This Tingzhu Pavilion offered an excellent view — sitting by the window, one could take in the entire scene before the Dingxiang Restaurant and the street beyond.

Prince Yan’s gaze had settled somewhere unknown, a flicker of interest passing through his eyes.

Only the guard standing at Prince Yan’s side caught a glimpse of what he was looking at.

A driver was turning his carriage around, while a group of women wearing veiled hats that obscured their faces were boarding it. Prince Yan’s gaze was clearly fixed on the young girl dressed in sky-blue robes.

Her face could not be seen, only her graceful, alluring figure from behind — yet that alone was enough to guess she was a rare beauty.

It seemed this was the very Ninth Miss Ling that Eunuch Xi had spoken of.

That Ninth Miss Ling was rather perceptive — as if sensing someone watching her, she turned her head quickly to look back. Through a thin layer of gauze, her gaze met Prince Yan’s from a distance.

Prince Yan raised an eyebrow and smiled.

Ninth Miss Ling showed no reaction at all, swiftly turning to board the carriage.

Then, without a moment’s pause, the Ling family carriage quickly set off and departed.

A young woman both stubbornly willful and sharply intelligent — this Ninth Miss Ling…

Prince Yan’s long, narrow eyes narrowed slightly, an inexplicable smile flickering across his lips.

Eunuch Xi noticed that Prince Yan’s attention had wandered, and rather than feeling alarmed, he secretly grew pleased. It seemed Prince Yan only intended to give him a minor punishment, not truly to take his life.

“This servant has only ever been loyal to his master — please, Your Highness, spare this lowly life, and let this servant serve well from now on to repay his master’s kindness!”

Eunuch Xi’s tearful declaration of loyalty was quite moving.

Prince Yan’s lips curled. “It’s truly a waste of your talent that you became a eunuch — if you’d gone to the theater to be an actor, you’d have become a famous star long ago.”

His tone carried a note of teasing.

In other words, the matter of the earlier deception was now considered settled.

Eunuch Xi was overjoyed inside, forcing out a fawning smile. “This servant thanks Your Highness for the praise. But this servant intends to serve Your Highness for his entire life — there’s no going to the theater now.”

Prince Yan frowned with distaste. “Go wash the blood and tears off your face before coming back — the sight of it is truly off-putting.”

Eunuch Xi assented repeatedly and hurried to rise and withdraw.

Once Eunuch Xi had left, Prince Yan instructed the guard at his side, “Li Jun, have someone investigate Ling Zhiyuan, the Director at the Ministry of Works. Find out everything about everyone in his household.”

Especially this Ninth Miss Ling.

This last thought needed no words. Li Jun naturally understood without being told, and immediately accepted the order. “This subordinate obeys.”

Ling Jingshu sat in the carriage, her expression composed and at ease. Yet inwardly, she was quietly recalling that brief, startling glance just before she had boarded.

It had been a fleeting glance, and against the light at that, so she had not seen clearly.

Still, she knew clearly that the one sitting by the window watching her was Prince Yan.

In her past life, she had been confined under house arrest at the Lu family, leaving her impressions of the outside world hazy. She only knew that the one who eventually ascended the throne was Prince Yan — of his temperament and character, she knew nothing at all.

This encounter had lasted only a brief moment, with just a few words exchanged. From this alone, she could only form the shallowest, most superficial impression. This Prince Yan’s manner of conduct seemed rather willful, reckless, and unrestrained — utterly different from the Crown Grandson, who always kept a cold face that betrayed neither joy nor anger.

As for Prince Yan’s true face and true temperament, those remained entirely unknown.

They traveled the whole way in silence, and by the time they returned to the Ling residence, it was already exactly the hour of Shen (3–5 p.m.).

Everyone first went to see Madam Sun.

Seeing that everyone’s spirits seemed low, Madam Sun was somewhat surprised. She asked with a smile, “What’s the matter with you all? You went out to enjoy yourselves for most of the day — why aren’t you happy, but instead come back with such long faces? Did something happen?”

“Nothing happened,” everyone answered in unison.

The answer came far too perfectly in sync.

It was as if they had rehearsed it beforehand…

Doubt arose in Madam Sun’s heart. Without even looking at Ling Jingyan or the Ling Jingshu siblings, she simply asked Madam Jiang, “Yu Niang, did nothing truly happen today?”

Pressed by her mother-in-law like this, Madam Jiang remained fairly composed, answering with a smile, “We first went to Huichun Hall. The calling card has been given to the steward, and Cousin Xiao’s name has been recorded. On the morning of the fifteenth, if we go early, we’ll be able to see Imperial Physician Wei. Afterward we went to the Dingxiang Restaurant for lunch.”

“The Dingxiang Restaurant is famous and does brisk business — today only one private room was left. After we settled into it, the guests who had originally reserved that room arrived. This led to a few words of dispute and some sulking. Fortunately, another empty room was freed up afterward, and we had our meal and came back.”

“When it comes down to it, it was really nothing more than a small matter — we just felt a bit out of sorts about it, which is why our spirits were low. We’ve worried Mother needlessly.”

Not a single word of it was a lie, yet she had skillfully avoided every key point. If the matter were ever exposed in the future, Madam Jiang would not be left open to accusations of having deceived her elders.

Her words and conduct were indeed thorough and meticulous.

Ling Jingshu could not help but feel a quiet admiration for Madam Jiang.

As expected, all of Madam Sun’s suspicion dissolved, and she said reassuringly with a smile, “Well then, it’s only a trivial matter — no need to take it to heart. You’ve all been out running about for half the day and must be tired, so go back and rest for now. I’ll have someone call you when it’s time for dinner.”

Ever since leaving the Dingxiang Restaurant, Ling Jingyan had been sulking in silence, not saying another word, nor casting another glance at Ling Jingshu.

Since they lived together in Luoxia Courtyard, it was unavoidable that they walked the same path.

Ling Jingyan kept her head lowered stubbornly, not speaking to Ling Jingshu the entire way.

Ling Jingshu didn’t bother approaching to court an awkward rebuff either, simply holding Ling Xiao’s hand and walking forward at a leisurely pace. She thought to herself that once Ling Jingyan’s temper had cooled, she would have a heart-to-heart talk with her and coax her into a better mood…

Just as she was thinking this, Ling Jingyan, who had already stepped into Luoxia Courtyard, suddenly turned around with a tense expression. “Cousin Shu, come with me. I have something to say to you.”

The once-affectionate “A’Shu” had reverted back to “Cousin Shu.”

Her tone was tight and tense, entirely lacking her usual playful liveliness.

Ling Jingshu sighed quietly to herself, though her face still wore its usual smile. “Alright. Let me take A’Xiao back to his room first, and then I’ll come find you.”

After walking Ling Xiao back to his room, he suddenly grabbed Ling Jingshu’s sleeve, refusing to let her leave. “A’Shu, from the way Cousin Yan sounded, she seems to be in a sulk over something. Don’t go — you’ll only end up quarreling with her.”

“We’re staying with Uncle’s family right now as it is — if you and Cousin Yan have a falling-out, no matter who’s right or wrong, Aunt and Uncle will certainly side with Cousin Yan. In the end, you’ll be the one who suffers for it.”

Seeing Ling Xiao’s earnest, worried face, warmth rose in Ling Jingshu’s heart. “A’Xiao, your concern isn’t unreasonable. But since you know Cousin Yan’s temperament, you should also know that all the more reason I need to go clear up the misunderstanding. Otherwise, if this knot stays lodged in both our hearts, it’ll only get worse later. Besides, we don’t even know how long we’ll be staying in the capital — we can’t keep avoiding her forever!”

Ling Xiao fell silent for a moment before reluctantly letting go of her sleeve. “I can never win an argument with you.”

Ling Jingshu pressed her lips into a smile, patted Ling Xiao’s shoulder, and said lightly, “Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon.”