However, when Ji Man left the estate in a sedan chair to check on the situation the next day, she encountered a mob of people at the congee stand. This was the juncture point where people had originally been praising the crown prince after getting their food. This mob looked very dirty and was one step away from looking like a group of beggars. They were shouting that their family members had died after eating the crown prince’s medicine and wanted the crown prince to compensate them. 

  Ji Man was very familiar with this type of scene. It was the same as when someone deliberately bumped into you, then fell over and tried to blackmail you for his or her self-inflected injuries. 

  There were people guarding the congee stand. They were the guards that had been recently sent over by the crown prince. Looking at these scoundrels in front of them, they were about to step forward to push them to the ground. 

  “Stop!” Ji Man hurriedly shouted. With a hand protectively covering her stomach, she stepped down from the sedan chair. How could anything good come from shoving these people? It would just give them the perfect opportunity to spread rumors that the crown prince’s guards were rude and unreasonable. 

  The guards looked at the sedan chair. Seeing that the sedan chair was decorated with golden flowers at the top, they knew that this graceful woman with luxurious clothing and jewelry had to be from a family that was third-rank or higher. 

  A sharp-eyed person called out, “It’s Marchioness Moyu.” 

  The crowd was silent for a while before resuming their clamoring for money again. 

  Ji Man took a few steps forward. Gancao and Dengxin followed after her and carefully guarded her. They were scared that someone would rush forward and knock over their master. 

  “Who are these people that got sick after eating the medicines that were distributed here? Bring their corpses here, and a coroner will examine their bodies. If they had really died from eating the wrong medicine, then the crown prince will naturally compensate their families.” 

  Back and forth, the group of people looked at each. It was obvious that they had been sent here to temporarily cause trouble. They hadn’t thought about creating props to back up their false accusations. 

  Ji Man serenely said, “The medicine here is everyone’s life-saving medicine. So many people have already been saved from dying because of the crown prince’s benevolence. Why did you guys come here to deliberately cause trouble?” 

  This was a group of a people that didn’t even regularly have enough food to eat. Faced with a beautiful married woman that was patiently persuading them, they weren’t sure how to respond. They had come here to knock over the congee and medicine stands, but seeing that this woman was pregnant, they felt hesitant with proceeding forward with their original plan. 

  Ji Man thought; humans did have an inherent goodness to them. These people had consciences. Even thought they were on opposing sides, everyone had a mother and that gave them a shared commonality. 

  And so, she continued to persuade them, “There’s a congee stand right here. If you’re feeling hungry, you can get a helping of congee. Then, let’s sit down together. We can discuss while you’re eating if you want. If you wait a bit, I’ll have my servant girls go and buy some pickled vegetables. Eating just congee by itself is a bit strange. Also, isn’t it about time for you guys to change out your clothes? The crown prince is also handing out linen clothing for free. Later on, after you returned home and washed your face, how about replacing your current clothing with a new set of clothes? Doing this will also help prevent the spread of smallpox.” 

  The people that were standing in line and waiting for the congee and medicine had all looked over here in Nie Sangyu’s direction. They were all thinking that although this woman was a bit too talkative, she was truly kind-hearted. 

  Looking at the troublemakers, whose expressions showed that they were at a loss, Ji Man persisted with her speech. “If you’re truly having a hard time making a living and feel as if you won’t be able to continue living, you can tell me. I happen to have some loose change with me today. Come here, I’ll distribute them to you. In the future, you guys have to strive to be good-hearted people. Don’t do anymore bad things, like trying to ruin your fellow people’s means of subsistence.” 

  After saying this, she really did hand over a small purse to Gancao, so that she could hand out the silver taels to them. 

  Gancao hastily flung the money at them, and someone in the group foolishly caught the purse in reflex. 

  After Ji Man returned to her sedan chair, she stretched her head out and said, “Marquis Moyu has received the crown prince’s order to continue providing disaster relief in the form of food and warm clothing for the common people. His Highness hopes that everyone can live a comfortable life.” 

  Marquis Moyu had assigned an agent by the stand. The agent immediately used this opportunity to stir up emotions. “His Highness is truly a compassionate person that cares about the common people!” 

  “May the crown prince live for a thousand years!” 

  Hearing these words, Ji Man sat back into the sedan chair. She had the bearers place the sedan chair down on the side of a nearby street. This way, she could eat her snacks and observe the situation at the congee stand at the same time. 

  The group of people that had taken her money left with their tails between their legs. However, it only took a short period before a large group of people came and lined up to ask for medicine and congee. 

  At this rate, there wouldn’t be enough congee in the stand to feed everyone. The cost of food had recently become very expensive. Very soon, the congee ran out and the people that had been waiting in the line started to complain. 

  This was just human nature. Once people were used to getting a handout, they would think that it should continue forever. If the handout ever stopped, they would actually blame the kind person that had helped them. 

  The person in charge of the congee stand came over and asked with a smile, “Madam Ning, what should we do? There’s not enough congee.” 

  “That’s okay. Go back and calm the crowd down. I’ll bring people to buy food and medicine.” Ji Man light-heartedly waved her hand and ordered the bearers to head towards Yongning Street. 

  Wasn’t this merely a problem that could be solved with money? Out of everything, money was her least lacking resource. So what if the price for food and medicine had skyrocketed? She still had her private savings stored away in Shuiji Rouge Shop. What was there to worry about? 

  And so, even though the prices for food and medicine had increased to a point that people were clicking their tongues in disapproval, Ji Man was still able to take out a large sum of money to buy enough supplies. She ordered people to watch the stand and make sure that everyone got his or her portion, but no one was allowed to take an extra helping. 

  — 

  It was very obvious that someone had arranged for the two groups of people to come over and start trouble. 

  Seeing that Nie Sangyu had defused the conflicts one after another, they reported this matter to one of the third prince’s servant. 

  Hearing this news, the servant thought there had to be something wrong. Wasn’t Madam Ning the third prince’s cousin? Why would she do something to help an outsider instead of her relative? And so, he immediately reported the matter to the third prince. 

  — 

  As Ji Man was happily watching the congee being distributed, she saw a servant from Marquis Moyu’s household running over here from a distance. 

  In a loud voice, the servant said, “Madam, an important guest has come to Marquis Moyu’s residence. Old Madame wants you to hurry back.”


  Chapter 204 – Being slick at establishing social connections is a praiseworthy trait (1) 

  In ancient times, familial relationships had always been a very important connection. Otherwise, past emperors wouldn’t have bestowed various titles to their family members, and there wouldn’t be such a huge political importance placed on marriages between two families. Moreover, the crown prince wouldn’t feel so threatened by the idea of a child between Nie Sangyu and Ning Yuxuan. 

  And so, the third prince and Old Madame unanimously criticized Nie Sangyu’s obvious behavior in helping the crown prince today. 

  The third prince was sitting down and sipping on his tea. With a faint smile, he said, “Younger cousin, perhaps, you don’t have a clear understanding of what’s going on outside this estate. Is that why you don’t realize how it affects Jue-er when you help improve the crown prince’s reputation?” 

  Old Madame looked at her with a stern expression. “Sangyu, I thought you’ve become a clever and sensible girl. Even thought you have to obey Xuan-er’s orders, it wasn’t necessary for you to go that far.” 

  With her head lowered, Ji Man waited until they were satisfied with voicing their complaints. Then, she raised her head and showed them a teary expression. “Older cousin, Sangyu is wholeheartedly trying to help you. It’s Sangyu’s fault for not clearly explaining my actions beforehand and causing you to misunderstand my behavior.” 

  Zhao Jue raised his eyebrows. How did her helping out the crown prince becoming helping him? 

  He asked, “What do you mean?” 

  Ji Man clutched her handkerchief. In an aggrieved tone, she said, “Sangyu helped the marquis with buying a lot of food and medicine today. It was very costly. In the eyes of the emperor, all of these disaster relief actions were done by the crown prince.” 

  The third prince nodded and sneered. “Yes, the emperor has been praising my imperial brother so much that it seems as if he’s walking on clouds.” 

  Ji Man quietly asked, “But isn’t the crown prince suppose to be an uncorrupted person? Where would have he gotten this money?” 

  The third prince and Old Madame froze in surprise for a moment. 

  Zhao Jue quickly understood the implication of Nie Sangyu’s words. As it turned out, his younger cousin was actually quite the character. She had actually considered this aspect. 

  Although the crown prince received a considerable amount of bribes, he put on a good show of not being greedy. He always gave the emperor a bowl of simple congee for his birthday gift and constantly bemoaned about being poor. As a result, the emperor felt bad for him and would never forget to bestow him rewards compared to the other princes. 

  However, the empress backed the crown prince. Although the previous prime minister had retired and returned to his hometown, his son had succeeded him and would continue to serve as a pillar of support to the crown prince. 

  The third prince had wanted to lodge an accusation about the crown prince’s corruption and embezzlement for a long time. To his surprise, Nie Sangyu had handed over such a great opportunity! 

  Old Madame was still feeling a bit confused, but the third prince already couldn’t calmly remain seated. He stood up and said with a smile, “Dear cousin, Jue had wrongfully blamed you. Just wait, I’ll definitely have your cousin-in-law personally come over to deliver presents to you.” 

  After saying this, he turned around and saluted Old Madame. “Jue is the one that inconvenience you with my visit today. I’ll bid my farewell now.” 

  Before Old Madame had time to ask what was going on, the third prince had already rushed out. She turned around to look at Nie Sangyu. 

  Ji Man hurriedly whispered into Old Madame’s ear to explain. 

  Old Madame patted her hand and happily said, “I knew you were a clever one! You’re truly a virtuous wife! If the imperial noble consort finds out, she’ll definitely reward you too!” 

  Ji Man smiled and said, “We’re all one family. Sangyu naturally won’t help outsiders.” 

  “But, what if the crown prince blames Xuan-er?” Old Madame started to worry again. 

  Ji Man massaged Old Madame’s shoulders for her and said in a quiet voice, “He won’t. Even though everyone else knows that the cost of medicine and food has gone up, if the emperor really sent people to ask about the prices, those shopkeepers will only report that they’re using the standard prices. At most, they would only say they’re out of stock. They wouldn’t admit that they’re price gouging. Based on those normal prices, Sangyu’s purchases were within the limit of the marquis’s savings. Besides, the marquis was doing this work for the crown prince, so the crown prince won’t toss the blame at the marquis’s feet. He’ll just quietly eat this loss.” 

  As a result, the crown prince wouldn’t be able to maintain his poor, but upright persona. The emperor would also treat the two princes more equally and not favor one prince over the other when bestowing rewards. 

  Old Madame nodded, the she suddenly raised her eyes to look at her. “Where did you get the money?” 

  Ji Man paused. She inwardly cursed and hurriedly said, “Sangyu knew that the marquis would needed money during this period, so Sangyu sold off my dowry. It’s naturally a good thing to be able to help the marquis.” 

  As Nie Xiangyuan’s beloved daughter, Nie Sangyu’s original dowry had been a considerable amount. It had been kept in the estate’s storage room, and Ji Man had only regained access to it after resuming her position as the marquis’s main wife. For now, she would just use this as her answer and secretly sell the items in Nie Sangyu’s dowry later. 

  “Ah, I’ve always kept in mind how much you care about Xuan-er. Since you did this for his benefit, I won’t pursue this matter any further.” 

  Ji Man awkwardly made a sound of assent. Old Madame wasn’t a fool, but it would be unreasonable of her to continue asking Nie Sangyu for an explanation about this matter since it had been for her son’s benefit after all. 

  — 

  When Marquis Moyu returned home that night, he was actually in a pretty good mood. After checking Wen Wan’s wound, he went to Feiwan Courtyard. 

  With a beaming smile, Ji Man fawned over him by massaging him. “My lord, did something good happen today?” 

  With his heart at ease, Ning Yuxuan enjoyed his massage and quietly said, “I heard that you created quite the stir today and helped me out with a messy problem.” 

  Ji Man said in a super obedient voice, “Sangyu only did what she should. It’s a wife’s duty to help her husband with his worries and difficulties.” 

  T/N: Thank you Fourthaid for writing a review on NU. I just want to note that the last 7% of the novel is mostly from various character’s POVs, so we’ll get a clear insight into the other characters then. In the author’s note, at the end of the novel, she did write that she purposely left some things ambiguous, so that the readers can interpret it on their own.

  Chapter 205 – Being slick at establishing social connections is a praiseworthy trait (2) 

  Marquis Moyu raised his eyes and deeply looked at her. He chuckled, then brought her onto his lap. “You’re such a clever person and so slick at establishing social connections. You’ve gotten yourself a favorable impression from everyone.” 

  Sitting on his lap, Ji Man seriously said, “This servant thinks that being slick at establishing social connections is a praiseworthy trait. It’s really not easy to accomplish this.” 

  Ning Yuxuan chuckled again, “Are you actually praising yourself?” He rubbed her belly and said, “It’ll be born in another five months, right?” 

  Ji Man also stretched her hand out to touch her stomach. She nodded and tried to probe out his feelings by asking, “My lord, do you think it’s possible for this baby to be born safely?” 

  Marquis Moyu paused. The smile in his eyes dimmed. “You’re worrying over nothing. This baby is doing fine. Why wouldn’t it be able to be born safely?” 

  Ji Man turned her head to look at him. Her bright gaze was full of tenderness and a mother’s special glow. “This is this servant’s first time being pregnant. No matter what it takes, this servant wants to give birth to this baby. My lord, please help me accomplish my goal.” 

  She had been wearing Nie Sangyu’s body for such a long time and done her best to win over Marquis Moyu. She had changed Nie Sangyu’s reputation from an insensible, vicious villainess to a reasonable woman that did her best to know when to advance and when to retreat. If she still hadn’t made a ripple in Marquis Moyu’s heart, then she really wanted to ask if a stone had replaced this person’s heart. 

  A light flashed through Ning Yuxuan’s eyes. He hugged for a long time while he contemplated his answer. He finally said, “Why would you need my help? Don’t worry, nothing bad will happen. Just be at ease and take of your health.” 

  Ji Man seriously nodded. In an incomparably intimate and emotional voice, she said, “My lord, this servant will believe in you.” 

  This would be the only time she would believe in him. If something bad still happened, she would wreak havoc on Marquis Moyu’s entire household. 

  — 

  The next day, Ji Man took the storeroom key and secretly hired people to take her dowry and sell it off for her. This would put an end to the lie she had told Old Madame by making it into a truth. 

  However, there was still an unavoidable commotion as they were carrying her entire dowry out of the estate. Although Ji Man had chosen a time when everyone was resting after lunch, Muxu happened to not be napping today. Moreover, Muxu had decided to come over to talk to her. 

  And so, Muxu saw a stream of familiar boxes being carried out of the estate. Although she felt very puzzled, she didn’t anything and continued walking to Feiwan Courtyard to pay respects to Nie Sangyu. 

  Looking at Muxu with a smile, Ji Man asked her how she had been doing lately. 

  Muxu forced herself to smile and said, “Thanks to Madam’s generosity, this servant no longer has to serve anyone. Still, this servant’s days haven’t been very good.” 

  Ji Man thought; you had such a good opportunity last time. Whose fault was it that you were scared of dying and didn’t go with us to take care of Marquis Moyu? You repeatedly said you’re in love with Ning Yuxuan, but those feelings are probably just a teenage girl’s infatuation from being mesmerized by his face. Although she had agreed to help Muxu with becoming an honored concubine, if Muxu acted too stupidly, then her hands were tied. 

  Ji Man softened her voice and said, “I’ll say a few words for you to the marquis to help you out. If you receive more favor and get pregnant, it’ll be easy for you to have good days in the future.” 

  A light flashed through Muxu’s eyes. After she had become a concubine, Marquis Moyu hadn’t gone to her courtyard. Many of the servant girls were laughing at her behind her back. If Madam was willing to help her receive favor, then it hadn’t been a waste to betray Mistress Xue. 

  After leaving Feiwan Courytard, it was obvious that Muxu’s mood had significantly improved. She was smiling and had practically skipped her way back to Wenxiang Courtyard. However, when she arrived at the entrance to the courtyard, she saw Li Zixiu. 

  Muxu’s face immediately paled. She straightened her posture and kept a proper distance from him. Feeling somewhat helpless, she bunched up her handkerchief. 

  Holding his medicine box, Li Zixiu asked in unclear tone, “You look so happy. Are you going to be favored?” 

  Muxu glanced behind her to look at Luqiao. Luqiao hurriedly said, “Doctor Li, did you come here to check my master’s pulse? Let’s go inside to talk.” 

  After Li Zixiu was invited to Wenxiang Courytard, Luqiao checked the outside surroundings before closing the doors. 

  — 

  Ji Man was in her room reconciling her accounts. Recently, she had been using quite a bit of her money to pay for the household’s expenses. For example, she had only recorded the normal prices for the food and medicine that she had purchased last time. However, the actual expenditure had been outrageously high. Fortunately, she had her private savings. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been possible for her to complete Marquis Moyu’s task. 

  Everyone thought she was very talented at managing money and could use one silver tael to buy ten silver taels worth of stuff. That wasn’t true, she had simply bought the items with ten silver taels! She was completely relying on her secret stash of money. Ji Man silently cried; it really was very difficult to manage a household. 

  However, she had to find an opportunity to stop using her money to supplement the household expenditures. Otherwise, sooner or later, someone would notice that it seemed as if she had an unending supply of money. If she was found out, it could be disastrous. 

  Right now, Muxu was the only person in this household that knew about her secret business. Ji Man supported her chin and thought. There was a fifty-fifty chance that Muxu would betray her, so it wasn’t very safe. She had to find a way to make sure this secret would never be told. 

  — 

  After two days of Nie Sangyu’s persuasion, or to put it another way, two days of nagging, Marquis Moyu finally couldn’t stand it anymore and went to Muxu’s courtyard. However, it was only one time. For some unknown reason, he was absolutely unwilling to go over there again. Still, Muxu seemed very happy. Even though the marquis never visited her again, Muxu seemed utterly blissful each day and as if her good days would soon arrive. 

  Ji Man felt very confused, but two months later, she knew the reason behind Muxu’s happiness.