After the wedding night event, Ning Yuxuan gently kissed Wen Wan’s lips. He awkwardly and seriously said, “You’re my person.” 

  Wen Wan’s cheeks turned red. She glared at him for a moment before she said, “Don’t think that I can’t do anything to you just because you’re a marquis. If you fall in love with another person in the future, I’ll leave!” 

  Marquis Moyu chuckled. He grabbed her hand and placed it on his chest. “I have you. How could I fall in love with another person? In this entire residence, you’re the only person in my heart. Do you believe me?” 

  Wen Wan cast an admonishing glance at him. Then, she obediently lied down in his embrace. There were so many women in the marquis’s residence. Starting from tomorrow, she had to become a person that was worth of being the marquis’s wife. Although her family background wasn’t good, she wasn’t afraid. It would be fine as long as Yuxuan’s heart belonged to her. 

  “Go to sleep.” Ning Yuxuan kissed her forehead. 

  Wen Wan nodded. Just as she was about to close her eyes, she suddenly heard a racket coming from outside. 

  “Fire!” 

  Jolted by surprise, Marquis Moyu turned over and sat up. He put on clothes and opened the doors. “What happened?” 

  Guibai glanced in the direction of the kitchen and quietly said, “To respond to the marquis, the kitchen caught on fire. The servants are all working to put out the fire, but the place is far from Qiang Wei Courtyard. You can continue to sleep peacefully.” 

  Kitchen? Ning Yuxuan furrowed his eyebrows, “Everything had been fine before. Why did it catch on fire? Send people to investigate. Don’t bother the new madam with this matter. It’s the wedding night.” 

  “Understood.” Guibai sent a servant boy to ask about the situation. 

  — 

  Muxu had truly been sleeping very well when Liu Mama woke her up to help with putting out the fire. Liu Mama had originally been deeply asleep and didn’t pay attention to where Ji Man had gone. After she woke up Muxu, they left the confinement courtyard. This courtyard was the closest to the kitchen. 

  Somehow the dry kindle in the kitchen had caught on fire and a spark from this fire had landed on a large, nearby oil container. This situation had almost led to a catastrophe. The servants had used sand to extinguish the fire and examined the kitchen’s every corner. But, the kitchen’s chef, Aunty Li, said that she was missing a plucked chicken and two lotus leaves. The spices had also been moved around and the leftover rice in the wooden bucket was also missing. 

  Who had been awake in the middle of the night and had gone to the kitchen to steal food? And had also caused the kitchen to catch on fire? The residence’s steward immediately sent people to investigate. All the servants in the various courtyards were woken up and their sleeping places were all searched. But, they weren’t able to find the missing chicken. 

  After half a night of disturbance, the steward decided to wait until tomorrow morning and leave the matter for the new madam to deal with. For now, he dismissed the servants so they could go back to sleep. 

  Exhausted, Muxu returned the confinement courtyard. After she closed the doors, she saw her master sitting on her bed with glittering eyes. 

  Startled, she retreated backwards out of habit. “Was master woken up by the noise?” 

  Ji Man sly shook her head. Seeing that Muxu had closed the doors, she curved her fingers towards her to gesture at her, “Come here.” 

  Muxu slowly walked over. She carefully looked her over, “Master?” 

  Ji Man asked, “Are you hungry?” 

  Muxu looked at her in surprised for moment. She didn’t expect that she would suddenly ask this question. “N-Not hungry.” 

  Although her mouth said these words, how could she not be hungry? Staying in the confinement courtyard, she didn’t have enough to eat every day. Her stomach growled and revealed her lie. 

  Ji Man sighed. This young girl’s life had been rather pitiful as Nie Sangyu’s servant. Right now, she resembled a chicken that had been splashed with water. 

  Ji Man stretched her hand out and took out the item she had hidden in the bed. She gestured for Muxu to be quiet, then she pulled her towards the wooden table in the center of the room. 

  The item was wrapped with two large lotus leaves. The fragrant scent floated out as soon as the leaves were open. 

  Muxu’s eyes were wide open from surprise. “R-Roasted chicken?” 

  Master had been the one that stole the kitchen’s missing chicken! 

  “This isn’t roasted chicken. It’s lotus leaf chicken.” In an extremely pleased and triumphant tone, Ji Man said, “First, I cleaned the chicken. Then, I rubbed salt on the chicken, stuffed spices and cooked rice into the chicken’s cavity, wrapped it in lotus leaves, and covered it in mud. It was done after I threw it in a fire for a while!” 

  (T/N: Below is a picture of Beggar’s chicken.) 

  Muxu was speechless. She was Nie Sangyu’s dowry servant girl. How come she didn’t know that her master had this skill? 

  Muxu did her best to swallow her saliva and whispered, “Master, stealing things…… There will be a punishment.” 

  Ji Man took out the commonly used eating utensils from a cabinet and untied the string wrapped around the chicken’s stomach. She rolled her eyes and said, “How will they know that the chicken was stolen by me? Anyways, I’m Marquis Moyu’s concubine. Even if they find out that I stole a chicken to eat, he’s the one who’s reputation will be damaged if other people know about this news. So, even if he knows, he won’t publicly blame me.” 

  The smell of the rice mixed with the spices and the chicken smelled really fragrant. Muxu glanced at Ji Man several times. She felt that her master had suddenly become much smarter. 

  However, she was also very hungry. After hesitating for a long time, she finally mustered up her courage and opened her mouth to say, “Master, could you…… leave behind the bones for this servant. This servant won’t eat the meat. Just the bones would be fine……” 

  Feeling sad after hearing the girl’s words, Ji Man poured some of the rice into a bowl and split the chicken in half. She pushed the remaining half of the chicken and rice in front of Muxu. “You’re a person, not a dog. Why would you gnaw at bones? I couldn’t possible finish an entire chicken by myself. We can each have half. Eat it quickly so that other people won’t find out.” 

  Muxu’s eyes widen. Feeling happy, she still carefully looked at her and asked, “I can eat all of it?” 

  Ji Man showed a serious expression and said, “If you don’t want to eat it, next time, I’ll only bring half a chicken back and let you stay hungry!”


  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 008 out of 513 – Nie Sangyu’s wish 

  Scared, Muxu trembled. She hastily wrapped up the lotus leaf and went to sit in the outer room’s couch. She ate the chicken and rice, tiny bite by tiny bite. As she ate, she turned her head to scrutinize Nie Sangyu. 

  Her master voraciously ate her food without the slightest hint of table manners. There was even rice sticking on her face as one hand held a chicken leg. She really resembled a bandit. Noticing Muxu’s gaze, she lifted her head and looked at her like a fiendish spirit, “Eat your food!” 

  Muxu shuddered. She hastily lowered her head and didn’t dare to continue looking. Perhaps, it was her misperception, but she felt as if her master was gentler than before. But, when she behaved fiercely, her gaze was exactly the same as before. 

  After Ji Man finished the chicken and rice, she started feeling more satisfied with her current situation. She left the aftermath of the meal to Muxu to clean and went back to sleeping. 

  ——– 

  Ji Man unexpectedly dreamed of Nie Sangyu on her first night in this unfamiliar world. 

  This pitiful and hateful woman with her deathly pale face floated by in her dream. She quietly said, “You came here to fulfill my wish for me. When you fulfill my wish, I’ll leave to be reincarnated and you can go back.” 

  Ji Man really wanted to kick her far away. Stupid second female lead. She had caused her own death and now, she wanted her to change the novel’s ending? 

  “What benefit do I get if I help you?” 

  Nie Sangyu blankly looked at her and said, “If you don’t help me, you won’t be able to go back.” 

  Ji Man, “.……” 

  So, the meaning was that she had been snatched here to do free work. If she didn’t accomplish her task, she wouldn’t be able to return to her wonderful modern world and would have to continue staying here? 

  She took a deep breath, then she took another deep breath. Ji Man decided that a person couldn’t bicker with a ghost. She could only press down her anger and ask her, “What’s your wish?” 

  Nie Sangyu didn’t say a word. She turned around and her figure gradually faded away. 

  She left? 

  Ji Man was flabbergasted. She shouldn’t be messing around like this, right? If Nie Sangyu didn’t say her wish, how could she fulfill it? 

  When Ji Man woke up the next morning, there were two black circles under her eyes. 

  She was sitting at the table when Muxu brought a bowl of porridge and a pickled vegetable dish. Then, she closed the doors, and quietly said, “Master, the marquis has ordered for you to stay in the confinement courtyard for now, so you don’t need to pay respect to the new madam.” 

  Ji Man nodded. If she didn’t have to pay respects, it would save her trouble. She hadn’t figure out who had harmed her on the wedding day yet. She would definitely be at a disadvantage if she went over there without knowing anything. 

  “This is breakfast?” She lowered her head to look at the porridge in the bowl. It was such a small bowl. It didn’t even look like there was enough to fill the gap between teeth. Fortunately, she had stolen a chicken yesterday. 

  Muxu lowered her head in shame. “They said this servant had come too late. Only this was left…… Master, please bear with it and eat it.” 

  Ji Man actually wasn’t hungry. She waved her hand and said, “You can eat it. I’m too full from yesterday. Since I’ll be staying inside doing nothing, I won’t be hungry for a while.” 

  Muxu turned her head to look at things piled in a corner and quietly said, “Master, you haven’t finished your embroidery yet. That will take energy. You should at least eat a little bit. This servant will go to the kitchen at noon and wait. I’ll bring more food for lunch.” 

  Embroidery? Ji Man was at a loss. “What embroidery?” 

  “The marquis has ordered that while you’re in the confinement courtyard, you need to finish embroidering two hundred handkerchiefs. They’ll be used by the people in the residence.” 

  Ji Man swatted her head and remembered. This Nie Sangyu only had one skill: unique embroidery. The things she embroidered were vivid and lifelike and she had even received the emperor’s praise once. As it turns out, Marquis Moyu was turning waste into profit. Wouldn’t this count as forced labor? 

  “How many have I embroidered?” 

  Muxy honestly replied, “To respond to master, you haven’t even embroidered one. Didn’t you say before that no one in the residence to deserve to use a handkerchief embroidered by you? So, they’ve been put to the side……” 

  The corners of Ji Man’s lips twitched, “What will happen if I don’t embroider?” 

  Muxu looked at her strangely. “Liu Mama said last time that if you don’t embroider, then you’re only allowed to eat breakfast and lunch. You won’t be served anything for dinner.” 

  In the previous month, Nie Sangyu would rather be beaten to death then embroider handkerchiefs. The quality of the food had also been too poor, so she didn’t eat either. She spent every day endlessly wailing and weeping and had starved herself to only skin and bones. 

  Ji Man rolled her eyes. If you can earn a meal, why not do it? 

  But, there was a problem. She didn’t know how to embroider. 

  Muxu saw that she kept staring at the embroidery frame and other tools that were in the corner, so she went over there and brought the items over. There were two hundred white and clean handkerchiefs without any embroidery inside the burlap bag. There was also a large pile of different color threads and a pincushion with numerous needles. 

  Muxu put a handkerchief into the embroidery frame. Seeing her master experimentally pick up an embroidery needle, she looked at her with slight surprise and asked, “Master, are you going to embroider?” 

  “Eh……” While Ji Man was still pondering on how to embroider, her hand suddenly started to move and skillfully completed the first stitch. As the excellent stitches continued, the outline of a mandarin duck’s head appeared. 

  The hand was still hers and it was her strength that was being used. She could also stop when she wanted to, but Ji Man discovered that this hand had an innate ability embroider. 

  Or, she could also explain it as Nie Sangyu still being in this body and this body had an instinctive response to embroidering. 

  Nie Sangyu, who was unyielding towards Ning Yuxuan and who would prefer to starve to death than embroider, why was she willing to help her right now? Ji Man found this slightly inconceivable. But, this was great. If she obediently embroidered handkerchiefs, then she wouldn’t have to worry about going hungry!

  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 009 out of 513 – Living is the top priority 

  Ancient embroidery was really a high-level art. A small mandarin duck design required stitching back and forth for five layers. Although the skill was Nie Sangyu’s, Ji Man also felt very tired. Her head felt woozy and her eyes felt blurry after only embroidering two handkerchiefs. When she raised her head to look outside, it was almost noon. 

  Sure enough, her stomach started growling, but Muxu hadn’t come back yet. Ji Man put down the embroidery frame and stood at the doorway for a while. The smell of food from the kitchen had already drifted over here. 

  She had given her breakfast to Muxu. Compared to Nie Sangyu’s adolescent chicken-like body, Muxu looked even more pitifully thin. She didn’t seem like a servant girl from a noble family at all. She didn’t know if Muxu had been this thin in the past or if she had become thin from starving during the previous month. 

  “Master……” Muxu finally came back. As soon as she stepped into the courtyard, she saw Ji Man standing in the doorway. Compared to the previous days, she wasn’t as afraid of her and properly came over while holding a food box. “This servant has brought back lunch.” 

  Ji Man smiled and went inside to sit back down at the table. 

  As Muxu took out the meal, she said, “This servant seems to have gone too late again. This servant waited at the kitchen’s entrance for a long time, but Aunty Zhao wouldn’t let this servant enter the kitchen. By the time she allowed this servant to enter, only this was left.” 

  A bowl of rice, a small plate of Chinese cabbage, and a small plate of green beans. She didn’t even see any shredded meat with the green beans. Ji Man slightly raised her eyebrow, “Is the marquis’s residence this poor?” 

  However, Muxu didn’t seem disappointed. She turned around, closed the doors, and took something out from the chest underneath the couch. 

  “This servant knows that master won’t eat a meal without meat. This servant tore yesterday’s chicken into two portions. This servant hasn’t touched this leftover portion at all. It’s very clean. This servant left this part so that master can eat some meat today.” 

  The young servant girl’s eyes were bright as she carefully opened the lotus leaf while still crouched down on the floor. But, she discovered huge hole in the lotus leaf. 

  A mouse came burrowing out from the lotus leaf. It squeaked twice before climbing down onto Muxu’s arm, then jumping down to the floor and towards the chest underneath the couch. 

  “Ahhh!” Muxu screamed. Her small face was deathly pale. She tossed the lotus leaf and chicken and jumped to the other side. Her face was full of dismay and alarm. Her body started to tremble without stopping. 

  Ji Man looked. There were only bones left from the lotus leaf chicken that had been secretly eaten by the mouse. She sighed. Nie Sangyu’s life was too tragic. 

  “Why was there a mouse……” Muxu clung to the wall in fear. Seeing the lotus leaf chicken on the ground, she felt so distressed that she wanted to cry. 

  Ji Man actually wasn’t scared about the mouse. When she had been a migrant worker living in Beijing, she had lived in basements and had seen plenty of cockroaches and rats. 

  She stood up, picked up the lotus leaf chicken, and stuffed it back into the chest to dispose of the stolen goods. Then, sitting in front of the two vegetarian dishes, she helplessly said, “Let’s eat first. It’s still better than nothing. Later, bring the two handkerchiefs I finished embroidering to Liu Mama. Tell her I want to eat dinner.” 

  “Understood.” Muxu closed the chest and slightly relaxed her body. Feeling embarrassed, she went to stand at Ji Man’s side. 

  Ji Man ate half and left the remaining half to Muxu. Then, she casually asked, “Who manages the residence?” 

  As Muxu ate, she answered, “Steward Qian has always been managing things.” 

  Ji Man shook her head, “No. I meant who manages the concubines’ food, clothes, and expenses?” 

  Muxu said, “It used to be Master Siling. Now that the new madam is here, it should be the new madam.” 

  When Nie Sangyu had been the marquis’s main wife, the marquis had criticized her for not being composed enough. He used this as excuse to give Qi Siling, who had always been virtuous and dignified, the authority over the residence’s domestic affairs. The book hadn’t described in detail the daily lives of the concubines, so she didn’t know where to start. In addition, she couldn’t leave the residence right now. 

  After Ji Man’s mind went in a circle, her gaze fell on Nie Sangyu’s clothing and jewelry. 

  “Muxu, do you want to eat delicious food?” Ji Man asked with a smile. 

  Muxu looked at her doubtfully and lightly nodded. “Master, what do you want to do?” 

  Ji Man gestured at her to come closer. Muxu went over and Ji Man whispered into her ear. Muxu’s face paled. “Master, this…… these are your favorites……” 

  “Meat is your master’s favorite right now.” Ji Man patted her shoulder and said, “As long as we’re living, everything is okay. I thought things through. I’m not going to compete and fight with them anymore. But, at the very least, we should have enough to fill our stomachs, right?” 

  Muxu was silently for a long time before she finally nodded. 

  The marquis’s residence had its own doctors. Muxu coincidentally knew one of the doctors. He was a young doctor with the surname Li. When Ji Man asked about her relationship with this doctor, Muxu hurriedly replied that they were innocent. They were only friends. 

  Seeing her small, blushing face and hearing her anxious explanation, Ji Man understood and didn’t want to put her in a difficult spot. It was fine as long as there was a method to sell some of Nie Sangyu’s jewelry. 

  Thus, Ji Man lied on the bed and pretended to be sick in the afternoon. Muxu went to inform Liu Mama and pleaded with her to call Doctor Li over to examine Nie Sangyu. 

  A concubine’s status was low and couldn’t afford a veteran doctor. Liu Mama saw the two handkerchiefs that Mu Xu had brought, so she didn’t make things difficult for her. She went to call the doctor over for them. 

  ——– 

  “There’s no need to tell this marquis that she’s sick.” Marquis Moyu was standing in the doorway. Looking at Liu Mama, he lightly said, “As long as she’s not up to any tricks and isn’t harming anyone, there’s no need to come and inform this marquis about her situation.” 

  “This servant was impudent.” Li Mama saluted and decided to withdraw. 

  Ning Yuxuan thought of something else and opened his mouth to stop her, “Wait.” 

  (T/N: There will be a new chapter each day by 5PM EST for the next two weeks. 

  Below in the comments, there’s a spoiler/caution if you’re going to MTL the novel.)

  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 010 out of 513 – The culprit that turned herself in 

  “Does the marquis have other orders?” Liu Mama turned around. 

  Feeling as if he had headache, Marquis Moyu asked, “You living near the kitchen. Do you know anything about the kitchen catching on fire last night? Wan-er had just become the person in charge of the household and something like this has happened. And, the culprit still hasn’t been caught yet. Wan-er even seriously said that she wouldn’t eat until the culprit was caught.” 

  Liu Mama smiled. “It’s a good thing that madam is so serious about wanting to manage the household well. This servant only woke up after hearing the other servants shout, “fire” and didn’t notice anything strange last night. This servant doesn’t know anything that would help madam.” 

  Ning Yuxuan sighed and glanced inside the room before he waved his hand and said, “Leave and ask the other servants if they know anything.” 

  “Understood.” 

  After Wen Wan changed her clothes, she wanted to go to kitchen. None of the wonderful-smelling delicacies on the table had been eaten. Ning Yuxuan stretched his hand out and stopped her. He furrowed his brow and said, “Are you really not going to eat?” 

  “I’m not eating!” Wen Wan pouted. “I have to find out who stole the chicken. Otherwise, I would be making you lose face on my first day as the marquis’s wife.” 

  Finding the situation laughable, Ning Yuxuan wrapped an arm around her waist, scratched her nose, and said, “It’s only a small matter. How could it be serious enough that you can’t eat?” 

  Wen Wan said, “Humph! It’s very serious. The kitchen is an important place and a thief was able to enter and start a fire. The confinement courtyard is near the kitchen. If the fire wasn’t notice quickly and spread to that courtyard, what would happen to people inside the courtyard?” 

  Marquis Moyu paused for a moment, then he pursed his lips and said, “Wan-er, Nie Sangyu is the only one that lives in the confinement courtyard. You don’t have to worry if she lives or dies.” 

  If House Nie didn’t still exist, he would have divorced Nie Sangyu a long time ago. 

  “How can I not care?” Wen Wan glared at him for a moment. “If she dies, would that person in the palace let you off? Would House Nie let you off? No matter what, she was once your main wife.” 

  Ning Yuxuan raised his eyebrows and said with a smile, “I see someone is really jealous.” 

  Annoyed, Wen Wan smacked him once before she stepped over the threshold and started walking outside. 

  Original translation is from fuyuneko dot org. If you’re reading this elsewhere, this chapter has been stolen. Please stop supporting theft. 

  ——– 

  Doctor Li had a weakly scholarly appearance. He had only recently entered the marquis’s residence. When he saw Ji Man, he didn’t even dare to speak. Ji Man had to say many comforting words and sincerely ask him for help before he would agree to hide some of her jewelry in his medicine box and take it outside to sell them for her. 

  These items had originally belonged to Nie Sangyu. Even if she wanted to sell these items, she would want to sell them herself. But, right now, she and Muxu couldn’t leave the residence. She could only ask someone else for help. 

  Ji Man calculated. According to the prices here, those jewelry should be able to be sold for two hundred pieces of silver. She would keep fifty pieces, another fifty pieces would be used to bribe the servants to improve her living conditions, and she had a great plan for the remaining hundred pieces. 

  Since she had to live in ancient times, it wouldn’t be too much of a waste if she didn’t use her knowledge from modern times. In addition to the guaranteed embroidery work, Ji Man also wanted to do other things. 

  After Doctor Li left, Ji Man went back to embroidering and mulled over other thoughts as she waited for him to bring back the silver. This room needed to be fixed up. At the very least, there shouldn’t be mice living in this room. 

  Just as she had that thought, Muxu hurriedly came inside and said in panic, “Master. Madam is here.” 

  Eh? Madam? Ji Man raised her eyebrows. The second female lead shouldn’t be appearing on the stage so soon. Why did the female lead take the initiative to drop by for a visit? 

  Ji Man stood up, put the embroidery hoop to the side, and hurriedly went outside to salute, “This servant greets Madam.” 

  Wen Wan was wearing a light blue liu xian skirt and a pale yellow jacket. There was a suet jade hairpin inserted into her hair. She seemed like a celestial being. Ji Man looked at her, then she lowered her head to look at herself. Oh, she truly looked bleak in comparison. 

  (T/N: Liu xian is a type of flowing, layered skirt. Below is a picture.) 

  Ch 010 - liu xian skirt.png

  “You can rise. I’m just here to ask about the matter of the kitchen catching on fire.” Wen Wan helped her up with a smile. “You live closest to the kitchen, so I also wanted to ask if you were okay. Where you frightened?” 

  If she said she was frightened, would she get compensation? Ji Man pondered for a moment. She raised her eyes to look at the servant girls that were following Wen Wan. She quietly said, “This servant is fine. As for the kitchen catching on fire, I do have something I want to privately say to Madam. Is Madam willing to hear it?” 

  Wen Wan curiously said, “Oh? You know something?” 

  “Madam.” The servant girl behind Wen Wan, Tan Xiang, pulled Wen Wan’s sleeve and whispered, “The marquis had said that you shouldn’t get too close to her.” 

  Wen Wan took a step back and glanced at her. She shook her head and said, “What are you afraid of? It’s broad daylight. Leave this courtyard and wait for me there. I’ll come out right after I ask her a few questions.” 

  “But……” Tan Xiang furrowed her brow and looked at Ji Man. Her eyes showed that she was alert and on guard. 

  “Go.” Wen Wan waved her hand. 

  Tan Xiang, two young servant girls, and Muxu all withdrew. Just as Wen Wan turned her head and was about to ask Ji Man what she wanted to say, she saw the person in front of her dropping to the ground to kneel. The sound of Ji Man’s knees hitting the ground was very loud and startled Wen Wan so much that her face paled. She hastily looked towards Ji Man’s knees. 

  “Madam……” Tears appeared in Ji Man’s eyes from the pain. She raised her head and looked at Wen Wan with a distressed expression. “This servant stole the chicken from the kitchen. This servant wanted to confess, but was afraid of damaging the marquis’s reputation. Therefore, this could only be told to Madam.” 

  Nie Sangyu stole the chicken? Startled, Wen Wan automatically asked, “Why?” 

  At the very least, she was the marquis’s concubine. How could she act like a dog and steal a chicken? 

  Ji Man wiped her tears and quietly said, “This servant dared to do something like this because I was too hungry. Madam, please forgive me.” 

  “How could you be hungry?” Wen Wan’s eyes widen. “Does the kitchen not deliver food to you?” 

  Success! She was just waiting for her to ask this question!

  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 011 out of 513 – Improving the quality of life 

  T/N: Here’s an extra chapter. I had extra free time today. Thank you Mezhanos and Dragon_Reader for writing reviews on Novel Updates! 

  Ji Man wiped her tears and said with a bitter laugh, “This servant has been locked in the confinement courtyard by the marquis. How could my days be good? The residence’s servants act respectfully in front of their superiors and step on those below them. If there isn’t someone managing them, they don’t follow the rules. Every day, they only give this servant leftover rice and vegetables. This servant only stole a chicken from the kitchen yesterday and accidentally started a fire that almost became a disaster because this servant was starving.” 

  Wen Wan furrowed her brow. “No matter what, you’re still the marquis’s concubine. There’s no reason for you to be eating leftover food. If this news spread, people will laugh at the marquis for not being able to support a concubine!” 

  Ji Man lightly nodded and kowtowed to Wen Wan again. “Madam, you have a good temperament. It’s so much better than this servant’s temperament. You’ll probably be with the marquis for a lifetime. But if your temperament is too good, there will inevitably be sly servants that think you’re easy to bully and act without propriety.” 

  These words were magnanimous and fitting to the occasion. Wen Wan repeatedly nodded as she heard these words. In her mind, she thought that Nie Sangyu wasn’t as rude and unreasonable as she had heard from rumors. At the very least, her current words were reasonable. Even if Nie Sangyu was a confined concubine, she couldn’t allow the servants to bully her. 

  “I understand. I’ll speak with the people in the kitchen later. You can go back to your room now. I’ll just treat it as if it was an accident that started because the food was too dry.” Wen Wan said. 

  “Thank you very much, Madam.” Ji Man followed traditional etiquette by kowtowing again. 

  Wen Wan turned around and left the courtyard. She called Tan Xiang over and went to the kitchen next. 

  Muxu slipped back into the courtyard and hurriedly went over to help Nie Sangyu stand up. “Master, what did you say to Madam? Madam looked so angry.” 

  Ji Man faintly smiled. She pulled Muxu inside the room, closed the doors, and finally said, “Do you understand what advancing by retreating means?” 

  Muxu blankly looked at her. 

  Ji Man knocked her forehead and quietly said, “Those servants are clearly bullying you because the marquis is giving me the cold shoulder. They’re intentionally not giving us food. Otherwise, how could there always be so little food when you go there so early each time? They think that I won’t be able to complain because I’m being confined, so I told Madam that I was the one that stole the chicken.” 

  Muxu jumped in fright. “You…… It’s a crime to steal. You told Madam…… What if she……” 

  “She won’t.” Ji Man shook her head. “First of all, Madam has a kind nature. And, even if she wants to put me on the spot, she wouldn’t use this issue against me. She would only help me hide this secret. Otherwise, if the news that the marquis’s concubine stole a chicken spreads, it would be humiliating for the marquis’s entire household.” 

  Muxu thought for a while before she suddenly realized. “So it’s like that. Master, you’re so clever!” 

  Ji Man stretched her hand out to mimic stroking a nonexistent, long beard. She said with a smile, “Not at all. It was nothing. Let’s wait and see what we’ll eat tonight. After Doctor Li brings back the money, we’ll have other work to do.” 

  Muxu increasingly felt that her master had changed into a completely different person. But she liked this current master more than her previous one, so she didn’t contemplate this change any further. Anyways, there were advantages to following this master. 

  Ji Man finished embroidering another two handkerchiefs during the rest of the afternoon. Her speed had become faster and faster. 

  The two times that Liu Mama came over. She saw Nie Sang Yu embroidering. When she took the handkerchiefs from her to take a closer look, she saw that the embroidery was exceptionally elaborate and vivid. Strange. What was wrong with Nie Sangyu? Her recent behavior was so different from her usual behavior. However, she didn’t seem as strident as usual and other people feel more comfortable in her presence. It would be good thing if she was to be obedient and didn’t anger the marquis. 

  After the marquis’s wife recently took her top position, she tied up the rules by established standards for the other courtyards’ meals. The honored concubines would have two meat dishes, three vegetarian side dishes, and soup for lunch and dinner. The ordinary concubines would have one meat dish, two vegetarian side dishes, and soup for lunch and dinner. If any of the courtyards were lacking food, including the confinement courtyard, they were all allowed to go to her for support. 

  No one understood why the madam would start making changes with the meals first, but the kitchen had always been a strategic place for ill-gotten gains. After this rule was set down, it damaged the interests of many people. There were many people in the residence that were dissatisfied with Wen Wan behind her back. 

  However, Ji Man was ecstatic. In her mind, she thought that the female lead was the only good person in the world a hundred times. There was a plate of shredded pork with green pepper on the table. Although the shredded pork portion wasn’t much, there was still meat to eat! Mu Xu had also daringly asked the kitchen servants for two extra bowls of rice. They ate their dinner with satisfaction with the master sitting down and the servant standing. 

  At the very least, they wouldn’t be hungry at night anymore? 

  ——– 

  The next day, Doctor Li brought the silver taels that the jewelry had been sold for. There were a total of two hundred and thirty silver taels. Ji Man smiled as she thanked him and put thirty silver taels into his medicine box. Doctor Li was frightened by her action and repeatedly declined. After Muxu said a few words to help persuade him, he finally profusely expressed his thanks and accepted the money. 

  Thirty silver taels wasn’t a small amount. Nie Sang Yu’s monthly allowance was only five silver taels and five coins. But what must be given had to be given. In certain areas, you couldn’t be stingy. 

  ——- 

  “The person in charge of the kitchen is Aunty Zhao, right?” Ji Man asked as she embroidered. 

  Muxu nodded. She wrinkled her nose and said, “Aunty Zhao is somewhat fierce and isn’t easy to get along with. I heard that she’s a distant relative of Steward Qian. The servants all try to flatter and ingrate themselves to her.” 

  Ji Man said, “We’re both in our confinement period, but you can still go to the kitchen. When you go over there today, bring five silver taels and secretly give it to her. Ask her to find a time when there’s no one here and come over.” 

  Muxu curiously asked, “Master, what are you planning?” 

  Ji Man smiled, “Secret.”


  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 012 out of 513 – A starved dead camel is still bigger than a living horse 

  Since her master had already said it like that, Muxu didn’t continue asking. She took the silver taels, went to the kitchen at lunchtime, and brought back two side dishes and a soup back. 

  “What did Aunty Zhao say?” Ji Man asked as she ate. 

  “She took the silver taels and agreed.” Muxu whispered, “From her expression, she’s not an easy person to deal with. Master……” 

  “Don’t worry. It’s enough that she agreed.” After Ji Man finished lunch, she put down her chopsticks and turned around to look for the most gorgeous clothing she had left in her wardrobe. “Help me change clothes.” 

  The clothing was made from first-class material. The long skirt was an earnest deep blue and it was paired with a yellow top. It looked magnanimous and noble. This was probably clothing that Nie Sang Yu had worn when she was the marquis’s wife. Naturally, it wouldn’t be suitable for her to wear this clothing anymore if she went out. But, it would still be okay to use it keep up appearances in front of servants. 

  As Muxu helped her style hair and inserted a golden hairpin into her hair, Muxu’s eyes couldn’t help turning slightly red. 

  Ji Man looked at the person behind her in the bronze mirror and asked, “What’s wrong?” 

  “It’s nothing……” Muxu sniffled. “This servant was just thinking about the past. Why is master being punished like this……” 

  The previous Nie Sangyu had gotten whatever she wanted. She would have never needed to exert this much effort just to get more meat to eat each day. 

  Ji Man laughed in disagreement. “What’s the use in thinking about the past? We still have to continue living. If we can’t live lavishly anymore, then at the very least we need to live without worrying about basic necessities, right?” 

  Living in the confinement courtyard was pretty good. She didn’t need to go out and compete and scheme for a position. Right now, she only wanted to slightly improve her meals. 

  Muxu nodded and applied rouge and other cosmetics to Nie Sangyu. Ji Man felt slightly stunned by the beauty of this face after makeup was suddenly applied. This face hadn’t worn make up for a while. 

  Aunty Zhao secretly came to the confinement courtyard right after lunchtime. Because she was Steward Qian’s relative, she had always been very proud and arrogant. But seeing that the concubine locked in the confinement courtyard had been so generous, she felt that this would be a good opportunity to gain a large sum of money and swiftly came here. 

  But as soon as she entered the room and raised her eyes, she saw a woman with a noble appearance, gorgeous clothing, and without the slightest hint of being in dire straits. Aunty Zhao couldn’t help but put away her originally slightly irreverent attitude. She properly stepped forward and performed the proper etiquette before asking, “Master Sangyu, why did you call this servant over? Do you have an order for this servant?” 

  Ji Man curved the corners of her lips and said, “I felt very happy after eating the delicious food from the kitchen and wanted to thank Aunty Zhao. That’s why I asked you to come here to receive your reward.” 

  Startled, Aunty Zhao felt slightly discomfited. Previously, she had always curtailed the food sent to Nie Sangyu’s courtyard. Right now, she had only added more dishes because she was following the madam’s order. This Master Sangyu actually said she was going to reward her…… 

  “I lost the marquis’s favor and spent the past month broken-hearted. Recently, I finally realized something after prolonged thought.” Ji Man smiled and said, “It was foolish of me to not want to eat or drink. Although I lost the marquis’s favor, I’m still from a famous, aristocratic family. My paternal aunt’s position as noble consort is dependable. When the old matriarch comes back from praying to Buddha, I won’t be staying in this cold courtyard for long. Why make life difficult for myself? Aunty, don’t you agree?” 

  Stunned by these words, Aunty Zhao quietly said, “This…… Master Sangyu’s words are right.” 

  A starved dead camel was still bigger than a living horse. It wasn’t even necessary to mention that House Nie’s influence was vast enough to cover the sky. The old matriarch, the marquis’s biological mother, was Noble Consort Ning’s best friend. No matter how much the marquis disliked Master Sangyu, after the old matriarch came back from praying to Buddha, she definitely wouldn’t let Master Sangyu suffer too many grievances. 

  When she thought of it like that, her back felt chilled. She had also been foolish. She shouldn’t have followed those blind people and taken retribution against Nie Sangyu for her past mistreatment. She had forgotten that the person in front of her would have a change in fortune soon. In the end, a master was a master. If Nie Sangyu held a grudge against her, would there still be a place for her in the marquis’s residence in the future? 

  Ji Man waited until Aunty Zhao thought things through before opening her mouth to say, “The meals made by the kitchen during the past two days were very tasty, but my body is weak right now. Perhaps, I’ll need you to be more thoughtful with my meals. These fifty silver taels are for you Aunty Zhao. Thank you for your trouble.” 

  Ji Man stretched her hand out to help Aunty Zhao up and personally put the money into her hand. Ji Man gently smiled. “Is Aunty Zhao still thinking about my poor actions from the past? Are you willing to help me?” 

  Aunty Zhao hurriedly said, “Of course not, Master Sangyu. This servant feels honored that Master Sangyu is asking this servant for help. This servant wouldn’t decline regardless of how difficult the task is. 

  Ji Man smiled, “Since it’s like that, I need Aunty Zhao to purchase a few things for me. Here are another fifty silver taels. Look at my current circumstances. I can’t even leave the residence. I feel bored, so I want to buy a few things. Aunty Zhao, could you……” 

  Aunty Zhao grasped the silver taels and said with a smile, “Whatever master wants to buy, this servant will have someone buy them when they’re out buying groceries. I wouldn’t dare to say yes to anything else, but this servant can definitely help with this task.” 

  “I’ll definitely remember Aunty Zhao’s kindness.” Ji Man took out a list of things she had previously written and placed it in Aunty Zhao’s hand. She said, “I’ll have to bother Aunty Zhao with these little trifles. If there are any remaining silver taels, Aunty Zhao, you don’t need to be polite. Use them to buy clothing for yourself. 

  Aunty Zhao smiled so widely that it seemed as if a flower was blooming on her face. She repeatedly said, “Okay.” Then, she turned around and left to complete Nie Sangyu’s task. 

  “Master, why did you give her so many silver taels?” Muxu’s felt slightly distressed. “So many silver taels. It would have been enough to eat delicious food for a year.”


  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 013 out of 513 – The conflict won’t end stop (1) 

  (T/N: I had extra time today, so posting an extra chapter, but please only expect one release per day.) 

  Ji Man turned around to look at her, “Little girl, sometimes we have to lose something in order to gain something better. To achieve a certain goal, we must pay a corresponding price. Aunty Zhao is a servant with status. If we don’t give her plenty of money, why would she be willing to do work for us? Our request isn’t excessive. We’re only asking for better food. The remaining one hundred silver taels will be enough for us for a period of time. It’s fine as long as our days aren’t cold or exhausting.” 

  Muxu still felt a sense of injustice. She held the remaining silver taels for a long time before she finally turned around and hid them on the bottom shelf of the cabinet. 

  “What did you ask her to buy?” 

  Ji Man picked up the embroidery needle and continued embroidering the handkerchief. She unhurriedly said, “They were all very ordinary things. I wrote on the list for her to bring a small quantity of those items to me each month. Once we use those items to make things, we won’t have to worry about not having enough money.” 

  Muxu didn’t understand her master’s words. But since her master appeared to have planned something out in advance, she didn’t ask any further questions and sat down to help her embroider the handkerchiefs. 

  ——– 

  As a result of Nie Sangyu’s diligent work of embroidering two handkerchiefs each day and handing them over to Liu Mama, the entire residence’s madam and concubines were using new handkerchiefs within a few days. She had embroidered the handkerchiefs with patterns that had excellent meanings: a pair of mandarin ducks or twin lotus flowers on one stalk*. In addition, Nie Sangyu was very talented with her embroidery skill. Even Wen Wan loved the handkerchiefs so much that she didn’t want to put them down. 

  *(T/N: These patterns symbolized a happy and devoted marriage.) 

  When Marquis Moyu was sitting at a table drinking tea, he saw Wen Wan clutching one of these handkerchiefs and carefully stroking the pattern on it. She said, “Even if I practiced for several years, I don’t think I can embroider something of this level.” 

  Ning Yuxuan followed her gaze and looked at the handkerchief. The light purple lotus flowers were blooming beautifully and it felt as if you could even faintly smell their scent. 

  “This is her only talent.” 

  Wen Wan raised her head and rolled her eyes. “Sangyu’s personality doesn’t seem as bad as you had described. Perhaps, she had done wrong things in the past. But, hasn’t she become docile and obedient now? Why are you so biased against her?” 

  He was biased against her? Ning Yuxuan couldn’t resist sighing. Nie Sangyu had married him when she was only fourteen years old. She has been jealous of his other concubines for the past several years. How many sharp and unkind words have they said to each other? Who knew her personality better than him? 

  He had married her when he was fifteen years old. As soon as Nie Sangyu entered the household, she had dismissed all of his bedroom servants. Whenever he became angry with her, she would go to his mother lodge a complaint against him. Because of her familial relationship with Noble Consort Ning and the fact that his own mother sided with Nie Sangyu, he couldn’t even show his anger towards her when he was angry. 

  When he was sixteen years old, Nie Sangyu still hadn’t given birth to a child. Naturally, this was something he was intentionally responsible for. Later on, when he took Qi Siling as an honored concubine, that poisonous woman had almost destroyed Qi Siling’s face. After he stopped her, she wouldn’t repent and even said that she hadn’t done anything wrong. 

  When he was eighteen years old, he had brought in Qing Lian Xue and Liu Han Yun. Nie Sangyu had thrown a tantrum and was sick for a month. Her actions had caused Noble Consort Nie to censure him. 

  When he was twenty years old, he had taken Mu Shuqing as a concubine. Nie Sangyu had drunk poison, but was unsuccessful with committing suicide. This made the marquis’s household a laughingstock for the entire capital. 

  Right now, he was twenty-one years old. That woman had finally caused enough trouble to lose her position as the marquis’s wife. Her actions were directly responsible for promoting Wen Wan. Either she had finally become sensible, or perhaps she was secretly scheming something. 

  If his mother hadn’t forced him to marry Nie Sangyu, he would have never married this shrew. He had originally been an elegant, unrestrained, and leisurely marquis. Because of this woman, he hadn’t had a single good day in the past several years. Now, he had finally locked her in the confinement courtyard. Even if he were to be beaten to death, he wouldn’t easily let her out of there.” 

  “I don’t know why. I find her rather pitiful.” Wen Wan sighed. She put the handkerchief back into her sleeve and raised her gaze to look at Ning Yuxuan as she said, “I also feel jealous that she’s been with you for so long.” 

  Ning Yuxuan raised an eyebrow and looked rather good-looking as he curved his lips into a smile. “Jealous of her? You still have decades left to stay by my side.” 

  Wen Wan cast a rebuking glance at him as her cheeks turned slightly red. “You two share a mutual past that I wasn’t part of. Of course, I’ll feel jealous. But, it’s fine. I’ll be the only person in your world in the future.” 

  Marquis Moyu stretched his hand out and brought her into his embrace. With his chin lowered so that it was against her forehead, he said, “I’ve never loved anyone before you. Nie Sangyu doesn’t mean anything to me. You don’t need to be jealous.” 

  “En.” Wen Wan smiled and hugged him back. Feeling at ease, she closed her eyes. 

  ——– 

  Ji Man sneezed several times in a row to the point that tears came out. She sniffled and said, “It couldn’t be that I really got sick, right?” 

  Her mood suddenly became gloomy. She didn’t know why she was feeling this way. She usually wasn’t a melancholy and sensitive person. Most of these feelings were probably from Nie Sangyu. She felt slightly uncomfortable when she thought about how there was another person residing in this body. But why did Nie Sangyu suddenly feel sad when everything was perfectly fine right now? 

  Ji Man heard the sound of someone knocking on the courtyard’s doors. After Muxu ran over to open the doors, Ji Man heard a servant girl’s crisp voice say, “My family’s Master Shuiqing likes the handkerchiefs embroidered by your master. Send two more handkerchiefs to Feiyu Courtyard tomorrow. My master doesn’t have enough.” 

  Muxu looked at the handkerchief in Banxia’s hand and her little face became tense. “Master Shuiqing is only one person. How could she not have enough? We’re both servants. How can you use something embroidered by a master?” 

  Banxia was Mu Shuiqing’s personal servant girl and had the same deplorable behavior as her master. She arrogantly raised her head and said, “Servants are divided into different ranks. There are some masters who aren’t even as good as some servants. Since Master Shuiqing gave me this handkerchief, of course I can use it. If you’re unsatisfied, go and tell the marquis about it.” 

  “You!” Muxu’s mouth wasn’t clever and she could only look at Banxia helplessly. 

  They shouldn’t bully people like this. Her master was already exhausted from embroidering two handkerchiefs every day. And now, she had to embroider handkerchiefs for servant girls too? They were treating her master as if she was an embroideress! 

  (T/N: I’m not sure if this was clear? Ji Man doesn’t know the six-year history between Nie Sangyu and Ning Yuxuan. She only has a vague knowledge of the other characters. Her knowledge is limited to the stuff that happens in the original novel. She briefly mentions this in chapter 4, “The author had used her pen to mostly write about the male lead and female lead, so Ji Man really didn’t know what Nie Sangyu had done in the past.” This is the reason she’s doesn’t understand why he’s still holding a grudge despite the recent change in her behavior. 

  Generally, when there’s a different POV, the author is giving us information that Ji Man doesn’t know yet.) 

  Also, there are 261 raw chapters, but I’m splitting most of the raw chapters into 2 translated parts. There are a few shorter chapters that haven’t been split. And, to simplify my excel schedule, I numbered the chapters so that Chapter 1 in raws = Chapter 1 & 2. When the translation is done, there will be 513 translated chapters.)

  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 014 out of 513 – The conflict won’t end stop (2) 

  Ji Man heard their discussion from inside. She walked to the doorway, looked towards the courtyard’s entrance, and called out, “Muxu.” 

  “Master.” Muxu ran back to her in a few steps. Her feet were shaking in anger as she stood next her, “They’re bullies!” 

  Ji Man looked at the servant girl that was standing at the courtyard’s entrance. Her gaze was probably too severe and threatening. Banxia retreated half a step in fear before she remembered her master’s words. The young servant girl mustered up her courage again and said, “Greetings, Master Sangyu. This servant has already brought over Master Shuiqing’s order. The marquis has also said that this household doesn’t support idle people. Since you don’t need to serve the marquis anymore, then you naturally have to do something else.” 

  Publicly and secretly, she was ridiculed for losing favor and becoming useless. This was why a servant would dare to order her around. 

  Ji Man snorted and laughed. Her hand was still holding a handkerchief that she had recently finished embroidering. She asked Mu Xu, “Muxu, how’s your master’s embroidery skill compared to the capital’s number one embroidery store’s embroideress?” 

  Muxu accommodatingly said, “Perfect down to the finest detail. After master’s handkerchiefs were given to madam, madam doesn’t even use the ones sent over by the embroidery store anymore.” 

  Ji Man nodded. “And how much does a handkerchief embroidered by an embroideress from the capital’s number one embroidery store cost?” 

  Banxia’s face was slightly green. 

  Muxu glanced at Ban Xia before replying, “Three silver taels each.” 

  “Okay, three silver taels it is. The materials to make the handkerchiefs are provided by the estate, so I’ll just count my work as two silver taels.” Ji Man smiled as she nodded her head. 

  She looked at Banxia and said, “Since Master Shuiqing likes them, I’ll give her a discount. I’ll only charge her one silver tael per handkerchief. Bring the money over and I’ll embroider her as many handkerchiefs as she wants.” 

  Banxia gaped. She looked at Nie Sangyu for a long time without say a word. She pointed at this pair of master and servant for a moment before turning around and walking away. 

  Muxu happily said, “Master, you’re amazing.” 

  Ji Man waved her hand, “If Mu Shuqing was an honored concubine, I would have embroidered handkerchiefs for her without saying a single word in protest. Mu Shuqing has the same status as me and still wanted to bully me. If she complained to someone higher up, there won’t be a good consequence for her.” 

  Muxu’s smile froze. She looked left and right before pulling Nie Sangyu inside. She closed the doors and said, “Master, don’t forget. Master Shuiqing was given to the marquis by the crown prince. Although she’s only a concubine, the marquis won’t punish her unless he has a good reason.” 

  Crown prince?* Such a formidable supporter? Ji Man was speechless with amazement. She had thought only Nie Sangyu had a formidable background. As it turns out, there was another hidden person. No wonder Mu Shuqing behaved so arrogantly. So, this was why no one had scolded her when she had spoken before an honored concubine at the wedding. She had the crown prince as her background supporter. 

  * T/N: (There was probably a mistake by the author in chapter 3? Ji Man shouldn’t know that Mu Shuqing was given to the marquis by the crown prince until this chapter.) 

  However, what was there for her to be afraid of? A silver tael for a handkerchief, it would be fine even if Mu Shuqing told other people. The marquis’s household didn’t support idlers? Nie Sangyu’s work was worth more than five silver taels and five coins a month. She accepted that she had to embroider two hundred handkerchiefs for free, but there was no way she would give any additional handkerchief as a free gift. 

  There was no need for Muxu to worry. Right after Ji Man put down the two handkerchiefs she had finished today, she started to prepare. “Go ask Aunty Zhao for a few, clean, never used before pots and a small, portable stove. 

  Muxu acknowledged her order, then she turned around and ran out of the courtyard. 

  Ji Man had already planned out her next move. According to the novel’s plot, after the old madam came back, Nie Sangyu would be freed from the confinement courtyard. Then, Nie Sangyu would do one thing after another until she caused her own death sentence. However, Ji Man didn’t want to die. She wanted to continue to happily live. And so, the most important thing was to establish good relations with other people and settled down to get on with the pursuit of a happy life. 

  Nie Sangyu had committed many wicked deeds in the past. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have provoked so much annoyance and dislike. Then, how should she try to fix past wrongdoings and win over people so that they would let go of their resentment towards her? 

  It was easy enough for the servants. Other than money, it was more money. Give them more benefits and all past hatred would be gone. Aunty Zhao was an example of this success. However, the honored concubines and ordinary concubines wouldn’t be so easy to deceive. She would have to put forth a lot of effort to win them over. 

  Women seem to only care about two things: appearance and men. Although she had only seen Marquis Moyu once, Ji Man didn’t have even the slightest bit of good impression towards him. The female lead definitely thought this man was extremely wonderful. Unfortunately, she was the second female lead. The second female lead had and would continue to suffer terribly because of the male lead. 

  Although she didn’t know how to fight for favor, she not only wouldn’t fight for favor, she wanted Marquis Moyu to dislike her, dislike her to death. The more that Marquis Moyu disliked her, the more likely she would be able to survive. 

  As for appearance, she wanted to do an experiment. If it succeeded, she would at least be able to ensure a minimal survival. 

  However, after Muxu left, she didn’t come back for two hours. Ji Man sat inside the room and waited for her. She saw that the sky would turn to night soon, but there still wasn’t any movement outside. 

  She couldn’t continue to keep sitting. Ji Man opened the doors and walked two steps outside. She thought of the marquis’s household’s rules. The person under confinement wasn’t allowed to go outside; otherwise she would be punished according to household’s laws. 

  But, she was completely alone without support. If something happened to Muxu, she would really be doomed. She couldn’t care about anything else. She had find Muxu first. It would be the best if she didn’t disturb the people above her. 

  With these thoughts in her mind, Ji Man kept close to the foot of the walls and slipped out of the confinement courtyard. But, she didn’t recognize any of the paths. She went left, then right. When she saw other people, she didn’t dare to ask them any questions. She sneakily walked for a long time until she got herself lost. 

  In front of her, there was a pretty good courtyard. Ji Man stood by the back garden’s woodshed and thought about looking for an excuse to ask a servant for Steward Qian’s location and have him order people to look for Muxu. This would better than if she kept blindly wandering around to search. 

  However, just after she had decided to flip over the wall and leave, she suddenly heard the sound of many chaotic footsteps behind her. The sky was dark and torches had been lit. 

  A servant at the head of the group saw her in the back garden and yelled out, “She’s over here!” 

  (T/N: A few people have asked/commented on why Ji Man doesn’t get divorce. This will be explained later in the story. But, if you want to know now, I wrote it in the comments below.)

  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 015 out of 513 – Household punishment of five-rods thick rattan (1) 

  Their actions seemed rather like they were catching a thief. When Ji Man was taken to the main room in the courtyard, she was slightly at a loss. 

  “Why are you in this courtyard?” The man, who was sitting in the center seat, had a very ugly expression. When he heard the servants report the situation, his eyes seemed as if they were trying see through her deception. 

  Ji Man didn’t raise her head. She was more curious about another question than explaining why she was here. “Why were you looking for me?” 

  The confinement courtyard was a place where people rarely went. Logically, no one should notice even if she wasn’t there. No matter, wasn’t it strange that a large group of torch-holding servants would be looking for he? 

  In Ning Yuxuan’s ears, these words signaled that she was refusing to repent. His expression immediately sunk and he said, “Nie Sangyu, you’re still under confinement. Not only did you leave the confinement courtyard without approval, you were also sneaking around Qiangwei Courtyard’s back garden’s woodshed. What were you planning on doing?” 

  Ji Man opened her mouth, but before she had time to speak, someone came into the room. 

  “This concubine greets my lord. This concubine heard that the person has been found.” It was rare for Mu Shuiqing’s voice to sound so gentle and soft. She kneeled down next to Nie Sang Yu and saluted. 

  Ning Yuxuan raised his hand and said, “You can rise.” 

  “Thank you my lord.” Mu Shu Qing slowly stood up. Ji Man’s knees hurt from kneeling, so she stood up along with her and rubbed her knees. 

  Marquis Moyu was so angry that his face seemed almost green. “I told her to rise, not you. Continue to kneel!” 

  Of course, Ji Man knew that he wasn’t saying she could rise too. She was just taking advantage of the situation to rub her knees for a bit. Ji Man didn’t show the slightest resistance. As she kneeled down again, she secretly arranged her clothes to pad her knee area slightly more. 

  Wen Wan was sitting next to Ning Yuxuan. After waiting for Marquis Moyu to finish expressing his anger, she finally softly persuaded, “My lord, you should at least let her finish speaking first.” 

  Ning Yuxuan furrowed his eyebrows and looked at her, “She came here in the middle of the night. What else could she possibly be up to?” 

  Ji Man wanted to roll her eyes, but she still had to explain in a nice tone of voice, “Muxu hadn’t returned after she went out in the afternoon. This servant saw that the sky was dark and was worried that something might have happened to her. So, this servant came out to look for her, but ended up getting lost.” 

  Next to her, Mu Shuiqing quietly called out, “Lost?” She looked as if she was very surprised. Feeling that this might be lacking in manners, she immediately looked at Marquis Moyu and said, “This consort was impolite.” 

  Ning Yuxuan’s expression was very ugly, but the corners of his mouth showed a mocking smile. “Have you been confined for too long? You can’t even think of a good excuse? Nie Sangyu, you entered this residence six years ago. Is there even a single brick or tile that hasn’t already been tossed around by you? Now, you’re actually saying that you were lost. Out of all the possible places, you came to Qiangwei Courtyard’s back garden while being lost?” 

  Qiangwei Courtyard was the courtyard for the main wife. Nie Sangyu used to like qiangwei, so she had the servants plant them everywhere in this courtyard and named this place Qiangwei Courtyard. Wen Wan didn’t dislike flowers either, thus the flowers had remained here. 

  (T/N: Qiangwei is a flower in the rose family that’s native to China. Below is a picture.) 

  Ji Man secretly pinched herself. How could she have forgotten that Nie Sangyu wouldn’t have gotten lost in Marquis Moyu’s residence? She should have used a different reason. But, if she changed her to answer to say that she had accidentally come here, even she wouldn’t believe these words. Since she had chosen to climb over the wall and into this courtyard when the servant had passed by, she wouldn’t be able to defend her innocence even if she had a hundred mouths. 

  “Regardless if this marquis believes this or not, this servant really came here accidentally.” Ji Man sighed and gave up on resisting. 

  Ning Yuxuan coldly harrumphed. Wen Wan also didn’t say another word. On the side, Mu Shuiqing waved her hand and Banxia led another servant girl into the room. 

  “Older sister Sangyu said she was looking for her servant girl. This was true. This servant had borrowed Muxu to help Banxia peel melon seeds. But, it was only for two hours. This servant didn’t except that older sister would get so anxious that she would start looking for her. Didn’t you use to frequently beat Muxu until she was mass of bruises?” 

  Muxu was pushed to the ground. She hurriedly went behind Nie Sangyu, properly kneeled, and quietly called out, “Master.” 

  Ji Man raised her head to glance at Mu Shuiqing. She lightly said, “This servant is now living in the confinement courtyard. Muxu is my only servant girl. Master Shuiqing, you even had the free time to send Banxia over to tell me to embroidered handkerchiefs for her. Why do you still need to borrow my servant to peel melons seeds for you?” 

  Mu Shuiqing’s smile froze. She checked Ning Yuxuan’s expression from her peripheral vision. Seeing that he didn’t have the intention to support Nie Sangyu, she freely smiled again. “Borrowing a servant girl is a small matter. Older sister, you should first explain to the marquis why you secretly went to Qiangwei Courtyard’s woodshed. 

  At the mention of the woodshed, Ning Yuxuan’s brow furrowed again. He looked at person kneeling on the ground, “Nie Sangyu, you’re still the same. I thought you had turned over a new leaf during the past few days. But, your malicious heart is still the same. It’s not enough that you tried to harm Ling-er, now you want to harm this marquis’s wife?” 

  In his eyes, he probably saw Nie Sangyu as a lunatic, the type of person that would start a fire if she saw a heap of firewood. Ji Man didn’t know what had happened in the past for Marquis Moyu to look at Nie Sangyu this way. But, she hadn’t even been holding a torch in her hand. What was the meaning of mentioning the heap of firewood? Was he going to falsely accuse of her wanting to burn Wen Wan to death? 

  “This servant hasn’t done anything. If the marquis wants to convict me of a wrongdoing, you have to provide a reason.” Ji Man calmly said, “If there’s a suitable reason, this servant will willing accept the punishment.” 

  Ning Yuxuan slightly narrowed his eyes. “Are you thinking that since I don’t have evidence, I can’t convict you?” 

  Ji Man didn’t speak. 

  “Very good.” Marquis Moyu angrily smiled, “No one saw you doing anything wrong, but you escaped from the confinement courtyard and entered Qiangwei Courtyard without permission. Do you admit to these two things?” 

  Ji Man nodded, “I admit it.” 

  Behind her, Muxu trembled. There was a hint of sobbing in her voice as she said, “Master……” 

  “If you admit to your wrongdoings, then you have to be punished.” Ning Yuxuan paused before saying, “Are you willing to be punished?” 

  (T/N: During the first half of the novel, I would recommend not viewing Ning Yuxuan as the male lead. I included a spoiler in the comments below to show why.)

  Thank you Dragon_Reader, Ainslee, ensaymadaroll, Tamasaga, Apples and Oranges, and Kurobito so much for writing reviews and providing different views about this novel! I really appreciate it. I was worried that no one would like this novel because it’s too different. 

  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 016 out of 513 – Household punishment of five-rods thick rattan (2) 

  “Yes.” There wouldn’t be a good result even if she continued to argue. This man clearly hated Nie Sangyu and wanted to protect Wen Wan, so what was the use in her struggling? The sooner she was punished, the sooner the matter would be settled. 

  Marquis Moyu was silent for a while. He seemed somewhat surprised. But, there were several people here, so he didn’t show much of his thoughts or feelings. He only said, “Since it’s like that, Steward Qian, take her away and punish her in accordance to the household rules.” 

  “Understood.” Steward Qian nodded. Two rough servants came forward and took her outside. 

  Muxu was so frightened that she lost her wits. She was shocked that her master would so calmly accept being punished. If it weren’t because of her, her master wouldn’t have left confinement courtyard! 

  When she thought of it that way, tears came rushing out from Muxu’s eyes. With all of her strength, she repeatedly kowtowed to Marquis Moyu. “My lord, my master already has poor health. Let this servant take her place! Please!” 

  Ning Yuxuan ignored her. Everyone else in the room, including Wen Wan, didn’t say a single word. Feeling hopeless, Muxu raised her head to glance at them. Then, she turned around and ran outside. 

  Ji Man had been very calm, but when she saw Steward Qian bringing the rattan, her heart felt hollow. 

  Hey, why was the marquis’s household punishment so harsh? Normally, wouldn’t it only be a one-rod thick rattan? That rotten fellow, the household punishment was actually five-rods thick rattan! If she had known this early, she would have tried struggling more! 

  Even though she felt endlessly remorseful about her early choice, Ji Man felt worse when she saw Muxu’s pitifully crying on the side. She could only pretend to be utterly fearless as she comforted her, “Muxu, don’t cry. It won’t hurt that much. I’ll be fine after resting for a few days.” 

  Muxu shook her head. Tears were still streaming down from her face. Her forehead was red from kowtowing ealier. 

  Ji Man couldn’t bear to see her like this. She had never been good at comforting people, so she simply closed her eyes. 

  Ning Yuxuan, Wen Wan, and Mu Shuiqing had also come out. The two people in the front had complicated expressions while the third person came out to watch the excitement. Moreover, she seemed to be rejoicing in Nie Sangyu’s misfortune. 

  Marquis Moyu’s household punishment was ten strikes of the rattan. Ji Man felt that it shouldn’t be that difficult to endure. 

  But, she hadn’t expected that the servant dealing out the punishment would hate her that much. When the servant fiercely struck down, her kneeling position wasn’t stable and she fell forward. Her back felt numb for a moment before it was replaced by overwhelming pain. 

  As a modern day person, Ji Man had never suffered such a punishment. The tears that Ji Man hadn’t wanted to shed came out. She clenched her jaw and went back to the kneeling position again. She took the rest of the beating. 

  Ning Yuxuan looked at her with cool eyes of a bystander. He saw her clenching her fists and even saw the cold sweat from her forehead fell down, but she still clenched her jaw and didn’t let out any sound. In the past, she would have never accepted this punishment. 

  By the seventh strike, Ji Man’s head wasn’t as clear anymore. She unconsciously opened her eyes and glanced at Marquis Moyu. 

  That man looked at her without any emotion as he stood next to his new wife. 

  At the very least, Nie Sangyu had been with him for six years. For him to be this heartless towards her, he truly didn’t have the slightest feeling towards her. 

  Ji Man heard a voice in her head say with a heart-wrenching cry, “I hate him.” 

  “En. I hate him too.” Ji Man quietly replied. “I’ll help you get your revenge.” 

  Ning Yuxuan watched Ji Man until she finished receiving her punishment. He didn’t say anything and only waved his hand to indicate for the servants to bring her back. Her eyes had become cold. They no longer looked at him with their previous warmth. 

  Muxu had cried so much that her voice had become hoarse. She rushed to Ji Man’s side, but she couldn’t do anything to help. She could only continue to cry. 

  “It’s okay. Older sister Jiang and little radish had suffered much more than me.” Ji Man opened her eyes and smiled at Muxu. “Sacrifices always have to be made for the revolution.” 

  (T/N: Older sister Jiang and little radish are characters in a novel called, Red Crag. The novel is partially based on historical people from the Chinese Revolutionary War like Jiang Zhuyun. Little radish was a child that was brought to prison when he was one year old with his mom and he died eight years later.) 

  Muxu didn’t understand her words and the sound of her crying got worse. 

  When they returned to the confinement courtyard, Wen Wan sent people over with medicine. Muxu carefully undressed Ji Man and applied the medicine. Ji Man was in so much pain that her face was deathly pale. Her back was very swollen. 

  “It was this servant’s fault.” Muxu couldn’t help crying again. “This servant wanted to come back earlier, but Master Shuiqing wouldn’t let me.” 

  “It’s not your fault. It’s my fault for being too foolish.” Ji Man grimaced in pain and said, “If I hadn’t acted so rashly and left the confinement courtyard, nothing would have happened. Or, if I hadn’t gone to Qiangwei Courtyard, I wouldn’t have angered Ning Yuxuan that much. But, I couldn’t control this body and it somehow led me there.” 

  Muxu’s crying became more terrible. “That’s your courtyard. You lived there for six years.” 

  Ji Man was silent for a moment. There was mournful feeling that rose in her heart like billowing clouds. 

  When Nie Sangyu felt bad, she had to feel bad along with her. When Nie Sangyu felt heartache, she had to feel heartache too. Right now, Nie Sangyu’s body was in so much pain that it felt as if it would split apart. She had to bear this pain along with everything else. 

  She had wanted to peacefully live in this world as a bystander, but unexpectedly, this world didn’t want her to have good days. 

  Since she was Nie Sangyu, she should properly behave like the real Nie Sangyu. She should listen to what Nie Sangyu had to say and seriously act out her role. 

  After she finished drinking a bowl of bitter medicine, she gritted her until the taste of the medicine passed. Ji Man decided. She would listen to Nie Sangyu’s heartfelt wish and ask her what she wanted her to do. They had to have a proper discussion. Otherwise, if Nie Sangyu used this body to choke Wen Wan to death, she would be punished along with Nie Sangyu again. 

  T/N: I went back and forth between whether or not I should say this…… This will be the first and last time Ji Man is punished by Ning Yuxuan. If he had known in advance that she would accept the punishment, which is really out-of-character for her, maybe, he wouldn’t have said it. The real Nie Sangyu would have threatened him with her maiden family. 

  Ning Yuxuan and the other concubines really do have good reasons for why they’re so biased against Nie Sangyu. This is also why Wen Wan, the only person who hasn’t directly experienced interacting with the past Nie Sangyu, genuinely doesn’t think badly of her. You’ll see the reason in the next chapter. 

  Unlike other transmigrators, Ji Man doesn’t have the luxury of starting with a clean slate. She has to live with the consequences of Nie Sangyu’s past actions when she doesn’t even know everything that Nie Sangyu had done. But don’t worry, Ji Man will very quickly learn how to use Nie Sangyu’s reputation to her advantage. 

  “But, I couldn’t control this body and it somehow led me there.” Do you remember when Ji Man suddenly felt her knees hurting at the end of chapter 5, so she ended up pouring hot tea over Wen Wan? I’m pretty sure that was Nie Sangyu’s doing.

  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 017 out of 513 – Nie Sangyu’s past (1) 

  There was a superstition that if you placed your hands on your solar plexus when falling asleep, you would be more likely to have a nightmare. Ji Man followed the superstition and as expected, she saw Nie Sangyu in her dream. 

  She was actually quite beautiful, but there was too much resentment expressed on her face. It made people feel uncomfortable to look at her. Inside the dream’s nihility, Nie Sangyu was wearing a long white dress as she endlessly wept. Her drawn-out cries sounded hysterical. 

  Ji Man stood at the side and looked at her for a long time before walking forward to hand her a handkerchief. “No one can hear you. It’s useless even if you cry to the point of losing your voice.” 

  Nie Sangyu ignored her and continued her crying that had a magnitude that could alarm the heavens and earth. She pointed her hand in front of her and a screen made of water appeared in the empty space. The water on the screen turned. When Ji Man turned her head to look, she saw the past. 

  Nie Sangyu was wearing a red wedding dress as Marquis Moyu welcomed her into the household as his wife. There was a faint smile on Marquis Moyu’s face as he held her hand and led her to step over the residence’s threshold. Underneath her wedding veil, Nie Sangyu was so happy that tears fell down. On the wedding night, in the bridal room with ornamented candles, the entire night passed joyfully. But, Marquis Moyu left the room at dawn over a bed servant’s matter. 

  When Nie Sangyu woke up, she didn’t see her husband. She didn’t know what had happened until she sent Muxu to ask around. One of Marquis Moyu’s accustomed bed servants had fallen into a pond and he had hurriedly gone to see her. 

  As the main wife, how could she tolerate something like this? Nie Sangyu had an impulsive personality. Taking advantage of a time when Marquis Moyu was out of the residence, she sent away all of his bed servants, without leaving a single one behind. 

  After this, Ning Yuxuan looked at her differently. Every time they shared a bed, he would light incense and put out the lights before sleeping with her. 

  The first scene was replaced by another scene. Marquis Moyu was welcoming Qi Siling, a dignified and magnanimous person, into the household. From top to bottom, she was flattering and very likeable. After she entered the household, Marquis Moyu never went to Nie Sangyu’s room. Every evening, Nie Sangyu would wait until the oil in the lamp was used up, but the person she was waiting for never came. Nie Sangyu heard from other people that Honored Concubine Siling had a charmingly beautiful face, so she carelessly went to her room to deface Qi Siling’s face. 

  Ji Man face-palmed. Was Nie Sangyu a fool? Why didn’t she think before acting? She had been so easily instigated by other people’s words. She was remarkably like a good knife that could be borrowed to kill other people. 

  No wonder Marquis Moyu would suspect that she was going to start a fire just from her standing by a pile of wood. This woman really was capable of doing anything when she was driven crazy. 

  Marqus Moyu had hurriedly rushed over and stopped Nie Sangyu. This disgust in his eyes deepened. 

  Spring left and autumn arrived. Marquis Moyu still hadn’t come to see her. Nie Sangyu lived in the lonely and cheerless Qiangwei Courtyard and cried every night, but she didn’t receive the slightest bit of pity from him. 

  Later on, Qian Lianxue and Liu Hanyun also entered the household. His eyes no longer had any space for her. Nie Sangyu learned how be gentle and soft, how to just obediently sit and embroidered robes and handkerchiefs for him, and how to not fuss or cause trouble. But no matter what she did, she couldn’t get him to look at her again. And so, she caused trouble and hated him. She ate poison to try to kill herself, but she was saved. 

  She asked Ji Man while crying, “Loving him, hating him, begging him. I can’t do any of these things. Am I not even allowed to die?” 

  Ji Man’s heart slightly moved. The Nie Sangyu at that time, she was truly desperate and without hope. For a man that didn’t love her, she was going to give up her life. 

  The scene changed. Nie Sangyu listened to Noble Consort Ning’s advice and regained hope. It was true that Marquis Moyu was an amorous person, with courtyards full of concubines, but he never truly loved any of them. She felt that she still had a chance. 

  Ji Man felt admiration for her. Even if Nie Sangyu died, Marquis Moyu wouldn’t be emotionally moved. And, she actually thought she had a chance to get him to fall in love with her? 

  And so, Nie Sangyu recovered. From the bottom of her heart, she joyfully stayed by Marquis Moyu’s side. Then, Wen Wan appeared. 

  When you were feeling utterly hopeless, you would say you want to die. Then, what do you say when you didn’t even have the spirit to want to die? When you were hollowed out and had lost all of your feelings? 

  In the next scene, Nie Sangyu blocked the doorway. She stubbornly looked at Marquis Moyu. She was determined to death to not allow him to go out and give the betrothal gift. 

  Marquis Moyu raised his hand and pushed her to side. He mounted a horse and left. She staggered after him, but she couldn’t stop him. Cutting a sorry figure, she headed to the palace in tears. She hoped that Noble Consort Ning could help her stop him. 

  With her hair down and messy, she rushed into the palace and provoked the emperor with her disheveled appearance. Nie Sangyu didn’t even have time to stop Marquis Moyu before she was reprimanded by the emperor and lost her position as the main wife. 

  Ji Man sighed as she watched this. Under the cultural rules of ancient times, Nie Sangyu’s actions were truly shrewish and lacking the demeanor of a main wife. She hadn’t understood that she had married a marquis, who was destined to have many concubines. She had acted like a young girl, who tried to forcibly hold onto her things without letting go. 

  She turned to look at Nie Sangyu, who seemed as if she would never finish crying. Ji Man sighed again. But, it was because she was wretchedly in love with Marquis Moyu, so she acted without regard to the rules. She didn’t seem like the vicious woman that had been written in the novel. She was just easily manipulated and incited by other people. When she encountered a matter related to Marquis Moyu, she would lose all of her calmness and rationality. 

  “Why did you show me this? What are you trying to tell me?” Ji Man contemplated before saying, “You have an unfinished desire. How about telling me what your wish is, so that I can help you fulfill it?” 

  Nie Sangyu raised her head. Her eyes had turned red from crying. She pointed at the screen made of water again. 

  The screen changed. Marquis Moyu was gently sitting in a pavilion. A smiling Nie Sangyu helped him put on a cloak. Marquis Moyu raised his head. His eyes were full of desire to pamper. 

  Ji Man sneezed. This picture was definitely imagined by Nie Sangyu! 

  “You want him to fall in love with you?” The corners of Ji Man’s mouth twitched and she firmly shook her head. “That’s impossible!”


  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 018 out of 513 – Eternally classical cold cream (1) 

  Ji Man had seen Marquis Moyu’s attitude towards Nie Sangyu. It would almost be a fantasy to change his mind and get him to fall in love with Nie Sangyu. Ji Man pulled a long face as she looked at the crying person sitting on the ground. Her voice was low as she asked, “Were you planning on trapping me here forever and that’s why you mentioned a wish like this one?” 

  Nie Sangyu raised her head and stretched her hands towards Ji Man to show her something. Ji Man didn’t understand her intention, but when she lowered her head to look, she noticed that Nie Sangyu’s hands had already become somewhat transparent. 

  Nie Sangyu didn’t explain whether or not Ji Man had guessed her wish correctly. She turned around and slowly disappeared into the smoke without saying another word. 

  Ji Man furrowed her brow. She didn’t understand what Nie Sangyu was trying to say. But, Nie Sangyu had already left and there was nothing she could do about it. 

  When she woke up, she still felt burning pain on her back and couldn’t move. Ji Man inhaled and exhaled the cold air twice before quietly calling, “Muxu.” 

  Muxu had already brought water inside the room. Seeing that she had awaken, she hurriedly went to her bedside, “Master, don’t move. Whatever you want, let this servant get it for you.” 

  Ji Man was lying on her stomach and her chest felt very uncomfortable by the pressure, but she really couldn’t move her body. She could only painfully ask, “How long until I can move around freely again?” 

  “The ointment given by Madam has a pretty good effect. I asked Doctor Li. He said that you’ll be bedridden for three days because of these injuries.” 

  She had to lie on her stomach for three days? Ji Man let out a mouthful of gassy air. She considered for a while before asking, “I still don’t understand. How did they know that I left the confinement courtyard yesterday? 

  Muxu turned her head to glance outside before saying, “Master, have you forgotten? Liu Mama lives right outside. The marquis sent her here to watch you. If you leave the confinement courtyard, they’ll naturally find out.” 

  So, there was something like that. Ji Man gritted her teeth. There hadn’t even been a hint of this previously. How could have known that Liu Mama was a spy? If she had known this earlier, she would have climbed over the wall instead of walking out through the front entrance. At any rate, she was getting better at climbing over walls. 

  She had already been beaten to this state and didn’t have any other methods. Luckily, that Marquis Moyu still had some degree of humanity. Knowing that she was seriously injured, he said that she didn’t have to embroider handkerchiefs during the next two days. 

  Really, she had to thank his whole family. 

  Even though she wasn’t embroidering handkerchiefs, there was still dinner. Aunty Zhao had done her work well after accepting her money. Muxu didn’t even have to get their meals. Aunty Zhao sent a young servant girl over here with their dinner along with the items that Ji Man had previously requested and the pot that Muxu had been looking for. 

  Dinner was two small side dishes and soup. The soup was surprisingly bone broth. Liu Mama furrowed her brow after glancing at the food. 

  The young servant girl cleverly said, “Since Master Sangyu’s body is weak and she was also punished according to the household’s laws, Madam ordered us to show more care. The kitchen servants simmered the marrow bones left over from making lunch to make her broth. 

  As a result, Liu Mama didn’t have any suspicions. 

  Original translation is from fuyuneko dot org. If you’re reading this elsewhere, this chapter has been stolen. Please stop supporting theft. 

  After Muxu finished feeding Ji Man dinner, Ji Man impatiently said, “Open that bag.” 

  The bag was neither big nor small. The young servant girl had been able to bring it into the room by hiding the bag under her skirt. Muxu curiously opened the bag and saw two packages of beeswax, a jar of almond oil, and a few jars and containers. 

  “Master, why did you want these things?” 

  Ji Man faintly smiled, “It’s for an experiment. I read about a recipe in a novel before. There shouldn’t be a product like that here. Let’s test it out for the time being and see if we can successfully make cold cream. 

  Master had recently been using words that she didn’t understand, but Muxu understood the last part, “What’s cold cream?” 

  “You apply it to your face and the cream will make you face whiter and softer.” Ji Man slightly moved and cold sweat appeared on her forehead again from the pain. She clenched her teeth and said, “I can only rely on this to change my fortune.” 

  Muxu still didn’t quite understand, so Ji Man ordered her, “First, go outside, pluck all of the osmanthus flowers in the courtyard, and bring them back inside. 

  This cold and cheerless courtyard naturally didn’t have any expensive flowers. Plus, it was autumn. The only flowers that she could use were osmanthus flowers. 

  Muxu swiftly completed her order and brought back a basket of osmanthus flowers. 

  Lying on a pillow, Ji Man instructed, “Fill the pot over there with a little bit of water and dump all of the flowers into the pot. Cook the flowers with lid on.” 

  Muxu did as she said. Once the pot full of osmanthus flowers had been simmered into a liquid, she poured them into the clean jars and sealed them up. 

  “Next, warm up the beeswax, but keep it separated from water.” Ji Man looked at the sky. Before the sky darkened, they should be able to produce a sample. 

  Compared to the dense skincare products made with lead that were available in ancient times, cold cream was naturally much better. The cost to make it also wasn’t expensive. It was just slightly complicated to make it and each batch might not be successful. As a modern day person, she should have a cheat. She had already previously thought about this. Cold cream was her only choice if she wanted to appeal to a woman’s desire to improve her appearance. 

  After the beeswax had melted, Ji Man had Muxu pour the almond oil into the melted beeswax. Finally, the osmanthus flower water was poured in. It was only a small pot, but it was very fragrant. 

  Muxu’s eyes were glimmering as the pale yellow liquid became denser and creamier. By the time she had finished listening to Ji Man on how much of each ingredient to add and blew out the fire, this item had already finished becoming a lovely cream. 

  “Remove the cosmetics from the containers on my dressing table, wash those containers, and use them to hold the cold cream.” 

  “Understood.” Muxu quickly carried a pile of the boxes out. Ji Man touched her face and gritted her teeth. She would have to act as a human guinea pig for those women. 

  The small pot of cold cream was enough to fill five large containers and three small containers. Ji Man sighed. It was only because Nie Sangyu had a lot of cosmetics. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have had enough containers. The cold cream was still slightly hot, so Ji Man had Muxu leave them on the table to cool off. She would check on them tomorrow. 

  T/N: Here’s a recipe for homemade cold cream https://www.organic-beauty-recipes.com/galen-cold-cream. This type of cream was very popular in China during 20’s to 40’s. There’s even a much more detailed recipe for cold cream on Baidu (Chinese wiki.) 

  Someone in NUF’s spoiler thread mentioned they were confused with what Ji Man is trying to achieve. I interpreted her actions in this chapter and following chapters as procrastinating. Ji Man continues her original goal of improving her living conditions and her relationships with everyone else except Ning Yuxuan because she doesn’t know how to fulfill Nie Sangyu’s seemingly impossible wish yet. She would rather focus on work because that’s what she’s good at it. What do you guys think? This is just my interpretation.

  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 019 out of 513 – Eternally classical cold cream (2) 

  “She didn’t secretly send out a letter?” Marquis Moyu leaned back against the soft couch as he looked at Liu Mama. 

  Liu Mama shook her head and said, “She hasn’t sent out any letter. Master Sang has been in her room during the past two days without doing anything. The only thing that had happen was that all of the osmanthus flowers in the courtyard had been plucked. This servant doesn’t know why she had this done.” 

  Ning Yuxuan found this baffling. With Nie Sangyu’s temperament, it was strange that she didn’t send a letter to her maiden home or to the palace to complain about being punished. And, she was even obediently staying in her courtyard? 

  On the side, Wen Wan smiled when she heard Liu Mama’s words and said, “It’s good that she can view things this way. My lord, now you don’t need to worry about being pressured by the Noble Consort Nie.” 

  Ning Yuxuan followed her words with an, “En.” His mother would be returning soon. All in all, his treatment of Nie Sangyu had been somewhat excessive. He still had to find an excuse to let her out of the confinement courtyard and give her some sweetness. Otherwise, she would sob out her grievences in front of his mother. Wen Wan was the main wife. If his mother saw Nie Sangyu in her current state, she would definitely feel that Wen Wan couldn’t tolerate other people. 

  However, she had just recently been beaten. He had to find an excuse to get out of this awkward situation. 

  Although he was pondering this problem, he didn’t show this on his face. “I’ll have to inconvenience mama to continue to watch her.” 

  “This servant asks to be excused.” Liu Mama withdrew from the room after saluting. 

  — 

  Ji Man acted as a human guinea pig for two days by using the cold cream. She didn’t find any negative side effects, but her complexion had improved a lot. 

  On the side, Muxu looked at her with a very curious expression. 

  “Take a container to use for yourself.” Ji Man said to her. 

  Muxu’s eyes brightened. She pinched her own robe and embarrassedly asked, “Can I really?” 

  “En.” Ji Man nodded. They had different skin types. Muxu had slightly oily skin while her skin was normal. It would be good to have another guinea pig. 

  In high spirits, Muxu took the cold cream and tried it on herself. 

  A week quickly passed by, the effect of the cold cream was very good. Ji Man and Muxu’s faces had both become noticeably fairer and softer. 

  Ji Man could now also leave the bed and walk around. She just couldn’t bend over without feeling tearing pain. She looked at her face in the mirror, then she looked at Muxu’s face. She felt it was time to take action. 

  “Other than Madam, who’s most favored?” Ji Man asked. 

  Muxu said, “Other than Qiangwei Courtyard, the marquis goes to Xuesong Couryard the most. Honored Concubine Xue’s health isn’t very good, but her older brother is the marquis’s close friend. The marquis has always taken good care of her. When he’s not busy, he always goes to her courtyard to see her.” 

  Ji Man remembered the coughing honored concubine that she had seen in the central room during the wedding. Honored Concubine Xue hadn’t been wearing makeup. 

  “What’s her servant girl’s name?” 

  Muxu said with a smile, “Honored Concubine Xue’s servant girl is Danzhu. Out of all the servant girls, she has the best temperament. This servant often goes to look for her to talk to with when this servant has free time.” 

  Ji Man pursed her lips, picked up a small container of cold cream, and said, “Since you have a good relationship with her, then we can’t hide good things from her. Give this to her to use, but tell her to not say anything to the other servant girls.” 

  Muxu’s eyes brightened, “Last time, Danzhu said this servant’s face had become better and better and asked what this servant has been using. This servant thought that since this was something we secretly made, it wouldn’t be okay to tell her. She’ll definitely be very happy to receive this. Thank you master!” 

  Ji Man faintly smiled, “You can go now. You’re probably feeling stuffy and bored after being confined in this room with me for so many days.” 

  Muxu made a sound of acknowledgement before picking up the container and rushing out of the room. 

  Women were happy when their beauty was appreciated. Although they were servant girls, they still wished to appear beautiful. 

  When Danzhu held the cold cream, she was overjoyed. After she secretly applied it for two days, she felt the result was truly quite good. 

  When she was assisting Honored Concubine Xue with putting on clothes and styling her hair, her master turned her head and asked, “Danzhu, which store’s cosmetics are you using? Your complexion keeps getting better each day.” 

  Because Qian Lianxue had poor health, the doctors have told her to use fewer cosmetics, so she never wore makeup. Although she was a beauty, she still looked duller compared to people who did use makeup. 

  Danzhu was a servant girl that cared about her master. She didn’t want to hide good things from her. She hurriedly went to her room and brought the cold cream for Honored Concubine Xue to see. 

  “Muxu said that this cold cream was made by her master using osmanthus flowers. It doesn’t have any negative side effects. This servant has used this for two days. It’s much better than those other cosmetics. This servant’s face feels fresh and clear. It doesn’t feel oily at all.” 

  Qian Lianxue’s eyes brightened a bit, but they quickly dimmed. “I can’t use stuff like this. It doesn’t matter how good it is.” 

  “This item doesn’t hurt the body like other cosmetics. Master, you can probably use it.” Danzhu quickly said, “The doctors said those cosmetics have something harmful for the body, but this is made with osmanthus flowers. Master, it should be okay for you to try.” 

  Qian Lianxue’s eyes brightened again. She looked at herself in the bronze mirror and said, “Then, let me try a little bit.” 

  “Ah!” Danzhu hurriedly helped her finishing grooming before applying the cold cream. 

  Ji Man waited a few days. As expected, Danzhu came to visit her. 

  “Master Sang.” Danzhu wasn’t as arrogant as Banxia. She properly saluted when she came inside, but her gaze went towards Nie Sangyu’s dressing table. “This servant had boldly given the cold cream made by Master Sang to my master to use.” 

  T/N: I thought it was interesting that the author selected a cheat that has limited use in the marquis’s household. Yes, Ji Man could use this cold cream to improve her relationship with the other concubines. But, this is only a temporary favorable impression and its entirely contingent on Ning Yuxuan continuing to dislike her. The second he shows her the slightest favor, the other concubines and Wen Wan won’t care about this skincare product. Plus, if she gives it to all of them, it’s not special anymore. If she only gives it to a few of them, the ones who don’t get it will dislike her more.

  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 020 out of 513 – This is an amazing business opportunity (1) 

  Ji Man naturally knew why she was here, but she still outwardly showed a surprised expression, “You actually had given it to Honored Concubine Xue to use?” 

  Danzhu nodded. She saw that there were still several containers on the dressing table, so she said, “Master Sang, you also know this. My master can’t use the cosmetics being sold in the stores, so she was naturally very fond of the cream that you made. Master Sang, would you be willing to give up some of your favorite item again? 

  Muxu knew that her master had made several containers worth. She had only given Danzhu a small container. There were still five, large, sealed up containers left. 

  Unexpectedly, Ji Man furrowed her brow and seemed as if she was being put into a difficult position. She looked at Danzhu for a long time before she finally said, “This is a very rare item. I don’t have much of it myself. Muxu had secretly given you that cream. The other courtyards weren’t told about this.” 

  This implication was that there weren’t free lunches in the world. 

  Danzhu didn’t know how to respond for a moment. She followed up by saying the words that Honored Concubine Xue had told her on the way out, “My master said, this confinement courtyard is cold and cheerless. Master Sang, you probably don’t want to stay here any longer than you have to. Since the Old Madame will be returning shortly, the marquis probably wants to let you of here. He just doesn’t have an excuse to use. If you’re willing to give her some of your treasured cold cream, my master will give him an excuse and let Master Sang live more comfortably.” 

  Ji Man raised an eyebrow, that sickly beauty was a sensible person. She knew that she had to give her something in exchange. And, what Ji Man wanted was just to leave this confinement courtyard sooner. It didn’t feel good to be constantly spied on every day. Also, they saw rats again last night. 

  However, she couldn’t be too obvious about her goal. Ji Man hesitated for a long time before finally saying, “I can give you the cream, but I have a request. If you can’t do it, then this will be the last container.” 

  Danzhu glanced at her, “Master Sang, please say it.” 

  “The two of you know the origin of this cold cream, but in front of outsiders, please tell them that I had asked someone to buy it for me. Can you do this?” Ji Man said. 

  Muxu didn’t understand the reasoning behind this. Wouldn’t it be good if they let people know that she had made the cold cream? Wouldn’t that make everyone come over here to beg them to make it for them? 

  However, Danzhu understood. Nie Sangyu currently had a lowly status and a person with talent would arouse the envy of others. If other people found out that she could make this cream, the other women would fight over it. When that happened, she would offend people if she didn’t give them the cream. If she gave everyone the cream, they would still feel offended. Master Sang was actually quite clever. 

  “This servant will do as you bid and pass along your message to my master.” Danzhu bobbed a curtsy. 

  Ji Man smiled and placed a container into her hand. “Your master can you use this without worries. This cream is a treasure and won’t harm her body.” 

  Danzhu repeatedly thanked her. After accepting the item, she swiftly returned to Xuesong Courtyard. 

  Qian Lianxue had experienced a taste of beauty. How could she be willing to easily return to before? Naturally, she would be willing to exchange anything for it. During the past few days, Marquis Moyu would always praise her beautiful face every time he came to her courtyard. It didn’t look as if she was wearing any makeup, but her face looked very good. He even stayed the night in her courtyard today. 

  Honored Concubine Xue was ecstatic, but she didn’t forget that all of this was due to Nie Sangyu’s cold cream. Although that woman had treated all of the concubines terribly, there wasn’t any personal, deep enmity between them. And now, she had helped her in such a big way, so she would naturally say a few words to help her. 

  “My lord, the weather has become colder and it’s going to be winter soon. The confinement courtyard is simple and crude. It doesn’t offer the slightest protection to the cold. My lord, are you still going to let Sangyu continue to live there?” Qian Lianxue gently asked. 

  Marquis Moyu was lying next to her. His gaze moved and he said, “It was her own fault for lacking in propriety. It’s only appropriate for her to be confined for a while.” 

  “In this concubine’s opinion, she’s been confined for long enough.” Qiang Lianxue sighed and said, “She’s been so obedient. She hasn’t said a single word of complaint about being beaten. This concubine heard that as soon as her body recovered, she started to embroider handkerchiefs again. This concubine has even accumulated a pile of them.” 

  Marquis Moyu glanced at her and said with a smile, “You’re as soft-hearted as always. Fine, if she’s as good as you say, then she can be allowed to move to one of the courtyards on the east side.” 

  Qian Lianxue relaxed. She confirmed that she hadn’t guessed wrong based on how easily he had agreed. The marquis had really just been missing an excuse to step down from his earlier decision. 

  Anyways, Nie Sangyu was a treasure right now. Helping Nie Sangyu was the same as helping herself. The marquis had already stayed at Qiangwei Courtyard for half a month. But, hadn’t he finally stayed over at her place today? 

  Qian Lianxue reached out and tightly hugged Ning Yuxuan. Ah, he was a fickle man, but he still made people unable to resist falling for him. Who didn’t want him to only belong to herself? 

  Ji Man’s wish was fulfilled. She had been pardoned and could move to one of the courtyards on the east side to live. That courtyard didn’t have a sign on its entryway either. And, it was also a quiet place. However, compared to the crude and simple confinement courtyard that had rats everywhere, this courtyard was at least clean and warm. 

  Although Liu Mama also moved here with them, she clearly wasn’t watching over her as closely as before. After all, her confinement period had ended and she was a free person. 

  Muxu was so happy that she was crying and smiling. She supported Ji Man over to the cushioned couch to sit down. Then, she cleaned up the inside and outside of the courtyard until it was squeaky clean. 

  “Master, we don’t have to be confined anymore. We’re finally free.” 

  Ji Man stretched her hand out to tap her nose and said with a smile, “Look at how happy you are. Don’t forget. We’ve only escaped from prison, but we still have to strive for a more comfortable life.” 

  Muxu stuck her tongue out. She was clearly much bolder than before. As she attended to getting lunch, there was a bright smile on her face. 

  Qian Lianxue’s words did have some sway. Her gamble had been correct. Ji Man touched her back. Her injuries weren’t swollen anymore, but they still ached. She would slowly take things step by step. Even if Nie Sangyu wanted Marquis Moyu to fall in love with her, Ji Man still wanted to wreak havoc to his life. She would think about Nie Sangyu’s wish after she was satisfied with inflicting her retribution on him!

  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 021 out of 513 – This is an amazing business opportunity (2) 

  Nie Sangyu was let out of the confinement courtyard. Qian Lianxue received the marquis’s favor. Both of these women very happy, but the women in the other courtyards weren’t pleased. 

  Mu Shuiqing had thought that Nie Sangyu finally wouldn’t be able to change her fortune. But as is turned out, she had the ability to get Honored Concubine Xue to say words in her favor and let her be released from the confinement courtyard! 

  Mu Shuiqing felt very annoyed. She had thought that after Nie Sangyu was punished by the household’s rules, she would do something even more outrageous in her hysteria. Unexpectedly, with Qian Lianxue’s help, she was able to take advantage of the marquis’s compassionate heart to reverse her fortune! 

  When the marquis had only been staying over at Qiangwei Courtyard, everyone had felt that the situation was very balanced. So, she was even more annoyed by Honored Concubine Xue suddenly receiving the marquis’s favor for the past few days. 

  Who wouldn’t feel jealous that one of them had received this type of favor? Although the madam didn’t fuss about this, she would definitely feel secretly upset about this. They had only been married for half a month before the marquis left her courtyard. 

  Mu Shuiqing had visited Qiangwei Courtyard several times to implicitly and explicitly speak badly of Honored Concubine Xue. But, Wen Wan was the slightest bit moved by her words. She only said that it was time for the marquis to spread his seed. It was only right that he favored more than one person. 

  With such a magnanimous madam, there was nothing else she could say. Mu Shuiqing could only sulk by herself. Later, she went to see what method Qian Lianxue had used to attract the marquis. 

  The other honored concubine, Qi Siling, also couldn’t just sit still and do nothing. After she went to Xuesong Courtyard twice, she discovered Qian Lianxue’s secret. 

  “Younger sister, you face has become much more beautiful.” Qi Siling sweetly said. “The marquis can’t be blamed for becoming captivated by younger sister.” 

  Qian Lianxue’s face turned slightly red. She quietly laughed and said, “It’s all thanks to Sangyu. My face only looked this good after using this cold cream that she had brought.” 

  Surprised, Qi Siling asked, “Cold cream?” 

  Qian Lianxue reservedly smiled, then she changed the topic, “Older sister, are you prepared for Old Madame coming back? She’ll be returning soon. Madam has just entered the household and doesn’t know Old Madame’s temperament. Many things will still need to be arranged by older sister.” 

  Seeing the she wasn’t willing to continue speaking about the cold cream, Qi Siling didn’t ask any further questions. After they had exchanged a round of small talk, on the way out, Qi Siling ordered her personal servant girl, “Go and ask Nie Sangyu. What’s the cold cream?” 

  Songlan nodded and quickly ran to the courtyard on the eastern side. 

  However, Ji Man had already anticipated that they would go looking for her after finding out about the cold cream. So, she had gone to Qiangwei Courtyard early in the morning with a container of cold cream. 

  When giving things away, you couldn’t just give things to everyone that you saw. Cold cream was an item that could captivate women. She wasn’t Shancai Tongzi. If she were going to give the cold cream to other people, it would to useful people. For example, people like Qian Lianxue and Wen Wan. 

  (T/N: Shancai Tongzi is a bodhisattva of wealth.) 

  As the marquis’s darling, Wen Wan would never fall out of favor. But, her heart would have definitely felt bad during the past few days. While she was paying respect to Wen Wan today, she offered up the cold cream to her. 

  Wen Wan’s eyes were full of surprise when heard Ji Man explain the use of the cold cream. Her eyes were sparkling as she said, “Is it really that good?” 

  “Madam, you only need to look at Honored Concubine Xue to see the proof.” Ji Man said with a smile. 

  With Qian Lianxue as a living advertisement, Wen Wan easily believed Ji Man’s words. She accepted the cold cream and bestowed Ji Man a pile of things. In the passing, she also granted her the freedom of being able to leave the residence to go shopping whenever she had free time and while chaperoned by the servants. 

  However, after Ji Man left, Wen Wan still had a doctor check the cold cream. She only used it without worries after the doctor had confirmed that this was truly a harmless good thing. 

  Ji Man had Muxu bring back the items that Wen Wan had bestowed her. 

  “Master, where do you want to go?” Muxu curiously asked. “Do you want to go back to Nie residence?” 

  Ji Man put a banknote that was worth one hundred silver taels inside her clothes, shook her head, and said, “Why would I go there? I naturally have something I want to do outside. Didn’t you say a few days ago that there was a store with pretty good rouge for sale?” 

  Muxu nodded. Feeling confused, she asked, “Master, you’re already using cold cream. Why do you still want to buy rouge?” 

  Ji Man stuck a finger out and waved it back and forth. She brightly smiled and said, “We’ve already told them that the cold cream was purchased, so we naturally have to find a place to buy it. This is a very big business opportunity. If we succeed, we won’t have to worry about eating and drinking well for a lifetime.” 

  Muxu widened her eyes. Immediately after, she hastily shook her head. “Master, you can’t. It’s not appropriate for women to do business. Moreover, someone with your status……” 

  Ji Man pursed her lips, looked at her, and said, “I didn’t say that I would be the one who will be going out to sell the cold cream. We’re only going to be making cold cream. Then, we’ll only have to wait to collect the money. Understand?” 

  Muxu still shook her head. It would be terrible if someone found out about this. 

  “Don’t worry. You’ve seen me do so many things. Haven’t I done all of those things after careful deliberations?” Ji Man patted Muxu’s back twice to comfort her. Right after doing so, she remembered her beating. Frowning, she supplemented her previous words, “Of course, we can’t count the time I was punished by the household’s rules.” 

  Muxu hesitated for a long time before sighing and saying, “If master really wants to do this, then you have to go back to Nie residence and look for First Young Master to discuss this matter. This servant feels that he’s more reliable. If something does happen, only your family will help you.” 

  (T/N: It’s interesting how Mu Shuiqing’s perspective of Ning Yuxuan is so different from Qian Lianxue. One of them thinks Nie Sangyu was let out because he has a compassionate heart and the other one guessed correctly that it was because old madame would be returning soon, so he has to treat her better. I wonder how well Wen Wan and the other two concubines understand him.)

  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 022 out of 513 – Preparing to invest and enter into a partnership (1) 

  Nie Sangyu’s older brother, Nie Qingyun, was a young and promising rank 5 military official in the imperial court. The emperor regarded him highly. Compared to Nie Sangyu’s widely spread notorious reputation, the difference between their reputations was as far apart as the heavens and earth. 

  Nie Qingyun was Nie Xiangyuan’s son by his second main wife after the death of his original main wife, while Nie Sangyu was Nie Xiangyuan’s original main wife’s daughter. Although their mothers were different, Nie Qingyun treated Sangyu especially well. When they were children, he would always bear the punishment for trouble caused by Nie Sangyu. Thus, Muxu felt that if there was anything they needed help with, they should go look for first young master. 

  Ji Man knew about this person. In the later part of the plot, he had helped Nie Sangyu a lot. He was truly sincere towards her. However, she wasn’t Nie Sangyu right now. It was one thing for Muxu to not be astute enough to notice. But, if it was a person that had been close to Nie Sangyu, he might notice the difference. What would she do then? 

  She wanted to find someone to help her sell the cold cream, but she couldn’t take such a big risk. Money was important, but her life was more important. 

  After thinking about it, Ji Man still said, “Older brother is very busy every day. There’s no need to bother him with such a small matter. Let’s just go out first and treat it as an ordinary shopping trip, okay?” 

  Muxu hesitated for a moment. In the end, she could only nod. Her master had changed too much recently. Although she treated her much better, she still didn’t dare to easily disagree with her. 

  With Wen Wan’s permission, Ji Man put on a veiled hat and left the residence while escorted by Liu Mama and two other servants. 

  Wen Wan wanted her to come out to buy more cold cream. Liu Mama and the other two servants had clearly come along to spy on her. But, Ji Man wasn’t worried. By her calculations, today was a market day. The lively streets ahead of them were filled with countless people. Why should she be worried about separating herself from three servants? 

  “Muxu said that the person, who had purchased the cold cream for her, had purchased it on Luoxia Street.” As Ji Man walked, she turned her head and said to Liu Mama. “I haven’t gone out often. Mama, do you know where Luoxia Street is?” 

  It was gradually becoming more crowded in front of them. 

  Liu Mama replied, “This servant knows.” Then, she had the other two servants go forward to open a path in front of them to keep them from being jostled by the crowd. She also went forward to lead the way. 

  Ji Man pulled Muxu’s hand and deliberately slowed their pace. She waited for the right time, a time when it was especially crowded. 

  By the time that Liu Mama worriedly looked back, the two people had already disappeared without a trace.” 

  “Master Sang!” Liu Mama was so scared that her face paled. She hurriedly wanted to stop and go back to look for them. However, how could the crowd behind her be willing to give way? She continued to be pushed forward. 

  Liu Mama turned back and yelled towards the other two servants, “Master Sang disappeared! Quickly, go look for her!” The three of them did their best to walk against the stream of people. When their foreheads had been furrowed to look like fried dough twists, they still weren’t able to take more than a few steps back. 

  Ji Man pulled Muxu out of the crowd and stopped by the side. Keeping close to the side of the street, they ran to Zhengde Street like a puff of smoke. 

  “Master……” Muxu felt panicked and doubtful. 

  Ji Man patted her back, then she looked around and asked, “Where’s the rouge shop that you mentioned?” 

  Muxu looked left and right, then she led Ji Man a few steps forward to a storefront that was four doors wide. On the top of the storefront, there was a plaque with the words, “Shuiji’s Rouge Shop”. There weren’t any lamps lit inside and the shop was situated in a poor natural light position, so the inside of the store was dark. 

  Ji Man followed Muxu inside. It seemed that there weren’t many customers inside today. The shopkeeper was even dispiritedly and listlessly leaning against a display. 

  Seeing people coming inside, Miss Shui immediately mustered up her spirits and asked with a smile, “Madam, what are you looking for?” 

  “Just looking at the items here to see how they are.” Ji Man casually replied and carefully looked over this woman. She was actually a female shopkeeper. This was quite rare. 

  “Shuiji’s rouges have always been top-quality. Madams and misses from rich families all like to use them.” Miss Shui said. 

  Ji Man looked around the entire store and curiously asked, “I’ve heard that your products are pretty good, but why is the store so empty today?” 

  Miss Shui froze for a moment. Soon after, she sighed and said, “I won’t hide this from madam. We’re about to sell this store. My father is sick and our business hasn’t been doing well because of the poor location. Look at these rouges. They have such good colors. If they were in a place with bright lighting, we would be able to sell them for a higher price.” 

  Ji Man’s eyes brightened. “Have you decided to stop selling rouge?” 

  “Of course, I have to still continue selling rouge.” Miss Shui picked up a box of rouge, sighed, and said, “It’s only that my father’s illness needs a lot of money to treat. After we sell the store in a few days for a hundred and eighty silver taels, I’ll continue selling the rouge by setting up a stall.” 

  Realizing that she had been unknowingly led away from exchanging conventional greeting by the other person and started speaking about her troubles instead, Miss Shui returned to her senses and became somewhat guarded against this customer. She asked, “Madam, did you come here to buy rouge?” 

  Ji Man shook her head and said, “I came here because I wanted to discuss business with you.” 

  Miss Shui paused before asking, “You want to buy this store?” 

  “No.” Ji Man shook her head. “I want you to exchange this store for a place with better lighting and work with you in this rouge business. But, you have to help me sell something. If you can keep this matter confidential, perhaps, I can help with your father’s illness.” 

  Miss Shui carefully looked at the woman in front of her. Her clothing was made from high-quality material and half of her face was covered. Her exposed phoenix eyes showed a slight proudness and fierceness. She seemed like a concubine from a rich family. 

  In this dynasty, there were very few women who were willing to show their face in public and do business. She was only working because she had to. This madam looked as if she didn’t have worry about being provided with basic necessities. Why would she think about doing business? 

  However, she seemed like someone that would be able to help her. Right now, she was alone and helpless. Her relatives were all coveting this store. She really didn’t have any other choice. 

  “Madam, what do you want to sell?” She asked. 

  Ji Man slightly smiled. She wasn’t in a hurry to take out the cold cream. Instead, she took out the banknote that was worth one hundred silver taels and placed it in her hand. 

  “This is a deposit. You can use this money to rent the most prosperous store on Yongning Street. In a few days, I’ll help you buy that store. Later on, when you’re selling your rouge, sell my item for me. The item that you’re selling for me, you can keep 30% of the profit. How about it?” 

  (T/N: Just to clarify, it’s mentioned later in the story that Qingyun’s mother was promoted to the position of main wife after the death of Sangyu’s mother. That’s why it’s possible for Qingyun to be older than Sangyu. 

  What do you guys think of Ji Man’s business proposition? If I compare it to other transmigration books, where everyone else is just a servant or employee, this seems too generous. But, if you think of her using Miss Shui as an intermediate consignment shop, her terms are pretty fair.)

  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 023 out of 513 – Preparing to invest and enter into a partnership (2) 

  This was like treasure falling from the sky! Miss Shui was so surprised that she was left dumbstruck. Her mouth was gaping open, but she didn’t close it. She could only think about how her hand was holding a banknote worth a hundred silver taels. 

  But, she quickly recovered her senses. She furrowed her brow and said, “Then, aren’t I taking advantage of Madam?” 

  This madam was willing to purchase the store and let her keep 30% of the profit from her item. How could there be such a good thing?” 

  Ji Man calmly said, “You also know that it wouldn’t be suitable for me to do business with my status. If anyone finds out, there would be no way for me to turn things around. So, it’s not a loss to me at all to give you this consideration. In the future, I’ll also need your assistance in acquiring raw materials. Understand?” 

  Miss Shui was silent. There was hesitation in her eyes. 

  It was naturally impossible for her to instantly decide on such an important matter. Ji Man didn’t try to hurry her either and only said, “I’ll leave the money here. I’ll come back to look for you in a few days. If you agree, then rent the store. If you don’t agree, then I’ll just take back my deposit.” 

  “Madam, let me think about it.” Miss Shui saluted. 

  Ji Man nodded. She looked around the shop one more time, then she left the shop with Muxu. 

  “Master, how could you so easily give all of your money to her?!” Muxu furrowed her brow and asked, “What if she runs away with the money?” 

  A hundred silver taels wasn’t a small sum. The average person would definitely feel tempted. 

  “Good faith is the most important when doing business.” Ji Man said in a neutral tone, “The one hundred silver taels is a test. If she passes, then it’ll save me future trouble. It’s fine if she doesn’t pass. It’s still better than being betrayed later on. After all, safety is the most important thing.” 

  She had to find a trustworthy person. Otherwise, she would be in trouble if people found out that she was the one selling cold cream. 

  Muxu still felt heartache. One hundred silver taels was almost half of what master had received from selling off her jewelry. 

  Ji Man hadn’t cared much about selling her jewelry. It would have been tiring to wear so much jewelry every day. It would be nice to only have two silver hairpins left. 

  She had secretly taken out the rest of her jewelry with her this time. If she wanted to buy a store, she would need at least three hundred silver taels. She calculated the items she had brought with her. She probably would have enough money after selling these items. 

  After successfully achieving her goal by bargaining with the pawnshop’s storekeeper for a long time, Ji Man walked out of the store with two hundred and eighty silver taels. She put the banknote into her clothes and pulled Muxu along with her to go back to the residence. 

  “Master, you’re not going to shop around the market?” Muxu asked. 

  “Shopping?” Ji Man twitched her lips. “We deliberately lost those servants. It’ll be the best if we return before them. Otherwise, Madam will definitely blame us for causing trouble. If we return to the residence first, Madam will blame them for not being conscientious and failing their responsibility.” 

  Muxu was speechless. Master was actually quite clever. Why did she use to lose her ability to thinking rationally because of her feelings for Marquis Moyu? She used to be wholeheartedly focused on him to the point of being hopelessly stupid. 

  Ji Man used a carriage to bring her and Muxu back to the Marquis’s residence. As expected, Liu Mama and the other two servants hadn’t come back yet. While rejoicing in other people’s misfortune, Ji Man hurriedly went to Qiangwei Courtyard to report to Wen Wan. 

  “It seems like the stall that sold cold cream wasn’t open today. It was also very crowded in the streets and this servant was worried about getting lost, so this servant came back early.” Ji Man was kneeling in front of Wen Wan and she said these words in a regretful tone. 

  Wen Wan raised her hand to allow her to stand up. She furrowed her brow and said, “You’re very sensible in coming back first. After all, you’re part of the Marquis’s household. You can’t just walk around by yourself. When Liu Mama and the others come back, I’ll discipline them. You can go back and rest.” 

  “Thank you very much, Madam.” 

  After Ji Man returned to her courtyard, she calculated the resale value of the items that Wen Wan had recently bestowed her. Then, she had Doctor Li take the items away to sell for her. Combined with the money from selling the rest of her jewelry, she would have at least three hundred silver taels in total after these items were sold. Taking advantage of this time when she had nothing to do, she urged Muxu to go the marquis’s residence’s back gardens to steal various types of flowers for them to make into flower water. Then, they made several more boxes of cold cream. 

  A few days later, Ji Man received permission to leave the residence again. She guessed that the cold cream had been very effective for Wen Wan. Even her unfavorable situation had been improved. When she left the residence, there was only Liu Mama and one other servant escorting her. 

  “Master Sang, please don’t get lost. Keep close to this servant.” Liu Mama was still worried about what happened last time. She kept a close watch over this pair of master and servant. She was afraid they would disappear again. 

  Ji Man nodded with an agreeable expression. However, as soon as they entered the market, she did the same thing as before and trickily took advantage of when there were many people to run away with Muxu. 

  They first went to the Shuiji store on Zhengde Street, but the store was already closed and there was sign on it offering it for sale. So, Ji Man and Muxu turned around to go to Yongning Street. 

  Yongning Street was much more lively than Zhengde Street. After they had almost walked the entire street, they saw a store that was facing the sun and was currently being put in order. There was a woman standing at the entrance. Other than Miss Shui, who else could it be? 

  “Madam.” Miss Shui turned around and saw her. She said with a smile, “You’re finally here.” 

  Ji Man let out a sigh of relief. Fortunately, this woman had been a steadfast person. 

  “Have you rented the store?” She asked. 

  Miss Shui looked left and right before leading her inside. “Madam, you have good luck. I discussed with this store’s shopkeeper. He said he was in a hurry to return to his hometown and will sell this store for two hundred sixty silver taels.” 

  T/N: Added a page for Cast of Characters. Page has minor spoilers up to most recently translated chapter. Link for cast of characters can also be found on table of contents page after the summary section.

  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 024 out of 513 – Delivering herself (1) 

  Ji Man happily agreed that she was quite lucky. Now, she would be able to save part of her money. 

  “I thought about Madam’s proposal. Since you’re willing to work together with me, let’s draw up a contract.” Miss Shui looked at her and said in a deadly earnest voice, “Since Madam wants to be a behind-the-scenes boss, I’ll help you sell your item for a monthly salary. It really doesn’t seem fair to use your store for free and also get a share of the profit.” 

  Ji Man smiled and said, “It’s hard to find a trustworthy person. It’s fine if you want to be my shopkeeper. Then, we can straightforwardly split the profits. Forty and sixty percent of the profit will go to you and me, respectively, from selling the cosmetics, including the sale of my item. The monthly salary won’t be needed. What do you think?” 

  Would anyone put as much effort and thought into managing another person’s shop as she did for her own shop? Ji Man would rather earn less money and secure this shopkeeper, who looked very competent. 

  Miss Shui hesitated for a long time before she sighed and said, “Madam, you’re very frank and accommodating. You’re also my benefactor that saved me from a bad situation. Since you’ve already spoken to this point, then I won’t keep refusing. After the store is finished being sorted out and opens for business, I’ll definitely do my best to manage the business.” 

  Ji Man smiled as she nodded. 

  They went the store’s second floor and she gave her the banknotes that were worth three hundred silver taels to her and a large box of cold cream. 

  “This is the item that I want to sell. It’s called cold cream. Once the store is ready, leave this container in the most conspicuous and best spot in the store. But, don’t sell it. Only allow the customers to sample it.” 

  Miss Shui looked at the box in puzzlement. When she opened the box, the faint fragrance of osmanthus flowers lingered at the tip of her nose. It was a lovely light yellow cream. 

  “What’s this? Rouge?” 

  Ji Man shook her head, “No. This is a skincare product. It can make your skin fair and smooth. When women use rouge too much, it’ll make their skin worse. Using this skincare product, their skin will become better.” 

  Miss Shui’s eyes brightened. “I haven’t seen this type of item being sold before.” 

  Ji Man faintly smiled. Then, she handed over a small box. “This box is for you to use. If people see its positive effect on you, it’ll be easier to convince them to buy it when you sell it later.” 

  “Thank you Madam.” Miss Shui accepted the cold cream. She was still slightly puzzled, “Is it really that magical?” 

  “You’ll be able to see it for yourself after trying it.” Ji Man said, “No matter who tries to buy the cold cream, don’t sell it to anyone. Only allow them to sample it. Just tell them that the supply is limited and they need to pre-order if they want to buy it. The large box is ten silver taels. The small box is five silver taels. There will only be a total of one hundred boxes for sale every month. Once the supply runs out, there won’t be anymore until the next month.” 

  Miss Shui gaped. “Why is it so expensive?” 

  It was already considered expensive to sell normal rogue for one silver tael. She actually wanted to sell this item for ten silver taels? Would they really be able to sell it for that price? 

  “Believe me, they’ll think it’s worth every tael once they try it. If you have any familiar customers from rich families, you can scoop some up with a seashell so they can take it home to use.” Ji Man looked like a business shark as she said, “Once they see how good the cold cream is, they’ll naturally come back to buy it.” 

  Miss Shui murmured assent. Although she still felt that these prices were unreasonable, she could only comply with her boss’s order. 

  The two of them wrote out their agreement. Miss Shui was a straightforward person. The contract clearly said that if she ever exposed Ji Man as the storeowner, she would have to compensate her with five hundred silver taels. Moreover, she would also have to immediately return the store to her.” 

  Ji Man naturally didn’t treat her unfairly either. Forty percent of the profits would be more than enough for her have a rich life. 

  On the way out, Ji Man asked Miss Shui’s address in the passing. She said that she would introduce her to a doctor that would come over to check her father’s illness. 

  After this pleasantly cooperative meeting, Ji Man held the remaining two large boxes of cold cream as she swiftly called for a carriage to return home. 

  This time, Ji Man was waiting outside the residence’s entrance to return with Liu Mama after ditching her again. This way, she wouldn’t be scolded for returning without Ji Man. Although Liu Mama found the situation strange, she didn’t say anything. It was fine as long as she wasn’t punished. 

  — 

  Marquis Moyu had been busy with going back and forth to the palace during the past two days for an unknown reason. But, since he wasn’t home much, the residence was a lot less tense during this period. None of other women left their courtyards to aimlessly walk around. They were all staying in their rooms to figure out ways to make themselves appear more attractive. 

  — 

  Wen Wan increasingly felt that Nie Sangyu had reformed. She now appeared more or less as a gentle and warm-hearted person. The struggles that she had anticipated that she would have to face after coming here never happened. In addition, Nie Sangyu had also given her the super effective treasure item, cold cream. Wen Wan no longer used any other cosmetic. Therefore, the favorable impression she had towards Nie Sangyu was creeping upwards towards the sky. 

  Ji Man also knew that Wen Wan had relaxed her vigilance. But, when Wen Wan told her that she had arranged for her to serve Marquis Moyu tonight, Ji Man was still very shocked. 

  To be willing to push her own man towards another woman, this woman was truly generous. The female lead was truly a self-inflicting Holy Mother that was asking to be killed.* 

  — 

  After hearing this news, Mu Shuiqing was furious. She had been frequently visiting Wen Wan’s courtyard. She couldn’t believe that Wen Wan would give the chance of sleeping with the marquis to Nie Sangyu. It was so rare for the marquis to let madam arrange for him to sleep with someone else. 

  First, Honored Concubine Xue had received his favor. Then, he had repeatedly favored Wen Wan. Now, she wanted the marquis to favor that vicious woman, who had only recently left the confinement courtyard. Then, when would it finally be her turn? 

  After she had torn her handkerchief into pieces, Mu Shuiqing angrily went to Qi Siling’s courtyard. 

  — 

  Marquis Moyu was sitting at the table and his expression looked somewhat ugly. “You want me to go to Nie Sangyu’s room?” 

  Wen Wan lowered her eyes. She was sitting in front of her dressing table. She quietly said, “Old Madame will be coming back in two days. You’ll have to go to her room sooner or later, so you might as well let me act as a sensible, worthy wife.” 

  * T/N: I tried to keep phrasing as close to the original Chinese sentence as possible and still be grammatically correct. But, I’m not sure if that made the meaning less clear. In that line, Ji Man is thinking that she really wants to kill Wen Wan for her “generosity.”


  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 025 out of 513 – Delivering herself (2) 

  Marquis Moyu furrowed his brow. He stood up, walked to Wen Wan’s front, lifted her chin with his hand, and said, “You really don’t mind?” 

  Wen Wan mockingly curved her lips, “Has my lord ever stopped himself from going to another courtyard in consideration for my feelings?” 

  Ning Yuxuan’s brow relaxed. There was actually a trace of childish glee in his eyes. “Are you jealous?” 

  Wen Wan turned her head away. “Before I married you and became your wife, I already mentally prepared myself with having to share you with other women. It’s only that I can’t completely accept this reality right now, so I still feel bad. But, it’ll be fine once I get over these feelings on my own.” 

  Ning Yuxuan picked her up with one arm and sat himself down on the stool. He profoundly looked at the person in his arms and said, “What there’s for you to get over? No matter how many women I have, aren’t you still the one that I love the most? As soon as you’re unhappy, don’t I obediently come back to you? En?” 

  Wen Wan blushed from his teasing words. Although she made an angry sound, she still obediently leaned her head against his chest. “Yuxuan, I’m really afraid that you won’t treat me this well anymore after you’ll fall in love with someone else one day.” 

  Marquis Moyu slighty raised an eyebrow before lowered his head and kissing her forehead. “I already have you. Who else could I possibly fall in love with? 

  Wen Wan closed her eyes and stayed silent, but her fingers tightly grasped the lapel of his robe. 

  Original translation is from fuyuneko dot org. If you’re reading this elsewhere, this chapter has been stolen. Please stop supporting theft. 

  — 

  Although Nie Sangyu definitely wouldn’t mind serving Marquis Moyu in bed, and would even be mad with joy, Ji Man would very much mind doing so. In modern times, she hadn’t married yet. She had gone through many boyfriends, but none of them were good. As a result, she was a rare person that was still a virgin. Wanting her sleep with a scummy man in this rotten world? Dream on! 

  However, she definitely couldn’t directly refuse. Needless to say, she couldn’t do something that was the opposite of fawning over him. More importantly, other people would accuse her of posturing. After all, Nie Sangyu was someone that would rush to Marquis Moyu’s side as soon as she saw him. No one would believe that she wasn’t willing to serve him in bed. 

  And so, Ji Man told Muxu to dress her up prettily and properly this afternoon. Then, she flung the handkerchief in her left hand and went over to Feiyu Courtyard. 

  If she had to describe the the women in the residence, Qi Siling seemed dignified and magnanimous with unfathomable depths, Qian Lianxue was a lovely and pitiful person that was fair and considerate, and Liu Hanyun seemed to have a straightforward personality, but she also didn’t like to cause trouble. There was only one person that caused trouble, Mu Shuiqing. 

  Ji Man didn’t know if Nie Sangyu had incompatible bazi with this woman. Mu Shuiqing had fully displayed the deviousness that a woman from a brothel would have towards her. She had successfully worsened Nie Sangyu’s reputation behind her back countless times. Moreover, she never had a good expression as soon as she saw Nie Sangyu. 

  (T/N: Bazi consists of the hour, day, month and year you were born. It’s used in fortune telling to tell your future and compatibility with other people.) 

  And so, right now, she was delivering herself to Mu Shuiqing to do her work for her. 

  — 

  When Mu Shuiqing returned from Qi Siling’s courtyard, she still looked extremely angry. As soon as she saw Nie Sangyu standing at the entrance, her expression became worse. In a peculiar tone, she started saying, “Yo, isn’t this Master Sang, who’s about to serve the marquis? Why are you here in my cold and cheerless courtyard?” 

  Ji Man lightly smiled, “I’ve walked the entire path and felt hot. This is the only place that feels pleasantly cool.” 

  It was currently clear and refreshing autumn weather. How could she feel hot? She was clearly coming here to show off that she was going to be favored. Looking at her, Mu Shuiqing’s teeth felt itchy. 

  “I heard that you haven’t seen the marquis in a long time.” Ji Man copied her expression. Then, she took out a handkerchief to almost hide her mouth as she smiled. “Do you want to come visit me tonight to see him? It’ll break up the bitter yearning that you’re feeling.” 

  “No need to trouble yourself.” Mu Shuiqing sneered. “It’s not like you’re going to be favored for a long time. There’s no reason for me to feel jealous.” 

  Everyone in the residence knew how much the marquis hated this woman. He was only doing this because of old madame. This woman wouldn’t be feeling proud of herself for long. 

  Although she knew this truth, Mu Shuiqing still felt bad when she saw how pleased Nie Sangyu was. 

  “Younger sister, if you’re not jealous, then don’t look at me as if you have a great hatred towards me.” Ji Man smiled and said, “I heard that several new fishes had been added to the pond in the garden. Do you want go there with me to look?” 

  Mu Shuiqing opened her mouth to immediately refuse, but when her words reached the side of her mouth, they slipped away. Her eyes turned and she stuffily said, “Fine, let’s go. I was feeling bored anyways.” 

  Ji Man held Muxu’s arm for support as they walked toward the garden. Muxu was slightly nervous. Every time she wanted to open her mouth to say something, Ji Man gestured for her to be quiet. 

  “Ah, these fishes. They can only live happily when they have water.” Ji Man stood at the side of the pond to look. In a proud tone, she said, “They’re like us. We can’t live without the marquis. 

  Mu Shuiqing coldly laughed repeatedly, “The marquis has never loved you. Aren’t you still living well regardless?” 

  Ji Man kneeled down and fiddled with the water with her hand. She sighed and said, “That’s true. He doesn’t love any of us. But, it’s okay. It’s still better to receive his favor. Don’t you agree?” 

  Mu Shuiqing narrowed her eyes and had the impulsive to push her into the water. With today’s weather and the cold water in the pond, she would definitely get sick if she fell into the pond. If she was sick, then she wouldn’t be able to serve the marquis. 

  But, when she looked at the servant girl near Nie Sangyu, she didn’t dare to do so. They were in broad daylight; everyone would be able to clearly everything. 

  “Muxu, it’s windy out. Go get my cloak.” Ji Man turned her head and ordered. 

  Muxu didn’t move from where she was standing until Ji Man lightly pinched her. She reluctantly acknowledged Nie Sangyu’s order and looked at Mu Shuiqing several times before turning around and walking back to courtyard. 

  Mu Shuiqing, her servant, and Ji Man were the only three people left in this place. Mu Shuiqing was currently hesitating over what excuse to use when she heard the crouched down person in front of her ask, “Do you want to push me into the water?” 

  T/N: Oh Ji Man, you’re working so hard to accomplish two goals at the same time: creating an excuse to not sleep with Ning Yuxuan and getting Mu Shuiqing in trouble as payback for last time. 

  Today is the last day for the two weeks of daily updates. I’m going to be taking a mini break. Next update will be on Tuesday, July 3rd. There will be 2 releases per week (Tuesday and Friday) until ChongFei Manual is completed on July 21st or earlier, then the Dreamer in Spring Boudoir will have same schedule as ChongFei Manual. 

  Added a preview for the next chapter so that there won’t be a cliffhanger for a week.

  Chapter: 026 out of 513 – Not too late for Sangyu (1) 

  At first, Mu Shuqing was startled by her question. Then, her expression turned ugly. “Don’t say nonsense. Who wants to push you?!” 

  Ji Man faintly smiled. She stretched her hand out and touched the cool water that would soon seep into her bones. She braced herself and said, “If you’re afraid of doing it, then let me do it.” 

  After she finished her words, her crouched body fell forward, followed the cobblestones that lined the side of the pond, and rolled into Feiyu Courtyard’s cold autumn pond. 

  Mu Shuiqing was dumbstruck. Although there had been a momentary impulse of wanting to push Nie Sangyu into the pond and she had been standing behind her, she wouldn’t have actually dared to do so. Even if the marquis disliked Nie Sangyu, the marquis would definitely get mad if she pushed her into the pond at this juncture in time. As soon as she had slightly calmed down, she knew that she couldn’t go through with this. 

  But, Nie Sangyu had actually fallen into the water herself? Didn’t she know that if she got sick, she wouldn’t be able to serve the marquis? Or, did she hate her to the point that she would give up the opportunity to serve the marquis in order to harm her? Mu Shuiqing gritted her teeth and looked at the Nie Sangyu struggling in the pond. She didn’t think about calling for help. Since she was already being framed, then she would let that woman stay in the cold water! 

  The water level in the pond didn’t go past a person’s waist. Normally, Ji Man could just stand up, but her leg had become cramped. In addition, the bottom of the pond was full of silt. She could only struggle to sit with a painful expression. 

  “Nie Sangyu, do you think that the marquis will blame me if you play this type of trick?” Mu Shuiqing said with false confidence. “I’ll tell him that you fell into the water on purpose.” 

  Ji Man choked on her saliva. A moment of instability and she had to struggle to sit back up again. Her entire body was soaked wet. She was so cold that her face became pallid. “Have someone save me first.” 

  “Do you really think I’m going to save a malevolent woman like you?” Flustered and exasperated, Mu Shuiqing said, “If you drown, everyone in the residence will be happier!” 

  Ji Man’s teeth began to chatter from the cold. She could only tenaciously cling to the side of the pond. “H-hurry save me!” 

  “In your dreams!” Mu Shuiqing turned around and was about to leave. This had nothing to do with her. She wouldn’t let herself be framed for this! 

  But as soon as she turned around, Mu Shuiqing was dumbstruck. Marquis Moyu had happened to pass by here through an opening in the garden. From far away, he had seen her and was walking towards here. 

  What should she do? The marquis had already seen them about to leave. If the marquis saw the person in the pond, then she wouldn’t be able to wash clean her reputation even if she jumped into the Yellow River. 

  Mu Shuiqing felt panicked and anxious as she clutched her handkerchief. 

  Ning Yuxuan thought her behavior was strange. Why was she just standing there with such a panic-stricken expression? 

  When he walked closer, he asked, “What’s wrong?” 

  Mu Shuiqing’s body had started to tremble. With great difficulty, she forced herself to smile, said there was nothing wrong, and started to lead the marquis away from here. But, there was the suddenly the unexpected sound of falling water coming from the pond behind them. 

  Ning Yuxuan curiously raised his eyebrows and looked past Mu Shuiqing and toward the pond. 

  “My lord……” Ji Man weakly waved her hand at him. 

  Ning Yuxuan’s face sunk. He strode over and personally pulled Nie Sangyu out from the pond. 

  The water splashed all over his body. Marquis Moyu’s eyebrows were deeply furrowed. “What happened?” 

  Nie Sangyu’s hair was disheveled and her entire body was soaked. Her lips had even turned almost white. She actually looked somewhat pitiful. 

  “This has nothing to do with this servant!” Mu Shuiqing hurriedly shouted. “She jumped into the pond herself!” 

  For a moment, Marquis Moyu’s body stiffened. But in the end, he still hugged Nie Sangyu. The weather was chilly. She would definitely get seriously sick if she continued to stand her. 

  Ji Man widened her eyes. She hadn’t expected that this person would be willing to hug her. Her body suddenly felt warm and for an inexplicable reason, tears started falling from her eyes. But, it was mixed with pond water, so no one else notice. Ah, these were Nie Sangyu’s tears. When she saw Ning Yuxuan, her tears would be especially numerous. 

  “It’s probably because I was feeling too depressed, so I jumped into the pond.” Ji Man’s teeth were still chattering. After she grabbed Marquis Moyu’s clothes as she said these words, the chilly wind blew by and her mind started to become muddled. 

  “You!” Mu Shuiqing fiercely looked at Nie Sangyu. 

  Behind Mu Shuiqing, Banxia also wasn’t willing to let things stand as they were. She said, “Clearly, Master Sang jumped into the water to frame my master. My lord, please investigate this matter.” 

  Marquis Moyu didn’t say anything. He sharply looked at Mu Shuiqing for a long time, until she felt unbearably wronged. 

  “Summon a doctor to the courtyard on the east side.” After flinging down these words, Ning Yuxuan picked Nie Sangyu up in a bridal carry, turned around, and left. 

  Mu Shuiqing clutched her handkerchief and stood in place for a long time. She almost cried, but in the end, she gritted her teeth and stopped herself. She sent Banxia to get a doctor and followed after Marquis Moyu towards the small courtyard by herself. 

  Ji Man leaned against the man’s chest with her eyes closed. Not mentioning anything else, his embrace felt very stable. Although he was walking very quickly, it didn’t feel too bumpy. His stable hold made her feel very at ease. 

  She hadn’t expected that Ning Yuxuan would suddenly appear. This man usually avoided Nie Sangyu like she was a poisonous serpent or scorpion. There was something off about this. 

  At some point later, her body was placed down on a cushioned couch and she heard Muxu crying out in alarm. It seemed as if Marquis Moyu had told Muxu to change her clothes, then he carried her over to her bed. The doctor had also arrived. 

  “Master Sang is in shock from falling into water. In addition, her health is poor. I’m afraid that she’ll get sick from this.” As the doctor wrote out a prescription, he said, “In the short-term, she won’t be able to attend to bed duties.” 

  Marquis Moyu’s brow relaxed before tensing again. He looked at the nearby Mu Shuiqing, “Qing-er, I thought you were a sensible person.” 

  Mu Shuiqing immediately kneeled on the ground. She clenched her teeth and said, “This servant really didn’t do anything. This servant swears on my life!”


  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 027 out of 513 – Not too late for Sangyu (2) 

  Ning Yuxuan looked at her for a moment, then he look at the person on the bed that had her eyes closed. “Never mind, go back to your courtyard. Finish embroidering the handkerchiefs that she hasn’t finished embroidering and this matter will be considered settled.” 

  “My lord!” Mu Shuiqing refused to accept this as final. 

  “Don’t say anymore.” Marquis Moyu lightly waved his hand. 

  He was clearly showing bias in favor of Nie Sangyu. He didn’t even question them before directly punishing her. Mu Shuiqing wanted to cry from anger, but she didn’t dare to fuss. She could only swallow her anger and withdraw from the room. She would have a sobbing fest once she returned to Feiyu Courtyard. In her heart, she hated Nie Sangyu even more. 

  Ji Man relaxed once she heard the doctor’s words. It was good as long as she didn’t have to serve him in bed. Plus, there would be someone to finish embroidering those handkerchiefs for her. It had been worth it to jump into the pond. 

  Muxu went to prepare the medicine and Marquis Moyu didn’t seem as if he wanted to sit down. His silently looked at Ji Man. Her moving eyes and twitching eyelashes showed that she wasn’t resting peacefully. 

  Realizing that she was wake, Ning Yuxuan quietly said, “Qing-er isn’t sensible. There’s no need for you to bicker with her. I know that you suffered a lot of grievances lately. But, you should understand. It’s only natural that you’re punished when you do things that are unsuitable for your status.” 

  After such a long time had passed, did he come here to explain why he had demoted Nie Sangyu from main wife to concubine? You’re supposed to give a sweet date after slapping someone, but wasn’t he giving this sweet date far too late? 

  Ji Man internally rolled her eyes, but she still slightly opened her eyes and looked at the man by the bed. 

  It was easy for a woman to fall under Marquis Moyu’s spell when he was treating her gently and warmly. Just like right now, he was looking at her with his eyes full of tender feelings. His slender hand with distinct joints reached out and brushed her still wet hair to the side. 

  He was an incomparable gentleman that possessed the elegance of white jade. 

  If it were Nie Sangyu in this body, she would instantly succumb to his seduction and forget the various wrong things that Marquis Moyu had done. She would even speak up in his favor when old madame returned. 

  But, Ji Man’s zodiac sign was the Scorpio and she was especially good at holding grudges. Even though the person in front of her was unreasonably attractive and gentle, she still wouldn’t forget who had been responsible for punishing her. 

  “Sangyu understands what the marquis is saying.” Although her heart bore grudges, she still had to outwardly pretend that she was touched by his words and actions. “Sangyu doesn’t blame the marquis. Sangyu’s current state is just the result of reaping the consequences of my actions.” Choosing to marry a man like this, it truly was Nie Sangyu suffering the consequences of her actions! 

  Original translation is from fuyuneko dot org. If you’re reading this elsewhere, this chapter has been stolen. Please stop supporting theft. 

  Marquis Moyu’s eyes showed a slight puzzlement. “You seemed to have changed a lot since Wan-er married into this household.” She had changed so much that she didn’t resemble the previous Nie Sangyu at all. 

  Ji Man faintly smiled. “It’s because Sangyu understands now. Sangyu won’t be able to snatch anything back through hysterical actions and doesn’t want to try anymore. Sangyu only hopes to live a peaceful life and won’t chase after something that can’t be obtained.” 

  Ning Yuxuan froze in surprise. A piece of his heart felt as if it was being lightly twisted. 

  Everyone in the capital knew about Nie Sangyu’s crazily foolish love towards him. This woman always looked at him with a fervent and longing gaze. She was always waiting for him. She had tried countless laughable tricks in order to gain his favor. 

  But now, she has said that she wouldn’t chase after something that couldn’t be obtain. 

  He couldn’t describe the emotions that were being crammed into him. Ning Yuxuan somewhat ashamedly turned his head. Then, he thought of why he had come here and his expression returned to normal. “It’s good that you understand. I’ll keep you company during the next two days. This courtyard doesn’t have a name yet. What do you want to name it?” 

  Keeping her company for two days? Ji Man’s eyes turned. She had guessed correctly. He was only giving her sweet dates because old madame was coming back. 

  “This courtyard is quiet and peaceful. Let’s call it Feiwan* Courtyard.” 

  * T/N: Feiwan literally means not late. It’s part of this idiom, “Shi zhi dongyu, shou zi sangyu, wei shi feiwan”. It’s a Chinese idiom that means, the earlier years have already passed, but if you learn from those experiences and make a determined effort, it’s not too late for the second half of your life. Also the sangyu in that idiom is the same Chinese characters as Nie Sangyu’s first name. 

  Ning Yuxuan was surprised again. Shi zhi dongyu, shou zi sangyu, wei shi fei wan.When did Nie Sangyu have feelings like these? 

  The more time passed, the more he didn’t understand this woman. He used to think she was hopelessly foolish, but now he felt that she was very intelligent. 

  Seeing his expression, Ji Man smiled, “My lord, are you thinking about why this servant has suddenly become so clever?” 

  Marquis Moyu took a deep breath and against her expectations, he laughed. “Can you read my mind?” 

  Ji Man shook her head, “Your expression was too obvious. My lord, have you heard of a certain phrase before?” 

  “What?” 

  Ji Man smiled and said, “A woman behaves the most foolishly when she’s in love.” 

  It took a while before Ning Yuxuan understood the meaning of her words. His expression immediately sunk. “Nie Sangyu, do you know that your words are violating the seven laws?” 

  T/N: The seven ancient laws and excuses a man can use to divorce his wife are: not obedient to the in-laws, childless, adultery, jealousy, disease, excessive gossiping, and theft. 

  Was she telling him that she had become clever because she no longer loved him? 

  Ji Man lightly laughed, “My lord, you’re the only person that Sangyu has ever loved in this lifetime. Whereas you……” 

  These were lines that Nie Sangyu would say later in the novel. It should be okay if she said these words a little bit earlier, right? 

  Marquis Moyu froze in surprise and stayed silent. The room immediately became quiet and Ji Man closed her eyes. 

  Muxu brought the medicine into the room and quietly said, “My lord, the medicine has been prepared.” 

  Ning Yuxuan returned to his senses and reached out to take the bowl of medicine. He scooped up a spoonful and blew on it to cool down. “You should drink this medicine before doing anything else.” 

  Ji Man nodded, but when she saw that spoonful of black-looking medicine approaching her mouth, she wasn’t as calm anymore. “My lord, this servant can drink this medicine myself. You don’t need be so courteous. Sangyu won’t blame you for anything.”


  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 028 out of 513 – The honorable pestilence god is here (1) 

  Ning Yuxuan’s hand paused and the corners of his eyes slightly went up before he looked at her and said with a smile, “At the very least, you’ve been with me for six years. It’s only natural that I’ll feed you medicine, right? 

  Ji Man lightly nodded while thinking, en, so you do know that Nie Sangyu has been with you for the past six years. Why didn’t you remember those six years when you were punishing her? If she didn’t have strong willpower, she might not have been able to endure it and would have taken her last breath during that beating. 

  But, right now, those six years had nothing to do with the current issue. The problem was that she hated the taste of herbal medicine. Capsule pills were much easier to swallow down. Drinking this bitter concoction was simply asking for her life! 

  After Marquis Moyu had brought that spoonful of medicine to her lips, Ji Man hesitated for a long time before she finally took a deep breath and swallowed it down in one gulp. 

  Ning Yuxuan wanted to laugh when he saw her scrunched up face. While he stirred the medicine, he asked, “Why are you so afraid of bitterness?” 

  Ji Man couldn’t stop herself from rolling her eyes. Who wasn’t afraid of bitterness? Anyone that could calmly drink herbal medicine like it was chicken soup wasn’t human, okay? 

  After Ji Man finally finished the bowl of medicine with great difficulty, she had Muxu bring over a piece of candy. She sucked on the candy for a long time before the bitter taste of the medicine faded from her mouth. 

  “The doctor said you can’t accompany me in sleeping.” Marquis Moyu put down the bowl and spoke as if he was bestowing her a gift, “So, I’ll go over to Wan-er’s room to sleep, okay?” 

  Ji Man said with a smile, “This servant truly can’t serve you in my current condition. My lord, you should go over to Madam’s place.” 

  Although she was smiling, she still had to show a suitable expression with her eyes. She deeply looked at the man with an unwilling expression that was full of grievances. 

  Marquis Moyu hesitated for a moment before saying, “You like wild roses, right? How about I have the servants plant some of wild roses in this courtyard tomorrow?” 

  Ji Man lightly nodded, “Many thanks, my lord.” 

  She looked down. Her eyes still showed grievances. 

  He wanted to go to the female lead’s place to sleep without worries? Sure, you can leave once your groveling satisfies me! While Ji Man silently criticized him, her outward expression became increasingly desolate. 

  Ning Yuxuan thought things over. He had come here to coax Nie Sangyu. He couldn’t just give up halfway. He gnashed his teeth and said, “After you recover from your illness, I’ll come to your room. Okay?” 

  Ji Man almost chocked on her saliva. She secretly pinched her thigh underneath the quilt. With her lips slightly twitching, she said, “Thank you, my lord……” 

  Why didn’t she quit when she was ahead? She might as well have picked up a stone to drop on her feet. If he came back here, she would have to make herself sick again! 

  Marquis Moyu felt that Nie Sangyu was probably satisfied. If she still wasn’t satisfied, then she was being insatiably greedy. Seeing that she looked very tired, he didn’t want to continue staying here. He left Feiwan Courtyard in a pretty decent mood and he headed towards Qiangwei Courtyard. 

  The madams in other families did absolutely everything that they could in order to obtain their husbands’ doting, but his wife was doing everything possible to make him bestow favor on other women. What exactly was going on in her head? As Ning Yuxuan entered Qiangwei Courtyard with a sigh, it happened to be evening. He could have good night’s sleep here before having to deal with Nie Sangyu tomorrow. 

  But, as soon as he entered the room, Wen Wan’s expression didn’t look good anymore. “My lord, why did you return?” 

  “Sangyu fell into the water and couldn’t serve me. She agreed for me to come back.” Ning Yuxuan said with a slight smile. 

  Wen Wan’s forehead furrowed even more, “How did she fall into water?” 

  “She and Qing-er were at the pond in the garden this afternoon. I’m not sure what happened either.” Marquis Moyu said, “Perhaps, it was because Qing-er had an impulsive moment.” 

  Wen Wan pushed away his hand and said in a quiet voice, “My lord, Old Madame will be coming back the day after tomorrow. It won’t be good if you keep staying over here with me.” 

  Ning Yuxuan’s smile dimmed. “You’re still going to drive me away?” 

  Wen Wan bit her lip. “My lord, you wouldn’t want Old Madame to dislike me, right? We already agreed that during the next two days……” 

  Ning Yuxuan’s smile completely disappeared and he took his hand back. He stared at Wen Wan for a long time before finally saying, “I understand.” 

  After saying those two words, he turned around and left Qiangwei Courtyard. 

  Wen Wan blankly looked at his departing back figure. She bit her lip as her eyes started to redden. “Tanxiang, am I acting insensibly? He loves me so much……” 

  Tanxiang stood by her side and said with a sigh, “Master’s demeanor is how a main wife should act. There wasn’t anything wrong with what you did. Once the marquis understands this, he’ll only like you more.” 

  There wasn’t a woman that could truly be willing to give her man to another woman. Wen Wan’s heart felt bad. She sat by her dressing table and couldn’t choke back her sobs. 

  — 

  Just as Ji Man decided to have a good night’s sleep, she saw Ning Yuxuan coming back with an unhappy and gloomy expression on his face. He was radiating an aura of “don’t you dare provoke me”. After coming inside, he went straight to her bed and sat down. 

  Ji Man swallowed her saliva and decided to not ask any questions. She didn’t have any strange fondness of rushing forward to become someone’s punching bag. Even without asking, she knew that the Holy Mother, Wen Wan, must have spurned him. 

  “Muxu, go ask Steward Qian for a quilt and pillow and prepare the cushioned couch for the marquis to use.” 

  Muxu nodded. She lifted her skirt and withdrew from the room. 

  Marquis Moyu slightly raised his eyebrows. “How do you know that I’m going to sleep here?” 

  “This servant doesn’t know anything.” Ji Man hurriedly shook her head. “But, it’s late. It’ll be tiring for the marquis to take another walk. Just put up with sleeping here for a night.” 

  “You’re being surprisingly considerate.” Ning Yuxuan suddenly smiled and looked at her with a curious gaze. 

  Ji Man closed her eyes and pretended to sleep. 

  T/N: Lol, Ji Man, you shouldn’t play a game of chicken with Ning Yuxuan when he thinks the thing you want the most is him. Now, you’re stuck with him for the next two days.

  Chapter: 029 out of 513 – The honorable pestilence god is here (2) 

  Marquis Moyu had the day off on the next day. Instead of leaving to go somewhere else, he stayed in Feiwan Courtyard to read books. Ji Man had originally planned to invite Miss Shui over to discuss the store’s pertinent matters. However, she didn’t dare to do anything with this great Buddha sitting here. 

  Various varieties of wild roses were quickly brought over and planted in her courtyard until the place was full of these pink and white flowers. 

  Ji Man was recovering from her cold and couldn’t go outside. As she looked at those flowers through the window, she felt a burst of joy. Next time, she would be able to make wild rose cold cream. These raw materials were entirely free. Other than these free flowers, the other ingredients cost five silver coins per large box. Each large box sold for ten silver taels. She would be able to earn a crazy amount of money. 

  When Marquis Moyu looked up, he saw a side view of Nie Sangyu slightly smiling and somewhat lost in thought. When this girl was quiet and not causing trouble or clinging to him, she was actually quite beautiful. 

  Noticing his gaze, Ji Man turned her head and their eyes met. The eyes across from her suddenly showed a slight amount of interest. 

  Ji Man twitched her lips. This promiscuous and fickle man was like a stud horse. Only foolish women from ancient times would be able to tolerate him. 

  “I heard that your older brother recently received the emperor’s appreciation and received three days of vacation. Do you want me to invite him over to see you?” Ning Yuxuan suddenly said. 

  Startled, she instinctively said, “No need.” 

  The interest in Ning Yuxuan’s eyes deepened. “En? Why not? Whenever you suffered grievances in the past, your favorite thing to do was to invite Sir Nie over to visit you.” 

  Was he suspicious about something? Goosebumps rose on Ji Man’s back. She felt that his smile looked far too sinister. 

  “This servant hasn’t suffered any grievance.” Ji Man quickly thought of an excuse, “This servant just doesn’t want my older brother to worry by seeing my current unfavorable situation.” 

  “Sir Nie should already know about your current situation. There’s nothing for you to worry about.” Ning Yuxuan closed his book and said with a light smile, “I happen to be free this afternoon. I’ll send a messenger to invite him here now. He can also drink wine with me while he’s here.” 

  Oh no. 

  Ji Man’s face stiffened. She turned around to continue looking at the outside scenery. She had no idea how Nie Sangyu used to interact with Nie Qingyun. Ning Yuxuan was already suspecting her. If Nie Qingyun also felt that there was something wrong with her, would they think she was a demon? Were they going to tie her up and burn her to death? 

  While Ji Man thought of a way to respond to this problem, she turned her head to look at Muxu through the window. That girl had been standing outside the door this entire time in order to give them privacy. 

  She shouted, “Muxu, come inside and help me outside to look at the wild roses.” 

  “No, you’re not allowed to go outside.” Marquis Moyu opened his mouth to stop her, “You’re still sick. You can’t be exposed to the wind. If you want to look at the flowers, you can see them from here.” 

  The corner of Ji Man’s mouth slightly twitched. She couldn’t even go outside to speak with Muxu. Was this pestilence god planning on staying by her side to constantly watch her? Then, what should she do? 

  When she had originally read this light novel, she had skimmed through the book and only read motional scenes. Everything else was a completely mystery to her. She knew nothing about Nie Qingyun’s personality. 

  Her eyes turned a full circle. She couldn’t think of a good solution. Anyways, she was sick. She would go straight to acting weak and start crying as soon as she saw Nie Qingyun. 

  Having settled on this idea, Ji Man held her forehead and lied down on her bed. “My lord, now that you mentioned it, this servant is feeling woozy. This servant will rest for a bit first.” 

  Ning Yuxuan curved his lips and nodded, “En.” 

  This wasn’t the first time he felt suspicious. He didn’t believe that a person’s innate temperament could change this much in a short period of time. Although Liu Mamahad been spying on her this entire time, what if someone had figured out a way to switch Nie Sangyu with someone else? Not only was Nie Clan’s status high, Nie Sangyu was also an important chess piece to maintaining the balance in the imperial household. If someone had kidnapped her, it would be problematic. 

  The only method that would put him at ease was to let Nie Qingyun come and see her. 

  — 

  Ning Qingyun had always spoiled his younger sister. When he heard about her news, he quickly came over. He even rode a horse here. As soon as he arrived at Feiwan Courtyard, he furrowed his brow. “Sangyu is sick?” 

  The smell of medicine hadn’t faded from the room. Of course, this was because Ji Man had deliberately spilled some of the medicine when she was drinking it recently. 

  “En, it was because of the cold weather.” Marquis Moyu was sitting by the bedside. With a gentle expression, he said, “I told her to properly drink medicine, but she wouldn’t.” 

  Ji Man didn’t dare to open her eyes and continued to pretend to be sleeping. But, someone suddenly pinched her waist. Caught off guard, she couldn’t help screaming, “Ahh!” 

  Nie Qingyun hurriedly walked forward. With his brow furrowed, he said, “What’s wrong?” 

  With a perfectly calm face, Ning Yuxuan comforted her, “Did you have a nightmare?” 

  Ji Man clenched her teeth and opened her eyes. First, she silently cursed at Ning Yuxuan. Then, she looked at the older brother that had been continuously looked at her with concern. 

  Ning Yuxuan was born with a healthy body, a straight nose, and clear and open facial features. One glance would show that he was a good person. While Ji Man looked at him, she pinched herself in the same spot that Ning Yuxuan had recently pinched her. She tearfully looked at him, “Older brother……” 

  Nie Qingyun sighed. “Everything had been perfectly fine. Why did you do this to yourself?” 

  Ji Man only sobbed, clutched the hem of Nie Qingyun’s clothes, and didn’t let go. “I dreamed about mother.” 

  Nie Sangyu’s mother had died very early. This was why Nie Qingyun’s mother had been promoted to position of main wife. Nie Qingyun felt that Sangyu was very pitiful, so he always protected her. He had fully taken on a parent’s responsibility towards her. 

  Hearing these words, Nie Qingyun glanced at Marquis Moyu. There was a question and also a slight amount of dissatisfaction in his eyes when he looked at him. “The marquis is here. And you still dreamed about your mother?”


  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 030 out of 513 – The malicious mother-in-law has returned (1) 

  The implication of these words was that Marquis Moyu had been mistreating Nie Sangyu. 

  Ning Yuxuan slightly raised his eyebrows, chuckled, and said, “That’s understandable. People always think about their mothers when they’re sick. You two siblings haven’t seen each other in a long time. How about you sit down and have a good talk with your younger sister? I’ll go outside and take a stroll around the garden.” 

  Nie Qingyun glanced at Nie Sangyu and nodded. 

  Ji Man clenched her fist. She had to be alone with this person? She really wanted to stop Ning Yuxuan from leaving, but seeing that he didn’t have the slightest intention of staying, she knew that he was doing this deliberately. He definitely wouldn’t be willing to help her conceal the truth. 

  Nie Qingyun waited until Marquis Moyu had left the room before he sat down by the bedside. His brow was slightly furrowed as he looked at Nie Sangyu and said, “Sangyu, you acted too outrageously this time. Even father flew into a terrible rage at home when he found out. I wanted to protect you, but I can’t this time. You’ll have to suffer through the grievance of being a concubine.” 

  Ji Man bit her lip and thought about Nie Sangyu’s temperament. Speaking as if she had been wronged, she said, “I just love him too much……” 

  Nie Qingyun didn’t suspect her. Looking at his younger sister, who had become significantly haggard, he couldn’t help feeling distressed. “If you’re not happy living here, how about I talk to Marquis Moyu to let you go home for a few days? This way, I’ll be able to take care of you.” 

  Ji Man hurriedly shook her head. “No, I want to stay by Yuxuan’s side. I’m happy even if I can only look at him.” 

  Nie residence wasn’t a good place. It was a clan that had vast influence and great power. There was no way that the competition in that household would be any less than the marquis’s household. She didn’t want to go back. 

  Nie Qingyun sighed. He reached out and stroked her hair. He dearly loved his younger sister. It wasn’t only just because their mothers had been sisters. It was because Sangyu had often protected him when they were children. Everyone else said she was arrogant and rude. He was the only one that knew she was actually quite kind-hearted. 

  Ji Man pretended that she had a headache and closed her eyes. In a slightly painful voice, she said, “Older brother, I want to go to sleep.” 

  “En, go to sleep. I’ll leave and speak with Marquis Moyu for a bit.” Nie Qingyun stood up and gently tucked the quilt around her. 

  Ji Man inwardly sighed in relief. She kept her eyes closed and didn’t move until she heard the sound of the doors closing. Then, she secretly opened her eyes. 

  — 

  After Nie Qingyun left the room, his expression didn’t look that bad as he looked around the narrow courtyard that was full of blooming wild roses. 

  Ning Yuxuan was currently siting at the stone table in the courtyard. He had brewed two cups of tea while waiting for him. Ning Yuxuan looked at the person, who had just sat down, and asked, “Sir Nie, is there something that you want to say?” 

  Nie Qingyun swept his gaze at the tea cup and indifferently said, “Marquis, you probably also have something that you want to say.” 

  Marquis Moyu slightly smiled. “I’ll speak frankly. Does Sir Nie feel that there’s something strange with Sangyu?” 

  Nie Qingyun raised his eyebrows, “What is the marquis trying to say? What’s strange about her?” 

  Marquis Moyu turned his head to glance at the room and said in quiet voice, “Sir Nie, don’t you feel that Sangyu’s temperament has become much more docile? I could even say that she seems like a completely different person.” 

  Nie Qingyun paused for a moment to carefully think over the words that Sangyu had recently said to him. It wasn’t any different from the words that she had said in the past. They had only talked for a little bit before Sangyu went back to sleep. Even if he had wanted to check that there was something off about her, he wouldn’t have been able to tell. 

  “Although she had acted insensibly in the past, a time had to come when she grew up.” Nie Qingyun said, “What is the marquis feeling suspicious about?” 

  Ning Yuxuan was silent for a moment. He didn’t speak until he drank half the tea in the cup. “May this one be so bold as to ask if Sir Nie remembers if Sangyu has any birthmarks?” 

  Nie Qingyun froze for a moment and then his expression became slightly ugly. “Marquis, you’ve been with Sangyu for six years, and you need to ask me this type of question?” 

  This was truly quite a shameful matter. Every time that Ning Yuxuan had bestowed favor on Nie Sangyu, he had routinely blown out the candles first. He really hadn’t paid enough attention to notice if she had any birthmarks on her body. But, as the older brother that had grown up with Nie Sangyu, Nie Qingyun should know this information. 

  “There’s a small birthmark on the back of her neck.” Nie Qingyun looked at Marquis Moyu and his voice was heavy as he said, “Marquis, if there’s something that you’re confused about, you can go look for yourself.” 

  Behind her neck? Ning Yuxuan committed this to memory, but he outwardly pretended that this wasn’t a big deal. “Sir Nie, you’re overthinking things. I was just asking out of curiosity. I heard that the emperor has recently given Hebei’s entire salt transportation to you to manage……” 

  Moving from family matters to the affairs of the nation, these two people still had common topics to talk about. Although Ning Yuxuan was a leisurely marquis, his network of relationships was complicated and he definitely had a certain amount of influence. In addition, the emperor favored him; so even Nie Xiangyun didn’t dare to look down on him. 

  The two of them talked in the courtyard until sunset. Before leaving, Nie Qingyun went back into the room to look at the still “deeply asleep” Nie Sangyu. He sighed and said, “It would be so wonderful if you could be the person that he loves. 

  Ji Man didn’t understand why this would be good. But, she still relaxed after hearing that person leaving. 

  — 

  During the night, Ning Yuxuan suddenly came into her bed. 

  Shocked, Ji Man said, “My lord, this servant is still sick.” 

  “En, I won’t touch you. I’m just here to share the bed with you.” Marquis Moyu said with a smile and hugged her from the back. 

  Ji Man had never been this intimate with another person before and this tips of her ears turned red. She didn’t dare to make a sound, so she gritted her teeth. She had to pretend that she was feeling happy over this. 

  Ning Yuxuan looked at the small birthmark on the back of her neck and the peculiar look in his eyes increased. 

  T/N: Wish we could have seen Nie Qingyun’s expression when Ning Yuxuan asked if Nie Sangyu had any birthmarks. Tiny spoiler. We’ll see a lot more of him later in the novel and there will be a good explanation for why he’s such a doting older brother to Nie Sangyu even though they have different mothers.

  Chapter: 031 out of 513 – The malicious mother-in-law has returned (2) 

  The secondary female characters in novels were always talented individuals, with powerful backgrounds and that was why they were able to frame the female leads. Nie Sangyu wasn’t an exception. Ji Man remembered that the reason Nie Sangyu was able to execute all of her schemes was because Marquis Moyu’s mother was supporting her. As a malicious mother-in-law, Marquis Moyu’s mother, Old Madame Ning, was Nie Sangyu’s perfect partner. One would frame the female lead and the other would punish her. They had horribly tormented the female lead. 

  And now, Ji Man’s long awaited savior, Old Madame Ning, was finally returning home after staying at Foshan for two months! 

  Marquis Moyu had woken Ji Man early this morning and ordered Muxu to change her into her best set of clothing. Look at her complexion. It had improved a lot. At least, she didn’t look too ill and could leave her room to meet people. 

  Muxu was put into a difficult position and she looked through Nie Sangyu’s wardrobe for a long time. She only found one slightly expensive-looking long blue dress. What else was there left? The other expensive clothing and jewelry had all been sold. There were only a few silver hairpins in Nie Sangyu’s jewelry box. 

  However, Ji Man generously said words to help her, “This servant is only a concubine. It wouldn’t be proper for me to wear glamorous clothing. Simple clothing would be more suitable.” 

  Original translation is from fuyuneko dot org. If you’re reading this elsewhere, this chapter has been stolen. Please stop supporting theft. 

  Marquis Moyu glanced at her jewelry box. He didn’t say a word and seemed to be tacitly agreeing. Ji Man changed into a white sleeves top and wore the long dress over it. After Muxu brushed her hair into a simple duoma hairstyle, Ji Man went with Ning Yuxuan to Qiangwei Courtyard. 

  (T/N: Below are picture of duoma hairstyle.) 

  Ch 031 - duoma hairstyle.png

  Several eyes had turned red from worry over the marquis staying at Feiwan Courtyard for two days. He hadn’t taken a single step out of the courtyard during those two days. Countless eyes had looked over the walls of Feiwan Courtyard. They saw the courtyard being planted full of wild roses, and they also saw the marquis inviting Nie Sangyu’s older brother over to see her. Even Wen Wan’s heart felt slightly uncomfortable after knowing about this. 

  Furthermore, Mu Shuiqing had strangely spent the last two days telling Wen Wan that Nie Sangyu was only pretending to be a good person and how she had framed herself. Even if Wen Wan didn’t believe Mu Shuiqing’s words, these ideas still lingered in her mind. When she looked at Nie Sangyu today, her gaze was more reserved than before. 

  As a result, when Ji Man stood behind Honored Concubine Xue, several eyes fell on her. 

  “Sangyu, have you recovered from your cold?” Wen Wan asked. 

  “Thank you Madam for your concern. It’s not a hindrance anymore.” Ji Man slightly saluted. “It was all thanks to the marquis’s care. Sangyu will fondly remember this.” 

  Qi Siling lightly smiled and said, “This can be considered as something good coming from a disaster. I presume that the marquis won’t be focusing on younger sister’s previous actions. In the future, we should all get along as a family.” 

  Qing Lianxue smiled and echoed Siling’s sentiment, “Yes, the family that lives in harmony will be prosperous together.” 

  Mu Shuiqing also smiled. Next to her, Liu Hanyun had her head lowered and didn’t show any response. 

  Ji Man thought, were they saying that once they finished off Nie Sangyu, this family would be harmonious and prosperous? 

  Truly a wonderful group act in sarcasm and derision. 

  Wen Wan looked a bit nervous, but Ning Yuxuan didn’t seem to be in a good mood. He was sitting on the side and hadn’t said a single word to her. He even didn’t turn his head to glance at her. 

  Ji Man watched Wen Wan as she bit her lip and looked toward Marquis Moyu. He was probably having a fit of pique. Although Ning Yuxuan was usually quite astute, he still acted very childish sometimes. If he felt that you went against him, he would have a sullen expression and give you the cold shoulder for a long time. Besides, Wen Wan had pushed him out of her room. And, now she wanted him to greet her with a smiling face? 

  Compared to the women in ancient times, Ji Man was better at understanding the inner thoughts of men. Although she never had a serious relationship, she already had abundant theoretical knowledge from interacting with people on Tianya. 

  T/N: Tianya used to be a very popular Internet forum in China. 

  And so, compared to Wen Wan, who didn’t know what to do, Ji Man knew what the crucial thing to do at this moment was. She should be providing the man a way out of this awkward situation. She should be flattering and coaxing him instead of acting proud and reserved. 

  But, she was the secondary female character. Her role was to destroy the relationship between the male lead and female at all costs. So, how could she be willing to give Wen Wan this opportunity? On the contrary, she had to break them apart so that she could fulfill Nie Sangyu’s wish. 

  Kindness? That was something that the female lead should have. It had nothing to do with the secondary female character. 

  And so, she said, “When the marquis was with this servant, he spent the entire time missing Madam and worrying if you were eating and sleeping well. Old Madame hasn’t come back yet. Madam, you and the marquis can speak to each other. We’ll all just pretend to not hear.” 

  These clever words made it seem as if she was trying to help them. Even Ning Yuxuan raised his head to look at her when he heard these words. 

  After Wen Wan heard that the marquis had been worried about her, her anxieties lessened. But, when she turned to look at him, she saw that he was looking somewhere else. Slightly angry, she said, “How is the marquis worried about me? Look at him right now. He’s not even willing to look at me. What’s there for us to say to each other?” 

  Marquis Moyu coldly harrumphed. 

  In front of so many people, Wen Wan couldn’t act unsuitable for her status by acting cutely spoiled. She could only look at the side of his face and become more worried. Even Nie Sangyu had tried to help him by saying those words. Why couldn’t he soften his stance? She hadn’t done anything wrong! 

  Since Ning Yuxuan wasn’t speaking, the atmosphere in the room was slightly awkward. Wen Wan couldn’t step down from her position and her face looked very tense. 

  Ji Man didn’t say anything else and just quietly waited. Eventually, a servant came inside and reported that old madame’s carriage had already entered the city. 

  By chance, a person from the palace had come at the same time and said that the emperor wanted to see Marquis Moyu to discuss something. Ning Yuxuan hadn’t been able to wait until Old Madame Ning had arrived at residence’s entrance before he hastily mounted a horse and left for the palace. 

  As a result, Wen Wan was completely panicking. 

  Translator Ramblings: I wonder if Noble Consort Nie was behind the emperor suddenly summoning Ning Yuxuan right before old madame returned. Also, compared to the other women, including Ji Man, Wen Wan feels like a baby white lotus.

  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 032 out of 513 – A marquis that had become foolish because of love (1) 

  Wen Wan hadn’t known Ning Yuxuan for a long time. They had only met six months ago. But, these short six months had entirely canceled out Nie Sangyu’s six years. Wen Wan had snatched her position as the main wife, her Qiangwei Courtyard, and the tiny, remaining space she had in Ning Yuxuan’s heart. 

  Although it had been the emperor’s intention to abolish Nie Sangyu’s status, it had been Marquis Moyu, who had taken the initiative of promoting Wen Wan to main wife. From the beginning until now, old madame hadn’t known about this matter. Wen Wan had originally thought that the two of them would explain this matter to old madame together. For the sake of her biological son, old madame probably wouldn’t do anything to her. 

  But now, a matter had popped up in the palace and she was left here with no one to rely on. Sitting here in the red dress that only the main wife could wear, what should she say to old madame when she came? 

  With her thoughts thrown into disorder, Wen Wan swept her gaze around the room. All of these women knew about her current unfavorable situation, but no one would help her because she had the marquis’s heart. They were probably wishing that they could hit her while she was down. 

  Just as she was feeling helpless, Steward Qian came inside to report, “Madam, Old Madame will be arriving soon.” 

  “I understand. Let’s all go out to welcome her.” She forced herself to smile, stood up, and held Tanxiang’s arm for support, but her palms were sweaty. 

  She was the marquis’s wife and should naturally be walking in the front. Right now, she couldn’t retreat. As long as Yuxuan supported her, she would fine. 

  She straightened her shoulders before walking out. The two honored concubines were walking behind her. Liu Hanyun, Mu Shuiqing, and Ji Man followed after them. 

  Ji Man’s expression was calm. She hadn’t walked two steps before Mu Shuiqing whispered, “You must be feeling proud, right?” Her voice was sharp and her tone wasn’t pleasing to hear. Ji Man slightly furrowed her brow and glanced at her sideways. 

  “Do you think that once Old Madame has returned, you’ll be able to get rid of Madam with her support?” Mu Shuiqing’s eyes were full of provocation. “Give up! Madam has the marquis’s heart. No matter what you do, you won’t be able to seize it back.” 

  Ji Man looked at her twisted face. Perhaps, she had lost her senses from being too angry during the past two days? And, that was why she was able to say these types of words out loud. 

  “As long as you have the diligent intention of doing something, there’s nothing that can’t be done.” Ji Man said, “If it makes you happier to hate me, that’s fine. Feel free to hate me. Do your best!” She made a gesture of encouragement before returning her hands to their original position in front of her abdomen. 

  “You!” Mu Shuiqing was so angry that she wanted to have stomping fit. Her voice had become slightly louder at the end and Qi Siling turned around to look at her. 

  Mu Shuiqing immediately became well behaved. She coldly harrumphed once and stopped talking. In contrast, Liu Hanyun, who had originally been looking at Ji Man indifferently, unexpectedly had a trace of a smile in her eyes after hearing her words. 

  The marquis’s residence’s entrance was very magnificent. It had a plaque that had been bestowed by the emperor and a pair of formidable stone lions. With everyone standing at the entrance in a line, it was truly a great scene. 

  Ji Man was at the very end of the line. From far away, she saw a spacious carriage slowly coming here. There were four guards on horses before the carriage and two servant girls sitting on the shaft of the carriage. Behind the carriage, there were numerous servants. This grandiose procession showed the considerable status of old madame. 

  Marquis Moyu’s mother was the imperial court’s only first rank lady. She had married Marquis Pingnan in her youth, but he had sacrificed his life for the country. The emperor had felt very grateful, so he bestowed her the title of first rank lady and allowed her to enter the palace whenever she wanted. 

  She should have been addressed as Marchioness Pingnan, but old madame had felt heartbroken about her husband’s death, so she had people address her as Old Madame. She didn’t want to be reminded of Marquis Pingnan by hearing that title. After the death of her husband, she stayed at Marquis Moyu’s residence and would occasionally have interaction with the palace, but she never asked about governmental affairs again. 

  Ji Man remembered that old madame was Noble Consort Nie’s best friend. The two of them had grown up together and had an extremely good relationship. This was why old madame had always shielded her while she lived in Marquis Moyu’s residence. It was only when old madame was away that these people had an opportunity to bully her. 

  The carriage stopped in front of the entrance. The guards at the front went to the sides and the two servant girls jumped down from the carriage to bring over a stool and carefully supported old madame as she came out of the carriage. 

  Seeing this, Wen Wan hurriedly went forward to lend an arm to support her. However, old madame, who had passed her fortieth birthday at the beginning of this year, had a truly terrifying imposingness. When Wen Wan slightly raised her eyes, her hand ended up freezing in midair. 

  “This daughter-in law greets Old Madame.” Wen Wan straightforwardly kneeled down. The concubines behind her could only follow her action and kneel down too. 

  Old madame’s clothes were simple and unadorned, but she was wearing a stately, golden hairpin. She cast a sidelong glance at the person in front of her, then she indifferently said, “You may rise, Sangyu.” 

  Just as Wen Wan was about to let out a sigh of relief after hearing the first three words, her heart plummeted after hearing the last word. She didn’t even dare to raise her head. 

  Gritting her teeth, Wen Wan didn’t stand. She saluted old madame again, “This daughter-in-law, Wen Wan, greets Old Madame.” 

  Old madame was silent for a long time. She looked at person kneeling on the ground and asked, “Who’s Wen Wan?” 

  As Ji Man silently kneeled in the back, she thought that this old madame was really good at pretending. They were all kneeling so close to her. How could she possibly not be able to tell who was who? She was deliberately asking this question to embarrass Wen Wan. 

  Translator Ramblings: Ji Man will be meeting the supporting male character in 2 weeks and 2 days. I included a spoiler below for their first meeting. 

  Also, I like the interaction between Ji Man and Mu Shuiqing. I interpreted Ji Man’s words to Mu Shuiqing as sincere encouragement instead of mocking. What do you guys think?

  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 033 out of 513 – A marquis that had become foolish because of love (2) 

  Wen Wan’s face turned red from humiliation. Her fingernails were rigidly digging into her palms. She felt so wronged that she wanted to cry. How was she supposed to handle this type of situation? Yuxuan clearly knew that his mother was very difficult to deal with. How could he have left her alone like this? 

  When she thought of it that way, her heart actually felt somewhat resentful. 

  In the midst of this silence, Ji Man raised her head and said, “Old Madame, Sangyu is no longer this household’s main wife. The madam in front of you is the main wife. It’s rather cold outside. How about we go inside to talk?” 

  Old madame turned her head to look at Nie Sangyu. Her eyes held a bit of doting, but she didn’t say anything. It became silent again for a while. When everyone’s knees ached from kneeling, old madame finally said, “All of you, come inside with me.” 

  Tanxiang helped Wen Wan stand up, and the other concubines also stood up. No one dared to breath too heavily as they followed behind old madame. 

  When she reached the main courtyard’s entrance, old madame turned her head and said, “Sangyu, I’m slightly tired today. They can forgo with paying respect to me one by one. You and that Wen Wan, come into my room to speak. 

  “This servant will obey.” Nie Sangyu acknowledged the order and the other women dispersed. Wen Wan was left to stand by herself in front of Nie Sangyu. The furrowed space between her eyebrows showed that she was worried. 

  While old madame was changing her clothes, Ji Man whispered to Wen Wan, “Madam, don’t be afraid. Old Madame is just unhappy that the marquis hid this from her. It’s not that she doesn’t like you. You’re already the marquis’s wife. There’s nothing for you to be afraid of.” 

  Wen Wan hadn’t expected that Nie Sangyu would be comforting her at this time. But, she couldn’t distinguish if she was being sincere or not. She could only nod and silently clutch her handkerchief. 

  After old madame changed into more comfortable clothing and reclined on a wooden chaise lounge, her personal servant girl, Shouwu, finally went out and told them to come into the room. 

  “I already heard about this on the way here. Xuan-er took away Sangyu’s position as the main wife.” Old madame’s eyes sharply swept over the two people in front of her. “But, I didn’t know that he had put someone else into her position. Miss Wei, where do you come from?” 

  Wen Wan had already been married to Ning Yuxuan for a month, but she was still calling her Miss. Old madame was clearly unwilling to acknowledge her status. Wen Wan’s face turned slightly white. She kneeled down and reported, “My father’s name is Wen Yi. He works as a jailer on the northern side of the capital’s imperial prison. My father’s younger brother is a seventh rank judicial officer. 

  Even Ji Man felt that Wen Wan’s family background was shabby. Normally, this would only be enough for her to be a concubine in a non-aristocrat family. No one would have expected that the dignified Marquis Moyu would have made her his main wife. 

  Old madame’s face changed colors. In the end, she heavily harrumphed and said, “Did you instigate Xuan-er into making you his main wife?” 

  Wen Wan bit her lip, “This daughter-in-law didn’t do this. The marquis had done this voluntarily……” 

  “Are you saying that my son is blind?” Old madame’s gaze became abruptly sharp. “For the noble families, marriages are only between families that are well-matched in terms of social status. Xuen-er isn’t stupid. If you hadn’t bewitched him, how could he possibly do something so asinine?” 

  Wen Wan felt extremely wronged. Kneeling on the ground, her body even started to slightly tremble. 

  Seeing old madame’s attitude, Ji Man also felt slightly terrified, so she also kneeled down on the ground. How could she dare to speak while standing in the face of that aura and gaze? 

  Ji Man took a deep breath and said, “Old Madame, this matter happened because Sangyu had committed a sin. Sangyu’s previous willful actions had provoked the emperor and caused me to lose my position. Since the position was empty, the marquis has the authority to welcome a new main wife.” 

  Old madame berated, “Nonsense!” 

  Ji Man was so scared by this one word that her legs felt weak and she almost fell over. 

  “You married Xuan-er as his first wife when you fourteen years old. You were living perfectly fine and now you’re actually tolerating a wild girl with a questionable background to climb over your head? You’re utterly tarnishing Nie Clan’s reputation!” 

  Ji Man decided that she wouldn’t act like a good person again. It would be safer for her act obedient and avoid being scolded. She had thought that old madame was the type of mother-in-law, who would act sweetly towards Nie Sangyu and sternly towards Wen Wan. Unexpectedly, her expression was the same towards everyone. Although she favored Nie Sangyu, she wouldn’t hold back while lecturing at her. 

  “Noble Consort Nie had personally handed you over into my hands and I had promised her that I would take good care of you. Although you were young and didn’t know how to act sensibly or how to manage the household, I was willing to slowly teach you. But, what are you doing right now? What is her status? What is yours? How can you so easily accept this as your fate?” 

  Although she was scolding Ji Man, her words had directly caused Wen Wan to start crying. She had really wanted to receive old madame’s approval, but instead she had been called a wild girl without any status. These words had stifled her ability to speak. 

  After old madame had finished admonishing Nie Sangyu, they heard a servant announcing that the marquis had returned to the residence. Ji Man stayed kneeling in place without moving and old madame rested her voice for a moment. Still feeling residual anger, she said to Danggui, “Bring the marquis here.” 

  “Understood.” The young servant girl, Danggui, acknowledged the order. She could see that old madame was in a bad mood and hurriedly went out to inform Marquis Moyu. 

  When Ning Yuxuan came into the room, he immediately saw Wen Wan kneeling on the ground and heard the sound of her falling tears. While feeling distressed, he even forgot to greet old madame first. Instead, he directly walked over to Wen Wan and asked, “Wan-er, what happened?” 

  Ning Yuxuan was her biological son and she hadn’t seen him in two months, so old madame had originally missed Ning Yuxuan a lot. But, instead of greeting her and asking her if she had been well, her son went to that wild woman’s side and asked her what happened. 

  Old madame was so angry that she almost couldn’t breath. She ordered, “Kneel!” 

  Crouched down on the floor, Ji Man rejoiced in Ning Yuxuan’s misfortune. What a fool. In this type of situation, he still dared to look after his woman first. Ning Yuxuan was also a person that had become foolish because of love. 

  Translator Ramblings: Although it’s super enjoyable to watch old madame reprimand Ning Yuxuan, Ji Man was probably better off at ruining the relationship between the Ning Yuxuan and Wen Wan without old madame. She knows that a white lotus’s best skill is crying and won’t do anything to trigger it.

  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 034 out of 513 – He loves her (1) 

  Marquis Moyu returned to his senses after hearing old madame’s angry voice. He pursed his lips, kneeled, and said, “This son greets mother.” 

  “Do you still remember that you have a mother?” Old madame’s anger wasn’t light. She pointed at Wen Wan and asked, “Did you even ask me once before marrying her?” 

  Ning Yuxuan lowly said, “Mother, please calm down. This son had planned to report our marriage to you after you returned.” 

  After saying this, he actually glanced at Ji Man. 

  Ji Man hurriedly hid away her glee and innocently looked at the decorative pattern on the carpet. 

  Marquis Moyu had been naturally talented and clever since childhood. Other than this marriage, he had never given his mother any reason to worry. Right now, there were rapid changes in the imperial household and the emperor deliberately wanted to oppress Nie Clan. Thus, she could understand why he had acted against Sangyu. But, even if she had calculated a thousand times, she would have never expected that he would welcome a woman without status into this household. 

  “You knew that I wouldn’t agree, so you acted first and reported later.” Old madame heavily harrumphed. 

  Ning Yuxuan raised his head. His eyes were full of sincerity. “This son truly loves Wen Wan. This is why I want to give her the best position.” 

  Love. 

  Old madame stared blankly at him for a long time. Wen Wan, who was still kneeling, started to cry again. 

  Ji Man found his words laughable, but Nie Sangyu felt as if her heart was being ripped out. Ji Man couldn’t help furrowing her brow. 

  Among the nobles, generals, and officials’ families, the most unspeakable word was love and the most difficult thing to obtain was sincere love. Old madame had loved Marquis Pingnan for over half of her life, but she had never said this word. And now, she was hearing the word “love” from her son’s mouth. 

  After she returned to her senses, old madame actually laughed. She laughed until her shoulders shook. “Xuan-er, do you know what love is?” 

  Ning Yuxuan kneeled with his back perfectly straight and didn’t cower the slightest bit, “This son wants to grow old with her.” 

  Wen Wan was extremely moved by his words. Underneath their sleeves, Marquis Moyu was gently holding her hand. She suddenly felt confident and kowtowed to old madame, “All of this blame is entirely Wen Wan’s. As long as Wen Wan can stay by the marquis’s side, whether it’s being the main wife or concubine, Wen Wan doesn’t mind either way.” 

  Ah, such a profoundly loving, harmonious, and affection couple. Ji Man looked at them with the cool eyes of a bystander. She felt that the male lead and female lead’s minds were completely different from everyone else’s. For them, emotions could prevail over everything. The male lead’s one word, “love”, was supposed to make everything else inconsequential. 

  But, it couldn’t work out like that. This was a light novel about harem struggles, not a Grimm’s fairytale. 

  Old madame was silent for a long time. She finally said with a smile, “Look at the two of you. One is crying like a rained upon pear blossom. The other has a solemn expression and a stretched taut figure. If someone didn’t know any better, they would think of me as a malicious old woman that was tearing up a happily married couple that truly loved each other.” 

  Her tone had changed too quickly. Ning Yuxuan and Wen Wan both froze in surprise and looked up. 

  “I was just testing you. Wan-er, you also seem to truly love Xuan-er.” Old madame’s entire face softened and she indicated for Danggui and Shouwu to help the two of them to stand. In the passing, she also let Ji Man stand up as well. 

  “Actually, as long as you can undertake the role of marquis’s wife well, your family background isn’t especially important. I’m feeling tired. You can all leave.” 

  Wen Wan was overjoyed at the unexpected good news. She whole-heartedly thought that old madame had accepted her. She repeatedly kowtowed to express her thanks and pulled Ning Yuxuan’s hand to kowtow with her. 

  However, Ning Yuxuan’s brow didn’t relax. He only saluted old madame before taking Wen Wan with him as he left. 

  He naturally had a clear understanding of his mother’s character. But, seeing how happy Wen Wan was, he couldn’t tell her the truth and make her worry more. 

  Ji Man shrugged her shoulders. She saluted old madame and was planning on leaving the room too. However, the servant girl next to her, Shouwu, stopped her and lightly shook her head to single for her to stay. 

  After the doors were closed, Ji Man gritted her teeth and kneeled down again in front of old madame. She still needed to kneel in order to have the courage to speak to her. 

  “Steward Qian said you changed a lot, but I hadn’t believe him.” The smile on old madame’s face faded. It was replaced by a deep sigh. “It must have been difficult for you. You use to have such a lively and straightforward personality, but it’s been grounded to dust by Xuan-er. You didn’t even cry or fuss when you heard him say that he loves someone else.” 

  At the mention of this, her reaction was prompt. As Ji Man bit her lip, she started to cry and sobbed out, “Old madame, I don’t want to accept this. I really don’t want to……” 

  That had definitely been Nie Sangyu coming out for a guest appearance. It was only for a brief moment, but Ji Man noticed her frailty. 

  It seemed that old madame truly cared about Nie Sangyu. Otherwise, Nie Sangyu wouldn’t have risked her life and wasted her spiritual energy to say so many words. 

  Her tears wouldn’t stop falling down. Ji Man also started to truly feel badly along with Nie Sangyu. 

  Old madame felt distressed for her. She hurriedly stood up and personally led her to sit down on the cushioned chaise lounge with her. “Silly girl, of course I know that you’re not willing. This old woman has seen how you treated Xuan-er during the past several years. You love him too much. Doing too much is just as bad as doing too little. Perhaps, he’ll understand your feelings one day.” 

  Ji Man shook her head. Wait until he understood? He would have already killed the secondary female character if she only waited. 

  “From what I saw of that Wen Wan, she’s not someone that has the ability to appear in public. In the short term, Xuan-er can repeatedly tell me that he truly loves her. But, in the long term, she won’t be able to withstand the pressure of being the marquis’s wife. In the end, that position will be returned to you.” 

  Old madam’s black eyes slightly sunk, “As for you, don’t act so impulsively and stir up trouble again. I heard the you barged into the palace with loose hair and that was why you were rebuked by the emperor.” 

  Ji Man nodded her head in shame. 

  T/N: I love how the author writes old madame not just as disapproving mother-in-law to Wen Wan and a tough love one to Nie Sangyu, but also as a woman that was deeply in love with a man in a polygamous society. We know that old madame loved Ning Yuxuan’s father, but I wonder if he loved her back. Does she see herself in Nie Sangyu? Right now, she’s this imposing 40 years old woman, but she was once Nie Sangyu’s age. 

  Also, old madame’s POV is one of the earlier hints to show the readers that Ji Man’s perspective isn’t completely right. Up to this point, we assumed that her demotion to concubine was strictly because Ning Yuxuan doesn’t like her. Now, we also know there was a political reason behind it. As the story continues, we’ll see more hints. Her perspective is very much limited to the marquis’s inner court.

  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 035 out of 513 – He loves her (2) 

  “Did you know that the emperor had previously left Nie Clan alone because of his relationship with Noble Consort Nie? Nie Clan has become a mature and powerful clan that has many dishonest members. The empress’s side had been unhappy with this for a long time. Why did you still act rashly and give the emperor an opportunity to penalize the noble consort?” Old madam was slightly angry. “Sometimes, you really act too outrageously and without regard for protocol. No wonder Xuan-er held grudges against you for your actions during the past several years.” 

  Ji Man could only obediently listen to her lecture while thinking that she wasn’t responsible for any of those actions. But, she could see that old madame and Noble Consort Nie were truly good friends. Old madame was thinking about Nie Clan in all respects. 

  “Now that I returned, no one in this household will be able to harm you.” Old madame returned her expression to normal and said, “But there are a lot of things that you have to learn for yourself. Don’t blame me when I don’t help you every time.” 

  The atmosphere was excessively serious. Ji Man solemnly nodded. Soon after, she checked old madame’s face and offered her treasure, “Old madame, you’re probably feeling tired from the carriage ride. How about letting Sangyu give you a facial while you rest?” 

  Old madame glanced at her, “You’re pretending to be obedient again. Fine, this face is showing the hardship of travel. Shouwu, go outside and fetch water. Danggui, bring pearl powder over. Let Sangyu attend to me while I nap.” 

  The two servant girls acknowledged her order. Just as they were about to leave, Ji Man hurriedly said, “Dangui, I’ll have to inconvenience you with a request to bring back boiled eggs.” 

  Old madame thought Nie Sangyu was just feeling hungry and wanted to eat something, so she didn’t ask any questions. A nearby older servant stepped forward and unwounded her hair bun so that old madame could comfortably lie down on the wooden chaise lounge. 

  Ji Man first used the water to clean old madame’s face, then she peeled the eggs that Dangui had brought back and set them aside to cool down a bit. Then, she took out the cold cream and slowly rubbed the lotion onto old madame’s face. 

  “What’s this?” Shouwu curiously looked at the box in Ji Man’s hand. 

  “This is cold cream.” Ji Man scooped out a lump of cold cream, then she hand the rest of the cold cream to Danggui. “The two of you can try it.” 

  “Was this purchased from Yongning Street?” Shouwu whispered, “When the carriage passed by Yongning Street, I heard many people talk about something called cold cream and saw a rouge shop’s entrance almost being broken by so many people crowding around it.” 

  Ji Man lightly smiled and nodded. She had told Miss Shui that on the first day she released the cold cream for sale, she had to hire a group of people to stand outside in a line and fall over each other in their eagerness to discuss about cold cream in order to achieve excellent publicity. It seemed that she had done her job well. 

  Shouwu and Danggui watched as Ji Man rubbed cold cream onto old madame’s face. Old madame seemed exhausted and was deeply asleep. When the light pink cream was applied to her face, it quickly disappeared and old madame’s face became beautifully dewy. 

  Shouwu was very surprised. She hurriedly pulled Dangui out of the room with her to try the cold cream in private. Although the two servant girls were old madame’s personal servants, they were still seventeen and eighteen year old young women that loved to be beautiful. 

  After Ji Man patiently finished applying the cold cream, she washed her hands and gently rolled the boiled eggs over old madame’s face. People that experienced this before would know that this felt very comfortable and also had a moistening effect. 

  When lunchtime came, old madame finally woke up. As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw Danggui and Shouwu’s surprised and happy expressions. 

  Old madame looked serious as she asked, “What happened?” 

  Ji Man was smiling as she stood nearby. She brought a bronze mirror in front of old madame, “You had a really wonderful nap.” 

  The face in the mirror had significantly become fairer and smoother. Although there were still branching wrinkles at the corners of her eyes and a slight puffiness under her eyes, her skin looked at least five years younger. 

  “This……” Old madame was shocked. She hurriedly reached out and touched her face. It was smooth without being oily. It felt clean and fresh. 

  “Master Sang applied cold cream and also rolled boiled eggs over your face for an hour.” Shouwu smiled and said, “Old madame is so fortunate. Master Sang is a person that knows filial piety.” 

  Old madame looked at Ji Man in astonishment. 

  Ji Man gently smiled, “I bought this cream a few days ago. The shopkeeper said it was a rare item, so I saved a box for Old Madame.” 

  Although she was already widowed, all women loved to beautiful. Even though old madame’s mouth said, “There’s no need for me to appear good-looking,” the joyful expression in her eyes showed her true feelings. 

  Ji Man knew that she had made the right decision in giving this bribe. Even if old madame had been secretly unhappy with Nie Sangyu before, she was definitely completely happy with her right now. 

  After looking at herself in the mirror for a long time, she finally said, “You were very thoughtful.” 

  During lunchtime, Ning Yuxuan and Wen Wan came to the main courtyard. Old madame made an exception for Ji Man. She allowed her sit down at the table instead of standing at the side to add food to her personal plate. 

  “Mother, why are you in such a good mood?” Ning Yuxuan raised his eyebrows and looked at her. With some surprised, he said, “Your complexion also looks much better.” 

  Receiving her son’s praise, old madame became even happier. “Sangyu showed filial peity. She rubbed cold cream and boiled eggs on my face. My old face feels new from her efforts.” 

  Wen Wan froze for a moment, then she followed Ning Yuxuan with flattering old madame, “Old madame isn’t old. You’re only called old to show the importance of your status. You’re still young.” 

  Last time, Nie Sangyu had told her that she had given her all of the cold cream that she bought. Unexpectedly, she had kept a box for herself. Wen Wan carefully looked at the person quietly sitting next to her. She finally started to have a sense of vigilance towards Nie Sangyu.

  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 036 out of 513 – Don’t abandon the wife that had suffered hardship with you for a new wife once you obtain success (1) 

  Ji Man noticed Wen Wan’s gaze, but she didn’t turned around. She only continued to lightly smile and straightened her sitting posture. As a concubine, she was only allowed to sit down at the table because of old madame. She would be overstepping her bounds if she interrupted their conversation. 

  The couple said coaxing words throughout the meal to keep old madame in a happy mood, so the meal passed by smoothly. Old madame didn’t say anything to put Wen Wan in a difficult position. 

  And, unexpectedly, Marquis Moyu quietly said as they were leaving their seats, “Sangyu has become much more sensible.” 

  Ji Man smiled at him and saluted, “Thank you for your praise, my lord.” 

  Old madam’s gaze swept across these three people before she calmly said, “I’m going to the palace tomorrow to see Noble Consort Nie. Originally, I was thinking that I should bring Sangyu with me to see her since Noble Consort Nie loves her dearly. But, her current status…… Xuan-er, what’s your view on this matter?” 

  Only the main wife and secondary wife had the qualifications to enter the palace. Nie Sangyu was currently a concubine, so her status was only slightly better than a servant girl. Thus, it would be impossible for her to enter the palace. 

  And so, old madame had said these words with the intention of asking if Sangyu’s status could be improved. 

  Original translation is from fuyuneko dot org. If you’re reading this elsewhere, this chapter has been stolen. Please stop supporting theft. 

  However, Marquis Moyu only lightly smiled, “Noble Consort Nie has recently shut herself up and is contemplating over her mistakes. Although she’ll be done soon, it’ll be better if mother waits a few more days before visiting her. As for Sangyu, she hasn’t done anything to deserve the status of secondary wife.” 

  Although he was only speaking the truth, he was clearly striking old madame’s face. Old madame’s complexion sunk again. She was silent for a long time before she finally said, “Never mind then.” 

  Her son had grown up and had forgotten to be grateful towards his mother for raising him. She couldn’t force him to do anything. He had looked as if he wasn’t as against Sangyu as before, so she had thought she would able to improve Sangyu’s status. This way, she would also be able to justify herself to Noble Consort Nie. She hadn’t expected that he would block her attempt. 

  Sangyu had made a mistake first. Even if she deliberately wanted to be biased in her favor, she was powerless. 

  Ji Man actually didn’t care. As a concubine, she had meat to eat. She also had old madame to protect her and extra income from her outside business. And so, she said with a smile, “Old Madame, there were new wild roses planted in my courtyard and there were also new fishes added to the garden pond. If you’re free this afternoon, how about we walk around the residence?” 

  Old madame turned around to look at her. Her expression had slightly improved. “Okay, this bag of old bones should walk around more.” 

  While Ji Man was brightly smiling, the corners of Ning Yuxuan’s lips twitched when old madame wasn’t looking at him. 

  Go look at Feiwan Courtyard’s wild roses? The plaque hadn’t been hanged yet. And, the courtyard was small, narrow, and shabby. If old madame saw the courtyard, she would definitely complain that he was mistreating his former main wife. In a fit of fury she would probably force him to promote Nie Sangyu. 

  Ning Yuxuan’s gaze lingered on Ji Man. Ah, her smile looked so innocent and pure. It was quite attractive and looked completely different from her previous resentful expression. He had originally wanted to glare at her so that she wouldn’t bring old madame to Feiwan Courtyard. But once he started looking at her, he slightly lost his mind for a moment. 

  Although there was a birthmark on the back of her neck, Nie Sangyu seemed as if she was no longer the previous Nie Sangyu. After six years of interacting with her, this was the very first time that he thought she was beautiful. She clearly still had the same face, but for some inexplicable reason, he now felt slightly curious about her. 

  When he returned to his senses, he had already walked out of the main courtyard. Wen Wan was pulling his hand and after biting her lip for a long time, she finally said, “Yuxuan, how about you promote Sangyu’s status? It’s fine if she’s the secondary wife. I’m satisfied as long as your heart only has me.” 

  Ning Yuxuan turned his head to look at her. He said with a smile, “How could I bear to make you suffer like that? Even though Old Madame is slightly biased towards Nie Sangyu, she can’t go against convention.” 

  “But……” Wen Wan hesitantly said, “I saw how happy Sangyu made Old Madame today. If she finds out that you punished her and that she’s living in the most remote courtyard on the eastern side, won’t she get mad?” 

  “She won’t.” Although Marquis Moyu’s tone was gentle as he comforted her, his eyes were as deep as the sea. “I’ll deal with this matter. You don’t have to worry.” 

  — 

  After a post-lunchtime break, Ji Man confidently supported old madame as they went out for a stroll. During the walk, she told her about what happened in the household while she had been away, but she didn’t mention her punishment. She only said that she had been focused on praying to Buddha and had turned over a new leaf. 

  Her words filled old madame’s eyes with surprise. Old madame asked, “You’ve started to pray to Buddha?” 

  Ji Man lightly smiled. “This servant isn’t as devout as Old Madame and is only silently chanting them for peaceful mediation. This way, I won’t constantly chase after things that I can’t obtain.” 

  There was praise in old madame’s eyes. “It’s good that you can accept things as they are. There are some things that will come to you if you only stop obsessing over them. Unintentional actions might bring unexpected success.” 

  Ji Man smiled and agreed. She supported old madame as they walked through the residence’s flourishing garden and passed by the honored concubines’ grand courtyards. She could see Feiwan Courtyard up ahead. 

  Although Nie Sangyu was a concubine, she had once been Marquis Moyu’s legal wife. His current treatment of her was deplorable. She had lost all of her servant girls except Muxu two months ago. Feiwan Courtyard only had two rooms and it was slightly gloomy and cold. When the autumn wind blew by, it wasn’t that much better than the confinement courtyard. 

  Ji Man would admit that she had deliberately led old madame here, so that she would move her to a new courtyard. She had such a strong supporter. It would be a waste to not use it. 

  Translator Ramblings: I think the reason that Ji Man hasn’t mentioned to old madame about Ning Yuxuan punishing her is because she’s waiting for the perfect moment, when it’ll do most damage. Plus, as long as she doesn’t say anything, this blackmail material will continue to lurk behind him.

  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 037 out of 513 – Don’t abandon the wife that had suffered hardship with you for a new wife once you obtain success (2) 

  But, just as they walked to the intersection, she saw Marquis Moyu standing in the small path in front of them. 

  Hearing the sound of the steps, he turned around and asked, “Mother, did you come out to go for a walk?” 

  Old madame was slightly surprised by his appearance. “Why are you idling at home instead of with the crown prince today?” 

  As the crown prince’s close friend, Ning Yuxuan would often be out dealing with official work, or drinking alcohol and composing poems with him. The crown prince had also previously said he wanted to visit Chu Feng today. But, he had to cancel the crown prince’s invitation at the last minute in order to deal with the problem created by Nie Sangyu. 

  “The crown prince also wanted to rest today. Since this son hasn’t seen mother in two month and you returned today, it’ll be good to accompany you more.” Marquis Moyu easily said. 

  Ji Man could clearly sense that old madame’s mood became even better. Naturally, nothing could be better than her son missing her. 

  “It’s enough that you’re being thoughtful. You can come with us to Feiwan Courtyard.” Old madame said, “I haven’t seen Sangyu’s new courtyard yet.” 

  Ning Yuxuan nodded. He walked between Ji Man and old madame, then he supported old madame with one hand and the other hand seized Ji Man’s wrist. “Okay, I’ll go with the two of you.” 

  His hand was very hot as if he had recently exercised. The tips of Ji Man’s ears turned slightly red. She struggled to break free a few times and could only watch as he led them towards a different direction. 

  “My lord, aren’t we going to Feiwan Courtyard?” Ji Man curiously asked. 

  Ning Yuxuan turned his head. His eyes reflected her innocent gaze. He lightly smiled, “We are. I’ll bring mother there. You just have to follow us.” 

  Ji Man gritted her teeth. What was he planning? Feiwan Courtyard was clearly in the other direction! 

  After they passed through a small path, they saw a sign hanging at the entrance of an eastern courtyard up ahead. 

  Feiwan Courtyard. 

  Ji Man and Muxu looked at the grand Feiwan Courtyard in front of them. Their chins almost fell to the ground in shock. This courtyard was clearly a place for an honored concubine or a secondary wife to live. He was actually giving her, a concubine, this place? 

  However, old madame was nodding in satisfaction. “Xuan-er knows how to handle matters properly.” 

  Marquis Moyu lightly smiled, but his eyes held a warning when he glanced at Ji Man. 

  Ji Man quietly closed her mouth. Got it! Since she had profited by moving to this large courtyard, she would act obedient. But, it seemed that Ning Yuxuan was a filial son after all. Since he cared so much about old madame’s feelings, Wen Wan’s life would definitely be miserable in the future. 

  As old madame walked into the courtyard with Marquis Moyu, the wild roses in Feiwan Courtyard were still in bloom. When she saw the freshly dug soil, she didn’t say anything and just smiled. 

  “This courtyard isn’t any worse than Qiangwei Courtyard. It’s very suitable for Sangyu.” 

  The mother and son had reached a mutual tactic understanding. Marquis Moyu uttered an agreement and inwardly relaxed. 

  This courtyard had been empty anyways. Giving it to that woman to live in could be considered as making use of an old property. It would be worth it to dispel old madame’s idea of promoting her to the position of secondary wife. 

  — 

  In the evening, old madame let Nie Sangyu stay in the main courtyard during mealtime again. 

  Wen Wan stopped at the doorway with the servants holding the dishes behind her. She saw Nie Sangyu sitting to the left of old madame and felt slightly awkward. No matter what, she was the main wife, but here she was, bringing the food while Nie Sangyu, a concubine, was sitting down as if she wasn’t a servant. 

  Ji Man pretended that she didn’t see Wen Wan looking at her. She turned her head to chat with old madame, “Sangyu was really too foolish before.” 

  “True.” Old madame sighed with emotion, “When you married into this household, you were only a young girl. I remembered you use to tell everyone that you wanted to grow old with Xuan-er.” 

  Sitting on the other side, Marquis Moyu lifted his hand to signal that Wen Wan could sit down. He didn’t have any intention of responding to old madame’s words. 

  But, this didn’t hinder Ji Man from playing her part at all. She looked at Ning Yuxuan with tender feelings and said, “Old Madame, there’s no need to mention things that happened when Sangyu was young and inexperienced. The marquis has a new wife now. Naturally, Madam will be the person that grows old with him.” 

  Ji Man’s words put Wen Wan into the spotlight. Slightly embarrassed, she raised the corners of her lips into a smile. As a person that recently entered this household, she naturally wouldn’t be able to participate in a conversation about the past. She could only clutch her handkerchief and quietly sit. 

  “Old Madame, eat some of this.” Ji Man had heard from Muxu which foods that old madame like to eat, so she hurriedly added some to her bowl. 

  “This dish was personally cooked by Wen Wan.” Ning Yuxuan looked at Nie Sangyu. She had easily picked up the food as if she had been the one that cooked the dish. 

  Ji Man withdrew her chopsticks. After hesitating for a moment, she put down the chopsticks and appeared as if she was forcing herself to smile with great difficultly. “Then, I’ll have to ask Shouwu to serve Old Madame.” 

  Ji Man knew how to pretend to be magnanimous and she also knew how to pretend she was being wronged. After watching plenty of TV shows, this was super easy. 

  Old Madame cast a rebuking glance at Marquis Moyu and also put down her chopsticks. 

  Wen Wan became panicked. She felt so wronged that tears had already appeared in her eyes, “Yuxuan.” 

  Marquis Moyu intensely looked at Nie Sangyu. 

  Ji Man saw the same disgust in his eyes that she had seen during the wedding when they had met for the first time. 

  She shrugged. She hadn’t done anything wrong. It was his own fault for being too protective of the female lead and making Nie Sangyu feel bad. Besides, she was the secondary female character. So what if she made things difficult for the female lead? 

  “This son was wrong. This son will personally add food to mother’s bowl.” Ning Yuxuan raised the corners of his lips, picked up his chopsticks, and transferred one of the braised meatballs that Wen Wan had made into old madame’s bowl. 

  Old madame calmly looked at him and said, “When you were a child, I taught you the importance of benevolence, righteousness, loyalty, and filial piety. But, I forgot to teach you to not abandon the wife that had suffered hardship with you for a new wife once you obtain success. I reluctantly accepted that woman as your wife, but I don’t want you to forgot the person that had accompany you during the past years because of that woman.” 

  Hearing these words, Ning Yuxuan slightly furrowed his brow. Although he felt angry, he didn’t dare to talk back. He could only lower his gaze and said, “This son understands.”


  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 038 out of 513 – It’s time to have a son (1) 

  Although Wen Wan had tried her best by personally cooking all of old madame’s favorite dishes, because of this unpleasant episode, old madame didn’t smile even once during this meal. 

  Wen Wan felt bad. On the way back to Qiangwei Courtyard, she turned around and cried into Ning Yuxuan’s chest. “Yuxuan……” 

  Feeling distressed for her, Marquis Moyu hugged her and comforted her by saying, “En. It’s okay. You have me. That’s just mother’s temperament. If you can’t please her, then just go to the main courtyard less.” 

  Wen Wan pouted and said with a grievance voice, “But she’s your mother. I want her to like me.” 

  “Go slowly with this.” Marquis Moyu patted her back. “As time passes, old madame will naturally see your good points.” 

  Wen Wan nodded. She leaned against Ning Yuxuan’s chest with her eyes slightly downcast. 

  — 

  After old madame came back, the treatment towards Nie Sangyu clearly improved in all aspects. Not only did she move to a larger courtyard, the kitchen servants also delivered better quality food. 

  Aunty Zhao also personally cooked pigeon soup and brought the soup along with the remaining thirty silver teals to Feiwan Courtyard today. 

  “This servant is here to return the leftover money. This is amount remaining after this servant had purchased the items that Master Sang had wanted.” Her tone was flattering and without any of her original audacity of a servant bullying her master. 

  Ji Man pursed her lips into a smile, “Aunty Zhao, does this mean you’re not willing to work for Sangyu anymore?” 

  Aunty Zhao hurriedly shook her head. “How could that be? Master Sang, if there’s anything that you want, you only need to give your command.” She had seen that Master Sang could now freely leave the residence and she also had old madame’s protection. Thus, she naturally wouldn’t need her to buy things on her behalf. She had come here to curry favor with her by returning the money. 

  Ji Man stood up, personally helped her stand up, and said with a smile, “Since you’re still willing to work for me, then why are you returning the money to me? Even if you no longer need to use the money on my behalf, you can keep it and use it to send your son for private schooling.” 

  Aunty Zhao hadn’t expected that after Master Sang would still be so gentle after she had regained power. Her heart was slightly moved and she wrapped up the silver taels, “Master Sang, thank you for this reward.” 

  Ji Man continued to smile. After she said a few sentences of praise, she changed the topic and said, “I heard that recently a rouge shop in the capital has been doing good business by selling cold cream. Old Madame also likes to use this item. Aunty Zhao, if you really want to help me, invite the shopkeeper to the residence for me, so that I easily order more cold cream from her.” 

  Either Steward Qian would be in charge of this type of purchase or the marquis’s wife would be the one making this decision. Either way, it would never be Nie Sangyu’s turn to make the order. However, cold cream was a special item that could obtain the favor of masters and servants. Beside, the other masters in the household didn’t seem particularly aware of this yet. As soon as Aunty Zhao thought of this, she understood. Master Sang probably wanted to use this item to compete for favor. 

  She would definitely help with this task. For an inexplicable reason, she suddenly thought that if she followed Master Sang, it might be possible for her to have boundless future prospects. 

  “This servant will secretly bring that shopkeeper into the residence.” 

  — 

  Ji Man cheerfully waited. After Ji Man attended to old madame during lunchtime, Shouwu would apply a facial for old madame during the break after lunch. Since she had free time, she should ask about the rouge store’s current situation. 

  Aunt Zhao was still quite reliable with handling work. Halfway through the afternoon, Ji Man saw a very surprise-looking Miss Shui entering Feiwan Couryard. She was dressed up from top to bottom. 

  “Madam, this……” Miss Shui hadn’t known about her identity. Seeing that she was someone from Marquis Moyu’s household, her face immediately paled. Then, she looked at the courtyard Nie Sangyu was living in and her lips started to slightly tremble. 

  “Don’t be scared.” Ji Man said with a smile, “The better my position is, the better position our rouge store will be in. Why are you scared instead of being happy?” 

  Miss Shui hadn’t expected that Ji Man would have such a noble identity. After a while, she finally recovered from her shock and started to feel happy. This madam was the rouge store’s behind-the-scenes shopkeeper. In other words, she was the store’s supporter. The more stable the supporter was, the better off the rouge store would be. 

  She had brought the account book and also the list of orders. Her smile was so big that her eyes were closed. “Madam, look at this first. Our store has only been open for three days, but our business is absolutely flourishing. My previous customers had all come to the new store. Yongning Street is a bustling street, so there were also numerous new customers. I met many madams from noble families during the past two days.” 

  Ji Man pretended to look through the account book. She didn’t want to bother with looking through these financial records. After flipping through the pages, she turned her attention to the list of orders and brought it closer to look. 

  She had stipulated that there would be a limited supply of cold cream. One after another, many madams and misses had wanted to place an order after trying the cold cream. Miss Shui was a person that knew how to do business well. Seeing that there was only a limited supply, she only accepted two orders per day and kept the remaining order in reserve. If she met a woman from an ordinary family, she would say it was sold out. When she met a customer from a rich family, she would take out the order form. 

  The store’s publicity was also doing well in the capital. Although they weren’t able to buy the cold cream yet, they were able to sample it. Praise for the cold cream spread further and further. She believed that it would take less than a month for cold cream to become a huge success. 

  Ji Man was very satisfied. First, she had Muxu give the big and small boxes of cold cream they had previously made to Miss Shui. Miss Shui had brought a large bag with her that was filled with the raw material that Ji Man had requested in order to continue the production. And so, when she left with the same large bag, no one said anything. 

  — 

  The women in the marquis’s residence either spent their days embroidering or competing for his favor. It was mind-numbingly boring. And so, Ji Man used her free time to make cold cream to earn money and didn’t think about assigning this work to other people. Muxu worked with her as they experimented with new flowers to make different types of cold cream. Whenever there was a failed product, they would secretly bury it in the garden. Anyways, this courtyard was big enough. 

  Thinking about the bank notes that would soon arrive, Ji Man smiled even when she was dreaming. When she went to old madame’s side to serve her each day, she was always brightly smiling, so her skin appeared even better.

  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 039 out of 513 – It’s time to have a son (2) 

  Nie Sangyu had the old madame to support her, but the other concubines, who didn’t have the marquis’s love or old madame’s support, found it difficult to even have the opportunity to see him and their hearts inevitably felt a sense of disequilibrium. 

  And so, when Ji Man came out from old madame’s courtyard today, she saw Mu Shuiqing standing outside. 

  Looking at Nie Sangyu from far away, Mu Shuiqing derisively shook her handkerchief. “Yo, isn’t this Master Sang? I need to stand farther away. Otherwise, you’ll blame me for pushing you again when you were the one that fell into the water yourself.” 

  Ji Man didn’t take this level of provocation seriously at all. “Master Qing, have you finished embroidering those handkerchiefs?” 

  At the mention of this, Mu Shuiqing became so mad that her face changed colors. This had originally been Nie Sangyu’s job, but all of it had been given to her to do. If she hadn’t convinced Madam to say a few good words for her, the marquis would have decided that she had to continue to shut herself up and ponder over her mistakes. Wouldn’t this mean that she was being treated the same way as this poisonous woman? 

  “I’ve been thinking of giving my personal servant girl, Muxu, a new handkerchief. Her current one is getting ratty. Master Qing, I’ll have to ask you to embroider faster.” Ji Man lightly smiled and very gracefully saluted Mu Shuiqing. Then, she continued walking forward with Muxu following behind her. 

  Mu Shuiqing’s expression was very ugly. She turned her head to look at Nie Sangyu’s departing figure and angrily shouted, “You won’t be feeling for proud for long!” 

  At the very least, she was the crown prince’s person. The crown prince and empress’s side and Noble Consort Nie’s side were as incompatible as water and fire. Once this woman made a mistake, she would seize that opportunity and make sure that Nie Sangyu would never be able to reverse her fortunes again! 

  After seething with anger for a long time by herself, Mu Shuiqing finally turned around and continued walking to Qiangwei Courtyard. 

  — 

  Later that day, Ji Man heard the news that the marquis had sent a message for Mu Shuiqing to serve him in the western courtyard. Ji Man shrugged her shoulders. She wasn’t the slightest bit curious on why Mu Shuiqing was suddenly receiving his favor. Based on the frequency of her visits to Qiangwei Courtyard, as well as the female lead’s low IQ, the female lead would have delivered Mu Shuiqing to Marquis Moyu’s bed sooner or later. 

  — 

  However, old madame wasn’t happy. Since she had come back, her son hadn’t sent for Sangyu even once. Other than tonight, he had been staying at Qiangwei Courtyard every night. 

  And so, on the next day, Marquis Moyu was summoned by old madame. 

  “It’s time for you to consider heirs.” Old madame said, “The sons in other families have already given their mothers grandchildren. Why is it only you that’s not wiling to spare your mother from worrying?” 

  Marquis Moyu lightly smiled, “Mother, don’t be anxious. This son is just hoping to give you a grandchild that’s born from the wife. This son will do his best.” 

  A child born from the wife naturally meant that the child had to be given birth to by Wen Wan. But, the two of them had been married for a while and she had received the favor of Marquis Moyu’s rain and dew a significant number of times without any changes in her menstrual cycle. The doctors had examined her and said there weren’t any problems with her body. The baby would come when it was the right time. 

  Old madame really wanted to make trouble for Wen Wan, but Nie Sangyu hadn’t produced a child after six years and Wen Wan had only been married to her son for two months. So, she simply didn’t have any basis for voicing any complaints. 

  — 

  Qi Siling warmly went to visit Wen Wan and said, “I heard that after one of Nie Clan’s honored concubines obtained a very effective fertility charm, she became pregnant within a month. Madam, how about asking Master Sang to borrow that fertility charm for you to try?” 

  Wen Wan was very anxious. Although Yuxuan said there was no rush, she still wanted to become pregnant sooner so that old madame would be happier with her and her position would become more stable. And so, after she heard these words from Qi Siling, Wen Wan only hesitated for a little bit before she went to visit Nie Sangyu. 

  When Ji Man heard her request, she didn’t know whether she should laugh or cry. She wanted her to take someone else’s fertility charm and give it to her? What kind of nonsense was this? What if Wen Wan gave birth to a girl, wouldn’t she hate her to death? 

  But, Ji Man didn’t refuse her. She only smiled and asked, “Madam, how did you find out that Nie Clan’s honored concubine had a fertility charm? The fertility charm was from Yongling Mountain’s temple. No one outside of our family knows this.” 

  Wen Wan was slightly surprised, so she said, “Siling had inadvertently mentioned this to me when we were talking today. If this would inconvenience you, then I’ll think of another method.” 

  “It’s not that it’ll trouble me.” Ji Man shook her head and said, “That type of thing is only effective if you go up the mountain yourself and ask the temple for it. Naturally, it wouldn’t be proper to use someone else’s charm.” 

  Qi Siling had laid out a trap. If it was Nie Sangyu being asked this question, regardless if she agree or disagreed, there wouldn’t be a good result. Although she didn’t know where Nie Clan’s honored concubine had gotten the fertility charm, it was easy enough to make up an excuse to resolve this problem. 

  Yongling Mountain was right outside of the capital. It would only take a day to go there and back by carriage. Right now, Wen Wan was willing to turn to anyone during her crisis, so she immediately had the servants prepare a carriage. She would go to Yongling Mountain tomorrow. 

  “Why are you so anxious?” Marquis Moyu sighed, “It’s not like I’m forcing you.” 

  Wen Wan glared at him, “You’re not a woman, so you naturally don’t understand the plight of women. I’m worried to death, but you can’t understand how I’m feeling at all.” 

  Marquis Moyu was slightly unhappy. He had indulged her too much. She was becoming increasingly lacking in following the established rules. When she hadn’t followed etiquette once or twice, he had regarded it as her being young and cutely spoiled. But when this repeatedly happened, he inevitably felt that she didn’t understand the established rules. 

  But, he didn’t say these thoughts out loud. Instead, he went back to the western courtyard that night and sent for Mu Shuiqing. 

  Mu Shuiqing was also a person that Wen Wan had stuffed at him. He didn’t like Mu Shuiqing’s personality, but it wasn’t worth the fuss to change her for someone else. If he sent for Mu Shuiqing, Wen Wan wouldn’t say anything. 

  — 

  However, the course of life was frequently melodramatic and full of nonsense. One month later, the fertility charm that Wen Wan had obtained with great difficulty gave Mu Shuiqing a pregnancy.

  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 040 out of 513 – A small-minded and shortsighted female lead (1) 

  While Ji Man was counting the banknotes that Miss Shui had recently delivered, she had Muxu give Miss Shui the newly finished inventory while she was here. During the past month, cold cream had become extremely popular throughout the capital. The demand had already exceeded the supply. There was a limit to Ji Man and Muxu’s production speed. Therefore, the price of the cold cream was constantly increasing. The price of a small box of cold cream had increased to twenty silver taels. This was an amount that an ordinary family would spend in half a year. 

  Miss Shui was a skillful businessperson. Once she received the inventory, she first delivered the cold cream to the families that they couldn’t afford to offend. Then, she sold the cold cream in accordance to list of orders. She had heard that there was a black market for cold cream. Speculation had caused a big box of cold cream to be sold at a price of one or two gold taels. 

  Since cold cream was a best seller, Miss Shui wanted Ji Man to increase the available inventory. However, Ji Man continued to only give her a hundred boxes per month under the logic that rarity would keep the price high. 

  After Miss Shui left, Muxu couldn’t resist asking, “Master, this is such a profitable item. How about we hire some people to make it?” 

  Ji Man shook her head, “Increasing it will cause misfortune. Don’t be greedy.” 

  But, looking at the pile of money, Ji Man was very happy. When she was walking, her head was held high and her back was straight. A woman that was financial independent had true independence and ample self-confidence. 

  And so, when old madame’s face was stretched taut and Wen Wan’s eyes were red, Ji Man was the only person in the main courtyard, who indifferently looked at the bashfully sitting down Mu Shuiqing. 

  Today, when Mu Shuiqing was serving old madame by adding food to her bowl, she inexplicably vomited because of the smell of fish. Old madame’s first reaction was anger, but she suddenly thought of something and hurriedly ordered the servants to summon the doctors. 

  A few senior doctors examined her pulse for a long time before they finally determined that Mu Shuiqing was one month pregnant. Counting the days, the conception must have occurred during the time that Wen Wan had gone to the temple for a fertility charm. 

  This was tantamount to slapping Wen Wan’s face. She couldn’t cry and she wasn’t able to smile. She locked herself in her room for a long time before she finally came out of her room with red eyes and returned to the main courtyard. 

  Marquis Moyu had originally gone to the palace for the day. When he heard the news, he hurriedly returned. From his expression, it wasn’t clear if he was happy or not about the news. When he came into the room, he immediately walked to Wen Wan’s side and turned to salute old madame. 

  It took a long time before old madame finally apathetically said, “It could be considered good news that our family will have a future descendant now.” It was very clear that even though she wanted a grandson, the person giving birth to the grandson was more important. 

  All in all, it was still Marquis Moyu’s child. It was one thing for his first child’s mother to be a concubine, but this concubine had a rather unclean background. 

  It would have been socially unacceptable to bring a hostess from a brothel home as a concubine, but the crown prince had taken in Mu Shuiqing first and had her trained for two years. She happened to be nineteen year old when she was sent into the marquis’s household. 

  Although she was only a hostess, she was a hostess that the crown prince had intentionally added to the marquis’s household. She was left here as the crown prince’s representative, so Marquis Moyu naturally had to acknowledge that her status was higher than the other concubines’. 

  But, acknowledging was one thing. He had planned on letting her stay as a concubine forever. Who would have expected that she would be the first woman to become pregnant in the marquis’s household?” 

  It would have been strange for old madame to be happy. She was longing for Mu Shuiqing to give birth to a daughter that could be sent far away. 

  Ji Man stood by the side as a bystander. She carefully looked at the expressions on everyone’s faces. Ning Yuxuan’s gaze never moved away from Wen Wan’s body. He hadn’t even glanced on Mu Shuiqing when he came in. It seemed that he didn’t care that much about her pregnancy either. 

  “Wan-er, make arrangements. Once a woman is pregnant, she can’t be so casual with her health. Arrange for two more female servants to serve at her side. She also needs to be more careful with the food that she eats.” Old Madam ordered. 

  Wen Wan hurriedly stood up. With her head lowered, she said, “Understood.” 

  Looking at Wen Wan’s expression that showed a slight amount of resentfulness and grievance, Ning Yuxuan inwardly sighed. After Wen Wan finished making arrangements, he led Wen Wan back to Qiangwei Courtyard as everyone started to leave the room. 

  Ji Man looked at Mu Shuiqing’s slightly pale face and couldn’t help rejoicing in this disaster. Mu Shuiqing would have definitely thought that her life would change after she became pregnant, but she didn’t understand that Ning Yuxuan had stopped caring about her a long time ago. From the time he entered and left the room, he had only looked at Wen Wan. 

  “Be careful when you’re walking.” Ji Man looked at Mu Shuiqing, who was exaggeratedly being supported by two servant girls while walking. She said with a smile, “It seems that no one cherishes this baby, but you should still be more protective of it.” 

  “What did you say?” Mu Shuiqing gritted her teeth. She was so angry that her hands were shaking. “Who doesn’t cherish my baby?” 

  Ji Man shrugged. She didn’t believe that Mu Shuiqing couldn’t see the truth. But, it was immoral to provoke pregnant women, so she wouldn’t say anymore. She turned around and walked her own path. 

  Mu Shuiqing stood in place for a long time. No one looked at her as they passed by. Liu Hanyun walked past her without looking sideways. Qian Lianxue also indifferently walked past her. 

  However, the last person that came out, Qi Siling, stopped in front of her and said, “It was a really bad move for you to offend Madam at this juncture.” 

  Mu Shuiqing expression was very ugly as she slowly returned to her own courtyard. She was so angry that she didn’t even have the appetite to eat dinner. 

  — 

  In Qiangwei Courtyard, Wen Wan had already silently cried for an hour and Ning Yuxuan didn’t have any ideas left. He had tried every method to coax her, but Wen Wan continued to cry. 

  He asked, “Do you hate me? You were the one wanted me to favor Qing-er.” 

  “You’re actually turning around and blaming me?” Wen Wan’s childish temper started and she sobbed, “Another woman is pregnant with your child before me, and you won’t allow me to cry?” 

  Ning Yuxuan was speechless, but he couldn’t help feeling bad when he heard her crying. Feeling restless, he stood up and walked outside.

  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 041 out of 513 – A small-minded and shortsighted female lead (2) 

  Wen Wan was a small-minded and shortsighted female lead. In the original novel, after she had vented her feelings like this a few times, the marquis had dismissed all of the concubines in the household and they reached their perfect ending. They were like an inseparable pair of birds that flew together and stayed together. 

  Ji Man couldn’t help thinking that the original novel was written by a brain-dead person. True love was one thing. Living one’s life was another matter. How deep would a love have to be to last for an entire lifetime? At the most, the sweetness of love would last for a few years. The remaining years would depend on the couple’s ability to get along with each other. Wen Wan was the type of a woman that could only last during the honeymoon period. She absolutely wasn’t someone that you could spend the rest of your life with. 

  Marquis Moyu decided to take a walk around the residence. As he walked, he tried to think of ways that would make Wen Wan’s life better. Just after he left Qiangwei Courtyard and passed through a shady spot under the trees, he saw Nie Sangyu sitting in a pavilion. There were two cups of tea on the pavilion’s table. 

  “My lord.” Ji Man looked at him with a smile. “If there’s something that’s troubling you, how about saying it out loud? Perhaps, this servant will have a way to help you.” 

  Ning Yuxuan slightly raised an eyebrow and aimlessly walked over. “How did you know that I was going to leave Qiangwei Courtyard?” 

  Ji Man lowered her eyes. “This servant just came here to drink tea.” 

  “You’re using two cups to drink tea by yourself?” 

  “.……” Ji Man cleared her throat. “My lord, you’re a clever person and this servant isn’t too stupid. Madam found out that Master Qing is pregnant today, so it’s only inevitable that she would be feeling uncomfortable and the marquis wouldn’t linger in Qiangwei Courtyard. And so, this servant came here to try my luck.” 

  Marquis Moyu profoundly looked at her for a moment, then he sat down to left of her. “What’s your idea?” 

  Wen Wan was angry with him. But as the main wife, she should be happy for him when she found out that he would have soon have a descendent. And so, Ning Yuxuan didn’t know how to persuade her. But at the same time, he truly loved her, so he wasn’t willing to blame her. 

  Ji Man lightly smiled, “Madam has always been wanting to have a baby. But in the end, someone else had a child before her. No matter what, it was only expected that she would become angry. My lord, why don’t you clear things up by directly saying that after Master Qing gives birth, the child will be given to Madam to raise, regardless if it’s a boy or girl. This way Madam will feel better.” 

  It was a common occurrence for the main wife to raise the oldest child, even if the child wasn’t her own. Marquis Moyu sighed and said, “I had also thought about this method. But, with Wen Wan’s temperament, I can’t say for sure that she’ll feel happier if I tell her this.” 

  “She’s a woman. As long you spend more time coaxing her, it’ll be fine.” Ji Man said, “Madam is definitely afraid that if someone else becomes pregnant, the other woman will steal away your heart. My lord, if you spend time with her every day and don’t look at Master Qing, Madam will naturally understand your feelings.” 

  Marquis Moyu raised his head and chuckled, “Are you still bearing a grudge against Qing-er for pushing you into the pond?” 

  She obviously wanted him to give Mu Shuiqing the cold shoulder. Mu Shuiqing was also a person that he had to worry about. If she were given the cold shoulder after becoming pregnant, she would definitely cause trouble. 

  Ji Man looked at Marquis Moyu with a slightly melancholy expression and said, “My lord, why do you always think Sangyu is so petty? Master Qing had already been punished for last time. Why would Sangyu still want to harm her? But, my lord, you know Master Qing’s temperament. If you allow her to do as she pleased, Madam will definitely end up unhappy. With Master Qing’s personality, it’s easy for her to offend people. It’ll be difficult for her to keep this baby.” 

  Ning Yuxaun raised his eyebrows, “Are you saying that you’re doing this for her own good?” 

  Even if you beat him to death, he wouldn’t believe that Nie Sangyu would have this type of inclination. 

  Ji Man shook her head and very seriously said, “This servant is only telling the marquis something that might make Madam feel happier in order to curry favor by being well-behaved in front of the marquis. As for whether the marquis will listen or not, the power is in your hands.” 

  Ning Yuxuan quietly harrumphed. He looked at the person in front of him. Her eyes were as bright as the red glow of sunrise. He pursed his lips and said, “If you just honestly don’t do anything, that would be the most obedient.” 

  Ji Man lowered her head to laugh and said, “My lord, don’t worry. This servant won’t compete or desire anything.” 

  Only a fool would actually believe a woman’s words, including hers. How could she possible not want anything? There were many things that she wanted. But, these things couldn’t be rushed. She had to take these things step by step. 

  Ning Yuxuan picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip. It tasted fresh and sweet with a fragrant scent. It was actually osmanthus tea. 

  He furrowed his eyebrows. He put down the tea and said, “I don’t like to drink sweet teas like this one.” 

  Ji Man raised an eyebrow, casually took the cup he had drunk tea from, took a sip, and licked her lips. “You don’t even like to drink tea that’s made from dew. Then, next time, if there’s anything sweet, this servant will help you eat it and drink it.” 

  Ning Yuxuan slightly widened his eyes. He hadn’t expected that she would do something like this. After being stunned for a while, he finally slightly pursed his lips and said, “Pay attention to decorum.” 

  Ji Man realized what she had done and somewhat awkwardly put down the cup. “This servant has overstepped. This servant will be leaving to go to the palace with Old Madam later and won’t bother the marquis any further.” 

  Going to the palace? Ning Yuxuan knew that Noble Consort Nie’s confinement period had ended and his mother was going to the palace to visit her. But, hadn’t they already spoken about this before? Only the main wife and secondary wife had the status to enter the palace. As a concubine, how could she enter the palace? 

  “My lord, you don’t have to worry.” Ji Man saw the confusion in his eyes and lowered her gaze as she ridiculed herself, “Other than the concubine status you gave me, I still have my identity as Noble Consort Nie’s niece. As long as I keep a low-profile, it shouldn’t be difficult for me to enter the palace with Old Madame.” 

  Marquis Moyu paused, raised his eyes to look at the well-behaved person in front of him, and surprisingly felt somewhat guilty.

  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 042 out of 513 – The devastatingly beautiful Noble Consort Nie (1) 

  In the past, he had maltreated Nie Sangyu because she failed to see the larger issues and provoked his annoyance and disgust. But, the person in front of him right now had already changed from a shrew to proper, magnanimous, and unselfish woman. Thinking of their marriage that had occurred before their adulthood ceremonies, Ning Yuxuan felt a slight sense of humanness and ended up not willing to make her suffer. 

  Besides, if Nie Sangyu entered the palace using her identify as a member of Noble Consort Nie’s maiden family, what would happen to reputation of his marquis’s household? 

  After being silent for a while, Ning Yuxuan stood up and said, “Come with me first.” 

  Ji Man raised her head to look at him in confusion. The carriage would be leaving soon. Why would she go somewhere with him? 

  Ning Yuxuan lifted his feet and started walking forward. Ji Man could only follow after him. As they were walking, Ji Man carefully scrutinized the side of his face. Although his face was mostly expressionless, he didn’t seem angry, so she put down her worries. 

  Marquis Moyu led her to western courtyard, told her to wait outside, and entered his room. A short while later, he came out with a circular jade accessory. 

  The jade accessory was truly circular and felt very nice to touch. There wasn’t a decorative pattern on the jade, but it had a neatly carved character, “Ning”. 

  To be honest, this jade accessory looked really ugly. It was a wasted use of a valuable piece of white jade. However, when Ning Yuxuan put the jade into her hand, he still hesitated slightly. 

  “In the end, you’re still a person from my household.” Marquis Moyu finally loosened his grip and the piece of jade fell into the hollow of Nie Sangyu’s palm. 

  Ji Man was at a loss. She naturally didn’t understand the significance of this item. Just as she was about to ask him, Ning Yuxuan extremely impatiently said, “If you’re going to the palace, you should hurry up and go. Why are you dilly-dallying? Mother might already be waiting for you at the entrance.” 

  One moment he was cold, the next moment he was warm. It really was difficult to understand this person’s thoughts. Ji Man decided that since he was giving this item away for free, she would just accept it. After she hanged the jade accessory on her waist, she ran back to Feiwan Courtyard in small steps. She had Muxu straightened her up before they would walk to the main entrance. 

  “Master,” Muxu saw the jade accessory that was hanging on Nie Sangyu’s waist and was very surprised. “This…… Did the marquis give you this?” 

  Ji Man nodded. The surface of the jade accessory was carved with his last name. 

  Muxu brightened with joy. She stretched her hand out and replaced the silver hairpin in Nie Sangyu’s hair with the jewelry they had redeemed back from the pawnshop, until her hair was covered in gold. She also changed Nie Sangyu’s clothing to a long pink dress over white sleeves. 

  “What’s this for?” Ji Man was confused. 

  “Although the marquis gave you this jade accessory without announcing it to the household, it’s still worth of a celebration.” Muxu happily said, “This is the jade accessory with the marquis’s last name that can only be worn by the secondary wife. The marquis must have definitely felt that he couldn’t bear to let you lose face when entering the palace. This servant naturally can’t let you look unpresentable either.” 

  Secondary wife? Ji Man was speechless from amazement. She had only said a few words and Marquis Moyu had actually been this generous? Hadn’t he originally done everything possible to block old madame from promoting her to secondary wife? Why did he end up giving her this jade accessory himself? 

  “This servant had just been thinking. What will you do if you meet Madam Nie and Old Master in the palace? But, now it’s fine. Although you had committed a huge mistake, you’re still the marquis’s secondary wife and other people won’t dare to be derisive towards you.” As Muxu said this, she helped her stand up with a smiling face. 

  Ji Man leaned her head to side and thought for a long time. Even as they were walking, she still continued to think. Ning Yuxuan didn’t seem like the type of person that would be willing to forgive Nie Sangyu after a short period of time. He had suddenly given her such a great favor. What was his purpose? 

  As she was getting into the carriage with old madame, old madame saw the jade accessory. Her eyes brightened, but she wasn’t too surprised. “Xuan-er was finally willing to give this to you.” 

  Ji Man smiled in a well-behaved manner and said, “Sangyu will have thank the marquis for his favor again when we return.” 

  “It’s fine for you to thank him, but he’s currently having a disagreement with that person in Qiangwei Courtyard. Don’t directly go there and add to the trouble.” Old madame advised. 

  Ji Man naturally understood the logic behind her words. Since Marquis Moyu hadn’t announced to the household about giving her this jade accessory, she would just treat it as him lending her this item temporarily. When they came back from the palace, she would still have to return this jade accessory to him. 

  After old madame has sat down in the carriage, she quietly discussed, “Right now, your older brother’s political career is going smoothly and your father continues to be highly regarded by the emperor. But, Nie Clan’s branches had recently been significantly cut down and those people are more aware of their place and won’t go beyond their bounds. Thus, the emperor is willing to favor Noble Consort Nie again. As for you, be better behaved. Don’t always rush forward and land yourself on the chopping block.” 

  “Sangyu understands.” Ji Man nodded. Her mind faintly became aware of what had happened. Marquis Moyu had only been willing to treat Nie Sangyu better because of Nie Clan. In addition, so that he wouldn’t be putting old madame into a difficult position, he had given her a reasonable status to meet Noble Consort Nie. 

  And so, this meant that his change didn’t have much to do with her personal performance. She had thought that if this man saw Nie Sangyu acting well-behaved for the past few months, he would be able to see her good points. 

  However, Ji Man was still feeling happy that she would be able to see this dynasty’s palace. She would treat this experience as a free vacation. 

  Before they entered the palace, they had to go through three inspections. After the formalities were completed, old madame came down from the carriage and brought Nie Sangyu with her as they followed the palace servants deeper into the palace. This dynasty was called Song Dynasty and its economic environment was comparable to the historical Song Dynasty. 

  The current palace wasn’t as lavish as the palace in the Qing Dynasty. The red walls and yellow tiles weren’t too excessively majestic to the point of feeling oppressive. It was only that the covered corridors meandered like ribbons with twists and turns. The eaves of the roofs were curved upwards like a beast’s fangs and there was a building or pavilion every five or ten steps. All in all, it was different from a commoner’s place. 

  Noble Consort Nie had always been very favored by the emperor and the place she lived in was more glamorous than the other halls. Ji Man kept her head lowered while she followed old madame inside. When they entered the hall, she saw layers of gauzy curtains with a vague figure behind them and smelled the strong scent of incense.

  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 043 out of 513 – The devastatingly beautiful Noble Consort Nie (2) 

  “Your servant greets the noble consort.” Old madame neatly kneeled before the gauzy curtains. 

  Ji Man hurriedly kneeled too, but she didn’t know how to address herself, so she simply didn’t say anything. 

  Laughter came from behind the curtains. “I had been hoping you would visit soon. It’s lonely in the palace. There isn’t anyone I can talk to here.” 

  Then, Noble Consort Nie ordered, “Pengshu and the others, withdraw and close the front doors for this consort. Other than the emperor, don’t let anyone else enter. Do you understand?” 

  “Understood.” The female palace servant acknowledged her command, hurriedly led the group of palace servants out of the hall, and a deep, groaning sound was heard from the front doors as they were closed. 

  “Quickly, rise.” The person behind the gauzy curtains got up from her cushioned couch, separated the layer upon layer of curtains, and personally helped old madame stand up. 

  “Xiu-er, if you didn’t come here to talk with me soon, I would have almost died from being shut up in here.” Noble Consort Nie’s voice was choked up with emotion. It didn’t sound anything like her earlier cheerful laughter. 

  Standing by the side, Ji Man couldn’t resist secretly glancing at Noble Consort Nie. 

  One look was enough to shock her. Logically, Noble Consort Nie was the around the same age as old madame. Although she possessed elegant bearing and charm, she was still a middle age woman. 

  However, Noble Consort Nie had a small face with shining, tenderhearted, almond-shaped eyes and seductive figure. She didn’t look like a woman in her thirties or forties. 

  People couldn’t be blamed for saying that the Song Emperor was bewitched by Noble Consort Nie’s beauty. There were very few people that wouldn’t be bewitched by her devastating beauty. However, her skin didn’t look as youthful anymore. There were a few fine lines and it looked slightly dull. 

  “I know you suffered grievances.” Old madame sighed. She held Noble Consort Nie’s hand and sat down at the table with her. “Sangyu wasn’t sensible and gave the emperor a reason. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to bear with punishing you.” 

  Following old madame’s words, Ji Man kneeled down again. “Aunt, Sangyu caused trouble for you and came here to humbly apologize.” 

  Noble Consort Nie turned around to look at her. She shook her head and stretched a hand out to help her stand up. “It can’t be completely blamed on you. He wanted to prune Nie Clan’s leaves. Even if you didn’t barge into the palace, he would have found another reason. It’s only that you really need to change your temperament. You must have also suffered a lot during this period of time, right?” 

  Ji Man did her best to grin. She looked at her beautiful aunt, shook her head, and said, “Sangyu hasn’t suffered. I’ve lived in the marquis’s household for several years and finally figured things out. I won’t act as impulsive and unruly as before. I’ll consider myself fortunate if I can properly serve Old Madame and aunt for the rest of my life.” 

  Noble Consort Nie was slightly shocked. She stretched her hand to stroke Nie Sangyu’s hair. “You seem to have become much more sensible. When I heard that Yuxuan had demoted you to a concubine, I was worried that you would take things too hard.” 

  Nie Sangyu had truly taken things too hard, but she, Ji Man, wouldn’t take these things to heart. If it weren’t for Nie Clan, Ning Yuxuan would have definitely directly divorced Nie Sangyu. For her to continue to stay at the marquis’s residence and make a comeback, this opportunity was already hard to come by. 

  “No matter how depressed I was, I became less depressed when I thought about my family,” Ji Man said with a smile. “Compared to the amount of doting that the marquis had given me, Old Madame and aunt had given me much more. So, why should Sangyu waste time obsessing over this matter?” 

  Noble Consort Nie froze from shock and contemplated these words for a long time. Her eyes redden again, “Even a young girl is able to take a lighter view than me. Xiu-er, I had prepared a stomachful of grievances to tell you, but this girl has decreased half of it just by saying a few words.” 

  Old madame’s eyes held praise as she glanced at Nie Sangyu. Then, holding Noble Consort Nie’s hand, she quietly said, “The two of you, aunt and niece, are the same. You’re both the type that falls head over heels. But, Your Highness, your servant had already said a long time ago, there’s no such thing as real feelings in the imperial family. When the emperor is willing to favor you, you should treasure it. Don’t act immaturely by causing trouble for him. On the other side, the empress is glaring at you like a tiger watching her prey. The crown prince has also recently been working industriously. If you don’t start to fight for the third prince and help him now, it’ll be too late if you want to speak later.” 

  On the surface, Noble Consort Nie and the empress had a peaceful relationship. But, in private, they fiercly competed with each other. The crown prince was not only oldest son, but also the son of the legal wife. The emperor rather liked his intelligence and elegant demeanor. The third prince was Noble Consort Nie’s son, but he liked the mountains and rivers and preferred to stand aloof from worldly affairs. Even though Noble Consort Nie was anxious to death, she didn’t have a way to change him. 

  “He doesn’t want it. What’s the use in me competing for him?” Noble Consort Nie sighed. “There will be new people in the palace next year. When I look at myself in the mirror and see myself growing older each day, I feel despair from the bottom of my heart.” 

  Old madame shook her head, “Countless women have been added to the harem during the past years, but doesn’t he still stay at your place for a few days every month. What’s there for you to worry about?” 

  “But……” Noble Consort Nie touched her face. “Women age faster in the palace. When the time comes and I’m physically and mentally exhausted, perhaps my hair will turn white overnight.” 

  Old madame thought about the gift that Sangyu had brought with her when they left the palace, hurriedly turned her head, and said, “Sangyu has something good she wants to give to Your Highness. Your Highness, how about looking at it? 

  Ji Man nodded, went outside, and took back the bundle wrapped in cloth that she had recently handed over to a place servant. 

  “Sangyu had gathered these items from outside the palace. These are all beautifying items to nourish the skin to maintain a youthful appearance. Your Highness, if you find these items comfortable to use, Sangyu will bring more of these items next time.” 

  Hearing the words, “beautifying items, youthful appearance”, Noble Consort Nie’s eyes brightened. Seeing Sangyu taking out various containers, she couldn’t resist curiously asking, “What are their effects?” 

  Old madame slightly smiled and said, “Just look at my face. You were so preoccupied with being broken-hearted that you didn’t notice I’m only wearing light makeup today. Do you see that the spots on my face have diminished a lot?”


  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 044 out of 513 – Putting up advertisement. Settling the household (1) 

  It was only now that Noble Consort Nie had the inclination to carefully look at old madame’s face. At first glance, there didn’t seem to be any difference from before. It was only that her skin looked a bit smoother than usual. But, when she looked closer, she saw that the wrinkles around the corners of eyes had diminished significantly and her face looked rosier. 

  “This……” Noble Consort Nie was slightly excitedly. She turned her head to look at Nie Sangyu, “Is this change due to Sangyu’s efforts?” 

  Ji Man lightly smiled. 

  Old madame nodded and said, “Isn’t it so. She’s such a young girl, but instead of dressing herself up, she comes to play my place every day to take care of my face by applying creams. She’s more serious about it than Shouwu and Danggui. There’s truly a noticeable effect.” 

  Noble Consort Nie became interested. She slightly propped herself up and picked up one of the gold boxes that Nie Sangyu had taken out of her bundle. 

  “This is a popular item called cold cream. Sangyu had previously given a box of this cold cream to old madame and also brought a box of it for you today. It’s more effective than any other expensive powder and it won’t harm your face.” Ji Man acted like a salesperson. 

  After she finished introducing cold cream, she held up something woven from silkworm fibers. “This is called a facemask. I made a moisturizing type and a whitening and wrinkle removing type. There’s ten of each type. I’ve already tested them on a servant girl’s face. The results were pretty good. Old Madame had also used this before. Next to them, the other containers are filled with herbal gel with natural fragrance.” 

  “Moisturizing…… wrinkle removing?” Noble Consort Nie was slightly at a loss. 

  Ji Man lightly smiled, looked at her face that was considerably covered by powder that was made by using grounded lead, and said, “Aunt, if you believe in Sangyu, how about trying these products right now? Have people bring in water to wash your face. Sangyu will apply a wrinkle removing face mask and you can see the result for yourself.” 

  There was naturally a reason why Ji Man had brought so many products with her today. The rouge store had started to introduce facemasks as a set package. But, the cost to make it was significant and it’s price was considerably high. The average person wouldn’t be able to afford buying them and Ji Man needed to promote this product in order to sell it. 

  If they could say that these facemasks were being used by a consort in the palace, it would be the best type of publicity. 

  Once Noble Consort Nie’s face was cleaned of makeup, the wrinkles on her face became more apparent. 

  Ji Man said, “Excuse me,” before she stepped closer to carefully look. Then, she took out and unfolded the facemask and carefully put it on to Noble Consort Nie’s face. 

  Noble Cosort Nie only felt a sense of coldness as something covered her face. Although she was slightly unused to it at first, a little while later, it actually felt quite comfortable. 

  “It needs to be left on for fifteen minutes. You can rest for a bit.” Ji Man quietly said. 

  Noble Consort Nie slightly nodded and closed her eyes to take a nap. She had been very tired during the past period. 

  Old madame sat on the side and watched as Nie Sangyu smoothed out the facemask on Noble Consort Nie’s face before sitting down on the cushioned couch and quietly watching her. 

  This child had truly changed significantly. Even from the viewpoint of an old woman, she felt that the side view of Nie Sangyu had become more captivating. But, Xuan-er’s heart had already been firmly locked by that Wen Wan girl. For Sangyu to take back her position as the main wife, it would be extremely difficult. 

  After the facemask, Ji Man also applied cold cream onto Noble Consort Nie’s face and used her ability to re-draw Noble Consort’s eyebrow makeup. 

  Her face looked even better than before and this way her pores wouldn’t be poisoned by crude, ancient cosmetics, which in turn would also greatly improve her skin. Ji Man smiled as she looked at Noble Consort Nie’s surprised face. She gave her the bag with the remaining facemasks. The bag was marked with a Shuiji rouge store’s seal. 

  “Pengshu.” Noble Consort Nie couldn’t stop touching her face. After the facemask treatment, her skin had noticeably become whiter. Her skin looked even more like white jade after cold cream had been used. She was overjoyed. The effects were very obvious. 

  She directly said, “Bestow Sangyu the pair of golden bracelets that had twining flowers that the emperor had bestowed to this consort and also the ruby hairpin!” 

  Pengshu acknowledged her order. Seeing her rarely happy master being so happy today, she also felt happy. She brought the items over and handed them to Sangyu. 

  Ji Man kneeled down to express her thanks. This transaction had been worth it. She had received such an expensive pair of bracelets and hairpin in exchange for the twenty facemasks, one box of cold cream, and a few bottles of herbal gel. She was so happy that her eyes were closed as the abacus in her heart calculated her profit. 

  Seeing how pleased Noble Consort Nie was, old madame returned to saying more mollifying words for a while. 

  When they were leaving, Noble Consort Nie profoundly looked at Nie Sangyu and said, “I feel like this child has grown up.” 

  Ji Man was smiling as she completed the thanks and good-byes required by etiquette. Afterwards, she followed old madame into the carriage and returned home with her. 

  Translator Ramblings: I wonder if Ji Man worked in the marketing department at a cosmetic company, or had a similar job as Go Ha-jin from Moon Lover: Scarlet Heart Ryeo. 

  Also, one more week until we meet the supporting male character and his sister, Nie Sangyu’s best friend.

  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 045 out of 513 – Putting up advertisement. Settling the household (2) 

  Everyone in the Marquis’s residence knew that Nie Sangyu had caused Noble Consort Nie to lose favor. And so, when she came back from the palace with the items bestowed to her, everyone was surprised. 

  Even if Nie Sangyu was her niece, Noble Consort Nie couldn’t possibly be that generous and forgiving, right? 

  But, the servant that had accompanied them to the palace said that the noble consort had been moved by Master Sang’s presents. 

  Qi Siling thought for a while before she said to the servant girl next to her, “Go and investigate. What did she give the noble consort?” 

  The women in the other courtyards gave their servant girls approximately the same order as Qi Siling. And so, these servant girls went to chat with Muxu. 

  Muxu pretended that she didn’t know their intentions and didn’t hide anything from them. She just told them that Master Sang had given skincare products purchased from Yongning Street’s Shuiji Rouge Store. 

  All of these servant girls immediately rushed to that rouge store. Ji Man had created these facemasks a month ago when she was bored. This world had a material woven from silkworm fibers. It was very similar to the material used in modern facemasks. Since they had the capital, this product could be mass-produced even though the woven material was expensive. And so, these facemasks were currently in stock in Shuiji Rouge Store. 

  — 

  Gossip traveled as fast as an infectious disease. Noble Consort Nie had regained the emperor’s favor. He had slept in her palace for five days in a row. When people asked what the secret to her success was, everyone replied, Shuiji Rouge Store. 

  As a result, Miss Shui became extremely busy. For an inexplicable reason, people from the palace suddenly came to buy the store’s skincare products. It wouldn’t be good if she couldn’t sell them anything. But, she had run out of cold cream for the month and wouldn’t have anymore for another seven days. She could only offer facemasks for sale. 

  Fortunately, she had enough of the facemasks and the people from the palace didn’t find the price too expensive. Thus, a large sum of money came into Shuiji Rouge Store. 

  Seeing that her business was proceeding smoothly, Ji Man stopped worried and turned her attention to the marquis’s residence. 

  — 

  On the same day that Ji Man retuned from the palace, she went to look for Ning Yuxuan to return the jade accessory and said, “My lord, thank you for lending this jade. Sangyu is here to report back after completing my task. Noble Consort Nie was very satisfied with Sangyu.” 

  At that moment, Marquis Moyu’s gaze was very harsh and stern as if he was going to see through her. But, it only lasted for a moment before Ning Yuxuan returned to his normal, cold expression. He deeply looked at her as he said, “I’m surprise that you’re willing to return this to me.” 

  “The marquis didn’t really want to give this item, so it’s pointless for this servant to hold on to it.” Ji Man slightly saluted, then she turned around and left. 

  Ji Man felt his gaze watching her for a long time as she walked away. She knew the marquis was thinking that she must have lost her mind to prefer being a concubine instead of a secondary wife. 

  However, Ji Man knew that the faster you climbed up, the more it would hurt when you fell. Right now, there was Mu Shuiqing to be the target and she had no intention of joining in that mess. 

  — 

  Wen Wan had a cold war with the marquis for two days before he gave in and said that Mu Shuiqing’s child would be given to her to raise. Moreover, he showed no intention of promoting Mu Shuiqing’s status. 

  Mu Shuiqing felt wronged and ran to old madame’s side to cry. Old madame didn’t show much reaction to her tears. Instead, she lectured her by saying that the child hadn’t been born yet. She shouldn’t be causing so much trouble. 

  Mu Shuiqing couldn’t endure this cold reception. Her current treatment was worse than before she had become pregnant. She immediately returned to her room, locked herself up, and went on a hunger strike. 

  “Take everything away!” With a wave of her sleeves, the tea went splashing in all directions. With red-rimmed eyes, Mu Shuiqing sat in her room and waved her hand in loathing towards the table full of food. 

  Banxia didn’t dare to try to persuade her. She could only wipe her tears and tidy up the mess. After she finished, she saw a person at the doorway. 

  Ji Man unselfconsciously walked into the room, sat down at the table, and started eating Mu Shuiqing’s food. 

  In order to nurture her pregnant body, the kitchen servants had prepared pretty good food for her. There were meat dishes, vegetable dishes, and also chicken soup. 

  “Why did you come here?!” Mu Shuiqing sharply shouted. 

  Ji Man turned her head to glance at her and quietly said, “The food was going to be wasted since Master Qing wasn’t eating it.” 

  Mu Shuiqing was so angry that she almost couldn’t breath. “Even if I’m not eating it, you still can’t eat it either. Why did you come to my courtyard?!” 

  Ji Man picked up a chicken leg and turned around to glance at Muxu. Muxu understood and pulled Banxia out of the room with her and closed the doors. 

  “Do you no longer want your baby?” Ji Man asked. 

  Mu Shuiqing furrowed her brow. At the mention of this topic, her anger leaked out and she said dejectedly, “You’re right. No one cares about my unborn baby. Everyone wants me to die. Even if I want this baby, what’s the use?” 

  Ji Man harrumphed, “Who told you to be born as a hostess?” 

  “You!” She never liked to hear people mention this and immediately picked up a pillow and threw it at Nie Sangyu. 

  Song Dynasty’s pillows were all very sturdy and Ji Man didn’t have eyes behind her back. She ended up getting a large bump because she wasn’t paying attention. 

  Mu Shuiqing was startled. She hadn’t expected that she would lose control. Her arrogance immediately dissipated and she somewhat blankly looked at Nie Sangyu. 

  “Do you feel better now?” Ji Man didn’t get annoyed. She only rubbed the bump on the back of her head. Her eyebrows were furrowed as she checked the bump. “If you act like this, how can you hope that the marquis will defend you? If you act as fierce as a tigress like me, he’s going to hide as soon as he sees you.” 

  Mu Shuiqing didn’t say anything. She was probably afraid that Nie Sangyu would go and file a complaint against her, so she became well behaved. 

  “If you’re calmed down, then listen to me for a bit.” Ji Man cast a sidelong glance at her and said, “Your entire lifetime’s worth of hope lies in your unborn baby. If you act rashly because you’re feeling injustice, the only person that will suffer a loss is you. So what if Madam raises the child, it’ll still be your blood and flesh and will show filial piety towards you in the future. If you have a child, it’ll be better than if you have no one to rely on for the rest of your life, right?” 

  Why did these words sound as if she was saying them for her benefit? Mu Shuiqing outwardly froze from surprise, but her heart had calmed down. Even thought no one cared about her future child, losing her child would only benefit her enemies. Why had she been so foolish? 

  “But, I’m scared that I won’t be able to keep it.” Mu Shuiqing lowered her head and placed her hands on her abdomen. “I don’t have anyone to rely on. It’s only Honored Concubine Ling that will occasionally help me. But, right now Madam hates me to death, so she definitely won’t help me again.” 

  At a time when Wen Wan was desperately hoping to become pregnant, she had gotten pregnant first. If Wen Wan didn’t dislike her, who else would she dislike? Ji Man sighed and said, “ You don’t know. The female lead…… Madam is a tolerant and kind-hearted person. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to become the marquis’s wife. Although she’s angry, she won’t harm you. You only need to guard against other people. 

  Mu Shuiqing looked at her blankly for a while as she thought Nie Sangyu’s words over. Nie Sangyu’s words were right. Madam had a soft temperament. How could she harm someone? She might as well be worrying about Honored Concubine Xue. 

  But…… She guardedly raised her eyes to look at the person in front of her. Mu Shuiqing asked, “What’s your motive in telling me this?” 

  Translator Ramblings: I have no idea if Ji Man is plotting. Does it benefit her in any way to say these words to Mu Shuiqing? Whether or not the child is born, it wouldn’t change the marquis’s household. Or, is she simply saying these words out of the kindness of her heart without any hidden motive? But, anyways, I really like that they can have this conversation and Mu Shuiqing doesn’t stay as a character that only exists to hate Nie Sangyu.

  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 046 out of 513 – Just treat him as if he was her son (1) 

  Actually, wasn’t the person in front of her, the most person that she should be most guarded against? Who did she have the worst relationship with in this household? Nie Sangyu. She would have never expected that Nie Sangyu would also be the person that would come here to persuade her. 

  Mu Shuiqing thought over Nie Sangyu’s words three times over and couldn’t see if she was hiding anything. Nie Sangyu’s words had been analyzing the situation from Mu Shuiqing’s point of view and had all been for her benefit. 

  It couldn’t be that Nie Sangyu had really turned over a new leaf and was giving consideration to other people’s needs in all respects, right? No, this couldn’t be true. But, she didn’t have a choice right now. She had to believe this was the truth. 

  Mu Shuiqing’s face became considerably less tense as she gloomily sat at the edge of her bed. She agreed with Nie Sangyu’s words, but she felt awkward and didn’t want to leave her bed to eat. 

  Ji Man paid attention to the changes in her expression. In the modern world, she worked as a salesperson. Her ability to guess what people were feeling had already reached perfection. And so, she immediately added a little bit of each dish into a bowl, brought the bowl over to Mu Shuiqing, and stiffened her face as she said, “Here. If you don’t start eating, I’m going to eat it all.” 

  Original translation is from fuyuneko dot org. If you’re reading this elsewhere, this chapter has been stolen. Please stop supporting theft. 

  Mu Shuiqing raised her head and saw Nie Sangyu pretending to look severe, but there was concern in her eyes. Her heart inexplicably felt warm and she reached out to take the bowl without thinking. When she returned to her senses, Mu Shuiqing somewhat angrily looked at her own hand. 

  “Eat. Once you’re finished eating, tidy up and go to Old Madame and attend to her.” Ji Man said. 

  Mu Shuiqing raised her eyes. Not understanding why Nie Sangyu had said those words, she said, “Why should I go serve Old Madame? I’m pregnant!” 

  She had only been pregnant for a month or two. There wasn’t even a noticeable bump and she was calling herself pregnant? Ji Man couldn’t resist rolling her eyes. If women couldn’t work anymore in their first trimester, then how did pregnant modern women go to work with their big bellies when they were seven to eight months pregnant? 

  “Old Madame is the one that has the ultimately say in this household. If you want to live well and avoid being stabbed in the back by a hidden enemy, then Old Madame’s place is the best harbor. Do you understand?” Ji Man patiently explained her reasoning. If Mu Shuiqing’s intelligence was too low to comprehend reality, then she didn’t have any other methods. She left after saying these last words. 

  Mu Shuiqing’s eyes turned. She lowered her head and picked up her chopsticks to quietly eat. She understood the meaning of Nie Sangyu’s words. But, she still felt that this situation was strange. Why Nie Sangyu being nice to her? She was the crown prince’s person and Nie Sangyu was Noble Consort Nie’s niece. No matter how she looked at it, neither of them could draw the other person to her respective side, right? 

  Even though she felt that Nie Sangyu’s behavior was strange, Mu Shuiqing still went to serve old madame during the break after lunchtime after she finished eating. 

  “Weren’t you causing trouble by going on a hunger strike?” Old Madame coldly looked at Mu Shuiqing. “You still have energy to come here to serve me?” 

  Standing on the side, Ji Man secretly made a gesture to kneel with her index finger. 

  Mu Shuiqing paused for a moment, then she kneeled and quietly said, “Old Madame, please don’t be angry. This servant didn’t try to cause trouble by going on a hunger strike. This servant had eaten a large bowl of food during lunch and is feeling fine.” 

  Old madame carefully looked her over before relaxing her expression. “It’s naturally good that you’re willing to be more well-behaved.” 

  “Yes.” Mu Shuiqing agreed. She stood up and took over Nie Sangyu’s previous position to massage old madame’s back by lightly pounding on it with her fists. 

  Standing nearby, Ji Man was smiling as she brought over the items that she would be applying to old madame’s face today. 

  Old madame felt that it was extremely strange that these two people, who usually argued the most with each other, were now on good terms with one another in front of her. But, she didn’t ask any questions and only quietly observed these two people. 

  — 

  As they were leaving the main courtyard, Mu Shuiqing harrumphed, “Don’t expect me to be grateful towards you.” 

  Ji Man indifferently smiled, “If you’re too grateful towards me, my life will definitely be shortened*. You should go back and focus on taking care of your health and unborn baby.” 

  * T/N: Ji Man uses the word zheshou, which is a superstitious idea that being too favored will lead to a shorter life. 

  Mu Shuiqing flung her handkerchief as she left. Even though she remembered Nie Sangyu’s previous unpleasantness, she still put those thoughts down anyways. Moreover, even though she knew that Nie Sangyu probably wasn’t actually this kind-hearted, she still felt grateful towards her. 

  When everyone else in this household didn’t care about her unborn baby, Nie Sangyu was the only person that pointed out a clear path for her and didn’t try to harm her. 

  She slightly looked down. For a moment, Mu Shuiqing even felt that the current Nie Sangyu was quite likable. 

  — 

  Mu Shuiqing stopped causing trouble and peacefully focused on the health of her unborn child. She even regularly went to serve old madame. Mu Shuiqing was very good at speaking. It only took her a few days to coax old madame into a happy mood. As a result, the marquis finally came to her courtyard to see her. 

  “Just focus on taking care of your health and the unborn baby.” Although Marquis Moyu only said this one sentence, Mu Shuiqing was already very happy. This was better than when he didn’t say or ask anything. 

  — 

  Wen Wan was the only person that continued to be unhappy. Mu Shuiqing’s pregnancy was like a thorn in her heart. Every time she thought about it, there was a difficult to endure pain in her heart. And so, she usually avoided any place where Mu Shuiqing would be and her mood continued to be bad. There hadn’t been any smiles on her face in a while. 

  At first, the marquis stayed in Qiangwei Courtyard every day to keep her company. However, it seemed that he had become busier with his work in the palace and he would return home very late. Occasionally, he would sleep in Qi Siling or Qian Lianxue’s place instead. 

  When Ji Man heard of this information, she thought that this man truly didn’t take her words seriously. At this juncture, when madam was still feeling upset, he was going over and sleeping at another woman’s place. It would be strange if Wen Wan didn’t become angrier.

  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 047 out of 513 – Just treat him as if he was her son (2) 

  Today, everyone had sat down to chat after the women had finished paying respects to old madame. Ning Yuxuan had also happened to come by at this time, but he seemed tired. He also brought a message that Wen Wan wasn’t feeling well and wouldn’t be coming. 

  Sitting at the highest position, old madame coldly harrumphed, “It seems like it’s really easy for her to get sick in this weather. You’ll have to order the servants to properly take care of her.” 

  There wasn’t anything that Marquis Moyu could say to refute. He could only agree. 

  Nearby, Qi Siling, who had been recently been favored, said with a smile, “Younger sister Qing-er’s belly looks really big. It doesn’t seem like it’s only one month old.” 

  Mu Shuiqing had received special permission to sit at a chair below Qi Siling’s instead of standing as usual. She hadn’t expected that a person that she usually got along well with would open fire on her. Mu Shuiqing slightly froze from shock, then she pulled back her belly that been positioned somewhat exaggeratedly. “Older sister, you must be joking.” 

  Marquis Moyu looked at Mu Shuiqing in the passing and asked, “Have you been eating well?” 

  Joy appeared in Mu Shuiqing’s eyes. She lowered her head and said, “My lord, thank you for your concern. Banxia has been serving me well and the doctor has been coming to see me every few days. Everything is fine.” 

  Marquis Moyu nodded. His feelings towards Mu Shuiqing’s baby were more complicated than anyone else’s. In this end, this baby was his flesh and blood, but it wasn’t Wen Wan’s, so he couldn’t look forward to its birth. He could only overcome this difficult situation by taking things step by step. 

  “My lord, it seems as if you haven’t visited younger sister Sangyu in a while.” Qi Siling turned her head and warmly said, “It’ll be winter soon. If you don’t visit her soon, younger sister Sangyu might get cold.” 

  The corners of Ji Man’s lips twitched. Why was it possible to drag her into every issue? Marquis Moyu was probably annoyed at Wen Wan for being narrow-minded, so he had slept in the other courtyards as a warning to her. It was one thing to involve the two honored concubines. Why did Qi Siling have to involve her in this mess too? Although she was the secondary female lead, she had no desire to become the typical cannon fodder. 

  Ning Yuxuan turned his head to look at Nie Sangyu, who was standing by old madame’s side. Something moved in his eyes. He pursed his lips and said, “Ling-er is right. How about I go to Feiwan Courtyard tonight?” 

  Mu Shuiqing’s heart became slightly uncomfortable. The marquis had only gone to her courtyard once during the past half month. Why was Qi Siling willing to help Nie Sangyu rather than her? 

  Previously, when she had a good relationship with Qi Siling, she would tell Qi Siling all of her problems and Qi Siling would occasionally help her. But after she became pregnant, Qi Siling decided to no longer be friends with her. Even when she went to Jiyue Courtyard to visit her, a servant would tell her that Qi Siling was resting and wasn’t available to see anyone. 

  Qi Siling was clearly avoiding her. 

  Mu Shuiqing secretly grinded her teeth and looked at Qi Siling for a moment before turning her head away. 

  Ji Man took a deep breath and bowed to express thanks. “My lord, thank you.” 

  Even if she had successfully avoided the problem at first, she still couldn’t escape in the end. She was this man’s concubine. No matter what, she still had to fulfill the duties of a concubine. However, Ji Man found it very difficult to accept this reality. She absent-mindedly returned to Feiwan Courtyard and looked at the person in the mirror for a long time before she turned her head and asked Muxu, “When I served the marquis before, did that…… take a long time?” 

  A normal woman wouldn’t be able to ask this question and Muxu wasn’t married yet, so her face naturally turned red from embarrassment. She stammered out, “Master, you rarely served the marquis. This servant doesn’t remember well. It seemed that during those few times, you would ended up with bruises each time.” 

  Ji Man widened her eyes. Ning Yuxuan liked to play roughly? No, not okay. She should go back to thinking of a way to avoid this. Even though this wasn’t her body, she wouldn’t be able to endure that. 

  She had originally gone over there to see how they would cause trouble for Mu Shuiqing. The result was that Qi Siling had said those words and Honored Concubine Xue had acted completely weak and didn’t say anything. Not only had she not seen a good show, she had also ended up involving herself into this messy situation. 

  When she thought of Ning Yuxuan’s meaningful glance when they were leaving the main courtyard, the corners of Ji Man’s mouth twitched again. It couldn’t be that he thought she had asked Qi Siling for help? That woman clearly didn’t have good intentions. Qi Siling had recently been frequently visiting Qiangwei Courtyard. Most likely, she had lured in the female lead to her side. 

  Because of tonight’s matter, Ji Man’s mood hadn’t been good the rest of the day. 

  And so, when Marquis Moyu pushed opened Nie Sangyu’s doors that evening, a woman with a deathly pale face and loose hair was looking blankly at him. She called out, “My lord……” 

  Ning Yuxuan instinctively took a step back before he realized that this woman was Nie Sangyu. He couldn’t help slightly frowning, “Are you pretending to be a ghost to try scare me?” 

  “This servant wouldn’t dare.” Ji Man hurriedly straightened her white sleeping clothes and went forward to politely attend to Marquis Moyu. “Please follow me.” 

  Marquis glanced at her before lightly smiling and said, “Ling-er can’t be blamed for saying that I’ve been giving you the cold shoulder. The last time that I favored you was a year ago.” 

  Ji Man inwardly cursed. If he only had intimate relations with Nie Sangyu once a year, what person wouldn’t go insane? He was a man that drove his own woman towards insanity. What right did this man have to call Nie Sangyu a vicious woman when he was doing something like this? 

  Last time, she pretended to be sick to avoid being favored. Obviously, she couldn’t repeat herself. As a clever person, she knew that she had to do something differently this time. 

  Once the doors were closed, the only lighting in the room came from a silently burning red candle. Marquis Moyu looked at the woman next to him and his eyes darkened, but he sat down like a great lord and expected her to make the first move. 

  Ji Man said with a smile, “This servant heard a story today and wants to share it with the marquis.” 

  Ning Yuxuan raised his eyebrows, straightforwardly lied down on the bed, and not understanding why she would mentioning this, he asked, “What story?” 

  Ji Man also lied down on the bed and warmly covered him with the quilt. “It’s a story about a person named Ali Baba from another world. Do you want to hear about it?” 

  Ali Baba? This name was so strange. Marquis Moyu couldn’t help being curious. “Tell me about it.” 

  Elated, Ji Man gentled her voice into one that would promote sleep, “A long time ago, there was an impoverished youngster. His name was Ali Baba. His older brother had married the daughter of a wealthy merchant, but he had married a woman from a poor family……” 

  Ji Man thought; Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves was an excellent bedtime story. She would just treat him as if he were her son and coax him to sleep!

  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 048 out of 513 – One thousand and one nights (1) 

  “Ali Baba hurriedly followed the path to the mountain, but when he got there, he saw forty, very strong bandits. They were all carrying heavy burlap sacks on their shoulders. The person at the head of the group walked to a gigantic boulder and yelled, “Open sesame.” And, an entrance was revealed. After the group of bandits hid their treasure inside the mountain, the person yelled out, “Close sesame.” And, the treasure was locked up inside the mountain.” 

  As Ji Man unhurriedly told the story, she secretly checked on Marquis Moyu’s expression. Even though she had talked for such a long time, he actually didn’t have even a hint of sleepiness. 

  With his eyes full of curiosity, he asked, “And then?” 

  “And then, after Ali Baba had waited for the bandits to leave, he ran to that entrance, copied the bandit’s action by shouting, “Open sesame,” and returned home with some of the money and valuables.” 

  Ji Man couldn’t help rolling her eyes. This person was actually this interested towards a children’s fairy tale. Moreover, he totally didn’t look as if he going to fall asleep anytime soon. 

  Helpless, she could only brace herself and tell the story as slowly as possible to Ning Yuxuan. 

  After he finished listening to the story, Marquis Moyu rhetorically asked with a smile, “So, the meaning is that good people will had good endings and bad people will have bad endings? It’s a rather interesting story.” 

  Whether or not it was an interesting story was only of minor importance. The crucial point was, why aren’t you asleep yet, great lord? Feeling annoyed, Ji Man inwardly scolded him. But, her outward expression still showed a light smile as she stretched her hand out to cover her mouth and yawned, “It’s not early anymore. My lord, you must be busy tomorrow. Let’s go to sleep early.” 

  Ning Yuxuan slightly raised his eyebrows. “Sleep?” 

  Ji Man seriously nodded. Moreover, her entire face showed her exhaustion. What else could they do other than sleep? Although it was true that Nie Sangyu really wanted to pounce on him, this matter couldn’t be rushed and she wasn’t prepared to dedicate herself to ancient person. 

  After the candle was extinguished, she could see that the sky outside of the window was starting to slightly brighten. Ji Man turned her back toward Marquis Moyu and fell asleep very quickly. 

  The man next to her was silent for a long time before he slightly sat up and looked at Nie Sangyu’s sleeping face. He couldn’t resist looking at the mark at the back of her neck again. 

  Why had she become such an interesting person? Not only had she not been anxious to be favored by him, she had used a story as a way to delay the matter. This was also the second time. Did Nie Sangyu not understand the meaning of quitting while one was ahead? 

  After he had stretched his hand out to touch the back of her neck, she turned around and wrapped an arm around his waist while she was still deeply asleep. 

  Ning Yuxuan froze for a moment. He actually smelled a faint scent. He couldn’t identify what the dense and soft fragrance was, but it felt comfortable to smell. After the warm body had turned around to cling to his body, his body actually reacted even though she didn’t make any additional movements. 

  Marquis Moyu somewhat awkwardly separated their bodies slightly. With his eyebrows furrowed, he looked at Nie Sangyu’s face with disdain. Then, he lied down even further away from her. 

  The next morning, Ji Man went to pay respects and attend to old madame during breakfast as usual. However, she saw that old madame was full of joy and in high spirits. 

  Ji Man curiously asked, “Did something good happen?” 

  Old madame said with a smile, “Marquis Jinwen and Errong will becoming to the capital. I haven’t seen them in a while. They come to capital once a year, and this year, they also brought Mingjie.” 

  Marquis Jingwen, Ning Huaiwen, was old madame’s husband’s younger brother. Ji Man remembered as soon as she lightly knocked her head. This was about the time that the supporting male lead should be appearing. The male lead was currently giving the female lead the cold shoulder. And so, it was naturally time for the gentle, warm, and very wealthy supporting male lead to come here and whole-heartedly keep her company. 

  Ning Mingjie, Marquis Moyu’s older cousin, was naturally the man that would be the supporting male lead. Although he was only a sixth rank official, he had supervisory power over the manufacturing of weapons. He was a promising youth with an elegant and graceful bearing. The novel had described him as beautiful as cultivated white jade. He was born with an enchanting and feminine face, but he absolutely hated when people commented on his face. And so, he had been wearing a silver mask for many years. He only took off his mask when he went into the palace and was meeting the emperor. 

  Ji Man didn’t want to evaluate this contrived and melodramatic setup. But, as a person that had skimmed through half of the book, she knew that Ning Mingjie would become Wen Wan’s greatest supporter. He would shelter her from rain and wind and protect her as if she was the emperor. He was the perfect example of a spare tire and the essence of a supporting male lead. 

  Ji Man felt that in order for her to fulfill Nie Sangyu’s wish, it would be necessary for her to develop a plan to help the supporting male lead. If the female lead ran away with the supporting male lead, it would be much easier to deal with the male lead. 

  “When will Marquis Jingwen and the others arrive?” Ji Man asked. 

  Old madame said, “They’ll get here in three to five days. After you leave here, tell Wen Wan to have the southern courtyard tidied up. There can’t be the slightest neglect during their stay.” 

  “Understood.” Ji Man acknowledged the order. On the way back to Feiwan Courtyard, she went to Qiangwei Courtyard to pass on this message. 

  It was reported that Marquis Moyu would be returning home early today. And so, Ji Man had prepared herself to see him when she went to Qiangwei Courtyard. However, when she went inside, she only saw Wen Wan. Her face looked haggard even with cold cream applied to it. 

  After hearing Nie Sangyu’s words, she only nodded and said, “I understand.” 

  Ji Man really wanted to tell her that there was no reason for her to be this sad. The supporting male lead is coming! 

  But, to avoid being seen as a lunatic, she saluted and obediently returned to Feiwan Courtyard. 

  “Why are so many of your flowers gone?” Standing in her small garden, Marquis Moyu looked around and saw that the flowers had all been cut off and only the stems remained. He curiously raised his eyebrows and asked, “What did you do with them?” 

  Ji Man slowly closed her mouth that had gaped open from surprise. She stepped through the courtyard’s entranceway and said, “They were used to soak in my baths…… My lord, why are you here?” 

  Why was he here for no good reason instead of with the female lead? If she got stolen from him, he wouldn’t even know why!

  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 049 out of 513 – One thousand and one nights (2) 

  “I came here to see you after I came back from the Ministry of Revenue,” Ning Yuxuan said these words very naturally, walked two steps closer to her, lowered his head to simply sniff the edge of her temple. “Is this fragrance from flowers then? It smells pretty good.” 

  Ji Man’s ears turned red. She hurriedly jumped away and bashfully said, “My lord, this servant hasn’t bathed yet and is covered in sweat.” 

  After these killjoy words were said, the smile on Ning Yuxuan’s face dimmed. “You’re sweating even in this type of weather?” 

  “This servant ran back here.” Ji Man said, “Old Madame said that Marquis Jingwen will be visiting soon and wants each of the courtyards to be tidied up.” 

  Ning Yuxuan paused before he said, “It’s about that time. When they come here, the residence will be livelier. Don’t you have a good relationship with Errong? You should be feeling happy.” 

  Errong was Marquis Jingwen’s daughter. Like Nie Sangyu, she had been spoiled to the point of becoming arrogant. And so, it wasn’t strange that the two of them would best friends. However, after Marquis Jingwen moved his residence to outside of the capital, it was rare for Ning Sangyu to hear news about Ning Errong. 

  Not much had been written about Ning Errong in the original novel. After all, she was only one of the minor characters. From what she remembered, Ning Errong had been married off after she helped Nie Sangyu harm the female lead one time. Anyways, her ending wasn’t good. But, as someone that was willing to help Nie Sangyu with this, she must have truly been her good friend. 

  Ji Man put a smiling expression on her face and said, “This servant is looking forward to seeing her and hoping that she’ll get here sooner.” 

  Ning Yuxuan looked at her for a few moments, then his lips curved up into a rare smile, “I’ll be sleeping here tonight too.” 

  What?! 

  Ji Man’s smile froze for a moment, then the corners of her lips twitched. “My lord, don’t you need to spend time with Madam? When this servant went to Qiangwei Courtyard on the way back to here, Madam’s complexion didn’t look that good.” 

  Marquis Moyu lightly shook his head. “Your story was too interesting. I don’t want to leave.” 

  After saying this, he turned around, left the courtyard, and headed towards the study in the western side of the residence. 

  You should never believe in a man’s words. Marquis Moyu was an experienced person when it came to the affairs of the heart and he frequently bewitched a person’s heart. Even Nie Sangyu didn’t realize that this man had never loved her until the moment before her death. 

  Ji Man inwardly reminded herself that he was a terrifying person that had no regard for the feelings of others. Then, she returned to organizing the words that she would say and considered if she should tell the story of The Fisherman, the Jinni, and the Four Fishes*. 

  * (T/N: This is one of the stories in One Thousand and One Nights.) 

  — 

  “Madam, have you seen the tricks being used by Nie Sangyu?” Seated near Wen Wan, Qi Siling looked at her and said, “Originally, everyone thought that she wouldn’t be able to reverse her fortunes. But in the end, she still moved into Feiwan Courtyard by relying on Old Madame’s support. She also had the marquis go to her own courtyard of his own initiative. Madam, it’s not that Siling wants to gossip and meddle. Since you don’t have the temperament to compete and vie for the marquis’s favor, the marquis will be stolen by someone sooner or later.” 

  Wen Wan was barely able to force herself to smile. “I don’t believe you. I know that the person he loves the most is me.” 

  Qi Siling sighed. She couldn’t refute those words. However, Nie Sangyu was truly powerful. If the marquis’s heart wasn’t with Wen Wan, Nie Sangyu would have definitely already taken back her position as the main wife. Wen Wan could sleep without worries right now, but the rest of them couldn’t be sure that Nie Sangyu would be able to tolerate them and leave them alone. And so, she had to plan ahead. 

  — 

  After washing up and changing into plain sleeping clothes, Ning Yuxuan’s hair was still slightly wet as he leaned against the side of the bed and waited for her. 

  As Ji Man slowly finished getting ready for bed, she silently thought, was this a beauty trap? Ning Yuxuan must have lost his mind if he came here to try to seduce Nie Sangyu. But seriously, what was he thinking? He hated Nie Sangyu so much. Why was he still repeatedly coming here to sleep with her? 

  “My lord.” After Ji Man finished puttering around, she stood by the bed. 

  Ning Yuxuan looked at her for a moment, then he shifted towards the inside of the bed to signal for her to come onto the bed. 

  Right after Ji Man got onto the bed, he hugged her. Her heart jumped from shock and she reached her hand out to press against his chest in resistance. She wasn’t able to hide her feelings either and there was undisguised refusal on her face. 

  Ning Yuxuan’s eyes became more intense. He raised his eyebrows and asked, “You don’t want to serve me in bed?” 

  Ji Man hurriedly smile and said, “Of course not.” 

  “Then, why did I just see resistance in your eyes?” Ning Yuxuan faintly smiled. 

  “You must have saw wrong. I’m too busy feeling happy.” Ji Man straightforwardly smiled and directly lied down on the bed, “Come on!” 

  Looking at her valiant expression as if she was letting herself die as a martyr, Ning Yuxuan silently laughed in his heart. He didn’t hesitant and immediately went forward. 

  “Wait!” Ji Man called out. 

  “What? Ning Yuxuan lightly raised the string on her dudou. His eyes were full of teasing intent. 

  (T/N: Below is a picture of a dudou.) 

  Ch 029 - dudou.png

  Ji Man swallowed her saliva, resisted the urge to kick him off of her, and gently said, “My lord, this servant has another story. Do you want to hear it?” 

  Ning Yuxuan fake smiled and turned over to lie down by her side. With one hand supporting his head, he looked at her with bright eyes and said, “Tell me about it.” 

  “This time, I’m telling a story about a fisherman.” Ji Man swallowed her saliva and seriously said, “A long time ago……” 

  By the time the candlelight had burned out, Ji Man had finished telling two stories. She was so tired that she was about to fall asleep. But, Marquis Moyu continued to look at her in high spirits. “Are you finished?” 

  Seeing the flame in his eyes, Ji Man hurriedly shook her head, “I haven’t! Keep listening to me!” 

  Marquis Moyu gently stroked her hair. “It’s fine. You can slowly talk. I’m very curious, exactly how many stories do you know.” 

  Translator Ramblings: I’ve been thinking that Qi Siling is just an evil manipulator that wants to harm Wen Wan and Nie Sangyu. But after reading her thoughts in this chapter, I wonder how much of her actions are just much motivated by her fear of Nie Sangyu. 

  Part of me feels bad for Ji Man for not being able to sleep and the other part wants to laugh. She’s probably imaging and plotting creative ways to kill him for not letting her sleep for two nights in a row.

  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 050 out of 513 – Can the world have two people that look exactly the same? (1) 

  Ji Man wanted to cry, but she didn’t have tears. Being watched over by Ning Yuxuan, she didn’t dare to go to sleep. She could only drink tea and long-windedly tell stories. By the time it was dawn, her voice had already become hoarse. 

  Ning Yuxuan didn’t sleep the entire night. He watched this woman the entire night to see how long she could talk. But, she actually didn’t stop until dawn arrived. His face continued to show a slight smile, but he had almost fallen asleep several times. 

  “My lord, did you enjoy listening?” Ji Man hoarsely asked. 

  Marquis Moyu curved his lips. “It was good. Good to the point that I don’t even want to sleep. But, there are still things I have to do at the Ministry of Justice today. When I come back tonight, you can continue telling me these stories.” 

  Continue telling? Ji Man tried her best to smile, but her face had turned a different color. Damn, did he think she was an audio book for One thousand one nights? 

  With her face as stiff as a corpse, she helped him change his clothes and walked him to the entrance. But, Ji Man still properly saluted at the entrance, “My lord, take care.” 

  The person in front of her turned around after only walking a few steps. In the red glow of sunrise, his face was as gentle and warm as jade, “You didn’t use to dislike me like this. It seems like I did something wrong somewhere. I’ll treat you well in the future, Sangyu.” 

  Ji Man raised her head to look at him and froze in surprise. His outline was still illuminated by the rising sun. She didn’t know why, perhaps it was radiant sunshine, or perhaps it was some other reason. This person looked like a solemn and serious Buddha that was finally showing a smile of pity. 

  After a long time pause, Ji Man lowered her head again and Ning Yuxuan resumed walking away. 

  He had actually noticed her dislike. Moreover, he hadn’t gotten mad and had actually said he would treat her well. Was this a naturally deep-rooted problem in men – despicably cheap? 

  When Nie Sangyu had liked him that much, she didn’t move him and he even gave her the cold shoulder for six years. Now that she, an innocent person, had replaced Nie Sangyu, was he feeling a sense of novelty? 

  — 

  Ning Yuxuan was sitting in the Ministry of Department’s office. His head was supporting his chin as he quietly fell asleep. 

  The crown prince had been discussing with the crowd of advisors and important ministers for a long time. When he turned his head, he saw Marquis Moyu peacefully sleeping. His long eyelashes were quietly lowered and his thin lips were lightly pressed together. Compared to when he was awake, he looked a few degrees gentler. 

  Ning Yuxuan rarely fell asleep when he was outside. Finding the sight laughable, the crown prince, Zhao Zhe waved his hand to dismiss everyone. He sat down next to Ning Yuxuan and called out, “Yuxuan?” 

  Marquis Moyu woke up. His eyes showed that he was utterly exhausted, “What happened?” 

  “Did you not sleep well last night?” Zhao Zhe said with a smile, “I heard that there’s been hostility between you and your wife. The princess consort has a slight friendship with Wen-shi. Do you want her to go over and help you?” 

  To say that they were friends wasn’t very accurate. The princess consort had only helped Wen Wan with arranging her dowry because of the crown prince. To say that the two of them were close, Ning Yuxuan didn’t dare to have such complimentary thoughts. However, for the crown prince to even know that he and Wen Wan were having a disagreement lately…… Ning Yuxuan slanted his head and said to the crown prince, “No need to bother the princess consort. I stayed at another place and listened to stories the entire night yesterday, so I wasn’t able to sleep well.” 

  “Listening to stories?” The crown prince was baffled. “How could you listen to stories to the point that you didn’t sleep? Look at your bloodshot eyes. What stories could be that interesting?” 

  Thinking of Nie Sangyu, who had kept her eyes opened with all of her energy and pretended that she wasn’t sleepy as she told him stories, Ning Yuxuan curved his lips into a smile. “The stories were interesting. The person telling the stories was also very interesting. Your Highness, do you believe that there could be two people that look exactly the same in this world, but have completely different personalities?” 

  Zhao Zhe’s face showed that he was a complete loss. “How could there be such a thing? No matter how similar they are, there must be a difference between them. 

  Ning Yuxuan was silent for a while, then he laughed. “Yes, no matter what, there should be a difference.” 

  Zhao Zhe completely didn’t understand his words and his mind felt somewhat uncertain. Although Marquis Moyu was a leisurely marquis that had been personally bestowed his title by the emperor, he didn’t have Marquis Pingnan’s* military power. The emperor had feared the consequence of allowing Ning Clan to be unrestrained. However, the officials in the six ministries still consisted of either members of Ning Clan or people that had relationships with the Ning Clan. 

  * T/N: Just in case it was too long ago, Marquis Pingnan was Marquis Moyu’s father’s title. 

  When Ning Yuxuan was eighteen years old, he started to gain control of the six ministries and had access to the information above his rank. Surprisingly, the emperor had actually allowed Marquis Moyu to have this power. Fortunately, Ning Yuxuan wasn’t a person with wild ambitions. As long as he properly enticed him over to his side, he would be free of worries. However, the person that he was most afraid of was Marquis Moyu’s household’s Nie Sangyu. 

  More than anyone else, he didn’t want Nie Sangyu to be favored. 

  “The matter with the Ministry of Justice is complete. How about we go walk around in your residence?” Zhao Zhe said, “I haven’t gone there in a long time. I don’t even know if the plum blossoms in your home have bloomed yet.” 

  Ning Yuxuan rubbed his eyes, stood up, yawned, and said, “Let’s go. But winter just started, so the plum blossoms naturally haven’t blossomed yet. It’ll still be good to walk around. Chu Feng was truly becoming too boring.” 

  The crown prince laughed loudly. “Of course, you would feel bored. If you were to randomly take out one of the beauties in your residence, she would be more beautiful than any of the women in Chu Feng. Let’s go. The emperor won’t be asking me about my assignments today, so I’ll take a break.” 

  At the mention of beauties, Nie Sangyu’s face emerged in Ning Yuxuan’s mind for an inexplicable reason. She clearly hadn’t been wearing any rouge and looked very bland, but after looking at her the entire night, he actually felt she looked somewhat beautiful. 

  He must have become muddle-headed from being too sleepy. 

  Translator Ramblings: Just wanted to point out that dialogue between the crown prince and Ning Yuxuan is very informal. Compare it to when Ning Yuxuan was talking with Nie Sangyu’s older brother in chapter 30, they were always addressing each other by their title. 

  Also, I wonder how accurate the crown prince’s assessment of Ning Yuxuan’s power is. No one in this story is 100% right about the other characters.

  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 051 out of 513 – Can the world have two people that look exactly the same? (2) 

  After Ji Man took a bath, she went to sleep. However, she hadn’t been sleeping for long before Wen Wan’s personal servant girl, Tanxiang, actually came here to pass on a message, “Mistress Sang, Madam said that you’re the most familiar with Miss Errong’s likes and dislikes. Please come with me to the southern courtyard.” 

  Wen Wan was currently expending a great deal of effort and trouble to complete the task that old madam had given her. Ji Man agitatedly rolled over in bed. People that didn’t get enough sleep were very irritable. She really didn’t want to go! 

  But, she didn’t have a choice. The other person was the main wife. As a concubine, she could only accept Wen Wan’s order with a happy face. After changing her clothes, she headed towards the southern courtyard. 

  Ning Errong’s likes and dislikes? Ji Man didn’t even have to think about it. Standing in the southern courtyard, she said, “Change it to Louhan silk, spread out a Persian carpet, and just decorate this place with luxurious items.” 

  (T/N: Louhan is ancient kingdom based around an important oasis city along the Silk Road.) 

  Put into a difficult position by Nie Sangyu’s words, Sterward Qian looked at the budget and hesitated again and again before he finally said, “I’ll go look for Madam and report this to her first.” 

  Ji Man originally stood at the side of the southern courtyard to wait, but she really couldn’t keep her eyelids open. So, she called out to Muxu, “Let’s go sit at the swing below that grape trellis over there.” 

  Looking that the dark circles under her master’s eyes, Muxu knew that her master hadn’t slept well last night. But, she kept quiet and only ambiguously smiled her as she helped walk over there. 

  “Don’t let the swing move. Just let me sit here and take a nap. If there’s nothing important, don’t wake me up. Try to deal with the problem by yourself first.” After Ji Man said this, she sat down on the swing, held onto the swing’s ropes, closed her eyes, and leaned against one side as she fell asleep. 

  Muxu sighed. Her master’s life wasn’t easy either, so she tried to allow her to sleep some more. When Aunty Zhao came by with some snacks and yelled out, “Master Sang”, while she was still far away, Muxu hurriedly ran over to her in small steps and pulled her farther away to speak. 

  Aunty Zhao saw that the other servants had been busy inside and outside of the residence and smiled as she asked, “Is Marquis Jingwen coming?” 

  — 

  “He’s coming here in two days.” Ning Yuxuan said, “Mingjie has been doing his work well. The emperor probably has the intention of returning him to the capital and promoting him to an official’s position. Mingjie unfortunately isn’t interested in officialdom. Otherwise, he would be a very good chess piece.” 

  The crown prince looked around before nodding and saying, “If he has the desire, I can help him. After all, he’s your cousin.” 

  Marquis Moyu nodded. Ning Mingjie would have a bright future even without his help. However, his other cousin, Ning Errong, had the same lack of moral integrity as Nie Sangyu and was very difficult to deal with. He still had to give his attention to figuring out her future. Just thinking about it made him feel tired. 

  Nearby him, the crown prince suddenly stopped walking. 

  “What’s wrong?” Ning Yuxuan turned around to look at him. Seeing the surprise and strange glimmer in the crown prince’s eyes, he curiously followed the direction of his gaze. 

  There was a beauty sleeping in the swing underneath the grape trellis. The bottom of her light purple dress was slightly swaying along with the swing. She wasn’t wearing any makeup, but her lips were so beautiful that it made a person want to impulsively go over there to kiss her. Her hands were loosely wrapped around the ropes as she innocently slept. 

  Marquis Moyu’s expression sunk. Was Nie Sangyu an idiot? Why was she sleeping outside? 

  The crown prince had already started walking over as he asked, “Who is she?” 

  Ning Yuxuan furrowed his brow, walked a few steps forward, and pretended that he was only accidentally blocking the crown’s prince’s view, “She’s Nie Sangyu.” 

  Surprised, the mistiness in the crown prince’s eyes scattered. He looked at the person on the swing, then he looked at Ning Yuxuan, “Nie Sangyu?” 

  Marquis Moyu seriously nodded. 

  To avoid arousing any suspicion, Zhao Zhe had only met Nie Sangyu a few times during palace banquets. But, during those times, she had been dressed to the nines and wearing heavy makeup. No matter how beautiful her face was, it would have been tarnished by the conspicuous makeup. And so, he hadn’t paid any attention to her. 

  He hadn’t expected that when she wasn’t wearing makeup, she would look even better. She resembled an attractive piece of white jade that enticed people to come closer and play with her. 

  The crown prince lightly coughed. The expression on his face returned to normal and he said, “If her personality wasn’t unbearable, she’s also a beauty.” 

  Ning Yuxuan was slightly displeased, but he didn’t mention it. He only said, “She hadn’t slept well last night, let’s not wake her up. Let’s go the garden.” 

  The crown prince nodded and subconsciously looked back at Nie Sangyu one more time before he followed Ning Yuxuan. 

  Ji Man didn’t open her eyes until the sound of their footsteps had disappeared. Her hands were sweaty. She hadn’t read the ending in the original novel, but she knew that the crown prince was a fickle and ruthless person. It wasn’t a good thing to attract his attention. She hadn’t looked at the huangli before leaving her room today and hadn’t expected the misfortunate of encountering them. 

  (T/N: Huangli is similar to horoscopes. In ancient china, there were certain government officials that were in charge of writing this calendar and it was originally used for recording the movements of the sun and the moon, major issues of the nation and government, and the emperors’ words and deeds. The divination part was added later on. In modern times, it’s a calendar that mostly used for telling people which days are lucky and unlucky based on their Zodiac sign. There are various people creating these calendars, so it’s not as authoritative and centralized as it was during ancient China.) 

  When Muxu came back with the snacks, she saw her that her master’s face was ashen white. 

  “Master?” Muxu looked at her in confusion. 

  “It’s nothing.” Ji Man shook her head and decided that she had been mistaken about the crown prince’s burning gaze. Since the crown prince knew that she was Nie Sangyu, he should also know what she represented. He wouldn’t do anything to her. She was just overthinking things. 

  — 

  In the evening, Ning Yuxuan came to Feiwan Courtyard after he finished dinner. His expression wasn’t relaxed. As soon as he came inside, he stared at her for a long time. 

  “Is there something on this servant’s face?” Ji Man quietly asked. 

  “No.” Ning Yuxuan turned his head away. His mood didn’t look good. Right after he lied down on the bed, he said, “I don’t want to listen to stories tonight.” 

  Ji Man was startled. If he didn’t want to listen to stories, what did he want to do? 

  “How about telling me interesting stories from your childhood?” Ning Yuxuan suddenly said. 

  Ji Man let out a sigh in relief. As long as he just wanted her to talk, everything was fine. She didn’t believe that Marquis Moyu could continue to favor her again tomorrow night. If he favored her for that many days in a row, Wen Wan definitely wouldn’t be able to sit still and do nothing. 

  “This servant doesn’t really have any interesting stories from childhood, other than dressing as a boy to go outside and visiting the bustling streets with my older brother or climbing Marquis Pingnan’s residence’s walls to see my crush.” 

  She had slowly seen these memories in her dream. That young girl had really put forth all of her energy to climb over another household’s walls. 

  Ning Yuxuan naturally still had an impression of Nie Sangyu climbing over walls. It was at that point in time when he started to dislike her. As he carefully looked at Nie Sangyu’s face, his heart was filled with a sense of uncertainty. 

  Translator Ramblings: I’ve been wondering why Ji Man she doesn’t give enough consideration to Nie Sangyu’s maltreatment of the other concubines during past years. No matter how good she’s been during the past three months, it doesn’t erase Nie Sangyu’s past actions. But, if Nie Sangyu is only sharing her memories involving Ning Yuxuan, then it make sense that she still doesn’t know what Nie Sangyu had done in the past. 

  Also, I think it’s reasonable that he’s surprised about Nie Sangyu’s sudden change. Yes, he’s treated her very indifferently and sometimes overly harsh. Any other person would have given up on him a long time ago. But, he’s been consistently treating her this way since he and Nie Sangyu were children and this has never stopped Nie Sangyu from continuing to obsess over him. I included a tiny spoiler in the comments below related to this.

  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 052 out of 513 – The world changes whether you want it to or not (1) 

  For her to remember even childhood memories this well, there naturally wouldn’t be any noticeable physical difference. Ning Yuxuan had observed Nie Sangyu for many days and had examined her face when she was sleeping. And now, he finally had to admit that this person was Nie Sangyu herself. This person couldn’t be an impersonator. 

  Then, what could have made this woman change so drastically? 

  “During childhood, other than coming out to look at the marquis, this servant was at home embroidering the rest of the time. Unfortunately, even though the marquis accepted my embroidered items, you never used any of those items even once.” There was a mocking smile on Ji Man’s lips. “How fortunate that Sangyu used to feel very happy over this. In hopes that the marquis would enjoy using those items, Sangyu had kept practicing in order to become more skillful at embroidery. 

  Once these words were said, Ning Yuxuan became somewhat embarrassed. He lightly coughed and turned his gaze away. “The things that I use are managed by the servants. I wasn’t paying special attention to it.” 

  “You don’t care about Sangyu, so you naturally don’t pay attention to the items made by Sangyu.” Ji Man sighed. “Sangyu had once spent an entire month embroidering a cloak with a cedar tree pattern, but unfortunately, Sangyu hasn’t seen you wearing it even once.” 

  Nie Sangyu had spent several days embroidered that cloak without stopping to rest. After falling sick, she resumed embroidering again for a month before she has even recovered from her illness. However, Marquis Moyu had only indifferently accepted the item, put it away in his wardrobe, and never took it out again. 

  “It’s all in the past. If you hadn’t been so devoid of sense, I wouldn’t have treated you coldly for that long.” Ning Yuxuan looked at Nie Sangyu and said, “The way you’re behaving right now is pretty good. It saves me from being troubled.” 

  Ah yes, her behavior was saving him from being troubled. She was already at the point where she didn’t want anything. Of course, she was saving him from feeling troubled. Men always wanted women to be magnanimous, not argue or worry about things that men felt were minor, and to not be willful. Actually, it would be easy for a woman to do this. Just, don’t be in love with than man and she would be able to satisfy all of his requirements without any difficulties. Her current interactions with Marquis Moyu were an example of this. 

  “My lord, your eyes look bloodshot. Let’s go to sleep early.” Ji Man expressionlessly turned her back to him in clear show of rejection. 

  Ning Yuxuan didn’t insist on continuing this conversation. Lying next to her, he straightforwardly fell asleep without the slighted additional movement. 

  She had been right. He wasn’t thrilled with the idea of bestowing favor on her either. Ji Man let out a slight sigh in relief. Tomorrow, she would still go to old madame’s place to hide and avoid other people feeling jealous that she had been favored for two nights in a row. 

  But, there was a saying. The trees longed for peace, but the wind will never cease*. When Marquis Jingwen’s family finally arrived, something still went wrong. 

  * (T/N: This idiom means that the world changes whether you want it to or not.) 

  Because it was close family members that were visiting, old madame naturally warmly welcomed Marquis Jingwen and his son and daughter with a festive meal at the main courtyard. All of honored and ordinary concubines also attended. However, they were separated by status. The honored concubines and the main wife were sitting. The ordinary concubines could only stand in place. 

  Although Mu Shuiqing was pregnant, she wasn’t an exception to this rule and still had to stand near old madame to add food to her bowl. 

  Ji Man stood behind Wen Wan and looked the table full of fish and meat and silently swallowed her saliva. 

  This was called poor people can only smell the rich scent of meat and wine as they freeze to death in winter. She hadn’t even eaten dinner yet! These people were actually just sitting and talking nonsense while leaving these delicious delicacies untouched. 

  “The new cousin-in-law is truly beautiful. She’s much prettier than our old cousin-in-law.” Ning Errrong was a wearing a cute outfit that consisted of a vest-style garment lined with white fox fur and a sky blue, pleated skirt. She looked rather lively. Her eyes had looked at Sangyu for a long time before falling on Wen Wan’s body. 

  This devilish little ancestor had become friends with Sangyu several years ago after a period of discord. She never gave anyone any face. Although Wen Wan had a beautiful face, it had become significantly haggard during the past several days. She hadn’t been able to smile since the beginning of this dinner and resembled a squashed flower. Compared to Nie Sangyu, who had been using skincare products made of natural ingredients, her face looked quite inferior. And yet, Errong still said those words. 

  Hearing the words, “new” and “old”, made Ning Yuxuan’s expression turn ugly. 

  Sitting next to Errong, there was a man wearing a silver mask. He quietly said, “Errong, properly eat dinner and speak less,” and added more food to her bowl. 

  Ning Errong quietly harrumphed, lowered her head to eat, and firmly kicked Ning Mingjie’s leg underneath the table. 

  Ning Mingjie didn’t show any reaction to being kicked and only quietly ate dinner. When he inadvertently raised his head and saw a glance of Wen Wan, he felt that this woman was quite pretty. 

  Ji Man remembered that the female lead and the supporting male character had met during this banquet. But since she had entered this book, a lot of the details had already changed. Wen Wan also hadn’t caused as much trouble as written in the original novel. She couldn’t say whether or not the direction of the original plot was changing. However, whether or not the supporting male lead stayed was a serious matter that was related to preserving her life. 

  The reason than Nie Sangyu had been ordered to commit suicide was because this supporting male character had obtained the evidence of Nie Sangyu harming the female lead. As a result, the marquis had ended the supporting female character’s life in a fit of anger. 

  They were both supporting characters. Why did the supporting male character have to make life difficult for the supporting female character? 

  Ji Man couldn’t resist looking at Ning Mingjie a few more times. When that person paused while holding chopsticks, he inexplicably looked up and looked in her direction. 

  When his bright and beautiful eyes looked at her, Ji Man slightly froze for a moment before she hurriedly lowered her head and obediently went back to adding food to Wen Wan’s bowl. 

  Hey! This man’s eyes were too good-looking. No wonder people said that the male lead was for the female lead and the supporting male character was for the readers. A reader like her loved supporting male characters like him! Ah, he was such a beautiful man and his temperament also seemed better than Marquis Moyu. Perhaps, she should try her best to change the plot and let the male lead and female lead have their grand finale while she returned to her world with the supporting male character? 

  As she thought about this, Ji Man glanced at Ning Mingjie again and felt that it would be worth it try out this idea.

  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 053 out of 513 – The world changes whether you want it to or not (2) 

  Ning Yuxuan didn’t like to look around the table while he was eating, but during this meal, he raised his head twice. 

  By coincidence, he saw Nie Sangyu staring at Ning Mingjie like a love-struck idiot both times. 

  He slightly raised his eyebrows. Finding the situation somewhat laughable, he kicked Ning Mingjie’s leg. 

  “En?” Ning Mingjie looked at him in confusion. 

  “Be careful that you don’t get stung by a fly,” Marquis Moyu whispered. 

  It was the middle of winter. How could there be a fly? Ning Mingjie felt that his words were very odd. In the passing, he raised his head and looked around. He saw Nie Sangyu with her head slightly lowered as she conscientiously added food to Wen Wan’s bowl. Part of her neck was exposed and when the wind blew by, it shrunk inward like a turtle. 

  She had become significantly quieter since the last time he saw her. Ning Mingjie had previously come to the capital for Marquis Moyu’s grand wedding and had seen Nie Sangyu causing a disturbance. She and Errong had almost started a fight with each other during that time. But, for some unknown reason, they had become good friends afterwards. 

  He didn’t have much of an impression of her. He only remembered hearing her shouting to the concubines and bed servants that attended the wedding, “No one likes Yuxuan as much as me!”, while she was standing in the main hall during the wedding with her head covered by her wedding veil. She had been carefree and not afraid of idle gossip. 

  These words later became a source of laughter for the people in the capital during their leisure time. They said that this Nie Clan’s daughter truly wasn’t bashful. This was also a reason why Ning Yuxuan rarely went to her courtyard after the wedding night. 

  She had been a girl that had been so ardent with her love. But now, she was able to quietly stand by the woman that Ning Yuxuan liked the most and add food to her bowl after she had become a concubine. Nie Sangyu’s face was as calm as a lake without ripples as if she had severed off all thoughts. 

  Original translation is from fuyuneko dot org. If you’re reading this elsewhere, this chapter has been stolen. Please stop supporting theft. 

  Ning Mingjie lowered his head and continued to eat. 

  By the time the meal was over, the sky had become dark. After old madame talked with Marquis Jingwen for a while, she had Wen Wan guide this uncle and these cousins to their rooms. 

  Ji Man followed after Honored Concubine Xue. Qi Siling and Mu Shuiqing were also walking with them. Just as they passed by the southern courtyard’s grape trellis and were walking on a small stone bridge, someone suddenly pushed Ji Man’s back very hard and she couldn’t help falling towards Honored Concubine Xue. 

  “Ah!” A cry in surprise and the surrounding people became a disorderly mess. The servants, who had been carrying the lanterns, turned around to look and saw that Mu Shuiqing had already fallen over the bridge and into the clear stream. 

  “Master Qing!” Banxia had been walking at the very back and didn’t make it in time to save her from falling into the water. She could only yell out, “Hurry and save Master Qing! Her pregnant body can’t suffer shock!” 

  Ji Man had fallen down with Qian Lianxue pressed underneath her and had caused the delicate beauty to suffer a terrible fall. At the front, Wen Wan had also stumbled. Originally, Ning Mingjie was going to step forward to help her, but Ning Errong had stepped forward one moment earlier and was already supporting her. 

  In the dark night with only lanterns for illumination, the servants hurriedly went to save Mu Shuiqing and fetch a doctor. 

  As the main wife, Wen Wan was worried about delaying the guests as she saw this mess unfolding. She hurriedly said, “Siling, bring Marquis Jingwen and his children to the southern courtyard first. I’ll sort things out here.” 

  “Understood.” Qi Siling acknowledged her order and continued walking forward to led Marquis Jingwen. 

  By the time Ji Man got up from the ground, she saw that Mu Shuiqing was already completely drenched and had been taken out of the water. It was the middle of the winter and her face had changed colors from the cold. Ji Man hurriedly took off her small sleeveless jacket that was lined with rabbit fur to give to Mu Shuiqing, so that she could at least be bundled up. 

  Mu Shuiqing’s lips kept trembling and she wasn’t able to speak. Before she had time to say anything, Banxia had already started helping her return to Feiyu Couryard. 

  Although Mu Shuqing’s baby wasn’t favored, no one would be able to peacefully sleep tonight after something like this happened. 

  Ji Man rubbed her forehead. What was meant to happen would still inevitably happen. She just knew that Mu Shuiqing wouldn’t be able to keep her baby. The male lead still had to spend an entire lifetime with the female lead as a couple. How could a child from another woman be allowed to exist? 

  The important point was, who would be charged with the crime of killing the marquis’s eldest child? 

  — 

  Just as Ning Yuxuan was about to go Qiangwei Courtyard, he was called to Feiyu Courtyard. 

  Mu Shuiqing had already taken a warm bath and drank ginger tea, but she still caught a cold. Her face was deathly pale. 

  Doctor Li had come to check her pulse and seriously said, “You’re pregnant, so you can’t take medicine. Master Qing, you’ll have to recover from this cold by yourself.” 

  Catching a cold in ancient times wasn’t a minor thing the way it was in modern times. If she didn’t drink medicine, the cold could become serious enough to take her life. 

  As soon as Mu Shuiqing heard these words, she felt slightly hopeless. If she really couldn’t overcome this cold on her own, not only would she not be able to keep her baby, she would also be throwing away her own life. 

  Ning Yuxuan stood far way from the bed as if he was afraid of catching her cold and only said, “Take care of yourself,” before he started to leave with Wen Wan. 

  Mu Shuiqing’s eyes turned red and she gritted her teeth as she said, “My lord, aren’t you going to investigate who tried to harm this servant?” 

  Why had someone suddenly pushed her without rhyme or reason as she was walking? She would obviously get sick if she was pushed into cold water during the middle of winter, so why had someone deliberately push her into the water? 

  Ning Yuxuan stopped walking. His instinctive response was to look at Nie Sangyu. 

  Seeing his gaze, Ji Man’s expression sunk. “Although it was dark out, people would have still seen things. My lord, you have plenty of time to investigate. There’s no need for you to make a final decision in your heart beforehand.” 

  Someone had also pushed her. Why was she the first person that he suspected? Ji Man felt extremely angry. The thing that she hated the most in her life was being falsely accused. Whoever tried to place this blame on her, she wouldn’t let that person have a good ending! 

  Translator Ramblings: It’s ironic that it was Ning Yuxuan’s kick and words that caused Ning Mingjie to notice Nie Sangyu. Unlike Ning Yuxuan and old madame, who likes the new Nie Sangyu, the way Ning Mingjie described Nie Sangyu’s change seemed sad to me. It felt like he was noting that Nie Sangyu had changed from a passionate and lively girl to someone who’s dead inside. What do you guys think?

  Chapter: 054 out of 513 – The mountains haven’t flattened. The heavens and earth haven’t joined. I’m willing to separate from you, my lord and husband (1) 

  Marquis Moyu hadn’t expected that Nie Sangyu would have such a big reaction. He slightly furrowed his brow, “I didn’t say that I suspected you. Why are you so agitated?” 

  With a calm face, Ji Man coldly harrumphed. If she couldn’t understand what his earlier gaze had meant, then she would write her name backwards! 

  Wen Wan looked at Marquis Moyu’s somewhat aggravated expression with a small amount of surprise. She pursed her lips and didn’t say anything. 

  Ning Yuxuan was silent for a long time before he finally said, “It’s already late. I’ll investigate the matter tomorrow. For now, let’s all leave to rest.” 

  Everyone lowered their heads and acknowledged his order. 

  Ji Man picked up the sleeveless jacket that was lined with rabbit fur. It had been left in a corner of the room and was soaked to the point that it couldn’t be worn right now. But, it was one of the more expensive clothes in her wardrobe, so she still had to pick it up to bring back. 

  Mu Shuiqing’s complexion had slightly improved and she said to Nie Sangyu, “Thank you very much.” 

  Ji Man lightly smiled, “I was just doing what anyone should have done.” 

  At that time, Nie Sangyu was the only one that had given her a sleeveless jacket. Everyone else had just been standing far away. Although Mu Shuiqing could be petty and unreasonable, she remembered Nie Sangyu’s friendly treatment towards her during the past several days. 

  Qi Siling waited until everyone had left Feiyu Courtyard, then she had Banxia close the doors before she sat down on the bed and looked at Mu Shuiqing as she said, “You actually thanked Nie Sangyu?” 

  Mu Shuiqing looked at her for a moment before she said, “From the time that I became pregnant, she treated me pretty well. Today, she even lent me her sleeveless jacket and wasn’t coldly indifferent like everyone else. It’s only right that I should thank her.” 

  The space between Qi Siling’s eyebrows became slightly creased. “You’re being muddle-headed. Why do you believe that she’s a good person just because she’s acting like one? Have you forgotten how she used to treat us?” 

  Mu Shuiqing was silent. 

  After a pause, Qi Siling added, “Did you see who pushed you into the water?” 

  Mu Shuiqing shook her head. “I was lost in thought when someone suddenly pushed me from the side. I didn’t see who that person was.” 

  Although she had been walking on Nie Sangyu’s left side and it definitely felt like someone had pushed from the right side, it didn’t feel like Nie Sangyu had suddenly pushed her. It felt more like someone had rushed up from behind, went between the two of them, and knocked against her to make her fall into the clear stream. 

  Nie Sangyu definitely hadn’t pushed her, but someone was trying to make her look guilty. In the past, Mu Shuiqing might have falsely accused her anyways. But now, she believed that Nie Sangyu was innocent. Someone was trying to use her to harm Nie Sangyu. 

  Qi Siling clutched her handkerchief and thought for a long time before she finally said, “During the past two days, the marquis had been staying at Feiwan Courtyard. Although Madam hadn’t said anything, she’s upset over this. Plus, you’re also pregnant, so her mood has been very bad lately. And, you have to know that Madam is the only person that the marquis truly likes. If you set yourself against Madam, you won’t have a good ending.” 

  This was also the reason why Qi Siling had decided to rely on Wen Wan. She was a clever person and understood Marquis Moyu’s mind. She knew that once he met someone that he truly loved; the other concubines would only be decorations. And so, she absolutely couldn’t be Wen Wan’s enemy. On the contrary, the better her relationship with Wen Wan was, the better off she would be. 

  Mu Shuiqing raised her eyes to look at her and said, “Master Ling, you want me to push the crime onto Nie Sangyu in order to receive Madam’s forgiveness, so that my future days will be better?” 

  Qi Siling nodded. Then, she glanced at Mu Shuiqing’s belly in the passing and said, “I think there’s nothing more important than continuing to live. What do you think?” 

  If she willing abandoned Nie Sangyu and her own unborn baby, then she could peacefully live under Madam’s protection and help. 

  Mu Shuiqing was silent for a long time, before she smiled and said. “Master Ling, you can go back first. It’s not early anymore. Let me think about this matter more. After all, it’s related to a life, I can’t flippantly decide.” 

  Qi Siling intensely looked at her before nodding and saying, “Alright, think about this carefully. I’m going back first.” 

  Mu Shuiqing nodded. 

  The doors opened and closed, and silence was left behind. 

  — 

  Right after Ji Man returned to her room, she saw Ning Errong. 

  It was the middle of the night. Ji Man didn’t know how this little ancestor had come inside. 

  Ning Errong was sitting on the cushioned couch with one leg over another. She watched as Nie Sangyu came inside and said, “Yo, you came back?” 

  Ji Man didn’t know why, but she felt like laughing. With a relaxed posture, she walked over to the couch and asked, “How did you come inside? Did you come in here through the window?” 

  The window next to Ning Errong was still open and letting the cold wind inside. 

  Muxu hurriedly went over, closed the window, and poured two cups of tea. 

  “I heard about the suffering you went through here, at my cousin’s place. And, I couldn’t resist coming here to see you, just in case you suddenly took things too hard. What would I do if I didn’t have anyone to bicker with?” Ning Errong looked at Nie Sangyu from top to bottom. “But, you seem to be in much better spirits than I thought you would be.” 

  When Ning Errong found out that Nie Sangyu had lost her position as the main wife, she really wanted to come to the capital. Unfortunately, Marquis Jingwen wouldn’t allow her. Although she and Nie Sangyu would start quarreling as soon as they saw each other, the two of them were very good friends. She had been worried about her. 

  But, seeing the person in front of her, she let out a sigh in relief. At the same time, this person felt somewhat unfamiliar. The previous Nie Sangyu had to pretend to be gentle in front of other people because her cousin didn’t like women that acted shrewish. It was only in front of her, that Nie Sangyu would roll up her sleeves without hesitation and hurl insults and exchange curses without regard to propriety. 

  But, right now, Nie Sangyu was silently standing in front of her like a deep pool of stagnant water*. She was worried that Nie Sangyu had become so upset that she had mentally broken down. 

  Ji Man sat down and said, “People have to keep living and not obsess over something that can’t be changed, right? Your cousin doesn’t like me from the bottom of his heart. Fortunately, I don’t like him anymore, so I’m not suffering any losses. It’s just that this household is full of women fighting and scheming against each other. I’m feeling a bit tired from taking precautions and guarding against them.” 

  Ning Errong raised her eyebrows and said, “Speaking of this, did you push that pregnant concubine into the water because of a momentary impulse?” 

  Ji Man’s face blackened, “It wasn’t me!” 

  Translator Ramblings: What do you guys think of Qi Siling? Unlike old madame and Ji Man, she believes that Marquis Moyu will stay in love with Wen Wan. And so, for her, the only right choice to make is to stay on Wen Wan’s good side. I think she’s genuinely giving Mu Shuiqing the advice that she would follow herself if she were in the same situation. 

  And, I think it’s really nice that there were people that liked the original Nie Sangyu, just the way she was. I love the friendship between Nie Sangyu and Ning Errong, and the other friendly relationship and/or alliances between the women in this novel. 

  * The literal translation of si shui (stagnant water) is dead water. I just thought it was interesting that Errong uses these words to describe Sangyu.

  Chapter: 055 out of 513 – The mountains haven’t flattened. The heavens and earth haven’t joined. I’m willing to separate from you, my lord and husband (2) 

  Ah, but that’s really your style.” Ning Errong narrowed her eyes and said, “Didn’t you use to say that you would torment to death people that you dislike? You seem to have never gotten along with that Mu Shuiqing.” 

  “Even if I dislike her, I wasn’t the one the pushed her. I wouldn’t choose a method that’s so foolishly seeking death.” Ji Man harrumphed and said, “Tonight’s event only happened because your cousin stayed at my courtyard for two nights in a row, which made someone unable to hold herself back and directed this trouble towards me.” 

  Ning Errong was slightly surprised. “My cousin actually favored you that much? It couldn’t be that being a concubine is better than being a wife?” 

  Ji Man thought, no wonder Nie Sangyu could roll up her sleeves and exchange insults with this cousin-in-law. Her words were truly the type where you wanted to curse her back. 

  “Your cousin loves his wife the most right now. The concubines are only used as a way to provoke her.” Ji Man quietly said, “I don’t have any other thoughts. I just want to live my life peacefully.” 

  “You really don’t love my cousin anymore?” Ning Errong asked, “Who was the one that once said, “When the mountains have flattened and the heavens and earth have joined, then I’ll be willing to separate from you, my lord and husband”?” 

  (T/N: These are lines from a famous love poem (Shangxie) from the Han Dynasty. The poet lists out bizarre and impossible natural phenomena to express that her love is absolute and will never change. The full poem is translated at the end of the chapter) 

  Ji Man lightly smiled and said, “Right now, it’s the mountains haven’t flattened. The heavens and earth haven’t joined. I’m willing to separate from you, my lord and husband.” 

  I’m willing to separate from you, my lord and husband. 

  Ning Errong froze. Her joking expression from before was totally put away. She had never thought there would be a day when Sangyu would no longer love Yuxuan. She had thought that her earlier words were just a joke. But now, she had actually said such heartless words. 

  The room was quiet for a long time before Ning Errong sighed and said, “I’m going back to my room. Come to the southern courtyard tomorrow and I’ll treat you to snacks.” 

  “Sure.” Ji Man agreed. 

  Ning Errong left the same way she came. She jumped out through the window and disappeared into the night. 

  Ji Man actually wanted to remind her that she could leave thought the front doors, but Errong had moved too quickly and she didn’t have time to say anything. 

  — 

  Ning Mingjie hadn’t gone to bed yet. Other people might not have clearly seen through the show on the bridge tonight, but he had. A servant girl had rushed up from behind and pushed that pregnant concubine into the water. It had been the perfect position to give people the false impression that Nie Sangyu had been the culprit. 

  But, he wouldn’t tell anyone this. This had nothing to do with him. Even if Errong was friends with that Nie Sangyu, there was no need for him to meddle with the affairs of someone’s inner court. 

  “Older brother.” Ning Errong came back from outside and directly barged into his room. 

  Ning Mingjie turned his head and helplessly looked at her, “I told you so many times already. Don’t directly enter someone’s room. You have to remember to knock on the door first.” 

  Ning Errong’s entire face looked depressed. After sitting down, she said gloomily, “We’re siblings, there’s no need to keep a distinct separation. I feel upset after speaking with Sangyu, so I came here to have a heart-to-heart talk with you.” 

  “What did she say?” Ning Mingjie curiously looked at her. “What words could make a little devil like you feel sad?” 

  Ning Errong rested part of her body on the table, sighed, and said, “Sangyu used to really love our cousin and was willing to do anything for him. When we used to be as incompatible as fire and water, she softened her attitude and humbly pleaded with me for advice, just because I casually said I knew something that our cousin liked. She was such an idiot. Even if I wanted to be angry with her, I couldn’t.” 

  Women had been emotional since ancient times. Nie Sangyu’s behavior wasn’t anything strange. Ning Mingjie didn’t agree with her words. 

  “But, when I went to Feiwan Courtyard tonight, she actually said that she no longer liked our cousin. She even said, “The mountains haven’t flattened. The heavens and earth haven’t joined. I’m willing to separate from you, my lord and husband.” 

  Ning Errong sighed again. “She’s probably given up on our cousin. I don’t know why, but I felt kind of sad seeing her like this. As it turns out, no matter how intense a love is, it can still be grinded down to nothing, ah.” 

  Ning Mingjie slightly froze from surprise. He thought of that woman, who had quietly added food to Wen Wan’s bowl during dinner. He silently sighed. So what if she wasn’t in love anymore? Once a woman married, she could only spend the rest of her life in that one courtyard. 

  After Ning Errong garrulously talked about Nie Sangyu, she felt better and went back to her room to sleep. 

  Ning Mingjie didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She had simply left after her words had taken away his sleepiness. 

  Nie Sangyu. He had listened to Errorng talk about her so many times, but tonight was the first time where he felt that this woman was somewhat interesting. 

  — 

  Very early next morning, Ji Man woke up. Last night, she had Muxu decoct medicinal herbs to make pills. She had used a prescription for alleviating the symptoms of the common cold, but all of the herbs that would be harmful towards the fetus were taken out. Doctor Li had given them the modified prescription. He said that Mu Shuiqing couldn’t use more concentrated medicine, but it would still be good to eat a less concentrated version of the medicine to help with her cold. 

  Before the sun had come up, Ji Man went to Feiyu Courtyard and gave Mu Shuiqing the pills and prescription. 

  “Your health is important, but keeping your baby is also important.” Ji Man looked at Mu Shuiqing’s complicated expression and seriously tried to persuade her, “It’s still a life. If there’s a possibility in keeping it, you shouldn’t give up on it.” 

  Mu Shuiqing was currently wavering because of Qi Siling’s words. Looking at the pills on the table and listening to Nie Sangyu’s words, the scale in her heart tilted towards the other side again. Without saying a word, she ate the medicine. 

  If anything went wrong and she lost her baby, this would make it easier for her to push the crime onto Nie Sangyu and surrender and pay allegiance to madam. If nothing went wrong, it would also be good if she could keep her baby. This was the most optimal path that she could take. She hadn’t expected that Nie Sangyu would come here and personally pave this path for her. 

  (T/N: Below is a translation of the poem mentioned above. 

  Oh heavens!

  I want to be your love,

  A long life without illness and death,

  When the mountains have flattened,

  When the rivers have dried up,

  When it thunders in winter,

  When it snows in summer,

  When the heavens and earth have joined,*

  Then, I’ll be willing to separate from you, my lord and husband.

  * In Chinese mythology, the world was creating by the creator god separating the heavens and earth.) 

  Translator Ramblings: Such a gloomy chapter. Tiny spoiler. One more chapter until one of my favorite chapters (ch 57) and one of the main reasons why I like this story so much. 

  What do you guys think of Ning Mingjie? He seems sort of misogynistic in this chapter, in the sense that he’s views all women as very emotional creatures, but he doesn’t hate them. He’s equally uncaring towards men and women. In his defense, I think that his current view is mostly based on the woman that he spends the most time with, his younger sister, who he always has to keep out of trouble. Maybe, I’m giving him too much credit for being Errong’s long-suffering older brother. Tiny spoiler. His perspective on women will change after he spends time with Ji Man. 

  For those of you who are disappointed that Ji Man didn’t say the words in the title to Ning Yuxuan, I included a tiny spoiler in the comment below.

  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 056 out of 513 – The savior arrives in time (1) 

  Ning Yuxuan had said that he would investigate yesterday’s matter, so everyone that had been on the stone bridge last night came to Feiyu Courtyard this morning. 

  Wen Wan’s complexion had greatly improved. Marquis Moyu had probably successively coaxed her last night. However, when her gaze turned to Nie Sangyu, Ji Man felt that the female lead had changed. Wen Wen had originally been the fortunate female lead that had received everything without even having to ask for it, but she had interfered and taken away part of the female lead’s halo. Wen Wan’s heart was most likely feeling a sense of unfairness and staring to hate her. 

  Even if a woman was a Holy Mother, she would become angry when her fundamental interests were disturbed. Moreover, Wen Wan could be considered a somewhat careful person. Ji Man almost suspected that Ning Yuxuan was deliberately using her as a way to provoke Wen Wan, so that Wen Wan would learn to keep herself away from the other women and not be bullied by them. 

  Wen Wan started by saying, “I was walking in the front with the two honored concubines yesterday, so we naturally couldn’t have turned around and pushed Qing-er. The people that were following behind the two honored concubines, go and stand in the same position you were in.” 

  Ji Man pursed her lips and was the first person to walk to the center of the courtyard. At that time, Liu Hanyun was standing to her right and Mu Shuiqing was standing to her left. They were followed by Wen Wan’s servant girl, Tanxiang, Qi Siling’s servant girl, Songlan, and Qian Lianxue’s servant girl, Dangzhu. Further behind them, it was Nie Sangyu’s servant girl, Muxu, Mu Shuiqing’s servant girl, Banxia, as well as Liu Hanyun’s servant girl, Chunpi. 

  No matter how anyone looked at it, Nie Sangyu had been in the most suspicious position. She had been in the best position to push Mu Shuiqing into the water. 

  Wen Wan determinedly looked at them for a long time before she turned her head to look at Marquis Moyu and said, “We’re all sisters. It wouldn’t be good for your servant to make any guesses. My lord, please make the decision instead.” 

  Ning Yuxuan glanced at Nie Sangyu before he pursed his lips and asked the servants in the back, “At that time, who moved? Or, did anyone feel someone next to herself move? All of you, close your eyes and point. No one is allowed to open her eyes. Otherwise, you’ll be driven out of this household.” 

  This was actually a pretty good method. It allowed the people that were afraid to speak to also act as witnesses. Ji Man silently praised him and also closed her eyes. 

  Ji Man heard the faint sound of sleeves being raised behind her. While she waited for Ning Yuxuan to order everyone to open their eyes, she whole-heartedly believed that she wouldn’t be wrongly accused. However, when she finally opened her eyes, she saw that Ning Yuxuan was looking at her with an extremely harsh gaze. 

  “What?” Ji Man didn’t understand. When she turned around to look, all of the servant girls were standing in place with their heads lowered. 

  “I can listen to your explanation.” Marquis Moyu pursed his lips and said, “Why did you push Qing-er into the water?” 

  She pushed Mu Shuiqing into the water? Ji Man widened her eyes. She incredulously turned her head and glanced at the servant girls behind her. It was such a large group of people. It couldn’t be that they had all pointed at her, right? 

  After being surprised for a short period of time, she calmed down again. There were five servant girls behind her. At least three of them had past enmity with her. Why had she thought that they would say the truth instead of harming her? 

  Ji Man smiled, turned around to look at Marquis Moyu, and said, “My lord, if you were this servant and stood in such a conspicuous spot, would you push Master Qing into the water? What’s the benefit to me if she loses her child? First, I’m not the main wife. Second, I’ve never received any genuine feelings from you. Other than harming myself, what will I get by doing this?” 

  These words had the slight meaning of implicating Wen Wan. Marquis Moyu’s expression immediately sunk and his peach blossom eyes were filled with fury. He coldly harrumphed, “Who doesn’t know that you have a poisonous heart? Not only did you plot to murder my heir, now you’re also trying to harm Wen Wan by placing the blame on her?” 

  Ji Man also sneered. “My lord, you’re heart is already slanted to one side and you won’t listen to anyone’s explanation. Why are you bothering with asking Sangyu this question? Just directly lock me in the confinement courtyard.” 

  “Audacious!” Ning Yuxuan was truly angered. His eyes were sharp enough to be swords that wanted to stab through her while she was still alive. “Nie Sangyu, are you relying on your identity as a member of Nie Clan to increasingly disregard other people? Right now, you’re a concubine. And you dare to talk back to me like this?” 

  Ji Man was also overcome with anger. She was innocent and had been wrongly accused. Who wouldn’t be angry? And yet, this scumbag had the insistent attitude of protecting the female lead and disregarding everyone else’s opinion. It made her fume with rage. 

  The female lead’s life was important. It couldn’t be that the supporting female character’s life was worth nothing! 

  Wen Wan hurriedly came forward to act as the mediator. “My lord, please calm down. Sangyu, be mindful and pay attention to propriety when you’re speaking. Don’t anger the marquis. If you’re really confined again, your days won’t be good.” 

  Ji Man inwardly sneered, but she returned to showing an obedient expression on her face. There wouldn’t be any good result to directly facing off with Marquis Moyu. The female lead had given her a way out. It would be a waste to not use it. 

  Ning Yuxuan didn’t know why he was behaving this way. When Nie Sangyu had acted improperly and angered him in the past, he would never outwardly express his anger in this manner. At the most, he would show her a cold face and ignore her. But Nie Sangyu’s current indifferent attitude of having nothing to lose always provoked his anger and made him want to choke her to death. 

  After he calmed himself down, he said, “You’ve always been narrow-minded and unable to tolerate other people. Right now, there are so many witnesses. Even if you want to argue, it’ll be difficult for you to avoid being punished. You had the sinister intention of trying to murder my heir. In consideration for the fact that you’ve been part of this household for several years……” 

  “You also know that Sangyu has been in this household for several years?” A furious voice came from the courtyard’s entrance. Everyone in the courtyard was startled. Wen Wan hurriedly turned her head and saw Ning Errong supporting old madame as they entered Feiyu Courtyard. 

  Everyone was shocked. They looked at the Marquis Moyu’s cousin, who was beaming. In their minds, they hatefully thought, why did she have to bring old madame here at this point in time? 

  Translator Ramblings: I didn’t blame Ning Yuxuan for suspecting that Nie Sangyu was the one that pushed Mu Shuiqing into the water, especially since she has pretended to be good in the past. Even Errong, who is 100% on Nie Sangyu’s side, believes that this is totally something she would do. He at least made an attempt by asking the other servants instead of directly asking Mu Shuiqing, given her well-known hostile relationship with Nie Sangyu. 

  But then, Ji Man touched his bottom line, Wen Wan. 

  Storywise, I really like that the author shows us a different perspective of how terribly unreasonable a typical male lead is when it’s something related to the female lead. Logic will be thrown straight out the window. For example, in ChongFei Manual, the male lead orders his bodyguard to cut off the tongue of a singer just because she saw something that she shouldn’t have about the female lead. I don’t remember anyone commenting that the male lead’s order was unnecessarily harsh or being upset at him. He was partially doing it to ensure that the female lead’s reputation will be left pristine. Ning Yuxuan is doing the same thing here. He shows an extreme reaction whenever anyone intentionally or unintentionally tries to smear Wen Wan’s reputation. 

  That being said, I love old madame’s words and how she defends Sangyu in the next chapter. 

  Also, I included a spoiler in the comments below related to this.

  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 057 out of 513 – The savior arrives in time (2) 

  “Mother.” Ning Yuxuan retracted part of his anger, saluted, and said, “Your son is currently questioning about the matter of Qing-er falling into the water yesterday.” 

  “This is what you call questioning?” Old madame looked at him sternly and said, “I clearly only heard you convicting Sangyu. Sangyu, do you accept this?” 

  Ji Man felt that the original novel’s vicious mother-in-law was truly too lovely. She almost wanted to cry in gratitude. She hurriedly responded to old madame’s words by yelling out, “I don’t!” 

  Her life had finally improved and they wanted to drive her back to her original state? No way! 

  Old madame glanced at Sangyu to indicate for her to keep calm and to not get excited. Then, she immediately asked, “Xuan-er, how were you questioning earlier? Show me.” 

  Ning Yuxuan knew that his mother would protect Nie Sangyu no matter what. But, the facts couldn’t be changed. Nie Sangyu had committed a crime. He didn’t believe that anyone could invert right and wrong. 

  And so, he had the servant girls repeat their earlier actions and had everyone close their eyes. 

  Old madame didn’t close her eyes and watched the five servant girls in the back with Marquis Moyu. However, this time, none of the five servant girls dared to point. 

  “So this is the method that Xuan-er used to question?” Old madame smiled, but her eyes severely looked at Ning Yuxuan. 

  Marquis Moyu pursed his lips and said, “It’s probably because mother is too biased in favor of Sangyu, so they didn’t dare to point.” 

  “Oh?” Old madame chuckled. “Then Xuan-er, have you been biased enough in favor of Wen Wan?” 

  Stunned, Marquis Moyu lowered his eyes and stayed silent. 

  “My household’s rules are strict and won’t allow for the preposterous idea of having the servants decide their master’s crime.” Old madame’s expression was upright as she said, “Can you ensure that these servant girls don’t have selfish motives? Sangyu has been married to you for six years, before you even had your adulthood ceremony. It’s one thing for you to be indifferent towards her. But now, you’re going to convict her because of other people’s slanderous words?” 

  By the side, Wen Wan’s face turned red, then white as she listened to these words. Old madame’s words made it sound like Sangyu was her daughter-in-law, while she continued to be an unacknowledged, wild woman. From the time that old madame entered this courtyard, she hadn’t even glanced at her. 

  This wasn’t a comfortable feeling to experience. She truly liked Ning Yuxuan, so she also wanted his mother to like her. But, why was it so difficult? 

  Marquis Moyu was silent for a long time before he finally said, “Mother, you’re right to reprimand. But, Qing-er is pregnant with your grandchild. This matter can’t be left unsettled.” 

  “If you’re going to investigate, then do it properly. This house is full of deceitful women. Who’s words can you believe? How about asking Shuiqing, who she thought pushed her and what she wants done for this matter to be settled?” 

  Mu Shuqing was the person that had been the most harmed by this incident. Right now, it wasn’t even known if she would be able overcome her cold. Ning Yuxuan felt that these words were reasonable. He straightforwardly entered Mu Shuiqing’s room to ask for her opinion. In the passing, he could also say a few words to comfort her. 

  “At the time, Tanxiang was standing behind this servant.” With reddened eyes, Mu Shuiqing said these words. Seeing Marquis Moyu’s sunken expression, she hurriedly said, “However, this servant doesn’t know who had pushed her. The only thing that this servant knows for sure, is that it wasn’t older sister Sangyu.” 

  It wasn’t Nie Sangyu? Ning Yuxuan slightly raised his eyebrows. He had expected that Mu Shuiqing would allege that it was definitely Nie Sangyu. Instead, she had said words to exonerate her. 

  Why? 

  Hadn’t Mu Shuiqing and Nie Sangyu’s relationship always been bad? This was such a good opportunity. Why wasn’t she taking the opportunity to bite her? 

  Although he was curious, he couldn’t actually ask her this question. And since Mu Shuiqing had said these words, he could no longer blame Nie Sangyu even the slightest bit. As for her saying that the person behind her had been Tanxiang, he naturally didn’t believe her. Tanxiang was Wen Wan’s servant girl and had entered this household with her. She was as gentle as Wen Wan. How could it be possible that she would push Mu Shuiqing? 

  And so, this matter was resolved by leaving it unsettled. Marquis Moyu and old madame sent over many gifts to Feiyue Courtyard and even their treatment of Mu Shuiqing improved significantly. And so, Mu Shuiqing didn’t ask for an in-depth investigation to be performed. 

  — 

  “How are you going to thank me?” Ning Errong mischievously smiled. She pulled Nie Sangyu as they walked on the path. “If it wasn’t because I knew you were in trouble and went over to invite Old Madame, you would have definitely been punished today.” 

  Errong looked really cute and Ji Man couldn’t resist poking her forehead. She asked, “What do you want? How about I give you a box of cold cream?” 

  “You have that item?” Ning Errong gaped. “I heard about it as soon as I arrived in the capital. I had Baizhi wait in line for a long time, but I still wasn’t able to buy a box.” 

  Ji Man rubbed her nose. She really wanted to tell her that the person in front of her was a cold cream factory. Anyways, seeing that she also liked this type of item, Ji Man brought her to her room and generously gave her a box. 

  “I heard that a box this size cost fifty silver taels.” Ning Errong was beaming as she held the box. Then, she lightly coughed twice and clearly started to kiss up to Nie Sangyu, “What do you want to eat tonight? I’ll bring you over to my place to eat. It’ll definitely be better than the food you’re eating as a concubine.” 

  Ji Man was amused into laughing by her behavior. She thought for a moment before saying, “I’ve been here for so long. The food that I miss the most is barbecue. If your place has the tools for it, how about having a barbecue tonight?” 

  Her most beautiful memories of modern times were barbecues and beers during hot summers. 

  Translator Ramblings: Was this chapter’s resolution satisfying? 

  I love that it’s Mu Shuiqing, the person that originally had the most antagonistic relationship with Nie Sangyu, who saves her and not Ning Mingjie. 

  P.s. Ning Mingjie will have his moments to be heroic later in the story. And, I want to point out that Mu Shuqing doesn’t know for sure who pushed her, only Ning Mingjie saw the culprit.

  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 058 out of 513 – Barbecue, wine, and winter (1) 

  Ning Errong’s idea of barbecue was just directly roasting chicken, duck, or fish near a fire. But, Sangyu had said they needed fine wire mesh and also high quality charcoal. 

  Anyways, her entire family had come here as guests, so Steward Qian would provide anything she requested. Ning Errong didn’t find this bothersome either and ordered the servants to bring the items that Nie Sangyu wanted. 

  Winter’s atmosphere had become more intense. At night, the sound of the chilly wind passing by could be heard from inside. It was so cold that it made people unwilling to go outside. But, Ji Man still said, “Let’s go grilling in the courtyard’s pavilion.” 

  “Why, ah? Wouldn’t it be good to stay inside and be warm?” Ning Errong knitted her brow as she look at the outside weather condition. She wasn’t very willing. 

  “When we’re grilling, there’ll be a charcoal fire. There’s no reason to fear being cold.” Ji Man rolled her eyes and said, “When you’re grilling food, it’ll taste better the colder the temperature is. Once you sprinkle spicy powder over the food brushed with oil, it won’t be necessary to say how delicious the food will be.” 

  Ning Errong swallowed her saliva. There was a slight amount of struggle in her eyes. “Won’t it be the same thing to have it grilled outside and eat it inside……” 

  “Don’t you know that difficult to come by things are more precious?” Ji Man seriously said. “If you have someone else prepare it and bring it to you, it won’t taste as good.” 

  The pampered and spoiled since childhood little princess was silent for a long time before she finally reluctantly said, “Okay.” 

  Baizhi had servants place the items needed for grilling in the pavilion and also added two more braziers in the passing. It was better than not having any other heat sources. 

  Ji Man looked around. Since it was currently dinnertime, there was naturally no one else coming to the southern courtyard. She had also obtained old madame’s approval to come here and wasn’t worried about causing any disaster. And so, she tied up her sleeves and ordered Muxu to cut up the meat and vegetables and skewer them while she organized the various bottles of condiments. 

  Not long after the charcoal fire was ignited, Ji Man placed the meat skewers on top of the wire mesh first, then she brushed the meat with oil and cumin and sprinkled salt and spices on top. It didn’t take long before there was a delicious smell. 

  Sitting on the side, Ning Errong watched Nie Sangyu with her hands unwilling to leave her sleeves that were lined with rabbit fur. But, this fragrance was truly tempting. Hearing the sizzling sound of the skewered meat, she couldn’t resist deeply inhaling. 

  As Ji Man grilled the food, she reminisced and accidentally blurted out, “Doesn’t it smell tasty? In the place that I’m from, there’s nothing better than drinking beer and hanging out with friends while wandering from street stall to street stall eating this type of food, whether it’s winter or summer. ” 

  “The place that you’re from?” Ning Errong curiously looked at her, “Isn’t your home in the capital?” 

  The capital didn’t have this type of food, ah. And, what was beer? 

  Ji Man realized that she had blurted out a secret and hurriedly handed over a recently finished cooking meat skewer to distract her. “Let’s not talk about that for now. How about trying this first?” 

  The kitchen servants had brought over large pieces of lamb, beef, and pork. The quality of the meat was very good. It was fatty without being greasy. The taste and smell was worth of poetry. 

  It only took a short period of time for Ning Errong to finish eating the other cooked skewers of mouthwatering meat. She eagerly looked at Nie Sangyu once she was done. 

  “Come over here and help me grill. You can’t just sit there and do nothing.” Ji Man called out and handed her a cotton cloth. “If you’re worried about your hands, use this to cover your hands while you’re grilling. Grill some vegetables to eat next so that you won’t get sick of just eating meat.” 

  Ning Errong really wanted to say, how could she be sick of it. She wanted to eat more meat…… But Nie Sangyu had already placed leeks into her hands, so she could only helplessly mimic Nie Sangyu’s earlier action by placing the vegetables on top of the wire mesh and brushing them with oil and spices. 

  The fragrant smell drifted far away. Ning Mingjie had just finished eating dinner and had been planning on taking a stroll in the garden. But, after getting a sniff of this smell, he followed it all the way to the pavilion. 

  “What are you two doing?” 

  He saw two girls that were bustling with activity in the pavilion. The servants near them were each holding a food skewer. The stronger smell in the pavilion made it even more tempting to come closer. 

  “Older brother,” Ning Errong turned her head and saw him. She showed off by saying, “You’re always saying that I can’t cook. Come here and try the food that I grilled.” She handed him a lamb skewer. 

  Ning Mingjie stared at the fragrant, black thing in front of him and was very hesitant. 

  Ji Man hurriedly took another skewer to give to him and said, “Eat this one first. The skewer that Errong gave you was a failed one.” 

  “How is it a failure? It’s just slightly black!” Ning Errong wasn’t reconciled to defeat. She ate a bite of the meat and licked her lips. Looking rather unpresentable, she said, “It’s much tastier than the food cooked in the kitchen.” 

  Ning Mingjie had frozen when that clean hand brought a meat skewer to him. He finally looked up and saw the person in front of him. She had red lips and a mark between her eyebrows. Who else could this person be other than Nie Sangyu? 

  Why was she here? And, why was she grilling meat? 

  Seeing that he had accepted the grilled meat, Ji Man didn’t say anything else. She went back with her head lowered and continued grilling. As she was grilling the meat, she finally consciously responded to Ning Mingjie’s presence. Eh? Why was he here? 

  She raised her head and saw that he was quietly eating the lamb skewer. She couldn’t see the expression on the part of his face that was hidden by the silver mask, but his eyes seemed bright. He seemed as if he was really enjoying this food’s flavor. 

  According to the original novel, shouldn’t this person have gone to the garden at this time? Then, he would happen to meet female lead in the garden and secretly fall in love with her after discovering that she was a wonderful and beautiful person. Why had he come here to eat lamb skewers? 

  Noticing Nie Sangyu’s gaze, Ning Mingjie tilted his head and lightly smiled at her, “I didn’t expect that you would have this skill.” 

  His smile was very beautiful. It looked much better than Ning Yuxuan’s always complicated and secretive smile. Ji Man slightly lost her senses from seeing this sight. And then, she finally realized what was wrong.

  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 059 out of 513 – Barbecue, wine, and winter (2) 

  Right now, she wasn’t an unmarried girl. She was already married to Marquis Moyu. Although she was only a concubine, it wouldn’t be appropriate for her to interact with a strange man, right? 

  Although she didn’t have a clear understanding of this era’s rules, her intuition told her that the sooner she left, the better. 

  “Sangyu, do you remember my older brother?” While biting on a meat skewer, Errong said, “You even met him once when you were both very young at a palace banquet. Afterwards, you even said that my older brother’s face resembled a piece of white jade more than Marquis Moyu’s.” 

  That palace banquet had occurred ten years ago, but Nie Sangyu had still remembered it and mentioned it to Ning Errong later on when they became friends. However, Ji Man didn’t have the slightly impression of this meeting. Looking at Ning Mingjie’s blank expression, he probably didn’t remember that meeting either. 

  “We could be considered relatives. Let’s all eat meat skewers together.” Ning Errong magnanimously patted a stool next to herself and Ning Mingjie naturally sat down. It would have been unnecessarily tiring to keep standing. 

  Ji Man looked at her hands and said with a smile, “How about letting the servants grill the food for you? My hands are too dirty and I should go back to wash them.” 

  Ning Mingjie understood that she was doing this to avoid arousing suspicion. Just as he was about to nod his head in agreement, Ning Errong casually said, “It’s such a long walk back. I’ll have Baizhi bring over water for you! Dearest older sister, grill two more skewers for me. The ones grilled by you are the tastiest.” 

  Ji Man didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. This girl simply didn’t have any understanding about avoiding actions that might arouse suspicion. She was treating them as a group of carefree people that hadn’t reached adulthood yet. 

  But seeing Errong acting cutely spoiled like this, she really couldn’t continue to insist on leaving. She could only have Muxu stand near them, so that they could be considered under the public’s eyes. Then, she continued grilling meat for this little ancestor. 

  “They’ve all been saying that you had changed a lot. It’s true.” While Ning Errong ate, her little mouth didn’t stop talking, “In the past, you only cared about my cousin and wouldn’t have had the leisurely mood to make something like this.” 

  Ji Man silently smiled. As she finished grilling each batch of meat and vegetables, she would place them onto small plates and hand them over to the two siblings. 

  Ning Mingjie had already eaten dinner and wasn’t too hungry, but the gluttonous bug in his stomach had been lured out. He took the small plates and wasn’t polite. He even sent the servants to bring over fine wine. 

  The cold wind whistled by and the courtyard naturally wasn’t as warm as inside. But, Ning Errong was sticking her tongue out to cool down from eating the spicy food and wasn’t hiding her hands inside her sleeves anymore. Ning Mingjie actually felt very satisfied to feel the cold wind while he was drink wine and eating grilled meat. Nie Sangyu’s idea of cutting the meat into small pieces actually made the meat much tastier than when the entire slab of meat was grilled. 

  And so, after Ning Mingjie had eaten and drank enough to be satisfied, he felt that Nie Sangyu was actually a very good woman. At the very least, the meat that she had grilled was very tasty. 

  With this one incident, the plot quietly changed. Ning Mingjie didn’t go to the garden and coincidentally meet the female lead. Instead, the first thing that crashed into his eyes was a pair of slender white hands that efficiently turned over grilled meat. 

  — 

  While Ji Man peacefully stayed in her courtyard during the next two days, Mu Shuiqing got over the worse of her cold and was no longer feverish. Today, she was able to get out of her bed and could be considered to have gotten past the most difficult point in her recovery. 

  — 

  No one in the household mentioned the matter of Nie Sangyu grilling meat with Marquis Jingwen’s two children. So much so that when Ning Errong mentioned this matter to old madame, old madame had been tempted and wanted her to cook this food for her to try. 

  But, Ji Man didn’t recommend for old madame to eat this type of food. After all, it wasn’t good for older people to eat oily foods. 

  After eating this type of food only one time, old madame would occasionally continue thinking about eating grilled meat, until she gave in and had the kitchen servants grill some meat for her. 

  — 

  Originally, Ji Man hadn’t been close to Ning Mingjie. But now, whenever he saw her, he would always faintly smile at her. Ji Man felt that this man was too easily won over. It had only taken one meal of grilled meat for him to treat her familiarly. 

  Miss Shui had also come to the residence to report this month’s revenue and expenses. She had also brought good news. Palace servants had come to the store and said they wanted a supply for the palace. This was monumentally good news. 

  Ji Man made a resolute decision. She wrote down the method to make cold cream and taught it to Miss Shui. She wanted her to secretly teach the palace servants how to manufacture cold cream and handed Miss Shui the entire responsibility. With this change, the production volume would increase and it would also make it easier for cold cream to be exported out of the capital and be sold throughout the country. 

  Muxu saw the large pile of banknotes that Miss Shui had brought and deeply inhaled, “Master!” 

  The profits from one month of business would be enough for them to not have to worry about food and clothes for several years. 

  “The financial prospects of following me, it’s pretty good isn’t it?” Ji Man brightly smiled. She was extremely satisfied. She stretched her hand out, took a banknote worth fifty silver teals from the pile, and generously gave it to Muxu. “Go and buy yourself two good outfits. Your master will set aside money for your dowry. I guarantee that you’ll have a good life by following me.” 

  Holding the banknote, Muxu didn’t know how to respond for a long time until her eyes suddenly turned red. 

  “Hey! Everything is fine. Don’t cry. Otherwise, I’ll take back the banknote.” Ji Man showed a fierce expression to scare her. But, Muxu unexpectedly kneeled down to kowtow her. “This servant will definitely remember Master’s benevolence. And won’t…… betray you again.” 

  Ji Man didn’t carefully think over Muxu’s words as she expressed her loyalty. While smiling, she helped Muxu stand up and said, “Look at you. It’s just fifty silver taels. There’s no need for you to be so touched. I heard that Doctor Li’s mother is very sick. If you want to visit her, how about I give you the day off so you can go see her?” 

  “It’s…… his mother. Why does this have anything to do with this servant? Why would this servant visit her?!” Muxu was so anxious that she stamped her feet. Her face turned red and she ran out of the courtyard. 

  Ji Man found her response amusing. How could she not know about the young girl’s feelings? 

  After Ji Man stored away the rest of the banknotes into her wardrobe, she took a deep breath. She felt that her good days weren’t far away! 

  Translator Ramblings: What do you think Muxu meant by, “betray you again”? Ji Man is one of my favorite characters, but I think she suffers from overconfidence when it comes to the characters that were originally mentioned in the novel.

  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 060 out of 513 – The role of the supporting male and female characters (1) 

  After Muxu left, she was gone for a while. By the time she returned, she brought lunch with her on the way back. Ji Man was busy looking over the accounts, so she didn’t ask Muxu where she went. However, her mood was pretty good when she saw that there was roasted chicken for lunch. 

  “When this servant went to get lunch, this servant overheard some gossip.” With a gossipy face, Muxu said, “Master, guess what happened.” 

  Ji Man went along with her request and asked, “What happened?” 

  “Early this morning, Madam said she wanted to brew tea by using the dew collected from a tree and climbed up a plum tree in the garden.” Muxu ambiguously smiled. “She ended up falling from the tree. Instead of being helped up by one of the female servants, it was the marquis’s male cousin that helped her up.” 

  Ji Man froze in surprise. Wasn’t that Ning Mingjie? Those two still ended up meeting, ah. Could it be that regardless of what happened in the middle, the major plot points couldn’t be changed? 

  “The servant girls that were passing by and saw the scene said that Madam’s expression was very bashful.” Muxu’s mouth twitched as she said, “She didn’t have the slightest intention of avoiding something that might arouse suspicion. And, she even invited the marquis’s cousin to drink tea with her in the pavilion.” 

  The expected event in the plot had occurred, but it seemed as if something had changed. From Muxu’s words, it seemed as if Wen Wan was the one that had a favorable impression of Ning Mingjie instead of the other way around. 

  Original translation is from fuyuneko dot org. If you’re reading this elsewhere, this chapter has been stolen. Please stop supporting theft. 

  Ji Man propped up her chin in one hand as she contemplated this change for a while. Then, she shook her head and said, “Let’s not talk about this messy occurrence.” 

  “No one has the power to control Madam’s actions. They were just watching them because it was interesting.” Muxu smiled as she added food to Ji Man’s bowl. Ji Man didn’t think further about this occurrence and peacefully ate her lunch. 

  Ji Man didn’t have a wealthy person’s habit of taking a nap after lunch. In the past, she had been busy with work. Where would she have the time to take a nap after lunch? It was the same right now. There was still some natural light after lunchtime in winter, so Ji Man brought a basket with her as she went to garden. She selected other flowers that she could use to experiment as alternative ingredients in cold cream. 

  Right after she walked behind a large border of Nippon lilies with sphere-like fruit, she heard someone saying, “Sangyu?” Ji Man’s hand paused and she looked around to see who was calling her. 

  “I’m not familiar with her, but I heard from Yuxuan that her temperament isn’t good. That’s why she went from being a main wife to a concubine.” 

  This was Wen Wan’s voice. Moreover, she clearly hadn’t been calling her name to get her attention. Instead, she had only mentioned her name as she was talking to someone. Her voice had come from the other side of the Nippon lilies. 

  Ji Man raised her eyebrows and sneakily stretched her head to see. 

  A Chinese chessboard had been placed in the pavilion. Wen Wan was actually playing a game of Chinese chess with Ning Mingjie and deliberately looking for words to talk about. After eating lunch, she was very lively and her manner was unrestrained. 

  This…… There was only one servant girl, Tanxiang, next to them. What was Wen Wan thinking? 

  Ji Man retracted her head and crouched down to look at the potted poinsettia in front of her. She silently contemplated that she had only come here to pick flowers and hadn’t meant to eavesdrop. They were the ones that were behaving too brazenly. She couldn’t be blamed. 

  As far as she knew, Ning Yuxuan wasn’t a generous and tolerant man. He especially didn’t like other people touching his stuff. Moreover, Wen Wan was his darling. If the female lead was thinking of using a man to provoke Ning Yuxuan, it probably wouldn’t be effective and was more likely to be counterproductive. 

  After listening to them for two hours as they played Chinese chess without mentioned anything related to her again, Ji Man rubbed her sore legs and sneakily returned to her room. 

  — 

  Later that day, she was at old madame’s place for dinner. Ning Yuxuan and Wen Wan were also there. Wen Wan was still showing a pure and harmless smile, but Marquis Moyu’s expression had blackened. He was probably in a bad mood because he knew what Wen Wan had done. 

  Ji Man happily watched the show. While she picked out all of the shredded meat in the dish in front of her, she secretly watched the interactions between them. 

  The female lead absolutely had no intention of paying attention to the male lead, but she said a few sentences to Ning Mingjie. Old madame was still at the table. Wasn’t this behavior simply seeking death? 

  Old madame didn’t like Wen Wan to begin with. Seeing her son grimace with displeasure, her attitude towards Wen Wan only worsened. 

  Old madame put down her chopsticks and looked at Marquis Moyu as she said, “Shuiqing is almost three months pregnant. Since the main wife hasn’t give birth to a child, it would still be good if the concubines gave birth to children. This way, I can have grandchildren to hug. If Shuiqing gives birth to a boy this time, I think you should promote her to an honored concubine. After all, the most unfilial act is being unable to produce offspring.” 

  Wen Wan’s face paled. Her recent smile completely disappeared without leaving a trace. She turned her head to look at old madame and initially wanted to say something, but she swallowed her words and lowered her head to continue eating. 

  Instead of disagreeing, Marquis Moyu indifferently responded, “En.” 

  Wen Wan’s expression became worse. 

  After dinner, old madame pulled Sangyu to her side. She wanted to speak with her. 

  But, Marquis Moyu surprisingly said, “I haven’t finished listening to Sangyu’s stories. Mother, give in to your son this time and let your son have her.” 

  This was the first time that Ning Yuxuan acted close to Nie Sangyu in front of other people. Even Ji Man froze in surprise. But, when she turned her eyes and saw Wen Wan’s expression, she understood. This scumbag was just using her as cannon fodder. The role of the supporting male and female characters were the same. They were both used to provoke the male lead and female lead. 

  She was somewhat unhappy being used like this. And, her mood worsened when she thought about having to tell him stories again. Ji Man was smiling as she made a sound of agreement in front of Marquis Moyu, but her brows pinched together after she turned her head. 

  Wen Wan was seeking death by acting reckless, but there was no need to drag her into this mess. She was innocent.

  Chapter: 061 out of 513 – The role of the supporting male and female characters (2) 

  Feiwan Courtyard. 

  Marquis Moyu was leaning against the side of the bed and his long eyelashes were lowered. His expression actually looked somewhat lonely. 

  After Ji Man untied her hair and freshened up, she sat down on the bed and asked, “My lord, what’s wrong?” 

  Ning Yuxuan opened his eyes. He actually looked somewhat childish as he asked, “Sangyu, tell me. Who’s better looking, me or Ning Mingjie?” 

  This…… Ji Man secretly rolled her eyes, then she said, “The marquis’s cousin has always hidden his face behind a mask, so naturally it’s my lord that’s better looking.” 

  Hadn’t Nie Sangyu previously said several years ago that in terms of appearances, Ning Mingjie resembled a piece of white jade more? But, she couldn’t say these words. She was afraid that Ning Yuxuan would choke her to death in a fit of anger. 

  “If he took off his mask, then I won’t be as good looking as him?” 

  She didn’t know what was wrong with Ning Yuxuan. Why was he quibbling over a minor detail? 

  Ji Man lightly smiled and said, “The marquis is the best looking person in this servant’s eyes. Isn’t there such a saying? “My wife said that I was more handsome because she was partial towards me. My concubine said I was more handsome because she felt reverence and fear towards me.”* 

  * (T/N: These lines are from an ancient Chinese text, Strategies of the Warring States, that contains anecdotes of political manipulation and warfare. For a little extra background, Zhou Ji, the person who originally asked this question, knew that he wasn’t more handsome than the person he was comparing himself to. He was using this question as an example to show the emperor that these types of people wouldn’t necessarily give him a truthful answer.) 

  After Marquis Moyu fully contemplated these words, his face sunk and he said, “Are you saying that you’re flattering me because you’re scared of me?” 

  Ji Man innocently blinked her eyes. Her eyes were thoroughly bright as if they were filled with sparking, translucent snowflakes. 

  Seeing this sight, Ning Yuxuan slightly lost control of his senses and couldn’t resist pulling her arm to draw her closer to him. He carefully looked at her eyes. 

  The eyes were the windows to a person’s soul. Ji Man knew that she should be displaying intense feelings in her eyes, and then she should pretend to suppress those fake feelings. When this man saw those feelings, he would know that he was in her heart and would be more softhearted towards her in the future. 

  But, this was something only a leading actress could pull off. Ji Man could only try her best. She didn’t know what Marquis Moyu saw in her eyes, but his expression became much better. He gently pushed her away and said, “Did you change the incense that you were using in your room?” 

  Changing the topic? Ji Man raised her eyebrows, then she climbed onto the bed and obediently lied down next to him. She yawned and said, “The previous type of incense always smelled stale, so I had Muxu replace it with an incense that has a fresh and clean smell.” 

  Marquis Moyu was silent for a while, then he said, “I like the previous type of incense better.” 

  A marquis was a marquis. He was so unreasonably overbearing. He was even insisting that she uses incense that he likes. Ji Man secretly rolled her eyes and brightly smiled as she said, “This servant will have it changed back tomorrow.” 

  “En.” 

  After Marquis Moyu had been silent for a while, Ji Man closed her eyes. This person hadn’t done anything all along, so she could peacefully go to sleep. 

  Just as Ji Man was about to fall asleep, she heard these words by her ear, “Today, Wen Wan was praising Mingjie. She said he had exquisite Chinese chess skills and was cultured and refined.” 

  Ji Man opened her eyes and helplessly listened. 

  Marquis Moyu had been feeling uncomfortable because he was suppressing words that he wanted to say, and so he found a person to say these words to. 

  “She’s not from an aristocratic family, so she’s used to behaving casually in front of me and doesn’t know the rules. The women in the inner court aren’t allowed to be too close with other men…… Even though they weren’t that close……” 

  The normally solemn Marquis Moyu was currently the embodiment of a chatterbug. He longwindedly talked without stopping. 

  “My lord, are you feeling jealous?” Ji Man straightforwardly interrupted him. 

  Marquis Moyu paused before lightly snorting once. It could be counted as tacitly agreeing. 

  “Madam is definitely feeling jealous and that’s why she deliberately got close with another person,” Ji Man said. “Although this method cause her to slightly break the rules, it’s only because Madam really cares about you.” 

  Ning Yuxuan’s expression significantly improved. He glanced at Nie Sangyu and said, “You really know how to speak.” 

  Ji Man shrugged and said, “The marquis’s cousin is truly as cultured as jade and as fragrant and beautiful as orchids. He’s very good-looking, has a good personality, and doesn’t have a temper. As a gentle person without a wife or any concubines, he’s a highly eligible bachelor. It’s very normal for the marquis to feel pressured.” 

  Ning Yuxuan’s recently improved expression blackened again. He tilted his head as he looked her and said, “Does Ning Mingjie have this many good qualities in your eyes?” 

  “Aren’t these just publicly recognized facts?” Ji Man said, “Madam can’t be blamed for wanting to be closer to him. He’s a pretty good man. My lord, if you don’t keep a closer watch on Madam, it’s possible that Madam’s heart will change.” 

  The original novel’s female lead had also really liked the supporting male character. She was just reminding him in advance. 

  However, the murderous sentiment in Ning Yuxuan’s eyes thickened. One hand wrapped around Nie Sangyu’s neck as he lightly said, “Nie Sangyu, I’ll say it one more time. I don’t want to hear you speak badly of Wen Wan again.” 

  The pressure around her neck was somewhat scary. Ji Man’s face had also frozen. She nervously laughed and said, “This servant misspoke. My lord, pretend that you didn’t hear anything. Please let go of this servant.” 

  His hand let go of her neck, but Marquis Moyu’s anger didn’t disappear. Why had he thought that Nie Sangyu had recently become better? Wasn’t she still slandering Wen Wan behind her back? Wen Wan had such deep feelings towards him. It wasn’t possible for her heart to change! 

  However, he wasn’t home during the day. If Wen Wan wanted to spend time with Ning Mingjie, she would have plenty of time. As the time increased…… inevitably…… 

  After Ning Yuxuan thought things over, he softened his tone as she said, “Sangyu, starting from tomorrow, go to the southern courtyard more often. If Madam wants to spend time with Ning Mingjie, there’s no reason why you can’t follow them. If she asks, you can tell her that I ordered you.” 

  It wasn’t enough that he was using her as cannon fodder. He also wanted her to play the role of surveillance camera. Ji Man was so angry that she almost couldn’t breath, but outwardly, she could only brightly smile and say, “Sure.” 

  Translator Ramblings: Even though Ning Yuxuan’s behavior isn’t good, I feel it’s overshadowed by how awesome Ji Man is. I love the way she answer his question of who’s more attractive. She changes his question from asking about an opinion to answering it as if there’s only one unchangeable truth; Ning Mingjie is more attractive and clearly the most eligible bachelor.

  Chapter: 062 out of 513 – The matchmaker’s task (1) 

  Sure, my ass! This was clearly something that a servant girl could do. And yet, he had easily told her to do this. It was clear that in Marquis Moyu’s heart, Nie Sangyu wasn’t any different from a servant girl! 

  Although she already knew this truth, Ji Man was still very upset about this and immediately silently cursed him a hundred times to wear a green hat (i.e. be cheated on). 

  — 

  The next day, when Ji Man went to old madame’s courtyard to pay her respects, Ning Mingjie was also there. He had come here earlier than her and was currently sitting on the small couch that was near the window and quietly drinking tea. 

  “Sangyu, you came here at just the right time,” Old madame said with a smile. “Mingjie said he wanted to go out with Errong, but they’re not too familiar with this area. How about you bring Errong out and have Qingyun come over to drink wine with Mingjie?” 

  Tell Qingyun to come here? Ji Man raised her eyebrows and looked at old madame doubtfully. But, she saw old madame giving her a meaningful look. 

  Ji Man didn’t understand what she was trying to hint at, but she still agreed. On the side, Ning Mingjie turned his head and his silver mask slightly glimmered. His eyes held a gentle, smiling intent as he said, “Old Madame, thank you for taking the trouble.” 

  Ji Man still didn’t understand. She was only a concubine, ah. How could she accompany the guests outside to stroll around? Although she had a good relationship with Errong, it was strange that old madame would so easily agree to this. 

  “Young people like to play together. I’m old, so I won’t bother the four of you by coming along,” Old madame was smiling as she looked at Nie Sangyu. “While you’re out, check if that store is selling cold cream and buy two boxes for me.” 

  Old madame had really liked the cold cream and hadn’t used any of her other skincare and makeup products since she started using it. She had used up the box of cold cream from before. Shouwu and Danggui had also been using the small box of cold cream and seemed to have outstanding status in the household. Recently, the price of cold cream had decreased and the supply had increased. It was much easier to buy cold cream. This was why old madame asked her to bring back two boxes. 

  Ji Man agreed with a smile. Right now, she didn’t have to worry about Miss Shui’s business. She had already made Shuiji’s cold cream into a brand. Everyone was using Shuiji’s cold cream as a status symbol. 

  Although she was feeling happy, Ji Man was still thinking about old madame’s strange behavior while she went to the southern courtyard with Ning Mingjie. They were going there to look for Ning Errong. Why had old madame wanted her come along? It couldn’t be that she was also unhappy about seeing Wen and Ning Mingjie together? 

  Hearing that Ning Errong was still dressing up inside, Ji Man led Muxu and Ning Mingjie to stand outside to wait. Ning Mingjie seemed to be in a very good mood. The corners of his mouth had a tendency of curving upwards today. His black hair was tied up by a jade crown hat. Even though he was wearing a mask, he still gave off a handsome impression. 

  (T/N: Below is a picture of a jade crown hat.) 

  When Ji Man was reading the light novel, she had kept thinking. The supporting male character was generally a gentle and soft person and was also devastatingly beautiful. He also whole-heartedly only loved the female lead. Why was the female lead so stupid? Why had she stubbornly stayed obsessed with that one person? 

  Now that Ji Man was looking at the supporting male character from a close distance, even her heart was skipping. The supporting male character was written for the audience. She was the audience, ah. Thus, he was written for her! Please allow her some time to look at him with starry-eyed infatuation. 

  Ning Mingjie was standing five steps away from Nie Sangyu. He had originally been continuously looking at the building in front of them, but the gaze from the side was too ardent. He couldn’t resist tilting his head to glance at her. 

  That single glance showed Nie Sangyu looking at him as if she had lost her bearings. Ning Mingjie slightly raised his eyebrows. Find her gaze slightly amusing, he asked, “What are you looking at?” 

  “Sangyu, older brother.” Ning Errong’s voice came from the front and Ji Man hurriedly returned to her senses. With a proper expression, Ji Man said, “I was looking to see if your mask was 999 silver or not. I observed for too long. I hope that you can overlook my discourteous behavior.” 

  Right after saying this, she went to greet Ning Errong. 

  What did 999 silver mean? Ning Mingjie didn’t understand her words, but seeing that Ning Errong had already come outside, he said, “Let’s go.” 

  (T/N: A piece of silver that’s marked with 999 means that it’s almost pure silver, 99.9% silver.) 

  Ning Errong had been especially attentive with her manner of dress today. She was wearing a light pink sleeveless fur jacket and a white dress embroidered with silver thread. She had also put on a thin layer of makeup and there were dangling ornaments in her hair. She truly looked like a junzhu. 

  (T/N: Junzhu is one rank lower than princess. The title of junzhu is usually given to a daughter of a first-rank prince. The title can also be bestowed by the emperor’s decree.) 

  Ji Man had originally been wondering what old madame had been up to, but she finally understood after seeing Ning Errong. 

  Ning Errorng had already reached a marriageable age. No matter how reluctant Marquis Jingwen was, it was still time for her to marry. After going back and forth with looking, Maquis Jingwen still hadn’t found a son-in-law that he would be satisfied with. Instead, Ning Errong had said that Nie Clan’s Qingyun was pretty good. 

  Ji Man didn’t know when those two had meet for the first time. It hadn’t been written in the book. While Ning Errong had married Nie Qingyun later on, they also ended up divorcing. As for what happened after that, Ji Man didn’t know. 

  In this dynasty, divorce was very rare. What had happened for Errong and Nie Qingyun to marry? And, what happened to cause them to divorce, ah? Ji Man’s mind was full of question marks. But, thinking about how she would soon be a spectator with a front row seat, she temporarily restrained her curiosity. She praised Errong’s style of dress as they headed out. 

  Old madame had a very good relationship with Nie Clan. A single command from her had been enough to have Nie Qingyun driving a carriage to Marquis Moyu’s residence and waiting outside. 

  Seeing them come outside, Nie Qingyun called out, “Sangyu,” without greeting anyone else first. 

  Ji Man cleverly and cutely pulled Errong along with her as she walked over and sweetly shouted out, “Older brother.”


  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 063 out of 513 – The matchmaker’s task (2) 

  When he saw her last time, she had been sick. This time, her complexion had improved significantly and she was also very spirited. She was wearing a light yellow dress, a rabbit fur sleeveless jacket embroidered with silver thread at the edges, and dangling golden kingfisher hair ornaments. A single glance told him that she had been living well. 

  Nie Qingyun inwardly sighed in relief. He only dotingly stroked Nie Sangyu’s hair for a moment before taking his hand away. Seeing Errong with her head lowered and standing behind Sangyu, he said, “Junzhu, you’ve become increasingly fresh and lively since last year.” 

  Errong looked at him with a blushing face and quietly said, “Fresh and lively are words used to praise children. You should praise me by saying I’m beautiful.” 

  Nie Qingyun froze for a moment before laughing loudly. Then, he looked at Ning Mingjie and said, “Mingjie, your younger sister is much cuter than mine.” 

  As Ning Mingjie helped Ning Errong onto the carriage, he said, “Qingyun, you’re overpraising her. She only acts obedient when she’s in front of you. When you’re not around, she’s a fiend in human form.” 

  “Older brother!” Ning Errong called out in discontentment from inside the carriage. 

  “See, she’s already feeling outraged.” Ning Mingjie chuckled before he entered the carriage too. 

  Ji Man recalled old madame’s meaningful look and finally understood her tasks for today – go out to buy cold cream and conveniently act as a matchmaker. With her here, old madame had an excuse to have her older brother come along to accompany them. 

  The carriage was very big, but the exterior appearance was very low-key. The inside of the carriage was very spacious. Ning Errong and Ji Man sat on one side while Ning Mingjie and Nie Qingyun sat on the other side. 

  Right after they had all sat down, it was somewhat quiet and the mood was slightly tense. Ji Man looked at the carriage’s window, rolled up the curtain, and the racket from outside came inside and dissipated the awkward atmosphere. 

  “It’s so rare to come out like this.” Ji Man smiled and said, “Older brother, where are you taking us? Errong wanted to see the scenery in the capital.” 

  Nie Qingyun returned her smile and said, “Old Madame sent a letter to Nie Clan’s residence early this morning, so I took today off to specially bring the three of you to Luoyan Pagoda*. You’ll have a good view of the capital from there.” 

  *(T/N: I think the author based it on a historical Buddhist pagoda located in southern Xi’an that’s called Giant Wild Goose Pagoda. Below are two pictures.) 

  Luoyan Pagoda was the capital’s tallest tower and was built in the center of the capital. It was rumored that when it had been recently built, a giant wild goose had hit the top of the pagoda as it was flying and fell down. And thus, it was named Luoyan (Falling Wild Goose). Wine and tea could be purchased at the highest level, and it was a place where the literati and elegant scholars spent a lot of money. 

  Ning Errong’s little face had been blushing this entire time. She was happy when she heard these words. “I’ve been wanting to see how tall that pagoda is. Every time I asked my older brother to stroll around the capital with me, he wouldn’t agree. He would rather stay in and drink tea.” 

  Nie Qingyun was smiling as he glanced at Ning Mingjie, “Brother Mingjie has a quiet temperament. Anyways, he has such a good appearance. I’m afraid that he’ll be crushed to death from girls trying to give him sachets and handkerchiefs if he strolls around outside with you. If you want to walk around outside or go shopping, you can come look for me.” 

  Ning Errong was elated after receiving these words. She seemed as if she was going to jump for joy. Ji Man smiled and also squeezed Errong’s hand in encouragement. But…… She looked at Nie Sangyu’s older brother’s expression. Although his words were warm and polite, his eyes only showed courteousness without much affection. Errong still had a long way to go. 

  — 

  “This is too tall. Do we really have to climb up those stairs by ourselves?” Standing in front of Luoyan Pagoda, Ning Errong tilted her head back to look at the top of the pagoda. Her little mouth was gaping. 

  Ning Mingjie gently patted her to signal for her to pay attention to her image, then he said, “I heard that there’s a tearoom on every floor. Whenever you’re feeling tired, we’ll stop there, okay?” 

  “Okay!” Ning Errong smiled and exclaimed, “I’m not good at other things, but I still have strength!” 

  Ji Man shook he head. This little liar definitely wouldn’t be able to climb to the seventh level. 

  Taking a matchmaker’s principle as her own, Ji Man whispered to Nie Qinguin, “When the junzhu gets tired later, bring her to a tearoom to rest. Don’t insistent for her to keep walking.” 

  Nie Qingyun tilted his head to look her. With a puzzled expression, he asked, “Why is it me? Isn’t her older brother here?” 

  He really was a blockhead. Without his attractive appearance, he would definitely be single for the rest of his life if he lived in modern times! 

  Ji Man calmly and without stress said, “Her older brother has recently been discussing the philosophy of life with me, so if you don’t see us later, you have to make sure to take care of the junzhu.” 

  Ning Mingjie had very good hearing. Hearing Nie Sangyu’s words, he couldn’t resist turning his head in curiosity. What did philosophy of life mean? When had he discussed this with her? 

  “Let’s go with this. Come on.” Seeing Ning Mingjie looking at them, Ji Man gave him a meaningful look in the passing. 

  Ning Errong didn’t know what was going on, but Nie Qingyun was contemplating. The four of them had only brought along two servants. One was Muxu and the other was Baizhi. The rest of the servants were waiting at the Luoyan Pagoda’s first floor. 

  The staircase in this pagoda was made of wood and looked very sturdy. Level by level, the stairs stretched upwards. Ji Man admired the paintings and calligraphy scrolls that were hung everywhere in the pagoda as she followed the group in climbing up the levels. She would treat this experience as if she was climbing Qingcheng Mountain again. 

  (T/N: Qingcheng Mountain is one of the most famous Taoist mountains in China. Below are an aerial view picture and a picture of the back mountain.) 

  Ning Errong had been very happy to climb up the stairs at first. But, by the time they reached the fourth floor, it became somewhat difficult for her to continue. Rubbing her legs, she pitifully looked at Nie Sangyu. She was worried that Nie Qingyun would feel that she was too delicate, so she didn’t say that she wanted to rest. 

  “Young Master, I heard there’s an art exhibition on the floor above this one. Let’s go there to look. Errong, you seem kind of tired. How about you rest here for a bit?” Ji Man suggested. 

  In rare show of being on the right track, Nie Qingyun nodded and said, “I’ll stay here with the junzhu to sit for a bit. The two of you can go up first.” 

  Ning Mingjie didn’t refuse. He followed behind Nie Sangyu as they went up. 

  Ning Mingjie was calm and composed as he walked near her and quietly said, “Your older brother doesn’t seem very interested in Errong.” 

  Ji Man laughed. “Feelings can be nurtured. My older brother is somewhat slow-witted, but Errong is a really good person. She would be a good candidate for a wife.” 

  Translator Ramblings: Just because Ji Man thinks Nie Qingyun is dense, it doesn’t mean this is true. She’s not always the most reliable narrator and she’s only met him twice.

  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 064 out of 513 – Half of five gold taels (1) 

  Ning Mingjie didn’t express an opinion to her words. When they reached the fifth floor, he found seats in the tearoom and sat down with Nie Sangyu. Muxu stood at their side. 

  On the fifth floor, there was an impressive painting and calligraphy exhibition and many scholars. There were people writing poems and bursts of cheers came from other people from time to time. There were also several clusters of two or three scholars that were discussing the paintings and calligraphy that were hanging on the walls. 

  A person that looked like a ceremonial official was standing in the center of the fifth floor. He announced to surrounding people, “The fifth floor is still missing one more poem for today. Is there any young master or lady that’s willing to contribute a poem?” 

  Ning Mingjie turned his head to briefly look and seemed quite interested. But, the woman sitting across from him was only quietly eating snacks. Her eyes hadn’t even flickered in that direction. 

  Ning Mingjie asked, “I heard that you’re pretty good at all four arts of the scholar.* Are you not interested in going up to try?” 

  *(T/N: The Four Arts are guqin (ancient musical instrument), Go, calligraphy, and painting.) 

  Nie Sangyu was from an aristocratic family. She would’ve had lessons in these areas since she was a child and should be pretty good in these arts. 

  Ji Man had been focused on eating the snacks. Hearing his words, she very indifferently and simply replied, “Poetry comes from the heart. Wouldn’t it be going against the core foundation of poetry to a compose a poem in order to seek fame?” 

  Ning Mingjie was stunned. He hadn’t expected that she would be able to say words like these. He immediately didn’t want to try anymore either. 

  In the center of the room, there were already a few scholars that had gone up to try writing poems. Ji Man didn’t even look at them. She was only thinking about how to continue promoting the relationship between her older brother and Errong later on. 

  Ning Mingjie was watching the scholars and couldn’t resist saying, “The person on the left wrote a pretty good poem.” 

  Ji Man finally turned around to look. A scholar had written a poem about how wonderful the country was. She twitched her mouth and objected, “I’ve read so many books and my favorite poems are Li Bai*’s unrestrained ones and Li Qingzhao*’s euphemistically ones. The poems up there aren’t up to par.” 

  * (T/N: Names of two very famous Chinese poets.) 

  “Oh?” Ning Mingjie was slightly interested. “Who are Li Bai and Li Qingzhao?” 

  Ji Man, “.……” 

  How could she have forgotten? This was a made-up era. There were many areas where this world was different from history. Naturally, Li Bai, Du Fu, and Li Qingzhao didn’t exist in this world. 

  “The two of them are poets that live in the countryside. I was fortunate in being able to read a few of their poems and I thought they were pretty good.” Ji Man loudly laughed and skirted around his question. 

  Ning Mingjie slightly nodded. Looking at the crumb on the corner of her mouth, there was finally a hint of a smile in his eyes. But, he didn’t point this out to her. 

  “Are there any other young master or lady that’s willing to write a poem?” The ceremonial official called out. “If there’s no one else, we’ll start judging these poems. The winner will be awarded five gold taels by Louyan Pagoda and his or her poem will be hanged on the wall for others to admire.” 

  This was the oft referred to literary competition. Because of this tradition, Luoyan Pagoda attracted countless literati. For people with real talent, but had repeatedly failed their exams, they were able to come here and earn enough for food. 

  However, Ning Mingjie shook his head. For people like them, who were from aristocratic families, Luoyan Pagoda’s direct reward of gold taels was considered tacky. He had originally still wanted to try, but now he completely dismissed this idea. 

  Just as he turned his head back to ask Nie Sangyu when she wanted to continue going up the pagoda, he saw that the person sitting across from him had already disappeared. 

  Startled, Ning Mingjie looked at the nearby servant girl. 

  Muxu noticed his gaze, covered her face, and pointed at the platform in the middle of the room. 

  Ji Man had simply moved too quickly. As soon as she heard there was a monetary reward, she moved so quickly that it seemed as if she had flew onto the stage. She picked up a brush and seriously said, “It would be too unreasonable to not display talent if you have it. Since this is a good opportunity to communicate with others, I’ll also come and write a poem?” 

  Ning Mingjie, “.……” 

  What happened to the core foundation of poetry? 

  Since the people here didn’t know Li Bai, winning this competition would be easy. Ji Man easily picked up the brush and wrote out the title to her favorite poem, “Inviting you to drink wine”. 

  But, right as she was about to write, “Don’t”, she saw the crooked words that she had written with the brush and immediately scrunched up the paper she had written on as fast as lightning. Then, she turned her head and looked at Ning Mingjie with a burning gaze. 

  “What’s wrong?” Ning Mingjie had already stood up and walked to the platform without going up. Looking at the words on the crumpled paper on the ground, he couldn’t resist laughing. 

  “Young Master, can you write out the words that I say?” Ji Man crouched down and whispered guiltily, “My hand hurts……” 

  Ning Mingjie raised his eyebrows. Seeing her pitiful face, he decided to not ask any further questions. He flipped himself onto the platform and took the brush from her hand, “Tell me.” 

  “Don’t you see?

  The water as it pours down from the Heavens and into the Yellow River,

  It surges towards the sea and will never return again.

  Don’t you see?

  Your elderly parents’ sorrow as they look into the mirror and see white hair,

  Their formerly fine black hair had turned as white as snow in their twilight years.

  Humans should enjoy themselves fully when they have the opportunity,

  Don’t show an empty golden goblet to the moon.

  The heavens created me – I must naturally have a use,

  A thousands coins have been spent, but they will return.

  Slaughter and cook the sheep and cow for a happy feast,

  We must drink at least three hundred cups of wine tonight.”


  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 065 out of 513 – Half of five gold taels (2) 

  Ji Man’s recitation of the poem had been majestic and Ning Mingjie’s calligraphy was even better. His brush strokes were vigorous and penetrated the paper completely. It resembled Yan Zhenqing and Liu Gongquan’s style of writing, but it also contained a degree of unrestrained elegance. It could be assumed that Ning Mingjie’s calligraphy skills weren’t poor. 

  (T/N: Yan Zhenqing and Liu Gongquan were the two great masters of late Tang calligraphy. Below are pictures of their calligraphy.) 

  The onlookers were dumbstruck by what they had witnessed. First, they were astonished to see a married woman walk up the platform to write a poem. Then, they were further shocked to see a peerlessly talented man go to the platform to write out the poem for her. And, what left them dumbstruck was, was that really a poem? 

  No matter how they looked at it, it didn’t seem like a poem. Moreover, it didn’t seem complete. However, the magnificence of those words was incomparable. When they listened to that madam say that poem, it made the audience feel as if they were being guided to the verge of a breakthrough that would free them from the restraints in their hearts. 

  Ning Mingjie was also somewhat stunned. Was this a poem that a woman could compose? 

  “And then?” He asked. 

  Ji Man curved her eyes and smiled, “The official shouted to write one stanza. The section that I’ve already said is enough. Leave it here. If a person of outstanding ability comes, he or she might be able to write out the rest of the poem for me.” 

  One after another the audience started discussing amongst themselves. Fortunately, Ji Man was wearing a veil and the average person wouldn’t be able to recognize her. It was fine for her to be in the spotlight. It’s not like anything serious would happen because of this. 

  The official stroke his beard and looked at the writing for a long time before he finally sighed and said, “I’m embarrassed that we, the scholars, aren’t as talented as a lowly woman. Madam, your poem is much more remarkable than the other poems. Unfortunately, there’s only half.” 

  Ji Man said with a smiling expression, “That’s fine. I’ll just take half of the five gold taels. When someone else can write out the second half of the poem, give the remaining gold taels to that person.” 

  Ning Mingjie raised his eyebrows. He seemed to have suddenly understood something. Nie Sangyu had suddenly rushed up the platform after she heard about the five gold taels. 

  She was truly a greedy woman. With her family status, she already had plenty of money, but she actually cared about this pittance of gold. If she were willing to compose more poems like this one, he wouldn’t mind giving her gold taels too. 

  As he thought of this, he actually found it very interesting. Ning Mingjie saw Nie Sangyu receiving her prize and scampering back to her seat like a rabbit. After the official discussed with Luoyan Pagoda’s servants for a bit, they earnestly hung up that half finished poem on the most eye-catching position on the fifth floor. 

  “Starting from today, except for the madam over there, Luoyan Pagoda will pay fifty gold taels to the person that can complete the second half of that poem.” 

  Ji Man’s chin fell the ground. Fifty gold taels? Such spendthrifts! Since they had this money, why wouldn’t they pay it to her?! She had only received two and half gold taels for her writing! 

  Feeling indignant, she wanted to go up there and argue, but Ning Mingjie stretched his hand out and stopped her. 

  “You gave Luoyan Pagoda a new gimmick.” Ning Mingjie curved his lips into a smile and said, “After today, Luoyan Pagoda will definitely be crowded with people for a long time.” 

  Ji Man quieted down. She understood their reasoning after Ning Mingjie’s explanation. All businesses paid attention to gimmicks. Luoyan Pagoda seemed like it was a high-end teahouse. They were offering fifty gold taels as a tactic to attract more guests to come here and spend money. If she easily wrote out the second half of the poem, it would make the poem worthless. 

  While the people around them were eager to try writing out the second half of the poem, the official came over to them and gave Nie Sangyu a cedar token. 

  “Madam, when you come to Luoyan Pagoda in the future, as long as that poem is still here, then you and your friends won’t have to pay when you come here.” The official shrewdly smiled and said. 

  Ji Man behaved judiciously. It would be a waste to not accept this benefit, so she straightforwardly accepted the token. 

  Ning Mingjie explained, “It’s a great honor for you to receive Luoyan Pagoda’s token.” 

  It was just a token. Wasn’t it the same as a membership card? What was there to feel honored about? Ji Man snorted twice, then she had the waiter bring some more snacks in the passing. Since this wouldn’t cost her any money, could she get those snacks wrapped up to go? 

  Sitting near her, Ning Mingjie carefully looked over Nie Sangyu for a long time. 

  Ji Man outwardly pretended that she didn’t notice, but she inwardly scolded him. No matter how much you look at me, I still can’t make flowers blossom out of nowhere. You’ll have a better chance if you go back and look at your female lead. 

  (T/N: Just in case that sounds too nonsensical, Ji Man is probably saying this because it’s very common for artists to draw blooming flowers around the female lead in manga/manhua.) 

  A while later, Errong and Nie Qingyun also came up to the fifth floor. The two of them seemed to be getting along well. Errong’s eyes were full of stars. She approached them, tugged Nie Sangyu’s sleeve, and whispered, “Will you find it awkward to call me older sister-in-law in the future?” 

  Their birthdays hadn’t even been looked at* and she was already thinking about this. Ji Man stroked Errong’s head. This little girl was three years younger than Nie Sangyu and she would actually have to call her older sister-in-law. But, this would be pretty good. When Errong and Nie Qingyun stood next to each other, they looked very well matched. Nie Qingyun also wasn’t half-hearted person. The other women at home were all easy to get along with. Errong wouldn’t suffer any grievances. 

  * (T/N: In historical times, before a couple could be married, a matchmaker would have to check if two people were compatible by looking at their birthdays and birth hours.) 

  “When you get engaged to my older brother, I’ll embroider your wedding dress for you.” Ji Man said. 

  Ning Errong felt even happier. She skipped over to Ning Mingjie’s side and circled around him once before she suddenly stopped, “Eh?!” 

  “What’s wrong?” Ning Mingjie lowered his head to look at her. 

  “Older brother, you seem to be in a very good mood. What happened recently?” Ning Errong asked in surprise. “I haven’t seen you with that expression in a long time.” 

  Ji Man thought, the mask hid half of Ning Mingjie’s face. How could Errong see his expression? 

  “I was thinking that scenery here is pretty good. Let’s continue going up.” Ning Mingjie didn’t mention what had recently happened or even look at Nie Sangyu again before he went towards the stairs. 

  Ning Errong thoughtfully looked at Nie Sangyu. Her sensitive teenage heart felt there was something wrong. 

  Her older brother acted courteous towards everyone, but she could tell that he distanced himself from everyone. He originally didn’t have any good impression towards Sangyu, ah. Why did it seem like they had become good friends during today? 

  Anyways, her older brother was always sensible. She didn’t have to worry about him. Instead, she should be focusing on figuring out how to get Nie Qingyun to think highly of her. 

  — 

  During the rest of the day, Ji Man created countless opportunities for Nie Qingyun and Errong. The two of them seem liked they were getting along well. But, when Nie Qingyun was bringing them back home, the courteous words that he said made people feel alienated, “Junzhu, you should go to rest early. Sangyu, behave in the marquis’s residence and don’t cause trouble.” 

  Ji Man looked at the disappointment in Errong’s eyes and followed his words with a sigh. 

  — 

  Reading the half written poem that was hanging on Louyan Pagoda’s fifth floor, the onlookers clicked their tongues in admiration and spread the news. Ji Man wouldn’t have anticipated that this simple poem would later end up attracting a huge commotion. 

  Translator Ramblings: I really like the little snippet from Errong’s POV where she’s the only one that notices something different about her older brother and how close these siblings are. I almost wish the rest of the story is just Errong, Ji Man, Mingjie, and Qingyun going out on double dates.

  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 066 out of 513 – This brainless woman (1) 

  During dinnertime, Ji Man went over to old madame’s courtyard to report today’s outing. She picked a few good moments to talk about. Knowing that old madame also had the intention of playing matchmaker, she said, “When my older brother has free time, Sangyu will invite him over here to walk around the residence.” 

  “You’re a sensible one.” Old madame patted her hand and smiled very happily. “Noble Consort Nie has always been worried that you wouldn’t be able to figure things out and would stay depress. Right now, you’re well behaved and I don’t have to worry about you. Xuan-er must be blind to like that narrow-minded plaything.” 

  These words carried quite a bit of anger. Ji Man curiously asked, “What’s wrong?” 

  What had happened in the residence while they were out today? 

  Old madame’s face sunk. She lightly snorted and said, “She came to my courtyard in the afternoon to serve tea and I didn’t drink her tea. I don’t like scented teas* to begin with and she had brought osmnathus flower tea, the one that I dislike the most. It was only a small matter, but she ran to Xuan-er and cried out her grievances. She thought that Xuan-er would side with her. She’s really lacking in the ability to make discerning judgments. I raised Xuan-er for so many years. Did she think that he would value a wild woman over me?” 

  * (T/N: Scented teas are made using a base of black, green, white, or oolong teas and blended with flower petals.) 

  Ji Man could guess what had really happened. Old madame had definitely given Wen Wan a hard time again and the female lead had a heart that was made of glass. Her heart must have broken, so she went to the male lead to tearfully complain. The male lead must have been in a dilemma. In the end, the matter was resolved by leaving it unsettled. 

  On one side, it was his wife. On the other side, it was his mother. Ji Man insincerely thought; Marquis Moyu was so pitiful. After gloating over his misfortune for a while, she said with a serious expression, “Madam has only recently enter this household and doesn’t know your likes and dislikes. Old Madame, why be with angry with her?” 

  “I just dislike her vixen-like appearance,” Old madame said with a calm expression. “Ning Clan has been a noble family for generations and has received the emperor’s favor. Every main wife has been carefully selected, and yet that person……” 

  Old madame didn’t say the rest of these words, but Ji Man could guess. Because Wen Wan wasn’t the person that old madame had chosen, old madame would never find her pleasing to look at. In this aspect, the female lead was blameless. But, this female lead was clearly not clever enough. If she couldn’t even endure the slight grievance, how would she be able to sort out such a large household? 

  “A few days ago, she brought me this month’s account book to look over. It was a total mess. It would have better to have a concubine managed it.” The more that old madame spoke, the more incensed she became. “Why did Xuan-er marry her? She doesn’t know how to manage a household or how to respect to her mother-in-law. She only knows how to beguile people.” 

  It wouldn’t be good for Ji Man to interrupt, so she just listened to old madame’s complaints. 

  However, after old madame finished her tirade, she looked at Nie Sangyu and considered for a while. She said, “How about I speak with Xuan-er and have you manage the household accounts?” 

  Startled, Ji Man said, “Ah? Why not give it to Mistress Ling?” 

  Qi Siling had previously been the one managing the accounts, and she had been doing a pretty good job too. 

  “In the end, she’s still an outsider.” Old madame meaningfully looked at her. 

  After Ji Man thought it over, she understood old madame’s meaning. The marquis’s residence’s accounts were very large and it was possible for the person managing the accounts to extract ill-gotten gains. Even if it was only the accounts for the marquis’s inner court, there were still many tricks that could be done in between. So, the control of these accounts naturally had to be held by someone that old madame trusted. 

  “But, will the marquis agree?” Ji Man worriedly asked. If Wen Wan lost the power over managing the accounts, then she wouldn’t have any prestige left as the main wife. 

  “Even if he doesn’t want to agree, he’ll still have to.” Old madame’s face was serious as she said, “Didn’t you return the jade waist accessory that signifies the secondary wife position last time? It’s enough to show that you’re a sensible person. I’ll have him see the errors that Wen Wan made this time and hand the account book over to me. You can help me manage the account book in the background and he naturally won’t be able to say anything.” 

  Words have already been said to this point. Ji Man had to agree. Although this would be very tiring, once she managed the inner court’s accounts, her existence would be more popular than the main wife’s despite her status as a concubine. When Steward Qian sent charcoal to her the next time, he would definitely send two large baskets of first-class charcoal. 

  — 

  Wen Wan was sitting in her room and silently crying. Marquis Moyu was standing by her side. He sighed and said, “Mother’s temperament has always been like that. You’ll just have to accept the unfair treatment for now.” 

  “How long will I have to endure this unfair treatment?” Wen Wan raised her eyes to look at him. “You’re always siding with your mother. Even if she’s the one that’s wrong, you’ll only tell me to endure. You used to treat me so well before I married you. But now, you’re always telling me to suffer grievance after grievance.” 

  Ning Yuxuan had a slight headache, but he couldn’t bear to show anger towards Wen Wan. He could only tenderly persuade her, “Household matters aren’t just about you and me. Why are you putting me in this difficult position?” 

  “You’re saying that I’m putting you in a difficult position?” Wen Wan angrily stood up. With red eyes, she ran to the bed and rolled herself into the quilt as she cried and said, “Then I won’t make you suffer. Just divorce me!” 

  Marquis Moyu’s expression sunk. “Wen Wan, think before you speak.” 

  “I’m only saying the truth. She’s always giving me a hard time when I go to the main courtyard. Nothing I do is right. It’ll be better if I don’t stay here!” Wen Wan’s crying sounded awful. 

  Ning Yuxuan took a step forward. He wanted to comfort her, but then he thought, the reason her temper had developed into this state was because he had spoiled her. He immediately took a step back and coldly said, “Since you like to vent your feelings and cause a fuss, then just continue by yourself.” 

  After saying this, he turned around and walked out of Qiangwei Courtyard. 

  Wen Wan cried even louder, but this didn’t stop Ning Yuxuan from leaving. 

  At first, he felt that she was very pitiful when she was crying. It made him feel sympathetic towards her and want to pamper her. But now, when she hysterically cried, it just made him feel uncomfortable and want to leave.

  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 067 out of 513 – This brainless woman (2) 

  Without noticing, his feet had led him to Feiwan Courtyard. Nie Sangyu was currently pruning the plum tree in her courtyard. Her sleeves were tied up and her hair was loosely tied behind her back instead of being arranged into an elaborate hairstyle. She looked gentle and soft. 

  In the past, Nie Sangyu was the person that he disliked to see the most. But now, the more he looked at her, the more he found her pleasing to look at. Ning Yuxuan couldn’t help silently cursing himself. How could he think of Feiwan Courtyard as a place that would put his mind at ease? 

  Ji Man’s back was facing the entrance, so she didn’t see Marquis Moyu. But, Muxu, who was standing nearby, saw him. However, this young girl had spent a lot of time with Ji Man and had become much smarter. She immediately left without making a sound. 

  “Muxu, where’s my handkerchief?” Ji Man’s hands had been stained by dirt. She was in a very good mood as she looked at the plum tree she had just finished pruning. 

  There was someone standing near her. The person wordlessly took out a handkerchief, grabbed her hand, and wiped her hand clean bit by bit. 

  Finding something off about the situation, Ji Man turned her head and saw Ning Yuxuan’s gentle eyes. 

  Her hand instinctively pulled away from his. 

  Original translation is from fuyuneko dot org. If you’re reading this elsewhere, this chapter has been stolen. Please stop supporting theft. 

  Ning Yuxuan didn’t get angry. He only looked at her as he asked, “Why are you in such a leisurely mood today?” 

  Ji Man awkwardly laughed and said, “Winter has arrived and the courtyard is feeling bleak, so this servant has been trimming this plum tree. This way, this servant will feel happier seeing this tree from inside my room.” 

  Ning Yuxuan looked at the plum tree in front of them and his eyes were rather disdainful as he said, “You’ll feel happy looking at this mess of a tree?” 

  The way she had trimmed it look way too ugly. 

  Ji Man was grinding her teeth as she forced herself to smile. Then, how else should she prune it? Was he expecting her to prune it into the shape of Hello Kitty? She had already cut down all of the branches that looked ugly! 

  “Hand that over to me.” He stretched his hand out. His slender fingers were simply perfection. 

  Ji Man gulped and handed over the slightly dirty shears. 

  Ning Yuxuan took the shears and looked at the plum tree for a few moments, then he stretched his hands out and swiftly started to cut away the superfluous branches and twigs. He left behind the trunk and small, nicely shaped branches. Compared to the lush growth from before, the plum tree finally had the feeling of winter’s bleakness. 

  Ji Man felt that Marquis Moyu’s standard of beauty was slightly strange, but she didn’t have courage to say this thought out loud. She could only agreeably say, “Ah, it looks much better.” 

  Ning Yuxuan dropped the shears to the side, took the handkerchief from her hand, and wiped his hands. Then, he was silent for a moment before he said, “I’ll be sleeping here tonight.” 

  A glance was enough to tell that Ji Man that he was feeling troubled again. Ji Man was already used to this. Every time this person was feeling troubled or had an argument with Wen Wan, he would always come to her place. 

  “Okay.” 

  — 

  Wen Wan stayed in her room and cried for an entire afternoon. Her eyes were swollen when Qi Siling came by. 

  “Why are you doing this to yourself?” Qi Siling sighed and said, “You have a place in the marquis’s heart. Why are you in a rush to force him?” 

  “Siling, what should I do?” Wen Wen said in an aggrieved tone, “I feel that he doesn’t love me as much as before.” 

  Qi Siling paused, then she said, “You’re overthinking things. You know how much the marquis protects you. It’s only that Old Madame has always been thinking about returning Nie Sangyu to the position of main wife. No matter what you do, she won’t care.” 

  Wen Wan pursed her lips, “Then, at worse, I’ll just give her the position of main wife. I just want Yuxuan.” 

  “You’re saying nonsense.” Qi Siling shook her head and said, “On the day that you give the position of main wife to Nie Sangyu, no one in this household will be able to live peacefully.” 

  Wen Wan look like she was about to cry again. “Then, what do you want me to do?” 

  “This matter is actually very easy to deal with,” Qi Siling said. “Old Madame is only causing trouble for you because of Nie Sangyu, so think of a way to get rid of her. Once Old Madame is no longer thinking about her, she naturally won’t make life difficult for you anymore.” 

  Wen Wan widened her eyes. After thinking over these words for a while, she actually thought that Qi Siling’s words were reasonable. 

  But, how could she get rid of Nie Sangyu? She had old madame’s protection. 

  “If Madam believes in me, just follow my instructions. Nie Sangyu already has a corrupt reputation. Catch her with any crime and you can make her die without a burial site.” As Qi Siling said these words, she was slightly agitated and made Wen Wan look at her doubtfully. 

  “Why do you have such a bias against her?” 

  Qi Siling pursed her lips and lightly smiled, “If someone wanted to carve your face, you’ll naturally be very biased against her.” 

  Wen Wan thought about things that Marquis Moyu had told her about Nie Sangyu and nodded. She decided to believe Qi Siling. 

  — 

  “Today, I’ll tell you one of Hans Christian Andersen’s children fairy tales.” Ji Man was lying in bed. She couldn’t resist patting Ning Yuxuan’s back like she was coaxing a child as she said, “In the depths of the sea, there lived a young mermaid……” 

  Ning Yuxuan quietly listened. His peach blossom eyes weren’t completely closed as he looked at her delicate, rosy neck. He actually felt an impulse in his mind. 

  “The mermaid fell in love with the prince and decided to exchange her voice for a pair of legs with the witch……” Ji Man didn’t notice anything. Anyways, Marquis Moyu hadn’t been interested in her during the past several times, so she had considerably let down her guard. 

  “Later on, the prince fell in love with the princess and was going to marry her. The young mermaid couldn’t speak. She could only secretly cry……” 

  “.…… In the end, the young mermaid turned into bubbles and disappeared into the sea.” Ji Man sighed as she said the last word. Just as she was about to ask if he had any thoughts about this story, she suddenly felt warmth on her neck. 

  Translator Ramblings: Poor plum tree. You were the unfortunate innocent victim of marital dispute.

  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 068 out of 513 – Confusing amorous desires in the snowy night (1) 

  Ning Yuxuan had lightly kissed her neck. His warm lips made her shudder. While Ji Man was still feeling dazed, she felt something wet gently licking her. 

  No matter how much willpower she had, she couldn’t force herself to tolerate this! After taking several deep breaths, she still couldn’t restrain her impulse. With one shove, she pushed Ning Yuxuan away. 

  His gaze seemed somewhat confused and wasn’t the same as normal. Ji Man strangely felt somewhat afraid. After she calmed herself down, she asked, “My lord, what’s wrong? This servant hasn’t taken a bath. This servant didn’t think that you would……” 

  She had even said she hadn’t taken a bath! But, Ning Yuxuan seemed as if he hadn’t heard her words. With one hand, he pulled her body close to his and seemed as if he wanted to kiss her lips. But, he paused and there seemed to be a struggle in his eyes and his breath was heated. 

  “What’s wrong?” Ji Man felt that there was off about him. But, a moment later, she felt there was something wrong with her body too. Her entire body felt as if it was burning. She wanted to embrace the person in front of her. Her body felt empty. 

  When amorous feelings were surging upwards, a person’s mind would become muddle-headed. Ji Man felt very hot, and the person hugging her felt even hotter. Perhaps, the charcoal fire in her room was too exuberant. She should go extinguish it. 

  Right after she left the bed, the person behind her overbearingly carried her back to the bed, and pressed so closely down on her that their breath intermingled. 

  Their sleeping clothes were tossed from the bed and the person on top of her was unstable and edgy. Ji Man’s mind was a muddled mess. Unexpectedly, she subconsciously wanted to comfort him. She stretched her hand out and patted his back. 

  Ning Yuxuan’s eyes were red and he bit down on her clavicle. Ji Man let out a yelp of pain. Then, he suddenly became gentle again and gently licked the bite mark. 

  In the midst of this discombobulating period, Ji Man seemed to hear the sound of Nie Sangyu crying, but she was also laughing as she cried. It sounded miserable and plaintive. Ji Man really wanted to open her mouth and ask her what was wrong, but Ning Yuxuan had drawn her into a whirlpool and she couldn’t escape. 

  Ji Man muddle-headedly thought; he was really proving himself to be a man with many women. He probably wouldn’t make her feel too much pain. Although she had never been with someone before, she wasn’t a conservative person. She didn’t really care that much if she lost her first time. If she wasn’t doing this with someone that she truly liked, then it didn’t have any special meaning. She would just treat this experience as if she had gone out and found a prostitute. 

  But, just as she was about to lose herself into these sensations, the person above her carefully kissed her face and quietly called out, “Wan-er……” 

  Her eyes, ears, and nose seemed to suddenly return to her control. Ji Man became clear-headed. The pain of a heart curling up into a ball abruptly returned her to her senses. 

  This was Nie Sangyu’s heart, but she was the one that felt the pain. Ji Man took a deep breath and looked at the man in front of her. Right now, he was gentler and more captivating than any other previous moment. She grimly laughed once before pushing him off the bed. 

  Feeling uncomfortably hot, Ji Man gritted her teeth and put on her sleeping clothes. Looking at the displeased Marquis Moyu, she helped him up and put his clothes on for him. 

  Ning Yuxuan just felt that he really wanted the person in front of him. There had never been a time when he failed to obtain the things that he wanted. Just as Ji Man was about to put on his belt, he pushed her hand away. With his eyebrow furrowed, he tightly embraced her again. 

  Ji Man knew that the two of them had fallen into someone’s scheme. There was definitely something wrong with their bodies. Looking at his somewhat impatient expression, she hurriedly jabbed his chest with her finger as she said, “Ning Yuxuan, you’re the male……lead! You have to remember. It’s immoral for you to sleep with other women behind Madam’s back. Hurry and sober up! I’ll bring you back to Qiangwei Courtyard!” 

  “When is your mouth going to say something that I want to hear?” Ning Yuxuan lowered his head and angrily bit down on Ji Man’s lips. “You’re also my woman. Why are you making me leave?” 

  Ji Man’s lips twitched. Being tightly hugged by him, her body was also reacting. But, even though this was Nie Sangyu’s body, she still didn’t want to do it with a man that was thinking about another woman. It would be such a loss. Perhaps, when he returned to his senses, he might even blame her and say she had seduced him. Why bother? 

  “My lord, please let go of this servant first.” 

  “I won’t.” Ning Yuxuan angrily said, “Why are you always running away from me?” 

  Ji Man gritted her teeth. She really couldn’t put up with this anymore. She straightforwardly picked a nearby vase. She would smash this against the back of his head and knock him out. 

  When her hand had reached halfway, his hand grabbed her hand. Ning Yuxuan narrowed his eyes, “Planning on murdering your husband? Nie Sangyu, who gave you this courage to attack me?” 

  If you weren’t such a beast, no one would hit you! Flustered and exasperated, she used a lot of force to bite down on his wrist. It was so painful that it immediately made Ning Yuxaun clear-headed. He reflexively flung his hand and threw Ji Man off the bed. Ji Man wasn’t able to steady herself in time. She ended up hitting the wall behind her and groaning. 

  There were teeth marks on his wrist and he could already see blood. This woman had actually been wiling to bite him. Just as Ning Yuxuan was about to explode in anger, Nie Sangyu had already opened the doors. 

  It had already started snowing at an unknown time. The snowy windy blew away the heat inside the room. Both of them shivered from the blast of cold. 

  Ji Man endured the discomfort of her body as she turned around and put on her outer clothing and cloak after taking them down from the divider. She saluted Marquis Moyu and said, “When the marquis has finished resting, please carefully examine my courtyard tomorrow and see who was behind tonight’s event. That person even used such a despicable drug.” 

  “This servant will go your Errong’s room to sleep for a night and order someone to bring water for you later. You should take a bath and go to sleep early.” After saying this, she ran toward the heavy snowfall as if she was fleeing from death. 

  Translator Ramblings: Yay, finally a novel where people don’t succumb to aphrodisiac.

  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 069 out of 513 – Confusing amorous desires in the snowy night (2) 

  Marquis Moyu had been silently standing in the room until Muxu stopped at the doorway and cautiously announced that she had brought hot water. He turned around and hoarsely said, “Come in.” 

  His self-control had always been very good. Why had he lost control today? It definitely wasn’t because of Nie Sangyu. He wasn’t so desperate that he couldn’t choose another alternative. But when he had realized that he had been drugged, he didn’t resist. Instead, he had been willing to go along. 

  He didn’t know when his feelings had changed. He already no longer loathed Nie Sangyu as much as before. He would even occasionally feel that she was pretty good and that he was the one that had wronged her. 

  — 

  Ji Man wildly rushed to the southern courtyard to look for Ning Errong. It wasn’t too late and Errong might not even be asleep yet. She couldn’t drive Ning Yuxuan away and she absolutely couldn’t go to old madame’s place. After quickly thinking things over, her only option was to go look for Ning Errong. 

  As she stood outside in the courtyard as the snow fell, the heat in her body slow dissipated. Ji Man silently repeated, form is emptiness and emptiness is form* for a long time before she finally calmed down. 

  * (T/N: Part of a popular Buddhist sutra.) 

  Fortunately, it hadn’t been the legendary medicine where you would die if you didn’t copulate. It had only stirred up their hormones and caused them to become horny. After the period passed, the symptoms naturally went away by themselves. 

  — 

  When Ning Errong heard Baizhi announce someone’s arrival, she was discussing her marriage with Marquis Jingwen and Ning Mingjie. She liked Nie Qingyun, but Marquis Jingwen still had some apprehensions. The three of them hadn’t finished discussing this matter when Baizhi came into the room to say that Sangyu had come over. 

  It was late evening and she had heard that her cousin was staying at Sangyu’s place tonight. Why had she come over? Ning Errong was very scared and worried. She hurriedly told her father and older brother that it was getting late and sent them away. Then, she quickly went outside. 

  “What’s wrong?” Seeing Nie Sangyu standing alone in the snow, Ning Errong worriedly went over to her and helped her walk inside. “Did you make my cousin angry?” 

  Ji Man’s response was delayed. Her face had already turned thoroughly red from cold. “It’s nothing. I just need you to let me sleep over for a night.” 

  Ning Errong supported her as they walked into her inner room. She signaled for Baizhi to leave, then she asked, “Everything had been going fine. How can you not have a place to sleep?” 

  “Isn’t that so.” Ji Man bitterly smiled and said, “I just want to peacefully live my life. I don’t know who put something unclean in my room. Just now, with your cousin, we almost……” 

  She didn’t finish her sentence, but Errong understood her meaning. Errong patted her chest and sighed in relief, “Thank goodness, nothing bad happened.” 

  The room was silent for a while. Ning Errong suddenly gasped, jumped up, and looked at Nie Sangyu as she said, “What almost happened? You’ve already married my cousin a long time ago. Someone tried to help the two of you improve your relationship. Why would you run away?” 

  Ji Man was almost scared to death by her. She hurriedly pulled her down to sit and said, “Speak quieter!” 

  Ning Errong looked at her in absolute confusion. “You seem like you’re enduring to the point of pain. Do you really need to play hard to get to this level? 

  You’re the one that’s playing hard to get! Your whole family is playing hard to get! 

  Ji Man did her best to calm down, then she explained, “He despises me and doesn’t want to bestow favor on me. He only comes to my place to hear stories. Since Madam has entered this household, he rarely bestows favor on anyone else. He’s probably determined to be a good male lead and love Madam whole-heartedly. If I let him have a good time with me while he’s drugged at this point in time, nothing good will happen. He would probably think I was behind it and despise me even more.” 

  Ning Errong turned these words over in her head. They seemed reasonable. It was surprising that Sangyu was able to resist herself and also consider things so thoroughly. After the night of love passed, her cousin might even order her to move to the confinement courtyard on the next day. 

  “Besides, he called out Wen Wan’s name at the most critical point.” Ji Man faintly smiled. “If I were willing to sleep with that type of man, then I must be blind.” 

  Startled, Ning Errong looked at the sorry looking person in front of her and her nose felt slightly sour. She lightly squeezed Sangyu’s hand and didn’t say a word. 

  Why did Errong look like she was trying to comfort her? Ji Man didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She said, “You don’t need to feel bad for me. This was only to be expected. He likes Wen Wan. This is something that everyone in this household knows. What’s the point in me trying to struggle or fight for his affections? It’ll be okay. I’ll just do my best to live a good life.” 

  “En, then I’ll have someone bring a pillow and quilt for you. You can sleep in my bed.” 

  “Okay.” Ji Man was truly feeling tired. Seeing Ning Errong opening the doors and leaving, she let out a yawn and leaned against the cushioned couch to rest for a bit. Her body still felt achy, especially her back. She had really collided hard against the wall. If they were in modern times, she would definitely sue him for domestic violence! 

  While thinking of these thoughts, Ji Man drift off into sleep. She had used up too much energy and was exhausted. 

  Right after Ning Errong stepped outside, she saw someone standing by the doorway. Just as she was about to let out a startled yelp, Ning Mingjie covered her mouth with his hand. 

  “Older brother, why haven’t you returned to your room?” Ning Errong swallowed down her instinctive response and curiously asked. 

  “I came back to get an umbrella. It’s snowing very heavily.” After Ning Mingjie said this, he looked towards the inside of her room. “It’s surprising that she ran over to your place. She’s quite strange.” 

  Translator Ramblings: I didn’t notice this the first time I read the story. But, at this point in the story, isn’t Ning Errong and Nie Qingyun’s relationship repeating Nie Sangyu and Ning Yuxuan’s? One side knows the other one person isn’t interested and yet, she’s still pushing forward with the marriage. Yes, Nie Qingyun is a very different type of person from Ning Yuxuan, so we can expect their marital life to be different. But isn’t there something fundamentally wrong with forcing someone, who’s not interest in you, into marriage and accepting your one-sided feelings? From what we’ve been shown so far, Ning Qingyun is an astute person. He’s not the emotionally dense person that Ji Man thinks he is. He’s aware of Ning Errong’s very obvious feelings and he deliberately keeps distance between them to avoid giving her false hope. 

  What do you guys think?

  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 070 out of 513 – Occasionally gentle (1) 

  Ning Errong sighed and said, “Other than my room, where else would she be able to peacefully sleep in this residence? I feel bad for her. I’ll have Baizhi bring her back to her room early tomorrow morning. Older brother, don’t tell anyone about this.” 

  “Do I seem like a person that gossips?” Ning Mingjie raised his eyebrows. 

  Ning Errong swung his hand back and forth as she fawningly said, “Of course not. Older brother is incomparably handsome, talented, and elegant.” 

  Ning Mingjie harrumphed. Standing at the doorway, he looked at the person lying on the cushioned couch. He had naturally heard all of the words that she had recently said. This woman’s mind was unexpectedly quite profound. If he put it nicely, she was clever. If he didn’t put it nicely, he would describe her as deeply scheming woman. But, as long as she wasn’t harming anyone, he wouldn’t be considered her a sinister person. 

  Ning Mingjie thought of the poem that she had composed at Luoyan Pagoda and connected it with the words that he had heard her say today. He felt that if this woman was truly Nie Sangyu, then there was no way that she would have lost her position as the main wife. 

  Baizhi came back with a pillow and quilt and sent the other servants farther away to avoid anyone spreading gossip. But, Ji Man was already asleep on the cushioned couch, and her face was even slightly flushed and her lips were faintly white. 

  Baizhi’s face was crumpled as she awkwardly said, “Miss, this servant isn’t strong enough to carry her.” 

  Baizhi’s face was crumpled as she awkwardly said, “Miss, this servant isn’t strong enough to carry her.” 

  Ning Errong waved her hand, “It’s fine. She can just sleep on the cushioned couch.” 

  Ning Mingjie found the situation funny and said, “The cushioned couch is by the window. The paper windows can’t block the cold. If you let her sleep here, she’ll definitely be sick by tomorrow.” 

  After saying this, seeing as there weren’t any outsiders in the room, he didn’t have to adhere to the rules as strictly as normal. He effortlessly picked Nie Sangyu up and gently placed her down on Ning Errong’s bed. 

  Errong gaped, then she turned her head and stared at Baizhi as she said, “Don’t gossip about this.” 

  Baizhi lowered her head and said, “Miss, you don’t have to worry. This servant understands.” 

  Her older brother seemed to have become more interested in people lately. The previous him wouldn’t have even flickered his eyes if he saw an unrelated person sleeping on a cushioned couch near the window. But today, he had actually carried a person to her bed of his own initiative. 

  Ning Errong couldn’t resist taking two steps forward. She wanted to get a closer look of Ning Mingjie’s expression. 

  However, after Ning Mingjie placed Sangyu down on her bed, he took several steps back. There wasn’t any emotion on his face and he only said, “I’m going back to my room.” 

  “Okay.” Ning Errong walked him to the entrance and watched as he opened the umbrella and slowly disappeared into the snowy night. Then, she turned around to take care of Sangyu. 

  — 

  When the sky wasn’t bright yet, Errong woke Sangyu up. She wanted to send her back to Feiwan Courtyard. It wouldn’t be good to wait until the sky was bright to leave. There would be too many people walking around then. 

  And so, Ji Man got up. Even though her entire body ached, she still gritted her teeth and followed Baizhi. 

  Ning Yuxuan had probably already left Feiwan Courtyard. The snow had also stopped, but her shoes were thin and her feet felt numbed as she stepped into the snow. Right now, Ji Man just wanted to go back to her room and continue sleeping. She needed to sleep at least two days to recover her energy and spirit. 

  “This servant will stop here,” At the southern courtyard’s entrance, Baizhi saluted. “If people see this servant with you, it won’t be good. Just act as if you had come outside for a stroll.” 

  “Okay.” Ji Man nodded, wrapped her cloak tighter around herself, and continued walking. 

  There were very few servant girls that like to wake up early, especially on a bitterly cold day like today. But, coincidentally, Songlan had an errand outside of the residence today. Just as she passed by the southern courtyard, she saw Nie Sangyu wrapped up in a cloak and walking out of the southern courtyard. 

  This was very bad news. The marquis had stayed at Feiwan Courtyard last night. Why was Nie Sangyu at the southern courtyard? She hurriedly turned around and walked away to avoid being seen. She ran back all the way to Jiyue Courtyard to report this information to Qi Siling. 

  — 

  Just as Ji Man entered Feiwan Courtyard, she saw Ning Yuxuan quietly drinking tea inside her room. 

  Her head immediately felt heavy. Ji Man was so tired that she didn’t even want to raise her hand. She didn’t feel like voicing any accusations or asking him why he was here either. She directly went inside, passed by him, dropped herself on the bed, and buried herself into her quilt. 

  Ning Yuxuan slightly narrowed his eyes. He thought she would at least acknowledge her wrongdoings when she came back. Instead, she had actually ignored him? He had woken up early this morning to wait for her and this was her response? He hadn’t even settled yesterday’s account with her. 

  With a blackened expression, he walked to the bed. Just as he was about erupt in anger, he saw her red cheeks. Marquis Moyu froze for a moment. He stretched his hand out to check her temperature. She seemed slightly feverish. 

  Everything had become hazy as soon as Ji Man dropped herself into bed. She didn’t know what was happening around her. In the midst of white mist, she seemed to see Nie Sangyu. 

  Nie Sangyu had finally stopped crying. Instead, she was blankly looking at her. Compared to last time, her body looked even more transparent. 

  “I want to go home.” Ji Man seriously said. 

  Nie Sangyu fled in panic. Ji Man gritted her teeth and chased after her. But after a long time passed, she finally couldn’t keep up with her speed and lost her. 

  This woman, what exactly did she want, ah? Ji Man squatted down in place and silently hugged herself. It was truly exhausting to live in this world. 

  — 

  Nie Sangyu had fallen ill after one night of serving Marquis Moyu. Her high temperature was somewhat difficult to deal with. He had seen that her shoes were soaked from melted snow in the early morning and had ordered Muxu to bring hot water. But the hot bath and change of clothes hadn’t worked. She was still feverish. 

  Old madame alternated between blaming Marquis Moyu for not having tender, protective feelings for the fairer sex and telling him to spend more time with Sangyu when he had free time. 

  Ning Yuxuan complied and didn’t leave the residence today. He directly returned to Feiwan Courtyard. 

  Wen Wan blankly stood in place. She had originally wanted to say a few gentle words to Ning Yuxuan, but his eyes never looked at her on his way to Feiwan Courtyard. 

  In a split second, she felt as if she was going to collapse. Was she no longer in Yuxuan’s eyes? How could he not see her?! Wasn’t Nie Sangyu the person that he despised the most? How could he have passed by her instead of stopping just because of Nie Sangyu? 

  “Madam, keep calm.” Qi Siling stood next to Wen Wan and supported her. Looking at the direction that the marquis had departed in, she said, “This concubine has seen Nie Sangyu reveal her evil nature. As long as we find the right opportunity, the marquis will definitely send her back into confinement.” 

  Wen Wan’s small face was deathly pale. She forced herself to say, “Really……” 

  “Madam, you have to believe in this concubine,” Qi Siling said.

  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 071 out of 513 – Occasionally gentle (2) 

  Ji Man woke up in the afternoon, but her head felt woozy after sitting up, so she lied back down again. 

  Ning Yuxuan transferred the bowl of thin congee to the other hand and used his other hand to help her sit up and lean against his shoulder. He expressionlessly asked, “Why are you so delicate?” 

  Ji Man was too tired to talk to him. Her mouth was dry. She didn’t feel hungry even when she saw the congee. 

  But, Ning Yuxuan scooped up a spoonful of congee and overbearingly forced it past her lips and into her mouth. 

  “This servant can’t bear the honor of being fed congee by the marquis.” Ji Man was so angry by his action that a vein on her temple was throbbing. Who would act so crudely towards a sick person? Did she owe him something in a previous life? 

  “Then, you should feel deeply grateful,” Ning Yuxing lightly snorted. After stuffing her with a bowl of congee while she was dazed, he also fed her two pieces of spicy dried radish to improve the taste in her mouth. 

  Ji Man was peeved, but she didn’t have the strength to respond. She could only let him do as he pleased. Her eyes were feeling so tired that she didn’t even want to keep them open. She only said, “It’s easy to catch a cold. My lord, you should leave.” 

  For an inexplicable reason, Marquis Moyu seemed to be in a good mood. After tucking her in, he said, “I’m not a person that easily gets sick. You don’t have to worry.” 

  Ji Man clenched her teeth. Who was worried about him getting sick? She was merely finding his presence annoying! 

  Muxu hurriedly came into the room to wipe Nie Sangyu’s body with medicinal liquid and also feed her medicine. 

  Looking at Muxu, Ning Yuxuan said, “It’s really tiring to be your servant girl. Muxu, I’m giving you two days off. You can leave the residence and visit your family.” 

  “This……” Although Muxu really wanted to take a vacation…… “My master is sick. What will she do if there’s no one to take care of her?” 

  “I’ll be here. You can leave.” Marquis Moyu waved his hand. 

  And so, Muxu quickly left the room. 

  Ji Man’s head felt muzzy from her fever. Although she heard their conversation, she couldn’t comprehend the meaning of their words. In this midst of her confusion, someone took off her clothes and wiped her entire body down with a handkerchief that was dampened with medicinal liquid. The person followed up by pouring a very bitter medicine down her throat. 

  Whoever was taken care of by Ning Yuxuan would feel as if she had lost half of her life. This was a person that completely didn’t know how to gently take care of another person. And yet, he still showed an expression of concern the entire time. 

  However, Ji Man’s fever started to go away by the next day. With her body wrapped up in a thick quilt, she resembled a newborn chick as she sat by a brazier. From time to time, she would sniffle and blow her nose. 

  Marquis Moyu had really continued to stay here to take care of her. Even when a servant from Qiangwei Courtyard came over to say that Wen Wan wasn’t feeling well, he only sent a doctor to go check on her. 

  Ji Man propped up her chin in her hand to look at his attractive face from the side. She couldn’t help thinking; what part of the play was he performing now? 

  The comings and goings in the residence decreased in winter. Ji Man heard that Mu Shuqing was feeling at ease with taking care of her pregnancy. Liu Hanyun usually didn’t leave her courtyard. Qian Lianxue had a weak body, so she wasn’t willing to go outside once winter arrived either. Qi Siling was the only person that frequently left her courtyard. 

  Ning Yuxuan was finally called away by someone. After spending the past few days inside a stuffy room, Ji Man hurriedly bundled herself to the point that she resembled a black bear and went outside for fresh air. 

  She felt as if she had almost been smothered to death by the smell of medicine and burning charcoal in her room. The snow hadn’t melted outside, but it wasn’t too cold outside. She stepped out into the snowy courtyard and made impressions in the snow with her feet. 

  Ji Man continued treading in snow until she finally wrote out a word in English to express her feelings about the past two days. Fuck! 

  From a distance, Ning Mingjie and Ning Errong saw a black bear skipping in the snow as they walked over here. 

  “Look at her. She doesn’t look like a person you have to worry about at all.” Ning Mingjie couldn’t help laughing. 

  Ning Errong walked closer and hurriedly stopped Nie Sangyu. “You just recovered from your cold. Why did you come out? Let’s go back to your room.” 

  Ji Man said with a smile, “It’s fine. It’s too stuffy inside. Why did the two of you come here?” 

  “I was worried that you were bored, so I came here to keep you company and relieve you of your boredom.” After Ning Errong said this, she pointed at the person behind her, “Older brother wanted the snow on the plum tree, so he also came.” 

  Snow on the plum tree? Ji Man glanced at Ning Mingjie, nodded, and said, “Young Master, feel free to take it.” 

  “Thank you.” Ning Mingjie nodded. Holding a porcelain bottle, he headed towards the plum tree. 

  “I heard the half poem in Luoyan Pagoda is extremely popular recently.” Ning Errong pulled her to stand underneath the covered walkway and sent Baizi to bring out chairs. “A lot of people have been going there to try to write out the second half of the poem, but none of their attempts have been as imposing and majestic as the first half. I heard that even the crown prince has gone there and spent a long time trying, but failed. He’s offering a hundred gold taels as a reward to the person that can complete the poem.” 

  After a pause, Ning Errong added, “Fortunately, other than Old Madame, no one knows that you and my older brother wrote that poem. My cousin seems to have been invited by the crown prince to Luoyan Pagoda today for this very reason.” 

  Ji Man was stunned. She hadn’t expected that poem would attract the crown prince’s attention. This was actually a bit troublesome. If someone recognized Ning Mingjie’s handwriting, would he also confess that she was the writer of the poem in the passing? 

  She couldn’t resist turning to look at Ning Mingjie. His slender body was currently quietly using a hairpin to sweep the snow on the plum flowers into a bottle. 

  Translator Ramblings: “She couldn’t help thinking; what part of the play was he performing now?”Why do you think Ning Yuxuan is suddenly acting attentive towards Nie Sangyu? 

  P.s. Just in case it was too long ago, it was mentioned in an earlier chapter that it would be a bad thing for Ji Man if the crown prince notices her. She wants to be as unobtrusive as possible for safety reasons.

  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 072 out of 513 – A hidden disaster (1) 

  He was as picturesque as a painting. Ji Man’s eyes became glazed as she looked at him. Noble men from ancient times truly had majestic appearances. His attractive, slender fingers looked as if he had never done manual labor. 

  Ning Mingjie was a clever person. He probably wouldn’t do something that would harm others if there was no benefit to him. It wouldn’t sound good if other people found out that he had written a poem with the marquis’s concubine even though Ning Yuxuan probably wouldn’t care. Perhaps, he might even thank her for securing his romantic rival. 

  Ji Man looked away from him and went back to listening to Errong gossiping to cast off her boredom. 

  — 

  Recently, Luoyan Pagoda’s fifth floor’s business had already exceeded the volume of business in the top floor. Moreover, the crown prince had even personally come here and written a poem. This was giving an enormous amount of face to Luoyan Pagoda. But, seeing that the crown prince wasn’t able to write out the second half of the poem and no one else could write out satisfactory verses either, the shopkeeper didn’t know what to do. He was so anxious that he wanted to look for the person that originally wrote the poem. This wasn’t a joking matter. What if the crown prince got angry and tore down Luoyan Pagoda! 

  But, they were doomed to never find Ji Man. 

  Ning Yuxuan looked at the poem that was hanging in the center of the fifth floor. His eyebrows hadn’t relaxed the entire time. The poem had been written very well and there weren’t many people that knew this style of calligraphy. Ning Mingjie was one of those people. However, he had seen very little of Ning Mingjie’s writing. Even though he knew that Nie Sangyu had left the residence with his cousins a few days ago and had come to Luoyan Pagoda, he still wasn’t absolutely sure that this was his writing, 

  Perhaps, he was overthinking. It was unlikely that Mingjie would write this type of poem. 

  It wasn’t early anymore. No one had been able to compose a satisfactorily second half for the poem, so the crown prince decided to go home. Ning Yuxuan also returned home and decided he would check up on Nie Sangyu. 

  When he was halfway to Feiwan Courtyard, Songlan blocked his path and said, “Marquis, Mistress Ling has made your favorite snacks.” She seemed as if she wouldn’t get up from her kneeling position if he didn’t agree to go with her. 

  Ning Yuxuan just realized that he seemed to have been staying in Feiwan Courtyard for too long. He hadn’t visited the other women in a while. Nie Sangyu might not necessarily be able to afford this level of favoritism. 

  “Let’s go,” He said. 

  Songlan happily led him to Jiyue Couryard. Qi Siling had already been waiting at the entrance. Her face had turned slightly red from the cold, but her eyes brightened when she saw him. 

  “My lord.” The beauty had a supple waist and her salute was full of reverence. Her eyes were as bright and lustrous as gems and filled with grievances. 

  Ning Yuxuan lightly smiled, “Why are you waiting out here? It’s such a cold day. Let’s go inside.” 

  Qi Siling clutched her handkerchief and quietly said, “It’s worth it to be able to see the marquis for an extra moment. This concubines doesn’t feel cold.” 

  Qi Siling was a magnanimous and sensible person that never asked him to bestow favor on her. She also handled her duties in a fair and appropriate matter. This was the reason why he had previously given her the power to manage the household affairs. 

  “I’ll feel bad if you get sick.” Ning Yuxuan held her hand as they walked inside. 

  Qi Siling gently smiled, placed the snacks that she had recently made by his hand, and sat down to his left. “My lord, please try some.” 

  Ning Yuxuan felt that she had something she wanted to say, but he didn’t hurry her. He just quietly ate the five-kernels pastries. 

  (T/N: Below is a picture of this type of pastry.) 

  When he was eating the third piece, Qi Siling finally spoke, “This concubine has always thought that Old Madam’s bedroom walls have been missing something. Perhaps, the marquis’s cousin could write something. This concubine heard that he has very good calligraphy skills. A present from him would also make Old Madame very happy.” 

  “When did you start concerning yourself with matters like this?” Marquis Moyu put down the pastry. He was slightly annoyed. “My cousin came here as a guest. How could I ask a guest to do something like this?” 

  Qi Siling bit her lip and deliberated over the words that she would say next. “This concubine repeatedly heard from Old Madame’s servants that the marquis’s cousin has very good calligraphy skills. One of his writings is even on display in Luoyan Pagoda and has received a lot of attention. In the end, he’s a member of Ning Clan. Old Madame was very happy when heard about that news. This concubine made that suggestion in hopes of pleasing Old Madame.” 

  Ning Yuxuan was slightly stunned. So, Ning Mingjie had really been the one that had written Luoyan Pagoda’s poem? Why hadn’t he heard him mention it? 

  Anyways, the crown prince had fixated over that poem. If Mingjie had really written the poem, he would ask him for the second half of the poem and deliver it to the crown prince. It could be counted as doing the crown prince a favor. 

  After thinking of this, Ning Yuxuan stayed in Jiyue Courtyard for a little bit longer before he left and went to the southern courtyard. 

  — 

  Ning Minjie had finished collecting the snow on the plum tree. He was now carefully sealing up the bottle, so that he could use it for later. 

  As Ning Errong hovered around him, she kept talking about the same topic. “Older brother, you’ve reached a marriageable age. Stop trying to look for a perfect wife, ah. Miss Li seems pretty good. She’s at least brave enough to send letters to you during the last two days.” 

  “Also, hasn’t father mentioned that one of his good friends has a unmarried daughter? I heard that’s she’s a first-class beauty. Why won’t you at least look at her? What if father becomes anxious and has you directly marrying her? Then, you won’t see your wife until the bridal room.” 

  “You’re so bothersome,” Ning Mingjie turned his head and lightly poked Errong’s forehead. “Worry about your own marriage instead of mine.” 

  “I’ve already found someone, but you don’t even have a potential fiancée!” Ning Errong pouted and said, “Seniority has to be followed. If you don’t marry first, how can I marry someone?” 

  Ning Mingjie lightly shook his head. “Even father isn’t concerning himself over this issue. You can stop worrying about this.” 

  Ning Errong still had more words that she wanted to say, but she heard Baizhi call out from outside, “Master, Marquis Moyu is here.” 

  Translator Ramblings: Aww, I love the cute sibling interactions between Mingjie and Errong.

  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 073 out of 513 – A hidden disaster (2) 

  “Cousin?” Ning Errong curiously turned around to look at him. “Why did you come here?” 

  Ning Yuxuan lightly smiled. He didn’t waste words and straightforwardly said, “I just returned from Luoyan Pagoda. I saw Mingjie’s wonderful calligraphy there, so I came over here.” 

  Ning Mingjie’s heart slightly jumped. Although he hadn’t done anything to wrong Marquis Moyu, he was worried that Ning Yuxuan would dislike Nie Sangyu even more after he found out. For a man and a woman to write a poem together, it gave off a sense of picturesque charm. 

  Thinking of Nie Sangyu’s deathly pale face, Ning Mingjie found himself in a difficult position. Should he pretend that he wrote the poem? But, he wouldn’t be able to write out the second half. 

  As he was thinking about what to do, he forgot that he had a carefree younger sister standing next to him. 

  Hearing Marquis Moyu mentioned this topic, she hurriedly said with the intention of helping Sangyu. “My older brother isn’t that broad-minded. He only wrote it out on Sangyu’s behalf. She’s the one that compose the poem, cousin.” 

  After these words were said, the room became silent for a long time. 

  Ning Yuxuan’s smile didn’t change, but his gaze gradually became cold. “Sangyu was the one that compose the poem?” 

  “Yeah, it happened on the day that Old Madame allowed us to leave the residence. Sangyu and my older brother went to the fifth floor and there was a poetry competition. So, Sangyu went up and displayed her skills!” Ning Errong didn’t think there was anything wrong at all with what happened. “Sangyu showed that she was truly from a family with a famous literary reputation. Cousin, Sangyu is a very talented and cultured person. Why do you always possess prejudice towards her?” 

  Above the poem that had people clicking their tongues in admiration, there was a conspicuous ink blob*. As he listened to people discussing the origins of the ink blob, he heard a nearby scholar joke, “That was from a woman’s heart and her rosy and soft hands. How can you possibly know what a beauty is feeling?” 

  * (T/N: After Ji Man’s failed attempt at writing the title of the poem in chapter 64, she immediately crumpled up the paper, so the ink didn’t have time to dry and probably smeared together to make an ink blob.) 

  At the time, he was pondering over the second half of the poem with the crown prince in a private room and didn’t pay special attention to these words. But now, he realized that Sangyu had probably drawn that ink blob. Why did she insist on having Ning Mingjie write the poem on her behalf instead of writing the poem herself? Was she afraid that he would recognize her handwriting? There was no need for her to do something so superfluous. He didn’t care if showed her face in the public. Anyways, Nie Sangyu had done plenty of embarrassing things in the past and there were many people in the capital that recognized her. 

  Although his mind thought logically, his heart still inevitably felt uncomfortable. 

  — 

  By the time Ning Yuxuan went to Feiwan Courtyard, Ji Man was already inside and drinking thin congee. Seeing him come into the room, she almost chocked. 

  “Why are you here again?” 

  Listen to these words. Had his two days of care been a waste of effort? And to think, he had been feeling guilty and had decided that he would treat her better from now on. But, here she was, hoping that he wouldn’t come visit her. 

  There was fire in his heart, but there was also a faint amount of concern. Marquis Moyu’s expression wasn’t good. He left after standing at the doorway for a short period of time. 

  He came and he went. It seemed like she had angered him. Ji Man stuck out her tongue. She really couldn’t be blamed. Only a moment of not controlling herself and she had said inappropriate words. 

  It was true that Ning Yuxuan had truly treated her very well during the past two days. She had let go of most of the grievances in her heart. As long as he wasn’t so bias against her in the future, there was still a chance that they could get along well. 

  Shortly after Marquis Moyu left, his personal servant, Guibai, came back and said, “The marquis requests that Mistress Sang write out the second half of the poem.” 

  Ji Man’s heart jumped. How did he find out? But, she immediately patted her chest. He hadn’t shown any extreme reaction towards her or asked her any difficult questions. This meant that he wasn’t particularly offended and this wasn’t a big deal. She didn’t have a place in Ning Yuxuan’s heart, so that matter probably wouldn’t make him feel displeased. 

  At the very least, she was increasing his reputation. 

  Ji Man had Muxu bring over a brush and ink, but her handwriting was still a problem. She didn’t know if anyone had seen Nie Sangyu’s writing before. Anyways, her handwriting was crooked and sloppy. It didn’t look like a noble lady’s writing from any angle. 

  “Sir Guibai, do you know how to write?” Ji Man brightly smiled at the expressionless servant. 

  Guibai paused before saying, “Mistress Sang, you don’t know how to write?” 

  “Of course, I can. It’s just that I haven’t recovered from my cold yet and my hand feels weak.” Ji Man held her forehead and pretended to be frail, “Come on, you can write it out while I speak.” 

  Guibai saw that she truly looked weak, so he kindly took the brush from her. 

  “Master Mingjie, Scholar Qingyun,

  Drink up. Don’t neglect your wine cup.

  Let me sing you a song,

  Lend me your ears as I sing.

  Bells, drums, delicacies, and jade aren’t precious enough,

  I rather fall into intoxication and never awake.

  Since ancient times, wise and holy men have always been alone,

  Only drinkers leave behind a reputation.

  In the past, Cao Zhi had held a banquet at the Pingle,

  And provided ten thousand cups of wine for his guests to indulge and enjoy.

  As the host, I won’t excuse myself from drinking by claiming lack of money,

  I’ll straightforwardly buy as much wine as we want to drink.

  A fine steed with a five-color pattern like a five-petal flower.

  Its skin is worth a thousand gold.

  Call my boy over and have him exchange this horse for more wine,

  I’ll share this wine with you as we drink away worries that have existed since ancient times.” 

  As Ji Man guilty recited the poem, she changed the two names of Li Bai’s friends that were mentioned in the original poem to Ning Mingjie and Nie Qingyun. This way, it would make it seem more like she had composed this poem. Otherwise, how would she be able to answer Marquis Moyu if he asked her who was Master Cen and Scholar Danqiu? 

  After Guibai finished writing, the look in his eyes was very complicated. He stared at Nie Sangyu for a long time. He seemed as if he couldn’t believe that she would able to compose verses like these. 

  Ji Man held her forehead as she returned to her bed to rest. Naturally, Nie Sangyu shouldn’t be this broad-minded. But, in this world, she was the only one that knew Li Bai’s poems. There was no one that would be able to take out evidence to show that she had plagiarized. 

  However, she hadn’t figured out yet what method the novel’s formerly kind-hearted and lovely female lead would use to recover the Marquis Moyu’s heart. 

  — 

  “Marquis, Madam went to the garden to walk around after eating.” Liu Mamacontinued to act as a spy, but this time, Wen Wan was her target that she kept a close watch over. 

  Marquis Moyu was sitting in Mu Shuqing’s courtyard. Hearing these words, he pursed his lips and asked, “She didn’t ask you to pass on any messages?” 

  “To respond to the marquis, she didn’t.” Liu Mama honestly said. 

  Translator Ramblings: Even though Ji Man believes that she’s let go of most of the grievances in her heart, her instinctive response toward Ning Yuxuan is still “go away” and “leave me alone”.

  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 074 out of 513 – An intense war between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law (1) 

  There was a slight sulkiness in Ning Yuxuan’s heart, but he couldn’t show this feeling. 

  Hearing these words, Mu Shuiqing quietly laughed and said, “My lord, if you’re missing Madam this much, why did you still come to Qing-er’s place?” 

  Marquis Moyu lightly smiled, “Is Qing-er jealous?” 

  “Qing-er wouldn’t dare.” Mu Shuiqing’s face had a warm, motherly radiance. With her hands covering a belly that hadn’t protruded out yet, she said, “Qing-er has accepted the unpleasant truth. The marquis’s heart only has Madam. As long as my lord is willing to occasionally come see Qing-er, Qing-er will be very happy.” 

  Ning Yuxuan’s smile slightly dimmed. He lowered his eyes and started to reflect upon his past actions. Had he been spoiling Wen Wan too much? The entire household knew his heart was with her. This must be why she was increasingly behaving without the slightest scruple. 

  To be honest, Wen Wan wasn’t a woman that could peacefully stay at home. But, he had fallen in love with her. No matter how badly she acted, he was still willing to show tolerance and forgive her. 

  — 

  Two days later, Ji Man finally completely recovered from her cold. Qian Lianxue and Qi Siling had sent over mushrooms and ocean delicacies as a token effort, along with a message that she should properly take care of her health. 

  Old madame also summoned her to her place and asked with a beaming smile, “Have you been enjoying the past two days of living with Xuan-er?” 

  Original translation is from fuyuneko dot org. If you’re reading this elsewhere, this chapter has been stolen. Please stop supporting theft. 

  Ji Man smiled and said, “This servant fondly remembers in her heart the care that the marquis had shown towards this servant.” 

  Old madame repeatedly nodded. “Your current humble and patient temperament is very good. As time goes on, Xuan-er will naturally understand who’s the best.” 

  Ji Man nodded in agreement. She kept old madame company as they ate quite a bit of pastries. Worried that old madame would feel indigestion from overeating, she suggested that they go to the garden to stroll around. She supported her as they walked there. 

  In the original novel, the garden was worthy of being called the place where most incidents happened. Ji Man and old madame hadn’t even taken two steps into the garden when they met Ning Yuxuan. After Ning Yuxuan paid his respects to old madame, he accompanied them around the garden with a heavy load on his mind. 

  Old madame asked him questions related to the Six Ministries and he answered each question one by one, but his eyes continued to blankly stare at the ground. 

  Ji Man’s intuition told her that he was preoccupied with his feelings. Recently, he and Wen Wan were in a cold war. He was definitely at the tipping point where he couldn’t bear it anymore and was about to surrender. 

  After they passed through a covered corridor, the pavilion was straight ahead. There were two people siting in the pavilion with two servants standing nearby. 

  “Who are those two people? What are they doing?” Old madame asked after seeing those people from a distance. 

  Shouwu briskly walked forward to see, then she came back and said, “The marquis’s cousin is playing Chinese chess with Madam.” 

  Ning Yuxuan’s expression sunk. Old Madame’s frown was even more severe than his. She angrily shouted, “Preposterous! Is there no sense of propriety?!” 

  Ji Man was startled by old madame’s sudden anger. The two people in the pavilion had also clearly heard her voice and hurriedly came over here to greet her. 

  “Old Madame.” Wen Wan saluted with an innocent face, but old madame only coldly harrumphed and didn’t look at her. 

  Instead, old madame looked at Ning Mingjie and asked, “Mingjie, why do you have the free time to play Chinese chess here?” 

  It wasn’t early anymore. It would soon be time to go inside and sleep. At the very least, Wen Wan was the main wife. Not only was she outside playing Chinese chess, she had been playing with her cousin-in-law. No matter how anyone looked at it, it wasn’t appropriate. She wasn’t from a noble family, so she didn’t know these rules. It couldn’t be that Ning Mingjie also wasn’t aware? 

  Ning Mingjie’s face was actually calm and confident as he honestly said, “I happened to pass by and saw that Madam was troubled over a hopelessly bad move in her game. I couldn’t help myself and went over to see.” 

  Wen Wan guiltily looked at Marquis Moyu. The latter calmed his expression and sneered. 

  The aggrieved look on Wen Wan’s face increased. She bit her lip and said, “Upright people aren’t afraid of being in situations that look bad. Cousin-in-law truly just passed by here. If Old Madame insists on blaming Wen Wan, there’s nothing else for Wen Wan to say.” 

  “Look at you. You actually have the nerve to show your temper?” Old madame was so furious that she laughed. “Well, it’s also my son’s fault for not being promising. He fell for a temptress like you. If I were to lay down the rules, you would have been driven out of this residence a long time ago.” 

  Wen Wan’s eyebrows pinched together. She was extremely unwilling to accept old madame’s words. Although Qi Siling had already repeatedly told her to not adopt a confrontational posture towards old madame, she still felt mistreated and couldn’t help saying, “No matter what Wen Wan does, Old Madame will still dislike Wen Wan. Wen Wan will daringly ask Old Madame one question. Since Old Madame has come back, has Wen Wan done a single wrong thing towards Old Madame for Old Madame to have treated me like this?” 

  Ji Man was standing by the side and had her head lowered to admire the ground. The female lead was really seeking death. Ning Yuxuan was a filial son. He definitely wouldn’t make his mother suffer in order to protect Wen Wan’s feelings. And yet, instead of calming herself down, her every word had been challenging her elder and putting Ning Yuxuan in a difficult position. 

  There were countless examples of conflicts between a daughter-in-law and her mother-in-law in modern times. Ji Man felt that before marrying someone, you should first see if you could get along with your future mother-in-law. This was more important than checking the other party’s family’s financial situation. If you couldn’t get along with your future mother-in-law, then you should reconsider getting married. Otherwise, you might end up wasting your youth. 

  In the conflict between a mother-in-law and her daughter-in-law, you really couldn’t say who was right and who was wrong. Ji Man felt that it was better for her to just stand by the side and quietly watch. 

  “How I treated you?” Old madame was flourishing with anger. She glowered at Wen Wan and said, “This household feeds you and clothes you. Do you think I owe you something? You’re the one that improperly handle matters in a dislikable way, and now you’re going to accuse me of treating you harshly in front of Xuan-er?” 

  Wen Wan still wanted to say more, but Ning Yuxuan stepped forward and stopped her. 

  “Mother, please calm down. It’s this son’s fault for spoiling Wen Wan,” Ning Yuxuan said. “Direct your anger towards this son.” 

  “How nice. A couple with mutually deep feelings.” Old madame took a deep breath and Ji Man hurriedly supported her body that seemed as if it would fall over. 

  “Fine, this residence is for the two of you. How about I just leave?” After flinging down these words, old madame turned around and immediately started walking away. She was so angry that tears fell down as she walked. 

  She disliked Wen Wan and didn’t want Xuan-er to lose his head over her, but Xuan-erchose to side with her. How could she not be angry? 

  Ji Man hurriedly tried to comfort her, “Old Madame, don’t stay angry. It’s bad for your health.” 

  “Come, we’re going to the palace and staying there!” Old madame angrily said. “I’ll give Marquis Moyu’s residence to her. We’ll see how long she can stay here!”


  Chapter: 075 out of 513 – An intense war between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law (2) 

  Behind them, Ning Yuxan wanted to chase after old madame, but Wen Wan grabbed his sleeve. 

  Wen Wan looked at him with red eyes as she asked, “Are you always going to choose your mother over me?” 

  Ning Yuxuan’s eyebrows were tightly creased. He angrily said, “Why are you deliberately stirring up trouble? I’m already taking your side. And yet, you’re still saying words like these.” 

  Wen Wan wanted to continue to fuss, but she remembered Qi Siling’s words. She should quit while she was ahead. She hurriedly controlled her anger, tugged at Marquis Moyu’s sleeve, and quietly said, “I know you’re doing this for my benefit and I also know that you love me. I was just temporarily feeling too agitated and couldn’t help blurting out my grievances. She’s already said those type of words about me……” 

  “Wen Wan.” Ning Yuxuan removed her hand from his sleeve and said, “You need to become more sensible.” 

  Stunned by these words, Wen Wan blankly moved her hand back to her side. She watched as Ning Yuxuan ran after old madame. She bit her bottom lip. Her eyes were full of unwillingness. 

  Actually, if that old woman went away, her life would become much better. 

  At some point, Ning Mingjie had also left without notice. Wen Wan stood in place for a while before turning around and going to Qiangwei Courtyard. She ordered Tanxiang to bring Qi Siling over here. 

  — 

  Ning Yuxuan was kneeling outside in the main courtyard, but old madame was calmly commanding Shouqu, Danggui, and Nie Sangyu to pack up their luggage. 

  Ji Man was slightly worried, so she asked, “Old Madame, are we really going to the palace? Wouldn’t that be a bit inappropriate?” 

  Old madame was very calm as she sat in her chair. She lightly smiled and said, “Do you think I’m doing this out of impulse?” 

  Wasn’t she? She was a stately, first-rank lady. If the news that she had been forced to move into the palace was spread, it would sound really bad, ah. Although this is what Ji Man thought, she didn’t voice her thoughts. 

  Old madame sent the servant girls outside and whispered into Ji Man’s ear, “Yesterday, Noble Consort Nie sent me a secret letter. She said she’s pregnant, but she doesn’t dare to make this information public. She wants me to go to the palace and keep her company. The empress doesn’t want her to have another child, so her baby definitely has to remain a secret until her pregnancy has reached three months and it’s condition becomes stabilized. She doesn’t have any person that she trusts in the palace, so she asked me to keep her company.” 

  Ji Man was shocked. Noble Consort Nie was pregnant? She was almost forty years old. Even though the third prince had no interest towards politics, the emperor was still very fond of him. If Noble Consort Nie gave birth to another prince, wouldn’t the empress’s feeling of impending crisis become more serious? 

  “Originally, I was only planning on keeping her company for two days and leave Shouwu and Dangui there to serve her, so that she’ll feel more at ease.” Old Madame’s expression sunk. “But Wen Wan has acted too outrageously. She even dares to try to bully me. We’ll stay in the palace for a few extra days, so that she’ll knows my power.” 

  If old madame used this opportunity to stay in the palace longer, it would be the equivalent of giving Wen Wan the reputation of an unfilial person. In the end, she would have to humbly request for old madame to return. As for whether or not old madame would be willing to easily come back, that was another matter. 

  Ji Man thought; as expected, old ginger was spicier. 

  “Old Madame, it’s snowing again. The marquis is still kneeling here.” Shouwu couldn’t resist shouting from outside. 

  Old madame felt distraught about her son, but she couldn’t take a step forward. If she forgave him, wouldn’t that be the same thing as forgiving Wen Wan? There was no way she would do that. 

  Ji Man didn’t have another option. She had to serve as a way out of this uncomfortable situation for old madame. She went out to try to help Marquis Moyu stand up. 

  “My lord, you know why Old Madame is angry. Why are you gambling with your own health?” She said. 

  Ning Yuxuan was kneeling with a perfectly straight back. He pursed his lip and stayed silent. 

  Ji Man brushed away all of the snow near his body and brought an umbrella and fox fur cloak to support him. 

  When the lights in old madame’s room were extinguished, Ning Yuxuan finally let out a tiny sigh. He slowly stood up and asked, “Sangyu, if you were in my position and was faced with this dilemma, what would you do?” 

  Ji Man shrugged, “I don’t know how to handle this dilemma either. My lord, you might as well allow things to happen naturally.” 

  Marquis Moyu left and went to Qiangwei Courtyard. 

  She could already foresee what would happen next. There would definitely be a serious problem between Wen Wan and Marquis Moyu. 

  Nie Sangyu had been so foolish, ah. She had directly rushed out to deal with Wen Wan. But, the environment of the marquis’s household was already sufficient to make Wen Wan’s life miserable. Why ruin its effect by adding something superfluous? 

  — 

  Early next morning, old madame had the servants prepare a carriage. She was going to bring Sangyu, Shouwu, and Danggui with her to the palace. 

  “Old Madame, please calm down. Don’t leave.” Qi Siling had led the female servants to kneel in the middle of the road and had attracted the attention of many pedestrians. 

  Old madame sneered, opened the curtains, glanced outside, and said, “She’s a main wife, and yet she has you, an honored concubine, coming here in her place. Don’t block my way. Otherwise, I’ll have the carriage run you over.” 

  Qi Siling gritted her teeth. She had already told Wen Wan that she couldn’t show her temper, but Wen Wan wouldn’t listen. She had actually thought that her life would become comfortable after old madame left. 

  What a hopelessly inept person! 

  Translator Ramblings: I think Ning Yuxuan and Ji Man’s relationship is really interesting and unique. He’s only recently crossed over the boundary line of not despising her and he only shows care towards her out of guilt, his mother, and Nie Clan. But, at the same time, he actually asks her for advice and values her opinion. There’s such a huge contrast between this relationship and his true love relationship with Wen Wan. 

  Ning Yuxuan think that Wen Wan is being immature and unreasonable, but he’s also aware that she doesn’t understand the stricter rules of a noble family. Even though Wen Wan is stupid for not following Qi Siling’s advice, I think it’s understandable. Experience has taught Wen Wan that she only needs to cry and Ning Yuxuan will resolve everything. Until there’s a lasting consequence to Wen Wan’s behavior, there’s no reason for her to change or think she’s wrong.

  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 076 out of 513 – The crown prince’s playboy nature (1) 

  If old madame really went to the palace to live, could Wen Wan’s life in the marquis’s residence be good? 

  The answer was no. 

  The carriage directly went past the crowd and headed towards the palace, and yet Wen Wan was angrily sitting at her dressing table. Marquis Moyu was standing nearby. His expression was very ugly, but Wen Wan pretended that she didn’t see it and sobbed in aggrieved tone, “You said you would treat me well and wouldn’t let me suffer any grievances, so why do I have to be the one that apologizes to her every time?” 

  This was the first time that Ning Yuxuan felt that Wen Wan was immature and unreasonable. She refused to admit her mistake. It didn’t even occur to her that causing this type of trouble wouldn’t benefit her at all. 

  “Besides, what’s wrong with the palace? There’s delicious food and drink in the palace. She’ll be treated very well in there. What exactly are you worried about?” Wen Wan glared at Ning Yuxuan through the mirror. 

  Marquis Moyu rubbed the spot between his eyebrows and said in a low voice, “You were the one that was wrong to begin with. It was already so late in the day, but you still did something that would arouse suspicion by being so intimate with Mingjie. How could mother not be angry?” 

  “He was the one that came over of his own initiative. I didn’t invite him. Why are you blaming me?” Wen Wan became even angrier. “Tanxiang and Changshan were also there. Why are you treating me as if I was fickle woman?” 

  It was impossible to talk sense with her. Ning Yuxuan’s face finally sunk. He coldly harrumphed, then turned around and stepped past the doorway. It was still snowing outside, but he didn’t go back inside to take an umbrella with him. Instead, he directly returned to the western courtyard. 

  Wen Wan was shocked. She stood up and took two steps outside to chase after him, but seeing that Ning Yuxuan didn’t even look back, her eyes became red again. 

  She had just wanted to make him angry. She knew that he would be in the garden at that time, so she had Tanxiang lead Ning Mingjie over. How could she have known that old madame would be in the garden and be so furious? Wen Wan felt that she was totally an innocent victim. She turned around and went to her bed to cry. 

  Anyhow, Yuxuan loved her dearly. In a few days, after his mother was comfortably settled in the palace, he would probably forgive her, right? 

  — 

  Noble Consort Nie had regained the emperor’s favor. The emperor looked after her in every possible way, which made many people’s eyes turn red with jealousy in the harem. She had simply said she wanted old madame to come to the palace and keep her company, and the emperor had marked off a ting yu xuan that was near Ninglu Palace for old madame and Sangyu to stay. 

  (T/N: Ting yu xuan literally means a listening and viewing rain building. It’s building that has windows and a balcony view over a lake or pond. Below is a picture of a simple one.) 

  The gossip traveled quickly in the palace; Marquis Moyu had married a shrew that forced his mother out of the marquis’s residence and into the palace. Old madame wasn’t an ordinary mother. She was a first-rank lady. While clutching her handkerchief, she cried in front of the emperor. And so, the emperor summoned Marquis Moyu to admonish him. 

  “You previously had me promote Wen Yi’s rank on the basis that he had taught his daughter well and he has a good moral character,” The emperor said as he looked at Ning Yuxuan with shining eyes. “As it turns out, the good daughter that he taught was a woman like this.” 

  Marquis Moyu realized that his mother had lodged a complaint with the emperor in a fit of pique. His father had die in a battle and the emperor had always felt that he owed something to the Ning Clan because of this. Thus, the emperor was naturally often willing to take his side. However, if there was an argument between him and his mother, as an elder, the emperor had to side with his mother and protect her. 

  “This subject has failed in seeing the truth,” He slowly kneeled down and said. 

  Wen Wan’s father, Wen Yi, was just a jailer that worked in the capital’s prison. After Wen Wan married into his family, he had used his connections to promote his father-in-law all the way up to a sixth-rank official. Wen Wan had already been satisfied with this, but because old madame had used Wen Wan’s background to criticize her, he didn’t have any other options. He had to think about promoting Wen Yi further up. 

  But after this incident, there was no chance the emperor would ever agree. He valued a woman’s morality and conduct the most. Last time, part of the reason that he had angrily rebuked Sangyu was truly because she had acted too outrageously. And clearly, Wen Wan had acted even worse than Sangyu this time. 

  Ning Yuxuan felt that the emperor could see that he truly loved Wen Wan. And thus, unlike with Sangyu, he wasn’t instructing him to abolish Wen Wan’s position. 

  After suffering through a long lecture, Ning Yuxuan went to the ting yu xuan to look for someone. 

  — 

  After Ji Man followed old madame to the ting yu xuan, they started unpacking. Old madame would be staying in the main hall and she would be staying in the side hall. The group of servant girls would be staying in a small side room. Right after they had finished settling in and old madame was speaking with Noble Consort Nie in the main hall, someone came over. 

  Ji Man didn’t react properly by kneeling down to salute until Muxu tugged her sleeve. Because she didn’t clearly see if the dragons on the robe had four-claws or five-claws, she didn’t know if it was the crown prince or the emperor that had come. She didn’t dare to call out the wrong greeting, so she only quietly kneeled. 

  “Is Noble Consort Nie and Old Madame Ning inside?” The crown prince looked at the person kneeling on the ground and asked with quite a bit of interest. 

  “Yes,” Ji Man said with her head lowered. 

  The snow had just stopped. The crown prince stood in place and didn’t seem as if he wanted to go inside. Instead, he stretched a hand out and helped Nie Sangyu stand up. 

  Shocked, Ji Man’s gaze swiftly glanced at the dragons on his robe. Thank god, it was four-claws. This person was the crown prince. 

  She wasn’t overthinking. There were too many examples of an emperor forcibly seizing married women in history. With no one to manage the emperor from above, past emperors were all lawless and out-of-control. But, the crown prince was different. The emperor controlled him. No matter what, he wouldn’t dare to act recklessly. 

  Last time, she had felt uneasy just hearing his movements when he had visited the marquis’s residence’s southern courtyard. And now, this grand crown prince was actually helping her stand up. Ji Man felt chills going up her back. 

  “I heard from Yuxuan that you wrote the poem in Luoyan Pagoda,” The crown prince moved closer to her and quietly said. “This has greatly helped this prince. What should I reward you with?” 

  Ji Man took a step back and respectfully said, “It’s because the marquis has instructed me well. Your Highness, please just reward him.” 

  Zhao Zhe raised his eyebrows, looked at this well-behaved woman, chuckled, and said, “How could I have the opportunity to reward Marquis Moyu? He’s only below one person and above a thousand others. He has countless beauties. His life is more comfortable and unrestrained than mine.” 

  Ji Man felt that this crown prince was somewhat dislikable. Why was he standing so close to her while he was talking? He was completely lacking in manners.

  Chapter: 077 out of 513 – The crown prince’s playboy nature (2) 

  However, she couldn’t have a dispute with the person under the covered corridor. He was the future emperor. She could only agreeably say, “The marquis is merely helping his master with worries and difficulties. He doesn’t count as someone below one person and above a thousand others. When Your Highness becomes master of the world, the marquis will also do a good job assisting you.” 

  The crown prince was stunned for a moment. He carefully pondered these words, then he suddenly laughed loudly. “I see that the rumors are true. Nie Sangyu is wretchedly in love with Marquis Moyu. Your every word was said for your marquis’s benefit. It really makes a person feel jealous.” 

  Ji Man continued to keep her head lowered and didn’t respond, but she couldn’t stop her expression from becoming slightly colder. 

  Zhao Zhe took another step closer to her. His lips were lightly curved. He said with a hint of improperness, “If there’s a time when you can show me the same type of concern and care, that would be wonderful.” 

  “Your Highness, please conduct yourself with dignity.” Ji Man’s brows were creased. She wasn’t able to retreat any further. She decided that she would simply push open the doors to the main hall and tell old madame and her aunt that the crown prince had come. 

  But, Zhao Zhe smiled and took a step back. He placed the hand warmer with a golden dragon pattern that he had been holding into Nie Sangyu’s hand. “You’ve been standing outside for so long. Don’t let yourself freeze.” 

  (T/N: Below is a picture of a hand warmer.) 

  Ch 077 - hand warmer.png

  This was the scene that Ning Yuxuan saw when he arrived at the ting yu xuan. Nie Sangyu was leaning against the wall. The crown prince was standing very close to her. All of the servants were standing far away from them with their heads lowered and pretending they couldn’t see or hear anything. They didn’t dare to make a sound. 

  For an inexplicable reason, he felt slightly angry. Ning Yuxuan strode over to them and pulled Nie Sangyu behind him. With an expressionless face, he said to the crown prince, “Why do you have the free time to come here? The emperor had even recently asked about the crown prince’s assignments.” 

  Zhao Zhe hadn’t expected that his imperial father would let out Ning Yuxuan so quickly. This scene was also slightly awkward. And so, he quietly coughed and said, “I came here to pay respects to the noble consort. I heard that she hasn’t been feeling well lately. I happened to see Sangyu and we ended up talking.” 

  He even called her Sangyu? Ji Man’s expression was very ugly. Ning Yuxuan’s expression wasn’t any better. He squeezed her hand tighter and said, “Then, crown prince, you should go inside. I have words that I want to say with Sangyu.” 

  “Okay.” The crown prince lightly smiled and returned to his elegant and graceful bearing. After having a servant announce his arrival, he walked into the main hall. 

  Ning Yuxuan pulled Nie Sangyu along as he walked further outside. 

  Ji Man staggered as she followed him. If her stride was too big, she might accidentally step on this lord’s heel. She could only stumble along and almost fell. Although Ning Yuxuan’s expression was composed, he was walking very quickly. He seemed slightly angry. 

  On a secluded palace path, he finally let go of her. He calmly said, “Don’t get too close to the crown prince. He has a fondness for beautiful women. When he has the urge, no one can stop him.” 

  Ji Man nodded and threw the hand warmer she had been holding onto a patch of grass in the passing. From today’s interaction, she could see that the crown prince had a playboy nature. He would want to fool around with any woman that he saw. He was very dangerous to be around. 

  “This servant will do her best to avoid him,” she said. 

  It was difficult to for Ning Yuxuan’s anger to disperse. Seeing that she had thrown away the hand warmer, his expression became slightly better. He pursed his lips and said, “It’s one thing for my mother to stay at the palace. You’re a married woman. It’s not a good idea for you to also stay here.” 

  There was a mess of people in the palace. If Noble Consort Nie spent all of her time with old madame every day, would she have to meet every single prince in the palace? 

  Ji Man frowned. “This isn’t something that this servant can decide. It’s Old Madame that wanted this servant to come along. It’s probably because she doesn’t want to be completely alone in the palace so she brought this servant along.” 

  Anyways, if she stayed in the marquis’s residence, she would only be provoking his anger. Did it really matter where she was staying? 

  Ning Yuxuan paused for a while, then he said, “I’ll go and admit that I was wrong. Help me persuade her to return home.” 

  “This servant thinks that the marquis should wait and apologize in a few days. Wait until Old Madame is less angry,” Ji Man seriously said. “Right now, she’s very angry. If you apologize without sincerity and whole-heartedly side with Madam, Old Madame won’t forgive you.” 

  Although he understood her reasoning…… Ning Yuxuan clenched his fists. He finally helplessly sighed and said, “Then, help me persuade her during this time.” 

  “Understood,”Ji Man agreed without worrying. 

  They were finished talking and it was time for them to leave. But, Marquis Moyu continued to quietly stand there, so she didn’t dare to leave first. She looked at him to see if he had any other orders. 

  “The crown prince……” He thought for a while, and he still couldn’t help feeling worried. “The crown prince has seduced many people. Because of his status, it’s difficult for people to refuse. You……” 

  Ji Man pursed her lips and suddenly laughed. “My lord, don’t worry. Sangyu won’t cheat on you. If Sangyu is put into a difficult position and loses her clean reputation, you can dismiss Sangyu as your concubine to protect the marquis’s household reputation.” 

  Ning Yuxuan was shocked for a moment, then his expression turned ugly. “Nie Sangyu.” 

  “This servant is here.” 

  “Do you want me to dismiss you?” 

  Ji Man shrugged. “If you weren’t trying to maintain the balance between the empress’s side and Nie Clan’s side, you should have dismissed Sangyu a long time ago.” 

  This was the truth. Marquis Moyu was a very clever person. Although it seemed as if he was disagreeing with old madame because she favored Nie Clan and he had a good relationship with the crown prince, the actual truth was that Marquis Moyu’s household was maintaining a knife-edge balance. 

  This was something that Ji Man had thought about for a long time before she understood. She couldn’t help internally sighing. Marquis Moyu’s shrewdness was much deeper than it seemed on the surface. There was a reason behind his every action.

  Chapter: 078 out of 513 – Hidden danger is lurking everywhere (1) 

  Ning Yuxuan was silent for a long time before he suddenly smiled. “If you say you’re Nie Sangyu, then I really can’t believe you. But, regardless of who you are, you really can only be her.” 

  Ji Man’s heart jumped and she secretly scolded herself. Her careless words had attracted Marquis Moyu’s suspicion. But after Ning Yuxuan said those words, she felt uncertain. 

  Had he always been suspicious about her? 

  After the person in front of her turned around and left, Ji Man blankly stood there for a while before she returned to the ting yu xuan. 

  The crown prince had already left. She reckoned that he had just come here to take a look. Old madame and Noble Consort Nie were still inside talking. In a well-behaved manner, Ji Man poured tea for them after entering the room. 

  “Do you think I would make life difficult for that woman if she was as well-behaved as Sangyu?” Old madame took the cup of tea and sighed. 

  Noble Consort Nie smiled and said, “If you’re not satisfied with your daughter-in-law, then just have Yuxuan divorce her and have him remarry. Look at you. Right now, you should be living in comfort in your old age, but you’re letting yourself be angered to this state by a junior.” 

  “I do want Xuan-er to divorce her.” Old madame looked serious for a moment, but her shoulders slumped down in defeat as she said, “It’s because I’m worried that they’ll act out the tragedy of A Peacock Flying to the Southeast. Xuan-er is deeply in love with her. I can’t forcibly break up their marriage. I can only hope that Xuan-er will wake up one day and see that woman’s true colors.” 

  (T/N: A Peacock Flying to the Southeast is a poem about a tragic love story of newly weds that were forced apart by the husband’s mother. As a result, they committed suicide in hopes that they could be together in the next life.) 

  Ji Man thought; it was an impossible for Ning Yuxuan to wake up on his own. Right now, the story had already changed a lot from the original novel and it continued to deviate even further. Even she didn’t know what would happen in the future. 

  But, the feelings between the male lead and female lead were the central theme. If one day, Marquis Moyu suddenly stopped loving Wen Wan, what would the novel change into? 

  — 

  Wen Wan was very happy that old madame was no longer in the residence, but she felt a bit depressed that Ning Yuxuan hadn’t come to see her in the past few days. Instead, he visited Qian Lianxue and Mu Shuiqing. 

  Qian Lianxue was sickly and Mu Shuqing was pregnant. There wasn’t anything wrong with him visiting them more often. But counting the days, he hadn’t slept with her for several days already. If this continued, how could she get pregnant? 

  Wen Wan was very worried. Feeling worried, she went to the garden to walk around. Once she went to the garden, she met Ning Mingjie again. He was feeling bored from being idle, so he was in the garden collecting snow that had fallen on the flowers. 

  Because of what had happened last time, Wen Wan felt slightly embarrassed when she saw Ning Mingjie. She didn’t know if she should approach him to greet him or turn around and leave. Fortunately, she saw Qi Siling coming over in the other direction, which solved her problem. 

  “Madam, this concubine has something to say.” Qi Siliang pulled her to the side and they avoided Ning Mingjie. 

  “What?” Wen Wan looked at her and asked. 

  Qi Siling had their servant girls stand farther away before she said heartfelt and sincere words, “Madam, the marquis’s household has strict rules. You should avoid the marquis’s cousin as much as possible. Even if you weren’t the woman in the marquis’ heart and you were only an ordinary concubine, he’ll still feel unhappy if his woman gets too close to another man. Don’t try using those cheap tricks on the marquis.” 

  Her words made Wen Wan feel unbearably embarrassed. She put on a serious expression and said, “I’ve always followed the rules. Who’s playing cheap tricks?” 

  Qi Siling paused. She didn’t lay bare the truth and only said, “Although the marquis’s cousin looks like a celestial immortal, he’s still a mortal nonetheless. This concubine has already secretly observed him for a while and discovered that he’s very interested in Nie Sangyu. It’s one thing for him to write a poem together with her at Luoyan Pagoda, but Songlan had seen Nie Sangyu coming out of the southern courtyard in the early morning. She probably spent the night in the southern courtyard.” 

  Wen Wan frowned slightly. For an inexplicable reason, her heart felt uncomfortable. “How could he be interested in Nie Sangyu? They probably only have contact with each other because of his younger sister.” 

  “Even if he’s not interested, her outcome could still be overturned if she’s not careful about her actions.” Qi Siling faintly smiled. “The marquis has recently been treating that woman, who lives in Feiwan Courtyard, better and better. I heard that when he went into the palace two days ago, he didn’t go see Old Madame. He only visited Nie Sangyu.” 

  Wen Wan’s heart clenched. She hurriedly asked, “What did they talk about?” 

  “This concubine doesn’t know. Regardless, the current Nie Sangyu has a sense of propriety and knows when to advance or retreat. She’s knows how to skillfully deal with problems. She’s completely changed from her previous self. Madam, this concubine thinks that if you don’t become guarded against her, the marquis will return to her side sooner or later. This concubine will say the unpleasant truth. Madam, you’ve been with the marquis for less than a year. Nie Sangyu has been with him for over six years.” 

  Wen Wan was silent. The thing that she was most afraid of, was that Nie Sangyu and the marquis had too much past history. It wasn’t possible for her to insert herself into their past. 

  Qi Siling has a glib tongue. Her words made Wen Wan’s heart struggle and waver. After she left Wen Wan in the garden, she went to instigate Qian Lianxue. She wanted Qian Lianxue to get angry with Wen Wan and do something against her. 

  Unfortunately, Qian Lianxue didn’t fall for her trick. She only lightly smiled as she listened to her talk for a while, then she said, “Madam is still Madam after all. I’m already satisfied with being able to eat my fill and wear clothes that keep me warm. Older sister, you don’t need to say anymore.” 

  Faced with a tactful rejection, the smile on Qi Siling’s face disappeared and she withdrew from Xuesong Courtyard. 

  — 

  The crown prince’s servant, Taxue, saluted Ning Yuxuan and said, “Marquis, the crown prince said he’s not done with his assignments yet and won’t be going to Luoyan Pagoda.” 

  “It’s good that the crown prince is willing to be studious. I won’t bother him.” Marquis Moyu lightly nodded, turned around, and left the crown prince’s residence. 

  Zhao Zhe had always loved to play and rarely did his assignments. But, he had been surprisingly good lately. Ning Yuxuan hadn’t even seen his shadow during the past two days. Was he really doing his assignments? Ning Yuxuan furrowed his brow. Right after he went onto his sedan chair, he ordered the porters for the sedan chair, “Bring me to the palace.” 

  Two days had passed. He had listened to Nie Sangyu’s words and waited for his mother’s anger to subside before visiting her. If this didn’t work out, he would just blame her. 

  Translator Ramblings: Tiny, vague spoiler. Things will improve for Ji Man this week. Also, Ji Man is slowly becoming more accustomed to this world and is getting better at figuring out how far she can push things. For example, when she recently called out Marquis Moyu’s bluff of dismissing her.

  Chapter: 079 out of 513 – Hidden danger is lurking everywhere (2) 

  Ji Man was currently in the kitchen watching over old madame’s bird’s nest soup as it cooked. Her back was rigid because there was a man standing somewhat close behind her. 

  Zhao Zhe was leaning against the doorway and he curiously asked, “Why did you personally come here to perform this manual labor?” 

  Ji Man rolled her eyes. She felt that the politer she was towards this type of man, the more he would take advantage of this. And so, her tone wasn’t very pleasant when she said, “To respond to Your Highness, Sangyu is just a servant. It’s only right that Sangyu does this type of work. But Your Highness, you’re a crown prince. This type of place is rather mismatched with your status.” 

  Zhao Zhe raised his eyebrows and said with a smile, “I only came here to see you.” 

  His tone was ambiguous. He was a person experienced with the affairs of the heart. 

  Ji Man curved her lips, turned around, and said, “This servant didn’t know that the crown prince was interested in fallen women like myself.” 

  Zhao Zhe was choked off by her words. He rubbed his nose and said, “This is the first time a woman has scolded me like this.” 

  “This is the truth. Sangyu is the Marquis Moyu’s person. My body, heart, and even my eyes all belong to him. Towards other people, Sangyu is just an abandoned, withered woman. It’s only for the marquis that Sangyu is a complete woman.” Ji Man raised her head and used a firm tone in an attempt to tell him that she was absolutely serious. 

  The person at the doorway was silent for a long time. He put away a good portion of his joking and halfhearted attitude. His eyes were deep as he looked at her and said, “I’m close friends with Yuxuan. In all our years of friendship, I’ve only heard bad things about you from him. He said you were unruly, overbearing, and didn’t understand the established rules. Originally, I just wanted to tease you for a little bit. But now, I kind of want to be serious.” 

  The corners of Ji Man’s mouth twitched. Did he think she would believe that this overbearing prince had fallen in love with her? Would he become interested in her just because she showed a little bit moral integrity? Were his next words going to be, “You succeeded in attracting my attention, little demoness.” 

  He might as well have spared himself this effort. 

  “I’ve never seen a woman that was so deeply in love. I’m more powerful than Marquis Moyu. If you follow me, you might become a woman in the imperial harem in the future. I didn’t expect you would say words like that.” The crown prince crossed his arms and smiled. “It seems that Yuxuan doesn’t know how to cherish you.” 

  “Your Highness, you’re such a jokester.” Ji Man saw that bird’s nest soup in the pot was almost done and went to extinguish the fire in the stove. “Don’t forget. Although Sangyu is only the marquis’s concubine, Sangyu is also Nie Clan’s daughter from a main wife and Noble Consort Nie’s niece.” 

  The crown prince wanted her? What a joke. Did he think that if he teased her like this, her heart would start beating quickly, her face would turn red, and she would be unable to control her emotions? It didn’t even need to be said that the empress and Noble Consort Nie’s relationship was like fire and water. Just on the mere basis of Marquis Moyu and the crown prince’s relationship, the crown prince wouldn’t touch her unless he wanted to sever ties with his indispensable assistant. 

  Zhao Zhe loudly laughed. As he looked at Nie Sangyu, his eyes showed appreciation. “Ning Yuxuan has really overlooked a pearl.” 

  “Thank you for your praise, Your Highness. Sangyu is only a slightly better looking fish eye that’s being passed off as a pearl.” Ji Man laughed. She wrapped a handkerchief around her hand before taking the bird’s nest soup out. 

  “Be careful!” Looking at her hand, Zhao Zhe strode over, took the bird’s nest soup from her and placed it on a plate. 

  It had still felt very hot even with the barrier of the handkerchief. Ji Man pursed her lips, discarded the handkerchief, and took back the bird’s nest soup. She selected a red-lacquered tray and placed the plate on the tray. She glanced at the crown prince and said, “Thank you.” 

  Then, she turned around and left to bring the bird’s nest soup to old madame while it was still hot. 

  — 

  Ning Yuxan had been in the ting yu xuan for a while, but he hadn’t seen Nie Sangyu. He had already said a round of good words to old madame, and old madame’s heart had also slightly softened. She said she would return in two days. She wouldn’t let Wen Wan have too many comfortable days. 

  Ning Yuxuan relaxed. Regardless of anything else, his mother was willing to return. After drinking a pot of tea with her, he pretended to casually ask, “Where’s Sangyu?” 

  “She’s cooking bird’s nest soup for me,” Old madame said. “That child knows how to be filial. Since the matter from last time, I also feel that she’s changed a lot. But, I like the changed her more. Where can you find another woman that’s as good as her?” 

  Ning Yuxuan declined to comment. After sitting there for a little while longer, he saw Nie Sangyu coming into the room with bird’s nest soup. 

  “My lord.” Seeing that Ning Yuxuan was also here, Ji Man greeted him before placing the bird’s nest soup in front of old madame. 

  He hadn’t seen her in two days. Nie Sangyu had become increasingly full of life. She wasn’t wearing any makeup; only natural beauty could be seen on her face. Her plump, beautiful lips looked very kissable. 

  Marquis Moyu lowered his head and reflected. Was he attracted to Nie Sangyu because it had been too long since he was intimate with a woman? 

  Old madame’s eyes turned and she said with a smile, “The two of you also haven’t seen each other for two days. You should go to the side hall to talk. I want to quietly eat my bird’s nest soup and take my afternoon nap afterwards. 

  Ning Yuxuan nodded, stood up, and walked outside. Ji Man followed after him even though she felt that there wasn’t anything they had to say to each other. 

  Marquis Moyu walked into her side hall, looked around, and asked, “Have you gotten used to living in the palace?” 

  Ji Man lowered her eyes and said, “There’s nothing to get used to. Every place is the same.” 

  Originally, he had just been casually looking around. But, he suddenly stopped by the divider screen, “Every place is the same?” 

  Translator Ramblings: It’s nice to see Sangyu’s infamous reputation of being a woman crazily in love with Ning Yuxuan helping Ji Man for once.

  Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir 

  Chapter: 080 out of 513 – The position of the secondary wife (1) 

  Hearing something off in his voice, she looked in his direction and saw a silver fox fur cloak hanging on the divider screen. It was a valuable cloak embroidered with a golden dragon with four-claws. 

  She sighed. This cloak had nothing to do with her. Early this morning, when the crown prince had come to pay respect to Noble Consort Nie, a part of the cloak had been damaged when it was being hanged. Noble Consort Nie knew that she was very skillful with needlework, so she had handed the cloak to her to mend. 

  But, Ning Yuxuan thought about this matter differently. He knew Zhao Zhe better than anyone else and had negative mental associations when he saw the cloak here. 

  “Are you very close with the crown prince?” 

  Ji Man seriously said, “This matter has to be clearly explained. I’m not familiar with the crown prince and I’m not mending this cloak because of him. Noble Consort Nie was the one that handed me this cloak to mend.” 

  Ning Yuxuan made a sound of acknowledgement. The corners of his lips faintly curved. “It’s true that your embroidery skills are very good, but there are plenty of people in the palace. The noble consort doesn’t need to order you around like a servant girl.” 

  His words made it seem like she was deliberately trying to show off. Ji Man decided not to argue with this person. Otherwise, she would be the one that was angered to death. 

  “My lord, you’ve been here long enough. You should go back to keep Madam company,” Ji Man considerately said with a smile. “You only need to go through the motions here. This servant won’t say any unnecessary words in front of Old Madame and the noble consort. You don’t have worry. This servant will only say good things about you in front of them.” 

  Marquis Moyu’s expression sunk. His peach blossom eyes seemed like they were full of needles. “You’ve become very mature. You used to eagerly hope that I would stay longer. Now, you eagerly hope that I’ll leave sooner.” 

  “People will always change.” Ji Man lightly smiled. “Wouldn’t it be so stupid to spend an entire lifetime loving a person that didn’t love you back? My lord, walk slowly. It’s slippery outside. Have the servants support you more while you’re walking.” 

  Ning Yuxuan didn’t know what to say. He sullenly flung his sleeve and started to leave the ting yu xuan. However, he saw the crown prince after only walking a few steps. 

  Zhao Zhe had a Casanova-like smile. “Marquis, did you just go to pay your respect to Old Madame?” 

  Ning Yuxuan stopped walking. “Your Highness, weren’t you staying home to work on your assignments? Why are you here?” 

  Zhao Zhe rubbed his nose and said with a smile, “I came to the palace early this morning and ordered the servants to say I was working on assignments. You understand why I have to use those cheap tricks. Otherwise, other people will think I’m a hedonistic crown prince that doesn’t know how to diligent.” 

  Ning Yuxuan raised his eyebrows, but stayed silent. 

  But, the crown prince was in a very good mood and he said, “It’s good that I met you here. Bring out my silver fox cloak for me. Let’s go to Chun Feng.” 

  (T/N: Literal translation of Chun Feng is spring breeze.) 

  She’s like a spring breeze in the three-mile long Yangzhou Street. There are many rolled up beaded screens, yet there is no one equal to her.*

  * (T/N: These are lines from a Tang poem that’s about a beautiful songstress.) 

  As the capital’s most popular money squandering establishment, Chun Feng had captivating women that were very understanding of their customers’ needs. Ning Yuxuan wasn’t an ascetic person and he frequently went there at the request of others. He wasn’t in a very good mood today. Thinking that it would be good place to get over his unhappiness, he agreed. 

  He turned around and personally went inside to bring out the crown prince’s silver fox fur cloak. 

  Zhao Zhe put on the cloak. His phoenix eyes curved into crescent moons as he smiled. “Her skill is truly better than the capital’s best embroideress’s.” 

  His smile was dazzling as he caressed the embroidered blooming lotus flower that was at the cloak’s corner. “Sangyu is so skillful with her hands. There was such a big rip in the cloak that I thought I would have to discard it, but she embroidered a lotus flower to hide the mended tear.” 

  The contrast between the golden dragon that was baring its fangs and brandishing its claws and the elegant lotus flower blooming in the corner of the silver cloak gave off a different kind of feeling from the original design. 

  There was a saying; I’m willing to rebuke the entire world for you and protectively hold you in my grasp as if you were a flower. 

  Ning Yuxuan’s expression sunk and turned ugly. He coldly harrumphed, “It had been a perfectly good golden dragon cloak. Adding a nondescript lotus flower is the same as ruining it. It’s surprising that Your Highness think she’s skillful.” 

  The crown prince loudly laughed. “Didn’t you say that you despise Nie Sangyu the most? Why does your voice sound like you’re feeling jealous?” 

  “If you want to go, let’s leave quickly.” Ning Yuxuan flung his sleeve, raised his foot, and sat down on the sedan chair. 

  Seeing that he was annoyed, the crown prince snickered before following him by going into his own imperial sedan chair and leaving the palace together. 

  — 

  At Chun Feng, beautiful women danced and sung in soft voices that resembled moving water, “There are trees in the mountains and there are branches on the trees. I adore you, but you do not know me.” 

  The crown prince and Marquis Moyu were sitting in the best private room. Hearing the news of their arrival, the officials came by affably to propose toasts. They didn’t expose these two people’s status. They addressed the crown prince as “Second Master” and Marquis Moyu as “Sir Ning”. 

  Sir Xu, a Ministry of Rites’s official, looked at the crown prince and said, “Second Master, why did you come out while wearing this cloak? It’s not peaceful and safe outside and your status is very noble. You should be more careful.” 

  Zhao Zhe had already drunk two cups of wine, but he was still holding the lotus flower in his other hand. He said, “This master likes this cloak and doesn’t want to take it off.” 

  Ning Yuxuan glanced at him. 

  The crown prince’s gaze happened to meet his. He couldn’t help breaking into laughter. “Look at Sir Ning. Doesn’t it look like Sir Ning’s eyes are shooting fire after this master said I like this cloak? He’s exactly like a jealous wife.” 

  The officials from the Ministry of Rites all awkwardly laughed. They didn’t dare to honestly answer even though Marquis Moyu’s expression truly looked very ugly. 

  “Second Master, you should pay attention to propriety.” Ning Yuxuan didn’t drink wine. He calmly said, “Everyone has a bottom line. You shouldn’t provoke her.” 

  The crown prince paused. Holding a wine cup, he approached Ning Yuxuan and said, “Tell me the truth. Do you also like her now? You go on and on about her bad points, but aren’t you still feeling angry right now?”


  Chapter: 081 out of 513 – The position of the secondary wife (2) 

  Ning Yuxuan was truly feeling very angry, but he didn’t know why he was feeling this way. He knew that it was impossible for anything to happen between Nie Sangyu and the crown prince, but he was still in a bad mood when he saw the crown prince continuing to hold the lotus flower. 

  “I don’t like her. I didn’t like her before, and I don’t like her now either.” After saying these words, Marquis Moyu raised his wine cup and said, “There are countless beauties in the world that you can only look at. You can’t just base your decisions on whether you like them or not based on their looks.” 

  “Even thought you say this, didn’t you still marry Wen Wan anyways?” Zhao Zhe was slightly drunk and there was even a somewhat confused look in his eyes. 

  Ning Yuxuan lightly laughed. “Wen Wan was only able to enter my household because of the princess consort’s care and help. When Wen Wan becomes pregnant in the future, I’ll have to ask the princess consort to come and give the baby a name.” 

  The crown prince finally smiled in satisfaction and let him off. 

  Ning Yuxuan quietly sighed. It was really tiring to have a conversation full of hidden meanings. He suddenly reminisced about the stories that Sangyu had told him. In those stories, there was a clear and simple distinction between good people and bad people. 

  — 

  After another two days passed, Ning Yuxuan arranged for a proper honor guard and personally led them to the palace to welcome old madame home. 

  This farce had finally ended. Before leaving, Ji Man truly felt a bit reluctant about leaving the palace. In the palace, she was under Noble Consort Nie’s protection and had extremely good food to eat. She didn’t have to fight and scheme against other women and only had to attend to old madame for a little bit each day. 

  But, she didn’t have an option. Old madame wanted to go back to make life difficult for Wen Wan again, and she couldn’t stay in the palace by herself. 

  Wen Wan’s expression wasn’t good as she kneeled at the entrance to welcome old madame. Qian Lianxue and Qi Siling were also here. Ji Man supported old madame as she got off from the carriage. She saw old madame briefly inquire Qian Lianxue about her health, then she directly went inside. 

  Wen Wan was still kneeling and her face changed colors. Ning Yuxuan got off from his horse and personally helped her up and led her inside. 

  Old madame’s action was really humiliating Wen Wan. She was clearly showing that she wanted to make life uncomfortable for Wen Wan. She had originally wanted to secretly hand over the management of the inner court’s accounts to Sangyu, but now she didn’t put up any pretense. In front of everyone, she told Wen Wan to hand over the account book to Sangyu. 

  Qi Siling came forward and said, “Old Madame, this wouldn’t proper. No matter what, Madam is the main wife and there’s nothing wrong with her health. How could a concubine be allowed to manage the account book?” 

  With a stern expression, old madame said, “The accounts for the inner court have to be clearly recorded and managed. There were many unclear transactions in the account book last month when Wen Wan was managing it. When I asked her where two hundred silver taels went, she couldn’t answer me. Can a main wife like her be allowed to manage the accounts? Sangyu is knowledgeable and attentive. All of you have witnessed her behavior during the past few months. I feel that she’s the most suitable person to manage the accounts.” 

  Wen Wan was standing at the side. She bit her lip and didn’t speak. Her father was a gambling addict. During the past period, in order to pay back all of his debts in order to give her a clean family background, he had already sold their home and was now living at an inn. As a daughter, how could she just do nothing when her father was in dire straits? She naturally had to take assistive measures. 

  The marquis’s family was a wealthy one. She had originally thought she could conceal the missing two hundred silver teals, but old madame had found out. 

  She was in the wrong about this matter, so she kept her head lowered and didn’t say anything. She only hoped that Yuxuan would side with her. At the very least, don’t let Nie Sangyu be given greater power than her. 

  However, after Marquis Moyu considered for a while, he actually nodded and said, “Okay.” 

  Wen Wan was shocked. She incredulously looked at him, but he only held her hand. 

  He looked at Nie Sangyu and said, “When I went to the palace last time, the emperor had praised Sangyu. He said she’s become much more sensible and that I should give face to the noble consort by returning the position of the main wife to Sangyu.” 

  Old madame’s eyes brightened, but Wen Wan’s face turned deathly pale. Her nails even pierced Ning Yuxuan’s palm. 

  Ji Man didn’t even raise her head. If Marquis Moyu were willing to take position of the main wife from Wen Wan so easily, then Wen Wan wouldn’t be called the female lead. 

  “But since Wen Wan’s mistake wasn’t colossal and Sangyu hadn’t done any great service, I choose a compromise. Sangyu will be promoted to the position of secondary wife and manage the inner court’s account book. This can also be counted as giving Noble Consort Nie a justification.” 

  The position of the secondary wife in this period was different from other dynasties. It was one rank below the main wife. The secondary wife didn’t have to be the main wife’s biological sister that was married into the household at the same and could have a status that was as noble as the main wife’s. Giving the position of the secondary wife was a serious matter. If the main wife died, the secondary wife would automatically be promoted to the position of main wife. 

  Ji Man felt that the emperor must truly love the noble consort to pressure Ning Yuxuan like this. Ning Yuxuan could also be considered as not treating Wen Wan unfairly by thinking of this method. After all, not only did Wen Wan’s family background not help him at all, it was probably a burden on Marquis Moyu’s position. 

  But, Wen Wan didn’t think about the social-political aspect. His words made her think of what Qi Siling had told her. Wen Wan felt that Marquis Moyu was rekindling his old feelings towards Nie Sangyu. She immediately clenched her teeth and almost cried. 

  “Then, the matter is settled.” Old madame was in a pretty good mood. Seeing Wen Wan’s expression, she only felt joy. Now that Sangyu had been promoted to position of the secondary wife, she could give Noble Consort Nie a satisfactory account. Plus, with Sangyu managing the accounts, the power in the marquis’s household would be in her hands again.

  Chapter: 082 out of 513 – Vigilance must be maintained to avoid being harmed (1) 

  Although her recent days had been going well, Ji Man still felt a faint uneasiness. She didn’t know what would happen later on, but there was always a sense of danger coiling around her. 

  When Ji Man returned to her senses and looked up after dazedly staying in her room for a while, she noticed that Muxu was gone. She stretched her waist and walked outside to look for her. 

  There wasn’t anyone in the courtyard either. She had sent the other servant girls to Shuiji store to see if its business was good and to also buy five boxes of cold cream. Muxu normally stood outside of Nie Sangyu’s room, but for an inexplicable reason, Ji Man didn’t see her today. 

  Ji Man walked to the side room and notice that Muxu’s door wasn’t closed. She suddenly had a playful impulse and wanted to startle her. And so, she quietly tiptoed into her room. 

  Muxu’s back was facing the door, and she was stuffing something inside her wardrobe. 

  Ji Man suddenly jumped over to her and patted her shoulder, “Muxu.” 

  “Ah!” Muxu’s entire body sprung up as if she had suffered a great fright. Her eyes were extremely wide. She stopped breathing and fainted straight away. 

  Ji Man was also startled. She inwardly scolded herself; she shouldn’t play around like this. There really were incidents when people died from fright. She hurriedly carried Muxu to the bed, went outside, found a servant that was passing by, and told him to send Doctor Li over. 

  Original translation is from fuyuneko dot org. If you’re reading this elsewhere, this chapter has been stolen. Please stop supporting theft. 

  After Ji Man returned to the room, she saw that the wardrobe’s door was still open, so she went over there to close it. But, when she went over, she saw a cloth bag that was bulging with small objects. It seemed as if it was stuffed full of silver ingots. 

  Where did Muxu get a bagful of money? Last time, she had given her a banknote worth fifty silver taels. Even if it was changed into silver ingots, there shouldn’t be this many, ah. 

  Ji Man furrowed her brows. She cast a glance at unconscious person on the bed and opened the bag. 

  There were twenty silver ingots that were worth two hundred silver taels in total. There was also a banknote underneath them. Ji Man looked at it. It had a large value of one hundred sixty silver taels. On the top, it was marked with Feng Hui Union’s stamp. It was exactly the same mark as the ones on the banknotes that Miss Shui brought over every month. 

  Ji Man looked at it for a while, then she carefully wrapped up the money, put the bag back in its original position, and closed the wardrobe. 

  Doctor Li arrived quickly. His face looked very thin, but there wasn’t much worry showing. It was only when he saw that Muxu had fainted that he became somewhat anxious. 

  “She was perfectly fine before. Why did she faint?” Doctor Li sat down and checked her pulse. 

  Ji Man quietly said, “I called her name and unexpectedly frightened her into fainting.” 

  Doctor Li froze for a moment in surprise, then he helplessly said, “She is a bit too lacking in courage. I don’t know why, but she’s always so jittery.” 

  It was true that Muxu didn’t have much courage. Based on what Mu Shuiqing had said last time, she had previously been abused by Nie Sangyu. Ji Man felt that Nie Sangyu had wronged Muxu, so she did her best to make up for it. 

  But, how could she have forgotten? Vigilance must be maintained to avoid being harmed. This servant girl was her closest confidant and knew more of her secrets than anyone else. She was her Achilles’ heel. If someone could grasp her loyalty, then everything would be all over for her. 

  Ji Man lowered her eyes for a moment and said, “Doctor Li, how’s your mother’s health?” 

  Doctor Li was in the middle of writing a prescription. Hearing her words, he paused and said, “Mistress Sang, thank you for your concern. My mother’s health has finally improved recently after a long time of care.” 

  Ji Man nodded. She had heard that Doctor Li’s mother was bedridden and also had asthma. She had been regularly eating ginseng as medicine. Doctor Li’s income was meager, so it was definitely difficult for him to support his mother. 

  “Doctor Li, I’ll have to bother you with watching over Muxu for me. I have a slight headache. I’m going back to my room to rest for a bit.” Ji Man stood up. 

  “This……” Doctor Li hesitantly stood up and secretly checked Nie Sangyus expression. It wouldn’t be good for a man to be alone with a servant girl inside her room. However, Nie Sangyu was a master and he couldn’t insist that she stay here. 

  “There’s no need for you to treat Muxu as an outsider. If you’re concerned that you’re damaging Muxu’s reputation, then marry her in a grand ceremony. I can release her from her servitude,” Ji Man teased. Then, she left without waiting for a reply. 

  Doctor Li blushed. Seeing that he couldn’t stop her from leaving, he obediently sat back down on the bed. 

  — 

  Ji Man returned to her room and opened her wardrobe. She had placed her banknotes in the bottommost drawer. Since the cold cream and facemasks were both selling well, Miss Shui had sent over eight hundred silver taels worth of banknotes. She had Muxu keep accounts and hadn’t counted them herself. 

  Ji Man added up the pile of banknotes. There were still five hundred silver taels worth of banknotes left. 

  Did Muxu think she didn’t know how much she had earned, or did she think she was very stupid? Ji Man grasped the banknotes and couldn’t figure it out. If she wanted the money to treat Doctor Li’s mother, she could have asked her. It wasn’t like she would say no. Why would she take such a big risk by stealing from her? 

  Moreover, Muxu probably wouldn’t be the only one in trouble if someone found out there were three hundred sixty silver taels in a servant girl’s room. Would she also become implicated? Other people wouldn’t be happy if they found out that a woman had a business of her own. If she were exposed, even old madame wouldn’t be able to protect her. 

  Ji Man suddenly felt chills down her spine. She hurriedly packed all of the banknotes in her hand into a cloth bag and quietly walked to the backyard. Seeing that there was no one around, she dug a hole and buried the bag. In order to prevent other people from seeing that the dirt had been shifted, she moved a nearby flowerpot to cover it. 

  Then, she pretended that nothing had happened and returned to her room to sleep.

  Chapter: 083 out of 513 – Vigilance must be maintained to avoid being harmed (2) 

  “Master, we purchased the cold cream.” The two young servant girls had returned. These two fresh fourteen to fifteen-year-olds were the lowest-ranking servants girls. One was called Dengxin and the other was called Gancao. 

  Muxu was normally the only one that entered her room, so Ji Man hadn’t paid special attention to these young servant girls. Now, she carefully looked at them. Dengxin had clear eyes and seemed energetic. Gancao was quiet, sensible, and knowledgeable about etiquette. They would be good, young successors to Muxu. 

  “En.” Ji Man smiled. “Go see if your Aunt* Muxu has woken up yet. She suffered from a fright because of me.” 

  * (T/N: Just to be clear, these two girls aren’t related to Muxu. Calling Muxu their Aunt is just showing that she’s higher than them in hierarchy. Just like how Wen Wan calls Nie Sangyu her younger sister.) 

  There were five boxes of cold cream in total. Ji Man sent over a large box and two small boxes of cold cream to old madame’s courtyard. As for the remaining two boxes, she sent one box each to Wen Wan and Qian Lianxue. 

  Originally, since there was cold cream that could be purchased by anyone now, it wouldn’t be necessary for her to do this good act. However, she had ordered Miss Shui to not sell any cold cream to the marquis’s household unless it was her servant girls that were asking. 

  She had initially planned on always doing this as a way to curry favor. However, she knew that it wouldn’t be possible to continue. She had to end this before the bomb exploded. 

  — 

  When Muxu woke up, she leaned against her bed and gasped for a while. She saw that there were two lowest-ranking servant girls and Doctor Li in the room. Her master was the only one missing. Her heart clenched. She staggered out of bed and opened her wardrobe to look. 

  The bag was in its original position and there weren’t any traces of it being rummaged through. 

  “Did master give any orders?” Muxu turned her head to ask the people in the room. 

  The two young servants girls and Doctor Li shook their heads. 

  “Mistress Sang said she frightened you. She was worried, so she had me stay here.” Doctor Li picked up his medicine box and said, “You fainted because you were too scared. There’s nothing else that’s wrong. You’re fine after taking that short nap.” 

  Muxu relaxed. She straightened her clothes for a moment, then she sent Doctor Li away and went to look for Nie Sangyu. 

  Seeing Muxu come inside, Ji Man only asked, “You woke up?” There was a slight amount of distress in her expression. 

  Muxu’s heart rose up in fear again. She walked to her side and asked, “Master, why are you so dispirited?” 

  Ji Man’s head was resting on the table and her tone was extremely dejected as she said, “Ai, I believed in the wrong person.” 

  Muxu’s knees felt weak. She was almost about to kneel down. Her face was also becoming increasingly pale. 

  “I treated Miss Shui so well. Why did she see profit and forget her morality? She abandoned me in spite of my care.” Ji Man quietly said. 

  Miss Shui? Muxu paused. She stammered out a few words, “Why is it her?” 

  “Other than her, who else could it be?” Ji Man angrily said. “We had agreed upon a sixty and forty percent split. But now that she has money, she won’t acknowledge our agreement. She gave me five hundred silver taels and said she had purchased the copyright for the cold cream. She taking my ideas and going to do business for herself.” 

  “How could she do something like that?” Muxu widened her eyes. “Miss Shui seems like a decent person.” 

  Ji Man shook her head and sighed. “You can known a person for a long time without understanding her true nature, ah. I put the banknotes in bottommost drawer in the wardrobe. I’ll leave it alone and use it to support myself in old age.” 

  “Understood.” Muxu lowered her eyes. There was a struggle in her eyes. 

  The pair of master and servant stayed silent for a long time. Muxu couldn’t resist asking, “Master, aren’t you going to sue her? Wasn’t there a contract?” 

  Ji Man shook her head and said, “It won’t be good for me to make this matter public. If the marquis and Old Madame found out that I was the one behind the cold cream, there’ll definitely be unpleasant consequences.” 

  Muxu nodded and dazedly stood at the side in silence. 

  Ji Man lowered her head and drank tea with saying another word. 

  — 

  On the very same night, Qi Siling said a thief had entered her courtyard. She was fine, but she had lost a hundred silver taels of personal money. 

  Noise clamored throughout the marquis residence immediately, even the guests in the southern courtyard were affected. Full of curiosity, Ning Errong ran over to Nie Sangyu’s room to join in the fuss. “The honored concubines in your family are really rich. She’s actually saved a hundred silver taels.” 

  Ji Man was currently facing her mirror and grooming herself. When she heard these words, she chuckled and said, “She’s a person that once managed the inner courts. It would be strange if she didn’t have any foundation. There’ll probably be people coming over here to search my room later. You don’t have to go anywhere else to watch drama. My place will be the most exciting.” 

  Ning Errong didn’t understand the meaning of her words. But, a short while later, she saw Qi Siling and Marquis Moyu come to Feiwan Courtyard’s entrance, along with a group of servants. 

  “Check this place too.” Ning Yuxuan saw Nie Sangyu as soon as he entered the room. She even turned her head to look at him. Her face seemed even more beautiful now compared to when he saw her a few days ago. His heart would start to beat faster if he looked at her for a little bit longer. 

  Marquis Moyu faintly looked away and gestured at the servants. 

  Qi Siling entered the room and warmly held Nie Sangyu’s hand. “Older sister, we’ll have to bother you. The marquis and I even searched Qiangwei Courtyard recently. There shouldn’t be a problem here, right?” 

  Ji Man’s smile was proper and relaxed. “Younger sister, feel free to search anywhere.” 

  Qi Siling nodded. She turned around and saw a few servant girls coming inside. They opened Nie Sangyu’s wardrobe. A few of the servants also barged into Muxu’s room. After rummaging through, one of them yelled out, “Found it.” 

  A lot of Nie Sangyu’s clothes had been thrown out of the wardrobe in their search, but the servant girls came up empty-handed. With red faces, they stood up and said, “There’s nothing here.” 

  Qi Siling looked at Marquis Moyu. A few of the servants had seized Muxu and brought her into Nie Sangyu’s room. Just as they placed the bag down and was about to open it, they heard Nie Sangyu call out, “Wait.”


  Chapter: 084 out of 513 – You still owe me a dare (1) 

  Everyone paused in his or her movements and uniformly looked at Nie Sangyu. There wasn’t panic on her face. Instead, she friendly held Qi Siling’s hand and asked, “Younger sister, is your lost money in the form of silver ingots or is it banknotes?” 

  Qi Siling paused, cast a glance at the shape of the bag, and said, “Fifty in silver ingots and fifty in banknotes.” 

  “What union was the banknotes from?” Ji Man asked another question. 

  If this was a few days ago and she was still a concubine, Qi Siling would definitely ignore her question and say that she was just quibbling. But, her status had changed after all. She was now a secondary wife and was half a step above her. Nie Sangyu’s questions were asked in such a friendly tone; Qi Siling couldn’t refuse to answer. 

  And so, Qi Siling could only put on a bold face and said, “It’s probably Feng Hui Union. Songlan was the one that exchanged the silver taels for the banknote, so this concubine doesn’t clearly remember.” 

  The largest two unions in the capital were Feng Hui Union and Hui Tong Union. And so, it was only a coincidence that Qi Siling had guessed correctly. 

  Ji Man waved her hand to indicate for the servants to open the bag. The silver ingots spilled out and the banknote on the bottom was revealed. 

  “Why is there so much?” Surprised, Qi Siling covered her mouth after seeing the money. 

  It seemed that Qi Siling hadn’t been the one that was trying to frame her. She was just taking advantage of the situation for her own benefit. Why? If she were the one that had Muxu plant the evidence, then she definitely wouldn’t have spoken the wrong amount. 

  Three hundred sixty silver taels was a large sum of money. Right now, Ji Man’s monthly allowance was ten silver taels. This amount would be enough to last her for three years. 

  Muxu kneeled down and explained, “This servant didn’t steal Mistress Ling’s money.” 

  “Of course you couldn’t have been the one that stole the money.” Seeing that Marquis Moyu was about to speak from her peripheral vision, Ji Man spoke before he could. Having planned in advance, she looked at Qi Siling and said, “Didn’t younger sister Ling say that there was a thief in the middle of the night? The thief must have stuffed all of his stolen money into Muxu’s room. But…… this amount doesn’t match younger sister Ling’s amount of a hundred silver taels.” 

  Qi Siling froze in surprise for a moment, then she pursed her lips and said, “Perhaps, this money isn’t the concubine’s. This concubine’s monthly allowance is seven and a half silver taels. It took this concubine a long time to save up a hundred silver taels. It absolutely couldn’t become this much.” 

  Ji Man raised her eyebrows. She picked up the banknote and handed it to Marquis Moyu. 

  Ning Yuxuan took the banknote and looked at it. Feng Hui Union’s mark was clearly at the top. 

  When Qi Siling had been managing the inner court’s accounts, Ning Yuxuan knew that it wasn’t possible for Qi Siling to completely keep her hands clean. But, he hadn’t expected that she would have this much money after only managing for four years. 

  There wasn’t much anger on Marquis Moyu’s face. Instead, he asked with a great deal of interest, “It’s strange. The thief had stolen money. Why did he stuff the money into Muxu’s room instead of running away or putting the money into Sangyu’s room?” 

  Qi Siling’s expression wasn’t good, but she still spoke, “My lord, this isn’t this concubine’s money.” 

  “Then, tell me. Where did the money found in Muxu’s room come from?” Ning Yuxuan looked at her as he asked. “A servant girl’s monthly allowance is only one silver tael. Muxu has only been in my residence for six years. When all is said and done, she could have only saved seventy-two silver taels at the most.” 

  Qi Siling glanced at Nie Sangyu and quietly said, “Perhaps, older sister Sangyu had bestowed her this money.” 

  With a face full of innocence, Ji Man pointed at her wardrobe and jewelry box. “Younger sister, take a clear look. My monthly allowance just increased. My jewelry and clothes are all very plain and simple. I only have ten silver taels saved up in my jewelry box, without any other exceptions. Where would I have the money to reward a servant?” 

  Qi Siling felt as if she had fallen into a trap. She was truly experiencing suffering that she couldn’t defend herself against. Why were they saying that this found bag of money was hers? There truly had been a thief in her courtyard tonight. Marquis Moyu has also been there. Otherwise, there wouldn’t have been a great number of servants carrying out this search everywhere. She had just wanted to take advantage of this situation for her own benefit. It would have been good to place the crime on Nie Sangyu. But, for an inexplicable reason, she wasn’t about to outtalk Nie Sangyu. 

  Nie Sangyu’s mouth was becoming increasingly clever. 

  Muxu was kneeling by their side and repeatedly kowtowed. “These silver taels have nothing to do with this servant. Marquis, please investigate!” 

  Seeing her panic-strickened expression, the corner of Ji Man’s mouth faintly curved up. 

  She didn’t know who was trying to harm her. Fortunately for her, she had accidentally seen part of their plan before it was executed and avoided it. Otherwise, if they had also found banknotes in her room, the matter of the thief in the residence would become a small matter. The other people would most likely stand around in a circle as they watched Marquis Moyu punish her. 

  She had been very lucky. 

  “As for this money, how about a hundred silver taels will be given to Ling-er, the rest will be confiscated by Steward Qian?” Ning Yuxuan lightly said. 

  Qi Siling was very unsatisfied, “My lord……” 

  “You don’t need to say anymore. This trouble has lasted for such a long time. You should go back to rest.” Marquis Moyu sat down and said, “Ling-er take the money and go back to your room.” 

  She was going back by herself? Qi Siling’s heart turned cold. She had finally received the chance to be favored. The marquis had said he would be resting at her place tonight. After a thief had broken into her courtyard and they had come to Feiwan Courtyard, the result was that he ended up staying here instead. 

  Inwardly, Qi Siling was vexed. She had suffered a double loss after trying to harm her enemy. But, she still put on a proper smile. “Then, this concubine won’t bother the marquis with his rest. This concubine will send the marquis a tasty, light breakfast in the morning.” 

  “En.” Ning Yuxuan nodded. He waved his hand and all of the servants they had brought also withdrew from the room. 

  Seeing that this matter had been so simply settled, Muxu was somewhat stunned and amazed. But, she still packed up the rest of the money and followed Marquis Moyu’s order by leaving to go and deliver the money to Steward Qian. 

  Ji Man was slightly distressed about losing her money. She had lost three hundred sixty silver taels just like that. How many cold creams would have to be sold for her to earn back that money, ah? However, after thinking about, she decided that she could accept using money to avoid misfortune. 

  Translation Ramblings: Wait, what happened to Errong? The author seemed to have forgotten about her. I find it hard to believe that she would have been able to stay silent in this recent conversation.

  Chapter: 085 out of 513 – You still owe me a dare (2) 

  “I was wondering how much trouble they could stir up. I truly overestimated them, or perhaps I should say that I underestimated you.” Marquis Moyu’s gaze swept over. There was a hint of a warm smile on his normally expressionless face. “You’re very clever.” 

  Ji Man looked at this great Buddha, sighed, and asked, “My lord, will you be sleeping here tonight?” 

  “Are you still not willing?” Ning Yuxuan stood up and gently wrapped his arm around her waist. “It’s fine if you’re not willing. I won’t touch you. But, how about we talk about our feelings tonight?” 

  Why did he want to talk about feelings out of the blue? Ji Man’s mouth twitched. Her eyes suddenly brightened and she said, “Then, let’s play truth or dare with rock-paper-scissors.” 

  “What’s that?” Marquis Moyu was slightly at a loss. 

  Ji Man explained the rules to him. Ning Yuxuan slightly raised his eyebrows, “This seems interesting. Let’s try it.” 

  Don’t joke with her. Ji Man had plenty of experience with this game from college. She was always slightly slower than the other person when showing rock, paper, or scissors, but no one had seen through her tactic and suspected her. Thus, her chance of victory was significantly increased. How could she possibly loss against a person from ancient times? 

  In the first round, she won as expected. She happily looked at Marquis Moyu and asked, “My lord, do you want to pick truth or dare?” 

  “Truth.” Ning Yuxuan didn’t show the slightest hesitation. Leaning against the bed, he was faintly smiling. 

  “This servant daringly asks, what type of woman do you like the best?” Ji Man narrowed her eyes as she asked. 

  This question was completely within expectations, but Marquis Moyu’s mind still wandered. He lowered his eyes and said, “I like quiet, gentle, and kind-hearted women that know how to dance and paint.” 

  Fine, none of these qualities matched Nie Sangyu. Ji Man’s lips twitched. But, when she carefully thought about it, these qualities didn’t match Wen Wan either, ah. Wen Wan, the female lead, had already turned from a white lotus into a black one. She wasn’t quiet or gentle anymore. 

  “Continue.” Marquis Moyu opened his eyes. 

  Ji Man nodded. But starting from the second round, something unexpected happened. She repeatedly lost. 

  “True or dare?” Ning Yuxuan asked. 

  “Dare.” She replied. 

  “Kiss me.” 

  “.……” 

  Ji Man incredulously looked at him. Ning Yuxuan somewhat devilishly smiled. His peach blossom eyes reflected the image of the person in front of him. It was enough to make a person’s heart thump. 

  He had never shown her an expression like this before. Normally, he would only fake smile at her or not show any expression. What was wrong with him today? Why was he trying to seduce her? 

  Ji Man took a deep breath. Hadn’t they said that they would agree to anything before they started? Otherwise, there was no point in playing this game. It was just touching her lips to his. With a smacking sound, she kissed his lips. 

  The marquis didn’t seem particular satisfied. And so, their following dialogue continued to be: 

  “Truth or dare?” 

  “Dare!” 

  “Kiss me.” 

  “.……” 

  After Ji Man had kissed him several times, she finally felt there was something wrong. “Why are you always winning, ah?” 

  Marquis Moyu innocently spread his hand out. “You’re just having bad luck. There’s nothing that can be done about that. Let’s continue.” 

  After silently cursing in her mind, Ji Man kissed him again. But this time, Marquis Moyu held the back of her head with his hand and flipped them over so that he was pressing her body underneath his. His tongue slipped past her lips and teeth and gently besieged her mouth. 

  What was he trying to do? Ji Man instinctively tried pushing him away, but she felt Ning Yuxuan clasping their hands together. 

  “I kept trying to figure out who you were and sent people looking for Nie Sangyu.” Very careful and intimate kisses landed on her neck after he said this. 

  Hearing these words, Ji Man felt as if her body had been struck by lightening. 

  What did he know? 

  “But, recently, I had to acknowledge the truth. There aren’t two people that are exactly the same. You’re Nie Sangyu, but you’re also not her.” Ning Yuxan’s eyes were as deep as the sea. “Sangyu, you’ve completely changed as if you’ve been reborn. I really like you now.” 

  Goosebumps rose up on Ji Man’s entire body, but her mind relaxed. The corners of her mouth twitched and she said, “My lord, are you trying to seduce this servant?” 

  “En?” Marquis Moyu lightly smiled. “Don’t overthink things. I’m serious. I want to treat you well. The emperor said that the Great Canal would be open in half a month. He wants to take a pleasure boat to Jiangnan to go sightseeing for a month and also observe the circumstances and feelings of the people. I have to go on the boat trip and I want to bring you along too.” 

  Ji Man asked in shock, “My lord, why are you bringing me?” 

  One month, ah. Didn’t he like Wen Wan the most? Why was he bringing her instead of Wen Wan? 

  “This is what Noble Consort Nie wanted. I also think that it’ll be more interesting to bring you along.” Marquis Moyu smiled and nibbled at the string for her dudou. “If I can’t fall asleep on the boat, I can at least listen to your stories.” 

  Ji Man hurriedly tried to stop him from doing anything else. Her mind was having a hard time figuring out his actions. They had only not seen each other for a few days. There was no reason for Ning Yuxuan to suddenly treat Nie Sangyu so well. Although he suspected that she was a different person, he had also said he would take her traveling on the emperor’s tour. What on earth was he thinking? 

  Feeling that his movements were becoming more and more outrageous, Ji Man couldn’t help shouting out, “My lord, you said you wouldn’t force this servant! This servant wants to peacefully sleep.” 

  Marquis Moyu stopped. He gently closed the front of her robes for her, then he obediently lied down next to her and said, “Don’t forget, you still owe me a dare.” 

  Translator Ramblings: I like how the author reverses the trope of transmigrated people being so terribly clever compared to people from ancient times.

  Chapter: 086 out of 513 – The ending can be changed (1) 

  Ji Man felt chills on the back of her neck. Although the person next to her had a very attractive smile, she felt as if a snake was wrapping itself around her neck. 

  She turned herself over to sleep. For now, she couldn’t guess what he was thinking. But, that was okay. His villainous intentions would be revealed sooner or later. 

  — 

  A few days later, the news that the emperor wanted to go to the south had spread. The list of attendants and guests that would be coming along had also come out. The empress had to stay behind to oversee the imperial harem. Noble Consort Nie would be accompanying the emperor on his trip to the south. The crown prince, third prince, and Marquis Moyu would be escorting him. These people were all popular with the emperor, so it wasn’t strange for them to come along. However, there was another name on the escorting list. It was actually Ning Mingjie’s name. 

  “Does your cousin know martial arts?” Ji Man curiously asked Ning Yuxuan. 

  Ning Yuxuan lightly smiled, “There’s no difference between Mingjie’s martial arts skill and mine. What do you think?” 

  Ji Man was surprised. She wasn’t surprised that Ning Mingjie was really amazing. But, how could this soft and weak person in front of her know martial arts? 

  Most of the aristocratic men in the Great Song Dynasty were delicate. She looked at Ning Yuxuan. He always wore brocade robes that were as pristine as snow and seemed to float around. Ji Man thought he was raised like a prince and was the delicate type. 

  “This servant remembers that your cousin is a sixth-rank supervisor for military weapons. He doesn’t have anything to do with the imperial family, ah,” Ji Man quietly said. 

  Ning Yuxuan was lying on a cushioned couch underneath the eaves. He pulled his fur clothing up a little bit and narrowed his eyes at the snowy landscape. “Mingjie is a talented person. The emperor already had the intention of promoting him last year, but he wasn’t willing to leave his sick mother’s side. His mother died at the beginning of this year. They’ve been mourning for a long period of time and only recently stopped observing the rituals. Marquis Jingwen has the intention of letting him come to the capital to become an official in the imperial court. The emperor is very happy about this and wants him to come on the trip to the south. He wants to give Mingjie an opportunity to do a meritorious deed so that he can be promoted.” 

  Ji Man nodded. Ning Minjie was a person that stood aloof from worldly affairs. In the original novel, he didn’t even need to do anything for the emperor to rush forward to promote him. This dynasty was probably following the old customs from Wei and Jin Dynasty where officials were promoted based on physiognomy. Otherwise, the princes and subjects that were favored by the emperor wouldn’t all have appearances like celestial immortals. 

  Just as Ji Man was sighing over this, she saw Liu Mama coming through this courtyard’s entrance and hesitating for a moment when she saw that Nie Sangyu was also here. 

  “Go the kitchen and bring back some snacks for me.” Marquis Moyu turned his head and said to Nie Sangyu. 

  “Understood.” Ji Man nodded and left right away. Marquis Moyu had found an excuse to send her away. There was probably something that he didn’t want her to hear. 

  After she had stepped past the courtyard’s entrance, she stuck to the wall next to the entrance to listen. 

  “Marquis, Madam wrote a letter to you.” 

  “Oh? I’m right here in the residence. Why did she write a letter?” Marquis Moyu chuckled. His brows smoothed out and his eyes contained a child-like happiness from winning their spat. 

  “This servant doesn’t know. Marquis, please read this.” Liu Mama handed him the letter. 

  Newly cut white silk from Qi, clear and pure as frost and snow.

  Made into a fan for joyous trysts, round as the bright moon.

  In and out of my lord’s cherished sleeve, waved back and forth to make a light breeze.

  Often I fear the arrival of the autumn season, cool winds overcoming the summer heat.

  Discarded into a box, affection cut off before fulfillment.*

  * (T/N: Translation was taken from here. http://www.silkqin.com/02qnpu/16xltq/xl121hgq.htm. There’s also a lengthy explanation and history of this poem on that website. Basically, this was written by an imperial concubine, who was feeling depressed because she had lost the emperor’s favor.) 

  This was a poem about a woman’s grievance. Each word and phrase showed sorrow and fear over losing favor. She wanted to angrily rebuke her lover for failing to be loyal, but she could only aggrievedly compare herself to a fan and try to win back her husband and lord’s love. 

  The corners of Ning Yuxuan’s lips soared upwards. He stood up and said, “Let’s go. The weather is cold and there’s no use for a fan, but I’ll still go the box and look at her.” 

  Ji Man hurriedly turned around and ran towards the path. If Marquis Moyu came out and saw her, she would be finished. 

  This man’s true heart seemed as if it was wrapped in layer upon layer of gauze. She couldn’t clearly see it or understand it. There was only one thought in her mind. Don’t give her heart to this person. Otherwise, there might not even be any remnants left at the end. 

  When Ji Man arrived at the intersection in the front, she decisively turned right and headed towards the southern courtyard. It was in the opposite direction of Qiangwei Courtyard. Since Marquis Moyu had gone over there, it meant that she wouldn’t need to serve the marquis tonight. She just needed to temporarily avoid him. 

  After Ji Man had stopped at the side of a flowerbed for a while and saw Marquis Moyu’s distant figure walking farther away, she let out a sigh of relief. But, when she turned around, she almost bumped into someone. 

  Ning Mingjie wearing a white robe embroidered with silver pythons and holding a porcelain bottle. His eyebrows were raised as he looking at her with surprise, but he didn’t ask her anything. 

  Ji Man looked around. There wasn’t anyone else. This Sir Ning, who was highly valued by the emperor, looked relatively undignified at the moment. He was crouched down by the flowerbed and seemed like he was collecting snow that was on top of the flowers again. 

  Ji Man politely took a step back and quietly asked, “Young Master, you’ve collected so much snow. What exactly are you going to use it for?” 

  Ning Mingjie finished filling the bottle in his hand and chuckled, “Cold Fragrance Pills. The doctor said he needed autumn dew and winter snow. The snow on the flowers is the best. After this winter is over, I’ll have the ingredients to make Cold Fragrance Pills.” 

  Ji Man had only heard of Cold Fragrance Pills mentioned in Dream of the Red Chamber*. She hadn’t expected that it would exist in this world too. It was made with twelve ounces of winter snow, twelve ounces of autumn dew, etc. It was truly troublesome. 

  * (T/N: Cold Fragrance Pills is a made-up panacea. Dream of the Red Chamber is one of China’s Four Great Classical Novels.) 

  “Who’s sick?” Ji Man asked another question. 

  Ning Mingjie stood up and lightly patted his robe. “My mother used to be sick. A traveling monk said that this medicine could cure her. I received the prescription this year, but my mother had already departed at the beginning of the year.” 

  In other words, he was gathering these items for his deceased mother? 

  This supporting male character was truly worthy of being called the supporting male character. Compared to Ning Yuxuan, who was shrewd, treacherous, and as unpredictable as the weather, the man in front of her was practically a snow lotus from Mount Tian. He was so filial! Although he wore a mask, he was still so attractive that people couldn’t bear to look at him directly!!!

  Chapter: 087 out of 513 – The ending can be changed (2) 

  Her hot blood was slightly boiling from these thoughts, but then a plop of snow fell down on her from the eaves and cooled her down. 

  She had come here to fulfill Nie Sangyu’s wish. She couldn’t stay in this ancient world for a lifetime. Other than getting Ning Yuxuan to fall in love with her, there wasn’t another way for her to return to modern times. There was no reason for her to get so excited, ah. 

  She sighed and reluctantly looked away from Ning Mingjie. She calmly brushed off the snow on her head. “It’s not early anymore. I’ll be leaving first.” 

  “En.” Ning Mingjie casually broke off a branch with plum blossoms and brought it to her. “The way the plum tree in your courtyard was trimmed is slightly ugly. Take this with you and put it into a vase.” 

  Ji Man, “.……” 

  The plum tree in her courtyard, Marquis Moyu had trimmed it…… 

  She resisted the urge to laugh. Ji Man accepted the plum blossoms and expressed her thanks. Then, she turned around and started walking to Feiwan Courtyard. As she walked, she started to feel that something was off. 

  Eh? Ning Mingjie didn’t seem to dislike to her? Ji Man stopped her steps and couldn’t resist turning around to look. He was still standing in the same place. Seeing that she was looking over here, he was somewhat surprised for a moment, then he slightly turned his head away. 

  In the original novel, the supporting male character had sided with the female lead and deeply hated the supporting female character because of this, ah. Of course, it was also because Nie Sangyu had done truly outrageous things. But now, she was very well behaved and hadn’t done anything wrong since she came here. Was this enough for the supporting male character to not despise her? 

  The person who had given evidence against the supporting female character had been Ning Mingjie! Did this mean that part of the ending had already changed? At the very least, she wouldn’t die. There was a burst of excitement in her heart. 

  She had originally thought that no matter what she did, the general plot wouldn’t change. Unexpectedly, it was possible to change fate. 

  — 

  Under the warmth of a hibiscus canopy* in Qiangwei Coutryard, it was obvious that Wen Wen had recently cried. Her eyes were red-rimmed. However, her face showed a bashful joy. 

  * (T/N: Under the warmth of a hibiscus canopy is a line from the Song of Everlasting Regret by Bai Juyi. It’s expressing the emperor’s disregard of politics and caring only about the beauty of his consort. He neglected his duties and promoted members of her family into important positions (basically what Ning Yuxuan seems to be doing right now). 

  Ning Yuxuan’s chin was resting on Wen Wan’s head. He sighed and said, “Why can’t you be more obedient? You’re always making me feel worried.” 

  “How am I not obedient?” Wen Wan snorted. “You’ve been treating Nie Sangyu so well recently. You were clearly trying to make me feel jealous. But when I feel jealous, you say that I’m making you feel worried. You’ve already done your best to make me feel good and bad, what do you want me to do?” 

  Ning Yuxuan chuckled. He lowered his head to look at Wen Wan’s face and couldn’t resist kissing her eyes. “Okay, okay. Don’t be angry with me. It was Noble Consort Nie’s idea to bring Nie Sangyu with me on this trip. Right now, the noble consort has regained the emperor’s favor. The emperor has broken off most of Nie Clan’s power and connections, but he has started to fear the influence of empress’s faction. If I didn’t insist on saving your position as the main wife, it would have definitely gone to Nie Sangyu.” 

  Wen Wan furrowed her brows, but then she quickly smoothed out her expression. “It’s not important if I’m the main wife or not. As long as I can be by your side forever, I’ll be satisfied.” 

  Marquis Moyu kissed her forehead and stroked her face for a long time before he finally said, “Go to sleep. Have sweet dreams.” 

  “En.” Wen Wan hugged his waist and closed her eyes. 

  — 

  Ji Man had been planning for her trip that would take place in half a month when a servant had suddenly brought the message that old madame wanted to see her. 

  With a serious expression, old madame said, “Sangyu, I need your help with something.” 

  “Old Madame, please give your order.” Ji Man hadn’t seen this old one look so serious in a long time. She was somewhat curious. 

  “Take a trip to Nie residence to persuade your older brother,” old madame said. “Our two families should have already settled on a wedding date between your older brother and Errong, but he suddenly told Errong that he doesn’t want to get married so early. Isn’t that just nonsense? The crown prince’s side has always been covetously eyeing Errong. If the crown prince pleads with the emperor for an imperial edict, the second half of Errong’s life will be ruined.” 

  Ji Man was shocked by old madame’s words. During the past period, she had been busy dealing with Marquis Moyu. When she carefully thought about it, she realized that she hadn’t talked to Errong in a while. During the past few days, she had heard that Errong had been leaving the residence to go on scenic tours with Nie Qingyun to cultivate their relationship. Why did a problem come up with their engagement at this juncture? 

  “Sangyu understands.” 

  After taking the token that would allow her to leave the residence, Ji Man went to the southern courtyard first. Ning Mingjie was helplessly leaning against a wall on the first floor. Seeing her coming inside, he indicated for her to go upstairs. 

  Ning Errong had locked herself inside her room. Baizhi was standing outside. 

  Baizhi was both worried and angry as she said, “Mistress Sang, please persuade the junzhu. She’s such a good woman. She can easily find someone else to marry her. Why does insist on obsessing over Sir Nie and torturing herself like this?” 

  (T/N: This was first mentioned in chapter 63, but since this word doesn’t come up often, I’m repeating the explanation again. Junzhu is one rank lower than princess. The title of junzhu is usually given to a daughter of a first-rank prince. The title can also be bestowed by the emperor’s decree.) 

  Baizhi had been so focused on protecting her master that she temporarily forgot that Nie Qingyun was Sangyu’s older brother. When she returned to her senses, she stopped speaking, lowered her head, and stepped to the side. 

  “Go and bring something sweet to eat. I’ll go inside to persuade her.” Ji Man pushed the doors and faintly smiled at Baizhi. 

  Baizhi made a sound of agreement and lifted her skirt as she went down the stairs. 

  Ji Man looked around. There wasn’t anyone else upstairs. She lifted up her heavy skirt, so she could kick the tightly sealed doors. 

  Nie Sangyu was too weak and the first kick didn’t budge the doors at all. Ji Man took a deep breath and gathered the strength that a baby would use to drink milk. Her second attempt kicked the doors wide open. 

  Ning Errong forgot to cry. With leftover tears on her face, she blankly looked at Nie Sangyu at the doorway. 

  Ji Man lightly smiled. She put down her skirt, tidied her hair, entered the room, and warmly said, “I heard that you were in a bad mood.” 

  Errong bit her lip and hoarsely said, “Your older brother doesn’t want me.”


  Chapter: 088 out of 513 – Matchmaking isn’t easy (1) 

  Ji Man sat down by the window, looked at Errong’s beautifully tearful face, sighed, and took out a handkerchief to help her wipe her runny nose. “Why do you think he doesn’t want you?” 

  Ning Errong used Nie Sangyu’s handkerchief to wipe her face clean of snot and tears before saying, “During the past few days, he always accompanied me to go out and sightsee. He treated me so well. I thought he accepted the marriage between our two families. But now, he actually said he doesn’t want to marry yet…… How does he regard me?”As Ning Errong said these words, she couldn’t help crying again. 

  Ji Man hurriedly patted her back and said, “Of course, you’re just misunderstanding my older brother’s meaning. My older brother is a blockhead. He’s very obtuse when it comes to romance. Otherwise, he wouldn’t only have two ordinary concubines and not a single honored concubine by now, right? He’s sincerely looking for a person to spend his life with, so he doesn’t want to rush things. He just wants to spend more time with you. It’s not that he doesn’t want you.” 

  Errong froze in surprise. She pitifully raised her head and looked at Nie Sangyu, “Really?” 

  Jim Man felt diffident inside, but her expression was very assured as she said, “I’m his younger sister.” 

  Ning Errong’s eyes brightened again and resembled black pearls glimmering underneath the sunlight. Actually, this girl’s inherent personality wasn’t bad. She was just slightly unruly and arrogant. However, she was deeply in love with Nie Sangyu’s older brother and was a good choice for her future sister-in-law. 

  After seeing all sorts of women in the marquis’s household, Ji Man felt that it would be the best to find a woman that whole-heartedly loved Nie Qingyun. 

  Ning Errong calmed down, tied up her hairstyle, and coughed twice to clear her throat before saying, “If this is just a misunderstanding, then it would be a waste to continue crying…… You’re all dressed up. Are you going out?” 

  Ji Man nodded. She was returning to Nie Residence today under old madame’s order, so she had changed into a glamorous dress and was wearing the jade waist accessory that was carved with “Ning”. A golden kingfisher hairpin that old madame had given her was inserted into her hair and she was also wearing a bracelet made of the highest quality jade that Marquis Moyu had bestowed her when he had been in a good mood. 

  “I’m going back to Nie Residence to see my older brother. While I’m there, I’ll talk reason into him. Nie Clan and Ning Clan are already relatives by marriage. It’ll be good for the two families to be even closer. It’s time for that blockhead to become enlightened.” 

  Errong’s eyes turned and she whispered, “Then…… since you’re going to see Qingyun, can you apologize on my behalf while you’re there? 

  “En?” Ji Man curiously asked, “Why would you be the one apologizing?” 

  With a guilty conscience, Ning Errong glanced at Nie Sangyu and quietly said, “When he said that he didn’t want to marry me, I was too upset…… I slapped him” 

  Ji Man, “.……” 

  Ji Man had originally thought it would be easy to play matchmaker, but now she discovered it would be a slightly difficult, ah. No matter how good Nie Qingyun’s temperament was, wasn’t it asking a lot for him to turn the other cheek and marry her? 

  “That’s fine. I’ll talk it out with my older brother.” Ji Man patted her shoulder. This young girl’s face would become swollen soon if she continued to cry. For now, she should say words to comfort her and put her at ease. 

  — 

  The carriage that Marquis Moyu had arranged for her to use was the one that he frequently used himself to travel. Ji Man listened to Muxu happily talking about the gift they were presenting to Nie Clan for this visit and only lightly smiled in response. Her mind was still filled with apprehension. 

  Although everyone knew that Nie Sangyu’s temperament had greatly changed to a gentle and virtuous one and she had even received Marquis Moyu’s fondness, Ji Man was still afraid. What if there was a cunning, old fox in Nie Residence that noticed there was something off about her? She would be doomed if someone asked her a question that she couldn’t answer. 

  And so, she hadn’t asked Muxu too many questions during this past period or exposed the truth that the stolen silver taels originally belonged to her. Muxu had once nervously asked her where the money in her wardrobe had gone and she had only simply said she had taken it out to do other things. She had decided that she wouldn’t punish Muxu. Even if she had a traitorous heart, she was the person that had the most contact with the real Nie Sangyu. 

  Moreover, she wanted to beat the other person at his or her own game and drag out the person that Muxu was secretly working for. 

  Ji Man went into the carriage and looked at Muxu, who was following her by walking outside the carriage. With so many hidden threats around her, Nie Sangyu had perhaps been unjustly accused of crimes before dying. 

  Nie Clan was a famous noble family. Right now, the patriarch of the family was Nie Xiangyun. He was a third-rank general. The emperor had bestowed Nie Clan’s mansion to them and it was divided into two parts: a north courtyard and a south courtyard. Nie Xiangyun lived in the southern courtyard with his wife, concubines, and children. His younger brother, Nie Xiangtian, was an imperial censor as well as a physician. He lived in the northern courtyard. 

  (T/N: Just in case it was too long ago, Nie Xiangyun is Nie Sangyu and Nie Qingyun’s father. Also, here’s a link for the cast of characters. You can find this link on the table of contents page, between the summary and chapter links.) 

  Because Nie Clan had abundant male members in high positions, Nie Clan had always been a tumor in the emperor’s heart. Previously, the emperor had used the excuse of Noble Consort Nie losing favor and significantly cut off a lot of Nie Clan’s branches. And so, the entire clan was behaving very properly right now. They didn’t dare to do anything that was even slightly against the rules and regulations. 

  Old madame had a sent a letter to Nie Clan in advance, so Nie Clan’s current matriarch, Chen Suqin, had ordered the servants to tidy up Nie Sangyu’s original courtyard. However, other than doing this, there wasn’t any show of welcoming Nie Sangyu. 

  The carriage arrived at Nie Residence. When Ji Man opened the carriage’s curtain, she saw Nie Qingyun standing at the residence’s entrance. 

  “Older brother!” Ji Man happily shouted. This man had always been the one that treated her the best. In the modern world, she didn’t have an older brother. Having him as an older brother here, she felt satisfied. 

  Nie Qingyun lightly smiled. Seeing that her complexion was better than the last time he saw her, he couldn’t help stepping forward and wanting to stroke her hair. However, he saw her glamorous hairstyle and his hand paused. He slowly put his hand back in its original position. “The servants said you wouldn’t be here until noon. I didn’t expect that you would come here half an hour early.” 

  “Older brother, have you been waiting here for me this entire time?” Ji Man smiled and her eyes curved into crescent moons. 

  Nie Qingyun glanced at her and led her inside the residence. “I just happen to be returning home at the same time.” 

  Translator Ramblings: Since Ji Man has already seen that nothing good came from Nie Sangyu marrying someone that didn’t like her, she’s a modern person that has dated different people, and thinks that infatuation/puppy love can’t last forever, I think it’s strange that Ji Man doesn’t even try to change Errong’s mind. Errong’s choices aren’t limited to just marrying Nie Qingyun or someone from the crown prince’s side. She can just marry anyone else. 

  On the other hand, Ji Man does seem to make snap judgments and she truly thinks that Nie Qingyun needs her help or he’ll stay a bachelor forever, so maybe, it’s not that strange. She has good intentions. What do you guys think?

  Chapter: 089 out of 513 – Matchmaking isn’t easy (2) 

  Nie Residence was very large and magnificent, but it was slightly off from the established customs of how the buildings should be arranged. However, the emperor had bestowed this residence, so no one could say anything. Ji Man looked around and discovered that the pavilions and other buildings were built irregularly. Underneath the covered corridors, there was a green pool. After they passed through pool area, they arrived at the southern courtyard. When servant girls passed by them, they would curtsey at them before walking forward. 

  Nie Clan’s level of prosperousness inexplicably made Ji Man think of the residence in Dream of the Red Chamber and she was absent-minded for a brief period. 

  Seeing that she wasn’t speaking, Nie Qingyun thought she was feeling unhappy. And so, he explained, “Chenyu and Youran are both attending embroidery class right now, that’s why they’re not here to welcome you. The honored concubines are waiting for you in the main courtyard with mother.” 

  Ji Man returned to her senses and somewhat nervously said, “Sangyu is a junior. There’s no need for them to wait for me, right?” 

  Why did she keep feeling that the people in this household didn’t have friendly feelings towards her? Hearing that a group of women were waiting for her up ahead, Ji Man felt even more nervous. 

  “You’re Marquis Moyu’s secondary wife. It’s only right that they’re waiting for you.” 

  Marquis Moyu was a first-rank official and managed the six ministries. Even Nie Xiangyuan had to salute him when he saw him. When Ji Man had originally read the light novel, she thought he was a leisurely marquis. Unexpectedly, his position was this powerful. 

  Nie Xiangyuan’s current main wife was Chen Suqing. Technically, she was also Nie Sangyu’s maternal aunt. However, she had never liked Nie Sangyu. The strange thing was that Nie Qingyun was especially fond and caring of his half-sister. 

  And so, Ji Man wasn’t sure. Exactly, what was Nie Sangyu’s position in Nie Clan? 

  After entering the main room, there was a row of honored concubines sitting in the top seats. In the center of the row, there was a graceful and luxuriously dressed woman. She smiled and said, “So, you’ve come back.” 

  Ji Man stood still. She didn’t know if she should salute them or do something else. She was only sure that the woman in the center was Chen Suqing, but she had no idea about the names of the other women. 

  There was a trace of annoyance in Chen Suqing’s eyes. She clutched her handkerchief and looked at Nie Sangyu for a while before finally saying, “As expected, people change when they marry well. Are you not even going to salute your mother after coming back?” 

  Ji Man froze for a moment, then she kneeled down in front of her. “Daughter Sangyu respectfully greets mother.” 

  Chen Suqing coldly harrumphed and didn’t signal for her to stand. Sitting in her chair, she coldly said, “What kind of status does Nie Clan have? You relied on your maiden family’s fame and left your family to marry into that household as the main wife. But, you didn’t follow the rules and came back here with the position of a secondary wife. Other people will criticize me for not teaching you well.” 

  Ji Man felt slightly annoyed. Chen Suqing had been a secondary wife herself. If Nie Sangyu’s mother hadn’t died well, the position of the main wife would have never gone to this woman. 

  Thinking of the recent words that Nie Qingyun had said, Ji Man felt that there was no need for her to speak in a soft voice here. In the marquis’s household, she needed to survive. Why should she let herself suffer from pent-up frustrations and petty annoyances here? 

  And so, she didn’t care about getting Chen Suqing’s permission before standing up. She patted her skirt, raised her eyes to look at Chen-shi, and said, “Mother, you don’t need to worry. Sangyu was entirely taught and raised by my biological mother. This has nothing to do with you. Other people will only remember that Sangyu was born from father and his original main wife. They won’t blame you. At the time, you were only a secondary wife.” 

  There were so many honored concubines and ordinary concubines in the room. Ji Man’s words directly choked Chen Suqin to the point that she couldn’t properly speak. Chen Suqin’s finger shook as she pointed at her and kept saying, “You.” She was so angry that her face turned white. 

  Standing by the side, Nie Qingyin gently tugged Nie Sangyu’s sleeve. 

  Ji Man eased her expression into a smile and said, “This daughter only came back this time under Old Madame Ning’s order to talk about Marquis Jingwen’s daughter’s marriage with older brother. I won’t stay long and offend mother’s eyes.” 

  “Utter nonsense!” Chen-shi was so angry that she didn’t even care about maintaining her composure anymore. She stood up and said, “When did it become any of your business to interfere with Qingyun’s marriage? You’re outrageously disrespectful to your elders. You just came back and you’re not showing me the proper respect. You think you can act as Qingyun’s matchmaker? Dream on!” 

  “Mother, calm down.” Ji Man lightly smiled and curtsied. “A main wife must have an elegant demeanor and presence. You shouldn’t need Sangyu to teach you this, right?” 

  “You!” Chen-shi was so furious that she laughed. “Good, very good. I can’t outtalk you. But, I’ll leave you with these words. If you want Qingyun to marry that junzhu, you need to obtain my approval. I’m his mother!” 

  Ji Man slowly walked over. She picked up a nearby teapot and poured Chen-shi a cup of tea. She presented the cup with both of her hands and said, “Mother, you don’t need to listen to truth said by Sangyu or quibble with me. This matter is related to older brother’s major life event. Mother, shouldn’t you carefully think this over?” 

  Chen-shi wasn’t against Nie Qingyun marrying that junzhu. After all, her status was very good. There would only be benefits and no detriments for him to marry Ning Errong. However, she couldn’t stand Nie Sangyu’s current attitude. In the past, she could at least punish her in accordance to the household laws for acting rude and unreasonable. But now, she was the one that was angry enough to stomp her feet. She couldn’t even find and grasp a minor wrongdoing by Nie Sangyu! 

  The tea was brought to her, but Chen-shi didn’t want to accept it. She couldn’t swallow the anger in her heart, so she pushed the cup away. “I’ll be the one making a decision on this matter. It’s not your place to say anything.” 

  The strength she used to push the cup away probably wasn’t great, but the cup of tea was actually pushed out Nie Sangyu’s hands, fell to the ground, and splashed in all directions.

  Chapter: 090 out of 513 – A hardworking matchmaker (1) 

  Everyone in the room was startled. They had all seen what had just happened. Although some of Nie Sangyu’s words had been a bit too sharp, she had been lightly smiling the entire time. At the end, she had presented Chen-shi with tea. Unexpectedly, Chen-shi had been the one that was utterly flustered and exasperated and pushed away Nie Sangyu’s tea. 

  A person had just entered through the doorway at this time and the fragments of the cup lightly landed on the corner of his azure robe. 

  Chen-shi raised her eyes to look at the person in the doorway. Shocked by what she saw, she hurriedly stood up and saluted, “Old Master.” 

  Nie Xiangyuan had even previously said that he would be coming by soon. How could she have forgotten and lost her self-control? Chen Suqin somewhat nervously looked at Nie Xiangyuan’s expression. He always sided and protected Nie Sangyu. She was afraid that the image of a warm, caring mother that she had worked so hard to establish was completely destroyed.Nie Sangyu’s biological mother, Chen Suxin, was Nie Xiangyuan’s original wife. She and Chen Suqing had married into Nie Clan together, but she hadn’t been able to become pregnant. After Chen Suqin gave birth to Nie Qingyun, Chen Suxin had only given birth to one child, Nie Sangyu. However, Chen Suxin had lost too much blood while giving birth and died just like that. Despite this, Chen Suqing knew that Nie Xiangyun loved her older sister the most even after all these years. 

  Thinking of these memories, she despised Nie Sangyu even more. 

  “Why was there such a loud disturbance without rhyme or reason?” Nie Xiangyuan’s face was very gentle. Although he was a general, he had a scholar’s refinement. However, when he was angry, his eyes were terrifying and no one dared to directly look at him, just like right now. 

  Ji Man obediently kneeled down to salute, “Daughter respectfully greets father.” 

  “It’s so rare for you to come back.” Nie Xiangyuan’s expression was gentle as he patted Nie Sangyu’s shoulder. Seeing that her fingers were slightly red from being scalded, his brow furrowed and he looked at Chen-shi as he said, “Are you really this petty and intolerant?” 

  Chen-shi was so scared that her face turned deathly pale. Standing at the side, she quietly said, “Old Master, this servant didn’t do that intentionally……” 

  “Father, you don’t need to blame mother.” Ji Man took over the conversation and obediently said, “Mother probably loves father too much and that’s why she can’t tolerate Sangyu. It’s fine. Sangyu only comes back once or twice a year and can tolerate the occasionally grievance.” 

  Although these words sounded magnanimous, Ji Man had deliberately said these words to file a complaint. From the memories she had gotten from Nie Sangyu, Chen-shi hadn’t just slightly mistreated her. Behind Nie Qingyun’s back, she had been treated the same way as a concubine’s daughter. In addition, every time Sangyu went out with Qingyun, Chen-shi would tell the honored concubines that she had no sense of shame and was out seducing men at such a young age. 

  Anyways, Ji Man absolutely disliked Chen-shi. She was narrow-minded and often said sharp and unkind words. Fortunately, Nie Qingyun wasn’t close to his mother and hadn’t been influenced by her. 

  “It seems like you’ve grown up and become much more sensible.” Nie Xiangyuan sat down at the head seat and smiled at Nie Sangyu as he said, “Unfortunately, certain people have become more lacking in sense as they grow older. Already at middle age, but deficient in etiquette.” 

  Chen Suqin’s face changed colors. He was implicitly scolding her in front of all these honored concubines and ordinary concubines. She was so angry that her body trembled. Old master only cared about protecting that hussy. How would she be able to keep her head up in front of these concubines in the future? 

  “Daughter hopes that her visit home can be happy. Father, please stop showing such a stormy expression,” Ji Man said with a bright smile. “There will be a wedding soon in this household. Father, you should be happier.” 

  Nie Xiangyuan glanced at Nie Qingyun. “Are you talking about Marquis Jingwen’s daughter?” 

  Ji Man nodded, “Errong has a pure heart, and she’s also from an established noble family. Older brother has the reached the age when he should be getting married. Unfortunately, he keeps delaying it. At this rate, you might never have grandchildren.” 

  Nie Xiangyuan lightly smiled. “I already mentioned this to Qingyun. He’s the one that’s unwilling. Logically, he would be marrying up if he married Marquis Jingwen’s daughter. But, he’s not appreciating his good fortune.” 

  Hearing these words, Chen-shi wasn’t happy. “Why are you saying Qingyun is social climbing? He’s your oldest son and also the son of a main wife. How is he unworthy of a junzhu?” 

  Ji Man thought; no wonder Nie Xiangyuan hadn’t been able to forget Chen Suxin even after all these years. Chen Suqin was really too stupid. Nie Xiangyuan’s words had clearly been said out of politeness for Qingyun to hear. And yet, she insisted on interrupting. 

  Nie Xiangyuan pretended that he didn’t hear her. He looked at Nie Qingyun and said, “Your younger sister has personally come here to act as a matchmaker. What are your views on this marriage? Sangyu has always treated you well since the both of you were children. She wouldn’t do anything to harm you, right?” 

  Nie Qingyun kept his head down and didn’t speak. The room was silent for a while. 

  Ji Man looked at the expressions on this father and son pair and said, “Since there’s something on older brother’s mind, then as his younger sister, it’s only natural for me to clearly understand what he’s thinking before asking him to marry. I haven’t seen the climbing roses in my courtyard in a long time. How about we eat lunch first? Then, older brother can take a stroll with me in that courtyard after lunch?” 

  “Okay,” Nie Qingyun finally spoke.

  Chapter: 091 out of 513 – A hardworking matchmaker (2) 

  It was time for lunch. A group of servant girls came into the room and brought in wonderful-smelling delicacies. Ji Man almost drooled, but there was also a sullen Chen-shi at the same table. She couldn’t forget her manners and had to eat the meal with dignity and elegance. 

  When half of the meal was over, Chen-shi suddenly said, “I heard that Marquis Moyu greatly favors his new wife, ah. I also heard that a concubine in Marquis Moyu’s household has become pregnant. Sangyu, you’re faced with pressure from top and bottom. Are your days going well?” 

  Nie Qingyun slightly frowned and glanced at his mother. Chen-shi’s didn’t notice at all and only stared at Nie Sangyu. 

  Ji Man said with a smile, “People only know the reality and truth of their own lives by experiencing it. Even if someone’s life looks magnificent and bright on the surface, we don’t actually know how much suffering that person is hiding. Some things might seem bitter on the outside, but that person might actually be living freely and leisurely. Don’t you agree?” 

  Chen-shi coldly sneered, “Are you saying that a main wife’s life might not necessarily be as good as yours? Isn’t that just sour grapes?” 

  Original translation is from fuyuneko dot org. If you’re reading this elsewhere, this chapter has been stolen. Please stop supporting theft. 

  “Grapes are sweet. Whether or not I eat them, their taste won’t change.” Ji Man put down her chopsticks and placed her hands on her knees. She looked at Chen-shi and said, “Sangyu wasn’t sensible before and provoked the marquis’s ire and lose the position of the main wife. But now, Sangyu understands. I just want to live the rest of my life peacefully. I don’t want to struggle or compete for his favor. As long as I have a clear conscience, that’s better than anything else. There are certain people that exhaust themselves with crafty plots and tricks. In the end, nightmares will wake them up in the middle of the night. That’s what I would call a truly wretched existence.” 

  Ji Man had just casually said these words. Chen-shi had probably used plenty of underhanded tricks in order to climb up to the position of the main wife. And so, Ji Man hadn’t expected that Chen-shi would have such an extreme reaction to her words. 

  Chen Suqing’s face immediately paled. She looked at Nie Sangyu as if she was seeing a ghost; even her hands that were holding the chopsticks trembled. 

  Nie Xiangyuan quietly said, “If you can’t even peacefully eat a meal together, then go back to your room.” These words were clearly directed towards Chen-shi. 

  Chen-shi stood up and surprisingly didn’t even say another word. After she saluted, she staggered back to her room. 

  Chen-shi’s behavior made Ji Man think there was definitely something she was feeling guilty about. 

  After Chen-shi left, the atmosphere around the table became friendlier. 

  Nie Xiangyuan lightly smiled and said, “You’re a lot more clever than before. You know what words to say now. Before, you would have been the one that left the table first.” 

  Ji Man smiled in embarrassment. “If I don’t grow up now, then I won’t even know when someone tries to harm me.” 

  Nie Qingyun’s eyes showed a slight amount of distress. “Did something happen in the marquis’s residence? Is this why you’ve changed so dramatically?” 

  “Not really. Every day, I spend my time gardening, eating, and napping. When everything else is done, I just need to go to old madame’s courtyard to pay her respect,” Ji Man breezily said. 

  This pair of father and son knew that she was just saying these words to comfort them, but they couldn’t say anything to expose her lies. They could only inwardly sigh. 

  After they finished the meal, Nie Xiangyuan said, “If you’re suffering any grievances, you can directly come back. My Nie Clan can afford to support and raise another daughter.” 

  Ji Man was touched. She vehemently nodded. 

  After the meal was over, Ji Man and Nie Qingyun went to stroll around in her old courtyard. It was time for Ji Man to figure out his thoughts. She tilted her head and asked, “Older brother, why don’t you like Errong? She’s so lively and cute. Isn’t she a perfect match for your introverted personality?” 

  Nie Qingyun pursed his lips and didn’t say anything 

  “Look, Ning Mingjie is going to stay in the capital and develop his career. If Errong marries you, won’t you have another connection through marriage? Older brother, you’re still young. There’s a long path for you to walk……” 

  “Sangyu.” 

  “En?” Ji Man followed Nie Qingyun’s action and also stopped walking. 

  Nie Qingyun took a deep breath, clenched his fist, and said, “I’m worried about disappointing her and failing to live up to her expectations. I don’t care that much about…… the feelings between a man and a woman. On the contrary, I feel that I’ll be content if I can just take care of you for the rest of my life. As for marriage, I don’t want to marry a woman that has feelings towards me. A casual marriage for the sake of an alliance would be fine.” 

  Ji Man widened her eyes and gaped for a long time. 

  Nie Qingyun has a serious sister complex, ah. He actually wanted to take care of Nie Sangyu for the rest of his life? 

  “Older brother, listen to me.” Ji Man returned to her senses and said with serious expression, “Right now, I’m person that’s capable of defending herself. Unlike before, I’m not prone to causing trouble and I don’t need you to come and clean up my messes. You’re just too used to protecting me. Actually, even if you protect another woman instead of me, you’ll feel the same way.” 

  Ji Man thought; some older brothers suffer from hero complexes according to psychology. They get into the habit of protecting their younger sisters and because they’re foolish when it comes to love, they mistake their feelings as romantic affection. 

  Nie Qingyun declined to comment. He only looked the climbing roses in the courtyard and seemed lost in his thoughts. 

  Ji Man continued to chatter on, “Isn’t Errong very similar to me in many aspects? She also likes to cause trouble. She’s also very energetic. Older brother, you probably like this type of woman.” 

  After a long period of silence, Nie Qingyun looked at her and asked, “Do you want me to marry her?” 

  Ji Man nodded, but then she felt there was something wrong with this situation. She hurriedly said with a serious expression. “Older brother, you have to be sure about your decision. If you marry a woman, then you have to be responsible for her for a lifetime. You can’t make your decision because of someone else’s opinion. If you marry Errong, then you have to wholeheartedly treat her well. Otherwise, I won’t give you such a cute, young girl to marry.” 

  Nie Qingyun sighed. “Then, let me think about this some more.” There was already a hint of softening in his voice. 

  Ji Man’s smile was so big that her eyes curved. “This is your major life event, of course you have to carefully think it over. I won’t rush you. It’s afternoon. I should be going back to the marquis’s residence. You have to properly take care of yourself.” 

  “I’ll send you back,” Nie Qingyun said. 

  “Okay.” 

  During this visit, Ji Man had hurriedly come and hurriedly left. She didn’t get a chance to see Nie Sangyu’s two younger half-sisters. However, she had accomplished her objective. Three days later, Nie Xiangyuan personally brought Nie Qingyun to the marquis’s household for him to propose marriage to Ning Errong. 

  — 

  “Sangyu, what should I do? I’m so nervous.” Ning Errong held Nie Sangyu’s hand in a death grip. “What do I need to do to prepare for my wedding?” 

  Translator Ramblings: I’m glad that Ji Man says at the end that Nie Qingyun should make the decision for himself and not be swayed by what she wants.

  Chapter: 092 out of 513 – Setting out on a journey (1) 

  Ji Man comforted her, “I already said I would embroider your wedding dress. You don’t have to prepare anything. You just need to obediently wait until two months have passed and it’s your wedding day.” 

  The wedding between their two clans had been set for two months later. The emperor felt very favorable towards this marriage and added Ning Errong and Nie Qingyun’s names to the list of people that would be going on the trip. When he visited Noble Consort Nie, he even said that he was doing this to foster the feelings of these two people before their wedding. 

  While Ning Errong’s heart was full of joy, Ji Man silently listed out all of the good and bad things to herself in advance so that she could take preventive measures. Ji Man didn’t know for sure if there would be any changes in the plot. Would Ning Errong and Nie Qingyun still divorce later in the story? If the story’s ending could be changed, then why couldn’t she try to change Errong and Qingyun’s fate? 

  — 

  In the evening, after Ji Man returned to Feiwan Courtyard, she started on the task of preparing Ning Errong’s wedding dress. Since Ning Errong had decidophobia, old madame had given Nie Sangyu ten dress designs and told her to just pick one from these ten. 

  After lighting a lamp, Ji Man started to look through the designs. Marquis Moyu had come to her place tonight and was currently languidly lying on the cushioned couch. He looked at her serious appearance. 

  “Didn’t you use to be very clingy towards your older brother? Why are you so happy that he’s marrying another woman?” Marquis Moyu asked. 

  In ancient times, the rules against marrying close relatives were very murky. The more noble and powerful a family was, the more important bloodlines were to them. There were many brothers and sisters that married each other in the imperial family. This was why Ning Yuxuan would ask such a question. 

  In a bad mood from his question, Ji Man said, “It’s one thing for my older brother to show concern and care towards me, marriage is an entirely different matter. Why should this servant feel unhappy? This servant is happy about every aspect of his marriage with Errong.” 

  After saying this and thinking things over, she selected two designs and picked up a brush. She wanted to make a few alterations. However, no matter how she grasped the brush, she felt like she didn’t have a good grip. She couldn’t figure out how to use the brush. And so, she turned her head to look at Ning Yuxuan and in a fawning voice, she asked, “My lord, are you busy?” 

  He was idly lying on the couch. Of course, he wasn’t busy. Ning Yuxuan looked at her ingratiating smile, snorted, and asked, “What do you want me to do?” 

  “Heh heh, how about coming here and modifying this design for this servant?” 

  Ning Yuxuan turned himself over and got up. With his outer robe draped over his shoulders, he walked to the table and looked at the two designs. “How do you want me to change it?” 

  “Change the skirt and upper outer garment like this.” Ji Man gestured. 

  Ning Yuxuan took the brush and contemplated for a moment. His hand rose and the brush landed on the paper. The sight of his slender fingers holding onto the brush was exceptionally good-looking. 

  Ji Man looked and couldn’t help learning a little bit. So, that’s how you hold a brush…… 

  After redrawing the design, Marquis Moyu handed it to her, then he lazily lied back down and said, “You should go to sleep early.” 

  Ji Man responded, “En.” Then, she looked at the design he handed to her. Needless to say, Ning Yuxuan’s drawing skills were pretty good. The design he had drawn was even better than what she had imagined. It seemed that he had also made a few minor changes that wasn’t out of sorts with the wedding dress’s overall design. 

  “Okay, then I’ll go with this one.” Ji Man clapped her hands, then moved over the bright red silk so that she could start cutting it. 

  Seeing that she was going to continue working, the person behind her finally couldn’t resist stuffily harrumphing, “Did you not hear what I just said?” 

  Ji Man hurriedly turned her head, “What did you say?” 

  Ning Yuxuan felt like strangling her. This was already the third time that he had urged her to rest early. Was she really pretending that she hadn’t heard? 

  However, he wasn’t thick-faced enough to repeat himself for the fourth time. He could only purse his lips and say, “I’m sleepy.” 

  Ji Man was completely focused on making the wedding dress. Hearing his words, she casually replied, “Then you should go to sleep early.” 

  Marquis Moyu, “.……” 

  Enough is enough! It was already a rare opportunity for her that he was here. He had only come here because he felt that the quality of sleep he got here was pretty good. But, what was the end result? Nie Sangyu completely didn’t have the intention of doing a woman’s basic duty. 

  Ning Yuxuan took a deep breath, then he stood up with an unhappy expression, walked to Nie Sangyu’s side, swiped her scissors from her hand, picked her up, and threw her onto the bed. 

  “Ow!” Ji Man couldn’t resist quietly yelping. This wasn’t a modern day mattress. Although there were two layers of cotton padding, it would still hurt a lot to be thrown onto this bed! What a rotten man! 

  Sensing Nie Sangyu’s unfriendly gaze, Ning Yuxuan wanted to apologize, but his pride stopped him. He could only harden his voice and say, “It’s your fault for taking so long to come to bed. If you don’t sleep, how can I sleep?” 

  Why? Was he afraid that she would sneak attack him in the middle of the night? In a bad mood, Ji Man rolled her eyes. It was really hard to serve someone with a prince syndrome. 

  (T/N: Prince/princess syndrome is an east Asian term used to describe someone who acts really spoiled like a prince or princess. Jay Chou has a silly song about this topic. Here’s a link for the official MV without translations and a link that has the English translations.) 

  Ning Yuxuan looked at her expression. After being somewhat astonished and shocked, he moved closer. “Did you just roll your eyes at me?” 

  “Of course not.” Ji Man immediately put on a smiling expression. “My lord, you must have saw wrong.” 

  “Really?” Ning Yuxuan lied down on the bed. After pulling up the quilt, he carefully examined her face. 

  Ji Man dryly coughed twice. She hurriedly removed her outer clothing and lied down next to him. “In two days, we’ll be leaving for the trip to the south. This servant has already made arrangement for everything. While this servant is out with the marquis, Siling will be the one managing everything in the household.” 

  Marquis Moyu looked at her, “You’re quite clever.” 

  She knew that he wouldn’t have a reason to refuse if her responsibilities were given to Qi Siling. If she handed her responsibilities to Wen Wan, it wouldn’t be easy for her to ask the main wife for the inner court’s account book back after the trip. Qi Siling was only an honored concubine. It would be much easier to get the account book back from her. 

  “My lord, your words are too flattering. Madam’s mood has been very good lately. This servant will be able to go on the trip with the marquis without any worries.” As Ji Man said these words, she yawned. She seemed very sleepy. “Tomorrow, this servant will arrange for people to attend to old madame while this servant is gone.” 

  “En.” Ning Yuxuan looked at her closed eyes for a while before closing his eyes too. Why was he feeling that Nie Sangyu was rather suitable at managing a household? Was it just a misconception?

  Chapter: 093 out of 513 – Setting out on a journey (2) 

  After being busy for two days in Marquis Moyu’s residence, Ji Man finally finished sorting everything out. Ji Man was taking Gancao and Dengxin along with her on the trip. She said to Muxu, “You have a more important task. I wouldn’t feel at ease if I assign it to someone else.” 

  Muxu has originally been feeling somewhat dissatisfied, but those feelings were dispelled after hearing these words. Nie Sangyu told her to monitor everything that was happening in the residence and write a letter to her every so often. Muxu also felt that this was a very important task. And so, she agreed with a solemn expression. 

  — 

  At the pier, everyone had arrived one by one. The crown prince had brought along the crown princess. Third prince was supporting Noble Consort Nie. There was also Nie Qingyun, Ning Mingjie, and Ning Errong. Everyone was standing to the side and waiting for the emperor to arrive, then the boats would depart. 

  Seeing the two boats parked at the canal’s riverbank, Ji Man finally realized that the luxuriousness of people in ancient times was sometimes unbelievable. 

  Those two ships were each three levels high with galvanized iron sheeting for the deck and had fierce dragon flags. The court ladies and eunuchs were respectfully standing on the decks in two rows. Various treasures had been carried onto the boats for the emperor to bestow on the people during the trip. 

  Ji Man couldn’t help worrying about this group’s safety during the journey. They had said they would be wearing simple clothing in order to go about incognito, but those dragon flags were madly unfurled and fluttering. What happened to keeping a low profile? Moreover, could there possibly be a third boat that was as extravagant as these two boats in the world? Really, these two boats couldn’t even be described as “a simple boat”, she could only describe it as “a mountain-like object shaped like a boat”. 

  When the emperor slowly arrived, everyone kneeled to salute. The emperor said a long string of useless words about not needing to pay attention to etiquette during this trip. Ji Man silently ridiculed him; “Take off your imperial dragon robes first if you actually mean those words!” 

  Following the established standards, the emperor, Noble Consort Nie, third prince, crown prince and his wife would all be in the first boat together since they were directly part of the imperial family. Marquis Moyu managed the second boat. He led Ning Mingjie, Nie Qingyun, Ning Errong, and the other members of the imperial family onto the boat and into their respective rooms. 

  Ning Yuxuan allowed Ji Man to choose her own room, so she selected a room on the second level. It was high enough that she could have a good view of the scenery. 

  Ning Qingyun and Ning Mingjie were staying at the back of the ship together. Ning Errong was staying at the head of the ship. Her room wasn’t far from Ji Man. As for the rest of the imperial family, there was no need to mention them. 

  As the boats left the harbor, the people on both shores shouted if their emperor was leaving to conquer the world instead of taking a leisurely vacation. 

  Ji Man leaned against the railing on the second level to look at the common people on both sides of the shore. She couldn’t resist thinking; fortunately, there wouldn’t be glaciers in the canal. Otherwise with these boats’ level of luxuriousness, it might have the same ending as the Titanic. At that time, on a piece of the deck, Ning Yuxuan would push her and shout, “Rose” and she would turn around with a feeling of deep love and call out, “Jack!” 

  Enough is enough. If the boat really sank, she would definably shove Ning Yuxuan off the boat first. 

  She shook her head and stopped indulging in flights of fancy. Ji Man decided that she would go back to her room and continue to work on the wedding dress. She had even brought the embroidery frame with her, just in case she was bored on this trip. 

  — 

  Ning Errong was very excited as soon as she boarded the boat. Once the boat had started to move, she cheerfully went to Nie Qingyun’s room to look for him. 

  Nie Qingyun and Ning Mingjie were currently talking about governmental affairs and seemed as if they had regret not meeting each other earlier. Seeing Ning Errong coming here, Nie Qingyun didn’t know what expression he should use to greet her. And so, he stiffly called out, “Junzhu.” 

  Ning Errong’s smiling face crumpled. Unhappy, she said, “We’re going to be married soon, why aren’t you calling me Errong?” 

  Nie Qingyun awkwardly glanced at Ning Mingjie. Unexpectedly, the latter person smiled as lightly as drifting clouds. “Brother Nie, you don’t have to avoid calling her Errong just because I’m here.” 

  His words made it sound as if he wasn’t calling her name because Ning Mingjie was here. Nie Qingyun sighed and asked, “Errong, why did you come here?” 

  “I just came here to see the two of you.” Ning Errong’s unhappy expression swiftly cleared up. She sat down near them and said with a smile, “You don’t have tea here. How about I go and bring a pot of tea? 

  “This is quite rare.” Ning Mingjie laughed and said, “I’ll have to thank Brother Nie for this good fortune.” 

  Nie Qingyun awkwardly laughed. Looking at Ning Errong’s jubilant appearance, he inwardly sighed. In the end, he followed along and curved the corners of his lips. 

  — 

  After Ji Man got tired of embroidering, she went out and rest against the railing for a bit. Ning Errong hadn’t come to look for her, and she didn’t know where Errong had run off. Ning Yuxuan had boarded the other boat when the boats had set off. He said he had something he wanted to discuss with the emperor, so she hadn’t asked any further questions. Now, she was just hanging out by herself like fish that had just been scooped up from the canal. 

  “Don’t fall over,” a voice said behind her. 

  Startled, Ji Man turned around and saw that it was Ning Mingjie. She hurriedly patted her chest. “You don’t seem to make any sounds when you’re walking.” 

  Ning Mingjie leaned against the railing. There was a distance of three steps between them. “You were the one that didn’t hear me, ah. No matter how quiet my footsteps are, there’s still sound.” 

  “Why are you here?” Ji Man looked around. “Where’s everyone else?” 

  Ning Mingjie smiled and said, “Your older brother and my younger sister are on the other side, so I said I was going to go out and look at scenery to give them time alone.”


  Chapter: 094 out of 513 – Ji Man’s previous romance (1) 

  However, he hadn’t known there would be such strange scenery here. With no one else around but them, Nie Sangyu, who had already changed into a dignified and virtuous woman, was just hanging over the railing without regard for appearances. 

  Ning Mingjie felt the situation was slightly humorous. Under normal circumstances, he would follow etiquette and directly walk away. But, for some reason, perhaps because the weather was exceptionally good, or maybe because he was in a very good mood, he felt very close to the person next to him. She looked very cute and lovable right now. 

  “Errong is with my older brother?” The corners of Ji Man’s mouth twitched. Why had she forgotten to tell Errong that she needed to play hard to get? If she always longingly ran to his side, he wouldn’t cherish her. 

  Nie Qingyun wasn’t fickle like Ning Yuxuan and treated people courteously. When he married Errong in the future, he would definitely treat her well. But, even though Nie Qingyun had a pretty good character, romance was a thing that required skill. Otherwise, as time went on, no one could guarantee that feelings wouldn’t fade. 

  “She really likes Qingyun.” Ning Mingjie looked at the sky’s somewhat pale clouds. The winter sun had already come out and its rays made people feel comfortably warm. He raised his hands and almost couldn’t resist taking off his mask. 

  But, thinking of how there was still a person next to him, he lightly sighed and put his hands down to grip the railing. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the sunlight’s warmth. 

  After Ji Man thought for a while about the things she had to discuss with Errong tonight, she turned her head and saw Ning Mingjie’s shining silver mask. She couldn’t resist her curiosity and asked, “Do you bask in the sun during the summer?” 

  “En?” Ning Mingjie tilted his head. After a pause, he finally said, “I rarely go outside in Jingzhou.” 

  “Oh, that’s good,” Ji Man said as she looked at his mask. “If you go out and bask in the sun during summer, won’t the area around your eyes and chin turn black while the rest of your skin stays white when you take off your mask at home?” 

  Ning Mingjie froze in surprise. His mind pictured the image that Nie Sangyu had described and he suddenly felt the urge to laugh. He turned his back to her while his shoulders shook from trying to hold back his laughter. 

  Ji Man worriedly asked, “Are you okay?” 

  It had been okay when she hadn’t said anything. But once she asked, Ning Mingjie directly burst out in laugher and couldn’t stop himself. He held onto the railing for support and almost fell into the canal. 

  Ji Man looked at him in confusion. The sound of his laughter was too excessive. Although the sound of his laughter sounded nice, she had never seen people from this world laugh like this. After he had laugh for a while, even she started laughing along with him. 

  Ning Mingjie wiped away the tears that had come out while he was laughing. He looked around and saw that there was no one else around except them. He reached his hand behind his head and untied the strings for his mask. There was a trace of laughter in his voice as he said, “Look, is one part of my face black from being tanned and the other part white?” 

  Hearing his words, Ji Man turned to look. In that moment, her heart jumped. 

  The face in front of her was exquisite with facial features that were just perfect. It was indescribably beautiful. His eyes and brows were deep and his nose was straight. He had all of the features that a beautiful person would have. 

  This wasn’t the first time that Ji Man saw this face. Her first love, a high school classmate, had the same face. They ended up breaking up shortly after he started Beijing Academy of Film. This face was devastatingly beautiful, but it wasn’t too feminine. A single glance was enough to make a person feel attracted to him and unable to feel the slightest sense of loathing. 

  Attractive people could be divided into two types: ostentatious people and restrained and gentle people. There were people that like the former type and also people that dislike the former type. While there was less of the latter type, there was no one that would dislike them. 

  Ning Yuxuan was also attractive, but he clearly belonged in the first group of people. At the very least, she instinctively had a negative feeling towards him. As for Ning Mingjie…… he looked almost exactly the same as her first love and his personality traits were superior. While feeling dazed, she felt as if that person, who had cheated on her, was right in front of her. She had caught him after he had rolled around in bed with another woman after she had taken the train for two days to see him. 

  Ning Mingjie had only wanted to tease her. He hadn’t expected that such a complicated expression would appear on her face. It seemed as if she was reminiscing, but there was also disgust and surprise. It almost seemed as if the person she was looking at wasn’t him. 

  His good mood immediately sunk. Ning Mingjie put his mask back on, straightened his body, and said, “I was presumptuous. Today’s sunlight was too nice and I temporarily forgot my manners. Madam Ning, please don’t be offended by my action.” 

  When Ji Man returned to her senses, she opened and closed her mouth as she tried to think of words to explain herself. It had also been very rude of her to stare at him for so long. 

  But, Ning Mingjie had already turned around and left. His back figure looked a bit gloomy and was completely different from his earlier happy and unrestraint appearance. 

  Seeing his face today, many unpleasant feelings had surged upwards. Ji Man felt as if her entire body had lost all of its energy. She went back to her room and lied down to sleep. 

  Around noon, they had travel a hundred miles away from the capital to Rongcheng district. Both of the boats stopped for a rest. The regional officials had prepared for this visit in advance. Their mouths said, “Welcome Old Master”, but they had prepared an extravagant welcome that was worthy of an emperor’s visit and invited the group of people to dine at a temporary imperial residence. 

  Ji Man couldn’t help sighing. Every resting spot had most likely arranged for a temporary imperial residence. What a waste of manpower and resources. This trip was truly a catastrophe for the common people. 

  But, she had no plans on doing the arduous and unrewarding task of going up to the emperor and saying this truth. Her days were going well, and she was only a woman. Weren’t there court officials present? 

  Translator Ramblings: I added a tiny spoiler about Ning Mingjie and Ji Man in the comments below related to this chapter.

  Chapter: 095 out of 513 – Ji Man’s previous romance (2) 

  Ji Man’s mood wasn’t very good during lunchtime. Marquis Moyu glanced at her and quietly asked, “What’s wrong?” 

  “It’s nothing.” Ji Man ate two bites of food before putting down her chopsticks. “Perhaps, I’m seasick. I’ll go take a nap in the afternoon.” 

  Nie Qingyun, Ning Mingjie, and Ning Errong were also at the table. Ning Errong looked at her older brother’s calm face, raised her eyebrows, and asked, “Older brother, are you feeling seasick too? Your complexion doesn’t look good either.” 

  “I’m fine.” Ning Mingjie’s voice was muffled. He didn’t even slightly raise his head and continued to silently eat. 

  Ji Man couldn’t resist raising her head to look at him. Bro, you can’t be that stingy, right? She had only looked at him for a little bit longer than she should have. Why was he angered to the point of blackening his face? 

  Ning Yuxuan turned his head slightly and saw Nie Sangyu looking somewhere else. He followed her gaze and saw Ning Mingjie. His thoughts slightly turned and he put down his chopsticks to ask, “Has Sangyu offended Mingjie somehow?” 

  This atmosphere, no matter how you looked at, felt wrong. 

  Ning Errong looked at her older brother, then Nie Sangyu in utter confusion. “That can’t be, ah. Older brother was praising older sister Sangyu just a few days ago. How could that be possible……” 

  Nie Qingyun didn’t have time to care about being polite. He kicked Ning Errong’s leg underneath the table. 

  Ning Errong looked at him in bewilderment, “What’s wrong?” 

  Nie Qingyun added a piece of meat to her bowl. “Eat more, you’re eating too little.” 

  Ning Errong blushed. She bashfully held her chopsticks and went back to eating. From time to time, she would glance at Nie Qingyun. She didn’t have the free time to say anymore unnecessary words. 

  Although Errong had casually said these words without any hidden meaning, Ning Yuxuan took these words very seriously. He raised his eyebrows and glanced at Nie Sangyu, but he didn’t actually ask any questions. It was only that his expression wasn’t good either after this. The rest of the meal was eaten in stifling silence. 

  Ji Man knew that this was an undisguised misunderstanding. Nie Mingjie didn’t like other people having opinions about his appearances and she truly didn’t have any ideas about him. She was just remembering that scumbag from her past. She hadn’t expected that a temporary breach of etiquette would not only make Ning Mingjie uncomfortable, but also make Marquis Moyu feel that he had to be guarded against being cheated on. 

  She sighed. Ji Man felt that this matter wasn’t worth all this fuss. It was only that the psychological scar the scumbag had left behind was a bit deep and she would forget her manners when she thought about him. 

  It had been mentioned before that she had previously been in a relationship, but it had been as pure as fresh water. She was still a virgin. It wasn’t that she was conservative. She just felt that their relationship hadn’t reached that point yet. 

  Who would bother deliberately fleeing from this issue? They were both 21st century people. Ji Man had explained her viewpoint to him and the scumbag had outwardly believed her. He had even lovingly said that he didn’t mind waiting until they were married and appeared as if he had really cared about her. 

  However, when they went to college, Ji Man was in the south and the scumbag had gone to the north. When the semester had only started two months ago, Ji Man had taken a two-day train ride to Beijing to see him. She wanted to give him a surprise, so she went to the apartment he was renting. But, the end result was that he opened his door in disheveled clothing. She rushed inside and saw a sweetly sleeping woman on his bed. 

  Regarding this matter, Ji Man didn’t fuss or cause a commotion. When she went out, she even walked quieter because that woman was truly sleeping too sweetly. 

  It was only when she went out that she realized the north was truly colder than the south. It was so cold that her bones ached. 

  The scumbag had left a hole in her heart. Even if she met all sorts of people later on, the wound would only be buried deeper and deeper. It wouldn’t slowly heal. Now that it was dug out, it was still dripping with fresh blood. 

  No matter how carefree people were, they would still have a thing they couldn’t let go, that was the quality of a real, living person. 

  After lunchtime was over, Ji Man followed the others back onto the boat and fell asleep after going to her room. Ning Yuxuan was also in the room. He was sitting down and writing something. He would occasionally raise his head and feel peaceful as he glanced at the sleeping person on the bed. 

  However, Ji Man had slept for less than an hour before she had a nightmare. In the midst of her nightmare, she vividly remembered a name that she hadn’t said for several years. “Xu Xi!” 

  Ning Yuxuan’s hand paused. He glanced at Nie Sangyu, put down the brush in hand, and walked to the bed. 

  It was the middle of winter, but this person’s body was piping hot in her sleep. It seemed as if she would start sweating soon. She furrowed her brow and her mouth mumbled out that name again. 

  Who was Xu Xi? Ning Yuxuan recalled the names of Nie’s clan’s members. There didn’t seem to be such a person in Nie Clan. Then, was it a friend? 

  A stream of something translucent slipped down from the corners of Nie Sangyu’s eyes. Ning Yuxuan was stunned. He couldn’t resist stretching his hand out to catch it. It was icy cold tears. How long had it been since he saw Nie Sangyu cry? 

  Nie Sangyu used to frequently cry because of him. However, since he had married Wen Wan, she hadn’t cried over him even once. And now, she was saying another man’s name and crying. 

  Ning Yuxuan coldly harrumphed. This was the first time he felt angry because of this woman. Nie Sangyu truly acted as if she was free to do whatever she wanted. Did she not take the seven reasons for divorce seriously? She had been married to him for six years, but she was actually longing for another man? 

  Ji Man was sleeping, but she suddenly felt pain in her hand. As she abruptly gained consciousness, she saw Marquis Moyu’s dark expression in front of her. 

  He asked, “Who’s Xu Xi?” 

  Ji Man’s eyes were teary. She looked at him in confusion for a long time before her eyes finally focused. 

  Had she accidentally called out that name? Ji Man wiped her face and did her best to regain her calmness. “To respond to the marquis, that was a dog this servant used to raise. It wasn’t very loyal.”


  Chapter: 096 out of 513 – A source of catastrophe (1) 

  Marquis Moyu was stunned. He hadn’t expected this answer. “A dog?” 

  “Yup, it was a dog this servant had during childhood. This servant raised it for four years.” Ji Man straightened her clothes and sat up. Her eyes were already sober and clear. “This servant really liked that dog. Unfortunately, he ended up running away with a female dog.” 

  Ning Yuxuan raised his eyebrows. “Is it worth crying over a dog? And, you also kept calling his name while dreaming.” 

  Moreover, this name sounded too much like a person’s name*. 

  * (T/N: Xu Xi means dignified/calm hope.) 

  With a serious expression, Ji Man nodded. “This servant raised it for four years. Even if this servant found out that it wasn’t worth those years of care, it’s still worth it to cry over those past years of stupidity and foolishness. After crying, this servant won’t keep longing for him to come back.” 

  Ning Yuxuan leaned to one side and deeply looked at her face. “Nie Sangyu, do you think I’m an idiot?” 

  Ji Man raised her head and smiled. “My lord, if you have the ability, go and find a person named Xu Xi. See if he has any connections with Sangyu. You can’t possibly judge Sangyu guilty of infidelity just because this servant called out a name twice and cried while dreaming, right?” 

  Marquis Moyu pursed his lips and coldly harrumphed. This woman was certainly bold. Did she think he couldn’t do anything against her just because he didn’t have evidence? 

  Although…… there truly wasn’t anything he could do to her with the current information. 

  Taking a deep breath, Ning Yuxuan decided that it would be the best if he kept farther away from her. Otherwise, he would just end up feeling angry. 

  — 

  Because of what happened in the afternoon, he went to sleep in the room next Nie Sangyu’s room in the evening. 

  As for Ji Man, she led Ning Errong to her room and prepared to teach a theory class. 

  “Errong……” Ji Man began her heartfelt and sincere speech. 

  Ning Errong yawned. She pulled her hand out of Nie Sangyu’s hand. “Whatever you want to say, just say it.” 

  Ji Man looked at her with hidden bitterness. “Do you think I’m going to eat you or something? I want to tell you how to conduct yourself as a wife, how to deal with your husband and mother-in-law, as well as other things you should pay attention to.” 

  “En?” Ning Errong became interested. She hurriedly poured a cup of tea and pushed into Nie Sangyu’s hand. “Tell me, tell me.” 

  Ji Man spread out a fine writing paper and drew three circles on it. In a serious tone, she said, “From the time you marry, your family will be like a tripod. One leg is you, another leg is your mother-in-law, and the last leg is your husband.” 

  Errong nodded. Her face showed a little bit of a young woman’s bashfulness. 

  “First of all, you can’t always go along with what your husband wants. Although the rules say obedience to your husband after marriage and you should listen to him about the important matters, you should still have your own viewpoint about the minor things. You should handle matters properly and skillfully. Moreover, sometimes you should refuse his sexual advances. No matter how good a piece of meat is, if you just put it into his mouth of your own initiative, he won’t cherish it. Do you understand? This is what’s meant by the saying, you need loosen the reins in order to grasp them better.” 

  Ji Man drew a squiggly line between two circles to indicate the relationship between a wife and a husband. 

  Errong’s face was thoroughly red from embarrassment. She tried stammering something twice, but wasn’t able to say anything. In the end, she hesitantly nodded. 

  Ji Man explained with a smile, “As long as a family has a mother-in-law, you’ll have to work hard to get good results. Do you know why Old Madame doesn’t like Wen Wan?” 

  “She’s not the person that Old Madame selected to be her daughter-in-law,” Errong said. 

  “That’s one of the reasons. The other reason is that she had committed too many taboos.” 

  Ji Man pushed up her nonexistent glasses on her nose. With her back straight, she said, “Old Madame had suffered bitter hardships in order to raise the marquis into adulthood. If Wen Wan wants to be a good daughter-in-law, then she can’t let Old Madame feel as if she’s stealing her son from her. The way she treats Old Madame has to be better than the way she treats the marquis. Moreover, she absolutely can’t act intimate in front of Old Madame. A woman’s jealous heart doesn’t distinguish between age, especially the feelings a mother feels towards a son that she had raised from childhood. The moment that Old Madame feels abandoned because the the love between them is strong, Wen Wan, as her daughter-in-law, can’t expect to have any good days.” 

  Errong suddenly understood. “So, it was like that. But, there are aspects where Wen Wan is doing a good job. Isn’t Old Madame still deliberately making life difficult for her?” 

  “She’s making life difficult for her because she’s committed taboos at the beginning. Since Wen Wan already had to swallow down her anger, she should just tolerate it and stay silent for a while longer. You can’t argue right or wrong with someone that’s in older generation than you. Even if you win the argument, nothing good will come of it.” Ji Man continued, “If Wen Wan truly loves the marquis, she should treat Old Madame as if she’s her own biological mother. She should treat it as if she’s paying off a debt of gratitude. How difficult could it be to just endure it for a while?” 

  Errong tilted her chin as she looked up and thought of Nie Clan’s matriarch. She had heard that she also wasn’t an easy woman to get along with. She should spend more time learning how to deal with her future mother-in-law. 

  “There’s also another very important point that’s the essence of getting along well with your mother-in-law. You have to let her feel that you’re treating her son very well,” Ji Man said. “Sang…… I used to do a very good job in this aspect. Other than causing a disturbance over significant issues, I would send the marquis soups and other drinks every day and personally embroidered all of his clothes. But, the marquis never appreciated my efforts. Old Madame was especially fond of me because I wasso caring towards the marquis, but he never acknowledged my efforts. Do you understand?” 

  Errong’s eyes brightened and she forcefully nodded, “I understand!” 

  After a pause, she added, “Can you write this out for me?” 

  Ji Man shook her head, “You have to understand this type of thing thoroughly and intuitively. If I write this down and someone else sees it, it’ll only be a source of catastrophe.” 

  “Oh.” Errong reached her hand out and took the rice paper that was on the table. Her mouth began to mumble the words that Nie Sangyu had recently said. 

  Translator Ramblings: What do you guys think of Ji Man’s advice? If you want to read a spoiler of whether or not her advice will be helpful for Errong, I put one in the comments below.

  Chapter: 097 out of 513 – A source of catastrophe (2) 

  Ji Man was lost in her thoughts for a while before she finally said, “Errong, help me apologize to your older brother on your way back.” 

  “Ah?” Ning Errong widened her eyes. “No way! Did you slap my older brother?” 

  Ji Man dryly coughed. “I didn’t. He took off his mask today and I looked at him for a little bit longer than I should have. He seemed really angry because of this.” 

  “.……” 

  Ning Errong gaped and her entire body froze. 

  Ji Man stretched her hand out and poked her. “There’s no need to be so alarmed. It’s not like your older brother is a virginal maiden that can’t be seen by other people.” 

  “No……” Ning Errong slowly closed her mouth and her expression returned to normal. “My older brother didn’t wear a mask when he was a child. But later on, other people always stared him at, whether he was attending a banquet or walking outside on the streets. He felt bothered by this, so he had a mask made. He hadn’t taken off his mask in a long time.” 

  Ji Man nodded. If a man was too beautiful, it truly wasn’t a good thing. Fortunately, he was born with a high social status. Otherwise, who knows what kind of place he would have been sold to? 

  “Still, it doesn’t make sense that he would angry just be you looked at him for a bit too long,” Ning Errong said in a curious voice. “Do you want me to ask him what happened?” 

  Ji Man nodded and said, “That sounds good. All in all, we’re relatives by marriage, it would the best if there aren’t any misunderstandings between us.” 

  And so, the little junzhu, who was filled to the capacity with knowledge about how a married woman should conduct herself, pushed open Ning Mingjie’s door on her way back to her room. 

  Ning Mingjie’s expression still wasn’t very good, even his mask couldn’t conceal this fact. 

  Ning Errong said with a bright smile, “Older brother, Sangyu asked me to come here to apologize on her behalf. You’re too good-looking, so her gaze lingered for a bit. It wasn’t deliberate.” 

  He looked at his younger sister for a long time before finally lifting the corners of his mouth and saying, “Alright.” 

  “Then, I’ll be going back to my room.” Holding the rice paper, Ning Errong happily returned to her room. 

  — 

  There were twists and turns in the river and also a gentle wind in the evening. It had been decided that the two boats wouldn’t dock for the night. Instead, they would follow the steady river channel down south. 

  — 

  Ning Mingjie blankly stood in the doorway for a long time. He felt a slightly headache. 

  For an inexplicable reason, he kept dreaming about Wen Wan during the past two days. He didn’t know why. He didn’t have any improper feelings towards her. Instead, it was Nie Sangyu that he thought about when he opened his eyes every day…… 

  There was a voice that kept reminded him; this is wrong, the person is wrong. It made his entire self feel somewhat irritable. 

  What was right? What was wrong? He had always followed his conscience when doing things. Who had the right to say he was doing something right or wrong? 

  He coldly harrumphed, brushed away the voice in his head, closed the doors, and went to sleep. 

  — 

  The next day, the boats arrived at a simple, destitute-looking city. The city walls were only made of packed loess. When the boats were docked, a court lady came to inform everyone to change into their plainest clothing and address the emperor as “Old Master” and the noble consort as “Madam”. They were going to stay in this simple city for a few days. 

  Ji Man felt that this emperor’s interests were quite extensive. He had eaten enough of the expensive meat and fish during the journey and knew to try different flavors and types of food. 

  “Master, how about this outfit?” Gancao held up a white dress with a simple design. It was probably the type of clothing that would be worn by the common people, but the material was slightly better than sackcloth. 

  “En.” 

  After Ji Man nodded, Gancao and Dengxin helped her change into the new outfit and combed her hair into an ordinary married woman’s hairstyle with only one wooden hairpin. 

  After she was finished dressing up, Gancao and Dengxin didn’t speak for a long time. 

  “What’s wrong?” Ji Man looked at them. The expressions in their eyes seemed strange. “Does this look weird?” 

  Dengxin spoke, “Master, do you want to wear a veil?” 

  They were told to dress ordinarily. Wouldn’t it seem out of place to wear a veil? Ji Man turned around to look at herself in the mirror. 

  The young woman in the mirror looked very lovely. Although she was dressed plainly and she wasn’t wearing makeup, her lips were brilliantly red and her eyes were beautiful. It made Ji Man think of Pan Jinlian. 

  (T/N: Pan Jinlian was a beautiful heroine in the novel The Plum in the Golden Vase. While she’s considered one of the most infamous villainesses in classical Chinese books because she cheated on her husband, she’s seen as a controversial literary figure in modern times. There were mitigating reasons for her affair.) 

  She wasn’t referring to Pan Jinlian’s lack of moral integrity. She meant it reminded her of beauty hidden under simplicity. It would increase a person’s desire to peel away her layer of simplicity to carefully love her dearly. To put it in more academic terms, it was the beauty that came from suppressing desire. 

  Ji Man’s lips twitched. Nie Sangyu’s face truly had a touch of inviting disaster. How come she hadn’t noticed this before? It seemed as if Nie Sangyu was becoming more and more beautiful. 

  Ji Man took the veil and compared the difference between wearing it and not wearing it. “It’ll be better if I walk with my head lowered. Wearing a veil would be more noticeable.” 

  The two servant girls felt apprehensive. When their master was wearing glamorous clothing along with everyone else, their master’s beauty wasn’t conspicuous. However, after she changed into simple clothing and wasn’t wearing any makeup, she was probably going to attract unwanted attention and criticism when she joined the group of people that included the emperor’s relatives. 

  They heard Marquis Moyu’s impatient voice from outside, “Are you ready yet?” 

  “Ready.” Ji Man sighed, lifted up her skirt, and opened the doors. 

  The person in the doorway raised his eyes to look at her. 

  Ji Man lightly smiled and winked at him. “My lord, does this servant look pretty?” 

  Ning Yuxuan was slightly dazed. Feeling as if he had been put into a difficult position, he turned his gaze away and said, “Too conspicuous.” 

  “Eh?” Ji Man lowered her head and looked at her dress. There wasn’t any decorative embroidery on it. Then, she felt her hair and only touched the wooden hairpin. “What part is conspicuous?” 

  “Face.” Ning Yuxuan passed by her and entered the room. He found her veiled hat and placed it on her. 

  Ji Man innocently blinked. Her phoenix eyes sparkled like water in the sunlight. Covering the lower half of her face was the same as not covering her fact at all. In fact, it only made her face more conspicuous. 

  Marquis Moyu stared at her for a long time. Seeing that this wasn’t a better option, he took off the veiled hat. “Let’s go, just follow behind me.” 

  “Understood.” Ji Man obediently agreed, lowered her head, and followed him off the boat.

  Chapter: 098 out of 513 – Experiencing a different type of life (1) 

  Ji Man had originally been worried over this question; what kind of method did she need to use to get Marquis Moyu to gradually have a favorable impression towards Nie Sangyu? In the end, she realized that she was overthinking things. Men were visual animals while women were auditory animals. Why had she thought she needed to use the thirty-six stratagems?* A simple beauty trap would be enough to conquer half of the world. 

  * (T/N: The Thirty-Six Stratagems is a famous Chinese essay that consists of 36 proverbs that are related to 36 battle scenarios in Chinese history and folklore.) 

  Although there was a saying that if you win people over using your beauty, then your good days will be short-lived because your beauty will inevitably fade away with time, beauty was still necessary to attract a man’s interest. Once you gained his interest, then your beautiful mind will have the opportunity to reveal itself. When he has truly fallen in love with you, then your appearance will no longer be that important. 

  There were very few men that would a favorable impression towards Fengjie and dislike Fan Bingbing if they saw Fengjie and Fan Bingbing at the same time. 

  (T/N: Below is a picture of Luo Yufeng (Fenjie is her nickname) and Fan Bingbing. Luo Yufeng is famous on the Internet for her outrageous comments. Fan Bingbing is a very famous actress.) 

  Ch 098 - Luo Yufeng & Fan Bingbing.png

  As Ji Man followed behind Ning Yuxuan, she planned on what she would do next. 

  The group of the emperor’s relatives was all dressed as simple as fresh water cabbage, and they looked considerably blander compared to before. However, their attitudes remained and there was still a significant difference between them and the common people. 

  Noble Consort Nie was wearing a pale yellow dress, and she looked as vibrantly gorgeous as always. The emperor couldn’t be blamed for never moving his hand away from her waist. In the battlefield of the harem, beauty was still an outstandingly effective weapon. However, Ji Man didn’t know if Noble Consort Nie had told the emperor she was pregnant. Although they were traveling by waterway, there would still be bumpy parts during their journey. She was worried that Noble Consort Nie wouldn’t be able endure the fatigue. 

  While Ji Man was standing next to Ning Yuxuan and lost in her thoughts as she looked at Noble Consort Nie from a distance, she suddenly felt something wrapping around her waist. She tilted her head and saw Marquis Moyu’s serious and unhappy face. 

  She quietly asked, “What’s wrong?” 

  Ning Yuxuan retracted his gaze from the other direction. He lowered his head and said into her ear with a smile, “Don’t raise your head.” 

  What? Ji Man instinctively looked in the direction he had just been looking at and saw that the crown prince was currently examining her from top to bottom with overflowing interest in his eyes. 

  It was the crown prince again. Ji Man sighed. If this playboy crown prince became emperor, she guessed that the entire palace wouldn’t have enough space to fit his harem. The princess consort was standing right next to him too and he dared to look at her in such a flagrant way. 

  The princess consort’s expression was already very ugly. She hadn’t exploded into anger yet out of consideration for loss of face. 

  The third prince, Zhao Jue, unexpectedly called out, “Imperial brother.” 

  While his voice was gentle and pleasant to hear, Ji Man didn’t dare to continue to look. The grip Ning Yuxuan had on her waist felt as if it was tight enough to stop her blood from flowing. 

  “My lord, please be gentler.” Ji Man slightly frowned and said, “This is a waist not a tree trunk. It hurts when you hold so tightly.” 

  “Do you really know what pain is?” Ning Yuxuan’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “If you provoke the crown prince, it won’t be the simple pain of me holding your waist. Nie Sangyu, I thought you’re clever.” 

  Ji Man smiled as she clenched her teeth. “The crown prince is also very clever. He won’t do anything untoward to this servant. My lord, you don’t have to worry.” 

  Ning Yuxuan coldly harrumphed. His heart still felt bursts of irritability. If he had known this would happen, he would have gone against the emperor’s order and brought Wen Wan instead. At the very least, he wouldn’t be feeling so troubled right now. 

  — 

  This place was the boundary line for Li Province. Trembling with fear, Li Province’s provincial governor explained about the place he had prepared for this large group of people to stay. In front of the emperor, he kowtowed for a long time and said that Li Province hadn’t been able to collect taxes for several years in a row because the farmland had been poor. Thus, they weren’t able to construct a temporary imperial residence. 

  Unexpectedly, the emperor was in a very good mood and didn’t blame him. Instead, he sent the group of eunuchs and court ladies to farming families to do manual labor such as working the farmland and cleaning gravestones. Then, he led his family to a large residence that been offered up as tribute by a wealthy merchant. 

  The emperor gathered the group of people to the main courtyard and said, “We’ve lived in the palace for so long. It’s rare for us to come out and have a chance to experience something like this. Starting from today, no one is separated by ranks. Everyone has the same rank. While we’re staying here during the next few days, we won’t observe any ceremonial rules. We’ll simply be headed by an old master and madam and live like the common people. What do you all think about this idea?” 

  The emperor had said these words. Would anyone dare to have a dissenting opinion? 

  With a smile on his face, the crown prince said, “Father, your idea is very good. This son will be the first to follow.” 

  Noble Consort Nie glanced at the third prince, and the latter sighed before stepping forward and saying, “It’s worth it to try out living unrestrained while we’re at this place of natural beauty. Father’s idea is feasible.” 

  The emperor was smiling as he looked at the third prince and said, “You should probably like this type of unfettered lifestyle the most.” 

  Noble Consort Nie hurriedly said, “Jue-er has a natural and unconstrained temperament, but he knows how to follow etiquette.” 

  Zhao Jue stayed silent. 

  Standing by the side, Ji Man secretly looked at him. There was a jade flute tucked in his belt at his back and he was wearing the long robes of a scholar. He appeared especially refined. This type of person wasn’t suitable to be part of the imperial family. He should live freely like Li Bai* by drinking lots of wine and composing numerous poems while away from worldly affairs, 

  * (T/N: Li Bai is the famous poet that Ji Man plagiarized from at the end of chapter 64.) 

  Unfortunately, he was Noble Consort Nie’s only son and she wouldn’t let him off to live the carefree life that he wanted. She guessed that his future path would be competing with the crown prince to see who would win the title of emperor. 

  After the courtyards were assigned, Marquis Moyu was summoned by the emperor to discuss something. Gancao and Dengxin had been sent away with the court ladies. Ji Man could only roll up her sleeves and clean up the courtyard by herself. 

  Li Province didn’t have snow in the winter. Although it was very cold, it only took a little bit of moving around for her body to warm up. With no else around, Ji Man didn’t need to wear a properly long skirt. She tied the bottom of her skirt to her waist for ease of movement before she started to boil water and clean the rooms. 

  Translator Ramblings: It feels like there’s a missing scene that should have happened before this chapter. Until the beginning of this chapter, Ji Man has only been grudgingly tolerating Ning Yuxuan’s presence and telling him to go away in varying degrees of politeness, so it seems out-of-place that she’s suddenly trying to get him to like her. What do you guys think? 

  If you want read a tiny spoiler about a later scene that I think should have been in this chapter, look in the comments below.

  Chapter: 099 out of 513 – Experiencing a different type of life (2) 

  Fortunately, the emperor favored Marquis Moyu and had allocated a pretty good courtyard to him. Everything was new here and there wasn’t much dust. By the time a bucket of hot water had cooled down, Ji Man had finished cleaning the rooms. The floor tiles that were made of precious stones were very smooth, so Ji Man straightforwardly ripped off strips of cloth, made them into a mop, and cleaned the floors until they were as clean as the surface of a mirror. 

  The crown prince had stopped at the doorway with one foot slightly raised up. Looking at this floor, he almost didn’t dare to come inside. 

  When Ji Man turned around and saw him, she hurriedly put her skirt down and said with a calm expression, “Eldest Young Master, is there a reason why you’re here?” 

  Hearing her address, the crown prince chuckled for a bit, “You’ve changed modes quickly. You’re certainly an exquisitely clever person.” 

  Holding the mop, Ji Man lightly smiled. “Eldest Young Master, you’re giving me too much credit.” 

  Looking at the person in front of him, Zhao Zhe really wanted to step forward and stroke her face. However, the words, “If there’s anything you want to say, quickly say it. Otherwise, hurry up and leave,” were clearly written on her face. He was normally a fearless crown prince, but in front of her, he was at a complete loss. 

  He lightly coughed and said, “You’ve made it so clean. I’m reluctant to step on this floor.” 

  Ji Man considerately brought a stool over to the doorway, bent her waist to salute, and said, “Then, Eldest Young Master, you should just sit outside. I haven’t finished cleaning yet.” 

  Zhao Zhe looked at the stool she was holding in the doorway and didn’t know if he should laugh or cry. He had never met a woman that failed to appreciate the favor of his interest in this way. And yet, he wasn’t angry at all. 

  Right after the beauty put down the stool, she was about to go back. Zhao Zhe grabbed her white wrist and asked, “Why do you shun me so much?” 

  Ji Man’s expression sunk. She made one attempt to yank her hand away before she calmly looked at him and said, “Oldest Young Master, although Sangyu doesn’t know any grand principles, I know the virtues a married woman should have. Other than Yuxuan, Sangyu shuns all men.” 

  Zhao Zhe boisterously laughed. “You’ve really become an upright woman. Yuxuan has been called away by my imperial father to discuss official business and there isn’t anyone else around here except us. If I insist on forcing you, what can you do?” 

  Ji Man felt that this person was slightly crazy. Out of the various groups of people, crazy people were the worst group to offend. Even when they killed someone, it wouldn’t be counted as committing a crime. They were truly terrifying. However, she couldn’t act cowardly. For a person like him, if you showed him even the slightest trace of fear, he would want a mile if you give him an inch. 

  “Sangyu is only a mere woman. Of course, there’s nothing I can do,” Ji Man said. “But, Sangyu isn’t a person that will commit suicide while having feelings of deep resentment. Before I die, I’ll definitely tell Yuxuan and my aunt why I’m going to kill myself.” 

  “Are you threatening me?” Zhao Zhe raised his eyebrows. 

  Ji Man sweetly smiled and her eyes were very gentle, but the word that her mouth spat out was powerful and resonating, “Yes.” 

  Zhao Zhe quietly looked at her for a brief period before he suddenly smiled, “Nie Sangyu, you’re truly a woman that’s suitable to be the empress.” 

  After saying this, he glanced at the stool before turning around and leaving. 

  Ji Man was scared out of her wits by these words. Gripping the mop, she was at a complete loss for a long time. She didn’t know what kind of reaction she should have. 

  A while later, she heard Ning Mingjie’s voice from the courtyard’s entrance, “Everyone knows that the crown prince’s words are the most untrustworthy. You can just act as if you didn’t hear anything.” 

  Ji Man raised her head and looked at the courtyard’s entrance, but she didn’t see Ning Mingjie. Why was he outside the courtyard? Did he hear all of the crown prince’s words? 

  After running out to look for him, she saw that Ning Mingjie had already walked far away. She didn’t know when he had come by. Perhaps, he was just passing by and happened to overhear? 

  Ji Man’s apprehensive heart calmed down after these words. Although the crown prince’s words were alarming, when she thought about it carefully, Ning Mingjie’s words were logical. Knowing what type of man the crown prince was, why should she take his words seriously? 

  — 

  At noon, Ji Man decided that she would personally cook. It wasn’t because she wanted to show off. It was because the court ladies and eunuchs had all been sent away. The only people left were the emperor’s relatives. Not a single one of them knew how to cook. 

  With a blushing face, Ning Errong followed her into the kitchen and said, “I’ll act as your assistant.” 

  “Sure, I’ll teach you how to cook a few dishes for my older brother,” Ji Man said as she washed the potatoes. 

  The princess consort and Noble Consort Nie were in the main courtyard talking with the emperor. The remaining women either said they were afraid of the cold or didn’t want to do any work. Ji Man and Errong were the only two people in the kitchen. Fortunately, there were sufficient ingredients. Ji Man counted; there was enough to make twenty dishes. 

  — 

  Ning Yuxuan was with the third prince. They were studying calligraphy together. They weren’t far away from the kitchen and would frequently smell the tasty aromas that drifted over from the kitchen. 

  “I frequently hear that you’re unsatisfied with Sangyu.” The third prince lightly smiled as he glanced at Ning Yuxuan. “From what I see now, my cousin doesn’t seem lacking when compared to anyone else, ah.” 

  In terms of familial relationship, third prince was Nie Sangyu’s older cousin. However, they weren’t close. The third prince usually spent his time outside of the capital. Once he reached adulthood, it was even rarer for him to see Sangyu. He had only occasionally heard news about her from Noble Consort Nie. The young girl that used to not be sensible had grown up now, ah. 

  Ning Yuxuan slightly frowned and said, “Third Young Master, you only have partial information. When she’s good, she’s truly very good. But when she does something upsetting, it’s enough to make a person be angered to death.” 

  The third prince raised his eyes and looked at him for a long time, “Yuxuan, haven’t you noticed this? There are very few people that can make your emotions swing back and forth so dramatically. When I came back last year and saw you, there was always a smile on your face. But now, you show anger and annoyance. You seem more like a person now.” 

  Ning Yuxuan was stunned. His expression was slightly ugly. “It’s not like that……” 

  “You don’t need to say anything else.” Third prince raised his hand to stop him from speaking. “I’ll just remind you of one thing. If you heart likes someone, don’t let your mouth be stubborn. There are some things where if you don’t tightly hold onto them, they might slip away from you. Do you understand?”


  Chapter: 100 out of 513 – Treat this experience as doing it with a prostitute (1) 

  Marquis Moyu made a sound of acknowledgment, but he inwardly found the third prince’s words laughable. The third prince hadn’t married yet. Why was he turning around to lecture him on matters of love? 

  “Third Young Master, it’s about time that you consider your own marriage,” Ning Yuxuan casually suggested. “Eldest Young Master has already married a virtuous woman and established his own stable household. For you to continue to not show care towards anything, it’s really failing to live up to Noble Consort Nie’s heartfelt intentions.” 

  The third prince looked up and raised his eyebrows, “Yuxuan, do you want to lend me a helping hand?” 

  On the surface, Marquis Moyu was helping the crown prince. However, the relationship between Nie Clan and Ning Clan wasn’t shallow. No one knew whose side this great tree would fall towards in the end. 

  “Yuxuan just wants to peacefully receive his salary every year. As for other matters, I’m not interested in thinking about them,” Marquis Moyu said with a slight smile. “With Third Young Master’s intelligence and talent, it wouldn’t be difficult for you to become accomplished.” 

  The third prince quietly chuckled. “You’re such a cunning fox……” 

  “Sir Ning, Third Young Master, its time to eat.” Errong held a dish as she came out of the kitchen and called out to the people in the pavilion as she passed by. 

  Original translation is from fuyuneko dot org. If you’re reading this elsewhere, this chapter has been stolen. Please stop supporting theft. 

  “I’ve been feeling hungry since I smelled that aroma.” The third prince put down his brush and said, “In the past, I’ve always had people around to serve me whether I was in the palace or outside. I only needed to stretch my hands out when the servants put on my clothes for me and just open my mouth when food was brought over. I never knew what the feeling of hunger felt like. Father’s arrangement can be considered a rather useful experience.” 

  Ning Yuxuan nodded and followed the third prince towards the dining room. 

  — 

  It was problematic to figure out a good way to serve this large family of over a dozen people. There were a total of twenty different dishes and there weren’t too many duplicate dishes. However, it wouldn’t be possible for the other people to share a table with the emperor and Noble Consort Nie. If she separated the dishes to different tables, the other people would inevitably think she was biased one way or the other towards the emperor’s relatives based on the dishes she put at their tables. 

  And so, Ji Man placed seven dishes and one soup at the emperor, Noble Consort Nie, and the two prince’s table. For the other people, she separated the rest of the food onto small plates and put eight smaller plates and one soup at each of the remaining tables. Although it looked very abundant, it was only because the plates themselves were beautiful. The actual quantity of each dish wasn’t much. She placed the dishes onto trays and carried them over to the main courtyard’s short tables one by one. She lit a bonfire in the center of the courtyard, decorated the area around the tables with fur cushions, hanged fabric to block the winds, as well as embroidered screens. 

  In order to avoid showing differential treatment, Ji Man went to each courtyard and room herself to inform people that it was time to eat. She didn’t require anyone to sit at a specific spot. There were slight difference between the dishes on each of the tables, and she let them choose for themselves where they would sit down based on their preferences for the food. 

  Amongst the emperor’s relatives, there were a couple of madams and young ladies that were picky eaters. However, Ji Man had a very good attitude and she even delivered winter fruit to them after the meal was over. She said these fruit were good for nourishing their skin. In any case, she was Marquis Moyu’s secondary wife. She wasn’t some servant girl and she had already worked to this level and done everything for them. No one could say anything bad about her. After all, if they were really told to do this type of work themselves, they wouldn’t. 

  Ji Man had lived on her own in the modern world, so of course she knew how to cook. The people from the palace were accustomed to eating greasy and opulent dishes. After eating Ji Man’s fresh and tasty home cooking, many of the womenfolk came to ask Ji Man about the menu after the meal. Ji Man wasn’t stingy and gave away detailed recipes to these women. Of course, she had Ning Errong write out the recipes for her. 

  — 

  After the meal was over, Noble Consort Nie called her over. Holding Sangyu’s hand, she joyfully said, “Even Seventh Master was saying your praises.” 

  The current emperor had been the seventh prince in his generation. 

  Ji Man looked at the joy in Noble Consort Nie’s eyes and couldn’t resist curving her eyes too. “Sangyu is honored by this privilege.” 

  “The current you really makes me adore you from the bottom of my heart.” Noble Consort Nie looked at her happily and took off the jasper bracelet she was wearing to give to her. Feeling that this wasn’t enough, she turned around, brought back an exquisite earring box, and stuffed it into Nie Sangyu’s hand. “If you had been like this to begin with, I wouldn’t have needed to worry about you so much.” 

  Ji Man felt a bit embarrassed to be given these items. However, since the noble consort bestowed her these items, her only choice was to accept these items and thank her. 

  “Ah! Jue-er is the only person I have left to worry over now.” Noble Consort Nie’s expression suddenly turned sad. Her eyes held melancholy as she looked at her. “Sangyu, you haven’t forgotten the promise that you made to aunty, right?” 

  Ji Man was slightly at a loss. She did her best to think and finally remembered a fragmented memory. 

  In the memory, Nie Sangyu had pleaded with Noble Consort Nie to ask the emperor bestow a marriage. At the time, Noble Consort Nie had said, “Sangyu, aunty can help you. But, you have to remember that Marquis Moyu isn’t an easy person to deal with. Although his heart won’t only have love, he’ll still have weak spots. After you marry him, you have to do your best to help your older cousin…… Do you understand this consort’s words?” 

  At the time, Nie Sangyu was only thinking about her overwhelming desire to marry Marquis Moyu. And so, regardless of whether or not she actually understood, she said she understood. 

  However, Ji Man understood the meaning of those words very well. Noble Consort Nie had been hoping that Nie Sangyu would be able to capture Marquis Moyu’s heart. Afterwards, in consideration towards the friendly feelings between their two families, he would help the third prince in obtaining the throne. 

  Although the emperor was very healthy right now, there would inevitably be a day when he passed away. The crown prince had no self-control. Moreover, he was narrow-minded and definitely wouldn’t tolerate Noble Consort Nie and the third prince’s continued existence if he became the emperor. Noble Consort Nie was worried about the third prince’s future, so she was hoping that Marquis Moyu would give him a helping hand. 

  However, Ji Man thought that Noble Consort Nie was too naïve. Although Marquis Moyu had a great deal of power under his control, he wasn’t a man that could be influenced by women. Look at his relationship with Wen Wan. Although he loved her a lot, he still used little tricks to manipulate her. One moment he was warm towards, the next moment he would act cold towards her until she became as docile as a baby. Moreover, he had always despised Nie Sangyu, so it was even less likely that she would be able influence his actions. 

  Translator Ramblings: So, we finally found out that Ning Yuxuan was forced into marrying Nie Sangyu. I still think it was wrong of him to treat her so badly, but Nie Sangyu isn’t an innocent victim either. Can you really expect someone to treat you well if you force him into marrying you when you knew he didn’t like you?

  Chapter: 101 out of 513 – Treat this experience as doing it with a prostitute (2) 

  However, it wasn’t good for women to be too clever, so Ji Man left this criticism unspoken. There would be no benefit to saying these words to Noble Consort Nie. It would only make the noble consort feel that she was helping outsiders instead of her own family. 

  And so, she obediently agreed, “Sangyu will do my best.” 

  Noble Consort Nie nodded in satisfaction. She looked at her up and down, pulled her closer, and secretly said, “A while ago, I received a fertility prescription from an imperial physican, that’s how I was able to become pregnant so quickly. You haven’t given birth to a child after so long and it’s hard for you to receive Marquis Moyu’s favor. Later, I’ll have someone make the medicine in accordance to that prescription and send a bowl of medicine over to you tonight.” 

  Ji Man was stumped for words. She raised her head, looked at Noble Consort Nie, and said, “Aunty…… this matter……” 

  “Don’t be shy,” Noble Consort Nie said, “You’re the secondary wife now, and a concubine already has a child before you. I heard that woman from Wen family is very anxious over this matter, why aren’t you showing the slightest sign of worry over this? 

  Ji Man pursed her lips and stayed silent. 

  Did she have to give this scumbag a child in this ancient world? Six years had already passed without a child. If people wanted to criticize her behind her back, they would have already thoroughly done so. Ji Man didn’t think this was an advisable course of action, so she didn’t take this matter seriously. Why should she care? 

  However, Noble Consort Nie had Pengshu bring over a bowl of medicine that night. Moreover, she didn’t leave after delivering the medicine and stood by her with a smile to watch her drink it down. 

  Ji Man’s expression fell and she tried to think of an excuse, but she couldn’t think of anything to say. There was a long period of silence. Ning Yuxuan would be returning soon. 

  She needed to care less. This was only a play. Why should she care so much? Ji Man took a deep breath, silently chanted a hundred times that this was Nie Sangyu’s body, and drank the bowl of medicine until she could turn the bowl over. 

  Taking back the bowl, Pengshu left in satisfaction. 

  — 

  When Marquis Moyu came into a room, he saw the sour expression on Nie Sangyu’s face and couldn’t resist asking, “What’s wrong?” 

  “It’s nothing. This servant was just thinking of an unfortunate encounter during childhood when this servant got bit by a dog and my egg* felt slightly pained from recalling that memory,” Ji Man said. 

  “.…… Where does it hurt?” Ning Yuxuan thought he misheard her. 

  “Hehe, this servant said, my cheeks hurt.” Then, Ji Man stood up and said, “My lord, you must be tired. Let this servant help you change into your sleeping clothes.” 

  * (T/N: The first time Ji Man answers, she says, 蛋疼, which literally means “egg hurt”, but also has the slang meaning of pain in the balls. When she answers the second time, she adds, 脸before 蛋疼, which changes the meaning to checks hurt. In Chinese, the word cheeks are made by combing face (脸) and egg (蛋).) 

  In the past, she had always dilly-dallied for a long time before going to bed. Surprisingly, she took the initiative today. It wasn’t as if Ning Yuxuan liked woman that practices abstinence. If Nie Sangyu were willing to take the initiative, he naturally wouldn’t find anything bad about this. 

  Naturally, this place wouldn’t have the highest quality of charcoal. Before going to bed, Ji Man opened the windows slightly in order to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning. However, the temperature significantly decreased as a result. 

  Ning Yuxuan shot her a glance and tugged her closer to him, “Your previous temperament showed that you’ve been pampered and spoiled since childhood. I didn’t expect that you would be able to adapt to a commoner’s life so well.” 

  With a gentle and beautiful smile, Ji Man put her icy hand into his clothes. It was so cold that Ning Yuxuan’s eyebrows twitched. 

  “My lord, do you feel that this servant has become gentle and virtuous? Excelling in housework and social life?” 

  Marquis Moyu really didn’t want to praise her, but he had to admit that her words were true. 

  He hummed, that counted as a response of sorts. Ning Yuxuan buried his head in her warm, sweet-smelling, and soft neck and couldn’t help feeling a sudden urge. 

  Ning Yuxuan thought; Nie Sangyu had played hard to get for long enough. Tonight was about time. After all, she was his woman. She couldn’t refuse him forever, right? 

  His hand entered from the bottom of her clothing to probe her reaction. Nie Sangyu’s skin was very good. It was as smooth as jade. What was even more unusual was that she wasn’t wearing a dudou tonight. 

  Ji Man closed her eyes and silently chanted Nie Sangyu. This man was the person that Nie Sangyu liked. She didn’t like him. But, thinking of how she should respect the original owner of this body’s wishes, Ji Man decided to sacrifice herself in the end. 

  As a modern person, she wouldn’t let this affect her. 

  Nie Sangyu didn’t respond to her call, but the person over her body was breathing faster and faster. His burning body felt like a hand warmer that slowly melted away her reservations. 

  She had to admit that Ning Yuxuan deserved to be called a man that had experienced many women. He didn’t let her feel the slightest discomfort. Other than a small amount of pain initially, she could positively rate him with five out five stars. 

  Overwhelmed by the sensations, Ji Man bit her lips and quietly moaned. The man on top of her seemed to be showing a rarely seen lost-of-control. He kissed her eyebrows, nose, and lips. Like a lion, he bit her throat, but he didn’t use too much force. 

  Honestly, Ji Man felt that doing this with Ning Yuxuan felt pretty good. If she treated this experience as doing it with a prostitute, then she wouldn’t feel the slightest bit of emotional burden from this experience. 

  — 

  The next morning, Ji Man couldn’t get up to cook breakfast for the emperor’s family. Fortunately, Li Province’s governor had delivered steam buns made with roughage unique to this region along with meat congee. When the emperor inquired after Sangyu, Noble Consort Nie’s smile widened as she had made up an excuse for her. 

  — 

  By the time that Ji Man got out of bed, Marquis Moyu had already disappeared. Her body felt slightly sticky, but it would be rather bothersome to take a bath here in the middle of the winter. With a furrowed brow, Ji Man went to the kitchen, brought hot water back to her room, wiped her body, and changed into a set of cotton-padded clothes. Then, she leaned against the window while lost in thought. 

  — 

  “Yuxuan, you seem to be in a very good mood?” The third prince had turned his head slightly to look at Ning Yuxuan several times. They had followed the emperor out of the residence to look at Li Province’s water project. 

  Marquis Moyu curved his lips. His face had softened considerably. “The weather is pretty good today.” 

  Ning Mingjie was by their sides. When he heard these words, he raised his head and looked sky that was densely covered by black clouds. “It looks like it’s going to rain later.” 

  Ning Yuxuan lightly coughed before looking at Ning Mingjie and saying, “I heard that Li Province’s governer’s daughter went to your courtyard last night.” 

  Ning Ming’s eyebrows didn’t even twitch. “Sir Ning, don’t repeat false rumors. You’ll end up tarnishing someone’s reputation.” 

  Translator Ramblings: I cracked up when I got to the part where Ji Man is rating his skill. I have this image of Ji Man taking out her phone to fill out a survey and clicking 5 stars. Hmm, would she pick yes or no to the question, “would you recommend to a friend?”


  Chapter: 102 out of 513 – Who does your heart desire? (1) 

  Ning Yuxuan laughed boisterously, “When did you start caring about other people’s reputations?” 

  Ning Mingjie pursed his lips. His expression seemed somewhat sullen underneath his silver mask. 

  Marquis Moyu also knew that there were certain jokes that shouldn’t be overdone, so he put away his laughter. However, his mind would occasionally think about what happen last night and a smile would sneak out at the corners of his eyes and brow. 

  Li Province’s water project was just a river that went around the city walls. Due to repeated droughts in the past several years, this river had already been on the verge of running dry in past years. Right now, there were very few sources of water for the common people. Their only two choices were to dig deep wells or to bring water back from several miles away. 

  When the emperor brought along the princes and his inner circle of ministers to go look, there were countless citizens kneeling by the river. They were all kowtowing and weeping. The emperor slightly furrowed his brow and glanced at Li Province’s governor. 

  The latter immediately kneeled down and said in a trembling voice, “This subject has been unable fulfill my duty.” 

  If rainfall didn’t come from the Heavens, then there was only one option. The imperial court had to allocate funds for disaster relief. And yet, only a small portion of the disaster relief money came into his hands, much less the common people. Zhang Jin was as absolutely helpless as the ordinary people. He didn’t want to wrong them, so he hadn’t followed the orders from above and gathered everyone to lock them up during the emperor’s visit. 

  Zhang Jin was already doing everything that he could. 

  The emperor looked at that scene for a long time before he turned his head and asked the crown prince, “Zhe-er, how do you think this matter should be handled?” 

  The crown prince put away his half-hearted and unconcerned expression. He stepped forward and bowed. “Father, this son thinks that since Li Province has only turned into a disaster area this year, the imperial court should continue to support them so that they can overcome this crisis. They should be encouraged to sow seeds in this dry land in order to preserve their livelihood.” 

  The emperor nodded and also asked the third prince, “Jue-er, what do you think?” 

  Zhao Jue swept his gaze across the dried out river. “This river is a distributary channel that originates from a large river in the east. Half a year ago, the debris from a great mountain that suffered an earthquake cut off this distributary channel from the main river. This son thinks that imperial father only needs to expend manpower to dig out a channel in the blockage. Once the water is able to flow to this distributary channel, this problem will be solved. 

  The surrounding people made noises to expression their admiration, even Marquis Moyu slightly nodded. 

  Surprised, the emperor asked, “Jue-er, how did you know about this blockage?” 

  The third prince lightly smiled. “This son happened to pass through that large river half a year ago while traveling and heard the elderly folk mention that matter about the mountain. I wrote and sent a letter to imperial father that Li Province might be suffering from a dried up river. Imperial father, did you not see my letter?” 

  Zhao Jue spent his time traveling and Noble Consort Nie though he was uninterested in the imperial court’s matters because he never asked any questions. She didn’t know that Zhao Jue had traveled the entire country in the past years and remembered the circumstances of the people, along with each region’s natural conditions and social customs. He had even sent a booklet with all of his travel notes to the emperor. Although the emperor was very fond of the third prince, he though he was too leisurely and showed no interest about the imperial court matters. And so, the emperor had only looked at a few pages of the booklet before forgetting about it. 

  Now that the third prince mentioned that booklet, the emperor finally remembered. His eyes showed that he was extremely pleasantly surprised. After repeatedly nodding his head several times, he summoned the local officials and important ministers, as well as Li Province’s governor, to accompany him to discuss this matter. 

  The crown prince’s complexion slightly changed, but he was smiling as he patted third prince’s shoulder. “Third younger brother, you have extensive knowledge and experience.” 

  “Oldest brother, you’re too kind with your praise.” Zhao Jue cupped his hands and lowered his eyes. “I’ve just traveled a lot.” 

  “What a good job you’ve done with traveling a lot.” Zhao Zhe narrowed his eyes. “Your older brother has stayed in the palace for too long and can’t be compared with you, third younger brother.” 

  Zhao Jue seemed somewhat lost in his own thoughts and didn’t respond. 

  Zhao Zhe’s gaze wasn’t very friendly, but he only turned around and led the other people to continue to look around this area. 

  — 

  Ning Mingjie felt slightly sleepy. For an inexplicable reason, he kept having a nightmare every time he went to sleep recently. In his dreams, there would be a thick blanket of white fog. It was followed by a voice that continuously shouted, “You’re wrong, you’re wrong, you’re wrong.” 

  What had he done wrong? Ning Mingjie yawned, got onto a prepared horse, and went with the two princes and Marquis Moyu as they moved along the riverside. 

  Even if he had made a horrible mistake, at least tell him what he had done wrong. He wouldn’t look back if that voice only continued to shout that he was wrong. 

  He recalled yesterday’s memory. Nie Sangyu had personally prepared the meal. He had simply chosen a table that had three meat dishes and four vegetarian dishes because there was also a jar of Li Province’s local rice wine on that table’s tray. 

  He liked to drink wine. While he had been living in Marquis Jingwen’s fiefdom, he would frequently be drunk for several days and nights in a row. As a result, his father had said he was lacking in propriety. However, life only lasted for so long. If you always upheld propriety and never relaxed, wouldn’t life be meaningless? 

  He was still reminiscing over yesterday’s food. It was so much better than the food cooked by the servants. It tasted sort of like food from the common people’s restaurants, but it was made with much more care and thought. If one day, he could freely roam the mountains and rivers in a small boat with a jar of wine while the water reflected the bright moon, and have a person like her cooking for him, wouldn’t this life be wonderfully unrestrained? 

  After thinking about these thoughts, Ning Mingjie started to feel sleepier. He lightly leaned against the horse’s neck, but it felt too uncomfortable because of the horse’s jolting steps. Just as he wanted to change his position, he heard a distant guard shouting, “Watch out, assassins!” 

  Mixed in with the crying crowd, there were suddenly several sword-wielding people violently jumping out and rushing forward towards the crown prince and third prince. 

  Nie Qingyun hadn’t come out with them today because he had a stomachache from eating snacks that Errong made yesterday. Other than the guards, he and Marquis Moyu were the only ones that knew martial arts. 

  Ning Mingjie furrowed his brow before vaulting over, pulling the third prince from his horse, and protectively placing the third prince behind himself. Nearby, Marquis Moyu had done the same thing with the crown prince. 

  The group of common people started to scatter in a flurry of screeching, shoving, and kicking. Ning Mingjie and Ning Yuxuan were both in an extremely difficult position. The guards had seemed to be in control of the situation, but then a sound seemed to be rushing over here from a distance. Ning Mingjie wanted to dodge, but if he did, it would expose the third prince, who was behind him.

  Chapter: 103 out of 513 – Who does your heart desire? (2) 

  Ji Man leaned against the window frame and suddenly yawned. Looking at the absolutely empty room, she finally remembered that Ning Yuxuan had gone out today. This was good too. It would save her from feeling annoyed when she saw him. 

  As for last night’s matter, she didn’t take it too seriously. There were numerous couples that shared a bed with different agendas. Plus, this wasn’t her body either, so there was no reason for her to be overly concerned. If she became pregnant, it would be the best outcome. Nie Sangyu would probably like this child. If she didn’t…… then, she’ll treat this experience as being bitten by a dog. 

  Estimating the time by looking at the sky, Ji Man dragged her body towards the kitchen to prepare lunch. It was about time for them to return. Right after she finished cooking, she heard a servant rushing over here in panic. 

  After not being able to find anyone in the common areas of the residence, the servant ran to the kitchen and shouted, “Madam Ning, Madam Ning, Young Master Ning has been injured. Hurry and come with me to look, ah!” 

  Ning Yuxuan was injured? Ji Man raised her eyebrows. Didn’t he say that he knew martial arts? Why did he still get injured? Ji Man wiped her hands, walked out of the kitchen, and asked, “Is his injury from spraining his ankle or waist?” 

  This person was the original household’s servant. The servant blankly looked at Nie Sangyu for a while before finally saying, “They encountered assassins outside. Sir Ning was injured because he was protecting the third prince. He’s currently getting his injury bandaged in Li Province’s Wanjing Hall.” 

  This servant had just come here to bring this message. Although this servant was saying that Sir Ning had been injured, he didn’t actually know who “Sir Ning” was. 

  Assassins? Ji Man raised her eyebrows. This was truly worth a visit to see for herself. 

  After changing her clothes, Ji Man hastily went to Wanjing Hall in a palanquin. 

  —- 

  Ning Yuxuan and the two princes were all sitting by a pile of herbs. When they looked outside, they happened to see Nie Sangyu getting off a palanquin and unhurriedly walking over here. 

  “My lord?” Seeing Marquis Moyu, who was sitting near the doorway, looking completely unharmed, Ji Man curiously asked, “Didn’t you have an encounter with assassins, and was seriously injured?” 

  The corners of Ning Yuxuan’s mouth twitched. He pointed at the nearby Ning Mingjie. “Mingjie was the one that was injured. Why do you look like you were hoping that I was the one injured?” 

  Eh? Ning Mingjie was injured? Ji Man hurriedly lifted her skirt and went inside to look. Ning Mingjie was still wearing his mask while half of his clothes had been taken off in order to treat the wound on shoulder blade. 

  Seeing that Nie Sangyu had come, he coolly turned his head away. 

  He couldn’t possibly still be mad over what happened last time, right? Ji Man thought that he probably wasn’t such a petty person. She glanced at the wound. It looked rather serious. It was bleeding through several layers of bandages. 

  However, in the end, he wasn’t properly dressed, so she retreated to Marquis Moyu’s side after one glance and said, “A servant came by and said Sir Ning was attacked by assassins. He probably mixed up who was injured.” 

  Ning Yuxuan was feeling very aggravated. “Did you walk so slowly because you thought I was the one who was injured?” 

  As soon as she heard it was Ning Mingjie, she had hastily lifted up her skirt and came into the room. 

  Ji Man lightly smiled, “My lord, please show some understanding and forgive me. This servant hasn’t eaten lunch yet.” 

  By the side, the crown prince said with a smile, “I had forgotten this until Sangyu mentioned it. Once Mingjie’s wound is wrapped up, let’s go back to eat lunch.” 

  Ji Man glanced at the silent Ning Mingjie and asked, “Young Master, is your injury serious?” 

  Ning Mingjie’s back slightly tensed. 

  Marquis Moyu fake smiled and said, “Mingjie’s protection of the third prince is praiseworthy, but his wound isn’t serious.” 

  “Oh.” Ji Man nodded. Seeing that everyone had stood up and was about to leave, she wanted to head back to the palanquin she had recently gotten off of. 

  Unexpectedly, Marquis Moyu grabbed her hand. “You can’t see anything inside a palanquin. Isn’t that really boring? Come and ride the horse with me.” 

  Ji Man’s face turned green. Ride a horse? Although she had already mostly recovered and wasn’t that sore, wouldn’t sitting in a palanquin be much more comfortable than riding a horse?” 

  “My lord……” 

  “Come, I’ll help you up.” Ning Yuxuan’s smile was gentle and he stretched out his hand towards her. 

  Ji Man took a deep breath and slapped her hand onto his palm. This sound made the crown prince and the third prince turn back to look. 

  Ning Yuxuan’s eyebrows didn’t even twitch. He held her hand and helped her up onto the horse, then he sat down behind her and picked up the reins. 

  “There might be more assassins left. I’ll go upfront to open the path,” Marquis Moyu very considerately said to the two princes. 

  The crown prince raised his eyebrows. Just as the third prince was about to speak, Ning Yuxuan had already raised the reins. “Jia!” 

  This horse seemed as if it had eaten stimulants. It was happy to gallop forward more than anyone else. It’s jolting sprint almost caused Ji Man to fall off. Her face was ashen as she hugged the horse’s neck in a death grip. 

  Over the sound of the wind, the person behind her asked, “Don’t you think hugging my waist will be more stable than hugging the horse’s neck?” 

  Ji Man’s hairstyle was falling into disarray from being blown by the wind. Hugging the horse’s neck and gritting her teeth, she said, “This servant feels that the horse’s neck is more comfortable.” 

  Marquis Moyu coldly harrumphed. When he whipped the horse, Ji Man almost screamed. 

  Riding on this horse was completely different from the horse rides in the park that cost a few dollars. In the park, someone else would be walking alongside the horse and guiding the horse by its reins. If she had to describe this experience, she would say it felt like an airplane meeting turbulence and about to violently crash. 

  Ji Man’s face had turned completely white. Moreover, she deeply felt that Marquis Moyu was doing this deliberately.

  Chapter: 104 out of 513 – The throne’s turbulent future (1) 

  By the time they arrived at the large residence’s entrance, Ji Man already felt as if she was going to collapse. The inner part of her thighs felt a burning pain from being rubbed against the saddle. Her hairstyle had come undone and her fine black hair was hanging loosely behind her back. Fortunately, she had caught her wooden hairpin before it dropped. 

  Ning Yuxuan seemed to be in a much better mood. He gently helped her down from the horse. Seeing that she wasn’t able to stably stand by herself, he half-supported and half-carried her. In a pleased tone, he said, “You look really pitiful right now.” 

  Ji Man took a deep breath, then she pushed his hand away and leaned against the doorway to stand by herself. After putting her hair up into a bun at the back of her head, she coolly said, “It wouldn’t be appropriate for this servant to appear in front of the others in this disorderly state, so this servant will return to her room first.” 

  After saying this, she gritted her teeth and started walking away. Although her legs still felt weak, she didn’t want to stay here and make a spectacle of herself. 

  This rotten guy simply didn’t understand how to caringly treat other people. Or perhaps, he just didn’t pay attention to someone’s well being if she wasn’t in his heart. Ji Man sighed. The road to accomplishing Noble Consort Nie’s expectations and Nie Sangyu’s wish was a long one. 

  The person behind her didn’t chase after her. After Ji Man passed through a small garden, she turned around to look. Seeing that there was no one behind her, she grimaced in pain as she sat down by a rock garden to rest for a while. 

  “Is Jue-er okay?” 

  “Ning Mingjie protected him. The third prince is fine.” 

  “It’s inevitable that Zhe-er would feel unhappy over what happened today. With each passing day, the empress’s faction becomes increasingly powerful. In contrast, Nie Clan’s influence has significantly dropped since that last incident. This emperor sometimes worries about the future. If Zhe-er becomes the emperor, will he allow for Jue-er’s continued existence? After all, he should feel a sense of brotherhood.” A voice that was neither loud nor soft traveled over here from the other side of the rock garden. 

  Hearing this conversation, Ji Man’s entire body stiffened. 

  Although she wasn’t familiar enough with the emperor’s voice to recognize it, once she heard that person address himself as “this emperor”, her neck felt chilled. She had just wanted to stop here to rest her feet. Why did she end up overhearing the emperor’s conversation with a member of his inner circle?! 

  Regardless of whether or not this discussion was important, she wouldn’t be able to keep her head if someone found out that she had overheard this conversation. Ji Man tried to breath quieter. She looked around to check what objects might make a sound if it was disturbed and carefully avoided them as she crouched down behind a large rock. 

  The emperor continued to speak with the minister. It seemed as if they planned to spend the afternoon here. Ji Man felt extremely annoyed at them. Why weren’t they more careful? They should have posted guards around the perimeter to stop people from coming over here and overhearing the emperor’s conversation! 

  But, as she turned this thought over in her head, she remembered that other than Pengshu, all of the other court ladies and eunuchs had been sent away to experience farm life. And, the guards were standing outside of the main courtyard. There really shouldn’t be anyone else in this inner area. Ji Man sighed. She could only blame her bad luck. 

  The two people on the other side of the rock garden went from talking about governmental affairs to family matters. The emperor rather ruefully sighed. “If this emperor could live another ten years, I would definitely make Ninglu empress.” 

  Ninglu was Noble Consort Nie’s childhood nickname. Hearing these words, Ji Man was stunned. Did this emperor actually sincerely love Noble Consort Nie? 

  “Unfortunately, Marquis Moyu is too shrewd and his position isn’t clear. This emperor can’t tell how he really feels about Nie Sangyu either. Is he wholeheartedly supporting the crown prince, or will he change sides to help the third prince because of Nie Clan and Ning Clan’s relationship?” The emperor sighed. “This emperor is afraid that that the previous generation’s tragedy will be repeated.” 

  Ji Man didn’t quite understand the rationale behind these words. Whether or not he promoted Noble Consort Nie to the position of empress, what did this have to do with Marquis Moyu? Still, Ning Yuxuan was truly shrewd. He was close friend with the crown prince and a relative by marriage to the third prince. No one could say for sure whose side he would choose. He would only make his decision at the last minute. The possibility of him participating in the princes’ battle for the throne was very low. 

  It was exactly because of this reason that Noble Consort Nie wanted to use a child to pull Marquis Moyu over to her side. 

  “Old Master, it’s time for lunch.” Noble Consort Nie’s voice came from far away. 

  Ji Man’s legs had already turned numb from crouching down, so this voice sounded like a heavenly savior to her. The two people outside of the rock garden changed the topic of their conversation and continued chatting as they walked away. When their voices were far away, Ji Man slowly pushed herself into a standing position using the large rock. 

  Her legs felt wobbly and she almost fell down. Ji Man grabbed the boulder for support. She felt as if moving was impossible. Her body had felt sore to begin with. It was worse now that she had crouched down for a long time. But, she had to leave this area quickly before someone discovered her here. It would be bad if she attracted the emperor’s suspicion. 

  “Can you still walk?” Zhao Jue asked. 

  Frightened, Ji Man turned her head and saw the third prince walking over here from the garden’s entrance. 

  “Third Young Master……” The corners of Ji Man’s mouth twitched. She really wanted to ask why he was here, but then she had second thoughts. This garden wasn’t big. Had he also been eavesdropping? 

  “It’s time to eat. Yuxuan was looking for you.” The third prince slowly walked over here and put his arm out. “Let’s go to the dinning room.” 

  “Oh, okay.” Seeing that he had avoided mentioning the emperor’s recent presence, she guessed that he had also heard part of the conversation. He probably wouldn’t tell anyone else about this and get her in trouble for no reason. After all, they were cousins. 

  She went to the dining room without worries and sat down by Ning Yuxuan’s side. She thought about the emperor’s recent words. She had originally though that the crown prince would definitely become the emperor, but now she thought there might be a bloodbath in the future during the fight for the throne.

  Chapter: 105 out of 513 – The throne’s turbulent future (2) 

  Troubled by the conversation she had recently heard, Ji Man didn’t notice the person sitting next to her. 

  Seeing that Nie Sangyu had been silent this entire time, Ning Yuxuan thought she was angry. And so, he pursed his lips and added lot of food to her bowl. 

  But, the result was that Ji Man didn’t notice his attempt at all. She absent-mindedly ate whatever he added to her bowl without looking at him. 

  Ning Yuxuan felt disgruntled. It didn’t feel good to be ignored by someone else. However, he couldn’t say anything. Everyone else was in the dining hall, and they were also sitting at the same table as the two princes. He had to be especially careful with maintaining his image. 

  The crown prince had looked over here several times with a considering expression. After the meal was over, he invited Ning Yuxuan and Ning Mingjie to enjoy painting and calligraphy. 

  “I heard that Mingjie is very talented in calligraphy,” The crown prince said with a smile. “Now that I think about it, that ink blob is the most marvelous part of the poem hanging in Luoyan Pagoda. Mingjie, what were you thinking when you drew that ink blob at the top of the poem?” Even though he knew that Nie Sangyu was the one that composed the poem, he still phrased his question this way. 

  Ning Mingjie’s mask hid his expression and he only said, “Your Highness, you’re overpraising me. Madam Ning is the one with exceptional talent. I merely wrote out her words for her.” 

  Ning Yuxuan glanced as the crown prince. In a neutral tone, he said, “Nie Sangyu has never shown such talent with words. For her to compose a poem like that one, I also feel very surprised.” 

  “Madam Ning is very talented. Yuxuan, there’s no need for you to make modest remarks about her. Since Mingjie happens to be here, why don’t we call Madam Ning over here to recite that poem out aloud and have him write out the first half and second half of the poem on one scroll, so I can take it back home as a memento?” 

  This request was a bit improper, but Ning Yuxuan actually agreed after looking at the crown prince for a brief moment. 

  — 

  Ji Man was woken up from her post-lunch nap and called over to the garden. 

  When she reached the garden, she saw Ning Mingjie holding a brush and was distracted for a moment. Then, she turned to Ning Yuxuan and asked, “My lord, what do you want this servant to do?” 

  “Recite your poem, Inviting you to drink wine,” Marqyis Moyu said. 

  Recite a poem? Ji Man rolled her eyes. She walked to Ning Mingjie’s side and obediently recited the poem. 

  Ning Mingjie truly looked very attractive when he was writing out these words. Xu Xi also knew calligraphy. Was the cycle of reincarnation unceasing? Would a person be reincarnated with the same appearance a hundred years later? A thousand years later? 

  Somewhat preoccupied by these thoughts, Ji Man watched as he finished writing the last word. 

  “Yuxuan, what do you think of this poem?” The crown prince asked with a smile. 

  There wasn’t much of a smile on Marquis Moyu’s face. He only unenthusiastically nodded his head and said, “Mingjie’s magnificent and grand writing style is a worthy complement to this poem.” 

  — 

  Ji Man felt there was something strange going on. She had been summoned to the garden to recite to the poem and had been sent away right afterwards. That night, Marquis Moyu didn’t return to her room to sleep. She didn’t know where he had gone. However, instead of wondering about his whereabouts, she slept even more peacefully. 

  — 

  As their visit to Li Province concluded and the court ladies and eunuchs returned, they were much better behaved and conscientious. Even Gancao and Dengxin became especially hardworking and busy, as if they were afraid their master would send them back to Li Province. 

  Looking at them, Ji Man didn’t know whether she should laugh or cry. She suddenly thought of that time when she had shared a roasted chicken with Muxu and her heart felt slightly melancholy. Before they boarded the boat, she made Beggar’s chicken and ate it together with the two young servant girls. 

  “There’s no one that will stay loyal for a lifetime.” As Ji Man gnawed on the chicken’s neck, she said, “But I’m willing to treat you well until you betray me.” 

  Hearing her words, the two young servant girl’s eyes were brimming with tears. They ate the chicken and firmly nodded. 

  — 

  Ning Yuxuan seemed to be increasingly busy and frequently didn’t share a bed with her. However, Ji Man didn’t care. You couldn’t expect a man to always be thinking about you, much less a man, whose attentions were largely occupied by the world. 

  In contrast, when Ji Man was by the railing to look at the river water during the daytime, she would frequently meet Ning Mingjie. He wasn’t a talkative person and he stood a distance away from her. When she occasionally said a few words, he would only utter a short reply. But, it was the silence of mutual understanding as if they were connected at a deep level. 

  — 

  There was a heaven and earth difference between the next province and Li Province. It was the rich and populous Xiang Province that was famous for having fertile land. The lean and hungry expressions on the gloomy group finally faded away and were replaced with smiles of jubilation. 

  Right after they disembarked, the crown prince suggested that they go to Tian Xiang and even suggested for Noble Consort Nie to come along. 

  (T/N: Tian Xiang means divine fragrance.) 

  Just hearing the name would be enough for people to know that it was a low-grade brothel. The emperor was going to visit prostitutes and bring along Noble Consort Nie. Ji Man thought; there really wasn’t anything that could be more preposterous than this! Fine, they would just be preposterous. Since the emperor had already agreed, no one else would say anything in disagreement. However, why was Noble Consort Nie the only female that was going? Even Ning Yuxuan and Nie Qingyun, who were men that already had someone, were also going. Why was she and Ning Errong being left behind? 

  Ning Errong was pouting as she sat in Nie Sangyu’s room and unhappily said, “I’ve never heard of people going to brothels during the southern visits!” 

  Ji Man sighed and comforted her, “Don’t worry, my older brother has always disliked going to see prostitutes.” 

  Ning Errong was still worried as she asked, “Really? What if there’s a vixen that’s especially good at seducing people?” 

  “There won’t be. You have to believe in my older brother. He has very high standards,” As Ji Man said this, she though that she couldn’t say the same for Ning Yuxuan. 

  During the past several days, she figured out that Ning Yuxuan was deliberately giving her the cold shoulder. As for the reason behind this, Ji Man was too lazy to think about it. If he wanted to give her the cold shoulder, she didn’t care. She wasn’t Wen Wan, who couldn’t bear to suffer a few days of being snubbed. If he didn’t pay attention to her, it would actually let her feel more relaxed.

  Chapter: 106 out of 513 – Yet another prostitute (1) 

  However, she hadn’t expected that Ning Yuxuan would actually bring back a woman after returning from the trip to the brothel. Ji Man was standing by the doorway. She looked at the incomparably beautiful woman standing by Ning Yuxuan and her mouth couldn’t help twitching. 

  Nearby, the other women had relaxed their expressions. Other Ning Yuxuan, no one else had brought back something unclean. 

  “You don’t have to look so worried,” Marquis Moyu lightly said. “Jinse will only be accompanying me during this journey. On the way back to the capital, she’ll naturally leave.” 

  Ji Man understood. This great lord felt that she wasn’t attentive enough towards him, so he had brought back a more thoughtfully intimate person to serve him in bed. 

  She shrugged her shoulders. She didn’t really care, but she felt slightly awkward because everyone was looking at her with sympathetic expressions. 

  “He could have brought back anyone else. Why did he bring back a prostitute?” Ning Errong got angry on Nie Sangyu’s behalf. She grabbed her hand, started walking, and heatedly continued saying, “Is there something wrong with my cousin’s head? Why didn’t the emperor stop him? This is too preposterous!” 

  Ji Man lightly smiled. “Can you tell what the emperor is thinking?” 

  Ning Errong turned her head and her pace slowed down. “Can you tell?” 

  “I don’t know either, ah,” Ji Man quietly said, “But none of those men are easy to deal with. Since they all think this is okay, I’ll just assume they have their reasons.” 

  Errong frowned. “Can you tolerate sharing your husband with a prostitute?” 

  Ji Man raised her eyebrows. “Don’t forget, there’s already a precedent in Marquis Moyu’s household. Anyways, I’m only a secondary wife, not the main wife. Why should I concern myself with this matter? As long as he doesn’t make life difficult for me, I’ll happily enjoy having more free time.” 

  “Is this how you truly feel?” Ning Errong incredulously said, “Do you really not feel bad about this? You don’t have to be concerned about etiquette in front of me. If you’re feeling bad, then you can swear at him. I’ll help you swear at him too.” 

  Ji Man smiled and patted her shoulder. “I’m okay. How about we go the city’s most famous snack shop this afternoon when the emperor is off visiting the local governmental office?” 

  “Sure.” Seeing that Nie Sangyu’s clear and calm eyes truly didn’t have any hint of sadness, her heart inexplicably felt a burst of melancholy. However, since Sangyu didn’t care, there was no reason for her to keeping thinking about this matter. As long as Nie Qingyun didn’t bring back a woman, she should feel okay. 

  — 

  Jinse was a very quiet woman. She had a naturally somewhat voluptuous face, but she changed into the most plain and simple attire after following Ning Yuxuan. From far away, she resembled a servant girl. 

  Ning Yuxuan seemed to like her a lot. He brought her along when he went with the crown prince to observe the circumstances of the common people in the afternoon. The crown prince had loudly laughed and rather meaningfully looked at Nie Sangyu. 

  Ji Man didn’t understand the meaning in his eyes. After she slightly smiled in response, she immediately looked away and discussed with Xiang Province’s governor’s wife to arrange the womenfolk’s afternoon outing. 

  — 

  Because this trip hadn’t been low-key and there had even been an encounter with assassins, protective measures had to be taken. Ji Man and Errong just wanted to go out to eat some snacks, but several people, along with their servants, followed them. Although they had dressed like the common people, Ji Man still felt she was wearing a sign that said, “A noble status, come and kill me.” 

  Ning Mingjie and Nie Qingyun hadn’t gone out with the princes this afternoon, so Ning Errong had dragged Nie Qingyun into coming along. Then, feeling somewhat embarrassed, she also brought along Ning Mingjie. Although the number of people had increased, Ji Man suddenly felt much safer. 

  Nie Qingyun and Ning Errong’s relationship had developed quite nicely during this journey. From Ji Man’s perspective, Nie Qingyun was finally not treating Errong like an outsider. When Errong occasionally forgot her manners, he would even look serious and say a few scolding words. 

  If things continued to develop like this, they would probably be even happier after they got married. Ji Man’s eyes slightly closed as she smiled. 

  Nie Qingyun looked a the wooden sign hanging on the wall of the snack shop and asked, “What do you want to eat?” 

  Errong said, “I want lotus seed buns and golden rolls.” 

  Ning Mingjie was very easygoing and let Ji Man choose for him. 

  Ji Man looked over the menu on the wall for a while before she said, “Older brother likes to spring rolls, pair that with a plate of peanuts. Young Master doesn’t seem to like overly flavorful food. He can just have two steamed roughage buns. I want scallion pancakes and water chestnut cake. As for those gluttonous servant girls behind us, they’re definitely interested in trying snacks they haven’t eaten before. Waiter, you can pick whatever you think they’ll like.” 

  (T/N: Below are pictures of two types of golden rolls, lotus seed buns, and water chestnut cake.) 

  Ch 106 - snacks final.png

  Ji Man was always very thorough and thoughtful. It was just how people should act, but Errong was surprised and looked at her with tiny stars in her eyes. “Sangyu, you’re so thoughtful. Unfortunately, our cousin doesn’t know how to appreciate his good fortune.” 

  Ning Mingjie didn’t care that much about what he ate, but steamed roughage buns…… He turned his head slightly to look at this woman, “Has this one done something to displease Madam Ning?” 

  “Eh? You haven’t.” With a sincere expression, Ji Ma said, “I know that you look down on steamed roughage buns because of your noble status, but steamed roughage buns are pretty good. They help with digestion. Besides, you’ve been wearing a mask for a long time, so you’ll be prone to getting acne. It’s better if you avoid eating overly greasy food.” 

  The corners of Ning Mingjie’s lips twitched. 

  Ji Man looked at him with a serious expression and added, “Young Master, Sangyu doesn’t want to meddle, but as a man, you shouldn’t be afraid of other people looking at you. It’s not like you’re a young, virginal maiden. You’re too concerned about your appearance, so naturally you don’t like people looking at you. But in reality, there’s nothing wrong with being attractive, ah. There are many people that want to be beautiful, but the Heavens haven’t given them the opportunity.” 

  Ning Errong laughed. “There’s no need for you to try to persuade my older brother. Our father and his honored concubines have already tried persuading him several times. My older brother always stays silent.” 

  Ji Man sighed. “What a pity. This is a face that could cause the downfall of a country, but it’s blocked by a mask.”


  Chapter: 107 out of 513 – Yet another prostitute (2) 

  Ning Mingjie continued to stay silent. Ji Man decided that she wouldn’t keep trying to persuade him. After all, everyone had his or her own thoughts. She couldn’t force other people to accept her viewpoint, right? 

  After the snacks came out, Ning Mingjie looked at the plate of steamed milky yellow roughage buns, took a deep breath, and slowly took off his mask. 

  Everyone paused in eating and the golden roll in Ning Errong’s mouth fell out. 

  “Older brother……?” 

  Ning Mingjie rubbed his face, turned his head, and said to the nearby waiter that was blankly staring at him, “I want to eat melon cookies and the greasiest foods you have.” 

  Once again, Ji Man saw this face. It held a hint of a child’s unwillingness to accept that he was wrong. His facial features no longer looked blurry, like something from a dream. He looked a real person. 

  Because she had been staring at Ning Mingjie for too long, Nie Qingyun called out, “Sangyu.” 

  After returning to her senses, Ji Man seriously explained, “It’s not that I have a voracious desire to look at beauty. It’s just that Young Master resembles someone I saw in a painting a while ago, so I looked at him for a bit longer.” 

  “Eh? What painting?” Ning Errong curiously asked. “My older brother has never let anyone paint his portrait.” 

  If you told one lie, then you naturally ended up having to tell more lies. Ji Man could only put on a bold face and say, “I just happen to see it in one of the capital’s stores. The owner of that store said that man had failed to be loyal to his lover. He abandoned his fiancée of four years and slept with another woman.” 

  The corners of Ning Mingjie’s eyes twitched. “Madam Ning, you clearly know that this one doesn’t have a fiancée.” 

  “Hehe. Sangyu knows, that why I didn’t say it was Young Master. It’s so rare for you to be willing to reveal your face. Sangyu will treat you to melon cookies. No need to thank me.” 

  Actually, Ning Mingjie wasn’t that obsessed with his mask or unwilling to let other people see his face. It was like Ji Man said, he had covered his face because he was too self-conscious of other people’s gazes. But now, he had taken off his mask just to eat snacks. He was truly an unaffected person. 

  The group of people ate and drank quite happily. 

  After Ning Mingjie took of his mask, the expressions on his face were laid bare. He wasn’t used to hiding his emotions and inevitably felt somewhat embarrassed. Ning Errong was giggling during the entire outing. On the way back, she pulled Sangyu along in high spirits and said she was going to bury his mask. 

  — 

  When Ji Man returned to her room, she saw Ning Yuxuan sitting in her room. Jinse was standing by his side. 

  “My lord.” Ji Man obediently saluted. 

  Ning Yuxuan looked at the smile on her face that hadn’t disappeared yet and quietly snorted once before saying, “Starting from tonight, Jinse will be serving me. You can go sleep in the neighboring room.” 

  Ji Man nodded. “Okay.” 

  Jinse had been secretly checking out this woman that wore a jade accessory with the surname “Ning”. The servant girls outside had said Nie Sangyu was very magnanimous and virtuous. Her future days probably wouldn’t be too bad. 

  “Jinse isn’t familiar with this place. Take her out and show her around this residence,” Ning Yuxuan said. 

  Ji Man still nodded in response. “Okay.” 

  As Jinse followed Nie Sangyu, she turned her head to glance at Marquis Moyu. For an unknown reason, his complexion didn’t look good. 

  How strange, other men were happy when their wives were willing to be magnanimous of other women. Why did Marquis Moyu look angry? Jinse couldn’t figure out the answer to this question. 

  As Ji Man walked on the path, she recited this verse, “This brightly and beautifully decorated zither has fifty strings for no reason at all, and each string and each bridge is for recollecting a splendid year. Your name sounds quite nice.” 

  (T/N: Jinse’s name comes from the poem mentioned above. Her name literally translates into brightly and beautifully decorated zither.) 

  Jinse quietly thanked her. Ji Man acted exactly like a tour guide as she led her around this large courtyard. At the end, seeing that it wasn’t early anymore by the color of the sky, she sympathetically patted her shoulder and said, “Thank you in advance for your hard work tonight. The marquis is slightly difficult to serve, just follow along with his wishes.” 

  Where would you find such a gentle, virtuous, and charitable woman? Although Jinse still had a calm expression on her face, her heart was touched by Nie Sangyu’s words and behavior. 

  — 

  That night, while lying in Marquis Moyu’s arms after serving him in bed, she even reminiscently said, “Madam is truly a good person.” 

  “You think she’s a good person?” Ning Yuxuan chuckled. “You haven’t seen the previous her.” 

  These words sounded rather loathing. Jinse raised her head and asked, “My lord, do you not like Madam?” 

  “En,” Ning Yuxuan said, “I’ve never liked her.” 

  Jinse lowered her head back onto his chest and remained silent. 

  — 

  Ji Man had a good night’s sleep. When they boarded the boat the next day, she saw Marquis Moyu personally carrying Jinse onto the other boat. It was an extremely gentle and sweet scene. 

  Ji Man shrugged and followed behind them to board the boat. 

  For an unknown reason, the crown prince followed her onto the same boat. Perhaps, he had too much free time and was bored. 

  “Don’t you feel bad seeing them like this?” The crown prince asked her with a beaming smile. 

  “Why should I feel bad?” Ji Man raised her eyebrows. “It’s easy for the landscape to change, but it’s difficult for a person’s inherent nature to change. With the marquis’s status, it’s only to be expected for him to be surrounded by countless women. If I were to feel bad over something like this, wouldn’t I be intentionally seeking misery for myself?” 

  “You certainly thought this through.” The crown prince narrowed his eyes. “Nie Sangyu, if you’re willing to be my woman, perhaps, I would be willing to dismiss my harem for you.” 

  Translator Ramblings: Just to clarify, Ning Yuxuan’s primary reason for bringing back Jinse isn’t to embarrass Nie Sangyu. It’s to make the crown prince think he’s not interested in Nie Sangyu, and Nie Clan by extension.

  Chapter 108 out of 513 – On the precipice between life and death (1) 

  If men were reliable, then pigs could climb to the top of trees. A man would say all types of flowery, but insincere words in order to obtain a woman. Ji Man’s smile bared her teeth as she said, “Sangyu is lacking in virtues and talent. It’s enough for me to just accompany the marquis. It’s not worth it for the crown prince to go through such trouble for a fallen woman like Sangyu.” 

  The smile on Zhao Zhe’s face froze. He pursed his lips and said, “Do you ever say anything sweet with your mouth?” 

  Ji Man saluted, “Sure. May the crown prince and princess consort live a long and happy life together.” 

  The crown prince was momentarily stifled by her words. His gaze sunk and he said, “Nie Sangyu, you really don’t know how to appreciate a good thing. You don’t even have a tiny spot in Marquis Moyu’s heart. Why do you cling to him so tightly? Don’t you think this prince is offering the better way out of your difficult situation?” 

  Ji Man smiled. This person must think she was stupid. What kind of relationship did they have? How could Nie Sangyu be with the crown prince? As soon as Nie Sangyu showed feelings towards the crown prince, someone would deliver this information to Marquis Moyu and the relationship between Nie Clan and Ning Clan would be over. Did Zhao Zhe assume she was easy to bully based on her appearance and think her head was filled with tofu? 

  “Your Highness, have you heard of this saying? There are some people, who you can’t clearly say what’s good about them, but nonetheless, they’re irreplaceable to you.” Ji Man was still showing a beaming smile to the person standing in front of her, but inwardly she cursed him from top to bottom. “To say it in a slightly more artistic way, “Compared with the clouds on Wu Mountain, the clouds elsewhere are beneath my notice.”* Your Highness, you’re also very good. Perhaps, if Sangyu hadn’t married the marquis six years ago, Sangyu might be willing to be with the crown prince for a lifetime.” 

  * (T/N: This is a line from a poem, Thoughts of Departure. The writer of this poem was mourning the death of his wife and saying that no one could be compared to her, like the way a river can’t be compared to the sea. Below is a picture of Wu Mountain.) 

  DSB Ch 108 - Wu Mountain.png

  But, perhaps, things could change. 

  Zhao Zhe raised his eyebrows and chuckled. “I really can’t get angry with you after hearing these words.” 

  “Sangyu still has something that needs to be embroidered. Sangyu will leave first.” Ji Man saluted, then she meekly retreated to her room. 

  Gancao and Dengxin were currently tidying the room. 

  Seeing Nie Sangyu coming inside, Dengxin hurriedly went over and closed the doors. Looking at her with worry, she said, “Master……” 

  “It’s fine. There’s nothing to worry about.” Ji Man waved her hands. She saw through the crown prince’s plot and absolutely wouldn’t fall into his trap. 

  — 

  Lost in his thoughts, Zhao Zhe stood at the deck of the boat for a while. His trusted aide, Taxue, whispered, “My prince, shouldn’t you be returning to the other boat? If the emperor ends up looking for you later on ……” 

  Zhao Zhe raised his hand and said, “It’s fine.” He stood at the prow of the boat for a long time and looked at the river. When he finally closed his eyes and reopened them, he had on a gentle smiling expression again. “Since I boarded this boat, I’ll just stay here without worrying. Third imperial brother rarely has a chance to talk with imperial father. I’ll be generous and give him this opportunity.” 

  “Understood.” Taxue retreated to the side. 

  During this journey, he had experienced the various popular customs and much of the public opinions in the regions they had visited. He was the throne’s successor and naturally had his own plans for the future. A prince needed to project an aura that could calm the imperial court as well as the entire country. 

  After he gained the loyalty of Ning Clan and removed Nie Clan, his position in the imperial court would naturally be secured. This had been Zhao Zhe’s plan all along. He would do his upmost to find Nie Sangyu’s mistakes and use them to destroy the relationship between Ning Clan and Nie Clan. He had originally thought it would be easy to seduce her. He had money and other valuables, as well as the promise of the future empress’s position. Either of those things should have been enough to lure her in. 

  He would have never expected that Nie Sangyu would obstinately refuse to be swayed by him. 

  A strategic advisor had once told him to look for an opportunity to get rid of Nie Sangyu as a way to break the link between Ning Clan and Nie Clan. This was a good idea and he had originally planned on doing so during this trip. But, for an inexplicable reason, when he thought of that woman’s completely guarded gaze while still adhering to etiquette, he was suddenly somewhat reluctant. 

  Nie Sangyu was so interesting, ah. Would this world feel lonelier if she disappeared? 

  — 

  The boats would continue to travel during the night, so everyone had to stay on the boats. When they stopped at a dock at a midpoint, Ning Yuxuan returned to the second boat and the crown prince returned to the first boat. 

  — 

  That night, Jinse served Marquis Moyu in bed again. 

  — 

  Feeling bored, Ji Man visited Errong to talk. 

  “The crown prince was the one that gave my cousin Jinse.” Errong had heard about this gossip from someone. In an irritated tone, she said, “Is this the crown prince’s hobby? Giving men women from brothels? Was Mu Shuiqing not enough? Now, there’s Jinse.” 

  Ji Man considered before saying, “Isn’t this just a way from him to win people over? Isn’t money, power, and women what all men want? It wouldn’t look good for him to give money and power, but he can easily send a woman over.” 

  Ning Errong stewed in anger for a while before she suddenly said something in a slightly gloating tone, “Look at how my cousin is treating this woman. He hasn’t let her leave his side for a few days, right? If Wen Wan knew, she definitely wouldn’t be able to be as calm as you.” 

  That was certainly true. With Wen Wan’s small-mindedness, could she tolerate Marquis Moyu bringing back a prostitute six months after she had married into this household? She couldn’t. However, Ning Yuxuan had probably considered this point too. He had said he wouldn’t be bringing Jinse back to the capital with them. He was only using Jinse as a way to make her feel uncomfortable during this journey. 

  Unfortunately for him, she didn’t care. Unless he was starving her or locking her up, then there was nothing else that Marquis Moyu could do to make her feel angry. 

  — 

  The river wasn’t peaceful tonight, and Ji Man wasn’t able to peacefully sleep. Getting a headache from the swaying boat, she put on her clothes and went up to the deck for fresh air. She was starting to get seasick. 

  In the dead of night, without a moon in the sky, Ji Man looked at the other boat’s fluttering dragon flags. The other boat wasn’t far. She could even faintly see a person standing on the other deck.

  Chapter: 109 out of 513 – On the precipice between life and death (2) 

  Eh? There really was a person standing there. Ji Man quickly walked to the prow of the boat to get a closer look. It was the middle of the night, who else was feeling insomniac like her? 

  Zhao Zhe was sitting cross-legged at the back end of the other boat. He was facing Nie Sangyu and there was a six-string lute on his lap. 

  At this distance, Ji Man couldn’t clearly see his expression, but he didn’t seem as if he was sleeping walking. What was he doing? 

  When Zhao Zhe had seen her coming up onto the deck, he had been slightly surprised, but his expression quickly smoothed out. His fingers plucked the strings on the lute to play the famous song, The Faraway Cowherd. 

  “The Cowherd is far away, the Weaver Girl shines brightly in the Milky Way.

  She raises her slender, pale hand，and the shuttle of her loom goes “clack clack”,

  All day long without ever stopping, tears fall from her face like the rain.

  The Milky Way is a clear, moving stream, and a small distance separates them.

  Only the width of a stream, but they cannot speak words of love.”


  Ji Man raised her eyebrows. Was he playing this song because he was feeling horny in the middle of the night? She wasn’t interested in playing along. 

  Original translation is from fuyuneko dot org. If you’re reading this elsewhere, this chapter has been stolen. Please stop supporting theft. 

  There were still lanterns lit on the other boat, but no one had come outside to hear this song. Ji Man turned her head back to look. All of the lanterns on this boat had been extinguished. It was totally silent without the traces of any other people. 

  She had originally just subconsciously turned around to look, but now Ji Man’s heart palpitated in fear. 

  Something was wrong. It was one thing for everyone else to extinguish his or her lamps, but Ning Errong had always been scared of the dark. She always had a lit lamp near her until the sun came up. Why was her room also dark? 

  A feeling of fear rose up behind her. She didn’t know if she was just overthinking things, but she felt a sense of danger being directed towards her from the surrounding space. 

  The sound of the lute continued and allowed Ji Man to feel that not everyone had suddenly disappeared from this world. Otherwise, she would have felt that she was the only person left. 

  “Your Highness.” She tried yelling to catch his attention, but the loud sounds from the lapping water against the boats easily buried her scream. 

  When she turned around, she saw two black figures approaching her. Ji Man was finally overcome with fear. 

  Assassins? Ji Man frowned. That can’t be. Nie Sangyu hadn’t offended anyone to the point that someone would pay a large sum of money to assassins to get rid of her, right? Who hated her so much, to the point of wanting to kill her? 

  “Friends, let’s have a calm discussion.” Ji Man retreated step by step towards the prow of the boat. “It’s the middle of the night. It wouldn’t be good for the two of you to act against a weak woman, right?” 

  The two shadowy figures completely ignored her and only continued walking closer to her, step by step. Ji Man felt frantic. She didn’t know martial arts and couldn’t defeat these two people. If she jumped into the water, everything pointed to disaster. What should she do?” 

  Turning her head and looking at the boat across from her, Ji Man shouted with her last bit of hope, “Help!” 

  The sound drifted across the surface of the river. Zhao Zhe lowered his eyes and quietly asked the person behind him, “Why did you let her run outside?” 

  Taxue half kneeled down and said with a lowered head, “This subordinate was incompetent. Sleeping incense had been lit in Madam Ning’s room, but for some reason……” 

  “Never mind, just take action now,” the crown prince dimly said. 

  Taxue slightly paused. During the past two days of following the crown prince, he thought that the crown prince had a rather favorable impression towards Madam Ning. Was he really going to have her killed? 

  “What are you waiting for?” Seeing that there was no movement behind him, Zhao Zhe sneered, turned around, took out a small smoke bomb from a brocade bag at his waist, lit it, and threw it into the sky. 

  It was only a small smoke bomb, but it was the signal to take someone’s life. When the two people in front of Nie Sangyu saw this signal, they had already stretched their hands out towards her. 

  There was no way for her to escape. She had screamed so loudly, but the crown prince hadn’t heard her and no one on the boat had awakened. Ji Man gritted her teeth, pushed their hands away, and jumped into the river. 

  If she jumped into the river, there was a possibility of surviving. If she fell into their hands, then she would definitely die. 

  Ji Man felt the icy cold river submerging the top of her head. Even though she knew how to swim, her limbs were becoming numb from the cold. It was the middle of winter right now and she had jumped into the river without preparation. 

  “Help……” Ji Man desperately grabbed onto the rope hanging off the side of the boat and did her best to keep her head above the water. 

  The waves of icy cold water were like a sword that stabbed her body from top to bottom. There were times when she felt as if she was going die at any moment. But, her mind stubbornly had a last moment of clarity. 

  The two people on the boat didn’t follow her into the water. After all, not everyone had the courage to jump down into the water in this type of weather, even if their master was watching them from the other boat. 

  Zhao Zhe looked at the thing that was hanging onto the side of the boat. It was Nie Sangyu. In another hour, even if he didn’t do anything, she would either die from hypothermia or drown in the bottomless river if she lost her grip on the rope. 

  He knew that she had to die today. After all, this is what he had planned. Since Nie Sangyu wasn’t willing to work with him, then he had to sever this connection. Tomorrow, there would only be a case of a missing person. Nie Clan naturally wouldn’t let off Ning Clan easily. When those two clans were opposing each other, it would be the best time for him to fish for profits. 

  Taxue saw that the crown prince had stopped playing the lute and somewhat worriedly called out, “Master.” 

  Zhao Zhe was silent for a while, then he asked, “Is she still clutching that rope?” 

  Taxue glanced in that direction and nodded.

  Chapter: 110 out of 513 – Who saved her? (1) 

  The crown prince paused. Holding the lute, he let out a laugh. “She’s clearly a woman. Who raised her to have such a stubborn personality? If a man had jumped into the river, would he have her strength to keep holding on in such a cold river?” 

  Taxue turned his head away. He didn’t want to keep looking at the person in the river. Although the success of a general required the death of thousands and he had long become accustomed to seeing people dying while following the crown prince, his heart still felt slightly reluctant when he saw this innocent woman struggling to live. 

  Taxue said, “Your Highness, the wind here is cold. How about you go back to your room?” 

  The crown prince nodded. His hand pressed down on the lute’s strings and the sound of the lute abruptly cut off. Holding the lute, he stood up and walked two steps towards his room. But, in the end, he stopped. 

  “Taxue, imperial father frequently says in order to accomplish major things, you can’t let trifles bother you. Isn’t that right?” His voice was very low, and even sounded somewhat distracted. 

  Taxue silently stood in place. 

  “I shouldn’t be soft-hearted.” The corners of Zhao Zhe’s lips rose slightly, but his fingers tightened around the lute. “But…… Take her out of the water anyways. If she already stopped breathing, then I tried my best……” 

  The waves from the river had crashed over her so many times and it was such a cold night too. She should have definitely taken her last breath already…… 

  The crown prince silently comforted himself with these thoughts. Nie Sangyu was probably already dead. If he had her taken out of the water, it shouldn’t ruin things for him. 

  Hearing his master’s order, there was a slight hesitation in Taxue’s eyes. But, he still tied a rope to the mast and threw the other end of the rope overboard. He slid down the rope and slowly lengthened the rope until he reached the other boat. 

  However, in the silent dark night, in the gap of time when Zhao Zhe was hesitating, someone had quietly woken up, dropped a rope down on the side of the boat, and silently carried Nie Sangyu back onto the boat. 

  And so, after Taxue had swum over here, he saw another rope hanging from the boat. There was no one there. 

  Was there someone else that was also awake? Taxue shivered and disbelievingly raised his head to look. 

  The deck of the boat was a blanket of blackness. Under the crown prince’s orders, sleeping drugs had been added to the food during dinnertime. Just in case, sleeping incense had also been lit in each of the rooms. No one should be awake right now. 

  Then, who had come down into the water and taken Nie Sangyu away? 

  While thinking about this, Taxue loosely hanged up the rope on a hook, then he climbed up the boat using the other rope. 

  There were watery footprints along the entire path, so it was very easy to follow. Taxue followed the path, but he suddenly saw a person standing outside a room on the second floor. 

  Ning Yuxuan seemed to have been admiring the view of the river. Hearing footsteps, he turned his head slightly and said, “Sir Taxue, your martial arts skills are pretty good. It’s so late at night. Why aren’t you sleeping? Are you here to pass along an order from the crown prince?” 

  Had the sleeping drugs not affected Marquis Moyu? Taxue’s face paled. A chill went up his spine. He was a tall and strong man that rarely felt such fear. 

  Was he the one that saved Nie Sangyu? Then, did he also know that the crown prince was the one that tried to kill Nie Sangyu? 

  No, he was only following the crown prince’s order to save her. Marquis Moyu didn’t have any evidence. He didn’t know that the crown prince had arranged for people to sneak onto the boat. Why would he suspect the crown prince? He was just losing his head from feeling too panicked, and had almost revealed his mission under Ning Yuxuan’s eyes. 

  After calming himself, Taxue said, “The crown prince hadn’t fallen asleep yet and saw evildoers trying to murder Madam Ning on the deck, so he had this subordinate come over here to save her. We didn’t know that you had already saved her.” 

  “Someone wanted to murder Nie Sangyu?” Marquis Moyu blankly looked at him for a moment, then he turned around and kicked opened the door to Nie Sangyu’s room. 

  There was a person lying on the bed and peacefully sleeping. Ning Yuxuan turned around and said to Taxue, “Sir Taxue, you must have been mistaken. Sangyu is peacefully sleeping in her room. Who wants to murder her? I only recently woke up because Mingjie was walking around too loudly. He was having trouble falling asleep. How could I have saved her?” 

  Taxue was stunned. He raised his head and looked at Ning Yuxuan’s tidy robes and cloak lined with fox fur. There wasn’t the slightest trace of water on him. If he had recently gone into the river to save Nie Sangyu, he definitely wouldn’t have had time to change clothes before meeting him. 

  Then, this meant that he didn’t know something had happened to Nie Sangyu? 

  Taxue felt baffled. In front of him, Ning Yuxuan’s innocent expression was even more bewildered than his. He naturally couldn’t continue to stay here, so he could only say, “Since it’s like that, perhaps, someone had hanged clothes there and the crown prince was mistaken.” 

  “En, then Sir Taxue, you should go back to rest.” Ning Yuxuan yawned and said, “I don’t know what Mingjie was up to in the middle of the night. He was very noisy before, but he’s quieted down now. I’m going back to my room to sleep.” 

  “Excuse this humble one,” Taxue said. 

  — 

  Taxue returned to the other boat in the same manner he had come and repeated the conversation he had with Ning Yuxuan to the crown prince without missing a word. 

  After hearing the news that Nie Sangyu had been rescued, instead of asking if she was still alive, he first asked, “He doesn’t know that someone had harmed Nie Sangyu? And, his clothes were dry?” 

  Taxue honestly said, “This subordinate thinks it’s unlikely that the marquis was the one that saved her. He said he had woken up because Sir Ning was too noisy. Also, when her room was opened, there was a person lying in her bed.” 

  “How do you know for sure that person was Nie Sangyu?” Zhao Zhe pursed his lips. “Did you see her face?” 

  Taxue lowered his head. He was only the crown prince’s herald. How could he barge into a married woman’s bedroom to look at her sleeping face? The marquis had been right next to him and naturally wouldn’t allow him inside to look.

  Chapter: 111 out of 513 – Who saved her? (2) 

  The crown prince sighed. “This is certainly strange. Who saved Nie Sangyu? I feel that Ning Yuxuan is the most likely person, but you think it’s someone else?” 

  “This subordinate thinks it might be Sir Ning.” Taxue thought of a detail and said, “This subordinate followed the trail of water. When I stopped in front of Nie Sangyu’s room, the trail of water was continuing forward.” 

  Ning Mingjie? The crown prince paused. He really wanted to gain this person’s loyalty. Imperial father had also said Ning Mingjie was a talented individual that would be helpful in governing a country. But, how did he end up getting involved in this matter? 

  “This prince doesn’t want to investigate the matter of why those two people weren’t sleeping.” The crown prince rubbed his forehead. “If Nie Sangyu is perfectly fine tomorrow, then you and those two people can go soak in the river for two hours.” 

  Taxue pursed his lips and half kneeled down. “Understood.” 

  — 

  Nie Sangyu’s weak breathing seemed as if it would stop at any moment. With a deathly pale face, Ning Errong had changed her clothing and covered her in a thick quilt, but Nie Sangyu’s condition hadn’t improved at all. 

  “What happened?” Errong was about to cry from feeling too anxious. “I only slept for a little bit. Why did this happen to Sangyu?” 

  Ning Mingjie slowly shook his head. He had suddenly woken up in the middle of the night, was lured to the side of the boat by a shadowy figure, and saw Sangyu in the river. From a distance, he saw one of the crown prince’s people approaching her. He didn’t have time to carefully think things though. He took her out of the water and brought her to Errong’s room. 

  But, when he came to Errong’s room, Errong wouldn’t wake up. He had shouted for a long time, and even had to use a silver needle before Errong gain consciousness. 

  The smell of sleeping incense was still lingering in her room. It seemed as if someone had planned in advance to murder Nie Sangyu. 

  Ning Errong rubbed her hands together to warm them up, then she placed them on Sangyu’s face. Sangyu’s face was icy cold and wasn’t much different from a dead person’s face. But, when she checked her pulse, she knew that she was still alive. 

  “Take off your clothes and hug her to warm her up.” Ning Mingjie was slightly panicky. After giving Ning Errong this order, he returned to his room to bring medicine. 

  That crazy monk had once given him a pill in return for a piece of jade that was his family heirloom. The monk had said this pill had a warming effect and could bring someone back from death’s door. At the time, no one in the household had believed in the monk’s words, even his father had said he had been tricked. Nevertheless, he thought he might have a use for this medicine one day and always brought it along. 

  (T/N: The crazy traveling monk was first mentioned in chapter 86. He was the one that told Ning Mingjie about Cold Fragrance Pills. Tiny spoiler. We’ll be meeting him later in this story.) 

  Right now, his only choice was to use this pill. If that had monk had really lied to him, he would notify all the temples in the world and give the order for his arrest, so that he wouldn’t be safe anywhere! 

  After bringing back the medicine, ignoring the rules of propriety, Ning Mingjie walked to the bed with his eyes closed and stretched his hand out to feel around until he found Nie Sangyu’s mouth, then he stuffed the pill into her mouth. 

  Ning Errong’s entire body was shivering because of Nie Sangyu’s frigid body temperature, but she still tightly hugged her. The hand warmers inside the quilt had been changed several times before Nie Sangyu’s body gradually warmed up. 

  “I think she’s starting to recover,” Errong joyfully said. 

  Ning Minjie was sitting nearby with his back facing them. When he heard these words, it felt as if a stone had fallen down in his heart. “She’s definitely going to get sick from this. Her health might even be worse than before. Take good care of her tonight. Once it’s dawn, don’t tell anyone about the danger she was in. Just say she came over to sleep and ended up getting sick. Have a doctor come over to look at her.” 

  “Okay.” Although Ning Errong didn’t understand why he was saying this, she would never go wrong by believing in her older brother. 

  — 

  “Have you ever loved someone?” A quiet voice asked her this question in the midst of this empty space. 

  Ji Man was very familiar with this voice. It was the voice that came out of Nie Sangyu’s mouth. 

  “Of course, I’ve loved someone.” Ji Man looked around at the surrounding white mist and simply sat down. She laughed and said, “It’s because I had experienced love that I can understand this so well. No one is born with this knowledge.” 

  “Can you let go of the person that you once loved?” Nie Sangyu quietly asked her. 

  “Why can’t I let him go?” Ji Man sighed. “A human’s love can’t last for a lifetime. After the passionate period has passed, love will start to wither. When I fell in love, I already had the awareness that I would put it down one day.” 

  Nie Sangyu’s body slowly appeared in the white mist. But this time, Nie Sangyu’s hands were so transparent that Ji Man almost couldn’t see them. “Since you let him go, why were you so flustered when you saw Young Master’s face?” 

  Feeling embarrassed, Ji Man awkwardly smiled. “Sometimes your memories will surge up like a period that leaks through. You can’t help feeling startled. It’s not that I can’t let him go, I was just remembering him. If I had to get back together with that scumbag, I would rather try online dating instead. 

  After a long time of silence, Nie Sangyu turned around. 

  “Hey! When are you going to let me go back?” Ji Man called out to her. 

  “Are you still willing to leave Yuxuan?” Nie Sangyu slowly turned around. There was a hint of surprise on her apathetic face. 

  “Why wouldn’t I be willing?” Ji Man raised her eyebrows. “He’s your treasure, not mine. This type of man totally isn’t my type. If it wasn’t because I want to go home, there’s no way I would be willing to pay any attention to him.” 

  Nie Sangyu frowned. Her gaze clearly showed her dissatisfaction. 

  Ji Man didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. This woman, she was truly foolish to the point of being cute. Could it be that Nie Sangyu thought that all of the women in the world should be in love with him just because she thought he was good?

  Chapter: 112 out of 513 – The culprit can’t be found (1) 

  Refusing to stop loving a person that didn’t love you back was like a moth that was flying into fire. Even as it its wings were crumbling, it still struggled to fly closer to the center of the fire. How regretful and pitiful. 

  When Ji Man regained her consciences, she felt as if Nie Sangyu’s body had recently been burned by fire. Not only did she feel uncomfortable, it felt as if her body was burning up. 

  After a struggle to open her eyes, she saw Ning Errong’s happy face looking at her. 

  “Sangyu, are you awake?” 

  The room seemed very dim. Errong was the only other person in the room. 

  Seeing Nie Sangyu opening and closing her mouth, Errong hurriedly brought over a cup of water and poured it down her throat without any gentleness. 

  Errong was also a person that had never taken care of someone else before. And so, she wasn’t aware that she had moderate her strength. Ji Man ended up coughing for a long time to clear her throat. With her eyes half-opened and her head somewhat foggy, she asked, “Who saved me?” 

  Ning Errong looked at her with a solemn expression. “My older brother saved you. Sangyu, what happened last night? Why did you fall into the river? If it wasn’t for my older brother, you would have definitely lost your life!” 

  Ji Man did her best to recollect last night’s memories. She had gone outside for fresh air because she was having trouble falling asleep. Then, she had seen the crown prince on the other side. After that, she had been forced to jump into the river by those two shadowy figures. 

  The crown prince? Her body tensed. Ji Man suddenly remembered the lingering peaceful lute music played by the crown prince. Even though she had shouted, no one had woken up on either of the two boats. Last night had felt like a nightmare. Fortunately, she woke up and was still alive. 

  Who wanted to harm her? Ji Man couldn’t figure it out. If it was the crown prince, wasn’t he afraid that by allowing her to live, she would tell Marquis Moyu what he had done and cause hostility between them? 

  Someone lightly knocked on the door and she heard Jinse’s voice from outside, “Madam, you weren’t in your room. The marquis is looking for you.” 

  Ji Man returned to her senses. Her entire body still felt weak and her forehead was slightly feverish. Her complexion probably looked deathly pale. She looked at Ning Errong. Ning Errong gave her a reassuring look, then she turned around and opened the door. 

  “Sangyu got sick. She came over here to sleep last night and ended up catching a cold.” Ning Errong expressionlessly looked at Jinse, who was still standing outside. “Why is my cousin looking for her so early in the morning? Isn’t it enough that you’re serving him?” 

  Jinse felt somewhat embarrassed. She glanced inside the room, then left after bowing. 

  In a bad mood, Errong rolled her eyes, closed the doors, and returned to the bedside. As she stretched her hand out to pick up the bowl of medicine, she said, “It’s strange. Everyone was deeply asleep last night. I called Baizi several times, but I couldn’t wake her up, so my older brother personally prepared this medicine. Here, you should drink this. It’ll help with your cold.” 

  — 

  There were no traces left in the rooms. Everyone didn’t wake up until noon, but no one felt there was anything strange about last night. 

  — 

  Shortly after, Marqus Moyu came to Ning Errong’s room. Seeing Nie Sangyu’s sickly face, he lightly said, “You should properly rest.” 

  Ji Man looked at his eyes and asked, “My lord, did you hear anything strange last night?” 

  Ning Yuxuan quietly looked at her. His eyes were as deep as the river. “I didn’t. I slept very well.” 

  Ji Man nodded. Seeing Marquis Moyu turning around and leaving, she finally figured things out. 

  The most likely probability was that the crown prince had wanted to silently get rid of her and hadn’t thought of the possibility that he might fail. However, even if she guessed that the crown prince was behind this, she didn’t have any evidence that would prove he was guilty. She was a member of Nie Clan and Marquis Moyu didn’t wholeheartedly believe her. And so, there was no use in telling Ning Yuxan what happened last night. 

  It seemed that it would be quite difficult if she wanted to continue living. Ji Man let out a wry laugh. After drinking the bowl of medicine, she peacefully lied down and went to sleep 

  — 

  Other than Nie Qingyun, Ning Mingjie didn’t tell anyone else about the matter of Nie Sangyu falling into the water. 

  There was no one on this boat that would have a reason to dislike Nie Sangyu. Her magnanimous and proper conduct during this entire journey had completely shattered people’s previous impression of her. In addition, she hadn’t complained about anything. When there was hard work to do, she was willing to do it. And so, everyone’s impression of her had significantly improved. 

  However, Ning Mingjie felt there was only two people that truly wished her well: Errong and Nie Qingyun. 

  As for Ning Yuxuan, he felt it was already surprising that his cousin hadn’t gotten rid of her. 

  When Nie Qingyun found out about this matter, he was silent for a while. His following action was to go look for Marquis Moyu. 

  Ning Mingjie hastily stopped by saying, “Talking to him won’t be helpful.” 

  With a faint smile as he held up a broken piece of jade, he said, “Someone had secretly burned sleeping incense in everyone’s room last night. But, someone had also placed the antidote in my room and Nie Sangyu’s room. I truly admire that person’s careful efforts, but I don’t know who that person was. Although that person had casually used jade to strike my door, this one had only found this one piece.” 

  For a person to throw jade at a door, the person was probably in a rush and also wasn’t concerned about money. Nie Qingyun took the jade from Ning Mingjie’s hand. It was an ordinary piece of jade. And, since it was shattered, he couldn’t tell the original decorative design. Everyone on this boat was from rich families and would be able to afford breaking a piece of jade. 

  Nie Qingyun frowned while thinking. “Could it have been Yuxuan?” 

  Ning Mingjie paused. As he stroked the jade, he said, “It probably wasn’t him. If it was him, why would he act so superfluously?” 

  That was true. If Ning Yuxuan knew that someone wanted to harm Sangyu, he could just directly save her. Why would he leave it someone else? Nie Qingyun shook his head and sighed. Sangyu had suffered so badly and couldn’t let the marquis settle this injustice for her. She must be feeling so badly right now. He should hurry and go see her.

  Chapter: 113 out of 513 – The culprit can’t be found (2) 

  Errong watched over Sangyu while she slept. Today, they would disembark in Qin Province during lunchtime. Marquis Moyu hadn’t sent anyone to call Sangyu over and had only ordered Gancao and Dengxin to deliver food. 

  Gancao rubbed her head as she placed the dishes down on the table. She quietly mumbled, “Did I have a nightmare last night? I had a huge bump on my head when I woke up.” 

  Because Nie Sangyu was sick, Dengxin originally had an anxious expression. But, hearing these words, she couldn’t resist turning around and laughing. “You were definitely sleepwalking. Otherwise, how could you have ended up in our master’s bed?” 

  Gancao hurriedly waved her hands. Looking at the nearby Ning Errong, she whispered, “Young Miss, please don’t tell my master about this. This servant was deeply asleep last night and shouldn’t have sleepwalked, ah. But, when this servant woke up today, this servant was in my master’s bed and my master had gone to your room.” 

  Ning Errong tilted her head and doubtfully looked at Gancao. However, since Sangyu trusted these two people, she only said, “It’s fine. Perhaps, it really was just sleepwalking. 

  Gancao relaxed. Although her master was generous and probably wouldn’t get mad at her, it would be bad if someone else found out. After all, it was very improper for a servant girl to sleep in her master’s bed. 

  — 

  The emperor had lunch with his relatives and important officials at a building that was facing the water. 

  The crown prince was sitting at the same table as Marquis Moyu. Seeing that the spot next to Ning Yuxuan was empty, he asked with a smile, “Is Sangyu busy with something?” 

  “En. She went to Errong’s room last night because she couldn’t fall asleep and ended up catching a cold,” Ning Yuxuan said with a serious expression. “Since she can’t leave the boat to eat lunch, I already sent servant girls to bring her food.” 

  “Catch a cold?” The crown prince slightly raised his eyebrow. “Is it serious?” 

  “I’m not sure. Her complexion didn’t look good when I check on her this morning, but she still seems spirited.” Marquis Moyu turned his head to look at Ning Mingjie. “Mingjie, your face doesn’t look too good either. What were you doing last night? You were so noisy that I ended up waking up.” 

  Ning Mingjie and Nie Qingyun’s were inwardly startled. Marquis Moyu had also been awake last night? With him asking this question, what should Ning Mingjie say? That he got a slight cold because he had jumped into the river to save someone? 

  After a pause, before Ning Mingjie could speak, the crown prince also turned to look at Ning Mingjie and said, “Sir Ning, were you doing something last night?” 

  “It was nothing.” Ning Mingjie lowered his eyes. Without his mask, his face looked utterly innocent. “I was just walking around because I couldn’t fall asleep. Yuxuan, was I too loud?” 

  “It wasn’t that bad.” Ning Yuxuan lightly smiled. 

  The table was suddenly silent. These men were all occupied by different thoughts and intentions. 

  Zhao Zhe was surprised to realize that he wasn’t that angry. Instead, he felt conflicted. Since Nie Sangyu was still alive, he would have to attack her again. 

  Based on this recent conversation, Ning Mingjie was definitely the person that saved Nie Sangyu. The crown prince observed him again. Without his mask, Ning Mingjie looked valiant and handsome. He was completely suitable to the elegant magnificence that scholars were seeking to emulate. In addition, he was very talented and his conduct was within the acceptable bounds of etiquette. He had also done meritorious service by protecting the third prince. Zhao Zhe reckoned that he would be able to rise up in ranking after they returned to the capital. 

  Unfortunately, Ning Mingjie had found that he wanted to harm Nie Sangyu. And so, he had lost his chance to pull Ning Mingjie to his side. His only option now was to cup his hands and give him to the third prince. 

  The crown prince sighed, then he cast a glance at Marquis Moyu. This person didn’t seem the slightest bit concerned about Nie Sangyu. He didn’t even ask her if she had fallen into water or just happened to have caught a cold. He was truly heartless. 

  And yet, he liked that Ning Yuxuan was heartless towards Nie Sangyu. 

  After quietly smiling, Zhao Zhe lowered his head and went back to eating. 

  — 

  After lunch, the third prince and Noble Consort Nie wanted to go visit Sangyu. Nie Qingyun would naturally go with them. 

  However, seeing that several other people were also going there, Ning Yuxuan said, “That room isn’t big. Since all of you are going, then I won’t be coming along to join in the fuss. There are a few fun spots in Qin Province. I’ll take Jinse with me to walk around for sightseeing.” 

  Noble Consort Nie’s gaze was filled with sorrow and grievance, but Marquis Moyu pretended to not see. He pulled Jinse along with him as he walked away. 

  — 

  Ji Man had been serenely sleeping when someone shook her awake. 

  Ning Errong hurriedly said, “Several people have come here to see you. Sangyu, wake up.” 

  A patient needed to rest. This group of visitors was only disturbing her peaceful rest. Ji Man painfully sat up, placed a soft pillow behind her her back, and had Errong bring some congee to warm up her throat. At the very least, she didn’t want to sound like a person that was about to die when she spoke. 

  Because a cold was a contagious sickness, Noble Consort Nie was sitting far away even though she had come here to see Nie Sangyu. With a bed curtain separating then, she asked, “You were perfectly fine yesterday. How did you get sick?” 

  Ji Man dryly smiled. “Aunty, don’t worry. It’s just a slight cold. I’ll be fine after resting.” 

  The third prince sighed. “Older brother is truly unreasonable to give Yuxuan a woman at this time. Men are all greedy for new things. Right now, Yuxuan took that person with him as he went out. He’s not showing any concern towards you.”


  Chapter: 114 out of 513 – These pesky feelings (1) 

  Hearing these words, Ji Man raised her head in surprise. Unfortunately, she had forgotten that the bed curtains had been put down. No matter how hard she tried to look, she wouldn’t be able to see the third prince’s expression. 

  Although his voice sounded as if he was truly outraged on her behalf, Ji Man felt suspicious about his choice in words. If she were actually upset, these words would be enough to make her resent the crown prince. But, she wasn’t upset. She felt as if the third prince wanted her to blame the crown prince for Ning Yuxuan’s actions. 

  She remembered that Nie Qingyun and Ning Yuxuan had both said that the third prince was a carefree person that was interested in traveling the world instead of politics. Thus, Noble Conosort Nie was very worried about him. 

  Based on the third prince’s actions in sending his travel notes to the emperor, solving the problem of the drought in Li Province, and these words that he had just said, Ji Man felt that this person wasn’t as withdrawn from worldly affairs as he pretended to be. At least half of his mind was interested in the mortal world’s struggles. 

  But, perhaps, she was overthinking things. Everyone in this room was her relative. The third prince was probably just casually saying these words without any hidden motives. 

  “If the marquis becomes interested in Miss Jinse, then Sangyu naturally has nothing to say.” She thought of a softer way to express her thoughts. “But, the marquis had said he wouldn’t bring Miss Jinse back to the capital.” 

  “You’re so naive. Do you really believe his words?” Noble Consort Nie repeatedly shook her head. “If that woman became pregnant, would Marquis Moyu be willing to allow her to wander outside in poverty?” 

  At the mention of pregnancy, Ji Man finally thought about something that hadn’t occurred to her previously. Wasn’t it a little too difficult to become pregnant with Ning Yuxuan’s child? In the past six years, she wasn’t the only unable to become pregnant. The other concubines had the same problem too. Mu Shuiqing was the only that had gotten pregnant, and there had been no news of pregnancy after her. 

  Since it wasn’t easy to become pregnant with Ning Yuxuan’s child, Man felt that Noble Consort Nie’s worries were unnecessary. But, in order to assure her, she could only gently say, “Sangyu will be more watchful.” 

  “You’re a clever child now. Aunty doesn’t need to say anymore. Just remember to take care of your health. This consort will have Pengshu deliver more medicine to you tonight.” 

  “Thank you aunty.” 

  During this conversation, Nie Qingyun had stood silently by the side. After Noble Consort Nie and the third prince had finished speaking and left the room, he closed the door. He asked with a serious expression, “Sangyu, who do you think tried to harm you?” 

  Still separated from the rest of the room by the bed curtains, Ji Man said, “Older brother, you don’t need to ask this question. I’ll be more careful in the future. I won’t give other people another opportunity to harm me again.” 

  “You don’t know even know who tried to harm you. How will you know who to be guarded against?” Ning Qingyun frowned. “Your hands don’t even have the strength to truss up a chicken. If something like this happens again and a person like Mingjie isn’t around to save you, what will you do?” 

  His every word showed sincere concern. Ji Man’s heart softened. Nie Qingyun did his duty as an older brother too conscientiously. It made her feel somewhat bad about hiding so many things from him. 

  Nonetheless, she had to hide this from him. It would only be detrimental if she told him the crown prince was behind this. 

  Ji Man clutched her head. In a rare show of cutely spoiled behavior, she said, “My head hurts. Older brother, how about you go with Errong to make me chicken soup? I remember that there’s a kitchen on this boat.” 

  A sick person’s requests had the highest priority, and Sangyu was a woman after all. He couldn’t depend on her to know useful information. Nie Qingyun sighed, stood up, and said, “If you want to drink chicken soup, I’ll go prepare it. Errong can stay here to watch over you.” 

  “No!” Ji Man hurriedly said, “I like the mushrooms that Errong makes. I want to have that with the chicken soup made by older brother. You have to go there together to cook for me! I don’t care about anything else! I’m sick!” 

  She was clearly trying to create another opportunity to push the two of them togther. Nie Qingyun didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He could only turn his head and say to Ning Errong, “Junzhu, my younger sister is being silly. Would you be willing to go with this one to the kitchen?” 

  Naturally, Nie Qingyun couldn’t let her personally cook. He had planned on just letting her stand to the side and watch. 

  However, Errong felt slightly panicky. Cook mushrooms? Cook what mushrooms? She had only learned how to cook soup from Sangyu last time. She didn’t know how to cook mushrooms, ah. 

  But, her beloved person was standing right in front of her and quietly asking her to go with him. She couldn’t refuse. With a blushing face, Ning Errong nodded. She cast Sangyu a troubled glance before ordering Baizhi to stay here to care for her, then she followed Nie Qingyun out of the room. 

  Since ancient times, the noblemen had stayed away from the kitchen. Thus, Nie Qingyun didn’t actually know how to cook either. He just told the cook how Nie Sangyu liked her food, then he stood by the side to watch. 

  Seeing that they were only going to do this, Ning Errong stopped worring. She obediently stood by Nie Qingyun’s side. She looked like a shy maiden as she snuck a glance at him from time to time. 

  “Junzhu, thank you for taking care of Sangyu.” Nie Qingyun felt that the continued silent was slightly awkward, so he found a topic to talk about. 

  However, he was a person that was slow-witted when it came to romance, and the girl next to became unhappy when she heard these words. 

  Feeling wronged, Errong flattened her lips. “Sangyu is my best friend. It’s only right that I would take care of her. Sir Ning, thanking me makes it seem like I’m an outsider.” 

  Nie Qingyun was too doting towards Sangyu, even she would occasionally feel jealousy. However, thinking about the fact that they were siblings, Errong relaxed her heart. When she married him in the future, he would probably cherish her just as much.

  Chapter: 115 out of 513 – These pesky feelings (2) 

  “Junzhu, you’re not an outsider.” Nie Qingyun pursed his lips and seriously said, “When we return to the capital, it’ll be about the time for us to marry.” 

  Their wedding had been scheduled for the beginning of next year. Errong felt happy just thinking about this. “Right, well, when that time comes, you can’t dislike me because I don’t know housekeeping.” 

  “Of course not.” Nie Qingyun’s gaze drifted for a moment before becoming resolute. “But, Sangyu and Marquis Moyu’s matter…… If Sangyu isn’t happy living in Marquis Moyu’s household, then they should just divorce. Nie Clan can afford to support their daughter.” 

  Ning Errong was stunned. 

  Divorce wasn’t a simple matter, much less a divorce between these two great clans. How could he say this? 

  “Noble Consort Nie probably wouldn’t agree. Neither would Old Madame,” she said to the person next to her. “Nie Clan and Ning Clan’s friendly relationship is based on several generations. We can’t have a falling out just because of those two.” 

  Nie Qingyun lightly furrowed his brow. He very honestly said, “I thought that if we got married, then the connection between our two families would be maintained. This way, Sangyu’s life will become a little bit better at least.” 

  As Sangyu’s older brother, he was always giving consideration to her needs. He and his mother owed Sangyu too much. They had to compensate her. 

  However, once these words were said, Ning Errong’s face paled. She slowly lowered her head and tightly clutched the handkerchief in her hands. 

  A woman’s heart was delicate and sensitive. Nie Qingyun had already said words like these, so it was inevitable for Ning Errong’s thoughts to go in a bad direction. 

  Had he only agreed to marry her so that Sangyu would be able to live more freely? It seemed that this was the case. At the beginning, Nie Qingyun didn’t want to marry her. Later on, he had only agreed because Sangyu had persuaded him. But in the end, did he still not like her? Had he only agreed to marry her because of Sangyu? 

  If it were before, she would definitely make a huge fuss. She would rather not marry than let herself be wronged. 

  But now…… Ning Errong looked at his bluish green robe. This was the first time they spent so much time together. She hadn’t seen him in over a year and she liked Nie Qingyun even more than before. When he was angry, his lips would be tightly pursed. When he was embarrassed, his face would be expressionless, but his ears would turn red. He liked the grandeur of landscape poetry and the tactile sensation of gentle jade accessories. His eyebrows were as gentle as the clear jade accessory hanging from his waist. He wasn’t greasily faltering and fawning like other people. He was unpretentious without seeming servile. 

  She liked him so much, so she hadn’t care about maintaining a maiden’s proud aloofness and had old madame propose a marriage between their two families. She didn’t care what other people said behind her back as long as she could be with him. 

  She hadn’t realized that if he didn’t like her, then it didn’t matter how much she liked him. 

  “The soup will be done soon. Sir Nie, you can watch over it by yourself. Errong is going to check on Sangyu.” After hastily flinging these words down, Ning Errong fled in defeat. 

  Nie Qingyun had been lost in thought while starting at the simmering, lightly yellow soup when the person next to him had already ran away. He opened his mouth wanting to say something, but it was too late to stop her. 

  Why did she leave? Nie Qingyun lowered his head as he reflected upon himself. Was it because he wasn’t good at talking and she had felt bored?” 

  — 

  Ning Errong had walked very quickly. When she reached the doorway to her room, she did her best to slow down her breathing before walking to the bed. 

  “Why did you come back by yourself?” With great difficulty, Ji Man raised her eyes to look at her. “Didn’t I send you off with my older brother?” 

  Errong was silent for a moment, then she did her best to raise the corners of her mouth into a smile. “It’s enough with just him there. I came back to keep you company.” 

  Ji Man could tell that something unpleasant had happened just by looking at Errong’s expression. Ning Errong’s face couldn’t hide anything, Right now, her large, limpid eyes looked as if they were going to cry at any moment. 

  “What happened?” Ji Man inwardly sighed and sat up to play the role of the woman’s association’s director. 

  “It’s nothing. I was just feeling a little bit too happy. I’m going to marry your older brother soon.” Errong’s smile became more natural. 

  Was she feeling pre-marital fear? Ji Man looked at her for moment before saying, “If you’re worried about something, tell me. I’ll help you figure out a solution.” 

  Sangyu was truly sincerely good to her, ah. Ning Errong swallowed down her grievances and smiled. “Okay.” 

  As long as she could marry him, she could let go about caring anything else. Regardless of why Nie Qingyun was marrying her, she could still do her best so that he would fall in love with her after they got married. 

  A while later, Ning Errong seriously asked, “Sangyu, have you thought about leaving the marquis?” 

  Leave Ning Yuxuan? Ji Man lightly smiled. “I think about this question every day, but it’s impossible.” 

  “It’s possible,” Ning Errong whispered. 

  “What?” Ji Man raised her brows. Errong’s voice had been so quiet that she couldn’t hear her clearly. 

  “it’s nothing. You should go back to resting.” While smiling, Ning Errong helped her lie back down and covered her with a quilt. “If you don’t get better soon, you’ll fall out of favor again.” 

  Ji Man felt as if Ning Errong was hiding something from her, but seeing that this young girl was doing her best to hide the grievance in her eyes, she would feel bad if she tried to expose her secret. 

  As for falling out of favor, why would she care about this? She had already traveled back from the gates of hell. Why should she care if Marquis Moyu was by her bedside or doing as he pleased by going out with another woman? 

  — 

  Ning Yuxuan didn’t come to pick up Nie Sangyu from Ning Errong’s room until evening.

  Chapter: 116 out of 513 – Sickness comes like a landslide, but goes slowly like spinning silk (1) 

  It wasn’t comfortable sleeping on a boat, so the emperor ordered everyone to settled down at Qin Province’s governor’s residence. 

  Standing by the side of the bed, Ning Yuxuan looked at Nie Sangyu’s deathly pale face. With a slightly disdainful expression, he stretched his hand out. “It’s time to get up.” 

  Ji Man didn’t have the strength to move. Although her fever had faded, her entire body felt weak. 

  Standing by the side, Nie Qingyun couldn’t continue to watch this sight. With a calm and collected face, he said, “Let me carry Sangyu off the boat instead.” 

  “Are you really that delicate that you can’t walk by yourself, just because you’re wearing a slightly heavier cloak?” Ning Yuxuan took down the nearby cotton-padded cloak, turned his head, and said to Nie Qingyun and Errong, “You two can leave first. I’ll bring Sangyu off the boat.” 

  No one would feel at ease if you were the one carrying her, okay? Errong frowned and looked at him for a while before saying, “Cousin, Sangyu hasn’t recovered from her cold yet and she’ll be exposed to the wind when we go outside. Don’t treat her too roughly, okay?” 

  Ning Yuxuan chuckled, “I know how to act within the bounds of proper behavior.” 

  Yeah right! Ji Man silently cursed at him. As soon as she raised her head, she felt woozy. She would much rather be carried out by Nie Sangyu’s older brother than by him! She couldn’t help think that he was going to drag off her of the boat by her legs. 

  When all was said and done, these two were a married couple. It wouldn’t be proper for Ning Errong and Nie Qingyun to interfere. And so, they led the servants away and closed the door on their way out. 

  Ning Yuxuan leisurely picked up one of her cotton-padded dresses and her hair accessories, helped her up, and slowly helped her change her clothes. Then, he simply tied her hair behind her and wrapped the cotton-padded cloak around her. 

  Ji Man really wanted to say that the clash between the red cloak and green dress looked really ugly, but Marquis Moyu didn’t look interested in speaking with her. After helping her dress, he turned around and had Gancao and Dengxin bring Jinse into the room. 

  “Help Madam off the boat.” 

  Jinse quietly nodded. She didn’t show the slightest opinion and directly stretched her hand out to support Nie Sangyu. 

  Ji Man didn’t refuse either. Her body didn’t have any strength, so she could only drape herself on Jinse’s shoulder like a sea sponge as they started walking outside. 

  The river was very windy. Ji Man was wrapped up in the cloak with only her eyes left uncovered. However, when her peripheral vision saw the river, she remembered the bone-chilling coldness of the water and felt as if she was going to faint. 

  — 

  In the evening, Noble Consort Nie came over with medicinal soup. Moreover, she had pulled Marquis Moyu to the side and said that Sangyu had been very attentive throughout this journey. He couldn’t ignore her just because she was sick. She even mentioned old madame’s hopes, as well as the relationships between their two clans. 

  Ji Man felt a headache just hearing these words. Sometimes, Noble Consort was way too long-winded and troublesome. Moreover, her intention was so blatant. She just wanted Marquis Moyu to bestow his favor on her niece. And yet, she went around this huge circle instead. It was really tiring to listen to her. 

  However, Ning Yuxuan didn’t show the slightest sign of impatience as he listened to her. When she finished speaking, there was actually a hint of shame on his face. “Yuxuan understands. Many thanks to the noble consort for your edification.” 

  Seeing that he had accepted her words, she happily praised him for a long time before lifting her skirt and leaving. 

  And so, Ning Yuxuan and Ji Man slept in the same room that night. Ji Man’s rest that night was wasn’t peaceful. Her body started to heat up again. It was already a miracle that she was still alive right now. Thus, she treasured her little life very much. Feeling a sense of wrongness, she hurriedly turned over and shouted, “Yuxuan!” 

  Because she hadn’t fully recovered from her cold yet, NIng Yuxuan was sleeping on the cushioned couch in the outer room. Her yell didn’t wake him. He was probably deeply asleep. 

  Ji Man struggled to push the quilt off and got up to pour herself a cup of water. She felt that her bed was slightly too hot. And the more she slept, the hotter it became. Her body felt as if it was burning up and there wasn’t even a cold object she could use to cool herself down. She felt very tormented. 

  And so, after standing in her room for a few moments and noticing that charcoal fire was burning too much, she went to open a window. 

  The cool breeze brought her a moment of comfort before her head felt woozy again. The window was above the cushioned couch. Ji Man didn’t take another second to think before choosing to lie down on the cushioned couch because of proximity. 

  The cushioned couch wasn’t as hot as the bed. The temperature was just right. Marquis Moyu’s body even felt slightly cold. 

  Since the couch was so big and she couldn’t wake him, Ji Man decided it would fine if she also slept here. If Ning Yuxuan ended up getting sick tomorrow, then he could only blame his immune system for not being good enough. 

  Just like that, Ji Man muddle-headedly fell asleep. One moment, Nie Sangyu’s body would feel hot, and she would roll over to a cooler part. The next moment, her body would feel cold, and she would snatch the quilt away and tightly roll up in it. 

  When Ning Yuxuan opened his eyes, he saw her rolling away one moment and rolling back the next moment. One moment, she would be comfortably hugging him. The next moment, she would disdainfully push him away. 

  Really, she was as difficult to serve in her sleep as when she was awake. Ning Yuxuan snorted and touched Nie Sangyu’s forehead to check her temperature. Then, he sat up and took out a small box that had been tucked into the sleeve of his clothing that had been hanging on a divider screen. There was a pill-sized medicine in the box. After dissolving it into water, he started pouring it down Nie Sangyu’s throat. 

  Ji Man struggled even in her sleep. 

  With a stiff expression, Ning Yuxuan said, “This isn’t poison. This is to prevent your mind from burning up and becoming a fool. There’s not much good about you to begin with. If you’re brain stops working, then don’t blame me for not wanting you.” 

  Strangely, Nie Sangyu stopped struggling. Ning Yuxuan poured the rest of the liquid down her throat, then he quietly lied down and went back to sleep. 

  (T/N: My friend, Fringe Octopus, has recently picked up Black Belly Wife to translate. It was one of the novels that Girly Novels selected as a teaser translation, so if you like ChongFei Manual, I think you might like this novel as well.)

  Chapter: 117 out of 513 – Sickness comes like a landslide, but goes slowly like spinning silk (2) 

  When Ji Man woke up the next day, she felt much better. Although she still felt slightly light-headed and stuffy, she felt much more energetic. 

  Ning Yuxuan had disappeared early in the morning and Ji Man didn’t care enough to ask the servants where he had gone. Instead, she had a little bit of millet congee with Errong. 

  “I heard that the emperor is handling Qin Province’s legal cases related to unjust and false charges.” Full of excitement, Errong said, “It’s quite interesting. Qin Province has always been known for having the most cases with unjust and false charges. The emperor had originally planned on only staying here for a day and a night, but a pile of cases attracted his interest. He told the first prince and third prince to go with him to solve these cases.” 

  Ji Man nodded. This wasn’t difficult to understand. During this entire journey, the emperor had been publicly and secretly testing these two princes and the third prince had been doing a cut better than the crown prince each time. Hearing that the crown prince would also be responsible for solving cases, Ji Man thought that it was about time for the crown prince to show his ability. 

  “The crown prince will be going to investigate a case of a headless murder victim this afternoon. The third prince’s case is about a missing young woman. Everyone is going to leave the residence today. It’s going to be so boring.” Errong sighed. 

  Nie Qingyun would also be leaving with the third prince. Originally, Ning Mingjie hadn’t been interested in participating. But for an unknown reason, he ended up perfectly willing to follow along with the third prince’s group today. As for the crown prince, he would only have Marquis Moyu helping him. 

  Ji Man wasn’t interested in these cases. It had taken her a huge amount of effort to improve Nie Sangyu’s sickly health, but this serious illness had ruined her efforts. Once she was feeling better, she had to figure out a way to recover her health again. 

  — 

  That afternoon, Ji Man took a nap after lunch with only Gancao and Dengxin keeping her company. Errong had left with Ning Mingjie to participate in the excitement. Ji Man’s health hadn’t recovered, so she naturally couldn’t go with them. 

  But, when she woke up, the room was quiet and peaceful. Gancao and Dengxin weren’t in the room, but Ji Man saw the crown prince as soon as she raised her eyes. 

  The psychological shadow was still in her heart, so Ji Man couldn’t present a pleasant expression. She could only calmly look at him. “Your Highness, do you still want Sangyu’s life?” 

  Zhao Zhe faintly smiled. “What are you thinking? Why would this prince want your life?” 

  There was no else in the room, so Ji Man felt slightly nervous. But, when she raised her eyes, she saw that the door hadn’t been closed. Gancao and Dengxin were probably standing right outside. 

  Her heart slightly relaxed and Ji Man was able to smile as she looked at Zhao Zhe. 

  “If you miss the first time, it’s going to be difficult to strike again. Although Sangyu hadn’t done anything to wrong the crown prince, if the crown prince really wants Sangyu’s life, it would be very easy for Your Highness to accomplish this. Sangyu still wants to live. If you’re going to kill Sangyu, don’t give Sangyu any chances to live. Otherwise, Sangyu will bite you.” 

  Zhao Zhe raised his eyebrows and couldn’t resist laughing. “Your words…… Sangyu, you’re overthinking things. It’s said that people that are sick have heavy thoughts. You should properly rest. This prince’s investigation happened to lead me here, so I came by to see you in the passing.” 

  His expression looked so innocent as if he had nothing to do with the almost successful murder attempt. Even his words were watertight. Ji Man could only sigh with admiration. The crown prince was truly worthy of being the crown prince. 

  Zhao Zhe didn’t try to stay any longer. He stood up and left the room. 

  With lingering fear, Gancao and Dengxin entered the room. Both of them had their heads silently lowered. 

  “How long was he here?” Ji Man asked. 

  “To respond to master, an hour,” Gancao whispered, “As soon as the crown prince entered the room, he had us go outside and stand by the door. Then, he brought a stool over here and sat down. We didn’t dare to say anything……” 

  The two servant girls weren’t brave. Moreover, the other person was the crown prince. Ji Man understood their dilemma. But, what was wrong with Zhao Zhe? Did he have too much free time? Why did he sit here for an hour? Was he trying to kill her by staring at her? Ji Man couldn’t stop worrying. She didn’t peacefully lie back down until she had Gancao bring a doctor over here to examine her and confirm that she hadn’t been poisoned. 

  — 

  They had stayed in Qin Province for the past three days. Marquis Moyu left early and came back late each day. Ji Man was focused on recuperating during this period, so she slept early. And so, although the two of them were sharing a room, they didn’t see each other during this time. 

  Today, Ji Man had finally made a full recovery from her illness and Jinse came over to pay her respects. 

  While obediently massaging Nie Sangyu’s leg, Jinse said, “The marquis said that in half a month, the boats would be returning to the north by way of another river.” 

  “En.” Ji Man wasn’t concerned about the route they were traveling. Still, her life had been so comfortable during this trip. She didn’t have to pay respects to Wen Wan or have to attend to old madame every day. If someone hadn’t tried to harm her, this trip would have been a total relaxation for her body and mind. 

  Actually, she didn’t want to go back so soon. 

  Jinse gritted her teeth. It seemed as if there was something she wanted to say, but Ji Man pretended to not see. If Jinse was going to speak and stop, then start again, she wasn’t interested in listening. 

  “Madam…… Do you think Jinse has been attentive enough?” Jinse finally asked. 

  Ji Man lightly smiled. “Whether or not you’ve been attentive enough, this is a question for the marquis. I can’t make that decision. While we’re outside, I can be called “Madam”. When we return to Marquis Moyu’s residence, I’ll only be person that can silently stand by the main wife’s side.” 

  Jinse knew that Nie Sangyu wasn’t the main wife. However, based on what she had observed during this journey, she thought that this woman’s words probably had some weight. Although Marquis Moyu had treated her well for a couple of days, he had already clearly told her that he wouldn’t be bringing her home. 

  She was somewhat unwilling. She had finally left that filthy and lowly place. It couldn’t be that she had to return, right? 

  She clenched her jaw and kneeled down in front of Nie Sangyu. She kowtowed and said, “Madam, please help me. If you plead with the marquis, he’ll definitely agree!”


  Chapter 118 out of 513 – Treating the male lead and the supporting male character differently (1) 

  Ji Man found her request laughable. Why did she think that Ning Yuxuan would agree if she was the one that was asking him? Moreover, why would she do something that didn’t have the slightest benefit to herself? 

  “No one has ever been able to influence the marquis’s decisions.” Ji Man lightly smiled and said, “Miss Jinse, if you really want to stay with the marquis, you should be pleading with the marquis instead of me.” 

  Jinse pinched her hands and somewhat miserably looked at Nie Sangyu, “The marquis won’t listen……” 

  She had originally though Marquis Moyu must have some degree of favorable impression towards her since he had blatantly disregarded etiquette by taking her out of Tian Xiang. But, when she had said she wanted to go home with him at their most tender moment, Yuxuan’s expression had sunk. In a languid manner, he had said, “I don’t like greedy women.” 

  There had been countless men that had fallen under her pomegranate skirt, but Jinse felt that there was no way for her to influence Ning Yuxuan. He wasn’t an obstinate person, but he diligently guarded his boundaries and wouldn’t allow her to take even half a step over them. She had been ordered to do her best in serving Marquis Moyu well and driving a wedge between his relationship with Nie Sangyu. But, since the first time she met Nie Sangyu, she had felt at a loss. 

  For her to put a wedge between their feelings, there had to feelings to begin with, ah. The marquis had always kept her company. He hadn’t even gone to visit Nie Sangyu when she had fallen sick, but this madam hadn’t seem angry at all. Nie Sangyu was even able to look at her with a bright smile. Jinse didn’t understand. What exactly did she need to do in order to anger Nie Sangyu? 

  Original translation is from fuyuneko dot org. If you’re reading this elsewhere, this chapter has been stolen. Please stop supporting theft. 

  Right now, she was pleading with her to allow the marquis to bring her back home with them. She didn’t hold any hopes that Nie Sangyu would agree, but she thought that her attitude would become more severe at least. This would allow her to go back to Marquis Moyu’s side and cry out grievances. 

  Unexpectedly, Nie Sangyu had been smiling at her since she entered the room and hadn’t done anything to make her feel troubled. She had even refused her with a gentle voice. 

  What should she do? 

  — 

  After returning to the marquis’s room in low spirits following her failure to achieve her goal, Jinse reflected upon herself. 

  The door behind her opened. Feeling somewhat tired, Marquis Moyu rubbed his forehead and asked, “Why didn’t you light the lamps?” 

  The marquis had returned. Jinse’s eyes brightened. She hurriedly approached him, took off his cloak, poured a cup of warm tea for him, and waited until he sat down on the cushioned couch before saying, “The servant was lost in thought and forgot to light the lamps. My lord, did your work go smoothly today?” 

  Ning Yuxuan didn’t say much. After a short “en”, he wearily leaned back against the couch. 

  Jinse didn’t ask any other questions. She gently massaged his shoulders. 

  “You visited Sangyu?” With his eyes closed, he lightly rubbed the spot between his eyebrows. 

  Jinse paused. She was inwardly surprised, but her face only showed a smile as she said, “Madam just recovered from her cold, so this servant went over to attend to her for a bit.” 

  “That’s thoughtful.” Ning Yuxuan slightly curved his lips. “I’m tired. I don’t want to move. Go and tell her that I’ll be staying here tonight with you.” 

  Jinse happily nodded and left the room. 

  No matter what, Nie Sangyu was a woman. The marquis hadn’t stayed in her room for several days in a row before her cold and was now leaving right after she had recovered. Nie Sangyu should definitely feel at least a little bit angry, right? 

  Full of hope, Jinse went to Nie Sangyu’s room and told her this news with her chin flauntingly raised. 

  Ji Man was currently eating raisins. Hearing these words, she nodded. “That’s good. If you want to stay with the marquis, then take this opportunity to speak with him.” 

  Jinse froze in surprise for a moment. She incredulously scrutinized Nie Sangyu from top to bottom. Seeing that she was still chewing raisins with a relaxed expression and her eyes were clear, without the slightest trace of jealousy, Jinse put away her slightly arrogant attitude. She bid her farewell and dejectedly left the room. 

  “Master, this woman is really strange,” Gancao said as she massaged Nie Sangyu’s legs. “When she came here this afternoon, she had on a pitiful appearance. When she came here tonight, she looked like a villain that had accomplished her ambition. She’s really showing that she’s a lowly thing that came from a brothel.” 

  Ji Man stretched her hand out and fed her some raisins. She smiled and said, “Since she’s that unsuitable to this environment, is there any need for you to bother with her? She’s not a threat to me. You don’t have to worry.” 

  “But……” Gancao slightly frowned. “Master, you finally have an opportunity to serve the marquis for a long period of time and she’s taken your share.” 

  In regards to this issue, Ji Man was actually quite thankful towards the crown prince. It wasn’t advisable to frequently have purely bodily exchanges without feelings. She didn’t want to treat sleeping with someone as if it was a job. Jinse had truly lessened her work duties. 

  “That’s fine.” After Ji Man had finished eating an entire plate of raisins, she licked her lips and said, “I’m going to sleep.” 

  Gancao and Dengxin stood up, bowed to Nie Sangyu, blew out the wicks, put down the canopy curtains, and returned to their room. 

  — 

  In the dead of the night, Ji Man woke up and couldn’t fall back to sleep. As soon as she closed her eyes, she felt as if she was suffocating. After tossing and turning for a long time, she decided to open the window for fresh air. 

  Her original room had been given to Jinse and Marquis Moyu, so Ji Man was now staying in a side room that was near Errong’s room. When she opened the window, there was a view of the garden. There was a pavilion with a stone table and stools at the center of the garden. 

  Right now, there was a person sitting at that table. Ji Man was so scared that she almost screamed. 

  There was a moon in the sky. Using the light of the moon, Ji Man saw that person’s face and swallowed her scream with a gulp.

  Chapter: 119 out of 513 – Treating the male lead and the supporting male character differently (2) 

  Ning Mingjie heard the sound of a window opening and raised his head to look at her. He was only ten paces way from her. If anything happened in her room, he would be able to clearly hear it. 

  “Can’t sleep?” He quietly asked 

  Ji Man’s lips twitched. Answering wasn’t good, not answering also wasn’t good. They weren’t in the unconstrained modern times. She couldn’t say, “Yeah. Come inside and drink a cup of coffee with me.” If she privately talked with Ning Mingjie in the middle of the night in this ancient world, she would end up imprisoned in a cage-like basket and drowned.* 

  * (T/N: A common punishment for adultery in ancient times.) 

  And so, Ji Man hesitated for a long time before lightly tapping the window frame as a way to respond yes. 

  Ning Mingjie faintly smiled. But since the sky was dark and a distance separated them, JI Man didn’t see. 

  He turned slightly away and simply said, “Don’t worry. You can peacefully sleep. I couldn’t fall asleep, so I’ll be here looking at the moon.” 

  Ji Man froze for a moment. His voice floated over again, “No one will be able to come near your room.” 

  Ning Mingjie was chosen by the emperor for his ability to protect him during this journey. Even though his intention was only staying here to protect her, Ji Man’s heart still skipped a beat. She couldn’t resist asking, “Aren’t you tired? 

  “I slept too much during the day,” Ning Mingjie honestly answered. 

  Ji Man went through her memories. She hadn’t seen Ning Mingjie’s shadow all day. She had thought he went out with the third prince today. As it turns out, he was napping. 

  Ji Man didn’t say anything else. She slowly closed the window, lied back down on the bed, and covered herself with the quilt. With someone outside guarding her, she felt a lot less worried and quickly fell asleep. 

  — 

  The night passed without any dreams. Ji Man woke up the next morning full of energy and wanted to go look for Ning Mingjie to thank him, but Errong said, “I think my older brother went to sleep.” 

  Ji Man nodded. After considering, she turned around and went to the kitchen to order the servants to bring the ingredients that she wanted. Ning Mingjie had worked hard all night, so she was going to make a few small dishes for him. Besides, it would be really boring just sitting around all day. 

  Since she had slept well last night, Ji Man was in a good mood today. She rolled up her sleeves and starting preparing two small dishes. Not afraid of the cold, she also made deep-fried snacks, as well as a entire Beggar’s chicken. 

  Ji Man busily cooked for four hours. She sliced and cooked vegetables, steamed cakes, and transferred the food onto plates. 

  On the side, the head cook was dumbstruck as she watched Nie Sangyu’s adept movements. She didn’t resemble a spoiled, delicate young lady from an aristocratic family at all. 

  — 

  Marquis Moyu had asked Gancao where Sangyu had went, so she led to him to the courtyard outside of the kitchen and quietly said, “Madam is cooking.” 

  Even from far away, they could smell the delicious fragrance. Ning Yuxuan raised his eyebrows. Could this woman have changed her personality and finally decided to fight for favor? Hadn’t she appeared nonchalant no matter how much he favored Jinse? 

  He lightly snorted before turning around and leaving. But after taking two steps, he stopped and said to Gancao, “Once she’s done, tell her that I’m looking for her.” 

  “Understood.” Gancao saluted. Seeing that the marquis seemed to be in a pretty good mood today, he probably wasn’t looking for her master because of something bad, right? 

  After Ji Man finished cooking, she stored the food in a bright red sandalwood box to preserve the heat and ordered the head chef to warm the food up in the evening. 

  Right after she had stepped out of the kitchen, Gancao said the marquis was looking for her. 

  Why was he looking for her? When Ji Man curiously went to Marquis Moyu’s room, she saw a flirtatious scene of Jinse sitting on his lap, while he was leaning against the cushioned couch with a smile at the corners of his lips. 

  Ji Man’s lips twitched, but she still maintained an excellent show of etiquette by approaching them and saluting. “My lord, why were you looking for this servant?” 

  Marquis Moyu looked at her, raised his chin, and rather haughtily said, “I’ll be eating dinner with Jinse.” 

  “Eh?” Ji Man felt confused. Why was he telling her this? 

  Ning Yuxuan wrapped an arm around Jinse’s waist and said, “If you have free time, you can bring over the dishes to here.” 

  The group had become accustomed to usually eating together after their stay at Li Province. The more people there were, the livelier it would be. Ji Man swept a questioning gaze at Ning Yuxuan. Was this an outbreak of prince syndrome again? If he didn’t want to leave the room to eat, then just have the servant girls bring over the food. Why was he asking her to deliver food? 

  But, since she was under his roof, she had to lower her head. Ji Man saluted and agreed. 

  Looking at Nie Sangyu’s face that didn’t show the slightest sign of disconcert or unhappiness, Marquis Moyu’s originally good mood suddenly dropped a little bit. 

  When would he see a normal woman’s emotions on Nie Sangyu’s face? She didn’t get jealous or resentful. She used to be so bold and shrewish, but now she was a like a pool of stagnant water. 

  Ning Yuxuan suddenly missed the previous Nie Sangyu. At the very least, she would cry and laugh. Although she was really bothersome sometimes, he could feel her care towards him. 

  But now, no matter whom he favored or what he did, she didn’t show any reaction. This used to be what he wanted more than anything else, but now her lack of emotion only annoyed him. 

  Ji Man didn’t notice Ning Yuxuan’s feelings at all. 

  — 

  After Ji Man happily finished eating dinner, she had Gancao deliver food to Marquis Moyu’s room. 

  Jinse felt somewhat fearful as she stood by Ning Yuxuan’s side. He didn’t seem very happy when he saw the dishes of food. 

  “Why does this look the same as the food that’s normally prepared by the servants?” 

  Ji Man innocently blinked. “Because this food was prepared by the servants, ah.” 

  Marquis Moyu paused. He raised his eyes to look at her. “You……” 

  “Hmm?” 

  “Never mind.” Marquis Moyu lowered his eyes. “Take it away. I’m not hungry.” 

  “Oh.” Ji Man actually went through with having Gancao take the food away. Anyways, she wouldn’t be the one feeling hungry later.

  Chapter: 120 out of 513 – Returning to the capital (1) 

  Ning Yuxuan really didn’t eat dinner. With a gloomy expression, he stayed in his room and started painting a picture of a beautiful woman. 

  Jinse stood by his side and watched him paint the outline of a woman’s beautiful, thick hair and eyelashes. She bashfully asked, “My lord, are you painting this servant?” 

  Marquis Moyu’s brush paused. He carefully looked at the silhouette on the paper and pursed his lips. 

  The outline did sort of resemble Jinse, and also Mu Shuiqing. It looked even closer to Wen Wan. He placed the brush down and chuckled. “The beauty in a painting truly can’t be compared to the beauty in real life. Don’t go to sleep too late.” 

  After saying this, he turned around and started heading towards the door. 

  Startled, Jinse asked, “My lord? Where are you going?” 

  After these words came out, she realized that this wasn’t a question she could ask. Jinse hurriedly lowered her head and retreated to the side. 

  Marquis Moyu’s steps hadn’t halted. He directly headed over to Nie Sangyu’s room. 

  — 

  The sky had gradually darkened, but the food box delivered by the kitchen servants was still warm. Ji Man was sitting at a table. She took out a small plate and sampled the food. The flavor was pretty good. 

  By her side, Gancao quietly asked, “Master, why didn’t you give the food you prepared to the marquis?” 

  Ji Man raised her eyebrows. “Who created a rule that I have to give the marquis food that I made? Why can’t I eat it myself?” 

  Dengxin nodded in agreement. “Yeah, the marquis is with that vixen. He’s not showing any care towards our master. Why should our master send him food personally made by her?” 

  The person that was pushing the door from the outside paused. 

  Although Dengxin’s words weren’t what she had meant, Ji Man didn’t feel like correcting her. Although these two servant girls were very lively and cute, she didn’t know how loyal they were. She couldn’t tell them that she had cooked this food for Ning Mingjie. 

  “It’s not early anymore. You two should go back and rest,” Ji Man said. 

  The two servant girls tidied the room, supported Nie Sangyu to her bed, and put down the bed curtains before saluting and withdrawing from the room. 

  Right after they stepped out of the room, they saw Marquis Moyu standing outside. Gancao and Dengxin were both very shocked. They wanted to call out to announce his presence, but Ning Yuxuan stopped them, “I’ll go inside by myself.” 

  Dengxin thought of her recent words. Not knowing how much he had heard and scared that he would punish her, she hastily pulled Gancao with her as she left. 

  Ning Yuxuan quietly entered the room, closed the door, and cast a glance at the bed with the lowered curtains. Then, he sat down at the table and tried one of small dishes. His gloomy expression drifted away like feathers. 

  — 

  Ji Man lied in bed for a while. Guessing that it was about time, she turned over and got up to open the windows to see if Ning Mingjie had come. 

  However, as soon as she opened the bed curtains, she saw a person sitting in the outer room. He was currently quietly putting down the chopsticks. 

  “You – ”Ji Man was frightened to the point that her face turned white. Her entire body stretched taut. She was afraid that a thief had come into her room. Anyone would feel scared seeing such a scene in the middle of the night after waking up. 

  Ning Yuxuan turned his head, saw her scared expression, and lightly said, “It’s me.” 

  Ji Man relaxed and almost starting cursing at him. My god, even a mouse would make a sound when it was stealing food. Who knows how long he had been silently sitting here eating? He must have intentionally done this to scare her. She should have pretended that she didn’t recognize him and taken this opportunity to throw a vase at him! 

  Ning Yuxuan’s mood seemed to have improved. His lips were curved and he looked at her in disapproval. “Isn’t it a waste to leave food here and not eat it?” 

  Ji Man paused. Then, she hurriedly draped a robe over herself and left the bed to go look. He really ate an entire food box’s worth of food? There were only a couple of empty plates and leftovers from the two vegetarian dishes. There wasn’t even a shred of meat left. 

  Ji Man gritted her teeth and took a deep breath before asking with a slight smile, “My lord, are you full now?” 

  Sneakily eating someone else’s food wasn’t exactly an honorable thing. Marquis Moyu dryly coughed twice, then he turned his head away before saying, “I was a bit hungry, so it tasted pretty good.” 

  Was he actually implying that her cooking wasn’t tasty? Ji Man thought; she really had to set up anti-theft measures next time. She couldn’t believe that the food she had prepared for Ning Mingjie to thank him had been stolen by this person! 

  She angrily returned to her bed and forced her voice to be calm as she said, “This servant is tired and will be sleeping first. My lord, feel free to leave.” 

  It was so rare for him to see her looking so obviously unhappy. Ning Yuxuan stood up and walked to the bed. After considering for a moment, he took off his outer clothing, lied down on the bed, and wrapped his arm around her waist. 

  Ji Man rolled away from him and faced the wall as she curled up into a ball like she was a hedgehog that was showing her spikes. 

  Was she angry? Marquis Moyu raised his eyebrows and found her behavior somewhat amusing. Just as he was about to say a few words to tease her, he heard her quietly saying, “We’ll be returning to the capital soon. My lord, what are you planning to do with Miss Jinse?” 

  He had thought that she wouldn’t bring up this topic. “Do you want me to bring Jinse back home?” 

  Ji Man shook her head, “Miss Jinse’s status isn’t appropriate. Besides, if you take her back, Madam will definitely be unhappy.” 

  A light flashed through Marquis Moyu’s eyes as he thought of Wen Wan. He had left her for such a long period of time. Had she become slightly more sensible in this time? Sangyu’s words were correct. If he brought Jinse back, Wen Wan definitely wouldn’t be happy. 

  Wen Wan couldn’t be the only woman in his life. And yet, she stubbornly insisted on wanting his entire heart. This was really troublesome for him. He hoped that she could slowly accept reality and not make his life difficult.