Mingyi watched from a distance and asked curiously, “What happened to that person?”
“Nothing much. He tried to rob me of my silver, so I had him sent to the authorities,” he said calmly, handing her the pastry.
Mingyi eyed him skeptically, “Do you think I’m a fool?”
Ji Bozai fell silent, then lowered his head slightly and said in a muffled voice, “It’s not my fault if others are interested in me. I’ve already rejected them. Don’t take it to heart.”
“Why would I take such a small matter to heart?” She smiled while eating the pastry. “Back then, when I ran into you embracing someone at Huamanlo, I didn’t get angry. Why would I be angry now?”
Ji Bozai: “…”
If she truly wasn’t angry, she wouldn’t have mentioned it after so long.
He felt somewhat amused and helpless, saying softly, “Indeed. We’re both generous. I’ve never minded that you have thirty people in your back courtyard.”
Mingyi smacked her lips, “I must say, being surrounded by many is quite enjoyable.”
It seemed that no matter how they talked, he would be the one feeling upset.
Ji Bozai pressed his lips together, remaining silent for a while before sighing and gently taking Mingyi’s hand.
Mingyi tried to shake it off but couldn’t, so she let him hold it.
“You have old scores to settle, and so do I. We’re evenly matched in that regard. But from now on, I only want you, and I hope you’ll only think of me. Can we do that?” he said in a low voice.
His words were so quiet that only the two of them could hear. His tone was soft, carrying a pleading note she had never heard before. Mingyi remembered herself from long ago, how she had hoped for the same thing, but he had let her down.
So she smiled and said to him, “I’d like to promise you that, but Zhou Zihong is quite good too.”
His face paled slightly, and Ji Bozai, both annoyed and angry, grabbed her, “What’s so good about him?”
“He wouldn’t grab me so forcefully,” she glanced at his hand.
Ji Bozai let go helplessly, angry but unable to do anything about it.
The young women watching from afar saw that the person who had seemed unapproachable earlier now looked like a young boy, walking backward on the street, his eyes fixed only on the person in front of him.
To be honest, who wouldn’t want a man like that? Unfortunately, the custom of having three wives and four concubines in the six cities had been established for hundreds of years. Here, if a man smiled at a woman, it was considered gentle and considerate. How could they dare to expect men to pursue them so eagerly?
Thinking of this, the young women felt sorry for their Mistress. Their Mistress wasn’t as unreasonable as this young master, dragging someone’s servant away on the street. The Mistress was just quiet but still gentle.
She only planned to marry one Consort and didn’t even keep many women in her back courtyard.
The reason the noble ladies in the city opposed the Mistress establishing this Consort wasn’t because Xiuyun was improper, but because her fate was too good. Not only was she the Consort, but she was also the only woman in the back courtyard.
Every family had three wives and four concubines, but she, the woman with the highest status, had a peaceful life. Who wouldn’t be angry seeing that?
So, they planned to sideline this Consort until she agreed to bring their female relatives into the back courtyard.
However, all these plans were disrupted by the sudden arrival of an esteemed guest.
On the day of Xiuyun’s investiture as Consort, Mingyi was granted a special exception to help Xiuyun with her hair.
As soon as Xiuyun saw her, she was about to cry, but Mingyi pressed her shoulders, “Your makeup looks beautiful, we can’t let it smear. You don’t want to scare your Lord tonight.”
Blushing, Xiuyun chided, “You’re teasing me!”
“I’m happy,” Mingyi touched her wedding dress, her eyes showing a hint of envy. “Marrying the one you love is a joyous occasion.”
Knowing how much she had been through, Xiuyun squeezed her hand.
“You’re a good person,” she said. “You’ll surely get what you want.”
Mingyi looked at her in the bronze mirror, raising an eyebrow and smiling, “What I want now isn’t these things anymore. What I want is grand, and it might take all my energy for the rest of my life.”
Others might not understand what she meant, but Xiuyun did.
When they were forging artifacts in that small courtyard in Muxing City, Mingyi had said that she hoped one day women could openly do business on the streets, support themselves, be on equal footing with their husband’s families, and enter official positions or the Yuan Academy.
Chaoyang City was already showing signs of women being respected. Most of the divine artifacts used for trade were forged by women. As women became wealthy and self-reliant, they had more confidence when choosing husbands, which was envied by women from other cities.
But it wasn’t enough yet. There was still Qingyun and the other five cities.
Xiuyun sighed, “Zheng Tiao was right. I learned some skills from you, but I didn’t learn your vision.”
“There’s no need to learn,” Mingyi smiled. “After today, you’ll be the mother of the city, a role model for the women of Feihua.”
Xiuyun was stunned.
She had been immersed in the joy of becoming Zheng Tiao’s wife but had never thought about what she could do for Feihua City. Mingyi’s words awakened her. She couldn’t just idle away her time in the inner court; she should do something.
Like other cities, Feihua City had noble families with three wives and four concubines, while commoners could hardly afford one wife. Perhaps she could try to find a solution to this situation.
The ceremony began, and Mingyi sent her out.
Xiuyun’s parents had originally had high hopes for her, but later, because she refused to pass on Zheng Tiao’s information to her maternal family, she was seen as a traitor and cut ties with her family. So today, only Mingyi could act as her elder sister and send her off to be married.
However, it was Mingyi’s presence that made the noble ladies waiting outside put away their lazy expressions and bow respectfully in panic.
Xiuyun might have lost her family in Muxing City, but she had one in Chaoyang City. With the city lord personally coming to send her off, who would dare to be disrespectful?
The officials at the altar were also present in full force. The dozen or so who had claimed to be ill earlier were now standing straight, their eyes constantly glancing at Ji Bozai sitting nearby.
He had a strong aura of hostility, making it hard not to suspect he was here to cause trouble.
However, as soon as the Consort appeared, his demeanor suddenly softened.
The City Lord of Chaoyang approached him and asked in a low voice, “The ceremony is lengthy. Does Your Majesty intend to watch it all?”
Ji Bozai pointed to the chair beside him: “Let’s sit and watch. We have nothing else to do anyway.”
Mingyi nodded and sat down.
Then the officials saw their Emperor handing her a cup of tea one moment, a plate of fruits the next, then asking if she wanted some snacks and if she felt cold.
It seemed the rumors that His Majesty was bewitched by a fox spirit were not unfounded!
But if it were someone else, it would be fine. The problem was that it was Mingyi, who was not easy to deal with. No one could impeach her, after all, the Chaoyang City she governed, though relocated and rebuilt, was as prosperous as Zhuyue City.
What could they do? They could only turn a blind eye.
The ceremonial gong sounded three times. Xiuyun and Zheng Tiao stood face to face in front of the ancestral temple, wearing grand red dragon and phoenix brocade robes, slowly bowing three times.