Mingyi watched from a distance and asked curiously, "What happened to that person?"
"Nothing much. He tried to rob me, so I had him sent to the authorities." He handed her the pancake with an unruffled expression.
Mingyi shot him a sidelong glance. "Do you think I'm stupid?"
Ji Bozhai fell silent, then lowered his head slightly and muttered, "It's not my fault if others take a liking to me. I've already refused. Don't take it to heart."
Why would she take such a trivial matter to heart? She laughed while eating the pancake. "Back when I bumped into you hugging someone at Flower Full Tower, I didn't even get angry. Why would I be upset now?"
Ji Bozhai: "..."
If she truly weren't angry, she wouldn't have brought it up after all this time.
He found himself torn between laughter and exasperation, lowering his voice to say, "Indeed, both you and I are magnanimous. I’ve never once minded the thirty people you’ve taken into your backyard."
Mingyi smacked her lips. "Let me tell you, the pleasure of having both arms around someone is truly delightful."
No matter how the conversation went, it always ended with him being the one riled up.
Ji Bozhai pressed his lips together and stewed in silence for the entire street before sighing softly and gently taking Mingyi's hand.
Mingyi tried to shake him off once but failed, so she let him hold it.
"You have old grievances to dredge up, and so do I. That makes us evenly matched. But from now on, I only want you. Can you also think only of me?" he murmured.
His words were so quiet only the two of them could hear, his tone soft, carrying a pleading note she had never heard before. Mingyi thought of her younger self, who had once hoped for the same thing—only to have her hopes dashed by him.
So she smiled and said to him, "I’d like to agree, but Zhou Zihong is also quite nice."
His face paled slightly as Ji Bozhai tugged at her, both annoyed and angry. "What’s so nice about him?"
"He wouldn’t grab me so roughly," she retorted, eyeing his hand.
Ji Bozhai flusteredly let go, frustrated yet helpless against her.
The girls watching from afar saw the previously unapproachable man now behaving like a lovesick youth, walking backward down the street, his gaze fixed solely on the person before him.
Honestly, who wouldn’t want a man like this? Unfortunately, the custom of men taking multiple wives and concubines had been entrenched in the Six Cities for over a century. Here, a man smiling at a woman was already considered tender and considerate—who could expect them to chase after women like this?
Thinking this, the girls couldn’t help but lament their Minister Superior. Unlike this young master, who dragged his servant away without reason in broad daylight, the Minister Superior was simply quiet but gentle.
It was just that he intended to marry only one Empress, leaving few women to serve in his backyard.
The noblewomen of the city opposed the Minister Superior’s choice of Empress not because Xiuyun was improper, but because her fate was too fortunate—not only was she to be Empress, but she would also be the only woman in his backyard.
Who didn’t have multiple wives and concubines? Yet the highest-ranking woman among them would live the most peaceful life. Who wouldn’t be enraged seeing that?
Thus, they planned to marginalize this Empress until she agreed to take their female relatives into the backyard.
However, these plans were utterly shattered by an unexpected guest.
On the day of the Empress’s coronation, Mingyi was granted an exception to comb Xiuyun’s hair.
Xiuyun nearly burst into tears at the sight of her, but Mingyi pressed her shoulders down. "Your makeup looks too lovely to ruin. You wouldn’t want to scare your Minister Superior tonight."
Blushing, Xiuyun chided, "You’re still teasing me!""I am happy." Mingyi touched her wedding dress, a hint of envy in her eyes. "Marrying the one you love is a joyous occasion."
Knowing all the hardships she had endured, Xiuyun gently squeezed her hand.
"You're a good person," she said. "You'll surely get what you desire."
Mingyi looked at her reflection in the bronze mirror and raised an eyebrow with a smile. "What I want now isn't these things anymore. My ambitions are vast—perhaps requiring all the effort of my remaining years."
Others might not understand her words, but Xiuyun did.
Back when they were crafting artifacts together in that small courtyard in Star Yearn City, Mingyi had once said she hoped for a day when women could openly conduct business on the streets, support themselves, stand as equals with their husbands, and even enter officialdom or the Academicians' Court.
Sunspire City was already showing signs of female empowerment. Most of the Divine Tools used for trade were crafted by women, who had grown wealthy and self-sufficient, giving them greater confidence when seeking marriage partners—much to the envy of women from other cities.
But it wasn't enough. Azure Cloud and the other five cities remained unchanged.
Xiuyun sighed. "Zheng Tiao was right. I've learned some of your skills but not your vision."
"No need to learn it," Mingyi chuckled. "After today, you'll be the mother of a city, a role model for the women of Flying Blossom."
Xiuyun froze.
She had been so immersed in the joy of marrying Zheng Tiao that she'd never considered what she could do for Flying Blossom City. Mingyi's words awakened her—she couldn't just idle away in the inner chambers; she ought to accomplish something.
Like other cities, Flying Blossom had noblemen with multiple wives and concubines while commoners struggled to afford even one wife. Perhaps she could try to find solutions for such circumstances.
As the ceremony began, Mingyi escorted her out.
Xiuyun's parents had initially placed great hopes in her, but after she refused to pass Zheng Tiao's information to her maternal family, she was branded a traitor and cut off. Today, Mingyi stood as her elder sister, seeing her off to marriage.
Yet it was precisely Mingyi who made the noblewomen waiting outside abandon their languid expressions and kneel in fearful deference.
Xiuyun might have no family left in Star Yearn City, but in Sunspire City, she did. With the city lord personally attending her wedding, who would dare show disrespect?
The officials before the altar had all arrived in full force. Even the dozen or so who had claimed illness now stood ramrod straight, their sidelong glances repeatedly darting toward Ji Bozhai seated nearby.
His aura was thick with hostility, making it hard not to suspect he was here to cause trouble.
Yet the moment the Empress appeared, his demeanor softened abruptly.
The Sunspire City lord approached him and asked quietly, "The rites are lengthy. Will Your Majesty stay for all of it?"
Ji Bozhai pointed to a nearby chair. "Let's sit and watch. There's nothing else to do anyway."
Mingyi nodded and sat beside him.
Then the officials witnessed their Majesty passing her tea one moment, offering fruit the next, asking if she wanted snacks, or inquiring if she felt cold.
So the rumors about His Majesty being bewitched by a seductress weren't unfounded!
But of all people, it had to be Mingyi—a formidable figure none could afford to challenge. Though Sunspire City had been relocated and rebuilt under her governance, its prosperity now rivaled Moonchase City's.
What could they do? Turn a blind eye.The ceremonial gong sounded three times. Xiuyun and Zheng Tiao stood facing each other before the Clan Temple, dressed in bright red Dragon and Phoenix Silk Tapestry Robes, and slowly bowed three times in reverence.
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