She hurriedly retrieved the dagger she had hidden under her pillow and gripped it tightly in her hand, her eyes unblinkingly fixed on the shadowy figure.
The shadow hesitated outside for a moment before reaching out to lift the bed curtain.
Zuo Xiangning clasped the dagger with both hands and thrust it forcefully towards him.
The shadow was startled by Zuo Xiangning's actions, seized her wrists, and whispered, "It's me!"
Unable to move, Zuo Xiangning stared with wide eyes for a long while before recognizing the person,"Young... Young Master?"
She let out a long breath.
Ling Xiaosong took the cold-gleaming dagger from her hand, examined it, and asked, "Where did you get this from?"
"I... I bought it." She reached out, trying to snatch it back.
Ling Xiaosong lifted his hand to avoid her grasp and set the dagger on the table next to him.
"Such a worthless trinket, how much did you pay for it? It doesn't even have an edge," Ling Xiaosong said.
"What do you mean 'worthless trinket'?" Zuo Xiangning stepped down from the bed, shuffling in her shoes, and carefully sheathed the dagger, whispering, "It cost me ten taels of silver."
Ling Xiaosong laughed, "I'll give you a better one tomorrow."
"I don't want it." Zuo Xiangning lit a candlestick and placed it on the table by the window, turning her head to look at the man dressed in black. Suddenly, an idea flashed through her mind. Staring into the man's slender eyes, she asked uncertainly, "Were you the one last time?"
"What do you mean?" the man asked, puzzled.
"Have you been here before?"
"When have I been here before?" Ling Xiaosong's gaze shifted to the dagger on the table: "It couldn't be that someone entered your room, and that's why you prepared the dagger for self-defense, is it? What did he do to you? You actually wanted to kill him?"
That night was pitch-dark, and the man had his face covered; Zuo Xiangning couldn't make out his features.
But recalling how that man had repeatedly emphasized that she shouldn't speak out, she changed the subject and asked, "How do you know I live here?"
"There's no place in the entire capital city that I don't know of."
Zuo Xiangning looked at the self-assured man and asked, "May I know what urgent matter brings the Princely Heir here in the dead of night?"
Ling Xiaosong observed the small woman who hadn't even reached his shoulder, dressed in a simple white garment, her hair loose, and wearing a pair of pink embroidered shoes, showing no hint of the usual shyness of women, quite the contrary, she was comfortably natural. He was inwardly surprised.
In the dead of night, alone in a room with a man, and yet she seemed utterly unafraid?
Zuo Xiangning, noticing his intense gaze, also looked down at herself and realized that the outline of her figure was clearly visible under the thin material of her clothing. Her face flushed red, and she quickly turned to grab a robe from nearby, covering herself with her back to him, inwardly cursing, "Pervert!"
The man didn't notice her discomfort and pulled out a piece of paper from within his clothes, handing it to Zuo Xiangning, "Sign your name here and press your handprint."
After buttoning up, Zuo Xiangning turned around, took the paper, and examined it closely.
"Five thousand taels?" Zuo Xiangning looked up at him and then handed the paper back, "I've said it before, I'm not selling."
"In your hands, that mountain is nothing more than a rock, even if you gave it to the King of Chu, he wouldn't dare to do anything with it." Ling Xiaosong didn't reach out to take it, "I'm doing this for your own good. If you get involved, I'm afraid it might bring disaster upon you and the Zuo Family."
Zuo Xiangning's mind was slightly unsettled by his words.
It was precisely because she was afraid of causing trouble for the Zuo Family that she had not dared to tell Madame Jiang and Zuo Zimo.
"How about this, I'll add another five thousand taels," Ling Xiaosong said: "Ten thousand taels of personal savings is not something many women in the Southern Jin Dynasty could claim."
Zuo Xiangning thought for a moment and then said, "Five thousand taels annually."
Ling Xiaosong raised an eyebrow.
"I know what's on that mountain, and I understand its value," Zuo Xiangning said quietly: "I told you yesterday, I originally planned to split it fifty-fifty with you, but I know that I'm not capable, and I don't want to cause trouble for my family. So, I don't need the mountain, but I want five thousand taels of silver each year. If you mine for two years, I want two years' worth; if you mine for five, I want five years' worth."
Five thousand taels wasn't a significant sum for Ling Xiaosong.
He nodded, "Alright."
"This matter must not be known to others," Zuo Xiangning added, "I will buy the mountain next to us."
"I'll buy it for you," Lingxiao offered, playing the good Samaritan to the end, "I'll have the land deed delivered to you tomorrow."
Zuo Xiangning took a candle to the study next door, where she sat down at the desk, took out paper and a pen, and began writing the agreement.
"The things I promise you, I will certainly do," Lingxiao said, watching her graceful handwriting, "It's best not to leave any trace of such a matter, lest it fall into the hands of someone with ulterior motives, causing unnecessary trouble."
"The problem is you change too quickly," Zuo Xiangning said without lifting her head, "During the day, you agreed to split it fifty-fifty with me, and now just a few hours later, you've changed again."
"I won't change again now," Lingxiao said.
Zuo Xiangning looked up at him, and the man's spirited gaze was inexplicably convincing.
She tore up the half-finished agreement, "Then we'll do as the Princely Heir wishes."
"Then I'll take my leave," Lingxiao nodded with satisfaction at her decisiveness and turned to walk out.
When Zuo Xiangning saw him leaving, she hurriedly stood up and followed him out, saying politely, "Young Master, please take care."
The man in front stopped walking, and Zuo Xiangning suddenly bumped into his back, her nose hurting so much she nearly cried.
"Why did you suddenly stop?" Zuo Xiangning asked, gently rubbing her nose with a wronged expression.
"I thought when you told me to take care, you had something else to say," Lingxiao said with a hint of a smile in his eyes as he looked at her scrunched features.
"When I said to take care, I meant you should walk slowly on your way out to avoid people noticing you. Even if they do, please don't admit you know me," Zuo Xiangning walked to the north window, opened it slightly, and waited for him to leave through it.
"I'll take the door," Lingxiao said, standing at the door and about to open it, "I'm dealing with you in an open and honest manner."
Zuo Xiangning hurried over to hold the door closed, whispering, "In the middle of the night, if you leave through my door, aren't you trying to ruin me?"
"So if I climb out of your room's back window in the middle of the night, that wouldn't be ruining you?" Lingxiao raised an eyebrow.
Zuo Xiangning also raised her brows, "Isn't that how you came in?"
"When I came in, it was to discuss urgent matters, a necessary evil. But leaving now, I do so openly and freely," the man said with his hands behind his back.
Zuo Xiangning blinked looking at his haughty demeanor, momentarily at a loss for words.
She had only met him a total of five times, all things considered, but each time he gave her a completely different impression.
Which one was the real him?
"Are you leaving or not? I need to sleep," Zuo Xiangning yawned, saying, "If you're not leaving, just sit here. There's tea and snacks on the table. When dawn breaks, I'll have someone carry you out the front gate in a sedan chair."
Lingxiao looked at the woman walking into the inner chamber and was slightly taken aback.
Was this woman really planning to leave him here and pay him no further mind?
Indeed, Zuo Xiangning didn't intend to bother with him anymore; the kind of person the Princely Heir was didn't have much to do with her.
She was feeling gloomy about the gold mine she had just obtained and had already lost within a few days.
She had initially thought that the gold mine would be her reliance after her rebirth, but in just a few days, she had been forced to transfer it, fortunately still having five thousand taels of silver to collect annually.
Ever since the day she was reborn, she would lie in bed each night, lost in thought for a long time before she could fall asleep.
But having walked a lot that day, amid alarm and fright, she was genuinely tired and fell asleep not long after.
The man stood outside for a while, and, hearing no more rustling from the inner chamber, he gently opened the door, went out, and softly closed it again.
In the morning, Zuo Xiangning had someone inform Zhang Rui's household that she wanted to see Zhang Rui.
Just after she had finished her breakfast, a messenger from Zuo Zimo's yard came to call her over.
"Third Young Master has urgent business and requests Fourth Miss to come at once."