Mingyi didn’t spill everything at once. Instead, she casually dropped a few hints before deftly steering the conversation elsewhere.
Curled up at his knee, she looked so docile—so docile that Ji Bozhai couldn’t help but pity her.
Dancing Girls in the palace were far from pampered. Most came from impoverished or enslaved backgrounds, selected for their beauty to learn dance and serve as rewards from Da Si to officials, displayed at banquets for anyone to claim. Outside of these events, they endured coarse clothes and meager meals.
His little golden canary must have suffered plenty before.
No wonder she was so fond of wealth—she had been starved of it for too long.
With a soft sigh, he stroked the ends of her hair. "Is there anything else you want?"
Mingyi lifted her head, her dark eyes wide as she glanced between the gold chest she hadn’t even warmed in her arms and him. Suddenly, her expression turned solemn. "My lord, you must hire an accountant."
"Hmm?" Ji Bozhai’s brow twitched. "What for?"
"To manage your household expenses," she said earnestly, sitting up straight. "Your generosity delights me, but you must establish your own standing. Spending so recklessly won’t do."
His eyebrows rose, then pride swelled in his chest. For someone as greedy as Mingyi to say such a thing meant she truly cared for him.
As expected of him—no matter the woman, they all ended up falling for him.
Tsking lightly, he pinched the tip of her nose. "Then I’ll hire you. My fortune shall be entrusted to your care."
Her eyes sparkled with delight as she gazed at him with adoration. "Truly?"
"I’ll have Granny Xun hand you the keys to the storeroom when we return."
"My lord is too kind to me." She dabbed at the corner of her eye with a handkerchief. "What virtue have I accumulated to earn your favor?"
With that, she nestled shyly into his embrace, her fingertips tracing idle circles on his palm.
This was her consent.
Ji Bozhai chuckled, his thumb brushing suggestively over her lips before he turned the carriage back toward his estate.
The moon was full tonight—a perfect evening.
Women, coaxed and deceived, were mostly after fleeting pleasure. He had invested generously; naturally, he wanted to see if she was worth it.
Mingyi knew how to set the mood. She had prepared the courtyard meticulously—swept the rooms clean and hung red curtains. When he entered, she stood clad in jade-green light gauze, the mist-like fabric swirling around her, revealing the delicate curve of her waist and her jade-smooth neck.
"They say my lord has a vast capacity for wine, so I’ve prepared some to enhance the evening." Her red lips pursed around the rim of a cup as she brought it to him.
Her delicate face glowed in the candlelight, her lips lush and pressed tightly to the cup, tempting him to lean in.
He drained the wine, not sparing even the lingering drop at the corner of her mouth.
Having known countless women, Ji Bozhai had never tasted one so sweet—her lips like honey, her skin smooth as silk, her body delicate and sensitive, trembling faintly in his arms, shrinking at every touch.
He lifted her and carried her into the silken sheets.
The scent of wine mingled with her fragrance, filling the canopy until he could no longer tell whether it was her or the liquor that intoxicated him.
The night stretched on, the songs of nightingales persisting until dawn.
Though inexperienced, Mingyi was full of tricks. Ji Bozhai hadn’t felt this sated in a long time—for the first time, he held onto her even after the night had passed.When he awoke, the beauty's cheeks were flushed crimson as she nestled tightly in his arms, filling his heart to the brim.
He looked down at her and suddenly felt reluctant to rise.
"My lord," Granny Xun called from outside, "the beast-drawn carriage from Gong Wang's residence has arrived."
The figure in his arms stirred awake, her damp eyes fluttering open as she gazed at him in confusion.
Ji Bozhai softened his expression and gently tapped the tip of her nose. "I'll return to you as soon as I'm back."
She pouted in playful annoyance and pulled the embroidered quilt over her head.
Amused, he pressed a kiss atop the covers before rising to dress and striding out the door.
Perhaps it was the contentment of a satisfied mood, but Ji Bozhai’s demeanor was even more radiant than usual. The moment he entered, he drew teasing remarks from the gathered company: "What priceless treasure has our Lord Ji acquired to be in such high spirits?"
"You didn’t see it—yesterday, Bozhai drove that stunning beauty around in his carriage. Truly a sight to behold."
"A sight to behold? Could it be that Bozhai is finally settling down?"
The room was filled with noble relatives from the inner court, the usual crowd of frivolous young men he mingled with. Ji Bozhai didn’t put on airs with them, simply taking a seat and casually pulling a serving girl into his lap with a light chuckle. "Just sampling something new."
Gong Wang Qi? shook his head with a smile, swirling his cup. "You’re about to become a High Priest. Such recklessness won’t do."
Though his tone was jesting, the room fell silent. Yan Xiao couldn’t resist leaning forward. "It’s confirmed?"
"Da Si has already issued the decree. Only the formalities within the priesthood remain." Qi? raised his cup toward Ji Bozhai. "Consider this meal my celebration for you."
"Starting directly as a High Priest—Bozhai’s future is boundless," the others chimed in, raising their glasses as well.
On the surface, the High Priest oversaw inner-court rituals, but everyone knew those who held this position were Da Si’s most favored. They could meddle in clan affairs internally and influence city construction externally, wielding more power than some titular princes.
Even before next year’s Six Cities Tournament, Da Si had bestowed such an honor—proof of his immense regard.
Ji Bozhai raised his wine in toast to the crowd, though his first thought was of how extravagant the High Priest’s ceremonial robes were—adorned with gold and silver, embroidered with tigers and serpents. If he wore them, that little thing at home would surely gape in awe.
At the previous banquet, even Yan Xiao’s third-rank official robes had drawn her fascination—how much more so these first-rank finery?
A smirk tugged at his lips as he downed the wine in one go.
The serving girl beside him eagerly refilled his cup, deliberately—or perhaps not—leaning into him. "My lord has impressive tolerance."
Ji Bozhai pulled her onto his lap and gave her a once-over. She paled in comparison to Mingyi, but her youth lent her a slender waist.
So he kept her close, continuing to banter with his friends.
"Speaking of the High Priest position—Old Qiu’s son was originally vying for it. But ever since that incident at the last banquet, the Qiu family has shut their doors. Old Qiu hasn’t even attended court meetings, claiming illness." Shu Zhonglin fanned himself thoughtfully. "If he was frightened, it doesn’t make sense—he’s always had nerves of steel. And those murdered elders were far from him."
At the mention of this, Yan Xiao grew curious. "Has the killer still not been caught?"
"Not yet. I heard they interrogated several dancing girls, even beat three or four to death, but got nothing out of them."
Shu Zhonglin nudged his chin toward Ji Bozhai. "Lucky for your little beauty that you shielded her—otherwise, she’d have surely endured a brutal beating too.""What?" Ji Bozhai didn't understand. "Just for dancing, they get beaten?"
"It's not the dancing itself," Shu Zhonglin explained. "Several of those Dancing Girls came from Yuan County. The Adjudicator has classified all Yuan County dancers as suspects with motives, subjecting them to severe interrogation. Your little beauty is also from Yuan County."
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