The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir

Ji Man was somewhat surprised. This young woman looked very different from her previous impression of her when they had briefly met on the boat. This young woman was no longer equipped with a large sword. Today, she was dressed in a beautifully colored silk outfit. Pengxin had approached her cautiously and greeted her with a soft voice too.

“Cousin-in-law, let’s go inside to talk.” Smiling, Ji Man welcomed her. As soon as she touched Pengxin’s hand to lead her inside, she noticed that her hand was as cold as ice. “Cousin-in-law, did you come here on a sedan?”

“No, I rode here on a horse.” Pengxin sat down, took the tea that Ji Man offered her, and wrapped her hands around the cup to warm herself up. Once the chill finally started to dissipate from her hands, she said, “I’ve been married for a few months already. I thought it was about time for me to come back here to pay a visit.”

Ji Man looked at her from top to bottom. She smiled as she said, “Princess, you’ve seem very different from before. You used to be more at ease. But now, it’s as if you’re tied up by something.”

Pengxin was stunned. She lowered her head and looked at herself. There was alarm in her eyes. “Don’t scare me. What’s tying me up?”

“I didn’t mean something supernatural.” Ji Man didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Never mind, cousin-in-law, why did you come here so late? Did something happen?”

Ji Man thought; this young woman’s eyes couldn’t hide anything. All her feelings were plainly written on her face. Something must have happened in Ning Mingjie’s household for her to come over here so late.

Pengxin hesitated for a while. Great Song’s people liked to euphemistically, so she should trying do the same.

And so, she deliberated her words before finally coming up with, “Does the general still like you?”

Ji Man, “...”

Nearby, Dengxin was shocked by this princess’s bold words. She hurriedly went over to the courtyard’s entrance to closed the doors, but she ended up almost screaming when she got to the entrance.

Marquis Moyu had arrived here without them being aware. Noticing that there was a guest in the courtyard, he hadn’t gone inside and was leaning against the entrance while he waited. He had probably overheard the princess’s recent words. Otherwise, his expression wouldn’t look so ugly.

Ji Man coughed to clear her throat and sighed. “Princess, you’re probably just misunderstanding. The general has probably never even thought about me that way, so how could there even be a question of him still liking me?”

“But...” Pengxin frowned. “That’s what everyone says. They say that you’re the bright moon in his heart...”

“Who are they?” Ji Man curiously asked.

Pengxin curled her lip. “The people in his household.”

His household? She didn’t need to ask anything else. Only Ning Mingjie’s honored concubines would dare to say these words to Princess Pengxin. Ji Man sighed. Looking at this innocent young woman, who clearly wasn’t high-leveled enough, Ji Man taught her the easiest way to judge other people’s intentions.

“Cousin-in-law, you have to understand that the people here are complicated. You can’t just listen to anyone’s words. There are people that won’t have any conflicts of interest with you. Those people’s words will help you. But, there are also people, whose interest will be in conflict with yours. You can’t blindly listen to their words.”

“For example, me and you, we don’t have any conflicts of interest. It’s because my heart only has the marquis and cousin-in-law’s heart has older cousin. Thus, I wouldn’t want to harm you, and you can believe in my words. As for the women in your household, they share the same man with you. Since they’re in the same position as you, they’ll compete with you and won’t wholeheartedly help you. When they tell you something, you should carefully consider whether or not you should believe them.”

Pengxin was left feeling dazed for a long time.

Helpless, Ji Man added, “Cousin-in-law, don’t worry. Older cousin isn’t a muddled-headed person. He should probably know how to cherish his people. It’ll be fine as long as you don’t let yourself be used by other people and do something stupid.

Nodding her head, Pengxin seemed to have figured things out. Then, she quietly asked, “So, what kind of woman does the general like? I’ve thought about this for a long time, but I still haven’t figured it out. If it’s a woman like you, I don’t think I can ever learn to be like you...”

Ji Man laughed. “It would be too boring if everyone was like me. Cousin-in-law, just be yourself.”

Be herself? Pengxin was perplexed. Holding the cup of warm tea, she sat there in a daze.

—

Ning Mingjie hastily rushed over here, but he hadn’t caught up to Pengxin before she arrived at the marquis’s estate. After asking the estate’s servants, he headed over to the western courtyard. When he arrived near the vicinity of the western courtyard, he saw that Ning Yuxuan was leaning against the entrance and listening to the conversation inside. His cousin’s expression didn’t look good.

He didn’t need to ask. Pengxin was definitely inside and talking.

Ning Mingjie felt somewhat nervous. With Pengxin’s temperament, it was very likely for her to offend someone. Many people in his household didn’t like her very much. He didn’t have much free time and hadn’t been able to teach her much. If she ended up offending Marquis Moyu, it wouldn’t be good even if they were relatives.

He anxiously headed towards the courtyard’s entrance to bring Pengxin back home. He ended up hearing Ji Man’s voice.

“... Because my heart only has the marquis...”

Coming to a stop, Ning Mingjie was a bit taken aback. Soon after, he heard the rest of Pengxin’s question and felt a bit annoyed. Did Pengxin not have a brain? How could she come here and say whatever she wanted? What kind of of woman did he like? And she wanted to learn to be like someone else?

Fuming with aggravation, Ning Mingjie approached Ning Yuxuan with a livid face and called out, “Yuxuan.”

The conversation inside abruptly came to an end. Ning Yuxuan’s previous blackened expression had been swept away. He turned his head and looked at his older cousin with a smiling face. Howver, he looked as if he was blaming Ning Mingjie for interrupting the conversation that was happening inside. “Older cousin, you’re here.”

If Mingjie hadn’t interrupted them, he might have been able to hear Ji Man say more heartfelt words that she normally wouldn’t say.

Ning Mingjie saluted him with his hands. Soon after, he asked, “Did my wife come here? It’s so late in the night, so I was worried and came here to pick her up.”