Chapter 96: Chapter 96: "Yuan Niang, Have You Fallen in Love with Someone Else in This Life?

Liu Ye stood to the side, coaxing with a smile, "Her Majesty is concerned for the Emperor’s health, which is why she has been busy in the small kitchen for so long. The Emperor has always been the one Her Majesty holds dearest. When your servant went to the small kitchen, I saw both Yu Yi and Miss Yanxia helping. The sight of it made my eyes well up. It was just like the old days."

Though Li Yun hadn’t seen the scene himself, his expression softened considerably upon hearing Liu Ye’s words.

But a moment later, Li Yun couldn’t help but add, "Go and see if she’s finished. If she’s not done yet, have the people from the Imperial Kitchen get over there and help. We do not support a bunch of idle hands!"

It must be said, the proverb "accompanying a ruler is like accompanying a tiger" is no exaggeration.

The chefs in the Imperial Kitchen could never have imagined that the Emperor, angered by the Empress spending too long in the kitchen, would take it out on them—a group of completely unrelated cooks.

Liu Ye was just about to head back to the small kitchen when footsteps were heard outside. Ming Lingyi had returned.

Yu Yi and Yanxia, who were behind Ming Lingyi, placed several dishes neatly on the table. Liu Ye had already hurried over to take the tray from Ming Lingyi’s hands, setting down a rice porridge that exuded the rich aroma of chicken soup.

"These are all simple dishes made according to the dietary plan prescribed by the Imperial Physician. Since you haven’t been eating properly, you should eat now," Ming Lingyi said, looking at Li Yun.

In the entire realm, she was likely the only person who could speak to Li Yun with such a commanding tone.

But upon hearing these "audacious" words, Li Yun wasn’t angry at all. Instead, an extremely rare smile appeared on his face.

He seldom smiled so happily.

"Alright," Li Yun said.

He stood up, walked to the table, and sat down. Seeing Ming Lingyi still standing in place, he couldn’t help but ask, "What are you still standing there for? Come and eat with me."

Ming Lingyi replied, "There’s no need. Now that the food is made, I’ll be heading back."

The smile on Li Yun’s face from a moment ago instantly froze.

Soon, his brow furrowed. "In such a hurry? You won’t even stay a little longer?"

Ming Lingyi replied, "It’s inappropriate."

Those two simple words left Li Yun with a lump in his chest, making it hard to breathe.

’He wanted to get angry, but he was afraid of making Ming Lingyi upset. If he did, she might never set foot in the palace again. For now, he had no choice but to suppress it.’

"...It’s getting late. Stay for a meal, and I’ll have someone escort you back afterward," Li Yun said, trying to reason with her in a gentle voice.

Ming Lingyi was someone who responded to a soft approach, not a hard one. The Li Yun who had never shown weakness in front of her before was like a different person today, and she couldn’t bring herself to ignore it.

Meeting Li Yun’s exceptionally hopeful eyes, and seeing how pale the man’s face was, Ming Lingyi sighed inwardly and sat down across from him.

A smile slowly spread across Li Yun’s face.

"You are all dismissed," Li Yun said.

He just wanted to be alone with Ming Lingyi for a while. Even a brief moment was enough to bring him a sense of peace.

"An Liu, come out."

When only Ming Lingyi and Li Yun were left in the room, Li Yun suddenly spoke again.

The words had barely left his mouth when a black shadow fell at Ming Lingyi’s feet.

Ming Lingyi nearly jumped in fright.

She gave Li Yun a baffled look, wondering what madness he was up to now.

Li Yun said, "He was the one by Xue Yi’s side back then."

Ming Lingyi: "?"

The Hidden Guard known as An Liu was not a man of many words. Right in front of Ming Lingyi, he pulled a series of tools from his robes. He began applying substances to his face, even sculpting a high-bridged nose very similar to Li Yun’s from some soft putty and affixing it to his own. After filling in the surrounding areas, a face that was nearly identical to Li Yun’s appeared before Ming Lingyi a moment later.

However, if she looked closely, Ming Lingyi could still spot subtle differences between this face and Li Yun’s.

An Liu said, "Back then, I knew that with Her Majesty’s sharp eye, you would quickly discover I was an impostor. Therefore, to avoid Her Majesty noticing anything amiss, I never got too close..."

’Of course, that was only one reason. The more important reason was that this was the woman his master held dearest. He would have to have a death wish to even think about getting close to Her Majesty.’

’He probably wouldn’t even know how he died.’

For a moment, Ming Lingyi felt a wave of complicated emotions.

An Liu’s words did indeed bring back many memories.

’There were periods when "Li Yun" never came to Kunning Palace, not even on the fifteenth of the month. The man would just not appear.’

’Once, she had run into "Li Yun" in the Imperial Garden, who was out admiring the flowers with Chen Fei. When he saw her, his first reaction was to lead Chen Fei away, as if she were some kind of terrifying beast.’

"At that time, the Xue family was powerful. I had to go to Jiannan Road in secret, and I couldn’t let word get out. So, I had An Liu assigned to Xue Yi’s side to make her believe I was still in the palace. Xue Yi was in constant contact with her family in Jiannan Road. Only by making the Xue family believe that she was favored and pregnant could we make them lower their guard..." Li Yun explained.

With Xue Yi monopolizing his favor and the Empress being given the cold shoulder, the Xue family wouldn’t be in such a hurry to deal with her. Their main focus would be on the nonexistent child in Xue Yi’s belly.

In truth, he should have told Ming Lingyi all of this long ago, but there was never a suitable opportunity.

Their last few meetings all seemed to end on a sour note.

Ming Lingyi lowered her gaze slightly. To her, these truths were not entirely meaningless.

’At least now she knew she hadn’t been so unlucky in the past, that it hadn’t been just a one-sided affair on her part.’

’But it didn’t mean much, either.’

"I understand," Ming Lingyi said.

’After all, it was all in the past. Those memories were too heavy, and she shouldn’t let them affect her current life.’

Li Yun stared at Ming Lingyi intently. "I only have you," he said.

Ming Lingyi: "..."

"What about you?" Li Yun suddenly asked.

Ming Lingyi hadn’t even fully processed what Li Yun’s words meant when his voice fell into her ears once more.

"Yuan Niang, in this life, have you ever fallen for anyone else?"

Ming Lingyi choked, letting out a few low coughs.

Li Yun had gotten up at some point and was now standing beside her like a towering mountain, silently patting her on the back.

An Liu was already gone.

His mission for the day was complete. How could he dare to linger and disturb his master?

The choking brought a blush to Ming Lingyi’s face.

"Li Yun, what nonsense are you spouting!" Ming Lingyi snapped back to her senses, her voice involuntarily rising in pitch.

"Who I like now has nothing to do with you, does it?"

’She had forgotten—give this man an inch, and he’d take a mile.’

’It seemed her kindness to him today had made him forget his place.’

’Ex-husband? Oh, wait, not even an ex-husband. How dare a man she had no relation to whatsoever try to control who she liked?’