The Culinary Chronicles of the Court Physician: The Disgraced Princess Consumes Poison to Create Medicine
In the imperial harem, it was popular to wear fragrances.
The scent of flowers, the fragrance of fragrant woods. Fragrant smoke rising from incense burners, fragrant oils applied to smooth skin, and soft scents woven into the hair. In the harem, where the fragrance of flowers never ceased, various scents intermingled, creating a scene so vivid it was like a thousand flowers blooming, even with eyes closed.
“Huh? Lady Hui Ling, I smell something.”
Lan Xin, who had visited early in the morning, suddenly spoke. Hui Ling blinked as she brewed her morning tea.
“Is it the scent that’s currently a topic of discussion in the harem?”
“No, I’m not wearing any particular fragrance. It interferes with my preparations when I’m compounding medicines.”
Cai Hui Ling disliked wearing fragrance.
Moreover, many of the Chinese herbs she used had strong odors. Even if she wore a pleasant fragrance, the scent of the medicine would soon overpower it when she was preparing the remedies.
“Could it be the scent of medicine?”
The smell of herbs had already soaked into the furniture, clothing, and even the entire room of her retreat.
“Hmm.”
Lan Xin seemed unconvinced as she sniffed at Hui Ling’s sleeve, like a dog.
“It’s a smell I’ve encountered before. It’s similar to sandalwood, but different, with a refreshing mint-like feel… It’s not a bad smell, but… it gives me a chill down my spine…”
Lan Xin seemed to remember something and suddenly exclaimed.
“It’s the same fragrance as the one the feng shui master—no, the crown prince—had when he passed by!”
Hui Ling nearly choked on the tea she had been drinking.
“Is that so? That fragrance is from medicinal tobacco leaves, so it might have been from a similar Chinese medicine I was preparing.”
“Chinese medicine…”
Hui Ling hastily made an excuse. Lan Xin seemed satisfied, saying, “Ah, I see,” while sipping her tea. With a forced smile, Hui Ling thought to herself.
(It’s because of him that this happened…)
◇
It was the previous night.
She had been overwhelmed with requests from the consorts and was late returning to her retreat. She had sent Lan Xin home by dusk (8 PM) and had been compounding medicine in the harem’s kitchen until well past midnight (11 PM). After detoxifying the consorts poisoned by the toxic plague in the Summer Palace, she was finally on her way home when she found Zhen in her retreat.
“You’re late, Imperial Palace food physician.”
Zhen was sitting by the round window in the room, smoking his pipe to pass the time.
The fragrant smoke wafting from his pipe was completely different from the incense used in temples. It was the scent of an expensive fragrant wood. The poisonous insects hidden in his clothing were kept at bay by this smoke.
“Why are you here?”
“The bolt wasn’t locked.”
There was no bolt on the retreat’s door. It had been broken by the late emperor long ago, and no one had bothered to repair it since.
Hui Ling sighed in resignation.
“Seems like you’re doing quite well. Running around the harem from morning to night.”
“Well, yes. I’m grateful that the consorts have begun to trust me, allowing me to see patients earlier. Although, it’s not something to rejoice over that there’s so much demand for medicine.”
While speaking, Hui Ling checked the herbal stocks in her cabinet. There was still plenty left, but since she would need to continue treatment for about a week for the consorts, it seemed she should place an order for more. As she calculated the quantities, Zhen suddenly grabbed her sleeve from behind.
“Trust, huh. What a convenient word.”
Zhen sneered and pulled her closer.
“Soon, all the consorts in the harem—or perhaps even the entire court—will come to you, asking for medicine, begging you to help them. They won’t understand how much you’re wearing yourself down, how much you’re sacrificing to create a single remedy.”
His fingers, so thin they seemed almost feminine, touched her tired cheek, tracing the dark circles beneath her green eyes.
“That’s something the patients don’t need to know.”
“…I suppose so.”
Zhen blew out a puff of purple smoke from his pipe.
The smoke filled her lungs, and Hui Ling briefly choked. Though it wasn’t harmful like ordinary tobacco, the smoke stung her eyes, and she felt a slight dizziness, possibly from exhaustion.
“What are you trying to do?”
“Well, what do you think?”
Zhen took another puff from his pipe and blew the smoke at her, this time aiming it at the sleeve of her coat.
“Your clothes will smell.”
“I’m doing it on purpose. It’s a bit of a bug repellent.”
Zhen lifted the corner of his mouth, grinning. Whether he was enjoying himself or not was completely unclear.
“Hey, there’s still work I need to do.”
“Oh, I see. Well, that’s none of my concern.”
She thought of him like a cat—coming and going as it pleased, without regard for anyone else’s circumstances. Now that she thought about it, his eyes resembled a cat’s.
“Look, the moon’s beautiful tonight. Come here.”
He invited her to sit beside the window, and they both looked up at the moon. Despite the work still left to do, she sighed. Somehow, her normally restless heart began to calm, which made it all the more troublesome.
“It’s the waxing moon… I didn’t realize.”
She took a deep breath, inhaling the smoke.
◇
“The scent you’re wearing…”
When taking the pulse of Xue Mei Pin for her post-birth check-up, she raised an eyebrow.
She was fond of fragrances. Hui Ling had expected her to notice the unfamiliar scent immediately, but Xue Mei Pin said something unexpected.
“Isn’t this the scent of a man’s aftershave?”
“Wha—?”
Xue Mei Pin spoke in a way that sounded almost flirtatious, and Hui Ling couldn’t hide her confusion.
“I can tell. When a woman’s fragrance changes, it’s usually because of a man.”
Before Hui Ling could explain, Xue Mei Pin happily continued.
“But be careful. Men who deliberately leave their scent on you are always obsessive. Like spiders.”
Hui Ling was caught off guard and couldn’t find the words to respond.
“But…”
Xue Mei Pin smiled as her lips curved into a soft grin.
“Maybe someone like you needs that kind of attention. After all, if you’re not trapped in someone’s web, you might slip away unnoticed.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“That’s exactly what I mean.”
Xue Mei Pin giggled and then sighed with a wistful look in her eyes. She rolled up her sleeve and applied a soft scent to the inside of Hui Ling’s elbow. The faint scent of lily of the valley filled the air.
“Oh…”
“It’s the perfect fragrance for you.”
Xue Mei Pin smiled happily.
As the wind blew through the window, the two fragrances mixed. But by afternoon, they would probably be masked by the smell of medicine.
