The kitchen Provisioning Office had already been sealed off, but the Eastern Depot personnel mainly inspected the food and probably wouldn’t pay attention to the cooking utensils.
Cheng Danruo borrowed a stove and some help, preparing to decoct medicine.
Although each person’s symptoms varied in severity, it wasn’t practical to decoct medicine separately for each individual, so they uniformly drank Shaoyao Soup first. The main herbs were Scutellaria baicalensis, peony root, honey-fried licorice root, Coptis chinensis, rhubarb, areca seed, Angelica sinensis, Aucklandia lappa, and cinnamon.
For the few with particularly severe symptoms, the prescription was changed to Baitouweng Soup to clear heat and detoxify.
Medicinal herbs were not in short supply.
Cheng Danruo calculated the number of people and dosages, and spent the entire morning in the kitchen. As for the palace servants, she had the Provisioning Office staff deliver the medicine to them, distributing it according to the list she had written out.
This was where the advantage of the female officials’ literacy became apparent – there was absolutely no chance of mixing up the recipients.
As for herself, she carried a pot of heavy medicinal decoction to the firewood shed to deliver the medicine.
The firewood shed was in the rear courtyard, with only one old eunuch at the entrance swatting mosquitoes. When he saw Cheng Danruo, he first glanced at her waist tablet, then bowed with surprise. “How come you have come?”
“The sick people are inside, right?” she asked.
The old eunuch said, “Yes, yes.”
As if in response, a wailing voice came from inside. “Has someone come? Can we get out now?” Then there was another voice, a cracking adolescent rooster-like voice, pleading. “Grandpa, have a heart, give us some water to drink.”
“What’s all the racket? Shut up!” the old eunuch shouted loudly, then smiled apologetically, “Has an order come down from above?”
As he spoke, he secretly glanced at the copper pot she was carrying.
“This is medicine for dysentery,” Cheng Danruo said. “Drink it while it’s hot.”
The old eunuch was stunned.
“Are there any bowls inside?” she asked.
An excited voice came from within the room. “Yes, yes.”
Cheng Danruo said, “Give them the medicine, and then deliver two pots of hot water to them every day – pour this into the water.” She handed over another packet of salt and sugar, then pressed a string of coins into the old eunuch’s hand, saying reassuringly, “In this scorching heat, you don’t have it easy either. Take this to buy some wine.”
The old eunuch was stunned for a moment, then suddenly grew emotional. “I don’t deserve it, I don’t deserve it.” He repeatedly declined.
“Take it. Just don’t let them go short on hot water.” She set down the things and, having no time for pleasantries, hurried off to the next place.
Upon reaching the temporary sickroom, she immediately checked whether the patients had taken their medicine.
Actually, who wouldn’t drink it? The palace servants had been locked up for days, terrified of falling ill and dying with no one to care for them. Even someone as pampered as Wang Yongxu wouldn’t complain about the bitterness of the medicine – as soon as it was delivered, they drank it down to the last drop.
This was what satisfied Cheng Danruo most.
Afterward, she took the pulses of the few seriously ill patients again and performed acupuncture as appropriate to relieve their symptoms.
From time to time, Eastern Depot eunuchs came and went, conducting interrogations behind closed doors.
Cheng Danruo pretended not to see them.
When it came to palace intrigue, Director Pan was far more professional than she was -she didn’t need Cheng Danruo telling her what to do. The reason she hadn’t thought of it earlier was mainly that her knowledge of medicine fell short.
Now, doing her own job well was the right path.
The more lives she saved, the lighter the culpability, and it would also win prestige for the female officials.
Director Pan found Xie Xuanying.
She was quite courteous to him, opening with an apology. “It was our negligence – to think we even had you make a special trip to inquire about the patients’ condition.”
Xie Xuanying returned the greeting without betraying any emotion, saying, “I was worried the epidemic might worsen and acted on a sudden impulse, sending someone to ask. I hope you will forgive me.”
One hand washes the other – Director Pan was pleased with his attitude and smiled. “His Majesty asked you to take charge of the overall situation, so naturally we follow your instructions as well. This is all part of our duty.”
With that, the matter of last night’s questioning was set aside, and they turned to the main topic.
Director Pan straightened her expression and asked, “Is it a problem with the water?”
Xie Xuanying said, “I had people make inquiries. There are indeed many common folk nearby suffering from dysentery. I asked about their movements, and most had family members who had visited the temple.”
Director Pan’s heart sank abruptly.
“This matter is not easy to handle,” she said slowly. “I won’t speak in riddles before an honest man. This time, the Empress Dowager’s worship of the Buddha was to pray for the people afflicted by disaster. An epidemic… cannot exist, and should not exist.”
Xie Xuanying asked, “What do you think?”
Director Pan smiled, and instead lowered her head humbly. “What thought could I have? This incident spread from the palace servants, causing the mistresses to suffer along with them. Those who should be punished or dismissed – the Directorate of Palace Discipline will never shield them.”
This attitude was entirely different from when she had come yesterday.
Xie Xuanying raised his eyes and scrutinized the other party. Director Pan was around thirty years old, wearing the official robe of a fifth-rank Palace Discipline Director. Her eyebrows were long and slanted toward her temples, her lips bore no rouge, and she was dignified and cautious – as if she truly were an emotionless living Yama.
However, he knew very well that Director Pan was Palace Matron Hong’s capable right hand. Internally, she rewarded and punished with clarity and impartiality; externally, she never permitted eunuchs to bully others or consorts to beat and scold at will.
There had once been an immature young consort who thought that having become the emperor’s woman meant she could freely vent her temper on palace maids – but Director Pan caught her fault, filed a single accusation with the Imperial Consort, and she quickly fell out of favor.
Why was she lowering her head today?
He pondered for a moment and vaguely sensed something, then said, “Be that as it may, as for the specific circumstances, it’s better to wait until the Eastern Depot finishes its investigation.”
The Eastern Depot was fast as well.
It took them a single day to interrogate the patients, and that very evening the results came out.
In the meditation room, Xie Xuanying sat at the head, with Chief Steward He and Director Pan seated below, listening to the eunuch standing in the hall give his report.
“These eighteen people – we have already investigated them clearly,” the eunuch reported softly and gently. “The first to fall ill was Records Supervisor Wang, followed by the palace maids Xiao Hong and Xiao Cui of the Palace Insignia Office, Female Scribe Ling Fen of the Palace Furnishing Office, and also Tan Xiang by the Empress Dowager’s side, Cai Xian by Consort Shun, and Juan Zi by Consort Zhuang. As far as I know, Xiao Hong, Xiao Cui, and Tan Xiang are closely connected, and Cai Xian and Juan Zi are on good terms with Female Scribe Ling Fen.”
Xie Xuanying held a cup of aloeswood-infused boiled water, his gaze shifting subtly.
According to Cheng Danruo, all six of them had been to Willow Pond. Their onset times varied slightly, but all fell on the same day, which was why she had grouped them together.
Yet in the Eastern Depot’s account, although they also noted that the symptoms had appeared almost simultaneously, they emphasized the personal ties between the female officials and the palace maids – clearly hinting at primary versus secondary responsibility.
At the same time, they had conveniently cleared the people belonging to Consort Zhuang and Consort Shun.
It seemed that last night, the chief eunuchs attending the two consorts had been busy indeed.
He took a sip of the fragrant drink and waited for what came next.
Sure enough, the eunuch continued, “The remaining eleven people were in turn infected by these few. Among them, the palace maid from the Provisioning Office had the most contacts – that’s how Xiao Die, a palace maid from the Xiefang Palace, caught it. Fortunately, she does not serve at the side of the princess or the commandery princess, otherwise…”
He glanced meaningfully at Director Pan.
Director Pan sat steadily and asked in return, “The men under the Chief Steward’s command are truly capable – in just one day’s time, they’ve already questioned things so clearly.”
“To share His Majesty’s burdens, speed is naturally of the essence in military matters,” Chief Steward He said. “If you have doubts, you are welcome to find someone to conduct your own interrogation.”
Director Pan said, “I just want to know – where did the earliest cases contract the dysentery from?”
Chief Steward He cast a sidelong glance.
“We asked Xiao Hong and Xiao Cui of the Palace Insignia Office, and Ling Fen of the Palace Furnishing Office. They all serve within the palace and have no opportunity to come into contact with outsiders, so it certainly couldn’t have been brought in from outside,” the reporting eunuch said. “This is a pure Buddhist sanctuary – there is no reason for it to have been contaminated by external evil influences within the temple. Perhaps it was some place that stirred up summer dampness, or perhaps it was due to irregular eating and drinking.”
Stirring up summer dampness meant it was their own carelessness; irregular eating and drinking meant it was the Provisioning Office’s problem.
The Eastern Depot had tossed out two options – but in truth, there was no choice at all.
Director Pan gently set down her teacup and said sternly, “But from what I know, all of these people had been to Willow Pond.”
The eunuch said, “We asked about that too, but Willow Pond is a place for bathing and driving away evil. It’s only for sprinkling the body and washing the face, and all the water used in the temple is well water.”
Director Pan looked toward Xie Xuanying.
He set down his fragrant drink and said slowly, “To guard against any eventuality, this morning I sent people to make inquiries nearby. Some of the common folk in the surrounding area have also contracted dysentery, with the earliest cases appearing seven or eight days before the Buddhist worship. In the afternoon, I went to have a word with the abbot. He said that about half a month ago, refugees passed through this area, and the temple provided them with porridge and medicine and persuaded them to move on toward Tongzhou.”
The northern regions suffered frequent disasters, and displaced people were always numerous, but as long as it was permitted, the court would not let them enter the capital.
After all, if there were refugees even at the feet of the Son of Heaven, then either the emperor was at fault or the officials of the court were guilty.
Huiyuan Temple was in the suburbs of the capital, near Wanping County. As a shield for the capital, it certainly had to block them. But the clergy, being compassionate, could not simply drive them away harshly, so they gave them porridge, medicine, and clothing, and persuaded them to go elsewhere.
It was likely during this process that the infected refugees, seeking to drive away illness, bathed in Willow Pond, contaminating the water source, which then passed to the believers and palace servants who came to Willow Pond afterward.
As for the palace maid from the Provisioning Office, it was probably related to that basket of apricots – perhaps the commoner selling the apricots was ill, or perhaps the apricots had been washed with water from Willow Pond.
Subsequently, the palace maid washed them together with the bayberries, which in turn contaminated the bayberries as well.
The same was true for the son of Prince An. He had passed by Willow Pond and heard people say that bathing in its water could strengthen the body, so he had his subordinates scoop out a ladleful to wash his eyes – his nearsightedness was quite severe – and who would have thought he’d be so unlucky as to catch it just like that.
Chief Steward He’s motion of drinking tea paused, and he frowned deeply.
This was troublesome now. The Empress Dowager, in her benevolence, had just permitted the palace servants to have leisure time to pay their respects and pray for the realm and the state. Willow Pond was a place for prayer – if an epidemic broke out there, then even if all the female officials were crushed to death, could the Empress Dowager not harbor some knot in her heart?
Alas, Willow Pond – why did it have to be Willow Pond of all places?
Chief Steward He cursed his bad luck inwardly and glanced out of the corner of his eye at Director Pan across from him.
Her expression was solemn, her bearing impeccable, yet from the corners of her brows and eyes seeped a certain calm assurance.
No wonder. Chief Steward He clicked his tongue inwardly and basically understood: she had seized on this point, betting that they wouldn’t dare blow the matter up and could only let it go lightly, with neither side pursuing it further.
That was far too easy on them.
“Director Pan, it’s not that I’m pointing fingers, but this was indeed an oversight on the palace servants’ part,” Chief Steward He said in a very amiable tone, like a neighbor chatting about household matters, yet every word struck at the heart, “The Empress Dowager’s grace – we should be all the more careful. Willow Pond is outside the temple grounds – how did they come to be allowed out there? Causing a whole calamity for nothing.”
Director Pan smiled faintly and said, “Shan’er, you explain.”
“Yes.” The female scribe standing behind her stepped forward slowly, her head slightly bowed, her bearing standard, her voice crisp. “Chief Steward He, I am a female scribe of the Palace Transport Office. I hold the fan for the Empress Dowager when she travels.”
She established her identity, then continued, “The matter of Willow Pond was heard from the abbot’s own mouth. That day, the Empress Dowager and the Imperial Consort were walking in the mountains when they saw a clear spring winding down and asked the abbot about it.”
“The abbot said it was a sweet spring in the mountains, its source deep within the mountain’s belly, with only a thin thread of water trickling down through a crack in the rock – sweet and crisp, used only for offering to the Buddha. The spring water flowed day and night, gathering in a low-lying hollow at the foot of the mountain. When the common folk learned of it, they enclosed it into a small pool, believing it could ward off calamity and misfortune – hence the name Willow Pond.
“The Empress Dowager heard this and said that Bodhisattvas deliver all sentient beings, and the abbot too has a compassionate heart – excellent indeed.”
These words were spoken cleanly and crisply, neither embellished nor exaggerated, yet pointing directly at the core of the conflict.
Hearing this, Chief Steward He’s eyes flickered with gloom, and his mouth clamped firmly shut.
Xie Xuanying cleared his throat and asked, “What do the two of you propose?”
“If you ask me, the Empress Dowager’s devotion is beyond question,” Director Pan said calmly, emphasizing the key point, then sighed before continuing, “This time, it was those below who failed to live up to Her Highness’s intentions.”
Chief Steward He tapped his fingers against his thigh, listening and pondering.
“The water of Willow Pond is mountain spring water, colder even than well water,” she said. “The palace servants were careless – after bathing in the spring water, they ate raw and cold foods, so that their spleen yang was insufficient, giving rise to damp-heat, with qi and blood stagnating, and thus dysentery developed.”
With a single phrase – “careless” – she wanted to gloss it over lightly?
How could Chief Steward He possibly nod in agreement? He seized on her words. “This is hardly merely ‘careless.’ The sushan was also made with spring water. If adding cold upon cold was highly inadvisable, why did the Provisioning Office not advise against it?”
Director Pan sneered. “According to you, what should have been done?”
Chief Steward He said bluntly, “It is the Provisioning Office’s fault!”
Xie Xuanying glanced over, deep in thought: it seemed the Imperial Catering Directorate had been busy.
Just then, Centurion Zheng reported from outside. “My lord, the abbot of Huiyuan Temple requests an audience.”
His brow twitched slightly. “Let him in.”
