Chapter 252 – Competing for my husband and lord’s heart (1)
Nie Sangyu’s 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 Sangyu’s biological mother was her mother’s older sister, her mother had always hated her older sister for an unknown reason.
For now, she wouldn’t concern herself with grudges of the previous generation. Right now, she was in Marquis Moyu’s estate and had to figure out a way to change her fortune despite Nie Sangyu oppressing her.
“Older sister Wan-er, Chenyu has something she needs your help with.” Nie Chenyu turn her body to face Wen Wan. Holding Wen Wan’s hand in hers and slowly swing it back and forth, she asked, “Older sister Wan-er, can you give younger sister a chance the next time Marquis Moyu comes to Qiangwei Courtyard?”
A chance? Wen Wan’s 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 wasn’t as firm as Nie Sangyu.
After considering it over, Wen Wan smiled and said, “If you want to compete for the marquis’s favor, I can naturally help you. I know best what type of woman the marquis likes. But, how will you repay me?”
Nie Chenyu’s eyes brightened. Overjoyed, she asked, “Older sister, how do you want me to repay you?”
She hadn’t made the wrong decision in following after Wen Wan. If she had followed the imperial noble consort’s 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, “I’m really curious about Madam’s past. Since there’s nothing better to do in the estate, tell me about Madam’s past. If you do, I guarantee that the marquis will favor you more than once.”
This was quite simple, ah. Nie Chenyu giggled and said, “Older sister you truly care about young sister. You won’t 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.”
A trace of disdain flashed through Wen Wan’s eyes, but she was still smiling as she said, “Alright.”
—
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 woman’s voice murmured, “My Lord — ”
Ning Yuxuan wasn’t a man that practiced asceticism. All of the women in this household belonged to him, so there wasn’t any reason why he couldn’t 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 wasn’t 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 wouldn’t be a way for her fix things once she started regretting her choices.
—
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 hadn’t awakened and was drowsily asleep in Wen Wan’s 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.
“Thank you so much, older sister Wan-er.” Seeing Nie Chenyu’s satisfied smile and the colorful marks on her body, Wen Wan felt as if a knife had stabbed her heart.
“No need, go back to your room to rest first. That way, it’ll be more convenient to treat your injuries too.”
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 didn’t know how to conduct herself. She had borrowed the marquis’s 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 Chenyu’s overly conspicuous smile.
—
However, after this one night, it seemed as if Marquis Moyu had changed his taste. He didn’t 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 didn’t stay over, he would go there to eat dinner with her.
As a result, the servants in the marquis’s estate acted pragmatically and their treatment of Nie Chenyu was on par with the treatment of a main wife’s. Nie Chenyu’s spoke with much more confidence.
When Ji Man brought over this month’s material for fabric for each courtyard, Nie Chenyu said with a disdainful expression, “This material is worse that what the servants wear in Nie Residence. Madam, can’t you do a better job with selecting? Young sister is someone that has to see the marquis every day.”
Ji Man smiled. “These are the rules and standards of this estate. It’s a little too excessive to say this is worse than what Nie Residence’s servant girls wear. Most people can’t afford to wear silk fabric.”
Nie Chenyu lightly harrumphed. She looked at her in askance, “Madam, are you feeling jealous of Chenyu?”
Utterly baffled, Ji Man asked, “What’s there to be jealous about?”
“Don’t you feel resentful that the marquis favors me so much?” Nie Chenyu giggled. She picked up the silk fabric on the table and said, “If you don’t resent me, then you wouldn’t send over this type of silk fabric. You’re doing this so that I won’t have beautiful clothing to wear in front of the marquis.”
In a person’s life, you’re 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, “If you aren’t 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.”
Nie Chenyu definitely wasn’t 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 didn’t know about it. Nie Sangyu thought that she didn’t 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 didn’t 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, wasn’t 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 wife’s younger sister, no one dare to say these thoughts aloud.
Translator Ramblings: It feels more like they’re competing for his body. Oh Ning Yuxuan, you’re like a piece of commodity that’s 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.
