The Song Dynasty was the king for thirteen years before he knew that he was Tianlong.

Chapter 291 The Sound of Wind and Rain at Night (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
The water in the pool was warm, unlike the cold water he used to practice with.

Zhao Ti removed his robes, stepped into the pool, and sat down against the pool wall, closing his eyes slightly.

I was feeling tired, both mentally and physically. Since arriving in Xingzhou, I had hardly had any free time. At this moment, I felt very refreshed and relaxed, and I gradually fell asleep.

After an unknown period of time, he slowly opened his eyes. It was already dark outside, and several luminous pearls in the hall were shining with a faint light.

He stood up from the pool, tidied himself up, put on his robe, and walked with his hands behind his back towards the small courtyard.

It was late at night, and returning to the palace or resting in the study was no different from staying here. This small courtyard was also fully furnished with all kinds of items.

Upon arriving at the courtyard, one sees gauze curtains fluttering gently in the evening breeze, and wine jugs and cups, fresh fruit, and a plate of flower cakes laid out on a round red lacquered table.

Zhao Ti smiled, poured himself a cup of wine, picked up a flower cake and ate it, then drank two more cups before walking along the corridor into the courtyard.

The palace was quite large, and the courtyards were all exquisitely designed. As he walked, he suddenly stopped and heard a soft, even breathing sound.

After thinking for a moment, he headed toward the small courtyard where the sound came from. When he arrived, he saw a beaded curtain hanging down and a faint candlelight flickering inside, making it difficult to see clearly.

He lifted the curtain and entered the small courtyard, where he saw that it was decorated in an extremely elegant and exquisite manner, with various decorative objects and vases of flowers emitting a rich fragrance.

At the far end, there was a couch with its curtains half-drawn, and it seemed that someone was lying there, but it was impossible to tell who it was.

Curious, Zhao Ti stepped forward and suddenly saw a small creature huddled on the couch, peering out – it was a lightning sable.

He thought for a moment, "Is this Zhong Ling? Why is she sleeping here, and lying on the couch like this? Isn't she afraid of catching a cold?"
As they got closer, it was indeed Zhong Ling, lying on her side without a pillow, her hands folded under her head, sleeping soundly.

Zhao Ti smiled and sat down by the bed, wanting to wake her up to go back to rest, but he couldn't bear to.

The lightning sable peered at him from the side, and Zhao Ti said, "What are you doing here? Why don't you go back into the pouch?"

The sable didn't understand what he meant, and blinked its eyes, full of confusion.

Zhao Ti laughed and asked, "Can you do a backflip?"

The mink was even more puzzled and scratched its head with its paw.

At this moment, Zhong Ling suddenly moved, as if her hands, which were resting on her head, were a little numb. She turned over slightly and then opened her eyes groggily.

When she saw Zhao Ti, she was somewhat bewildered and murmured, "Your Highness? Where is this? Am I dreaming?"

Zhao Ti laughed and said, "What kind of dream are you having? Why are you sleeping here? Aren't you afraid of catching a cold and getting sick?"

Zhong Ling paused, seemingly remembering something, and blushed slightly as she said, "I was waiting for Your Highness to finish bathing so I could ask if Your Highness had any instructions, but Your Highness didn't come out for a long time, so I... I fell asleep here."

Zhao Ti nodded: "It's a good place to rest, but you'll need two blankets to cover yourself. It's almost autumn now, and it's still a bit chilly at night."

Zhong Ling blushed slightly upon hearing this, biting her cherry lips as she said, "With internal energy, I don't feel cold."

As she spoke, she sat up and looked at Zhao Ti. Zhao Ti looked at her as well, and felt a unique fragrance wafting from the young girl, which made his heart flutter.

Zhong Ling's eyes were somewhat unfocused, and her cheeks were slightly flushed: "Your Highness, I..."

Seeing her radiant and charming appearance, Zhao Ti couldn't help but take her two slender hands.

Zhong Ling felt as if she had been struck by lightning, her body felt a little weak, and she lowered her head: "Your Highness has been away these past few days, and Ling'er has been missing you dearly."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ti couldn't help but pull her into his arms. Zhong Ling felt weak all over, limp and unable to move an inch.

"Ling'er," Zhao Ti called softly.

Zhong Ling struggled to lift her head, her expression a mix of confusion and nervousness. She looked at Zhao Ti, her cheeks flushed, and she felt as if her heart was about to leap out of her throat.

Zhao Ti lowered his head slightly, and Zhong Ling opened her eyes wide, letting out a soft "hmm," seemingly at a loss. But after a moment, she closed her eyes tightly and slowly reached out to hug Zhao Ti.

A moment later, Zhong Ling began to tremble, feeling an intense burning sensation throughout her body, as if she were melting. "Your Highness, you..." Zhong Ling murmured, "Ling'er, Ling'er..."

Zhao Ti reached out and grabbed the lightning sable, then threw it out the window, which immediately closed without any wind.

After a while, a light rain began to fall outside. The rain tapped against the windowpane with a "pat-pat" sound, and the leaves and branches rustled, creating a pleasant "shush" sound.

The sound of wind and rain all night, and countless flowers have fallen.

The next morning, Zhao Ti opened his eyes, but Zhong Ling was nowhere to be seen.

I reached out and touched it; the other person was curled up inside the blanket like a kitten.

Zhong Ling dared not look at Zhao Ti, too ashamed to reveal even a hint of her true self.

Zhao Ti grabbed her, and she cried out "Ouch!" as if she was still in some pain.

Zhao Ti pulled her into his arms and said, "Sleep a little longer."

Zhong Ling made a soft "hmm" sound, buried her head in Zhao Ti's chest, and didn't move an inch...

As the sun rose, the two stepped outside the small courtyard. Zhong Ling tugged at Zhao Ti's sleeve and suddenly said, "Your Highness, I... I'll go back to the palace first."

Zhao Ti asked, puzzled, "Why go back over there? Come with me to the front for breakfast."

"I... I need to go back to my place first," Zhong Ling said shyly, then let go of Zhao Ti's sleeve and walked to the other side. "I'm afraid if Sister A Zhu and the others see us, they'll... they'll laugh at us..."

"What's wrong with that?" Zhao Ti shook his head: "Ling'er is my person. I will tell everyone. I won't hide it or try to cover it up."

Upon hearing this, Zhong Ling's face lit up with joy, but she refused to stop: "I... I'll go back for a bit and then go eat in the front..."

Zhao Ti watched her walk towards her residence, smiled, and then headed straight for the east kitchen.

A moment later, they arrived at the dining hall and sat down, where they saw A'Zhu and Lan Jian among the others.

After placing the breakfast on the table, Azhu wondered, "Why didn't Ling'er come over? I haven't seen her this morning either."

Lan Jian said, "Last night, Ling'er said she wanted to wait for His Highness to finish bathing to see if he had any instructions. Could she have fallen asleep in the palace over there?"

A'Zhu asked, "Was she sleeping over there? Didn't Your Highness see her when you left?"

Lan Jian said, "Well, if Ling'er was in the courtyard, I wonder if Your Highness saw her when you left..."

The two looked at Zhao Ti as they spoke, and Zhao Ti coughed lightly: "Ling'er was with me last night."

The two women were taken aback upon hearing this, then Azhu smiled and said, "Why didn't Sister Ling'er come with His Highness?"

Zhao Ti said, "She... is a little shy and said she needs to go back to the palace first."

Just as A'Zhu was about to speak, she saw Zhong Ling arrive at the door. She had clearly heard Zhao Ti's words, and her face turned as red as a cloud, making her both cute and radiant.

Azhu walked over with a smile and took Zhongling's hand: "Little sister, come in and eat quickly."

Zhong Ling responded almost inaudibly, followed A Zhu into the room, and then sat down, not daring to look up at Zhao Ti or the other women.

Zhao Ti laughed and said, "Let's eat, let's eat..."

After finishing his meal, Zhao Ti went to the front-line headquarters to discuss matters, convey some government orders, and then began to allocate manpower.

He selected Tong Guan, Zhou Tong, Su Da, Zhu Chuyi, and Wu Xiong, and told them to get ready.

The next day, Zhao Ti led five people out of the city and headed south towards the snow-capped mountains at the border between Tibet and Dali.

(End of this chapter)