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

Having angered the Emperor of the Dayan Dynasty to the point of spitting blood, Ming Lingyi left the Imperial Palace with a flick of her sleeve.

By the time Liu Ye realized what was happening and tried to detain the Empress—who had just clashed with the Emperor without showing the slightest deference—Ming Lingyi had already been escorted to the palace gates by Yu Yi and Yanxia.

Seeing their reluctance to part, the gloom in Ming Lingyi’s heart seemed to be swept away like dark clouds by a gust of wind, brightening considerably.

"Don’t look so sad. When you get a chance to leave the palace, come visit the restaurant," Ming Lingyi said with a smile.

Tears welled in Yu Yi and Yanxia’s eyes as they nodded emphatically.

Just as Ming Lingyi was about to turn away, Yanxia suddenly seemed to recall something. "Ah!" she cried. "Miss, there’s something I forgot to tell you."

She had been so immersed in the joy of reuniting with her lady that she’d nearly forgotten Ming Lingyi’s earlier instructions.

"Hmm?"

Yanxia said, "Previously, you asked Yu Yi and me to investigate the whereabouts of the Master and Madam in the Jiangnan region. But... but it wasn’t long before the Emperor found out. Then... he took over the matter, and it became very difficult for our people to gather any more information."

Yanxia looked ashamed. Her lady had finally entrusted her with a task, and she had failed to see it through.

Ming Lingyi replied, "I understand. Don’t dwell on it. If Li Yun’s men are on the case, they’ll surely find them faster than we can. In a way, that’s a good thing."

She could clearly see the guilt on Yanxia’s face.

Yanxia stammered, "But... but the Emperor..."

She was worried the Emperor would use her parents’ whereabouts to coerce and manipulate her lady.

"He won’t," Ming Lingyi said, seeming to sense Yanxia’s worries. "Besides, my older brother is with our parents. With his intelligence, it’s not like we’ll be left completely helpless."

Ming Lingyi had faith in her brother.

It wasn’t until she returned to Ming’s Restaurant that Ming Lingyi finally felt a deep weariness settle over her.

It might have seemed like she’d had the upper hand back in the palace, but she knew perfectly well that if Li Yun had been truly determined to keep her there, she never would have been able to leave so easily.

Not even with Yu Yi and Yanxia by her side.

’But for now, it seems Li Yun still has a shred of conscience, at least. He didn’t seem to intend to keep me here by force.’

Ming Lingyi lay on her bed, rested a hand on her forehead, and sighed.

’I can’t be bothered to guess how much Li Yun knows about me and Jiang Yuchuan,’ she thought. ’But as things stand, it seems best to keep my distance from the Junior Minister of the Ministry of Justice.’

’After all, he’s a talented young man. I’d feel terrible if he ended up on Li Yun’s bad side because of me.’

Ming Lingyi decided that after the restaurant opened, she would find an opportunity to clear the air with Jiang Yuchuan.

’I have no desire to be a femme fatale.’

「Six days after the Qingming Festival」

The final renovations and decorations on Ming’s Restaurant were complete.

Ming Lingyi had heard nothing from Li Yun for the past few days. She figured the shove she’d given him to the chest before leaving had been a bit rough, leaving him with no time to come and bother her.

’Still, it would be best if this whole affair made Li Yun come to his senses.’

Before the grand opening, Ming Lingyi had Zhang Qi make a wooden sign to place by the entrance.

They could paste sheets of paper onto it for announcements or promotions, allowing customers to see them at a glance.

The paper could be replaced at any time, making it very convenient.

Previously, when regular customers had teased her about expanding the shop, Ming Lingyi had promised that if she ever did, she would offer significant discounts for the first three days to thank her new and loyal patrons.

Therefore, today Ming Lingyi was heavily promoting the discounts for the restaurant’s grand reopening.

She was no miser. Trivial discounts like rounding down the bill weren’t even on her radar.

This time, the promotion was "Free Dish With Meal."

When Xiao Chun saw those four words, she was confused. "Miss, what does this mean?"

Ming Lingyi had already picked up her brush to write an explanation beneath it. "It means that for anyone who dines with us, no matter how much they order, their cheapest dish is on the house. We won’t charge any Silver for it."

"What?!" Xiao Chun’s face fell. "But... won’t we lose money then?"

’What if people come and order all the most expensive dishes?’

’And what about those who only order two dishes? Isn’t that just a buy-one-get-one-free deal?’

Ming Lingyi smiled. "We won’t necessarily lose money, but with a deal this good, plenty of people will bring their friends along. Even if it turns into a buy-one-get-one-free deal, it doesn’t matter. With the grand opening, we can just consider it an investment in advertising for the restaurant to build up some buzz!"

Still, Xiao Chun couldn’t help but mumble to herself. ’This is too good a deal for everyone else! It’s just not cost-effective!’

As soon as Ming Lingyi posted the notice, residents of Huaided Fang who were passing by began to gather.

The neighbors in Huaided Fang had grown much closer to Ming Lingyi after the incident involving Granny Wang and Wu Niang. The older generation, in particular, adored her. Who wouldn’t like a young lady like Ming Lingyi? In fact, over the past few days, several of the local women had been making inquiries, both subtle and direct.

And what were they inquiring about? Why, what kind of young man she might be interested in, of course!

Having just dealt with a madman like Li Yun, Ming Lingyi now found even the two words "young man" to be fraught with danger.

’Whatever,’ she thought. ’Young men are a dime a dozen; there’s a new batch every year, an endless supply. But opportunities to make money? If you miss one, another might not come along so easily.’

For now, the most important thing to Ming Lingyi was earning enough Silver. Once she had her hands on a fortune, she had it all planned out. She’d buy an estate in the suburb of the capital. If she still craved excitement then, she’d buy a large mansion in the market near the East Market. Then, she’d buy a few handsome young men to sing for her at home every day. Even if she did nothing else, just gazing at a group of attractive young men all day seemed like a pretty sweet life.

Just the thought of it gave Ming Lingyi a renewed motivation to earn money.

"Miss Ming, is it really true? You get the cheapest dish for free just for dining here?"

"That’s right. The offer is genuine," Ming Lingyi said with a beaming smile.

"Wow! So if I come for lunch and then again for dinner, I can get a free dish at dinner too?"

Ming Lingyi nodded. "As many times as you like, as long as it’s within the first three days of our grand opening! Aunt Wu, if you’re planning to come, you’d better get here early for lunch! You’ll want to avoid the queue!"

The woman, Aunt Wu, chuckled. "I know the drill! I’ll be sure to come early and show my support!"

"Miss Ming, save me a seat! I’m coming today too!"

"My husband and I will be there too! Miss Ming, save two seats for us!"

Ming Lingyi agreed to every request. "Come one, come all! In addition to the free dish, our restaurant is also giving out free drinks today! Sour plum drink!"

Giving away free drinks was a calculated move on Ming Lingyi’s part.

There was a clever little trick behind it.

Sour plum soup aids digestion, quenches thirst, and whets the appetite. If she served it for free in the restaurant, customers wouldn’t find the pork too greasy. In fact, it might just stimulate their appetites, encouraging them to eat until their bellies were full to bursting, making them reluctant to ever leave!