The small wardrobe was narrow and dimly lit.
Jin Anazi had to carefully tuck in his limbs and suppress his breathing, which was undeniably uncomfortable.
However, having wandered the martial world alone for many years, his endurance was strong enough to persevere.
Just then, Jin Anazi heard Duan Ling ask Lin Ting a question, and an ominous premonition immediately struck him.
The next moment, fate confirmed his suspicion as the wardrobe door was suddenly pulled open from the outside.
The candlelight from the room directly shone into the wardrobe, stinging Jin Anazi’s eyes.
He instinctively closed them and raised his free hand to shield his face.
Through the gaps between his fingers, he saw the person standing in front of the wardrobe.
It wasn’t Lin Ting-it was Duan Ling.
Lin Ting stood further away by the edge of the daybed, holding a handkerchief.
Jin Anazi paused, slowly lowered his hand, and looked directly at Duan Ling.
Duan Ling’s face appeared as if it had been washed, with traces of water still glistening.
His hair and collar were slightly damp, but he didn’t look disheveled.
In contrast, Jin Anazi was forced to crouch inside the small wardrobe, wearing an ugly mask, gripping an iron sword, and twisted into an awkward posture.
No matter how you looked at it, the situation was bizarre.
Although he and Lin Ting didn’t have a secretive relationship, for some reason, when he realized the person who had discovered him was Duan Ling-Lin Ting’s fiancé-Jin Anazi couldn’t help but think of the words “affair” and “getting caught in the act.”
It was too strange.
Jin Anazi’s gaze shifted past Duan Ling to Lin Ting, who stood frozen behind him, and he signaled with his eyes: ‘Why are you just standing there? Say something!’
If it had been someone else, Jin Anazi could have taken advantage of their unpreparedness and discreetly drugged them, leaving them unaware of why they had passed out.
Afterward, Lin Ting could simply insist she had no idea how they had fainted.
But it was Duan Ling who had arrived, and Jin Anazi couldn’t discreetly drug him.
Duan Ling was not only a member of the Imperial Guards but also Lin Ting’s future husband.
Jin Anazi couldn’t just start a fight with him, so he felt somewhat restrained.
Lin Ting finally snapped out of her daze and rushed toward them.
Though her eyes were on Jin Anazi, who was hiding in the wardrobe, her words were directed at Duan Ling:
“He…”
Duan Ling’s expression was gentle, his brows slightly furrowed in confusion.
“Why is Master Jin here?”
Her heart pounded like a drum.
“He heard I was trapped on North Long Street and was worried about me, so he came to check on me. You know how he is a man of the martial world, acting on impulse and unrestrained by rules. That’s why he barged into North Long Street without a second thought.”
Duan Ling replied, “Master Jin must care deeply for you. But even a man of the martial world must abide by the arrangements of the court, don’t you think?”
Lin Ting seemed to fully side with Duan Ling.
“Yes. No matter who he is, he should follow the court’s orders and not recklessly enter North Long Street while it’s sealed off. I’ve already scolded him harshly and told him to leave quickly.”
The corner of Jin Anazi’s mouth twitched.
Could they at least let him out of the wardrobe before continuing?
Jin Anazi had been stuck in this position for a while, and his legs were starting to cramp.
Duan Ling still stood in front of the wardrobe, seemingly forgetting to step aside and let Jin Anazi out.
Jin Anazi wasn’t sure how to ask Duan Ling to step back or move aside so he could exit the wardrobe.
Lin Ting, however, remembered him.
“Lord Duan, could you let him come out first?”
Upon hearing this, Duan Ling took two steps back, standing beside her.
His voice was as smooth as jade.
“My apologies, I forgot Master Jin was still inside. Master Jin, you…”
“Come out now, the wardrobe is so small, and you’ve been hiding for so long. It must have been quite tiring.”
Jin Anazi finally emerged from the wardrobe, his limbs numb, needing some time to recover.
He didn’t move around casually and said: “Lord Duan.”
Lin Ting glanced at Duan Ling’s face and handed him a handkerchief she had taken from the couch.
Duan Ling casually wiped his face and smiled, “Young Master Jin’s martial arts are truly extraordinary, to be able to come and go freely on the sealed North Long Street.”
Jin Anazi, who had also sweated profusely in the wardrobe, replied, “Lord Duan, you flatter me. The guards on North Long Street are strict. I was merely lucky to get in, not as free as you say.”
Duan Ling first looked at Jin Anazi, then at Lin Ting, who was also sweating, and asked thoughtfully, “You had Young Master Jin hide earlier because you were afraid he might get trapped on North Long Street like you did?”
Lin Ting had no words: “Yes.”
Jin Anazi’s limbs, which had been numb from poor circulation, had now recovered, but he still didn’t move, standing quietly, pondering how Duan Ling might deal with him.
Duan Ling pushed the half-open window fully open, watching the patrolling imperial guards on the long street, his fingers lightly tapping on the windowsill:
“You didn’t complain when you were trapped on North Long Street, yet you’re afraid Young Master Jin might be trapped?”
She exchanged a glance with Jin Anazi and reluctantly said, “He’s not quite like me.”
Jin Anazi’s situation was different from hers.
He was a prince of the former dynasty, and if detained by the imperial guards for a detailed investigation, there was a risk his identity would be discovered.
If she were detained, she could leave after three days, but if he were detained, he might not be able to leave, whether he fell ill or not.
Duan Ling turned back to look at Lin Ting, still smiling gently, “How is Young Master Jin different from you? Is it that you’re less prone to illness, or that Young Master Jin is more prone and thus can’t be trapped on North Long Street?”
She, who was usually eloquent, was unusually speechless.
Duan Ling walked back, step by step, until he stood in front of Lin Ting and asked:
“Did Young Master Jin come the past two days?”
He usually came in the evenings to handle official business, but it wasn’t impossible that Jin Anazi had visited her during the day.
“No, he only came today. He didn’t come the past two days.”
Jin Anazi had indeed only come today, and she wasn’t lying this time.
Duan Ling suddenly asked, “How do you want me to handle Young Master Jin?”
Lin Ting remained silent.
Should Jin Anazi be detained by the imperial guards?
Or should Duan Ling let him go?
The former would put Jin Anazi in a difficult position, while the latter would implicate Duan Ling in favoritism and bending the law.
Lin Ting couldn’t choose.
Duan Ling didn’t owe her anything; there was no need for him to help her like this.
The perfect solution would have been for Duan Ling not to know Jin Anazi had come tonight, allowing Jin Anazi to slip away unnoticed, thus not implicating Duan Ling in any wrongdoing.
But he had opened the wardrobe.
Lin Ting was at a loss.
Duan Ling observed her and probed, “Do you want me to let Young Master Jin go? When you were trapped on North Long Street, I asked if you had anything to say to me, and you didn’t mention wanting me to let you go. Yet today, you want me to let Young Master Jin go?”
Lin Ting was stunned.
So that’s what Duan Ling had been testing with that question back then?
She hadn’t realized it, but many people had seen her, and the authorities had recorded her presence.
Would he openly bend the law for her?
Even if she had asked him to let her go, would he have agreed?
After all, letting her go was fundamentally different from just visiting her, akin to the difference between really liking someone and just liking them.
Lin Ting thought again, perhaps Duan Ling was only suspecting that she wanted him to let Jin Anazi go, so she gave an example to ask: “I…”
Jin Anazi stepped forward at the right moment.
He didn’t let Lin Ting feel awkward and interrupted, “Officer Duan, take me away and handle this according to the rules. Should I first stay on North Long Street for three days before being taken back to the authorities by the Imperial Guards to determine the crime of trespassing today?”
Lin Ting had asked him to investigate the Eastern Depot’s director, Ta Xuening, but she hadn’t told him to return to North Long Street immediately after finishing the investigation.
It was his own decision to come back, and she had no idea that Duan Ling would show up.
Jin Anazi was willing to bear the consequences himself.
Duan Ling’s gaze fell on Jin Anazi’s mask, then he lowered his eyes, concealing his emotions.
“Young Master Jin, you trespassed on North Long Street out of concern for her.
I can take responsibility and exempt you from the crime of trespassing, but for the safety of other citizens, you must indeed stay on North Long Street for three days before leaving.”
Jin Anazi nodded, “Alright, thank you, Officer Duan. Does this inn have any vacant rooms? I can stay here.”
Lin Ting grew anxious and mouthed, “Aren’t you afraid the Imperial Guards will uncover your identity?”
After arriving in the capital, he had created a fake identity, which seemed fine upon a cursory check, but who knew if it could withstand a thorough investigation?
Duan Ling, with his back to her, couldn’t see.
Jin Anazi, facing her, saw it.
His eyes were calm, as if saying: Stay calm.
If the Imperial Guards could easily uncover my identity, I’d be long dead.
Since we’re here, let’s make the best of it.
Lin Ting forced herself to calm down.
After a while, Duan Ling responded to Jin Anazi’s question, “This inn has no vacant rooms left, Young Master Jin. You’ll have to move elsewhere.”
Staying in the same inn would allow them to look out for each other in case of trouble.
If Jin Anazi had to stay, Lin Ting wanted him here.
“None? When the Imperial Guard brought me lunch today, I chatted with him for a bit. It seems there’s still a vacant room upstairs.”
Duan Ling chuckled softly, as if praising her, “You really can strike up a conversation with anyone… When did you talk to that Imperial Guard?”
“When I picked up lunch.”
He nodded in understanding, “No wonder. The room was taken tonight. Someone moved in. There’s still an inn with rooms at the end of the street.”
Lin Ting showed a look of regret.
Her inn was at the beginning of the street.
If Jin Anazi was assigned to stay at the end, they would be quite far apart-North Long Street was large.
But there were no rooms left, so there was nothing to be done.
They couldn’t casually switch rooms with others either, as there was no way to confirm whether the other party was infected.
Although the rooms could be cleaned with disinfectant, the process was quite labor-intensive, and the Imperial Guards usually waited until a group of people left before handling it all at once.
Duan Ling reminded him, “By the way, Young Master Jin, once you stay in the inn, you cannot leave for three days. If you leave without permission, it will be seen as an attempt to escape, and the Imperial Guards might harm you.”
Lin Ting also knew about this.
Last time, a man and some citizens who caused trouble by running into the streets were arrested by the Imperial Guards and punished.
The other citizens agreed with this.
They were afraid that people fleeing from North Long Street might spread the disease to them, believing that the strict control by the court was justified.
Punishments should be meted out, and those whose infection status was uncertain should not be allowed to leave.
Duan Ling glanced at Lin Ting and explained:
“In other words, Young Master Jin, you can no longer come to see her out of concern. If you’re discovered, I won’t be able to help you.”
Lin Ting: “….”