Two days later, the rumors had subsided. The heir and his wife weren’t getting a divorce. Luo Qianqian had also finished packing up to travel to Prince Huainan’s fiefdom with Zhao Kaifeng.

  Sir Luo and Prince Huainan had personally come over Marquis Moyu’s residence to bring gifts to express their thanks, and Ji Man had received a small fortune for her work.

  This was a load off old madame’s mind. Right now, she was just thinking about how to deal with Wen Wan. Her son had clearly shown he would keep protecting Wen Wan. If even the emperor hadn’t been able to do anything to her, then other people naturally wouldn’t be able to either. However, as long as old madame was alive, Wen Wan’s life naturally wouldn’t be good either.

  —


  Lately, Nie Sangyu’s body had felt somewhat uncomfortable. Ji Man frequently felt sleepy, but when she had Doctor Li examine her, he only said her tiredness was from fatigue.

  Could it be that this body was the rumored type that would feel tired all year round for various reasons? Ji Man yawned, leaned back against the cushioned couch, closed her eyes, and took a short nap.

  Seeing that Nie Sangyu had fallen asleep, Muxu quietly closed the doors from the outside. She looked at Gancao and Dengxin and said, “Watch over our master. I’ll go to the kitchen to get afternoon snacks for her.”


  After Gancao and Dengxin made sounds of agreement, Muxu lifted her skirt and left Feiwan Courtyard.

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

  —


  Nie Sangyu appeared in Ji Man’s dream. She wasn’t crying anymore and her expression looked rather happy. “You’re amazing.”


  “Not amazing as you.” Ji Man twitched her lips. “When are you going to let me go back?”


  Nie Sangyu giggled. “Don’t be in such a rush. I came here to tell you to be careful with your stomach.”


  Stomach? Ji Man lowered her head to look at it in confusion. “What wrong with my stomach.”


  Ji Man felt as if Nie Sangyu had thrown a tremendous bomb when she heard, “You’re almost three months pregnant. Don’t be deceived by other people.”


  Shocked, Ji Man woke up from her nap and almost fell off the couch.

  “Master?” Hearing a sound from inside, Gancao pushed opened the doors, entered the room, and gave her a handkerchief. “Master, did you have a nightmare?”


  Ji Man was at a loss for a while. She absent-mindedly took the handkerchief from Gancao, wiped her face, shook her head, and said, “It’s nothing. Where’s Muxu?”


  “Older sister Muxu went to the kitchen to get some snacks for you,” Dengxin said.

  Ji Man pursed her lips. Thinking of Nie Sangyu’s words, her sense of vigilance went up.

  She was pregnant? If she had been pregnant for almost three months, then the baby must have been conceived during the Southern Trip. But, hadn’t she asked a doctor to check her body several times, and he had said everything was fine?

  But, when she carefully thought about it, she realized that the doctor that had examined her was always Doctor Li. The young doctor that had helped her pawn off her jewelry when she had first come here was now a doctor that had some status in this residence. Since he had a good relationship with Muxu, she thought there was no reason for her to ask for another doctor. During the last check up, Doctor Li had even said her belly was just bloated.

  It seemed that she encountered something interesting. Without changing her expression, Ji Man lied back down on the cushioned couch. She closed her eyes and sighed. Last time, she had thought that she would be considered lucky if Muxu didn’t betray her again. It seemed that she didn’t have that fortune.

  Three people had already suffered a miscarriage in this residence. Right now, she was the main wife. If she gave birth to a child, then her status as the main wife would be unmovable.

  But, her last name was Nie. Even if she felt that her relationship with Marquis Moyu was pretty good lately and he no longer disliked her, Ji Man wasn’t stupid enough to think that he would be happy if he found that she was pregnant.

  If he had wanted Nie Sangyu to give him a child, she didn’t believe that Nie Sangyu wouldn’t be able to during the past six, long years.

  Old madame was the only person that would be happy if she found out. If she gave birth to a child, even if it was a girl, it would still be the child of the main wife and Ning Yuxuan’s first child. And, on behalf of this blood connection, Marquis Moyu would slowly favor Nie Clan over the crown prince’s faction. But right now, the situation wasn’t definite. Ning Yuxuan was very clever. He wouldn’t want to make a decision so soon on whose side he would be loyal to.

  If other people found out about her pregnancy, she wouldn’t be able to keep it. She just hadn’t expected that someone really had been watching her.

  —


  When Muxu came back, she brought melon pastries.

  However, Ji Man said she didn’t have an appetite and wanted to go outside to walk around.

  Muxu said, “It’s been very lively outside lately. Master, if you want to walk around, this servant will accompany you.”


  Ji Man said with a smile, “You should stay home instead. It’s rare for you to have free time. Doctor Li is probably free right now too. How about you go over to his place and chat with him?”


  Muxu blushed. She looked down and fidgeted her feet. “Master, you’re always teasing me.”


  Ji Man smiled and waved her hand. “Go on. Otherwise people will say I’m an unreasonable master. It’s fine if I just go out with Gancao and Dengxin.”


  She wanted to go outside and look for a doctor, so she naturally couldn’t bring Muxu along. Actually, she didn’t want to tell anything to Gancao and Dengxin either.

  Ji Man still went to Shuiji Rouge Store. She had Gancao and Dengxin stay on the first floor to look around, then she went upstairs and asked Miss Shui for help.

  Miss Shui didn’t ask any question. She called a doctor over to the store.

  Ji Man’s face was hidden by a veil as the doctor checked her pulse.

  “It’s a pregnancy pulse. You’re two to three months pregnant.” The old doctor smiled as he said, “Madam, congratulations.”


  Ji Man wasn’t feeling too happy about this. This was Nie Sangyu’s child, not hers. She was just temporarily being pregnant in Nie Sangyu’s place. However, she would be the one that had to face all the future problems that came with this pregnancy.

  “Doctor, can you check this incense for me?” Ji Man took out a box from her sleeve. Inside the box, there was the incense that she used to use. When she had transmigrated here, this was the incense that Nie Sangyu liked to use in her room. Later, she had found it too stuffy and stopped using it. Unfortunately, Marquis Moyu insisted that he liked this smell.

  After smelling the incense for a long time, the doctor said, “Madam, it’ll be better if you use this incense less. It’s made with musk and saffron.”


  Understanding his meaning, Ji Man wryly laughed. Marquis Moyu had certainly worked hard. Even with the pressure of not having a child after six years, he still wouldn’t allow Nie Sangyu to get pregnant.

  T/N: I wrote a spoiler about why I tagged this novel with romance in the comments below.