Five Years After My Death, the Mad Emperor Still Summons My Spirit

Chapter 211: Chapter 211: Is This Really My Own Cub?

The next evening, Li Yun came to Ming’s Restaurant.

Ming Chengyu was the one who received him. Ming Lingyi happened to be out; she had made plans with Feng Shuyu to look at a storefront on Vermilion Bird Street. She hadn’t returned yet, and it was likely she had gone shopping with Feng Shuyu afterward.

Li Yun and Ming Chengyu currently couldn’t stand the sight of each other. Fortunately, when Li Yun left the palace today, he had brought along the eagerly waiting Li Yan.

In fact, for the past few days, Li Yan’s gaze had been full of resentment whenever he looked at his own father.

He still hadn’t forgotten. That day, his Imperial Father had brought his Imperial Mother back to the palace without even telling him. He had monopolized her for an entire afternoon and evening, and Li Yan hadn’t even gotten to see her face.

The Little Bun had a temper of his own.

Even if he usually pretended to be a grown-up, he still had his own desires. He longed to spend time with his mother, which was why he had been so angry since that day.

In the past, Li Yan would never have thrown a tantrum in front of Li Yun. But this time, he hadn’t spoken to his Imperial Father for days. Every time he saw his father, his little face would be all puffed up. Anyone could see that their Little Prince was very unhappy.

Li Yun was at a loss.

He had tried putting on a stern face as he usually did. Under normal circumstances, the Little Bun would know he’d gone too far and revert to his obedient Little Crown Prince persona. But this time, no matter how coldly Li Yun scolded him, the Little Bun remained stubborn, showing no intention of reconciling.

"She’s my Imperial Mother, too! How could you do that, Imperial Father? She doesn’t belong only to you!"

Li Yan argued his case forcefully.

Li Yun sneered from the Dragon Throne. "So, your mother’s return has given you the courage to throw a tantrum in front of This Emperor, has it?"

Li Yan, his chubby face set stubbornly, stared back at his father, completely unwilling to back down.

’I’m not throwing a tantrum,’ he thought. ’This was all Imperial Father’s fault for going too far.’

In the end, it was Li Yun who backed down.

He never would have thought that the Little Bun, who had always been so easy to manage, could be this stubborn when it came to matters concerning Ming Lingyi.

Li Yun wasn’t afraid of Li Yan’s tantrums, but he couldn’t ignore the possibility of Li Yan "tattling" to Ming Lingyi.

He had figured it out by now. In front of Ming Lingyi, his own cub was clearly a "master tattletale."

So when he left the palace today, Li Yun had grabbed the rather inconvenient Little Bun and brought him along.

Along the way, the Little Bun sat properly beside him, but he couldn’t stop his little legs from dangling and swinging in the air, the corners of his mouth turned up high.

Li Yun: "..."

’Forget it,’ Li Yun thought. ’There’s no one else in the carriage. I can’t be bothered to care about his posture and all that.’

’It’s a good thing I brought Li Yan,’ Li Yun couldn’t help but think as he sat at the table. ’Otherwise, sitting here across from Ming Chengyu, I’m afraid I might accidentally flip the table.’

When Li Yan saw his maternal uncle, his reaction was a complete contrast to his father’s impatience. He called out happily, "Uncle!" then turned his head, looking around for his mother.

The moment Ming Chengyu saw Li Yun, the smile on his face faded considerably. However, looking at his little nephew, a smile reappeared.

"Little Huachao," Ming Chengyu called out. "Your mother isn’t back yet. Why don’t you sit down and wait for a bit?"

Hearing this, Li Yan said, "Oh," then used his hands and feet to clamber onto a high chair, where he sat up perfectly straight.

"Where did Mother go?" Li Yan asked, blinking his eyes.

Ming Chengyu: "She probably went to see a friend."

Hearing this, Li Yun’s brow darkened. Now, whenever he heard about Ming Lingyi’s friends, a certain figure he was not particularly fond of would always pop into his mind.

"Did that Jiang fellow come looking for her again?" Li Yun couldn’t help but interject.

Ming Chengyu was willing to talk to his adorable Little Bun of a nephew, but that didn’t mean he was willing to answer Li Yun’s questions. At least, not properly.

"What if he did? What if he didn’t?" Ming Chengyu retorted.

Li Yun: "Don’t you know he has a fiancée?"

"Hm? Is the Emperor referring to Miss Cai? Ah, then Your Majesty need not worry. Miss Cai and Lord Jiang merely had a marriage contract in the past," Ming Chengyu replied.

Li Yun’s voice deepened. "But the news This Emperor has heard recently says otherwise."

In fact, Qin Shiqi had come to seek an audience with him again today.

Li Yun had met with him. He didn’t expect that after just a few days, Qin Shiqi would have learned to play the victim.

After seeing the man today, Qin Shiqi’s crying seemed to still be ringing in his ears.

Qin Shiqi had come to see him for no other reason than to ask him to uphold justice.

Qin Lingzhi had been tricked by the Xie family into a matchmaking meeting with Jiang Yuchuan, but who knew that Jiang Yuchuan already had a fiancée? Xie Jupu was practically grinding the Qin Family’s face into the dirt! He really couldn’t swallow this insult.

"Your Majesty, you must seek justice for this old subject! That Xie Jupu is too vicious. He told this old subject he was willing to form a marriage alliance with my family, but in reality, his nephew clearly has a fiancée! And yet he still had this old subject’s daughter meet with Lord Jiang. This... this is simply too much bullying!"

The image of Qin Shiqi crying and sniffling before him was still vivid in his mind.

Li Yun had to admit that when he first heard Qin Shiqi’s words, he was secretly overjoyed.

He, of course, hadn’t known that Jiang Yuchuan had a fiancée before. Upon hearing it, he wanted nothing more than to rush to Ming’s Restaurant and tell Ming Lingyi this "good news."

Now, hearing Ming Chengyu’s denial, he raised an eyebrow and said, "Regardless of the truth, that Jiang fellow has had a fiancée before. Did he ever mention any of this to Yuan Niang? If not, then that’s deception."

Li Yun was certain that Ming Lingyi would never accept a man who had deceived her.

Therefore, regardless of whether Jiang Yuchuan was currently engaged or not, there was no chance of anything happening between him and Ming Lingyi.

This news was, of course, good news to him.

Ming Chengyu: "..."

Although Li Yan didn’t say anything, he had been pricking up his ears the whole time.

"Who is this ’Jiang fellow’?" Li Yan looked up and asked curiously.

Li Yun: "Don’t ask about things that don’t concern you."

Li Yan: "!!!"

Ming Chengyu also smiled gently, but what he said was completely different from Li Yun.

"He’s the Lord Shaoqing of the Ministry of Justice. Our Little Huachao has probably met him. He’s a friend of your mother’s and often comes to the restaurant to dine."

"What kind of friend is he?" Li Yun scoffed at Ming Chengyu’s introduction. ’He’s clearly just a lecher who was after my Yuan Niang from the start!’

Ming Chengyu: "..."

Li Yan tilted his head and looked at the two elders beside him. The atmosphere seemed a little strange, but it didn’t affect his judgment.

"I know!" His voice was cheerful, as if happy to recognize his mother’s friend. "That uncle came to the restaurant to help Mother as a judge. It was the first time. He’s very young! And handsome!"

Li Yun had been confronting his difficult brother-in-law. When his own cub’s voice suddenly reached his ears, he snapped his gaze back and stared coldly at the Little Bun beside him.

’Li Yun seriously suspected whether this little rascal next to him was really his own son. Otherwise, why was he always able to say things that made him so furious?’

Ming Chengyu, however, couldn’t help but laugh out loud at his words.

"Our Little Huachao has good taste!" Not at all afraid of Li Yun, and as if eager to stir up more trouble, Ming Chengyu asked Li Yan, "So, who does our Little Huachao think is more handsome? Lord Jiang or your Imperial Father?"

Li Yun: "Childish!"

Ming Chengyu: "If you think it’s childish and don’t want to hear, then Little Huachao, come here. Whisper it to your uncle. We can talk between ourselves!"

Li Yun: "!"