Several people in the household were unhappy when they heard the news that Muxu had received the marquis’s favor and was promoted to the position of a concubine by Nie Sangyu. 

  Jinse was especially displeased. She was swinging her handkerchief as she walked over to Wenxiang Courtyard. Her voice was as sharp as needles as she said, “For a lowly servant girl to be promoted to a concubine by her master, you must have cultivated for eight lifetimes in the past to be so lucky. 

  Muxu frowned. She looked at Jinse and said, “Although I was only a servant girl, my body was clean. Miss Jin, your slender, pale arms must have been used as a pillow by countless men and your sweet voice must have sang to hundreds of men. For someone like you to enter this household, I’m afraid that’s truly not an auspicious sign.” 

  Jinse wasn’t angered by her words. She giggled in response. “Isn’t this just the pot calling the kettle black? Let’s wait and see who’s the one that has a good ending.” 

  After the dislikable Jinse left, Qi Siling was the next person to drop by under the excuse of instructing Muxu. Muxu could only put on a brave face and obediently listen. By the time that Qian Lianxue came over to visit her, Muxu was pretending that she was feeling a bit unwell and resting in order to avoid visitors. Muxu had originally thought that becoming a concubine would be a wonderful thing, but she already felt mentally and physically exhausted, and it was only the first day. 

  Of course, the marquis didn’t come over to visit her that night. As she stood in the courtyard by herself that night, she suddenly reminisced about Li Zixiu’s kindness. 

  However, after she pretended to be sick and requested to see a doctor, Zixiu didn’t come over. He probably never wanted to see her again. As Muxu lightly laughed, tears spilled out from her eyes. 

  — 

  As Ning Yuxuan sulkily sat inside Feiwan Courtyard, Ji Man leisurely peeled a lychee for him. After she finished peeling one, she casually fed it to him. “My lord, what’s wrong?” 

  Marquis Moyu stayed silent, but he stilled opened his mouth to eat the lychee. 

  During the workday, while he was in the Six Ministries, he kept feeling suspicious about last night’s matter. He couldn’t get rid of the nagging feeling that Nie Sangyu had successfully schemed against him. But, what advantage did she gain by promoting Muxu to a concubine? Because he had been unable to figure out why Nie Sangyu had done this, his face had remained gloomy all day. 

  He really hated this feeling of something being outside his control. 

  After Ji Man had fed him fruit, brewed tea for him, and massaged his shoulders, Ning Yuxuan’s expression finally improved. He took off his outer clothing and got into bed. 

  With the voice of a main wife, Ji Man said, “My lord, if you have free time, you should visit Lianxue. Her health seems to be doing a bit poorly because of the recent change in weather.” 

  Ning Yuxuan looked at her in askance. “Didn’t you used to dislike Xue-er a lot before? Why are you concerned about her now?” 

  Had Nie Sangyu liked anyone but him in the past, ah? Hadn’t she disliked all of the women in this household? Ji Man smiled and said, “Don’t you think that this servant has become sensible? Moreover, compared to everyone else, Qian Lianxue has the most likable temperament.” 

  “True, her temperament is very good. She doesn’t fight for favor, and she’s not unreasonable like Wan-er.” Ning Yuxuan lightly harrumphed and closed his eyes. “You should learn from her. She’s the type of woman that doesn’t make me worry.” 

  Ji Man’s lips twitched. Not worrying her ass. He wouldn’t even know if Qi Siling started a raging fire in his harem. 

  However, she still showed a curious expression as she asked, “My lord, did you meet Lianxue because of Sir Qian?” 

  “En,” Marquis lightly agreed. 

  Qian Lianxue was his older sister, so it was only natural that Qian Yingchen was their matchmaker. However, Ji Man had met Qian Yingchen before. He was an interesting person. She hadn’t sensed any hostility directed towards her during their meeting. 

  Ji Man closed her eyes and quietly contemplated how she could have possibly offended Qian Lianxue. Ning Yuxuan also didn’t say anything else. They eventually drifted off into slumber together. 

  — 

  A month later, the capital was peaceful, Prince Huainan’s household had returned to his fiedom, and Nie Qingyun and Errong’s relationship was stable. It seemed as if there was nothing for Ji Man to worry about. 

  During the past month, Ning Yuxuan had visited Feiwan Couryard the most with Xuesong Courtyard and Jiyue Courtyard being the second and third place he visited the most often. It could be considered as him sharing his favor among the women. However, he only visited Jinse and Muxu’s places without staying the night. 

  Since a month had passed, Wen Wan was naturally let out of the woodshed. Marquis Moyu wanted to assign her as his personal servant girl, but Old Madame refused. Instead, she assigned Wen Wan to Nie Sangyu. 

  Seeing such a large bomb being thrown her way, Ji Man felt a headache. 

  But, when Ji Man saw Wen Wan wearing a servant’s clothing and quietly standing in front of her, she felt somewhat surprised. 

  Wen Wan seemed to have changed. Wen Wan used to previously radiate a strong expectant aura of “everyone should pamper me”, but that aura had been worn away by her confinement period. 

  Wen Wan lifted her skirt and knelt down. “Servant Wan-er greets Madam.” 

  Ji Man slightly raised her eyebrow when she heard the sound of Wen Wan’s knees meeting the ground. 

  Gancao and Dengxin, who were standing by Nie Sangyu’s side, were also surprised by Wen Wan’s action. 

  Ji Man had originally thought that Wen Wan was too prideful to be willing to kneel down in front of her. As she pursed her lips and gestured with her hand that Wen Wan could stand up, she suddenly thought of that day in the main hall when Marquis Moyu had married Wen Wan. 

  At that time, she had just transmigrated into this world. Ji Man sighed. The female lead’s transformation was starting. The saying that adversity matured a person was truly apt. 

  “In the future, you’ll be serving me. Be attentive. I won’t treat you poorly.” 

  “This servant understands.” 

  T/N: Thank you for the kind words =)! I’m feeling much better this week.

  Chapter 166 out of 513 – It’s not easy to protect a baby (1) 

  Ji Man observed Wen Wan for the next couple of days. 

  Wen Wan continued her obedient demeanor. Even if someone deliberately did something to antagonize her, such as dropping a cup or splashing water onto her, she responded like a normal servant girl by cleaning up the mess without any sign of anger. 

  Whenever Marquis Moyu came to Feiwan Courtyard, Wen Wan didn’t try to speak to him. After tidying up the bed, she would quietly leave to stand outside. As a result, it was Ji Man and Ning Yuxuan that felt slightly awkward around Wen Wan. 

  One night, Ning Yuxuan summoned Wen Wan and quietly asked, “Are you getting used to things?” 

  Wen Wan’s voice was calm as she said, “To respond to the marquis, everything is well with this servant.” 

  “If you’re lacking in anything, you can tell me or Madam about it.” 

  Wen Wan finally raised her head to glance at him. Her eyes showed a sense of despair, but she still patiently nodded. “Alright.” 

  Ning Yuxuan probably felt bad for her after seeing the look in her eyes. He sighed and said to Nie Sangyu, “Sangyu, isn’t Muxu’s previous room still empty? Let Wan-er live there. Don’t mistreat her by having her sleep in the woodshed.” 

  Ji Man nodded. “I already had Gancao and Dengxin move Wen Wan’s stuff into that room. But, Wan-er seems to not like that room. She prefers to sleep in the woodshed.” 

  Wen Wan seemed to treat herself masochistically in every aspect. When Ji Man gave her new clothes and accessories, she wouldn’t take it. She wouldn’t eat food that was slightly better than what a normal servant would eat either. She insistented on staying in the woodshed and having a servant’s diet. 

  It really gave off the impression that she was abusing Wen Wan. 

  Marquis Moyu looked at Wen Wan and said, “If you can live a little better, there’s no reason to make life difficult for yourself.” 

  The corners of of Wen Wan’s lips raised slightly, but she stayed silent. 

  — 

  Ji Man didn’t have the free time to play along with Wen Wan’s mistreatment game. She was finally feeling other symptoms of pregnancy. It was taking all of her self-control to endure the discomfort and act normal in front of the marquis and old madame, so that they wouldn’t find out. 

  Ji Man no longer ate any of the food prepared by the kitchen servants. Instead, she gave her food to Gancao and Dengxin, then she had them sneak out of the residence each day to buy food that was prepared outside. She also had people checking the incense in her room. However, after Muxu had left her side after becoming a concubine, her surroundings had been quiet. Qian Liaxnue continued to act the same as before, quietly staying in her courtyard because of her poor health. 

  Ji Man felt uneasy. If she continued to hide her pregnancy, sooner or later, it would be found out through an accident. Rather than nothing and responding to someone’s move, it would better for her to figure out a plan first. 

  — 

  When Ji Man was around five months pregnant, old madame decided to visit Noble Consort Nie. Thinking about how her aunt’s pregnancy was only a few months further along than herself, Ji Man felt somewhat awkward. However, right now, Noble Consort Nie and old madame were the only people that had the power to help her. 

  And so, Ji Man told Noble Consort Nie about all the miscarriages that had happened in the marquis’s household. 

  Hearing these words, Noble Consort Nie frowned and asked, “Why is your household messier than the palace?” 

  Old madame sighed and said, “It’s because I haven’t been watching over and managing these girls. I don’t care about their pregnancies. I only hope that Sangyu can become pregnant.” 

  Ji Man blinked. She looked at Noble Consort Nie, then she looked at old madame. She asked, “Aunty, Old Madame, do the two of you think that Sangyu will be able to successfully give birth to a child if Sangyu gets pregnant?” 

  “Why wouldn’t you be able to?” With a serious expression on her face, old madame said, “Your baby would be the oldest offspring from the main wife. How could it be lost like the babies from those other women?” 

  “There will always be people doing bad things in the residence. One day, those people might direct their attentions at me.” Ji Man wryly smiled. “I actually think it’ll be better if I don’t get pregnant.” 

  Noble Consort Nie slightly sat up and held Sangyu’s hand as she said, “Sangyu, you have to believe in your mother-in-law. If you really become pregnant, she’ll definitely help you in keeping it.” 

  Ji Man looked at old madame. 

  Old madame’s sitting posture looked very dignified. There was a smile on her face as she said, “I fought with those type of tricky no-good women for several years when I was younger. In the end, they’re all gone and only me and Yuxuan are left. It won’t be difficult at all for me to help you.” 

  Back then, her husband had several concubines and a residence full of his offspring. However, after he had died in battle, old madame and Ning Yuxuan were the only two people left in his household. At the beginning, Ji Man had found this very strange. It was normal for people to have several siblings in ancient times. Why did Ning Yuxuan only have cousins? 

  As it turned out, the reason was this. 

  Ji Man couldn’t resist staring at old madame for a bit. She finally understood why old madame liked to chant Buddhist sutras so much. 

  She was doing it to make up for her past actions, right? 

  After contemplating this for a while, Ji Man pursed her lips and said, “Sangyu found out something recently. I don’t know if I should say it. Old Madame, aunty, the two of you will probably feel bad if you hear it.” 

  “What’s the matter?” Noble Consort Nie asked, “Speak freely. We’re all one family.” 

  Ji Man pursed her lips and tried to show the proper mood. She rubbed her eyes with her handkerchief that had traces of hot pepper, so that her eyes finally reddened when she said, “It’s the marquis’s intention, that’s the reason behind why Sangyu hasn’t gotten pregnant after several years of marriage.” 

  The two elders were shocked by her words. Old madame’s expression was slightly ugly. After all, Ning Yuxuan was her biological son, and she naturally felt biased in favor of him. 

  Ji Man took out a box of incense. Her tone wasn’t accusatory when she gently said, “The marquis is probably worried that if Sangyu gets pregnant, the crown prince will feel uneasy. Thus, he always had Sangyu use this incense that had musk and saffron.”


  Chapter 167 out of 513 – It’s not easy to protect a baby (2) 

  As soon as Noble Consort Nie’s personal servant girl heard Nie Sangyu mention those two ingredients, she hurriedly had another servant take the box away to throw out. “Your Highness, those two spices can cause you to miscarry. They can’t be near you.” 

  Old madame stared at Nie Sangyu for a long time before she finally said, “Did you only find this out?” 

  Ji Man nodded with tears streaming down her face. “This servant stopped using this incense a while ago. After several years of being unable to get pregnant, Sangyu was very surprised when the doctor told me this news of my pregnancy. It felt strange, so Sangyu had someone check this incense. Sangyu didn’t expect the result would be this.” 

  Originally, Old Madame had felt somewhat reproachful towards Sangyu for bringing up this subject in front of Noble Consort Nie. However, when she heard the second sentence, her eyes widened. “You’re pregnant?!” 

  Ji Man placed her hands over her abdomen and said in a pitiful tone, “The doctor said Sangyu had already been pregnant for three months. But, Sangyu doesn’t dare to let the marquis know about this. Sangyu just wants to peacefully give birth to this baby.” 

  Overcome with joy, Old Madame held Sangyu’s hand and couldn’t find the right words to say for a long time. 

  Noble Consort Nie hurriedly had Pengshu send a message to her most trusted imperial physician to tell him to come here. 

  After the imperial physician came over and confirmed the pregnancy, Noble Consort Nie was extremely happy. Her efforts in sending Sangyu so much valuable medicine during the Southern Trip hadn’t been wasted. 

  While Ji Man repeatedly reminded the imperial physician to not spread the news of her pregnancy, the other two women were so elated that they wanted the rest of the world to know this news too. They had been hoping for this to happen for so long. How could they not be overjoyed? 

  After the happiness passed, they remembered the problem that Sangyu had mentioned. Since Sangyu had already said that the marquis didn’t want her to get pregnant, old madame needed to figure out a way to handle this problem. 

  If Ji Man had secretly told old madame this news when they were at home, old madame would have definitely said she was overthinking things; how could it be possible for the marquis to not want his own child? Not only that, old madame would be so overjoyed by the news that she would immediately inform the entire household and tell her son to take extra care of Sangyu. 

  But, Ji Man had told her about the pregnancy in front of Noble Consort Nie. If something really did happen to this baby, Noble Consort Nie would definitely think that Ning Yuxuan was behind it. In the end this, this baby was related by blood to Noble Consort Nie. Noble Consort Nie would definitely lash out in anger at Ning Yuxuan if Sangyu suffered a miscarriage. 

  As the person stuck in the middle, Old Madame had to seriously think and figure out a solution. How could she protect this baby? She could stop the attempts of all of the women in their household if they tried to do anything, but she couldn’t stop her son. 

  Old Madame looked at Sangyu and said, “When we go back home, come to my courtyard and stay with me for a while. I’ll just say you have fate with Buddhism and you’ll be chanting Buddhist scriptures with me. When your pregnancy is more stable, we’ll figure out the next step.” 

  Ji Man let out a relieved sigh. She had support now and didn’t have to be so worried as long as old madame knew that she had to be guarded against her son. 

  Noble Consort Nie bestowed many items to Nie Sangyu before they left. 

  Ji Man had come here empty-handed and felt as if she was returning from a rewarding journey on the way back. She wasn’t sure what emotion she should be feeling right now. 

  However, old madame spent the entire journey back home seriously planning on what they would do next. As soon as they returned home, she told Sangyu to pack up her stuff and move to her courtyard. 

  But, as Ji Man was walking back to Feiwan Courtyard, she encountered Qian Lianxue in the garden. Moreover, the sickly honored concubine that hadn’t left her courtyard in a long time actually looked quite well today. Qian Lianxue was currently chatting away with Marquis Moyu over a plate of snacks. 

  Ji Man had initially wanted to pretend that she hadn’t seen them. She wanted to go back to her courtyard to pack up instead, but she was stopped by Marquis Moyu shouting, “Sangyu.” 

  Ji Man inwardly sighed before she turned around and pasted a bright smile on her face. “My lord?” 

  “Xue-er is feeling well today and made a plate of snacks. Do you want to try some?” Ning Yuxuan seemed to be in a pretty good mood too. 

  Without hesitation, Ji Man shook her head. “This servant has to go back to pack up. Old Madame wants me to temporarily move to the main courtyard to recite Buddhist scriptures with her.” 

  “En?” Ning Yuxuan raised an eyebrow. “You haven’t done anything wrong that would make you feel guilty. Why are you going over there to recite scriptures for no reason?” 

  Ji Man dryly laughed. “Old Madame said this servant has fate with Buddha. This servant also feels that reciting scripture will help clean my mind and conscience.” 

  Ning Yuxuan noncommittally raised his eyebrows and asked, “So you aren’t going to be serving me tonight?” 

  It wasn’t advisable to have intercourse during the early stages of pregnancy. Recently, whenever Marquis Moyu came to her courtyard, they would only peacefully sleep together. And so, it didn’t really make a difference if she was serving him at night or not. 

  Ji Man shook her head. “Didn’t this servant already mention this last night? You should spend more time with Lianxue, especially on a day like today when she’s feeling well.” 

  Qian Lianxue finally turned her head to look at her. Her smile looked a bit fragile. “Madam, thank you for your concern.” 

  Ji Man nodded in response. 

  Ning Yuxuan didn’t say anything else. He waved his hand to signal that she could leave. 

  Having avoided a long night of sleep that might bring many dreams, Ji Man directly moved into the main courtyard’s side room. She only brought Gancao with her and had Wen Wan and Dengxin remain in Feiwan Courtyard. 

  — 

  That night, old madame wasn’t feeling well and went to sleep early. Ji Man also went straight to bed after washing up. Since Marquis Moyu would be going to Xuesong Courtyard and staying the night, Ji Man wasn’t as vigilant as usual. 

  However, the doors to the side room were suddenly pushed open in the middle of the night, and someone stumbled inside and fell onto her bed. 

  Startled awake by the noise, Ji Man was about to let out a yell when that person covered her mouth.

  Chapter 168 out of 513 – A disastrous chemical reaction (1) 

  Gancao, who had been sleepily guarding the doors, had obviously been startled awake too. However, she was too shocked by the sudden appearance of a man barging into her master’s room. She didn’t know if she should shout for people to come or not. 

  Smelling a familiar scent, Ji Man calmed down from her initial panicked response to feeling someone breathing on her neck. She stretched her hand out and used all of her strength to pinch a soft spot on the man’s waist. 

  Ning Yuxuan let out a muffled yelp. His peach blossom eyes were full of anger. “Why did you pinch me?” 

  Ji Man was so irritated that she felt as if there were cross-popping veins on her head. She couldn’t resist the urge to glare at him. “It’s the middle of the night. Why did you run here for no reason instead of sleeping? This is Old Madame’s courtyard. Aren’t you afraid that she’ll break your legs for acting so shady?” 

  (T/N: Below is a picture of cross-popping veins that’s commonly seen in anime.) 

  Marquis Moyu’s breath was slightly hot, but he was still clear-headed. Lying next to her, he coldly harrumphed and said, “Mother is always biased in favor of you. Would she really break my legs for coming here to favor you?” 

  Ji Man angrily responded, “You still have to act responsibly in accordance to the situation. This servant came here to pray to Buddha and abstain from eating meat.” 

  Marquis Moyu chuckled. His fingers slid back and forth over her belly. It wasn’t clear if there was any hidden meaning behind this action. “You have a belly full of evil tricks. Can you really pass on these thoughts to Buddha in a few days just by eating vegetarian food and praying?” 

  Feeling his hand on her belly, Ji Man felt a slight chill on her back. She hurriedly used a blanket to create a barrier between them. “My lord, if you believe this servant has a stomach full of evil tricks, then this must be true. But, weren’t you suppose to go to Xuesong Courtyard tonight? Why did you come here?” 

  After Ning Yuxuan spent a few moments steadying his breath, his voice abruptly cooled as he said, “Isn’t this because you’re overestimating your own intelligence and think that I’m easy to fool? You’re willing to use all types of dirty tricks on me. Sangyu, it must be because I’ve been treating you too well lately.” 

  How was this related to her? Ji Man was at a complete loss. The only thing she did today was move to Old Madame’s courtyard. She hadn’t done anything else, right? 

  “My lord, can this servant ask a question? Are you convicting this servant of a crime right now?” 

  Ning Yuxuan’s smile was a bit cynical. Without saying word, he sat up and said, “I praised you for being clever, but this doesn’t mean you can scheme against me too. Go to sleep. I just came here to tease you, but since I’m not welcome here, it’s not very fun.” 

  After finishing these words, he immediately got up and left. 

  Outside the doors, Gancao used the light of the lanterns to get a clear look of Marquis Moyu’s face. At the same time she let out a sigh in relief, she also felt there was something strange going on. Why had the marquis come here? 

  Having been woken up in such a manner, Ji Man naturally couldn’t easily fall back asleep. She propped up her chin and thought for a long time before calling Gancao inside to ask her, “Did the marquis go anywhere after dinner?” 

  Gancao was a well-informed person, so she was able to immediately report Ning Yuxuan’s whereabouts for the evening. “Master, after the marquis had dinner at Xuesong Courtyard, he went over to Feiwan Courtyard. Seeing that you weren’t there, he went back to Xuesong Courtyard.” 

  Xuesong Courtyard, Feiwan Courtyard. One place had Qian Lianxue, the other place had Wen Wan. Ji Man couldn’t figure it out. Which person and what method had that person used to push Marquis Moyu to come here in the middle of the night to cynically ridicule her? She felt that even when she was trying to stay out of the way, she was still getting into trouble. 

  Ji Man lied back down. Her sleep wasn’t very peaceful the rest of the night. 

  — 

  The next morning, she went to Old Madame and report last night’s incident. 

  Old Madame’s expression immediately sunk. She summoned Qian Lianxue and Wen Wan to the main courtyard and had them stay kneeling on the ground. 

  “Which one of you can tell me what happened last night?” Old Madame’s eyes severely looked at these two women. Although Old Madame was feeling under the weather, her threatening aura wasn’t even slightly reduced. 

  Qian Lianxue had a weak body. After kneeling for only a little bit, her body started to falter. She did her best to straighten her body as she said, “To respond to Old Madame, the marquis decided to stay the night in Xuesong Courtyard last night. After dinner, he went out for a walk. After he came back, he didn’t stay for long before leaving again. This servant doesn’t know why the the marquis was upset.” Her voice was especially sincere and her appearance was also very good at getting the sympathy of others. 

  Old Madame pursed her lips, then she waved her hand to indicated for a servant girl to help Qian Lianxue stand up and sit down on a nearby chair. 

  Old Madame started at Wen Wan and asked her, “Why did the marquis go to Feiwan Courtyard?” 

  Wen Wan was still properly kneeling with her head lowered. She said, “This servant doesn’t know. When the marquis came to Feiwan Courtyard, this servant didn’t leave my room.” 

  “Who can act as your witness?” 

  Wen Wan paused, then she shook her head. “At that time, Dengxin had gone out to get dinner from the kitchen.” 

  The implication was the she had been the only one in Feiwan Courtyard when the marquis had visited. 

  Old Madame coldly harrumphed. It seemed that very few people knew what had happened last night. It was an unsolved mystery for why Xuan-er had been angry at Sangyu last night. She couldn’t just directly ask her son. It had been a private matter between him and Sangyu. As his mother, it wouldn’t be appropriate for her to interfere. 

  This household truly wasn’t peaceful. Old Madame cast a glance at Wen Wan. The change in this girl’s attitude had been quite drastic. It was almost catching up to Sangyu’s drastic change that had happened a couple of months ago. Now that Wen Wan was well-behaved, Old Madame felt she wasn’t as much as an eyesore. 

  After contemplating for a while, Old Madame waved her hand to signal for them to withdraw. After they left, she held Nie Sangyu’s hand and said, “It’s hard to guard against a covert attack. Just stay in my courtyard for now and don’t go outside.” 

  “Alright.” Ji Man nodded. 

  — 

  Wen Wan left the main courtyard with her head lowered. She slowly walked back to Feiwan Courtyard. 

  After being locked in the woodshed for a month, she had figured a lot of things out. In addition, a clever person had given her useful pointers. Now, she finally understood how she should compete with the other women for the marquis’s favor. 

  Translator Ramblings: I don’t think anyone was behind Ning Yuxuan visiting Ji Man/Nie Sangyu. I think he just missed her and got upset that she wasn’t happy to see him. What do you guys think?

  Chapter 169 out of 513 – A disastrous chemical reaction (2) 

  She had been so foolish. She had thought that as long as Ning Yuxuan doted on her, she wouldn’t have to worry about anything. But, the result was that Nie Sangyu had taught her what it meant to use skills and tricks. It wasn’t enough for Ning Yuxuan to treasure her. She needed to use his feelings to achieve things. She had eaten enough of steamed buns that were as hard as rocks, nightmares while sleeping in the woodshed, and cold indifference from the servants. Little by little, she would slowly snatch back all of the things she had lost. 

  She wouldn’t let a momentary impulse ruin everything again. 

  So what if the emperor ordered for her to be a servant for the rest of her life? She would show these blind people what a servant was capable of. 

  When she passed by the garden’s pond, Wen Wan stopped walking to look at it. There used to be many fishes swimming here. But for an unknown reason, there were many dead fishes floating on the surface of the pond today. 

  After only briefly looking at the fishes, she felt somewhat discomfited by this sight. Her throat suddenly felt tight and she spat out a mouthful of black blood. 

  — 

  In the end, the female lead was the female lead. When she was seemingly pushed to a dead end, she would have powerful tools that weren’t available to anyone else. And so, the likelihood of her reversing her fortune was higher than the average person. 

  — 

  The news of what had happened to Wen Wan quickly reached Ning Yuxuan’s ears. He had been discussing matters with people from the Six Ministries, but when he heard this news, he immediately rushed home to see her. 

  — 

  After Doctor Li checked Wen Wan’s pulse, he respectfully cupped his hands and said, “She’s been poisoned with a slow-acting poison. The symptoms won’t show up until a month after the poison was administered. If an antidote isn’t found within seven days, it might be difficult for Miss Wan-er to keep her life.” 

  Ning Yuxuan’s expression was very ugly. 

  The person that had been responsible for bring food to Wen Wan during her confinement period was called over to Feiwan Courtyard. Trembling with fear, the servant said, “This servant always delivered food that was prepared by the kitchen. No else had a problem after eating this food. The only exception is when Madam brought over a bowl of medicinal soup. This servant didn’t dare to stop her. Counting the days, it was about a month ago.” 

  Marquis Moyu’s expression sunk. 

  — 

  There was no chance of Ji Man being able to peacefully spend her days. Even under Old Madame’s protection, there would still be people that would dig her out and shoot her. 

  For example, even now with Old Madame sitting in the head seat, Ning Yuxuan was looking at her with a foreboding expression as he asked, “What did you add in the medicinal soup that you gave Wan-er?” 

  Although Old Madame had given her a bottle of poison, she had clearly thrown all of it into the pond. Where would she have the poison to pour into Wen Wan’s medicinal soup? Moreover, Wen Wan definitely wouldn’t have drunk that pitch-black soup. So, why was he blaming her? 

  Ji Man said, “My lord, please investigate this matter. There were only beneficial herbs in that soup. If you don’t believe this servant, you can check. There’s a record of the herbs used in the soup with Doctor Li. ” 

  Old Madame pursed her lips. “Wen Wan is only a servant. How can you come here to interrogate your wife just because Wen Wan was poisoned?” 

  Old Madame believed that Nie Sangyu was the one behind the poisoning because she had ordered her to do this. And so, her words showed an obvious bias in favor of Sangyu. 

  Ji Man really wanted to say; she was innocent. Old Madame, you don’t need to show such a guilty expression. 

  Marquis Moyu looked at his mother for a long time. His voice was slightly hoarse as he said, “Mother, you don’t like Wan-er, but she’s already suffered so much. Why can’t you let her off?” 

  Old Madame sneered. “I should be the one asking her to let me off. My perfectly good son had been mesmerized by her to the point that you don’t even know the difference between right and wrong. You’re even questioning your own mother for her.” 

  Marquis Moyu deeply looked at her, then he stood up, saluted her, and left without saying another word. 

  “Absolutely disgraceful!” Old Madame was so angry that she slapped the table. “How could I have given birth to someone so disappointing?!” 

  Ji Man hurriedly said a couple of sentences to comfort Old Madame. Her brow continued to be furrowed as she wondered who had “kindly helped” her. 

  — 

  Marquis Moyu stayed in Feiwan Courtyard’s side room for several days without taking a single step to Nie Sangyu’s room. 

  Valuable medicine from the palace’s storage had been dug out and brought over. Ning Yuxuan was willing to pay any price in order to cure Wen Wan’s poison. 

  With her hair untied, Wen Wan obediently lied in Marquis Moyu’s arms. She quietly said, “It’s worth it if I can die like this.” 

  “You’re saying nonsense.” Ning Yuxuan lowly reprimanded. He gripped her chin and looked at her complexion. He wasn’t able to hide the distress he was feeling. “I’ll cure your poison. You won’t die.” 

  Wen Wan’s smile was very joyful. “If I can use these last seven days to trade for your original deep feelings, Wan-er can die without regrets.” 

  Ning Yuxuan froze in surprise. 

  When had he stopped loving her as deeply as he had in the beginning? He had originally promised her that they would be together until old age and wouldn’t let her suffer any grievances. But now, she had become a servant and was at death’s door. 

  No matter how hard a heart was, these words would soften it. Ning Yuxuan held Wen Wan tighter and quietly said, “I’m sorry.” 

  Wen Wan smiled, but tears slid down her face. “I’ve always been scared that you would say those words to me. Don’t say them. Even if you fall in love with someone else in the future, don’t tell me. Just let me think that your heart only has me.” 

  Ning Yuxuan’s breathing deepened. He lowered his head and kiss her lips. 

  Wan-er should be the only person in his heart. How could there be someone else? 

  A gorgeous peony flashed through his mind. Ning Yuxuan closed his eyes, clutched Wen Wan’s shoulder, and deepened the kiss to distract himself. 

  — 

  After three days of praying to Buddha at Old Madame’s courtyard, Ji Man finally sighed. “You can only depend on yourself, praying to Buddha to save you won’t help.”


  Chapter 170 out of 513 – Poison that had been thrown away a month ago (1) 

  Seeing that the female lead had already completed her transformation and was about to walk down the path to a happy ending, Ji Man decided that she couldn’t just keep praying in front of a Buddha statue. She went to Old Madame and asked to move back to Feiwan Courtyard. 

  “Why would you want to go back. Your body……” Old Madame was very worried. This household hadn’t been peaceful lately. What if something bad happened to her future grandchild? 

  Ji Man said with a smile, “If Sangyu doesn’t go back, Wen Wan might usurp my place like a magpie. Since the marquis has decided to blame us for Wen Wan’s poisoning, Sangyu has to go back to atone for this crime. 

  Old Madame looked at her for a while before saying, “If you go back to compete for favor at this juncture, I don’t think anything good will come of it.” 

  Ji Man shook her head. She wasn’t stupid. She wasn’t going back there to drop herself on someone’s knife. 

  “Sangyu will wait for an opportune time. Old Madame, don’t worry.” 

  How could Old Madame not worry? Old Madame told Danggui and Shouwu to escort Sangyu back to Feiwan Courtyard and almost ordered the other servants to deliver the Buddha statue over there too. 

  (T/N: Just in case it was too long ago, Danggui amd Shouwu are Old Madame’s personal servant girls.) 

  Ji Man had to refuse several times before Old Madame gave on these ideas. In the end, Ji Man only brought Gancao with her to Feiwan Courtyard. 

  —- 

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

  Seeing that her master had come back, Dengxin was extremely happy. Standing at the entrance, she shouted, “Master!” 

  Ji Man slightly smiled. Holding Gancao’s arm for support, she slowly walked to the entrance. 

  Just as Dengxin was about to run over to greet them, she was stopped by a servant girl that called out behind her, “Older sister Dengxin, the marquis is asking if the medicine has finished cooking yet.” 

  Dengxin stopped walking. Rather angry, she turned around and said, “The medicine is in the backyard’s stove. Why can’t you get it yourself?” 

  Ji Man raised her eyebrows when she heard Dengxin’s response. Once she entered the courtyard, she saw that the servant that had called out was Tanxiang. 

  Seeing that Nie Sangyu had come back, Tanxiang froze in surprise. No longer caring about getting Dengxin to bring the medicine over, Tanxiang rushed back to the side room at lightning speed. 

  Wen Wan’s life as a servant was pretty comfortable. She even had a servant girl following after her to serve her. Wryly smiling, Ji Man pulled a resentful Dengxin over and asked, “Why are you so angry?” 

  Dengxin indignantly said, “Master, you don’t know this, but that person in the side room is putting on airs as if she’s better than everyone else. She’s been demanding that this servant deliver soups and hot water and also attending to her for washing up. Whenever that woman doesn’t eat, the marquis will blame this servant.” 

  “Oh?” Ji Man glanced at the side room. “Aren’t you my servant girl? When did you change masters?” 

  Dengxin clenched her jaw and whispered, “She’s just a dog that threatens people by relying on her master’s power.” 

  The sound of coughing came from inside the side room. It sounded rather posturing. 

  Tanxiang came out, saluted Nie Sangyu, and said, “Madam, the marquis wants you to come inside.” 

  Ji Man nodded, but then she turned around, went into the main room, changed her clothes, unpacked her stuff, and ate some snacks. After doing all of this, she finally heard Ning Yuxuan’s voice from the outside. 

  “Are you ignoring me when I call you over?” 

  Ji Man put down the snack she was eating, wiped her mouth, and walked outside with a smile. She saluted Marquis Moyu and asked, “My lord, please calm down. This servant was only thinking that since Wan-er is still sick and this servant is covered in dust, this servant should change my clothes before coming over.” 

  Seeing her smiling apologetic manner, Ning Yuxuan stared at her for a while before pursing his lips and saying, “En.” Then, he turned around and returned to the side room. 

  Ji Man followed after him. 

  The smell of medicine was rather strong inside the room, and Wen Wan’s complexion was deathly pale. She was currently sitting up by leaning on the bed frame and quietly coughing. 

  Seeing her like this, Marquis Moyu walked over and pulled up the quilt for her. He lightly scolded her, “Didn’t I tell you to not get up?” 

  With great effort, Wen Wan mustered up a smile and said, “Madam has come. How can this servant not greet her? But, my body only has a few days left to live. This servant is too weak to get out of bed. Madame, please excuse me.” 

  She was even showing that she understood propriety. What a well-behaved person, ah. Ji Man looked at with with a pitying expression and said, “You have the marquis looking after your health. You’ll definitely get better. Don’t say such pessimistic words. You’re already in such a pitiful state. Who cares about upholding propriety? You can do whatever you want in my courtyard. You can even treat this place as if it was your previous Qiangwei Courtyard.” 

  Wen Wan paused, then she smiled and said, “Madam, you truly have a kind heart. 

  Ji Man pretended to be serious as she said, “I actually have selfish motives. You have to quickly get better. That’s the only way the marquis will be happy. I’ll only be happy when the marquis is happy.” 

  Ning Yuxuan glanced at her. His gaze wasn’t very amicable and seemed to be asking her, “What’s with these fake words? When have you ever been happy just because I’m happy?” 

  Ignoring his look, Ji Man continued to compassionately smile at Wen Wan. 

  — 

  During the next few days, whenever Wen Wan needed to drink medicine, Ji Man would always personally prepare the herbal medicine. Then, she would ask a doctor that Marquis Moyu trusted to inspect it right before Wen Wan started drinking. She delivered bowl after bowl of medicine to the side room. 

  Dengxin felt very aggrieved every time another bowl of medicine was sent over. “Master, she’s only a servant! Why should she have the privilege of drinking medicine prepared by you?” 

  Using a small fan to fan the fire for the pot of medicine, Ji Man only smiled in response. Marquis Moyu still believed that she had poisoned Wen Wan. There were so many misunderstanding between them. If she explained what really happened, he would still think she was guilty, so she couldn’t say anything. She could only demonstrate her innocence through actions. 

  Ji Man also generously gave up the bird’s nest soups that Old Madame had sent over for her to eat and sent them to the side room. When Wen Wan woke up in the middle of the night coughing, Ji Man would get up, put on a cloak, and personally fetch a doctor for her instead of sending one of the servants. 

  As a result, Marquis Moyu’s expression when he looked at Nie Sangyu had considerably softened. Although he didn’t say anything, Ji Man could feel that the recent discord he felt for her slowly disappearing again. 

  Translator Ramblings: I love it when Ji Man competently and calmly wins against people plotting against her. She doesn’t take anything personal or becomes someone that can’t lower herself to do things that a servant usually does.

  Chapter 171 out of 513 – Poison that had been thrown away a month ago (2) 

  Four days later, Wen Wan’s poisoning was finally cured. However, her body was still very weak, and the doctor said that she needed to properly recuperate. 

  Sitting on the side of the bed and holding Wen Wan’s hand, Ning Yuxuan said, “For the time being, stay here until you get better. Once you’ve recovered, I’ll arrange for you to be my side.” 

  Joy could be seen in Wen Wan’s eyes. She bashfully nodded, then she glanced at Nie Sangyu and asked in an apprehensive voice, “Wouldn’t this be inappropriate?” 

  Ji Man put down her cup and seriously nodded. “It is somewhat inappropriate. My lord, you should reconsider this decision.” 

  “How is it inappropriate?” Marquis Moyu slightly frowned. 

  Ji Man sighed. “My lord, don’t think that this servant is feeling resentful. Over the past few days, you’ve seen that this servant doesn’t have any ill intentions towards younger sister Wan-er. If someone wants to frame this servant, then even if this servant has a hundred mouths, this servant won’t be able to successfully defend myself. This servant just wants to say a few sincere words to persuade you. Right now, younger sister Wan-er is a servant and also my lord’s favorite. While she’s in this servant’s courtyard, this servant can constantly watch after her and protect her. If she leaves here and goes to my lord’s courtyard, then as soon as my lord goes to the palace or leaves the residence to do something else, won’t younger sister Wan-er be left alone and unprotected?” 

  A servant girl could be bullied by anyone. Ning Yuxuan frowned. “When did this household become a lair with fierce wolves?” 

  “My lord, if you don’t believe this servant and insist on taking younger sister Wan-er away to be your personal servant girl, this servant can’t stop you.” Ji Man sighed. “We’ll do as you say.” 

  Wen Wan looked at Marquis Moyu. She wanted to leave with him. That way, the opportunities to be alone with him would increase. Nie Sangyu was only saying these frightening words to scare them because she didn’t want her to be close with the marquis. There were very few people that would dare to brazenly harm her in this household. 

  However, after Marquis Moyu considered Nie Sangyu’s words, he actually sighed and said, “Sangyu’s words are reasonable. Wan-er will continue to stay in Feiwan Courtyard. Besides, if I frequently come here to visit you, mother won’t say anything.” 

  Wen Wan said, “My lord……” 

  “Focus on getting better.” Ning Yuxuan stroked her beautiful hair. “We can talk about this again after you get better.” 

  Wen Wan lowered her eyes and her fingers slightly tightened their grip, but she could only respond, “Okay.” 

  As Ji Man watched this exchange between them from the side, she indifferently resumed drinking her tea. 

  — 

  That night, Marquis Moyu didn’t sleep in the side room. Instead, he came to Nie Sangyu’s room and looked rather fatigued as he rubbed the spot between his eyebrows. 

  Ji Man didn’t say unnecessary words. After assisting him with changing his clothes and washing up, she went onto the bed and massaged his back for a little bit. Then, she turned over to face the inside of the bed and prepared to sleep. 

  Ning Yuxuan glanced at her. “Why are you being so well-behaved?” 

  He wasn’t pleased if she stirred up trouble, but he wasn’t happy either when she accepted her lot. Ji Man rolled her eyes. This man was so difficult to serve. 

  “This servant is just feeling a bit sleepy.” 

  Marquis Moyu paused, then he said, “Once Wan-er is better, I’ll still carefully investigate the matter of her poisoning.” 

  “Alright.” Ji Man yawned. “Do a serious job with investigating. Don’t treat anyone unjustly, but don’t let off the guilty party too lightly either.” 

  Ning Yuxuan turned over to face her back. “Are you not afraid that if I find out it was you, I’ll take away your position as my wife again?” 

  Ji Man turned over to face him and looked at him as she said, “This servant has always thought that the marquis isn’t stupid. If you can be fooled by these women into wrongly accusing an innocent person, then this servant can only accept defeat and acknowledged that this servant has married the wrong person.” 

  Ning Yuxuan harrumphed. “Do you think that if you say these words, then I won’t suspect you?” 

  “Even if you suspect this servant, you still have to take out evidence of any wrongdoing,” Ji Man said, “That type of slow-acting poison is expensive and rare. My lord, it won’t take you much time to find out who has that type of poison. When that time comes, this servant will naturally have a way to prove my innocence.” 

  There was lit incense in the room, and the bed curtains were lowered. It should have been a scene of conjugal bliss, but the two people on the bed were staring at each other. One pair of eyes showed suspicion and the other showed forthrightness. 

  In the end, Ning Yuxuan was the one that gave up, closed his eyes, and said, “Go to sleep.” 

  “En.” Ji Man turned back to the face the other side again. 

  — 

  Pinching her nose, Dengxin walked over to the back garden. Looking at the dead fish in the container, she asked Gancao, “Why does Master want to keep these smelly things here? It’s been several days. They’ve already started rotting.” 

  Gancao shook her head, “Master said to not throw them out.” 

  The two of them could only cover up the container and keep their distance from this place. 

  — 

  Ji Man had already asked Old Madame about the slow-acting poison she had given her. This type of poison was only available to noble families. Whenever there was a shameful person that wasn’t fit to be seen in their households, the matriarchs or other women with high positions from those families would use this type of poison to kill that person. 

  This poison was created by a highly skilled doctor that specialized in selling his creation to aristocratic families. And so, Marquis Moyu sent over people to ask this doctor. He found out that only one bottle of this poison had been sold to his household and the person that had possession of this bottle of poison was Old Madame. 

  When Ning Yuxuan went over to ask Old Madame to show this bottle to him, Old Madame pursed her lips and stayed silent. Old Madame was almost about to erupt into anger from embarrassment. 

  Fortunately, Ji Man had rushed over here as soon as she heard this news. It would have been a disaster if she had arrived later. 

  Ji Man asked, “My lord, are you sure that Old Madame only bought this one bottle of poison in the past several years?” 

  Marquis Moyu nodded. He was somewhat familiar with that old doctor and believed that he wouldn’t lie to him. 

  “Then, this servant will have to ask my lord to scoop around in the pond,” Ji Man said, “A month ago, this servant asked for this poison from Old Madame to give to Errong to play around with. But, this servant accidentally dropped the bottle into the pond. A lot of the fish in the pond had recently died because of that poison. My lord, if you want to examine the fish, this servant can show you them. This servant had left them in the back garden.” 

  After casually using Errong as an excuse, Ji Man frankly said, “This servant only had access to one bottle of poison and this servant can explain how it was used. My lord, shouldn’t you be moving the direction of your investigation to elsewhere now?”


  Chapter 172 out of 513 – Reassigning the servants after the Lantern Festival (1) 

  Old Madame looked at Nie Sangyu in surprise. 

  Ji Man straightened her back, but she didn’t dare to meet the old lady’s gaze. 

  Marquis Moyu silently looked at Nie Sangyu before turning his head and ordering Guibai to scoop the bottle out of the pond. He also sent other servants to Feiwan Courtyard’s back garden to examine the dead fishes. 

  After the bottle that had contained the poison was scooped out of the pond and the fishes were dissected and examined, it was confirmed that the bottle had fallen into the pond. The conclusion was that the fishes had bitten off the cork on the bottle and poison spilled out into the pond. The diluted poison had eventually killed some of the fishes. By the time everything was settled, six to eight hours had already passed. 

  Listening to this overly methodical analysis, Ji Man wanted to laugh. But, since this inspection proved that she was 100% innocent, she still put on a grateful expression as she watched the people perform their procedures. 

  Since the poison didn’t come from this household, then how did Wen Wan get poisoned? And, who had poisoned her? Marquis Moyu ordered people from the Ministry of Justice to investigate this matter. Although it seemed that he was taking this matter very seriously, he knew that he wouldn’t find the true culprit. He was just putting on a show for Wen Wan’s benefit. 

  Surprisingly, it was Wen Wan that suggested, “My lord, since this matter has nothing to do with the people in this household, there’s no need for you to continue pursuing this matter. Wan-er still has her life. Let bygones be bygones. If there are people that really want to harm Wan-er, they’ll eventually make a mistake and reveal themselves.” 

  The matter had already caused the household to degenerated into a complete mess, but Wen Wan had waited until now to say these words. Ji Man just smiled and refrained from commenting. 

  Marquis Moyu told the people from the Ministry of Justice to stop their investigation, but he kept Wen Wan company for several days in a row. 

  Once again, the male lead and female lead had reconciled and their relationship returned to a harmonious one. Although Wen Wan had become a servant girl, she received the marquis’s favor night after night. The servants had astute eyes and naturally didn’t treat Wen Wan as if she was an ordinary servant. If there was any work to do, it wouldn’t be given to her to do. She even had servants fawning after her. 

  From this point of view, her life as a servant girl wasn’t any worse than her life as the main wife. 

  — 

  It would soon be this dynasty’s equivalent of the Lantern Festival. It was similar to the Spring Festival in modern times, but it happened about a month later. Every residence would become decorated with lanterns and colorful ribbons and everyone would visit their relatives. 

  Since Nie Sangyu was the marquis’s main wife, Ji Man spent a large sum of money to decorate the marquis’s residence. However, only a few of these expenses were recorded in the account book, which led to Old Madame praising her for being talented at financial management. Old Madame’s vocal praise for Nie Sangyu caused Qi Siling to be ashamed and unable to calmly sit in front of the other women. 

  As Ji Man accepted the praise, she thought; it was naturally impossible for her to have bought these expensive items for the same amount of money it would have taken to buy cabbages. She had actually paid for most of these items with her own money. However, since she had plenty of money and didn’t have any other use for them, she might as well use this money to make her life more comfortable. 

  — 

  On the first day of the celebrations, the crown prince and his consort were the first ones to pay a visit to the marquis’s residence. Marquis Jingwen would be returning to his fiefdom after this holiday was over, so the crown prince’s visit could also be considered as coming here to see him off. 

  — 

  Ji Man didn’t know when this had happened, but Wen Wan seemed to have become much closer to Ning Mingjie. Ning Mingjie currently had his head lowered to speak with Wen Wan in the outside courtyard and his manner looked quite gentle. 

  In the end, he was the deeply affectionate supporting male character. Perhaps, it was inevitable that he couldn’t resist his fate of being attracted to the female lead. And yet, Ji Man couldn’t help feeling a pang of disappointment. She thought about that concealed daffodil painting and let out a small sigh. 

  Whatever, it wasn’t worth thinking about. She couldn’t have any lingering feelings for this place anyways, so she might as well concede that person to Wen Wan. 

  As Ji Man comforted herself with these thoughts, she walked inside and greeted the crown prince and his consort. 

  As always, the mere sight of Zhao Zhe made Ji Man feel annoyed. 

  Seeing Nie Sangyu entering the room, Zhao Zhe smiled and said, “Sangyu, I haven’t seen you in a while. You’ve become even more beautiful and captivating.” 

  Ji Man couldn’t resist silently scolding him. He was addressing her so intimately as if the two of them were close enough to share a leg. How could he think this was a good idea? His wife was sitting right next to him 

  The crown prince’s wife, Shen Youqing, was from an aristocratic family, so she was very poised. Instead of showing her true feelings, she smiled at Nie Sangyu and said, “It can’t be helped that the crown prince is always praising Madam Ning. Madam Ning, you’re a rare beauty that also has elegant temperament.” 

  “Your Highness, you’re overpraising me. This servant can’t even be compared in the same sentence as the princess consort. It would be like comparing a star to the bright moon.” 

  Shen Youqing covered her lips and smiled. “Look at you. Your mouth says such sweet words. It’s alright. We only came here to join your family dinner. The propriety customs don’t have to be observed so rigidly. It’s okay to relax a bit.” 

  Ji Man made a sound of agreement. 

  Wen Wan appeared from behind and stepped forward to bring a cup of tea to the crown princess. 

  Ji Man wondered where this prop had come from. She hadn’t seen Wen Wan holding a tray with tea before she came inside. 

  Looking at the crown princess’s slightly surprised expression, Ji Man waited for her to speak. 

  The crown princess had acted as the nominal matchmaker for Wen Wan and Marquis Moyu. Wen Wan’s demotion to the position of a servant girl was unavoidably embarrassing for the crown princess. 

  After the crown princess accepted the tea from Wen Wan, she looked at her and said, “This consort has already heard about Wan-er‘s matter. You must be feeling very wronged. Fortunately, it seems that the marquis still favors you greatly.” 

  Wen Wan furtively wiped away a tear before putting on a smile. “This servant failed to live up to the crown princess’s expectations and kind regard.” 

  The crown princess shook her head and sighed. It was unclear what she was sighing about. 

  The dishes for the family banquet had already been placed on the table. Shortly after, Old Madame came into the dining hall as well. 

  Ji Man sat down in her seat. For today’s meal, she was the only women in the marquis’s harem that had the right to sit down. All of his other women had to stay standing and assist in adding food to the bowls. 

  Wen Wan stayed standing behind the crown princess. Once the dinner started, she obediently added food to the crown princess’s bowl from the center plates. 

  Ji Man chewed with her mouth closed and didn’t say much during this meal.

  Chapter: 173 out of 513 – Reassigning the servants after the Lantern Festival (2) 

  After dinner, the crown princess left the room with Wen Wan to have a private conversation with her. The crown prince, Ning Mingjie, and Ning Yuxuan went to take a stroll around the garden. 

  — 

  Feeling bored by herself, Ji Man randomly walked around the residence. 

  The woodshed, that Wen Wan had previously been confined in, had become a holy site for many of the servant girls. A lot of them would come here and light incense sticks in hopes that they would be as blessed as Wen Wan in receiving the marquis’s affections. 

  When Ji Man passed by the woodshed, she saw a few servant girls kneeling in front of the woodshed’s doorway and muttering prayers. 

  Based on her years of experience from reading light novels, Ji Man believed that the servant girls would know more gossip than any other group. Besides, she didn’t have anything better to do. And so, she hid behind the wall to eavesdrop on their conversation. 

  “Stupid girl, you were muttering too loudly before. I heard everything that you said.” After the servant girls had finished making their wishes, they started mutually teasing each other. Laughing, a slightly older servant lightly pushed the servant girl next to her. “With your looks, how can you have any hopes of attracting Young Master?” 

  The younger servant girl blushed, but she wasn’t willing to accept defeat. “Look at Wen Wan. Hasn’t she been sentenced to be a servant for the rest of her life? And yet, she was still able to get Young Master to come over here to visit her a few times while she was confined here. Since that’s true, then I should have a chance to become Young Master’s concubine and fly up socially.” 

  “Dream on.” Another servant girl laughed. “I just want to be the marquis’s bed servant.” 

  “Then, you should learn from Muxu. Climb up socially by stepping on your master’s back.” The oldest servant girl sniggered. “We’re the lowest ranking servants. It’ll already be wonderful if we can leave this back courtyard and serve the masters directly. It’s pointless to dream about changing from magpies into phoenixes.” 

  The group of servant girls started jokingly poking each other again. 

  Finding this conversation boring, Ji Man decided to leave. But, right before she started walking away, she heard a clear voice ask, “Why is there a lit incense burner here?” 

  Ji Man turned her head to look. A servant girl wearing purple robes had come over. She looked like she was a servant from an honored concubine’s courtyard, but Ji Man didn’t know who her master was. Ji Man hadn’t seen her before. 

  The three servant girls immediately became well-behaved. They put away the incense burner and sweetly called out, “Older sister Ah Zi.” 

  It was just a gathering of servants. There wasn’t much to see. Ji Man yawned and resumed walking. However, before her mouth had closed from her yawning, she heard the oldest servant girl solicitously ask, “Didn’t the crown princess come over today? Older sister Ah Zi, why didn’t you go over there to serve her?” 

  The crown princess? Ji Man stopped yawning and went back to crouching in her original position. 

  Ah Zi said with a smile, “I’m here because I was thinking about you guys. Here, the crown princess bestowed a box of snacks to me. These snacks were made in the palace kitchens. I especially brought them here to share these snacks with the three of you.” 

  The three servant girls were extremely happy. As they called out, “thank you older sister”, they reached into the box for the snacks. 

  Ji Man considered what she had just heard. Wen Wan was from an ordinary family. Her entire dowry had been given to her by the crown princess. The crown princess had even sent over several servant girls as part of Wen Wan’s dowry. However, Wen Wan only used Tanxiang as her personal servant girl. This Ah Zi seemed to be one of the crown princess’s people. She had probably been sent over here as one of the dowry servants. 

  After Ji Man quietly left the area and returned to Feiwan Courtyard, Dengxin rushed over to report that Wen Wan and the crown princess were talking inside the side room. 

  Ji Man only smiled and ordered Dengxin to bring a plate of snacks from the kitchen. 

  Then, carrying the plate of snacks, Ji Man started walking over to the side room. 

  Seeing Nie Sangyu coming over, Tanxiang went inside to inform the crown princess. 

  By the time Ji Man entered the side room, she was greeted with the warm scene of the crown princess sitting and Wen Wan standing by her side. 

  “Wen Wan only recently recovered from her illness. She shouldn’t stand for too long.” Ji Man said with a smile, “The crown princess isn’t an outsider. Wan-er, you should sit down to talk.” 

  Wen Wan glanced at her and timidly shook her head. “It’s fine. This servant will continue standing.” 

  Ji Man’s words clearly had another meaning as she said, “Oh, you’re always so stubborn like this. It really makes me feel distressed for you. Why are you doing harmful things to yourself? Go on, sit down. It’s not easy to snatch a life back from death.” 

  The crown princess looked at Nie Sangyu and smiled. “Madam Ning, you’re much more kind-hearted than rumored. This consort had been worried that Wan-er was suffering grievances. But now, this consort can see that Madam Ning is protecting her and this consort was worrying for nothing.” 

  “How could I dare let Wen Wan suffer any grievances? She’s the marquis’s beloved. If even the tiniest of mishaps were to happen to her, the marquis would be overwhelmed with distress.” 

  After putting down the plate of snacks, Ji Man continued, “It won’t be good for me to intrude on the crown princess’s conversation with Wan-er, Sangyu will leave first.” 

  Shen Youqing nodded. She watched as Nie Sangyu left the room, then she sighed and said, “Wan-er, look at her. She’s several levels above you. How can you think she’s a person that you can easily deal with?” 

  Wen Wan raised her head. The previously displayed weak and delicate demeanor was completely gone. She clenched her jaw and said, “Your Highness, you can’t say for sure that I’ll lose to her! I’m still the only person in Yuxuan’s heart!” 

  “You can’t rush things,” Shen Youqing said, “Show that you know your place for a while. Your future path will be considerably easier to walk than hers.” 

  Wen Wan calmed down, took a deep breath, and solemnly nodded. 

  — 

  Holding a brush, Ji Man leisurely asked Steward Qian, “Tell me, what are the names of Wan-er’s dowry servant girls. Wan-er isn’t feeling well right now. It’ll be better if I replace some of the people in my courtyard with her previous servants so that she has them to serve her. This way, the marquis won’t blame me for not doing a good job with taking care of Wan-er.” 

  Steward Qian didn’t find anything suspicious about these words. He handed over the list of Wen Wan’s dowry servant girls to Nie Sangyu. 

  That night, Ji Man replaced her courtyard’s lowest ranking servant girls with Wen Wan’s dowry servants. She also requested Ah Zi to be transferred to her courtyard from Honored Concubine Xue’s courtyard. 

  Translator Ramblings: What do you guys think Ji Man is planning?

  Chapter 174 out of 513 – Paying a visit to Errong’s maiden home (1) 

  For a period of time, with the exception of Gancao and Dengxin, the other servant girls in Feiwan Courtyard were all Wen Wan’s dowry servants. Ji Man assigned them to serve Wen Wan, as well as doing some unskilled labor. 

  Wen Wan couldn’t understand Nie Sangyu’s actions. Why had she done this? But, now that she was surrounded by her own people, it was easier for her to do the things that she wanted. She felt that life had become much more comfortable. 

  As a result, Marquis Moyu praised Nie Sangyu. Actually, he had looked at her with slanted eyes and said, “you’re being surprisingly kind-hearted.” But, Ji Man took the initiative of reinterpreting his commentary as praise. 

  — 

  When members of Nie Clan came over for a visit, Ji Man brought Gancao and Wen Wan to the main hall with her. Tanxiang also followed after Wen Wan. 

  Nie Xiangyuan looked at Wen Wan and said, “It’s certainly interesting to see a master that’s not a master and a servant that’s not a servant. I’ll have to thank Miss Wen for taking care of Sangyu.” 

  (T/N: Just in case it was too long ago, Nie Xiangyuan is Nie Sangyu’s father.) 

  These words were neither criticizing her nor praising her. As a result, it wouldn’t be appropriate for Wen Wan to agree or disagree with him. She could only pitifully look at Marquis Moyu. 

  However, Marquis Moyu was currently speaking with Nie Qingyun, and Ning Errong was deliberately standing in front of Ning Yuxuan to block his view. Errong turned around and tauntingly scrunched up her face into a weird expression that was directed at Wen Wan. 

  Wen Wan secretly gritted her teeth. 

  After Old Madame exchanged conventional greetings with Nie Xiangyuan, she praised Nie Sangyu for several sentences. Then, she turned her head and reproached Ning Yuxuan for treating Sangyu a bit coldly lately. 

  “Hasn’t this son been frequently going to Feiwan Courtyard?” Ning Yuxuan showed a fake smile. 

  Old Madame’s expression was calm as she darkly glanced at Wen Wan. Wen Wan hurriedly lowered her head. 

  Ning Errong blabbed, “Isn’t cousin just taking advantage of Sangyu’s good nature? You go to her courtyard to favor another woman. Isn’t that worse than just giving her the cold shoulder?” 

  The news of Wen Wan’s matter had already spread to Nie Residence. Errong felt this woman was utterly detestable. Wen Wan always had an delicate appearance, as if she would break with a single touch. 

  Wen Wan’s body lightly trembled. 

  Ning Yuxuan frowned and looked at Ning Errong. “Errong, you’re already a married woman. Why have you become even more unruly? Has Qingyun been spoiling you too much?” 

  Nie Qingyun faintly smiled, stretched his arm out, and tugged Errong down onto his lap. “Errong just has a frank personality. As her husband, it’s only natural for me to spoil her. Qingyun is happy to watch over her and take responsibility for her actions. She acted impolitely. Qingyun will apologize on her behalf.” 

  Ning Errong’s face turned slightly red. She cleared her throat a few times before quietly leaning against Nie Qingyun’s chest. 

  Ji Man silently ridiculed them; this was definitely an unnecessary, blatant display of mutual love. Still, she felt quite happy for them. It seemed that their relationship was progressing well. If they continued like this, they definitely wouldn’t get divorced in the future. 

  Old Madame felt very touched by Nie Qingyun’s words. “Aiya, Qingyun is a good child. Errong didn’t marry the wrong person. If a person doesn’t even know that he should cherish his own wife, then how could he possibly have a promising future?” 

  The unpromising Marquis Moyu indifferently turned his head and looked outside through a window. 

  Ji Man smiled and said, “We’ve already been talking for such a long time. Let’s start eating. Errong, after the meal is over, we can go back to my courtyard to get a couple of embroidered items. It’ll also give us time to talk.” 

  Nie Xiangyuan chuckled. “Have you forgotten your father now that you have a sister-in-law? I want to visit your courtyard too.” 

  “If father wants to see, how can Sangyu say no? After dinner, let’s all go there together. Old Madame, you haven’t been walking around much lately. How about you walk over there with us too? Errong and Sangyu will support you.” 

  In a good mood, Old Madame laughed and agreed. 

  When the group of people sat down at the table to eat, it was naturally time for the concubines to come forward to add food to their bowls. 

  Wen Wan stood far away with the other servant girls. In front of this group, she would only be a servant girl and wouldn’t receive any special treatment. 

  With her head lowered, Wen Wan showed restraint by silently repressing her feelings of anger. 

  When Muxu added food to Nie Xiangyuan’s bowl, she kept her head lowered, but he still looked at her for a long time. His sharp gaze almost caused Muxu to fall over in fright. 

  Ji Man stretched her hand out and added some food to Nie Xiangyuan’s bowl to help Muxu out by averting his attention. “Father, try some of this. This dish was personally cooked by daughter.” 

  Nie Xiangyuan turned his head back. His gaze showed confusion as he looked at Sangyu. 

  Ji Man’s smile was undaunted. She shook her head. 

  Regarding the matter of Muxu being promoted to a concubine, Nie Xiangyuan had decided he would demand an explanation on his daughter’s behalf during this visit. However, with his daughter showing this type of response, it became awkward for him to bring up this issue. 

  — 

  After dinner, Errong pouted and said to Wen Wan, “I want to eat snacks from Doufu. Go and buy some for me.” 

  Ning Yuxuan raised his head. “You can ask another servant to do that. Why do you have to ask her?” 

  “Is there any difference between her and another servant girl?” Errong innocently batted her eyelashes. “Isn’t she a servant girl? I just casually pointed at someone. Cousin, why is your reaction so drastic?” 

  Marquis Moyu pursed his lips. “Have Gancao buy the snacks for you.” 

  “No, I don’t want that,” Ning Errong harrumphed, “Cousin, if you didn’t speak out on her behalf, then it would be fine for someone else to buy the snacks. But, you insist on shielding that woman. It’s because of your bias that a servant is being treated like a master. Does this household still respect the difference between masters and servants? She has to be the one that goes out to buy the snacks today!” 

  Ning Yuxuan frowned, but Old Madame sneered, “Errong is a guest. Xuan-er, are you going to break the established standards for a servant?” 

  “No.” Marquis Moyu didn’t have any other options.

  Chapter 175 out of 513 – Paying a visit to Errong’s maiden home (2) 

  At this time, Wen Wan stepped forward, curtsied, and magnanimously said, “My lord, you don’t need to trouble yourself over this servant. Right now, this lowly one is only a servant. Whatever Young Madam wants this servant to do, this servant should do it. This servant will leave right away to buy the snacks.” 

  Ning Yuxuan looked at her, then he waved his hand. 

  Ning Errong mockingly glanced at Wen Wan, then she tugged Sangyu’s hand and acted cutely spoiled. “Old Madame, let’s go to Feiwan Courtyard.” 

  “Alright.” Old Madame stood up and informed Nie Xiangyuan that they were leaving. 

  Nie Xiangyuan politely cupped his hands toward the other men to take his leave, then he got up and accompanied them as they walked to Feiwan Courtyard. 

  — 

  Dengxin was currently angrily standing at Feiwan Courtyard’s entrance. From a distance, she saw that a couple of the masters were walking over here. She hurriedly walked over to Nie Sangyu’s side. Feeling a bit apprehensive because Old Madame was also here, she kept her lips sealed. 

  Ji Man whispered, “What’s wrong?” 

  Dengxin was so angry that she wanted to stamp her feet. She whispered into her master’s ear, “Master, why on earth did you bring those servants to Feiwan Courtyard? Go and look. It’s already bad enough that they’re all so lazy, but they act as if Wen Wan is their master. They wouldn’t even heat up some water for tea when this servant ordered them. It’ll look so bad if there’s no tea to offer the guests when they reach Feiwan Courtyard.” 

  Ji Man nodded. This didn’t surprise her. Wen Wan’s dowry servants were used to doing light work like embroidery. Even after Wen Wan lost her position, these servants were assigned to the two honored concubines’ courtyards and didn’t have to do unskilled labor. For example, Ah Zi was assigned to Honored Concubine Xue as her personal servant girl. 

  And so, they naturally wouldn’t be happy doing work like chopping firewood and boiling water. In addition, their real master, the crown princess, had recently visited, so they were thinking quite highly of themselves right now. How could they possibly be willing to listen to Dengxin’s orders? 

  “Keep calm. Don’t get impatient.” Ji Man squeezed Dengxin’s hand. 

  Then, Ji Man walked to Old Madame’s side and said, “An order of spring tea was recently delivered to the residence. There’s a box of it left in Feiwan Courtyard. Since father and Errong have come over, Sangyu will take it out for everyone to drink. But, Sangyu isn’t very good at brewing tea. Danggui or Shouwu, could you help me by brewing the tea instead?” 

  Danggui and Shouwu were Old Madame’s personal servants. Every time Nie Sangyu sent something to Old Madame, there would always be a portion given to them as well. Thus, they naturally liked her a lot and easily agreed to her request. 

  And so, the group of people entered the main room in Feiwan Courtyard to sit down and talk. Ji Man took out a few embroidered items and gave them to Errong. She also gave newly embroidered sachets to Nie Xiangyuan and Old Madame. 

  Nie Xiangyuan looked at the sachet and said, “Sangyu, your embroidery skills are getting better and better. You must practice a lot, right?” 

  “Exactly, Sangyu has been using the marquis’s clothing and other items to practice. The more Sangyu perfects my craft, the better the items Sangyu will be able to embroider for Old Madame and father in the future.” 

  Hearing these words, Old Madame cackled. “Oh, you lovable girl.” 

  During this conversation, Danggui had already left the room with the tea leaves to brew the tea. But, even after they had waited for a long time, she still hadn’t returned. 

  When Old Madame reflexively stretched her hand out to pick up a cup of tea, she only grasped air. She asked, “Why hasn’t she brought tea back yet?” 

  Shouwu glanced towards the outside and said, “This servant will go over there to check. Perhaps, Danggui is just being lazy.” 

  A short while later, Danggui and Shouwu returned. Danggui was still holding the container of tea leaves as she approached Old Madame and said, “The servant girls in this courtyard are outrageous. They were just sitting there, goofing off and joking around with each other instead of boiling water for tea. This servant had to call them several times to get their attention. In the end, they only hurriedly worked on starting a fire when they found that Old Madame had come here.” 

  “That’s disgraceful!” Old Madame frowned. “When did the servant girls in this household become so lazy? If they’re so neglectful when there are guests present, then how are they serving their master normally?” 

  Dengxin hastily stepped forward and said, “They aren’t even serving Madam at all. It’s Madam that’s serving Miss Wen. When this servant asks them to do something, they only roll their eyes in response. Who knows where they learned such bad behavior?” 

  Old Madame harrumphed and immediately stood up. “Let’s go! We’ll see how pampered these servant girls are!” 

  Wen Wan had already left the residence to buy snacks, so these dowry servant didn’t have anyone to warn them. As soon as Danggui and Shouwu had left, they had sat back down. As they watched the water being heated up on the stove, they started complaining again. 

  “What kind of life is this? I thought life would be easier after coming here to work for the marquis’s wife. I didn’t expect that we would still have to do hard labor.” 

  “You’re one to talk. Who was that fought over the chance to be a dowry servant and even dragged me along into this mess?” 

  “You wench. You have some nerve saying that. If it wasn’t for me, then you would still be cleaning chamber pots in the crown prince’s residence.” 

  Ah Zi poked at the firewood under the stove. Feeling discontent, she said, “Just wait and see. I believe in the crown princess’s foresight. Miss Wen will definitely be able to reverse her fortunes. That Nie Sangyu is just shrewish trash. Even after six years, she still hadn’t gotten pregnant even once. Let’s see how long she can hold her head high.” 

  When Old Madame announced her presence by coldly harrumphing, it felt like lightning was striking the ground. 

  Shocked and scared, the servant girls stumbled as they hurriedly got up and saluted, “Old…… Old Madame.” 

  The back courtyard was always a messy place. Normally, the masters would never come to this place. This was why they dared to be so bold in their conversation. They would have never expected that Old Madame would come here without sending a servant to announce her arrival beforehand. 

  “In my twenty years as the matriarch of this household, I’ve never seen such wicked servants.” Old Madame swept her gaze across these servants and sneered. “It’s one thing for a servant to be lazy, but you actually have the nerve to speak badly about your master behind her back. Danggui, fetch me their servitude contracts. Sell them to farmers in the countryside to be their wives!” 

  Translator Ramblings: In defense to Ning Yuxuan and Ji Man’s seemingly obliviousness to the other peoples’ true characters, first impressions have an unfairly, long-lasting advantage or disadvantage. If your best friend or anyone else that you think is good person does something horrible, are you really going to think, my friend is a bad person, or are you going to make excuses for your friend’s behavior? They were just having a bad day. They didn’t meant to do that. It was the other person’s fault. Even if they mess up multiple times, everyone has a natural tendency to cling to their narrative of the world. And, the inverse is true. If someone makes a bad first impression on you, they have to work so much harder to erase that impression. 

  It doesn’t matter how smart Ning Yuxuan and Ji Man are, they’ll fall victims to this trap too.