The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir

Chapter 11: The conflict won't end

Ji Man turned around to look at her, "Little girl, sometimes we have to lose something in order to gain something better. To achieve a certain goal, we must pay a corresponding price. Aunty Zhao is a servant with status. If we don't give her plenty of money, why would she be willing to do work for us? Our request isn't excessive. We're only asking for better food. The remaining one hundred silver taels will be enough for us for a period of time. It's fine as long as our days aren't cold or exhausting."

Muxu still felt a sense of injustice. She held the remaining silver taels for a long time before she finally turned around and hid them on the bottom shelf of the cabinet.

"What did you ask her to buy?"

Ji Man picked up the embroidery needle and continued embroidering the handkerchief. She unhurriedly said, "They were all very ordinary things. I wrote on the list for her to bring a small quantity of those items to me each month. Once we use those items to make things, we won't have to worry about not having enough money."

Muxu didn't understand her master's words. But since her master appeared to have planned something out in advance, she didn't ask any further questions and sat down to help her embroider the handkerchiefs.

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As a result of Nie Sangyu's diligent work of embroidering two handkerchiefs each day and handing them over to Liu Mama, the entire residence's madam and concubines were using new handkerchiefs within a few days. She had embroidered the handkerchiefs with patterns that had excellent meanings: a pair of mandarin ducks or twin lotus flowers on one stalk*. In addition, Nie Sangyu was very talented with her embroidery skill. Even Wen Wan loved the handkerchiefs so much that she didn't want to put them down.

*(T/N: These patterns symbolized a happy and devoted marriage.)

When Marquis Moyu was sitting at a table drinking tea, he saw Wen Wan clutching one of these handkerchiefs and carefully stroking the pattern on it. She said, "Even if I practiced for several years, I don't think I can embroider something of this level."

Ning Yuxuan followed her gaze and looked at the handkerchief. The light purple lotus flowers were blooming beautifully and it felt as if you could even faintly smell their scent.

"This is her only talent."

Wen Wan raised her head and rolled her eyes. "Sangyu's personality doesn't seem as bad as you had described. Perhaps, she had done wrong things in the past. But, hasn't she become docile and obedient now? Why are you so biased against her?"

He was biased against her? Ning Yuxuan couldn't resist sighing. Nie Sangyu had married him when she was only fourteen years old. She has been jealous of his other concubines for the past several years. How many sharp and unkind words have they said to each other? Who knew her personality better than him?

He had married her when he was fifteen years old. As soon as Nie Sangyu entered the household, she had dismissed all of his bedroom servants. Whenever he became angry with her, she would go to his mother lodge a complaint against him. Because of her familial relationship with Noble Consort Ning and the fact that his own mother sided with Nie Sangyu, he couldn't even show his anger towards her when he was angry.

When he was sixteen years old, Nie Sangyu still hadn't given birth to a child. Naturally, this was something he was intentionally responsible for. Later on, when he took Qi Siling as an honored concubine, that poisonous woman had almost destroyed Qi Siling's face. After he stopped her, she wouldn't repent and even said that she hadn't done anything wrong.

When he was eighteen years old, he had brought in Qing Lian Xue and Liu Han Yun. Nie Sangyu had thrown a tantrum and was sick for a month. Her actions had caused Noble Consort Nie to censure him.