T/N: Thank you patrons for sponsoring this chapter.
Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir
Chapter 194 - The shifting of power in the midst of smallpox (1)
When Ji Man heard this question, she really wanted to say that Mu Shuiqing was too foolish and naïve. Marquis Moyu was the grand male lead. How could he possibly die from something as minor as smallpox? No matter how she looked at it, this would be impossible.
However, she had to provide a response that would be understandable to the ignorant masses. Moreover, she had to blend in with the people that were feeling nervous about Marquis Moyu's illness. And so, with tears in her eyes, she unflinchingly said, "If the marquis dies, then I'll accompany him into the eternal rest."
Stunned, Mu Shuqing could only stare at her.
Behind them, someone quietly closed the door that had been slightly cracked open.
Who didn't know how to say catchy phrases? Hadn't Wen Wan been the loudest one in proclaiming her love for Marquis Moyu? Ji Man gently hit her legs that felt somewhat sore. She decided to go back to the neighboring courtyard to rest.
If Marquis Moyu really kicked the bucket this time, she would go look for Nie Sangyu and ask her if she would let her off and allow her to return to the modern world.
Her stomach felt somewhat uncomfortable, so Ji Man went to Imperial Physician Lin to check her over. She was probably just too tired lately.
After he prepared a bowl of medicine for her, he implored her once again, "Madam, you can't overwork yourself. It's bad for your pregnancy."
She didn't want to overwork herself either, ah. However, she didn't have a god-like male lead to protect her or a god-like secondary male character to help her. In order to deal with that group of women that wanted to bite her, how could she not be overworked?
Since she had been given the rare opportunity to leave the main estate, Ji Man decided that she would use this time to work on her improving her health. After all, if something happened, she could at least leave behind a baby for Nie Sangyu, right?
---
After Wen Wan calmed herself down over the course of a few days, she decided that her behavior had been inappropriate. And so, she gritted her teeth as she stepped outside into the rain and stood there for a night. By the next morning, when she visited Marquis Moyu, she looked quite sickly.
Leaning against the bedside, Ning Yuxuan looked at Wen Wan, who was five steps away from him. He weakly smiled and said, "You're finally willing to come see me."
Wen Wan replied in an equally weak-sounding voice, "I came here late. Do you blame me?"
Ji Man felt that these two people could totally be dropped into a snowy mountain scene. Then, after dabbing some tomato sauce onto them for fake blood and putting them on separate sides, they would both stretch their hands out to each other while clinging onto the mountain.
A weak voice would call out, "Yuxuan!"
An even weaker voice would say, "Wan-er!"
When their hands were only a few inches apart, they would waste time saying some nonsense. There would be another splatter of tomato sauce. Then, the only things left behind would be a beautiful, snowy backdrop and poignant music.
Season finale!
Standing at the side and hugging her arms, Ji Man was cracking herself up with these thoughts. While she was gleefully imaging this scene, Marquis Moyu interrupted her in a low voice, "Sangyu."
"Eh?" Ji Man returned to her senses and noticed that female lead had already sat down. Wen Wan was coughing and gasping for breath. How very pitiful.
The male lead only watched the female lead. It was difficult to decipher what he was feeling.
Ning Yuxuan said, "Bring over the imperial physician for Wan-er."
Of course, he was treating her as his errand girl. Ji Man twitched her lips and silently left to do his bidding.
It was easy to guess that Wen Wan had come here to win herself some pity. She would definitely excuse her recent behavior by saying she had been too sick lately, so she hadn't been able to visit the marquis. Perhaps, Wen Wan would even try to slander her by saying that he shouldn't believe in other people's false accusations.
However, there was only one doctor in this estate, Imperial Physician Lin. Who was Imperial Physician Lin? He was the imperial noble consort's confidant. And, who was the imperial noble consort? She was Nie Sangyu's aunt. Ji Man merely had to tell Imperial Physician Lin what she wanted him to say.
He followed her back to the main room. After checking Wen Wan's pulse, he said, "This miss just has a slight cold. It was raining last night. She probably forgot to close her window last night and caught her cold that way. It's no big deal. She'll be fine after resting for a bit."
Marquis Moyu asked, "She doesn't need to drink any medicine?"
Imperial Physician Lin smiled and said, "Since it's not that serious, she naturally doesn't need any medicine. As long as she doesn't get soaked in the rain again and has a good night's sleep tonight, she'll be fully recovered by tomorrow."
Wen Wan's face changed colors. She coughed again and said, "I've already been sick for a couple of days. How can you say it's not serious?"
Imperial Physician Lin's expression didn't look good. He glanced at Marquis Moyu and somewhat hesitantly said, "This old one has been a doctor for many years. The young lady's sickness should be at the initial state. It definitely shouldn't have already lasted for a couple of days. If you just relax your mind, your illnesses will disappear."
The implied meaning of his words was that she was pretending to be sick. Wen Wan's expression stiffened. She hatefully looked at the nearby Nie Sangyu.
Marquis Moyu seemed a bit tired. Unwilling to pursue this matter further, he waved his hand and said, "Since it's like that, Wan-er, you should leave and go rest."
Wen Wan stood up. She really wanted to leave, but it seemed that she hadn't gotten any benefit out of this visit. It felt as if she had only shot herself in the foot by pretending to be sick. She showed a slightly unwilling expression and said to Ning Yuxuan, "My lord, Wan-er still wants to stay here to take care of you."
"Sure." Ji Man firmly nodded. "You can take a turn with taking care of the marquis tonight. The marquis will cough and become feverish at night. There's a jar of wine by him. Wipe his body down with wine to help him cool down. You just need to be careful. Don't directly touch the marquis's body. Wrap a handkerchief around your hand before touching him."
Wen Wan's face turned red, then it turned white. She hadn't expected that Nie Sangyu would really allow her to stay. It would only take a moment of carelessness to accidentally touch his body while wiping him down. What if she ended up getting infected with smallpox?
Seeing Wen Wan's desire to retreat, Ji Man was very happy. She patted Wen Wan's shoulder as if she was handing over a heavy duty to her. Then, she turned around left the room.
Wen Wan stood in the room. Behind her, she could feel Ning Yuxuan's burning gaze. She didn't have any way of retreating, and she didn't want to get any closer. She could only tightly clutch her handkerchief.
T/N: Sorry for the late chapter parts! I'll make up Sunday and Monday's part on Thursday and Friday, respectively.