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

Li Yun didn’t seem to be awake yet.

Ming Lingyi looked up. Through a crack in the window, she could just make out the moonlight in the central courtyard.

’It’s already nighttime.’

Ming Lingyi recalled returning to her room that afternoon and not leaving since. Li Yun had pulled her into dallying with him, and now, somehow, it was this late. She’d even missed dinner.

Ming Lingyi didn’t have Li Yun’s thick skin; the back of her ears turned bright red.

Fortunately, Li Yun had climbed over the wall to get in today. No one outside probably knew what she and Li Yun had been doing in here all afternoon and evening. Otherwise, Ming Lingyi felt she would be too ashamed to ever leave this room.

Thinking of the main culprit behind this whole situation, Ming Lingyi looked up and couldn’t stop herself from pinching Li Yun’s chest.

She hadn’t forgotten what sort of tricks this man had used earlier to force her into agreeing to a bunch of things. He was utterly cunning.

Li Yun was indeed sleeping unusually soundly.

In the palace, with no one by his side, he often couldn’t sleep. Even after he recognized Ming Lingyi, his anxiety kept him awake because she still refused to return to the palace with him.

Only when he held Ming Lingyi in his arms, breathing in her unique scent, could Li Yun fall into a deep slumber.

Ming Lingyi clawed at Li Yun’s chest, leaving a few red marks. But instead of opening his eyes, he took her mischievous hand in his, raised it to his lips, and kissed it gently.

The completely unexpected gesture made Ming Lingyi’s ears burn.

’What is this man trying to do?!’

And yet, Li Yun’s action held no trace of lust. It was just a light, gentle, almost soothing kiss.

Ming Lingyi tried to pull her fingers from the man’s palm, but his grip was surprisingly strong. She tugged twice to no avail.

"Still pretending to be asleep?" It was then that Ming Lingyi realized this scoundrel had probably been awake for a while, just feigning sleep like a cunning wolf.

Only then did Li Yun reluctantly open his eyes.

He didn’t really want to wake up.

Even though it was summer, holding Ming Lingyi as he slept made him feel exceptionally secure. It was as if a place in his heart that had been empty for years was now so easily filled.

’He knew that as soon as he opened his eyes, Ming Lingyi would leave. Maybe it would be better to sleep forever.’

"You just woke me up," Li Yun said, refusing to admit he had been awake for a while and pinning the "blame" on Ming Lingyi.

Ming Lingyi pushed at his shoulder. In the winter, she loved holding him. He seemed to have an endless internal fire, like a furnace, making him wonderfully warm to cuddle with on cold days.

But now it was early summer, and sleeping under a thin blanket was just right. Being held so tightly in Li Yun’s arms, however, was making Ming Lingyi feel a bit hot.

"Get up. Move over, move over." Ming Lingyi felt like she was already starting to sweat from her brief struggle to get free.

She had never liked feeling sticky, and besides, the current situation felt a little dangerous.

They were pressed too closely together, and she was wearing nothing but her inner tunic.

Ming Lingyi could even feel the powerful muscles of Li Yun’s thigh. Even though he wasn’t doing anything, his presence was overwhelming.

Besides, Li Yun had never been an ascetic man.

Back on the border, on his monthly day off, she would drag Li Yun out to accompany her while she shopped. But from the afternoon until late at night, wasn’t it always *her* "accompanying" *him*?

She would accuse him of being insatiable, and Li Yun would retort righteously, "I’m in the barracks all day, and even when I come back, it’s always a rush. Haven’t I given in to you every time for the past ten or fifteen days? How about you indulge me just this once?"

He’d pretend to ask for her opinion, while at the same time trapping her between his arms and the headboard, leaving her no escape.

Ming Lingyi knew this man all too well. And now, she had been leaving him high and dry not for ten days or half a month, but for several months.

Lying in bed, embraced like this, Ming Lingyi found it hard to believe he didn’t have other intentions.

Li Yun was indeed not as calm as she might have imagined. What could they do in just half an afternoon? He had held back for so long—how could two or three times be enough?

He had originally planned to let go and allow Ming Lingyi to get up. But she clearly didn’t trust him, and before he could loosen his grip, she had already turned to struggle free on her own.

The person in his arms squirmed. Nothing else happened, but her movements managed to stir the fire right back up in him.

The large hand on Ming Lingyi’s waist had just loosened when it tightened once more. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

In summer, sudden showers were frequent.

She was biting down on Li Yun’s arm. A moment ago, he had whispered in her ear, "It’s much quieter at night than during the day..."

The moment Ming Lingyi heard those words, her whole body tensed. She twisted her head and bit down hard on his arm, swallowing the scream that was about to escape her throat. All that came out was a muffled whimper.

A heavy rain seemed to fall on her forehead and cheeks, salty and warm. The drops rolled down between the soft pillows and vanished, leaving only dark, damp marks behind.

It was impossible to tell if it was tears or sweat.

「In the front hall」

Li Yan had no idea how long he had been sitting there. Jianzhen, the attendant waiting on him, couldn’t help but glance anxiously toward the curtained-off area.

The staff of Ming’s Restaurant were also at a bit of a loss.

The Crown Prince had arrived at the restaurant in the afternoon. No one had been notified beforehand, so his appearance was quite a surprise.

In the kitchen, there was a box of zongzi that Ming Lingyi had prepared yesterday for her little bun.

As soon as Li Yan entered the restaurant, Xiao Chun and the others had cooked the zongzi and brought them to him.

"Ah, where is... Auntie Ming?" Li Yan had originally wanted to call her ’Mama,’ but the word caught in his throat, and he swallowed it back down.

Xiao Chun replied, "The miss was busy for most of the day and went to the back courtyard to rest this afternoon. Does Your Highness wish to see her now? In that case..."

When Li Yan heard his mother was resting, he quickly waved his hands.

Although he really wanted to see his mother, he knew she worked very hard running the restaurant.

"No, no, I’m not in a hurry. I can wait," Li Yan said quickly.

He liked waiting for his mother, and he hoped she could sleep a little longer.

What Li Yan hadn’t expected, however, was that after finally getting a break from the homework his Imperial Father had assigned, he had nearly finished all the zongzi his mother had specially left for him, yet there was still no sound from the back courtyard.

Jianzhen couldn’t help but feel anxious for his young master.

Seeing the sky gradually darken, he figured his master must be very disappointed that he still hadn’t seen Lady Ming’s face.

A little ball of a boy, Li Yan sat obediently in his seat, not making a fuss, and picked up one of the many varied books the restaurant kept on hand.

Reading was nice, but he couldn’t help but feel a little anxious himself.

’Don’t tell me I won’t get to see Mother at all today?’

After seeing Li Yun leave the restaurant in the afternoon, Ming Chengyu had stood guard for a while longer. Once he was sure Li Yun wouldn’t be returning, he finally took a basket of zongzi and headed for the Zhang Mansion.

The Xie family was in turmoil right now, and Zhang Sifan had contributed quite a bit to it. The Zhang Family had likely reaped some very tangible benefits from the chaos.