Nanny Xun didn’t understand why this spectacle was worth watching. People seeing it would only gossip about her falling out of favor.
However, Ming Yi was adamant. She dressed up carefully and went to wait at the street corner.
With the fire at the mansion today, there were already many people gossiping around. Seeing a heavenly beauty standing there, passersby couldn’t help but ask those nearby about her.
“Who is that?”
“Must be Master Ji’s beautiful concubine. The mansion caught fire, so she’s probably out here waiting to beg forgiveness.”
“How pitiful. If one has a daughter, it’s better not to let her become someone’s concubine.”
Despite saying this, everyone still couldn’t help but steal extra glances at her.
A beauty like jade, a beauty like snow, standing there so charmingly and expectantly – who could bear not to return?
Ji Bozai could.
He stood on the balcony of Hua Man Lou, holding the hand of the top courtesan, tossing handfuls of coins to the crowd below.
The yellow and white shells, tied with thin red strings, were celebratory money for the courtesan’s deflowering.
The common folk below scrambled for the coins, then looked up enviously at the noble figure above.
The courtesan, coy yet proud, leaned against Ji Bozai’s chest, tracing circles with her finger. “My lord is so generous~”
He chuckled softly, holding her delicate hand. “Since this one has passed the imperial examinations tonight, I certainly won’t mistreat you.”
With that, he scattered several more pouches of coins below.
Originally, ordinary people rarely joined in such revelry, as the celebratory money from brothels wasn’t considered clean. But Ji Bozai gave so much that even passersby couldn’t resist picking up a handful.
And so, the news of Master Ji deflowering the top courtesan spread far and wide.
“Master, the fire at the mansion has been extinguished. We’re calculating the losses now,” Bu Xiu approached from behind, asking quietly, “Do you want to go back and take a look?”
Ji Bozai tapped the railing, humming a light tune, and replied carelessly, “No need. Send some masons to repair it. I’ll return when it’s fixed.”
Even the courtesan Qing Li looked at him upon hearing this. “My lord’s mansion…”
“It’s fine,” he lifted her chin, “Right now, you’re the most important.”
Blushing and lowering her eyes, Qing Li pushed him away playfully. “This slave will go bathe and change first.”
Ji Bozai made way for her, watching her graceful departure. Her gauzy clothes brushed his palm, leaving a tingling sensation.
He chuckled softly, his eyes distant and calm.
The wind was strong on the balcony. After the crowd dispersed from grabbing coins, the entire street grew much quieter. In the distance, the lights of Er Jiu Street flickered dimly, hard to make out clearly.
Ji Bozai suddenly asked, “Did she say anything?”
Bu Xiu bowed. “Miss Ming said the boxes of clothing materials gifted by Duke Gong were all burned clean. She told us not to worry.”
Arson might be a crude method, but it was the most effective one at the moment.
A hint of amusement touched his eyes as he asked, “How did she burn them?”
Si Tu Ling had been to the house, making it difficult to set a fire without leaving traces. Moreover, deliberate arson usually involves oil or alcohol, easily detectable after the fire is extinguished. Yet so far, there had been no news.
Bu Xiu shook his head. “This servant arrived late and didn’t see. Nanny Xun said she didn’t know how the fire started either. Everyone was in the front courtyard when the fire suddenly broke out in the storeroom. No arsonist was caught. After the fire, the Department of Judgment inspected but found no signs of human intervention. They concluded it was due to the hot weather.”
How could a storeroom built in a cool, dry place catch fire due to hot weather? She must have set up some small mechanism.
But how did she know that Duke Gong’s gift box would be investigated?
There was some confusion in his eyes, but more delight.
He liked clever people, especially attractive clever people. He particularly liked attractive, clever people who kept him in their hearts.
“Did she say anything else?” he asked.
Bu Xiu looked puzzled. “What?”
He clicked his tongue lightly. “I’m not going back. Didn’t she send any message?”
Surely she would ask pitifully why he wasn’t returning, or if he had found someone else.
Bu Xiu: “No.”
Ji Bozai:?
He couldn’t understand. “Why not?”
Whether he returned or not was one thing, but whether she cared was another matter entirely.
Bu Xiu shook his head. “This servant doesn’t know, but Miss Ming still went to the corner to wait for you. There are many people on that road today, so she’s likely to be gossiped about.”
He said this with a hint of confusion in his voice, also feeling like Ming Yi’s actions were unnecessary, just like Nanny Xun. But for some reason, when Ji Bozai heard this, he was momentarily stunned before breaking into laughter.
“Master?” Bu Xiu was perplexed.
Ji Bozai leaned on the railing, laughing for quite a while, his eyes twinkling. “I picked up a treasure at that banquet, to have brought her back with me.”
With events unfolding so suddenly, she could still be in sync with him from such a distance. Ordinary women rarely have such quick wit. Only she could think to distance herself from him, pretending to have fallen out of favor, to weather this storm.
Those people kept investigating Ming Yi simply because they suspected he had instructed her to harm the clan members. If the two appeared to be on bad terms, even if the case were brought before the Grand Secretary in the future, it would just be a matter of a dancer committing murder, unable to implicate him. Once he couldn’t be implicated, they would have no clear motive for her murder, and naturally couldn’t convict her.
The logic was simple enough but for a fragile and pitiful girl to be suddenly estranged, who wouldn’t be heartbroken?
Ming Yi could. Not only could she do it, but she also took the initiative to cooperate with him, displaying her misery for all to see.
The wind blew past the golden lanterns hanging on the edge of the balcony, making the carved copper pieces chime.
Ji Bozai gazed at the patterns above, suddenly wanting to bring the lantern back for Ming Yi. However, according to the plan, he shouldn’t return for half a month.
“Master, Miss Qing Li is ready,” a maid came to report.
Withdrawing his gaze, Ji Bozai acknowledged and took a couple of steps towards the room, then seemed to lose interest. “Bu Xiu, I’m a bit tired.”
Bu Xiu immediately understood the implication and said miserably, “Master, I’m afraid I can’t handle the blessing of the top courtesan.”
“It’s just two eyes and a mouth,” he clicked his tongue. “Just don’t let anyone get suspicious.”
Bu Xiu resigned himself and reluctantly agreed.
Although the master was romantic, he wasn’t a man of excessive desire. Moreover, bedroom activities affected cultivation. He would only personally engage when in the mood; otherwise, he mostly had Bu Xiu cover for him.
But this time, Bu Xiu couldn’t understand. They had already come out, with no plans to return soon. Surely the master didn’t intend to abstain every night?
Ji Bozai couldn’t figure out what was wrong with himself either. The flesh he had bought at a high price suddenly seemed tasteless. Qing Li’s charms were all too familiar, far inferior to even half of Ming Yi’s allure.
Originally, taking a break wouldn’t have mattered, but Qing Li’s room was too heavily scented with rouge. Once he went in, he would inevitably be tainted by the smell. If he returned early, wouldn’t it just upset the one waiting in his courtyard for no reason?