Chapter 56: Chapter 56: Father and Son in Conflict

Li Yun left quickly. ’Does this mean he won’t come to the restaurant looking for me anymore?’

Ming Lingyi wondered.

Perhaps people were just strange. She had once hoped Li Yun would never think of her again for the rest of his life. It was for the best that they had parted ways, each to their own. In this lifetime, she would never follow him back to that cold, lonely Imperial Palace to be trapped like a prisoner for the rest of her days.

But now that she had actually seen Li Yun, and watched him leave so decisively, Ming Lingyi couldn’t help but unleash a silent torrent of curses at him in her mind.

When she heard about Li Yun’s decree ordering the entire Dayan Dynasty to eat cold food for the first ten days of the New Year to pray for the late Empress, she had actually thought she held a special place in his heart.

But now, it seemed she had been overthinking things.

Then again, Li Yun’s thoughts had always been difficult to fathom. Even before he had ascended to that position, few people could ever guess what was on his mind.

Ming Lingyi stared at the sky-blue bed curtains, blinking her eyes, but sleep wouldn’t come.

’It’s all Li Yun’s fault.’

’If he hadn’t shown up today and disrupted her peaceful life, would she be in this state?’

And so, Ming Lingyi unceremoniously cursed him over and over again in her heart.

If Li Yun hadn’t at least had the sense to leave a piece of gold as compensation for ruining her business before he left, Ming Lingyi might have gotten up to make a little effigy of him and stab it with a needle every day.

Li Yan was in high spirits today. The thought of seeing his mother after his classes were over made it impossible for him not to be happy.

But when he left the Imperial College, he didn’t see Jianzhen at the mouth of the alley. Instead, his head guard, Cheng Yi, was there, and Li Yan’s good mood instantly soured.

During this long-awaited holiday, Li Yan had already planned not to return to the Imperial Palace for two days.

His Father Emperor didn’t seem to care much whether he returned to the palace anyway, so he was going to spend both days in Huaided Fang.

He had even instructed Jianzhen to pack his luggage in advance, just waiting to head to Ming’s Restaurant after class.

But now, Li Yan was being taken back to the Imperial Palace.

Upon arriving at Taiji Palace, Li Yan happened to run into an Imperial Physician from the Imperial Hospital who was just coming out.

He furrowed his brows and stopped the man.

"Doctor Sui, is Father Emperor feeling unwell?" Li Yan asked.

Ordinarily, no one was allowed to inquire about the Emperor’s health, but Li Yan was the only Prince in the palace and had been the designated Crown Prince since birth, which of course made him different from ordinary people.

But Sui Ziran had received Emperor Jing’an’s orders and his lips were sealed.

"Your Highness, this humble servant was merely taking the Emperor’s routine pulse. His Majesty’s health is fine."

Li Yan nodded, dismissing him. After Liu Ye announced his arrival, he entered the main hall of Taiji Palace.

As Li Yan walked in, he saw that his personal eunuch, Jianzhen, was already inside.

Jianzhen was kneeling on the floor, and at his feet lay a bundle that looked familiar to Li Yan.

In that instant, a host of suspicions flashed through Li Yan’s little mind.

"Your son greets Father Emperor," Li Yan said.

"Rise," said Li Yun from the Dragon Throne, looking down at his young son. "Do you know why We sent someone to the Imperial College today?"

Li Yan: "..."

He hadn’t expected his Father Emperor to get straight to the point the moment he walked in, giving him no time to prepare. Li Yan was still young and inexperienced, especially when facing someone as calculating as Li Yun. A flicker of panic crossed his eyes. Though he quickly concealed it, the man sitting above him had already seen everything.

"Your son... Your son does not know." Li Yan decided to take a gamble.

’Since Mother said she doesn’t want Father Emperor to know she’s still alive, I can’t be a traitor and reveal even a hint of her whereabouts to him.’

Li Yun glanced at Jianzhen. Although the eunuch’s head was bowed, the Emperor’s gaze was so tangible it was impossible not to feel it.

Jianzhen knelt on the floor, trembling like a leaf.

Li Yun listlessly averted his gaze, his eyes landing on the bundle.

"Fine. Then let Us ask you, is that bundle on the floor yours?"

Li Yan: "It is."

"And where were you going? Don’t tell Us it was the Crown Prince Mansion. This bundle contains things you took from both the Crown Prince Mansion and the Eastern Palace. You clearly weren’t headed to either of those places."

Li Yan: "...Your son... your son..."

He only had two residences, and his own father had just cut off both escape routes, leaving him momentarily speechless, unable to find an excuse.

"Jianzhen, since the Crown Prince doesn’t know, what about you? You are with the Crown Prince all day. Don’t tell me you also don’t know where he was going?" Li Yun suddenly shifted his aim to the little eunuch on the floor.

Jianzhen: "Your Majesty, please forgive me! Your Majesty, please forgive me..."

Jianzhen’s head hit the floor with loud thuds, but not a single useful word came out of his mouth.

Unable to watch any longer, Li Yan knelt. "Father Emperor, it was your son who wanted to buy a house in the West Market. That’s why I had Jianzhen pack my things. I wanted to go have some fun during the Imperial College holiday."

His small body knelt in Taiji Palace, his back ramrod straight, his expression defiant.

"Your son was just being playful and broke protocol. Please, Father Emperor, punish me," Li Yan said earnestly.

’The most important thing right now is to stop Father Emperor from pursuing this matter, even if it means I get punished.’

Li Yun sat on the Dragon Throne, his expression dark and unreadable.

’Very good. So my own son is still trying to hide things from me.’

The memory of Ming Lingyi’s words before he left today—"Your Majesty possesses a vast empire, why should someone like me be of any concern?"—sent a sharp pain stabbing through Li Yun’s chest.

’This mother and son are certainly close, conspiring together to deceive me.’

According to Cheng Yi’s report, his "good son" had already reunited with Yuan Niang before New Year’s Eve. It had been almost a month, and the boy hadn’t let a single word slip to him.

Li Yun stared at his young son kneeling on the floor. "In Our opinion, living in the Crown Prince Mansion has made you too wild. In that case, you will remain in the Eastern Palace and reflect on your actions. You will no longer attend the Imperial College. We will arrange for the Grand Tutor and others to come to the Eastern Palace to instruct you."

Hearing this, Li Yan grew anxious.

’If I can’t go to the Imperial College, then I’ll have no reason to leave the palace, will I? How will I ever get to see Mother then?’

"Father Emperor!" Li Yan looked up in a panic.

Li Yun’s stern gaze swept over him. "Are you dissatisfied?"

Li Yan: "...Your son wouldn’t dare. It’s just that... your son was thinking that the tutors all hold positions at the Imperial College. If they have to rush back and forth between the college and the palace because of me, your son would feel terribly uneasy."

"We hear that you’ve been taking a detour to Huaided Fang on your way to the Imperial College recently?"

Li Yun was not someone who was easily distracted. And in a conversation with his own son, he was certainly not going to let a five-year-old child direct the topic.

Li Yun ignored Li Yan’s excuse and suddenly threw out the two words "Huaided Fang," sending the Little Crown Prince below into a panic.

But the thing that panicked Li Yan even more was yet to come.

"Is it because of a craving for some delicacy, or is there someone outside the palace leading you astray? If it is the latter, that is a capital offense punishable by beheading," Li Yun said calmly.

Those words made Li Yan’s face fall. "Father Emperor!" His small eyebrows were knitted so tightly they almost formed a single line. "You can’t do that—"

Li Yun was unmoved. "Then it seems it really is someone from the outside who is making you unruly. In that case..."

Before Li Yun could finish, an urgent voice cut him off. "Father Emperor, you can’t!"

At this point, the Little Bun could no longer worry about hiding his mother’s identity. He knew his Father Emperor’s word was law; once spoken, it could not be changed. He feared that if he was a moment too late, his mother would face a terrible fate.

"It’s not someone else! It’s not an outsider! It’s Mother Empress! It’s because your son can’t help but want to see her! It has nothing to do with Mother Empress..." Li Yan finally broke down and burst out crying with a loud "WAAAH!"

It had all become too much. He couldn’t hold it in any longer and began to sob his heart out.

"Father Emperor, you can’t hurt Mother Empress..." The Little Bun, kneeling in the great hall, was now a sobbing mess. Yet, he stubbornly stared at the man who had risen from the Dragon Throne, determined to get a promise.