One after another, almost everyone left the room. Shouwu and Danggui had been standing in front of her bed and appeared as if there was something they wanted to say, but after a glance at the toddy kitten, they also hurriedly left the room too. 

  There seemed to be officers outside of the room that were examining a corpse. Gancao and Dengxin knelt down by her bed. Crying as they kowtowed and said, "It's all our fault for not taking good care of master. We failed at watching over you!" 

  Ji Man blankly touched the toddy kitten. The little kitten stuck its tongue out and licked her finger. 

  "Tell me…… what happened?" 

  Choked with sobs, Gancao said, "After we were sent to the kitchen to boil water and came back, we didn't hear any noise from master's room. When the marquis anxiously rushed over, everyone was still sleeping in the outer room. In the inner room, there was only master and a toddy kitten. The midwife…… the midwife committed suicide by master's bed." 

  Frightened, Ji Man trembled. Turning her head to look, it was only now that she noticed there were traces of blood at the end of her bed. 

  After dry retching a few times, Ji Man laughed until tears almost came out of her eyes. "I thought I would be lucky enough to give Nie Sangyu a child, but that insidious hand had never stopped, not even for a moment!" 

  Gancao and Dengxin were both crying and didn't notice there was something off about her words. They just continued to blame themselves. "We should have stayed outside master's room and kept watch! We shouldn't have left!" 

  Ji Man felt exhausted. She didn't have much strength to begin with and had just gone through a horrendous shock. The space in front of her suddenly turned black. ——

  A monster had appeared in Marquis Moyu's estate. His wife had give birth to toddy kitten in September. 

  This news quickly spread. Soon, even the people in the palace heard about this. The imperial noble consort's face turned deathly pale, and she became sick for several days because of this. The emperor thought this matter was very unlucky and sent many people to the marquis's estate to do purification rituals. 

  Old Madame had been seriously ill to begin with. She had been clinging onto her last breath to wait for Sangyu to give birth. But, the result had been completely out of her expectations. Even if Sangyu had given birth to a girl, she would have still felt less worried about Sangyu's future. How could she accept that Sangyu had given birth to a toddy kitten? 

  Before this incident, Old Madame had still been able to eat two bowls of congee every day. Afterwards, she wasn't even able to eat that. Day and night, she would have nightmare after nightmare, and her health rapidly deteriorated. No matter how many doctors Marquis Moyu called over or how much medicine was used; Old Madame didn't show any sign of recovery from her illness. ——

  People from Nie Clan finally rushed over to Marquis Moyu's estate. According to the customs, as Nie Sangyu's mother by marriage, Chen-shi should have rushed over here when Nie Sangyu had started labor and kept her company the entire time. But, Chen-shi had claimed that she was sick and wouldn't allow Errong to come here either. Errong had already been discontent with Chen-shi. Now that something had happened to Sangyu, she hated Chen-shi to death. 

  Unfortunately with Qingyun between them, she couldn't start a fight with his mother. She could only hurry to Sangyu's side as fast as possible. 

  Ji Man had been unconscious for two days. 

  Looking at his younger sister's deathly pale face, Nie Qingyun clenched his fist and asked Dengxin, "Where's the marquis?" 

  Dengxin rubbed the tears from her eyes and answered, "The marquis is busy dealing with follow-up matters. He hasn't closed his eyes in last few days too." 

  The midwife had committed suicide. People from the local authority division had come over to examine her corpse. 

  As for the toddy kitten, it had been confined in the backyard. They didn't dare to kill it or let it go. They were waiting for Marquis Moyu to make a decision. 

  The crown prince kept offering to introduce venerated senior monks to Ning Yuxuan, so that they could check if Nie Sangyu was a transformed toddy cat demoness. Ning Yuxuan rejected his offers. 

  Outside of the estate, everyone was discussing this incident. If this matter wasn't properly resolved, it could have an enormous impact. 

  But, Ji Man still hadn't woken up. 

  The doctor had said her energy consumption had been too great, and she wouldn't wake up until her energy had recovered. 

  And yet, standing on the side, Chen-shi sneered and said, "She's even capable of giving birth to a toddy kitten. Who knows if she's a human or a demoness? Why are you all so worried about her?" 

  Nie Qingyun finally showed his anger. "Mother! Sangyu is already like this. Why can't you say something nice?" 

  Errong couldn't control her fury and angrily said, "Madam, are you hoping that Sangyu will die so that you can send your own daughter into the marquis's estate?" 

  Chen-shi indignantly rebuked Ning Errong, "Impudent! When did it become your turn to talk? Have you forgotten your status?" 

  "My status?" It had really been too much of a torment to tolerate this mother-in-law. Right now, Sangyu had encountered a great catastrophe, but Chen-shi was still making these cynical remarks. How could she possibly continue to endure this? 

  "I'm Marquis Jingwen's legitimate daughter with a noble title of my own. Madam, tell me, what do you think my status is? If it wasn't because of Qingyun, I wouldn't have tolerated you for so long!" 

  Clutching one hand to her chest, Chen-shi grabbed Nie Qingyun with her other hand and said, "Look at this good wife that Nie Sangyu had chosen for you. As I had expected, she would rather be loyal to an outsider than her own family. She actually dared to speak to your mother like this. A wife that acts this way, do you still want her? 

  Nie Qingyun frowned. "Mother, Sangyu is going through something horrible right now. Can you please stop acting this way for a little bit?" 

  "I should stop?" Chen-shi widened her eyes and pointed her finger at Ning Errong and said, "If she hadn't been so bad-mannered and talked back to me, would I be making a fuss?" 

  Ning Errong clutched Ji Man's hand with a death grip, pressed her lips together, and stayed silent. 

  In a low tone, Nie Qingyun said, "Mother, if you didn't want to come here, feel free to leave. You don't need to put on this act for father. Sangyu still needs to rest and can't stand so much noise." 

  Chen-shi took a deep breath. "Fine, fine." 

  She moved a stool next to Nie Sangyu's bed and sat down. "I'll wait for her to wake up. I won't cause a fuss. I'll just wait here to see if she'll wake up as a human or demoness!"

  Chapter 216 – If you harm her once, she would pay you back a hundredfold (1) 

  Ning Errong really wanted to march up to Chen-shi and ask her what on earth was going on in her mind. Clearly, Sangyu was willing to call Chen-shi mother. Even if Sangyu wasn’t her biological daughter, Sangyu’s mother had been Chen-shi’s fraternal twin. So, how could Chen-shi be so cold-hearted towards Sangyu?! 

  But, other than silently enduring, she didn’t have any other choice. Chen-shi was her mother-in-law. However, when she turned her head and looked again at the fragile and pale-faced person lying on the bed, she still couldn’t hold back her anger and left the room to look for Marquis Moyu. 

  She had originally thought that her older cousin had too many constraints to act freely and that was why he sometimes behaved coldly. And if he acted somewhat bias against Sangyu, it was only because of Sangyu’s previous actions. But now, Sangyu had tragically given birth to a toddy cat after a full-term pregnancy, and he was nowhere to be found! Was his heart made of stone? Why couldn’t her cousin’s heart be slightly moved by Sangyu? 

  She angrily rushed to the study, but when she arrived, a servant told her that Marquis Moyu had gone out. 

  Right now, Old Madame was sick, and there were people from the Six Ministries waiting at the door for him. Where did Ning Yuxuan go? 

  — 

  In a residence on the east side of the capital, a servant girl that was carrying a bamboo basket came out from the back entrance. After looking left and right several times, she finally stepped into a carriage. 

  The atmosphere had been very tense in the capital during the past two days. There were guards patrolling everywhere. They had originally planned on taking this bamboo basket out of the capital, but now they had to change their plans. This basket would be brought over to the prince’s estate instead. 

  The servant girl was very cautious. After entering the carriage, she sat near the window and observed the surroundings. When the carriage has passed by several alleys and two streets, its wheels seemed to have gotten stuck on something as it was passing by Xiangguo Temple. With a neighing sound, the horse stopped. 

  The carriage driver hurriedly jumped down from the carriage to check the wheels. The baby inside the bamboo basket was also startled awake by the abrupt stop, but it didn’t cry or fuss. Its limpid eyes that had only opened a few days ago innocently looked towards the outside. 

  The servant girl rocked the bamboo basket and quietly asked the carriage driver, “Is everything okay?” 

  The carriage driver shook his head. “Come down, I need your help in pushing it out.” 

  The servant girl didn’t suspect him. She came out of the carriage and stood at the side. Just as she was about to use a cloth to cover the bamboo basket, a large group of people suddenly rushed out from behind and quickly surrounded them. 

  “What are you all doing?” Terrified, the servant girl tightly hugged the bamboo basket. She looked for pedestrians on the road. Just as she was about to call out for help, a man walked out from the group. 

  Standing firmly in front of the servant girl, Ning Yuxuan lightly stretched his hands out. “Return it to me.” 

  Impossible! The servant girl’s eyes were widened in shock. How could Marquis Moyu have found her? Her whereabouts had always been very well hidden. Even on the prince’s side, only a few of his trusted aids knew of her existence. How could Marquis Moyu have found her so easily? 

  Shaking her head, the servant girl took a step back. 

  Ning Yuxuan sneered. With a wave of his hand, the guards went forward, immobilized the servant girl, and securely seized the bamboo basket from her. 

  The driver kept his gaze on the wheels as if he wasn’t aware of what was currently happening. 

  The servant girl incredulously looked at him, then she looked at Ning Yuxuan. In a trembling voice, she said, “Someone betrayed master……” 

  Ning Yuxuan didn’t raise his head to look at her. A guard gagged her mouth and dragged her back into the carriage. A short while later, even the sound of her struggles had disappeared. 

  The baby in the basket opened its eyes to look at Marquis Moyu. Its mouth briefly trembled before it burst into tears. 

  Ning Yuxuan’s lips twitched, and his body slightly stiffened. He turned his head and looked at Guibai. 

  “Master, this servant doesn’t know how to coax a baby either.” Guibai shook his head. “After we go back, the wet nurse will know what to do.” 

  Marquis Moyu lightly shook his head. “How can we go back?” 

  In his formal robe and carrying a bamboo basket, Marquis Moyu carefully walked into Xiangguo Temple. 

  — 

  Ji Man felt as if she had been dreaming for a very long time. When she finally woke up from this dream, there was no pregnancy or childbirth. It was as if she had merely recovered from a long bout of illness; her entire body felt weak. 

  Sitting by her friend’s bedside, Errong’s eyes were still swollen. 

  “Awake?” Errong brought over a cup of tea and supported her friend’s head to help her drink. She forced a smile on her face and said, “You’re finally awake.” 

  Ji Man blinked. “How long have I been sleeping?” 

  “You really can sleep. You’ve been asleep for two days, ah. I made chicken soup for you. Just wait, I’ll bring it over right away.” 

  Ji Man nodded. When she raised her eyes slightly, she saw Nie Qingyun. “Older brother.” 

  Nie Qingyun pursed his lips. He wanted to soften his expression, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t smile. “Do you want to eat something?” 

  Chen-shi asked a strange question, “How about fish?” 

  Ji Man froze for a moment, then she instinctively glanced around her bedside. The toddy kitten was already gone. “Where’s the toddy kitten?” 

  Chen-shi sneered. “Haha, you’re really suitable to be a mother cat. Are you worried about your cat son? It’s in the backyard. Do you want to feed it milk?” 

  Furious, Nie Qingyun exclaimed, “Mother! Why did you come here to make Sangyu feel worse?” 

  Something flickered in Ji Man’s mind and her memories trickled back. She had been pregnant for the last nine months and had given birth to something. It had been a toddy kitten. 

  Later on, she would out that the midwife had committed suicide. She didn’t know what had happened to the midwife’s servant girls. By this time, Old Madame had already heard the news about the missing baby. Marquis Moyu had only come to Feiwan Courtyard once to look at her before leaving. The estate was full of sounds of mocking and disdain.

  Chapter 217 – If you harm her once, she would pay you back a hundredfold (2) 

  How laughably ridiculously. When she had been watching that episode of “Teenager Bao Qingtian”, she had laughed at the foolish people in ancient times. How could they believe a human could give birth to a cat? But now, she was experiencing for herself that public opinion could destroy a person and obscure the actual truth. It left her without even the power of refuting these false rumors. 

  (T/N: Bao Qingtian is the fictional nickname of Bao Zhen, a Northern Song official that was famous for his honesty.) 

  Weren’t secondary female characters supposed to have a smoothly sailing life and always be a little bit higher than the female lead? This way they would be able to easily harm the female lead. Why was her life so miserable? Why had she been harmed more often than the female lead? 

  Was it because she was too softhearted? She had always followed the policy that she wouldn’t hurt someone else if they hadn’t hurt her first. But, if she waited until someone harmed her first, then she would have already lost something valuable. Why not be more cold-hearted and protect the stuff she cared about more securely? 

  Original translation is from fuyuneko dot org. If you’re reading this elsewhere, this chapter has been stolen. Please stop supporting theft.Chen-shi coldly said, “I’m only sitting here because her last name is Nie. If her mother was still alive, she would feel so humiliated. At the very least, I never gave birth to a toddy kitten. Have you heard what people are saying about her? What’s wrong with me saying a few words too? Wouldn’t she hear the same type of thing if she went outside?” 

  After sleeping for two days, Ji Man had recovered most of her energy. She ignored Chen-shi’s words while she waited for Errong to bring the chicken soup. Once Errong came back, Ji Man started drinking the soup without needing anyone to urge her. 

  Later, after the imperial physician came by with his instructions for post-pregnancy care, she diligently followed them. 

  Gancao and Dengxin had thought their master would be sad for a long time. Perhaps, she might not even be able to recover from this. 

  However, Ji Man very accommodatingly ate all the food and medicine that she was suppose to. It was only after everything was done that she allowed herself to sit on the bed and blankly stare into space. 

  No one needed to worry about her physical health, but as for her mental state…… Still, no one dare to say anything. Errong came over to keep her company every day, and she seemed to be less depressed. 

  The month after giving birth was a woman’s most difficult period, much less someone with Ji Man’s situation. Her baby was gone and Ning Yuxuan hadn’t come to visit her after the first time. Every day, she would hear from the servants that Old Madame was seriously ill, but Ji Man wasn’t strong enough to leave her bed to visit her. 

  Half a month later after the toddy kitten incident, people gradually stopped gossiping about Nie Sangyu. It was because Marquis Moyu had written a letter to the emperor that said a thief harboring evil thoughts had switched out his child with a toddy kitten for malicious reasons. The emperor went along with his explanation and ordered the Ministry of Justice to investigate this matter and find Marquis Moyu’s lost child. 

  The speculation that Nie Sangyu was a demoness had also been endlessly gossiped about in the marquis’s household, but it gradually stopped after countless monks had confirmed otherwise. 

  However, it was inevitable that Nie Sangyu would fall out of favor. Only people from Nie Clan came over to keep her company. Even though Nie Sangyu had fallen sick during this period, Ning Yuxuan hadn’t taken a step towards Feiwan Courtyard. 

  Wen Wan, who was furthest along in her pregnancy, regained Marquis Moyu’s favor. Even though she remained a servant in name, she was Qiangwei Courtyard’s master. The clothes that she wore and the food that she ate wasn’t any different than what a main wife would have. There were a few people in the household that silently muttered their dissent, but Old Madame was seriously ill and Marquis Moyu was biased in favor of Wen Wan. Thus, no one could say anything, and nothing came from their silent grumbling. 

  The crown princess sent Wen Wan many gifts and told her to properly take care of her health. Once again, Steward Qian became very attentive and accommodating to Wen Wan and anything that she wanted for Qiangwei Courtyard. Wen Wan regained the female lead halo that she had lost. The prior resentment over the things that she couldn’t have faded away. The female lead’s petty attitude also reverted back to her Holy Mother persona. Everyday, she would walk around with her angel wings fluttering behind her. Today, she would visit Muxu. The next day, she would try to visit Liu Hanyun. 

  Liu Hanyun and Muxu’s bellies had also grown quite big. However, after Nie Sangyu’s disaster, she locked herself in her courtyard and wouldn’t see anyone. The marquis had granted her this privilege and also ordered everyone to not bother her. In contrast, Muxu became livelier. From time to time, she would even bring her pregnant body over to Jinse’s courtyard to show off. Her days were pretty comfortable. 

  — 

  By the time that Ji Man was almost done with her one-month resting period, she had gained quite a bit of weight. Not even a trace of Nie Sangyu’s previous figure that had appeared as if it could be blown away by a gust of wind could be seen. Ji Man could even feel a double chin when she touched her face. 

  Gancao and Dengxin had put away all of the mirrors in the courtyard. They were worried that if their master saw her current appear ace, she would feel distressed. 

  However, Ji Man had already come to terms with things. She had even brought that toddy kitten inside to raise. Looking after it every day, it could be considered a way of raising her spirits. 

  — 

  When Wen Wan delicately walked over to Feiwan Courtyard like a lotus fairy immortal, her jaw almost dropped when she saw Nie Sangyu. She covered her mouth with a mirror that she specially brought over and said, “Madam, how did you become like this?” 

  The happily smiling person in the mirror was white and plump. She looked a bit like Maitreya (the future Buddha). 

  Cheerfully smiling, Ji Man said, “I won’t be able to repay everyone for their wonderful kindness and grace if I don’t recuperate my health first. Don’t you agree, Miss Wan-er?” 

  Wen Wan was scared by the look in her eyes and retreated a step. She pursed her lips and quietly said, “With the way you’re looking now, can you still expect that Yuxuan will want to look at you?” 

  “I don’t.” Ji Man shook her head. With her current appearance, no matter who was looking at her, they would only feel that she was no longer a threat. 

  Wen Wan sighed a few times. Then, she brought over a bowl of medicinal soup and gently said, “Don’t take things too hard. It’s more important to live your life well.” 

  Ji Man burst out into laughter. She used a handkerchief to wipe the tears from her eyes. “Thank you for the advice.” 

  She just wanted to live her life well too. But, who was willing to give her that chance? Since there were people that wanted her to be miserable, no one in this household would be safe from her wrath! Today, she would swear to the heavens; if you harm her once, she would pay you back a hundredfold! 

  A debt of blood must be paid in blood!

  Chapter 218 – Don’t look down on a woman for being fat (1) 

  After the traditional one-month recovery period following childbirth had ended, there were many things that had to be done. For example, Old Madame had agreed to give Gancao to Ning Mingjie after Nie Sangyu gave birth. But, Old Madame had fallen sick, and many things had also happened in the household since his request. And so, Gancao looked at her master and said that she wanted to serve her for a couple more months. Ji Man agreed. 

  — 

  After taking a bath and putting on the clothes that had she worn while pregnant, Ji Man discovered that all of the clothes in her wardrobe felt a bit too tight. She had done her best to improve her health during the past month. It was her most precious asset. That was why, no matter how unhappy she felt, she still worked towards making this body healthy again. However, after this postnatal period of eating and drinking nourishing supplements, this body had become as round as a ball. She squeezed the excessive fat on her belly. In order to slim down, a lot of energy and effort would have to be exerted. 

  — 

  After working through the night, the estate’s seamstress servants made a new wardrobe for her. 

  Wearing a dress that was clearly three sizes larger than her previous ones, Ji Man dryly laughed. Then, she pushed opened the doors and went outside. 

  It was already autumn outside. The weather was cool and refreshing. When a gust of wind blew by, her body felt noticeably more at ease. 

  A couple of servant girls passed by here and were shocked by what they saw. They hurriedly saluted her, then they left with their heads lowered. 

  Ji Man pretended that she didn’t hear their stifled laugher and continued walking to Old Madame’s courtyard. 

  What’s wrong with being fat? Haven’t they heard of not looking down at a teenager for being poor or a woman for being fat? A teenager’s future and a woman’s figure were the same. No one could successfully predict how it would change. 

  — 

  Qian Lianxue and Qi Siling were in Old Madame’s Courtyard attending to her. They were both surprised when they heard a servant girl announce that Madam had arrived. They hurriedly stood up and looked towards the doorway. 

  Ji Man passed through the doorway and smiled at them. “Ah, you’re all here.” 

  Qian Lianxue briefly froze in surprise. 

  Qi Siling was so shocked that her body was trembling. She hastily turned around and covered her mouth. It was if she was looking at two completely different people. Who could have expected that the previously stunningly beautiful Nie Sangyu would become so ghastly looking? 

  Old Madame was leaning against her headboard for support. Seeing Nie Sangyu coming inside, she closed her eyes. 

  Ji Man very properly kneeled down by the bed. “Old Madame, Sangyu has come here to pay respects. 

  Old Madame’s mood was complicated. She had placed too much of her expectations on Sangyu. Now that all of her hopes had been dashed, it was hard to hide her disappointment. But, it wasn’t Sangyu’s fault that the baby had been lost. It was her sin for not doing a better job protecting her. Now that Sangyu had changed to this form after her one-month recuperating period, she really didn’t know what to say to comfort her. “Stand up first.” 

  Ji Man stood up. Not acting awkward at all, she sat down on Old Madame’s bed and looked at her complexion. As expected, it was slightly worse than before. She couldn’t help feeling worried. “Old Madame, have you been regularly eating your medicine?” 

  Old Madame nodded. “I did. But, it doesn’t have much effect. It can only delay the inevitable.” 

  Ji Man sighed. After she massaged Old Madame’s legs, and they had only exchanged a few words, Old Madame felt tired and said, “You can all leave.” 

  Qian Lianxue and Qi Siling followed after Nie Sangyu as they withdrew from the room and left the main courtyard. 

  Ji Man turned her head and said with a smile, “When you have time, come over to Feiwan Courtyard and sit for a awhile. It feels quite lonely there.” 

  In the past, they couldn’t stand watching Nie Sangyu receive favor. But now, looking at her current state, Qian Lianxue and Qi Siling felt it would be wrong to give her a hard time. After saying a few polite words, they departed to their respective courtyards. 

  Right now, there wasn’t much of a difference between Feiwan Courtyard and the confinement courtyard. At most, it had more expensive furnishings. But, it was just as lacking in receiving favor. 

  Ji Man wasn’t even the slightest bit upset by the loss in favor. Supported by Gancao, she would stroll around the entire estate. As a result, everyone thought that Nie Sangyu’s good days had come to end. 

  — 

  Taking advantage of this opportunity, Chen-shi brought Nie Chenyu with her to visit Old Madame. Nie Chenyu was sixteen years old, a very suitable age to be married. She hadn’t been engaged yet. She also had a petite and lovely appearance and was talented at sweet-talking. 

  Chen-shi’s intention was very obvious. She didn’t need her daughter to become the main wife right away. Nie Chenyu was Nie Sangyu’s half-sister. If she married into this house as a secondary wife, she wouldn’t suffer. If one day Nie Sangyu couldn’t bear to live anymore, then wouldn’t Marquis Moyu give his favor to Nie Chenyu? 

  Chen-shi’s mental abacus was loudly clacking away the advantages she would gain, but Old Madame didn’t agree. Sangyu had recently lost her baby as well as Xuan-er’s favor. If she gave Sangyu’s younger sister to Xuan-er, wouldn’t Sangyu feel even worse? 

  Seeing that she wouldn’t be able get what she wanted from Old Madame, Chen-shi had Errong bring Chenyu to visit Nie Sangyu by saying that Chenyu wanted to take care of her older sister during this difficult period. 

  Ji Man sneered. Why hadn’t Chenyu hurried over here to take care of her during the month when she had been recuperating? Chenyu was probably more concerned that her dear older sister would damage her reputation by association. Now that she had already passed the traditional one-month recuperating period, why would she need more people to take care of her? 

  Still, after thinking it over, Ji Man didn’t refuse this offer. She arranged for Chenyu to live in a courtyard that was next to Feiwan Courtyard. 

  — 

  Nie Chenyu was a clever girl. As soon as she entered the household, she went over to curry favor with Wen Wan. She would incessantly called Wen Wan “older sister, old sister” and flattered her to the point that Wen Wan was bursting with joy. It was as if Chenyu’s last name was Wen instead of Nie. 

  Translator Ramblings: I’m glad that Old Madame continues to support Sangyu, and I like the how the author gives us a glimpse from Old Madame’s POV when Ji Man/Nie Sangyu initially visits her. Plus, this is one of the moments where we see definite proof that Old Madame genuinely cares about Nie Sangyu as a person. If she only cares about Nie Sangyu because her relationship with Imperial Noble Consort Nie, she would have agreed to Chen-shi’s suggestion.

  Chapter 219 – Don’t look down on a woman for being fat (2) 

  Gancao angrily said, “What kind of sister is she? She said she came here to take care of you, but she hasn’t taken even half a step into Feiwan Courtyard after moving here. Instead, she frequently goes over to Qiangwei Courtyard. If people didn’t know better, they would think she was a servant bought for Wen Wan instead of your younger sister.” 

  Ji Man was currently doing gymnastics and wearing a uniform that she had the seamstress specially create. In college, there had been a professor in the Chemistry Department that liked to research about weight loss and had imparted a lot of her knowledge to her students. Ji Man was glad that she had a good memory and was able to remember some of the exercises the professor had mentioned back then. She wrote out an exercise routine and followed it every day. 

  Originally, Gancao and Dengxin had been so shocked that their jaws had dropped. But by now, they were so accustomed to this sight that they would merely chat and spectate. It was because their master had said this was from a secret martial arts book that would help build up her health through exercise. The two simple servant girls easily trusted her words. 

  “Chenyu isn’t like her mother. She has a lot of foresight, and her planning ability is pretty good too,” Ji Man responded as she jumped around, “Right now, the marquis goes to Qiangwei Courtyard the most often. Why shouldn’t she rush over there for the chance to profit from the marquis’s favored treatment to his darling? If she comes to my lonely Feiwan Courtyard, it’s unlikely that she’ll get any benefits.” 

  Unconvinced, Dengxin asked, “Who said that Feiwan Courtyard isn’t favored?” 

  Ji Man glanced at her. 

  The young servant girl twitched her lips and quietly said, “When I went to the kitchen today, Aunty Zhao was as warmly cordial as before. The amount of food that she gave me wasn’t any less than usual. If anything, she gave more than required. Master, if the marquis doesn’t care about you, would a stingy person like Aunty Zhao be acting so generous?” 

  Gancao said, “This servant also feels that amount of delicious food and other items hasn’t decreased in this courtyard. Master, although the marquis hasn’t come, it doesn’t mean that he doesn’t care about you.” 

  Ji Man smiled. “He’s probably feeling guilty, so he wants to compensate me. But if he comes here to see me, he’ll probably be alarmed and immediately turn around and go.” 

  “Go where?” A chilly voice came from the courtyard’s entrance. 

  Ji Man froze in surprised. She hasn’t changed out of her exercise outfit yet. Her neck was stiff, and she didn’t dare to turn around to look at him. 

  Ning Yuxuan quietly walked inside. There wasn’t anyone behind him. He was wearing a formal robe and appeared as Cassanova-like as always. 

  “Marquis.” Gancao and Dengxin stood up and saluted. After coming up from her curtsy, Dengxin hastily picked up the nearby outer robe and draped it over Nie Sangyu. 

  After tidying her hair, Ji Man turned around and also saluted, “My lord.” 

  Ning Yuxuan raised his eyebrows. He walked to her side and looked at her from top to bottom for a long time. He finally pursed his lips and harshly said, “Too fat.” 

  Ji Man’s lips twitched, but she docilely replied, “It’s inevitable to gain weight after giving birth.” 

  On the side of the courtyard, the one-month old toddy kitten was chasing after a small insect and meowed at this time. 

  Marquis turned his head and glanced at the toddy kitten, then he looked at Nie Sangyu and quietly said, “You’ve suffered a lot.” 

  For an inexplicable reason, Ji Man’s eyes got a little bit teary. She straightened her back and asked, “My lord, can you ease this servant’s suffering? Can you bring my baby back to me?” 

  Ning Yuxuan opened and closed his mouth. He seemed to want to say something, but he swallowed those words down and shook his head. “I can’t.” 

  Bah, then you might as well have said nothing! 

  Ji Man faintly smiled. She drew the outer robe around her and said, “My lord, with my appearance like this, this servant won’t be able to serve you. My mother has already sent my younger sister here. If you’re interested, then feel free to go and see her.” 

  “Chenyu?” Ning Yuxuan casually sat down on a stool and indifferently said, “Wan-er already bought her to see me yesterday.” 

  After saying this, he glanced at her, “She looks quite similar to your previous appearance, but as for your current one……” 

  Ji Man automatically ignored his disdainful gaze. She thought; Wen Wan, that servant, was behaving more responsible and diligent than her, the main wife. If the harem’s management was handed over to her, then there was nothing for her to worry about. 

  “My lord, what are your plans?” 

  “Hmm? Aren’t you still alive? She can be a concubine.” Marquis Moyu unconcernedly turned his head. “All things go into decline, it hasn’t reached the point where you should act outrageously. If you anxiously try to stabilize your position, you’ll be more likely to suffer a setback.” 

  Ji Man focused on the first part of his reply and didn’t think about the hidden meaning of the latter part. 

  He was only giving Nie Chenyu the position of an ordinary concubine? Wouldn’t that put her on the same standing as Muxu and Jinse? Chen-shi would definitely be angered to death. But, it was her choice to send her daughter here. It was too late now. If she wanted to take her daughter away, it wouldn’t be easy to marry her off to someone else. 

  Really, Ning Yuxuan was too despicable. He probably didn’t want to inflate Nie Clan’s ego. This was why he wasn’t willing to give Nie Chenyu face, right? 

  However, it was only much later that she understood that Marquis Moyu’s “you” wasn’t referring to Nie Clan. He had meant the third prince and the imperial noble consort. 

  After only sitting here for a bit, Marquis Moyu left. It was the same as if he hadn’t come. However, she was left feeling surprised that he hadn’t seemed stunned by her current roundly venerable appearance. 

  — 

  That night, Nie Chenyu received the marquis’s favor. It was rumored that Wen Wan had acted as the matchmaker. 

  Ji Man didn’t pay attention to outside matters and wholeheartedly focused on exercising. She also planned out a diet in the passing. She was determined to lose the excessive weight within two months. 

  However, even though she just wanted to lose weight and didn’t want to cause trouble, there were still people that wouldn’t leave her alone. 

  After Nie Chenyu had only received the position of a concubine, someone jokingly said to Chen-shi that it must be because Nie Sangyu was suppressing her younger sister and not allowing Marquis Moyu to raise her position. This had to be the reason behind Nie Chenyu’s lowly position. 

  Chen-shi was furious when she heard these words. She wasn’t a magnanimous person to being with. She immediately went to the palace to cry out her grievances to Imperial Noble Consort Nie. She told her that Nie Sangyu was already halfway to a handicapped person, but was deliberately blocking her younger sister’s way and not allowing the marquis to favor her. 

  Because of the toddy kitten incident, the favor that Imperial Noble Consort Nie got from the emperor had slightly diminished. And so, after this conversation, she summoned Nie Sangyu to the palace. 

  Ji Man didn’t even need to guess why Imperial Noble Consort Nie had summoned her. She would definitely order her to help Nie Chenyu raise her status in the marquis’s household in order to strength the relationship between Nie Clan and Marquis Moyu’s family. Once she was no longer a useful pawn, the aunt that used to wholeheartedly support her would still choose to abandon on her. 

  Translator Ramblings: While its understandable for Ji Man to think the worst of Ning Yuxuan, I do feel a bit bad for him that she doesn’t see any of his attempts at helping her. Does he think that Nie Sangyu is in cahoots with her aunt and cousin, the third prince? So, he’s sending a message to them through her? He knows that Nie Sangyu is no longer in love with him, and she’s clever enough to continue faking her feelings. He doesn’t know if she’s still loyal to him.