With just one glance, Ming Yi felt her heart skip a beat. It was such a captivating face – eyebrows like distant mountains, lips tinted with vermilion, a red mole between the brows, and a straight, high nose bridge. Though his figure seemed frail, he exuded an air of heroism.
He was strangely appealing.
Bai Ying behind her was quite perceptive. Seeing this, he had someone help the man down and settle him in the back courtyard.
Ming Yi turned her head and met Zhou Zihong’s gaze, blinking: “I’m just looking, not touching him.”
“As long as the Empress is happy,” he said calmly.
Knowing he would be upset, Ming Yi guiltily poured him some wine and said softly, “I’ll still go to your place tonight.”
His expression softened slightly, and Zhou Zihong turned his head away.
Ming An drank happily and went straight to bed upon returning. Zhou Zihong held Ming Yi’s hand and led her back to his residence.
“Does the Empress like that dancer?” he asked straightforwardly.
Ming Yi mumbled vaguely, “He just looks pleasing to the eye, and he’s injured, so I’ll take care of him a bit.”
Zhou Zihong looked at her deeply and said, “That person resembles Ji Bozai seven parts out of ten.”
“Ah?” Ming Yi looked up at the sky, “I didn’t notice.”
She must have noticed. Her momentary shock when she first saw him clearly showed she thought of Ji Bozai.
Didn’t she say she didn’t like him anymore? Didn’t she say she had let go? Then why, upon seeing someone like this, was her first reaction not to send him away, but to take him into the back courtyard?
Ming Yi fell silent. After a long while, she sighed, “The moon is a thousand miles away, can’t I even look at a lamp?”
“How does the Empress know he isn’t a ploy from that person in the palace?”
“Even if it’s his ploy, what of it? I’m not getting involved with that person, just keeping him around to look at,” Ming Yi was getting impatient, “Why do you always try to control me so much?”
Zhou Zihong was stunned, then lowered his eyes.
The atmosphere became awkward, and Ming Yi turned and left.
She had taken him into the back courtyard for amusement, not to find trouble. Whoever gave her trouble, she would stay away from them.
…
“Zhou Zihong has fallen out of favor.”
This was the happy news Ji Bozai heard on his first day out of the sick bed.
He counted the days and sneered, “He didn’t even last a month.”
“The new dancer, Lin Huan, has gained favor, but hasn’t been given a rank yet,” Bu Xiu lowered his eyes, “This servant can’t understand the young lady’s thoughts anymore.”
“What’s there to not understand? Her taking him in means she still has me in her heart,” Ji Bozai changed clothes and washed up, leaving in a good mood, “Knowing this is enough for me.”
How glorious Zhou Zihong had been before, able to serve in her bedchamber every day, rising from Talented Consort to Noble Consort in just half a month. Today, he wanted to see what a Noble Consort without favor looked like.
Of course, as the lord of six cities, he couldn’t just go to Ming Yi’s back courtyard without reason. That wouldn’t be proper. He found a very good excuse, saying he was inspecting the six cities, starting with Chaoyang City.
When Ming Yi received the news, she didn’t even look up: “Let Master go receive him, I’m busy today.”
Chaoyang City had already started moving to the floating island, and many things needed her attention. She didn’t have time to entertain his whims.
Bai Ying was a bit troubled: “Master Shu is teaching today, he’s not free either.”
Ming Yi paused: “What about Si Tu Ling?”
“He’s hearing a case.”
“Zhou Zihong?”
Bai Ying finally nodded: “He’s free, but…”
“No buts, tell him to deal with it for me,” Ming Yi waved her hand, “After it’s done, give him a branch of coral just tribute from the border city.”
“Yes.”
As she was revising memorials, Ming Yi suddenly raised her head.
This wasn’t right. How could Zhou Zihong be a match for Ji Bozai? What if Ji Bozai killed him?
Hurriedly finishing the last few memorials, she stood up and quickly walked out: “Where have they gone? Lead the way, lead the way.”
Ji Bozai and Zhou Zihong stood on the inner city wall, gazing at the streets of Chaoyang City.
“The weather has warmed up recently, I didn’t expect Lord Zhou to still be so cold all over,” Ji Bozai smirked, looking into the distance, “Is your blanket too thin?”
“Thank you for Your Majesty’s concern. This subject’s body is weak and often catches colds,” Zhou Zihong retorted expressionlessly.
“Oh? Is it because you caught a cold that you’ve recently fallen out of favor?” He smiled without mirth.
Zhou Zihong glanced at him: “This lowly subject dares not say so. If the cold were to get better but I still couldn’t gain the Empress’s favor, wouldn’t that just invite embarrassment?”
Ji Bozai’s eyes grew slightly cold: “You’re very bold.”
He had never been challenged like this in his life.
“Your Majesty flatters me. Without some courage, one couldn’t be the Empress’s Noble Consort.”
“There can be many Noble Consorts, you’re just one of them,” Ji Bozai said leisurely, “Si Tu Ling is a Noble Consort, and Lin Huan will be one in the future. She doesn’t have you in her heart, you’re just one of the tools she’s using to spite me.”
“Your Majesty is indeed the lord of six cities, with such confidence. We subjects can’t learn that,” Zhou Zihong said, “It’s understandable. Your Majesty has always been favored, so you can’t accept that the Empress doesn’t have you in her heart.”
“If she didn’t have me in her heart, Lin Huan wouldn’t have entered the inner court.”
“If she had you in her heart, I wouldn’t be a Noble Consort today.”
“…”
Ji Bozai suddenly felt very annoyed.
He was a fighter with dark-colored Yuan Power, the lord of six cities. Why was he arguing about these trivial matters with a weak scholar? People he didn’t like, he would just kill them. It had always been like this. Why was he hesitating now?
Just as this thought arose, Ji Bozai saw Zhou Zihong lean half his body towards the outside of the city wall.
“What are you doing?” He frowned.
“Does Your Majesty want to make a bet with me?” Zhou Zihong looked at the person approaching in the distance and smiled slightly.
“Bet on what?”
“Bet on who’s more important in her heart, you or me.”
Absurd, was there even a need to bet on this? He was about to speak when the person in front of him directly fell towards the outside of the city wall.
The falling body didn’t hesitate at all as it tumbled down.
Ji Bozai was shocked by his action and instinctively jumped after him, intending to catch him.
However, a pure white figure from the distance came faster and more fiercely, catching the falling Zhou Zihong in mid-air and holding him tightly.
Ji Bozai stared at her face in astonishment.
Ming Yi’s eyes showed anxiety, worry, and anger, but no trace of him.
She brought Zhou Zihong to the ground, scolding angrily, “How can you be so careless? It’s such a high place, and you don’t have Yuan Power. What were you thinking swaying around like that!”
Zhou Zihong sat on the ground, allowing her to scold him, but his gaze passed over her shoulder, looking directly at him.
He didn’t say a word, and there wasn’t much smugness in his eyes, but as Ji Bozai looked at him, he felt an inexplicable anger rising within him.
“He jumped down himself,” he said to Ming Yi.
Ming Yi didn’t even turn her head, seemingly too lazy to argue with him, only saying, “We’ve disturbed Your Majesty, it’s this subject’s fault.”
“Even if you only consider me as Your Majesty, you should have saved me first just now,” he lowered his eyes.
Zhou Zihong was right, he was used to being favored. This feeling of being abandoned, he couldn’t accept it.