Ji Bozhai was never short of women around him. Never.
Mingyi was just one among many; it wasn’t as if he couldn’t do without her. Who she considered a brother, who she treated as family, or who she cried for—what did any of that have to do with him? All he knew was that betrayal once meant betrayal a hundred times over. If he didn’t use her, the next person by his side would be even more devoted.
Take Xu Tianji, for example.
She understood Fighters, could discuss insights about Essence Power, and had even read the Fighter Registry . She showed no curiosity about his past, not even glancing toward the Cyan Tile Courtyard when he deliberately led her past it.
Her gaze was fixed solely on him.
Compared to Mingyi’s endless lies, this was what genuine affection looked like.
"My lord, are you displeased?" Tianji asked him considerately.
Jing Bozhai snapped out of his thoughts and smiled faintly. "How could I be? With a beauty like you by my side, how could I possibly be unhappy?"
Tianji couldn’t hide her excitement. "With such words from my lord, I’ll sleep soundly tonight."
Jing Bozhai nodded and gestured toward the path ahead. "Xiuyuan is waiting for you behind that rockery."
Her smile dimmed slightly as Tianji sighed. "If not for the chance to see you today, my lord, I wouldn’t have come at all."
She had been avoiding Liang Xiuyuan for days. Her only intention had been to use him to get closer to Ji Bozhai—hadn’t it been obvious on the day the Academy of Scholars opened? Yet he still clung to her relentlessly.
If it were anyone else, she could have evaded them, but this man had even used Ji Bozhai’s name to invite her here. Gritting her teeth, she bowed to Ji Bozhai before heading toward the rockery.
Ji Bozhai turned, his gaze landing on the towering green bamboo beyond the walls of the Lord of Flowing Radiance’s residence.
He couldn’t fathom what that person was thinking. She was such a delicate, soft girl, yet she didn’t favor delicate flowers—instead, she preferred these cold, austere bamboos. The bamboos thrived effortlessly, growing taller by the day, their fragrance carried by the wind.
It had drizzled last night, so the woodshed must have been even damper. He wondered how she was faring.
—Not that he cared. He was just curious. Would such a spoiled little girl, thrown into a filthy, stinking woodshed to sleep, end up crying?
He summoned Buxiu, but before he could speak, Buxiu said, "Rest assured, my lord. I’ve already separated Twenty-Seven and Ming Guniang. They haven’t had a chance to collude further."
"That’s not—"
"They’ve been given no food, not even a sip of tea. Ming Guniang has been begging to see you, but since she still refuses to confess, I’ve ignored her." Buxiu looked at him solemnly. "Does my lord wish to add further punishments?"
Ji Bozhai fell silent.
Never mind. She was a traitor, an ungrateful wretch. Being kind to her was pointless. Why should he care how she was doing?
"Just keep an eye on her. Make sure she doesn’t get hurt."
"Yes, my lord."
Mingyi, dizzy with hunger, clung to the wooden bars of her cell and sighed at the approaching figure. "Has my lord still not cooled off?"
Granny Xun stood sternly outside her window. "My lord despises betrayal above all else."
"Who doesn’t?" Mingyi smiled bitterly. "But I didn’t betray him. Going to the Cyan Tile Courtyard wasn’t about him—it was for my own sake."
"You’ve always been quick with words, young lady. I won’t argue with you. If you think your reasons hold water, why not explain them to my lord?" Granny Xun had reverted to her old, stern, and unyielding demeanor.
Mingyi’s heart ached. "Granny, does this mean… my lord won’t forgive me?""This is the Ji residence. Our master holds a significant status; the young lady should understand this. How could someone with ulterior motives be allowed to stay by his side?"
Indeed, after thinking it over for him, she realized that someone like her truly could not remain.
Mingyi was silent for a while, blinking as she said to Granny Xun, "Considering we are acquaintances, could you please ask the master if I've ever made him happy during my time here?"
...
"Happy?" Ji Bozhai scoffed. This little trick of hers was merely an attempt to make him remember her good qualities.
What good qualities did she have? All she did was help him resolve some troubles, often waiting with a lantern for him to return home, and they shared a certain understanding that allowed them to deceive Situ Ling together.
Aside from that, there was nothing commendable about her.
Greedy, lustful, and talkative—she embodied all the traits he disliked.
Mockingly staring at a corner of the flower table, he found himself a bit lost in thought.
"The master is my heaven; the master is omnipotent."
"I didn't expect to be so lucky, to run into the master right after coming out."
"I have the master; I don't want anything else."
When he was injured, she struggled to support him while searching for help, her waist trembling; in the darkness, she walked toward him, unafraid, to wipe his blood and feed him porridge; through wind and rain, she stood at the end of Second Ninth Street waiting for him; after the Luan Feng, she clung to him tightly as she fell asleep.
Were there happy moments? Surely there were, but so what?
After a long moment of looking down, Ji Bozhai waved his hand at Granny Xun.
Granny Xun sighed and bowed as she withdrew.
Mingyi waited in the woodshed, originally not holding much hope, but unexpectedly, the next day, Granny Xun brought clothing, jewelry, and a bathing tub, instructing several maidservants to help her dress up.
She was taken aback, staring blankly for a while before her eyes lit up: "The master has actually forgiven me?"
Impossible, when did Ji Bozhai become so soft-hearted?
Or was it that he was only soft-hearted toward her?
Granny Xun did not answer her, only smiled as she helped her into the bathing tub.
The warm water chased away the chill, and Mingyi let out a sigh, feeling even more embarrassed. She hadn't said that to ask for his forgiveness; she just wanted to hear a "there were" so that her conscience would be at ease. Even if she couldn't stay in the residence anymore, it would count as having turned a page with him, not owing too much.
Who would have thought he would react this way?
After bathing and changing, Mingyi looked at the pure gold butterfly hairpin with gems on the tray and thought that when she saw Ji Bozhai, she would admit her mistake. At worst, she could say that the antidote was needed by Twenty-Seven, thus preventing him from getting upset again.
However, after getting ready, Mingyi did not immediately see Ji Bozhai; instead, she was taken onto a beast-drawn carriage.
"There is a welcoming banquet today. The master has already entered the inner courtyard; please follow me."
Taking a light breath, Mingyi thought it was bad; she hadn't asked who was coming to the welcoming banquet in Sunspire City this year. If she ran into someone unexpected, it would be troublesome.
But Granny Xun was already sitting in the beast-drawn carriage waiting for her, and she couldn't come up with any other excuses not to go, so she could only brace herself and get into the carriage.
Sunspire City was currently undergoing a changeover; those coming might not necessarily be people who knew her. Moreover, even if they did know her, as long as she leaned against Ji Bozhai and kept her head down, there shouldn't be any issues.
Ji Bozhai was indeed a very reliable support.With this thought, Mingyi followed the swaying beast-drawn carriage through the side gate all the way into the inner courtyard.
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