After carefully washing and grooming herself, Ling'er lay down on the couch.

However, despite being exhausted, she tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep. Her thoughts raced through her mind, making it difficult for her to find peace.

Finally, Ling'er couldn't resist sitting up in bed, putting on her shoes, gently pushing open the door, and coming out into the courtyard.

It was the dead of night, and all was quiet except for the bright moon hanging high in the sky, casting its cool, clear light. Stars twinkled across the heavens, like countless glittering jewels embedded within them.

Looking up, the Milky Way stretched across the sky like a winding, shimmering ribbon.

I haven't seen such a dazzling starry sky since I left my hometown.

A night breeze swept by, bringing a touch of coolness, but it also made her much more awake.

She wore a light gauze dress, the hem of which swayed gently in the wind.

With her sweet and obedient looks, she had many suitors even in Kyoto. Many wealthy and influential families came to propose marriage, but most of them had ulterior motives.

They're either after her earning power or the network of connections she has.

As a newly promoted general and a close friend of Princess Changning, and also favored by the Empress Dowager, her status and position naturally rose accordingly.

However, Ling'er always disdained the marriage proposals from those men.

"Cough cough..." This sudden cough interrupted her thoughts.

"Who is it?" She frowned slightly, her voice tinged with doubt and alertness, her eyes quickly scanning her surroundings.

A figure slowly emerged from the pavilion. Moonlight bathed him, outlining his tall and slender frame. As he drew closer, she recognized him as Tang Luoheng.

Tang Luoheng showed an apologetic look on his face, scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly, and said softly, "I'm really sorry, boss, I've bothered you." His tone was sincere and humble, making it difficult for anyone to feel any sense of blame.

Ling'er breathed a slight sigh of relief and said, "So it was you. That's good." It's good that you're not someone with ill intentions.

Ling'er caught a glimpse of the wooden puppet in his hand and her heart skipped a beat. "Are you carving?"

Tang Luoheng looked at the wooden carving in his hand and said, "That's right. I had nothing to do, so I thought I'd carve a wooden puppet as a pastime."

Actually, he hadn't intended to show himself and disturb Ling'er's enjoyment of the moonlight, but for some reason, his throat suddenly became unusually dry and itchy, so much so that he couldn't help but cough.

As he spoke, he gently raised the puppet in his hand, and in the moonlight, the puppet seemed to come to life.

Looking at the puppet in his hand, Ling'er couldn't help but feel a little curious. "Is this puppet a gift for someone?"

Upon hearing this, Tang Luoheng's face flashed with embarrassment. "This... I haven't decided who to give it to yet. I just carved it casually for fun."

"Can I take a look?" She was quite interested in these things too.

Before her mother passed away, she also liked to carve small trinkets for her to play with.

Tang Luoheng hesitated for a moment, then handed the puppet to Ling'er.

She took the puppet and examined it closely. The puppet was sculpted with exquisite detail, and its eyebrows and eyes seemed to possess a unique charm.

Just then, a dark cloud suddenly drifted in and obscured the moon.

The surroundings darkened, and Ling'er was startled, unconsciously leaning closer to Tang Luoheng.

Tang Luoheng felt her approach and his heart suddenly raced. He reached out his hand, as if to comfort Ling'er, but stopped in mid-air.

The dark clouds quickly dispersed, and the moonlight shone down again.

Ling'er realized her lapse in composure, and her face flushed slightly. She returned the puppet to Tang Luoheng and said softly, "The carving is truly excellent."

He took the puppet and said softly, "Thank you for the compliment, sir."

The two fell silent for a moment, and the atmosphere became slightly awkward.

After a moment, Ling'er broke the silence, "It's late, and I have things to do tomorrow, so I'll go back to my room first."

Tang Luoheng nodded, watching Ling'er's departing figure, and secretly tightened his grip on the wooden puppet in his hand.

Bell returns to her room, presses down on the bell returning to her room, presses down on her wildly beating heart.

She didn't understand why she had lost her composure just now; Tang Luoheng's image and the lifelike puppet in his hand kept flashing through her mind.

Tang Luoheng stood in the courtyard for a long time, until he was sure that Ling'er would not come out again, before turning around and heading towards his residence. All the way, his mind was filled with the image of Ling'er leaning on him when she was frightened, and his thoughts were unsettled.

A few days later, Li Xi returned and found Tang Luoheng's servant.

According to the servant, the two of them, master and servant, were originally traveling to the capital with a large caravan when they encountered a band of bandits along the way.

These bandits were extremely vicious, but strangely, they didn't kill them all. Instead, they kidnapped both the people and all the goods and took them to the mountains.

Despite being in a dangerous situation, Tang Luoheng remained exceptionally calm and resourceful. Taking advantage of the chaos, and with the servant's selfless cover, Tang Luoheng successfully escaped.

Tang Luoheng intended to go to the government office to report the case immediately, but in his haste, he accidentally slipped and fell down a steep hillside.

When he finally regained consciousness, he was extremely weak. But even so, he endured the pain and continued on his journey.

After several days and nights of tireless travel, Tang Luoheng, utterly exhausted and weak, was unfortunately knocked to the ground by Ling'er. He could no longer hold on; his vision went black, and he fainted…

Before taking him back to the restaurant, Ling'er took him to the government office to report the case. That night, she told Li Xi about it.

Following Tang Luoheng's lead, Li Xi led government troops to wipe out the bandits and rescue the kidnapped people.

It turned out that the bandits were remnants of the Red Lotus Cult. They kidnapped the caravan members in order to expand their own power. Such behavior was simply incomprehensible.

Fortunately, Tang Luoheng provided an important clue.

"Young Master Tang, you have performed a great service this time. The government will naturally reward you handsomely with a generous reward to commend your righteous act!" Li Xi said with admiration, expressing his heartfelt praise to Tang Luoheng without reservation.

Upon hearing this, Tang Luoheng quickly cupped his hands in a gesture of respect and said humbly, "General Li, you flatter me. I have only done my part, how could I dare to presume to ask for any reward? Besides, those bandits have committed numerous atrocities and deserve to be killed by everyone. I am already content to have done my part in eliminating them."

He paused slightly, his eyes flashing with determination. "Moreover, if it weren't for my master, I would probably have lost my life long ago, and I wouldn't have had the chance to assist the general in suppressing the bandits."

After Tang Luoheng finished speaking, a hint of tenderness flashed in his eyes.

Seeing this, Li Xi's gaze swept between the two of them. As if sensing something, she smiled and said, "My sister Ling'er is certainly capable, but Young Master Tang is also quite good. I heard that you've come to the capital this time to participate in next year's imperial examination?"

She placed her hand on Ling'er's shoulder, an intimate gesture that seemed to tell Tang Luoheng that their relationship was extraordinary.