Chapter 240 – The legendary illegitimate child (1)

This two-month-old baby looked rosy-cheeked and soft. Ning Yuxuan walked over to get a closer look. This child was especially obedient. It didn’t fuss or cry. It just looked straight at him as it sucked on Monk Xuwu’s finger and smacked its lips.

Marquis Moyu stretched his hands out to hold the baby, but Xuwu evaded his attempt.

“Don’t touch him. Your aura is too foul. You’ll ruin his innate pureness.”

Xuwu was a rather famous sage monk. It was just that his personality and speech were rather bizarre. Therefore, he didn’t have much contact with influential officials. Somehow, he and Ning Yuxuan had felt a sense of camaraderie when they met each other several years ago, and they became close friends.

Although they were very close, Xuwu still said whatever he was thinking without consideration for his friend’s feelings. Holding the baby, he shifted so that his back was facing Ning Yuxuan. He added more goat milk to his finger and teased the baby with it.

“Have you washed your hands?” The corners of Ning Yuxuan’s lips twitched, and he worriedly looked at the baby that was energetically holding onto that questionably clean finger.

Monk Xuwu paused before curling his lip and saying, “The entire world is stained with dirt. When people die, they’ll also become part of dirt. If you give the baby a taste of dirt now, he’ll definitely have a more thorough understanding about the way of life and death in the future.”

To put it simply, he hadn’t washed his hands.

Ning Yuxuan sighed and said, “Didn’t I ask you to hire a wet nurse? How can you possible be able to do a good job taking care of him?”

Xuwu turned his head to glance at him. “This is Xiangguo Temple. It’s already difficult enough for this poor monk to hide a baby here. You still want this monk to bring a wet nurse here? You might as well just loudly proclaim to everyone that your son is here instead.”

Ning Yuxuan couldn’t argue with these words. He pursed his lips and said, “I came here to get him.”

Monk Xuwu became very unhappy. “Bring him back to your blood-soaked estate? That’s the same as committing an evil act. This child has very good spirituality. This monk has been thinking about raising him to adulthood. He can inherit Xiangguo Temple from this monk in the future.”

Ning Yuxuan had originally been wavering between whether or not he should bring his child back home. But, hearing these words, Ning Yuxuan immediately went forward and took the baby away. “Old monk, don’t you dare.”

This monk wanted to train his son to be in the next generation of bald Buddhist monks? In his dreams!

Monk Xuwu flattened his lips and shook his head. “You’re blessed in worldly affairs, but your heart isn’t pure. It’s because you haven’t reached enlightenment, that’s why you’ll fail a lot of trials. Although your child has innate nobility, he can stay by my side. This will protect him from many unexpected calamities.”

“I’ll keep him safe.” Ning Yuxuan lowered his head and looked at the baby in his arms. The baby’s eyes greatly resembled a certain person’s eyes.

Monk Xuwu sighed and said, “This monk isn’t worried about your intentions. It’s whether or not you actually have the power to protect him.” The monk put his hands together in prayer and bowed. “Still, there’s nothing more painful for a mother than to be separated from her child. You should bring him back to see his mother.”

Ning Yuxuan closed his eyes. “I have my own plans.”

—

Ji Man was currently chatting with Liu Hanyun. With coal being burned in the brazier, the room was much warmer than outside.

Liu Hanyun was leaning on the headboard. She had almost finished her recuperation period and had gained a lot of weight. Still, her weight gain wasn’t outrageous like Ji Man’s weight gain a few months ago. Liu Hanyun actually looked much more comfortable than before. Still, she was slightly suffering from postpartum depression. It didn’t help that her daughter wasn’t favored like her half-brother. Ji Man had tried all sorts of methods to get her to laugh and had only succeeded a few times.

“This servant had a dream last night.” Holding her baby and stroking the space between her eyebrows, Liu Hanyun forced herself to smile as she said, “In my dream, when this baby grows up, she’ll look a lot like Miss Wen Wan.”

Ji Man paused, then she lightly said, “Don’t keep having such wild thoughts.”

“Perhaps, this servant is just overthinking.” Liu Hanyun put the golden longevity charm that Nie Sangyu had given her today inside the swaddling clothes. Holding the baby, she soothingly patted her. “Right now, my days can be considered good. This servant doesn’t want to ask for anymore. Since they don’t want this baby, this servant will love and treasure her in their place.”

“She has me to treasure her too.” Ji Man smiled. “I’ll make sure that she’s treated the same as the other children. When she grows up and gets married, I’ll prepare her dowry like she’s my own daughter.”

Liu Hanyun’s eyes were slightly red. She pursed her lips and said, “Many thanks, Madam.”

Ji Man inwardly sighed. She had dragged Liu Hanyun into her mess. If she didn’t try to compensate her, it would be wronging her own conscience.

—

After Wen Wan finished the traditional recuperation period, she was very lively and made it widely know that she was planning her son’s one-month birthday banquet.

However, she had forgotten. Right now, she was just a servant girl without any status. She wasn’t even an ordinary concubine. Why would a servant girl’s son get a birthday banquet?

—

Dengxin smiled and said, “She’s probably gotten stupid from staying in Qiangwei Courtyard too long and thinks that she’s a main wife again.”

—

Standing in front of Old Madame and taking advantage of the fact that everyone was here today, Ji Man smiled and said, “Miss Wan-er gave birth to a son, so she should be promoted according to tradition. But, this would be against the emperor’s wishes, so I can’t do anything about that. Still, this baby is the marquis’s second son. Miss Wan-er, after his one month old birthday, it’ll be time to hand him over to me, so I can raise him instead.”

Wen Wan had been smiling a second ago. After hearing these words, her expression immediately changed. She grabbed Marquis Moyu’s hand in a death grip.

Old Madame had two grandsons to hold, but her complexion was worse than the previous month. After coughing for a few seconds, she said, “According to the rules, it’s only right that this child is given to the main wife to raise. Otherwise, this child will be scorned by other people.”

Ning Yuxuan was currently thinking of something. He didn’t return to his senses until Wen Wan pinched him. Looking at the two children that Old Madame was holding, he said, “Mother, it’s fine if everything is decided by you.”

Wen Wan widened her eyes incredulously. She opened her mouth and wanted to say something, but Tanxiang tugged on her sleeve from behind.

Translator Ramblings: I feel so sad for Liu Hanyun, but at the same time, I think she’s a very admirable person. She’s like an abused dog that chooses to not bite back. It would be so easy for her to hate Wen Wan and displace that hatred onto Wen Wan’s daughter (or even the world for being so sucky), but she doesn’t and is even feeling sympathetic for the baby and willing to shower her with love and affection.