9-step hairpin slap in the face
◎The RUA Cloak of Devotion◎
The people in the Prime Minister's residence had prepared a banquet for Feng Ran's return home well in advance, not because they valued it, but because they felt guilty.
Prime Minister Wu Renxing was initially unaware of the substitute marriage arrangement. It wasn't until he saw his eldest daughter, Wu Fengqing, the next day that he realized he had been tricked by his wife and daughter.
Since things had come to this point, there was no point in saying more. He could only accept it reluctantly. The imperial decree had betrothed the prime minister's eldest daughter, and Wu Fengran was also considered the eldest daughter.
To be honest, Wu Renxing doesn't pay much attention to his daughters. He has at least a dozen daughters, if not twenty, and he dreams of having a son.
He didn't care about the imperial decree to arrange the marriage. He had too many daughters, and it would be more pleasant if a few of them were married off. In his eyes, legitimate daughters and illegitimate daughters were the same. With his current status, he no longer needed to tie his daughters' marriages to him.
His biggest worry now is Marquis Dingbei, Duan Zhengjin, a complete military man who is now smarter and knows that his achievements are too great and will threaten the emperor, so he has retired while he was ahead and used his merits to ensure the future glory of his good-for-nothing son. He greatly admires Marquis Dingbei's actions.
Marrying a daughter-in-law from a prestigious family and giving one's son an honor means that even if the eldest son is incompetent, it won't matter much. Children from prestigious families usually raise their own children, and after having children, they can rely on the influence of their maternal family, so their descendants may still be able to turn their lives around.
He had no objections to the marriage between the Marquis of Dingbei and him. Now that the Marquis of Dingbei was pragmatic, the Emperor would surely support him and not make things difficult for him in the slightest. As for himself, he was a staunch supporter of the Emperor, and his in-laws would not be involved in the struggle for the throne, so the marriage would definitely last.
If she had a son, even a son born out of wedlock, she would try to make such a plan for him.
However, I never expected that the foolish woman in my house would be so short-sighted; she is truly stupid.
Don't think he doesn't know that his daughter Wu Fengqing is entangled with the Crown Prince. The Emperor is in his prime now, a good time to realize his ambitions. By the time the Emperor passes away, the Crown Prince's grandson will be old enough to hold his own son. His vision is too short-sighted.
Wu Renxing calmed his frustration and waited in the front hall. The wedding had already been impolite, but he would definitely treat the return visit with care.
The closer Duan Jingchuan got to the Prime Minister's residence, the wetter his back became.
It was almost the twelfth lunar month, and his palms were sweating profusely. He kept rehearsing his lines after getting out of the car, afraid of embarrassing his wife.
Xiong Qi, who was driving, was also a little worried. The young master was perfectly normal. It was precisely because he was so ordinary that it was worrying. This was the first time in nearly ten years that the young master had left the manor.
To bolster his presence, he even donned a fox fur cloak gifted by Chunyu Gongzi. If he remained silent, he would indeed be quite intimidating, appearing as a dignified and refined gentleman.
However, the Prime Minister's residence doesn't seem easy to deal with. Even someone as capable as the Crown Princess was mistreated there. What should the Crown Prince do?
Even the longest journey eventually comes to an end. Now that they had arrived at the Prime Minister's residence, Xiong Qi had no choice but to bite the bullet and lift the carriage curtain.
"Your Highness, Your Highness's Consort, we have arrived at the Prime Minister's residence."
Seeing Duan Jingchuan sitting on pins and needles, his whole body stiff as if he were a zombie, Feng Ran sincerely felt that this person was asking for trouble. Why did he have to come?
It's true, being kind can be a little naive.
But she couldn't bear to see kindness taken for granted, even if that kindness seemed insignificant to her.
“Husband, if you really can’t get used to it, you can wait in the car. I’m just going to check on them, so it won’t be a waste of time.” Feng Ran was extremely helpless and filled with anxiety. This was not the kind of caregiver she wanted. This little socially anxious girl needed a lot of patience, but she didn’t have much patience at all.
Duan Jingchuan knew he wasn't feeling well, but he still moved the corners of his mouth and slowly released a smile, his eyes curving gently, "It's alright."
There wasn't much he could do. While he was still alive, he wanted to leave his wife with as many beautiful memories as possible and save up enough money for her to live on in the future. This was the best he could do to live up to her expectations.
His wife did not mind his reputation, was very kind to him, and respected his quirks. She would not take the initiative to get close to him. How fortunate he was to have married such a wonderful person.
After being rejected again for her kindness, Feng Ran felt that her attitude was adequate but slightly uninteresting.
Xiong Qi had prepared a sedan chair for getting off, but the Crown Princess jumped down in one swift step, the hairpin slapping her hard across the face, making Xiong Qi wince in pain.
Xiuer noticed and hurriedly examined Feng Ran's face. "Princess Consort, are you alright? Please let me see."
Feng Ran was caught off guard and stunned by the tassel's slap. Couldn't she just play in peace? She was slapped for the slightest movement, and she immediately looked at Xiu'er with teary eyes, feeling extremely wronged.
"Xiuer, could you pick it?"
Xiuer felt a little sorry for her, but also amused. She comforted her, "Princess Consort, please bear with it for one more day. I won't wear any more hairpins for you from now on."
Fortunately, it wasn't serious; there wasn't a single mark on the Crown Princess's face, otherwise, things could have been very complicated.
Feng Ran pouted unhappily. In the morning, Xiu'er coaxed her, saying it looked good and would make her look more imposing, which is why she agreed to wear such a heavy thing on her head. Now that this thing is slapping her face, she was immediately dissatisfied.
It's heavy and dangerous, so it's better to sell it and buy food. Ah, she didn't eat enough this morning; it was too bland. She wants to eat meat.
Chunhui stood silently to the side, not daring to make a sound.
She had been locked in the woodshed by the steward for some time until last night when she was given some pointers and then released.
Now that she's back, she doesn't know what the future holds. She's truly terrified. Why did she have to provoke Feng Ran in the first place? What gave her the confidence to think that an unfavored daughter of the Prime Minister's family could be manipulated at will?
I wonder if Feng Ran will let her go. Even if Feng Ran does, the Prime Minister's wife probably won't.
Thinking of this, Chunhui couldn't help but feel a bit resentful. It was all Feng Ran's fault for being so good at deceiving people. When Feng Ran was in the Prime Minister's mansion, she lived a life with almost no presence. Wasn't she just waiting to be bullied? Now that she's married and has grown up, she's finally become tough on her.
Thinking this way, Chunhui felt a little more at ease. It was true that a woman should obey her husband after marriage, but she still relied on the Prime Minister's mansion. Feng Ran would definitely not break ties with the Prime Minister's wife. She still had a chance. Bringing her back now was a sign of weakness. Her back straightened a bit more, and her face became more smug.
Feng Ran specially brought Chun Hui with her when she returned to her parents' home this time. This little cannon fodder from the wedding night is going to be her lunchbox in this episode. She's poor, penniless, and needs to be supported by the socially anxious girl. It would be too sinful to have another person with her, so let's send her back.
The misunderstanding outside the car seemed to distract the tense people inside, making them less nervous, and they finally got out of the car, half-concealing their faces.
As Feng Ran turned around, she suddenly realized that the surrounding scenery had become a backdrop for this socially anxious girl, like a cup of ginger tea on a winter's day, warm and comforting.
If we ignore Duan Jingchuan's constant avoidance of people's gaze, it would be even more perfect.
After getting out of the car, Duan Jingchuan glanced almost imperceptibly at Feng Ran's profile, and only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw nothing amiss. He really hadn't expected that a young woman could have her face injured by a hairpin. His wife had suffered so much; she had never worn a hairpin before. He would definitely buy more in the future so that his wife could choose whatever she wanted.
The gatekeeper of the Prime Minister's residence had been waiting outside for a long time, and only spoke after everyone had disembarked from the carriage.
"Miss, Young Master, it's windy outside. The Prime Minister and his wife are waiting in the front hall. Please come in with me."
The doorman was very humble and did not show any arrogance or displeasure; he was quite sensible.
Feng Ran secretly glanced at Duan Jingchuan's face, but didn't see anything wrong. She then slowly led him inside and whispered, "If you're not feeling well, don't force yourself. I'll take you back."
Duan Jingchuan was tense, as if he were walking on a tightrope. He took each step evenly, without uttering a sound, his eyes fixed on what was in front of him, constantly reminding himself not to look down. He could hear someone whispering something in his ear, but he couldn't make out what they were saying.
He walked for an unknown amount of time, his palms were sweating profusely, and the relentless autumn chill pierced his very bones, leaving his hands and feet numb as if he were about to lose all feeling.
Just as Duan Jingchuan's vision began to blur, a pair of dry, warm hands placed on his clenched fists, forcefully pulling away the fingertips that were digging into his palms. His numb steps faltered, and he regained some composure.
Both Xiong Qi and Xiu'er were somewhat worried. Xiong Qi was prepared to knock the prince unconscious and take him away at any time, and dared not relax for a moment.
Just as the Crown Prince seemed about to collapse, the Crown Princess suddenly grabbed his hand, almost startling Xiong Qi into screaming.
The Crown Prince never allows anyone to touch him! Oh no, he can't let the Crown Prince have a seizure in front of outsiders. Just as he was about to step forward to take action, he suddenly noticed that the Crown Prince quickly recovered from his stiff state, and there was even a blush on his ears.
This was not a sign of an impending illness. Xiong Qi forcibly withdrew the step he was about to take and prepared to observe the situation.
Duan Jingchuan belatedly realized that his wife had taken his hand. Her hand was very dry and, although small, it was very reassuring. For some reason, he thought of the little stone that had accompanied him in his childhood and felt no resistance to it.
However, in the blink of an eye, Duan Jingchuan broke free from Feng Ran's hand. He noticed the sweat on his palms and felt somewhat embarrassed. He wanted to find a handkerchief to wipe his wife's hands, but before he could take out the handkerchief, Feng Ran had already wiped her hands clean herself.
It was Duan Jingchuan's fox fur cloak.
Feng Ran had long wanted to touch this fluffy cloak. It was clean and white, with loose fox fur fluttering in the wind. It looked so nice to touch, and now she finally had the chance.
Not satisfied with just touching it once, he rubbed it repeatedly with both hands.
To the servants, Feng Ran was wiping her hands with Duan Jingchuan's cloak.
Several pairs of eyes were somewhat dazed, but Feng Ran was completely oblivious, focused solely on her RUA cloak.
This operation completely rescued Duan Jingchuan from his tense nerves. In Duan Jingchuan's eyes, his wife was envious of his cloak.
He started blaming himself again. Why had he forgotten to prepare one for his wife? He had been too nervous this morning. The weather was cold now; he should have prepared one for his wife as well.
The lady's dowry doesn't seem very generous; there are a few snow-white fox fur coats in his storeroom, which would suit her perfectly. Several embroidery shops in the capital are also launching new designs; we should prepare more clothes for the lady.
The group stopped not far from the front hall. One person was carefully wiping their hands, another person was giving them a gentle and indulgent look, and there was a group of onlookers.
When Prime Minister Wu Renxing went out, this was the scene he saw.
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