingchuan immediately spotted Feng Ran and asked in confusion, "Where did Madam go? Why haven't I seen you for so long?"

Feng Ran, who wasn't good at lying, panicked and retorted, "Are you checking up on me? I finally became the Lady of the Marquis, so can't I go around the manor and show off a bit?"

Amused by Feng Ran's fierce appearance, Duan Jingchuan said good-naturedly, "Of course, Madam Hou, do you have time to chat with me?"

Although Feng Ran said that, no one had addressed her as Lady Hou since she received the imperial decree. Her face flushed, and she said shyly, "I grant your request since you are quite pretty."

Duan Jingchuan did indeed have something important to discuss with Feng Ran.

"Why do we have to move out of Jinghua Courtyard? Isn't this our home?" Feng Ran asked, puzzled.

Although the place is not big, she feels like a fish back in the sea when she returns here, feeling incredibly free and happy, and doesn't want to move to an unfamiliar place.

Duan Jingchuan merely asked for Feng Ran's opinion, explaining, "If Madam likes it, we can stay here indefinitely. However, now I have the pretext and the right to move out, it's all up to Madam."

To be honest, Feng Ran usually goes along with Duan Jingchuan on many things, but when it comes to moving...

Feng Ran understood that Duan Jingchuan must have been planning for a long time how to get away from the Dingbei Marquis's mansion to have reached this situation. But she didn't want Duan Jingchuan to move out. Call it selfishness or reluctance to leave, she just wanted to force him to do something difficult this once.

Holding Duan Jingchuan's hand, she coaxed softly, "Husband, every blade of grass and every tree here is something we've taken care of together. It's our little home, and I don't want to leave, okay?"

Duan Jingchuan never expected that Feng Ran would have opinions, so he readily agreed, "Alright, we won't go out. I'll leave Lady Hou here in this little courtyard with me."

Feng Ran smiled gently, "I'm not wronged. Even if I had a courtyard a thousand times bigger, it wouldn't compare to having my husband by my side. A tile and a bed are enough."

When it comes to sweet talk, ten Duan Jingchuans couldn't compare to one Feng Ran. Her heart was so full that she forgot all about the regret of not being able to escape this place.

Feng Ran sensed Duan Jingchuan's complete devotion to her, and felt both joy and a little uneasy, fearing that he would keep his words to himself and wrong her.

But she couldn't reveal the real reason, so she could only offer him empty promises: "Husband, think about it. If we have children in the future, I definitely won't be able to take care of them all. But if we stay here, it will be different. I think Father would be very willing to help us take care of the children."

Feng Ran knew perfectly well that Duan Jingchuan didn't actually resent Old Marquis Duan and Madam Qin. So as soon as Old Marquis Duan showed weakness, he immediately let go of his resentment and gladly accepted him.

However, one of the father and son kept their feelings too deep, while the other was not good at expressing himself, so they each carried their own sense of guilt and tried to minimize contact.

Qin Shi had shown too much malice, which completely broke Duan Jingchuan's heart, so Feng Ran would not bring her up on her own initiative.

Just like this time, even though she was being unreasonable and knocked Qin Shi unconscious with one slap, not only did the old Marquis Duan not punish her afterwards, but even Duan Jingchuan didn't ask about the reason that day, as if she really just caught a cockroach.

Listening to Feng Ran's description, Duan Jingchuan couldn't help but imagine that one day a baby who looked exactly like Feng Ran would follow him and his wife around all day, calling them "Daddy" and "Mommy".

His heart melted, but he still remembered that Feng Ran's health seemed to be off, and it was uncertain whether she could have children. Therefore, he tried not to raise Feng Ran's expectations and said gently, "Having this child, Madam, is enough. If there's another one, I'm afraid I won't be able to handle it."

Feng Ran imagined what it would be like if there was a younger version of her at home, vying for Duan Jingchuan's favor from one side to the other. She immediately shook her head and said, "No, husband, you have to think positively. The little one will definitely be like you."

A hint of amusement flashed in Duan Jingchuan's eyes. "So, Madam admits that she's rather troublesome!"

Feng Ran denied it three times: "I didn't, I didn't, don't talk nonsense."

When he learned that Duan Jingchuan and Feng Ran had no intention of moving out of the Marquis's mansion, the old Marquis Duan breathed a sigh of relief. Overjoyed, he immediately gave Feng Ran two small boxes of gold as a congratulatory gift to the couple.

As for why it was given to Feng Ran separately? That's a secret the two of them kept to themselves.

Duan Jingchuan may have guessed something, but he didn't ask any further questions.

Because of Duan Jingchuan's low profile, he did not hold a grand banquet to share his joy after being suddenly granted a marquisate. Instead, he invited Chunyu Zhu and Zhao Yue to discuss matters.

Both of them now hold minor official positions in the Ministry of Revenue. Although Duan Jingchuan's title of Marquis of Le'an is an honorary one, he still has two subordinates.

The seasoned veterans in the Ministry of Revenue were having a headache over these two greenhorns, so they simply waved their hands and assigned Zhao Yue and Chunyu Zhu to Duan Jingchuan's command.

The two men's official positions naturally rose from the fifth rank to the third rank, but everyone understood that following Marquis Le'an wouldn't lead to much success, which saved them from a lot of envy.

Chunyu Zhu stroked his chin, still somewhat surprised. "Jingchuan, what's wrong with your brain? Why didn't I think of donating my family fortune to get an honorary official position? It's a pity that with you as a role model, none of us can follow suit."

Zhao Yue was still dressed in his usual flamboyant manner, but he looked somewhat tired recently because he had been dealing with the court regarding the settlement of Duan Jingchuan's donated assets. He glared at Chunyu Zhu with annoyance, "You think anyone can donate? Jingchuan just happened to be giving the person in charge a pillow."

Chunyu Zhu leaned back tactically, dodging the spittle that Zhao Yue nearly sprayed on his face, and said with disdain, "Please keep up your noble young master act at all times. Looking at you like this, I really think those girls who fawn over you are blind."

Zhao Yue retorted, "Their eyes may not be good, but their hearts are clear. If I didn't have some family wealth, who would like me?"

At this point, the two of them reached a consensus and glared at Duan Jingchuan in unison.

The reason is simple: of the three, Duan Jingchuan is the only one who is married, and the couple is harmonious and happy.

They even thought that if a random bestowed marriage or forced match could bring about a good union, they would shamelessly beg the emperor to arrange a marriage for them.

Duan Jingchuan had been watching the two bickering from the sidelines, but after receiving their envious and jealous glances, he could no longer hide the smile on his face.

Zhao Yue snapped his folding fan aside, "Don't laugh, you'll lose your eyes."

Chunyu Zhu commented in a serious tone, "Her teeth are quite white."

Duan Jingchuan tried his best to suppress the smile on his lips and said in a serious tone, "Will you regret having the two of you following me like this?"

A note from the author:

Birds of a feather flock together; people of similar backgrounds form groups. They became friends because of their inherently lazy nature.