Ji Man poured a cup of tea for her, then she contemplated for a bit before saying, “Since it’s suspicious, let’s go to the back gate later and wait for them to come back to see what kind of wicked activity is afoot. They probably won’t be in a hurry to come back for another two hours. Everyone would be napping until then. Take your time drinking the tea.” 

  Mu Shuiqing took the cup and looked around Nie Sangyu’s room. It was nicely scented and warm. There was even a toddy cat gracefully walking around. 

  Mu Shuiqing sighed and said, “I didn’t expect that in the end your life would be the best.” 

  Ji Man smiled and responded, “I didn’t expect that in the end, you would be the person that I can calmly drink tea with either. Didn’t you use to hate Sangyu the most and want to fight with me as soon as you saw me?” 

  Mu Shuqing chuckled. In a low voice, she said, “But I can’t beat you Besides, I think the marquis most likely likes your type. There’s no point in me continuing to compete with you. As long as I’m not confined in that desolate courtyard in the other estate with other people thinking I’m insane, I’m content.” 

  During their conversation, Dengxin brought over a small account book for her master to look. This was Ji Man’s personal account book. The expenses hadn’t been high this month. Other than amounts for buying some clothes and jewelry, there was only one number that was relatively noticeable. It was a gift for fifty silver taels. 

  Mu Shuiqing glanced at the account book. She thought that line item looked a bit strange, but she didn’t ask any questions about it. Madam had money, and it was her private business if she wanted to give money to someone. 

  Two hours later, Ji Man and Mu Shuiqing put on their cloaks and went to the back gate. 

  The old guard at the back gate was still pretty happy to see Nie Sangyu. He stood up and took tottering steps towards the outside so that he could salute her. 

  Ji Man hurriedly stopped him and told him to stay in the warm room by the brazier. 

  A short while later, a carriage really did stop at the back gate. Li Zixiu helped a woman down from the carriage. She seemed to be quite angry. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she pushed him away from her and irritably walked through the back gate. 

  Looking at the person’s face under the hood, Ji Man was slightly surprised, and yet she felt it wasn’t too unexpected. “Muxu?” 

  “.…… Madam?” Shocked, Muxu almost dropped Fu-er. 

  Li Zixiu’s face turned white. He came inside the estate and knelt down. 

  Ji Man looked back and forth at them for a while as well as the baby in Muxu’s arms. She neutrally smiled and asked, “What did you leave the estate for?” 

  Muxu looked around the courtyard. Even after thinking for a long time, she couldn’t figure out an excuse, so she simply knelt down and didn’t reply. 

  Li Zixiu hesitated for a little bit longer before finally speaking, “Today is a market day, so……” 

  This was worse than staying silent. So what if it was a market day? Did it make sense for a doctor to accompany an honored concubine and her baby out to go shopping just because it was a market day? 

  Muxu’s voice was slightly trembling as she called out, “Master.” 

  Muxu hadn’t called her “Master” in a long time. Since Muxu had become one of Ning Yuxuan’s women, she had changed to calling her Madam. Now that she was calling her Master again, Ji Man found it laughable. 

  It only confirmed that Muxu had been doing something wrong. 

  “This servant was just thinking that since Doctor Li’s mother has become so pitifully sick, it would be nice to bring a baby to visit her and cheer her up.” Muxu gritted her teeth and straightforwardly said, “Master, you also know that this servant and Doctor Li…… Even though this servant hasn’t had any relationship with Doctor Li after this servant was favored by the marquis, this servant can’t bear to see his elderly mother feeling such regret……” 

  Li Zixiu turned his head to silently glance at Muxu. 

  Ji Man seriously said, “Muxu, raise your head.” 

  Bewildered, Muxu raised her head to look at her. 

  With a splitting smile, Ji Man pointed at herself and said, “Do I look like a fool to you?” 

  Mu Shuiqing, “.……” 

  Muxu’s lips trembled, but Ji Man just continued smiling as she took Fu-er from her and said, “This matter, let’s just hand over this child to the marquis and let him decide.” 

  “Master!” While kneeling, Muxu crawled over and grabbed her master’s cloak. “Master, in consideration for the several years this servant served you……” 

  “It’s useless. I won’t accept your play of an emotional card.” Ji Man shrugged. “This matter doesn’t benefit or harm me. Someone has given my husband a green hat for no reason and even passed off another man’s child as his. I feel that he deserves to know the truth.” 

  Muxu’s body trembled, but Mu Shuiqing found the situation somewhat humorous. “Madam didn’t even say that she would punish you and you already scared yourself into this shape. Isn’t that the same as confessing without even being pressured?” 

  Ji Man waved her hand. Holding Fu-er, she started walking back to Feiwan Courtyard. “Shuiqing, go get the marquis. On your way to his study, invite over anyone that’s awake too.” 

  Mu Shuiqing made a sound of assent. Wrapping the cloak tighter around herself, she left. 

  Li Zixiu helped Muxu stand up. 

  Looking at Nie Sangyu’s back figure, he whispered, “Muxu, how about we run away?” 

  Muxu harshly flung his hand away from her, clenched her jaw, and said, “She doesn’t have evidence and can’t prove anything. I finally have a good life. I won’t accept losing like this.” 

  Li Zixiu’s stopped his hand in mid-air before he slowly put it back down. 

  — 

  Sitting in the head seat, Ning Yuxuan listened to Mu Shuiqing’s report of what had happened. His expression was very ugly. It was as if his face had been painted with a layer of back paint, then brushed over with a layer of green paint. The excess green paint was even wiped off his head. 

  “What do the two of you have to say for yourselves?” He looked at Muxu and Li Zixiu. They were kneeling below him. 

  Muxu hurriedly kowtowed and said, “My lord, Fu-er is your son. This servant had only taken him outside for a bit and ended up being slandered by other people. My lord, please investigate this matter. Even a tiger wouldn’t devour his own cub ah! 

  People from the various courtyards had come to watch this spectacle. Muxu’s life had declined quite badly. First, her son had gone from being the oldest son to the second oldest. And now, her son wasn’t even the marquis’s child.

  Chapter 264 – Aren’t you afraid that I’ll tell on you? (1) 

  Marquis Moyu sneered. Fu-er was probably feeling uncomfortable being held in his arms and started crying. 

  Muxu felt overcome with panic. If Marquis Moyu had asked a question or said something, it would at least give her the chance to respond. But, he hadn’t said anything and only sneered. His gaze seemed to be saying that he had completely seen through her lies. It made her feel as if she had nowhere to hide. 

  Sitting by Ning Yuxuan, Ji Man quietly drank her tea. She had only come here as a spectator. She finally understood what kind of person Muxu was. She was a person that was doing her best to climb up, but she was shortsighted and easily tricked. 

  Back when she was contending with Qian Lianxue, she had thought that Muxu had some amount of intelligence. At the very least, she had been able to pull off being a double agent, ah. But, after Qian Lianxue’s mysterious death, it was as if Muxu had let out a sigh of relief and started scheming to improve her status in this household. 

  Muxu’s mind was a little too simple. She thought that once Qian Lianxue died, the past would be erased and her repeated betrayals would be forgotten. 

  Ji Man sighed. Muxu was being too stupid and naive, ah. It was to be expected. A woman from ancient times wasn’t as clever as a woman from modern times. 

  From the side, Wen Wan suggested a rotten idea, “My lord, if you’re suspicious about this child’s origin, how about mixing your blood with his to check?” 

  Ji Man rolled her eyes. Would someone as clever as Ning Yuxuan really accept such a stupid idea? 

  “Alright, that’s a good idea.” Marquis Moyu nodded. 

  “.……” 

  Ji Man had forgotten. These people weren’t from modern-day. People in this ancient time period had no idea how DNA identification worked. They thought that if two people could mix their blood together without it clumping, it meant they were relatives. 

  Based on this logic, Nie Sangyu and Ning Yuxuan could also be siblings that had been separated for several years. 

  Wen Wan asked, “What’s wrong? From your expression, it seems like you don’t agree with this idea, Madam.” 

  Ji Man nodded. “If you think that mixing blood together can determine if two people are related or not, let’s try an experiment first.” 

  “Why wouldn’t it be able to determine it?” Wen Wan frowned. “Madam, haven’t you read books? Since ancient times, people have used this method……” 

  “Just because I haven’t read many books, there’s no need for you to discriminate against me.” Ji Man waved her hand. “We’ll only know for sure if we test it out first.” 

  Ji Man picked up her tea saucer and had Dengxin bring her a knife, then she grabbed Ning Yuxuan’s hand and forcefully slashed the blade against one of Ning Yuxuan’s finger. 

  The cut was slightly bigger than it needed to be, so it was easy for her to squeeze the blood out. 

  The corners of Marquis Moyu’s eyes twitched. “Ow!” 

  Ji Man had seen so many TV shows with men being stabbed in the chest without making any sounds of pain. This was a mere cut on his finger, and he was a grown man. Did this really warrant a reaction from him? Ji Man shot a glance at him before taking out her handkerchief and wrapping his finger with it. Then, she walked to Wen Wan’s side with the saucer of blood. Before Wen Wan had time to resist, she had grabbed her hand and made a cut on Wen Wan’s finger too. 

  “Ah!!!” Wen Wan jumped up in fright. Blood fell from her finger and landed into the saucer. After staring at Nie Sangyu in shock, she flew to Marquis Moyu’s side. “My lord!” 

  Ning Yuxuan only responded with an “en” before looking at the saucer with curiosity. 

  Ji Man covered the saucer with the teacup’s lid and swirled it around a few times until their blood had mixed together. She put it down by Ning Yuxuan and said, “My lord, congratulation on being reunited with your long-lost younger sister.” 

  Wen Wan froze in shock, and she cycled through a lot of complicated emotions. There was absolute silence in the room. 

  “My mother only gave birth to me,” Ning Yuxuan lightly said. 

  “En.” Ji Man nodded, then she slashed Guibai’s finger too. His blood also didn’t have any problems being mixed in. “This servant just wanted to prove that this type of blood test isn’t reliable. You don’t need to be relatives for your blood to be able to mix together.” 

  Everyone was enlightened. 

  Clutching her injured finger, Wen Wan looked at Ning Yuxuan with tears in her eyes and said, “My lord, Madam did that deliberately. What if it ends up scarring?” 

  By the side, Nie Chenyu asked, “Older sister, why didn’t you cut yourself?” 

  “I’m scared of pain,” Ji Man responded with a serious expression. 

  Furious, Wen Wan shouted, “Who’s not afraid of pain? I’m scared too!” 

  “It’s no big deal. Just endure it for a while and the feeling will pass,” Ji Man comforted. 

  Wen Wan, “.……” 

  Qi Siling said, “Let’s get back to the main point. Madam, you said that mixing blood doesn’t work, then what kind of method will work for checking if this child is the marquis’s son or not?” 

  “That’s easy enough, ” Ji Man said, “Doesn’t everyone say that Xiangguo Temple has a an unusually talented monk that’s skilled in medical expertise? There’s definitely a difference between a premature baby and a full-term baby. A normal doctor might not be able to distinguish one from the other, but that monk should be able to, right?” 

  Doctor Li has said Fu-er was a premature baby. If that was true, then the timing of Fu-er‘s conception would match the second time that Marquis Moyu had favored Muxu. If it that was false, then Fu-er couldn’t be Marquis Moyu’s son. 

  Monk Xuwu was very famous. Even though Ji Man rarely left the estate, she had still heard rumors about him. 

  Ning Yuxuan’s brow relaxed. He turned his head and said to Guibai, “Go and invite Great Master Xuwu.” 

  Guibai left right after making a sound of assent. 

  Muxu had been kneeling with her head lowered this entire time. Her heart was extremely uneasy. Her child was a full-term baby. To conceal the true, Li Zixiu had lied and said he was a premature baby. If this was found out, what kind of excuse could she use to continue hiding the truth? 

  As the dread crept through her mind, it was inevitable that hatred would also begin to develop. No matter what, she had once been Nie Sangyu’s servant. Why wasn’t she willing to let her off for this? Was Nie Sangyu scared that Fu-er would negatively impact her future? She still had a secret of Nie Sangyu’s that she could be used against her. If she really pushed her to a point of no return…… 

  Kneeling on the ground with Muxu, Li Zixiu’s back was straight. But, feeling guilty from Nie Sangyu’s prolonged scrutinizing stare, he averted his gaze and looked at the ground. 

  With his finger wrapped in a handkerchief, Ning Yuxuan quietly looked at the baby in his arms. Fu-er wasn’t making a peep either. And so, the room continued to be utterly silent until Monk Xuwu arrived.

  Chapter 265 – Aren’t you afraid that I’ll tell on you? (2) 

  Monk Xuwu entered the room and very politely saluted Ning Yuxuan, then he straightened his body and started to ridicule him, “Other families invite this old one over to perform religious ceremonies or ask for insight on how to meditate and contemplate Buddhist truths. Marquis, you’re the only one that would ask this old one to come over to check how old the baby was when his mother gave birth to him.” 

  Ji Man made a bet with herself. This old monk had definitely rolled his eyes. He just did it so quickly that no one had noticed. 

  Without any expression, Marquis Moyu handed the baby over to the monk. 

  Holding the baby, the monk lowered his head for a closer look. He twitched his lips and said, “This child had no traces of riches and nobility. He’s destined for a mediocre life of accomplishing nothing. He’s not as good as that previous baby……” 

  Ning Yuxuan coughed to interrupt him. With his brow slightly furrowed, “Just tell me how long his mother had been pregnant when she gave birth to him.” 

  “A solid body with strong bones. He’s definitely a baby that had been carried to full term, ah.” Monk Xuwu had only held Fu-er for a few seconds before he found it boring and stuffed him back into Ning Yuxuan’s arms. “You have too many children. Instead of staying an evil creature and involving yourself with worldly affairs, why don’t you learn from this old one’s immaculate lifestyle and have a pure and tranquil mind……” 

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

  Marquis Moyu was already not in the mood to listen to the rest of Monk Xuwu’s advice. Dengxin had brought over a booklet that recorded which dates each woman had been favored. All noble families had records like these in order to avoid muddling a family’s lineage. 

  “From the time that Honored Concubine Xue had been favored to when she gave birth, it had only been nine moon cycles.” 

  Ji Man sympathetically looked at Ning Yuxuan. 

  There wasn’t any man that could tolerate something like this, much less a tyrannical male lead like Ning Yuxuan. 

  “There’s no need to ask anymore questions.” So angry that even yelling wouldn’t be enough to vent his feelings, Ning Yuxuan laughed instead. Looking at Nie Sangyu, he said, “Pick two good stones for them, then tie them up and let them sink into the lake.” 

  Ji Man slightly pressed her lips together. She accepted the child that Ning Yuxuan pushed into her hands. Kneeling on the ground, Li Zixiu’s face had turned deathly pale. Muxu didn’t dare to raise her head and only cried and shouted, “My lord, please have mercy!” 

  “Lock them up in the woodshed. Tomorrow, drown that vile spawn with them.” 

  Guibai made a sound of assent, and the other servants came forward and dragged Li Zixiu and Muxu out of the room. 

  Someone came to take the baby from Ji Man. She paused for a moment before handing him over. 

  Wen Wan took a step and said, “Madam, how can you be so heartless? The child is innocent. Why won’t you persuade the marquis to change his mind?” 

  Ji Man glanced at her and replied, “Why don’t you go and persuade him yourself?” 

  Wen Wan looked at that man, who was in the midst of a raging temper, and shrunk her neck back. At this moment, if anyone dared to go forward to plead for the child, then that person would be a true idiot. Even the greatest Holy Mother aura wouldn’t be able to calm down Marquis Moyu’s overwhelming fury. 

  Muxu cried until her voice became hoarse as she was dragged to the woodshed. She and Li Zixiu were shut into the woodshed together. 

  — 

  Before leaving with Haohao in her arms, Xia-shi sighed and said, “It’s a pity. Why couldn’t she figure things out instead of doing something so shameless?” 

  Ji Man was lost in thought for a while before she decided to return to her room to rest. Standing behind her, Qi Siling lightly said, “Madam, you’re truly a vicious and merciless person. Even though she’s your servant girl, you’ll still get rid of her like this.” 

  Ji Man didn’t understand. “Why does Muxu’s punishment have anything to do with me?” 

  Marquis Moyu and Monk Xuwu had already left the room to supposedly talk about Buddhist principles. Most of the other people had already departed. Ji Man and Qi Siling were the only ones left. 

  “Servants are always the ones that know the most about their masters’ secrets. Today’s show of a pleading servant that betrayed her husband, isn’t this Madam’s way of burying a secret?” Qi Siling laughed as if she knew more than she was saying. 

  Ji Man really wanted to say, big sister, you’re overthinking things. 

  But, after thinking things over, while it was true that Muxu was the one that choose to walk down the path that would lead to her death, Muxu also knew a lot of her secrets, including how to make cold cream. Muxu’s death would save her a lot of trouble. 

  No wonder Qi Siling’s thoughts had turned to that direction. Ji Man sighed. “Everything is determined by an incomprehensible fate. Siling, you should start going to sleep earlier. Look at the dark circles under your eyes……” 

  After saying this, she went inside her room to rest. 

  Qi Siling stood in place for a while before clutching her handkerchief and heading toward the back of the estate. 

  Just as Ji Man was about to sleep, Dengxin led Luqiao inside and said that Luqiao had pleaded to see her. 

  With a shrewd and hopeful expression, Luqiao said, “This servant know everything that Mistress Xue has done and can bring everything out into the light of day. Madam, can you let this servant have slightly better days in the future?” 

  Once Luqiao’s master fell, she naturally had to be reassigned. 

  Looking at Luqiao, Ji Man asked with interest, “What do you know?” 

  Luqiao answer, “This servant knows Young Master Fu-er‘s origin.” 

  Ji Man really wanted to say, I know too. But, looking at Luqiao’s glimmering eyes, she swallowed those words and nodded. 

  — 

  Muxu and Li Zixiu had been locked in the northern courtyard’s woodshed. After she had given up on crying, Muxu started to yell that she wanted to see Madam with all of her strength. 

  After dinner, Ji Man went over to the woodshed to see her. 

  Muxu looked quite pitiful as she cried out, “Master, save me.” 

  “The mistake that you made, it’s not something I can save you from.” Ji Man shrugged. 

  The pitiful tear-stained face suddenly became malevolent. Looking at her, Muxu hatefully said, “Madam, are you not afraid that I’ll tell the marquis about your business dealings? 

  Ji Man clicked her tongue and shook her head. “Do you really think that the marquis will still be willing to see you?”


  Chapter 266 – Perhaps, there was still something left (1) 

  Muxu was stunned into silence before an epiphany occurred. “Madam, you’re heartlessly tossing away this servant like this because you think the marquis won’t be willing to see me again?” 

  The corners of Ji Man’s lips twitched. “How does this count as me heartlessly tossing you away? One, I didn’t know you had a child behind the marquis’s back with Doctor Li. Two, I didn’t know you would leave the estate with Doctor Li today. If you had told me a secret and I turned around and betrayed you by telling someone else, then that would be considered heartlessly tossing you away. Do you understand?” 

  Muxu’s eyes were filled with hatred. Fu-er, who was being held by Li Zixiu, started to cry miserably. 

  “Madam, if you think that you’ll be able to sleep without worries after I die, then just wait and see. You’ll regret your decision today,” she said. 

  Ji Man thought; rather than coming here to listen to Muxu’s threats, it would have been better to go and eavesdrop on Marquis Moyu and that interesting old monk’s talk about Buddhist principles. 

  — 

  Ji Man waved her hand to indicate for Dengxin, who was holding Xi-er, to follow her to the western courtyard. Marquis Moyu should have probably calmed down by now and would want to be comforted by the presence of his real son, so she decided to bring Xi-er to him. 

  While she was there, she could get the old monk to look at Xi-er and maybe get an old question resolved. 

  Regarding the matter of Liu Hanyun and Wen Wan going into labor at the same time, it had always troubled Ji Man, and she still brooded over this matter even now. She had been financially supporting Midwife Yang in a rural area by giving her fifty silver taels every month. This amount was enough for Midwife Yang’s entire family to live well without having to take a single step out of their home to work. Although Midwife Yang still wasn’t willing to say anything, her heart should have already softened. If a secret existed, when an opportune time came, she would probably be willing to speak. 

  Although money was a useful thing that would get people to say the truth, it still depended on how you use the money. For example, if she had given Midwife Yang a lump sum of five hundred silver taels at the beginning, Midwife Yang would probably still be worried about her life and wouldn’t be willing to speak. However, Ji Man had sent her and her family to a safe place and given her fifty silver taels every month. A person’s heart wasn’t made of stone. It would take less than ten months before there wasn’t anything that Midwife Yang wouldn’t be willing to say. 

  When they arrived in the western courtyard, Xuwu and Ning Yuxuan were playing Chinese chess. On the board, the black pieces were already in a messy situation and forced to a dead end. 

  Marquis Moyu somewhat agitatedly flung down a piece. 

  “Marquis, you don’t need to feel too troubled. It’s not your fault. It’s only because an evildoer is causing mischief,” Monk Xuwu said. 

  Holding Xi-er, Ji Man saluted when she was still a distance from them. “Excuse this servant for bothering Great Master Xuwu and the marquis.” 

  Marquis swept his gaze across to her and somewhat mockingly said, “What now? Did you come here to tell me that Xi-er isn’t my son either?” 

  It seemed that his anger hadn’t faded yet. Ji Man childishly stuck her tongue out for a moment before saying, “This servant just wanted Great Master Xuwu to tell Xi-er‘s fortune based on physiognomy too. Didn’t Great Master Xuwu tell Fu-er‘s fortune? What will Xi-er‘s be?” 

  Xuwu glanced at her and suddenly became quite interested. He waved his hand at her and said, “Come here.” 

  Ji Man approached them with Xi-er and handed Xi-er to Xuwu. 

  But, surprisingly, Xuwu surveyed her for a long time before his gaze finally fell on Xi-er. After looking at him for a short moment, he smiled and said, “Actually, this old one was just talking nonsense. How could it be possible to know for sure someone’s fate at such a young age? This child’s face looks very fortunate too. He must have been a full-term baby too.” 

  Ning Yuxuan’s hand paused. There was a trace of red in his eyes as he raised his head and looked at Xuwu. “What did you say?” 

  Xuwu put his palms together and recited a Buddhist prayer before saying, “Marquis, your aura is too violent. This old one merely said that this child would enjoy good fortune.” 

  “You said…… Xi-er was also a full-term baby?” 

  Ji Man quietly stood in place and clearly saw the blue veins on Marquis Moyu’s temples becoming more prominent. She hurriedly said, “My lord, don’t get too excited yet. Great Master Xuwu, please wait here. There’s also another child……” 

  “Nie Sangyu!” Ning Yuxuan flipped over the game board with his hand and glowered at her. “What are you scheming? Do you want to prove that all of the children in this household aren’t mine?” 

  Startled by his action, she pressed her lips together and said, “I didn’t say that Xi-er isn’t your child. There’s just a matter that had been left unresolved until now. Since Great Master Xuwu happens to have this ability, this servant just wants to investigate what happened back then.” 

  “What do you want to investigate?” Ning Yuxuan asked with angry red eyes. 

  Ji Man took a step back and said in a low voice, “This servant thinks there might have been a mistake with Xi-er and Yu-er. If it’s confirmed that Xi-er had been full-term baby and Yun-er had been a premature baby, then that would prove this servant’s guess was right.” 

  Ning Yuxuan froze in surprise. With his brow furrowed, he looked at her. 

  “Please wait for a bit.” Then, Ji Man turned her head and ordered Dengxin to call over Liu Hanyun and Wen Wan and to bring Yun-er over here as well. 

  Having suffered two shocks within the period of one day, Ning Yuxuan rubbed his head and thought that he had never felt such regret before. 

  Why couldn’t he have welcomed fewer women into his harem? 

  Once Yun-er was brought over, Monk Xuwu looked at her and said the truth, “This baby girl was a premature baby. Her body is clearly weaker than that boy baby. How could none of you have been unable to tell?” 

  Wen Wan took a step back and angrily said, “How could a conclusion be made just from this old monk’s words? I clearly gave birth to a son. There were plenty of witnesses.” 

  Finally given the chance to say these words, Chunpi quickly said, “This servant didn’t see anything. At that time, only the midwife had seen the baby that my master had given birth to. Right afterwards, she took the baby away. This servant wasn’t able to see if my master had given birth to a boy or girl.” 

  Wen Wan’s face turned red, then white. She turned her head and looked at Ning Yuxuan. 

  Marquis Moyu buried his face in his hand and didn’t say anything.

  Chapter 267 – Perhaps, there was still something left (2) 

  “My lord, every single time in the past, you didn’t believe Wan-er. Are you going to not believe Wan-er this time either?” Tears fell from Wen Wan’s eyes. “Back then, didn’t you say that it wasn’t important if I gave birth to a son? It only mattered that the child was the one that I had given birth to. Since you had said those words, why would I go through the trouble of switching the two babies?” 

  “Moreover, after giving birth, I didn’t even have the strength to open my eyes to look. How could I have the strength to change my baby for Liu Hanyun’s? My lord, you were the one that choose Midwife Yang and brought her into the estate……” 

  Ji Man clapped her hands. “Speaking of that midwife, I’ve already sent people to bring her over. But, she probably won’t get here until tomorrow. My lord, if you want to find out the truth, there’s no harm in waiting another day, right?” 

  Liu Hanyun was still calmly holding Yun-er, but once Wen Wan heard these words, she looked at Nie Sangyu in utter shock. 

  Ning Yuxuan finally spoke, but his voice sounded extremely exhausted. “Alright. Since you can find that midwife, then we’ll discuss this matter tomorrow. You can all leave.” 

  “My lord……” Wen Wan tearfully called out. 

  “Leave!” Marquis Moyu was truly furious. He even flung the small table, which had been used to play the Chinese chess, in their direction. The group of women was so scared that the color faded from their faces. 

  Dragging Liu Hanyun along with her, Ji Man ran away the quickest. They went past the doorway and disappeared like fleeing rabbits. 

  Xi-er had been left behind with the old monk. Every step that Liu Hanyun took, she would turn her head back to look. In her arms, Yun-er wouldn’t stop crying. It felt as if a dense mass of dark clouds had formed above the estate. 

  A few words by an old monk had been enough to dredge up the old water in the estate’s pond. 

  After Ji Man comforted Liu Hanyun, she went back to her room and had a wonderful night of dreamless sleep. 

  — 

  Wen Wan was so anxious that she couldn’t stay still. Overcome with worry, she kept pacing back and forth, but she didn’t know what to do. 

  In the woodshed, Muxu was also unable to sleep the entire night. 

  — 

  The next morning, Ji Man went to handle Muxu’s matter first in high spirits. 

  If a woman violated one of the seven reasons for divorce, then the matter would normally be settled by her husband divorcing her. But, Muxu had put a green hat on the marquis, and the matter absolutely couldn’t be simply settled with divorce. Ji Man didn’t let past feelings influence her decision. After the servants tied up Li Zixiu and Muxu up, they were brought to a lake that was outside of the capital, Tianhu Lake, along with a swaddled bundle, to be drowned. 

  “What a heartless person. She’s not even willing to let off a baby.” 

  “Yeah, that baby is so young. What evil could it had possibly done?” 

  One after another, the nearby people were talking about this, but Ji Man pretended to not hear anything. 

  Muxu’s hands were tied to the back of the carriage, and she was being dragged forward by it. Her voice was already hoarse, and she shouted out one word, “Master.” 

  “En?” Ji Man poked her head out to look at her. 

  “Can’t you let off Fu-er?” As Muxu staggered forward, she looked at her master with a pleading gaze. 

  When a person was about to die and he or she had lost all hope of obtaining anything else, a person’s greed would be pulled back to show his or her kind-hearted side. 

  Ji Man shook her head. “It’s the marquis’s order. There’s no way to defy it.” 

  If this matter had been given to Wen Wan to handle, she would definitely cry and implore the marquis to let off these three people and let this family of three changed their names and live on somewhere else. 

  However, Ji Man felt that she was a more vicious person in comparison. Muxu was a person that would only have a conscience right before she was about to die. If she were to kind-heartedly let her off, Muxu would definitely seek revenge against her in the future. 

  After Muxu and Li Zixiu were tied to stones, Ji Man walked over to them and stuffed the swaddled bundle into Li Zixiu’s arms. 

  Some of the surrounding people were cursing that the adulterers for being shameless. There were even more people shouting that Nie Sangyu was a malicious woman. It was only Li Zixiu, who looked at Nie Sangyu with an extremely grateful gaze when she had put the swaddled bundle into his arms. 

  Ji Man waved her hand. “Drown them.” 

  The nearby servants pushed the family of three into the lake. Muxu let out a mournful cry, but she soon sunk deep into the lake with the fifty-kilogram stone that had been tied to her. 

  Ji Man knew that the female lead wouldn’t have been so heartless. This was why she herself was fated to be the secondary female character. She was capable of anything. She was the secondary female character that wasn’t beholden to any pressure. 

  After Ji Man returned to the estate, there was still Wen Wan and Liu Hanyun’s matter to be resolved. However, Ji Man felt that she didn’t need to do anything herself. She just needed to safely deliver Midwife Yang to Marquis Moyu. 

  However, while the person sent to fetch Midwife Yang had come back, Midwife Yang hadn’t been brought back. Instead, the person was currently kneeling for his failure. “This servant followed master’s directions to look for Midwife Yang, but she wasn’t there.” 

  Ji Man had already done all that she could to protect the sole witness, but in the end she hadn’t been able to successfully protect her. Ji Man shrugged. It couldn’t be helped. She wasn’t an all-powerful god, only a woman in the inner court. 

  Since Midwife Yang had disappeared, Wen Wan felt much more relaxed. She insisted that she didn’t know anything while Liu Hanyun looked at Marquis Moyu with an eager gaze. 

  Two women. One woman had once been the woman he had loved the most. The other woman had saved his life, and he had said he would always protect her. Ji Man was very happy that she could be here with melon seeds to watch this show. 

  However, in the end, there wasn’t any marvelous highlights or a wonderful show to watch. Marquis Moyu directly used the excuse that the midwife had made a mistake to give Xi-er back to Liu Hanyun. Yun-er didn’t need be raised by Nie Sangyu and would be sent to Qiangwei Courtyard for Wen Wan to take care of. 

  Holding Yun-er, Wen Wan forced herself to smile as she said, “It’s good that this misunderstand has been resolved. As long as your heart has me, it’s not important if my baby is a boy or girl. 

  Ning Yuxuan closed his eyes and faintly said, “En.” 

  Perhaps, there was still something left. 

  Translator Ramblings: I missed this the first time I read this novel, but I don’t think Fu-er was actually in the swaddled bundle. It’s why Ji Man was the one holding “Fu-er” instead of having a servant do it, why she waited to put the bundle into Li Zixiu’s arms, and why he gratefully looked at her in that moment. During this chapter, the author kept using the words “swaddled bundle” instead of baby, child, or Fu-er like normally. 

  Also, in chapter 135, Ji Man thought, “No matter what, a child was innocent. Back when she used to watch palace dramas, she always despised the women that would harm children the most.” 

  What do you guys think? I have a hard time believing Ji Man is capable of ordering someone to kill a baby.