Chapter 137: Chapter 137: Love Rivals Clash Again

In the evening, after the restaurant had closed for the day, Ming Lingyi came out of the back kitchen and saw Jiang Yuchuan waiting for her in the main hall.

"I was just passing by and thought I’d drop in," Jiang Yuchuan said, stepping forward to greet her.

Ming Lingyi didn’t point out that the market he claimed to be near, over by the East Market, was nowhere near her place in Huaided Fang, which was close to the West Market.

"How was business today?" Jiang Yuchuan asked.

He knew that Wangxian Building had recently been competing against Ming’s Restaurant. However, the last time he’d gone to see his maternal uncle, their conversation had been rather unpleasant.

Jiang Yuchuan understood perfectly well why his uncle refused to yield. It wasn’t because he considered Wangxian Building particularly important. Nor, when he brought up the old marriage engagement, was it because he held Jiang Yuchuan’s former fiancée—the one who had already broken things off—in high regard. His uncle simply looked down on Ming Lingyi’s background.

To his uncle, she was just an orphaned merchant woman, unworthy of his notice and easily controlled.

Likewise, Jiang Yuchuan also understood that this was his uncle’s way of forcing him to make a different choice.

Even though he wasn’t a member of the Xie Family, his uncle wouldn’t permit him to be so "rash" when it came to something as important as marriage.

Ming Lingyi smiled. "Business was actually much better today."

"That’s good. I’ll be here on time tomorrow." Thinking of the farce at Wangxian Building, Jiang Yuchuan added, "I’ll bring a few classmates with me. They’re also members of the Xianyun Liushui Pavilion. If anyone tries to cause trouble, they can help watch over things."

’If Xu Qian wants to cause a scene because he’s a sore loser, I should be able to find a way to shut him down.’

Hearing this, Ming Lingyi’s thoughts turned to Li Yun.

’Li Yun said he’s coming tomorrow. So, I imagine that even if Young Master Xu wants to cause trouble, he’ll have to think twice, right?’

’If he dares to act up under the "watchful eyes" of the Forbidden Army and the Black Armor Guards, well, I’d almost have to admire his nerve.’

"What trouble? Who’s making trouble?"

Before Ming Lingyi could even respond, a deep and rather displeased male voice cut in from the doorway.

Li Yun had rushed through his work today, finally managing to approve all the important memorials ahead of schedule. He set the remaining ones aside for later and hurried over to Ming’s Restaurant before night fell.

Li Yun had been quite optimistic. He’d calculated the hour and figured he might even get to have dinner with Ming Lingyi.

He was certain that after last night, his relationship with Ming Lingyi was gradually improving. Kunning Palace, vacant for five years, would soon welcome back its mistress.

But Li Yun never expected that the moment he stepped into Ming’s Restaurant, he would see Ming Lingyi laughing and chatting happily with another man.

He took a closer look. Wasn’t it Jiang Yuchuan, the same man who had been visiting Ming’s Restaurant so frequently?

’Him again?’

If it had been anyone else, Li Yun might not have given it a second thought. But this was Jiang Yuchuan, a man he had already mentally blacklisted. The moment Li Yun recalled the vague, ambiguous flirtation between Jiang Yuchuan and Ming Lingyi, his expression turned icy.

Jiang Yuchuan turned at the sound of the voice. When he got a clear look at the speaker, a flicker of unconcealed astonishment crossed his face, despite his usual unflappable composure.

"This humble subject greets Your Majesty." Upon recognizing the man, Jiang Yuchuan immediately knelt.

Before leaving the palace, Li Yun had already changed into plain clothes.

Had it been anyone else, he would have certainly stopped them with a look before they could bow.

But now...

Li Yun’s gaze rested coldly on Jiang Yuchuan, who was kneeling on the floor. It was impossible to know what he was thinking, but he made no move to tell the man to rise.

Seeing this, Ming Lingyi shot a look at Li Yun, utterly exasperated.

’It would be stranger if I *couldn’t* sense his displeasure right now.’

Though Li Yun’s eyes were on Jiang Yuchuan, his peripheral vision was locked on Ming Lingyi.

And he had, of course, caught her disapproving glare.

"This common woman greets Your Majesty."

Hearing Ming Lingyi’s voice join in, Li Yun felt a fresh wave of irritation.

"Rise." Li Yun couldn’t bear to see Ming Lingyi actually kneel to him. He shifted his gaze from Jiang Yuchuan to her. "You were saying someone was going to cause trouble?" he asked.

After rising to his feet, Jiang Yuchuan was still rather baffled.

It wasn’t the first time he’d run into Emperor Jing’an at Ming’s Restaurant. Bumping into him here again, he could only assume that the food must be so exceptionally good that the Emperor would forsake the Imperial Kitchen and still find himself craving it.

Jiang Yuchuan briefly explained what had happened at Wangxian Building earlier that day, as well as the poetry gathering Ming’s Restaurant was hosting.

To his surprise, he had barely finished speaking when the man, who had already found a seat, spoke up casually. "Is that so? In that case, We shall come and take a look tomorrow as well. We want to see for Ourself who dares to be so arrogant and unruly."

Jiang Yuchuan was dumbstruck.

For a moment, he wondered if he had heard correctly. How else could he have just heard the Emperor say he was also coming to Ming’s Restaurant tomorrow?

This restaurant was hardly a place of importance. Even with a dispute stirred up by a troublemaker like Xu Qian, it was by no means a situation that required the ruler of the nation to personally intervene. It wasn’t a matter of state, after all.

And yet, Jiang Yuchuan could have sworn he heard the tone of someone attending to official business in Li Yun’s voice.

For a moment, Jiang Yuchuan was at a loss for how to respond, as was Ming Lingyi.

Ming Lingyi was simply speechless with exasperation.

Jiang Yuchuan didn’t dare to look too long at Li Yun, but that didn’t mean *she* was afraid of him.

The moment she heard Li Yun’s words, Ming Lingyi had already figured out what he was planning.

’Li Yun was making his claim on her, right in front of Jiang Yuchuan.’

’He was using this as the perfect opportunity to fabricate a legitimate reason for showing up at the poetry gathering tomorrow.’ 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

’Even if said reason was utterly absurd.’

’But what could anyone do? He was the Emperor.’

’When the Emperor decided to be willful, could his subjects do anything about it?’

Li Yun felt Ming Lingyi’s stare, but he met it head-on, not looking the least bit guilty.

His brazen, self-righteous expression only made Ming Lingyi more exasperated.

The main hall of the restaurant had already been cleared out by Liu Ye’s men, leaving just the three of them. No one spoke, and the atmosphere grew strangely silent.

In the end, it was Li Yun who first broke the silence.

"Jiang Aiqing, you seem to come to this restaurant often?" Li Yun asked. "Here even after closing time to get your fill?"

As he spoke, his gaze fell upon Jiang Yuchuan, sharp and probing.

’Of course, Jiang Yuchuan couldn’t admit he’d come specifically to see Mrs. Ming. For one, nothing had even started between him and Ming Lingyi. Besides, was this kind of personal small talk something he could prattle on about in front of the Emperor?’

’He and the Emperor were hardly on terms for casual conversation.’