No wonder they say women are soft-hearted. He had barely begun his story when the person in his arms already looked on the verge of tears, even giving his arm a sympathetic squeeze with a face full of heartache.
Ji Bozhai raised an eyebrow, thinking Mingyi must still care for him a little—otherwise, why would she wear such an expression?
So he continued, "The Slave Arena was a place of endless darkness. I nearly died there, but fortunately, a kind soul rescued me. Yet before long, tragedy struck that good family. Tell me, isn’t it merciful of me to only kill them and spare their families?"
Well, when he put it that way, it did sound reasonable.
Mingyi was no longer afraid, gazing at him with wide, pitiful eyes. "My lord, aren’t you afraid I’ll report you for telling me this?"
He chuckled lowly, self-deprecating. "After sharing a bed for so long, if you still can’t understand me, then I truly am guilty. Go ahead and report me if you wish."
His words were earnest, his eyes even glistening faintly with unshed tears.
Mingyi inwardly scoffed. It was obvious he had prepared thoroughly and wasn’t afraid of her reporting him—so why play the wounded wolf?
Still, his act was more convincing than hers, and she couldn’t help stealing a few extra glances. Seizing the opportunity, she reached out to trace the straight bridge of his nose. "Don’t be sad, my lord. I understand you. Since I belong to you now, I will follow you through life and death."
In the Azure Cloud Realm, women did not remarry. Once they gave themselves to a man, they were bound to him for life. Given that she had slept with him day and night, her words carried weight.
Moreover, she added, "Since my lord has been so open with me, I’ll speak plainly as well. The Dancing Girls in the palace all owe some debt to the Inner Court. Once a year, we’re allowed to return to visit family—though in truth, it’s to bring back news from the mansions of the nobility. Before I left, the eunuchs gave me detailed instructions."
"But don’t worry, my lord. I am yours now, and I won’t betray you in the slightest. If there’s any message you’d like me to bring back to the Inner Court, just say the word."
This was a Dancing Girl’s secret, as precious as her life, yet she freely shared it with him.
Ji Bozhai was quite pleased. Though he had known this all along, hearing it from her lips held a different meaning.
Nuzzling her cheek with his nose, he sighed. "The women I’ve met before were either dull or not to my liking. It’s rare to find someone like Yi’er—I truly wish to keep you by my side forever."
Who didn’t love sweet words? Mingyi blushed and promptly returned the favor. "Yi’er never imagined that in this drifting life of mine, I’d meet someone like you, my lord. Even if you grow tired of me someday, I’d still be willing to stay as a lowly servant by your side."
"Yi’er..."
"My lord~"
Their eyes brimmed with tears as they embraced, necks entwined—each wearing a face full of hidden schemes.
A bird perched on a branch outside the window tilted its head in confusion at these deceitful humans before fluttering away from the den of intrigue.
Inside, the room was warm with fragrance and hushed whispers.
Ji Bozhai felt that after this conversation, Mingyi should understand that her life was now tied to his—she couldn’t afford to act recklessly anymore.
Mingyi, on the other hand, thought that with his words, her life was temporarily secure.
A win-win situation.
For the next few days, the two were inseparable, appearing together everywhere in the villa. It wasn’t until the Grand Sacrificial Ceremony approached that Ji Bozhai had no choice but to return to the Inner Court to attend to his duties.
Mingyi lounged lazily on a bamboo couch in the courtyard, nibbling on freshly delivered loquats from the northern mountains as she flipped through the mansion’s account books."Why are the expenses in the backyard so high?" she asked Granny Xun in puzzlement. "Did we buy land?"
Granny Xun shook her head: "It's that wine attendant. She keeps complaining of headaches and fevers, saying she needs to nourish her body, so she bought a lot of precious blood ginseng."
That stuff causes internal heat if eaten too much. Is she treating it like a meal?
Shaking her head, Mingyi didn’t plan to interfere. After all, due to her own fastidiousness, the woman hadn’t seen Ji Bozhai in a long time. A woman must have either a man or money—it was understandable.
Unexpectedly, though she didn’t meddle, the woman came to her instead.
"The blood ginseng today looks quite good, so I brought some for you, sister," Tianyin said as she entered, sitting on the stone stool opposite Mingyi with a peculiar tone. "Please accept it with a smile."
Granny Xun frowned slightly.
Mingyi’s birth father had died falling while harvesting blood ginseng. To bring this here—wasn’t it just to provoke her?
She glanced sideways, only to see Mingyi not the least bit angry. Instead, she seemed delighted as she turned to ask, "Since she gave this to me, does it mean the cost will be deducted from her expenses, and the goods are mine to dispose of?"
Granny Xun: "..."
Granny Xun: "In principle, yes."
"Then many thanks." She happily accepted it and generously pushed a plate of loquats toward Tianyin. "Have some of these. They’re very sweet."
Tianyin was young, and her emotions were plain on her face. Seeing this gesture, her expression darkened immediately. "What do you mean by this, sister?"
"Hmm?" Mingyi was confused. "What’s wrong?"
"You know my family’s circumstances, yet you use this to humiliate me?" She stood up angrily. "Just because you came to this household first, I called you 'sister.' But you’re no different from me—a nameless, worthless thing who can’t even enter the main house through the side door. How dare you put on airs with me?"
With that, she overturned the fruit plate and stormed off in a huff.
A question mark slowly appeared over Mingyi’s head.
She looked at Granny Xun, baffled. "What’s her family situation?"
Granny Xun suppressed a laugh and whispered, "That girl’s family farms. They grow loquats in the northern mountains."
Mingyi: "..."
Heaven knows, she truly hadn’t known that. Usually, it was others who inquired about her—she had no interest in learning about others’ backgrounds.
But one thing the girl had said was correct: no matter how favored one was in the side courtyard, it was useless. The real treasures were all in the main house.
She needed to think of a way.
So that evening, the moment Ji Bozhai returned, he saw a figure in sheer gauze fluttering into his arms like smoke.
"My lord~" Mingyi cooed in a sugary voice.
With a slight smile, he picked her up. "What’s the matter?"
"This servant had a nap earlier and seemed to see someone sneaking around the house again. It was so frightening~" She covered her fair chest with a delicate hand, pouting. "Living in this courtyard is truly nerve-wracking~"
Ji Bozhai’s brow twitched. "Last time you said you wanted more guards, so Buxiu bought several. How could there still be intruders?"
"This servant doesn’t know~" She bit her lip, looking pitiful. "This servant is scared~"
He chuckled. "With me here, no one will harm you."
The point was, no one could harm her even when he wasn’t here.
Gritting her teeth, Mingyi whimpered a few more times. "Granny Xun mentioned she has a son working in another of your residences, my lord. The mother and son haven’t seen each other in so long."
"Then I’ll have her visit him tomorrow."
"But, but this servant can’t bear to be without Granny Xun~"
Ji Bozhai fell silent. He sat down, placing her on his lap, and gazed at her with deep, unfathomable eyes.Mingyi felt uneasy under his gaze, twisting her handkerchief as she said, "Fine, being away for a day or two isn't such a big deal..."
"After the grand sacrificial ceremony the day after tomorrow, there will be a small gathering of the imperial clan," he suddenly spoke up. "Would you like to return to the inner courtyard to visit your family?"