She used to say this often, but Zhang Tai never took it seriously. He thought money was something men always had, so why should she bother earning it? Just secure a man, and she’d want for nothing.
But now, in this predicament, Zhang Tai suddenly wished she had some money of her own. She wouldn’t be so panicked, not knowing where to go, and how to repay Ming Yi in the future.
As she touched her belly, her eyes reddened again.
Ming Yi noticed her expression but said nothing. He simply took her to pay the silver and make her mark on the statement. After completing some tedious procedures, he led her out to the carriage.
“Am I still following you back to the Ji residence?” Zhang Tai asked nervously.
Ming Yi shook his head. “I’ll find you a place to stay.”
Mansions on the bustling streets of the main city were very expensive, but the living quarters attached to shops were more affordable. Ming Yi and Zhang Tai toured the city and chose a location in a somewhat lively area.
Then Zhang Tai watched as Ming Yi, gritting his teeth, took out two gold bars to haggle with the seller.
“You’re buying it outright?” she asked, surprised.
Without turning, Ming Yi replied, “Buying is better than renting. You’ll feel more secure. This area has a lot of foot traffic and good feng shui. If you ever want to start a small business, you can just open the front shop.”
Zhang Tai felt both moved and concerned. She was touched that the frugal Ming Yi would spend so much on her, but worried because she was used to a pampered life and couldn’t handle the hardships of running a business. Either way, she decided she would never open the front shop and would just use it as a small dwelling.
The deal was made, and since the house was already vacant, there was no need to move anything. Once they had the property deed, Ming Yi found some laborers to help clean and furnish the place.
For some reason, Zhang Tai hadn’t felt upset during her argument with Xu Lan, but now, watching Ming Yi bustling about, she felt a lump in her throat.
By nightfall, Zhang Tai was lying on the bed in the back room.
On the table were 3,000 bei coins Ming Yi had left for her. The candlelight made them shimmer slightly. As Zhang Tai stared at them, she finally broke down and began to sob.
When Ming Yi returned to the mansion, the servants’ gazes were filled with sympathy.
It couldn’t be helped. Women in the Qing Yun realm couldn’t live well without men. Being publicly abandoned like her was truly pitiful. They wondered how she would manage in the future.
She played along, meeting their eyes and weeping back to Liu Zhao Jun’s quarters, perfectly embodying the image of a pitiful woman.
But as soon as she entered, she saw someone sitting by the table.
“My Lord?” She raised an eyebrow in surprise.
In the dappled light and shadow, Ji Bozai turned his head, his refined brows and bright eyes fixed on her. He was still wearing the crimson robe from the Hua Man Lou, carrying the lingering scent of the courtesans’ powder.
Ming Yi’s nose wrinkled almost imperceptibly.
“What?” His keen eyes caught it, and he snorted lightly. “Do you dare to disdain even your lord now?”
“How could I? My Lord is teasing this slave again.” She grinned foolishly, closed the door, and approached him. “Madam Xun said you wouldn’t be back for half a month. This slave was just surprised.”
He had never seen such an expression of “surprise” before.
Snorting with laughter, Ji Bozai reached out and pulled her onto his lap by the waist. “Yi’er put on quite a show last night.”
She leaned against his shoulder coyly and asked, “Did my Lord enjoy it?”
“I enjoyed it so much that I couldn’t wait to come back and see you.” He tilted her chin up to examine her. “Where are you hurt?”
“Knowing my Lord dislikes seeing this slave injured, how could I dare to get hurt?” She blinked proudly. “Only my eyes are sore from crying. If my Lord could…”
If only he could give her more gold bars.
Before she could finish, he leaned down and pressed his cold lips to her eyelids, making her eyelashes flutter.
The candle on the table flickered in the breeze and dimmed. The starlight outside cast a beautiful halo on his elegant profile. He reached out with his other hand to support the back of her head, making a soft sound in his throat.
For some reason, Ming Yi felt he was somewhat emotional.
It was strange. Someone like Ji Bozai shouldn’t easily reveal his true feelings. Even when they had been intimate before, it had seemed more like an act, unclear and distant.
But now, on such an ordinary night, the hand gripping her waist was warm.
Confusion filled her eyes as he kissed her. Ming Yi thought that this lord’s preferences were truly hard to fathom. Could it be that rather than delicate beauties, he preferred those who could burn down houses?
If only he had said so earlier. She could have burned down the outhouse next door too, and he might be even more moved now.
“I went to the storehouse earlier,” Ji Bozai said after their tender moment, loosening his hold on her slightly. “How did you come up with the idea to burn it?”
She knew he would ask her this. Ming Yi averted her eyes guiltily.
At that critical moment, when Twenty-Seven had just informed her of the situation, Si Tu Ling was already at the door. She had no other choice but to use her Yuan power to locate the wooden boxes containing the fabrics in the storehouse, concentrate her power into the fire, and burn them clean.
However, she couldn’t let Ji Bozai know about Twenty-Seven’s report or that she knew the fabrics were gifts from Duke Gong.
Ming Yi thought hard and could only play dumb: “In a noble household, there are bound to be some questionable possessions. This slave saw that the official from the Justice Hall had arrived, and my Lord was not in the mansion. Fearing something might happen to implicate my Lord, which would be this slave’s fault for not managing the household well, I simply had someone burn down the storehouse.”
“That doesn’t sound like you,” he didn’t believe a word of it. “You love money so much, yet instead of hiding things, you thought of burning them?”
“There was no time to hide anything then. Besides, there’s an inventory list. If anything was missing, it would draw more attention.”
“So you knew about the inventory list.” Ji Bozai sneered lightly. “Then what use was burning things?”
Ming Yi nearly bit her tongue, feeling both fearful and irritated by her guilt: “This slave has done a meritorious deed after all. If my Lord won’t reward me, that’s fine, but to come back just to question me…”
People often behave this way, getting angry first when guilty to turn the tables and make the other person feel remorseful, so they won’t pursue the matter further.
However, Ji Bozai didn’t fall for this tactic.
“Merit deserves reward. Your achievement today is worth five gold bars,” he said.
Her eyes lit up, and she was about to express her gratitude when she heard the second half of his statement: “But if you’re hiding anything from me, these five gold bars will be considered a balance of merit and fault.”
…He might as well have said outright that he didn’t want to give them to her.
Ming Yi puffed out her cheeks: “What could this slave be hiding from my Lord? This mansion is my Lord’s mansion. How could there be anything my Lord doesn’t know about?”
“There certainly are things,” Ji Bozai lowered his eyes. “For instance, someone who is a Yuan power fighter pretending to be incapable of anything, staying in the mansion with unknown intentions.”
“…” The blood in her body froze for a moment. Ming Yi slowly looked up, meeting his inquiring gaze.