In operas, parting between lovers usually involves exchanging tokens of love, with a promise to come propose marriage upon a triumphant return.
But in reality, the woman asked in great detail about the plague. Unfortunately, the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s intelligence reports did not mention the symptoms.
Xie Xuanying said, “Do not worry. His Majesty has already ordered the Imperial Medical Institute to select physicians to go to Shandong for relief. The Ministry of Revenue has also gathered medicinal materials and distributed them to various places.”
Plague does not discriminate between rich and poor, noble and lowly, so the court’s actions were relatively swift, and its response was barely adequate.
Cheng Danruo breathed a sigh of relief and thought for a moment, then said, “The spread of plague comes only from water sources, food, and contact. Remember not to drink raw water and not to eat raw food.”
“I will be extra careful,” he said. “Anything else?”
Cheng Danruo opened her mouth, then closed it again. “I will go back and write you a note on first aid.”
Xie Xuanying immediately agreed. “That would be best.”
And then… their eyes met, and there was nothing left to talk about.
Cheng Danruo asked, “Then I will go back first?”
“This is a restricted area of the imperial city. Do not wander around.” He reached out and tugged at the fabric hanging from her elbow. “This way.”
Cheng Danruo asked, puzzled, “Where to?”
He gave her a slight eye-roll. “What did you come to the Western Park for?”
Cheng Danruo replied, “You called me over.”
“You walking this way – was that also because I called you over?” Xie Xuanying retorted.
She said calmly, “I got lost.”
“Is that so,” he said. “I will help you find your way for a while.”
Cheng Danruo immediately fell silent and obediently followed in his footsteps.
Xie Xuanying grew up in the imperial palace, and the emperor would never be content with strolling in the imperial garden – Taiye Pool was the emperor’s true back garden.
And in the Western Park, there were always all kinds of activities: dragon boat races on the Dragon Boat Festival, floating river lanterns on the Zhongyuan Festival, and they even planted a large expanse of lotus, digging up lotus roots in late summer.
He was very familiar with this place and knew which paths were empty and could avoid others’ sight.
Today, the imperial carriage had not come here, and the eunuchs were all busy with their own affairs.
“They are training birds over there.” The two hid behind a tree, and Xie Xuanying bent down and said softly by her ear, “Look up, there is a flock of silver-feathered birds by the pavilion in the middle of the lake.”
She could not help but raise her head and look closely.
“That is the azure-winged magpie; its call is very pleasant. When His Majesty tours the lake, the eunuchs drive these birds over to fly along with the dragon boat.”
His voice was very low, occasionally unclear, but when it reached her ears, it felt more present than usual.
“Look at the shore, beside the lotus leaves, the ones with crests on their heads. Do you know what those are?”
Cheng Danruo replied, “Hoopoes.”
“They are pretty and easy to train. There are many in the Western Park.” Xie Xuanying looked left and right, confirmed there was no one around, and softly whistled.
The resting hoopoes suddenly raised their crests and flew over toward them.
Cheng Danruo could not help but laugh.
At that moment, a small boat sailed out onto the lake and headed toward the center. She asked, “Who is that?”
“Eunuchs feeding the fish,” Xie Xuanying said. “They only scatter food within the boat’s shadow, so that when the dragon boat comes, the carp below will jump out on their own to beg for food, making it look like they are leaping over the dragon gate.”
Cheng Danruo: “…”
After that, he told her some palace secrets, for example, that the emperor might soon visit Wansui Mountain, and the palace would begin making fur garments, so she should remember to prepare silver, otherwise going on duty in winter would be miserable. In winter, the palace also held cockfights, and the young eunuchs used this to earn extra money – absolutely do not fall for their tricks.
He advised her on many things, and in the end, he had to mention Princess Rong’an.
“Rong’an will soon be married,” he said. “You… stay away from her.”
Cheng Danruo’s thoughts, which had been scattered across the scenery, gathered back together, and she gave him a surprised yet serious look.
But Xie Xuanying lowered his eyelids and avoided her gaze.
These past days, he had not entered the palace at all. Aside from avoiding Rong’an, he had also been busy investigating: after many twists and turns, he had learned what he wanted to know from a young eunuch at the elephant house.
The wet nurse by Rong’an’s side had once sent a family member to ask for a white cat, one extremely similar to Snow Lion, and the time was right around the plum-viewing banquet.
And the raw gypsum that Commandery Princess Jianing had mentioned was also confirmed by the monks at Huiyuan Temple.
He could not defend Rong’an, nor could he.
He could only say, “The Empress passed away early, and His Majesty has favored her greatly, so it is inevitable that she is somewhat spoiled and acts without regard for weight or consequence…”
Cheng Danruo listened quietly. There was no need to ask; the helplessness in his words had already proved too much, and according to the ancient principle of concealing family wrongdoing, the fact that he was willing to say this much to her was already extremely difficult.
After all, they were first cousins.
“No need to say more.” She spoke rationally. “I understand it all. Thank you.”
Xie Xuanying raised his eyes to look at her, and after a long while, turned his face away. “I am sorry.”
“Why apologize?”
“I failed to live up to your expectations,” he said. “I know what she did, but I cannot tell His Majesty.”
“It would be useless even if you did. Prince Lu is brutal, and is he not still doing fine?” she said faintly. “I long ago stopped believing that princes who break the law are punished the same as commoners.”
Xie Xuanying said earnestly, “I will find an opportunity to teach her, to let her know what can be done and what cannot.”
“Better not.” Alarm bells rang loudly in Cheng Danruo’s heart. “It took me great effort to get her to accept Young Master Han. If you show her concern again, all my work will be ruined.”
Xie Xuanying was stunned. “What do you mean, accept Young Master Han?”
Cheng Danruo said, “…Nothing.”
“Was it you before?” But he quickly caught on and pieced together the cause and effect. “Not the Palace Matron?”
Cheng Danruo had let it slip for a moment and had no choice but to admit it. “Yes, I schemed against your cousin and made her suffer a little. Is that not allowed? Or are you saying that if she hits me, I should still thank her for the imperial favor?”
The latter part carried a fair amount of sarcasm.
“Rong’an does need proper discipline.” Xie Xuanying peered at her face, his heart pounding with fright, afraid to see swelling or redness. “Are you all right? Did she hit you?”
“No.”
Even so, she had lost the mood for sightseeing and turned back. “I should go back.”
“I will see you off.”
“No need.”
“There are eunuchs guarding the gate of the Western Park.” He promptly caught her sleeve. “Without me, how will you get out?”
Cheng Danruo said, “I will just say I got lost.”
“Walking around on your own, be careful the palace enforcer punishes you with bell-carrying.” Xie Xuanying tried to scare her.
Cheng Danruo retorted, “Then what business is that of yours?”
“I brought you in, so I must see you out.” He took hold of her arm. “Do not go that way.”
Carrying bells was hard labor. If she could avoid punishment, better to avoid it. Cheng Danruo calmed slightly, and the redirected anger born of Princess Rong’an dissipated quite a bit. She stopped struggling.
Xie Xuanying saw her expression soften and only then probed, “You are not angry anymore? Rong’an did something wrong, so why are you angry at me?”
“I am not.” She shut her mouth firmly and reminded herself to speak cautiously. “Oh, I have not yet thanked you.”
He said, “How will you thank me?”
Cheng Danruo did not understand. “Huh?”
“Were you not going to thank me?”
She said, “…How do you want to be thanked?”
“Never mind.” Xie Xuanying said without changing expression, “I said it casually. You actually took it seriously.”
Cheng Danruo rolled her eyes at him and could not be bothered to pay him any more attention.
Honestly, no matter how handsome he was, at eighteen he was still just a high school student.
She would not hold it against him.
As they neared the gate of the Western Park, the two split up.
Xie Xuanying went to draw away the eunuchs guarding the gate, while she took the chance to slip out and return to the Imperial Household Directorate as if nothing had happened. The imperial carpenters in the palace were highly skilled, and by the time the sky darkened, the frame had already taken shape.
She tested it once and confirmed it was usable, then handed it over to them for sanding, carving, and lacquering.
“It will definitely be done by tomorrow morning.” The carpenter pounded his chest in assurance.
She could not stay overnight outside, so Cheng Danruo hurried back before the palace gates were locked. There was no time to go to the Hall of Peace and Joy, so she simply went to the storehouse to select medicinal materials.
If the female scribes were only responsible for preparing and identifying medicinal materials, and the Medicine Managers for managing the materials, then the duty of the Palace Apothecary was to manage the medicine storehouse and keep records and documents.
She could look through the account books and check the annual inflow and outflow of medicinal materials, clearly knowing what was still in the storehouse.
Selecting medicinal materials became very convenient.
Cheng Danruo chose several commonly used medicinal materials and wrote her own name in the accounts.
The next day.
Enduring her drowsiness, she left the palace, inspected the work of the Imperial Household Directorate, was very satisfied, and took it back to the Hall of Light to report.
The emperor was holding a small morning court session. She waited in the tea room behind for more than an hour before being summoned.
Xie Xuanying had been kept behind and was talking with the emperor.
Cheng Danruo entered the hall familiarly and paid her respects.
“Rise.” The emperor asked energetically, “Is the item done?”
“Yes.” In front of the emperor, it was still best to do things honestly. Cheng Danruo did not keep him in suspense and motioned for a young eunuch to bring the frame up. “It is this.”
The emperor saw a bare wooden frame, just a base below and a wooden rack above, connected by a staff carved in the shape of a pine tree. “And this is all?”
“Yes.” Cheng Danruo glanced at Eunuch Shi and asked, “May I ask Eunuch Shi to try it?”
Eunuch Shi looked at the emperor, and the emperor waved his hand, signaling him to go.
Cheng Danruo shook out the wide robe she had prepared in advance, draped it over the wooden frame, and covered the cushion on the upper layer. After Eunuch Shi sat down, she handed the robe to him to tie securely.
By now the prototype was already visible.
The wide robe covered the cushion beneath his buttocks. With his hands resting on the staff and his legs crossed, the whole figure looked as if he were sitting in midair on a rockery, like an immortal descended to the mortal world.
The emperor felt a kind of speechless sense of having been fooled. “It is actually this simple?”
Cheng Danruo said, “I do not dare claim that the scoundrel’s mechanism must be exactly this, but by using this method, one can create the illusion of floating. I believe it is probably the same principle.”
“Indeed. Folk tricks are not worth mentioning once explained.” The emperor spoke while sizing up Eunuch Shi.
Even knowing in advance where the mechanism was, at first glance one had to admit it really looked convincing.
That foolish men and women were deceived was not hard to understand.
He joked, “How does it feel?”
“Trembling with fear, as if treading on thin ice,” Eunuch Shi said. “I do not dare move at all.”
Cheng Danruo said, “To perform before the common people, the mechanism must be light and clever, so wood is best. Therefore it must also be a slender young woman, otherwise it is easy to sway.”
The emperor nodded, then suddenly became curious. “How do you know these tricks?”
“When I was young, an itinerant old Daoist once begged for food. I gave him a bowl of water and a steamed bun, and he taught me two or three tricks, just for play.” Cheng Danruo said neither humbly nor arrogantly, “A minor art of the rivers and lakes, unfit for elegant surroundings.”
“There is a certain rustic charm to it as well.” The emperor pondered. “By the way, was it you who cured the dysentery at Huiyuan Temple?”
Cheng Danruo’s heart stirred, and she lowered her head. “I treated the palace servant’s illness. As for the young prince An, it was the imperial physicians’ doing.”
The emperor nodded slowly, a thoughtful look in his eyes. “I remember you can also treat arrow wounds? How good are you?”
Cheng Danruo hesitated for a moment, then took a bold step. “Passable.”
“Truly?” The emperor laughed. “Curing one case does not count.”
Xie Xuanying spoke up at the right moment. “Your Majesty, Palace Apothecary Cheng is indeed skilled at treating external injuries. When I was attacked in Yancheng, all the household guards relied on her treatment. One man had his belly split and intestines spilling out, and she saved him too.”
He did not mention Qian Ming’s reattachment of a severed limb, and Cheng Danruo breathed a sigh of relief.
Reattaching a severed limb sounded impressive, but succeeding again would not be easy. If the emperor made her perform it once and she failed, that would be terrible.
The emperor was somewhat surprised but did not press further. He looked at him for a while, then suddenly said, ” Palace Apothecary Cheng.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Prince Lu’s consort mother has been frightened. I wish to send someone to offer comfort and rewards. Would you dare make a trip to Yanzhou?” he asked.
Xie Xuanying’s heart trembled, and he could not help raising his head. Could sending comfort to the Princess Dowager not be done by a eunuch? Why had he suddenly thought of Dan-niang?
But Cheng Danruo had already agreed without hesitation. “I am willing to share Your Majesty’s burdens.”
“Very good.” The emperor waved his hand. “You may withdraw.”
Cheng Danruo bowed and withdrew.
Only after she left did Xie Xuanying dare speak. “Your Majesty, Palace Apothecary Cheng is, after all, a woman. Sending her to Shandong…”
“She may be of great use.”
Based on any single point – treating external wounds, understanding plague, or knowing illusion tricks – the emperor would not have considered using her. But she happened to know a little of all of them, so sending her to comfort Princess Dowager was all the more appropriate.
After all, there had been precedents of female officials accompanying princes to their fiefs to serve and teach the women of the princely palace. The emperor had no concern about setting a precedent by choosing her.
Considering that Prince Lu’s wife had committed suicide, his eldest daughter-in-law had been killed, and the consort mother was elderly, having a female official act on his behalf to oversee the princely household would reflect imperial family affection and was all the more fitting.
But this was not the main content of the emperor’s thoughts in that brief moment.
“Let me ask you,” the emperor said, looking at Xie Xuanying, “how long does it take to transfer troops between two places? How long for the army to break camp? How long to march? If you wait for them, the daylilies will have gone cold.”
Xie Xuanying was stunned.
The emperor asked, “Do you know what to do now?”
“I understand.” With no time to consider Cheng Danruo’s safety, Xie Xuanying focused on answering the emperor. “I will first escort Palace Apothecary Cheng to Yanzhou, ascertain the situation, and then join the main army.”
After a brief pause, he said shamefully, “I am incompetent, to make Your Majesty worry on my behalf.”
The emperor’s eyes showed gratification, but his tone was rather mild. “I can only give you this one hint. On this journey, you will have to rely on yourself.”
“I will certainly not fail Your Majesty’s high expectations.”
