Chapter 39
◎Dumb and silly◎
The New Year in the human world is so lively; this is Feng Ran's first time experiencing the New Year.
After Xiao Shekong took her out last time, Feng Ran only noticed that there were many people outside. This time when she returned to the manor, Feng Ran was conscripted into the household. In fact, she didn't do anything, just watched the servants take apart and wash the bedding and curtains, and sweep the courtyard.
A peculiar scene unfolded at the Marquis of Dingbei's residence. From afar, a beautiful couple stood beneath a withered tree, the wind whistling through the air. The woman, dressed in a red fox fur cloak, looked impatient, while the man, dressed in a white fox fur cloak, gently coaxed her, occasionally feeding her a bite.
The servants sweeping around the area silently made way for that corner, unwilling to disturb such a peaceful scene.
Only by going inside can you discover the mystery.
Feng Ran looked utterly hopeless, completely baffled as to why no one had asked her to do anything before, but now that she had returned, things were piling up like snowflakes, falling straight down on her.
Feng Ran was furious, and the consequence of her anger was that she dragged Duan Jingchuan into suffering with her.
Duan Jingchuan wasn't angry when he was pulled out of his studies. He patiently fed Feng Ran, slowly suppressing her resentment.
But Feng Ran couldn't stop complaining, "Why can't you treat me like a good-for-nothing who just freeloads? Look how obedient the people here are, they don't need anyone to watch over them."
Duan Jingchuan shook his head and chuckled. He knew perfectly well that his father must have been surprised by his unprecedented initiative to accompany his wife out of the manor yesterday. The order for his wife to take charge must have been given by his father, who probably wanted to see how he would react. Duan Jingchuan felt a little sad. After all these years, the bond between father and son still needed to be tested.
Duan Jingchuan could have deflected the blame for Feng Ran's actions, but he didn't.
It's not that I don't want to help Feng Ran, but I simply want her to go out for a walk.
Ever since Feng Ran accidentally broke Lord Duan's silver spear at the martial arts arena, she has openly stopped going to the arena for morning practice. Duan Jingchuan has been sticking to the morning practice all by himself, and Lord Duan has no choice but to ask Feng Ran to come every morning.
Lady Hou is someone who doesn't concern herself with anything. As long as Feng Ran doesn't appear in front of her, she can completely ignore Feng Ran. Not to mention Feng Ran, even Duan Jingchuan doesn't get any attention from her.
Fortunately, Duan Jingchuan was already used to it and didn't care whether his mother cared for him or not. In his mother's eyes, even the illegitimate children of the Marquis's family were more precious than him.
There are many customs associated with cleaning during the Spring Festival. In the past, when cleaning, some of the furnishings in the room would be replaced to give the overall layout a different feel. However, when adding new furnishings during the Spring Festival, it is important to avoid items with sharp corners. The newly added items in the room should be mainly rounded.
Moreover, dust removal not only requires achieving the goal of a thorough cleaning, but also avoiding stirring up too much dust, which Feng Ran found quite impressive.
She had assumed that the dust removal would be dusty and not suitable for her to eat at any time, but when she arrived at the site, she found that everyone was being very careful, afraid of disturbing the dust.
To be honest, although Feng Ran had lived in the mansion for so long, she never felt a sense of belonging. Apart from a few familiar people in Jinghua Courtyard, she didn't know anyone else. When she saw several maids carrying a chest of clothes to the kitchen, Feng Ran was puzzled.
"Wait a minute! I'm talking to you guys, the ones carrying the clothes." Feng Ran casually pushed away the candied hawthorn that Duan Jingchuan was offering to her mouth, indicating that she was full, and shouted at the people walking by.
The servants, puzzled, stopped and cautiously asked, "Princess Consort, is there something amiss?"
Feng Ran pointed at the boxes in their hands, puzzled. "Why are you carrying them towards the kitchen? Is there a storeroom over there?"
The head servant was very quick-witted. He stepped forward with the box in his hands and replied, "Your Highness, these are all old clothes from this year, and some are even damaged. They are being sent to the kitchen to be burned after the New Year."
"Burned?" Feng Ran casually picked up a few pieces of clothing, looked them over, and saw that the clothes in the box were not valuable. They looked like the servants' change of clothes in the mansion. They were not exactly tattered, but the mansion would order new clothes once a year, so these clothes naturally had to be disposed of.
"Why must they be burned? Is there any explanation? Did the owner of these clothes pass away?" Feng Ran didn't quite understand this method of disposal.
"That's not the case. It's just that most mansions in the capital have this custom to express the desire to get rid of the old and discard the new," Duan Jingchuan explained, knowing that Feng Ran didn't understand many customs.
“Husband, what a waste! You once said, ‘Why not eat meat porridge?’ Is this what you meant?” Feng Ran frowned, scoffing at this so-called custom.
Duan Jingchuan was speechless for the first time; this was also the first time he had ever cared about what to do with the old clothes.
The servants who had stopped were caught in a dilemma, and tentatively asked, "Princess Consort, what about us?"
Duan Jingchuan was also looking at Feng Ran, indicating to her that she had the final say on these matters.
Feng Ran rubbed her chin, her eyes lighting up. "Husband, I've got an idea for how to do something good! Let's collect scrap!"
......
Duan Jingchuan didn't immediately connect collecting scrap with doing good deeds. He thought Feng Ran would rewrite the rules of the manor to discourage such extravagance.
Before Duan Jingchuan could even ask, Feng Ran rattled off all her money.
“Look, many wealthy families gather their old and worn-out belongings together at this time of year. Whether they burn them or throw them away, they won’t have any value anyway. If I go to various mansions and take over these unwanted items, saving them the trouble of processing them, wouldn’t they be willing to give me these old clothes?”
Yes, you can. If you're given the title of Crown Princess, not many people would refuse to give you that much face.
But what's the use?
Duan Jingchuan asked the question that everyone had been wondering about.
"You need to broaden your thinking. Think about it, how many people in Jingchao are starving and cold? Don't you think these clothes are very useful?"
Duan Jingchuan suddenly understood, "I was narrow-minded; Madam is very righteous."
“You haven’t seen enough of the world. This mansion is like a paradise. What you’re worried about is just your own little world. You should know that there is so much suffering in the world.” Feng Ran didn’t care about Duan Jingchuan’s praise and answered casually.
"Good, well said, Princess Consort. It was my fault for wasting things in the manor. When we were fighting in the northern border, how many brothers died from the cold? I never thought that as time went by, I would forget the pain of those days. It was really wrong of me. I will give the order now. Starting today, the Marquis of Dingbei's manor will collect old clothes from the entire capital and send them to the bitterly cold places."
Lord Duan arrived nearby at some point and greatly agreed with Feng Ran's idea.
Feng Ran's brow twitched, as if she saw the merit she was about to accumulate vanish. She quickly said, "Father, I can handle this by myself. Why don't I act in the name of the Marquis of Dingbei's mansion?"
Lord Duan laughed heartily, “I don’t care what others say. If you don’t mind showing your face and affecting your reputation, you can go ahead and do it. As long as it benefits the people, the Marquis of Dingbei’s mansion will be your support.”
Feng Ran was a little troubled. This matter was easier said than done. She realized that the old Marquis Duan had his concerns about having the Marquis of Dingbei's mansion intervene. She had been careless.
Just as she was struggling with whether or not to agree to this, Duan Jingchuan spoke up, "Father, rest assured, I will accompany the Crown Princess throughout this matter and will certainly not fail to live up to your wishes."
Lord Duan's eyes gleamed, but his face remained serious. He said in a deep voice, "Jingchuan, you should know that this matter is easy to say, but it will inevitably attract criticism. Are you sure you can handle it?"
Duan Jingchuan did not avoid the gaze of the old Marquis Duan, his firm yet confident look gentle and powerful. "Father, rest assured."
A tear flashed across Old Marquis Duan's eyes, but in the blink of an eye, his usual cheerful smile returned. "Since you have this determination, I will lend you a hand. I will send you a letter in a moment, and thirty-two guards will be assigned to you directly. During this period, you don't need to participate in any affairs of the manor. Do what you want to do."
Feng Ran accepted the task in a daze, holding the newly produced so-called "ragpicking manual" in her hand, which also included more than thirty guards. She was a little confused. "Is Father really that easy to talk to? He's provided manpower and resources. He's such a good father!"
Duan Jingchuan straightened Feng Ran's cloak, hiding her entire face inside without revealing a single gap.
"My father has fought for many years, and what he loves most in his heart is the people of Jing Dynasty. Your wife's unintentional words have touched my heart, and I will naturally give her my full support." Duan Jingchuan's clear voice was somewhat muffled through the furry hood.
Feng Ran glanced at Duan Jingchuan sideways, "Don't take advantage of me because I'm not well-educated. Father only gave so much support because you took the initiative to stand up for me and he got excited in a moment of excitement."
Others might not know, but she certainly did. Ever since she dragged Duan Jingchuan out of Jinghua Courtyard, Old Marquis Duan's secret gaze had never left them. It couldn't be that Old Marquis Duan was coveting his daughter-in-law, could it? The only answer was Duan Jingchuan.
She really didn't understand what kind of secret surveillance they were up to, and she had no reason to ask them directly.
Duan Jingchuan paused, then said with an ambiguous expression, "Perhaps."
Feng Ran pouted. Every family has its own troubles. Don't speak kindly without knowing other people's experiences.
"Where should we go first?" After leaving the Dingbei Marquis's residence, Feng Ran paused, her face flushed with shame, but it quickly disappeared as she asked Duan Jingchuan with a trusting expression.
"Among the officials in the capital, there are two factions: civil officials and military generals. The Marquis of Dingbei's mansion is undoubtedly the representative of the military generals. As for the rest, we should naturally go to the civil officials." Duan Jingchuan's voice was unhurried. After helping Feng Ran onto the carriage, he also stepped onto it.
"A civil official? You mean Prime Minister Wu, my cheap father?" Feng Ran's face was full of eagerness; it had been a long time since she had gone to the Prime Minister's residence to cause trouble.
Duan Jingchuan chuckled and ran his right hand across Feng Ran's face, saying, "Stop gloating. He is, after all, your father in name only."
These words were so strange that even the oblivious Feng Ran sensed something was amiss, while Duan Jingchuan seemed completely unconcerned. Feng Ran tentatively asked, "Husband, isn't he my biological father in the real sense?"
Duan Jingchuan's eyes were deep, and the corners of his mouth were slightly curved. He brought his handsome face closer and asked instead of answering, "What does Madam think?"
"Beautiful." The sudden beauty of the face made Feng Ran inhale a breath of fresh air.
Duan Jingchuan's chest heaved twice, his eyes sparkling with spring, and his smile became even more alluring. "Then take a good look at him, he's so silly."
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