Chapter 252 - Competing for my husband and lords heart (1)
The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir
Nie Sangyuâs mother had been a vixen, and she had given birth to another vixen, Nie Sangyu. This is what her own mother had been telling her since she was a child. Even though Nie Sangyuâs biological mother was her motherâs older sister, her mother had always hated her older sister for an unknown reason.
For now, she wouldnât concern herself with grudges of the previous generation. Right now, she was in Marquis Moyuâs estate and had to figure out a way to change her fortune despite Nie Sangyu oppressing her.
âOlder sister Wan-er, Chenyu has something she needs your help with.â Nie Chenyu turn her body to face Wen Wan. Holding Wen Wanâs hand in hers and slowly swing it back and forth, she asked, âOlder sister Wan-er, can you give younger sister a chance the next time Marquis Moyu comes to Qiangwei Courtyard?â
A chance? Wen Wanâs inwardly felt slightly displeased, but Nie Chenyu had always been coming over here and cajoling her into improving her mood. Nie Chenyu was a sweet-talker that knew how to pander. Although she was a member of Nie Clan, her position wasnât as firm as Nie Sangyu.
After considering it over, Wen Wan smiled and said, âIf you want to compete for the marquisâs favor, I can naturally help you. I know best what type of woman the marquis likes. But, how will you repay me?â
Nie Chenyuâs eyes brightened. Overjoyed, she asked, âOlder sister, how do you want me to repay you?â
She hadnât made the wrong decision in following after Wen Wan. If she had followed the imperial noble consortâs instruction of being loyal to Nie Sangyu, she would have no hope of being favored by the marquis. Inwardly feeling very happy, she impatiently waited for Wen Wan to answer.
Wen Wan pretended to contemplate for a while, then she smiled and said, âIâm really curious about Madamâs past. Since thereâs nothing better to do in the estate, tell me about Madamâs past. If you do, I guarantee that the marquis will favor you more than once.â
This was quite simple, ah. Nie Chenyu giggled and said, âOlder sister you truly care about young sister. You wonât put younger sister in a difficult spot. I know information that can be used against Nie Sangyu. Once the marquis favors me, younger sister will tell older sister anything that you want to know.â
A trace of disdain flashed through Wen Wanâs eyes, but she was still smiling as she said, âAlright.â
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By chance, Marquis Moyu came over to Qiangwei Courtyard that night. He had originally been a bit tired and just wanted to say a few words to Wen Wan before sleeping. But, when he pushed open the doors and entered the room, it was pitch-black.
There was the fragrance of burning incense in the room, and the mood was very good. A beam of moonlight came through the window, and he could faintly see a figure flipping her hand on the red silk sheet to expose her beautiful skin that had been hidden.
A womanâs voice murmured, âMy Lord â â
Ning Yuxuan wasnât a man that practiced asceticism. All of the women in this household belonged to him, so there wasnât any reason why he couldnât sleep with a specific one. Still, he felt slightly cranky. He had come here to look for Wen Wan, but she had pushed another women to him.
Although he knew that the woman on the bed wasnât Wen Wan, he still favored her. He appreciated clever women, but he had never appreciated a smart aleck. If she wanted to play with him, then there wouldnât be a way for her fix things once she started regretting her choices.
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After one night of entanglement, Nie Chenyu felt as if her waist was going to snap apart. The next day, when the sun was already high in the sky, she still hadnât awakened and was drowsily asleep in Wen Wanâs bed.
When Wen Wan entered the room, her expression was slightly ugly. she had the servants wake Nie Chenyu up and help her get dressed.
âThank you so much, older sister Wan-er.â Seeing Nie Chenyuâs satisfied smile and the colorful marks on her body, Wen Wan felt as if a knife had stabbed her heart.
âNo need, go back to your room to rest first. That way, itâll be more convenient to treat your injuries too.â
Still smiling, Nie Chenyu stood up. But her legs wobbled, and she needed a group of servant girls to support her as they put on her clothes for her and brought her back to her Luoyan Courtyard.
It could only be said that she didnât know how to conduct herself. She had borrowed the marquisâs favor for Wen Wan to be favored herself, so she should be behaving more low-key. Wen Wan felt very angered just by looking at Nie Chenyuâs overly conspicuous smile.
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However, after this one night, it seemed as if Marquis Moyu had changed his taste. He didnât go Qiangwei Courtyard again. Every time he passed by Qiangwei Courtyard, he would head straight to Luoyan Courtyard.
It seemed that Nie Chenyu was being quite favored. Although she was still just a concubine, the marquis went over to her place every day when he had time. Even on nights where he didnât stay over, he would go there to eat dinner with her.
As a result, the servants in the marquisâs estate acted pragmatically and their treatment of Nie Chenyu was on par with the treatment of a main wifeâs. Nie Chenyuâs spoke with much more confidence.
When Ji Man brought over this monthâs material for fabric for each courtyard, Nie Chenyu said with a disdainful expression, âThis material is worse that what the servants wear in Nie Residence. Madam, canât you do a better job with selecting? Young sister is someone that has to see the marquis every day.â
Ji Man smiled. âThese are the rules and standards of this estate. Itâs a little too excessive to say this is worse than what Nie Residenceâs servant girls wear. Most people canât afford to wear silk fabric.â
Nie Chenyu lightly harrumphed. She looked at her in askance, âMadam, are you feeling jealous of Chenyu?â
Utterly baffled, Ji Man asked, âWhatâs there to be jealous about?â
âDonât you feel resentful that the marquis favors me so much?â Nie Chenyu giggled. She picked up the silk fabric on the table and said, âIf you donât resent me, then you wouldnât send over this type of silk fabric. Youâre doing this so that I wonât have beautiful clothing to wear in front of the marquis.â
In a personâs life, youâre bound to meet a couple of idiots. It would be a waste of your saliva to argue with them.
Ji Man smiled as she shook her head and said, âIf you arenât satisfied with this, then go to the storehouse with money to pick out the fabric that you want. Steward Qian manages the storehouse. You can take whatever you want, but you have to pay the original cost. Otherwise, there would be anarchy if everyone complained and insisted on having the best.â
Nie Chenyu definitely wasnât lacking in money. Not even mentioning the other items, just counting the gold bars, she had a box full of them from the dowry that her mother had secretly prepared. It was just that most people didnât know about it. Nie Sangyu thought that she didnât have money? Nie Chenyu sneered.
That afternoon, she brought money to the storehouse and exchanged it for a large pile of fabric.
Taking the money, Steward Qian didnât say any extra words. Although Nie Chenyu had taken the most expensive type of fabrics, she had given enough money for them.
However, after the fabric was made into clothing and Nie Chenyu ostentatiously paraded herself in them, a problem arrived.
There should be a difference in treatment between superiors and inferiors. So, wasnât it a bit improper for an ordinary concubine to dress like a main wife?
The people that saw Nie Chenyu silently grumbled this, but since she was favored by the marquis and also the main wifeâs younger sister, no one dare to say these thoughts aloud.
Translator Ramblings: It feels more like theyâre competing for his body. Oh Ning Yuxuan, youâre like a piece of commodity thatâs being traded among your harem members. Too bad for Wen Wan that she never learns for long that Ning Yuxuan hates it when she does something like this.