The north wind blew across, and the lush green leaves eagerly began to shift into the vibrant colors of autumn. The interwoven patterns of green and red adorned the imperial palace, decorating it with splendor.
The Autumn Palace was a luxurious mansion adorned with gold leaf.
Reflecting the fall foliage, it shimmered with even more elegance. How much wealth had been spent to create it? Fei Ling could not imagine.
Fei Ling had come to visit the concubine’s quarters for a medical consultation.
“Rest assured. This is not a poisoning epidemic caused by earth toxins,” she said.
“But the itching is so severe, and even my eyelids are swollen… If it’s not from earth toxins, then what could it be?”
“The cause of the itching is mugwort.”
“Mugwort?”
Mugwort was a common plant. Needless to say, it also grew in the palace gardens.
“I first thought it might have been pigweed, but when you mentioned the itching started three days ago… I realized it was something else. You ate mugwort dumplings at lunchtime that day, didn’t you?”
“Yes. Recently, I haven’t been feeling well, so I thought I’d try something healthy, and had a lady-in-waiting make them. But mugwort shouldn’t be poisonous.”
“Even something that is medicinal can turn toxic if it doesn’t suit your constitution. Especially in autumn, when mugwort is in full bloom. Mugwort is anemophilous, meaning it releases pollen, which can cause inflammation in the throat, nose, and eyes. The pollen doesn’t travel far, so ask one of the maids or eunuchs to remove all the mugwort from near the windows, and refrain from consuming any mugwort or mugwort tea.”
“I never thought mugwort could be toxic.”
Some people were allergic to wheat or buckwheat, and there were patients who always developed cold-like symptoms when the cedars bloomed.
Everything can be both a medicine and a poison.
“Therefore, please have the physician prescribe some medicine to relieve the itching for now.”
The concubines relied on Fei Ling because she was the only one who could prepare the antidote for poisoning epidemics. Once they knew it wasn’t a poisoning epidemic, her services were no longer needed.
But the concubines stopped her from leaving.
“Please prescribe the medicine yourself.”
“…Is that alright?”
“The physician’s medicine hasn’t been able to relieve the itching at all.”
“I understand.”
Fei Ling bowed and nodded.
Recently, it had occasionally happened that even patients who did not have poisoning epidemics would request medicine from her.
The incident involving the poison of fire—the execution of Yi Yi, a lady-in-waiting to the Summer Empress, had caused a rain of fire poison. The concubines who had come to watch the execution suffered severe burns, and Fei Ling had prepared medicine for them. Afterward, it seemed that the prejudice against the palace’s food doctors had somewhat lessened.
As Fei Ling was crossing the bridge of the corridor to return to her quarters from the Autumn Palace, she noticed a decorated ox-drawn carriage in the distance.
— The Emperor.
Even though she was in the imperial palace, it was rare to meet the Emperor.
(He’s going out in the middle of the day. He must be quite active… though I suppose not that much.)
Even as autumn approached, there had been no news of a concubine’s new pregnancy.
From a medical perspective, even men’s reproductive abilities decline with age. The Emperor had already passed forty. It was understandable that he would feel anxious.
(Where is the Emperor’s lost legitimate heir now? No, they were likely killed long ago.)
Later, she learned that the current Emperor’s legitimate heir had disappeared five years ago, along with his then-wife. Although it was called a disappearance, there was a possibility that he had been assassinated, and his body was never found. At the time, the current Emperor had only been a younger brother of the former Emperor, and since the former Emperor had no sons, there was a possibility that the current Emperor’s legitimate son might later become Emperor. He must have been in danger of assassination.
It wasn’t just in the imperial palace. Everything related to the palace and the Emperor, no matter how extravagantly decorated, still exuded a suffocating, bloodstained smell.
(I can only hope that nothing happens to the child of Empress Xue Mei.)
If the child born to Empress Xue Mei was a boy, power would concentrate in her hands. In such a case, those who would plot assassination might appear. It would be safer if the Emperor’s affection were more evenly distributed among the concubines, as it would reduce the risk of danger.
As Fei Ling was lost in thought, a maple leaf fluttered past her cheek. For a moment, she thought she sensed the scent of blood, and her chest tightened.
(Has it already been a full cycle of seasons since then?)
It was last autumn. The former Emperor was executed, and his mother chose to die by poison. She alone had survived until now.
The carriage stopped. The Emperor alighted.
The Emperor, whom she hadn’t seen in a year, looked thinner. He wore a crown to hide his hair, which was starting to frost, and a silk ceremonial robe, slightly hunching his back, as if he were being blown by the north wind.
(Uncle…)
She had met him a few times before he became Emperor.
He had been a quiet man. He deeply respected his younger brother, the former Emperor, and swore his loyalty. His eyes, looking down uncertainly, left a lasting impression on her. When the former Emperor had fallen—what had he thought, what had he felt, to start a revolution?
Another maple leaf fluttered down. Brought back to reality by the brilliant red color, Fei Ling lowered her gaze and turned her back to the Emperor.
The pungent smell of blood no longer lingered.
