Chapter 65◇
◎Is having a wife something to be proud of?◎
"Jingchuan, why are you so concerned about court affairs lately? You never cared about these things before." Duan Jingchuan's recent focus on gathering information about the power struggles between the princes has puzzled him greatly.
No one knew Duan Jingchuan better than him. For the past twenty years, nothing had piqued his interest.
He helped those children simply because he happened to be there. He made money in business because his childhood friends each had their own misfortunes, and he became the one to lend a helping hand—but all of this was passive.
Today, he was offered another job, but he doesn't simply think of it as a business expansion. If he's not mistaken, this job must be a government official position.
A bright smile bloomed on Duan Jingchuan's lips, his eyes filled with tenderness, which Zhao Yue found quite strange. "A-Yue, you're not young anymore. Don't you want to get married? After you get married, can you bear to let people say that your wife married a playboy?"
Duan Jingchuan's smile remained unchanged, but Zhao Yue wanted to tear his smug face apart no matter how she looked at him. So what if he had a wife!
Compared to the Duan Jingchuan of the past, the current Duan Jingchuan is... pretty good.
Aside from occasionally showing off that he has a wife while they don't, everything else is pretty good.
But Zhao Yue just didn't want to see Duan Jingchuan's smug face, so he boasted, "I don't know how many female confidantes I have, and I'm not missing a mere wife! Only you, Jingchuan, are hung up on the Crown Prince's wife. Is this what they mean by 'a shrew at home can't be arrogant outside'?" After saying that, he looked at Duan Jingchuan's arm, which was usually hidden under his cloak, with ill intent.
Duan Jingchuan's expression remained unchanged, and he shattered Zhao Yue's wishful thinking with just one sentence: "Do you want to live like your father, or do you hope your future wife will live like your mother?"
Zhao Yue's lips were taut, his smile pale, as if he had just stepped out of a hot spring and been doused with ice water, chilling him from head to toe. He wiped his face and said in a hoarse voice, "Jingchuan, you really know how to hit the nail on the head."
Duan Jingchuan chuckled self-deprecatingly, a hint of dazedness in his eyes. "I've just figured it out. Life is long. You can't dwell on the past forever. You always have to look forward."
The wisps of smoke from the incense burner made Duan Jingchuan's flawless face appear somewhat unreal. With just this simple sentence, Zhao Yue sensed relief and farewell.
The two exchanged a smile, everything understood without a word.
Duan Jingchuan rubbed his fingertips, looked in the direction of the main house, and suddenly said, "By the way, I plan to go to Ancheng with my wife next month. I'll have to trouble you to keep an eye on the business in the capital."
"Next month? Ancheng? What are you going to such a remote place for? Ancheng wasn't even that badly affected by the disaster. Why would you personally make the trip there, and bring the Crown Princess with you?" Zhao Yue was full of questions. What was so special about this small county town that it was worth the trip for these two?
“Hehe,” Duan Jingchuan’s eyes were filled with a gentle smile, “I don’t know what’s so great about Ancheng, but since Madam wants to go, I’ll go with her to take a look.”
Zhao Yue: ......
Duan Jingchuan used to be difficult to communicate with, but now he's impossible to communicate with; his words are so suffocating.
*
Juyuan.
Lord Marquis Duan had only heard that Duan Jingyin had accidentally fallen into the water, but he did not know the details. When he heard that Duan Yuze and Duan Yuche were handling the matter, he did not interfere. He turned around to look at Duan Jingyin and did not pay attention to Duan Jingchuan and Feng Ran, who were about to leave. After all, nothing serious had happened, and it was only natural that Duan Jingchuan and his wife were not here to accompany them.
Unexpectedly, as soon as I stepped through the door, I heard Qin's constant complaints.
"You're still defending her! I let her go out to ensure your safety. She can't even do this simple thing right. How can I not punish her!" Madam Qin looked at Duan Jingyin with disappointment. Even though there was some heartache in her eyes, she still said everything she should and shouldn't have said.
"Mother, it really has nothing to do with my second sister-in-law. I accidentally fell into the water. If it weren't for my second sister-in-law, I would have been even more humiliated today." Duan Jingyin didn't quite understand where her mother's resentment came from. In the past, she was not close to Duan Jingchuan. She saw that other people's brothers could protect their sisters from the wind and rain, and even her own Duan Yutang was favored by Duan Yuche.
But no matter how she tried to gain a sense of belonging from Duan Jingchuan, it was like punching cotton; she never got any feedback.
She had been proud since childhood and didn't want to fawn over others or get involved with illegitimate children. In this huge marquis's mansion, she couldn't find a single peer with whom she could open her heart.
Although her mother was good to her, they just couldn't get close. Unexpectedly, Feng Ran made her feel protected and cherished today, so she naturally didn't want to hear her mother scolding Feng Ran.
But Qin Shi didn't think so. She was already impatient with Feng Ran. If Duan Jingyin had shared her hatred, it would have been fine. But this contradictory attitude made Qin Shi feel extremely wronged, and she started to speak recklessly.
"I haven't even said anything to you yet! You're supposed to be a lady from a prestigious family, but you fell into the water in public and so many people saw your body. What are we going to do?" Thinking of this, Madam Qin was overcome with grief. She had originally planned to find Duan Jingyin a good family to help the Marquis of Dingbei's mansion maintain its position. But after this incident, which family would still want a daughter of the Marquis of Dingbei's mansion!
Duan Jingyin was already shocked and frightened. She had kept the matter to herself after Feng Ran comforted her. However, she did not expect to receive her mother's sympathy but instead be disliked. Her stubborn temper flared up immediately. "Is my life more important than my reputation? At worst, I will not get married and will cut my hair and become a nun!"
"Nonsense! Anyone who dares to speak ill of my daughter should first ask if my gun will allow it!" As soon as Old Marquis Duan entered, he heard Duan Jingyin's words and immediately rebuked her without thinking.
Upon hearing that Lord Duan had arrived, Madam Qin burst into tears. "Lord Duan, Yin'er's reputation is now ruined. Even if you have the power to deter others, you can't silence the gossip!"
Old Marquis Duan raised his eyebrows and spoke in a booming voice that was completely at odds with his handsome appearance, "What's there to cry about! So what if he fell into the water? It's not a shameful thing. Isn't it good that he's safe and sound!"
Duan Jingyin's eyes welled up with tears, and she couldn't help but whine to Old Master Duan, "Father~"
The old Marquis Duan felt completely relieved by being called "Father," and lowered his voice a few decibels, trying to make himself look less fierce, "Is there anything wrong with your body? Don't worry, Yin'er, if anyone has harmed you, your father will definitely not let them off the hook. Take good care of yourself and don't overthink it."
"I'm alright now. My two older brothers were watching over there. It was so chaotic at the time, I don't know why I suddenly fell into the water. Luckily, my sister-in-law reacted quickly and pulled me out." Children are like that; once someone is willing to listen to their explanations, their urge to confide explodes.
"You don't need to worry about these things, they will take care of them." Old Marquis Duan patted Duan Jingyin's head awkwardly, gently comforting her.
"Mmm." Duan Jingyin nodded obediently, full of trust.
Lord Duan tucked the blanket around him. "You should go to sleep first. Your mother and I have some things to discuss."
After leaving the room, Old Marquis Duan's face darkened. "Come with me."
Qin's face was also pale, her fingers gripping the handkerchief turned white, and she looked at the old Marquis Duan's back with extreme resentment.
As luck would have it, the two Duan brothers ran into Lord Duan. After a moment's thought, Lord Duan and his men went straight to the study in the front courtyard.
Ignoring Qin's hesitant expression, Marquis Duan directly asked the two Duan brothers, "Tell me what happened."
Duan Yuze and Duan Yuche exchanged a glance, and Duan Yuze spoke first.
It turns out that this whole thing really did stem from a scheme orchestrated by the Sun siblings.
The Sun family's official positions were neither high nor low, and Sun's father was not particularly capable; he would probably only be able to remain a minor fifth-rank official for the rest of his life.
Sun Changping, the young master of the Sun family, wanted to marry into a wealthy and influential family. However, the young master himself was unremarkable, lacking both handsome looks and real talent. Noble ladies are fools; they would not be swayed by his smooth talk. It would be extremely difficult to marry him properly. So, Sun Changping had a crooked idea and chose Duan Jingyin.
Firstly, Duan Jingyin and his sister were about the same age, and although they didn't have much of a personal relationship, they could still exchange a few words. Secondly, Sun Changping considered himself to be of little ability, so he wanted to join the army. He was very envious of the prestige of Lord Duan in the army. Thus, the two siblings, who were not very bright, hit it off and came up with this rather crude scheme.
The original plan was for Sun Wan'er to push Duan Jingyin into the water while she was off guard, and then Sun Changping, who had been waiting nearby, would rescue her, thus forcing Duan Jingyin to marry him.
But to everyone's surprise, Duan Jingyin was not easy to get along with. Despite Sun Wan'er's repeated invitations, Duan Jingyin refused to go alone with her to a secluded place.
The two exchanged a few words casually, and in a fit of anger, Sun Wan'er pushed Duan Jingyin into the water in front of everyone. Sun Changping was on the other side of the river at the time. He didn't expect things to not go as planned, so he had no choice but to jump into the water, thinking that by being the first to touch Duan Jingyin, the marriage could be considered settled.
Unexpectedly, things didn't go as planned. Feng Ran suddenly appeared out of nowhere, not only saving Duan Jingyin's reputation but also leaving Sun Changping half-paralyzed.
That's right, it's hemiplegia.
Feng Ran's kick did break two of his ribs, but Sun Changping, that coward, was yelling and making a ruckus in the water. Xiao Si could have pulled him out quickly, but when people act up, they are prone to accidents. Just as Sun Changping stood firm on the shore, he slipped and bumped into the artificial hill.
That's bad. His spine must be injured. Now he can't move his legs. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to explain this so easily.
Sun Changping, perhaps out of embarrassment and anger, blurted out everything, determined to drag Sun Wan'er into the mess. The scene of the two siblings pushing and shoving each other left Duan Yuze and Duan Yuche speechless; they were truly terrible teammates.
"Father, that's roughly how it is. Sun Changping has gotten his just desserts. If we keep harping on this, it will make our Marquis's mansion seem petty. So, I've decided that they should apologize to my sister in public another day, and that will be the end of it. However, the Sun family is really clueless. They insist that Sun Changping's paralysis is all because of the Princess Consort's kick. Their attitude is truly distasteful. But outsiders don't know the reason, and they might talk badly about the Princess Consort behind her back."
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