Ming Yi blinked innocently, “I am already your person, my lord. How can I return home to visit my family in the middle of the banquet?”
“You’ll find a way,” he said affectionately, caressing her cheek. “Nanny Xun hasn’t returned to the main estate for quite some time. If things go smoothly, I’ll let you go back with her.”
Ming Yi sensed something unusual. The family banquet didn’t include outside officials, and Ji Bozai wouldn’t attend either. Why did he insist on her going? Moreover, he offered her the benefit of visiting the main estate, which meant he had a task for her.
Seeing the alertness in her eyes, Ji Bozai gently brushed her hair aside and smiled, “Yi’er, you’re perfect in every way, except you’re too clever.”
Ming Yi replied, “…Aba Aba.”
She was just a fool, not clever at all. She just wanted to stay home and sleep.
He tenderly massaged her straightened waist, “I’ll prepare the most beautiful dresses for you. You’ll love them. Once the banquet is over, I’ll have someone pick you up. You won’t need to do anything.”
Could it be that good?
She looked at him suspiciously, hesitating slightly.
Ji Bozai smirked, “I’ll add five gold bars.”
“When should I leave, my lord? Is it just to visit family, or do I need to stroll around the banquet?” she eagerly wagged her tail.
He chuckled, his eyes sparkling, “If Yi’er wants to see the world, I certainly won’t stop you.”
Understood, everything was voluntary. She wanted to visit her family, and she wanted to stroll around the banquet.
Ming Yi nodded and immediately got up to prepare.
Ji Bozai loved her cleverness; it made things easier.
However, since it was late, he didn’t want to tire anyone out. Seeing that she had chosen her clothes and jewelry and written her family visit letter, he carried her back to bed.
Ming Yi felt a bit resentful. Other women only needed to act coy to enjoy life, but she had to do double the work. Was it because she was both beautiful and charming?
However, Ji Bozai did have a good figure, lean and strong, with excellent skills. It wasn’t a loss, considering hiring someone like him would be quite expensive.
In their intimacy, Master Ji was completely unaware that he was being appraised. He only admired the jade-like skin of the person beneath him and couldn’t help but say, “Be careful, don’t get hurt.”
He loved flawless women, like fine porcelain. A scar would ruin everything.
Ming Yi cursed inwardly. If he didn’t want her to get hurt, he shouldn’t send her out. He wanted her to work but also wanted her unharmed. He had it all figured out.
Outwardly, she smiled sweetly, “I understand, my lord.”
The two of them were affectionate, though their thoughts differed, their bodies were perfectly in sync. For a moment, Ji Bozai even considered holding her like this for a lifetime.
But that impulse quickly faded with the night breeze.
There were countless women in the world, and no one could remain the same forever. He only needed to keep her by his side while she was good. A thought was too light, and a lifetime too long.
At dawn, Nanny Xun lifted the curtains.
Ji Bozai had already left. Ming Yi was half-awake, her black hair spread across the bed, her half-closed phoenix eyes drowsy. Her snow-white wrist tugged at Nanny Xun’s sleeve, the silk sleeve slipping to her elbow.
She murmured coquettishly, “Let me sleep a little longer.”
Nanny Xun shook her head helplessly, “You need to try on and alter your clothes today, and deliver the family visit letter to the inner courtyard. You can’t delay any longer.”
Ming Yi whimpered and rolled around in bed, but eventually got up to wash and dress.
The moment she saw the dress Ji Bozai had prepared, she was instantly awake.
A snow brocade dress in magnolia green, a color not available to ordinary families, made from exquisite material and adorned with masterful embroidery. It was truly eye-catching.
She cheered and went to change.
The waistline was perfect, and the wide sleeves were light. Ming Yi twirled in front of the bronze mirror, nodding in satisfaction, “The lord has excellent taste.”
Nanny Xun also found it beautiful. Ming Yi was the best-dressed person she had ever seen. No matter what she wore, it always suited her perfectly.
She styled her hair and watched as Ming Yi carefully applied her makeup. With arched brows and painted eyes, it took a full hour, but the result was stunning. Her radiant face would make anyone stop and take a second look.
Ming Yi was pleased with herself, cupping her face, “This bronze mirror is truly fortunate to reflect such a beauty as I.”
Nanny Xun was about to praise her but was choked by her self-praise, “You should learn some humility, my lady.”
“It’s just you and me here, Nanny. Who am I being humble for?” she teased. “I just think I’m beautiful. If I weren’t, the lord wouldn’t have brought me back.”
It was true. Master Ji tolerated her chatter mostly because of her looks.
“I have only one good friend in the inner courtyard, named Zhangtai.” Ming Yi handed the family visit letter to Nanny Xun. “She’s frail but favored by the inner court steward. If I say I’m visiting her, they’ll surely allow it. Just make sure to slip some silver to an attendant to deliver it discreetly.”
Ji Bozai wanted to distance himself, so the family visit letter couldn’t go through his channels. Normally, a family visit required an invitation from the inner courtyard, not something outsiders could decide. Nanny Xun thought Ming Yi would be at a loss and had already prepared a way for her.
Unexpectedly, she had her method.
Skeptically, Nanny Xun took the letter and tried her suggestion.
By early afternoon, a response came from the inner courtyard.
“The inner court steward has summoned the lady for a family visit. You can leave tonight.”
Ming Yi nodded, then anxiously grabbed Nanny Xun’s hand, “Once I’m gone, Nanny, please keep an eye on the lord. Don’t let any little vixen steal him away.”
Nanny Xun chuckled, nodding repeatedly.
Though she had some influence over the lord, she was just a servant and couldn’t truly control him. Still, this girl genuinely cared for the lord, and her adorable demeanor softened Nanny Xun’s heart.
With such a girl by his side, how could the lord be interested in anyone else?
Ji Bozai sat by the chessboard with a maid in his arms. Just as he placed a piece, he sneezed.
“Still not over your cold?” Yan Xiao teased.
He waved it off, accepting the handkerchief from the maid, puzzled, “I never had a cold.”
“You’d be better off with a cold,” Yan Xiao sighed. “How could you mistake the deadly herb for worry-free grass?”
Worry-free grass was a poison found only in the palace, but the deadly herb wasn’t. They were very similar, but the deadly herb was readily available outside the palace.
Ji Bozai lowered his eyes, “I was careless.”
“You’re lucky. Anyone else would have been suspected by Judge Zhao as the culprit,” Yan Xiao shook his head. “But now, this case has truly become a mystery. Be careful, the young Yan family boy is impulsive and might cause you trouble.”
“No matter,” he said. “That little bit of power doesn’t concern me.”
“True, the only one who ever caught your attention was the legitimate son of the Ming family in Chaoyang City,” Yan Xiao recalled, feeling a bit regretful. “I wonder where that person has ended up now.”