Chapter 44: Chapter 44: The First Clue Appears

"Come on, Mother will take you to eat!"

Ming Lingyi not only conjured up the milk tea that was already sold out at the shop, but also brought out the crispy pork belly from lunch and some sesame paste noodles. The Little Bun ate until his belly was round and full.

Jianzhen also benefited from his master’s good fortune and got to eat as well. However, being a very perceptive little eunuch, he could tell that the Crown Prince clearly wanted to be alone with his mother. So, he took his food and obediently found a spot to eat by himself, munching away.

"This drink made with milk and black tea is delicious." It wasn’t that Li Yan had never had good food; the palace’s Imperial Kitchen employed the most outstanding chefs in the world. But he simply felt that everything he ate at his mother’s place was more delicious than anything from the Imperial Kitchen. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Ming Lingyi chuckled. "Then should I make a cup for you every day from now on?"

"Can I?" Li Yan asked, a little hesitant. He knew this milk tea was in high demand. He’d heard that today, students from Class A had even gotten into a huge fight at the academy over a single cup!

Ming Lingyi replied, "Of course you can. From now on, just have Jianzhen come to the shop to pick it up every morning."

Li Yan thought for a moment and untied his pouch.

The pouch hanging from his waist was the very one Ming Lingyi had embroidered for him. He had always thought the little figure on it looked like him, and now he was more convinced than ever. He treasured it dearly.

Normally, his laundry was handled by palace maids designated by the Laundry Bureau. But this pouch was the sole exception. Li Yan wouldn’t let anyone touch it—not the palace maids from the Laundry Bureau, not even the ladies-in-charge of the Eastern Palace. He cherished it so much that he washed it by hand himself and even placed it by his pillow when he slept.

Li Yan then tipped over his small pouch, and a pile of gold tumbled out with a CLINK CLANK. He pushed it all toward Ming Lingyi.

"Mother, for you," Li Yan said, blinking. "If this isn’t enough, just tell me, or let Jianzhen know. I have plenty of Silver!"

Ming Lingyi was stunned for a moment, then she broke into a laugh.

The glittering gold on the table was certainly tempting. "Mother doesn’t lack Silver either." Ming Lingyi pushed the pile of golden ingots back to him.

Li Yan frowned. "How can you not lack Silver? This shop..."

In Li Yan’s eyes, his mother should have been living a pampered life of luxury in the palace. She was the mother of the nation and should never have to worry about something as vulgar as Silver Coins. But now, his mother was unwilling to return to the palace, choosing instead to run a small shop in the city. ’Is it because she has no Silver that she has to work so hard?’

Li Yun’s words from before involuntarily surfaced in Ming Lingyi’s mind.

"...If one cannot be self-reliant, any form of aid is not a long-term solution."

Although he hadn’t been talking about her at the time, Ming Lingyi felt the words applied to anyone, at any time.

"I think it’s quite nice," Ming Lingyi said. "I can survive on my own skills and have something to do every day. It’s just like you, Little Huachao. Don’t you also have to go to the Imperial College for classes every day? Do you find it hard?"

Li Yan started to nod, but then shook his head.

’He was the Crown Prince of Dayan. All of this was what he was supposed to do. Even if it was hard, he felt it was his duty.’

As this thought surfaced, Li Yan had a moment of realization.

"If this is what Mother wants to do, then I was being thoughtless and presumptuous." As he spoke, the Little Bun stood up from his seat and gave Ming Lingyi a serious bow of apology.

He was such a little child, yet so prim and proper. The sight made Ming Lingyi laugh, but she also couldn’t help feeling a sense of gratification.

’Her Little Huachao was so adorable.’

While Li Yan was in Ming Lingyi’s courtyard, a man in the uniform of the East Palace Guards was kneeling inside a hall in Taiji Palace.

Li Yun sat on the Dragon Throne in the main hall. On the imperial desk was a bowl of medicinal soup for replenishing qi and blood, now completely cold. The Imperial Hospital had a bowl brewed and delivered to Taiji Palace every day.

However, whether this soup, meant to alleviate the Emperor’s deficiency in both qi and blood, ever actually entered Li Yun’s body was something only he himself knew.

"Are you saying the Crown Prince has not yet returned to the palace?" Li Yun asked.

Although Li Yun had built a Crown Prince Mansion for Li Yan outside the imperial grounds, Li Yan was expected to reside in the Eastern Palace from the first to the fifteenth day of the lunar new year.

After all, for the people of Dayan, these fifteen days were all considered part of the New Year celebration, a time that should be spent with family. Thus, even the Crown Prince followed this custom, which had been passed down for thousands of years.

Li Yun had originally sent someone to the Eastern Palace to invite the Crown Prince for a meal, but the messenger couldn’t find him there at all.

And that was what had led to the current scene.

The East Palace Guard kneeling on the floor didn’t dare to raise his head. He replied respectfully, "Your Majesty, yes... that is correct."

"Then where is he now?"

"...He should be at an eatery in the West Market."

Li Yun seemed surprised. "An eatery in the West Market?"

"Today, many students from the Imperial College went to an eatery in the West Market. I’ve heard the owner’s cooking is excellent, and it has a great reputation among the students. So, after classes ended today, His Highness went to the West Market with his classmates."

Li Yun remained seated, silent for a long moment.

Just as the kneeling guard felt his back being soaked through with sweat, the man on the Dragon Throne finally spoke.

"Besides that, did the Crown Prince do anything else unusual today?"

"His Highness..." The man hesitated for a moment before speaking. "His Highness left the palace the day before New Year’s Eve. The official reason was to retrieve a book from outside the palace, but in reality, he went to that same eatery."

How could the Little Crown Prince possibly escape the notice of Cheng Yi and his guards by crawling through a hole in the wall?

The bodyguards Li Yun had assigned to him were no ordinary men.

However, if His Highness wanted to sneak out, they would simply pretend not to notice and follow from a distance to ensure his safety.

Li Yun’s brow furrowed.

"When Cheng Yi came to see me, why did he hide this and not report it?"

"Your Majesty, please forgive me. Commander Cheng knew that Aunt Yu Yi, who was with His Highness, had also accompanied him to the eatery. The guards following them reported that Aunt Yu Yi didn’t seem to stop His Highness from entering, so they assumed there was no problem, and therefore..."

Nearly all the daily affairs of the Eastern Palace were in the hands of the two ladies-in-charge. Everyone in the palace knew who Yu Yi and Yanxia had served before, and that both were deeply trusted by the Emperor.

Therefore, when the East Palace Guards saw that Yu Yi had also entered the shop, they assumed there was no issue. Naturally, Cheng Yi didn’t report such a minor matter.

Li Yun stroked the thumb ring on his hand, his gaze hardening.