“Crossing the golden bridge shaped like the wings of a magpie.”
No matter where one passed through, the Autumn Palace was always extravagant. Despite just having finished the autumn banquet, the sounds of traditional court music could still be heard. Now that I think about it, the last time I visited, the ancient zither was being played. Because of this, the Autumn Palace was also known as the Palace of Music.
Fei Ling had just finished examining the autumn consorts. The swelling of the consort’s eyelids had subsided thanks to the effects of the cicada cakes, and she had been able to participate without issue in the banquet that Empress Ji had hosted to celebrate the golden autumn.
Now, it was time for Princess Xue Mei’s check-up. The child would likely be born when the snow began to fall.
After crossing the bridge, Fei Ling turned her gaze and saw Zhen leaning against the wall of a five-tier pagoda in the garden, carefully examining something on a feng shui compass. He was likely checking for any flaws in the feng shui.
It was obvious he was working as a feng shui master, but there were no eunuchs or consorts around, so Fei Ling approached him from behind and called out.
“Zhen.”
His hair, tied with a purple string, fluttered as he turned around. When he recognized her, the corners of his eyes softened just a little. It was an unconscious change, but Fei Ling’s heart skipped a beat.
(What was that?)
Even though she hadn’t been poisoned.
She hesitated for a moment, but since the moment passed, she didn’t dwell on it and rushed toward Zhen.
“I’ve been looking for you, wondering if I might not see you.”
“How unusual. Is it about to snow?”
“I’ve been uneasy about still having your cloak.”
She handed him the borrowed cloak. After she put it on, Zhen shrugged in disappointment.
“Is that all? I thought maybe you had started to like me.”
“That time will never come, so don’t worry.”
She turned away to leave, but then someone grabbed her sleeve from behind.
“Actually, I have something to give you. I wanted to give it to you.”
Fei Ling’s eyes widened when she saw what he handed her.
It was a hairpin with a green stone that resembled malachite. Unlike the elaborate jewelry worn by the other consorts, it was simple but elegant, with delicate silverwork that exuded refinement.
“This… for me? Why?”
“Well, I don’t really know.”
Zhen inserted the hairpin into her hair.
“Is it poison?”
Fei Ling frowned, looking suspiciously at him. Zhen casually responded.
“You’re very perceptive. Yes, this is a poison I prepared. My family is most skilled at poisoning based on the art of alchemy.”
Alchemy, known for seeking immortality, involved melting minerals to create elixirs, but substances like cinnabar and mercury were more toxic than medicinal. Later, these were valued not for their healing properties, but as poisons, especially for assassinating nobles.
“This poison is special; it’s asymptomatic and only takes your life. You can crush it and give it to someone, or you can drink it when you’re starving. It will dull the hunger without any pain.”
Fei Ling was confused about why he would give her such a poison. She wondered if there was a deal in the works, but Zhen merely narrowed his eyes, watching her to see her reaction.
“Why?”
“Do you need a reason?”
Zhen smiled lightly, like the wind.
“If I say it’s love or that I like you, you’ll just doubt it, won’t you? There’s no hidden motive. I just wanted to give you my poison. That’s all.”
He was such an elusive man.
(…But, oh, right.)
Suddenly, Fei Ling remembered.
“…It’s my birthday. Sixteen years old today.”
She had put the hairpin in her hair exactly one year ago today. She hadn’t thought about it due to being busy, but she had grown a year older.
“Well, then there’s a reason after all.”
“Thank you.”
She smiled softly.
Zhen looked surprised and said, “I didn’t know you could smile like that, like a girl of your age.”
“What do you think of me?”
“A deadly poison, I’d say. Strong and sensitive… and yet, when I look at you…”
A gust of wind blew suddenly. She couldn’t make out what he said. She wanted to ask him again, but the other consorts had crossed the bridge by then. In the end, she couldn’t ask. She lowered her head as a food doctor should before a feng shui master and turned away from him like a stranger.
◇
After a long time, Fei Ling visited the Spring Palace, which was now in the season of cherry blossoms and autumn leaves. The cherry tree branches decorated with crimson leaves were as elegant as the peak of blooming flowers. Xue Mei’s red robe stood out beautifully against the autumn window.
“Everything is going smoothly,” said Fei Ling, after finishing most of the check-up.
The pregnancy was almost at full term. Fei Ling had been worried about Xue Mei’s condition during her travels, but everything seemed fine, so she felt relieved. As she took Xue Mei’s pulse one last time, Xue Mei quickly mentioned the hairpin.
“Fei Ling, that’s a lovely hairpin you have. It must have been given to you by a man, right?”
Fei Ling froze. The pulse she had almost caught immediately disappeared.
“Well, you’re so obviously flustered, it’s adorable,” Xue Mei laughed like the sound of bells.
“But to think you would accept it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, don’t you know? When a man gives a hairpin to a woman, it’s a sign that he wants to marry her.”
Fei Ling blinked in surprise at something she had never imagined, then gave a wry smile.
“I thought there was no such intention.”
“Oh, really? But no man would give a hairpin to a cute, sharp-minded girl like you without some reason.”
“Well, I am a girl of confusion after all.”
Xue Mei sighed.
“It doesn’t matter. Love is something you fall into. It doesn’t matter your social status or the circumstances… logic means nothing when it comes to love.”
“That’s why it’s scary,” Xue Mei added, her lips painted in red curling into a smile. She gently placed a finger on her lips, as if peering into a hidden flower, and lowered her voice.
“A woman’s intuition is accurate. That man—he’s more obsessed with you than you think.”
◇
The building constructed of glass was like a temple without faith. From the ceiling, rainbows constantly cascaded, reflecting kaleidoscopic patterns on the alabaster floor.
Zhen was once again invited to the High Palace. He was kneeling, his expression tense.
At the center of the kaleidoscope smiled Empress Xin Hua.
“I’ve heard you’re curious about me. Hehe, how delightful.”
Since returning from the battlefield, Zhen had been investigating the Empress. He still had suspicions that the woman he had seen before was Empress Xin Hua. The more he investigated, the more he discovered strange facts, including that the Empress seemed to sleep unnaturally.
(She’s not sleeping… she’s absent, isn’t she?)
When the incident with the Summer Consort happened, everyone focused on whether outsiders had visited the palace. The idea that the Empress would leave the palace was unimaginable—everyone unconsciously believed it. Yet, there was no proof that she hadn’t left. If Zhen’s guess was correct, then the reason the Empress was at the frontlines remained unclear.
“…Who exactly are you?”
“Hehe… but is it really okay? You’re getting too involved in unnecessary things. You should focus on your revenge, don’t you think? Doesn’t it make you worried that your mother will be saddened?”
The murderous intent Zhen had been hiding suddenly surged. In a flash of anger, he quickly released a poison-laden snake from his sleeve, but before it could strike, Xin Hua raised her sleeve to restrain it.
“…”
In an instant, Zhen regained his composure, spreading his senses. Though only he and the Empress were in the room, he could sense guards hiding everywhere. If he moved with murderous intent, he would be subdued before the snake could reach the Empress.
“…How did you know my true background?”
Even as a poison master, there were many different clans on the continent. Xin Hua should have had no way of knowing his origins.
“Because you resemble your father when he was young,” said Xin Hua.
Zhen froze.
“No—”
“You’re wrong. I understand him more than anyone else.”
The Empress’s smile was unfathomable. It was like a bottomless pit, dazzling in its brilliance.
“Listen, I have a request. I want you to become the feng shui master at my side. You’re very capable… will you do it?”
Zhen’s gaze wandered.
This was an order, a compulsion with no room for refusal. However, rising to the position of the Empress’s feng shui master would also be beneficial to him. Whatever the trap may be, there was a saying: “You can’t catch a tiger cub without entering the tiger’s den.” If he entered the Empress’s favor, his goals would become closer.
(Whatever her intentions are, I’ll tear through them from the inside out.)
Zhen bowed his head. The poison of resentment surged at the bottom of his clear eyes.
“I accept.”
Silently, a winter storm approached.
