Ji Bozai had never lacked for women, never.
Ming Yi was just one woman; he didn’t need her specifically. What did it matter to him who she considered a brother, who she saw as family, or for whom she cried? He only knew that once unfaithful, never to be used again. Without her, the next person by his side would be even more attentive.
Like Xu Tianji.
She understood fighters, could discuss insights about Yuan Power, and had even read “The Fighter’s Register.” She wasn’t curious about his past at all. Even when he led her past the Green Tile Courtyard, she didn’t spare it a second glance.
Her gaze was entirely on him.
Compared to Ming Yi’s mouth full of lies, this was true affection.
“Is the master unhappy?” Tianji asked considerately.
Ji Bozai came back to his senses and smiled slightly. “How could I be? With a beauty by my side, how could I be unhappy?”
Tianji could barely contain her excitement. “With master’s words, this humble girl will sleep well tonight.”
Ji Bozai nodded and pointed to the path ahead. “Xiu Yuan is waiting for you behind that fake mountain over there.”
Her smile faded slightly, and Tianji sighed softly. “If it weren’t for the chance to see master today, this humble girl wouldn’t have come.”
She had been avoiding Liang Xiu Yuan for several days. She had only intended to use him to get close to Ji Bozai. Couldn’t he see the signs on the day the academy opened? Yet he still clung to her.
If it were anyone else, she could have avoided them, but this person used Ji Bozai to invite her to meet.
Gritting her teeth, she bowed to Ji Bozai and then headed towards the fake mountain.
Ji Bozai turned back, able to see the tall green bamboo growing within the walls of Liu Zhao Jun’s courtyard.
He wondered what that person was thinking. A delicate and soft girl, yet she didn’t love growing delicate flowers, preferring instead to nurture cold bamboo. This bamboo was easy to grow, thriving without much care, sending a fresh fragrance with the wind.
It had rained lightly last night; the woodshed must be even damper now. He wondered how she was doing.
— Not that he cared about her, he was just curious. Such a pampered little girl, thrown into that dirty, smelly woodshed to sleep, would she cry?
He summoned Buxiu, but before he could speak, Buxiu said, “Master, rest assured, I’ve separated Twenty-seven and Miss Ming. They haven’t been able to coordinate their stories.”
“That’s not—”
“We haven’t given them any food, not even a sip of tea. Miss Ming has been asking to see you, but she still hasn’t confessed, so I ignored her.” Buxiu looked at him seriously. “Does the master want to add any more punishments?”
Ji Bozai fell silent.
Forget it, he thought. She was ungrateful, a white-eyed wolf that couldn’t be tamed. Being good to her was useless. Why should he care if she was well or not?
“Watch her carefully, just make sure she doesn’t get hurt,” he said finally.
“Yes, sir.”
Ming Yi was dizzy with hunger. She peered through the wooden bars at the person walking by outside and couldn’t help but sigh, “The master still hasn’t calmed down?”
Matron Xun stood sternly by her window. “The master hates betrayal the most.”
“Who doesn’t?” Ming Yi smiled bitterly. “But I didn’t betray him. Going to that Green Tile Courtyard wasn’t about his affairs; it was for myself.”
“Miss has always been silver-tongued. This old servant won’t argue with you. If Miss thinks her reasons are justifiable, why not tell the master directly?”
Matron Xun had reverted to her serious and cold demeanor from long ago.
Ming Yi felt a bit sad. “Matron, your behavior… does this mean the master won’t forgive me?”
“This is the Ji manor. You should understand our master’s status. How could he keep someone with ulterior motives by his side?”
Indeed, thinking on his behalf, she realized someone like her couldn’t be kept around.
Ming Yi was silent for a while, then blinked at Matron Xun. “For old times’ sake, could you ask the master if there were any moments when he felt happy with me during my time here?”
…
“Happy moments?” Ji Bozai sneered. Was this just another of her little tricks to make him remember her good points?
What good points did she have? At most, she had solved some troubles for him, often waited for him with a lantern when he returned home, and they had some tacit understanding, able to deceive Situ Ling’s eyes together.
Other than that, she had no redeeming qualities.
Greedy, lustful, talkative – she had all the traits he disliked.
Staring mockingly at the corner of the flower table, he gradually became lost in thought.
“Master is my sky; master is omnipotent.”
“I never expected to be so lucky as to meet master right after coming out.”
“I have master now; I don’t want anything else.”
When he was injured, she had struggled to support him to find help, her waist trembling with effort. In the darkness, she had walked towards him with light, unafraid to wipe his blood and feed him porridge. In wind and rain, she had always stood at the end of Twenty-nine Street waiting for him. After their intimate moments, she had clung to him dependently as they fell asleep.
Were there happy moments? Surely there were, but so what?
After a long silence, Ji Bozai waved his hand at Matron Xun.
Matron Xun sighed and retreated with a bow.
Ming Yi waited in the woodshed, originally without much hope. Unexpectedly, the next day, Matron Xun brought clothes, accessories, and a bathtub, instructing several maids to groom and dress her.
She was pleasantly surprised for a while before her eyes brightened. “Has the master forgiven me?”
How was this possible? When did Ji Bozai become so soft-hearted?
Or was he only soft-hearted towards her?
Matron Xun didn’t answer her, just smiled and helped her into the bathtub.
The warm water drove away the damp chill, and Ming Yi sighed in relief, feeling even more embarrassed. She hadn’t said those words to make him forgive her; she just wanted to hear a “there were” so her conscience would be clearer. Even if she couldn’t stay in the manor, at least they could turn over a new leaf, without owing too much.
Who would have thought he would react like this?
After bathing and changing, Ming Yi looked at the pure gold butterfly hairpin inlaid with jewels on the tray. She thought about apologizing to Ji Bozai when she saw him, at most explaining that the antidote was for Twenty-seven, to prevent him from brooding further.
However, after getting ready, Ming Yi wasn’t immediately taken to see Ji Bozai. Instead, she was led to a beast-drawn carriage.
“There’s a welcoming banquet today. The master has already entered the inner courtyard. Please follow me, miss.”
Taking a sharp breath, Ming Yi thought, “This is not good.” She hadn’t asked Twenty-seven who was coming to the welcoming banquet from Chaoyang City this year. Going there unprepared could be troublesome if she ran into someone she knew.
But Matron Xun was already sitting in the carriage waiting for her. She couldn’t come up with any other excuses not to go, so she had to steel herself and get in.
Chaoyang City was currently in a period of transition. The visitors might not necessarily be people who knew her. Even if they did, as long as she stayed close to Ji Bozai and kept her head down, there shouldn’t be any problems.
Ji Bozai was still a very stable support.
Thinking this way, Ming Yi followed the swaying beast-drawn carriage through the side gate and into the inner courtyard.