“Aren’t you leaving? The guards have been very busy lately; they don’t get days off.”
“You’re sick; I should stay by your side, just like you took care of me when I was ill last time,” Duan Ling mentioned the previous incident again.
“It’s just a minor illness. I’ll take the medicine and sleep it off. Don’t worry about me; go attend to your duties.”
Duan Ling was silent for a moment and replied: “Alright.”
Lin Ting was concerned about her mother, Li Jingqiu.
“Commander Duan, has my mother been sending people to inquire about me these past few days?”
“Yes, she has.”
She pondered for a while and said:
“I can’t return as planned today, and my mother will surely be worried. Could you deliver a letter to her for me?”
“Of course.”
When the letter reached Li Jingqiu, Ta Xuening, who was at the Eastern Depot, also received news that Lin Ting was trapped on North Long Street and had developed a fever.
He was furious, sweeping the dishes off the table and beating the eunuch responsible for tracking Lin Ting half to death.
“I told you to keep an eye on her, and this is how you do it! If she dies from illness… you’ll be buried with her! Useless!”
The eunuch was beaten unconscious.
Ta Xuening’s veins bulged on his forehead as he threw down the bloodied whip, ignoring the eunuch.
He called for a shadow guard and ordered, “Go to North Long Street immediately and bring Miss Lin back to me.”
The shadow guard didn’t go immediately but advised, “Supervisor, this will alert the Imperial Guards.”
Ta Xuening’s face turned cold, and he grew angrier.
“So what if it alerts the Imperial Guards? Am I afraid of them? Duan Ling is useless too; he’s engaged to her but hasn’t figured out a way to get her out of North Long Street.”
“Alerting the Imperial Guards means alerting the Emperor. Please reconsider, Supervisor, for the sake of the bigger picture,” the shadow guard knelt down and urged again.
For the sake of the bigger picture?
Ta Xuening kicked him in the shoulder.
“Are you suggesting I do nothing and continue to let the sick go out, watching her die?”
Shadow guard: “Miss Lin might not have the plague; it could just be wind-heat.”
Ta Xuening bent down to look at him, his eyes sharp and his expression sinister.
“Can you guarantee she won’t contract the plague in North Long Street these days?”
The shadow guard, of course, couldn’t guarantee this: “This subordinate will send people to keep an eye on North Long Street. As soon as there’s any news, I will immediately inform the Director.”
Ta Xuening closed his eyes and pondered for a moment: “Bring me the prescription for treating the plague.”
“Are you planning to prepare medicine for Miss Lin Qi now? Absolutely not! Duan Ling has been by her side these past few days. If he discovers it, all our efforts will be in vain,” the shadow guard exclaimed in shock.
“I told you to bring me the prescription,” Ta Xuening remained unmoved, repeating his command.
The shadow guard dared not disobey any further.
He retrieved the prescription and presented it with both hands, yet he bowed his head to the ground:
“This subordinate begs you to wait a few more days.”
The court has been unable to find a cure for the plague, and the people are growing increasingly discontent.
If sealing off two streets fails to stop the spread of the plague, and so many people die, public sentiment will surely be thrown into chaos.
How can an emperor who has lost the people’s support remain firmly on the throne?
Although a single plague might not be enough to directly overthrow an emperor, it is a good start.
In the future, as long as they add more fuel to the fire, the flames will burn even brighter.
The shadow guard knew what Ta Xuening had been through all these years and hoped he would succeed.
Ta Xuening clenched the prescription, his rationality returning:
“Fine, I’ll go to North Long Street first to see how she’s doing, and then make a decision.”
***
Lin Ting was currently asleep.
After drinking the medicine, she fell into a deep sleep as soon as she touched the bed, sleeping from morning until sunset.
When she woke up, she felt much better; her body temperature had dropped, and her limbs no longer felt weak.
Lin Ting lingered in bed for half an hour, only getting up to light a candle after the room had darkened.
Just as she lit it, a Imperial Guard came to deliver her meal.
Why was the Imperial Guard knocking on the door today?
Feeling wary, she blew out the flame, grabbed the stick used to prop open the window, and tucked it behind her back.
She opened the door, took the meal from the Imperial Guard, and without even looking at him, tried to close the door, but was stopped.
Lin Ting was about to raise the stick to strike when he pulled down his mask: “Take a good look at who I am.”
The voice was unmistakably Jin Anazi’s.
Lin Ting looked up.
Jin Anazi was dressed in a Feiyu uniform, with a Xiuchun sword in his left hand, looking every bit the part of a Imperial Guard, not like an imposter.
Lin Ting widened her eyes: “Why are you here again? Didn’t Duan Ling say we can’t leave our rooms without permission? Where did you get the Feiyu uniform? You look quite dashing in it.”
Jin Anazi couldn’t stand her choice of words-what did she mean by “dashing”?
At that moment, voices of other Imperial Guard could be heard from the direction of the stairs.
Jin Anazi quickly slipped through the door crack into the room, closed the door, and glanced at her:
“I heard you had a fever?”
“How did you know?”
Lin Ting sat down with the meal and started eating.
Having slept for nearly a whole day, she was hungry.
“The Imperial Guard who delivered the meal mentioned it. You have no idea how famous you are. All the Imperial Guard have heard about how you publicly proposed to Duan Ling. They also know you’re on North Long Street. If you develop a fever, how could it be kept secret?”
Today’s meal was very bland, and Lin Ting found it tasteless:
“Would it kill you to speak without sarcasm? Why is today’s meal so bland? Did you prepare it?”
There wasn’t much meat.
“No. But since you’re sick, eating something light is better.”
Jin Anazi had drugged the Imperial Guard delivering the meal, changed into the Feiyu uniform, and went to collect the meal.
The food he brought back was just as bland, meaning everyone on North Long Street was eating lightly today.
Lin Ting continued eating.
Soon, she finished her meal and said:
“If you’re discovered pretending to be a Imperial guard, the charge will be even heavier than trespassing on North Long Street. I’m fine, you should go back.”
Jin Anazi looked at Lin Ting and said: “The Imperial I knocked out won’t remember what happened when he wakes up, and Duan Ling has been summoned to the palace, so he won’t be back for a while.”
Wait, that sounded strange.
It almost sounded like an affair.
He realized it after speaking but didn’t care, since it wasn’t true: “Are you really just suffering from a wind-heat, not the plague?”
“Why would I lie to you?”
Lin Ting touched her belly through her skirt, still not full and said:
“How could the doctor’s diagnosis be wrong? It’s just wind-heat, not the plague. I took medicine this morning and slept for a while, and I feel much better.”
She rinsed her mouth with water: “If it were the plague, I would have been bedridden from the onset of the fever. How could I still open the door to get dinner?”
Jin Anazi thought so too.
How could someone with the plague have such a good appetite?
Even though the food was too bland and not to her taste, she had eaten it all clean.
It was more believable that he had the plague than her.
Lin Ting lay on the couch, pitifully saying, “Why did you only bring one portion? I’m not full. I usually eat two portions.”
Jin Anazi: “…………”
He thought Lin Ting would have a poor appetite due to her illness.
Unexpectedly, her recovery ability was strong, and even when sick, she recovered faster than most.
She fell ill in the morning and was almost better by the afternoon, still able to eat two portions.
He was impressed: “I’ll go get you another portion, is that okay?”
Lin Ting pinched her wrist.
After being “quarantined” for a few days, how could she have gained weight?
She should have lost weight: “No need, eating less won’t kill me. You should go back before someone discovers you.”
“Got it.”
Jin Anazi put on his mask and left without any hesitation.
What was there to linger for with someone whose eyes were only on gold, silver, and food?
Before he could leave the inn, Jin Anazi ran into Duan Ling returning.
He followed the example of other Imperial guards, stepping aside, slightly bowing, and holding his embroidered spring knife in salute, without making a sound.
After last night, Jin Anazi knew Duan Ling could identify people by scent.
Before coming to see Lin Ting today, he had used a method to mask his original scent.
His mask also covered his forehead, leaving only his eyes exposed.
The Jinyiwei delivering meals occasionally came into direct contact with those trapped on North Long Street, so their masks were different, more secure.
Duan Ling glanced at Jin Anazi, then looked away, passing by him and ascending the stairs.
Jin Anazi watched Duan Ling out of the corner of his eye.
Duan Ling was followed by several people, clearly eunuchs, as the one walking in front spoke in a strange tone and referred to himself as “we.”
He said, “Commander Duan, it’s not that the Eastern Depot wants to interfere with your duties, but the Emperor sees how hard you’ve been working and has asked the Eastern Depot to assist the Imperial guards in managing East Street.”
At Beichang Street, our family is merely following orders.
Duan Ling didn’t turn around, speaking softly with a smile, “I know, all of this is His Majesty’s decree, and it has nothing to do with you. Moreover, I don’t see this as interference. Isn’t it a good thing to have the Eastern Depot assist in investigating the plague?”
The Eastern Depot people are here too?
Jin Anazi looked up just in time to see the Director of the Eastern Depot, Ta Xuening, stepping through the muddy snow.
Ta Xuening also wore a face mask, obscuring his features, and he passed by without even glancing at such a lowly Imperial Guard like Jin Anazi.
Jin Anazi didn’t linger and left.
After entering the inn, Ta Xuening, under the pretext of fearing someone might escape while the Imperial Guard were off guard, insisted on personally inspecting the rooms, which led him to meet Lin Ting.
He stood outside the room, holding a roster, glancing at her sideways, “Miss Lin Qi?”
Lin Ting bowed to Ta Xuening, “Director.”
She wore more face masks than he did, two in fact.
Although it was just a common cold, others might still harbor suspicions, fears, or disdain.
“Miss Lin Qi, are you sure it’s just a cold and not the plague?” Ta Xuening’s tone seemed to question whether Duan Ling was shielding her, as those confirmed to be infected were taken to unknown places, their fates unclear.
She replied, “It’s just a cold. If the Director doesn’t believe me, you can call a physician to examine me.”
In fact, Lin Ting’s ability to stand and speak at that moment was proof enough that she wasn’t infected with the plague.
Ta Xuening snorted, took the roster, and went downstairs with a eunuch to inspect other rooms.
Duan Ling didn’t follow Ta Xuening but entered the room instead, “Have you had dinner?”
Lin Ting: “I just finished dinner.”
He walked over to the table with the empty bowl, “Was it Mr. Jin who brought you dinner?”
She was surprised, “What are you talking about? How could it be him? Isn’t he at the inn at the end of the street? It was the Imperial guard who brought me food.”
Duan Ling chuckled, “Even if he’s at the inn at the end of the street, he has legs and can still come here. I just saw Mr. Jin downstairs. You didn’t want me to stay with you because you wanted him to come instead?”
Caught again?
How did he find out this time?
Jin Anazi had said he concealed his aura, so it couldn’t have been detected that way.
Where else could it have been?
Duan Ling had so many ways of recognizing people.
Lin Ting was left speechless.
Suddenly, Duan Ling reached out and removed her face mask, leaning in to kiss her, but Lin Ting dodged.
Her first thought was that she was still sick, and getting close might not be a problem, but the plague could be transmitted through kissing.
Since Lin Ting turned her face away, Duan Ling’s lips landed on her earlobe instead.
Duan Ling was momentarily stunned, as if he hadn’t expected Lin Ting to dodge him, but he didn’t pull away.
Instead, he opened his mouth and gently bit her earlobe, initially intending to let go, but ended up licking it tenderly with his tongue, enveloping it in the warmth of his mouth.