CH 58

Because of Yun Qingci’s words, Prime Minister Yun solemnly composed a memorial and sent it to Li Ying, but at the same time he did not continue to prevent Yun Qingci from getting closer to Li Ying.

Fortunately, Yun Qingci had learned his lessons and did not continue to rush to Li Ying and stick onto him. Every time, it was Li Ying who took the initiative to come to him.

He finally started to care about his face, and the old father’s heart calmed down a little.

Yun Qingci never made trouble about going back to the palace and wisely hid his meeting with Li Ying from his family members, so Prime Minister Yun could turn a blind eye to what was going on.

The peach blossoms in the other courtyard bloomed and wilted. In order to spare Li Ying from long trips to the city outskirts, Yun Qingci packed up his things and moved back to the Prime Minister’s mansion, which was closer to the Forbidden City.

At nightfall, Li Ying came again.

His face was as pale as ever, but because he could come and share his pillow with Yun Qingci every night, with days full of hope, his spirit was much better than before.

Yun Qingci was sitting in front of the desk to carve a seal, with a few pieces of carved wood beside him. He hadn’t done any heavy work in his life and even hadn’t held a carving knife much. His movements were quite laborious.

His cuffs were raised, and the wrist of his left hand was so deeply injured that there still was an obvious scar on it.

Yun Qingci was so absorbed in what he was doing that it took Li Ying pulling a chair and sitting down in front of him until he noticed. He immediately put down the carving and said, “Why didn’t you make a sound when you came?”

“What are you doing?” 

“I want to… make a new sign.” Yun Qingci glanced at him. Li Ying’s expression remained unchanged as he said softly: “Let me help you.”

Li Ying’s craftsmanship was naturally better than that of his. Yun Qingci hesitantly handed him the carving knife and subconsciously rubbed his painful hand.

There were two blisters on his fingers, and he blew on them with a bitter expression.

Li Ying glanced at him, temporarily put down the knife and the piece of wood, and ordered someone to bring hot water. He covered his hands with a hot towel for a while and said, “For something like this, it’s better to find someone else to do it, you don’t know how.”

“You can do it, why can’t I do it?” Yun Qingci said with a stern face: “I can do it too.”

“Your hands aren’t made for this kind of thing.” 

“Then what are my hands for?” 

“For looking beautiful?” 

Yun Qingci stared at him, saw his playful expression and couldn’t stop blushing. He kicked him and snorted: “I want to replace the token you gave me. Aren’t you angry?” 

“When you named it the Qing Division, I said that it was inappropriate. Ah Ci should have something that belongs to him alone, it’s not right to stamp everything with someone else’s mark.” 

“But you are not someone else,” Yun Qingci said reflexively. Seeing Li Ying’s dark eyes smile, he suddenly blushed even more. He kicked Li Ying heavily and said, “Anyways, you just don’t care at all, do you?”

Li Ying hooked his foot around Yun Qingci’s, gently pressing the blister on his finger and picking it carefully with a silver needle that had been heated. Before Yun Qingci cried out for pain, he took the hot towel again and held it down, saying, “How can I not care?”

Yun Qingci became happy all at once: “That means you don’t want me to replace it?” 

“Naturally I don’t want you to.” Li Ying said, “Who would want their traces to be erased by their sweetheart?”

Yun Qingci sighed.

Li Ying was coming alive again and became more and more talkative. Yun Qingci used to love his warmth and temperament, and later loved his silence and restraint. Now he had discovered that the sweet-talking Li Ying was more likable.

He was sensitive and suspicious and had a bad temper. He did know his shortcomings in his previous life, but he always longed to be tolerated, understood and appeased. In exchange for it, he worked very hard to understand Li Ying, but in the end he made a bad mistake and died committing suicide.

He had been sheltered by his mother since he was a child, and later by Li Ying. He had never been very independent in his life. It was no exaggeration to say that he was raised in a greenhouse, so he became accustomed to dependence.

After confirming that Li Ying had not abandoned him in his previous life, Yun Qingci’s subconscious thought was to rely on him again.

Even if everyone around him and his own heart reminded him that this was not good, he simply liked Li Ying. After finding that even his own death had been worth it, he wished he could melt into one with Li Ying and become one whole.

So although reason told him that he should learn to face everything by himself, when Li Ying said that he didn’t want him to replace the token, he still couldn’t help feeling happy.

But it was just feeling happy.

He forced himself to leave that warm harbor and said seriously: “But I have decided that I must replace it.” 

Everyone must learn to grow, and Yun Qingci was no exception. He must slowly make himself become such a person that, even if he left Li Ying, he could still live well.

This was what Li Ying hoped for in his previous life.

But at this moment, Li Ying looked a little sad.

Yun Qingci looked at him for a while, then suddenly burst into a chuckle.

Li Ying: “?” 

“You current look is just like an old father.” 

Li Ying: “……”

He did have a little bit of that mentality. The guy who had been clinging to him began to flutter his wings awkwardly to prepare to fly. He was obviously reluctant, but he still had to hold him up high with his own hands to let him take off. It was difficult not to feel lost in his heart.

He picked up the carving knife and commented: “The picture is good.” 

Yun Qingci laid down on the desk and looked at his face. After the period of recuperating, Li Ying’s green shadows under his eyes disappeared. He slept with Yun Qingci every night, and the number of nightmares was much less. Although they were still unavoidable, everything was slowly improving, and Yun Qingci felt very satisfied.

He didn’t hold back. He quietly pulled the chair to Li Ying’s side and said, “I have ordered the Qing Division to look for Master Qi.” 

He was someone who had to let the other party know once he’d done something for them, for fear that his contribution would be missed.

Li Ying’s heart softened and he asked, “And then?” 

“They haven’t found him yet.” Yun Qingci’s expression wilted. Li Ying couldn’t resist, reached out and rubbed his head: “No hurry.”

“How can there be no hurry?” Yun Qingci said stiffly: “I am very disappointed with myself.”

“Actually, it doesn’t hurt very much.” 

“But when I think of the underground palace…” Yun Qingci closed his mouth. When he watched that scene at the time, he was not very shocked. Even when he looked back and thought about it later, he couldn’t remember what his emotions were then.

But he would always feel very empty, as if his heart and lungs were taken out; floating and light, and also confused and helpless and kind of empty.

It seemed like he had accidentally fallen from a high altitude, stepped into the air and didn’t know whether he was alive or dead, and couldn’t land for a long time.

Every time he thought about those transparent things getting on Li Ying, sucking his blood mercilessly, eating his flesh, feasting on his body, and about Li Ying still feeling it all the time, his emotions would get out of control in an instant.

He leaned towards Li Ying without saying a word. The latter instinctively opened his arms and watched Yun Qingci snuggle to him, then quietly bury his face against his chest, motionless.

Li Ying looked at him.

Yun Qingci’s nose was red and the corners of his eyes were moist. He arched in the arms of the Son of Heaven, calmed down and said, “I want to cure you.” 

“It’s fine now.” 

“I want you to be okay even if I leave-” Yun Qingci anxiously clenched the corners of his clothes, and there were tears on his long eyelashes. He drilled into Li Ying’s arms again, sniffed and said flatly: “I’m not worried about you, I just hope you are okay.” 

“I’m okay.” Li Ying said, “I can’t be happier that you care so much about me.”

“You don’t understand me, do you?” Yun Qingci pushed him and was suddenly hugged vigorously. Li Ying pressed his chin on his forehead and changed the subject: “I am going to adopt Ah Heng and raise him myself. What do you think?” ”

“That’s a rhetorical question,” Yun Qingci said, “His father was born to Concubine Wei. Once you come up with enough evidence and can remove Empress Dowager Zhang publicly and after you rectify the name of your birth mother Empress Wei, Concubine Wei will be your aunt. Becoming even closer, he is the only one who can succeed you, who else.”

“En.” 

“And you have taught him all your life before, so you should know him better, and it should be easy to bring him up.” 

“When I adopted him, he was twelve years old, but now he is just two years old. I am afraid that he won’t be as sensible as in his previous life.” 

“Then aren’t you going to be annoyed to death with him? I hate children the most.” Yun Qingci was full of resentment.

When he used to go out for a stroll, he often encountered children crying and yelling. Adults were pestered by them and couldn’t do anything. There were some children who simply grabbed their father’s hair and hung on it swinging. It made Yun Qingci’s teeth itch just looking at it. 

At that time, he hadn’t married Li Ying yet and he was thinking that if he had a child one day, he would never let them ride on his head.

He was worried that Li Ying would be abused by the little spoiled child, so he tugged at him again and said, “Have you ever inquired if he is disobedient now?” 

“He was quite obedient later, but now as he’s raised by Concubine Wei, I don’t know much about him.” 

“Then…” Yun Qingci frowned, not forgetting to remind him: “You can’t let him clutch your hair and swing, and you can’t let him ride on your head.” 

“I don’t have another head for someone else to ride.” 

Yun Qingci was dazed for a moment and said, “I mean, don’t spoil him, make him lawless and make yourself suffer.” 

“I don’t have the energy to spoil another child.” 

Yun Qingci finally realized the meaning of his last two sentences and immediately was angry: “Can that kid be the same as me?” 

“Of course it’s different, you are much more important than him.” 

Yun Qingci was very satisfied. He pursed the corners of his smiling mouth modestly and hummed: “I just made a stronghold in your heart, yet you can’t even discriminate good from bad.”

“You can give more advice to your husband.” 

Yun Qingci stared at him.

Li Ying leaned over and kissed his lips carefully. Yun Qingci was stunned by the kiss and finally felt satisfied, before continuing to babble: “If you ask me, this kid, you have to raise him like a little slave, often making him bring tea and pour water or something. This way when he grows up, he will form a habit and be willing to listen to adults. Don’t pamper him, otherwise he’ll turn the earth upside down.” 

“Just like you?” 

Yun Qingci’s face sank, and he said sorrowfully: “Say that again.” 

“Just like you… lawless.” Li Ying’s eyes curved up but when he saw anger in Yun Qingci’s stare, he calmed down immediately and kissed his lips again.

Yun Qingci was helpless, tried to push him away twice and was kissed dizzy.

Li Ying’s nose was really nice. When he kissed him, it would press to the side of his face. When he didn’t, it would look attractive. It was good no matter what.

Li Ying put his forehead against his, rubbed the tips of their noses and said thoughtfully: “I didn’t worry about it, but when I hear you say it, I start fearing that I really won’t be able to stand him.” 

Yun Qingci was hooked and gave a promise in a daze: “Don’t worry, I won’t leave you alone with the kid.”

Li Ying’s eyes were deep; he rubbed Yun Qingci’s lips with his and said in a low voice, “Thank you, Lord Empress, for your thoughtfulness.”