Chapter 435 – Don’t give away your heart (2)
Huh? Ji Man had no idea what this person was saying. Just as she was going to ask him to clarify, he continued, “The emperor has ordered me to leave the capital within the next ten days to go to the border between Yuzhen and Great Song and provide reinforcements to the border troops.”
Ji Man was stunned. In ten days? They hadn’t even found Haohao yet. What would she do after those ten days passed? If she went with him, she would be giving up Haohao. If she stayed in the capital, she would probably be added to the emperor’s harem and been promoted by the time he returned.
Ning Yuxuan asked, “You… are you going to stay here or come with me?”
The hand that was holding hers loosened. Ji Man furrowed her brow as she looked at him. “You want me to choose? If I choose to stay then, what will you do?”
Ning Yuxuan stopped in a spot that wasn’t far from her. He didn’t turn his head. His empty hand slowly clenched into a fist. “You want to stay?”
“Why wouldn’t I stay? If I leave with you, what will happen to Haohao?” Ji Man took a deep breath. “Why can’t you negotiate with the emperor? He’s afraid of the power that you possess, so why can’t you trade that power for Haohao? At worst, the three of us as a family can escape to a faraway place. Wouldn’t that be good?”
Marquis Moyu turned his head back and seemed to be quietly laughing. “You want me to give up and hand over something that I’ve spent half of my lifetime competing for? Just like that?”
“Don’t forget. There’s an entire household of people. It’s not just the three of us. I’m responsible for a household that has over a hundred people.”
Shocked, Ji Man involuntarily laughed.
She really had gotten stupid recently. She had merely told him everything when they were in prison. Why did she stop seeing him as an outsider? There was nothing wrong with what he had said. How could it be easy to abandon something he had struggled to obtain for most of his life? There were so many people in his household, including his other son. How could he easily give up everything else?
Idiot. Her mind had repeatedly reminded warned her to not fall in love, to not feel anything for these storybook characters. Logically, she understood, but her heart wouldn’t listen. Well, this was great. It was her heart that would suffer punishment as it was sliced into pieces by logic and being hawked off as each slice was cut.
Hey, look here, there’s an idiot’s heart that’s available for sale. Only two dollars per 2.5 kilograms. Don’t miss out on this sale when you walk by.
Ji Man burst out in laughter as she pictured that scene. She shook her head and said, “I was the one that forgot. I’ve changed.”
Ning Yuxuan furrowed his brow. He lowered his eyes and said, “Let’s go back first, then talk.”
“En.” Ji Man caught up to him in two steps. They quietly boarded the carriage, but their hands never touched.
Words of love were harmful. It turned a clever woman into fool.
Ji Man finally asked him, “Marquis, do you not care about Haohao anymore?”
Ning Yuxuan’s heart was a mess. Hearing her question, he only lightly pursed his lips and answered, “If the emperor has him, he… won’t be harmed.”
Ji Man sneered and turned her head away.
They passed the rest of the carriage ride in silence. When they returned to Marquis Moyu’s estate, Ji Man went to Feiwan Courtyard by herself.
Sangyu’s Feiwan Courtyard. When she opened the door, nothing had changed. It was just that the former occupants were no longer than there. There was no Muxu, no Gancao, and no Dengxin. When Ji Man stepped into the courtyard by herself, an unfamiliar servant girl approached her and carefully called out, Miss Nie.”
Ning Yuxuan had actually followed after Ji Man. He had originally wanted to stop her and say something, but Wen Wan suddenly appeared from the side. He hadn’t seen her in a year, even after he had come back from Zhangjun
Wen Wan clutched his hand and cried, “My lord, you’ve finally returned.”
Ning Yuxuan flung her hand away and indifferently said, “En, what?”
Wen Wan wasn’t discouraged at all. She grabbed his hand again and said, “My lord, you’ve been back for so long, but you haven’t come to the inner court. Wan-er has been caring for Madam in Linghan Courtyard this entire time. Madam is very ill. All of your attention has been focused on outsiders. Haven’t you noticed that it’s been a long time since Madam has come to pay you respect?”
Liu Hanyun was sick? Ning Yuxuan softly sighed. He had owed her a debt from the beginning. Out of everyone, the debt that he owed Yun-er was the biggest one.
After thinking it over, he turned around and went to Linghan Courtyard.
Wen Wan didn’t go with him. Instead, she watched until he had walked far away, then she headed to Feiwan Courtyard.
Ji Man was currently trying to think of a plan. If she could figure out a way to find Haohao within the next ten days, there would still be a way to turn things around, right?
Just as she was going to the southern courtyard to pay Errong and her older brother a visit to discuss, the door was pushed open from the outside.
“Wan-er heard this courtyard has a new person living here, so Wan-er specially came over here to see you,” Wen Wan was still maintaining her innocent facade. She didn’t know that Kangyuan had already told the truth about her fake amnesia.
Ji Man sat back down and looked at Wen Wan with a slight smile. “Ah, it’s Mistress Wan.”
Wen Wan excitedly looked at her as if she was looking at a total stranger. “There’s finally someone living in this courtyard again. Miss, for you to be given this courtyard, the marquis probably likes you a lot.”
Ji Man inwardly sneered. She wanted to see what this little b*tch was going to say. “Oh, no, it was nothing. This place was randomly chosen.”
“Wan-er heard that the previous occupant of Feiwan Courtyard was someone that the marquis likes.” Wen Wan bit her lip. “Wan-er is truly very curious. What kind of woman can receive the marquis’s affection? The last time that Wan-er served the marquis in bed, the marquis called out Madam’s name in the middle of the night. Wan-er truly doesn’t understand my lord’s heart.”
Translator Ramblings: I feel conflicted. Since we know that Ji Man is secretly planning to return home and leave Haohao behind, I don’t think she has the right to feel hurt by Ning Yuxuan’s choices. Of the two of them, he’s actually the more responsible one. And, I think logically, she acknowledges that his choice isn’t wrong. But… I don’t know what I want her to do either.
Also, Ji Man, priorities! No matter how much you dislike Wen Wan, why are you wasting time talking to her when you’re on a short deadline just to satisfy your curiosity?
