Do Not Offend the Reborn Wicked Wife

Chapter 923: Chapter 923: That Kid Shifts the Blame Again!

Seeing that Li Qingmu remained silent, Qi Jingyu leaned in and muttered softly by his ear, "Imperial Uncle, I want to go on a trip incognito, check out the consequences of land annexation a bit. At least when I get back to the court, I can put some actual evidence on the table, right?"

As he spoke, he blinked his eyes and looked at Li Qingmu with an expression that practically screamed ambush.

"Mm..."

Li Qingmu looked at him and found that this brat’s eyes were practically glowing. Being stared at like that, Li Qingmu inexplicably felt goosebumps all over.

"What are you trying to do?"

Li Qingmu blurted out subconsciously, then immediately cursed himself in his heart—was he a pig? Wasn’t he just delivering himself up for the kid to take advantage?

Sure enough, he heard the little fellow say with a grin, "Imperial Uncle, um... hehe, will you come with me?"

As he spoke, he rubbed his hands together. His attitude was incredibly respectful, with a hint of fawning.

Li Qingmu: "..."

Every hair on his body standing on end, Li Qingmu almost spat blood. "I... I don’t have time, Your Majesty. You’ve got Hidden Guards around you, don’t you? Go find them!"

Dear heavens, he really didn’t want to deal with this kind of crap!

Li Qingmu’s forehead was full of black lines. He felt this kid had come just to torment him. Right now he spent his days at home accompanying his wife and children, painting and writing when he had nothing to do, occasionally going on outings with a few friends—wasn’t that great?

What a wonderfully carefree life!

And now Qi Jingyu had dragged him off as conscript labor again.

He was not happy about it.

But Qi Jingyu looked at him with a pitiful face. "Imperial Uncle... help me out. Without you, I... ahem, I feel panicky."

"What are you panicking about? As the Emperor, you should fear nothing."

"But I’m going to investigate those people. If I get found out and can’t run, and die there... uh..."

He spoke while looking at Li Qingmu, his meaning obvious.

—Imperial Uncle, if you don’t come with me and I end up dead, how are you going to face the entrustment my father made on his deathbed?

In an instant, Li Qingmu felt his scalp explode.

Right, this kind of emotional blackmail—he had absolutely no way to counter it!

Helpless, Li Qingmu said gloomily, "Your Majesty, just go."

The implied meaning being—he’d agreed to go along with him?

Qi Jingyu immediately lit up with joy and shouted, "Thank you, Imperial Uncle!"

Looking at that crafty glint in his small eyes and hearing that cheerful voice, Li Qingmu felt he’d been set up—big time.

But in the end, this was his own nephew. What could he do?

"When are you planning to set off?"

After being depressed for a bit and realizing there was no changing things, Li Qingmu adjusted his mindset and asked about his schedule.

Qi Jingyu counted on his fingers and said, "State affairs are a bit busy these few days. Once I’ve finished dealing with them, we’ll go. Probably... in three days!"

Three days from now?

Li Qingmu’s gaze flickered. He’d been free these days anyway. Since this kid wanted to go out and have a look around, as his uncle, he ought to lend a hand.

So he said, "All right then, once you’re done, come let me know."

"Okay, then many thanks, Imperial Uncle!"

Qi Jingyu’s brows and eyes curved with a wide smile. He looked so pleased with himself and so sly it was almost ridiculous,

which left Li Qingmu at a total loss for words.

He even wanted to go back on his word right then and there.

But thinking about how this child was actually a rather pitiful little thing, his heart softened again.

He sighed lightly and said nothing more.

After keeping him for a meal, the kid left.

Once Qi Jingyu was gone, Long Yue looked at him curiously. "So? What did that little brat come to you for?"

"Here, this!"

Li Qingmu flicked his hand and pointed at a draft document on the desk, which mentioned the local gentry and clans swallowing up the commoners’ fields.

This wasn’t something that had happened overnight; it had existed for a long time. Long Yue remembered that when Li Qingmu went to Liuzhou City before, didn’t he handle just such a case?

It was only that afterwards they discovered the underground tomb, and things took a different turn.

But judging from Qi Jingyu’s current attitude, he was planning to take this matter seriously now?

That was a good thing!

Long Yue nodded slightly. "Those local gentry and whatnot bullying the common folk—this has gone on for more than a day or two. It’s high time someone dealt with them properly. A Mu, on this trip with His Majesty, you’ll have to shoulder more responsibility. Don’t let anything happen to him."

Long Yue also had a soft spot for Qi Jingyu. After all, this kid had once saved Li Qingmu’s life!

She smiled faintly and said, "By the way, when did he say you’re leaving?"

Li Qingmu looked at his little wife with a dark, unreadable gaze. He wasn’t even anxious about going out to handle business, yet how come she was more anxious than he was?

Seeing this man’s unfriendly eyes on her, Long Yue glared back at him, annoyed. "What? Staring at me like that—what’s that supposed to mean?"

Li Qingmu said in a gloomy tone, "So eager to kick me out?"

His eyes were unfriendly, and so was his tone.

Long Yue felt no guilt or fear at all and met his gaze head-on. "At least you’re aware of it? When you’re at home, all you know is eating, drinking, playing, and sleeping. You don’t even bother with the children’s lessons; everything falls on me. And you still have the nerve to talk? You’re better off going out and actually doing something useful!"

Shot down in one sentence by his own little wife, Li Qingmu was a bit speechless. He’d just asked a question—where did all that fire come from?

Could it be... she was pregnant again?

People say pregnant women are easily triggered. Maybe he should get a doctor to take a look?

But then he remembered—wasn’t Long Yue herself the best doctor? Who else would she need?

Li Qingmu immediately felt so exasperated he had no words.

He said dejectedly, "Yue’er, weren’t you the one who told me to rest more and not run myself ragged? So, uh, that’s why I’ve been lazing around at home this whole time, ahem..."

Once a person feels guilty, it’s easy for their voice to crack. Li Qingmu accidentally sucked in a breath of cold air.

Long Yue hadn’t expected this man to actually talk back, and it made her so mad she threw him a cold look. "Get lost, and don’t you dare get on my bed tonight!"

"..."

Fine. Everyone knows women are irrational creatures. He got it now.

Three days later, in the Regent Prince Mansion, in Li Qingmu and Long Yue’s room, there came a rustling sound from the corner by the wall.

The couple froze, turned around, and saw a disguised Qi Jingyu. They couldn’t help but smile. "Why are you dressed like that?"

"We’re going incognito, aren’t we? If I swagger around openly, who’d dare speak the truth? And how would we see the people’s suffering?"

Uh...

His answer left them with nothing to refute. Li Qingmu could only rub his forehead. "Forget it, let’s go!"

"I’m going with you!"

Long Yue had already packed a small bundle. Before the two of them could react, she was the first to walk out in front.

"Imperial Aunt, you’re coming too?"

"Nonsense. With you two men together, I don’t feel at ease."

"..."

Li Qingmu’s forehead was full of black lines. Wife, what do you mean by that? What could possibly happen between the two of us?

This damn girl—did she think he was into that or something?

He was very depressed, only to see Long Yue acting like nothing was wrong, cheerfully skipping off toward the stables.

"Come on, pick a good carriage and hit the road!"