Star Yearn City had won first place in the Six Cities Tournament for the first time, and the streets remained lively for a long time without quieting down. Mingyi was jolted awake by the noise and reached out to touch the spot beside her—it was already cold.

Rubbing her eyes, she sat up and muttered about how busy this man was before heading out to teach Fuling and Bai Ying how to forge Divine Tools.

The girls were clever and quick learners. Watching them with satisfaction, she took the opportunity to craft two firework tubes as well.

If she were to marry, these fireworks would come in handy.

Apart from the fireworks, the wedding dress was also important. According to Six Cities customs, the wedding attire was usually sewn by the bride’s mother, but she had no mother, so she could only ask Granny Xun to order one from Zhang Tai.

Granny Xun seemed distracted today. Mingyi had to call her several times before she snapped out of it, hesitating as she looked at the gold in her hand. "Young lady, the wedding dress… there’s no hurry."

"The heir inauguration ceremony is in just a few days—how can it not be urgent?" Mingyi shook her head. "A wedding dress takes a long time to embroider. The sooner it’s ordered, the better."

"Do you really wish to marry the lord?" Granny Xun asked.

Mingyi chuckled. "Don’t make it sound like I’m desperate to marry. I’m not, but if I can properly bow with him in marriage and confidently call myself his wife, then all the struggles of this past year will have been worth it."

Yan Xiao often said Ji Bozhai was unreliable, always avoiding marriage. Since he was willing to marry her and go through all these formalities, Mingyi felt that, deep down, he truly cared for her.

Granny Xun stood silently for a long moment before finally taking the gold and quietly leaving.

When Ji Bozhai returned that day, he found Mingyi’s courtyard filled with red decorations—dragon-phoenix candles, dowry buckets, and all sorts of gaudy items piled up everywhere.

Stepping over them without a word, he scooped up Mingyi, who had fallen asleep on the soft couch, and carried her to the bed.

Startled awake, she rubbed her eyes and asked, "Why are you so late today?"

Ji Bozhai grinned. "I’ll be even later tomorrow. Did you miss me?"

"Who would miss you?" She turned her face away, but her arms still wound around his waist, holding him tightly.

"The inauguration ceremony is the day after tomorrow. No matter what you hear these next two days, don’t leave the house," he murmured, tucking her into the quilt. "Once the ceremony is over, I’ll be yours."

Her heart softened, but she stubbornly retorted, "Who wants you? Luo Jiaoyang got a high-ranking position, Fan Yao Chuhe received generous rewards—and all I get is you?"

"I’m better than any rank or reward." He smirked, pressing a light kiss to her forehead. "High ranks and rewards won’t cherish you, but I will."

"Silver-tongued rogue." She huffed, but then he suddenly leaned in, pressing his forehead to hers and gazing deeply into her eyes. "You’re the only one I’ve ever wanted to marry in this lifetime."

Her ears flushed red, and she kicked him in annoyance. "Why are you so close?!"

He caught her delicate foot, cradling it in his palm before pressing closer, nuzzling her neck. "I can get even closer—will you still kick me then?"

"..."

The sounds of celebration outside drowned out their breaths, while red silk swayed from the courtyard pillars. Beyond the walls, the streets of Star Yearn City were also adorned with endless stretches of crimson ribbons.Mingyi woke up early today with a strong urge to go out, but Ji Bozhai had warned her not to leave the estate under any circumstances. Feeling bored, she could only reorganize the wedding preparations she had made.

At noon, deafening firecrackers erupted in the streets. Covering her ears, Mingyi shouted to Granny Xun, "What's being celebrated now? Isn't the coronation ceremony tomorrow?"

Granny Xun lowered her eyes and replied, "Star Yearn City won the Six Cities Tournament. Many people have been buying firecrackers to celebrate lately. Don't mind it, miss."

Thinking it made sense, Mingyi turned to the artifact crafting table and began studying the blueprints Ji Bozhai had given her.

Ji Bozhai had mentioned that Star Yearn City actually had a sizable population but lacked Divine Tools, which weakened their military. Now that they had secured the top position, it was crucial to bolster their defenses. Thus, he had provided her with several Divine Tool blueprints, tasking her with mass-producing them.

Bai Ying and others' rapid progress in artifact crafting had inspired Mingyi. She decided not to recruit men for this delicate work, as physical strength played only a minor role. Instead, she believed women would learn faster and perform better.

Amidst the clamor of gongs and flutes outside, Mingyi focused on finalizing her plans and began recruiting women willing to learn artifact crafting.

With Ming Xian as a living testament to her success, the recruitment went smoothly. Not only daughters from ordinary families but even a few from noble households—particularly the lesser-born—were eager to learn from her.

Within half a day, over two hundred women filled the newly established artifact crafting courtyard.

Delighted, Mingyi eagerly awaited Ji Bozhai's return to share the news. But that night, he never came.

As the night deepened and dew settled under a sky full of stars, Mingyi yawned, turned over, and wrapped herself in the blankets, drifting off to sleep.

The next day was the coronation ceremony. Due to her special status and the need to avoid suspicion, Mingyi remained in the courtyard, training the newly recruited women.

The six girls from Azure Snow City by her side proved to be excellent assistants, helping her divide the group into sections for instruction. Starting with the simplest concealed weapons, they identified those with talent and assigned them to more advanced Divine Tool crafting.

Everything proceeded in perfect order. Within three days, the first Divine Tool was successfully crafted by these women.

Overjoyed, Mingyi took the Divine Tool to show Ji Bozhai, eager to share their achievement.

However, Ji Bozhai was exhausted. The moment he entered, he collapsed onto her, dragging them both onto the bed.

"What's wrong?" she frowned, patting his back.

"Sunspire City is stirring trouble," he sighed. "Just as I became the heir, they issued a challenge, accusing me—as Star Yearn's heir—of deliberately colliding with their Flying Beast Cart in Azure Cloud, resulting in the death of Sunspire's heir, Mingxin. They claim it's a provocation against Sunspire City."

Mingyi froze, her expression darkening. "Was Yong Wang Mingxin on that Flying Beast Cart?"

"Yes."

This was serious trouble. Though Sunspire City had lost the Six Cities Tournament, their accumulated strength far surpassed Star Yearn's. If they seized this opportunity to attack, Star Yearn might not withstand it.

"They can't accept defeat and refuse to concede. To avoid paying tribute, the best solution for them is to annihilate Star Yearn," Ji Bozhai rubbed his temples. "Fortunately, I've prepared in advance. We have ample provisions and soft iron, so we're not entirely without hope."

Was it really escalating to a full-scale war between cities? Mingyi's brows furrowed deeply. "What does Da Si say?"Although Muxing Da Si had given him the position of successor, there was no blood relation between them, so she wouldn't easily hand over military power as well...

"Da Si intends for me to lead troops into battle," Ji Bozhai spoke up, interrupting her words. A Military Tally dangled from his fingertips, its star emblem shining brilliantly.