Ji Bozhai glanced at Mingyi.
Compared to before, she had grown even more composed in front of Zhao Si Pan. She lied without batting an eye and skillfully steered the conversation in the direction she desired.
A fabric like Mulan Qing was something he would never purchase from an ordinary cloth shop. Even if Zhao Si Pan turned the heavens upside down, he wouldn’t find the slightest suspicion linking him to her. But by saying this, she had given Zhao Si Pan a lead to follow. Once the investigation concluded, Zhao Si Pan would no longer have the pretext to come knocking on his door out of personal obligation.
Without personal ties, official protocol would require Zhao Si Pan to obtain a warrant from Da Si to interrogate him—and Da Si wouldn’t risk an open confrontation with him before the next Six Cities Tournament.
In other words, Zhao Si Pan would never bother him again.
What a relief.
Zhao Meng and the other man rose to take their leave, and Mingyi escorted them to the second gate before returning.
"Come here," Ji Bozhai beckoned.
Mingyi blinked and obediently settled into his spacious Grand Tutor Chair, her soft waist leaning against him.
He lowered his head and lightly pinched the tip of her nose. "Aren’t you afraid they might actually uncover something?"
"If they did, my lord would be far too careless—hardly worthy of being the one who holds my heart," she wrinkled her nose and gave a delicate, spoiled huff. "The lord I adore is peerless in wisdom, leaving no room for error. He would never make such a mistake."
As she spoke, she tilted her chin up at him, a few loose strands of hair curling playfully at the edges, her eyes bright with mirth.
Ji Bozhai felt a faint stir in his chest.
He lowered his gaze, as if to conceal it, and pressed his lips together. "Do you really think I’m omnipotent?"
"My lord is my sky, and the sky is omnipotent," she nodded matter-of-factly, her eyes brimming with reverence and dependence.
Ji Bozhai was rarely relied upon—not for lack of capability, but because those who knew him even slightly understood that he was unreliable. No one could predict his next move or when he might cast them aside.
And Mingyi—she was clever. Surely, she wasn’t blind to this. Yet she still dared to lean into him, staking everything on her trust in him.
How could someone be both so sharp and so foolish?
"My lord," she hooked her fingers around his hand, "I’ve only just arrived in this residence and am still unfamiliar with its layout. If you have no other engagements today, would you accompany me for a stroll?"
He hesitated slightly.
Strolling with women was always tedious—forced to listen to trivial gossip about inconsequential matters, or who wore the finest clothes and jewelry, or what some young lady had done. He truly disliked it.
But, considering she had just helped him resolve a minor nuisance, Ji Bozhai rose to his feet anyway.
Mingyi’s eyes lit up, and she happily looped her arm through his. "Right now, I only know of this 'Lord of Flowing Radiance' residence, but on the way here, I noticed the estate is vast."
"Naturally, it’s large," he glanced toward the courtyard ahead. "Da Si originally had it built for a distinguished hero. Unfortunately, that man’s life was cut short, and I ended up benefiting from it."
Commissioned by Da Si himself, it was a grand residence with three main courtyards and twelve smaller ones, along with countless pavilions and towers—so sprawling that one could easily lose their way.
Mingyi strained to memorize the paths they took, then pointed curiously at the courtyards they passed like a child. "What’s in there?"
"Storage."
"And this one?"
"Guest quarters."
"Wow, it’s huge! What about that area over there?" She gestured toward a courtyard with gray-tiled roofs.
Ji Bozhai suddenly fell silent.He wrapped an arm around her waist and asked in a low voice, "Would Yi'er care to dine with me tonight?"
Mingyi blinked, unsure why he had stopped there, but seeing the look in his eyes, she wisely refrained from pressing further. "Of course I will," she replied.
"Then go pick out the dishes," he said, pointing in another direction. "The kitchen is over there."
"Alright," she answered with a smile.
Walking side by side, each lost in their own thoughts, their silhouettes still made a harmonious pair.
Zhang Tai was settled in a small guest courtyard. Using the excuse of visiting her, Mingyi could move around the estate a little, though her range was still limited. She hadn’t even located the study yet, let alone figured out what the gray-tiled courtyards were for, so her map-making efforts had stalled.
Still, when she visited Zhang Tai, the latter was thrilled. "The man you married is truly impressive—to give you such a grand estate to live in!"
Mingyi smiled wryly. If only his home were smaller, she wouldn’t be dreaming about navigating paths and drawing maps. "He’s not the man I married, and this is just a temporary arrangement."
Zhang Tai was puzzled. "But Lord Ji seems so fond of you. Why would you think that?"
"He’s fond of everyone," Mingyi said, resting her hands behind her head as she lay on the soft couch beside Zhang Tai. "As long as you please him, you’ll get this kind of treatment."
Ji Bozhai’s reputation as a libertine was well-known throughout the city. There were even bets on when he’d switch to his next favorite.
A hint of sympathy flashed in Zhang Tai’s eyes. She patted her own belly and suggested, "Then give him a child, like me. Maybe then he’d marry you properly."
With a child, status would naturally follow. How could there be no title once there was an heir? Just like her own Manager Xu, who had defied his mother’s wishes to marry her for this very reason.
Thinking of Manager Xu, Zhang Tai felt a sweet warmth in her heart.
Mingyi watched her expression but said nothing.
If Xu Lan dared to let Zhang Tai, pregnant as she was, stay in someone else’s residence, he probably didn’t care much for her. But since Zhang Tai was happy now, Mingyi wouldn’t spoil it with unwelcome advice—no point inviting resentment.
When the poor girl eventually realized something was amiss, there’d still be time to help her find a way out.
So Mingyi changed the subject. "Has the Hall of Judgment been bothering you lately?"
"That’s just what I wanted to talk about," Zhang Tai sighed. "I thought we’d managed to brush it off, but their Hall of Judgment just got a new young Adjudicator. He’s convinced I’m lying and just sent word summoning me to the yamen in two days."
Mingyi’s heart skipped a beat. "Which young Adjudicator?"
"Someone named Situ, I think. I don’t remember clearly, but they say he was exceptional from childhood—memorized ten thousand characters by five, solved a cattle theft case at nine, and now, at fifteen, he’s already working in the Hall of Judgment as both a Coroner and Patrol Inspector, assisting Adjudicator Zhao with cases." Zhang Tai grew uneasy. "Do you think he’ll find something out?"
Mingyi frowned but shook her head. "As long as you don’t slip up, he won’t discover anything."
"I definitely won’t," Zhang Tai said, clutching her belly. "Not only would I never betray you, but I’m tied to you in this too. If anyone finds out I skipped the clan banquet, I’d be in serious trouble."
This was exactly why Mingyi trusted her. Emotions might be unreliable, but shared interests could always bind them together."Rest well." She regained some energy and stood up, saying, "Let the servants know if you need anything. They can get it for you."
"Alright." Zhang Tai nodded.
The door closed. Mingyi stood in the courtyard, gazing at the night sky for a while, feeling vaguely unsettled but unable to pinpoint why.
Shaking her head, she returned to the Lord of Flowing Radiance's residence to change into fresh clothes before heading to the gate to wait for Ji Bozhai's late return.
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