In the distance, Tao Zhu, who had just returned with water, stood frozen like a statue, petrified.
What had she just witnessed?
She saw her own seventh young mistress, Miss Lin, openly embrace Lord Duan in broad daylight, even going so far as to touch his waist!
Such intimate actions as embracing and touching someone’s waist were not something one would do with a mere acquaintance.
Tao Zhu believed that her seventh young mistress would never act so recklessly.
It must be… it must be part of her plan.
She had said she wouldn’t marry Lord Duan, but she never said she wouldn’t continue to devise ways to torment him.
Tao Zhu, having read for a year, considered herself somewhat intelligent.
So, her young mistress intended to make Lord Duan genuinely fall in love with her, only to later abandon him, leaving him heartbroken and suffering from both inside and out.
Just like the current princess, who kept dozens of male companions in her mansion, discarding them once she grew bored.
Those men, captivated by the princess’s charm and talents, developed feelings of admiration, unwilling to leave.
They lingered outside the princess’s mansion, their unrequited love causing them to wither away, never to recover.
Her young mistress was truly diabolical.
No, she was truly clever.
This plan was brilliant.
This way, her young mistress wouldn’t have to sacrifice her own future marriage.
She could marry whomever she pleased afterward, unaffected by her actions, while still achieving her goal of tormenting Lord Duan.
Tao Zhu felt a surge of admiration for Lin Ting.
Her seventh young mistress was indeed the most intelligent.
At this very moment, a few people stood on the second floor of the Scripture Pavilion.
They looked down at the pavilion across from them, witnessing Lin Ting embrace Duan Ling, then push him away out of “shyness.”
When Lady Li learned of their “mutual affection,” she was naturally delighted, as the customs of Great Yan were relatively open, and a mere embrace wasn’t considered improper.
Moreover, she believed they were destined to marry eventually, so an early embrace was of no consequence.
However, she worried that Madam Feng might see it and think Lin Ting was too frivolous, thus developing a dislike for her.
If Madam Feng disapproved, the marriage would be difficult to arrange.
Lady Li deliberated:
“Le Yun, that girl, no matter how much she and Lord Duan’s second son are mutually affectionate, shouldn’t be pulling and tugging at each other in front of the Buddha. It’s simply unbecoming.”
Madam Feng, spinning her prayer beads, said,
“The Buddha is compassionate and would not mind.”
Lady Li insisted,
“No, I must go and remind her to be more cautious.”
She was still acting, deliberately bringing up the marriage contract.
“They haven’t yet formalized the marriage contract.”
Madam Feng reached out and took her hand, smiling gracefully,
“Where the heart leads, emotions are hard to control. Le Yun’s actions sufficiently demonstrate her feelings. It’s time to choose an auspicious day to formalize their marriage contract.”
Generally, after mutual visits between families, the marriage contract would be settled.
They were already late.
After the meeting at Nanshan Pavilion, Madam Feng still harbored some doubts and had temporarily refrained from mentioning the marriage contract with the Lin family.
Today’s events, however, dispelled her concerns.
Receiving Madam Feng’s promise, Lady Li stopped acting and beamed with joy, the fine lines at the corners of her eyes deepening with her smile.
“Madam Feng is right. It’s time we formalize their marriage contract.”
In the pavilion, Lin Ting was unaware that their brief conversation had led to the decision to formalize her marriage contract with Duan Ling.
Lin Ting was busy explaining,
“Lord Duan, you mustn’t misunderstand. I mistook you for someone else. I didn’t mean to be improper.”
After a long pause, Duan Ling finally smiled softly, twirling his inexplicably tingling fingertips.
“Miss Lin, you mistook me for someone else?”
“Exactly.”
She wished she could tear her heart out to prove her innocence.
“I had my eyes closed, resting, and mistook you for Tao Zhu. Had I known it was you, Lord Duan, I would never have embraced you.”
Duan Ling replied,
“Miss Lin, there’s no need to explain. I believe you. Besides, it’s not a big deal. You’re acting as if I’m some ferocious beast.”
Lin Ting touched her nose, the faint scent of agarwood entering her lungs with each breath.
She suddenly remembered that this hand had touched Duan Ling’s waist and quickly lowered it.
“I was just afraid you’d misunderstand. You’re no ferocious beast. There’s no such thing as a ferocious beast as handsome as you.”
Duan Ling smiled ambiguously.
“Handsome… Miss Lin thinks I’m handsome?”
Lin Ting had spoken without thinking, merely indicating she didn’t see him as a ferocious beast, though it was true he was handsome.
“Yes, handsome.”
He slowly said,
“Handsome as I may be, it’s just a skin draped over a pile of ugly, bloody bones. In Miss Lin’s eyes, no matter how handsome I am, I’m not worthy of licking your feet.”
Could this joke ever be laid to rest?
She wanted to slap her past self.
“I’ve been meaning to tell you it’s just a rumor. Where did you hear that? I don’t know which lunatic spread such a thing.”
Lin Ting said awkwardly,
“The person who spread that rumor is truly despicable. Lord Duan, today I must clarify: whoever said you’re not worthy of licking my feet is wrong. Of course, you are worthy of licking my feet.”
Duan Ling looked at her. “Oh?”
She clapped her hand over her mouth.
“Sorry, I misspoke. That’s not what I meant.”
“What I meant to say is that you don’t need to lick my feet. Or, maybe that’s not right either. Whatever. Rumors stop with the wise. As long as you and I know the truth, let others say what they will.”
Duan Ling’s smile was like a gentle breeze.
“So that’s how it is. I was misled by the rumor. The person who spread it is indeed despicable. Shall I find them and teach them a lesson?”
Lin Ting stood up abruptly.
“No need. I believe that person has already repented.”
She cleared her throat.
“To err is human, to repent divine. If that person spreads any more nonsense in the future, you can punish them then. For now, let’s give them another chance.”
Duan Ling said softly,
“Since you say so, I’ll give them another chance.”
“Young Mistress.” Tao Zhu, seeing that they were no longer embracing, ran into the pavilion with the water.
“Here’s the water you asked for.”
Lin Ting, thirsty and having just gone through that exchange with Duan Ling, felt her throat burning.
She took the water from Tao Zhu and drank it in large gulps, spilling some down her chin and onto her neck.
Duan Ling glanced at her and then looked away, turning to gaze at the misty mountains.
A breeze blew, partially dispersing the mist, revealing a corner of the mountain, but only a corner.
Even when the wind stopped, the mountain’s full form remained hidden.
The place on his waist where Lin Ting had touched him felt strange and unfamiliar.
It itched, but he couldn’t pinpoint the exact spot, so he couldn’t scratch it.
He could only let the itch spread unchecked.
Before sunset, they left Moyin Temple together.
Lin Ting sat in her family’s carriage, occasionally asking Tao Zhu for snacks to pass the time, but she didn’t coax Tao Zhu to feed her this time.
Lady Li, sitting in the same carriage, kept staring at her with a fervent gaze.
Lin Ting tried to ignore it at first, but eventually, it became impossible.
She spat out the plum pit in her mouth and asked,
“Mother, am I about to die?”
Lady Li was momentarily stunned, then grabbed Lin Ting’s ear, twisting it until she yelped in pain.
“Nonsense! Don’t talk about such inauspicious things. Stop mentioning death all the time.”
Tao Zhu, feeling sorry for her mistress, said,
“Madam, look, the young mistress’s ear is turning red.”
This didn’t sway Lady Li, who was angry.
“Serves her right, always talking nonsense. If I don’t teach her a lesson, she’ll only get worse. Tell me, which noble lady in the capital acts like her?”
“Madam Zhao, my childhood friend, has a daughter who’s become the capital’s top talent, excelling in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. And you?
Unknown, always spouting vulgarities.”
Tao Zhu defended Lin Ting.
“The young mistress is also very intelligent.”
Lady Li retorted, “Intelligent? She’s clever enough to embarrass herself.”
Lin Ting, her ear still red from being twisted, snorted.
“If I’m not about to die, why are you staring at me like that? It’s as if I’m on my deathbed, and if you don’t look now, you’ll never see me again.”
“You’re the child I carried for ten months. Can’t I look at you?” Lady Li shot back.
Lin Ting tried to pry her mother’s hand off.
“You can look, but the way you’re looking at me feels strange. It’s making me uncomfortable. I admit I was wrong. Mother, you can look all you want, okay?”
Lin Ting didn’t know where her mother got such strength.
She couldn’t free her ear; her fingers seemed determined to twist it off.
“I beg you, let go.” Only then did Lady Li release her ear and change the subject.
“How do you feel today?”
Lin Ting snorted again.
“Tired, exhausted… utterly drained.”
She had climbed up and down the mountain, and at noon, she’d eaten a vegetarian meal without a hint of meat. It was no wonder she was tired.
“And what else?”
Lin Ting touched her red, burning ear, feigning pitifulness.
“And it hurts. My ear’s about to fall off. Am I really your daughter? How could you be so cruel as to ‘abuse’ me like this?”
Lady Li pretended to grab her ear again.
“Lin Le Yun, are you doing this on purpose? You know full well that’s not what I meant to ask.”
Lin Ting dodged nimbly.
“I know. You want to ask about Lord Duan.”
She sighed.
“But we really can’t be together. How many times do I have to tell you? I don’t like him, and he doesn’t like me. We can’t get married. Stop thinking about the Duan family.”
Lady Li hadn’t forgotten Lin Ting embracing Duan Ling in the pavilion.
She thought her daughter was just shy and strong-willed, so if she wanted to keep it a secret, so be it.
“Alright, I understand. From now on, you can do as you please. I’ll try not to interfere.”
“Really? Mother, do you really understand?”
Lin Ting was half-convinced.
The carriage passed over a bumpy mountain road, jolting occasionally.
Normally, this would be irritating, but Lady Li was in a good mood.
“Yes, I understand. A mother knows her daughter best.”
Lin Ting felt something was off but couldn’t put her finger on it.
Tao Zhu, seeing they were no longer arguing, fed her some preserved fruit.
“Young Mistress, try this. It’s sweet but not cloying, just the way you like it.”
The preserved fruit distracted Lin Ting, and she opened her mouth to eat it.
“It’s really good.”
She casually fed Tao Zhu a piece and, seeing Lady Li’s displeased look, picked up another piece and offered it to her.
“Mother, you try it too.”
Fairness in all things.
Lady Li’s expression softened after eating the preserved fruit.
Her earlier displeasure wasn’t because she was jealous that Lin Ting fed Tao Zhu, but because she felt Lin Ting was blurring the lines of hierarchy.
A mistress shouldn’t treat her maid like a sister.
It was too irregular.
But Lady Li knew Lin Ting well enough to understand she wouldn’t listen to such advice, so she held her tongue.
Lady Li only said,
“A young lady should be more reserved. Don’t always ask others to feed you or feed others.”
After Lady Li said this, Lin Ting fed her another piece of preserved fruit.
Lady Li: “…”
Tao Zhu stifled a laugh, but when Lady Li glanced her way, she quickly turned her head.
Lin Ting squeezed Tao Zhu’s hand.
About an hour later, the carriage was stopped just outside the city gates.
Lin Ting, who was chewing on a plum, lifted the curtain to see what was happening.
The two carriages in front belonged to the Duan family, while theirs was behind.
Duan Ling stepped out of his carriage, and a guard in embroidered robes approached him, saying something urgent.
Lin Ting’s gaze drifted to Duan Ling’s face.
His profile was as stunning as a firework, his expression gentle, his figure tall and slender, with narrow waist and long legs the very image of a nobleman.
Even in plain clothes, he outshone the other guards in their embroidered robes and swords.
The guards were tall, but they still stood half a head shorter than Duan Ling.
Indeed, Duan Ling’s appearance was striking, almost too beautiful, and unlike Lin Ting, he didn’t use makeup to soften his features.
Fortunately, his constant gentle smile tempered that beauty.
Lin Ting had seen many historical dramas before transmigrating, but after meeting Duan Ling, she realized that the actors on screen hadn’t captured the essence of ancient noblemen.
Some things couldn’t be acted, like innate grace.
But she still couldn’t figure out why Duan Ling liked collecting people’s eyes.
Oh well, it wasn’t her concern.
Lin Ting silently reminded herself to respect the diversity of species, then lowered the curtain and ate another plum.
The sweet and sour taste gradually lifted her spirits.
Tao Zhu focused solely on Lin Ting, carefully selecting the largest and ripest plums from the basket for her.
Lady Li, seeing Lin Ting look outside, asked curiously,
“Why has the carriage stopped? We haven’t entered the city yet. Has something happened?”