Ling Huai still carried a food basket in his hand, clearly here to visit and feed her.
"When did you get here?" Ling Dang moved aside to let him in.
"A while ago. Since you've already been, I won't go in."
Ling Dang gently closed the door and walked back with Ling Huai, shoulder to shoulder.
She looked at the food basket and laughed, "You're brave, daring to go to the kitchen to get food."
Ling Huai unfastened his outer robe and draped it over her. "Eldest Sister instructed the cook to prepare a late-night snack. I was timely and got lucky."
Ling Dang tightened her grip on the collar of her robe and said in a joking tone, "When did you bribe my Personal Maid?"
He didn't answer, instead asking, "Do you still like it?"
Kui Qing had given her a box that afternoon. It wasn't anything precious, just containing a shuttlecock. The contents were worth less than the outer box, a true Waste of God's Gifts.
"I like it." Ling Dang lowered her head, staring at the toe of her shoe. She had recently started learning to kick a shuttlecock to relieve her boredom. The shuttlecock she first learned with didn't follow her feet; it either hit her head or fell to the ground. She used the poor workmanship of the shuttlecock to cover for her lack of skill. Little did she know, her Unintentional Words, upon entering his ears, had struck a chord. The next day, he sent her a beautiful and exquisite new shuttlecock.
She had indeed felt warm the moment she received it, but a thought had immediately reminded her of Kui Qing, who had always been obedient to the Third Sister in the past, yet secretly helped him and her engage in Secretly Cross the Chens. Thinking further, she broke out in a cold sweat.
She couldn't help but suspect he had found something on Kui Qing, forcing her to do his bidding.
Having foresight and being scheming were good qualities, but when used against her, it wasn't so pleasant.
Ling Dang hesitated for a long time before mustering the courage to speak, "Um, Ah Huai..."
Ling Huai seemed to know what she was thinking. Before she could finish her question, he provided an answer: "She did it willingly. Helping her master solve problems, it's commendable that she's so clever."
Fine, fine.
She couldn't hold others to her own deeply ingrained liberal ideas from the start, nor could she expect the Self-awareness of Characters in the Book, who were defined from the outset, to change because of her existence.
Ling Huai was destined to not be a good person.
She was asking too much of him.
She would let nature take its course. As an insignificant little canon fodder, she couldn't intervene in anything, let alone change the characters' thoughts or the plot's direction. Moreover, this world in the book wasn't a peaceful era; Mutual Deception was commonplace. Even the protagonist group didn't dare to engage in verbal sparring. She should obediently follow the family rules, speak less, observe more, Speak Cautiously and Act Prudently, and patiently wait until the grand finale.
The next morning, Ling Jing ordered a servant to open the door to the ancestral hall. The two little ones were huddled together on cushions, covered by a cloak, fast asleep.
Ling Jing instructed the servant, "Carry Xiao Qi back to the room to sleep. Feed him some ginger soup to ward off the cold as soon as he wakes up."
The servant carried Ling An away. Ling Cen, immersed in his dream, unconsciously fumbled around. Sensing that the space beside him was empty, he turned over and continued to sleep soundly.
Ling Jing lit an incense stick and bowed, her palms pressed together in silent prayer to the Ling family's Ancestral Tablet.
As the incense burned out, Ling Cen opened his eyes and saw Ling Jing standing before him with her back turned. Startled, he scrambled up and knelt obediently.
"Awake?" Ling Jing lit another incense stick and inserted it into the censer.
"Third Sister, I was wrong. Don't be angry. But I promise you, I'll never use the household servants to test poisons again!" Ling Cen swore with three fingers raised.
Ling Jing turned around. "Must Study Poison?"
Ling Cen lowered his head, his voice quiet but firm: "Yes."
Ling Jing's burning gaze fixed on the curved back of his head. She said sternly, "Today, you used poison on others. Tomorrow, you might be retaliated against and harm yourself, or implicate Loved Ones to die tragically. Even so, you won't change?"
"I won't change." Ling Cen raised his face. A mole under the Lower Eyelid of the Left Eye gave him a roguish air when he wasn't smiling. Once his eyes crinkled in a smile, it added a touch of alluring charm.
It was widely rumored that the Western Regions were skilled in Spirit Communication and Divination, inhabited by Forest Spirits, Gods and Shamans. The Desert Lost City had an oasis where people lived in seclusion. The inhabitants were born with the ability to use Gu, drawing ancient totems on their bodies. The matriarchal line ruled by generations of Saintesses, with priests performing divine divination.
Ling Cen vowed earnestly, "Third Sister, believe me, as long as my Gu skills are masterful, there will be no poison in this world that I don't know. I'll also learn martial arts, so no one will dare bully you. Whoever dares to walk into a trap, I'll use Gu to bite them to death, poison them to death, and kick them away!"
Within three sentences, he was back to his usual flippancy.
"Alright, I won't stop you." Ling Jing averted her gaze. "But there's one condition: no poisons for which there is no cure."
"Oh." Ling Cen immediately deflated.
"Hmm?" Ling Jing let out a word of pressure from her nose.
Ling Cen instantly straightened his back and nodded repeatedly, "Okay, okay! As long as I can continue studying Gu, I'll listen to you, I'll listen to everything you say!"
He twisted his upper body, flashed a charming smile, and said ingratiatingly, "Then, since Third Sister has agreed, do I not need to kneel anymore? Also, can you return the Gu artifacts and jars that were confiscated yesterday?"
Ling Jing glanced at him, giving a perfunctory "Mm" in response.
"Great!" Ling Cen sprang to his feet. As soon as he met Ling Jing's slightly furrowed brows, he immediately became submissive.
He hunched his neck, stole a glance at Ling Jing's expression, his eyes darted around, and then suddenly he lunged forward, hugging Ling Jing's thigh, squirming and clinging to her. He said in a gooey voice, "Third Sister is the best," and before her sharp gaze could land on him, he quickly let go and ran out the door like a gust of wind.
Ling Cen ran out of the ancestral hall and frolicked all over the courtyard.
Ling Jing followed closely at his heels as he stepped out the door, unceremoniously dousing him with cold water. Her red lips softly uttered, "Go to the academy."
"Ah?!" Ling Cen felt like he had been struck by lightning. He grabbed onto a pillar and began to wail dramatically, "It's already so late, and I still have to go to the academy! It's unjust! It's outrageous! I knelt all night and didn't sleep a wink. I'm not going, I'm going back to my room to catch up on sleep! I want to sleep!"
"Not going? You don't have to."
Ling Cen's face immediately lit up with joy, and he let go of the pillar.
Ling Jing continued, "Someone, throw all those broken pots and jars confiscated yesterday into the back mountain."
His hastily formed smile froze on his face. As he ran towards the doorway, he shouted back, "No, no, no! I'll go! I'll go right now! Don't throw any of them away! I know what I'm doing. I'll check the count when I get back from school! If any are missing, I'll pay tenfold!"
Ever since the news of the plague arrived from Ganzhou City, the city had been sealed and had not reopened. The court had dispatched physicians, but to no avail. The fires of war in Ganzhou City and the burning of corpses intensified.
Emperor Zhou finally agreed to the princess's marriage proposal, sending the ten-year-old Princess Yìyāng to marry Prince Sang of the Northern Regions, and the Northern Regions retreated.
Adding to the woes, heaven sent disaster. The Zhou Kingdom suffered drought and lack of water in various provinces. The planted crops turned into withered grass, and there was no harvest in autumn. The court opened its granaries to provide relief, but this only led to an increase in displaced refugees.
In October, it was reported that refugees had infiltrated the capital and were pounding on the palace gates. Braving the charge of Disrespecting Imperial Procession, which carried a penalty of one month's imprisonment and a Hundred Strokes with a Stick, they desperately blocked the imperial carriage, shouting their grievances and accusing the officials, both high and low, who were in charge of the six drought-stricken provinces.
The Son of Heaven was enraged and ordered executions at the Meridian Gate, which lasted for three full days without cessation.
Ling Huai put down his brush and said to Ling Jing, "Emperor Zhou is nearing his end. The current Crown Prince is only sixteen. Emperor Zhou, capitalizing on the incident of the refugees pounding on the palace gates, has purged more than eighty percent of the old court officials. He has left four Regents to protect the young Crown Prince: Grand Councilor Xie Lü, Grand Commandant of Changling, Prince Lin Duanyu, Minister of Works Li Chaozhi, and Minister of Personnel Lezheng Yao. Also, there is General Who Pacifies the South, Qu Changmu, stationed at the western border. These are all old officials who accompanied Emperor Zhou in his campaigns."
Ling Jing played with an empty cup. "If the young Crown Prince wants to win the hearts of the people, he should go out of the palace for a gilded tour. Who do you think he will take on a private visit to Yuxian Province?"
Ling Huai chuckled softly. "The Lin family has a chronic habit of being too suspicious. The young Crown Prince is headstrong and narrow-minded. Back then, he only took his confidant Xia Yun out of the capital. How is the medicine trial coming along?"
"We'll see the results when Eldest Sister returns from her outing. Judging by the time, she should be back soon." Ling Jing walked towards the door, then suddenly glanced at him. "Shall we go take a look together?"
Ling Huai flicked the hem of his robe, walked around the desk, and followed her to the side courtyard, one in front of the other.
Arriving at the secret door, Ling Qiong was already there.
The gatekeeper released the bolt and was currently opening the lock.
"Why are you here?" Ling Qiong turned her head to look at them. "It might not be safe inside. What if you get infected? I'll go in alone."
Ling Jing said, "We won't go in. We'll wait outside."
Ling Qiong knew that more words were useless and changed the subject.
The gatekeeper removed the chain. Ling Qiong put on an outer robe, covering herself tightly, and entered with a towel to cover her mouth and nose.
Ling Jing said, "What do you think the chances are?"
Ling Huai said, "If nothing unexpected happens today, it should be ten out of ten."
"How do you know?"
"Since the confinement, the back door has not been opened."
"I thought you only read the Teachings of the Sages. You seem to know quite a bit."
Ling Huai's gaze swept to the entrance of the secret passage. A corner of a skirt fluttered past, stirring up a dry leaf on the ground. His eyes warmed slightly, but his tone remained calm. "If you didn't stare at me all day, I could know even more. You wait here, I have something to do, so I'll take my leave first."
"What could you possibly have to do?" Ling Jing frowned slightly.
"Private matters." Ling Huai turned and left without looking back.
Ling Huai did not return the way he came. He took a shortcut through the side courtyard into the inner courtyard and hid to the side of the doorway.
In less than a moment, footsteps approached, walking haltingly. When they neared the doorway, Ling Huai suddenly appeared and blocked the path. Ling Dang, looking suspicious, immediately bumped into his arms.
"You scared me to death!" Ling Dang touched the bump on her forehead, her heart pounding wildly, and she was so annoyed that she slapped his arm to vent her anger.
Ling Dang pushed away his hand, which was reaching out to help her, and said with lingering fear, "I thought Third Sister found out and was deliberately blocking me."
"Let me see." Ling Huai insisted on moving her hand away from her forehead.
Ling Dang, pampered by Ling Jing as if she were a treasured jewel with Dressed in Finery and Fed with Delicacies, had become much fairer in a short period. Her face had filled out, regaining the Bright Eyes and White Teeth she had in her previous life while secretly living in the brothel.
She bumped her forehead directly into his chest. The Bump on the Forehead was clearly red and swollen.
Ling Dang rubbed it haphazardly a few times and said, "It's nothing. How did you find me?"
In front of the secret door, Ling Jing watched Ling Huai leave. When she turned back, full of doubt, Ling Qiong appeared with Ji Yi.
Ling Qiong stood inside the door and said, "It's done. The formula is correct."
Ling Jing nodded. "Let's talk outside. This is not the place to speak."
"Okay."
Ling Qiong first emerged from the secret door, followed closely by Ji Yi. Da Shuang had Li Guanqi and her younger brother Xiao Shuang go out first. She came out last. Seeing that everyone had come out of the secret door, the gatekeeper relocked it.
Ling Jing walked at the front, slowing her pace to walk alongside Ling Qiong. As they rounded a corner, she inadvertently caught a glimpse of Li Guanqi's profile behind Ji Yi.
In a flash, Ling Jing abruptly stopped.
Ling Qiong took a step ahead of her into the long corridor of the side courtyard. Suddenly, she noticed Ling Jing had stopped and quickly halted herself. "Why did you stop?" she asked.
The leader stopped, and a line of people followed suit, all looking towards Ling Jing, her brows furrowed.
Seeing Ling Jing's gaze fixed on Li Guanqi, they all followed her gaze to Li Guanqi.
Mended after the plague, Li Guanqi had clear features. His face bore white scars left by pustules that had healed and then fallen off. The irregular boundaries of the scars caused blotches on his face, but even so, they could not hide his handsome face.
Ling Qiong said, "He's the one I found to test the medicine. I didn't expect him to look so good after being cured. He'll be a handsome young man if taken good care of."
Ling Jing stared intently at Li Guanqi and asked him, "What's your name?"
Ling Qiong laughed. "His surname is Li, his given name is Guanqi. He's mute, poor thing."
Ling Jing's lips curved slightly, making it impossible to discern whether her expression was scornful or amused. She said dismissively, "Li Guanqi, you pity him because he's mute? Who says mutes are pitiable? Eldest Sister, you shouldn't underestimate mutes."
Li Guanqi couldn't endure her deadly gaze, which felt like slow torture, and instinctively took a step back.
Ji Yi stepped forward to shield him, blocking Ling Jing's imposing gaze, and calmly spoke to smooth things over, "If I may be so bold, Third Miss, it is more important to discuss business right now."
Ling Jing retracted her imposing aura. "I'm not in the mood. Let's talk another day."
"A Jing? What's wrong?" Ling Qiong was bewildered. "Why are you leaving?"
Ling Jing, her face cold, headed straight for Cui Song Courtyard.
Meanwhile, in the bedroom of Cui Song Courtyard, Ling Dang sat cross-legged on the couch. Ling Huai held a peeled egg in his palm, pressing it against her forehead and rolling it in circles to reduce the swelling.
Being so close, Ling Dang was unaccustomed to the intimacy of his breath and instinctively leaned back.
"Don't move." Ling Huai hooked her neck with his hand.
"Hasn't it gone down yet? Actually, it doesn't hurt that much. There's no need to go to so much trouble."
"Ah Dang, be good and don't move around. It will break."
As he leaned closer, she could smell a bookish fragrance, like Elegant Orchid. It wasn't too strong. At first sniff, it seemed like ink, but upon closer inspection, it wasn't. It was a faint, bone-chilling Chilly Fragrance that emanated subtly.
She dared not breathe as smoothly as usual because his unique fragrance made her prone to fanciful thoughts and gave her the absurd notion that he was very cold and she was very hot.
No, no. She should think about why this boy smelled so good. The fragrance of ink wasn't like this.
She asked, "Did you burn incense in the room?"
Ling Dang rolled her eyes and glanced around at everything in the room, diverting her gaze to avoid looking at him.
His palm rested on her neck, and his thumb pressed against the corner of her lips. He smiled and said, "No. Why do you ask?"
She felt his palm was burning hot, while she was shivering with cold. She didn't dare to move her lips much, fearing that she might inadvertently brush his fingertips with hers. She could only murmur, "It's nothing, just asking."
Suddenly, she heard the room door slam shut.
Ling Dang jumped in surprise.
Immediately after, footsteps hurried towards the inner room.
After a moment, Ling Jing's voice drifted into the inner chamber, "Ah Huai? Where are you? Are you resting so early? Are you feeling unwell?"
Thanks for the votes, and thank you for the suggestions, little cutie. The first three chapters have been revised, thank you very much.