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

Chapter 213: Chapter 213: What’s the Deal with Two Men Lying Together?

Ming Chengyu said, "Well, it’s not as if there are no other options." He glanced at Li Yun. "If Your Majesty is willing to make do with this commoner for one night, I wouldn’t be opposed."

He was saying this just to get under Li Yun’s skin.

And clearly, it was extremely effective.

Li Yun nearly shot to his feet and stormed out.

’How disgusting!’

The very thought of sleeping in the same room as another man made the sword at his hip practically hum with indignation.

Ming Lingyi covered her mouth with her hand and laughed. Of course, she knew this was her brother’s wicked little scheme.

Li Yun’s expression soured, not only because of Ming Chengyu’s repulsive comment but also because he saw Ming Lingyi had no intention of helping him whatsoever. A stifled frustration welled up in his chest.

In the end, Li Yun relented with a nod.

If he didn’t agree, he was sure his ruthless Yuan Niang would truly have him thrown out of the restaurant.

Li Yan, sitting beside his mother, couldn’t help but let out a heavy sigh.

’I’m a big boy now, how could I still sleep on the same bed as my Imperial Father? It’s so unmanly.’

"Did you come all this way today just to drop off Little Huachao?" Ming Lingyi had indeed gone to the market with Feng Shuyu earlier. When two young women get together, there’s always an endless stream of conversation and an endless number of things to buy. Naturally, they returned home late. Ming Lingyi sat at the table. As she spoke, she reached to pour herself a cup of water. But to her surprise, before her hand could even touch the teapot, she saw a tiny hand stretch out with some effort, lift the pot, and pour the water for her.

When Ming Lingyi turned her head, she was met with her Little Bun’s sweet, smiling face.

In that instant, Ming Lingyi felt a part of her heart simply melt.

Li Yun also saw his son’s action. His face remained impassive, but when he saw Ming Lingyi smiling so happily at Li Yan, he couldn’t help but wonder, ’This little brat is so good at sucking up. That’s not like him.’

"It wasn’t entirely for that," Li Yun said. "There’s also the matter I mentioned before, about the Qin Family requesting an imperial marriage decree."

"Jiang Yuchuan has a fiancée, so that matter has been dropped."

As he spoke, Li Yun watched Ming Lingyi’s expression closely.

But to his disappointment, Ming Lingyi showed no reaction at all. She didn’t even offer a flat, "Oh."

"You’re not surprised?" Li Yun asked.

Ming Lingyi said, "I already knew."

Li Yun said, "The man clearly has a fiancée, and yet he still..." He paused, then unceremoniously reached over and covered the Little Bun’s ears. "...and yet he still came to pursue you. A man like that isn’t someone you can entrust your life to."

Ming Lingyi said, "...Li Yun, I can hear the clicking of your abacus from here."

Ming Chengyu let out a blunt laugh, then beckoned to Li Yan. "Little Huachao, come on, let’s go. Your uncle will take you to your room."

It was indeed inconvenient for the child to be there.

Li Yun lifted Li Yan down from the high chair, not bothering to react to Ming Chengyu’s laughter. Only after Li Yan had disappeared around the corner did he retort sullenly, "What abacus?" He would deny it to his dying day.

"Miss Cai and Lord Jiang’s engagement was broken off years ago," Ming Lingyi said. "But as for now, they are indeed getting married."

"Really?" Upon hearing this, Li Yun almost instantly forgot all his previous grievances and dislike for Jiang Yuchuan. He clapped his hands, barely refraining from laughing out loud. "In that case, I must reward them handsomely!"

’This huge thorn in my side has finally removed itself. How could I not give a reward for that?’

Feeling a knowing, half-amused gaze fall on him, Li Yun finally remembered to rein in the uncontrollable grin spreading across his face.

Under Ming Lingyi’s stare, he cleared his throat twice and said, in a transparent attempt to cover his tracks, "Well, uh, I was just thinking that he’s a friend of yours. As such, I can’t be too stingy. If he wants me to issue an imperial decree for his marriage to that... Miss Cai, it’s not out of the question."

Qin Shiqi had sought a special audience and failed to obtain this very marriage decree, yet now, in front of Ming Lingyi, Li Yun promised it away so casually.

’If he weren’t worried about appearing too eager,’ he thought, ’he would issue the decree right here, right now.’

Ming Lingyi snorted softly but didn’t call him out.

"Did the Qin Family come to you to complain of an injustice?" Ming Lingyi asked.

Li Yun leaned back in the high chair and nodded. "He cried pathetically before me, saying he hoped I would intervene and punish the Xie family."

"So they’re losing on the business front," Ming Lingyi said with a smile.

Xie Jupu had used the marriage alliance as a pretext to try and swallow up the Qin Family’s assets in Shangjing City, all to compensate for the losses their own family suffered from internal strife between the brothers.

Now, thanks to an unexpected move from Jiang Yuchuan, the two families had become enemies.

The Qin Family wanted to teach the Xie family a lesson, but a family that had been entrenched in the Capital City for a century like the Xies was no pushover. A fight broke out between them, and from the looks of it now, the Qin Family was likely on the losing end.

Otherwise, Qin Shiqi wouldn’t have gone from begging for a marriage decree a few days ago to airing his family’s dirty laundry, hoping Li Yun would step in and sort things out.

"You refused?" Ming Lingyi asked.

Li Yun scoffed. "I already denied his request for a marriage decree. If I were to refuse him again, wouldn’t that seem a bit too heartless? He was, after all, one of my Imperial Father’s key ministers."

Whether that mention of "key minister" was laced with sarcasm, perhaps only Li Yun himself truly knew.

"Tomorrow, at the morning court session, I will have a little chat with Lord Xie," Li Yun said.

Ming Lingyi didn’t believe for a second that Li Yun genuinely wanted to help Qin Shiqi. After all, back when Qin Shiqi had committed an act of insubordination, Li Yun had commented right in front of her that the man was unfit for any important role and didn’t know his place. Li Yun was not one to change his opinion of people easily. Qin Shiqi was already on his list of useless officials; there was no way a few tears would make Li Yun go soft on him now.

After a moment’s thought, her expression grew serious. "You’re trying to kill two birds with one stone."

She quickly figured out Li Yun’s true intentions.

When she looked at Li Yun again, her gaze turned meaningful.

Li Yun raised an eyebrow. "What are you thinking, Yuan Niang?"

Li Yun couldn’t remember the last time he had spoken with Ming Lingyi like this. Back before he ascended the throne, he’d had the time and the inclination to share many matters of the court with her. He never felt that she, as a woman, was unworthy or had no need to know such things.

But somewhere along the line, Li Yun didn’t even know when it started, he had become increasingly busy and had stopped confiding in Ming Lingyi about the troubles he faced at court.

It was true he hadn’t wanted to burden her with his troubles, but he had forgotten that sharing is the best way to close the distance between two people, to make the other person feel needed and present in your life.

When two people who once shared everything gradually have nothing left to say to one another, it means the relationship has reached its end.