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

Chapter 215: Chapter 215: "I can waive the rent to take a stake in your restaurant.

Li Yun: "..."

’Aren’t these all just pointless questions?’

Seeing his silence, Ming Lingyi scoffed. "See? I told you. You always have an ulterior motive for everything you do."

Li Yun: "!!!"

He wanted to explain, but Ming Lingyi had already gracefully stood up from his embrace. Without a backward glance, she walked toward the rear courtyard, giving a casual wave as she went. "The hour is late. You should get some rest too. Don’t disturb Little Huachao; he has to get up early for the Imperial College tomorrow."

As she finished speaking, Ming Lingyi’s figure vanished from Li Yun’s sight.

Li Yun: "!!!"

After Ming Lingyi returned to her room, the faint smile on her face gradually faded, leaving only a trace of bewilderment.

When two people have been together for a long time, it’s hard for even the slightest emotional shift in one to escape the other’s notice.

Just like in that moment, Ming Lingyi could clearly feel that she and Li Yun had grown exceptionally close.

It wasn’t just a physical closeness.

She could naturally feel it when Li Yun held her—the surge of his emotions in that instant had been transmitted directly to her heart.

Ming Lingyi didn’t dare to dwell on what Li Yun was thinking in that moment.

She was afraid that if she did, she would be drawn back into old memories and find herself unable to leave again.

But ultimately, she had to leave.

Recalling her meeting with Feng Shuyu earlier that day, Ming Lingyi found their conversation quite interesting.

"If you have no ties holding you back, there’s nothing wrong with traveling and seeing the world," Feng Shuyu had said.

She had also promised her brother that once her business in Shangjing City was settled, she would go with him to Jiangnan.

Lying in bed, Ming Lingyi sighed.

Over the past few days, Ming Lingyi had been meeting frequently with Feng Shuyu.

Ming Lingyi had visited Feng Shuyu’s shop on Vermilion Bird Street several times.

It was a street-fronting shop, just like Liufang Bookstore, but it was much larger than the bookstore.

It had a full three stories and was in an excellent location. Sitting by a window in the restaurant, one could see all the activities on Vermilion Bird Street.

"Every year during the Lantern Festival, the Qixi Festival, and so on, Shangjing City holds lantern processions. The shops near Vermilion Bird Street are always packed. On that one night alone, with no curfew, you can’t even imagine how much silver one can earn! The daily foot traffic is also immense. You definitely won’t lose money doing business here," Feng Shuyu recommended enthusiastically.

Ming Lingyi had to admit, Feng Shuyu’s words were very tempting, but she also had to admit that her pockets were a bit empty.

Even though her restaurant in Huaided Fang was now incredibly popular, to take over a restaurant on Vermilion Bird Street, the monthly rent alone could be around a hundred taels of silver.

Ming’s Restaurant didn’t have high prices. If most of the profit was used to cover the rent, the gains wouldn’t be worth the losses.

"About the rent, I actually wanted to discuss something with you," Feng Shuyu said.

Ming Lingyi had been weighing the pros and cons for the past few days. She didn’t want to take advantage of Feng Shuyu. The restaurant’s location was exciting, but she also had to consider the profits of the restaurant and her current eatery.

If she took over the restaurant, it would look to outsiders like Ming’s Restaurant had truly "made it."

The best location in all of Shangjing City, the most impressive place—that was "success."

But while it might look glamorous on the surface, in reality, everyone at the restaurant would be busier, yet the silver they earned each month would decrease. Ming Lingyi would rather do without that kind of "glory" and "face."

’Whether my life is good or not isn’t up to others to decide; it’s up to me.’

’If I chase after fleeting fame, it might seem like a step forward, but who knows if it wouldn’t be the beginning of a decline from prosperity?’

After careful consideration, Ming Lingyi had actually come today intending to turn Feng Shuyu down.

But before she could speak, she heard Feng Shuyu bring up the rent first. Ming Lingyi nodded. "Go on."

"I can waive the rent for this restaurant entirely." Feng Shuyu’s opening words were like a clap of thunder.

Ming Lingyi stared at her in shock. Just as she was about to say something, Feng Shuyu raised a hand to stop her.

"I’m not finished," Feng Shuyu said. "These past few days, although I’ve been accompanying you to see the shop, we’ve been eating all our meals at your restaurant, so I’ve been observing it. Your business is excellent. I’ve also been listening to what the customers say about your place. You have a lot of repeat customers, which means the food is genuinely good—that’s why so many people love it. Therefore, I’d also like to invest."

Ming Lingyi let out a soft "ah." This was not what she had expected.

It was true that every day at mealtimes, Feng Shuyu had suggested eating at her restaurant. Lingyi had thought it was just because Feng Shuyu liked the food; she never imagined there was another reason behind it.

Feng Shuyu continued, "You’ve seen the restaurant. It used to be a restaurant before, but it was poorly managed, so they were planning to lease it out for a different business. However, what you might not know is that the boss behind this restaurant is the Hu family."

The Hu family was a wealthy merchant household in Shangjing City to begin with.

But unlike ordinary wealthy families, the members of the Hu Family were all strikingly beautiful. Both the men and the women were top-tier beauties.

In the current generation, the eldest son of the Hu family manages their business, while his sisters have all married into the families of officials in Shangjing City.

Although the Hu family were merchants, they had many relatives in high official positions backing them.

In Shangjing City, they were even more influential than the Imperial Merchants.

"So it’s the Hu family," Ming Lingyi said with a nod. However, she didn’t understand what Feng Shuyu was getting at. Since the Hu family was giving up the lease, even if she didn’t rent it, Feng Shuyu could just rent it to someone else. A location on Vermilion Bird Street shouldn’t have any trouble finding a tenant.

For her, a monthly rent of nearly a hundred taels of silver was too expensive, but Shangjing City was never short of wealthy merchants.

Take the restaurants in the East and West Markets, for instance. The moment news got out that Feng Shuyu’s restaurant was available, people would surely be lining up at her door.

"But even if you invest in this way, we can’t guarantee that the restaurant will be profitable. If you rent it to someone else, you’re guaranteed a steady monthly income. Investing with us carries quite a bit of risk." Ming Lingyi had considered that if she took over the restaurant, she would make it more "high-end." But this was still just a plan, not yet a reality. For Feng Shuyu, it was a risk.

Feng Shuyu picked up her tea and took a sip. "No. Besides you, it might be very difficult for me to find another tenant."

Ming Lingyi: "How is that possible?"

Feng Shuyu: "Because to those who don’t know the situation, that restaurant still belongs to the Hu family. And those who do know would be hesitant to rent it from me out of consideration for the Hu family’s reputation. Otherwise, such a move could easily be seen as acting against the Hu family."

Feng Shuyu slowly explained the reason, meeting Ming Lingyi’s gaze without flinching. "So, as I said, I want to use the restaurant as my investment to join your business. I’m offering you a major advantage, but at the same time, you’ll be taking on a risk."

This risk, naturally, came from the Hu family, which had connections to numerous officials in Shangjing City.

"The Hu family... are my ex-husband’s family." Feng Shuyu dropped another bombshell on Ming Lingyi.