Cuckoos usually start calling in late spring and early summer, but it was only early spring now.
Granny Xun froze for a moment, then quickly lowered her gaze and said to Mingyi, "This old servant still needs to check on the herbs in the backyard, so I won’t keep you company. Be careful, miss."
As repayment for the meal she had eaten, she deliberately emphasized the last two words.
However, Mingyi—this carefree, oblivious girl—was too busy gaping at the enormous expenses in the ledger to pay much attention. She only mumbled an absentminded acknowledgment before continuing her muttering.
"What kind of rouge costs thirty taels of silver? Even if it were ground from gold, it wouldn’t be this expensive. Surely the master was swindled."
"The clothes made for me cost two hundred taels? Heavens, I shouldn’t wear them—they should wear me!"
"Five hundred taels just for drinking? Did they swallow the entire tavern?"
She chirped away, utterly defenseless.
Granny Xun shook her head and quietly slipped out, closing the door behind her.
The room was left with only Mingyi’s ramblings and the rising sound of wind.
It seemed rain was coming—the gusts rattled the window paper noisily. After flipping through a few pages of the ledger, Mingyi rubbed her neck and muttered, "Why wasn’t the window closed?"
She stood up, her golden magpie-embroidered skirt sweeping the floor as she reached for the slender wooden rod propping the window open.
In that instant, a needle as fine as an ox’s hair grazed past the back of her hand and shot into the room, embedding itself with deadly precision into the eye of a lady in the wall-hanging painting.
Mingyi blinked, bewildered, and looked down. "Did something just fall?"
She hastily touched the hairpin in her bun and pinched the jade bracelet on her wrist, sighing in relief when she found both still in place.
Not a trace of a martial artist’s instinctive reflexes.
The surroundings fell silent again as Mingyi shut the window.
She calmly returned to her desk, about to resume flipping through the ledger, when she noticed a figure in black standing not far from her table.
Black headscarf, black robe, black eyes—the person stood motionless, staring at her.
"Ahhh!!!" Mingyi shrieked in terror, leaping up in fright and scrambling behind the chair.
The black-clad figure drew his sword and lunged at her without hesitation.
She stared dumbfounded at the blade’s tip, as if frozen in shock, forgetting to dodge. The sword swept past her cheek, and only then did the killing intent send a delayed shiver down her neck.
"Y-you," she stammered, slowly inching her neck away. "Who are you?"
Only someone truly panicked would ask such a foolish question.
The black-clad man smirked inwardly. This girl clearly had no martial skills—why had he even been sent here? Ji Bozhai had such sharp eyes; surely he could see that?
He sheathed his sword and leaped out the window in one swift motion.
Mingyi, still shaken, collapsed onto the floor for a long moment before finally remembering to call out, "Help! Someone, help!"
Granny Xun hurried in at the sound and helped her up. "What’s wrong, miss?"
"There was an assassin!" Mingyi gestured frantically. "A man in black just waltzed in here and nearly killed me!"
Granny Xun lowered her eyes. "How could that be? This courtyard is heavily guarded. You must have imagined it, miss."
"No, it just happened! He had a really long sword!" Mingyi shook her head vehemently. "This won’t do—there must be gaps in the courtyard’s defenses. Hurting me is one thing, but we can’t let the master get hurt! Granny, go hire more guards, quickly!"
Granny Xun hesitated. "But...""The lord rewarded me with gold bars, I have money, I can buy them for the lord too." She was on the verge of tears, "Even though the lord is formidable, there might be moments of oversight at home. What if someone takes the chance to harm you?"
She turned and hurried back to her room, pulling out one of her treasured gold bars: "This should be enough to buy three or four, right? Please check everyone in the courtyard, and I'll arrange for someone to buy them right away."
"Miss..." Seeing how frightened she was yet still so devoted to the lord's safety, Granny Xun couldn't help but feel pity.
The lord really had to choose such a terrifying method to test someone.
She stepped forward and patted Mingyi's back: "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. This old servant will have them checked immediately. As for guards, the lord must decide."
Mingyi was still trembling. As Granny Xun approached, she clung to her like a chick finding its mother hen, shivering uncontrollably.
Granny Xun sighed and ordered someone to prepare soup, then poured Mingyi a cup of hot tea.
It took Mingyi a full hour to finally burst into tears.
"I didn't even notice when he entered the room, it was so terrifying..."
"I don't know if he was a thief or a robber, but he didn't take anything."
"He left through the window—what if he's still hiding in the mansion?"
Granny Xun hastily handed her a handkerchief: "We've checked everywhere, there's no one. Don't worry, miss."
Mingyi nodded obediently, but the lingering fear wouldn't subside.
The moment Ji Bozhai returned to the courtyard, Granny Xun shot him a glare.
Having served him for so long, this was the first time she had ever glared at him. Ji Bozhai was puzzled, but before he could speak, Granny Xun pulled him toward Mingyi's courtyard.
"You caused this, now come and comfort her yourself."
Ji Bozhai paused: "Was she hurt?"
"No, but she was so scared she cried and even said she wanted to buy more guards for you."
Her fearfulness was truly excessive.
Originally, he had planned to check on Gong Wang's people in the rear courtyard first, but remembering how timid and trembling she had been at their first meeting, Ji Bozhai softened slightly and followed quickly through the door.
As soon as he entered, he was enveloped in a warm, fragrant embrace.
"Granny doesn't believe there was an assassin, but I really saw him. I couldn't stop worrying about the lord." Mingyi's eyes were brimming with tears, her long lashes clumped together, fluttering against his palm. "The lord must be careful."
Ji Bozhai guiltily looked away: "It's fine, the lord isn't afraid."
"But I'm afraid the lord might get hurt." She looked up, scanning him from head to toe before tightly wrapping her arms around his waist.
The strength of her grip truly reflected her fear of losing him.
His heart softened. With a sigh, he hugged her and gently patted her back: "Alright, tomorrow I'll have more guards added."
She nodded and pulled out a gold bar from her sleeve: "Does the lord have enough silver? I still have this."
Her small hand clutched it tightly, her knuckles turning white, yet she slowly extended the gold bar toward him.
Ji Bozhai chuckled: "You're willing to part with it?"
"I looked at the account books today. The courtyard's expenses are very high, and it pains me." She pouted. "After all, it was given by the lord. The lord can spend it if needed."
Laughing heartily, he wrapped his arms around her waist and spun her in the air.
Her porcelain-hued skirt flared like a blooming flower. She gasped, her delicate hands gripping his wrists tightly. After the spin, she collapsed dizzily onto his lap.Ji Bozhai settled into the Grand Tutor Chair, scratching her chin contentedly. "You truly... suit my tastes perfectly."
She couldn't fight, was obedient and well-behaved, didn't make unreasonable scenes when jealous, and most importantly—her face and figure were first-rate. She was truly delightful.
Mingyi let out a soft moan, leaning into his embrace like a boneless enchantress.
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