Mingyi returned to the beast-drawn carriage to find Ji Bozhai asleep.
Buxiu gestured for her to be quiet, but she sensed something was amiss.
Given the chaotic crowd outside and Bo Zhai's usual vigilance, he would never fall asleep in such a place.
Frowning, she leaned closer and touched his forehead.
"Buxiu, hurry back!"
Startled, Buxiu hastily ordered the carriage to depart. Mingyi pulled Bo Zhai over, resting his head on her lap, and attempted to channel her Essence Power to stabilize his erratic energy flow.
Yet, light and darkness were inherently incompatible—no matter how hard she tried, her Essence Power was repelled.
In the past, even when he fell ill, the Black Dragon Protection would still shield him. But this time, he hadn’t even left himself a Shield, which was why Buxiu hadn’t noticed anything wrong.
It was absurd to her—how could someone so ambitious fail to protect himself?
The carriage raced back to the Palace City.
Yan Xiao seemed to have sensed something and was already waiting inside. Granny Xun brought three or four attendants to help carry Bo Zhai, but Mingyi shook her head firmly—so many people would only make him more uncomfortable.
Brushing them aside, she hoisted him onto her back.
He was too tall; his head drooped against her neck as she steadied herself, channeling Essence Power to carry him smoothly to the dragon bed in the main hall.
Yan Xiao worked swiftly with acupuncture needles while muttering, "I told him not to expose himself to the night wind. He probably ignored me again. His body is his own, not borrowed from someone else—yet he treats it with such disregard."
Mingyi froze. "He can’t be exposed to the night wind?"
"Look at all these wounds—do you see a single spot unharmed? If he catches a chill from the night wind, it won’t be just a simple cold." Yan Xiao frowned deeply.
No wonder he hadn’t joined her on the rooftop to watch the moon—he hadn’t fully recovered.
And yet, despite that, he had still taken her on that tour of the Six Cities.
His face on the pillow was pale and haggard. After finishing the acupuncture and administering medicine, Yan Xiao turned to Mingyi. "If he only had a little time left, would you be willing to treat him kindly in these final days?"
Her heart plummeted. A lump formed in her throat, leaving her speechless for a long moment.
Was Ji Bozhai dying?
He was a once-in-a-century genius of the Azure Cloud Realm. After enduring so many hardships, before he could even enjoy his life—was he to die young?
How unfair was fate? She was still alive and well—why should he die?
And if he died… what would she do?
Yes, she still had her own goals to pursue. But without him by her side, the journey would be unbearably lonely. If she grew weary, there’d be no one to lean on. Even if her Essence Power advanced, no one would understand her joy.
Her eyes reddened as she took a deep breath and looked at Yan Xiao. "How much time does he have left?"
"Him? Oh, he’s got decades ahead." Yan Xiao shrugged.
The tears halted abruptly. Mingyi’s expression darkened, her knuckles cracking. "Then what was the meaning of what you just said?"
"I was just posing a hypothetical! A what-if!" Seeing her fury, Yan Xiao leapt up and dodged away. "I just thought the two of you have been tormenting each other for too long. He’s exhausted, and you stubbornly refuse to forgive him. I wanted you to think about whether you still care for him."
"Whether I care for him is my business. Who asked you to meddle?" Mingyi summoned her Essence Power and chased after him.
"Hey, be kind to your physician!"“Your actions just now were not those of a physician, but merely his accomplice.”
“Minister Superior, spare my life!”
The two chased each other around, yet Ji Bozhai remained unconscious.
Mingyi, exhausted, sat by his bedside and gazed at him: “I don’t want to go back to how things were before. In this lifetime, I may not need to marry, nor must I bow my head to him.”
Yan Xiao, panting heavily, leaned against the table and shook his head.
Brother, this was as far as he could help. This lady was truly not one to be trifled with—he’d have to handle her himself.
Ji Bozhai’s illness came on fiercely, and it took over half a month of recuperation before he gradually recovered.
However, after his recovery, Ji Bozhai seemed to suddenly find a new purpose, devoting himself wholeheartedly to governing the Six Cities.
“This law enforcing monogamy—I believe it will be very difficult to implement,” an elder minister sighed during court. “Wealthy families will always find ways to take concubines.”
Mingyi, seated in a chair to the right front, spoke sternly: “If it’s difficult to implement, then add more clauses. For instance, concubines are not entitled to any property from the main household. Even if the household gifts them something, the legal wife retains the right to sue the government to reclaim it. Another example: forcibly taking common women as concubines will result in punishment barring their descendants from entering officialdom. For those already in office, only the legal wife may remain in the household.”
“Additionally, marriage should be freely chosen. Abolish the Letter of Repudiation and replace it with the Divorce Agreement. Women may remarry, and men may take new wives, but divorce requires mutual consent. If one party disagrees, the matter will be handed over to the authorities to judge whether divorce is warranted.”
The elder ministers were aghast. This was truly unheard of and unseen—were women about to turn the world upside down?
“Your Majesty!” they hurriedly appealed to Ji Bozhai seated on the throne.
Yet Ji Bozhai gazed at Mingyi with sheer delight, his face practically spelling out the words “my woman is amazing,” with no intention of speaking up for them.
Only after being called several times did he turn a cold eye back to them: “Is there anything improper about what the Minister Superior has said?”
“To bear descendants is the natural way of humanity. If a man takes only one wife and fails to produce heirs, would that not be the gravest sin of filial impiety?” the elder minister argued passionately.
Mingyi waved her hand: “If there are no heirs, divorce and remarry. After all, infertility isn’t necessarily the woman’s fault. Try changing wives a few times, and you might realize the problem lies with yourself.”
“You—you! This is utterly preposterous!” Several elder ministers glared at Mingyi. “For a woman to sit in court is already by the grace of His Majesty’s benevolence. Yet you speak so insolently—how can you be fit to govern a city?”
Mingyi rose with a smile: “Under my governance, Sunspire City now excels in both farming and weaving. Men can support their families, and women can too. Men may marry women, and women may marry men. The people live in prosperity and peace. Just because I disagree with you, does that mean you would strip me of my position as city lord?”
She sighed theatrically: “Such impressive authority you wield.”
Deposing a city lord was not something a mere minister of the Six Ministries could decide—His Majesty still sat above them, and such words bordered on disrespect.
The elder minister hastily knelt: “Your Majesty, I meant no such thing.”
“Last month, Sunspire City’s tax revenue ranked first among the Six Cities,” Ji Bozhai stated calmly. “If any of you believe the current state of Sunspire City is unsatisfactory, you may test your views in other cities. As long as that city’s tax revenue surpasses Sunspire’s, I will grant your request.”
The officials exchanged uneasy glances.Apart from Sunspire City, only Azure Snow City had considerable revenue, but Azure Snow City also began implementing this system after the war and couldn't serve as their pilot site. The remaining cities were all unable to match Sunspire City.
Your Majesty is clearly showing favoritism here.
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