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T/N: Thank you patrons for sponsoring this chapter.
Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir
Chapter: 166 out of 513 – It's not easy to protect a baby (1)
Ji Man observed Wen Wan for the next couple of days.
Wen Wan continued her obedient demeanor. Even if someone deliberately did something to antagonize her, such as dropping a cup or splashing water onto her, she responded like a normal servant girl by cleaning up the mess without any sign of anger.
Whenever Marquis Moyu came to Feiwan Courtyard, Wen Wan didn't try to speak to him. After tidying up the bed, she would quietly leave to stand outside. As a result, it was Ji Man and Ning Yuxuan that felt slightly awkward around Wen Wan.
One night, Ning Yuxuan summoned Wen Wan and quietly asked, "Are you getting used to things?"
Wen Wan's voice was calm as she said, "To respond to the marquis, everything is well with this servant."
"If you're lacking in anything, you can tell me or Madam about it."
Wen Wan finally raised her head to glance at him. Her eyes showed a sense of despair, but she still patiently nodded. "Alright."
Ning Yuxuan probably felt bad for her after seeing the look in her eyes. He sighed and said to Nie Sangyu, "Sangyu, isn't Muxu's previous room still empty? Let Wan-er live there. Don't mistreat her by having her sleep in the woodshed."
Ji Man nodded. "I already had Gancao and Dengxin move Wen Wan's stuff into that room. But, Wan-er seems to not like that room. She prefers to sleep in the woodshed."
Wen Wan seemed to treat herself masochistically in every aspect. When Ji Man gave her new clothes and accessories, she wouldn't take it. She wouldn't eat food that was slightly better than what a normal servant would eat either. She insistented on staying in the woodshed and having a servant's diet.
It really gave off the impression that she was abusing Wen Wan.
Marquis Moyu looked at Wen Wan and said, "If you can live a little better, there's no reason to make life difficult for yourself."
The corners of of Wen Wan's lips raised slightly, but she stayed silent.
---
Ji Man didn't have the free time to play along with Wen Wan's mistreatment game. She was finally feeling other symptoms of pregnancy. It was taking all of her self-control to endure the discomfort and act normal in front of the marquis and old madame, so that they wouldn't find out.
Ji Man no longer ate any of the food prepared by the kitchen servants. Instead, she gave her food to Gancao and Dengxin, then she had them sneak out of the residence each day to buy food that was prepared outside. She also had people checking the incense in her room. However, after Muxu had left her side after becoming a concubine, her surroundings had been quiet. Qian Liaxnue continued to act the same as before, quietly staying in her courtyard because of her poor health.
Ji Man felt uneasy. If she continued to hide her pregnancy, sooner or later, it would be found out through an accident. Rather than nothing and responding to someone's move, it would better for her to figure out a plan first.
---
When Ji Man was around five months pregnant, old madame decided to visit Noble Consort Nie. Thinking about how her aunt's pregnancy was only a few months further along than herself, Ji Man felt somewhat awkward. However, right now, Noble Consort Nie and old madame were the only people that had the power to help her.
And so, Ji Man told Noble Consort Nie about all the miscarriages that had happened in the marquis's household.
Hearing these words, Noble Consort Nie frowned and asked, "Why is your household messier than the palace?"
Old madame sighed and said, "It's because I haven't been watching over and managing these girls. I don't care about their pregnancies. I only hope that Sangyu can become pregnant."
Ji Man blinked. She looked at Noble Consort Nie, then she looked at old madame. She asked, "Aunty, Old Madame, do the two of you think that Sangyu will be able to successfully give birth to a child if Sangyu gets pregnant?"
"Why wouldn't you be able to?" With a serious expression on her face, old madame said, "Your baby would be the oldest offspring from the main wife. How could it be lost like the babies from those other women?"
"There will always be people doing bad things in the residence. One day, those people might direct their attentions at me." Ji Man wryly smiled. "I actually think it'll be better if I don't get pregnant."
Noble Consort Nie slightly sat up and held Sangyu's hand as she said, "Sangyu, you have to believe in your mother-in-law. If you really become pregnant, she'll definitely help you in keeping it."
Ji Man looked at old madame.
Old madame's sitting posture looked very dignified. There was a smile on her face as she said, "I fought with those type of tricky no-good women for several years when I was younger. In the end, they're all gone and only me and Yuxuan are left. It won't be difficult at all for me to help you."
Back then, her husband had several concubines and a residence full of his offspring. However, after he had died in battle, old madame and Ning Yuxuan were the only two people left in his household. At the beginning, Ji Man had found this very strange. It was normal for people to have several siblings in ancient times. Why did Ning Yuxuan only have cousins?
As it turned out, the reason was this.
Ji Man couldn't resist staring at old madame for a bit. She finally understood why old madame liked to chant Buddhist sutras so much.
She was doing it to make up for her past actions, right?
After contemplating this for a while, Ji Man pursed her lips and said, "Sangyu found out something recently. I don't know if I should say it. Old Madame, aunty, the two of you will probably feel bad if you hear it."
"What's the matter?" Noble Consort Nie asked, "Speak freely. We're all one family."
Ji Man pursed her lips and tried to show the proper mood. She rubbed her eyes with her handkerchief that had traces of hot pepper, so that her eyes finally reddened when she said, "It's the marquis's intention, that's the reason behind why Sangyu hasn't gotten pregnant after several years of marriage."
The two elders were shocked by her words. Old madame's expression was slightly ugly. After all, Ning Yuxuan was her biological son, and she naturally felt biased in favor of him.
Ji Man took out a box of incense. Her tone wasn't accusatory when she gently said, "The marquis is probably worried that if Sangyu gets pregnant, the crown prince will feel uneasy. Thus, he always had Sangyu use this incense that had musk and saffron."