The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir

Qi Siling nodded and sighed. “Miss Wen already had to be a servant for the rest of her life. This servant didn’t expect that she might not even be able to keep her life. She’s really pitiful...”

At this moment, the servants came out of the inner room to dispose of bloodied white bandages and dirty water. In the inner room, Wen Wan was clenching her teeth and letting out pained moans. Hearing these sounds, the people outside also felt bad for her.

Other than being the skill that was most often used in the Thirty-Six Stratagems, the tactic of injuring yourself in order to gain sympathy was the best choice for a counterattack. Ji Man had to admit that since Wen Wan was willing to pay this price, she deserved to be rewarded. As long as Ning Yuxuan had the slightest bit of feeling left for Wen Wan, this tactic would be able to rekindle his old flame for her.

However, a woman would feel the most annoyed by this type of tactic. They were the same gender. How could Ji Man not guess what Wen Wan was doing? Still, even if she felt annoyed, she couldn’t show her disdain towards Wen Wan at this time, much less directly oppose her. Right now, this white lotus was weak. And, it was always easy to stirrup sympathy in others with this weak act.

So, what should she be doing right now? Obviously, she had to treat this injured white lotus with gentle, spring-like warmth. She had to be even more attentive to the female lead than the male lead. She would be more diligent in sending meals over to Wen Wan than anyone else. She would treat Wen Wan as if she was her daughter.

And so, after Wen Wan’s wound was treated and everyone had taken her turn to express her condolence, Ji Man came over with a bowl of chicken soup that she had finished cooking.

Ning Yuxuan was currently sitting by the bedside, holding Wen Wan’s hand, and lecturing her, “You can’t act so foolish again.”

Ji Man put down the chicken soup, sat down on a stool near the bed, and followed Ning Yuxuan’s words by gently scolding, “Exactly so. Wan-er, you’re a woman. It won’t be good if you end up with a scar.”

Wen Wan turned her head to look at her and pursed her lips. “Madam, thank you for your concern.”

Ji Man said in a fake-sounding angry voice, “You’re so dedicated to the marquis. Is there a need for you to act so polite towards me?” Then, she blew on the chicken soup to cool it down and said, “When you rushed over there to block the sword, you almost scared me to death. If something actually happened to you, what will the marquis do? What will I do?”

The corners of Wen Wan’s lips twitched. These words were too nauseating. It would be normal for the marquis to feel upset if something happened to her. But, how did this have anything to do with Nie Sangyu? Shouldn’t she be the first person to clap her hands and shout her appreciation? Why had this awful woman come over?

And so, Wen Wan’s expression was a bit stiff.

But, to no avail, Ji Man was acting simply too enthusiastic and fond. She even bumped Marquis Moyu from his seat and personally fed Wen Wan chicken soup. With a beaming smile, she wiped the corners of Wen Wan’s mouth with her handkerchief. Moreover, Ji Man also ordered the servants to tidy up Qiangwei Courtyard so that Wen Wan could live here again.

“Wan-er is only a servant. How can Wan-er live in Qiangwei Courtyard?” Although Wen Wan said these words, her face didn’t show any sense of being uneasy or embarrassed.

“It’s fine as long as I say it’s okay,” Ji Man said with a smile, “I’ll handle Old Madame. You deserve a reward for saving the marquis. From top to bottom, everyone in the household should feel gratitude towards you. What’s the big deal about letting you stay in an empty courtyard?”

It wouldn’t be good for Wen Wan to continue to refuse. She looked at Marquis Moyu.

With a gaze full of tenderness, he said, “Don’t worry. Just stay here to recuperate.”

—

For a brief period, Ji Man bustled around to arrange everything in Wen Wan’s living space so that it was perfect.

Standing by the side, Ning Yuxuan couldn’t resist saying, “You’re pregnant. You shouldn’t be working yourself so hard.”

“It’s fine. Sangyu should move around more.” Ji Man waved her hand at him and ordered the kitchen servants to prepare food that would be good for replenishing lost blood for Wen Wan’s dinner.

Sometimes, the more you dislike someone, the more you have to treat her well. This was a way of conducting yourself to deal with certain people. Or perhaps, to describe her behavior in a slightly more unpleasant way, she was scheming.

Rather than frankly showing her dislike, a clever person knew that it was better to treat your enemy generously and hide your true feelings. This way, she would be able to find opportunities to rip apart the other person’s fake persona.

Seeing how sensible Nie Sangyu was acting, Ning Yuxuan faintly smiled, handed over Wen Wan’s care to her without any worries, and went to his study to attend to the mountain-like piles of documents that had accumulated.

Ji Man sent servants to bring Gancao and Dengxin back. They could help her take care of Wen Wan, as well as give her the free time to take care of her pregnant body.

Since she was pregnant, she couldn’t serve the marquis in bed. Wen Wan was also seriously injured and recuperating. Other than alternatively visiting Nie Sangyu and Wen Wan in the daytime, Marquis Moyu was staying over in a variety of places at nighttime.

—

Recently, Qi Siling had somehow caught Marquis Moyu’s attention for three nights in a row. He even bestowed her a bolt of cherry blossom silk. Qi Siling had the silk made into clothing and frequently wandered throughout the estate to show it off. Her supercilious behavior provoked quite a few scornful looks.

—

Ji Man decided to go to Shanshui Courtyard to visit Liu Hanyun today. However, as she was passing by Jiyue Courtyard, she saw Liu Hanyun’s servant girl, Chunpi, kneeling in a corner. There was a teacup placed on her head, and she was trembling.

Holding Gancao’s arm for support, Ji Man went over there and asked, “What’s going on?”

Startled, Chunpi raised her head and the teacup fell down. Her clothing was splashed by tea and the cup had also shattered.

“Madam...”

Seeing that Chunpi was very flustered, Ji Man gestured for Gancao to help her stand up. Then she asked again, “What’s going on? Why are you kneeling here? Where’s your mistress?”

Chunpi pursed her lips and hesitated for a while before finally saying, “My mistress is probably at the back of the residence, washing clothes. This servant made a mistake today and got my mistress in trouble.”

Washing clothes? Ji Man felt slightly surprised. Although the position of an ordinary concubine wasn’t high, they were still considered half a master. No matter what, Liu Hanyun shouldn’t need to do rough work like laundry, right?

Ji Man had Chunpi led them to the laundry area. On the way there, bit-by-bit, Chunpi told her what had happened this morning.