“Starting from the day that the imperial noble consort gave birth to a baby prince to now, when I recovered from my serious illness, I’ve certainly lost a lot,” the crown prince slowly said, “Madam, do you know why Yuxuan was the first person that I’m visiting after I got better?” 

  What an unnecessary question. It was because Ning Yuxuan was like a jar of tiger balm, a cure-all for all sorts of problems. Right now, the crown prince was being attacked from all sides. Other than using everything that he had, did the crown prince have any other choice? Ji Man inwardly cursed him, then she pursed her lips and said, “Sangyu is slow-witted and know nothing about political affairs.” 

  The crown prince chuckled. “If you’re considered slow-witted, then I don’t know if there’s anyone that can be considered clever. Yuxuan is my right-handed man. I won’t let off anyone that might cut off my right hand. This includes people that haven’t been born yet. Madam, do you understand my meaning?” 

  Zhao Zhe thought that Marquis Moyu had been avoiding him because Nie Sangyu was pregnant. In addition, the third prince’s faction was doing very well. He thought that Ning Yuxuan was having rebellious thoughts of changing sides. The first step towards resolving his current predicament was resolving the problem of Nie Sangyu. 

  Ji Man wryly smiled. She and this baby were absolutely innocent. Ning Yuxuan definitely wouldn’t rashly make a decision just because she was pregnant. The crown prince had worked together with Ning Yuxuan for a long time, but he clearly didn’t understand Ning Yuxuan’s mind at all. 

  Ji Man said, “Your Highness, if you harm Sangyu’s baby, you’ll suffer too. Are you willing to pay that price?” 

  Zhao Zhe laughed. “Madam, do you think I’ll do a stupid thing like that? Isn’t Miss Wen also here? How could that crime fall onto me?” 

  Wen Wan paused, but she still obediently lowered her gaze and didn’t refute. 

  Ji Man furrowed her brow. The crown prince was planning on killing her baby in broad daylight, then walking out of here as if he was completely uninvolved by pushing the crime onto Wen Wan? Did he think Ning Yuxuan was an idiot? 

  But, as things stand, Nie Clan was too powerful. It was reasonable that the crown prince was willing to take risks in his current desperate state. Ji Man protectively covered her belly, took a step back, and looked at Zhao Zhe. “Sangyu has already said this before, Sangyu is willing to risk my life in order to keep people from harming my baby.” 

  “How are you going to risk your life?” Zhao Zhe coldly smiled at her. “Are you going to commit suicide? Taxue, give her a knife.” 

  Taxue actually threw a knife onto the ground. 

  Ji Man glanced at the knife, pursed her lips, and said, “Sangyu won’t do anything that only harms myself and helps others. If the crown prince wants to kill Sangyu’s baby while keeping your hands clean of this matter, that won’t be possible.” 

  “Oh?” Zhao Zhe’s eyes were full of disdain. “What can you possibly do?” 

  It was true that there was nothing that she could do. However, she was already standing at the line between life and death. She had to try by saying something to scare the other side. Ji Man quickly thought; how can she save this baby? 

  The knife was right at her feet. While trying to think of a solution, Ji Man crouched down and picked it up. 

  Use the knife to kill the crown prince? That was the same as seeking death. She wouldn’t do something that stupid. Kill Wen Wan? There wasn’t any benefit to that either. She would probably get in trouble for that too. After thinking things through, Ji Man hardened her heart and thought; how about she stab herself, divert their attention, and pretend that she had suffered a miscarriage? 

  But, she wasn’t able to go through with it. It had looked so easy for those brave TV characters to stab themselves. Ji Man really didn’t have their determination. 

  She had pointed the knife at herself, but she wasn’t able to move it forward. 

  The crown prince impatiently looked at her. “Taxue, help her!” 

  Taxue nodded, stepped forward, grabbed Nie Sangyu’s hand that was holding the knife, and expressionlessly pushed it down, towards her belly. 

  Ji Man struggled with all of her strength. In this emergency situation, would anyone be able to hear her scream? There wasn’t any guarantee for success if she yelled out Ning Yuxuan’s name. What other words could she scream? 

  Ji Man screamed at the top of her lungs, “Long live the People’s Republic of China!” 

  Everyone in the courtyard was dumbfounded. Was the meaning of these words? Even Zhao Zhe couldn’t resist the impulse to mentally repeat the words she had shouted in an attempt to figure out the meaning. Were these words a secret signal? 

  Taxue had also paused. The blade was already resting on her belly. Ji Man hurriedly used this time to push Taxue half a step back, then she threw that knife over the wall. 

  “Madam?” Guabai’s voice came from outside the courtyard. He seemed to have seen the knife that had been thrown out. After a pause, he knocked on the courtyard’s doors. “The marquis woke up. Madam, he wants you to go to his room.” 

  Thinking that Nie Sangyu was quite interesting, Zhao Zhe had originally wanted to draw this out for a little bit longer. However, against his expectations, someone had really come to rescue her. Why had Ning Yuxuan woken up at this exact time? 

  “Madam?” 

  After Ji Man’s great disaster had been averted, she momentarily forgot to respond. When Guibai called out again, she hastily called out, “Guibai, save me! The crown prince wants to kill my baby!” 

  Taxue covered her mouth, but Ji Man continued to try to call out. She kicked over a flowerpot and tried to pinch Taxue. Her usual elegant appearance had completely disappeared. 

  Guibai paused. In an icy voice, he said, “Miss Wen, please open the door. The marquis is looking for Madam. If anything accidentally happens to Madam, then it’ll be impossible for the marquis to recover from his illness.” 

  Zhao Zhe laughed. “He won’t recover from his illness? What a clever Marquis Moyu. He guessed accurately. I can’t bear for anything to happen to him. Taxue, bring Nie Sangyu with us. Let’s go see the marquis that finally woke up!” 

  Ji Man’s heart was wildly beating. With her hands pressed behind her back, Taxue forced her forward as he went to open the doors. When the doors were opened, she saw Guibai looking at her with a worried expression. 

  The crown prince strode forward and waved his hand. “Let’s go.” 

  Guibai nodded and led the way. From time to time, he would turn his head to look at Nie Sangyu. Since Taxue was still restraining her, she was stumbling with every few steps. No matter how he looked at it, this didn’t look safe. 

  During the entire walk, the crown prince’s expression was very cold. When they arrived at the main room, he stretched his hand out, took hold of Nie Sangyu from Taxue, and personally brought her into the room with him. 

  Translator Ramblings: I wonder whose view of Ning Yuxuan is the correct one. Is the crown prince right in that Ning Yuxuan is already wavering because of Nie Sangyu’s pregnancy? Or, is Ji Man right that it’s impossible for Ning Yuxuan to change his feeling so quickly, and he’s wavering for a purely political reason?

  Chapter 198 – The rule that the female lead can’t be killed (1) 

  Ji Man had originally thought that although the crown prince wouldn’t tolerate her continued existence, he would at least try to get rid of her secretly. However, he had actually brought her along when he was confronting Marquis Moyu. 

  Had the situation already deteriorated to this point? Or, did the existence of her baby really have that big of an influence on the situation? 

  Ning Yuxuan was leaning back on the bed, and the flushed color on his face hadn’t faded yet. He was clearing his throat as he watched the two people entering the room. With a hoarse voice, he asked, “Your Highness, why are you doing this? Has Sangyu offended you somehow?” 

  Zhao Zhe chuckled, closed the doors, and placed Nie Sangyu on one of the seats before saying, “Madam hasn’t offended me. I was just teasing her. I didn’t expect that Madam would take it so seriously.” 

  Ji Man gritted her teeth. The blade had already touched her belly! How could that just be teasing? If she turned around and stabbed him with a knife, could she also say that she was just playing around? 

  Ning Yuxuan lowered his gaze and coughed a few times before finally saying, “How could it be fun to tease her? She’s like a hedgehog. Your Highness, if you and Sangyu are playing around, please don’t go to Wan-er’s courtyard and bother her. She’s still recovering from her cold.” 

  Zhao Zhe raised his eyebrows and looked at the sickly man. “I was wondering why you had woken up at this time. Were you worried that I would bother your beloved?” 

  Ning Yuxuan smiled. “Your Highness, if there’s something you want to say, how about talking to Yuxuan in private? She’s only a woman. You might as well let her leave.” 

  Recently, the crown prince’s spies had been telling him that Marquis Moyu had become increasingly doting towards Nie Sangyu, to the point that he was even giving Wen Wan the cold shoulder. Before he had come here today, he had already made the mental preparation of speaking frankly and putting everything out into the open. Marquis Moyu was his most useful helper, so he naturally wouldn’t allow any type of hostility to come between them and ruin his grand plans, much less an insignificant Nie Sangyu. 

  Zhao Zhe had already decided to sacrifice Wen Wan in order to get rid of Nie Sangyu’s baby, and prepared a follow up action to ensure that Ning Yuxuan would return to being loyal to him. 

  However, he hadn’t seen a trace of worry in Ning Yuxuan’s eyes when he had forcefully pulled Nie Sangyu into the room. Ning Yuxuan had only nonchalantly glanced at Nie Sangyu, who clearly appeared as if she had suffered a frightful shock. 

  Where was that rumored love? Zhao Zhe pursed his lips, then he looked at Nie Sangyu again. She had already stood up and was slowly walking to the doors with her hand protectively over her belly. 

  Marquis Moyu said, “Your Highness, you personally came here to test Yuxuan. Aren’t you being too distrustful of me? 

  “How is this testing?” Zhao Zhe awkwardly laughed. He peeked at Ning Yuxuan’s clear eyes and averted his gaze. 

  “Yuxuan’s actions have always been done for the benefit of the crown prince. What happened with the Six Ministries was bound to happen sooner or later. Your Highness, this incident with the smallpox had given you the benefit of seeing everyone’s true loyalties. How else will Yuxuan be able to weed them out? The emperor’s heart has only shown a slight wavering. Your Highness, why are you panicking over something so minor?” 

  The crown prince paused before saying, “We’ve been on the same boat for a long time. I remember all of the things you’ve done for me. I just didn’t expect that so many people would change their loyalties; even the ones that were normally so loyal to me have taken this opportunity to leave me. I was feeling too upset over this, so I lost my self-control for a bit.” 

  Ning Yuxuan tolerantly smiled. “Your Highness, you should believe in Yuxuan more.” 

  Feeling somewhat ashamed, Zhao Zhe nodded. 

  Marquis Moyu coughed to clear his throat and quietly said, “Since the third prince has snatched the limelight, then just let him enjoy it for a while. It’s lonely at the top. Restrain your impulses for a while. After this episode of smallpox is over, Yuxuan will have a big present to give to you.” 

  Zhao Zhe’s brow relaxed. He looked at him with a deep gaze. “I was right to believe in you.” 

  He had been right. If he wanted the world, then he needed to get Marquis Moyu first. 

  — 

  Ji Man returned to her own room and lied down. Her heart was still beating rapidly. Covering her belly, she gradually calmed herself down, and the cold sweat slowly dripped down. 

  Liu Hanyun silently went to boil hot water. After preparing a tub full of warm water, she walked to Nie Sangyu’s bed and said, “Go take a bath and change your clothes. If you stay covered in sweat, you’ll catch a cold.” 

  Ji Man froze for a moment in surprise, then she gratefully looked at her. However, she wouldn’t feel at ease as long as the prince was here, at Marquis Moyu’s other estate. 

  “I’ll guard the doors for you.” Liu Hanyun expressionlessly left the room and closed the doors from the outside. 

  Ji Man thought; this person’s actions were always so thoughtful and kind, but her face continued to be expressionless. Ji Man felt a warm feeling budding in her chest. Once they returned to the main estate, she definitely had to express her thanks and appreciation. 

  After taking a bath, Ji Man’s entire body felt much better. She changed her clothes and went outside. To her surprise, Mu Shuiqing was standing in front of her doors. 

  Seeing Mu Shuiqing, Ji Man was reminded of the crown prince and her recent frightful experience. After all, the crown prince had given Mu Shuiqing to Ning Yuxuan. 

  “The crown prince has already left,” Mu Shuqing quietly said, “Wen Wan is serving the marquis in the main room.” 

  Ji Man nodded. The trepidation in her heart started to dissipate. All was well as long as he left. 

  However, why did Wen Wan go over to attend to the marquis? Hasn’t she been using the excuse that there was a big bump on her head, so she couldn’t serve him? 

  Feeling curious, Ji Man went over to the main room. 

  Wen Wan was holding a bowl of medicine and sitting by Ning Yuxuan’s bed. She warmly fed him the soup, spoonful by spoonful. There was a shallow smile on Ning Yuxuan’s face, and he was obediently drinking the soup. 

  It seemed that the previous bad feelings between the two had disappeared with the crown prince’s visit. Was it impossible to break them apart? Ji Man clicked her tongue in disapproval. Was Zhao Zhe a neighborhood committee director with over twenty years of experience? He had been able to instantly fix the relationship problems between these two. 

  Translator Ramblings: I wonder why Ji Man is so easily fooled by Ning Yuxuan’s act. Is it just because the author shows the readers additional scenes and Ning Yuxuan’s thoughts? Would we be mislead too without these extra scenes?

  Chapter 199 – The rule that the female lead can’t be killed (2) 

  Wen Wan saw Nie Sangyu from her peripheral vision and immediately put down the bowl that she had been holding. “Madam is here? Then, Wan-er will leave first. Madam, you can stay here to serve the marquis.” 

  Ji Man shook her head. “It’s the best if you can attend to the marquis. This way, I can give myself a vacation and go back to have a good rest.” 

  Marquis Moyu also gently grabbed Wen Wan’s hand and said, “You’ve only been here for a short period. Why are you leaving so soon?” 

  Look at them, holding their hands. If Ning Yuxuan had tried to hold Wen Wan’s hand yesterday, she would have definitely flung it away and jumped out of her seat. She cherished her life too much and wanted to keep a distance from someone infected with smallpox. 

  But now, Wen Wan only smiled and let him pull her back down to a sitting position. In an utterly gentle voice used to coax children, she said, “Alright, Wan-er won’t leave. My lord, you have to be good and drink the rest of the medicine, okay?” 

  Ji Man almost wanted to gag at this nauseating scene and decisively left the room. 

  Guibai was standing outside by the doorway. Seeing Nie Sangyu coming outside, he said, “Imperial Physician Lin has already prepared pregnancy medicine. Madam, when you go back to your room, you should drink it before resting.” 

  He had seen the struggle that Madam had gone through today. If it was any other women, she would have already suffered a miscarriage from today’s traumatizing experience. It was fortunate that Madam was able to remain composed and shout out something to temporarily distract everyone. Otherwise, even if he had rushed inside, he wouldn’t have been able to save her in time. 

  “Okay.” Ji Man gratefully looked at him, then she followed his suggestion and went back to her room to drink the medicine. 

  — 

  Ji Man didn’t know what Marquis Moyu had said to the crown prince, but the crown prince didn’t come back for a second visit. Instead, he sent over a considerable amount of medicinal supplements. As for Marquis Moyu’s “illness”, he really did quickly recover. The only major change was that he no longer wanted Nie Sangyu to attend to him. Instead, he kept Wen Wan by his side. 

  The change in his feelings was so abrupt that the onlookers felt whiplashed. Even someone like Liu Hanyun, who didn’t pay attention to the affairs of life, noticed that Marquis Moyu was beginning to fake his feelings towards Wen Wan. How could other people not notice too? 

  They were lacking a reasonable explanation for why Marquis Moyu would fall back in love with Wen Wan. At the very least, there had to be a reason to show to the public. 

  Very quickly, an opportunity came. Half a month after the crown prince’s visit, Ning Yuxuan had fully recovered from his serous illness and was finally leaving the other estate. On the way back to his main estate, something went wrong. 

  The matter was very simple. When Nie Sangyu, Ning Yuxuan, as well as other people were preparing to get into the carriages, several black-robed people emerged from behind a corner of the courtyard. 

  That’s right, it was a group of men with their faces covered up with masks and dressed in black like a murder of crows. They had their swords raised up and were rushing forward to greet the male lead. 

  Ji Man moved far away to avoid them. When a scene like this happened, it definitely wasn’t time for a secondary character to perform. Only two possible things can happen right now. One, the male lead would protect the female lead and get injured. Second, the female lead would protect the male lead and get injured. 

  Under the current circumstances, it would definitely be the latter. Don’t ask her why she would predict this. That’s just how all novels were written. 

  Wen Wan intentionally blocked a swipe of the sword for Ning Yuxuan and received an injury on her stomach. As if she was performing a brain-dead script, the deathly pale-faced female lead lied in the male lead’s arms and asked, “Are you okay?” 

  Rubbish. If there was something wrong with him, would he be able to hug you and look at you with a deeply affectionate gaze? After silently ridiculing Wen Wan, Ji Man was forced by the situation to rush over and look at Wen Wan in concern. 

  “How could you be so foolish?” Marquis Moyu appeared extremely distressed. He covered her stomach wound with his hand, but the blood continued to seep out. 

  In a gossamer-like voice, Wen Wan replied, “For you, any price is worth it. My lord, if Wan-er can’t be with you in the future, then you have to find someone that loves you as much as Wan-er.” These words were so touching that even the nearby horses snorted. 

  Naturally, Ning Yuxuan was even more incomparably sorrowful. Hugging her, he quietly murmured, “Wan-er.” 

  “My lord, Wan-er’s wound needs to be bandaged.” Ji Man patted Marquis Moyu, who was immersed in his theatrical play. She calmly said, “If you keep nattering on like this, she’s going to die from blood loss.” 

  Nearby, Imperial Physician Lin had already taken out his medicine box. 

  Marquis Moyu hurriedly carried Wen Wan into the carriage. 

  Ji Man naturally didn’t want to squeeze herself into the same carriage as them. And so, she sat down in the carriage behind the main one, with Liu Hanyun and Mu Shuiqing. 

  Ning Yuxuan had been the one the said Mu Shuiqing could return with them since she was no longer crazy. Ji Man didn’t have any objections. Anyways, Wen Wan was the person that Mu Shuqing hated, not herself. 

  It was a very bumpy carriage ride. By the time they reached Marquis Moyu’s residence, Wen Wan had almost stopped breathing. Originally, it hadn’t been a very serious injury. But, the jolting carriage ride had caused Wen Wan to lose practically half her life. Ji Man couldn’t help thinking that a modern car was so much more dependable. 

  As a result of Wen Wan’s worsening condition, Ning Yuxuan was so anxious that he didn’t even go to Old Madame’s courtyard first. Instead, he carried Wen Wan back to Qiangwei Courtyard and had the imperial physician continue his treatment. 

  The marquis had recovered from smallpox. Although there were still traces of red dots on his face, it didn’t affect the attractiveness of his face at all. When Old Madame heard that Wen Wan had gotten injured in order to protect her son, she immediately rushed to Qiangwei Courtyard. 

  “Old Madame.” Ji Man stepped forward and lent an arm to support her. It had been a while since she saw Old Madame. She looked quite frail compared to before. 

  Old Madame patted Nie Sangyu’s hand. “I was worried about you. It’s good that you’re okay. You worked hard. It must have been tiring for you to take care of Xuan-er.” 

  “Sangyu only did what I should.” Ji Man nodded and supported her into the courtyard. 

  There was already a group of people in the outer room. Seeing Old Madame coming inside, they all saluted. However, Marquis Moyu was in Wen Wan’s inner room and unwilling to take even one step away from her bed. 

  Sitting on the center seat, Old Madame sighed, “Nothing bad happened to Xuan-er. It could be considered as Buddha protecting him.” 

  Clutching her handkerchief, Qi Siling stepped forward and said, “It’s also thanks to Miss Wen being so courageous. She was willing to sacrifice her own life in order to protect the marquis.” 

  Translator Ramblings: When I read this story for the first time, I felt so confused about Ning Yuxuan’s feelings in the following chapters because I somehow missed reading this part, 

  “The change in his feelings was so abrupt that the onlookers felt whiplashed. Even someone like Liu Hanyun, who didn’t pay attention to the affairs of life, noticed that Marquis Moyu was beginning to fake his feelings towards Wen Wan. How could other people not notice too? 

  They were lacking a reasonable explanation for why Marquis Moyu would fall back in love with Wen Wan. At the very least, there had to be a reason to show to the public.” 

  P.S. Sorry, the day got away from me. I’ll be posting Monday’s chapter part on Saturday EST instead.

  Chapter 200 – Isn’t suffering also a type of blessing, Madam? (1) 

  Old Madame glanced at her and nodded. “You don’t need to bring it up. I know that Wen Wan deserves to be rewarded.” 

  Qi Siling nodded and sighed. “Miss Wen already had to be a servant for the rest of her life. This servant didn’t expect that she might not even be able to keep her life. She’s really pitiful……” 

  At this moment, the servants came out of the inner room to dispose of bloodied white bandages and dirty water. In the inner room, Wen Wan was clenching her teeth and letting out pained moans. Hearing these sounds, the people outside also felt bad for her. 

  Other than being the skill that was most often used in the Thirty-Six Stratagems, the tactic of injuring yourself in order to gain sympathy was the best choice for a counterattack. Ji Man had to admit that since Wen Wan was willing to pay this price, she deserved to be rewarded. As long as Ning Yuxuan had the slightest bit of feeling left for Wen Wan, this tactic would be able to rekindle his old flame for her. 

  However, a woman would feel the most annoyed by this type of tactic. They were the same gender. How could Ji Man not guess what Wen Wan was doing? Still, even if she felt annoyed, she couldn’t show her disdain towards Wen Wan at this time, much less directly oppose her. Right now, this white lotus was weak. And, it was always easy to stirrup sympathy in others with this weak act. 

  So, what should she be doing right now? Obviously, she had to treat this injured white lotus with gentle, spring-like warmth. She had to be even more attentive to the female lead than the male lead. She would be more diligent in sending meals over to Wen Wan than anyone else. She would treat Wen Wan as if she was her daughter. 

  And so, after Wen Wan’s wound was treated and everyone had taken her turn to express her condolence, Ji Man came over with a bowl of chicken soup that she had finished cooking. 

  Ning Yuxuan was currently sitting by the bedside, holding Wen Wan’s hand, and lecturing her, “You can’t act so foolish again.” 

  Ji Man put down the chicken soup, sat down on a stool near the bed, and followed Ning Yuxuan’s words by gently scolding, “Exactly so. Wan-er, you’re a woman. It won’t be good if you end up with a scar.” 

  Wen Wan turned her head to look at her and pursed her lips. “Madam, thank you for your concern.” 

  Ji Man said in a fake-sounding angry voice, “You’re so dedicated to the marquis. Is there a need for you to act so polite towards me?” Then, she blew on the chicken soup to cool it down and said, “When you rushed over there to block the sword, you almost scared me to death. If something actually happened to you, what will the marquis do? What will I do?” 

  The corners of Wen Wan’s lips twitched. These words were too nauseating. It would be normal for the marquis to feel upset if something happened to her. But, how did this have anything to do with Nie Sangyu? Shouldn’t she be the first person to clap her hands and shout her appreciation? Why had this awful woman come over? 

  And so, Wen Wan’s expression was a bit stiff. 

  But, to no avail, Ji Man was acting simply too enthusiastic and fond. She even bumped Marquis Moyu from his seat and personally fed Wen Wan chicken soup. With a beaming smile, she wiped the corners of Wen Wan’s mouth with her handkerchief. Moreover, Ji Man also ordered the servants to tidy up Qiangwei Courtyard so that Wen Wan could live here again. 

  “Wan-er is only a servant. How can Wan-er live in Qiangwei Courtyard?” Although Wen Wan said these words, her face didn’t show any sense of being uneasy or embarrassed. 

  “It’s fine as long as I say it’s okay,” Ji Man said with a smile, “I’ll handle Old Madame. You deserve a reward for saving the marquis. From top to bottom, everyone in the household should feel gratitude towards you. What’s the big deal about letting you stay in an empty courtyard?” 

  It wouldn’t be good for Wen Wan to continue to refuse. She looked at Marquis Moyu. 

  With a gaze full of tenderness, he said, “Don’t worry. Just stay here to recuperate.” 

  — 

  For a brief period, Ji Man bustled around to arrange everything in Wen Wan’s living space so that it was perfect. 

  Standing by the side, Ning Yuxuan couldn’t resist saying, “You’re pregnant. You shouldn’t be working yourself so hard.” 

  “It’s fine. Sangyu should move around more.” Ji Man waved her hand at him and ordered the kitchen servants to prepare food that would be good for replenishing lost blood for Wen Wan’s dinner. 

  Sometimes, the more you dislike someone, the more you have to treat her well. This was a way of conducting yourself to deal with certain people. Or perhaps, to describe her behavior in a slightly more unpleasant way, she was scheming. 

  Rather than frankly showing her dislike, a clever person knew that it was better to treat your enemy generously and hide your true feelings. This way, she would be able to find opportunities to rip apart the other person’s fake persona. 

  Seeing how sensible Nie Sangyu was acting, Ning Yuxuan faintly smiled, handed over Wen Wan’s care to her without any worries, and went to his study to attend to the mountain-like piles of documents that had accumulated. 

  Ji Man sent servants to bring Gancao and Dengxin back. They could help her take care of Wen Wan, as well as give her the free time to take care of her pregnant body. 

  Since she was pregnant, she couldn’t serve the marquis in bed. Wen Wan was also seriously injured and recuperating. Other than alternatively visiting Nie Sangyu and Wen Wan in the daytime, Marquis Moyu was staying over in a variety of places at nighttime. 

  — 

  Recently, Qi Siling had somehow caught Marquis Moyu’s attention for three nights in a row. He even bestowed her a bolt of cherry blossom silk. Qi Siling had the silk made into clothing and frequently wandered throughout the estate to show it off. Her supercilious behavior provoked quite a few scornful looks. 

  — 

  Ji Man decided to go to Shanshui Courtyard to visit Liu Hanyun today. However, as she was passing by Jiyue Courtyard, she saw Liu Hanyun’s servant girl, Chunpi, kneeling in a corner. There was a teacup placed on her head, and she was trembling. 

  Holding Gancao’s arm for support, Ji Man went over there and asked, “What’s going on?” 

  Startled, Chunpi raised her head and the teacup fell down. Her clothing was splashed by tea and the cup had also shattered. 

  “Madam……” 

  Seeing that Chunpi was very flustered, Ji Man gestured for Gancao to help her stand up. Then she asked again, “What’s going on? Why are you kneeling here? Where’s your mistress?” 

  Chunpi pursed her lips and hesitated for a while before finally saying, “My mistress is probably at the back of the residence, washing clothes. This servant made a mistake today and got my mistress in trouble.” 

  Washing clothes? Ji Man felt slightly surprised. Although the position of an ordinary concubine wasn’t high, they were still considered half a master. No matter what, Liu Hanyun shouldn’t need to do rough work like laundry, right? 

  Ji Man had Chunpi led them to the laundry area. On the way there, bit-by-bit, Chunpi told her what had happened this morning.

  Chapter 201 – Isn’t suffering also a type of blessing, Madam? (2) 

  Chunpi had been bringing over Liu Hanyun’s clothing to the back of the residence and was about to hand them over to the laundress. But, then Qi Siling’s personal servant, Banxia, came over. Banxia had been holding her mistress’s cherry blossom silk dress and ordering the laundress to be wash it first. The edges of the dress had gotten dirty. 

  Chunpi had arrived here first, but Banxia had blatantly cut in front of her. However, Chunpi’s temperament was similar to her mistress. She didn’t squabble or compete in anything. And yet, Banxia was determined to bully her. A moment of inattentiveness and Liu Hanyun’s clothes ended up falling into the laundry pool. Normally, this wouldn’t be a big deal. However, Liu Hanyun’s dress had recently been stained with a large patch of ink. Some of the ink dissolve into the water and stained the cherry blossom dress. 

  Everyone knew how much Qi Siling treasured that dress. Banxia immediately left to report this matter to her mistress and blame Chunpi. As usual, Liu Hanyun wasn’t a mistress that would complain about unfair treatment or being bullied. And so, Qi Siling vented her anger on this pushover by having Chunpi kneeling outside her courtyard and Liu Hanyun personally washing her dress. 

  After hearing the entire story, Ji Man thought this matter wasn’t a big deal. Wasn’t it just a dress? Qi Siling had a higher status than Liu Hanyun. Although it wasn’t very nice of her to order Liu Hanyun to wash the dress, it wasn’t breaching any etiquette. 

  Still, Ji Man had come to like Liu Hanyun a lot during their stay in the other estate. She had also said that she would help her once they returned to the main estate. 

  And so, she continued walking to the laundry area. When she got there, she saw Liu Hanyun with her sleeves tied up and washing the dress as if she was doing an accustomed chore. 

  Ji Man called out, “Hanyun.” 

  The servants, that had been gathered around to watch Liu Hanyun, suffered a shock when they turned their heads and saw Nie Sangyu. 

  One of them hastily took the dress from Liu Hanyun and said, “Mistress Yun, Madam is here. You should go over there to talk to her. This servant can wash the dress.” 

  Liu Hanyun turned her head, wiped her wet hands, and walked over. She looked at Nie Sangyu in confusion, “Madam, why did you come here?” 

  Ji Man reached out to hold her hands and noticed that they were icy-cold. She couldn’t resist covering then up in her hands to warm them up. “I just wanted to visit you and talk for a bit. I didn’t expect that I would find you here.” 

  Liu Hanyun nodded, glanced at the dress in washing pool, and said, “Madam, if there’s something you want to say, let’s go back to Shanshui Courtyard first.” 

  On the way back, Liu Hanyun didn’t say a single word about Qi Siling ordering her to wash her dress. She would only respond with a brief answer for every question that Ji Man asked her. It was like squeezing out toothpaste. 

  With a cheerful smile, Ji Man asked, “You’ve also worked hard in the other estate to take care of the marquis. I’m thinking of going over to Old Madame’s courtyard and requesting her to promote you to the position of an honored concubine. What do you think of that idea?” 

  Liu Hanyun slightly froze. She frowned and said, “Hanyun came from a lowly background. Moreover, Hanyun hasn’t given birth to any children.” 

  “There are very few people in this household that have a better heart than you,” Ji Man seriously said, “The marquis is surrounded by women that have their own agendas. But, I’ve been observing you for a long time. You truly love the marquis. That’s a rare thing to see.” 

  With her eyebrows slightly raised, Liu Hanyun looked at her with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile. “Madam, don’t you also truly love the marquis?” 

  Faced with her clear eyes, Ji Man felt slightly awkward, so she lowered her eyes and said, “How can it be enough with just me?” 

  Liu Hanyun considered her response for a moment, then she replied, “Hanyun isn’t good at scheming or speaking eloquently. The marquis has given Hanyun a small corner. It’s safest here. If Hanyun moves to center, where the heart of the struggle exists, Hanyun’s life might not be as comfortable as it is now.” 

  Ning Yuxuan had actually said these words to her? Ji Man felt slightly surprised. The person in front of her wasn’t outstandingly beautiful, but Liu Hanyun reminded her of a poem. 

  At the corner of the wall, there are a few branches of plum blossoms,

  Facing the cold, they bloom alone,

  Even from a distance, the white blossoms can’t be mistake for snow.

  Because their delicate fragrance will waft over.

  Ji Man didn’t know why she felt like sighing. She held Liu Hanyun’s hand and said, “I don’t want you to have to compete with other people either. But, I feel bad. She’s taking advantage of your temperament and bullying you.” 

  Liu Hanyun pursed her lips and looked down at her hands that were slightly calloused. “Isn’t suffering also a type of blessing, Madam?” 

  Ji Man was stunned. 

  She had originally thought that as a modern person and a reader of the original novel, she was already open-minded enough about her tribulations. However, Liu Hanyun was on a higher level than her. 

  Ji Man wasn’t a person that was willing to suffer hardships. Every time she suffered, she would remember all of it and pay it back in the same magnitude. But today, Liu Hanyun taught her that suffering was a blessing. 

  After Ji Man returned to her courtyard, she contemplated these words for a long time. In the end, she still went over to Old Madame’s place to discuss Liu Hanyun’s position. 

  No matter how much suffering was a blessing, Liu Hanyun was already living in the most remote courtyard in the estate and eating the same food as the servants. And now, Qi Siling was bullying her. Ji Man couldn’t stand by and do nothing. 

  Old Madame didn’t have much of an impression towards Liu Hanyun. However, Liu Hanyun had been the only other woman that stepped forward to take care of her son when he had been infected with smallpox. And so, she didn’t object to promoting Liu Hanyun to an honored concubine and letting Nie Sangyu make the arrangements. 

  Ji Man moved Liu Hanyun to Linghan Courtyard. This courtyard was very close to the marquis’s bedroom in the western courtyard. She also gave her the appropriate amount of new clothes and jewelry, as well as assigning her additional servants. 

  Although Liu Hanyun felt somewhat reluctantly helpless about this change, she did feel slightly grateful to Nie Sangyu when she saw how happy Chunpi was. Chunpi’s living standards had also improved along with her own. 

  — 

  However, after Marquis Moyu heard about this news, he didn’t seem very happy. When he met Nie Sangyu on a path, he deeply looked at her and asked, “Everything was fine as it was. Why are you dragging Liu Hanyun into this?” 

  Ji Man slightly shook her head. “This servant isn’t trying to harm her. My lord, there’s no need for you to worry.” 

  In a harem, it was impossible for a woman to always remain content with her lot. Liu Hanyun would be a very good helper to her. If she didn’t snatch her to her side today, there would definitely be someone that would use her against her in the future. So, why wouldn’t she bring her to her side in advance and keep her for later use? 

  Translator Rambling: I really like Liu Hanyun. It’s so rare to see a supporting female character that’s very self-aware and content with her life. She doesn’t just exist to make Ji Man look better in comparison. She feels like a real person that’s living her life and happens to be crossing paths with Ji Man.