30. How do I look?◇
There will be no more sweet fermented rice dumplings to eat.
Duan Jingchuan was speechless for a moment, only then noticing that the two of them had been holding hands. His face immediately flushed, but Feng Ran, on the other hand, held his hand naturally and even squeezed it from time to time, making him look annoyed and feel an urge to let go.
Recalling Feng Ran's teasing words to him yesterday, Duan Jingchuan couldn't help but ask, "Madam, how do I look?" As soon as he said it, Duan Jingchuan regretted it; it was nothing like what he would normally say.
He never expected that someone who was usually so quiet would suddenly utter such thoughtless remarks, making him wish he could turn back time.
Feng Ran didn't detect anything unusual and simply said naturally, "You are definitely the most beautiful person I've ever seen. It's hard not to be happy when I look at your face."
Feng Ran's praise was so ordinary, like casual conversation between the two of them, frank and open, without a trace of ambiguity. This cooled Duan Jingchuan's somewhat fiery heart, and he continued to ask, "Has Madam ever seen any other people with outstanding looks?"
Feng Ran racked her brains. To be honest, she had only seen a limited number of people since arriving here, mainly the Marquis of Dingbei's residence, the Prime Minister's residence, and yesterday's Duke of Lu's residence, but she had seen very few men yesterday. Picking through her memories, she suddenly remembered someone.
“There is one who is just as good as my husband, but more mature.”
Seeing Feng Ran's expectant expression, Duan Jingchuan clenched his teeth, almost touching his tongue, until his teeth ached before he finally loosened them and asked in a very nonchalant tone, "Oh, who is it?"
Feng Ran jogged a few steps and walked directly in front of Duan Jingchuan, forcing him to stop.
Duan Jingchuan looked down at Feng Ran with his eyes lowered, his gaze seemingly filled with stars, and a faint smile deliberately appeared on his lips.
Feng Ran was captivated by his good looks and unconsciously wanted to reach out and touch him, but Duan Jingchuan held one of her hands and the other was still holding a handkerchief, forcing Feng Ran to give up the idea.
But that didn't dampen Feng Ran's enthusiasm. She said excitedly, "Father! Husband, you don't know how much you and your father look alike. I imagine you'll be a handsome old man when you're old."
His heart, which had been hanging in suspense, immediately settled down. He chuckled and walked past Feng Ran, continuing forward.
Feng Ran started her rambling again, "Husband, are there any sweet rice dumplings today? Those dumplings are really delicious, I want to eat more."
Her steps suddenly faltered, and Feng Ran, caught off guard, bumped straight into Duan Jingchuan's back.
Ouch~
Feng Ran's nose tingled, and her eyes welled up with tears. How could her nose be so fragile?
Duan Jingchuan quickly bent down to check, while Feng Ran rubbed it nonchalantly, "Why did you suddenly stop?"
Duan Jingchuan still felt lingering fear at the thought of fermented rice dumplings, and said with a serious face, "There will be no more fermented rice dumplings in the future."
Feng Ran was shocked. "Why is it gone?"
Duan Jingchuan went through several reasons in his mind, and finally chose one to say, "The fermented rice dumplings are complicated to make, and you can only eat them once a year at most."
Feng Ran's face fell. "Is it that difficult? Fine, then I won't eat it."
Seeing Feng Ran's aggrieved expression, Duan Jingchuan almost couldn't resist telling her, "Eat as much as you want, I can afford it." But thinking about the consequences of eating the fermented rice balls, Duan Jingchuan held back the words he was about to say and gave a cool "hmm."
While the two were eating, Duan Jingchuan accidentally touched the bruise on his lip, his hand trembled in pain, and he glanced meaningfully at Feng Ran, who was enjoying her meal. He then slowly put the crispy shrimp into his mouth, making a loud crunching sound, as if he were taking the opportunity to vent his anger.
In the backyard of Jinghua Courtyard, there is a very large garden, which is covered in a layer of white in winter. In the garden, there is a hundred-year-old crooked tree. When Fengran saw this tree, she thought of making a swing for it.
So a lone swing appeared in the snow, and Feng Ran held a plate of melon seeds, having a great time, completely unafraid of the winter cold.
Xiuer watched the Crown Princess swinging on the swing from the sheltered area under the corridor, feeling utterly helpless. She had tried to persuade her countless times, but the Crown Princess just wouldn't listen. So she had no choice but to wrap the Crown Princess up tightly and let her go swing.
Feng Ran's swinging style was different from others; she didn't need anyone to push her, she was completely self-sufficient, and she did it very naturally. Just watching the swing sway and rise and fall made Xiu'er dizzy, but Feng Ran could actually eat melon seeds while swinging so high.
One has to admire their skill and daring.
However, Feng Ran obviously couldn't play on the swing all day, because two people from Jinghua Courtyard came looking for her.
"Chunyu Zhu? Chunyu Lan?" These two names sounded familiar. Before Xiu'er could remind her, Feng Ran remembered them. "Oh, those two little cuties. What do you want with me?"
"The Crown Prince is in the study with him; the Crown Princess will know at a glance." Ignoring the words "cute little one," Xiu'er answered matter-of-factly.
Feng Ran gulped down a large pot of water, relieving the dryness in her throat from constantly eating sunflower seeds, and then ran and jumped to Duan Jingchuan's study.
With a helpless expression, Xiu'er summoned a servant to clean up the mess in the garden, while also ensuring that the surrounding snow remained spotless, so as not to spoil the Crown Princess's mood for swinging the next day.
Chunyu Lan's eyes lit up when she saw Feng Ran. She curtsied and said, "Greetings, Princess Consort. Do you still remember me?"
"Lanlan, my little cutie, I remember you! Come sit here." Feng Ran very familiarly grabbed Chun Yulan's hand and walked towards the daybed where Chun Yulan usually lay.
Chunyu Lan blushed and followed Feng Ran shyly. Chunyu Zhu, watching from behind, felt a pang of jealousy and gave Duan Jingchuan a meaningful look: Is your wife trying to seduce my sister?
Duan Jingchuan remained unmoved.
Chunyu Zhu didn't need anyone to serve him; he walked to the side and poured himself a cup of tea. Suddenly, he noticed that Duan Jingchuan seemed a little strange, his expression somewhat serious. "Jingchuan, who hurt you?"
Duan Jingchuan's expression froze, unsure how to respond.
Upon hearing this, Feng Ran immediately abandoned her attempt to connect with Lanlan and turned to say loudly, "My husband is a restless sleeper and fell off the bed."
puff.
Before Chunyu Zhu could even swallow his mouthful of water, he spat it out, completely losing his composure as a young nobleman.
Duan Jingchuan reacted quickly and dodged to the side, narrowly escaping danger.
Feng Ran spoke again in a low voice, "Looks like you're not that old, yet you're still spitting water? How disgusting."
Chunyu Lan chuckled and quickly pulled Feng Ran aside to change the subject, "Princess Consort, it's a good thing you reminded me, otherwise I wouldn't have known I'd fallen for your trick."
It turned out that after Chunyu Zhu and Chunyu Lan returned to the mansion, Chunyu Zhu immediately invited a famous doctor to examine Chunyu Lan's pulse. Only then did he discover that Chunyu Lan had been consuming some potent and dangerous medicines. If this continued, it would surely damage her health and make it difficult for her to live a long life.
Fortunately, the time is short and recovery can be achieved with a little care.
The Chun family mansion is now teeming with wolves and tigers, so the brother and sister cannot act openly for fear of alerting them. They can only remain vigilant in secret. If it weren't for Feng Ran's reminder, Chunyu Lan might have died young. Therefore, after confirming the poisoning, Chunyu Lan begged Chunyu Zhu to take her to see the Crown Princess to express her gratitude.
Feng Ran, true to her old ways, leaned close to Chunyu Lan's neck and sniffed him again.
Knowing that Feng Ran might smell something on her, Chunyu Lan actually raised her neck to cooperate.
This scene made Duan Jingchuan's heart itch, and he really wanted to separate the two of them.
Feng Ran looked up and saw Chun Yulan looking at him expectantly, her face full of affection. She realized that Chun Yulan might be thinking about something. Feng Ran smiled and said, "Don't worry, you're a good person. Even if I didn't warn you, this despicable thing wouldn't kill you."
Chunyu Lan smiled brightly, her two dimples sinking deep into her mouth, making her round little face look a bit childlike. She said in a sweet voice, "The Crown Princess is so amazing."
Feng Ran's eyes lit up with blue light as she was charmed by Chun Yulan. She wrapped her arms around Chun Yulan's waist and rubbed against her, saying, "You're so cute. I like you so much. You smell so good. I haven't smelled such a clean and refreshing scent in a long time."
Chunyu Lan blushed. "The Crown Princess smells so good. Can I call you Sister Ran from now on?"
With Duan Jingchuan and Chunyu Zhu as witnesses, a pair of like-minded sisters were born.
Before Duan Jingchuan could say anything, Chunyu Zhu said sourly from the side, "If the Crown Princess wasn't a woman, I would definitely teach this brat who dared to take advantage of my sister a lesson."
Duan Jingchuan retorted, "Your sister's hand is also on my wife and she doesn't want to let go."
The two glared at each other, their eyes blazing with anger, then simultaneously looked away, letting out a snort in unison.
Seeing the two of them so lovey-dovey and not going to stop anytime soon, Duan Jingchuan had no choice but to give Chunyu Zhu a look, telling him to leave quickly.
Chunyu Zhu cleared his throat and began to talk about the important matters of the day.
"Jingchuan, my sister has been poisoned. It was the Crown Princess who discovered it."
These words were extremely meaningful, and Duan Jingchuan's gentle face suddenly turned icy cold, as if he wanted to devour Chunyu Zhu.
Startled by the fierce glint in Duan Jingchuan's eyes, Chunyu Zhu loudly explained, "Don't panic, let me explain. Yesterday we ran into the Crown Princess by chance. She told my sister that she might have been poisoned. I went back to the manor to check and found that it was true. So today my sister and I have come to thank the Crown Princess."
Seeing Duan Jingchuan's anger gradually subside, Chunyu Zhu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Over the years, he had rarely seen Duan Jingchuan lose his temper, but every time he did, he would panic because this man either didn't care at all, or if he did, the world would collapse.
Hearing that it was only Feng Ran who discovered Chunyu Lan's poisoning, rather than both of them being affected at the same time, Duan Jingchuan was secretly relieved and asked, "Is it possible to resolve this?"
Chunyu Zhu shook his head, then nodded, "We'll be more careful in the future, but now is not the time."
These words seemed incoherent, but Duan Jingchuan understood them and nodded, "If you need anything, please feel free to ask."
Chunyu Zhu laughed and scolded, "You are my brother, of course I will not forget you."
Then, seeing that Feng Ran and Chunyu Lan were whispering to each other and not paying attention to them, Chunyu Zhu lowered his voice and said, "Jingchuan, I've never heard that the Crown Princess knows medicine in her boudoir. How could she have seen that Lanlan was poisoned?"
This was also what puzzled him. Although he was grateful to Feng Ran for telling him about his sister, questioning Feng Ran's identity was another matter.
Duan Jingchuan couldn't figure out why either. Just as Chunyu Zhu was about to investigate secretly, Duan Jingchuan suddenly spoke up, "Madam, may I ask you something?"
Chunyu Zhu had a bad feeling, and then a scene that made his eyes widen in horror appeared.
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