When morning came, Zhen (Chén) was gone.
Clutching the outer robe draped over her shoulders, Fei Ling couldn’t help but smile at his unexpected thoughtfulness. A faint scent, reminiscent of sandalwood, lingered on the lustrous black silk—a fragrance she had unknowingly grown accustomed to.
“Good morning, Fei Ling (Fei Ling)!”
A lively voice called out from the entrance. It was Lan Xin.
“…I’m sorry. I’m not dressed properly yet.”
In a rush, Fei Ling hid the outer robe. If Lan Xin discovered she had borrowed a man’s clothing, she would undoubtedly make a huge fuss. Explaining it would be too troublesome.
“I’ve brought a gift from Her Majesty the Empress for you. I wonder what it is?”
Lan Xin handed her a small box. Inside were a silver hairpin, pearl earrings, and a coral sash ornament. Lan Xin let out a gleeful exclamation at the dazzling items.
“Wow, these are amazing! They must be so expensive!”
Indeed, each was an exquisite piece, but none seemed particularly essential for a medical practitioner like Fei Ling .
“Lan Xin.”
“Yes? Would you like to try one on?”
Lan Xin’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
“You can have them all.”
“Yes… wait, what?! No, absolutely not! I can’t accept this! If someone like me wore these, I’d probably go bald from the stress!”
Shaking her head vigorously, Lan Xin tried to refuse, but Fei Ling grabbed her hand and pressed the box into it.
“It’s been a difficult journey, but you worked hard until the very end. I didn’t have anything to give you as a token of my gratitude, so please accept this, at least. If wearing them feels awkward, you could sell them and use the money. Perhaps send it to your family back home.”
Though it was the crime of the late emperor, Fei Ling knew she could never atone for what had been done to Lan Xin. Her beloved father had been taken from her, her mother’s heart shattered… The family of a master who was executed might avoid collective punishment, but they would inevitably face ruin and poverty.
Judging from Lan Xin’s skillful cleaning and hard work, it was clear she had been struggling and doing her best all along.
“…Thank you. I’ll humbly accept. But in return, I’ll work even harder!”
Lan Xin’s eyes filled with tears as she bowed her head deeply.
Now that that was settled, it was time to get dressed. Fei Ling changed into her robes and tidied her disheveled hair, securing it with a hairpin. As she finished, Lan Xin spoke up.
“Fei Ling , you only ever wear that hairpin, don’t you?”
Fei Ling touched the blue-green peacock feather hairpin and said, “Ah, this? It’s a kind of charm.”
“A charm?”
“The Bai Ze clan worships peacocks. Peacocks are believed to consume poisonous snakes and are said to devour all toxins. When someone from the Bai Ze clan comes of age, their master gifts them a peacock hairpin. However, since I lost my master before I came of age, I inherited my mother’s hairpin instead.”
A small water-drop bell hung from the hairpin, crafted to resemble a bamboo fruit. When Fei Ling moved, it produced a faint sound like dripping water.
“Your mother was from the Bai Ze clan too, right? Oh, that means she was the late Empress. What kind of person was she?”
Fei Ling ’s gaze drifted into the distance.
“She was a revered mentor… She loved my father until the very end.”
Her mother had taught her many things.
“That medicine must be a cure,” her mother had said. Those words had been her guiding principle. Even now, they drove her to continue this fight. Yet, thinking about what her mother might have felt in her final moments filled her with an unsettling shadow in her heart.
Perhaps realizing she had touched on something she shouldn’t have, Lan Xin pressed her lips together tightly. Then, as if to change the mood, she raised her voice cheerfully.
“Let’s do some cleaning, shall we? Oh no, there are even cobwebs here!”
Lan Xin quickly moved to brush away the spiderwebs on the window. Her cheerful demeanor was always a source of comfort.
Yes, there was no time to dwell on the past. After returning to the palace after two weeks, a pile of requests awaited Fei Ling .
“I’ll start by examining the consorts in the Autumn Palace. In the afternoon, I’ll visit Lady Xue Mei for her checkup.”
The autumn sky was cloudless, and dragonflies danced on the breeze. Fei Ling packed her medicines, and at the last moment, she remembered the outer robe. She added it to her belongings, thinking she would return it if they met again.
