Chapter 116: Chapter 116: Listening to Another Man Brag About My Wife

Of course, Jiang Yuchuan couldn’t say any of this in front of the Emperor. After sitting down, he waited for the Emperor to speak.

But for a long moment, all he felt was the Emperor’s gaze sweeping over his face. The Emperor didn’t say a word.

Jiang Yuchuan almost couldn’t resist raising a hand to touch his face, wondering if there was something on it.

Finally, Li Yun spoke.

"Ming Da seemed quite familiar with that young waitress. A regular here, I take it?" Li Yun asked.

’He alone knew the bitter jealousy that soured his heart as he asked.’

Jiang Yuchuan nodded. "This restaurant may look small, but the food is excellent. Plus, today is the last day of their promotion, so it’s a great deal. You should try it, sir. You might even find it better than the food at home."

Jiang Yuchuan said this entirely on the chance that if the Emperor also enjoyed the food at Ming’s Restaurant, he might, in a moment of high spirits, bestow a piece of his own calligraphy upon them with a grand wave of his hand.

If Mrs. Ming had the Emperor’s calligraphy to grace her establishment, an incident like today’s would surely never happen again.

After all, wouldn’t that be tantamount to defying the Emperor?

So, as he made his recommendation, Jiang Yuchuan couldn’t help but say a little more than usual. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

But he didn’t know that to Li Yun’s ears, his words were incredibly jarring.

Li Yun’s expression turned ugly.

Of course, he knew Ming Lingyi’s cooking was superb.

But now, hearing Jiang Yuchuan praise Ming Lingyi’s skills to his face felt like some other man was boasting about his own wife. It was an awful feeling.

Li Yun’s face darkened.

Although he remained silent, his aura was overpowering. Across from him, Jiang Yuchuan quickly realized that the Emperor seemed to be in a foul mood today.

He wisely chose to shut his mouth.

Every word from Jiang Yuchuan was a reminder to Li Yun that his relationship with Ming Lingyi wasn’t what it once was, and it infuriated him. Yet now that Jiang Yuchuan had fallen silent, sitting quietly across the table, Li Yun was just as displeased.

He still wanted to find out from Jiang Yuchuan just how far things had progressed between him and Ming Lingyi.

At this thought, Li Yun glanced at Jiang Yuchuan. "Are you also familiar with the owner of this restaurant?"

Hearing this, a flicker of embarrassment crossed Jiang Yuchuan’s face, but then, as if he had come to a decision, his eyes filled with a candid resolve.

Just as he was about to speak, a figure suddenly appeared before them.

Ming Lingyi had come out from the back courtyard.

Ming Lingyi had been genuinely worried Li Yun would do something impulsive. Unsettled, she had come over specifically to check on things.

Jiang Yuchuan didn’t dare look directly at the Son of Heaven, but Ming Lingyi clearly saw the gloom and suppressed fury in Li Yun’s eyes.

Ming Lingyi said, "Lord Jiang, what brings you to our restaurant today?"

She walked over and spoke first, cutting off Jiang Yuchuan’s reply.

The moment Jiang Yuchuan saw Ming Lingyi appear, his gaze was completely captivated.

Ever since leaving Ming’s Restaurant the night before last, he had returned home with his mind almost entirely filled with her image.

He wanted to see her every day, but he worried that visiting too frequently would displease her. After all, he knew she was bound to be very busy these past few days.

Today was his day off, and he just couldn’t resist the urge to see Ming Lingyi again.

He never expected that before he could even seek her out, she would emerge from the back courtyard to see him.

Jiang Yuchuan couldn’t help but wonder, ’Could it be that Miss Xiao Chun saw me just now and told Ming Lingyi, and that’s why she came out specially to meet me?’

’If that’s the case, does that mean Miss Ming... feels something for me...?’

At the thought, Jiang Yuchuan’s ears turned a little red.

"I... I had the day off, and I was craving the lamb chops from Ming’s Restaurant, so... so..." In front of the Emperor, Jiang Yuchuan was too embarrassed to say he was craving Ming Lingyi’s cooking, so he quickly changed his tune, mentioning the specialty of another chef at the restaurant.

"I see. As it happens, I have something I’d like to say to you, Mr. Jiang. Why don’t you come with me?" Ming Lingyi said.

The moment she finished speaking, she felt Li Yun’s hostile gaze land on her face.

’But how could I possibly care what Li Yun is thinking right now?’

From the moment Li Yun saw Ming Lingyi appear to the moment she walked up to Jiang Yuchuan, the hand he had resting on the table had clenched into a fist.

If he could, he would drag Ming Lingyi away right now.

But...

Li Yun knew better. If he really did that, Ming Lingyi would probably want to see him even less.

He could only endure.

He endured the sight of Ming Lingyi leading Jiang Yuchuan away, the two of them disappearing into the back courtyard.

Li Yun tasted the sweet, metallic tang of blood in his mouth.

Liu Ye stood guard before his master, his eyes fixed forward.

He didn’t dare let his gaze wander in the slightest.

He didn’t have to think hard to guess his master’s expression. It had to be as dark as a midsummer thunderstorm, simmering with a violent, brewing fury.

When Ming Lingyi led him to the back courtyard, Jiang Yuchuan was still a bit flustered.

"Miss Ming, I also have something I need to tell you," Jiang Yuchuan said.

Ming Lingyi was a little surprised. Her claim that she had something to say was just an excuse to separate Jiang Yuchuan and Li Yun.

"I heard someone came to the restaurant to cause trouble today," Jiang Yuchuan began. "Wangxian Building... its backer is no simple figure."

Jiang Yuchuan had originally come tonight for this very reason.

He got straight to the point. "Wangxian Building is an enterprise of the Xie family. I am truly sorry."

Ming Lingyi replied, "What does that have to do with you? You don’t need to apologize."

Ming Lingyi thought Jiang Yuchuan felt guilty for not being at the restaurant that afternoon. But the incident had been sudden, and the two of them didn’t have any real relationship to speak of. There was no need for him to feel that way.

"No, the Xie family and I... we have a connection," Jiang Yuchuan said in a low voice. "My mother was a daughter of the Xie Family. The current Family Head of the Xie family is my eldest maternal uncle."

Ming Lingyi: "I see."

The powers in Shangjing City were a complex, tangled web, especially the great families with centuries of history. They were bound together by marriage alliances, their roots running deep.

She had never looked into Jiang Yuchuan’s family background, so it was only now, hearing him say this, that she understood.

"But you’re not the one who did this, so you have no need to apologize to me," Ming Lingyi said.

Shame was written on Jiang Yuchuan’s face. "I will go to my uncle tomorrow, get to the bottom of this, and give you a proper explanation."

After receiving the news, he had rushed over to find Ming Lingyi, not yet having had time to go to the Xie Mansion.

Ming Lingyi didn’t reply immediately.

She didn’t really want Jiang Yuchuan to get involved. This was a contest between her and the Xie Mansion; if he were caught in the middle, he would only be put in a difficult position.

Although Jiang Yuchuan hadn’t said more, he probably didn’t realize that she already knew Wangxian Building was a Xie family business.

This was something that not even everyone in the Xie family necessarily knew. The fact that Jiang Yuchuan, an outsider by name, was privy to it made one thing clear: he likely held considerable weight in the eyes of Lord Xie of the Ministry of Personnel.