Chapter 100 (2/2): Drunk Princess

Even if Duan Ling forbade her from going, she would secretly go anyway.  

Unable to catch Lin Ting, Li Jingqiu tossed the broom toward the courtyard gate, missing its mark slightly, where a hand caught it.  

The one who caught the broom was Duan Ling. 

As soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw the broom seemingly falling from the sky and heard the noisy argument.  

Li Jingqiu was surprised. 

“Ziyu?”  

She had expected Duan Ling to return to the Duan Family first but didn’t expect him to come back to the Lin Family with Lin Ting.  

In an instant, her expression changed to a radiant smile as she snatched the broom from his hand and threw it into the corner of the courtyard. 

“Ziyu, you’re back! Come inside quickly. It must have been hard these days. I see you’ve lost weight.”  

Lin Ting emerged from behind the tree and said softly, “Why don’t you say I’ve lost weight too?”  

Li Jingqiu warmly pulled Duan Ling into the house but gave Lin Ting a side glance. 

“I’m not blind. Your face is rounder, not thinner.” She snorted.  

Duan Ling said quietly, “Mother.”  

He had a good voice and a handsome face, both of which pleased Li Jingqiu. 

No wonder Lin Ting liked him so much. 

“Ziyu, stay for dinner today?”  

Duan Ling: “Sure.”  

Li Jingqiu smiled, “What would you like to eat? I’ll order it made.”  

Lin Ting squeezed between them, holding one arm of each. 

“Mother, for dinner I want braised pork trotters, Dongpo pork, crab meat lion’s head, smoked duck… and a pot of Autumn Dew White.”  

Li Jingqiu was still slightly annoyed and lightly pinched her arm, teasing, “You’re the only one who knows how to eat. I asked Ziyu, not you.”  

Lin Ting tilted her head to look at Duan Ling, seemingly serious. 

“What do you want to eat?”  

Duan Ling repeated what Lin Ting had said, “Braised pork trotters, Dongpo pork, crab meat lion’s head, smoked duck, and a pot of Autumn Dew White.”  

She tilted her head toward Li Jingqiu again. 

“Did you hear that? He said he wants all these.”  

“Ah, you. At home, you bully me, your mother, and after marriage, you bully Ziyu.” Li Jingqiu was helpless and laughed.  

Lin Ting protested, “I don’t.”  

Just as they entered the house, a servant announced that Third Master Lin wanted to see Li Jingqiu. 

Without hesitation, she replied, “I’m not seeing him. Tell him to go away.”  

The servant looked at the others helplessly. 

“Third Master said if you don’t see him, he won’t leave.”  

“Let him be.” Li Jingqiu was too lazy to care about a threat with no real power. 

She ordered the servant, “Go make some tea for me.”  

The servant withdrew.  

Lin Ting munched on sunflower seeds, “Nothing happened while I was away, right?”  

She sensed something unusual.  

“I’ve decided. I’m going to divorce your father.”  

Li Jingqiu glanced at Duan Ling worriedly, concerned he might mind. 

After all, noble families cared about such matters.  

But Duan Ling showed no sign of objection, which reassured Li Jingqiu somewhat.  

Lin Ting suddenly jumped up excitedly. 

“Great! When will you sign the Hedivorce Certificate?”  

Li Jingqiu still lived in the Lin Family, meaning the divorce wasn’t finalized yet.  

“He refuses to sign the Hedivorce Certificate.”  

One key reason Li Jingqiu resolved to divorce Third Master Lin was overhearing him say that once he and Shen Concubine’s son, Brother Shan, grew up, he planned to use Lin Ting to get Duan Ling to secure a position for Brother Shan in the court.  

If they didn’t divorce, such schemes would only increase. 

Li Jingqiu didn’t want to be a burden on Lin Ting, and Lin Ting also hoped for the divorce.  

Lin Ting laughed angrily, “He still has the face to refuse to sign? I’ll go talk to him.”  

Duan Ling knew how much Lin Ting cared for her mother. 

Even if he couldn’t fully empathize or liked her focusing attention elsewhere, he said, “If there’s anything I can help with, Mother, just say the word.”  

Li Jingqiu pushed Lin Ting back down. 

“I’ll handle it. You don’t need to worry. I just thought it necessary to tell you.”  

She gritted her teeth in hatred. 

“If he keeps refusing, what will you do?”  

Li Jingqiu stroked Lin Ting’s hair. 

“I have my plans. I’m not someone to be trifled with. I will make sure he signs the Hedivorce Certificate.”  

Lin Ting doubted, “Really?”  

“You don’t know what I did in my youth. Back then, no one dared bully me; they all called me Sister Jingqiu. Do you dare underestimate me?” Li Jingqiu tapped Lin Ting’s head.  

Lin Ting clung to her arm, half-believing, “Then I’ll trust you this once.”  

“What do you mean by ‘trust you this once’?” Li Jingqiu glared at her. 

Pouring tea for Duan Ling, she changed the subject to the Ancheng trip.

“Leyun can be quite headstrong. This time, following you to Ancheng caused you a lot of trouble.”  

Duan Ling took the tea with both hands and smiled faintly. 

“She didn’t give me any trouble.”  

Li Jingqiu pushed Lin Ting aside and sat opposite them, eyes never leaving the two. 

“You don’t have to give her face or cover for her.”  

Lin Ting was speechless.  

Duan Ling sipped his tea before setting down the cup. 

“She really didn’t give me any trouble.”  

Honestly, Li Jingqiu was quite pleased with Duan Ling’s answer. 

Though she said Lin Ting often caused trouble, she couldn’t stand others saying it about her.  

Lin Ting interrupted, “Mother, I’m hungry. When is dinner?”  

“It’s not that soon. Wait a bit more and have some cake to tide you over. Fine, I’ll order them to hurry up.” Li Jingqiu left the room.  

Lin Ting leaned toward Duan Ling. 

“After dinner, you go first. I want to stay with Mother tonight and go back tomorrow.”  

She needed to prepare Li Jingqiu for the trouble she was about to cause.  

Duan Ling inhaled her scent. 

“When tomorrow? I’ll come pick you up.”  

Lin Ting thought for a moment. 

“No need. You just got back to Jingcheng. You’ll definitely have to see His Majesty tomorrow. I’ll go back on my own.”  

He paused, “Hmm.”  

After dinner, there was still time. 

Lin Ting and Li Jingqiu walked Duan Ling to the door.  

Once Duan Ling left, Lin Ting turned and walked back into the residence, taking Li Jingqiu’s hand as they climbed the steps. 

“Mother, I want to sleep with you tonight.”  

Li Jingqiu tapped her forehead. 

“You’re a grown woman, and you still want to sleep with me?”  

Lin Ting stroked her slightly rough hands. 

“No matter how old I get, I’m still your daughter, right? Tonight, I want to sleep with you.”  

Li Jingqiu: “Suit yourself.”  

At the hour of Hai, Lin Ting slipped off her shoes, climbed into bed, and nestled into Li Jingqiu’s embrace.  

Suddenly, she asked, “Mother, if one day I die, what will you do?”  

Li Jingqiu, about to warm her hands, kicked her under the covers. 

“Tsk. What an unlucky thing to say so late at night. Go to sleep.”  

Quick as a flash, Lin Ting pressed her foot on Li Jingqiu’s. 

“I’m talking about if.”  

“No ifs.”  

Li Jingqiu kicked her away, but Lin Ting clung back, shaking her hand stubbornly. 

“I want to know. Just tell me.”  

“Buy you a nice coffin, wait until your seventh day, find a place to bury you. What else?” Li Jingqiu was worn out by her persistence.  

Lin Ting: “Won’t you be sad?”  

Li Jingqiu pinched her ear. 

“What’s there to be sad about? You’d be abandoning me, and I won’t be sad for you.”  

Lin Ting hugged Li Jingqiu tightly, whining, “I won’t abandon you. No matter what happens, remember that.”  

“Then why ask such questions?”  

Lin Ting looked up at her and eloquently said, “I want to know how much you care about me, so I can be fearless.”  

Li Jingqiu nearly died of exasperation, barely holding back the urge to kick her out of bed. 

“Actually, there’s one thing I never told you.”  

“What?”  

Li Jingqiu looked at her with a half-smile, half-grimace. 

“You’re someone I picked up off the street.”  

Lin Ting:  “….”

Li Jingqiu’s voice turned cold. 

“So don’t think you can be fearless. If you make me angry, I won’t recognize you as my daughter.”  

Lin Ting, as if believing her, said seriously, “Then I’ll find my real parents someday.”  

“You!”  

Li Jingqiu knew Lin Ting was saying that on purpose but was still annoyed.  

The room still held several candles, providing a decent glow. 

Lin Ting played with Li Jingqiu’s hair and noticed some gray strands. 

She covered the grays with black hair. 

“If others didn’t say I look like you, I might actually believe it.”  

They chatted here and there, eventually falling asleep late into the night.  

***

Meanwhile, the Duan residence was shrouded in deep darkness, except for a faint light still burning in Duan Ling’s study.  

He stood before a bookshelf, looking at rows of glass jars filled with eyeballs.  

Behind him, the desk was cluttered with Lin Ting’s belongings: a handkerchief she gave him, a lucky bag, and a letter she wrote saying “I like you,” among others.  

The premarital double portrait hung on the wall near the desk.  

In the painting, Lin Ting wore a red dress resembling a wedding gown, her brows and eyes radiant with a smile. 

Her body leaned slightly toward him, her arm pressed against his, and the red silk ribbon was tightly held in his hand.  

Duan Ling closed the secret mechanism in the bookshelf, didn’t look at the eyeballs again, and gazed at the portrait, irresistibly pressing his face against the painted face of Lin Ting.  

But the paper only held the cold scent of ink, not her presence.  

He stared at the portrait all night.  

The next morning, Duan Ling did not go to the palace first but headed to the Lin Family to find Lin Ting.  

He could no longer be apart from Lin Ting.  

Completely and utterly.