Lin Ting slept soundly until the sun was high in the sky.
She no longer had nightmares; instead, she dreamed of becoming rich overnight.
Her cheeks were flushed from the warmth in the room, and she smiled in her sleep.
In her excitement, she kicked her legs, sending the blanket tumbling off the bed.
Tao Zhu, who had been waiting outside, heard something fall to the ground and thought Lin Ting had fallen.
She quickly put down the half-embroidered handkerchief and rushed inside.
She saw that Lin Ting was perfectly fine, but the freshly washed blanket from yesterday had suffered instead.
Tao Zhu picked up the blanket and placed it on the Luohan bed.
Just then, the commotion at the door grew louder.
Before she could ask what was going on, Lin Ting’s mother, Madam Li, strode in, lifting the curtain with urgency.
Madam Li walked briskly to the bedside and pulled Lin Ting, who was still lost in her sweet dreams:
“Lin Leyun! Get up right now!”
Lin Ting rubbed her sleepy eyes and stretched lazily.
“Mother, why are you here?”
Saying that, she hugged Madam Li.
Madam Li pried Lin Ting’s hands off and scolded her in frustration, “I’m your mother! Can’t I come to see you? And look at the time—you’re still lazing in bed!”
For the past few days, Madam Li had been feeling indignant.
How was her daughter any worse than that concubine’s child, Shen Yiniang’s daughter?
Why was Lin Shu able to secure an engagement with the son of the Vice Minister of Revenue, while Lin Ting’s marriage was still undecided?
It must be that wretched Shen Yiniang whispering in Lord Lin’s ear at night.
And Lord Lin was even worse—he was a court official, yet he was so easily swayed, treating a concubine’s words like gospel.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, wishing she could drive those two out of the house.
No matter what, she was determined to find Lin Ting a better marriage.
Madam Li gently stroked Lin Ting’s soft, jet-black hair, then turned to the maids of Tingling Courtyard and commanded, “Why are you all standing around? Hurry up and help your young lady wash and dress!”
A daughter knows her mother best.
Lin Ting had a good guess why Madam Li had come but pretended not to know, obediently getting up to wash and prepare, readying herself for the inevitable lecture.
However, this time, Madam Li did something unexpected—she didn’t launch into a long speech.
Instead, she signaled for her trusted maid to bring over a small booklet.
“Take a look at this,” she said.
Lin Ting was puzzled and hesitated before taking it.
“Mother, what is this?”
The more Madam Li looked at her daughter, the more she felt that she was truly beautiful.
Keeping up the suspense, she said, “Open it and you’ll see.”
Curious, Tao Zhu also leaned in for a look.
Lin Ting furrowed her brows as she flipped through the booklet.
Inside, she saw page after page of portraits of young men, each accompanied by their names, ages, family backgrounds, and other details.
She feigned ignorance and said, “These portraits look nice. Did you draw them, Mother?”
Madam Li flicked her forehead.
“Don’t play dumb! These are all sons of noble families that I carefully selected. They are just as good as the Vice Minister’s son—some even better! You have to put up a good fight and not lose to Lin Shu!”
She turned to the second page.
“I think this one, Zhang Xun, is quite good.”
She went on enthusiastically, “His father is the Grand Censor, and he himself is an Imperial Inspector. I heard he is upright and just, unlike Lin Shu’s fiancé, who is nothing but a useless dandy with a fancy family name.”
Tao Zhu, knowing how important Lin Ting’s marriage was, listened attentively.
Madam Li continued, “I originally had an even better candidate—Xie Family’s fifth son. But who knew that the Xie family would be accused of forming factions and get their entire household confiscated? Fortunately, I never let you meet him.”
“I met Xie’s fifth son once. He was incredibly handsome, well-spoken, and carried himself with grace. His aunt was even a Noble Consort! But fate is unpredictable—what a pity.”
She sighed in genuine regret.
A trusted maid reminded her, “Madam, it’s best not to mention the Xie family too much.”
After all, the Xie family’s downfall was due to their offense against the Emperor.
Even the Noble Consort’s desperate pleas couldn’t save them.
All the men were executed, and the women were sent to the government brothels as slaves.
Madam Li belatedly covered her mouth.
“You’re right. Walls have ears.”
She flipped through the booklet again.
“No matter, there’s more than one good man in the world. We’ll find another. Leyun, don’t just sit there—come look!”
Lin Ting, who had just woken up, was already starting to feel sleepy again.
Seeing that her mother was in full speech mode and wouldn’t stop for at least half an hour, she made a snap decision—she bent over, clutched her stomach, and groaned,
“Mother, my stomach hurts! It hurts so much!”
“Your stomach hurts? Why all of a sudden? Did you eat something bad last night?”
Madam Li was about to call for a doctor when Lin Ting took the chance to slip away from her grip.
Even the burly maids couldn’t stop her.
“Seventh Miss, where are you going? Come back!”
“Lin Leyun, get back here!”
Madam Li, supported by the maids, chased her to the doorway.
But Lin Ting, finally relishing her moment of peace, had no intention of going back.
She ran straight out of the residence, though she didn’t have time to bring Tao Zhu along.
She made her way to Chen’s Shaobing Stall, just a hundred steps away from the Northern Town Garrison.
The shaobing was crispy, golden brown, and covered in sesame seeds, making it incredibly appetizing.
Lin Ting ordered two shaobing and a bowl of tofu soup, then sat on a small wooden stool in front of the stall to eat.
The stall owner noticed that she kept staring at the Northern Town Garrison without blinking and found it amusing.
“Most people avoid that place like the plague, but you, young lady, look like you’re haunting it.”
Lin Ting casually replied, “I’m just looking around.”
“The young lady calls this ‘just looking around’? I’d say you’re itching to fly right in. Waiting for someone special?”
The stall owner chuckled and shook his head, clearly not believing her.
“Of course not,” she denied.
Lin Ting hadn’t planned to loiter around the Northern Town Garrison like this, but she had a task to complete.
Duan Xinning had mentioned that Duan Ling was often occupied with work and frequently stayed there, only returning home occasionally.
With only seven days left to complete her mission, Lin Ting couldn’t afford to sit back and wait.
She had to take the initiative—who knew?
Maybe she’d succeed by chance.
After finishing her shaobing, she absentmindedly dusted off the crumbs on her hands and started observing the Northern Town Garrison.
The black-tiled, red-pillared building stood tall, with several stone steps leading up to its entrance.
Stone lanterns, stone lions, and a hanging drum were placed on either side.
Four Jinyiwei stood guard, their faces expressionless, embroidered xiuchun blades hanging at their waists.
Above the entrance, the Northern Town Garrison plaque exuded an air of authority, bold and domineering in a way unique to the Jinyiwei.
The building’s roof had a hip-and-gable design, with ridge ends shaped like chiwei and bronze bells hanging from the eaves.
Lin Ting wasn’t sure how long she had been sitting there—long enough for her backside to start aching.
She stood up to stretch.
Just then, the pitch-black gates of the Northern Town Garrison opened, and several people walked out.
The young man leading them wore the same crimson fei yu robe embroidered with gold and silver thread.
A jade tally hung at his slender waist, and his official black hat framed his strikingly defined features—deep-set eyes, sculpted bone structure, and a beauty almost too refined.
Compared to the muscular Jinyiwei accompanying him, he appeared lean but not frail, his tall frame exuding an effortless elegance.
However, his hands—hanging at his sides—seemed eerily pale, almost bloodless.
Lin Ting watched Duan Ling but didn’t immediately approach.
What excuse should she use to get close to him?
She had thought about this carefully before coming, but now that he was actually in front of her, she still couldn’t come up with a good reason.
It was too difficult.
Since growing up, they had barely met a handful of times, and when they did, things rarely ended on a good note.
Lin Ting tapped her forehead, feeling a headache coming on.
Maybe I should come back another day when I have a better excuse?
Just as she was about to retreat, she felt a cold, detached gaze from the direction of the garrison’s entrance.
Her heart skipped a beat, and she looked up.
Duan Ling stood tall on the steps, lips pressed into a thin line, eyes lowered as he glanced at her hesitantly retreating figure.
His gaze was calm, distant—like that of an emotionless celestial being.
The wound on his wrist from earlier that morning had already stopped bleeding, concealed beneath the black-red bracers securing his long sleeves.
He didn’t call out to Lin Ting.
Instead, he simply observed her in silence, as if waiting to see what she intended to do.
She had been sitting for so long that her gown had creased in several places, though her face remained as striking as ever.
The silk ribbon tied to her grasped bun fluttered behind her in the wind, revealing the embroidered lotus pattern on her chest.
Duan Ling’s eyelashes twitched slightly.
Lin Ting thought to herself, “Since I’ve already been noticed, I can’t leave empty-handed. I have to do something.”
Steeling herself, she strode toward the Northern Town Garrison—only to be promptly blocked by the Jinyiwei guards.
They had no idea who she was, but seeing this well-dressed young lady seemingly trying to barge in, their expressions turned wary.
“This is the Northern Town Garrison,” one of them said coldly.
“Unauthorized persons are not allowed entry.”
Lin Ting grinned.
“Who said I was barging in? I’m here to find someone.”
The guard’s eyes narrowed.
“Who?”
Who could she possibly be looking for inside the garrison?
The only people here were Jinyiwei and criminals held in the imperial prison.
Jinyiwei family members wouldn’t show up at their workplace unannounced, which left only one possibility—this girl was a relative of some high-ranking official who had been arrested.
Lin Ting raised her hand and pointed past them.
“I’m here to see Lord Duan.”
The guards instinctively turned to look behind them.
“My lord,” they addressed Duan Ling as he walked down the steps, his gaze still unreadable.
Stopping in front of her, he asked, “What business does the Seventh Miss Lin have with me?”
Lin Ting blinked, her smile unwavering.
Thinking on her feet, she said, “I have something very important to tell you, but it’s not convenient to say it here. Do you have time, Lord Duan?”
One of the Jinyiwei at his side leaned in and whispered something into his ear.
Though the man kept his voice low, Lin Ting was standing close enough to catch snippets of the conversation:
“Xie family survivor,” “citywide search,” “Imperial Censor Zhang Xun’s impeachment.”
She had just heard her mother, Madam Li, mention the Xie family and Zhang Xun earlier that morning.
These names stood out to her immediately, but she knew better than to meddle.
Curiosity kills the cat.
Duan Ling didn’t seem to care if she overheard—or perhaps he simply didn’t deem her a threat.
“The fugitive escaped in Changxing Alley and was severely injured,” he said calmly.
“He won’t have gotten far. Take two squads and search house by house.”
The Jinyiwei bowed and left.
“Yes, sir.”
Only then did Duan Ling return his attention to Lin Ting.
“If it’s inconvenient to speak here,” he said, “where would you like to go?”
Lin Ting thought for a moment.
“Nanshan Pavilion.”
When he didn’t immediately respond, she repeated, “Can we go to Nanshan Pavilion?”
Duan Ling looked into her bright, expectant eyes, his thoughts unreadable.
“Alright,” he said.