47 Chapter 47◇
Would you dare to have a princess who acts cute and charming?
The set of movements was fluid and graceful, but the crude manner made Qin's brow twitch with anger.
But apart from Qin Shi, who was fretting about Feng Ran's crude behavior, everyone else in the room was probably thinking that her strength was too great. Crushing walnuts with bare hands, is something a human can do?
Feng Ran truly proved to them with her abilities that this was something only humans could do.
After easily crushing a few walnuts, she found that this method was even faster, so she simply ordered the maid to bring two more empty plates. With her hands moving non-stop, all that could be heard was the sound of walnuts breaking, a crackling sound that made one's scalp tingle.
Qin Lianhua covered her mouth slightly, and said with a hint of amazement, "Sister-in-law's strength is probably beyond the reach of ordinary men. I suppose Brother Ze practices martial arts diligently and can also crush walnuts with his bare hands!"
These words were quite meaningful. It seems that Qin Lianhua's true intention was to subtly belittle Duan Jingchuan as an ordinary man, while portraying Duan Yuze as a mighty and valiant hero.
However, Duan Yuze, who was being praised, did not look too good. His face was a little dark, and he only made a gurgling sound, without saying yes or no.
Lord Duan didn't care about the younger generation's face. He slapped his thigh and laughed heartily, "Miss Duan, you are mistaken. Let alone Yu Ze, even I would have to put in some effort to crack walnuts with my bare hands. The Crown Princess is truly gifted!"
Qin Lianhua's smile froze instantly, as if it were about to burst open.
As she spoke, Feng Ran had already quickly peeled two plates of walnuts. With Duan Jingchuan's help, she picked out all the kernels. After wiping her hands, Feng Ran carried one plate in each hand to Old Master Duan and Madam Qin, saying cheerfully, "Father, Mother, your son's hand got pinched, so your daughter-in-law will do it for you. Please eat these two plates of walnuts!"
Qin swallowed back the words she was about to say, looking at the walnuts in front of her with slight disdain.
In fact, Qin Shi disliked eating walnuts. When Duan Jingchuan was young, he tried to please Qin Shi by peeling walnuts, but Qin Shi scattered them all over the ground.
But she had already said what she had said, and since Old Marquis Duan had so naturally grabbed a handful and thrown it into his mouth, she really couldn't bring herself to refuse.
Qin Lianhua was very good at reading people's expressions. Seeing that the wrinkles between Qin's brows were getting deeper and deeper, she quickly stepped forward and said softly, "Aunt, I see that you ate a lot tonight. I think eating these walnuts might make you feel bloated. Why don't we, the younger generation, divide these walnuts among ourselves? That way, we won't let down our cousin-in-law's filial piety."
Upon hearing this, Qin nodded immediately and readily pushed the walnut over.
Qin Lianhua smiled sweetly, held the walnuts in her hands, and gave Feng Ran a curtsy, "Hua'er thanks you very much, cousin-in-law. It just so happens that I also want to eat walnuts today."
Qin said casually from behind, "Why be so polite among family? Just eat. Since the Crown Princess is good at peeling walnuts, peel some more for Aunt Xu and Aunt Wang as well, since they are elders."
Lord Duan frowned and gave Qin a hard look. Qin stubbornly refused to look at him and stared straight at Feng Ran, as if she would be extremely unfilial if Feng Ran did not agree.
Feng Ran pouted, about to refuse Qin Shi, when she heard Duan Jingchuan say, "Xiong Qi, what are you standing there for? Find some strong servants to peel more walnuts so that the concubines can eat to their hearts' content."
The concubines who were caught in the crossfire were terrified. Even though they were usually loud and boisterous, they dared not be presumptuous in front of the old Marquis Duan at this moment.
*Smack!* Qin slammed her hand heavily on the table, the bracelet on her wrist making a crisp sound against the rosewood, it was unclear whether it cracked or not.
"Princess Consort, do you think I can't even order you around?"
Lord Duan had no idea where Madam Qin's anger came from, assuming it was because she still held a prejudice against Feng Ran. He tried to mediate, saying, "In that case, I'll trouble the Crown Princess to peel another plate. Forget about the concubines; this plate isn't enough for me."
Aunt Xu and Aunt Wang nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes! We're both too old to eat walnuts."
This is probably the first time these concubines have taken the initiative to admit their advanced age in front of Lord Duan, showing that they have a strong will to survive.
Duan Jingchuan stopped Feng Ran's hand as she was about to peel walnuts, his brows furrowing with displeasure. He said in a cold voice, "Father, Madam's hand is injured. You should wait for Xiong Qi to bring the walnut kernels over."
Lord Duan gave Duan Jinchuan a deep look and nodded in agreement.
Unexpectedly, Madam Qin became even angrier and blurted out, "Jingchuan's backyard is indeed a bit too quiet. You two have been married for some time now, and I think I won't have any objections to me introducing another princess to Jingchuan's household. Hua'er has also been living in the Marquis's residence for some time and is in love with Jingchuan. With Hua'er's status, she is certainly qualified to be the principal wife, but for now, I can only ask Hua'er to be a concubine for the time being."
Upon hearing this, the group, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, felt the winter chill intensify, and they even began to breathe more softly.
Qin Shi originally thought that Feng Ran would be the first to stand up and refute, but unexpectedly it was Duan Jingchuan.
At this moment, Duan Jingchuan was no longer the gentle and refined man he once was. He was like a sharp sword tempered with frost, pointing the tip of the sword at Qin Shi, "I have only met Miss Qin a handful of times. Mother, please do not play matchmaker."
Qin Lianhua clenched her handkerchief tightly, her whole body trembling with panic. Hearing Duan Jinchuan's unwavering rejection, her face flushed with shame and indignation, but also with a glimmer of hope, her eyes constantly glancing in Duan Yuze's direction.
Embarrassed and annoyed, Madam Qin paid no attention to observing Qin Lianhua's thoughts as a young woman, and instead focused on making her own plans.
"What? Do you really intend to spend your whole life with a crown prince's wife? Or are you such a jealous crown prince's wife that you don't think about bearing children for your husband, but instead think about being jealous and sour?"
The Qin family had no intention of letting Feng Ran stand idly by; their target was Feng Ran.
Feng Ran had been about to speak up, but someone actually wanted to steal her immortal energy?!
No, Feng Ran's alarm bells were ringing at full volume. Her petite frame shielded Duan Jingchuan behind her. "No, I've stamped my approval. This person is mine!"
As if she had caught Feng Ran in some way, Qin said with extreme hostility, "Ha! It really was you. I knew Jingchuan was usually so obedient and well-behaved, but after marrying you, he seems like a completely different person, and he even dares to disobey me!"
Duan Jingchuan sat up abruptly, but Feng Ran quickly covered his mouth with one hand and pressed him back down with the other. "Sit properly. This is my own battle to protect my immortal energy."
The slight anger on Duan Jingchuan's face inexplicably dissipated, and a smile appeared on his lips, though it vanished in an instant.
The expressions of Old Marquis Duan and Duan Jingchuan were almost identical; at this moment, they had a tacit understanding as father and son, both remaining on the sidelines.
Feng Ran was not intimidated by Qin's anger at all. "Are you sure Duan Jingchuan was obedient before and not withdrawn?"
Feng Ran didn't give Qin Shi a chance to speak at all, and spoke very quickly, "Oh, you may not understand the meaning of autism or social anxiety. I would like to ask Mother about it. You are so generous. Look at my father-in-law, he has three daughters. The concubines' children are all lively and cheerful. Why is your own son having problems? Shouldn't you reflect on this?"
Lord Duan, who had been indifferent and waiting to see how things would unfold, was suddenly struck in the heart by a hail of arrows flying from the sky, turning his face a deep purplish-red.
The faces of the concubines and illegitimate children were also not good, but none of them dared to speak up. They could tolerate the indiscriminate attacks, but if it turned into direct artillery fire, that would be terrible!
If there was anyone in this room who dared to speak, it was Duan Jingyin; in fact, she did speak up.
"Second sister-in-law, you've gone too far. Mother manages the whole family, and she has to do everything herself. How can you blame others for your own problems? It's clearly because you're shady and unpopular!" After saying that, she glared at Duan Jingchuan, her expression clearly saying, "How dare you blame Mother!"
Feng Ran hardened her fist. She originally thought the little girl was still a cub and she wouldn't bother arguing with a cub, but even cubs can be unlikable. Duan Jingyin, right? Very well, she's blackened for life!
He said in a sinister tone, "Young lady, you should use your brain a little and watch your mouth. After all, you're not exactly likable, yet you have the nerve to talk about others?"
"You!" Duan Qing's face turned red with anger, and the rage in her eyes was almost tangible.
"Look at you, do you look like a princess consort? You're definitely not from the proper lineage." Madam Qin looked at Feng Ran with utter disdain, her eyes practically rolling back in her head.
Feng Ran didn't want to indulge her temper anymore, and said expressionlessly, "Oh, I didn't want to do it either. You married me, and I was here the moment I opened my eyes."
"Madam..." Duan Jingchuan couldn't sit still after hearing this and said repeatedly.
Feng Ran immediately put on a smiling face, "Husband, I was just saying it in anger~"
"Heh, don't you want to go back to your Prime Minister's Mansion? Our Marquis of Dingbei Mansion can't accommodate a big shot like you!" Seeing Feng Ran's grinning face, if Madam Qin hadn't maintained her composure, she probably would have slapped her.
Feng Ran raised an eyebrow. "Mother, you've got it wrong. I'm not a compassionate Buddha." She tilted her head and chuckled. "Actually, what are you dissatisfied with? You never cared about your husband to begin with. You say I corrupted him, but I don't agree."
Ignoring Qin's murderous glare, Feng Ran, unusually serious, said, "My husband wasn't born quiet and unsociable. When he was young, he was a lively and cheerful child. What has he been through all these years? You say I changed him, but have you ever thought about why?"
These words left Madam Qin speechless, and the shame on Old Marquis Duan's face was almost overflowing. Only the two concubines showed an unnatural expression, which Feng Ran secretly remembered.
Duan Jingchuan wanted to stop Feng Ran from continuing, but after seeing Feng Ran's unwavering back, he hesitated and finally withdrew his outstretched hand, silently standing behind her to watch her stand up for him.
No one interrupted her, so Feng Ran poured out her heart, "Actually, I didn't do anything. Everyone knows that. I'm just a big eater, nothing special. My husband has been able to tolerate me all this time. It's nothing more than me begging to be taken care of by him, and he's a kind man."
Feng Ran held her head high, looking extremely proud.
Duan Jingchuan's initially embarrassed expression turned into one of bewilderment, a mixture of amusement and exasperation.
He really wanted to add to his wife's story: "Besides being able to eat a lot, you're also very strong; besides being strong, you're also uncultured; besides being uncultured, you're also a womanizer."
As for acting cute and charming, although he didn't want to admit it, he was initially shocked by his wife's fighting skills, which is why he agreed to the so-called "keeping" of her. Moreover, keeping his wife was something he should do, but as time went on, he started thinking about doing more for her.
A note from the author:
Feng Ran: I begged my husband to take me in, and he only did so out of kindness.
Duan Jingchuan whispered: I'm afraid she'll tear down my yard and make me work underground if I don't raise her.
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