Chapter 251 – Why go so far as to harm a baby? (2)
As expected, it was better to be concubine than a wife, and it was better to be a mistress than a concubine. Anyways, the newer a woman was, the more men would like them. Ji Man silently clucked her tongue disapproval a few times, then she left right after acknowledging Marquis Moyu’s order.
It was time for her to step back and be the spectator until these two sides had injured the other party. Hadn’t Wen Wan always been the woman that the marquis’s favored the most? Now, there was a woman that was even more favored than her. Even though Xia-s.h.i.+ was lacking in refinement – one glance would be enough to tell that she was the daughter of farmers, didn’t know the Four Scholarly Arts, or have double eyelids – it didn’t matter. Even a common performer could be lifted up to female lead status if she gained the male lead’s love.
—
Holding Haohao, Ning Yuxuan looked at Xia-s.h.i.+. The doctor had left after writing the prescription, and the servants had been sent away.
He asked, “Lianxin, what did you promise me?”
Xia-s.h.i.+ twisted the edges of her sleeve in her hands. Embarra.s.sed, she said, “I’ve already done my best. How could have I know that they would try to poison Haohao through me? The people in your household are too scheming. Any action that I take, I have to worry that someone is going to use it to harm Haohao somehow.”
Original translation is from fuyuneko dot org. If you’re reading this elsewhere, this chapter has been stolen. Please stop supporting theft.
“In the future, visit Madam frequently with Haohao,” Ning Yuxuan helplessly said, “Let Madam protect the two of you.”
Xia-s.h.i.+ nodded. After hesitating for a moment, she asked, “My lord, who is this child’s mother? Why did you give him to this servant to take care of? Is his biological mother no longer alive?”
Ning Yuxuan pursed his lips. “Don’t ask the questions that you shouldn’t be asking. If you do a good job taking care of him, then I’ll naturally have your child taken care of as well. When your son is older, I’ll send him to a private school.”
“Thank you my lord for your great benevolence.” Xia-s.h.i.+ tried to copy other people’s manner and clumsily saluted.
If it wasn’t for Marquis Moyu, who knows how many people would be yelling and cursing at her for being a widow that gave birth to a child? It would have been impossible for her to make a living. Marquis Moyu was truly a kind person. He let her live in a grand courtyard just for taking care of a baby. She even had her own servants. He just wouldn’t tell her who the baby’s real mother was.
Xia-s.h.i.+ pursed her lips. All of the servant girls, concubines, and the main wife were such beauties. Would it be possible for her, a widow, to gain his interest?
—
Ji Man was taking a stroll with Dengxin following by her side. When they pa.s.sed by the back gate, they suddenly saw Muxu. She was holding Fu-er in her arms.
Muxu was an honored concubine now, and she usually dressed lavishly. However, she was dressed surprisingly simple today. She looked quite like her former servant girl self.
And so, Ji Man called out, “Muxu.”
Startled, Muxu turned her head. Seeing that it was Nie Sangyu, her face paled. She hurriedly came over and saluted. “Madam.”
“Where are you going?” Ji Man curiously looked at the baby in Muxu’s arms. “Why are you taking Fu-er out of the estate?”
Li Zixiu, who had been following Muxu, came through the back gate too. Muxu didn’t even have time to signal for him to hide. As soon as he appeared, he was faced with Madam looking at him with a probing gaze.
“This… This servant is just going out for a walk. It’s quite stuffy in the estate.” Muxu had her head lowered, and her eyes kept moving.
Ji Man turned her gaze back to Muxu. “Is that so?”
Then, she smiled at Li Zixiu and said, “Something happened at Cailian Courtyard today. It seems like there was a problem with the medicine that Doctor Li had prescribed. The marquis is still at Cailian Courtyard. Doctor Li, you should probably go over there to see him.”
Li Zixiu froze in surprise and instinctively glanced at Muxu. Muxu had her head lowered to coax the baby in her arms and pretended that she didn’t see his look.
“This one will go over there to take a look.” Doctor Li left right after saluting Nie Sangyu.
Looking at Muxu, who was standing in front of her, Ji Man lightly said, “You know, I still fondly remember that person who had saved part of the Beggar’s chicken for me. She had looked so guilty and anguished when she found out the saved chicken had been eaten by a mouse.”
Muxu briefly raised her head in surprise, then lowered her gaze again.
“Sometimes, if something doesn’t belong to you, you shouldn’t insistently go after it.” Ji Man smiled. “Even if you insist on going after it anyways, you shouldn’t harm a baby.”
Fl.u.s.tered, Muxu retreated a few steps back and said, “Madam, what are you saying? This servant is just leaving the estate to take a stroll outside. Who have I harmed?”
Ji Man smiled and said, “I was just casually saying it. I’m worried that you’re going to walk down the wrong path.”
Muxu pressed her lips together.
—
Marquis Moyu ordered that all of the doctors in the estate had to drop off a copy of their prescriptions to Steward Qian whenever they wrote out a prescription.
It was such a serious scene that Wen Wan was curious about what had caused it, so she asked Nie Chenyu.
Nie Chenyu was currently peeling melon seeds. In a peculiar tone, she said, “Isn’t it just that peasant woman causing trouble? The marquis had looked so nervous. He even pulled Madam along to go there with him. It almost got to the point of Doctor Li being kicked out of the estate.”
“That peasant woman? Xia-s.h.i.+?” Wen Wan curled her lip. She had considered that unbearably vulgar woman beneath her notice. How could Yuxuan possible like her? He probably only cared about her because of Haohao.
“Older sister Wan-er, you don’t need to address her by her name. That peasant woman is truly skillful. Hadn’t the marquis gone to her courtyard several times this month?” Nie Chenyun lightly harrumphed and said, “How many times has he come to our places?”
Wen Wan paused before smiling and said, “Aren’t you Madam’s legitimate younger sister? Why don’t you ask your older sister to share some favor with you? That way your courtyard won’t be so lonely.”
At the mention of this, Nie Chenyu became angrier. She had already heard these words several times, but Nie Sangyu still hadn’t sent the marquis to favor her. What a stupid woman that couldn’t tell good from bad.
Back in the Nie Residence, she had been the true legitimate daughter. Her clothes and food hadn’t been worse than Nie Sangyu’s, but she had still disliked her. Why did her biological older brother treat Nie Sangyu so well, but not her? Why had her father been so pampering towards Nie Sangyu and given her such a good marriage? She was his daughter too, but she had entered this household as only an ordinary concubine.
In this lifetime, Nie Sangyu was the person that she despised the most.