13. A socially anxious person actually pretended to faint.
◎As expected of the Crown Prince's Consort◎
The Prime Minister didn't quite understand what she was saying. "Ran'er, I am your father. Even if you are angry, you shouldn't call me Prime Minister. And what do you mean by that? I don't quite understand."
Prime Minister Wu really couldn't understand what "Happy Stick" meant, what "Ten Thousand Gold" meant, or "Massage Nest"? Why give Chunhui to him? He didn't lack maids to serve him.
In fact, not only the Prime Minister didn't understand, but no one else understood what Feng Ran meant by those words.
Judging from the tone of his voice, it didn't sound like something nice.
Duan Jingchuan didn't quite understand what his wife meant. It seemed that his wife's cultural studies needed to be accelerated. There really wasn't a suitable tutor, otherwise they would have hired one long ago.
But he understood the meaning of Feng Ran's second half of her sentence: she intended to send Chun Hui back to the Prime Minister's residence.
Everyone in the room stared at Feng Ran with eager eyes, and even Duan Jingchuan's gaze kept drifting towards her, all waiting for her to answer their questions.
Feng Ran was a little confused. Were these people's hearings really that bad? It's not hard to understand; she was being very straightforward! Okay, then she'll explain it again.
"Don't people always talk about rich girls? If you've had twenty or more of those 'pleasure sticks,' then you're definitely worth ten thousand gold pieces."
For a moment, even the sound of breathing ceased.
As expected of the Crown Prince's consort, that was Xiong Qi's inner thought.
Xiuer even wanted to kneel down before the Crown Princess; is that something to say? Is it?
Duan Jingchuan was also stunned by Feng Ran's bold prediction. He didn't even notice that when his gaze fell on Feng Ran's face, he could almost hear the sound of Prime Minister Wu's veins popping.
The Prime Minister's wife, Lady Liu, blushed instantly, glared angrily at Feng Ran, her chest trembling, unable to utter a word.
Wu Fengqing wished she could cover her ears and eyes, never wanting Wu Fengran to pollute her vision again.
Chunhui trembled slightly. She now fully understood Feng Ran's meaning: she wanted to send her back to the Prime Minister's residence, and under the pretext of making her the Prime Minister's concubine. How could she possibly survive?
However, the first half of Feng Ran's words were too damaging, and she dared not plead for mercy. She could only tremble and pray that the Prime Minister's wife would let her go.
In this atmosphere, anyone who speaks out first is practically asking for trouble.
"You scoundrel! How dare you, a woman, utter such words?" Prime Minister Wu could no longer maintain his composure as prime minister and could only curse wildly as the teacup in his hand flew rapidly toward Feng Ran.
Feng Ran intended to wave the flying teacup aside, but Duan Jingchuan blocked her way.
With a bang.
Not a drop of scalding tea was spilled onto Duan Jingchuan's beautiful white cloak, like dung being splashed on the snow, extremely unsightly.
"Husband, are you alright?" Feng Ran quickly stood up to check on him. Fortunately, Duan Jingchuan was dressed warmly, otherwise he would definitely be injured.
She was a little unhappy. When she was unhappy, she wanted to persuade people with her virtue, but her fists had something to say.
Unexpectedly, Duan Jingchuan ran into trouble. He was breathing rapidly, his forehead was covered in cold sweat, and he fell into Feng Ran's arms with his head tilted to the side. This frightened Feng Ran.
"Husband, husband! Little socially anxious Duan Jingchuan!" After calling several times without response, they realized that Duan Jingchuan had fainted.
Prime Minister Wu had only vented half his anger when he accidentally knocked his son-in-law unconscious. Now, the other half of his anger was forced to remain inside him, leaving him red-faced with rage, his chest heaving, looking utterly pathetic.
No one expected Duan Jingchuan to faint at the Prime Minister's residence. If word got out that the father-in-law had beaten his son-in-law on his return visit, that would be terrible.
Feng Ran clearly didn't want to stay in the Prime Minister's residence any longer. She only came once, and she actually knocked her husband unconscious. But this wasn't the time to settle scores.
Xiong Qi rushed over immediately, intending to carry the young master back to the Dingbei Marquis's residence, but unexpectedly Feng Ran carried Duan Jingchuan in a princess carry and strode away.
Xiong Qi and Xiu'er were stunned for a moment.
Fortunately, Xiong Qi did not forget the important matter and first apologized to Prime Minister Wu.
"Your Excellency, my young master is unwell and must take his leave now. The young master's wife wishes to offer Chunhui to you as a concubine. Please accept her."
At this moment, Xiong Qi didn't care whether Feng Ran's words made sense or not. He disregarded the insubordination and, after speaking, grabbed Xiu'er and left quickly.
The scene was somewhat chaotic and quiet for a moment.
Only after everyone had disappeared did Madam Liu come to her senses. "Master."
This sound also pulled Prime Minister Wu out of his daze.
"You scoundrel, is this the daughter you raised? You probably don't want to be the mistress of the house anymore."
Then, he kicked over the table in front of him and strode away.
After being reprimanded by Prime Minister Wu, Lady Liu felt extremely aggrieved.
Now it's her fault; the master never paid attention to his daughters before.
"Mother, you must help your daughter vent this anger." Wu Fengqing paid no attention to the Prime Minister's reprimand, but was unable to extricate herself from her own grievances.
"Don't worry, Qing'er. Time is sensitive right now. Let her run wild for a while. She'll suffer later." Madam Liu patted Wu Fengqing's hand affectionately, comforting her.
"Mother, what if she goes around spreading rumors?" Wu Fengqing was very worried about this. She didn't know who had leaked her relationship with the Crown Prince. If she found out, she would definitely not let that wretch off.
Suddenly, Liu seemed to remember something and glared fiercely at Chunhui.
"Did I say something too much?" It's no wonder that Madam Liu was suspicious. Feng Ran had never even left her own courtyard before, so how could she know about Qing'er's affairs?
This audacious maid must have been turned against her. Now she even wants to enter the master's room. Bah! Doesn't she know her place?
Chunhui had been trying to make herself as inconspicuous as possible, and now she felt like she was walking on the edge of a precipice, where she could fall if she wasn't careful.
Now the moment of life and death had finally arrived. She knelt down with a thud, unable to stop herself from trembling, and desperately kowtowed to Liu.
"Madam, this servant would never dare to harbor any thoughts of betrayal. This servant truly does not know how the Second Miss learned of this."
Wu Fengqing couldn't help but say from the side, "If you hadn't surrendered to that slut, why would she have sent you back to the Prime Minister's residence and made you my father's concubine? You think you're worthy? Don't you even know your place?"
"My lady, please understand. I would never dare to have such thoughts. I don't know what happened, but on the second young lady's wedding night, she locked me in the woodshed and only released me today. Please understand, madam."
"What? The wedding night? Tell me in detail what happened these past few days." Only then did Madam Liu realize that something was amiss.
Indeed, even Chunhui didn't know much about Qing'er and His Highness the Crown Prince, which was strange.
After Chunhui finished speaking, Liu and her daughter exchanged a glance.
Wu Fengqing was the first to lose her composure, "Mother, could it be that the Crown Prince instructed you to do this?"
After thinking for a moment, Madam Liu shook her head. "It shouldn't be. I know something about the matter concerning the heir. Although the Marquis of Dingbei is a hero who protects the country, his household is in chaos, and his wife is incompetent, having raised her own son astray."
Based on her understanding, the heir of the Marquis of Dingbei should not have this ability.
Wu Fengqing was puzzled, "Then why is the young master protecting that lowly hussy so tightly?"
Every time her father and mother scolded Feng Ran, the Crown Prince was always the first to stand up for her. It was such a lucky thing that such a handsome man was willing to protect her from the wind and rain.
His Highness the Crown Prince, being of noble status, never defended her in public. Wu Fengqing had just begun to feel a little envious when she decisively shook her head, nipping the budding thought in the bud.
She is destined to be an empress, not a prince's wife who could be deposed at any moment.
Even Liu couldn't guess why Duan Jingchuan was protecting Feng Ran.
Feng Ran was pale and thin, with little color in her face. Even though she was sixteen, a flower-like age, she looked no more than thirteen or fourteen. If it were said that Duan Jingchuan was a womanizer, Liu would never believe it. She could only guess that this was a conspiracy by the Marquis of Dingbei's mansion to provoke their Prime Minister's mansion.
Therefore, she needs to remain calm and not let them lead her by the nose.
*
Duan Jingchuan's fainting spell terrified Feng Ran, and Xiong Qi and the other man trembled all over. If something happened to the young master, how could he explain it to the Marquis?
Feng Ran moved swiftly, even while carrying someone, she was no slower than Xiong Qi.
Before Xiong Qi could put down the bridge bench, Feng Ran had already carried Duan Jingchuan onto the carriage.
"Quickly return to the Marquis's residence and fetch a doctor."
Xiong Qi was once again shocked by the Crown Princess's martial arts prowess. This Crown Princess looked thin and petite, but he never expected her to be so skilled, comparable to a general in the army.
Carrying the prince all the way, even he would catch his breath for a moment, but the princess remained calm. Xiong Qi felt a surge of admiration for Feng Ran, but he didn't say much and drove the carriage back to the Marquis's residence.
Duan Jingchuan remained in Feng Ran's arms, and even after they got into the carriage, Feng Ran did not put him down.
Feng Ran looked at Duan Jingchuan, who was sweating profusely and whose brows were tightly furrowed. What was wrong with him? Was he frightened?
The carriage was bumping along as it sped along. Feng Ran was about to touch Duan Jingchuan's forehead to see if he had a fever when Duan Jingchuan opened his eyes first and scrambled to the corner of the carriage.
Her face was as red as a monkey's bottom, and even her fingertips were slightly curled up, showing a shy expression.
Feng Ran was puzzled. This person was moving so fast. Could someone who had just woken up from a faint be so agile?
Noticing Feng Ran's question, Duan Jingchuan suppressed his embarrassment and whispered, "I was faking it."
Feng Ran was a little confused. "Why did you pretend to faint?"
Duan Jingchuan wanted to say, "I'm afraid my father-in-law will punish you." But then he thought he should save face for his wife. So he replied, "I want to go back to the Marquis's residence."
Regarding this reason, Feng Ran neither said she believed it nor disbelieved it.
However, she secretly complained to herself, but pretended to faint. Holding him was tiring. He looked quite thin, but he was a bit big, with long arms and legs.
But let's not say that. The little socially anxious person behaved exceptionally well today and deserves praise.
"Then you don't need to pretend to be dizzy. Just tell me directly. I want to go back too. I'm so tired and hungry. I want to eat something."
Looking at Feng Ran's somewhat sallow face, Duan Jingchuan felt even more guilty; he had let his wife go hungry.
"Hmm." Duan Jingchuan suddenly realized that talking to his wife wasn't so difficult anymore.
"My husband, thank you so much for protecting me. I've made up my mind. I will definitely help you cure your fear of talking to people." Feng Ran made a shameless promise.
Duan Jingchuan didn't say anything, he just smiled.
He wanted to be normal, but unfortunately, he was never normal.
Today was already an unexpected blessing; he was able to leave the Prime Minister's residence sober. He was now really afraid that he would fall into the vortex again and be unable to extricate himself.
A note from the author:
The silly, uncultured, and shameless female lead once again acquires the attribute of being a strongwoman.
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