The moonlight was like water, covering the entire capital.
The sealed East Street and North Long Street were as still as a stagnant pond.
It was in this silence that Lin Ting poked her head out, looking over the window at the long street below.
Duan Ling had left with Jin Anazi for about three quarters of an hour, and she wondered if they had settled in properly.
Lin Ting gazed out the window for a while.
She would be able to leave North Long Street tomorrow, but now it was Jin Anazi who had to stay here for three days before he could leave.
Moreover, after what happened with Jin Anazi, would Duan Ling even come back tonight?
Should she wait for Duan Ling to return before resting, or should she not wait?
After all, he might not come back.
Just as Lin Ting was about to doze off, Duan Ling returned.
She quickly perked up, ran over, and eagerly poured him a cup of water.
After all, Duan Ling had helped her friend Jin Anazi, so it was only right for her to pour him water.
“How did it go?” she asked.
She was worried that the Imperial Guards might have noticed something amiss during the registration of Jin Anazi’s identity.
Lin Ting looked up at Duan Ling.
He had bathed again before returning and was now wearing a set of cyan robes.
Under the candlelight, his features were exquisite, his lips a soft pink, and he looked particularly radiant, like a soul-stealing serpent demon.
He drank the water she handed him, his lips slightly parted, and his Adam’s apple bobbed in front of Lin Ting’s eyes.
She caught a glimpse of it but quickly averted her gaze without a word.
Duan Ling drank the water at a leisurely pace and replied, “I’ve settled Young Master Jin. Don’t worry, as long as he doesn’t fall ill within these three days, he can leave North Long Street.”
From the tone of his voice, it seemed that the Imperial Guards hadn’t noticed anything unusual during Jin Anazi’s registration.
Hearing this, Lin Ting breathed a sigh of relief.
“Thank you for tonight, and thank you for everything.”
Even if Jin Anazi had already expressed similar gratitude to Duan Ling, she felt the need to say it herself.
After a long pause, Duan Ling nodded slightly, acknowledging her thanks on behalf of Jin Anazi.
Duan Ling removed the jade hairpin that held his hair up, and the bell wrapped in white feathers chimed softly, echoing in the quiet room.
Lin Ting looked over and only now realized that the hairpin he used was the one she had given him.
Seeing someone use a gift you’ve given them brings a sense of satisfaction, and Lin Ting was no exception.
Although she had felt a pang of regret when spending the money, it was already spent, and she had to learn to appreciate it.
The moment he removed the jade hairpin, his long hair cascaded down, brushing against his hand that hadn’t yet moved away.
Lin Ting’s gaze followed Duan Ling’s hand as he held the jade hairpin.
His fingers were as smooth as jade, perfectly blending with the hairpin, creating a pleasing sight.
Duan Ling placed the jade hairpin on the table, then untied the belt around his waist and placed it on the table as well.
He then walked over to the bed and sat down, looking at Lin Ting, who was still standing in the middle of the room, he asked:
“Aren’t you going to rest?”
She moved but didn’t walk toward him.
Instead, she headed for the daybed and replied: “I’ll sleep on the daybed tonight.”
“Why?”
“I’ve told you before, I don’t sleep well, and it might disturb your rest.”
Duan Ling said calmly, “And I’ve told you before, we need to adapt to each other. Are you really afraid of disturbing my rest, or is it because you met Young Master Jin today and feel… a bit shy about sharing a bed with me?”
“If it’s the former, just come up here.”
He looked directly at her, his eyes slightly dark but hard to detect.
“If it’s the latter, I…..”
Lin Ting quickly climbed onto the bed.
She made it clear that it was the former, and as she untied the ribbon in her hair, she said, “You’ve been busy with official duties all day, and you just took Jin Anazi somewhere else…”
After settling into the inn, they must have been quite tired, so they decided to rest.
Lin Ting held several hair ribbons in her hand, intending to untie them all before placing them under the pillow.
However, before she could finish, one of the ribbons slipped out and landed on Duan Ling’s face, right on the corner of his lips.
Duan Ling’s breathing paused slightly as the lingering scent of her hair on the ribbon wafted into his nose, as if trying to invade his senses.
Lin Ting quickly apologized and leaned over to retrieve the ribbon.
The ends of her hair brushed against Duan Ling’s hand, which was resting by his side.
He unconsciously clenched his fingers, but the strands of hair still slipped through his grasp.
Soon after, Lin Ting also lay down.
She used her feet to hook the blanket at the foot of the bed and pulled it up to cover herself up to her neck.
She made sure to tuck the corners tightly around her waist and back, wrapping herself securely to prevent feeling cold in the middle of the night.
Even though it wasn’t raining tonight, the weather was as usual.
“I’ll sleep peacefully tonight and definitely won’t disturb your rest again.”
Duan Ling turned his head to look at Lin Ting, who was wrapped up like a cocoon, then shifted onto his side to face her.
His jet-black hair spilled onto the bed, intertwining with her loose strands.
Only one candle was still burning in the room, its dim light adding a touch of warmth to Duan Ling’s striking face, making him seem more like a charming enchantress who relied on her looks to captivate others.
“Are you treating yourself like this because you’re afraid of disturbing my rest?”
In truth, Lin Ting was afraid of what had happened that morning happening again, but she couldn’t say that.
“Yes.”
Duan Ling glanced at her a few more times, his long lashes casting faint shadows on his face.
He said casually, “Isn’t this uncomfortable for you?”
“Not at all.”
He was skeptical so he asked: “It’s hard to even turn over. How could it not be uncomfortable?”
Lin Ting chuckled awkwardly.
“What’s uncomfortable about it? It’s just hard to turn over, so I won’t turn over. My mother often says my sleeping posture is ungraceful and tells me to change it. This is a good opportunity to do so.”
Duan Ling’s gaze wandered over her face.
“Just because others say it’s not good, you’re going to change it?”
She lay flat, staring at the ceiling.
“I should change it. Tao Zhu told me that sometimes I even hit people in my sleep, and she can’t hold me down.”
Duan Ling knew this well-he had been slapped by Lin Ting not long ago, and the mark had only faded by dawn.
Yet, he didn’t dislike it; instead, he felt a slight fondness, a mix of pain and intense pleasure.
“If that’s the case, then do as you please.”
Duan Ling closed his eyes, as if preparing to sleep.
Lin Ting also closed her eyes to sleep.
Perhaps because she was preoccupied, she couldn’t fall asleep for a long time.
Unable to toss and turn, she could only turn her head to look at Duan Ling beside her.
His sleeping posture was undoubtedly impeccable he didn’t move at all.
Lin Ting turned her head back, wrapped in the blanket, and with great difficulty, turned onto her side, facing away from Duan Ling.
The next morning, before Lin Ting even opened her eyes, she smelled the familiar, rich scent of agarwood-she had unknowingly moved closer to Duan Ling again.
However, there were two layers of blankets between them, so it wasn’t as noticeable as it had been the day before.
That’s a relief, she thought to herself.
Lin Ting got up to leave the bed but found her limbs feeling weak, her steps as if she were walking on cotton, and her breath coming out warm.
She was quickly stunned-one of the symptoms of illness was a fever.
How could this be?
Lin Ting touched her forehead.
It wasn’t burning hot, but her temperature was indeed higher than yesterday.
Just as she was about to wake Duan Ling to tell him, he sat up and said:
“Your face is very red.”
She took a few steps back, moving away from the bed.
Although Lin Ting’s mind was still in turmoil, she chose to be honest:
“I have a fever, possibly…”
Possibly infected with the plague?
Upon hearing her mention a fever, Duan Ling felt something tightly grip his heart.
His fingertips dug into his palms, yet he remained unusually calm:
“It could also be a common fever. We’ll know once we call a doctor.”
His blood couldn’t cure the plague.
If she were infected now, there would be only one outcome-death.
Death.
Duan Ling imagined the scene of Lin Ting dying from the plague with an expressionless face, only to feel an unfamiliar tightness in his chest.
Lin Ting had almost forgotten about ordinary colds and fevers.
It was summer, and many people suffered from heat-induced fevers so she said:
“Right, it could just be a common fever. Could you call a doctor to check on me later?”
Doctors couldn’t diagnose anything without symptoms, but once symptoms appeared, they could determine whether it was an infection.
She calmed down.
Duan Ling got up from the bed, stood, fastened his belt, and dressed, seemingly unperturbed, always composed and unhurried:
“There’s a doctor stationed on North Long Street. I’ll bring him over later.”
Lin Ting found a face mask and put it on, maintaining a safe distance from him.
He tucked a jade hairpin into his hair, tied up his long locks, and looked at her and said:
“Why are you keeping so far from me? We’ve shared a bed for three nights. If you were infected, I would have caught it by now.”
That made sense.
Lin Ting stopped moving toward the corner and found a place to sit:
“Remember to wear a mask when you go out.”
She didn’t want to infect him, who might then infect others.
Duan Ling put on a mask and left.
Lin Ting sat restlessly in the room alone.
She had thought she could leave North Long Street today and return to the Lin family to see her mother, but now she had a fever.
She hoped it was just a common fever, not the plague.
She took out a golden Wealth God pendant, clasped her hands together, and prayed:
“Wealth God, please, don’t let it be the plague. Don’t let it be the plague. Let it just be a common fever.”
The Wealth God smiled at her.
Lin Ting placed the small golden Wealth God pendant on the table and knelt down, bowing devoutly:
“I beg you, Wealth God. Wealth can wait. Please protect my safety first. Thank you.”
When Duan Ling and the doctor pushed the door open, they saw Lin Ting kneeling in prayer to the Wealth God.
Even with two masks covering his face, the doctor couldn’t hide his surprise.
Praying to the Wealth God for safety?
Would that work?
It was the first time he had seen such a thing.
Seeing them, Lin Ting put away the golden Wealth God pendant and sat on the couch, waiting for the examination, as if the superstitious person moments ago wasn’t her.
The doctor carried his medical kit and began examining her.
During the examination, Lin Ting was on edge, her eyes fixed on the doctor’s face, fearing he might show a “helpless” expression.
The doctor, sweating under her intense gaze, was extremely cautious.
After confirming multiple times, he said, “Don’t worry, miss. It’s just a common fever, not the plague.”
Standing beside them, Duan Ling suddenly noticed a thin layer of sweat on his palms.
It really was just a common fever!
Lin Ting’s emotions swung wildly, and she felt like jumping for joy.
She had thought so she had been so careful, hadn’t come into contact with anyone infected, so how could she have caught the plague?
It must have been because she had been in a hurry to hide Jin Anazi last night, sweating profusely.
At the time, she had only wiped her face and neck with a handkerchief, waiting for Duan Ling to take Jin Anazi away before wiping her body and changing clothes.
The trapped sweat must have caused the fever.
Lin Ting immediately felt a bit of her strength returning.
She bowed deeply to the doctor and, unusually generous, handed him a whole ingot of silver.
“Thank you, doctor.”
The doctor initially refused, but seeing that Duan Ling showed no objection, he accepted it.
“Thank you, miss.”
After taking the silver, the doctor wrote out a prescription.
“Take this medicine, and you’ll recover quickly.”
He then thoughtfully closed the door for them before leaving with his medical kit.
The news of the young lady proposing to Commander Duan on his birthday had spread like wildfire in the capital, and it was still a topic of discussion.
Duan Ling had heard about it and assumed it was this young lady.
Duan Ling examined the prescription and said:
“You can’t leave North Long Street today.”
Lin Ting sat on the couch, drinking water vigorously.
Drinking plenty of water helps with wind-heat and aids in restoring normal body temperature.
“I know I can’t leave North Long Street today. Even if it’s just ordinary wind-heat, people would still be afraid it might be the plague.”
Since learning it wasn’t the plague, she had calmed down and relaxed.
“I’ll leave once the wind-heat subsides. The doctor said I’ll recover quickly after taking the medicine.”
Duan Ling called for a guard, handed him the prescription to fetch and prepare the medicine, and then bring it back.
Feeling drowsy from the wind-heat, Lin Ting, who had just woken up, leaned against the wall and closed her eyes for a while.
When she opened them, she saw Duan Ling still there.Â