It all started with the marriage of Xiuyun and Zheng Tiao—suddenly, it became fashionable in Flying Blossom City for grooms to pledge to take only one wife in their lifetime when presenting betrothal gifts.
Of course, most of those making such promises were from humble backgrounds. For them, finding a wife was already difficult, and it wasn’t uncommon for men to abandon their first wives after gaining wealth and status. To secure a marriage, they began writing pledges: if they ever took a concubine or discarded their first wife after rising in status, all their property would be handed over to the woman.
This practice greatly pleased the brides’ families, and soon, even noble families began marrying their lesser daughters to promising men from humble backgrounds who were willing to take only one wife.
As the trend grew, the noble-born men grew discontent.
"One love for a lifetime? It’s just a poor man’s lie to trick noble daughters. What man could truly stay with just one woman forever?"
Their complaints only made their own wives envious, and domestic harmony suffered.
Some officials wanted to take their grievances to the palace, only to find that their own Minister Superior, since marrying, had shown no interest in other women and remained deeply devoted to Consort Si.
Swallowing their complaints, they had no choice but to face the turmoil in their own households.
Some wondered where this trend had originated. Mingyi, seated in the Flying Beast Cart on her way to Moonchase City, smiled without answering.
Her wedding gift to Xiuyun had been a hundred poems written by renowned scholars, praising Xiuyun’s unique charm and Zheng Tiao’s steadfast devotion, placing the two on equal footing and extolling them from head to toe. The poems declared that true love was just like this—if either ever strayed, they would first divorce before remarrying, never sharing affection with another.
If even a city lord and the Empress could uphold such ideals, how could the common people not follow suit? With men already outnumbering women in the Six Cities, polygamy only concentrated women in noble households, leaving the humble families struggling to continue their lines. Gradually, people began to see monogamy as a fairer practice.
Seizing the momentum, Mingyi incorporated monogamy into the legal code, pressing Ji Bozhai’s hand to stamp the Six Cities’ Lord’s seal.
Her action was technically overstepping, even somewhat presumptuous, but Ji Bozhai wasn’t angry—instead, he was amused.
"Does this count as you asking me for a favor?" he asked.
Mingyi replied with perfect seriousness, "Not at all. This is for Your Majesty’s benefit. Only with the Six Cities thriving naturally can Your Majesty’s reign endure for millennia."
It sounded reasonable, but in truth, she was leaving him no room for future dalliances.
Ji Bozhai sighed, then added, "Tomorrow at dawn, there will be a spectacle of the silver disk outshining the sun. I’ve prepared a brazier in the room..."
Mingyi raised an eyebrow. "Why watch the moon indoors? Since we’re here, the rooftop is clearly the best spot."
He paused, silent for a long moment, then turned his head away. "Then you go to the rooftop. I’ll stay inside."
Now he was throwing a tantrum for no reason?
Mingyi didn’t understand why he insisted on staying indoors, but she wasn’t about to indulge him, so she went to watch alone.
The silver disk outshining the sun was a unique phenomenon in Moonchase City—when the rising sun and the setting moon overlapped, Moonchase City’s moon appeared so large it seemed brighter than the sun.
During her previous visit for the competition, she hadn’t had the chance to admire the sight properly. Now that she had leisure, Ji Bozhai had been the one to suggest bringing her here—yet he refused to join her on the rooftop.
As she watched, Mingyi grew increasingly annoyed, suspecting he was playing hard to get, trying to manipulate her again.
Meanwhile, inside the room, Ji Bozhai drank a large bowl of medicine brought to him by Buxiu.He had already been severely injured in several battles, and later suffered from insomnia due to heartache. Yan Xiao said it was a miracle he could still stay awake now. If he didn’t rest properly and avoid night winds and heavy rain, he might collapse before even making it through the Six Cities.
He didn’t want to collapse halfway. If he did, Mingyi would undoubtedly be overjoyed to go find Zhou Zihong.
Taking a deep breath, he squinted out the window.
With the window ledge blocking his view, he could only see the moon. But as the sky gradually brightened, he heard Mingyi’s exclamation from the rooftop.
Her voice was crisp and sweet—back when she was raised as a boy, she had grown accustomed to suppressing it. Only when she was extremely happy could he hear her sound like this.
A smile touched his eyes. Ji Bozhai coughed twice and began instructing Buxiu to fetch medicinal herbs.
Yan Xiao said he needed blood ginseng, but because harvesting it was too dangerous, its collection had been banned by the authorities after the unification of the Six Cities. The government no longer forced farmers to gather it, nor did they purchase it. To get some, they’d have to send someone to Star Yearn City.
Feeling drowsy, he lay down and fell asleep after giving his orders.
In the middle of the night, he sensed someone touching his forehead and muttering, “So hot.”
Then, a damp cloth was placed on his forehead.
It must be Granny Xun, Ji Bozhai thought. The current Mingyi had no place for him in her heart, so naturally, she wouldn’t care whether he was sick or not.
When he woke up, he glanced to the side.
Mingyi was sitting perfectly fine at the table, eating breakfast. She even shot him a glance, as if annoyed that he had gotten up so late.
He sighed in relief, got up, freshened up, and sat beside her.
Today’s meal was again very light. He couldn’t help but look at Mingyi with concern, wondering why her taste had changed so much. Yet, she ate with complete composure, showing no intention of speaking to him.
Seemed she was still upset about last night.
He sighed and spoke softly, “There’s been a lot of piled-up work in the palace. Can we postpone visiting the remaining cities for another two months?”
Mingyi scooped her soup without looking up. “I heard Your Majesty originally planned to visit Facing Sun’s new city on this trip. Are we skipping that too?”
Ji Bozhai clenched his hand.
He had initially intended to personally take her to Facing Sun’s new city to see Zhou Zihong, seeing how unhappy she was. But—perhaps his heart wasn’t broad enough for that. After two months of deliberation, he still didn’t want to go.
He didn’t want to see Mingyi smile at another man. Not even a little.
But Yan Xiao had said this behavior of his was petty and would only push Mingyi further away. If she didn’t know, it was one thing. But knowing and still refusing to go would feel like he was toying with her.
After a long silence, Ji Bozhai took the spoon from her hand, filled her bowl with soup, and placed it before her. “We’ll stop by on our way back.”
Mingyi raised her brows in surprise, then smiled.
She knew she was being terrible—as if she enjoyed watching him struggle and crumble. The more he suffered, the happier she felt.
But even after all this torment, he was still willing to take her. Ji Bozhai might just be doomed to her for the rest of his life, never able to break free.
How the tables have turned, Lord Ji!
Unaware of what she was laughing about, the man before her assumed she was genuinely happy at the thought of seeing Zhou Zihong. His face darkened considerably.
“Save your joy for when you actually see him,” he muttered.
Mingyi teased him, “Can’t I be happy just thinking about it?”
He lowered his gaze and said nothing more, his back straight, exuding an air of cold pride.Mingyi happily finished her meal and then glanced at the leftovers in his bowl. "Eat it all."
How could a little girl who had angered him so much still have the nerve to order him around?
Ji Bozhai was furious, but after gripping his bowl in silence for a moment, he still ended up eating everything clean under her watchful gaze.
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