Mingyi frowned. "This is against propriety."
After the unification, each city lord was left with only fifty thousand troops. These one hundred thirty thousand were originally his men—there was no reason to give them to her.
Ji Bozhai ignored her and continued fighting forward.
When someone attacked from behind, Mingyi blocked it for him, frowned, tucked the Military Tally into her pocket, and then joined the battle as well.
Azure Snow was actually no match at all. Once the city walls were breached, the nobles knelt and surrendered, with some even guiding them to the inner courtyard.
A few in the inner courtyard still resisted stubbornly, but within twenty hours, Ji Bozhai broke through the final palace gate.
Exhausted, he leaned on his battered sword and sat on the threshold of the main palace, speaking to Mingyi behind him. "Do you know what you should do now?"
Mingyi raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"Kill me," he said flatly.
"..."
With a complicated expression, she stared at his statue-like back and shook her head. "I don’t hate you that much."
"Right now, I’m at my weakest. If you kill me, the world will be yours. You’ll have every opportunity to create the world you desire."
He coughed twice, then smirked indifferently. "But if you fail to kill me, you’re finished."
Two days. She had been married to Zhou Zihong for two days, and his patience had already reached its limit.
Either Mingyi killed him, or he would take her back—regardless of propriety, rules, or the world’s opinion, regardless of grand ambitions or tangled emotions. He just wanted to be with her.
He couldn’t endure another day.
The person behind him remained silent. Ji Bozhai frowned, then laughed. "I’ll take that as your decision."
Azure Snow City was rich in resources, but Ji Bozhai had ordered no outright plundering, so the spoils each person took back were limited.
But Ji Bozhai was different.
He carried Mingyi back.
He didn’t allow her to return to the inner courtyard. Instead, he ordered Sunspire City to accelerate its relocation. The entire lord’s residence was moved to the Floating Island, and the original site of Sunspire City became the new capital.
Then he shut the doors tightly, sealing the windows with an Essence Power Net, his back pressed against the door as he watched the person inside nervously.
Mingyi hadn’t spoken a word since he brought her back, but she seemed relaxed, sitting down to pour herself tea as soon as she entered, her face neither angry nor panicked.
Her calmness only made Ji Bozhai more uneasy.
"You..." He pursed his lips. "You can yell at me. Or fight me."
Mingyi raised an eyebrow, shook her head, and then said, "Shall we have roasted wild boar for lunch?"
Ji Bozhai was stunned.
What did she mean? Was she willing to stay?
Impossible. He hadn’t let her see Zhou Zihong—she must be furious. Maybe this was just a delaying tactic.
Wary, he still called out to the servants, "Prepare roasted wild boar."
After a pause, he added, "Extra spicy."
Mingyi chuckled. "Your Majesty remembers my tastes well."
She showed no intention of escaping, nor any anger, leaving him at a loss.
Glancing around, though this was the main palace, the space wasn’t particularly large. Keeping her confined might feel stifling.
He channeled his Essence Power, expanding the net to cover the courtyard outside.
"There are green bamboos planted in the courtyard," he said, lips pressed together as he watched her uneasily. "If you prefer something else, I’ll have them replaced."
Mingyi looked at him. "Your Majesty, this consumes a lot of Essence Power.""It's fine," he pursed his lips. "With Azure Snow reclaimed, there will be no more wars this year."
"How does Your Majesty plan to deal with the people of Azure Snow?" Mingyi tilted her head.
This felt like a test question, making Ji Bozhai inexplicably nervous: "The people of Azure Snow are physically strong, though there are too many men. They would make good reserves for military forces."
If most men joined the army, the remaining male population would decrease. Then, by abolishing Concentrated Breeding and replacing it with free marriage, enacting laws to protect women, and rewarding families who bore daughters, the crisis in Azure Snow could be resolved within a few years.
Mingyi nodded and suddenly stood up.
Ji Bozhai tensely pressed against the door crack. "Where are you going?"
Rolling her eyes at him, Mingyi said, "Didn't you say there are green bamboos in the courtyard? I'm going to take a look."
Belatedly realizing his Essence Power Net was already deployed outside, Ji Bozhai stiffly stepped aside. As Mingyi passed by him, she paused and glanced at him sideways.
That single glance made Ji Bozhai's breath hitch.
"I... I won't let you go," he narrowed his eyes. "Don't bother pleading—save your breath."
Truthfully, he couldn’t withstand her pleas. Three pleas, and he’d surely surrender. But once he surrendered, he might never see her again.
Ji Bozhai turned his head away, unwilling to meet her gaze.
His reaction amused Mingyi.
The once suave and untouchable Lord Ji, who flitted through countless flowers without a single petal clinging to him, was now so anxious and fearful.
She had no intention of pleading and simply stepped out to admire the bamboos.
These bamboos must have been planted around the time of the grand wedding, as they had grown quite well. Beneath them, embedded in the soil, were several objects.
Upon closer inspection, she discovered they were a collection of wooden rabbits—dozens of them, varying in size, from crude to exquisitely carved.
"His Majesty carved all of these with his own hands during those days," Buxiu whispered.
There was no need to specify which "those days" referred to. If they had driven Ji Bozhai to carve rabbits, they must have been unbearable.
Mingyi withdrew her gaze and said to Buxiu, "Don’t speak up for your emperor."
Buxiu pinched his lips shut.
He hadn’t wanted to say anything, but ever since Ming Guniang’s wedding, His Majesty had spent night after night sleepless—sometimes lost in thought, sometimes carving rabbits. Now, a month after returning victorious, if this continued, Buxiu feared His Majesty might collapse any moment.
Mingyi turned back and saw Ji Bozhai standing at the doorway, staring intently in her direction.
His knuckles were pale, and his eyes flickered uncertainly, as if guilty for imprisoning her yet utterly unwilling to let go again.
Unable to resist teasing him, Mingyi said, "Does Your Majesty think that by caging the person, you can cage the heart as well?"
His face paled further. Ji Bozhai pressed his lips together, stiffening his spine as he retorted, "I don’t believe your heart lies with Zhou Zihong."
"Aside from Zhou Zihong, there’s also Situ Ling, Lin Huan, and the thirty-some others in the rear courtyard," she smirked wickedly. "Do you know who among them is the most skilled?"
Taking a deep breath, Ji Bozhai closed his eyes. "What’s past is past."
"Zhou Zihong doesn’t grind his teeth in his sleep, though he occasionally recites classics."
"..."
"Situ Ling does grind his teeth, but he never talks in his sleep."
"..."
"And Lin Huan’s waist—you’ve never seen it, have you? There’s a deadly red mole on his lower back."
"Enough!" He lowered his gaze, his voice icy. "Even if you say all this, I won’t let you go. Give it up."With that, he staggered and turned around, sitting back inside the house.
Mingyi couldn't help but silently laugh, her eyes curving with amusement.
Buxiu stared at her reaction in astonishment, not understanding what was happening. Didn't Ming Guniang hate Your Majesty? How could she still laugh?
OpenNovel