rin steps into the lobby of the Divine Guard office as morning light spills through the high windows.
Guards and clerks pause in their movent, so bowing, others clasping fists.
“Good morning, Lord.”
“Good morning, Lieutenant.”
rin nods back, expression calm, stride unbroken.
He takes the stairs to the second floor.
This level houses the offices of the lieutenants currently on duty.
Six offices line the corridor, each representing control over a critical sector of the capital or its surrounding provinces.
One oversees a border province.
Another manages treasury oversight.
One handles military supply corruption.
One monitors sect-related disturbances.
Lieutenant Tan’s forr office governs serious cris within the capital city.
That office is now his.
rin turns, opens the door, and steps into the outer office where several guards and clerks work under quiet discipline.
One guard notices him and imdiately stands.
“Lieutenant, Commander Di wants to et you.”
rin is not surprised.
Even if Commander Di had not summoned him, he would have gone regardless.
Today is his first day in this post.
He turns without comnt and heads back into the stairwell.
He passes the third floor without stopping and continues to the fourth.
The fourth floor is quieter, heavier, reserved for command authority.
rin walks down the corridor and knocks once.
“Co in.”
He enters the outer office of Commander Di.
The layout mirrors his own new office, but larger, cleaner, and colder.
A guard rises imdiately.
“Lieutenant Duan, Commander Di is waiting for you.”
rin walks toward the inner door.
As he passes, hushed whispers trail behind him.
They speak of midnight.
Of the Pearl House.
Of the woman he carried.
Others speculate whether the marriage is already decided.
rin ignores all of it.
He knocks.
“Co in.”
He steps inside.
The room is wide, formal, and severe.
Commander Di sits at the far end behind a broad desk, posture straight, eyes sharp.
rin closes the door and takes several steps forward.
“Sit,” Commander Di says.
rin takes the chair opposite him.
Commander Di studies him for a mont, then speaks.
“Congratulations on your promotion.”
“Thank you, Commander,” rin replies.
Commander Di folds his hands.
“Have you heard about the sleeping cases?”
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rin nods.
n and won.
Young and old.
Falling asleep and never waking.
“Yes,” rin says.
Commander Di watches his face.
“If I assign this case to you, how confident are you in solving it?”
rin answers evenly.
“I won’t know until I gather full information and conduct a proper investigation.”
He pauses briefly.
“But I can promise I will give everything I have.”
Commander Di’s gaze sharpens.
“If you take this case, giving your all will not be enough,” he says.
“You must solve it.”
rin remains silent.
“The latest victim,” Commander Di continues, “is the Seventh Prince.”
The room grows heavier.
“The royal family,” Commander Di says, “and the Duke of Anjan’s household, want him awake as soon as possible.”
rin nods once.
“Even if I refuse,” he says calmly, “the case will still fall to , since I now oversee major cris in the capital.”
Commander Di smiles faintly.
“You can refuse,” he says.
“But the consequence will be reassignnt to a marginal region or an irrelevant departnt.”
rin ets his gaze.
“Then I will take the case.”
Commander Di nods.
“Good.”
The discussion ends shortly after.
rin stands, salutes, and leaves.
He descends back to the second floor and returns to his office.
In the outer office, he speaks without sitting.
“Summon my three captains.”
One guard moves at once.
He turns to another.
“Go to the Shock Fist Boxing Hall and invite Hall Master Ye Wen here.”
The guard bows and departs.
rin enters his new office.
He sits down behind the desk.
And the first true case of his new authority begins.
Minutes later, Gong Qiu, Ye Ran, and Li Yan enter the office.
They salute and stand across from his desk.
rin does not tell them to sit.
“There is a new case,” he says evenly.
He gives a concise overview of the sleeping incidents, omitting the royal pressure and the consequences tied to failure.
“Gong Qiu,” rin continues, “I want you to focus on the earliest victim.”
“You will review the full dical records and personally speak with the physicians and healers who examined every affected person.”
Gong Qiu nods, expression grave.
“Li Yan,” rin says, shifting his gaze, “gather complete information on all known victims.”
“Backgrounds, habits, contacts, locations, timing.”
“Find a common point, no matter how small.”
“You may use any guard or clerk in the outer office as needed.”
Li Yan bows slightly, already thinking several steps ahead.
“Ye Ran,” rin says, “trace the Seventh Prince’s itinerary for the days leading up to his collapse.”
“Every visit, every guest, every delay, every deviation.”
“Nothing is too trivial.”
Ye Ran acknowledges at once.
The three captains turn to leave.
A knock sounds at the door.
“Enter,” rin says.
The door opens, and Ye Wen steps inside.
rin waits until Gong Qiu, Li Yan, and Ye Ran have exited and the door closes behind them.
He then lifts his gaze to Ye Wen.
“Sit,” rin says.
Ye Wen obeys without hesitation.
Ye Wen oversees the Duan Family’s intelligence network within the capital, a quiet web of informants, brokers, and watchers.
rin folds his hands on the desk.
“What information have you gathered on the sleeping case?”
Ye Wen thinks for a mont.
“Lord, our people found that every victim visited *Qinyun Street* before falling asleep.”
rin leans back slightly, fingers tapping against the wood in a slow rhythm.
Qinyun Street.
A street of music halls, poetry houses, dance pavilions, and art salons.
The entertainnt artery of the capital.
Too broad.
Too clean.
Too common.
He finds no imdiate thread to pull.
After a mont, he speaks.
“Tell our n to trace exactly what the victims ate, drank, and where.”
“Food, wine, tea, incense, rooms, companions.”
“Everything, down to the smallest detail.”
“Do not worry about the money spent.”
Ye Wen rises at once.
“Yes, Lord.”
He turns to leave, takes a few steps, then stops.
rin looks up.
“Sothing else?”
Ye Wen hesitates briefly.
“Housekeeper Chen ordered to investigate Cai Wenji and Lady Yueqing.”
rin is not surprised.
“Do as he says,” rin replies calmly.
Ye Wen bows and exits.
Silence returns.
rin opens the files stacked on his desk.
Capital murders.
Disappearances.
Sect disputes.
Underground trade.
He is responsible for all of it now, not just the sleeping case.
His eyes move quickly as he reads, information flowing into mory.
A portion of his consciousness separates, quietly organising patterns and anomalies.
Minutes pass.
Then rin stands.
It is ti to visit the Seventh Prince.
—
Hours earlier, while rin ets with his three captains, Yu Diexin receives a ssenger.
The man bows respectfully.
“Doctor Cai, please co with us.”
Diexin looks up.
“For what reason?”
“The sleeping case,” the ssenger replies.
“One of the latest victims is the Seventh Prince.”
He pauses.
“This request cos from Lady Cui.”
Diexin’s expression shifts subtly.
She nods.
“I will go.”
She follows the ssenger into a waiting carriage.
The Inner Royal City gates open in silence.
The carriage stops deep within the palace grounds.
A guard leads her through layered courtyards into a secluded palace hall.
Lady Cui waits inside.
She is beautiful and regal, her composure strained by worry, attendants standing close at her sides.
After brief formalities, Diexin is led to the inner chamber.
The Seventh Prince lies motionless on the bed, breathing steadily, face peaceful, eyes closed.
Diexin examines him carefully, her Qi flowing gently through his body.
She finds nothing wrong.
No injury.
No poison.
No imbalance.
Her focus shifts inward.
Spirit.
She straightens and turns to Lady Cui.
“His body is unhard,” Diexin says.
“The issue lies within the spirit.”
Lady Cui exhales slowly.
“We suspected as much,” she says.
“Do you have any way to wake him?”
Diexin sits, fingers resting lightly against her knee, mind racing.
If she succeeds, she gains favour with the Duke of Anjan.
Another pillar.
Another lever.
Her marriage to rin is already set for two weeks later.
But power is never enough.
She opens her mouth to speak.
Then stops.
Before she can continue, an attendant rushes in from outside.
“Lady Cui,” the woman announces, “Lieutenant Duan has arrived to investigate.”
Lady Cui straightens.
“Let him in.”
Diexin looks up.
rin enters in his lieutenant’s uniform, posture composed, presence steady.
Diexin rises to her feet.
rin bows.
“Lady Cui.”
Then his gaze shifts to Diexin.
“Why are you here?”
Lady Cui looks between them, surprised.
“Do you two know each other?”
Before Diexin can speak, rin answers evenly.
“Doctor Wenji is my fiancée.”
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