Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir
Chapter 191 - The marquis has become infected (2)
In the middle of the night, Ning Yuxuan's restless movements awakened Ji Man. He seemed to be having a nightmare. He kept muttering incomprehensible nonsense, as well as Wen Wan and Jinse's names.
Ji Man rolled her eyes; even his dreams were filled with women. He really was a stallion.
However, she felt surprised when she felt wetness around his eyes. Ji Man's eyes widened. She used a lamp that hadn't been extinguished yet to check. There really was liquid on her fingers.
Was Ning Yuxuan really crying? Ji Man raised her eyebrows and used his clothes to wipe away the liquid on her fingers. Perhaps, he was dreaming that all of his beautiful women had left him, and he was feeling heartbroken.
Her hand accidentally touched his face, and she noticed that it felt somewhat hot. Ji Man paused, then she touched his forehead.
It really did feel a bit hot.
Getting a fever at this point in time was very alarming. Ji Man hurriedly put on her outer robes and went out to call the imperial physician.
---
In the middle of the night, Feiwan Courtyard became brightly lit. Imperial Physician Lin's expression was very ugly as he checked Marquis Moyu's pulse. In the end, he could only shake his head. "The marquis has smallpox."
Everyone else in the room immediately and neatly retreated a step. Ji Man turned her head and looked at these women for a moment before asking the imperial physician, "It's possible to treat smallpox, right?"
"The emperor has already ordered the imperial physicians to find a solution," Imperial Physician Lin said, "But they haven't figured out a cure yet. So, it'll better to isolate the people with smallpox from everyone else."
It definitely wouldn't be okay to send Marquis Moyu to that relay station. Ji Man gritted her teeth. It wouldn't be okay to wake Old Madame up in the middle of the night either. She could only look at the group of women behind her and say, "This is an emergency. The marquis will be sent to the other estate. Who's willing to go there with him and care for him?"
Jinse turned her head away. Muxu lowered her head and stayed silent. Qi Siling and Qian Lianxue played dead. Surprisingly, it was Liu Hanyun, who rarely spoke, that raised her head and looked at Nie Sangyu.
Ji Man fake smiled. "All of you constantly say that you love the marquis and how you're always thinking about him. But now that something happened to him, you've all become mutes."
None of these women were brave and willing to risk their own lives. Ji Man also knew that most people in ancient times weren't knowledgeable about smallpox. They thought that smallpox could be spread by a single touch. And so, most of these women didn't dared to step forward, much less follow Marquis Moyu to the other estate to care for him.
"Since it's like that, then I'll personally go to the other estate to take care of the marquis," Ji Man lightly said, "I'll have to bother someone to go out and have the servants prepare a carriage for us."
Qi Siling was the first one to make a sound of acknowledgement, then she rushed out of the room. The other people stayed silent. Liu Hanyun kept raising and lowering her head.
At the end, when Guibai was carrying Marquis Moyu onto the carriage, Liu Hanyun finally stepped forward and quietly said, "Hanyun is willing to leave with Madam."
Ji Man looked at her in surprise. Her eyes showed a true smile as she said, "Alright."
After Liu Hanyun had packed up her stuff, she went into the carriage behind the main one and followed them to the other estate.
There definitely wasn't a chance to receive favor by going to the other estate. Furthermore, a moment of carelessness might lead to her losing her life. So, why was Ji Man willing to take this risk? It wasn't because Marquis Moyu looked so beautiful that she couldn't bear to leave him. It was entirely for her benefit.
Think about it, as long as she took the proper protective measures, there was no way that she would get infected with smallpox. Moreover, Ning Yuxuan was definitely the type of person that would clearly remember past gratitude and grudges. In the future, he might be willing to spare her life at a crucial point because of her current decision.
Her little abacus was calculating the pros and cons of this decision. Although there was risk, high risk came with the potential for high reward.
However, Ji Man couldn't figure out why Liu Hanyun had volunteered to come along. Liu Hanyun was Liu Mama's adopted daughter. Ji Man had heard that Liu Hanyun had saved the marquis's life several years ago and was promoted to a concubine. In the past several years, she hadn't been excessively favored or neglected. Compared to other concubines, she lived her life more like a servant than a concubine.
Inside the main carriage, Ji Man had put on a veil and Marquis Moyu's head was resting on her lap. She couldn't resist sighing. "You're so lucky. You met a person that truly loves you."
Other than genuine love, she really couldn't think of another reason why Liu Hanyun would be willing to follow after him.
Ning Yuxuan slightly opened his eyes, then he slowly closed them again. He seemed bothered by the slightly bumpy ride and leaned closer to Nie Sangyu's body.
---
Wen Wan's wish had finally come true. Marquis Moyu had come to the other estate. However, after she rushed outside, she hesitated in walking forward when she saw that Guibai was carrying the marquis on his back. Seeing that Nie Sangyu and Liu Hanyun had also come, she looked even more confused. "What's wrong with the marquis?"
Ji Man faintly smiled. "It's already been confirmed that he has smallpox. It's very serious, so he has to be isolated from everyone else. I made the decision to come here with him."
Wen Wan's reaction was similar to the other women. She instinctively retreated a few steps. However, seeing how close Nie Sangyu was standing to Ning Yuxuan, she felt somewhat suspicious. "Since it's so serous, why is Madam here?"
Ji Man smiled and said, "Even if I have to give up my life, I want to be with the marquis. Miss Wan-er, aren't you also deeply in love with the marquis? Let's die together with the marquis then."
There was horror in Wen Wan's eyes, but she didn't know what to say. It was true that she loved Ning Yuxuan, but… there were already so many people taking care of him. There was no need for her to help out too, right? What if she got smallpox too? Yuxuan would definitely feel upset if that were to happen.
With these thoughts in mind, she took a step back.
(T/N: I posted a spoilery comment about Liu Hanyun and Ji Man's assumption that Liu Hanyun is genuinely in love with Ning Yuxuan below.)