The demotion of Consort Yan left Madame Meng elated, and one could imagine the atmosphere in the Qingyou Palace. As soon as Ji Bozai entered, he saw a teacup shatter at his feet, followed by Consort Yan’s angry, low voice from inside: “That Meng woman! That whore!”
“Your Highness, please stop! Lord Ji has arrived!” a maid exclaimed.
“Which Lord Ji? What Lord Ji? He is Mingxian! He is my Mingxian!” Consort Yan snarled, berating the maid twice before realizing what she had said. She hastily adjusted her hair before turning to the doorway.
Ji Bozai gazed at her with soft eyes and bowed, “I hope you are well Your Highness.”
Consort Yan’s eyes lit up as she rushed to grasp his hand with surprising strength. “You’ve finally acknowledged me?!”
Though her grip was painful, Ji Bozai didn’t pull away. He simply said, “After years apart, we’ve grown distant. Calling you ‘Imperial Mother’ is still difficult, Consort Yan.”
Overjoyed, Consort Yan nodded repeatedly. “It’s fine if you don’t call me that now, or ever. As long as you acknowledge me… Have you seen His Majesty? What did he say?”
“I’ve just come from His Majesty. He said that since I’ve acknowledged you, your status will be restored after the Six Cities Tournament.”
“Excellent! Excellent! You truly are my son, a good child who brings me glory!” Consort Yan beamed, unable to resist asking, “What about Madame Meng?”
“His Majesty has no intention of making her Empress. She’s only temporarily acting as one.”
At the mention of this woman, Yan gritted her teeth. “She’s gotten off easy. That whore must be overjoyed.”
Ji Bozai followed her inside and sat down, asking casually, “Consort Yan, do you dislike Madame Meng?”
“Dislike is an understatement. If she weren’t surrounded by skilled guards, I’d want her dead!” Consort Yan blurted out angrily, then realized her mistake and glanced at him nervously.
Would he think her was too vicious?
To her surprise, he didn’t seem angry. Instead, he shared her animosity: “If Consort Yan dislikes someone, then I shall dislike them too.”
“You…” Consort Yan was puzzled. “I heard from Shan Er that you had quite a history with the former Empress of Muxing City, who was Meng’s associate.”
“We weren’t that close,” he replied. “If Consort Yan needs anything from me, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
Anyone else would have been delighted to hear this, but Consort Yan was skeptical. Being cold-blooded herself, she naturally distrusted such unexpected kindness. Unable to discern Ji Bozai’s motives, she could only respond vaguely, “I understand.”
On the day of the competition, Ming Yi, who had remained at Fanghua Residence, encountered Consort Yan, who had come uninvited.
Out of habit, Ming Yi tensed up at the sight of her.
“What brings Your Highness here?” she asked.
Consort Yan had dressed up for the occasion, her imposing aura no less than before. She gave Ming Yi a contemptuous look as she entered and sat down. “I heard you spent half a year by Ji Bozai’s side.”
Ming Yi didn’t answer, merely watching her enter and take a seat while remaining at the doorway.
Consort Yan frowned. “Are you mute? Even if we’re not mother and daughter, we’re still of the same clan. Surely you know how to respect your elders?”
The veins on Ming Yi’s hand tightened as she asked coldly, “What guidance do you seek?”
“I want to know about Bozai’s connection to Meng in Muxing City,” Consort Yan sneered. “Shan Er’s words were vague, no doubt trying to drive a wedge between my son and me. I want to hear it from you.”
So she needed a favor, yet still acted so haughty?
Ming Yi rolled her eyes and went outside to continue working on her soft iron.
At first, Consort Yan thought she had gone to make tea. After waiting a while with no sign of her return, she went out to find Ming Yi occupied elsewhere. Furious, she exclaimed, “What kind of attitude is this?!”
Pure white Yuan Power enveloped the soft iron, gradually spreading throughout the courtyard. The overwhelming pressure made Consort Yan’s maids lower their heads, and Consort Yan finally realized her mistake.
The person before her was no longer the young girl she could manipulate.
“Fine, you’ve grown wings. How wonderful,” she said, still annoyed. “It’s so difficult to ask you a few questions. I’ve wasted all these years raising you.”
“You’ve received countless rewards and high positions for your family members in return. Hardly a waste,” Ming Yi looked up. “You’ve profited greatly.”
Slightly taken aback, Consort Yan wanted to lash out but held back upon seeing Ming Yi’s reaction. After a moment of silence, she said, “If you’re willing to tell me, I can help you leave Chaoyang City.”
After all, Ming Yi couldn’t stay here. As long as she remained, everyone would remember Consort Yan’s deception of the Emperor. Even if she regained her position as Empress in the future, she wouldn’t command respect. It would be best if Ming Yi never set foot in Chaoyang again.
Ming Yi was quite interested in this offer. “Oh? How do you plan to arrange that?”
“I have a small flying beast carriage,” she replied. “If I give it to you, you can leave anytime.”
Ming Yi had seen that small flying beast carriage before. It was a reward she had won years ago, which Consort Yan had always used for personal matters. Although it could only seat about ten people, it would suffice.
After a moment’s hesitation, Ming Yi set down the soft iron. “When Ji Bozai left the slave camp at eleven, he nearly died from poison. Madame Meng saved him, and he’s considered her his benefactor ever since. When Madame Meng died unjustly, he’s been seeking revenge for her.”
“Revenge?” Consort Yan frowned.
“Ji Bozai is clear about gratitude and grudges. He won’t owe anyone anything. Madame Meng saved his life, so naturally, he’ll do everything to repay that debt.”
Consort Yan stared intently at Ming Yi. After all these years, she could still tell when Ming Yi was lying.
Ming Yi calmly returned her gaze. “If you want him to help you against Madame Meng, it won’t work. He values gratitude. Unless he truly has a change of heart and decides that you, his birth mother, are more important, he won’t help you.”
She wasn’t lying; every word was true.
Consort Yan fell silent.
Ji Bozai had said he would oppose Madame Meng for her sake. Could it be that he truly acknowledged her as his birth mother?
It made sense. Chaoyang City was far more prestigious than the small Muxing City. If he wanted to stay here, he could only acknowledge her, and then mother and son could prosper together.
It was logical, but she needed to test if it was true.
As she rose to leave, Consort Yan turned back and gave Ming Yi a cold look. “I’ve heard about your situation. I don’t care about the past, but from now on, don’t think about getting close to Bozai. He’s the heir of Chaoyang City, and I’ll be the one to choose who surrounds him.”
Ming Yi scoffed.
Even though Consort Yan was no longer Empress, her desire to control others remained strong. In her hands, no one was a person; they were just puppets meant to obey.
Ji Bozai wouldn’t fall for her tactics.
As the door closed, Ming Yi took out the map of Chaoyang City she had just drawn and carefully studied the routes. By dusk, Luo Jiaoyang and the others had returned.
“How frustrating! We could have won, why did we have to let them win?” he fumed, throwing his outer robe onto a chair. “What is Ji Bozai thinking?!”
Qin Shangwu, following behind, didn’t mention the competition. Instead, he quickly approached Ming Yi and glanced at the map on her table. “Can we get out?”