Six strings of pearls of varying sizes hung at the entrance of Liu Zhao Jun’s main chamber. When he touched them, they chimed.
Ming Yi thought her ears might be playing tricks on her, as she seemed to hear Ji Bozai explaining that he hadn’t touched anyone else in the sound of the pearls.
Ridiculous. Why would he explain such things? Staying at Hua Man Lou for half a month wasn’t to pray for the dead; how could he have done nothing?
So she simply smiled and said, “Take care, my Lord.”
Ji Bozai thought he had explained himself clearly and felt slightly relieved. But after walking a short distance, he felt a bit regretful.
Would saying this make her too smug? He shouldn’t have said anything.
But after a few more steps, he thought it was good to clarify. Ming Yi was somewhat of a cleanliness freak. If she thought he was unclean, she might not let him get close in the future, which would be a shame.
Yet a few steps further, he thought, she’s just a little dancer after all. How could she have so many whims? If he wanted to get close, how could she refuse?
Bu Xiu followed behind, watching his usually composed and calm lord stop and start on the corridor, his brows furrowing at times and smiling at others.
“…” He looked quite abnormal from any angle.
Looking back at Miss Ming in the room was much better. She stood at the threshold, watching the lord leave with a face full of tenderness.
However, Ming Yi thought that she could touch things others had touched, but she would never touch things she had touched that others then touched. So she decided she wouldn’t sleep with Ji Bozai anymore. Maybe she should drug him in the future.
For her right now, men weren’t the most important thing. The most important was her unfinished task.
After the mansion’s misfortune, they quickly received renovation funds from the inner court. As Madam Xun began arranging for masons, Ming Yi followed her to scout near the study.
It must be said that Ji Bozai, as the most anticipated fighter in all of Mu Xing City, had his study full of various cultivation crystals and related documents, all things that only top-tier fighters could understand.
Because of the matter with Duke Ping, Madam Xun had lowered her guard against Ming Yi, no longer following her constantly and allowing her to move about the mansion. So Ming Yi took the opportunity to use the bathroom as an excuse to find two Mu Xing City-specific cultivation scrolls in Ji Bozai’s study.
The cultivation scrolls were thick, and it was impossible to take them back inconspicuously, so she could only flip through them on the spot.
After quickly scanning dozens of pages, a stone suddenly hit the nearby window.
Ming Yi froze, slowly put the scroll back in its place, then went forward and opened the window a crack.
“Beware of Si Tu Ling,” Twenty-Seven stood outside, his dark face covered in a thin sheen of sweat. “He’s young but knows a lot.”
If she remembered correctly, Twenty-Seven was now constantly watched by Bu Xiu. He had taken such a risk to come find her, just to say this one sentence?
Ming Yi was puzzled, but before she could ask more, Twenty-Seven darted away and disappeared.
She didn’t linger either, picking up her skirts and running back to the vicinity of the outhouse before slowing her pace to walk out with a swaying gait.
Madam Xun stood outside the green-tiled courtyard, staring absent-mindedly at the gray tiles. Ming Yi walked to her side, followed her gaze, and asked innocently, “Is there some treasure hidden in there?”
Slightly startled, Madam Xun lowered her head: “The Lord cares little for gold and silver. What treasure could there be? Besides, this dilapidated courtyard, what could it hide?”
It did seem so. This courtyard looked like an old residence that hadn’t been renovated.
Perhaps Madam Xun was just worrying that keeping this area would look unsightly, but renovating it would cost too much silver.
Ming Yi nodded and didn’t ask further, only saying, “The mansion is in chaos and busy today. May I go out to see Zhang Tai?”
“Shouldn’t you be despondent in the mansion for a few days?” Madam Xun was puzzled.
“What use is being despondent in the mansion? I need to go out so people can see,” she smiled. “Besides, Zhang Tai and I are both down on our luck now. We should commiserate with each other.”
It made sense. Madam Xun thought for a moment and had someone bring a horse for her: “Miss has lost favor, so this old servant shouldn’t accompany you. Later, only a rough maid will guide you. I hope Miss won’t mind.”
“Of course not,” Ming Yi followed the maid through twists and turns to the stable, took a horse, put on a conical hat, and set out alone.
Passing by Er Jiu Street, Ming Yi saw many beast-drawn carriages transporting large numbers of boxes out of the city. She stopped and waited for a while, overhearing people discussing nearby.
“Duke Ping has passed away. The Grand Minister is heartbroken, yet he’s exiling his wives, concubines, and children. What’s the reason for this?”
“If you could understand, wouldn’t you be the Grand Minister yourself?”
Exile? Ming Yi clicked her tongue. This Grand Minister of Mu Xing City was too cruel. They were his sister-in-law and nephews after all. How could he exile them all when his brother’s body was barely cold?
“I heard from others that this Duke Ping had done many despicable things before. It’s just that out of consideration for blood ties, the Grand Minister didn’t pursue it. Now that Duke Ping is gone, his family inevitably suffers the consequences.”
“What despicable things? Don’t be so vague, speak clearly.”
“What else could it be? He was involved with the Meng Clan. To please the Meng Clan, who knows how many lives were on his hands.”
These were all hearsay, and Ming Yi didn’t take them to heart. She just felt sorry for Duke Ping’s wives and concubines. Exile was so painful; who knew if they could even survive the journey?
But she was just a powerless nobody now, with no ability to save others. After a line of carriages passed by, she continued on her way to find Zhang Tai.
As soon as she entered, Ming Yi sensed that there was more than just Zhang Tai in the room.
She frowned and looked towards the tall pear-wood cabinet nearby.
“You’re here?” Zhang Tai came to greet her, conveniently blocking her line of sight, smiling at her nervously.
So Ming Yi understood. There probably wasn’t an assassin in there, but someone familiar to her.
So she didn’t beat around the bush: “A friend came and you’re not introducing us?”
Zhang Tai was pouring tea for her and was startled by her words, her hand shaking. She looked up at Ming Yi in shock: “You… how did you know?”
Tea spilled across the table. Ming Yi looked at it regretfully, then jerked her chin towards the pear wood cabinet.
Zhang Tai hesitated for a moment, then slowly went to open the cabinet.
A woman holding a three-year-old child was huddled inside. The woman’s hand was still covering the child’s mouth. When she saw the cabinet door open, she seemed frightened and tried to shrink further inside, accidentally pressing on the child’s hand. The little one cried out with a whimper.
“Oh, come out first.” Zhang Tai, being pregnant, couldn’t bear to see a child cry and quickly helped them out.
The woman trembled, not daring to look up at Ming Yi, only saying, “I’ll leave soon, right away. I won’t cause you any trouble.”
Zhang Tai looked at Ming Yi’s expression and, seeing no wariness or resistance, simply introduced them: “This is my cousin, Zhang Liu, Duke Ping’s concubine.”