Chapter 3

The Spring of the Imperial Harem is Radiant

In particular, in the Spring Palace, magnolias, peonies, paeonies, flowering peaches, fragrant azaleas, golden yams, and weeping cherries bloomed all at once, filling the air with a rich fragrance every time the wind blew. The scene reflected in the water mirror of a pond with a red bridge looked like an elegant folding screen painting.

However, unlike the usual year, the voices celebrating the spring were sparse. Even the harem felt a shadow of malaise, which was not surprising. Both the consorts and the eunuchs wore glum expressions, and it seemed like a cloudy spring with no sunshine.

“Hey, do you know about Lady Xue Mei…?”

Fei Ling  was called over by a certain consort and visited the Spring Palace.

The Spring Palace was a graceful hall, where the waters were clear and flowers thrived. Corridors and bridges were placed throughout the intricate waterways, and a water pavilion was set up in a place with a scenic view of the garden. Passing by the pavilion, she heard the loud voices of the concubines gossiping. It seemed that lower-ranking concubines had gathered together to chat and spread rumors.

Though all concubines were not necessarily favored by the Emperor, since the current Emperor had only ascended six months ago, there were far more concubines with no connection to him. For these women, their daily pastime was weaving rumors, with little regard for their truth.

“Xue Mei, the one praised as the Flower Dance Dancer, is she the one you’re talking about?”

Lady Xue Mei, a consort ranked high after the Imperial Consort Ji, who oversaw all the palaces.

“I heard she’s suffering from a poison epidemic and has been bedridden,” one of the concubines murmured.

“Ah, no wonder she didn’t perform at the early spring banquet,” another remarked.

Whenever Xue Mei performed a dance, it was said that even withered plum branches would bloom. The Emperor himself would personally request her dance when hosting a banquet in the palace.

“But if it’s true, maybe it’s for the best,” another concubine whispered, her smile full of malice.

“She has such a high opinion of herself. Just because she’s skilled at dancing, she thinks she’s different from a geisha.”

“Just because the Emperor favors her, she looks down on us. Who does she think she is, especially since she hasn’t even given birth to the Emperor’s heir?”

Fei Ling  muttered inwardly.

(They can’t even catch the Emperor’s attention because they can’t dance. They ignore anything that doesn’t suit their needs—how truly pitiful.)

The concubines whispered maliciously behind her back, but they would also fawn over Lady Xue Mei, pretending to admire her. This hypocrisy only made them worse.

Fei Ling  disliked such underhanded gossip.

That kind of behavior was truly venomous. Poisonous creatures, whether snakes or frogs, always display their venom, sometimes flaunting it with pride.

(That said, the fact that Xue Mei has fallen ill is true.)

This morning, it was none other than a lady-in-waiting serving Xue Mei who had come to request medicine.

The concubines, lost in their chatter, raised their voices and paled when Fei Ling  passed by the water pavilion.

“Oh no. It’s that cursed girl… Why is she in the Spring Palace?”

“Shh, she can hear you!”

As they whispered malicious rumors, a different kind of ill-will began to seep out, like a venomous touch. Fei Ling  lowered her head, smiled gently, and walked past the pavilion. Behind her, a scream of “Cursed!” echoed, and Fei Ling  sighed in disbelief.

(Why would I curse you? How trivial. If you insist on doing nothing but spreading poison, you’d be better off dissecting frogs—it would at least be more educational.)

However, she had no objections to being disliked. Given the past Emperor’s crimes, even being stoned was nothing compared to what she had endured.

(… I am, after all, the one they dislike.)

Below her, the plum garden spread out.

This vast garden contained more than two hundred plum trees. The plums that had adorned the month of Kisaragi were now finished blooming, replaced by the fresh greenery of spring. The season of flowers would always come and go.

The wind blew. The sweet scent of plums lingered in the air, and Fei Ling  cast her gaze across the garden, wondering if any plums still lingered in bloom. But all she could see around her were the sounds of spring leaves rustling.