He had instructed Granny Xun early on—Mingyi was not to meet any informants alone, nor should she encounter anyone from Star Yearn City. Her movements within the palace were meticulously planned; there was no reason she should have crossed paths with He Lun.
Ji Bozhai had never felt such panic before. He rose from the main hall, forgoing his palanquin, and mounted his Flying Sword, speeding forward.
Mingyi, who had never known kindness since childhood, was just like him—deeply reluctant to trust others. But over the past year, she had gradually come to trust him. She could sleep peacefully in his arms, fight to the last moment, certain that his reinforcements would arrive.
As long as he stood behind her, she could even lean back without fear—he would never let her fall.
But with He Lun, he truly had no other choice. Back then, when he needed Star Yearn City’s military support, the Minister Superior had set this condition. At the time, Ji Bozhai thought little of it—marrying someone he didn’t love could hardly become leverage. Dealing with women was his forte; he could even turn He Lun into his own advantage.
He could keep Mingyi in the dark. Once Star Yearn City surrendered without a fight, he could divorce He Lun and make Mingyi his queen. To achieve this, he had paid a steep price to strike a deal with Twenty-Seven and severed all her connections with Star Yearn City’s informants, believing his plan was flawless.
Yet, in the end, the truth could not be concealed.
As he raced forward, Ji Bozhai rehearsed countless excuses—how the queen’s throne would only ever be hers, how he and He Lun had never even consummated their marriage, how just two more months would clear all obstacles, avenge Bo Shi, unify the realm, and grant her unparalleled glory.
But when he caught up to her outside the inner courtyard, gripping her wrist and seeing the reddened palm print on her cheek, his heart clenched in pain, and words failed him.
"For a while, I thought being Mingyi would be happier than being Ming Xian," she said, smiling despite his silence. "She could cry, could make a scene, could rely on others, could have someone who cherished her like a treasure."
"But now I realize how naive that was. Ming Xian is far stronger than Mingyi. He never gave his heart to anyone, so no one could ever deceive him."
Tilting her head at his panicked gaze, she added, "I don’t blame you. Like me, you’ve never known what love is, so naturally, you can’t love anyone else."
"That’s not—" he forced out stiffly. "I can."
"Then you simply don’t love me." She nodded. "That makes sense. You’ve always preferred docile, obedient women. I was never that."
His fingers tightened until they turned white. Ji Bozhai gritted his teeth. "After all we’ve been through together, will you really let this tear us apart?"
"Your Majesty overstates it," she replied, her eyes curving into a smile. "We were never together to begin with, so how can we part? I am the lord of Sunspire City, and you are the emperor of the Six Cities. I am your subordinate and will continue to obey your orders. So you need not fear losing Sunspire City—I’ll be far more obedient as a vassal than as a woman."
Freeing her wrist, Mingyi bowed to him.
Ji Bozhai had always prided himself on composure. Even in negotiations where he needed something from others, he had never lowered his head.
But now, he could no longer afford such restraint. He swiftly blocked her path and murmured, "Come back with me. Let me make this right."The smile faded slightly from Mingyi's face. "Must I spell it out even more clearly, Your Majesty?"
Ji Bozhai's breath caught as he stared at her helplessly.
"I've lost interest in you. Whatever plans you may have hold no meaning for me anymore. Now when I look at you, all I can recall is how foolishly I remained in the dark for over a year. My heart holds nothing but hatred now."
"Deceit is what I despise most in this world."
"There are countless men in this world—why must I cling to one who deceived me? Now that I'm the city lord, I can have any man I desire."
"How dare you!" he snapped anxiously. "Who else in this world could possibly be worthy of you besides me?"
Mingyi met his gaze steadily. "Your Majesty, you don't truly love me either. It's just that I'm different—skilled in Combat Skills, Essence Power, and Artifact Crafting—so you believe such an exceptional woman should belong to you."
"But you've seen it yourself. Other women merely lack the same opportunities to learn and be treated equally. Given the chance, there will be a second Mingyi, a third Mingyi—plenty more."
"When we first parted, I remained too composed and showed no urgency to return. That angered you, so you sought to lure me back, to make me so deeply entangled that I couldn't leave—just to satisfy your desire for conquest."
"Well, now I'll satisfy you. I truly am heartbroken, because for over a year, I genuinely regarded you as my husband and held you dear in my heart."
"But you can't expect to break someone's heart and still have them cling to you, can you?"
With a light pat on his shoulder, Mingyi withdrew her hand and walked away without looking back.
Ji Bozhai stood frozen in place.
Never had he heard such cutting words. The very thought of reaching out to stop her again filled him with fury.
He had already humbled himself so much—why wouldn't she even give him an inch of concession?
He was the emperor now! If she would just turn back, she could be his empress. Why did she dismiss it all so contemptuously, as if his efforts over the past year were nothing but a joke?
How could she be so certain he didn't truly love her?
Yes, she'd guessed one thing right—her composed demeanor during their first separation had provoked his competitive spirit. In his twenty years, he'd never failed to win a woman's heart. Countless others had pined for him, wept and begged to stay by his side. Why was she the only one who showed no sorrow? Why did it seem like he was the one suffering?
But did she truly believe their shared intimacy and companionship afterward were merely products of his competitiveness?
As anguish churned in his chest, his anger only grew fiercer. Ji Bozhai turned sharply and strode away, his face icy. If she refused the steps he offered, then he had plenty of other means to bring her back. After all, Sunspire City now lay beneath the emperor's feet. She might find temporary satisfaction in her defiance, but could she truly sever all ties with him?
"My lord?" Buxiu caught up to him, supporting his arm with concern.
"I'm fine," he scoffed. "Perfectly fine."
"But your previous illness hasn't fully recovered, and now—" Before Buxiu could finish, Ji Bozhai collapsed forward.
Over a year of accumulated exhaustion had finally taken its toll. Before losing consciousness, he gritted his teeth and issued one final order: "Prepare to attack Muxing."Muxing was the easiest city to subdue without deploying a single soldier, as long as their Helun Princess could become queen, and as long as Ji Bozhai agreed to pass the throne to the son she would bear in the future.