Chapter 138: Chapter 138: They’ve Done What a Married Couple Does, but His Title...

Jiang Yuchuan: "Your Majesty, Boss Ming also invited me to be a judge tomorrow. I was passing by the restaurant today to discuss the matter with her."

After hearing this, Li Yun nodded, though it was unclear if he believed him. "So, you’re done discussing it now?"

His demeanor suggested that even if they weren’t finished, they had to be now.

Even if Jiang Yuchuan wanted to stay and chat a little longer with Ming Lingyi, he had no choice but to give up the idea.

"Just about," Jiang Yuchuan replied.

After receiving Jiang Yuchuan’s reply, Li Yun walked straight to a table near the kitchen and looked at Ming Lingyi. "Well then, Boss Ming, are you still serving dinner?"

Ming Lingyi: "..."

’Could I possibly say no?’

Ming Lingyi forced a smile, though it clearly looked perfunctory.

"What would Your Majesty like to order? If we have the ingredients, I can make it now."

Li Yun: "Then We shall take a look. The last time We came to your restaurant, We found the food quite delicious. It’s no wonder Mr. Jiang likes to come here as well..."

Jiang Yuchuan, realizing Li Yun was planning to stay for dinner, had already tactfully excused himself.

Just as he reached the door, Li Yun’s words reached his ears.

’It’s as if he’s confirming my earlier suspicions.’

’So it really is because Mrs. Ming’s cooking is so good that even the Emperor, who’s used to the skills of the Imperial Chefs, can’t praise it enough and has specifically left the palace just for a taste.’

After leaving Ming’s Restaurant, Jiang Yuchuan couldn’t help but look back as he walked down the road.

From his current angle, he could still see the brightly lit Ming’s Restaurant.

He saw Ming Lingyi standing across from Li Yun, seemingly saying something.

At that moment, a strange and subtle feeling surfaced in Jiang Yuchuan’s heart.

’Is Miss Ming’s cooking really so outstanding that it surpasses that of the many Imperial Chefs in the Imperial Kitchen?’

’And also...’

Jiang Yuchuan thought back to Ming Lingyi’s reaction after he had revealed Li Yun’s identity to her.

’If it were any ordinary citizen, upon learning that a remote and powerful figure like the Emperor had appeared in their restaurant, even if they weren’t alarmed, they should have been ecstatic, right?’

’But afterward, listening to Ming Lingyi’s voice, it seemed no different from usual. There was no trace of panic or unease.’

’Is that reasonable?’

Jiang Yuchuan couldn’t figure it out.

’But he was also quite certain that Ming Lingyi had had no prior interaction with the Emperor, so what was going on?’

The more Jiang Yuchuan thought about it, the more everything seemed wrong, yet he couldn’t find a single possible explanation for it all.

Ming Lingyi, unaware of the growing number of questions in Jiang Yuchuan’s mind as he left the restaurant, stared at Li Yun under the oil lamp. When she spoke, her tone was impatient. "Why are you here?"

Li Yun: "To have dinner with you."

Ming Lingyi: "???" She was silent for a moment, then asked, "So you came all the way from the palace just to have me cook for you? Are there no cooks in the palace? Or do you just want to make trouble for me?"

Li Yun: "..."

Even if he were a complete fool, he could tell that Ming Lingyi was a little upset.

He quickly corrected himself. "No, I just want to eat with you."

Before he married Ming Lingyi, Li Yun never thought eating alone was a big deal. But after they married, having someone sit beside him made even his meals feel more peaceful. Later, when he took charge of the Imperial City, in the vast palace, only when Ming Lingyi was there did he not feel lonely. But then, for the past five years, Li Yun had been forced to eat alone.

He wanted to get used to it, but some things, evidently, one couldn’t get used to simply by deciding to.

Hearing this, Ming Lingyi glanced at Li Yun but ultimately didn’t say anything more.

’He’s already here. Can I really just kick him out?’

’As if I could actually make him leave even if I tried.’

Because of Jiang Yuchuan’s "Your Majesty" earlier, Ming Lingyi wasn’t sure if the waiters in the main hall had heard. However, seeing that Liu Ye had cleared the area, she figured the people in the kitchen and the back courtyard must have sensed that something was unusual.

Ming Lingyi rubbed the bridge of her nose. The explanations could wait. She told Liu Ye to go to the kitchen and bring some food.

’She couldn’t possibly eat with the restaurant staff tonight.’

Fortunately, the meals prepared at the restaurant each day were quite lavish.

In Ming Lingyi’s opinion, it made no sense to run a restaurant only to eat worse than the customers. She believed that having a skill was, first and foremost, about satisfying one’s own appetite; making a living came second.

So, the dishes Liu Ye brought out from the kitchen were indeed very plentiful.

Ming Lingyi was indeed a bit hungry. She sat down and, without another word, picked up her chopsticks.

Li Yun didn’t have much of an appetite, but seeing Ming Lingyi eat with such relish, he also picked up his chopsticks.

"The hour is late, yet he still comes looking for you. He clearly has no sense of propriety. If this happens again in the future, have someone stop him." Li Yun criticized the other man for having no manners, yet he himself observed no such rule as ’don’t speak at meals’ in front of Ming Lingyi. He talked while he ate, completely unaware of how hypocritical his current behavior was.

Ming Lingyi popped a mouthful of "Jade Lamb Sautéed with Scallions" into her mouth. This was the new special of the day—stir-fried lamb with large scallions.

The lamb was exceptionally fresh, sliced from the leg only moments before being tossed into the wok. The slices were as thin as a cicada’s wing and cooked through after just a few turns in the hot oil.

The flavor of the scallions was robust, enough to mask the slight gaminess of the lamb without any other spices.

A single bite was not only tender enough to melt in your mouth, but also carried a faint, milky aroma.

This was the unique taste of fresh lamb.

Ming Lingyi found the dish went exceptionally well with rice; everyone who ordered the new special today had asked for a second bowl of rice.

Perhaps because the dish was so satisfying, she barely even lifted her eyelids when she heard Li Yun’s words. "Aren’t you two the same?"

’Didn’t you both come looking for me at this hour?’

’The way Li Yun tells it, the other guy is improper, but he himself is perfectly respectable?’

Li Yun: "How could I be the same as him?"

Ming Lingyi didn’t answer, just raised her eyes to look at him with a half-smile.

Li Yun was baffled by her look. "I have a title. He doesn’t."

The subtext was that Jiang Yuchuan was nothing but a scoundrel trying to seduce a married woman—utterly shameless.

He was a man whose status had been confirmed just last night. How could he be lumped together with someone like Jiang Yuchuan?

Ming Lingyi: "What title do you have?"

"Ming Lingyi’s husband," Li Yun said shamelessly.

Seeing how confident he was, Ming Lingyi almost laughed out of exasperation.

"How come I don’t know about it?" she asked.

Her words made the expression on Li Yun’s face falter. His gaze darkened. "It is a fact. Besides, last night..."

’Last night... we were together like that. We acted as husband and wife. How could I not have that status?’

Li Yun’s heart sank.