“I have prepared the medicine and brought it here.”
The day after detoxifying the dog, Fei Ling revisited the Summer Palace early in the morning. She carried a shoulder pole with steamers attached, a sight so uncharacteristic for a medical officer that it caused Consort Feng to burst into laughter.
“Is that noodles?”
“It’s soba,” Fei Ling replied.
“Really? I thought soba was something served warm.”
The soba Fei Ling had brought was chilled, having been rinsed in cold water. It came with a seafood-based broth and condiments like wasabi. Even in the sweltering heat of summer, it was a dish that whetted one’s appetite. Consort Feng dipped the soba in the broth and slurped it in one go.
“…Delicious.”
Consort Feng was so captivated that she continued to eat, barely pausing to speak. The soba carried the faint fragrance of freshly sprouted grass. Its firm, thin noodles slid smoothly down the throat and paired perfectly with the dashi made from katsuobushi (bonito flakes) and kombu.
“This is so good—can it really count as medicine?”
“The best medicine is delicious,” Fei Ling declared firmly.
“This soba contains herbs such as saiko (Bupleurum) and ougon (Scutellaria root). At present, your body has an excess of fire energy, to the point that it overwhelms water. These herbs have long been known for their ability to detoxify heat-related toxins. They were traditionally prescribed not for colds but for persistent heat-related conditions.”
Consort Feng listened intently, nodding with admiration.
“I’ve prepared enough soba for several servings. If you eat it for three days, it should help detoxify your body.”
“I see. Is there anything else I should be mindful of?”
“I recommend drinking water instead of tea. And, if I may ask, do you often consume large amounts of garlic, ginger, or chili peppers?”
“Ugh…”
Consort Feng hesitated, clearly caught off guard. One of the palace maids seized the opportunity to chime in.
“Exactly! She keeps adding tons of grated garlic to everything—porridge, noodles, you name it! I’ve warned her it isn’t good for her health.”
“I haven’t added that much, have I?”
“Well, enough to completely overpower the original flavor,” another maid remarked with a sigh.
Faced with their exasperated looks, Consort Feng slumped her shoulders.
“Alright, I’ll cut back from now on.”
The maids exchanged gleeful glances. Though unspoken, it seemed the smell had been a significant concern for them.
After finishing her soba, Consort Feng asked, “Is there no more?”
“Medicine doesn’t become more effective simply by eating more of it,” Fei Ling replied with a wry smile. But Consort Feng shook her head.
“There’s that maid from the Hao Tribe, remember? I’d like her to have some too. She’s been eating garlic with me, so she might also have accumulated heat toxins.”
“Understood,” Fei Ling replied.
The Hao Tribe maid was named Yi Yi. Her braided, copper-colored hair marked her as a member of the Hao Tribe. The moment she saw the soba, she swung her braids and let out a shrill cry.
“Eek! S-such food is far too good for someone lowly like me! I’ll be content with the scraps stuck to the back of the steamer…!”
She began banging her forehead against the wooden floor in a dramatic display. Fei Ling froze, wondering if some sort of ritual had begun. Consort Feng, however, was unfazed, addressing Yi Yi with mild exasperation.
“How many times must I tell you? No one here discriminates against you. You’re a maid of Consort Ji. You can hold your head high.”
Sniffling, Yi Yi timidly picked up her chopsticks and started eating the soba. At first, she was hesitant, but the delicious taste soon won her over. By the end, she was stuffing her cheeks, unable to hold back.
(So she’s from the Hao Tribe. That means she must’ve lived in a Hao settlement. But judging by how she talks, she’s experienced discrimination before. Did she flee to a Kun settlement? Or has she been oppressed all her life?)
Peeking out from her hair, Fei Ling noticed scars on her ears, almost healed but still visible. Perhaps she had been subjected to violence.
◇
After finishing the meal, Fei Ling headed back to examine the dog once again.
Consort Feng, who had a tea gathering hosted by Consort Ji in the afternoon, entrusted Yi Yi to accompany Fei Ling for the check-up.
“Um…”
“Eek! My apologies!”
Just being addressed startled Yi Yi, who let out a shriek and shrank back. Was this because she was a daughter of the Hao Tribe, or was she just this way with everyone?
“Please don’t apologize. I only wanted to ask if you had breakfast this morning.”
“Ah, y-yes, I was fortunate enough to have porridge with an egg in it…”
“No, I meant the dog, not you, Yi Yi.”
“My apologies!”
Yi Yi lowered her head to the grass and apologized profusely.
(Ugh… This is going to be hard to manage…)
Fei Ling swore to finish the check-up as quickly as possible and leave.
“There’s no issue with its pulse or temperature. It seems the detoxification was successful.”
“Ah, thank goodness…”
Yi Yi burst into tears of relief, joyfully stroking the dog’s head.
“This dog is an important member of Consort Feng’s family. I was so afraid of what might happen if it didn’t make it. Seeing Consort Feng in pain would be… unbearable.”
“You care deeply for Consort Feng, don’t you?”
To be honest, this surprised Fei Ling .
While a victor like Consort Feng, a member of the Kun Tribe, might show sympathy for the defeated Hao Tribe, it was hard to imagine someone from the defeated side accepting such sentiments without resistance.
“Consort Feng… saved my life. There is no one else like her. I was born with dull-colored hair… The Hao Tribe is supposed to have much brighter red hair than this.”
As she spoke, Yi Yi clutched her dark crimson hair, her fingers digging into it as though into a cursed rope binding her. But then, she loosened her grip and exhaled softly.
“Yet Consort Feng praised this hair. She said it was like the two tribes coming together as one, and that this was how things should be. According to legend, the two tribes rooted in the mountains were originally one people. I cannot read the myths myself since I was never taught to read, but…”
Her cheeks flushed as she spoke, occasionally stumbling over her words.
“Consort Feng believed that what was once one, though separated, would someday inevitably become one again. That was her hope.”
Her voice faltered.
“But… the Hao Tribe has perished.”
“Perished? Not merely defeated? What do you mean?”
Yi Yi fell silent.
It was widely rumored that the emperor had subdued the Hao Tribe, but could it be that ethnic cleansing had taken place?
“I am the only one left.”
“…I see.”
Fei Ling refrained from asking whether Yi Yi resented the emperor.
“Consort Feng’s immense kindness is evident, even to someone like me, an outsider. She has accepted me with great generosity.”
Yi Yi nodded, her expression bright with gratitude, though tinged with shyness.
“…That is why I want Consort Feng to find happiness.”
She added a habitual “I’m sorry…” at the end, as though it were second nature, and closed her statement.
The words, a prayer for her mistress’s happiness, felt unusually heavy.
Suddenly, the sun dimmed. Looking up, Fei Ling saw a bird with large wings crossing the sky, momentarily eclipsing the sun. Its unfamiliar cry echoed through the bright summer day, resonating with a strange sadness.
