Bronze itself is not poisonous.
There is a rumor that the green rust, known as verdigris, which forms on copper is toxic, but that is a misunderstanding.
However, in rare cases, excessively aged bronze can become toxic. As long as minerals remain dormant in the earth, they do not age. But once disturbed, they begin to deteriorate, much like how frost settles on human hair, spreading corrosion.
(They said this was a treasured sword passed down by the Lan Xin family for generations. It must be a thousand years old by now. Perhaps it wishes to rest soon.)
For now, cleaning the rust can wait—medicine takes priority.
Poison is straightforward, but medicine is complex. The poison of gold, poison carried through crystal, and the poison that seeps from bronze all differ. Thus, the remedies for each also differ.
(I should still have a little detoxified red spider lily left.)
The red spider lily carries a fierce fire poison yet serves as a medicine. But by itself, it cannot neutralize the rust’s poison. That is why it is combined with something else.
“…It’s ready. Pearl tapioca in mountain grape vinegar.”
After a quarter of an hour, the result was a translucent reddish-purple drink. Pearlescent beads sank to the bottom. Lan Xin’s eyes momentarily sparkled but quickly dimmed, her lips tightening. Perhaps she was still resistant to taking medicine.
“You’ll drink it, won’t you?”
“…I will. I don’t want to die, after all.”
Lan Xin tilted the cup with trembling fingers and drank. The crimson-purple liquid rippled gently.
“…It’s really frustrating how delicious this is. Cicada shells, spider lilies… everything. Your medicines are always too tasty.”
Her brows drooped in surrender, and she smiled faintly.
“What is this? It’s sweet, sour, and refreshing.”
“I had leftover honey, so I mixed it with vinegar and soaked some ripe mountain grapes for a few days. I thought it might come in handy later.”
With time, the mixture ferments into a mellow fruit vinegar. Diluted with water, it becomes a healthy drink.
The acid in the vinegar breaks down the rust. It’s ideal for neutralizing metallic poisons.
“And what are these at the bottom? They’re squishy and chewy—fun to eat.”
“These are called pearl tapioca. Normally, they’re made from cassava root, but since this forest has none, I made them from spider lilies.”
By the way, cassava also contains poison.
Since starch can’t be rolled into a dough-like texture, it was wrapped in cloth, spun to solidify, shaped into pill-like spheres, roasted, and then boiled to create pearl tapioca.
These two elements neutralize the poison of rust.
That was when it happened—a strange sound began to resonate.
It was a clear, glassy reverberation, like the resonance of a crystal cup. The sound came from Lan Xin’s chest.
“What, what is this?!”
From the cracks in her exposed chest, verdigris flaked away, piece by piece. From the shallow wounds left behind, blood began to seep. Lan Xin screamed.
“It hurts… no, this is terrifying… why am I wounded?”
Even though she had considered death, she was afraid of the pain from minor injuries.
Fei Ling felt relieved. That was proof of her desire to live. Thus, the poison was being dispelled.
“That your skin was cracked but painless was precisely because of the poison’s influence. Please endure it. The wounds will close soon enough.”
“…I understand. I’ll endure.”
The final blue rust crumbled away, as though releasing a sorrowful curse that demanded resentment, killing, and death.
Dripping red blood from her chest, Lan Xin bit her lips and remained silent, as though swallowing something down.
The forest’s noisy hums ebbed and flowed like gentle waves.
“…May I ask you something?”
Lan Xin quietly spoke.
“You offer medicine to everyone, even to those who’ve tried to kill you or held grudges against you. It’s strange, isn’t it? Patients are supposed to seek help from doctors, yet it feels as though you’re the one begging them to live. You’re a physician, an apothecary, the one holding the power over life and death… so why?”
Fei Ling narrowed her emerald eyes and smiled faintly. The faint sound of her peacock hairpin rang out.
“Because I am a food physician and an apothecary. The power of life and death belongs to soldiers, not to those of us in medicine. Our only choice is singular.”
“To save lives?”
She shook her head.
“There are times when one cannot defy fate. All we can do is ease the pain and make the patient’s journey as peaceful as possible.”
Lan Xin blinked in surprise.
“…Not forcing people to endure suffering for the sake of prolonging life, but instead alleviating their pain—that is the proper role of medicine.”
That is why the word for medicine includes the character for “ease” (楽).
Lan Xin softened her gaze.
“How nostalgic… My father once said something similar.”
“The Minister of War said that?”
“Not in the context of warfare… He said, ‘The emperor’s duty is to ensure the ease of the people. Hence, an emperor must be more a servant than even a servant is—and that is why they are worthy of sacrificing their life for.'”
Lan Xin straightened her posture and gazed at Fei Ling with newfound determination, then solemnly bowed her head.
“Ming Lan Xin pledges loyalty to Cai Fei Ling from this day forward. As long as I live, I shall serve you… If only you were the emperor instead of the late one.”
“If I were a man, I would’ve been executed long ago.”
Fei Ling laughed bitterly.
The late emperor’s legitimate child was a dangerous spark. The court was full of factions that sought to manipulate anyone with a claim to the throne, regardless of their wishes, for their own gain. If Fei Ling had been a legitimate heir, even the current emperor wouldn’t have had a choice but to eliminate her.
Even now, the emperor didn’t spare her out of familial kindness but because her wisdom was invaluable. That clemency wouldn’t last forever. Fei Ling had narrowly escaped execution just recently.
It would happen again.
“Have you never thought of escaping the harem?”
Lan Xin’s question seemed to echo Fei Ling ’s thoughts.
“Everyone in the harem despises you. Even as your attendant, I’ve felt it keenly. There may be those who need you as a food physician, but in truth, you’re surrounded by enemies. The more you rise in rank, the more they’ll hate you.”
“I’m aware.”
“Then why not flee? With your abilities, you could survive anywhere… That poison I gave you—it came from a concubine I’d never met in the harem. She gave it to me knowing I intended to kill you.”
In other words, others also wanted Fei Ling dead.
“I won’t flee. I have things I must accomplish.”
Besides, she could not leave the harem even if she wanted to. The emperor knew this, which was why she was sometimes sent on external assignments. The analogy of a caged peacock was not entirely wrong.
“Well then, it’s time to prepare breakfast…”
As Fei Ling rose to end the conversation, she was struck by a sudden dizziness and collapsed to the ground.
“Fei Ling -sama!”
Lan Xin rushed to her side and touched her forehead.
“She’s burning up! This fever is severe—I’ll call someone!”
“Wait.”
Fei Ling grabbed Lan Xin’s sleeve to stop her.
“Keep this a secret. I’ll be fine soon. Instead, could you prepare a large pot of boiling water for breakfast?”
“…Understood.”
Reluctantly, Lan Xin nodded and headed to the kitchen.
(I knew this would happen eventually, but I held out long enough… I’m glad. If this dizziness had struck while I was mixing medicine, I might’ve failed to neutralize the poison.)
She let out a quiet sigh of relief.
(It’s a trade-off, after all.)
Fei Ling retrieved a red spider lily bulb from her sleeve and, shockingly, bit into it without detoxifying it. The raw bulb was, of course, highly toxic. Her tongue numbed, and her insides burned as if on fire. The twenty-some toxins in the bulb sank their fangs into her body.
And yet, she devoured it ravenously, as though starving for poison.
