"Sir!" Buxiu, supporting Granny Xun who was walking slowly, saw the scene as soon as they entered and rushed in to grab Ji Bozhai's arm in alarm. "Sir, please stop!"
"Even you plead for her?" Ji Bozhai was furious, his gaze sharp as knives at anyone.
Buxiu was startled and quickly knelt down. "This humble one doesn't know what offense Ming Guniang has committed, but without her earlier, both I and Granny Xun would have died."
With that, he kowtowed three times with loud thuds.
The pressure on her neck eased, and Mingyi slid to the ground, gasping for breath before breaking into violent coughs.
"What did those words mean?" Ji Bozhai asked, his anger still simmering.
Mingyi sat with her back to him, coughing into her sleeve, unable to answer—or perhaps unwilling to.
Buxiu hastily explained, "When the fire broke out, I was brewing medicine, and Granny Xun was watching over your lunch. The kitchen was already hot with flames, so no one noticed at first. By the time we realized the fire had spread outside, it was almost too late to escape."
"Granny Xun's leg was crushed by a falling beam, and I was exhausted. If Ming Guniang hadn't arrived in time, the collapsing wall beam at the entrance would have killed us both!"
Ji Bozhai listened, then turned to Mingyi. "Weren't you at the Situ residence? How coincidental that you returned just in time."
"I left in a hurry and forgot something, so I came back for it," Mingyi said coldly.
"What was it?"
"Gifts for my family—some embroidery."
How convenient. The embroidery must have been completely burned, leaving no trace.
Ji Bozhai scoffed, turning her around and gripping her chin. "Every coincidence in the world seems to favor you. You leave, and the residence catches fire. They're in danger, and you just happen to save them. You and Twenty-Seven go to Cyan Tile Courtyard, and it becomes the site of arson."
"Before you, no one left Cyan Tile Courtyard alive except me. Tell me, how can I believe you weren't the one who set the fire?"
Mingyi sighed. "Sir, the simplest point—what benefit would burning your residence bring me?"
He paused, his gaze darkening. "What else? You wanted my life."
If he hadn't dreamed of Cyan Tile Courtyard in trouble and woken with a pounding heart, urging him to check, she might have succeeded today.
"Your life is valuable to Star Yearn City and to other cities," she said, lowering her eyes. "But to me, only my own life is precious."
She wouldn't engage in a losing venture.
Ji Bozhai sneered. She always had excuses to absolve herself. But this time, he wouldn't believe her—or soften. He couldn't keep someone who wanted him dead by his side, no matter how beautiful she was.
"Send her to the Situ residence," he waved dismissively. "Since Situ Ling said he'd provide her a place, let her stay there. No need to return."
"Sir?" Granny Xun exclaimed in surprise.
Ji Bozhai raised his hand. "I'm sparing her life only out of respect for Da Si."
Mingyi nodded and stood. "I’ve been indebted to your care these days. Please allow me to take Twenty-Seven with me.""Take him away. If you were to reveal what you've seen and heard in my residence to others, wouldn't I have to suffer another fire?" he sneered. "Seeing how much you care for him, I'll keep him by my side. As long as you remain silent, I'll ensure his safety."
Narrowing her phoenix eyes, Mingyi finally showed a hint of anger: "If I wanted to say anything, would you still be sitting here safely?"
The murder case involving Prince Ping alone would be enough to drag him to the Hall of Judgment.
"If you say anything at all, he won't be living peacefully in the courtyard anymore," Ji Bozhai waved his hand. "I don't like bargaining with people."
Mingyi gritted her teeth.
She should have let three more knives strike his forehead—see if he'd still have the energy to sit here and sneer at her.
"Then I'll take my leave," she turned and walked away.
"Don't let the door hit you," he didn't even look up.
Buxiu and Granny Xun watched anxiously from the side, but this was their master's own affair, and as servants, they couldn't say much. They could only murmur weakly, "Ming Guniang saved many servants today."
"Yes, playing the good girl in front of you while trying to kill me," Ji Bozhai said with pale lips. "What a fine young lady."
Buxiu dared not say another word.
At this critical moment, Ji Bozhai's assassination attempt immediately pointed fingers at the envoys from the Upper Three Cities. Coupled with Bo Yuankui's unauthorized intrusion into the inner courtyard and assault on Da Si, Star Yearn City was seething with public outrage.
"Should the Lower Three Cities be bullied like this? Beating people, killing—and targeting our best Fighters in Star Yearn."
"Afraid of losing, just like the Ming family. The best way not to lose to us is to not let us compete at all."
"Despicable! Shameless!"
"Get out of Star Yearn City!"
By the time She Tianlin reached the Situ residence, his protective shield was nearly pierced by the rotten vegetables hurled in the streets.
He entered and took a seat, brushing off his robes while muttering, "What a mess."
Situ Ling elegantly poured him a cup of tea and smiled. "Adjudicator Dan owes you a new set of clothes."
Taking the tea, She Tianlin was puzzled. "What does he have to do with this?"
"Yesterday, when Ming-jiejie returned to Ji's residence, she told me to check on her if she hadn't returned in half an hour. I did as she said. And guess what? I happened to see Adjudicator Dan's beast-drawn carriage."
That day, the streets were crowded with onlookers, making the roads extremely narrow. Situ Ling's carriage took nearly half an hour just to reach the entrance of Erjiu Street. From afar, he spotted Dan Er's beast-drawn carriage leaving from the teahouse at the street's end.
At that distance, unless Dan Er had been there before the fire started, his carriage wouldn't have been able to pass through so quickly.
"Aside from the culprit, no one would wait at the scene of a crime in advance," Situ Ling said seriously.
She Tianlin couldn't make sense of it. "Sunspire City lost the championship this year because Ming Xian's sudden absence left no one to replace him. Besides, apart from Ji Bozhai, the Upper Three Cities still have Bo Yuankui. Why would Dan Er go to such lengths to assassinate someone?"
"Who knows? But based on the current evidence, he's the prime suspect," Situ Ling sighed. "The matter between Bo Yuankui and Da Si hasn't been resolved yet, and now this. Star Yearn is truly plagued by misfortune."
She Tianlin couldn't care less about Star Yearn's misfortunes. He was here only to see Mingyi.
"Where is she?" he asked.
Situ Ling pointed to the backyard. "She burned her hand. Just applied medicine and slept for two hours.""Ji Bozhai is truly despicable. With such a major incident happening in his household, how could he just drive Mingyi out? Those who don't know might think Mingyi was the one who set the fire." She Tianlin was fuming. "I really don't know what she sees in him."
"Indeed," Situ Ling sighed. "Ji Bozhai is cunning and ruthless, unlike me—innocent, adorable, pure-hearted, and honest."
She Tianlin: ?
The same person who dared to trick him out of his Kaleidoscope at a welcoming banquet when he was only fifteen or sixteen—how could he claim to be innocent and pure-hearted?
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