"Grandma, this hairpin is really beautiful. I have never seen it before. Is it given to you by my master?"
Aunt Jiang looked up and down at Xu Ranyun, who was looking at herself in the mirror after getting dressed up, with a perfectly charming smile on her face.
Sure enough, this flattery touched Xu Ranyun's heart. She smiled and said, "Isn't it? He brought it back to me the other day, saying that today is the Dragon Boat Festival and asked me to wear this hairpin. It is beautiful, but the price is probably not low. Look at the layers of gold flowers on it. It's gold, but the craftsmanship is so laborious. How can you buy it at an ordinary price?"
"Isn't it? Jinhua is nothing more than a skilled craftsman, but the most valuable thing is the pearl in the center of the flower. It's so big and so round, it can't be bought without a hundred taels of silver." Aunt Jiang saw Xu Ranyun was happy, so she naturally tried harder to join in the fun. Suddenly, she heard the maid outside the door say that the two young masters had packed up, so she asked, "Grandma, shall we go over now? The old lady always likes to be lively, it won't be good if we go too late."
Xu Ranyun nodded and went out with Aunt Jiang. Seeing that Duan Maoming and Duan Maochuan were also tidy, she praised them a few words and looked around the yard. She saw that the gatekeepers, monkey peach branches, mugwort and other things were all put in place. Then she took a few maids and women to the old lady in the north courtyard.
Coincidentally, I happened to meet Xue Zhilan on the way, with her two sons Duan Maofan and Duan Maosen, and the beautiful concubine Jing beside them. The two stunning beauties standing together, one as beautiful as a peach and the other as elegant as an orchid, were truly pleasing to the eye.
Xu Ranyun was also very beautiful, but standing in front of these two women, she felt a little ashamed. Although she was jealous in her heart, she smiled and said, "Why don't you see Sister Yu?"
Xue Zhilan smiled shyly and gently, and said softly: "She has not been feeling well these past two days and is afraid of the wind, so I simply asked the nanny to look after her and not let her go out. By the way, where is Sister Qin? Why haven't you come to see her? Is she not feeling well too?"
"That's right. I probably caught a cold yesterday because I kicked off the quilt. I had diarrhea this morning."
As they talked, they walked side by side, secretly looking at each other's clothes and jewelry. After a glance, they knew what was going on. Duan Tingxuan was obviously very fair, giving each of them a piece of exquisite jewelry, each with its own merits. The phoenix hairpin on Xue Zhilan's head was no less beautiful than the golden hairpin on Xu Ranyun's head. Even the jade hairpin on Aunt Jing's head, although it didn't look as noble as the two wives, was also well thought out and very suitable for her pure and ethereal temperament.
What a passionate person.
This is the unanimous evaluation of Duan Tingxuan in the hearts of the women, of course, it is not a compliment. However, their husbands are of this nature. No matter how much they compete for favors, they cannot monopolize the king's heart. They can only curse in their hearts, pretend to be harmonious on the surface, and spend more time on words to achieve the purpose of belittling others and elevating themselves.
When they arrived at Old Lady Fang's room, they saw that Madam Yang had already arrived. The beautiful middle-aged woman sitting next to her was Marquis Duan's second wife, Liu Min, who was also the old marquis's cousin. Everyone in the family called her Madam Min.
Unlike his own bastard son, the old marquis's heart belongs to his cousin, and his feelings for his first wife are very weak. This is the fundamental reason why Madam Yang is always afraid that Duan Tingxuan's position as the crown prince will be taken away. It is very stressful to have such a love rival, and it is normal to have some persecution complex.
Liu Min has only one son, named Duan Tingye, who holds an idle position as a first-class general. He usually takes care of household affairs and is very much loved by the old marquis. This inevitably makes him have some thoughts about the position of the crown prince. However, at present, Duan Tingxuan's position in the court and the royal family is very strong, so Master Duan can only bury his little thoughts deep in his heart.
At this moment, he and his wife Shi sat beside Old Lady Fang, talking and laughing to make the old lady happy. Below Liu Min stood a timid woman, Aunt Lin, who was the concubine given by Old Lady Fang to Lord Duan. She had a son and a daughter, but both of them inherited their mother's weak and timid character. At this moment, they lowered their heads and stood behind their mother without saying a word.
As soon as Xu Ranyun, Xue Zhilan and others arrived, the atmosphere immediately became lively. The ladies chatted and laughed for a while, and as it was getting close to noon, Old Lady Fang frowned and said, "Why hasn't Xuan'er left the court yet? Today is the Dragon Boat Festival, and even the government office is closed for a day, so he is even busier?"
A trace of gloom flashed across Duan Tingye's eyes, but it was gone in an instant. Shi smiled and said, "No wonder big brother is the most filial to the ancestor, because the ancestor always thinks of him. Don't worry, big brother will come today even if he has something important to do. He will definitely come."
Madam Yang, Xu Ranyun, and Xue Zhilan could not help but glare at this evil-minded woman. Madam Yang then looked at her two daughters-in-law and asked, "Did Xuan'er say what happened today?"
Xue Zhilan and Xu Ranyun shook their heads together, then looked at Aunt Jing and Aunt Jiang, only to see that they were also at a loss. Xu Ranyun frowned and whispered, "What's going on? Did Master rest in one of the common rooms last night?"
A maidservant was not qualified to live in a courtyard alone. She was just dependent on the four of them. So if Duan Tingxuan slept in the maid's room, the four of them would not have been unaware of it. However, after exchanging information with their eye contact, Xu Ranyun found that she had guessed wrong again.
"What do you mean? Didn't the master rest in our yard last night? Where did he go?" If Xu Ranyun hadn't considered the occasion, she would have almost screamed. Although Duan Tingxuan was a playboy, he never slept with other women outside because his home was a nest of beauties. It was unprecedented for him to not come home at night after getting married. No wonder several people were frightened.
Xu Ranyun and Xue Zhilan's faces immediately turned very ugly. This scene naturally could not be hidden from the eyes of Liu Min and Duan Tingye and his wife, so Shi smiled and said, "Why? Didn't the eldest brother come back last night? This has never happened before. He didn't send anyone back to report the news? It's not right to make the sisters-in-law worry."
"Okay, stop talking. How can you say too much about what's going on in your eldest brother's room?" Liu Min scolded calmly, but her eyes were full of pride. She turned around and said to Madam Yang sincerely, "But then again, the atmosphere in the capital is not good now. Brother Xuan has always been a man of his own ideas. He has kept himself clean for so many years. There is no need to worry about his character. The only thing to worry about is that some unpromising people will drag him along. He likes to make friends. If he makes two or three bad friends, it will be a loss. Sister should keep an eye on him more often. No matter how calm he is, he is still a child and young."
"Thank you for your concern, Second Mother. I am a court official. My every word and action is related to the dignity of the court. I dare not make friends casually. Second Mother probably controls Second Brother so strictly because of this. In fact, Second Brother is managing such a large business in the Marquis' Mansion. How can he not make friends? Second Mother really shouldn't have detained him. He is too powerful. No matter how young he is, he is still twenty years old, not a child."
A clear and loud voice came from the door, which made people feel comfortable from the heart. Along with the voice, Duan Tingxuan stepped into the door, followed by Siping Shuangxi and Honglian Xiangyun, each holding a large food box.
"Where have you been?" When Grandma Fang saw her most beloved grandson, she immediately ignored Liu Min's ugly face and Duan Tingye and Shi were still sitting beside her, and waved Duan Tingxuan over. He smiled and said, "It's the Dragon Boat Festival, the weather is hot, and the old ancestor has always been able to stand the heat. In previous years, you would feel weak at this time, so today your grandson specially prepared a few delicious and nourishing soups for you, so that you can enjoy a good meal."
"Huh? You've thought of this this year?" Grandma Fang was indeed happy, and then she shook her head and sighed, "I'm happy that you have this thought. The weather is particularly hot this year, and I don't want to eat anything."
Duan Tingxuan laughed and said, "Please don't, Grandfather. After all, this is a token of my grandson's love. You don't know that I spent a lot of energy to make this little thing. You should at least take a look at it, right? If you don't like it, I will let you punish me."
Seeing her husband so confident, Xu Ranyun quickly joined in the fun and said with a smile, "Since it's a token of my love, you can try it. No matter whether it tastes good or not, just say it's not good. I'll let you punish me, won't I? A few days ago, you were still talking about how his white jade dragon and phoenix pendant was top-notch. Let him give it to you as an apology."
Old Lady Fang was even happier, she laughed and spat, "Bah! What have I become now that you said that? I even have to think of a trick to take away my grandson's things, isn't that disrespectful to the elderly?"
Xu Ranyun smiled and said, "Don't say that, old lady. This is my filial piety." After saying that, he looked at the sky and asked Madam Yang, "Madam, it's almost noon, and the kitchen has prepared everything. Why don't we have dinner?"
Madam Yang nodded and said with a smile, "As you say, let's have someone serve the meal." Then she ordered the maid beside her to invite Lord Duan to come over. But then she heard Old Lady Fang say, "Forget it, your master likes quietness. Today is the Dragon Boat Festival. He probably went to the Taoist temple to play chess with the old Taoist priest. I wonder if he has come back yet? You don't need to go look for him. When he comes back in the evening, just come to my place to check in."
Madam Yang quickly replied, "Yes." Xu Ranyun, Shi Shi and others were busy ordering people to arrange tables and chairs. In a moment, more than a dozen maids filed in, and the dishes carefully prepared by the cooks were served one by one. Grandma Fang suddenly remembered something and said to Duan Tingxuan beside her, "Yes, the Empress's Dragon Boat Festival gift came down this morning. Your share has been sent to your room. It's probably kept by Yun'er. You can go and see mine. Take anything you like. It's Grandma's way of thanking you for your filial piety today."
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