Free Web NovelChapter 237: Chapter 237: "Of course I live together with your mother.
This was Li Yan’s first time visiting his father’s small residence in Huaide Fang.
He clasped his hands behind his back and circled the residence twice. He had to admit, this courtyard home was much more spacious than his mother’s, and the decor was far more elegant.
"Father, why would you buy a house here?" Li Yan didn’t quite understand.
Their home was the Imperial Palace. In his eyes, everything in the Imperial Palace was much, much better than this place.
Even if this private residence had been renovated, it couldn’t compare to one ten-thousandth of what the palace offered.
Li Yun was tired now. He wanted some alone time with Ming Lingyi, but who knew she’d insist on following this little brat around.
He had no intention of trailing after his son like some doting father, so he sat alone in the flower hall, attended by Liu Ye, and drank two cups of tea.
When his son and wife returned and took their seats, Li Yun heard his son’s question. He chuckled, his tone rather smug.
"Because your mother is right next door, and I wanted to be closer to her." Li Yun made no effort to hide his pride.
His was the only house close to Ming Lingyi’s. Even if Li Yan wanted to buy a house to be a little closer to Ming Lingyi, he couldn’t.
From the looks of it, it seemed he, the father, was still a cut above his son.
Hearing Li Yun’s answer, Ming Lingyi shot him a dissatisfied glare.
’What nonsense is he spouting in front of the child?’
On the receiving end of Ming Lingyi’s glare, Li Yun gave a dry laugh and rubbed his chin. It wasn’t that he was deliberately trying to provoke Li Yan; it was just that Li Yan had completely monopolized Ming Lingyi’s attention earlier, and he felt a tiny bit of displeasure.
But he would never admit he was jealous.
Being jealous of a little kid was just too classless.
Just as Li Yun was wondering whether he should appease Ming Lingyi and begrudgingly give his son some face, he heard the boy sigh.
"Father, is it because you don’t have a room in Mother’s courtyard that you were forced to buy a residence next door?"
As Li Yan said this, he looked at his own father with a somber gaze, a hint of pity in his eyes.
’No wonder Father had to buy a house here. It must be because there’s no place for him to stay next door!’
’My father... he seems a little pitiful...’
This comment was unexpected, not only to Li Yun but to Ming Lingyi as well.
However, once Ming Lingyi processed it, she couldn’t help but turn away, unable to hide the smile on her face. She almost burst out laughing.
Li Yun, on the other hand, did not look pleased.
Li Yun subconsciously reached for his waist. For a split second, he truly wanted to drag this son of his out and toss him away.
"Hah!" Li Yun glared at his son. He didn’t want to admit it, but the boy’s pitying gaze truly stung. "Since when is it your place to question where I buy a house? And how do you know I don’t have a room in your mother’s courtyard?"
Li Yan was a child who couldn’t lie and hadn’t yet learned the adult art of backing down gracefully. Hearing his father’s words, he craned his neck and asked curiously, "Do you, Father?"
Of course, Li Yun didn’t!
Ming Lingyi felt that if she didn’t leave right then, she might actually burst out laughing.
She didn’t even dare to turn back and look at Li Yun’s expression.
It didn’t take much imagination to know that Li Yun probably looked like he’d just swallowed a bitter pill.
Li Yun said, "Your mother’s room *is* your father’s room."
Commoner couples live together and sleep in the same room. There’s no such thing as separate rooms or separate bedchambers.
Since Ming Lingyi wanted to be an ordinary person, he could naturally act as if he weren’t the Emperor. So wasn’t it perfectly normal that Ming Lingyi hadn’t prepared a room for him next door?
Li Yun had originally intended to just fool his son, but once the words were out, he felt he was close to convincing himself.
’It seems to make a lot of sense. Totally correct.’
’That must be it. Otherwise, if Ming Lingyi had left a guest room for him, wouldn’t that be for guests? He was the master of the house, not some guest.’
Ming Lingyi, who had been about to get up and leave, hadn’t expected Li Yun to come up with such a "defense" in front of his son. It was clearly a fallacy, yet the man showed no sign of guilt and seemed to truly believe he was speaking the truth.
As for Li Yan, Ming Lingyi didn’t even want to turn around and look.
Her Little Bun was, after all, still naive and hadn’t been exposed to enough of these ploys. He didn’t realize that his father, when not issuing infallible imperial edicts, mostly used his words to trick his son.
So, Li Yan believed him.
He blinked. ’Is that how it is?’
’So that’s how it is!’
The pity for his father in Li Yan’s eyes gradually turned into a bit of jealousy.
He wanted to sleep in the same room as his mother too! Even though he was a big boy now and shouldn’t, he could sleep in the adjoining room.
The moment Li Yan’s eyes darted, Li Yun knew what little scheme he was hatching.
Before Li Yan could open his mouth, Li Yun cut him off. "You’ve seen your mother today. Have you done your daily calligraphy practice? Your mother prepared a room for you next door, and I have prepared one for you here as well. The study is right next to it. Have Liu Ye take you there. Tell Liu Ye if you need anything."
With just a few sentences, Li Yun dismissed his Little Bun, giving him no opportunity to speak.
Li Yun’s command for his Little Bun to practice calligraphy came so quickly that Ming Lingyi had no chance to interject. By the time she realized what had happened, Li Yan was already obediently following Liu Ye to the adjacent study.
Seeing this, Ming Lingyi couldn’t very well follow him. She could only turn her head and look at Li Yun irritably. "You just sent him away like that?"
’Her son might not see through it, but how could she not?’
’That scoundrel Li Yun did it on purpose!’
Li Yun said, "Didn’t you say you came today to see him and me? You’ve been looking at him for quite a while. I assume you’ll be looking at me next, so having him around would just be an eyesore."
Ming Lingyi: "..."
She had indeed said she was coming to see Li Yun and Little Bun, but the time she had originally planned to give Li Yun was probably only about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
Now this man was quite good at taking the lead, making the decision for her directly.
Ming Lingyi was a little speechless. Since she had nothing else to do anyway, she simply walked over and sat down next to Li Yun. "I have a few things I’d like to ask you."
Li Yun wasn’t the least bit surprised to hear this. If Ming Lingyi had truly come just to see him today, he wouldn’t have believed it himself.
Hearing this, he actually felt a sense of relief, as if something that had been hanging in suspense had finally fallen back to the ground.
"Go on."
Ming Lingyi: "If someone were to misuse your private seal, how would they be dealt with?"
Just as Ming Lingyi’s words fell, a soft clink of porcelain sounded by her ear.
Li Yun placed the teacup in his hand onto the adjacent table, the motion neither too heavy nor too light.
His expression was unreadable.
