Ji Bozai wanted to convince himself to let her go. Things had come this far; even if he forced her to stay, she wouldn’t complete the ceremony with him. But his feet were too heavy to move. He stood rigidly by their wedding carriage, his festive robes billowing in the wind, the dragon pattern matching hers like a cruel joke.
Ji Bozai raised his hand, issuing a challenge to Zhou Zihong.
Ming Yi’s expression changed, and she immediately issued a challenge to Ji Bozai as well. Her protective stance made it clear she feared he would harm her beloved.
He smiled: “You think you can beat me with your help?”
Ming Yi also smiled: “I don’t think that. I just want to die together with him.”
Ji Bozai: “…”
He hid his trembling fingertips in his sleeves, regaining his composure: “If that’s what you want, I’ll grant your wish.”
The Azure Dragon emerged from behind him, roaring to the heavens.
“Your Majesty!” Yan Xiao rushed forward, grabbing his hand. “Please reconsider!”
“Reconsider what?” he asked coldly.
“With important matters at hand, City Lord Ming can’t be harmed,” Yan Xiao said anxiously. “Besides, there are so many people watching here.”
Indeed, so many people were witnessing his humiliation, and she was still heartless enough to do this.
Ji Bozai lowered his eyes, withdrawing the Mysterious Dragon. Suddenly feeling exhausted, he said: “Forget it.”
Ming Yi frowned at him, also withdrawing her challenge: “Is Your Majesty willing to let us pass?”
“When I married, you hated that I hid it from you. Today, as you marry, I hate that you didn’t want to hide it from me,” he said hoarsely. “Ming Yi, in this life, I, Ji Bozai, have only ever loved you. I want to spend the rest of my life making it up to you – sharing the same bed in life and the same grave in death, never parting.”
His voice, infused with Yuan Power, carried across half of Chaoyang City.
Ming Yi’s heart skipped a beat as she looked at him in disbelief: “Have you gone mad?”
Such a public declaration would only further humiliate him. How could his proud nature allow this?
“If I don’t say it now, I’ll never have the chance,” he said. “You’re determined to marry someone you don’t love, and I can’t stop you. But I’ll wait for you until you let go of your old grudges and are willing to give me another chance.”
Zhou Zihong’s hand on his knee tightened slightly.
Ming Yi narrowed her eyes: “Thank you, Your Majesty, but Zihong is the one I love.”
“I don’t believe you,” Ji Bozai scoffed. “I’ve been loved by you. I know what you look like when you truly love someone. With him, at most, you’re just interested.”
With that, he stepped back, allowing their wedding carriage to proceed.
Ming Yi felt unsettled. She slammed the carriage window shut and stared at the dragon pattern on her robe, lost in thought.
As she had wished, today Ji Bozai had tasted the embarrassment and disappointment she felt when she learned the truth back then. The resentment in her heart was finally vented.
Yet, somehow, she couldn’t feel happy about it.
“Did the Judicial Minister suddenly want to marry me just to get revenge on him?” the man beside her suddenly spoke.
Ming Yi came back to her senses and looked down at him: “It’s impossible to say there wasn’t that purpose, given the resentment in my heart. But to say it was entirely for that reason isn’t true either.”
Zhou Zihong nodded, his lips pale: “People always become greedier. Before, I thought it was good enough that the Judicial Minister could live in my Yi Qi Residence. Later, I thought it would be good to marry the Judicial Minister. Then, I wanted to be the only one in the Judicial Minister’s heart.”
Ming Yi turned to look at him.
Zhou Zihong smiled faintly, lowering his eyes: “Love isn’t something grand. It’s full of selfishness and possessiveness, causing jealousy and resentment. Even I am no exception.”
“His Majesty said I’m gentle and considerate, but that’s only part of me. I’m also stubborn and biased, angry and unwilling,” he asked. “If it’s all of me, does the Judicial Minister still want to marry?”
Ming Yi was at a loss for a moment. Before she could speak, the man beside her chuckled softly: “So he wasn’t wrong. You’re marrying someone you don’t love. What you like is gentleness and consideration, not Zhou Zihong.”
As the carriage wheels rolled forward, Ming Yi opened her mouth to argue but felt at a loss for words.
One may only fall in love once in a lifetime. Any subsequent stirrings of the heart are merely compromises. She couldn’t summon the same passion she initially had for Ji Bozai for those who came after, having already exhausted her heart. She knew this wasn’t fair to those who came later, but she had no choice.
One could muddle through life, but Zhou Zihong seemed unwilling to remain in the dark.
The wedding carriage drove through the open gates of the inner court. Outside, there was a clamor of congratulatory voices, but inside the carriage was dead silence, neither of them speaking again.
***
The day of the campaign arrived quickly. By the time Cang Xue City received the news, Ji Bozai had already led the vanguard to the ferry crossing.
Typically, after ascending the throne, an emperor’s bloodthirst would diminish, and they would no longer favor leading troops personally, given the risks to their person and the state.
But when the scout returned to report to the inner court, he was pale-faced: “His Majesty has gone mad.”
Ji Bozai was like the King of Hell incarnate. Not only did he charge at the forefront, but he also slaughtered enemies like cutting vegetables, his advance unstoppable even when wounded.
Influenced by him, the 5,000-strong vanguard’s morale soared, directly breaching the city walls defended by 20,000 men.
The Lord of Cang Xue City had originally wanted to question him about that Cang Xue merchant who had committed a crime, harboring many grievances to air. But seeing this spectacle, he hurriedly dispatched envoys to sue for peace.
“With the six cities unified, Cang Xue is naturally my territory. I bring people to my land yet face obstruction and you still talk to me about peace?” Ji Bozai wiped the blood from his face and sneered. “Keep fighting until the last gate of your Cang Xue falls.”
The Mysterious Dragon soared through the clouds, black Yuan Power spreading, slowly enveloping the city tower in a bloody mist.
As soon as Ming Yi alighted from the beast cart, Yan Xiao dragged her to the front lines.
“He’s been mad since your wedding day. We can’t stop him. General Qin says the murderous aura around him grows heavier by the day. Fearing he might massacre the city, we can only ask you to persuade him.”
If he looked closely, Yan Xiao would have noticed Ming Yi’s face was also very pale. But he didn’t look, only anxiously pointing at the black figure at the front lines.
Without a word, Ming Yi set up her protective barrier and flew towards him.
Heads rolled on the ground, the sword in his hand already notched. Ji Bozai panted heavily, sensing someone behind him. With bloodshot eyes, he swung his sword back.
However, when the blade was an inch from the person, he forcibly stopped.
Ming Yi stood behind him, frowning at the blood on his body.
There was too much; his sky-blue robe had been dyed black, blood still dripping from its hem.
The murderous intent on his face paused. Ji Bozai slowly calmed down, his expression gradually returning to normal. He planted his sword on the ground: “Why are you here?”
“Your subject has brought 130,000 reinforcements to support you,” she took out a military tally from her sleeve. “Please command us, Your Majesty.”
Coldly eyeing the tally, Ji Bozai turned and raised his sword again: “Keep it yourself.”