Five Years After My Death, the Mad Emperor Still Summons My Spirit

Little Stone came running from afar and nearly couldn’t stop in time. Fortunately, Du Xuan was right there and caught him.

Du Xuan was holding a bamboo basket in one hand and Little Stone with the other. His mouth wasn’t idle either; he had come specifically for the zongzi from Ming’s Restaurant. The moment he paid his silver, he had eagerly unwrapped a zongzi and stuffed it in his mouth. As for the leaf wrapper—a leaf with such "Spiritual Energy"—he would naturally take it home, wash it thoroughly, and leave it out to absorb more Spiritual Energy and dispel any bad luck.

Hearing Little Stone say something major was happening, Du Xuan decided not to leave just yet. He waited to hear what this "big event" was.

"Slow down. There’s no rush," Ming Lingyi said.

Little Stone gasped, "Th-that Mr. Jiu from the Xie family went to catch someone in the act! And it’s his own second brother he’s catching!"

Little Stone blurted out the main points all in one breath. Only then did he pat his chest, having finally delivered the news to his boss.

Ming Lingyi hadn’t hidden the fact that Ming’s Restaurant was being targeted by Wangxian Building from her staff.

Little Stone had only managed to grasp bits and pieces of the situation.

In any case, Little Stone knew that the troubles the restaurant had faced were all connected to Wangxian Building. And behind Wangxian Building, it seemed there was a powerful boss pulling the strings.

Having been a beggar in Shangjing City since childhood, Little Stone knew better than others his age just how formidable the rich and powerful could be. Even though his boss told him not to get involved, Little Stone felt that as a member of the restaurant—especially since Miss Ming paid his monthly tuition—he would be a freeloader if he did nothing to help.

He couldn’t do much else, but he could certainly keep an eye on the Xie Mansion.

And look! Hadn’t his stakeout just landed him some firsthand information?

Ming Lingyi: "..."

She stared at Little Stone, shocked. ’After all, only she, her brother, and Zhang Sifan were privy to their plans.’ She’d never told anyone at the restaurant that she had no intention of letting Xie Ruijing off the hook. So how did Little Stone know Xie Ruiyang had already made a move? Even her brother hadn’t sent word yet.

But Little Stone mistook Ming Lingyi’s expression for disbelief. He was a little cunning, but not much, and when it came to Ming Lingyi, he tended to spill everything at once.

"You told me not to get involved with Wangxian Building’s business, boss, but... but I... I was just thinking, what if they try to cause trouble for us again? So I decided to keep an eye on them. Early this morning, I saw Mr. Jiu from the Xie Mansion leading a big group of men, marching furiously toward Xinghua Alley. I overheard them on the road. They said they were going to catch someone in the act, and something about how the person had been missing for days, messing up business. They said it all themselves. Lots of people heard them! A crowd followed them to Xinghua Alley to watch the show. If you don’t believe me, boss, you can go see for yourself..." Little Stone’s voice trailed off. He had just confessed to acting on his own, and he was terrified Ming Lingyi would be angry.

’But he just wanted to do his part.’

Ming Lingyi no longer had the energy to scold Little Stone for his disobedience. She was stunned, unable to believe Xie Ruiyang would cause such a massive scene.

’Ordinary families, even when catching a cheater, do so secretly. After all, you don’t air your dirty laundry in public. But not only was Xie Ruiyang not being discreet, he was making a huge spectacle of it, making sure everyone knew. He clearly didn’t give a damn about the Xie family’s reputation.’

It was only then that Ming Lingyi truly understood what her brother had told her a couple of days ago. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

’A selfish person with no foresight or magnanimity can cause far more damage than someone with principles, and their actions are much harder to predict.’

Within the Xie family, both the self-serving Family Head and Xie Ruijing still prioritized the family’s interests. Xie Ruiyang, however, was doing the exact opposite.

In his eyes, the family’s interests and reputation were far less important than utterly destroying Xie Ruijing today.

Du Xuan listened, dumbfounded. He wolfed down his zongzi in a couple of bites, tossed out an, "I’m going to see this, too!" and dashed over to his own shop. After asking his neighbors to keep an eye on things, he rushed off to Xinghua Alley to watch the commotion.

Even though he was off to see the drama, Du Xuan didn’t forget to bring his bamboo basket of zongzi from Ming’s Restaurant.

’Watching a show while eating zongzi... Not a bad idea at all.’

Meanwhile, back at the restaurant, once Ming Lingyi had processed everything, she made Little Stone stay put, forbidding him from going back out to watch the "adultery-catching" spectacle.

’A child shouldn’t be watching such things. He’ll get a stye in his eye.’

"Aren’t you going, boss?" Little Stone asked. He was stuck in the restaurant, and though he wanted to see what was happening, he would obey if his boss told him to stay.

Ming Lingyi replied, "I’m not going. The story will be all over town soon enough, so I’ll hear about it. And in the future, if something like this happens again, you stay away from the crowd. It’s best to keep your distance from this kind of sordid affair, understand?"

Little Stone nodded, though he didn’t fully understand. He didn’t know why he had to stay far away, but he could tell his boss was looking out for him. He made a silent vow to be more obedient in the future.

"What commotion are you two talking about?" Mrs. Wei asked. She had just arrived, having come over specifically to see if Ming’s Restaurant was selling zongzi.

But the moment she finished her question, her eyes fell on the zongzi in front of Ming Lingyi, and she couldn’t look away.

"These zongzi are so elegant!" Mrs. Wei immediately picked up one with the character for "Wealth" on it. She ran a finger over it and, confirming it wasn’t just dyed or painted on, grew even more amazed. Without even asking the price, she declared, "I’ll take five!"

Ming Lingyi smiled and pushed the bamboo basket toward Mrs. Wei. "If you buy six, the basket is free. After you take the zongzi home, you can reuse it as a shopping basket or for anything else."

Mrs. Wei glanced at the basket. "Alright, I’ll take six then. My Little Hu Zi loves everything from your restaurant anyway. I suspect once he finishes this basket, he’ll be asking for more."

She carefully selected a few zongzi with particularly auspicious characters and couldn’t resist asking, "Miss Ming, how do you get words to appear on your zongzi? It’s simply incredible."

Ming Lingyi replied, "It is, isn’t it? We’re the only shop in all of Shangjing City that has zongzi like this. Today, you’re not just taking home zongzi; you’re taking home good fortune."

Who doesn’t love hearing such auspicious words? And coming from Ming Lingyi, it didn’t sound like empty flattery; it sounded genuine. At this, the smile on Mrs. Wei’s face deepened. "I’ll take you up on that good fortune, then."

After paying her silver, Mrs. Wei reflected that she was quite used to the prices at Ming’s Restaurant by now. They were a little more expensive than what you’d find at a typical market stall, but nothing compared to the prices in the main East and West markets. Most importantly, she had always been delighted with the food from Ming’s Restaurant. Nothing they made was ever less than delicious, so she felt her silver was well-spent.

"Oh, that reminds me, what was that commotion you and your Little Stone were talking about? I heard about some excitement on my way over," Mrs. Wei said, leaning in conspiratorially. "The household of Mr. Xie from the Ministry of Personnel is in an uproar over an affair! I heard Mr. Xie has been keeping two mistresses in Xinghua Alley—both of them young and gorgeous—and has even fathered several illegitimate children with them! Now his son is leading a mob to catch him in the act and get some justice for his poor mother! It sounds like quite a scene!"

Ming Lingyi: "..."

Even though she tried to remain composed, the rumor she was hearing was so outrageous that her eyes widened in spite of herself.

’The speed at which this rumor is spreading, and the degree to which it’s distorting the facts... isn’t it a little too fast? It’s like a runaway horse, galloping so wildly you can’t even hope to catch it.’