Chapter 8: A Philandering Big Radish

Yuan County lay beyond the southern mountains of Muxing City and produced abundant blood ginseng, but most of the blood ginseng grew on sheer cliffs.

After the court physician Wei Hongfei began boasting about the effects of blood ginseng, the county government forced farmers to go pick it. Many fell to their deaths, and many families were shattered when the men of the house died.

Many of the dancers from Yuan County came from families of ginseng pickers, and the magistrate felt they might well hold a grudge against Wei Hongfei because of it.

“In that case, Bozai must be careful.” Qi Xian looked at him.

Ji Bozai was unconvinced: “If they were to hate someone, they should hate the local officials. Why go to such lengths to kill Wei Hongfei? Besides, Wei Hongfei was not the only one who died that day. That theory does not hold up.”

“I think beauty has addled your mind, and you refuse to guard against your beauty no matter what,” Liang Xiuyuan laughed at him. “Fine. On your seventh-day memorial, we can still come out for another round of drinks, so our acquaintance will not have been in vain.”

“Go to hell,” Yan Xiao said, shaking his head.

The table burst into giggles and laughter. Ji Bozai said nothing. He teasingly fed the beauty in his arms two cups of strong wine, then casually asked Shu Zhonglin: “How do you know the woman I took home is from Yuan County?”

“Does Lord Ji still not know what your standing is now? The moment you left the inner court that day, we great houses found out everything about the woman you took away. After all, once we know your tastes, we can pick suitable women to send over later,” Shu Zhonglin said without hiding anything. “My old man already picked three or four who look like that little beauty and has them waiting for you.”

“It is true,” Yan Xiao said, tossing peanuts into his mouth and speaking thickly. “Even I know. Your little beauty is a farm girl from a small village in Yuan County. Two years ago her father fell to his death, and she drifted to the main city and lived a very hard life for a long time before catching your eye.”

He paused, then added: “If you ever tire of her, remember to tell me.”

Ji Bozai rolled his eyes: “Don’t get any ideas. She has been mine for a long time.”

“What are you thinking? I just pity her and fear she will have nowhere to go later. I figured I would take her in as a book-attending maid.”

That would not work either.

He snorted.

With Ming Yi’s money-hoarding ways, even if he tired of her one day and let her leave the residence, she already had the capital to set up her own household. Why would she need to be anyone’s servant?

Thinking of her, he felt a stir in his lower belly and could not help pulling the little wine attendant over for some intimacy.

***

When Ming Yi woke and got up, her whole body was sore and limp. Shyly, she let the maidservants help her to bathe, and bashfully took her clothes from Nanny Xun, her eyelashes fluttering: “I can change by myself.”

Everyone was used to this bashful look. Nanny Xun glanced at the unusually numerous red marks on her body and said nothing, then led the others out.

The moment the door closed, the blush on Ming Yi’s face vanished without a trace.

She rubbed her legs and sat before the dressing table, humming a little tune in excellent spirits.

The little sisters in the inner court really had not lied to her. When it came to big equipment and good skills, it had to be Ji Bozai. She truly and genuinely tasted the pleasures of the flesh, so choosing him as her first man was not for nothing.

Then again, perhaps she simply lacked experience. It would not be too late to judge after comparing him with others when she had the chance.

She combed her hair into a neat bun and changed into a vermilion inner garment. Ming Yi was in no hurry to dress up. She first pushed the window open a crack and looked outside.

The courtyard was large, and her usual range of movement was limited. Taking advantage of the moment, she climbed out without a word.

It was somewhat inconvenient to move, but she had trained hard for many years, so dodging the maidservants and old women of the residence was not difficult. She soon slipped into his study.

Ji Bozai was skilled in martial arts, and his study held all kinds of cultivation manuals. Ming Yi flipped through them for a while and did not find what she wanted. Just as she was about to leave, she heard movement outside.

She tensed, leaped swiftly up onto the roof beam, and her vermilion inner garment blended into the vermilion beam.

“Go slowly, my lord.” The wine attendant helped Ji Bozai through the door, both stumbling, unsteady on their feet.

Ji Bozai’s eyes were hazy with drink, yet he was still smiling: “You are a formidable one. You even got Prince Gong drunk.”

“This servant has been in Prince Gong’s residence for many years, so I know the prince cannot handle mixed liquor. That is how I took advantage,” the wine attendant said with a blush, helping him into the chair. She did not leave but leaned over him, fawning: “For my lord’s sake, this servant has practically betrayed her master.”

He chuckled, his long fingers stroking the side of her face. Seemingly taking it as a signal, the wine attendant excitedly leaned down at once.

Watching, Ming Yi pressed her lips together.

This man was truly a philandering big radish. Luckily she knew his character beforehand and did not take his nonsense seriously. Otherwise she would really have been upset watching this.

They had only just consummated things, and he was already so impatient to get close to someone else.

Even pigs were not as good at sowing seed as he was.

She rolled her eyes and thought about finding a route to retreat, but the study was simply not big enough. The two were right beneath her, and any movement would surely be noticed.

“Does my lord not care about the beauty at home? I heard she is very pretty,” the wine attendant said coyly.

Ji Bozai tossed aside her belt and said in a low voice: “You are very pretty too.”

“My lord, you tease so well~” She pushed at him. “Then tell me, between her and me, who is prettier?”

You are pretty, you are pretty, your whole family is pretty.

Ming Yi curled her lip and simply closed her eyes. Out of sight, out of mind.

But Ji Bozai did not go along and praise her. Instead he let go: “Jealous squabbling is no fun.”

The wine attendant clearly did not expect those words to displease him, and immediately begged for mercy: “This servant will not ask again. Please calm your anger, my lord.”

“You seem drunk too. I will have someone settle you in the back courtyard first,” he said lazily. “When I have time, I will come find you.”

The wine attendant was both startled and delighted. She was startled that a single sentence made him stop, and delighted that she was actually being kept at the residence.

This was a great stroke of luck.

She hurriedly thanked him, reluctantly straightened her clothes, and looked back at him with every step.

Ji Bozai lay in the chair rubbing his brow and did not keep her.

The door opened and closed. He glanced at the beam overhead, then pretended not to see anything and called outside: “Nanny Xun.”

“This old servant is here.”

“Is Miss Yi awake?”

“Yes, she is already changing and tidying up.”

He nodded and rose unsteadily: “I will go see her.”

Cold sweat broke out across Ming Yi’s back.

No way. This beast was drunk and still going to find her?

She quickly checked where she was and calculated the distance he would walk along the corridor. Holding her breath, she waited for him to step out of the study, then immediately jumped down and climbed out through the window.

The corridor was off limits. She looked at the dirty courtyard wall beside her, gritted her teeth, climbed up, and ran along the roof tiles.

Ji Bozai passed through the winding corridor, and she ran onto the courtyard wall behind the woodshed.

Ji Bozai stepped into the main courtyard, and she jumped down into the corner of the wall behind it.

Ji Bozai pushed open the door. No one was inside.