Chapter 54◇
I simply wanted to see a beautiful woman.
As she spoke, the book in Feng Ran's hand was almost burned out. She casually tossed it into the brazier used by the shopkeeper for heating. "So you have a problem with me? You ignore the open flames here, but insist on reading this book in my hand."
The shopkeeper hurriedly explained, "Your Highness has misunderstood. I was mistaken. Please make yourself at home."
Feng Ran smiled faintly and remained silent. She stopped burning the books and wandered around with a candle in hand.
The shopkeeper followed cautiously behind, his eyes fixed on the candle in Feng Ran's hand, afraid that a slight tremor of his hand might cause a fire.
For some reason, several guests formed a circle around Feng Ran, following her without leaving a trace.
Feng Ran noticed but didn't pay any attention, wandering aimlessly. At first, the shopkeeper didn't notice anything, but as Feng Ran explored deeper, the shopkeeper's expression became more and more serious.
Seeing Feng Ran walk towards the corner, the shopkeeper finally couldn't help but try to stop her. Unexpectedly, Feng Ran stopped in her tracks, as if she had lost the desire to continue exploring. She pouted and said, "You were right. There's nothing to see here. It's just a bit dusty. Never mind, bring me a chair."
The shopkeeper breathed a sigh of relief, his face relaxed. "Princess Consort, please wait a moment."
Feng Ran flicked off non-existent dust from her cloak with a bit too much force. The cloak was already ankle-length, so it was easy for it to snag on the frame when she swung it like that. But Feng Ran didn't notice and took a big step forward.
That was bad; his lower body was unstable, and he almost fell over, his frame being pulled so hard that there was a loud thud.
The shopkeeper's brow twitched. He tried to reach out and block the candle that Feng Ran had thrown, but it was too late. The flame and the book were about to ignite.
The flames licked rapidly, illuminating every dark corner. Feng Ran squinted and finally spotted a crack in the wall. She shouted, "Shopkeeper, kick this shelf down, and the fire will surely go out! Move aside!"
Before the shopkeeper could react, Feng Ran leaped forward and kicked him. With a loud crash, the shelf shattered, but the seemingly sturdy wall behind it also shattered, sending bricks and stones flying. The fire, which was not very serious to begin with, was indeed extinguished, and the secrets hidden behind the wall were exposed to the public.
Seeing that things were not going well, the middle-aged men who had been following Feng Ran exchanged a fierce look and made a move to capture Feng Ran.
The shopkeeper's face was ashen, his entire body pale and ashen. Upon seeing the actions of the men, he shouted incoherently, "Princess Consort, spare my life! When the people from the Marquis of Dingbei's residence arrive later, please be sure to plead for me!"
After saying that, he knelt down on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly.
Upon hearing that people from the Marquis of Dingbei's residence might be coming, several men who were about to step forward all stopped what they were doing, lowered their heads, and prepared to leave.
Feng Ran said coldly, "I suggest you all stay and testify for me! Otherwise, I'll have to trouble my father-in-law to invite you back."
Without waiting for the others to react, Feng Ran crawled into the hole she had kicked out, and then kicked it twice more because she thought it was a bit small, making it just big enough for one person to fit in.
Feng Ran rarely witnessed human tragedy, and facing this scene before her caused her heart to burn with rage.
Who knows what kind of sordid things were hidden in the backyard of this Ren'ai Bookstore? There were countless homeless children, ranging from four or five years old to twelve or thirteen years old, all tied together like candied hawthorns, their mouths stuffed tightly with rags from who-knows-where.
Several children were huddled in a corner, barely alive, and their condition was unknown.
Feng Ran glanced around and saw that there were twelve or thirteen children. Only a few of the older children were conscious, but they all looked feverish. There was nothing she could do about it, and she didn't know when Xiu'er would be able to call the carriage.
The shopkeepers outside knew that all was lost. They looked at the three people behind them with pleading eyes, their eyes filled with hatred, and were about to bang their heads against the pillar.
Feng Ran reacted quickly, casually throwing out a book she had been holding, which knocked the suicidal shopkeeper unconscious.
Then, with a casual smile, he said to the remaining three men, "Are you three brave men scared out of your wits? Those who should call the authorities should call the authorities, and those who should call a doctor should call a doctor. What are you standing here like an idiot for? Do you want to faint or run away?"
The three looked at each other in bewilderment. One of them went to report to the authorities, another went to find a doctor, and the last one was detained by Feng Ran, who claimed that she would help transport the children out of the nooks and crannies.
The room was cold and damp, and the children, who had been locked up for who knows how long, looked as if they hadn't eaten or drunk anything.
As Feng Ran was struggling to move the children, Xiu'er arrived with the coachman. Upon seeing the scene, she exclaimed, "Princess Consort, are you alright?"
Feng Ran shook her head, her face as cold as ice. "You've come at the right time. Quickly take all the blankets out of the carriage and cover the child with them."
Xiuer didn't have time to ask any more questions. She hurriedly helped the coachman remove all the blankets and quilts that could be taken off the carriage, spreading some on the ground and covering the children with the rest.
A dozen or so children were neatly arranged on the ground in a long row.
Some of the children who were still conscious then realized they had been rescued and burst into tears. This cry seemed to flip a switch, and everyone, young and old, started crying, gradually turning from soft sobs into loud wails.
Feng Ran frowned at the sound of crying, but she wasn't impatient; she was just a little worried. "Alright, stop crying for now. Save your strength. I'll send someone to bring you some hot porridge to warm your stomachs later. Then think carefully about who you really belong to, how you ended up like this, and what this person is up to."
Three hours had passed, and Feng Ran still hadn't returned. Duan Jingchuan was starting to get restless.
His wife never dines out alone, so why hasn't she returned yet, so long past her appointed time? Given her pace, three hours should be enough for her to fill her stomach.
Just as they were about to send someone to investigate, news of Feng Ran arrived.
The messenger was someone Xiu'er randomly picked up on the street. She simply gave him a few instructions and told him to go to the Marquis of Dingbei's residence to find the young master.
Ordinary people like us have never been to a marquis's mansion before! When we entered, our legs were trembling, and we stammered out all the things that Xiu'er had told us to say.
"What? The bookstore is on fire? Madam is locked inside! Where is my wife?" Duan Jingchuan completely ignored the part about the bookstore owner being a heartless kidnapper, only remembering the two keywords: Feng Ran and fire.
"The Crown Princess... is alright, it seems she went to Kaifeng Prefecture." The messenger was so frightened that his legs trembled, and he spoke haltingly.
The messenger knew nothing else about the other matters; he was completely bewildered and only listened to a few words before rushing over.
These news alone had terrified Duan Jingchuan so much that he nearly fainted and hurriedly boarded the carriage in the front yard to rush to Kaifeng Prefecture.
This was the first time Duan Jingchuan had ever hated himself; a grown man of seven feet tall couldn't even ride a horse.
Lord Duan was also startled by the news. Fearing that something might have happened to Feng Ran and that Duan Jingchuan might be having second thoughts, he sent Old Li to Kaifeng Prefecture to keep watch.
The old Marquis Duan was also puzzled by the fact that the Crown Princess burned down a bookstore after going out once. The reason he did not go there himself was to find out whether Feng Ran had caused the trouble or someone else had offended her.
Kaifeng Prefecture.
They had just been reported to the authorities and sent to Kaifeng Prefecture. Feng Ran half-closed her eyes and looked around with interest. She thought of the little cicada-like creature that had appeared in her carriage and kept thinking about how to persuade her husband to take care of it.
Compared to Feng Ran's composure, Zhao Qing, the Prefect of Kaifeng, was much more uneasy.
He cursed inwardly, wondering which blind fool dared to abduct children right under his nose. If it were an ordinary person, reporting it to the authorities would be fine, but Feng Ran was backed by the incorruptible and impartial Marquis of Dingbei's mansion. Just thinking about the Marquis of Dingbei's refined and handsome yet unreasonable face made Zhao Qing feel bitter.
This job is no easy task. Someone with no connections would dare to abduct a child in the capital. If it were to implicate any royal relatives or nobles, his life would be over. But if it weren't investigated, he probably wouldn't have survived until today.
The criminal who was still unconscious in the courtroom was quite unlucky. He was caught red-handed by the Princess Consort of the Marquis of Dingbei. This relatively unknown Princess Consort had pulled off a big heist, and now the entire capital would be paying attention to this matter.
Zhao Qing couldn't figure out Feng Ran's methods, so he could only politely ask her to wait aside.
Feng Ran's blow was rather heavy; the shopkeeper, despite all the effort, remained unconscious. They even splashed cold water on him, and the constables had no other recourse but to turn their attention to the twelve children Feng Ran had rescued.
Zhao Qing swallowed hard, glancing guiltily at Feng Ran. He'd heard that this woman could kick a wall down with two kicks. If he accidentally offended her, he didn't know how many kicks his small frame could withstand.
But the task couldn't be left undone, so he tried to make his words both authoritative and approachable: "Princess Consort, are these twelve children all the children abducted by this unscrupulous shopkeeper?"
Feng Ran frowned and said uncertainly, "Sir, you didn't send these children here yourself. You should know how many there are!"
Was the Crown Princess in a bad mood and dissatisfied with his efficiency in handling the case? Zhao Qing felt a chill run down his spine when he saw Feng Ran's impatient expression.
Between two evils, Zhao Qing decided to take the lesser one out and start with the people in the hall. "How dare these outrageous thieves kidnap children at will under the emperor's nose! Guards, give them a good beating until they wake up!"
Just as the constables were about to drag the man out to beat him, the children who had been brought over woke up. They were led to the hall by the constables, and instead of kneeling before Zhao Qing, they all surrounded Feng Ran and kowtowed to her before turning to Zhao Qing in silence.
Feng Ran silently accepted the gift, but her expression turned somewhat unpleasant as she said to Zhao Qing, "Sir, these children haven't done anything wrong. They've already suffered enough these past few days. Making them kneel on the ground will only harm their health."
Because of Feng Ran's words, Zhao Qing immediately ordered the yamen runners to help the children up and served each of them a bowl of ginger soup.
Feng Ran stared longingly at the old woman who brought her ginger soup. On a whim, the old woman handed Feng Ran a bowl as well. Before Feng Ran could even kowtow and apologize, Feng Ran happily accepted it.
"Thank you, Grandma. This ginger soup smells wonderful to me." After saying that, she ignored the reactions of others and made a move to drink it.
Seeing that Feng Ran wanted to eat, Xiu'er, who was lost in thought, finally came back to her senses and looked at Feng Ran's somewhat smudged face with a face full of shame. "Princess Consort, let me wipe your face for you first!"
A note from the author:
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2022-12-21 21:33:09 and 2022-12-23 23:36:56!
Thank you to the little angel who threw the rocket: 1 orange;
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Orange (46 bottles); Zhaoxun (10 bottles); Autumn Whispers (2 bottles); Qixia and Freshly Boiled Water (1 bottle);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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