Taking her into his tent, he incurred the wrath of a powerful and mad minister, from which he could

Why would I care about her?

The man peeled off the woman's clothes, impatiently saying, "Let's not talk about that. It's been a few days since we last saw each other. Doesn't Jiaojiao miss me? If we don't spend some time together soon, it will be even longer before we see each other again."

The two stopped discussing the topic.

A loud noise came from the bed.

The maidservant, who had been keeping watch outside, was used to it. After some time, the commotion inside finally subsided.

Lu Zhangming got up from the bed, and a maid came in to help him get dressed.

Lu Zhangming looked at the young, fair-skinned woman in front of him, then glanced at Madam Yu on the bed. Madam Yu had fallen asleep from exhaustion, her back to him.

Lu Zhangming then confidently reached his hand into the maid's collar. The maid wasn't surprised; she simply dodged slightly, preventing him from touching her.

Lu Zhangming raised an eyebrow, withdrew his hand, and then hurriedly left under the cover of night.

...

The weather is cool today, and the lotus flowers in the lotus pond are gradually fading and turning into lotus pods.

After getting up early and finishing her makeup, Mingyi took Yuegui to pick lotus seeds, intending to add osmanthus flowers to the medicinal dish and make osmanthus lotus seed soup to send to Yongshou Hall.

Madam Zong has a cough. Osmanthus flowers have the effect of relieving cough and moisturizing the lungs, while lotus seeds are bitter and cold, and can clear heat and reduce fire.

These past few days, Mingyi has been preparing medicinal meals for the old lady every day before noon. She doesn't feel tired at all, as she considers it her final way of repaying the old lady for taking her in.

"Look, young lady, these lotus pods are growing so well. Let's save some to make lotus seed soup," Yuegui said as she collected the lotus pods. "I remember that the young master loves your lotus seed soup the most."

Mingyi smiled and said, "Then we'll leave some for A-Zhe to eat when he comes back from the academy."

Yuegui said, "I heard that guests came to the manor today, they must be here to visit the old lady."

High-ranking families often have guests visiting, especially prominent families like the Zong family, whose members are often wealthy and noble.

Mingyi wasn't interested in these things, and the two chatted idly.

Just then, Mingyi suddenly signaled Yuegui to be quiet.

"What's wrong, young lady?" Yuegui asked in a low voice.

Mingyi stared at the artificial hill by the lake and said softly, "It sounds like there are people over there. I heard men talking."

Yuegui immediately stopped talking, pricked up her ears to listen carefully, and then heard the man calling out "Jiaojiao" in a cloying voice.

Yuegui was immediately startled, goosebumps rising all over her body. Who was so bold as to have a secret rendezvous in the backyard of the Zong residence?

Yuegui hesitated, then asked, "Could it be Second Master?"

Mingyi said, "The Second Master is in charge of the entire clan. No one dares to question what he does. Why hide when he just wants a woman?"

Yuegui thought about it and agreed, then immediately changed her mind: "Could it be a servant from the manor?"

Mingyi glanced around and saw a maid in green standing guard not far away, and he vaguely sensed that something was wrong.

"Mind your own business, let's go."

Yuegui nodded, quickly picked up the lotus pods from the ground, and quietly followed Mingyi away from the place.

-

There are many unsavory things happening in wealthy and powerful families; one may inadvertently stumble upon someone else's private affair.

She recognized the maid in green as Yu's dowry maid, and most of the people behind the rockery were Yu herself.

Three years ago, Master Zongheng went to the border. Yu was the concubine that the old lady forced upon him, and she gave birth to a lovely daughter for him.

Madam Zong had always used the Yu family to counterbalance the Liu family, and had often encouraged the Yu family's power.

The old man hasn't come back for the past three years. Mingyi never expected Yu Shi to be so bold as to have an affair. If she's discovered, she'll be the one who suffers the most.

And the man who had an affair with her was also incredibly audacious, daring to intrude into the Zong family's backyard without fear of retaliation.

Yuegui said that guests came to the Zong family today, and that man should be hiding among them, which shows that he has dealings with the Zong family.

However, it doesn't concern her anymore. She will be leaving soon, and everything in the Zong family will be irrelevant to her.

After finishing her work in the small kitchen, Mingyi and Yuegui went to the main courtyard to deliver medicinal meals.

She was careful in her actions, and dared not let anyone else handle the medicinal meals she sent to the old lady.

Today, guests are coming, and Madam Liu is hosting a banquet in the main courtyard's flower hall. She has also sent someone to inform Mingyi in advance, and the banquet is about to begin.

When Mingyi and Yuegui arrived at the main courtyard, they nearly bumped into a man at the moon gate.

Fortunately, Mingyi reacted quickly and pulled Yuegui back to avoid spilling the medicinal food on the tray.

Faced with this unexpected situation, Mingyi remained calm and did not get angry.

But for some reason, the young master reacted very strongly, shouting, "Are you blind? Can't you watch where you're going?!"

Mingyi frowned. It was clearly him who was in a hurry, acting suspiciously, and bumping into her without paying attention to where he was going. How dare he turn the tables and blame her?

Mingyi was no pushover either, and said coldly, "The road is so wide, I was just walking my own way. It was you who bumped into me without saying a word. Luckily I reacted quickly, otherwise the old lady's medicinal meal would have been spilled. I'm already being lenient by not making you apologize, yet you're causing me trouble instead. What kind of logic is that?"

Lu Zhangming originally thought the other party was just a lowly maid, and that he would just scold her once and that would be it. However, he did not expect the other party to be so eloquent, so he couldn't help but raise his eyes and look at her a few more times.

Upon seeing this, Lu Zhangming suddenly couldn't take his eyes off it, and his expression froze.

Good heavens, could it be that he has seen a fairy?

The anger that had risen in Lu Zhangming's heart vanished instantly, leaving him with a restless itch. His dark, purplish eyes fixed on Mingyi, and he immediately changed his expression:

"Please don't be angry, young lady. It was my fault. I wasn't watching where I was going. I hope you weren't startled?"

Mingyi could tell from his dark circles and weak appearance that he was a lecherous glutton, practically hollowed out inside.

Mingyi subtly distanced herself from Lu Zhangming, but when she lowered her eyes, she noticed the mud on his boots and realized that he had probably come from the direction of the lotus pond. Her expression changed slightly.

This man was actually the one who had an affair with the Yu family!

Mingyi felt contempt for him and didn't want to get entangled with him, so she said coldly, "It's nothing, I have other things to do, so I won't keep you company."

Finished talking and left.

Lu Zhangming watched the beautiful figure gradually disappear into the distance with lingering reluctance, just as a servant happened to pass by.

He then grabbed the servant, pointed at Ji Mingyi's retreating figure, and inquired, "Who is she in your household?"

The servant truthfully told him what he knew.

When Lu Zhangming learned that she was just a distant relative living in the Zong family mansion and had no background, he immediately had designs on her.

He even dared to sleep with the concubine of the eldest son of the Zong family. What's wrong with playing around with a mere, helpless relative?

-

The people of Dayong were open-minded, but men and women always sat at separate tables.

Madam Zong sat at the head of the table, and her complexion had become much rosier these past few days thanks to the medicinal meals prepared by Mingyi herself.

Upon seeing Ji Mingyi arrive, the old lady smiled and called out, "Mingyi, you're here. Come and sit down."

Mingyi took the medicinal meal from Yuegui and placed it on the table in front of the old lady. The old lady picked up the spoon, took a sip, and her eyes brightened slightly. "A new twist again?"

Mingyi sat down and explained, "I heard you cough a few times yesterday, so I added osmanthus and lotus seeds. Osmanthus relieves coughs and moisturizes the lungs, while lotus seeds clear heat and reduce internal fire, which are good for the body."

"You've put your heart into this," said Madam Zong with satisfaction.

Ji Mingyi is so well-behaved and sensible that even if Erlang hadn't said he wanted her to stay, he still wouldn't want Mingyi to leave.