The setting sun turned the sleet into large, soft snowflakes.
After parting ways with Zhèn, Fei Ling , accompanied by Xiǎolíng, was rushing to the Spring Palace.
The Imperial Concubine Xuěméi’s (Xue Mei’s) child was growing steadily and had already entered the final month of pregnancy. Since the child could be born at any time, Fei Ling had been conducting regular checkups every other day.
When she examined Xuěméi yesterday, there had been no abnormalities in either the mother or the child.
(Poison? Or something else?)
Xuěméi was constantly on guard against poison and avoided appearing at extravagant banquets, remaining confined to her chambers.
Xiǎolíng, who was flustered and overwhelmed, could not articulate Xuěméi’s condition, choking back sobs instead. It was understandable—among the maidservants assigned to Xuěméi, Xiǎolíng was the one who admired her the most and was also trusted deeply by her mistress. In a moment when her mistress’s life was in danger, remaining calm was impossible.
“Lady Xuěméi!”
As soon as the door was opened, an unusual heat poured out from the chamber.
Fei Ling recalled the time when Empress Xīnhuá had been afflicted with fire poison, but this was not heat caused by poison—it was from a brazier. Every last piece of charcoal was burning fiercely, making the room hotter than summer.
Inside, Xuěméi was wrapped in a quilt, trembling. She turned her gaze with movements as sluggish as rusted gears. Her eyes were clouded.
“Lady Xuěméi, Fei Ling is here.”
At these words, Xuěméi seemed to relax, her blue lips, drained of blood, curling into a faint smile.
“You came for me…”
“Lady Xuěméi, what in the world…”
Fei Ling approached Xuěméi, who sat slumped in a chair, and tried to take her hand. But as her fingers brushed the soaked quilt, she gasped.
“I don’t understand it either. But if it’s you, you’ll surely figure it out.”
Fei Ling peeled away the drenched quilt.
“This is…”
Xuěméi’s delicate arm was gone.
No—more precisely, her arm had become transparent and was hanging down like a flowing waterfall. Inside the translucent arm, blue bones were frozen in stillness.
It looked like the fin of a fish, yet it was distinctly different. It brought to mind the water sleeves used in traditional dance performances.
It was indescribably beautiful.
And therefore, utterly tragic.
“…Pardon me.”
Fei Ling placed her hand on Xuěméi’s swollen belly. Inside the round womb, the child’s life was still moving. Thank goodness. But in such a frozen state, the baby could be harmed. It was similar to how those who sought to induce miscarriage immersed themselves in freezing water. Her current state was no different.
“Please lift the poison. Save me, Fei Ling .”
Just like in the spring.
“I swear, I will save you.”
She spoke as if making a vow.
(Water poison… could it be? But why?)
It was clear that Xuěméi was afflicted by a toxic plague. But when and where had she come into contact with the earth poison?
(It had been proven with fire poison that earth poisons could be administered intentionally. However, Xuěméi never wore anything gifted to her by others, nor did she eat meals that had not been tested for poison.)
The child in her womb was not her own. She often spoke about the weight of the responsibility she bore for carrying the Emperor’s child.
(It’s also strange that the poison is only affecting her arm. Could it have come from something she touched? But is there anything that only she would touch, and no maidservant ever would?)
In any case—
There had been no sign of poison yesterday. Even if this was a poison with a delayed onset, someone with Fei Ling ’s medical knowledge, inherited from the wisdom of the White Marsh, would have detected it. This meant the poison must have entered her body sometime between last night and this morning.
“When did this begin?”
“Just a short while ago.”
“She had gone out to the garden for a walk, for the sake of the child. When snow began to fall, she decided to return to her chambers, but on her way back, she started shivering from the cold. And then… her arm…”
“Lady Xuěméi will recover, won’t she?”
“What about the child?”
The maidservants questioned her desperately.
“Lady Xuěméi has been so kind to us… Please, save her.”
Though Fei Ling did not recognize the maidservants, they bowed their heads fervently, pleading with her.
To be honest, Xuěméi was not well-liked in the harem. Her exceptional skill in dance and the Emperor’s favor made her a target of envy, and her fiery temperament further fueled malicious rumors. Yet it seemed she was truly understood and adored by her maidservants.
“The poison will definitely be cured. Please, I ask for your cooperation.”
