Ming Yi thought to herself, “What a handsome young man. If only he hadn’t opened his mouth.” It seemed as if his menstrual blood came from his mouth as if the entire household’s menstrual blood came from his mouth.
Aloud, she said with a gentle smile, hiding her true thoughts, “How could that be? This servant is simply unclean and fears soiling the master’s clothes.” She continued, “A woman’s monthly affairs are always inconvenient. Please understand, master. The kitchen has prepared chicken marrow and bamboo shoots for you, along with stewed deer tendon in silver threads. Why don’t you go taste their craftsmanship?”
Her demeanor was relaxed, her eyes filled with innocence, naturally glossing over what had just happened. If he were to pursue the matter further, it would make him appear petty.
Ji Bozai sat with a displeased expression.
“Master, please move a little~ The dishes will get cold if left too long,” she said, hooking her fingers around his and swaying them back and forth.
He grunted and turned his head away.
Ming Yi moved in front of him, blinking her eyes. “Is the master too tired? This servant can carry you on her back to the table.”
Her frail frame made such an offer seem merely for show. Ji Bozai glanced at her twice, then suddenly stood up and pressed himself onto her back. “Then I’ll trouble Yi’er with this task.”
Ming Yi thought to herself, “… Wait, I was just joking. How could he take it seriously? Doesn’t he know how heavy he is with those long arms and legs of his? Isn’t he worried about hurting me?”
But having said it, she had to follow through. Taking a deep breath, she hooked her hands under his legs. “One, two, three, lift—”
Ji Bozai narrowed his eyes slightly. “That’s how they shout when carrying cargo at Muxing City’s dock.”
Ming Yi carried him, stumbling towards the eight-immortals table in the outer room. As she walked, she gritted her teeth and said, “Master, you are… very precious.”
She emphasized the word “precious,” but the man on her back seemed as if he hadn’t heard, comfortably resting on her and playing with her hairpin.
The distance from the inner room to the eight-immortals table wasn’t far, but it felt like an eternity. Ming Yi took one step at a time, veins bulging on her forehead. Just as they were about to reach the table, Ji Bozai suddenly said, “The flowers outside have bloomed. I want to go to the window to see them.”
Ming Yi thought to herself, “The flowers in the graveyard must be blooming nicely too. Why doesn’t he want to go see those?”
She forced a laugh and asked, “Is there something wrong with the master’s legs?” Implying that if not, he should get down and walk himself.
“There is,” he sighed. “They’re very tired.”
Ming Yi gritted her teeth and changed direction towards the window, thinking to herself that it was fortunate she had practiced some martial arts since childhood. Otherwise, centuries later, the “Ode to the Beauty” would be quite a sight – while others died for their country or met tragic ends, she would have died from being crushed like a mountain.
“I didn’t expect Yi’er to be so strong,” Ji Bozai said leisurely. “I underestimated you.”
“You should continue to underestimate this servant,” she said as she placed him on the chaise lounge by the window, panting heavily. “If I weren’t afraid of dropping you, master, I wouldn’t have been able to summon such strength.”
With that, she let out an “oh” and collapsed softly to the side.
Drenched in fragrant sweat, even her makeup couldn’t hide the flush on her cheeks. He looked at her and chuckled, his previous displeasure mostly gone. “Let’s eat.”
“Thank you, master,” Ming Yi quickly went to have the dishes served.
The food had already been prepared and kept warm, so it was brought out quickly. She stood by Ji Bozai’s side, rolling up her sleeves with chopsticks in hand, ready to serve him.
As Ji Bozai ate, he suddenly asked, “Why did you decide to take in Prince Ping’s concubine?”
Ming Yi’s heart skipped a beat, and she looked at him in surprise.
How did he know about this when he had been busy with his dalliances? She hadn’t even told Mama Xun, and she went out without anyone following her.
“There are no walls in this world that wind cannot penetrate,” he glanced at her. “Did you think you could hide it from me?”
Ming Yi came to her senses and quickly said seriously, “Master, what do you mean by taking in a concubine? This servant doesn’t understand. That residence belongs to Zhangtai, and she wanted to take in her cousin. It has nothing to do with this servant.”
Ji Bozai was amused and fed her a piece of deer tendon as if rewarding her. “You’re so clever.”
Harboring a fugitive concubine was also a crime, but by distancing herself from it, she was also making things easier for him.
Ming Yi savored the morsel, swallowed it, and continued, “I certainly didn’t intend to hide anything, but this servant didn’t think the master would inquire about such a matter.”
It was just a mere concubine, after all. Prince Ping’s household had so many concubines, how did he know one had escaped?
“Prince Ping doesn’t have many descendants. Currently, he only has three daughters and one son still living. The concubine took away the eldest son of a concubine, so naturally, people would pay attention,” Ji Bozai didn’t explain directly, only saying, “A man like him shouldn’t have descendants in the first place.”
Ming Yi was startled and became slightly nervous. “The child has taken the surname Zhang now.”
So he’s not considered Prince Ping’s descendant anymore.
Ji Bozai came back to his senses and looked at her nervous expression, feeling somewhat puzzled. He had only stated a fact, it’s not like he was going to harm the child.
However, when Ming Yi became nervous, her eyes would become watery, looking extremely captivating. He couldn’t help but want to tease her a bit more. “Even with the Zhang surname, he’s still Prince Ping’s seed. What difference does it make?”
“It’s different! Changing the surname means he can’t enter the ancestral hall in the future. Prince Ping will have no one to carry on his lineage, which is almost the same as having no descendants,” she gestured frantically. “As long as they can’t find Zhang Liu and her son, it’s as if they’re dead. Why should the master add more lives to his hands?”
Ji Bozai made a noncommittal sound, appearing very hesitant. “Let me think about it some more.”
“Oh, what’s there to think about? Master, please eat,” she quickly sat on his lap, one hand around his neck, the other using chopsticks to feed him some meat.
He choked, “Are you trying to suffocate me?”
“Master, please eat slowly,” she held up a bowl of soup. “Here, have some to wash it down.”
Ji Bozai frowned, “You drink first.”
Still, suspecting poison? Ming Yi pouted, then tilted her head back and drank deeply, even exposing the fish maw and deer antler at the bottom of the bowl. Then she innocently handed the bowl back to him with a face full of sincerity, “It’s delicious! Would the master like to try?”
What was there left to try after that? Ji Bozai chuckled, and seeing her secretly pleased expression, he suddenly lowered his head and captured her lips.
Ming Yi was startled and tried to struggle and dodge, but her body was held tightly, unable to move an inch.
She frowned, unable to hide the disgust in her eyes.
Ji Bozai was very clean, with no scent of powder or perfume, but she just felt repulsed.
In the Qingyun Realm, most rules required women to be faithful to men, but she had been raised as a man. Her requirements for her partner were no different from those of a man. It was fine to fool around with others, but coming back to be intimate with her after fooling around was not acceptable.
So when Ji Bozai reluctantly released her, intending to coax her with a few soft words, Ming Yi quickly left his embrace.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, confused.
Ming Yi wanted to endure, but she couldn’t hold back. She turned her head towards the window and: “Ugh—”
Ji Bozai was stunned for a moment, his face gradually darkening. “Do you find me so repulsive?”
“It’s not like that, master. Please let this servant explain—ugh—”
Ming Yi retched until tears glistened in her eyes, looking quite pitiful. By the time she finally calmed down, the person sitting beside her had a face as black as the bottom of a pot.