Passersby could enjoy their graceful dance without spending a single coin, and in doing so, they would subconsciously remember the place called Linglong Pavilion.
Even Lin Ting stood outside Linglong Pavilion for a moment, mesmerized by the sight, before following Duan Ling inside.
Inside, there was a rockery with flowing water right at the entrance, the gentle sound of the water providing a soothing atmosphere.
In the center of the hall stood a tree that was as tall as a three-story building.
It was unclear how the owner of Linglong Pavilion had managed to have such a large tree transplanted and planted inside.
Lin Ting walked around the tree, thinking to herself that this newly opened Linglong Pavilion was indeed a wonderful place.
She believed it would soon surpass Nanshan Pavilion and become the most popular tavern in the capital city.
Duan Ling said, “Let’s go upstairs.”
The first-floor hall of Linglong Pavilion was crowded, with the aisles feeling cramped.
He requested a private room.
The private room was located upstairs, where it was quiet and not crowded.
Upon hearing this, Lin Ting headed towards the staircase.
The waiter leading them to the private room, noticing their striking appearances and elegant attire, warmly asked, “Are the two esteemed guests visiting Linglong Pavilion for the first time?”
Lin Ting, enticed by the aroma of wine in the air, felt a sudden craving for a drink and replied, “Yes, we are.”
The waiter immediately began to introduce the finest dishes and wines of Linglong Pavilion.
Lin Ting, being particularly interested in food, listened attentively as soon as the topic of food was brought up.
As they ascended to the third floor, Duan Ling suddenly halted and gazed ahead.
Lin Ting followed his line of sight and noticed a man entering a private room who bore a striking resemblance to the Crown Prince.
He was not dressed in the attire symbolic of his royal status but rather in commoner’s clothing, likely in an attempt to conceal his identity.
However, Lin Ting was still uncertain and glanced at Duan Ling, asking, “Is he…?”
Duan Ling merely hummed in affirmation without further comment.
The waiter, oblivious to their silent exchange and uninterested in the guests’ private affairs, led them to their private room and said, “Here we are, esteemed guests.”
Their private room happened to be directly opposite the Crown Prince’s.
Seeing that Duan Ling didn’t seem to mind, Lin Ting entered.
As the waiter exited, thoughtfully closing the door behind them, Lin Ting heard the door slide shut and instinctively glanced outside, only to catch sight of a familiar figure—Jin Anazi.
He was disguised as a waiter, carrying a tray laden with dishes, passing by the private room where the Crown Prince was seated before entering the adjacent room to serve the food.
Could it be that Jin Anazi was planning to assassinate the Crown Prince today?
She abruptly stood up.
“What’s wrong?” Duan Ling, who had been facing away from the door and hadn’t seen Jin Anazi, turned around just in time to see the waiter close the door.
Linglong Pavilion, being a tavern, was filled with the rich scent of wine, which easily masked any other odors.
Lin Ting, fearing Duan Ling’s suspicion, stretched her leg and said, “My leg feels a bit cramped. Standing up makes it better.”
She resorted to the excuse of a leg cramp once again.
He looked at her leg and asked, “Is that so?”
Lin Ting sat back down and poured a cup of wine for Duan Ling.
Linglong Pavilion also had a wine called Autumn Dew White, which had a richer aroma compared to that of Nanshanl Pavilion:
“Why would I lie to you? My leg often cramps up; I’m used to it.”
Duan Ling picked up the cup of wine she had poured for him:
“You should see a doctor about that.”
“Maybe another day.”
He slowly sipped the wine, his eyes softening into a gentle smile, his eyes curving warmly:
“You seem to like putting everything off until another day.”
The events of last night came flooding back to Lin Ting’s mind at Duan Ling’s words: his flushed eyes, his continuous soft moans, the painful hardness, and yet she had called for a stop, claiming she wasn’t ready and asking if they could do it another day.
Lin Ting suddenly felt a bit hot and uncomfortably poured herself a cup of wine as well.
She downed it in one gulp:
“I just thought it wasn’t a big deal. Never mind, let’s do it your way then, whenever you say.”
Duan Ling ran his fingers over the carved patterns on the glass cup before setting it down:
“I’ve heard that massaging your leg regularly can help with the cramps. Shall I help you with that?”
She choked on her wine and started coughing:
“You help me massage my leg? Now?”
Duan Ling stood up and moved behind Lin Ting, placing his palm on her slender back, gently patting and soothing her to help her breathe easier:
“Not now, but later, after we return to the mansion, at night. We are husband and wife now; I can’t help you massage your leg?”
A series of tingling sensations spread across Lin Ting’s back:
“It’s not that I don’t want you to, it’s just too much trouble. I can do it myself when I have time.”
Duan Ling lowered his eyes: “As you wish.”
She shifted the conversation to the Crown Prince:
“The Crown Prince is here at Linglong Pavilion today. You saw him and did nothing, are you sure that’s okay?”
The Imperial Guards had the duty to monitor the actions of court officials and royal relatives, reporting any unusual behavior to Emperor Jiade.
“I’m not on duty today.”
Lin Ting feigned curiosity: “Does the Crown Prince know martial arts? Isn’t he afraid of getting into trouble by coming to Linglong Pavilion alone?”
Duan Ling pushed open the window facing the interior of Linglong Pavilion and looked at the hidden guards among the common people:
“The Crown Prince naturally wouldn’t go out alone. Every time he goes out, he is accompanied by at least ten highly skilled hidden guards; they are just not visible to ordinary people.”
He withdrew his gaze and sat back down across from her:
“But for some reason, just the other day, the Crown Prince was seen with ten additional hidden guards.”
Lin Ting let out an “Oh,” as if she had just realized something:
“So there are that many hidden guards following him.”
Twenty hidden guards, double the number from before—did Jin Anazi know about this?
The movements of the Crown Prince’s hidden guards couldn’t escape the watchful eyes of the Imperial Guards, yet Jin Anazi was alone.
The door to the private room was pushed open by a waiter from Linglong Pavilion, who came to serve the dishes and said:
“Apologies for the wait, esteemed guests.”
Lin Ting nonchalantly glanced outside the room again, eager to find Jin Anazi and tell him about the hidden guards.
She said to Duan Ling, “I need to use the restroom.”
Duan Ling: “Shall I accompany you?”
“No need,” she replied, rising from her chair and asking the waiter where the restroom was.
He pointed the way.
Lin Ting walked briskly out, as if in a hurry, and once out of Duan Ling’s sight, she began to run.
After confirming that Jin Anazi wasn’t near the Crown Prince’s private room for the moment, she started searching for him.
She couldn’t just wait here for Jin Anazi to come to the Crown Prince and then try to stop him; that would easily arouse suspicion from the Crown Prince’s hidden guards.
But Linglong Pavilion was too large, and even running quickly, she couldn’t search every corner in a short time.
Drenched in sweat from running, Lin Ting stopped in a less-traveled corridor to catch her breath.
If she couldn’t find Jin Anazi soon, she would collapse from exhaustion.
Just then, a hand pulled her behind a pillar beside the corridor.
Instinctively, she bent her elbow backward to strike, but it was blocked.
She then kicked backward, only to have that blocked as well.
Before she could cry out, Jin Anazi’s voice came from behind: “It’s me.”
He released her.
She immediately turned to look at Jin Anazi and asked in a barely audible voice, “Is your purpose for coming to Linglong Pavilion today, disguised as a waiter, to assassinate the Crown Prince?”
“So what if it is?” He had already confessed this to her before; there was no need to hide it.
“Absolutely not. The Crown Prince might have sensed that someone is investigating his movements in secret,” Lin Ting informed him about the hidden guards.
Jin Anazi furrowed his brows, thoughtful:
“More hidden guards? Alright, I understand.”
The Crown Prince didn’t know who wanted to assassinate him; he only knew that there was someone who had failed in an assassination attempt before and still hadn’t given up.
Lin Ting looked at him with a “Do you want to die?” expression: “And you still plan to go through with it?”
“No.”
Jin Anazi wasn’t going to throw his life away for nothing.
Lin Ting felt relieved and took out a handkerchief to wipe her sweat.
Seeing that he was still standing there, she said, “Then why don’t you hurry up and leave? Have you become addicted to working as a waiter at Linglong Pavilion?”
Jin Anazi stepped out from behind the pillar, preparing to leave Linglong Pavilion, and replied coldly, “I’m leaving now.”
Lin Ting remembered the golden apple she had received yesterday and grabbed his arm, suddenly saying, “Thanks.”
“For what?” he asked.
She grinned, “You gave me a golden apple yesterday. Was it for the wedding? It’s the first time you’ve been so generous.”
Jin Anazi disdainfully pushed her hand away, “Yes, it was the first time I was so generous, but you’ve never even said ‘the first time you were so generous’ to me. You only ever gave me an apple that you got for free.”
Lin Ting was taken aback.
Why was he so resentful, just like Duan Ling?
He was openly resentful, while Duan Ling was subtly so.
Wait, why did she think of Duan Ling?
Jin Anazi discarded the brown cloth he had to drape over his shoulder while working as a waiter at Linglong Pavilion and reached to untie the sweatband around his forehead and the cloth bag around his waist, casually asking:
“Why are you at Linglong Pavilion?”
“Just out for a stroll,” she replied.
He glanced at her sideways, understanding, “With whom? With your husband, Duan Ling?”
Lin Ting kicked him twice, “I came with Duan Ling, but could you please not add the word ‘husband’ when you speak?”
Jin Anazi raised an eyebrow and snorted, “Why? Don’t tell me you get shy when you hear the word ‘husband.’ I’ll be sick, really sick.”
Her fists clenched, and she gritted her teeth, “Jin Anazi, that’s enough.”
“Master Jin?” a voice interjected, and they both looked towards the source of the sound to see Duan Ling not far away.
He was looking at them.
First, he glanced at Jin Anazi, who seemed about to take off his clothes, then at Lin Ting:
“I came to look for you since you’ve been gone for so long. But didn’t you say you were going to the restroom? What are you doing here?”
Jin Anazi, who was just about to remove the foul-smelling cloth bag from his waist and throw it away, couldn’t help but lower his hands.