Chapter 118

Ji Man found her request laughable. Why did she think that Ning Yuxuan would agree if she was the one that was asking him? Moreover, why would she do something that didn’t have the slightest benefit to herself?

“No one has ever been able to influence the marquis’s decisions.” Ji Man lightly smiled and said, “Miss Jinse, if you really want to stay with the marquis, you should be pleading with the marquis instead of me.”

Jinse pinched her hands and somewhat miserably looked at Nie Sangyu, “The marquis won’t listen...”

She had originally though Marquis Moyu must have some degree of favorable impression towards her since he had blatantly disregarded etiquette by taking her out of Tian Xiang. But, when she had said she wanted to go home with him at their most tender moment, Yuxuan’s expression had sunk. In a languid manner, he had said, “I don’t like greedy women.”

There had been countless men that had fallen under her pomegranate skirt, but Jinse felt that there was no way for her to influence Ning Yuxuan. He wasn’t an obstinate person, but he diligently guarded his boundaries and wouldn’t allow her to take even half a step over them. She had been ordered to do her best in serving Marquis Moyu well and driving a wedge between his relationship with Nie Sangyu. But, since the first time she met Nie Sangyu, she had felt at a loss.

For her to put a wedge between their feelings, there had to feelings to begin with, ah. The marquis had always kept her company. He hadn’t even gone to visit Nie Sangyu when she had fallen sick, but this madam hadn’t seem angry at all. Nie Sangyu was even able to look at her with a bright smile. Jinse didn’t understand. What exactly did she need to do in order to anger Nie Sangyu?

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

Right now, she was pleading with her to allow the marquis to bring her back home with them. She didn’t hold any hopes that Nie Sangyu would agree, but she thought that her attitude would become more severe at least. This would allow her to go back to Marquis Moyu’s side and cry out grievances.

Unexpectedly, Nie Sangyu had been smiling at her since she entered the room and hadn’t done anything to make her feel troubled. She had even refused her with a gentle voice.

What should she do?

—

After returning to the marquis’s room in low spirits following her failure to achieve her goal, Jinse reflected upon herself.

The door behind her opened. Feeling somewhat tired, Marquis Moyu rubbed his forehead and asked, “Why didn’t you light the lamps?”

The marquis had returned. Jinse’s eyes brightened. She hurriedly approached him, took off his cloak, poured a cup of warm tea for him, and waited until he sat down on the cushioned couch before saying, “The servant was lost in thought and forgot to light the lamps. My lord, did your work go smoothly today?”

Ning Yuxuan didn’t say much. After a short “en”, he wearily leaned back against the couch.

Jinse didn’t ask any other questions. She gently massaged his shoulders.

“You visited Sangyu?” With his eyes closed, he lightly rubbed the spot between his eyebrows.

Jinse paused. She was inwardly surprised, but her face only showed a smile as she said, “Madam just recovered from her cold, so this servant went over to attend to her for a bit.”

“That’s thoughtful.” Ning Yuxuan slightly curved his lips. “I’m tired. I don’t want to move. Go and tell her that I’ll be staying here tonight with you.”

Jinse happily nodded and left the room.

No matter what, Nie Sangyu was a woman. The marquis hadn’t stayed in her room for several days in a row before her cold and was now leaving right after she had recovered. Nie Sangyu should definitely feel at least a little bit angry, right?

Full of hope, Jinse went to Nie Sangyu’s room and told her this news with her chin flauntingly raised.

Ji Man was currently eating raisins. Hearing these words, she nodded. “That’s good. If you want to stay with the marquis, then take this opportunity to speak with him.”

Jinse froze in surprise for a moment. She incredulously scrutinized Nie Sangyu from top to bottom. Seeing that she was still chewing raisins with a relaxed expression and her eyes were clear, without the slightest trace of jealousy, Jinse put away her slightly arrogant attitude. She bid her farewell and dejectedly left the room.

“Master, this woman is really strange,” Gancao said as she massaged Nie Sangyu’s legs. “When she came here this afternoon, she had on a pitiful appearance. When she came here tonight, she looked like a villain that had accomplished her ambition. She’s really showing that she’s a lowly thing that came from a brothel.”

Ji Man stretched her hand out and fed her some raisins. She smiled and said, “Since she’s that unsuitable to this environment, is there any need for you to bother with her? She’s not a threat to me. You don’t have to worry.”

“But...” Gancao slightly frowned. “Master, you finally have an opportunity to serve the marquis for a long period of time and she’s taken your share.”

In regards to this issue, Ji Man was actually quite thankful towards the crown prince. It wasn’t advisable to frequently have purely bodily exchanges without feelings. She didn’t want to treat sleeping with someone as if it was a job. Jinse had truly lessened her work duties.

“That’s fine.” After Ji Man had finished eating an entire plate of raisins, she licked her lips and said, “I’m going to sleep.”

Gancao and Dengxin stood up, bowed to Nie Sangyu, blew out the wicks, put down the canopy curtains, and returned to their room.

—

In the dead of the night, Ji Man woke up and couldn’t fall back to sleep. As soon as she closed her eyes, she felt as if she was suffocating. After tossing and turning for a long time, she decided to open the window for fresh air.

Her original room had been given to Jinse and Marquis Moyu, so Ji Man was now staying in a side room that was near Errong’s room. When she opened the window, there was a view of the garden. There was a pavilion with a stone table and stools at the center of the garden.

Right now, there was a person sitting at that table. Ji Man was so scared that she almost screamed.

There was a moon in the sky. Using the light of the moon, Ji Man saw that person’s face and swallowed her scream with a gulp.