“However high-handed Prince Yan may be, he cannot simply force a marriage with a daughter of the Ling family.”

Master Ling the Elder stroked his beard, a sharp gleam flashing in his eyes. “The Empress has been busy lately selecting a primary consort for Prince Yan. Given our Ling family’s standing, the Empress would never consider letting A’Shu become his primary consort. At the very least, she wouldn’t agree to let Prince Yan take A’Shu into his household until after his main marriage is settled.”

“Reckoning it this way, we still have plenty of time to plan our response to this matter!”

As he spoke, Master Ling the Elder rose to his feet and began pacing. “First, we need to send another letter to Dingzhou as soon as possible. Mother is getting on in years and shouldn’t be making the journey, so let’s have Fifth Brother come to the capital instead. With Fifth Brother here, we can openly and properly arrange a betrothal for A’Shu.”

“Then, we’ll quietly seek an audience with His Highness the Crown Grandson, and let it slip that Prince Yan has designs on A’Shu. As long as the Crown Grandson harbors any feelings for A’Shu, he certainly won’t simply stand by and do nothing. If we can get a step ahead and settle a betrothal with the Crown Grandson first, then however arrogant and overbearing Prince Yan becomes, there will be nothing he can do about it.”

By the time he finished speaking, Master Ling the Elder was thoroughly pleased with himself and brimming with confidence.

Sun Shi’s tightly furrowed brow finally relaxed, and she praised him with a smile. “My lord is brilliant! After I learned of this, I was flustered and at a loss for the longest while. But hearing you lay it out like this, I suddenly feel much more confident.”

Master Ling the Elder gave a self-satisfied chuckle. “You’re just a woman of the inner household — it’s only natural to panic when something happens. Well then, enough chatting for now. I’ll go to the study right away and write a letter to Fifth Brother.”

Though his words sounded carefree, in truth Master Ling the Elder was deeply anxious inside.

Sun Shi spoke up at once. “I’ll grind the ink for you, my lord.”

The husband and wife, Master Ling the Elder and Sun Shi, spent the night discussing their strategy, unable to sleep — but that’s a matter for another time.

Ling Jingshu, who had kept her composure in front of others the whole time, was in truth weighed down with worries of her own.

After dinner, she had given A’Xiao his medicine and applied fresh ointment to his eyes. Once all this was done, Ling Jingshu urged him to go to bed early.

“A’Shu, what will we do if Prince Yan keeps pestering you without end?”

Ling Xiao, his mind still on what had happened during the day, said with a worried expression. “This Prince Yan seems easygoing and amiable on the surface, but he’s actually terribly domineering. You can tell just from how he invited us to his mansion today. If Imperial Physician Wei hadn’t gotten him drunk, I doubt we’d have gotten away so easily.”

A’Xiao truly had grown up!

He hadn’t been fooled by Prince Yan’s surface manner, and had keenly sensed just how shrewd and formidable the man really was.

Not wanting Ling Xiao to worry over her, Ling Jingshu deliberately made light of it. “Don’t worry. I can handle it.”

Ling Xiao frowned. “A’Shu. This is no small matter. It concerns your reputation and your whole future. If Prince Yan abuses his power and insists on forcing you into his household, all he’d need is a phoenix decree from the Empress granting the marriage, and there’d be no escaping it…”

Indeed!

In her previous life, a single secret decree from Empress Xu had cost her her life. Given how much Empress Xu doted on Prince Yan, if he were truly set on marrying her, obtaining a phoenix decree would be no difficult task at all.

The Crown Grandson was proud by nature and disdained forcing his will on others. Prince Yan, however, was an entirely different matter…

“A’Xiao. I’ve already thought of all of this myself.” Ling Jingshu said quietly. “The reason I had Cousin-in-law tell Aunt about the matter with Prince Yan today was so that Uncle and Aunt could work out a plan for me.”

Master Ling the Elder’s heart was wholly set on the Eastern Palace, and he would never wish for the Ling family to become entangled with Prince Yan in any way. He would surely think of every possible way to resolve this matter.

Ling Xiao thought it over, and finally felt a little more at ease. “I just hope Uncle can come up with a good solution.”

He paused, then sighed again. “When it comes down to it, it’s all because of me that you’re caught up in this. If you hadn’t come to the capital with me, you wouldn’t have run into all this trouble.”

Ling Jingshu’s lips curved faintly, and she said with a meaningful undertone. “Perhaps, if I’d stayed behind in Dingzhou, there would have been even more trouble.”

Ling Xiao blinked in surprise, but before he could ponder the meaning behind her words, Ling Jingshu had already risen to her feet. “It’s been a busy day — you should sleep early! I’m tired and worn out too, so I’ll head back to my room and rest.”

Her voice carried a heavy note of weariness.

Filled with concern for her, Ling Xiao quickly said, “Go on and rest, then. Whatever else there is to say can wait until tomorrow.”

The weather was sweltering, and only after bathing did she finally feel a bit cooler.

Ling Jingshu was usually one to sleep early and rise early, but tonight, lying in bed, she found herself with no trace of sleepiness.

The events of the day passed through her mind one by one. The Crown Grandson’s veiled declaration, her tactful refusal, and her subsequent overture of allegiance — whether the Crown Grandson would even accept it, she didn’t know… Then Prince Yan’s sudden appearance, his forceful invitation, his intentions laid bare for all to see. She had to come up with a plan, and quickly…

And then there was Imperial Physician Wei.

The subtle charge in their exchanged glances, the faint, almost imperceptible way he’d looked out for her…

Surely it was all just her overthinking things! Imperial Physician Wei kept his distance from women, and she herself carried a strange affliction and had no intention of ever marrying in this lifetime. Between the two of them, beyond treating A’Xiao’s eyes, there ought to be no further connection at all.

Ling Jingshu gazed silently up at the canopy above her bed, her thoughts churning, refusing to settle for a long while.

She turned over, forcing the tangled thoughts from her mind, and willed herself to sleep.

It was some time before drowsiness finally, hazily, began to take hold.

The next day, just as the sky was beginning to lighten, a manservant from the Ling household hurried out through the side gate.

He had been ordered by Master Ling the Elder to deliver a family letter to Dingzhou in the shortest time possible. Master Ling the Elder had specifically instructed that the letter must be placed directly into Old Madam Ling’s own hands, and that he must bring a reply back to the capital.

Sun Shi kept the matter of the letter sent to Dingzhou under wraps for the time being, and said nothing of it to Ling Jingshu and her brother.

Only two days after the messenger had left, Sun Shi received a letter from Dingzhou.

Sun Shi was startled at first, but quickly realized what it must be. The most recent letter would take at least ten days to even reach Dingzhou, so this had to be the reply to the previous letter.

Unable to suppress her anxious curiosity, Sun Shi opened the letter and began reading before Master Ling the Elder had even returned home.

After hastily reading it through once, Sun Shi’s expression quietly darkened.

Old Madam Ling hadn’t said much in the letter, only obliquely hinting that Ling Jingshu suffered from a strange affliction and could not be close to any man — and that until the illness was cured, the matter of her betrothal should be set aside for now…

Such a response from Old Madam Ling was, in fact, within Sun Shi’s expectations.

But circumstances had changed now, with the added complication of Prince Yan, and this trouble needed resolving as quickly as possible. She could only hope that once Old Madam Ling received the latest letter, she would see reason and send Fifth Master Ling to the capital as soon as possible…

“Reporting to my lady, Ninth Miss and Young Master Xiao have come to pay their respects.”

The maidservant’s announcement broke into Sun Shi’s thoughts.

Sun Shi hastily folded the letter and stuffed it back into its envelope, and in her rush couldn’t think of anywhere to hide it. She simply stood up, set the envelope on the chair, and sat back down on top of it.

No sooner had she settled than Ling Jingshu and her brother arrived.

The two siblings paid their respects to Sun Shi as usual.

Sun Shi sat perfectly still in her chair, though her smile was unusually warm. “Why didn’t the two of you sleep in a little longer? Coming so early.”