Chapter 164: Chapter 164: Secret Escort
Meanwhile, in the Imperial Palace, Li Yun received a report from a Hidden Guard.
He sat upon the dragon throne, his head still lowered as he reviewed his memorials. "Has he arrived safely in Shangjing? And has he seen the Empress?"
"Eldest Young Master Ming went to Ming’s Restaurant. I personally witnessed him leave the restaurant with the Empress, so I did not continue to follow and returned to report."
Li Yun hummed in acknowledgment. "You escorted him from the south all the way to the Capital City. It’s been a long journey, so go and get some rest." As he spoke, Li Yun gave a slight wave of his hand, and the Hidden Guard who had been kneeling on the floor vanished without a trace.
Finding Ming Chengyu had, of course, been arranged by Li Yun.
While Yu Yi and Yanxia had also found some help, their helpers paled in comparison to Li Yun’s agents.
Li Yun had originally planned to bring the entire Ming Family to Shangjing. But just as he made that decision, he suddenly recalled Ming Lingyi’s previous accusation against him.
Ming Lingyi had accused him of being arrogant and stubborn, of always making decisions on his own without ever discussing them with her.
Li Yun had always believed that this was how a man should be. He should handle the troubles of the outside world himself, allowing his wife to live a peaceful life at home without needing to worry about a thing. But since Ming Lingyi had made her accusation with such solemnity and sorrow, he couldn’t bring himself to arrange matters concerning her behind her back again.
’Even if it was just a case of Ming Lingyi failing to understand his good intentions.’
Li Yun had his Hidden Guard discreetly leak the news that the Ming Family had been found to the contacts Yu Yi and Yanxia had sent out. This, in turn, allowed their people to pass the message to the Ming Family that Ming Lingyi was still alive and in the Capital City.
Considering that Ming Chengyu was merely a scholar—and despite him knowing some martial arts—the journey from Jiangnan to Shangjing was long and perilous. Thus, Li Yun had secretly dispatched men to protect him and escort him all the way to the capital.
Having done all this, Li Yun breathed a sigh of relief. ’My brother-in-law is back in the capital to reunite with his sister,’ he thought. ’Can the day Yuan Niang finally accepts me be far behind?’
’Things will surely be just like they were before,’ he couldn’t help but think.
’Or maybe I should bring my brother-in-law into the palace first and have him put in a good word for me?’
Just then, Ming Chengyu, who was walking down the street with Ming Lingyi, suddenly let out a series of sneezes.
Worry immediately creased Ming Lingyi’s face. "Brother, are you catching a cold? You traveled by water; the wind on the river is strong. Were you exposed to the draft?"
Ming Chengyu casually rubbed his nose. He didn’t feel unwell in the slightest. "It’s nothing. I’m perfectly fine, don’t you worry about me."
Ming Chengyu wondered, ’Could it be Grandpa? Is he counting the days, worried I still haven’t reunited with my sister yet?’ At that thought, he couldn’t help but say, "The family knows you’re in Shangjing City, and they had me bring a lot of things. You should come back to the inn with me later."
Ming Lingyi was surprised. "The inn? Brother, you’re staying at an inn?"
"Yes." Ming Chengyu nodded. "When Grandpa left the Capital City, he returned our residence here to the Emperor."
"But when I first woke up, I went to our old home to look. The residence was still there, and Li Yun hadn’t taken it back."
"I know, but Grandpa said he will never accept anything from the court again as long as he lives. When he left the Capital City all those years ago, he never thought he would return. So, that residence..." Of course, Ming Chengyu couldn’t possibly stay there.
Ming Lingyi nodded, feeling her eyes begin to well up.
She could guess why Grandpa was unwilling to return to the Capital City. She also understood why he would declare that he would never again accept the court’s charity. ’It was all because of me.’
Because she had died within the confines of the palace all those years ago.
’Even if Grandpa never said it, he must have resented Li Yun.’
Ming Lingyi sniffled, her nose stinging. "Are Mother and Grandpa in good health? Why didn’t they come to Shangjing with you? Oh, wait, you all should have just sent me a letter with your current address! I can come find you!"
Ming Chengyu could see the guilt in his sister’s eyes. He raised his hand and rested his large palm on her head, just as he had when they were children.
"Mother’s eyes aren’t doing well. Back then, after the news about you... from the palace arrived, she spent her days washing her face with tears and nearly cried herself sick. Fortunately, Little Huachao was there with her. In order to take care of him, she had to pull herself together. Having something to focus on, she stopped crying all day like she used to. But her eyesight never truly recovered. Now, she has trouble seeing things clearly." Fearing Ming Lingyi would blame herself further, Ming Chengyu quickly added, "But if you were to stand before her, she would definitely still recognize you."
As he mentioned Li Yan, Ming Chengyu didn’t tell Ming Lingyi that it had actually been Li Yun who sent the boy to their mother. Perhaps Li Yun had realized back then that their mother needed a pillar of emotional support to pull her out of the grief of losing her daughter.
"We’ve been living in the Jiangnan countryside these past few years. Grandpa and Mother are both in good health. If you don’t believe me, I’ll take you home to see for yourself," Ming Chengyu said.
Ming Lingyi nodded vigorously. ’I have to go home.’
"But you... what about you now?" Ming Chengyu felt that his sister was still the same girl she had always been, but he knew that a person couldn’t truly grow young again, much less come back from the dead.
Even though he had heard many tales of the absurd things Li Yun had done in the palace over the years, he couldn’t believe that someone could truly cross the boundary between the living and the dead.
Ming Lingyi explained everything to Ming Chengyu in great detail—how she had woken up in another person’s body at the end of last year and how she had managed to survive since then.
"...So, that’s how I ended up like this. I don’t go by Ming Lingyi anymore, but Ming Yao. Not that anyone really calls me by name, so I’ve gradually gotten used to my new identity," Ming Lingyi said.
As Ming Chengyu looked at her, his eyes filled with sympathy and affection.
Ming Lingyi had made her experiences of the past half-year sound remarkably casual, but Ming Chengyu knew better. How could it possibly be easy for a lone girl from out of town to establish a foothold in Shangjing City? Besides, their Yuan Niang had never run a business before.
Even if she enjoyed experimenting with snacks and dishes, preparing food for one person was completely different from running a full-fledged restaurant.
"What about you, Brother? How have you been these past few years? Have you had any time to travel the land like you always wanted?" Ming Lingyi could tell what he was worried about from the look in his eyes, so she quickly changed the subject.
’Running a restaurant was hard, yes, but she had already made it through the worst of it, hadn’t she?’ Now, she just felt a great sense of accomplishment.
The siblings chatted as they walked, and before long, they arrived at the entrance of Liufang Bookstore.
Ming Lingyi knew Feng Shuyu had asked to meet at the bookstore mainly to put her mind at ease. Feng Shuyu had told her she owned a bookstore, and if Ming Lingyi didn’t see it with her own eyes, she likely wouldn’t feel completely secure about their arrangement.
