The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir

Chunpi had arrived here first, but Banxia had blatantly cut in front of her. However, Chunpi’s temperament was similar to her mistress. She didn’t squabble or compete in anything. And yet, Banxia was determined to bully her. A moment of inattentiveness and Liu Hanyun’s clothes ended up falling into the laundry pool. Normally, this wouldn’t be a big deal. However, Liu Hanyun’s dress had recently been stained with a large patch of ink. Some of the ink dissolve into the water and stained the cherry blossom dress.

Everyone knew how much Qi Siling treasured that dress. Banxia immediately left to report this matter to her mistress and blame Chunpi. As usual, Liu Hanyun wasn’t a mistress that would complain about unfair treatment or being bullied. And so, Qi Siling vented her anger on this pushover by having Chunpi kneeling outside her courtyard and Liu Hanyun personally washing her dress.

After hearing the entire story, Ji Man thought this matter wasn’t a big deal. Wasn’t it just a dress? Qi Siling had a higher status than Liu Hanyun. Although it wasn’t very nice of her to order Liu Hanyun to wash the dress, it wasn’t breaching any etiquette.

Still, Ji Man had come to like Liu Hanyun a lot during their stay in the other estate. She had also said that she would help her once they returned to the main estate.

And so, she continued walking to the laundry area. When she got there, she saw Liu Hanyun with her sleeves tied up and washing the dress as if she was doing an accustomed chore.

Ji Man called out, “Hanyun.”

The servants, that had been gathered around to watch Liu Hanyun, suffered a shock when they turned their heads and saw Nie Sangyu.

One of them hastily took the dress from Liu Hanyun and said, “Mistress Yun, Madam is here. You should go over there to talk to her. This servant can wash the dress.”

Liu Hanyun turned her head, wiped her wet hands, and walked over. She looked at Nie Sangyu in confusion, “Madam, why did you come here?”

Ji Man reached out to hold her hands and noticed that they were icy-cold. She couldn’t resist covering then up in her hands to warm them up. “I just wanted to visit you and talk for a bit. I didn’t expect that I would find you here.”

Liu Hanyun nodded, glanced at the dress in washing pool, and said, “Madam, if there’s something you want to say, let’s go back to Shanshui Courtyard first.”

On the way back, Liu Hanyun didn’t say a single word about Qi Siling ordering her to wash her dress. She would only respond with a brief answer for every question that Ji Man asked her. It was like squeezing out toothpaste.

With a cheerful smile, Ji Man asked, “You’ve also worked hard in the other estate to take care of the marquis. I’m thinking of going over to Old Madame’s courtyard and requesting her to promote you to the position of an honored concubine. What do you think of that idea?”

Liu Hanyun slightly froze. She frowned and said, “Hanyun came from a lowly background. Moreover, Hanyun hasn’t given birth to any children.”

“There are very few people in this household that have a better heart than you,” Ji Man seriously said, “The marquis is surrounded by women that have their own agendas. But, I’ve been observing you for a long time. You truly love the marquis. That’s a rare thing to see.”

With her eyebrows slightly raised, Liu Hanyun looked at her with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile. “Madam, don’t you also truly love the marquis?”

Faced with her clear eyes, Ji Man felt slightly awkward, so she lowered her eyes and said, “How can it be enough with just me?”

Liu Hanyun considered her response for a moment, then she replied, “Hanyun isn’t good at scheming or speaking eloquently. The marquis has given Hanyun a small corner. It’s safest here. If Hanyun moves to center, where the heart of the struggle exists, Hanyun’s life might not be as comfortable as it is now.”

Ning Yuxuan had actually said these words to her? Ji Man felt slightly surprised. The person in front of her wasn’t outstandingly beautiful, but Liu Hanyun reminded her of a poem.

At the corner of the wall, there are a few branches of plum blossoms,

Facing the cold, they bloom alone,

Even from a distance, the white blossoms can’t be mistake for snow.

Because their delicate fragrance will waft over.

Ji Man didn’t know why she felt like sighing. She held Liu Hanyun’s hand and said, “I don’t want you to have to compete with other people either. But, I feel bad. She’s taking advantage of your temperament and bullying you.”

Liu Hanyun pursed her lips and looked down at her hands that were slightly calloused. “Isn’t suffering also a type of blessing, Madam?”

Ji Man was stunned.

She had originally thought that as a modern person and a reader of the original novel, she was already open-minded enough about her tribulations. However, Liu Hanyun was on a higher level than her.

Ji Man wasn’t a person that was willing to suffer hardships. Every time she suffered, she would remember all of it and pay it back in the same magnitude. But today, Liu Hanyun taught her that suffering was a blessing.

After Ji Man returned to her courtyard, she contemplated these words for a long time. In the end, she still went over to Old Madame’s place to discuss Liu Hanyun’s position.

No matter how much suffering was a blessing, Liu Hanyun was already living in the most remote courtyard in the estate and eating the same food as the servants. And now, Qi Siling was bullying her. Ji Man couldn’t stand by and do nothing.

Old Madame didn’t have much of an impression towards Liu Hanyun. However, Liu Hanyun had been the only other woman that stepped forward to take care of her son when he had been infected with smallpox. And so, she didn’t object to promoting Liu Hanyun to an honored concubine and letting Nie Sangyu make the arrangements.

Ji Man moved Liu Hanyun to Linghan Courtyard. This courtyard was very close to the marquis’s bedroom in the western courtyard. She also gave her the appropriate amount of new clothes and jewelry, as well as assigning her additional servants.

Although Liu Hanyun felt somewhat reluctantly helpless about this change, she did feel slightly grateful to Nie Sangyu when she saw how happy Chunpi was. Chunpi’s living standards had also improved along with her own.

—

However, after Marquis Moyu heard about this news, he didn’t seem very happy. When he met Nie Sangyu on a path, he deeply looked at her and asked, “Everything was fine as it was. Why are you dragging Liu Hanyun into this?”

Ji Man slightly shook her head. “This servant isn’t trying to harm her. My lord, there’s no need for you to worry.”

In a harem, it was impossible for a woman to always remain content with her lot. Liu Hanyun would be a very good helper to her. If she didn’t snatch her to her side today, there would definitely be someone that would use her against her in the future. So, why wouldn’t she bring her to her side in advance and keep her for later use?

Translator Rambling: I really like Liu Hanyun. It’s so rare to see a supporting female character that’s very self-aware and content with her life. She doesn’t just exist to make Ji Man look better in comparison. She feels like a real person that’s living her life and happens to be crossing paths with Ji Man.