8. Precautions for returning home
◎Each harbors their own secrets, a chaotic mess unfolds.◎
With the Crown Princess's return to her parents' home imminent, everyone in the Marquis of Dingbei's residence was on high alert.
The one who was most worried was Lord Duan.
Duan Jingchuan has never left the Dingbei Marquis's residence in recent years, let alone now that he is going to the Prime Minister's residence with more than a hundred people.
However, the matter of the bride returning to her parents' home three days later was unavoidable. Thinking again of that old scoundrel, the Prime Minister, changing the bride at the last minute, Lord Duan was furious.
If you really don't want to marry off your daughter, you can just tell the Emperor directly. Why bother humiliating him in such a roundabout way?
But he had to swallow his pride. He probably knew that the old scoundrel wasn't sure what the emperor meant.
What would happen if he didn't let Jingchuan accompany Fengran back to the Prime Minister's residence tomorrow? After thinking it over, he realized it was really inappropriate.
If Jingchuan doesn't accompany Fengran back to the Prime Minister's residence, he can certainly embarrass the Prime Minister, but for outsiders unaware of the relationship between the two families, it might damage the reputation of the Marquis of Dingbei's residence.
Moreover, now that Feng Ran and Jing Chuan are married, if her husband cannot accompany her on her homecoming, it will surely leave a grudge in Feng Ran's heart, which would be a loss for her.
Lord Duan sighed deeply, for this was far more difficult than fighting on the frontier. The intricate maze of the mansion was simply not for him.
Think about it, in other families the matriarch is in charge, but his wife is definitely not good at that.
Old Li, the steward who genuinely treated Duan Jingchuan like a son, was also worried about the upcoming homecoming tomorrow. Although the Crown Prince wasn't good at socializing, he always paid great attention to etiquette. Even though his current wife was a substitute bride, he didn't pursue the matter, showing that he was satisfied with her.
Although the two did not share a room, Old Li was already satisfied with the current situation and would take things slowly.
Therefore, the Crown Prince will definitely accompany his wife on her homecoming visit tomorrow. This is unprecedented for the Crown Prince.
He wasn't sure if he could handle it. Old Li sighed deeply. As a steward, he couldn't help the young master much, so he could only prepare some gifts for the return visit to help the young master make a good impression.
He shared the same opinion as Lord Duan, and respected Duan Jingchuan's ideas. Since Duan Jingchuan treated Feng Ran with friendliness, they naturally reciprocated with courtesy.
The thoughts of the other members of the Dingbei Marquis's household are unknown.
Lady Qin, the wife of the Marquis, acted as if she knew nothing about the matter and showed no concern whatsoever. Instead, she was carefully selecting a suitable husband for her daughter. Now that her daughter was 13 years old, she was old enough to be considered for marriage.
As for the concubines, they all watched with amusement. The title of Crown Princess sounded prestigious, but if the Crown Prince couldn't establish himself, the Crown Princess was just a figurehead.
The Prime Minister's mansion belongs to a high-ranking family. The current Crown Princess is clearly an abandoned child of the Prime Minister's mansion. How could the Prime Minister take an abandoned child seriously?
But they clearly didn't expect that they and the Marquis of Dingbei's mansion would rise and fall together. The fact that the Prime Minister sent over an unfavored heir apparent's wife also proved that he didn't care about the heir apparent or the Marquis of Dingbei's mansion.
Feng Ran knew nothing about the lawsuits involving the people from the Marquis of Dingbei's family, and even if she did, she wouldn't think much of it.
Her motto in life is: sleep today, open your eyes tomorrow, and don't disturb each other.
However, Feng Ran had an unusual bout of insomnia, or rather, she was awakened by a vivid dream.
Hugging the blanket, she twisted her fingers in frustration. She couldn't quite remember the conversation or the people in her dream.
All I remember is a child's voice, repeatedly asking, "Will you come to be with me? I'm waiting for you, you're all I have left."
In her dream, she seemed very certain that they would meet again.
"It must be because I didn't eat enough for dinner that I had such a vague dream." Feng Ran touched her stomach, which didn't feel good to the touch. Good heavens, it was as thin as a rake.
Logically speaking, the Prime Minister's family is so wealthy and powerful that they would never mistreat their daughter. However, the original owner of this body, a legitimate daughter, was starved to the point of being unrecognizable.
She was already seventeen years old, but her thin frame made her look like she was thirteen or fourteen.
Fortunately, Xiuer was a very reliable maid. As soon as Feng Ran spoke, Xiuer heard her.
"Is there anything the Crown Princess needs?" Xiu'er immediately came forward to ask if Feng Ran was feeling unwell.
"Xiuer, I'm hungry, is there anything to eat?" Feng Ran asked with a pleading expression.
Xiuer looked surprised. The Crown Prince's wife ate more than twice the amount the Crown Prince usually ate at night. Now, only an hour later, she was already hungry again. She glanced at Feng Ran's stomach with a subtle look in her eyes.
Since the Crown Princess was hungry, she naturally wanted to find something to eat as soon as possible. Fortunately, the small kitchen had made some pastries in the afternoon. Xiu'er heated up the pastries and brought them to Feng Ran.
"Xiuer, you are truly my second parents. What would I do without you!" Feng Ran ate with a blissful expression, her little mouth gurgling and her words a little unclear.
Upon hearing this, Xiu'er smiled gently, without replying, and watched the Crown Princess eat with a look of satisfaction.
The masters in the mansion were not easy to serve. She used to be a lowly maid, and it was the steward who sent her to serve the Crown Princess.
She had heard that the Crown Princess was domineering and had almost strangled her own maid on her very first day in the Marquis's household. Extremely anxious, she served the Crown Princess diligently.
Unexpectedly, the Crown Princess was exceptionally easy to talk to. As long as she had enough food and drink, and was helped with dressing and combing her hair, that was enough.
Watching Feng Ran quickly finish a plate of pastries, Xiu'er was a little worried. Her gaze couldn't help but fall on Feng Ran's abdomen, which looked flat. Where did all the food go?
"Princess Consort, would you like some more?" Although she ate a lot, there was no guarantee that Feng Ran had eaten her fill.
Feng Ran shook her head. She was just craving something sweet. Since there were already some pastries, she could eat some. But it would be unethical to ask someone to cook for her in the middle of the night.
She tidied herself up with a handkerchief and returned to bed, satisfied. She had Xiuer sew her a soft pillow, which was much more comfortable to sleep on.
Sure enough, after having a good drink, Feng Ran fell asleep instantly.
Unlike Feng Ran, who could eat and sleep soundly and drift off to sleep peacefully, Duan Jingchuan locked himself in his room, appearing somewhat anxious.
Now that midnight has passed, the moonlight shines on the windowpane, reflecting through layers of wooden railings into the room, casting flickering shadows. Duan Jingchuan sits alone in the corner, motionless for a long time.
Accompanying his wife on her return visit to her parents' home was his duty.
But how could he guarantee his safe return home and save face for his wife? He had investigated his wife's situation at her parents' home and found that she was not favored, was very thin, and had a sallow complexion. But given his own condition, it would certainly be difficult for him to bring her any honor.
After pondering for a while, Duan Jingchuan finally got up, lit a candle, and took out a stack of folded documents. The top document read, "A True Record of Marrying a Wife."
Then he took out a blank folding book, picked up a pen and wrote on it, "Precautions for returning to the bride's parents' home".
As Duan Jingchuan diligently wrote, his anxiety quietly faded away, revealing a clear profile and long, dark eyelashes. He looked like a refined gentleman in this turbid world, but alas, no one was there to witness this scene.
After writing three full pages, Duan Jingchuan put down his pen, a hint of satisfaction appearing in his eyes.
The night was dark, and the moonlight had fallen asleep sometime earlier, no longer spreading its gentle light across the earth.
The sound of the night watchman's drum came from outside the window, "It's the fourth watch of the night, and the weather is freezing cold." Only then did Duan Jingchuan realize that it was already past 1-3 AM.
He unconsciously pressed his temples; he hadn't finished what he needed to do and couldn't sleep yet.
The vast Dingbei Marquis's mansion fell into silence, with only the candlelight in the study of Jinghua Courtyard burning all night.
Feng Ran didn't sleep in until she naturally woke up today.
She didn't understand why she could dawdle as much as she wanted on the day of the tea ceremony, but not on the day of her homecoming.
It's not that I'm not awake, I just don't want to see the sunshine so early.
Duan Jingchuan was waiting for Feng Ran to have breakfast in the front hall early, but today, Duan Jingchuan looked much more handsome.
Feng Ran's eyes flickered; that damn beauty had instantly banished her drowsiness.
Compared to her cheap husband, her face really pales in comparison.
"Good morning, my husband." As your provider, I must wish you good morning and good night, and good health at all times.
"Good morning, Madam." Hearing Feng Ran's voice, Duan Jingchuan, who had been keeping his head down, raised it slightly. His somewhat dazed gaze swept over Feng Ran's chin before quickly withdrawing, as if he had completed a task of paying attention. Although they hadn't known each other for long, Feng Ran often greeted him, and he had already responded very easily.
Just now, when Duan Jingchuan lowered his head and his eyes were slightly narrowed, he looked like a beautiful woman from afar—quiet, pure, and untouched by worldly dust. Now, as he looks up, the dark circles under his eyes have ruined that beauty.
"Didn't you sleep well? Is the study not comfortable to sleep in? You can change rooms."
The dark circles under her eyes were really unsightly. Feng Ran mistakenly thought it was because the resting conditions in the study were not good. She had been sleeping in the main room for the past few days, which seemed to be because she had taken Duan Jingchuan's original bed. However, she could not return it. Jinghua Courtyard was not small, and there were still side rooms.
Duan Jingchuan smiled gently at Feng Ran, a smile that almost made Feng Ran's heart leap out of her chest.
It must be because the little socially anxious girl's clothes were too gorgeous today; she's starting to resent the rich.
The Prime Minister's Residence.
In the original owner's memory, the entire Prime Minister's mansion was built against the mountain. The grand gates and courtyards concealed the deepest waters, and the visible prosperity hid countless filths.
She glanced at Duan Jingchuan, who looked uneasy, and found it somewhat amusing.
Feng Ran hadn't originally planned to have Duan Jingchuan accompany her back. She didn't know if his illness would worsen if he suddenly went out. In Feng Ran's eyes, Duan Jingchuan was a good person, and good people should be taken good care of; it would be a good deed.
However, Duan Jingchuan was stubborn, as if not accompanying her back to her parents' home would be a huge apology, leaving Feng Ran feeling helpless.
Feng Ran didn't take the matter of returning to her parents' home seriously, but this family had indeed gone too far. She owed the original owner of this body a debt of gratitude, which allowed her to survive, and she had to repay that debt.
It seemed as if something in the dark was guiding her, reminding her that she needed to properly handle the entanglements of the original owner of this body.
So, she went back to her parents' home.
The original owner's death was inextricably linked to this seemingly magnificent mansion.
A child who lost his mother at a young age, whose maternal clan was just an ordinary gentry family that is now deserted. The heartless prime minister remarried, and his new wife wished she could drown the original owner as soon as possible. She even changed his age to be younger, which shows that she wanted to marginalize the original owner slowly and eventually disappear silently in this cannibalistic mansion.
However, an unexpected arranged marriage reminded the Prime Minister's wife of the original owner of this insignificant persona, who was the original owner's last remaining value.
How could the original owner have died? The answer lies in what they fed her all these years, and what they provided for her just before she was placed in the bridal sedan chair.
The poor girl never got to see the outside world in her entire life, all because her scumbag father, driven by vanity, divorced her and forced her to marry someone else.
For the past two days, Feng Ran has felt a tightness in her chest, unable to rise or fall, likely due to this cause and effect.
Therefore, if the Prime Minister's residence makes me uncomfortable, I will make sure you're left in a mess.
A note from the author:
Ugh, I'm so angry! My idol-chasing has collapsed again! My dream, slap, gone. I'm so frustrated, I have nowhere to vent. Why has being a decent human being become the bare minimum? I don't understand. My country is so wonderful, the law isn't heartless, yet so many people still skirt the line. I feel like I'm less than a good person to support. As the saying goes, "Do what you love, love what you do." If you choose to live under the spotlight, you should be worthy of your salary. If you choose to be an idol, you should set a good example. Anyway, this is just a low-quality post, so feel free to ramble. Don't be offended, my rant for today is over. Tomorrow I'll be gone.
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