Lin Ting froze and blurted:
“Master Duan?”
Duan Ling stopped spinning the fortune bag and asked calmly, “You came to the study to give a fortune bag to Jin Anazi, to let him share in some good fortune too?”
Lin Ting used the excuse he had just given.
“Yes, one shouldn’t be too selfish. Good things should be shared. Why are you here in the study today? Did you follow me again? Does Duan Ling still suspect that she has something to do with Xie Qinghe?”
He lightly twirled the fortune bag, feeling the coins inside through the fabric, and smiled faintly.
“I just happened to walk here. Do you believe me?”
Lin Ting forced a smile.
“I believe you.”
If Duan Ling believed her, she had to believe him too, even though she knew it was impossible.
Duan Ling began to walk towards the alley’s exit, with no intention of going into the study.
“Shall I escort you back?”
“Okay.”
He escorted her back to the Lin residence and then left.
Lin Ting, as she had done before, invited Duan Ling in for tea, but he politely declined, not entering.
Instead, he took another look at her fortune bag.
After that day, Lin Ting rarely saw Duan Ling again.
Due to the rebellion, Duan Ling, being a Imperial Guards Commandant, became even busier.
Eventually, Emperor Jiade sent him out of the capital on official business, and he was gone for over a month.
Lin Ting had no idea where he was and couldn’t find the opportunity to complete her mission.
The mission was still unfinished, and their engagement hadn’t been broken off either.
During Duan Ling’s absence, Lin Ting visited Jin Anazi at the study several times to ask if he had contacted Xie Qinghe.
The answer was always the same: not yet.
So, she couldn’t truly confirm that Xie Qinghe was the one leading the rebellion.
Before she knew it, the wedding day arrived.
Despite the ongoing rebellion, life had to go on for the common people.
Suppressing the rebels could take years or, at the very least, several months.
Moreover, the Great Yan Dynasty wasn’t without means to deal with the rebels.
It wasn’t as if the country would descend into chaos just because of a rebellion.
Therefore, Lin Ting and Duan Ling’s wedding proceeded as scheduled, unaffected by the turmoil.
Two days before the wedding, Emperor Jiade recalled Duan Ling and bestowed numerous gifts upon him.
On the wedding day, before dawn, Lin Ting was pulled out of her warm bed by the maids and dressed in the heavy, bright red wedding gown.
Still half-asleep and dazed, she felt as if she were in a dream until the maids began to apply powder to her face.
Only then did she look at herself in the mirror.
Was she really going to marry Duan Ling?
Lin Ting was still in a state of “unreality,” feeling as if everything was illusory.
However, her mindset had subtly shifted from initial aversion to a hint of anticipation.
Anticipation?
The thought startled her.
How could she be looking forward to marrying Duan Ling?
Wasn’t this a marriage arranged by the system task, a twist of fate?
Lin Ting’s mind was in turmoil.
Perhaps it was the first time in her life she was getting married, and there was some natural expectation involved.
After all, the person she was marrying wasn’t someone she disliked.
In fact, he was quite pleasing to the eye, aesthetically pleasing.
That must be it.
She looked down at her wedding gown, and her heart settled a little.
Lin Ting considered the benefits of marrying Duan Ling.
He had never opposed her going out to conduct business, unlike traditional men who believed a woman should stay confined to the inner chambers after marriage.
She quite liked that.
Duan Ling, being a Imperial Guards with a busy official schedule, wouldn’t have much time to spend with her after marriage.
She likely wouldn’t be too restricted and might even enjoy more freedom than she had at the Lin residence.
Moreover, even though she had already established her own household, Li Jingqiu would undoubtedly still insist on her getting married.
Given Li Jingqiu’s persistent nature, she would never give up until her goal was achieved.
Lin Ting would probably be forced to meet various men for potential marriages.
Once she married Duan Ling, that problem would be solved effortlessly, killing two birds with one stone.
In this way, it seemed like a mutually beneficial arrangement.
Duan Ling wanted her by his side, and she could use this to escape Li Jingqiu’s “marriage push” and find opportunities to complete her next mission.
When the system assigned this task, there was still a month and a half left before the wedding, with a two-month deadline.
Today was the wedding day, which meant there was still half a month left.
Thinking it through, it seemed quite perfect.
However, as the days passed and she spent more time with him, Lin Ting increasingly realized that he was a real, flesh-and-blood person.
She couldn’t simply treat him like a character from a novel anymore…
The maids, unaware of her inner turmoil, continued to paint her eyebrows and apply rouge.
Lin Ting raised her hand and touched the reflection of herself in the mirror.
In a daze, she seemed to see Duan Ling from the day they had their wedding portrait painted.
He was dressed in red, bending down to personally outline her eyebrows and paint her eyes.
Her heart stirred slightly.
Soon after, another figure appeared in the mirror, and Duan Ling’s reflection faded away.
On the wedding day, it was customary for the mother or a “happy family” woman to comb the bride’s hair.
Since Lin Ting’s mother was still alive, she naturally took on the role.
“Comb from the beginning to the end…” Li Jingqiu stood behind Lin Ting, reciting auspicious words for the hair-combing ceremony, using a sandalwood comb to smoothly pass through her long, black hair from start to finish without any pause, symbolizing a complete and successful life.
Listening to Li Jingqiu’s words, Lin Ting grasped the hem of her sleeve.
“Mother.”
The Duan and Lin residences were not far apart.
After marriage, Lin Ting could easily come back whenever she wanted.
But she still couldn’t bear to part with Li Jingqiu.
Her first goal after awakening had been to earn a lot of money and take her mother to live outside.
But now, things had changed.
Life was unpredictable, and she was about to get married.
Li Jingqiu’s face was filled with joy, though her eyes were slightly red.
Her tone was unusually gentle, like a mother soothing a child to sleep.
“What’s the matter?”
Lin Ting ran her hand over the golden embroidery on her wedding gown, feeling a mix of emotions.
She spoke in a low voice, “Nothing, I just wanted to call out to you.”
“You silly girl, on your wedding day, you’re still teasing your mother.”
Li Jingqiu discreetly wiped the corners of her eyes and combed Lin Ting’s hair again, cautioning her, “The Duan family is a well-known noble clan in the capital. They might have more rules. Don’t throw a tantrum over every little thing that doesn’t go your way.”
Lin Ting, unusually compliant, responded, “Okay, okay, I know.”
Li Jingqiu pondered for a moment.
“But since Madam Feng likes you so much, and the third Duan miss is your best friend, and the second Duan master is fond of you, as long as you don’t overstep, they won’t be angry. Don’t be too constrained either.”
Her daughter was unlike her, who had married a man who didn’t love her.
Duan Ling loved her daughter, and they were truly in love.
Lin Ting was left speechless.
” ‘As long as you don’t overstep’? Then what, in your eyes, would be considered overstepping?”
Lin Ting was worried that Li Jingqiu might fear the Duan family would mind and then ask her to close the cloth shop and stop doing business outside, something she couldn’t do.
Li Jingqiu dismissed the maids who were applying makeup to Lin Ting and whispered, “Even if the second Duan master is busy and often away on official duties, you must never have a wandering heart and seek other men.”
She didn’t want to bring this up on such a joyous occasion, but some things needed to be clarified before marriage.
Otherwise, it would be too late if trouble arose later.
Li Jingqiu had seen many such women in the past, which was why she mentioned it.
Lin Ting:”……”
Her mother’s imagination was really quite vivid, even thinking about infidelity within marriage.
Lin Ting was left completely speechless.
After a while, she said, “Rest assured, I absolutely won’t.”
Not to mention that she wasn’t that kind of person, but if she were to do such a thing after marrying Duan Ling, her life would be in grave danger.
After finishing her hair, Li Jingqiu brought over a small booklet and handed it to Lin Ting.
Without even flipping through it, Lin Ting knew what the booklet contained—art of the boudoir.
Whether before or after she came to this world, she had read quite a lot on the subject.
Although she lacked practical experience, her theoretical knowledge was extensive.
In ancient times, it was customary for a mother to give her daughter a booklet before her wedding to inform her about the art of the boudoir.
Lin Ting was not surprised to receive the booklet from Li Jingqiu.
Unaware that Lin Ting had already read it, Li Jingqiu whispered, “Take a look when you have time. Be careful tonight and don’t hurt yourself.”
Lin Ting casually put the booklet away, not intending to read it, but still replied with a “Got it.”
As the wedding hour drew nearer, her heart became increasingly chaotic.
She didn’t know how to face the wedding night ahead.
After finishing her instructions, Li Jingqiu called in the maids and didn’t stay long in Lin Ting’s room.
As the mother of the bride, she was busy attending to guests and checking the gift list.
Lin Ting, fully dressed, sat on the bed and pulled up her sleeve to look at the jade bracelet on her wrist.
She had taken it off once before, secretly returning it to Duan Ling without Madam Feng’s knowledge.
After their engagement, he had given it back to her.
Lin Ting touched the cool jade bracelet and looked out the window.
The sky outside was clear, and a cool breeze blew in, making it not hot, yet she was sweating a little.
Today was even more nerve-wracking than the day she publicly proposed to Duan Ling.
It felt as if her heart was being tightly gripped by a hand.
Tao Zhu wiped Lin Ting’s sweat with a handkerchief.
“Seventh Young Lady, are you too nervous?”
She retorted, “I’m not.”
Before Tao Zhu could say anything more, Lin Ting’s eyes narrowed as she spotted something.
She suddenly stood up, walked to the window, and brought in a brocade box that someone had placed outside.
“How did a brocade box end up here?” Tao Zhu, following behind her, asked in confusion.
Lin Ting looked at the plain brocade box, which had no fancy decorations or even a ribbon, and seemed to know who it was from.
She opened it directly.
Inside was a large apple, a solid gold apple, quite heavy to hold.
Jin Anazi had given her a gold apple as a wedding gift?
Lin Ting put down the gold apple and looked out the window, but there was no one there.
He must have left after placing the gift.
Tao Zhu, seeing what was inside the box, was so astonished that her mouth hung open.
“Who sent this, a gold apple?”
Real gold or fake?
Lin Ting held the gold apple for a moment, thinking that Jin Anazi was being unusually generous this time.
Usually, he would deduct the cost of a few pastries from the public account.
Was the sun rising from the west today?
She took out the note that was placed under the gold apple in the box.
It had a few hastily written words.
“For you. Wedding gift.”
No signature.
Lin Ting looked at the note and could almost picture Jin Anazi’s stern face as he wrote it, perhaps even rolling his eyes afterward.
She couldn’t help but smile at the thought and closed the box.
“It’s from a friend. Put it away safely.”
Tao Zhu took the box cautiously, still skeptical.
“Your friend?”
A friend who leaves a gift without saying hello?
But how did this person manage to avoid all the servants and come in so quietly?
However, a friend who could give a gold apple must be close.
Wait, does the Seventh Young Lady have friends that she doesn’t know about?
Lin Ting sat back on the bed.
“Yes, a friend who doesn’t mince words.”
Seeing that Lin Ting didn’t want to talk more, Tao Zhu wisely didn’t ask further and turned to put the box away.
This was gold, after all, and needed to be hidden properly.
The auspicious hour was approaching, and outside the Lin residence, the sound of gongs and drums was deafening, even penetrating through several high walls.
“Seventh Young Lady, the auspicious hour has arrived,” the maid outside the room knocked and reminded her.
Tao Zhu took the red veil embroidered with butterflies and peonies, placed it on Lin Ting’s head, covering her face, and then helped her stand up.
Outside, it was noisy, filled with laughter and congratulatory voices.
Lin Ting’s heart was pounding like a drum.
A maid handed her a red sash with flowers, which she held in her hand.
At the same time, a wisp of heavy fragrance carried by the wind brushed past the red veil, tickling Lin Ting’s nose as if gently kissing it before slipping away.
She finally opened her hand and grasped the sash.
The red veil trembled, and Lin Ting lowered her eyes.
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