“Take it! Six hundred taels for one deal, we can split three hundred taels. Only a fool would refuse. If discovered, it’s dangerous… but if we’re not discovered, it’s fine.”
His mouth twitched.
“Besides, who are you? You’re Jin Anzai.” Lin Ting flattered him,
“I believe even if this operation fails, you have a way to get us out safely.”
She was right.
Jin Anzai always acted cautiously, used to leaving a way out.
Hearing her answer, he didn’t object, bending over to sign the new contract,
“You’re really obsessed with money.”
“So what if I am.”
The time when Lin Ting’s third uncle’s son would cause trouble was getting closer, and Lin Ting urgently needed three thousand taels.
She still didn’t want to use Li’s dowry to exchange for money, wanting to rely on herself.
Moreover, Li wasn’t like Lin Ting, who had a script in hand.
Her views were conservative, thinking that a female household was bad.
Without the support of the Lin family, who had officials, she would have a hard time finding a good family in the future and would live a bitter life.
Therefore, Li wouldn’t use three thousand taels to force Lin Ting’s third uncle to sign a contract allowing her to establish her own household and not be constrained by the main family.
Lin Ting wanted to act first and report later.
After she threatened Lin Ting’s third uncle to write the contract, she would find a way to slowly persuade Li.
Li had always pitied her, loved her, and put her first.
As long as she could prove that establishing her own household was truly good for her, Li wouldn’t oppose it, as nothing was more convincing than seeing it with her own eyes.
Lin Ting took the new contract and inkpad from Jin Anzai and also pressed her fingerprint on it.
There were three copies: one for the client, one for Jin Anzai, and one for Lin Ting.
She put away her сору,
“Have you investigated Prince Liang?”
Jin Anzai, “Yes.”
The Prince Liang’s residence was heavily guarded, and getting in wasn’t easy.
It was said that Prince Liang treasured the beauty he had just taken and hid her well.
Even if they successfully infiltrated,it would take a lot of time to find her.
Another point was that the client’s sister was afraid of men.
If a man touched her, she would resist, and her body was weak, so they couldn’t use knockout drugs.
Therefore, Lin Ting had to participate in this operation to find her and then comfort her.
Prince Liang indulged in pleasure and held banquets from time to time, inviting some noble sons to drink and have fun with women.
There was one tomorrow, which was their best chance to infiltrate and find her.
He pondered for a moment, tilting his head to look at Lin Ting,
“What’s your plan?”
She said,
“The servants in wealthy families are fixed, and new ones are only bought every few months, let alone PrinceLiang’s residence. Pretending to be a new servant to infiltrate is too slow and not feasible.”
“But since it’s a banquet, there must be performances. Although I haven’t seen Prince Liang, I’ve heard noble ladies in the capital mention him. When he holds banquets, he invites dancers from outside to entertain.”
Jin Anzai understood,
“You mean, tomorrow we’ll pretend to be dancers and infiltrate Prince Liang’s residence?”
“Exactly.” She was a daughter of the Lin family and had attended many banquets, seeing many dancers perform.
They all wore thin veils.
“Then how do I infiltrate?”
Lin Ting glanced at him, suppressing a smile, putting on a serious expression for the greater good,
“To avoid alerting anyone, how I infiltrate is how you infiltrate.”
“Don’t worry, dancers wear thin veils, and we don’t need to show our faces. The length of the veil is just enough to cover your Adam’s apple.”
Jin Anzai, “Get lost.”
The next evening, Lin Ting, who had successfully infiltrated Prince Liang’s residence as a dancer, stood in the room where the dancers were staying, looking at the person opposite her with a strange expression.
The person opposite, Jin Anzai, had a barely noticeable discomfort between his brows, his hands hanging down awkwardly, stiffly saying,
“If you keep staring at me, I’ll cut off your head and use it as a ball.”
Lin Ting quickly looked away, wanting to laugh but not daring to, glancing at him again.
In front of her, Jin Anzai wore a purple thin veil, his eyes cold, his hair styled in a fairy bun, silk ribbons wrapped around his temples, a golden hairpin on the right side, and modified clip-on earrings on his ears.
He was slightly thin, with a slender waist, and wearing a dancer’s dress didn’t look too out of place, resembling a slightly larger-framed woman, just a bit taller, but there were tall women in the world.
Lin Ting said seriously,
“Jin Anzai, you look quite beautiful like this.”
Her hands itched, wanting to lift Jin Anzai’s veil to see his made-up face, but he slapped her hand away,
“Want to die?”
“It’s the first time I’ve seen you dressed like this, it’s a bit fresh. Besides, I saw your face when I rescued you from the mass grave, so why hide it? It’s not like I haven’t seen it before, hmph.”
Jin Anzai disdainfully tugged at the dress he was wearing,
“Don’t make me strangle you.”
Lin Ting burst out laughing,
“I won’t tease you anymore. After the dancers’ performance, they can stay at Prince Liang’s residence for the banquet, which lasts about half an hour. We’ll act during that time.”
Mentioning the operation, Jin Anzai’s expression improved, “Got it.”
She lifted her veil and took out a green date from her sleeve to eat,
“I just asked the servants in the residence, and they said Prince Liang recently brought back a woman, but no servant has seen her.”
He was impressed that she still had the mood to eat dates,
“No servant has seen her? Impossible. Prince Liang must have someone deliver food to her. We can first find the person who delivers the food and then ask for the exact location.”
Lin Ting quickly finished the green date,
“Not sure. But I’m thinking, did Prince Liang lock her in a secret room or something?”
“Possibly.”
There were a few knocks on the door, someone trying to push it open and then knocking,
“Who’s inside? Why is the door locked? Open up.”
From the voice, it was another dancer, probably coming in to touch up her makeup.
Lin Ting immediately threw the green date under the table, tied her veil, and ran to open the door,
“Good sister, I was just changing clothes.”
The dancer swayed in,
“We’re all women, why lock the door when changing?”
“Good sister is right.”
Seeing that Lin Ting didn’t argue, the dancer didn’t press further, glancing at the “dancer” beside her who was half a head taller, sitting in front of the mirror to touch up her makeup and chat with her companion.
The dancer who had spoken to Lin Ting said,
“If only I could climb up to Prince Liang this time.”
Her companion was shocked,
“You actually want to climb up to Prince Liang? Prince Liang likes to torture people in bed.If you climb up to him, wealth and status are within reach, but your life might not be.”
The dancer,
“But there are also those who survived Prince Liang’s bed. Maybe it’ll be me.”
Lin Ting, who was listening with all ears, thought, this was completely a gambler’s mentality, and it was a gamble with one’s life, after all, the ones who survived were few.
A quarter of an hour later, it was the dancers’ turn to perform.
They filed out along the golden and jade corridor, walking barefoot, their figures graceful, the soft dance ribbons in their arms dragging long on the ground, even their backs were extremely alluring.
Wherever the dancers passed, there was inevitably a lingering fragrance.
Lin Ting and Jin Anzai, the two “fakes,” mixed in at the back.
They had crammed the dance the dancers were to perform last night, so they should be fine if they were careful.
The next moment, Lin Ting looked at Jin Anzai’s stiff walking posture… never mind what she had just said.
The palace lanterns were brightly lit, and the banquet was filled with young masters in luxurious clothes, almost all of them holding beauties in their arms, occasionally spitting out some vulgar words, with beautiful maids pouring wine beside them.
The backyard of Prince Liang’s residence was surrounded by mountains and water, with pavilions and towers scattered in an orderly manner.
To the south, there was a stage specially for the dancers to perform, slightly higher than the surroundings, covered with a large red carpet.
The drums and music played together, and the dancers stepped onto the stage with a brisk tune.
Once on stage, Jin Anzai wasn’t as stiff anymore, and Lin Ting was slightly relieved, blending into the group, following the dancers to wave the dance ribbons, the tips of her bare feet lightly tapping the red carpet, her body turning flexibly.
The dance positions would shift, and Lin Ting, who originally wanted to muddle through at the back, ended up dancing to the front, unable to stay at the back.
Well, she had to dance seriously then.
The sound of silk and bamboo instruments filled the air, accompanied by singing and dancing, creating an atmosphere of revelry.
Beneath the stage, red candles illuminated the lanterns, and cups clinked together in a scene of indulgence that rivaled the legendary feasts of wine pools and forests of meat.
Lin Ting danced while observing her surroundings.
The young nobles, invited to the feast, were now sated with food and wine, their thoughts turning to lust.
They buried their faces in the necks of beauties, occasionally kissing them.
The Prince of Liang was even more brazen, having a beauty sit on his lap.
He lifted the hem of his robe, using her skirt as a cover.
Midway through the dance, Lin Ting noticed a servant hurriedly approach the Prince of Liang and whisper something to him.
After hearing the message, the prince irritably pushed the beauty away, straightened his robe, and gave the servant a meaningful glance.
Shortly after, a group of Imperial Guards appeared.
They were well-trained, their steps perfectly synchronized, exuding an imposing presence.
The sinister-looking embroidered spring knives at their waists starkly contrasted with the decadent banquet.
Duan Ling, leading the guards, placed his hand on the hilt of his embroidered spring knife and bowed to the Prince of Liang upon seeing him.
The moment Lin Ting caught sight of Duan Ling, she nearly twisted her ankle.
Why was he here?
Instinctively, she wanted to hide, but the stage was open, surrounded by guards, leaving her no place to conceal herself.
Fortunately, she wore a veil and a dancer’s dress, so Duan Ling likely wouldn’t recognize her.
After bowing to the Prince of Liang, Duan Ling scanned the courtyard, his gaze briefly pausing on the stage.
It lingered on a dancer who was looking around but deliberately avoiding eye contact with him.
The dancer wore a sky-blue dress that reached her waist, its sleeves unlike ordinary garments, revealing a fair wrist adorned with several silver bracelets.
Her waist was adorned with tiny bells that jingled with every movement.
Her face was covered with a thin purple veil, leaving only her bright, piercing eyes visible.
Duan Ling stared at her eyes for a moment too long before quickly averting his gaze.
Holding an official document, he announced,
“Your Highness, during our investigation of illegal salt trade, we discovered someone violating the laws of Great Yan by smuggling salt. His Majesty is furious, and I am here under orders to arrest this person.”
The Prince of Liang narrowed his hawk-like eyes, gripping his wine cup as he asked,
“What does this have to do with me?”
Duan Ling raised his eyes calmly.
“This matter naturally has nothing to do with Your Highness. However, the person colluding with foreigners to smuggle salt is among the guests here.”
The Prince of Liang smashed his wine cup.
“You intend to arrest someone in my palace?”
He knew exactly who the Imperial Guards were after his brother-in-law.
Duan Ling replied, “I am acting on orders.”
The Prince of Liang stood up.
“Very well. But since Commander Duan has graced my palace with his presence, I must offer proper hospitality. How about this—you drink a cup of wine before taking him away.”
Duan Ling remained expressionless and was about to step forward to take the wine when the prince stopped him.
“Drinking directly is too dull. I’ll have someone feed it to you with their mouth.”
The moment these words were spoken, the young nobles at the banquet exchanged whispers, their expressions varied.
Everyone could tell the Prince of Liang was trying to humiliate Duan Ling.
Knowing that Duan Ling avoided women, the prince still insisted on having a lowly dancer feed him wine.
The Prince of Liang waved his hand dismissively, pointing to a dancer standing at the front of the stage.
“You there. If Commander Duan refuses to accept the wine you offer, you’ll have to atone with your life.”
Lin Ting, the one pointed at, was stunned.
“Huh?”
The dancer beside her whispered,
“The prince is calling you. Hurry up.”
Lin Ting was momentarily confused, then furious.
Damn the Prince of Liang!
What did he mean by saying she’d have to atone with her life if Duan Ling refused the wine?
Who was he threatening?
Once I leave the Prince’s palace, I’ll make sure to sprinkle itching powder on him!
But… this might be a legitimate opportunity to kiss Duan Ling.
Since it was the prince’s order, even if Duan Ling didn’t want it, he would only push her away, not draw his embroidered spring knife and spill her blood on the spot.
Hesitantly, Lin Ting stepped down from the stage.
As she walked, her skirt swayed, revealing her bare feet.
Her slender ankles were adorned with silver bells that jingled with each step.
Duan Ling watched her approach, then turned to the Prince of Liang.
“I must decline…”
Before he could finish, Lin Ting, who had somehow reached his side, swiftly drank the entire cup of wine, stood on her tiptoes, and kissed him without warning.
Even the Prince of Liang was taken aback.
The prince hadn’t expected the dancer to be so bold.
Shouldn’t she have bowed to them first?
Instead, she acted as if she were in a hurry to be reborn.
Lin Ting didn’t even glance at the prince.
With her left hand, she deftly covered Duan Ling’s eyes, while her right hand lifted a corner of her purple veil, revealing only her rouged lips and a well-defined chin.
To onlookers, it appeared to be a flirtatious act of feeding wine, like a half-hidden pipa.
In reality, she didn’t want to reveal her face.
Duan Ling hadn’t anticipated her sudden kiss, which left no room for refusal.
By the time he reacted, the wine from Lin Ting’s mouth had already seeped into his lips, carrying the familiar fragrance of a young woman.
Their lips lingered, mingling with the wine.
Duan Ling tried to pull back, his expression strange.
But just as he began to separate, Lin Ting quickly pressed her hand against the back of his neck and kissed him again.
The spilled wine dripped from the corner of her lips, a few drops landing on the back of his hand, burning hot.
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