2. Drinking the new bride's tea caused the system to crash online.
Let's just go with the flow.
Now, Lord Duan Zhengjin is only over forty years old, and he often suffers from insomnia due to his old injuries.
Tonight, I tossed and turned, unable to sleep, fearing that something had happened to Duan Jingchuan.
Originally, I planned to stay with the Lady of the Marquis, but she didn't care about it.
The general, who had been fighting on the frontier for many years, had a wolf-like intuition.
Jingchuan's situation was special. Although he used his military merits to obtain this marriage contract, he never expected that the emperor would bestow the beautiful and famous eldest daughter of the prime minister's family upon his son. However, the imperial decree had already been issued and could not be changed.
At this moment, Lord Duan regretted it somewhat. Even if he had chosen a daughter from an ordinary family, it would have been better than this young lady from a high-ranking family.
It wasn't that he was being self-deprecating, but rather that the Prime Minister's daughter had very high standards and wouldn't possibly look favorably upon his son.
This imperial decree of marriage will likely create a pair of unhappy lovers.
Now, Jingchuan has been back in his room for some time, and Old Marquis Duan is silently counting the hours.
Sure enough, he heard someone shouting Duan Jingchuan's name in the backyard, but he didn't want to go and see. He was going to send a servant, but the steward came over right away.
Lord Duan sighed deeply; what's meant to happen will happen.
This marriage can be considered a sin he committed.
He shouldn't be too greedy. Are wealthy and powerful families really that good? It's better to have an ordinary, respectable woman who is easier to control and more suitable for Jingchuan.
"Speak, Old Li."
Looking at the graying hair at the temples of Old Master Duan, Old Li felt a pang of sadness.
Although the old Marquis was somewhat negligent in his oversight of the heir's affairs, he cannot be entirely blamed. However, the mistake has been made and cannot be undone.
"My lord, the young master and his new wife have not consummated their marriage."
Lord Duan nodded; he had anticipated this.
What was that commotion in the backyard just now?
When it comes to this matter, the housekeeper, Old Li, has a lot to say but not much.
"Why are you hesitating? Speak."
"Your Excellency, the Crown Princess seems to be somewhat..." Steward Li thought for a long time before finally managing to find a word to describe her as not being very virtuous.
"Not very virtuous? How could that be? Everyone in the capital knows that the Prime Minister's eldest daughter, Wu Fengqing, is gentle and virtuous, and is qualified to be the Crown Princess. How could she be like this?"
Old Li thought for a moment and decided to tell the truth, "Could the rumors be wrong? The Crown Princess doesn't seem like a gentle and virtuous person. The one who shouted the Crown Prince's name in the backyard just now was the Crown Princess."
When Lord Duan heard Steward Li recount what had just happened, his brows furrowed. The Crown Princess seemed rather strange.
Could it be that the old scoundrel Prime Minister would dare to disobey the imperial decree? Even if that old scoundrel is a royalist, he wouldn't dare to be so arrogant.
"What is the young master's reaction? Has he fallen ill?" Now, Lord Duan was more concerned about his son's condition.
He had many children, but only this one legitimate son. If it weren't for his personality issues, he wouldn't have interfered in his marriage.
When the Crown Prince was mentioned, Old Li looked even more puzzled. "The Crown Prince seems to be very indulgent."
"Alright, you may leave now." Old Marquis Duan was truly troubled.
Is this Crown Princess revealing her true nature because she can't marry a suitable husband? Oh well, we'll find out tomorrow when we have her tea.
Regardless, it's a fait accompli, and the title of Crown Princess is now set in stone. The young couple will have to live their lives on their own. The Prime Minister's daughter must be a smart woman, and she certainly knows that she should obey her husband, since their future honor and disgrace will depend on his son.
He was quite surprised when he heard that the emperor had betrothed the prime minister's daughter to his son.
To avoid being looked down upon by the Prime Minister's daughter, Marquis Duan refused the Emperor's offer to grant him the title of Prince of a different surname. Instead, he directly petitioned to have his son granted the title of Heir Apparent. This was all to ensure a peaceful and prosperous future for his son's generation. He had done his best to provide the compensation he could, and now he left the rest to fate.
Feng Ran was unaware of the matter of drinking her daughter-in-law's tea.
However, even if she knew, she wouldn't get up early to go and offer tea.
Although she has forgotten who her parents are and what her origins are, it doesn't mean she can just accept adoptive parents.
Even if limited by this status, it will at most be a superficial project in the future.
After all, their marriage was arranged by imperial decree. Although her identity was questionable and she was essentially a substitute bride, she was, in essence, the legitimate daughter of the prime minister, so she wasn't worried at all.
However, since her mother died early and her stepmother became the new bride, she was naturally ignored.
Wu Fengqing, who was famous throughout the capital, forced the original owner of the body to become invisible in order to claim the title of the eldest daughter of the Wu family. Even her age was changed to be two months younger.
Now that she's been betrothed, she suddenly remembers that the original owner was the eldest legitimate daughter. Truly, she's a prime example of a stepmother and a scumbag father.
Early the next morning.
No one knows how Old Li managed it, but early in the morning Chunhui obediently woke Fengran up and helped her wash up, without mentioning at all that Fengran had choked her the night before.
Feng Ran raised an eyebrow in surprise. She thought this person would no longer share living resources with her, but unexpectedly he still appeared. This Marquis's mansion is quite good at handling things.
However, she really didn't want this maid.
Early in the morning, Lord Duan and his wife, Madam Qin, were already waiting in the front hall, but half an hour passed, then an hour, and the newlyweds still hadn't arrived.
Qin finally couldn't help but sneer, "Now that he's married, has he forgotten his mother? You scoundrel!"
With a loud bang, he slammed the teacup onto the table.
Lord Duan remained unmoved and composed.
Qin could only sit back down dejectedly, not daring to say anything more.
Only the couple were in the main hall; the concubines and illegitimate children were not there, which was also to take care of Duan Jingchuan.
Finally, Duan Jingchuan and Feng Ran arrived late.
Actually, you can't really blame Feng Ran. She didn't think about it so late. It's just that the ceramic pillow hurt her neck, so she ended up sleeping with the blanket wrapped around her.
When Chunhui came to help her with her washing and grooming today, she had a long face and was very inefficient, which is why it was so late.
Surprisingly, Duan Jingchuan showed no temper whatsoever.
Whether she woke up late or took her time getting ready, she didn't say a word. She just sat there gently and quietly, as if she didn't exist.
Feng Ran had expected Duan Jingchuan to give her some advice, but the silence continued in Kangqiao that night. The two of them walked in silence to the front hall.
No one else had seen Miss Wu, but Madam Qin had.
At several banquets, she would gaze at Miss Wu from afar and sigh with the other ladies, wondering which good young man could have such an honor and marry such a virtuous and gentle lady from a prominent family.
However, when this honor fell on her own son, she felt from the bottom of her heart that he did not deserve it.
Given Duan Jingchuan's suffocating personality and his occasional bouts of madness, only the old Marquis would care about his marriage.
Over the years, she had wanted another legitimate son countless times, but the old Marquis refused to cooperate, so the Marquis's mansion now only has this one legitimate son.
The old Marquis was someone who valued seniority and hierarchy, and he would not abandon his legitimate son no matter how incompetent he was.
That said, when Madam Qin saw Feng Ran standing next to Duan Jingchuan, her eyes widened in surprise, and she immediately shouted, "You're not the eldest daughter of the Wu family, who are you?"
Feng Ran looked at the shocked Qin Shi, and her pursed lips curled up slightly. So, there were still people who knew what she looked like.
She was curious yesterday why this substitution marriage trope could exist. Did the man and woman not meet before the wedding?
Even if they don't meet, surely no one in the entire Marquis's or Prime Minister's residence noticed?
Upon closer examination, this could be considered a serious crime of deceiving the emperor.
Now that some people have seen through it, she's happy to see them make a fool of themselves. After all, she's at most an accomplice, and it's still uncertain whether either of these families has the guts to pursue the matter further.
Upon hearing the name of the old Marquis Duan from the Qin family, his usually calm expression finally showed a moment of slight surprise.
Feng Ran blinked innocently and looked at Duan Jingchuan.
She now desperately wanted to know if Duan Jingchuan would remain so silent in front of his biological parents.
As it turns out, silence remains silence.
Duan Jingchuan's tense body hadn't relaxed for a moment since he entered the front hall. Even when he saw his parents, his expression didn't soften at all; in fact, it seemed even more rigid.
Upon hearing Qin's question, she finally uttered, "The legitimate daughter, the second young lady."
Feng Ran was somewhat surprised. In just one night, he actually figured out her background. She hadn't mentioned before that she was born of the legitimate wife, so she seemed to be quite a person.
Madam Qin was completely unconvinced, saying, "Nonsense, where would the Prime Minister's residence have a second legitimate daughter? Aren't there only the eldest daughter?"
Duan Jingchuan fell silent again.
Lord Duan was also unaware of this matter.
It was the steward, Old Li, who came into play. "My lord, madam, the Prime Minister's residence does indeed have a second daughter, born to the Prime Minister's first wife. However, not many people know about it, and the second daughter rarely goes out."
As the head steward of the Marquis's residence, Old Li was also a well-known figure in the capital, and no one could hide any secrets from him.
He had never seen the Second Miss's true face. It was only when the Crown Prince asked him yesterday that he suddenly realized that the Prime Minister's mansion had changed the bride, and the one with the unrestrained manner was the legitimate daughter of the original wife.
After hearing this, Lord Duan and Madam Qin had completely different expressions.
Lord Duan felt somewhat relieved. He thought that if it really were that famous young lady from the capital, they might end up as a bitter couple. Now that she's become the almost invisible second young lady, there might still be room for reconciliation.
Qin, however, was quite different. "Is this treating the imperial edict like a joke? My lord, how could the prime minister humiliate you like this? This slut must have switched the bride with someone else, envying the wealth of the Marquis's mansion, and using some dirty tricks to sneak into the marriage." She pointed at Feng Ran and launched into a tirade of mockery, showing none of the demeanor of a Marquis's wife.
Feng Ran was speechless. It seemed that this person was born without a brain. Now she understood the situation. The old Marquis's nature was unclear, but her mother-in-law, Qin Shi, was definitely a wolf. She didn't care about her son's face or whether he had any other ideas.
At this moment, Feng Ran still thought that Duan Jingchuan, like her, had a stepmother, and felt a little more sympathy for him.
Just as Feng Ran was about to mock Qin Shi and explain herself, Duan Jingchuan made a move.
He didn't speak, but instead took a folded paper from his sleeve.
Lord Duan kept a close eye on Duan Jingchuan's expression and actions. When he saw Duan take out the memorial, Lord Duan immediately stood up, reached out and took the memorial, and buried his head to read it carefully.
Seeing that no one was paying attention to her, Qin's face stiffened even more, and she glared fiercely at Feng Ran as if she wanted to devour her alive.
Feng Ran said that she wanted to observe the battlefield, and that it was not appropriate for her to speak now. She would speak up if the young master could not handle the situation well.
However, Feng Ran said that she was not used to reasoning and could only persuade people with virtue.
The old Marquis read very quickly, finishing the entire document in no time, and casually handed it to Madam Qin.
Qin reluctantly accepted the document. Before she could finish reading it, the old Marquis asked Feng Ran, "You are the second young lady of the Prime Minister's family, born to his first wife, and your name is Wu Feng Ran, right?"
Feng Ran nodded obediently in agreement. Yes, she would be Wu Feng Ran from now on.
"Now that the marriage is finalized, it is beyond reproach both in terms of the imperial decree and the facts. You will be the heir apparent of the Marquis of Dingbei's mansion from now on. You and Jingchuan should support each other from now on, and the Marquis's mansion will not mistreat you."
Feng Ran was somewhat surprised. She hadn't expected the old Marquis to pick it up and put it down so easily; she had thought he was about to cause a huge scene.
Qin Shi had also finished reading the memorial. She glanced at Duan Jingchuan with a complicated expression, then gave Feng Ran a cold look, clearly showing her dissatisfaction with this daughter-in-law.
Feng Ran expressed her complete innocence, saying, "You're not satisfied with me, and I don't really like you either. We're in the same boat, so let's not look down on each other."
She was simply curious about the contents of the document.
Then the old Marquis waved his hand, and tea was served.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do. In order to live well here in the future, it is very necessary for Feng Ran to recognize her parents-in-law.
A note from the author:
The female lead has a hidden identity that she cannot reveal. The temperature suddenly dropped by fifteen degrees, and the short skirt I just ordered seemed to mock my ignorance.
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