6. That kick was too gentle.
◎Don't be afraid, I won't bully you◎
Feng Ran's kick completely shocked all the concubines and sisters in the room, since no family feud usually involves direct physical violence.
Xu Yiniang's son, Duan Yuze, was away on official business and did not accompany her to see Feng Ran. When Duan Yuze returned, he discovered that his aunt had been seriously injured and was bedridden.
“Your Highness is so audacious! Aunt is her elder, yet you dare to be so disrespectful to her. I will immediately ask my father to stand up for Aunt.”
Duan Yuze was furious. He had never taken Duan Jingchuan seriously. How could a madman inherit the Marquis's mansion? It was only because his father took pity on him that he had asked for him to be made the heir apparent.
Now that his father is in his prime, it is still uncertain whether he, as the heir, can inherit the Marquis's mansion. As the eldest son of the Marquis's mansion, this mansion should rightfully belong to him, both morally and logically.
A fake princess consort dares to be so arrogant, isn't she afraid that the good-for-nothing can't protect her?
Aunt Xu looked pleased. Although she was still a concubine, she came from a wealthy family and had an eldest son. As long as her son could inherit the Marquis's mansion, what did it matter who was the mistress?
However, Aunt Xu was not entirely brainless. The fact that she was seriously injured by the Crown Prince's wife must have reached the ears of the Marquis and his wife. Whether they reprimanded her or comforted her, the fact that the two of them did not make any statement is quite intriguing.
Therefore, it is not advisable to act rashly.
"Yu Ze, do not rush. This matter needs further discussion."
Duan Yuze was very puzzled, his brows furrowed. "Why should Aunt care about that imposter? Father is an upright man and will certainly not forgive this heir apparent who disregards the honor of the Marquis's mansion."
Aunt Xu shook her head, not revealing the complex emotions swirling in her heart.
Firstly, it's uncertain. Secondly, this is ultimately a matter concerning the inner quarters, and Yu Ze is a man with a bright future; we can't let matters concerning the inner quarters hinder him.
"Don't worry, Auntie will have plenty of ways to deal with that vile woman in the future." She first reassured her son to prevent him from angering the Marquis in the heat of the moment.
So what if she's the Crown Princess? It's still unknown how many years the Crown Prince will live.
That little bitch was right about one thing: if the prince were gone, she would be nothing.
The mere thought of Aunt Xu Fengran makes him grit his teeth.
Having lived a life of luxury for many years, she was very frail. Even the Lady of the Marquis had never punished her. Yet, that wretched woman kicked her out, which not only humiliated her but also injured her body.
My buttocks are very painful and swollen. I probably won't be able to sit for the next few days and will have to rest in bed.
Seeing that Aunt Xu had other plans in mind, Duan Yuze did not insist on complaining to his father.
“Auntie, please rest. I should go and see my second sister-in-law, since we will be family in the future.”
Aunt Xu couldn't figure out Feng Ran's ways, so she could only tell Duan Yuze, "Be careful. This princess consort is quite eccentric. You can't deal with her in the usual way. Just make an appearance and don't mention anything else."
Hearing Aunt Xu's repeated instructions, Duan Yuze had no choice but to nod obediently.
After all, his aunt only had him as her child, so whatever she said or did was surely for his own good.
"Speaking of which, the Marquis is indeed biased. Now that the heir apparent is already married, my son is clearly a year older than the heir apparent, yet he hasn't been able to arrange a marriage for you. Do you have someone in mind?"
Duan Yuze shook his head sincerely.
Aunt Xu sighed with a heavy heart, “It’s all because of my lowly status that I can’t arrange your marriage. I will bring this up with the Marquis later, so don’t worry.”
As a concubine, even though she was once the legitimate daughter of an official, she can no longer go out and socialize freely. The marriages of the children born to concubines are entirely decided by the head mistress. Fortunately, the current Lady of the Marquis does not care about the heir.
It's hard to believe she was so foolish. She didn't dote on her own son, but treated her illegitimate son the same as hers. I don't know what she was doing wrong.
But for Aunt Xu, this was excellent news. As long as the mistress of the house held back, there was no fear of not having a chance to drag that crazy good-for-nothing down from the position of heir.
*
Feng Ran had no idea that she would have to receive two groups of Duan Jingchuan's relatives in one day.
The morning was supposed to be a time for the women of the Marquis's household to get acquainted, but then the incident of her being kicked away happened, and neither the young ladies nor the concubines of the Marquis's household dared to offend Feng Ran.
However, rules are rules, and as children born out of wedlock, they are obligated to pay their respects to the Crown Princess.
The Marquis's two illegitimate sons and two illegitimate daughters, along with a group of maids and servants, blocked the entrance to Jinghua Courtyard but did not enter.
It wasn't out of politeness, but because the Marquis's residence had a rule that unauthorized personnel were not allowed to step into Jinghua Courtyard without permission.
When Xiuer informed Feng Ran, Feng Ran was somewhat displeased, "Can't we just eat something and get some sun? Why are there so many things to do every day?"
The events of the morning had not left any deep impression on Feng Ran. Now, with her hair down, she dragged the rocking chair to the shade of a tree, enjoying the tea and fruit that Xiu'er had served her while leisurely basking in the sun, thoroughly enjoying herself.
Jinghua Courtyard was very quiet and sparsely populated. Because of Duan Jingchuan, unauthorized people rarely ventured out. Therefore, the only people Feng Ran could see were her maid Xiu'er and Duan Jingchuan's servant Xiong Qi.
According to Xiong Qi, Duan Jingchuan rarely went out and often locked himself in his study. His only two close friends were Chunyu Zhu and Zhao Yue, and he lived a very quiet life.
The thought of more trouble made Feng Ran lose her appetite for the melon seeds in her mouth.
He casually called Xiong Qi over and asked, "Are these people not allowed to enter Jinghua Courtyard?"
Xiong Qi was surprised by Feng Ran's keen insight, but he nodded sincerely and replied, "Princess Consort, the Prince feels uncomfortable when there are many people around."
Xiong Qi put it rather tactfully.
It's not just that he's not used to it; if there are too many people and it's too noisy, the prince's temperament becomes extremely unpredictable. He's not only bad at socializing, but he's also likely to accidentally hurt others, although he rarely has these episodes.
Ever since the Crown Prince learned that he was going mad, he has been unwilling to stand in front of others easily. Even the business outside the mansion is directed from afar. Nowadays, there are very few people who can enter the Crown Prince's heart.
Whether marrying the Crown Prince's wife is a good thing or a bad thing is hard to say, but judging from the Crown Prince's attitude, he doesn't seem to dislike her. This is understandable, as the Crown Prince is an extremely gentle person. Even when the Lady of the Marquis treated him so harshly, he didn't say much.
Feng Ran asked just one question, and then she noticed that Xiong Qi's face was sometimes clouded with worry, sometimes filled with sorrow and sighs, but he never smiled.
Feng Ran felt as if she had watched a free silent play. Although she didn't make a sound, it was as if the story had gone through a lifetime.
"Never mind, I'll just go out and see them." Feng Ran casually straightened her clothes, and who cared about her disheveled hair?
I'm too lazy to comb such heavy hair, and I don't know why I kept it.
Moreover, the hairpins worn by the ancients were quite elaborate. With all the ornaments on her head, the princess felt as if she had gained ten pounds, and she was quite impatient.
Just as Feng Ran was about to go out and meet her brothers and sisters, the socially anxious boy suddenly popped out of his study.
Feng Ran immediately noticed the little socially anxious's movements and, before he could even gather his emotions to speak, she snapped back, "Don't call me Madam, use two different words for me to hear."
Duan Jingchuan was at a loss. How did Madam know that he wanted to call her Madam?
Despite being quite tall, his limbs were hunched together, and his shoulders and back seemed to be slightly hunched.
Feng Ran had never seen Duan Jingchuan lift his face. He never dared to look anyone in the eye, and he couldn't speak clearly, which made her very anxious.
With a whoosh, Feng Ran rushed to within a step of Duan Jingchuan in three strides. "What is it?"
Suddenly being so close, Duan Jingchuan almost lost control of his urge to back away, barely managing to steady himself.
Feng Ran was a head shorter than him, and she was looking up at him. Duan Jingchuan's lowered gaze met Feng Ran's, and he subconsciously avoided her gaze.
I felt a bit agitated, goosebumps seemed to be slowly spreading all over my body, and my face turned pale, as if I was sweating.
For some unknown reason, Feng Ran changed her lively and arrogant demeanor and imitated Duan Jingchuan, shrinking back and turning her head from its high position into a sharp angle. She blew her nose and expressed her grievance in a pinched voice.
"Husband, look, those concubines' children are bullying me again. I can't even taste food properly anymore. It's all your fault."
Caught off guard by the accusation, Duan Jingchuan was momentarily at a loss for words. Should he say that "tasteless" wasn't used in this way, or should he say that the children born to his concubines couldn't do anything to her?
No matter how rich Duan Jingchuan's inner thoughts were, when it came to his words, they all came out as just a few words: "Don't be afraid, I won't bully you."
Listening to the socially anxious girl's earnest attempt to comfort her, Feng Ran almost lost her composure while trying to look pitiful.
She continued pitifully, "They're all blocking the doorway, how can that not be considered bullying?"
Feng Ran couldn't help but chuckle at her own teasing remarks. She didn't know why, but she felt an urge to tease Duan Jingchuan whenever she saw him.
Who cares? Feng Ran has never been one to pry. He's already her husband; she can tease him if she wants—it's perfectly legal.
Besides, he's her provider; she can ask him for money whenever she wants to eat well or have fun.
Duan Jingchuan took a deep breath and did some mental preparation. He knew that Feng Ran was pretending to be pitiful, but he just couldn't bear it. He already felt very guilty for not being able to let her live the life a normal wife should live, so he had a very high tolerance for Feng Ran.
Duan Jingchuan kept telling himself that he should treat his wife better. She had suffered a loss by marrying him, and he didn't have long to live, so he should pamper her as much as he could.
Finally feeling that he could accept the group of people outside, he said to Xiong Qi, "Let them in."
Xiong Qi's eyes widened in surprise. This was the first time the young master had allowed outsiders into Jinghua Courtyard on his own initiative. Normally, even the old Marquis and his wife were not allowed to enter.
It's a joke, really. Communication between parents and children relies on letters, even though they live under the same roof. Duan Jingchuan has never spoken a single word to his so-called brothers and sisters.
Now that the Crown Princess is pretending to be pitiful, the Crown Prince actually wants to let them in. Xiong Qi glanced at the Crown Princess without leaving a trace. The Crown Prince is very clever. He can see that the Crown Princess is faking it. The Crown Prince is probably not so blind.
There's only one possibility: the Crown Prince is indulging his wife.
In any case, the changes in the Crown Prince are welcome.
He turned around and went to carry out the crown prince's orders.
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