Reborn as the Crippled King's Beloved
Chapter 400 The Good-for-Nothing Man Also Wants to Abandon You

Chapter 400: Chapter 400 The Good-for-Nothing Man Also Wants to Abandon You

Murong Qian’s dwelling place was in a disordered alley.

Some neighbors were raising chickens and ducks, and the ground was covered with dirt and filth. Murong Man covered her mouth and nose tightly with a handkerchief, her eyes brimming with undisguised disdain.

She became even more convinced of her speculation.

Murong Qian had once been a young lady of the Marquis Mansion, but now her days were worse than those of a concubine in the Second Prince’s Mansion.

She felt contempt in her heart and had the maid knock on Murong Qian’s courtyard gate.

"Who is it?"

Murong Qian’s voice came from inside, light and cheerful—not the deep bitterness Murong Man had imagined.

As the courtyard gate opened, Murong Qian’s face was still smiling. Seeing Murong Man, her smile paused, revealing a hint of surprise, "So it is Concubine Murong. What brings you to our humble and shabby place?"

Murong Man’s gaze had already drifted into the courtyard—clean and devoid of even a single fallen leaf, exceptionally tidy. Behind Murong Qian stood a thin man carrying a chubby baby, his face also bearing a smile.

He was Murong Qian’s husband, who had stayed over at the Marquis Mansion while in the capital for his exams, a distant and impoverished relative.

The child’s sudden giggles softened the expressions of both the husband and wife considerably.

Murong Man felt uncomfortable inside, for she saw the tangible bliss on their faces.

She found it unbelievable.

How could Murong Qian, a woman of such proud temperament, who once aspired to marry Jun Yuyan, now be content with such an ordinary man?

She couldn’t see any strong points in this man: weak, plain, and also poor.

Yet these thoughts were merely fleeting in her heart. She quickly showed a gentle smile and said,

"Sister Qian, I was passing by the neighborhood and bought some things specially to visit you. You won’t decline my presence, would you? I’ve walked quite a distance today and am somewhat tired, Sister Qian, please allow me to come in for a cup of tea."

With that said, Murong Qian could hardly refuse, making way for Murong Man to enter.

"This must be your niece, over half a year old now, she looks so much like you, Sister—pure and adorable."

Murong Man smiled, slipping off a bracelet from her wrist, intending to place it in the child’s embrace as a meeting gift.

She believed Murong Qian wouldn’t refuse. As Murong Qian said, the place was truly humble and shabby. Even if clean and tidy, it still couldn’t mask its meagerness. Poverty was poverty, easily discernible at a glance.

And her bracelet, a reward from the Second Prince, could be sold for over a hundred taels of silver, enough to sustain a family of three for a year or two.

Her movements and demeanor exuded superiority, but to her surprise, Murong Qian stopped her gesture, "The child’s luck isn’t thick enough to bear such a heavy gift, please take a seat, Concubine Murong. I’ll make you a cup of tea."

Turning her head, she then told her husband, "Please take Yuyu to sleep for a while, she just started feeling sleepy earlier."

He nodded with a smile, "Alright, you two have a good chat, call for me if you need anything."

Murong Man inwardly scorned such a man—who stays home to mind the children without any work to do? No ambition, truly pathetic.

On the surface, she said, "Sister’s husband is very kind. But why didn’t he go to work today? Has he encountered some troubles?"

Murong Man had inquired about their situation before her visit.

Murong Qian’s poor husband was now a mere registrar and, having displeased his superior, had been disciplined severely. He was currently reflecting on his wrongs as his rations were withheld for half a month.

They must be having quite a difficult time. Should Murong Qian only ask for her help, with but a word from her, the Second Prince could change their family’s plight.

"Nothing troublesome, Concubine Murong, please enjoy your tea. In a while, my husband and I have to step out, so I’m afraid we won’t be able to entertain you much longer."

Murong Qian actually issued a blunt order to dismiss her guest!

Murong Man couldn’t believe it.

However, she felt that Murong Qian’s self-respect might be too strong, and she didn’t want others to know she was not doing well, so she said:

"I heard that my brother-in-law’s job isn’t very good, and we are sisters after all. I don’t want to see you having such a hard time; I will have His Highness find an opportunity to help my brother-in-law."

"There’s no need, if you have this intention, you should go help your birth father and aunt instead; they are much worse off than I am."

Murong Qian refused again.

Her words also caused Murong Man’s face to darken.

Murong Man certainly knew that the Murong Family’s relatives were not having good days—the Old Madam had died tragically, her father had been sold as a slave with a deed that bound him for life to toil like an ox or horse, and everyone else had their own sad stories.

It wasn’t that she did not want to help, but rather that she couldn’t.

The Second Prince detested her family, and she could not afford to anger him.

"You two, go outside and wait; I have a few heartfelt words to say to my Sister Qian."

Murong Man instructed the two maids.

These two maids were somewhat skilled in martial arts; they had been assigned by the Second Prince to protect her.

She did not bring Zhuo Yinzhu with her, because Zhuo Yinzhu’s face was truly ugly, and having her around would be an embarrassment to herself.

Seeing that there was no danger here, the maids went outside the yard.

Only then did Murong Man lower her voice to Murong Qian and say:

"Sister Qian, I know you have not been having a good time. In reality, I haven’t had it easy around the Second Prince either. You should also know that I’ve had a miscarriage before, which was deliberately caused by Yun Weiwei at the behest of the Second Prince. Now that I am favored again and pregnant, I still feel like I’m walking on thin ice."

She lowered her status, hoping to garner sympathy from Murong Qian, so they could have more in common to talk about.

Murong Qian’s attitude indeed showed some change, and she began to converse with her.

After complaining for quite a while, she said:

"Sister Qian, I truly regret it now. The person I wronged the most is actually Ninth Sister. Back at the Marquis Mansion, if I had been sincere and kind to her, none of this would have happened. I now need to accumulate blessings for the child in my belly, which was not easy to conceive. Could you be the intermediary and help me arrange a meeting with her, please?"

Murong Qian frowned and said, "I can’t arrange a meeting with her, and she won’t see me."

Murong Man didn’t hold out much hope for this, and said:

"Ninth Sister has the kindest heart; she will definitely be willing to see you. Well, it doesn’t matter if she won’t see me. Could you help me send a gift to her, and also help me collect a few strands of her hair? I want to send them to the temple to pray for blessings on her behalf, to resolve the hatred between us."

At this point, Murong Qian suddenly let out a cold laugh:

"Concubine Murong, so your real purpose is to get Ninth Sister’s hair. What do you want to do with it? Practicing Witchcraft and Gu Techniques? You claim you want to pray for blessings, but you’re actually cursing her, aren’t you?"

She abruptly stood up, pointing to the yard’s exit and said, "You can leave now. My humble abode cannot accommodate such a grand Buddha as you. You need not come again in the future! I will not help you harm others!"

"You misunderstand, Sister Qian..."

Murong Qian pushed her out without any explanation.

Murong Man quickly protected her belly, not daring to resist strongly, lest she harm the fetus within her. Seeing that Murong Qian refused to be persuaded, she gritted her teeth and said:

"Murong Qian, what high ground are you pretending to take? Weren’t you the one who seduced Prince Ling? Now you have only given birth to a daughter and can’t produce a son. Your good-for-nothing man is bound to abandon you sooner or later for a new love!"

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.