Chapter 52

Ten days passed, and the carriage from the imperial palace arrived.

Afterward, Fei Ling (慧玲) taught the villagers as much knowledge as she could to help them survive through the winter. From the process of preparing smoked food to trapping techniques, and the way to make rice cakes using straw, it was all unfamiliar food and methods. But after trying it herself, she was able to convince them that these were indeed edible and practical.

“Miss, are you really leaving?”

“At least, stay for another seven days… There are still so many things we want to learn from you.”

Reluctantly, Fei Ling got into the carriage with Lan Xin (藍星). The driver was dumbfounded by the change in the villagers’ attitude.

They had certainly committed a crime by poisoning. No matter the reason, killing someone is a sin. But it was also true that someone had poisoned the peaceful villagers. After all, poison is something one uses to avoid being preyed upon by external threats.

“I have something I want to convey one last time.”

Fei Ling spoke to Sugi-chan (椙チャン) and Azusa-Zu (梓ズゥ), who had rushed to the window of the carriage.

“As for the fields, please block the current irrigation and establish new water channels. The quartz left in the fields will be completely consumed by the fire sparrows in two to three years. This land was worked by your ancestors. Please take good care of it from now on.”

At Fei Ling’s words, the two of them lowered their heads, tears in their eyes, repeatedly thanking her.

Wang Qi (罔靑) is a steep and rugged valley region. It is unimaginable what hardships were endured to build the terraced fields on the cliffs. Sugi had often said, “I feel sorry for our ancestors who cleared the land,” expressing regret over poisoning the land with an irredeemable sin.

“I will also inform His Majesty the Emperor. In Wang Qi, there will be no harvest for the next five years. His Majesty… is a compassionate person, so perhaps he will grant a tax exemption for a while.”

The reason the Emperor has not acted is likely because he is unaware of the situation. But if the report is made through the Empress, the Emperor will likely grant the tax exemption.

(Perhaps His Majesty doesn’t fully understand when the tax exemption should be applied. If his ministers say there is no need for one, he might just go along with that… The ministers themselves might be reluctant to approve tax exemptions because it would reduce their share…)

If it were the late Emperor, he would have gone to the field himself, but the current Emperor is probably too busy with court affairs.

(And the Emperor doesn’t even have an heir yet.)

It would be risky to say such things out loud, as that would likely cost her her head.

“Thank you for everything. Please take care, Miss.”

“I hope you all make it through the winter safely.”

The carriage began to move. Fei Ling waved back at the villagers who kept waving at her until they were out of sight. After the voices faded away, Lan Xin leaned over with a worried expression.

“Are you feeling okay?”

“Much better. I was probably just tired.”

It was a lie. Her condition had continued to worsen. Though the fever had subsided, she was still tormented by a splitting headache from morning until night, and she had no appetite. However, Fei Ling remained calm because she understood the reason for her condition.

(Just three more days, if I can make it through…)

The lack of any further treatment had been a relief. When handling poison, one must stay alert at all times. There could be no room for even the smallest mistake. But in her current state, no matter how careful she was, there was a risk of failing.

Trying to distract herself, she shifted her gaze to the scenery outside the window. The leaves were already starting to fall. She reached out and caught a falling ginkgo leaf. The forest was shedding its silk of autumn colors, soon to be covered in the white silk of snow, and would sleep until spring. Everything decays, revives, flourishes, and fades again. As long as it does not die.

The land of their ancestors would also fall into a brief sleep and will surely revive again.

That is the cycle of all things.

◇

The imperial harem was experiencing the peak of autumn’s brilliance.

Unlike Wang Qi, autumn in the harem was warm, and the sunlight still carried traces of summer. Fei Ling had gone to the royal palace to report but was stopped by the palace guard at the bridge’s end.

“Her Majesty the Empress is not seeing anyone right now.”

“Is something wrong?”

“Her Majesty is resting. No one is allowed to disturb her sleep.”

Even so, it was still midday. Was it just a nap?

“When would be a good time to meet with her?”

“Tomorrow or the day after…”

It seemed unlikely that she would be sleeping at this hour. Fei Ling began to wonder if there was another reason for not being allowed to meet with the Empress. She didn’t mind waiting for another day to report, but there was something urgent she needed to speak to the Empress about.

(… I can’t stand it any longer.)

“I must see Her Majesty, no matter what.”

“It is not possible. Even the ladies-in-waiting are not allowed to enter when Her Majesty is asleep. Once the Empress falls asleep, she could sleep for a month.”

The words were spoken so casually that Fei Ling’s face involuntarily twitched.

(The Empress isn’t a bear, you know…)

Whether the guard knew or not, he smiled blissfully, apparently enjoying the situation.

“Empress Xin Hua is like a heavenly fairy. No matter what happens, nothing about her would surprise me.”

(No, you should be surprised!)

Fei Ling almost spoke her thoughts aloud.

“It is a great joy to serve Her Majesty the Empress.”

“The conversation has completely gone off in the wrong direction.”

Indeed, Empress Xin Hua exudes a mysterious aura, but she is still a living person. No matter what, if she were to sleep for a month without eating or drinking, she would surely become weak.

“…So, as I was saying, to the palace…”

From afar, the sound of wheels turning came.

When I focused my gaze ahead of the bridge, Empress Xin Hua herself appeared, accompanied by two court ladies.

“Well, Fei Ling , you’ve safely returned. I’m so glad.”

The guards were astonished and hurriedly knelt. Fei Ling  immediately raised both hands and performed a deep bow.

“I have returned.”

“I was so worried. It must have been a difficult journey, wasn’t it? You’ve lost weight, haven’t you?”

The Empress pulled Fei Ling  into an embrace, offering her comfort. Fei Ling , feeling embarrassed, lowered her head even further. She wondered if the guards would be upset seeing the Empress praising her, but the guard, in fact, was so overjoyed at meeting the Empress that he was nearly losing his composure.

“…Um, weren’t you supposed to be asleep?”

“I woke up because I thought you would return soon. It seems to have been just the right timing.”

Although there were many things Fei Ling  had to report, she couldn’t do it all here, so she obediently followed the Empress to the palace.

“…With that in mind, could you please deliver this to His Majesty?”

She reported that the poison epidemic in Wang Qi had been cured, but the repair of the fields would take about five years, and thus famine would continue. She also handed over a petition for tax exemption. The Empress accepted it willingly.

She also requested the Empress to check if any of the crystals carried by the dead officials who were sent to Wang Qi had been resold, as it would be a disaster if the poison epidemic were brought to the capital.

“You really did an excellent job. As expected of my dear medical expert,” the Empress said, looking very pleased.

“…Lastly, may I ask you two things?”

“Well, what is it? If it’s something I can answer, I will.”

After tightly pressing her dry, pale lips together, Fei Ling  asked her question.

“I hear that Lan Xin is the daughter of the Minister of War. Did you know, Your Majesty?”

To be precise, it was probably at the Empress’s invitation that Lan Xin, who had nearly given up on revenge, was informed that the late Emperor’s daughter was still alive.

“Because,” the Empress said with a smile that bloomed like cherry blossoms, “you can turn any poison into medicine, right? …Indeed, you turned Lan Xin’s poison into medicine. You are, as I thought, a marvelous Bai Ze’s daughter.”

The Empress radiated no hint of malice. Is there any flower that is free of poison? Especially one as beautiful as this.

“…I am grateful for your words. The poison I gave to Lan Xin, it was from you, Your Majesty, wasn’t it?”

Lan Xin had said it was a consort she had never met. The only people she never encountered in the palace were the court ladies of the palace. All of the Empress’s court ladies were of the rank of consort.

“Yes, I procured some very rare poison for you… Did it help?”

Fei Ling  recalled the time when she had been poisoned. It began with numbness, followed by a splitting headache, and for a while, she had been writhing in pain. Her heart had been in turmoil, and she felt as though her ribs would break. Even so, at that time, Fei Ling  had needed the poison.

It had allowed her to keep her health intact until the patients’ detoxification was completed.

The Empress’s kindness was profound. Therefore, she bowed her head in submission.

“I will continue to work hard to repay your grace.”

“You must be tired. Go home and rest, and take your time recovering from your journey.”

Fei Ling  quickly raised her gaze and looked up at the Empress. Her fingers trembled. She hastily lowered her head. Her face reflected in the alabaster floor tiles.

What terrible eyes she had.

The eyes, so hungry and thirsty, reminded her of the late Emperor’s eyes when he had tried to kill her biological daughter.

The Empress, seeing this, extended her sleeve with compassion. The bell tied to her sleeve rang beautifully.

“The cup that His Majesty entrusted to me has already been delivered to the separate residence. Yes, even such strong poison was not enough, was it? You were so hungry…”

Just hearing about the cup made hunger rise within Fei Ling , and she swallowed nervously. The Empress leaned down and whispered softly from above.

“…How pitiful.”

Along with the words of pity, the scent of flowers descended. It was a strong fragrance that took Fei Ling ‘s breath away.