It began to rain. Had the droplets bouncing off the tips of the cherry tree branches just starting to leaf out been my imagination? No sooner had I thought this than a sudden downpour, like a bucket tipped over, began.
(Ah, just my luck…)
The quarters of the imperial consorts were connected by roofed walkways, but having chosen a shortcut through the garden, there wasn’t even a single eave to take shelter under. The consorts bustling past opened their umbrellas, creating clusters of colorful, elegant oil-paper blooms.
“Well, just look at her. A drenched rat, isn’t she?”
One of the passing consorts pointed at her. She wore her hair adorned with so many hairpins and ornaments that her head seemed to tilt under the weight, her outfit a garish mix of yellow and reddish-purple—hardly tasteful.
“Wasn’t she the one granted the Emperor’s mercy and made a court physician? For a mere criminal to be here… Honestly, I’d rather die than rely on someone like her for medicine.”
“Lady Hu Die, you are absolutely right. If it were poison, perhaps, but medicine? Ridiculous.”
The consorts, laughing at Fei Ling , who was miserably soaked through, passed her by.
(…Okay, I think I’m allowed to be mad about this. Oh, if only their umbrellas would tear apart in the wind!)
Cursing inwardly, she searched for a tree root or anything she could use as shelter. Suddenly, a shadow appeared from behind, covering her with an umbrella.
Startled, she turned around.
“Well, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
“…Zhen.”
Standing there was a young man dressed in black silk hanfu. His otherworldly beauty, with its ethereal violet-tinged eyes, could make even the imperial consorts blush, but Fei Ling immediately tensed up.
He passed himself off as a feng shui master, but in truth, he was an assassin who dealt in poison.
“Ever since last time, I’ve been so busy with feng shui consultations. Remember at the end of spring, when the Left Chancellor tragically died after being bitten by a poisonous spider?”
The moment Fei Ling heard about the Left Chancellor’s demise, she knew it was Zhen’s doing. By assassinating his own employer, Zhen had cemented his position as a court feng shui master.
“I reported that the spider’s intrusion was caused by flaws in the feng shui, and they asked me to inspect the palace thoroughly. I just started my survey of the inner court yesterday.”
“What are you scheming this time?”
Fei Ling ’s eyes sharpened. Zhen gave her a toxic smile.
“Don’t look at me so harshly. I haven’t done anything—yet.”
From the sleeve of the hand holding the umbrella, a deadly venomous snake peeked out. Any ordinary girl would have screamed, but Fei Ling didn’t even raise an eyebrow.
“Still, since I arrived at the inner court, my creatures have been restless. They’re sensitive to poison, you see. It’s likely someone has brought toxic substances into the palace.”
“Who would… bring poison here?”
“Who knows? It’s none of my business. But you, poison seems to have a fondness for you. Perhaps it’ll come to you on its own… Oh, and one more thing.”
Before she could react, he grabbed her by the arm, pulled her close, and stole a kiss like a sudden gust of wind.
A searing heat spread across her lips. Poison—its burning intensity. He carried venom in his very being.
“What are you trying to do?”
She shoved him away with all her strength and glared. Zhen pointed to her lips with a smirk.
“I thought you were inviting me. Was I wrong?”
She suddenly recalled Snow Plum Consort applying rouge to her lips.
“Don’t say such foolish things.”
“It’s not just me. Even if this is the inner court, there are eunuchs here. They might think the same.”
“No man in this palace would have affection for a cursed woman like me.”
She sighed. Most people fled as if cursed the moment their eyes met hers. He, an outsider, didn’t understand.
As she furrowed her brow in exhaustion, Zhen shrugged his shoulders.
“Well, it doesn’t matter. I like you. You’re the only one who can kiss me without being killed by my poison.”
“I don’t like you, though.”
Not dying didn’t mean she wasn’t affected. Even now, her fingers were beginning to tingle from his venom.
(…This is the worst.)
Her pulse throbbed loudly in her ears. Though she would be able to detoxify herself soon, the sensation was unpleasant.
“If you ever do something like that again, I’ll bite off my own tongue.”
“How passionate. I’ll look forward to it.”
Zhen twisted his lips into a playful grin.
A eunuch passed by.
In an instant, Zhen switched to a mild, feng shui master’s smile and handed her the umbrella. Fei Ling hesitated and tried to step back, but he pressed it into her hands. Arguing with a supposed feng shui master would only cause unnecessary trouble, so she gave up and took it.
“Well then, good luck with your work, Court Physician.”
With a wave of his sleeve, Zhen strode off into the storm without looking back.
(He really is impossible to pin down…)
She touched her lips. The faint warmth still lingering there must have been from the poison. Letting out another sigh, Fei Ling lamented her continued bad luck.
