Wen Wan had fled to the garden to cry. She had been here for a while, but Ning Yuxuan still hadn’t come here to console her. Not only that, she overheard from passing servant girls that everyone had gone to the main courtyard to celebrate Madam’s pregnancy. 

  How could she not feel bad about this? The position of Ning Yuxuan’s main wife had originally been hers, and she had been the pregnant one first. But, in the blink of an eye, she had lost everything. Nie Sangyu had left the path that would lead to her demise, and an opportunity had unexpectedly been given to her! 

  At the thought of this, Wen Wan cried even more bitterly. 

  The sound of her weeping attracted a passerby’s attention. 

  Ning Mingjie turned around and saw that it was Wen Wan. He raised his eyebrows and walked over to ask her what was wrong. 

  Wen Wan looked up in surprise and saw Ning Mingjie’s breathtaking face. Her heart jumped and her face turned slightly red. “Young Master.” 

  Ning Mingjie lightly asked, “How come you’re crying here?” 

  Previously, when they had been at Tonghua Poetry Association, Wen Wan would ask his help from time to time in shooing off a couple of young nobles that were acting too outrageously. Since she was Ning Yuxuan’s wife, he hadn’t refused her requests. Little by little, the two of them had become more familiar with each other. Ning Mingjie didn’t dislike Wen Wan, but he didn’t like her either. He just regarded her as his cousin’s wife. 

  However, his naturally seductive eyes had a negative aspect. No matter who he looked at, his gaze would look unintentionally too gentle and affectionate. As a result, Wen Wan had always thought Ning Mingjie had a small crush on her. 

  Since ancient times, how many men didn’t like weak and delicate women? 

  And so, when she had been confined in the woodshed, she had used Ah Zi to send many messages to Ning Mingjie. For example, she would say that the other servants were bullying her, or that she had gotten a cold because the weather was too cold. 

  Ning Mingjie had visited her a few times when he had been feeling bored. Seeing how pitiful she had looked, he even brought her a quilt. However, his work became busier later, and he no longer had time to pay attention to her various requests. 

  During the holidays, when there had been that incident with women and children being kidnapped, he happened to see Wen Wan and asked her if she knew about the situation. However, Wen Wan hadn’t known about anything, so he didn’t ask any further questions. Now that he happened to meet her again, Ning Mingjie blurted out this question. But, as soon as he did, he felt somewhat regretful. 

  Why had he asked her this question? It was none of his business. 

  “Young Master, have you not heard the news yet? Madam is pregnant. She’s been pregnant for four months.” Wen Wan forced herself to smile, but there were still tears in her eyes. It gave off the impression of a delicate person trying her best to appear strong. 

  Ning Mingjie nodded. “I was just about to send someone to tell Errong. She’ll probably be the happiest person when she hears this news.” 

  Wen Wan placed her hands over her stomach, lowered her eyes, and said, “Wan-er should also have her own child. Unfortunately, the gods are cruel……” 

  “You can just get pregnant again in the future. There’s no need to come here to cry.” Ning Mingjie lightly smiled and said, “I’ll be leaving first.” 

  Wen Wan, “.……” 

  She had thought this person would at least say a couple of comforting words. Then, she would have the opportunity to air out her grievances in response. Unexpectedly, Ning Mingjie had left right after saying those words. 

  She pursed her lips. He was right. There really was no point in crying. She wiped her tears and went to look for Ning Yuxuan. 

  — 

  Ning Yuxuan returned to his study. Unfortunately for him, Nie Sangyu had come here with him too. 

  Ji Man continued to act super clingy. She insisted on moving her chair next to Ning Yuxuan’s, then she stared at him with loving eyes. Whenever Ning Yuxuan turned his head, she would wink at him. In addition, she would ask in a syrupy voice, “My lord, do you want to drink or eat something?” 

  In order to avoid hearing that voice that would give him goosebumps, Ning Yuxuan had been staring at the same piece of paper for almost half an hour. 

  Wen Wan entered the room with reddened eyes. She had originally thought she could come here to indulge herself in acting cutely spoiled until she felt better. However, as soon as she walked inside, she saw Nie Sangyu leaning against Marquis Moyu. Wen Wan heard Nie Sangyu say in a coquettish voice, “My lord, if you’re tired of reading, this servant can read it aloud for you.” 

  This woman was truly being too shameless. She clearly knew that Yuxuan didn’t like her. And yet, she used her pregnancy as an excuse to cling to him! Wen Wan couldn’t contain her anger. She stepped forward and shouted, “Yuxuan!” 

  Since Marquis Moyu had taken her as his personal servant girl last month, she had already lost the attitude that a servant girl should have. She was even accustomed to addressing him by his name instead of by his title. 

  Ji Man raised her eyebrows and showed a displeased expression. “Miss Wan-er, have you forgotten your status after staying by the marquis’s side for only a short period of time?” 

  Feeling very disgruntled, Wen Wan said, “How has Wan-er forgotten her status?” 

  “Can all of the servants in this household address the marquis by his name? If so, I’ll order the rest of the servants to also address him like that in the future.” 

  Ning Yuxuan frowned and lightly said, “Don’t say such nonsense.” 

  “How is it nonsense? Isn’t this servant just accommodating Miss Wan-er’s behavior?” Ji Man asked with a smile. Every particle in Ji Man’s body felt invigorated when she imagined a chorus of servant girls greeting Marquis Moyu with syrupy voices, “Yuxuan, we wish you well.” 

  Wen Wan bit her lips, lowered her head, and said, “This servant is the one that acted improperly. The marquis is the marquis. This servant shouldn’t have addressed him based on my previous status.” 

  Ji Man felt somewhat disappointed that Wen Wan acknowledged her mistake so quickly. She twitched her lips and said, “Miss Wan-er, you’re very forgetful.” 

  Wen Wan lowered her head more and stayed silent. 

  Ji Man continued to smile and do things to nauseate the both of them for a while. Then, seeing that it wasn’t early anymore, she finally mercifully said, “This servant should go back to my courtyard to rest now.” 

  Nie Sangyu was finally leaving! It was as if there were little firecrackers being set off in Wen Wan’s heart in celebration. 

  Marquis Moyu also sighed in relief. 

  “But……” Ji Man stood up and seriously looked at Wen Wan. “My courtyard is lacking servants. Life is definitely bound to be more inconvenient as a pregnant person. Miss Wan-er, return to Feiwan Courtyard with me.”


  Chapter 186 – A female lead that’s grievously suffering (1) 

  Shocked, Wen Wan instinctively shook her head. “No!” 

  It had been so difficult to be transferred from Feiwan Courtyard to Marquis Moyu’s side. How could she be willing to go back?! 

  Ji Man slightly widened her eyes, made a graceful gesture with her hand, and copied Wen Wan’s delicate way of speaking as if she was the wronged party. “Even though I shouldn’t insist this if Miss Wan-er doesn’t want to, I still have to make one more attempt to implore you. I just wouldn’t feel safe if it was someone else serving me. Miss Wan-er, do you dislike me so much that you won’t even help me out when I’m pregnant?” 

  A muffled laughter came over from the side. The two women turned their heads in that direction, but they only saw a book blocking their view of Marquis Moyu’s face. He seemed as if he was seriously reading a book. 

  She must have misheard. There was no reason for Marquis Moyu to be laughing. Ji Man shook her head, then she took a step forward and clasped Wen Wan’s hand in hers. “Come on younger sister, just obediently come with me. Before I came here, I already asked Old Madame for permission, and she agreed.” 

  Wen Wan pursed her lips and said, “This servant is the marquis’s person right now. It doesn’t count even if Old Madame agrees. You have to ask the marquis if he agrees or not!” 

  Ah, she’s getting smarter. Ji Man put on a show of helplessly letting go of Wen Wan’s hand, then she turned around and walked to Marquis Moyu’s side. “My lord ~” 

  Ning Yuxuan dryly coughed, put down the book, and solemnly said, “If you take Wan-er away, who will serve me?” 

  “Don’t you have Guibai and the other servants?” Ji Man clutched his arm and swung it back and forth. “This servant’s days of suffering will be so long in the future. My lord, do you really not care? It’s only one servant. After this servant borrows her for a couple of months, this servant will naturally return her.” 

  In a couple of months, Yuxuan’s feelings towards her might have already cooled. Wen Wan coldly looked at Nie Sangyu. She absolutely couldn’t stand the gaze that Nie Sangyu was directing at Yuxuan. Nie Sangyu really didn’t have any sense of shame! 

  And yet, Ning Yuxuan didn’t say any words of disagreement. He actually nodded. 

  He actually gave her away, just like that! 

  Unwilling to accept reality, Wen Wan’s lost her self-control and shouted, “My lord!” 

  Marquis Moyu glanced at her. His eyes showed helplessness. “Sangyu is pregnant. I can only be unfair to you for a bit.” 

  Ji Man was smiling so widely that her eyes had closed. Once again, she affectionately pulled Wen Wan’s hand. “See, even the marquis has agreed. Come on, let’s go.” 

  Wen Wan’s gaze was full of disdain, but she lowered her eyes. Her hands were rigid as she said, “.…… This servant will obey.” 

  Just like that, Nie Sangyu brought her back to Feiwan Courtyard. She hadn’t even had the chance to say one sentence alone with Marquis Moyu. 

  When they arrived at Feiwan Courtyard, Gancao and Dengxin were joyfully organizing Nie Sangyu’s room. Their master was pregnant, so pointy objects and various incense sticks naturally had to be put away. The old rug was also replaced with a thick and soft sheep rug. 

  When the two servant girls saw their master leading Wen Wan back, their expression immediately stiffened. 

  When Gancao went with Wen Wan to the side room to tidy it up, Dengxin was trembling in fury while she stood by her master’s side. 

  Dengxin exclaimed, “Master, how could you bring that scourge back?!” 

  Ji Man patted her hand and said, “Calm down. I naturally have my own reason for bringing her back. Just don’t let her touch my food or anything else I use. Other than that, act normally. Treat her like she’s any other servant.” 

  “How could the other servants dare treat her like a servant?” Dengxin angrily said, “Everyone in the household knows that the marquis cherishes her. Whenever anyone dares to order her around, she’ll tell the marquis that person bullied her and that person won’t have a good outcome.” 

  Ji Man cheerfully said, “Don’t worry, the marquis won’t punish you. It’s okay if you order her around. You don’t have to give her any special treatment.” 

  Although Dengxin didn’t believe her, her master’s expression showed that she had a trick up her sleeve. And so, she felt somewhat curious. After her master had lied down to rest, Dengxin mustered up her courage and knocked on the side room’s doors 

  Wen Wan opened the doors and impatiently looked at her. “What?” 

  Dengxin said with a smile, “Our master is pregnant and frequently wakes up in the middle of the night. Gancao and I have already taken turns for night duty for the last four nights. Tonight is your turn. Don’t sleep too deeply.” 

  Wen Wan had been angry to begin with. Hearing these words, she got even angrier. “You can’t possibly be asking me to give up on getting a good night’s sleep.” 

  Dengxin rolled her eyes. “As servants, if our master can’t sleep well, then we can’t sleep well either. Even thought the marquis spoils you, you’re still a servant. Don’t forget your status.” 

  This wasn’t the first time that Wen Wan heard these words. The first time she heard these words was from a servant girl in Marquis Moyu’s courtyard that was responsible for preparing and serving tea. Wen Wan immediately turned around and cried in front of Ning Yuxuan for a while. As a result, the tea servant was sent out of the residence. 

  Wen Wan looked at Dengxin up and down, then she cynically said, “Be careful with your words. Otherwise, when it’s your turn to be sent out of the residence, your pregnant master won’t be able to help you.” 

  Dengxin glared at her. “I’ve already done my duty. If you don’t want to listen to me and something happens to my master, then I can’t help you either when Old Madame punishes you.” 

  After saying this, Dengxin turned around and went to her shared room with Gancao to sleep. 

  Wen Wan stood in the doorway and stewed in silence for a while. What was the big deal about being pregnant?! She had been pregnant too! 

  She rubbed her stomach. While she had been at Marquis Moyu’s side recently, she had been favored several times. Perhaps, she would soon become pregnant too. If that happened, she would make Nie Sangyu pay her back for all of the grievances she was suffering now. 

  She turned around and went inside to sleep. Wen Wan didn’t take Dengxin’s words seriously. 

  — 

  And so, when Ji Man woke up in the middle of the night and called for a servant several times, no one came. She rubbed her chin, then she got out of bed, went outside, and poured herself a cup of warm water. While she was outside, she glanced at the side room. Wen Wan clearly hadn’t changed her immature personality at all. 

  Translator Ramblings: My favorite part is when Ning Yuxuan finally realizes that Nie Sangyu is just messing with them and secretly finds it amusing. 

  “A muffled laughter came over from the side. The two women turned their heads in that direction, but they only saw a book blocking their view of Marquis Moyu’s face. He seemed as if he was seriously reading a book. 

  She must have misheard. There was no reason for Marquis Moyu to be laughing.”


  Chapter 187 – A female lead that’s grievously suffering (2) 

  The next day, Ji Man gave Gancao and Dengxin time off to visit their families. Wen Wan was left as her remaining personal servant. 

  Feeling extremely uneasy, Gancao looked at Nie Sangyu and said, “Master, it’s okay if we visit our families at another time. Your body……” 

  Dengxin nodded and added, “That person in the side room doesn’t know how to serve people at all. What if something were to happen?” 

  Ji Man looked at the bottom edge of a skirt that was peeking out from the doorway, faintly smiled, and said, “Why would anything happen? Wan-er isn’t stupid. If anything happens when she’s the only one serving me, then she’ll have to pay for the death of my baby with her life. Imperial Noble Consort Nie and the rest of my clan would never let her off, even the marquis wouldn’t be able to stop them.” 

  Gancao and Dengxin still felt worried, but Ji Man pushed some money into their hands and personally escorted them out of the residence. 

  After she publicized her pregnancy, the likelihood of her two simple-minded personal servant girls being used by other people was too great. Moreover, she wasn’t sure how much she could trust them. She was scared that she would accidentally drink another bowl of medicinal soup with saffron. And so, the best solution was to send them away and have Wen Wan serve her for a while. 

  On the bright side, if Qian Lianxue wanted to harm her, she would have fewer opportunities to do so. As for Marquis Moyu, he wouldn’t dare to act rashly while she had Wen Wan as a hostage. If he dared to do anything against her, she would drag down the woman he cherished the most with her. She definitely wouldn’t let him have a happy ending. 

  Ji Man resolutely covered her stomach. This little treasure, she definitely wouldn’t allow it to be harmed again by anyone. 

  — 

  However, as Gancao and Dengxin had predicted, Wen Wan didn’t serve Nie Sangyu in an attentive and thoughtful manner. 

  Looking at Nie Sangyu’s somewhat fatigued face, Old Madame frowned and asked, “What’s wrong?” 

  Ji Man smiled and shook her head. “It’s nothing. I just haven’t been sleeping well recently. When I wake up at night, there isn’t a servant to serve me, and I almost fell over last night. It made me feel worried, so I wasn’t able to sleep well.” 

  “How can this be okay?!” Old Madame angrily said, “Have all your personal servant girls died?” 

  Standing by the side, Wen Wan trembled when she heard Old Madame’s angry voice. She stepped forward and said, “This servant is still serving Madam.” 

  Old Madame glanced at her and sneered. “I was wondering who would dare to be so audacious and not serve her master. So it was you. Then, this matter isn’t strange at all.” 

  Wen Wan smiled. “This servant has never been good at serving other people. Madam is the one that insisted on keeping this servant by her side. This servant also feels very helpless.” 

  Look at that. The female lead is grievously suffering. 

  Old Madame looked at her in askance and said, “What’s the point in keeping a servant that doesn’t know how to work? I might as well send you away sooner rather than later. Xuan-er happens to not be at home today, so I’ll decide this matter. How about I bestow you to Butcher Zhang, the one at the nearby street corner?” 

  Wen Wan straightened her back, “This servant is the marquis’s woman.” Old Madame was definitely just trying to scare her. There was no way she would actually go through with this. 

  Old Madame scoffed. “All of the women in this household belong to the marquis. It seems that no one has taught you the rules, so you’re acting increasingly without any sense of propriety. Shouwu, call for people to tie her up and deliver her to Butcher Zhang.” 

  Shouwu made a sound of acknowledgement, and other servants really did come over, tie Wen Wan up, and push her outside. 

  Shocked by this treatment, Wen Wan didn’t react until she had already been pushed to the main courtyard’s entrance. Panic-stricken, Wen Wan begged for mercy, “Old Madame, please forgive me! Please!” 

  Old Madame looked on with a stony expression as Shouwu personally led the other servants in forcefully taking Wen Wan out of the residence. 

  They brought Wen Wan to Butcher Zhang, who was standing at the street corner. 

  As soon as Wen Wan saw that meaty and greasy-faced butcher, her legs felt like they were going to collapse. She hurriedly hugged Shouwu’s leg and said, “Aunty Shouwu, please spare this servant! Please! This servant won’t dare to act badly again! Aunty Shouwu, please allow this servant to go back to the residence!” 

  Shouwu’s smile was cutting. “Miss Wan-er, Old Madame is worried that you’ll keep forgetting that you have to follow the rules. So, she’s decided to let you experience what it’s like to suffer. As a servant myself, I can’t save you.” 

  After Wen Wan was pushed into Butcher Zhang’s house, Shouwu closed the door and waited outside until she heard Wen Wan’s screech. Then, she had the other servants open the door and drag Wen Wan outside. 

  Wen Wan had already been scared out of her wits. Although her clothing looked a bit disorderly, she was still wearing them and none of it was torn. Shouwu snorted, paid Butcher Zhang some money, and led the group of servants back. 

  Wen Wan had a stomach full of grievances. She desperately endured them and waited for Marquis Moyu’s return. Once Yuxuan found that she had been humiliated in such a terrible manner, he definitely wouldn’t let them off! 

  However, when the marquis came by Feiwan Courtyard, Nie Sangyu sent her off to get medicine. By the time she came back, the marquis had already left. 

  Wen Wan’s eyes were red as she held her handkerchief in a death grip. She glared at Nie Sangyu, who was serenely sitting in the middle of the room. 

  Ji Man was calmly smiling. She was merely acting out the role of a secondary female character. Back when she used to read light novels, she thought the secondary female characters were the most dislikable people. However, now that she was playing out the role of a secondary female character, it felt quite satisfying. 

  Wen Wan was so angry that tears kept dripping down her face. Then, she turned around and ran outside. She wanted to chase after Ning Yuxuan. 

  However, Shouwu seemingly appeared out of nowhere and asked her with a smile, “Miss Wan-er, where are you going?” 

  Frightened by Shouwu’s sudden appearance, Wan Wan immediately fled back to Feiwan Courtyard. 

  — 

  That night, Wen Wan naturally wasn’t able to peacefully fall asleep. After turning and tossing, she draped an outer robe over herself and went outside to sit under the covered corridor to lament over her misfortune. 

  “Miss Wan-er.” A voice came from behind her. 

  Wen Wan almost shrieked in fright. When she turned around, she saw that the words had come from a low-ranking servant girl that had recently been assigned to Feiwan Courtyard.