The setting sun was sinking in the west, and the Taiye Pool in the Western Park glowed with orange clouds.
The last test was finally over.
Young Master Luo chose the osmanthus that had already bloomed, with the reason: “It can be given to His Majesty (the princess) for vase arrangement.”
The emperor nodded secretly – a practical man, one who could be put to use.
Young Master Yu had been distracted all day, and in the end stubbornly chose the peony. “The king of flowers is only fitting for the imperial house.”
The emperor sighed. This child came from an upright family, one that had produced a metropolitan graduate, and was also a prominent clan. He had originally been the most favored choice – who would have thought he was a bit too dull, fixated on rigid principles.
Young Master Han was the cleverest. He had long since figured out the princess’s preferences and accurately sought out a peony from the hothouse. “Of all the three thousand weak waters, I take only what I love.”
No matter how much the emperor felt he was slick and opportunistic, he had to admit this was the one who had put the most effort into the marriage prospect.
“They’re all good. Reward them.” Of course, regardless of how he judged them in his heart, the emperor showed no change in expression, praising them repeatedly and explicitly saying, “Take them to the princess for her to choose a branch.”
The three flowers were carried to the Xie Fang Palace, then carried back exactly as they were.
The eunuch said: “The princess says filial piety comes first, and asks Your Majesty to choose first.”
The emperor continued to sigh. Even the most reserved girl, as long as there is someone in her heart, would never miss the chance to make a legitimate choice when it is right before her. Rong’an refusing to choose – it seemed she truly had no one she favored.
However, her willingness to comply with the arrangements was already not bad. In the future, once married, she would gradually come to understand.
Affection between husband and wife is something that grows after spending time together.
Young Master Yu… was a bit slow.
Never mind.
The emperor picked up the peony and smiled. “My child loves only this flower.”
Young Master Han prostrated himself.
The emperor immediately issued the decree, granting marriage to Han Xu of Huainan, Anhui, permitting him to study at the Imperial College as Commandant-escort, and enfeoffing his father as a Chiliarch of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. He also ordered the Ministry of Rites to instruct the commandant-escort, the Directorate of Astronomy to calculate the wedding date, and the Ministry of Revenue to prepare for the wedding.
Everything was fine.
Until after the second watch’s clapper sounded, when Palace Matron Hong suddenly sent someone to relay a message: Cheng Danruo was to go at once, and without alarming anyone.
It was already the time when the palace gates were locked. If it were not an urgent matter, it would not have come to this.
Cheng Danruo guessed that perhaps someone had fallen ill and they were afraid of bad luck, so it was being handled quietly. She therefore took her medicine box and went along.
When they reached the Bureau of Palace Administration, Palace Matron Hong was neatly dressed and waiting for her. Seeing the medicine box with her, her eyes showed approval, though her expression was somewhat cold and stern. “Follow me. Do not ask questions.”
Cheng Danruo paused briefly, then gave a slight nod. “Yes.”
It seemed something major had happened.
The two of them, without bringing any palace maids, quietly entered the Xiefang Palace under the cover of night.
In the main hall, the palace maids were on high alert, their expressions panicked. Seeing Palace Matron Hong, they could not even bother with salutations and hurried forward. “Your Grace, we have already given the princess melon pedicels, but she is still not well.”
Cheng Danruo’s eyelid twitched. Melon pedicels were an emetic. Giving this to Princess Rong’an – had she taken poison?
Poison? Was it that easy to obtain? Or had someone deliberately arranged it?
As she pondered, Palace Matron Hong had already spoken, her voice steady. “What exactly did the princess eat? Tell me clearly.”
“Oleander.” The palace maid was also on the verge of breaking down. “The princess secretly hid oleander leaves and put them in her tea. After drinking one cup, she began vomiting and feeling dizzy, her mind wandering.”
Cheng Danruo breathed a sigh of relief. As long as it was not poison, it was fine.
Palace Matron Hong asked, “Danruo, do you have a way?”
“Has she already vomited?” Cheng Danruo was very calm. “Let me take a look.”
The palace maid quickly led her inside.
Princess Rong’an was dressed in silk sleeping robes, lying on the couch, her face pale. Two palace maids knelt holding a spittoon to catch her vomit.
“Your Highness, forgive my offense.” Cheng Danruo stepped forward and took her pulse to measure her heart rate.
The pulse was irregular, and the heartbeat was somewhat slow.
She also looked at the vomit – quite a lot of dinner had already been thrown up.
“Bring salt and water, and brew another pot of strong tea. Quickly.” She gave orders.
The people around the princess were all carefully selected for their cleverness and quickness, and each moved swiftly and efficiently. Within fifteen minutes, everything was prepared.
Cheng Danruo fed Princess Rong’an two spoonfuls of salt water, then brought over strong tea and poured it into her to wash her stomach.
Princess Rong’an vomited as soon as she drank, weakly resisting and pushing. “Go away, leave me alone.”
Cheng Danruo said calmly, “Keep pouring.”
The palace servants obeyed without hesitation.
If the princess died, everyone in the Xiefang Palace would suffer for it. Compared to that, forcibly holding someone down to pour medicine was nothing. Besides, Palace Matron Hong was still there.
“Ugh…” The strong tea stimulated her throat, and she vomited violently.
Stomach pumping was already quite uncomfortable in modern times, let alone in ancient times with such forcible pouring and vomiting. Princess Rong’an, delicate and pampered, was nearly broken after a few rounds. “Go away! Get out!”
But she was too weak, her voice completely lacking in authority, more like a child throwing a tantrum.
She was very weak, but the oleander toxin had only just entered her stomach. After several rounds, the amount of poison was naturally greatly reduced.
“Bring some goat’s milk, and send someone to brew medicine – one liang of licorice, two liang of mung beans, decocted in water.”
Mung bean and licorice decoction was said to neutralize all poisons.
“Yes.”
While the palace servants went to brew the medicine, the emperor arrived.
Cheng Danruo secretly drew a breath and went out to kneel in greeting.
“How is Rong’an?” he asked.
Cheng Danruo said, “The princess has already vomited out most of the poison.”
The emperor went straight to the point. “Is it serious?”
Cheng Danruo thought for a moment, and without citing fancy traditional Chinese medical terminology, stated plainly, “Although oleander is highly toxic, the princess did not take it directly but steeped it in tea and drank it. The amount of toxin ingested was not much. Now that she has been induced to vomit and her stomach has been washed, most of it has been expelled from the body. There should be no danger to her life.”
The emperor visibly let out a breath, and then looked at Cheng Danruo rather seriously.
From a physician’s mouth – especially a physician treating the imperial family – hearing a truthful statement was a very rare thing.
This was not to say that the people in the Imperial Medical Institute were all useless and could not even speak plainly. It was simply that they did not dare to.
If they said it was nothing and the patient died, losing their career would be the least of it. They feared that if the emperor flew into a rage, their heads would not be safe. So they had no choice but to be vague and ambiguous in order to protect themselves.
Cheng Danruo dared to speak – first, because she had never experienced the risk of losing her head at any moment; second, because she had no fear. Every day she lived in ancient times, she was reluctant to die, but if she truly died, she would instead feel relieved.
Third – well, it was not without being another gamble.
She had gambled correctly.
Such firm and clear words greatly eased the emperor’s worries. He said concisely, “Treat her well.” Then he asked the eunuch, “Go see if the imperial physician has arrived.”
Summoning an imperial physician after the palace gates were locked was extremely troublesome.
First, someone had to fetch the keys from the Key Office, open the palace gate, then rush out of the palace to find someone at the Imperial Medical Institute. After bringing them into the palace, there was registration and searching. By the time all that was done, an hour had passed.
Saving a life was like fighting a fire – Cheng Danruo being able to hold things together first was better than anything.
The goat’s milk was brought.
In front of the emperor, the big boss, Cheng Danruo was a little gentler. She personally carried it over. “Your Highness, drink a little goat’s milk. It will make you feel better.”
However, when a rebellious teenage girl sees her father arrive, if she does not act out now, when would she?
Princess Rong’an slapped the bowl away and said coldly, “I won’t drink it.”
The emperor’s face immediately turned cold. “What exactly do you want?”
“I don’t want to marry.” In her agitation, the weak Princess Rong’an actually propped herself up to sit. “I want my cousin.”
Cheng Danruo picked up the broken bowl from the ground and mouthed instructions to the palace maid, “Bring another bowl.”
Then, from the corner of her eye, she glanced at this supreme father and daughter, a flicker of thought passing through her eyes.
Xie Xuanying was going to be in trouble.
“I have said that by ancestral law, a commandant-escort may not come from a family of nobles.” The emperor said, “On this point, I have told you many times.”
Princess Rong’an asked hoarsely, “Father, you are the emperor. Can you not make an exception for me?”
The emperor drew a deep breath and showed a look of exhaustion. “I am the emperor, but I also have things I cannot do. Moreover, San-lang is too proud. If he became the commandant-escort, you would not be happy, and neither would he.”
Cheng Danruo was startled, and from a very inconspicuous angle, she carefully looked at the emperor.
Then she took the bowl from the palace maid’s hands, walked to the side of the couch, and squatted down halfway, stroking Princess Rong’an’s back and feeding her.
Princess Rong’an seemed to feel that drinking the medicine would mean giving in, and very stubbornly raised her hand, knocking the bowl over once again.
The goat’s milk splashed all over Cheng Danruo.
“I don’t want to marry anyone else,” said Princess Rong’an. “I don’t want Young Master Han. I want my cousin. Father, please grant me this.”
The emperor looked at his pale, weak daughter and held back his anger as he explained, “If he were a palace servant, a slave, I would grant him to you and be done with it. But do not forget – his blood and yours both flow from the Xie family. You are first cousins on the direct line. His ancestors were dukes who founded the state. Rong’an, this cannot be.”
Princess Rong’an slumped back weakly.
After a long while, she said, “Then I don’t want to marry Young Master Han.” She added, “Nor Young Master Yu or Young Master Luo.”
“Too late.” The emperor’s face darkened, and he said coldly, “I let you choose, and you would not choose. Now making a scene and threatening death is useless. The decree has already been issued. Han Xu – whether you want to or not, you will marry him.”
“Father!” Princess Rong’an let out a mournful cry, tears falling like rain.
The emperor looked at her, but did not soften. “I have already indulged you enough -far too much.”
Having confirmed that his daughter’s life was not in danger, the emperor’s supreme authority would not be challenged. He instructed, “Watch the princess well. Do not let her threaten death again.” He added, “The ones who served the tea – beat them to death.”
The palace maid standing in the corner instantly turned deathly pale. With a “thud” she dropped to her knees, tears falling in large drops, but she did not dare cry aloud, much less beg for mercy.
This was the rule in the palace – even when sentenced to death, one was not permitted to wail, or else one’s family would suffer for it.
Palace Matron Hong bowed her head. “Yes.”
The curtain swayed. The emperor had left.
Cheng Danruo rose, glanced at the collapsed palace maid, and picked up the warm goat’s milk. “Your Highness, drink this.”
Princess Rong’an clamped her mouth shut, uncooperative.
“Quickly, support the princess. She has no strength left.” Cheng Danruo looked at the palace maids.
The palace maids snapped to attention and hurried to support Princess Rong’an. The eldest wet nurse by her side, with tears in her eyes, took the bowl from Cheng Danruo’s hands and fed her.
The outburst just now had exhausted what little strength Princess Rong’an had left.
Two palace maids supported her from either side, and the wet nurse personally fed her the medicine. Her stomach was burning with discomfort, and after resisting for a while, she slowly opened her mouth.
“Rest assured, Your Highness,” Cheng Danruo said, squatting halfway beside her, her eyes on the medicine bowl. “You will be fine once you drink the medicine.”
Princess Rong’an, having been subjected to her rough treatment, naturally had no pleasant expression and glared at her coldly.
Cheng Danruo pretended not to notice and instructed, “Try to get the princess to drink as much as possible. Vomiting is suffering, but if she can throw it all up, she will be mostly better. If she cannot vomit it all out, the real suffering will come next.”
The wet nurse said repeatedly, “Exactly. Ordinary families use gold water for this, but the princess must not be subjected to such suffering.”
Gold water was filthy water – a common folk remedy for inducing vomiting.
“Let us all be diligent and not let the princess go through that ordeal,” Cheng Danruo said, glancing at the wet nurse as if realizing something. “When the mung bean and licorice decoction arrives shortly, have the princess drink it at once.”
“Yes.”
Although the emperor had not mentioned it, everyone in the Xiefang Palace knew that the beaten-to-death palace maid was only the beginning. That no one had noticed and stopped the princess from drinking the poison meant everyone was guilty. Once things settled, punishment would surely follow. So they were eager to redeem themselves through merit and earn a lighter sentence.
Outside the curtain, Palace Matron Hong beckoned to Cheng Danruo, signaling her to come out and talk.
Cheng Danruo withdrew.
The Xiefang Palace was a magnificent and elegant hall – five bays wide, with a single-eaved hip-and-gable roof, brackets beneath the eaves, and decorated with colorful painted patterns, bright and noble.
The night was deep, and the candles in the Xiefang Palace seemed to cost nothing at all. Exquisitely crafted palace lanterns gave off a gentle glow, making the interior as bright as day.
Cheng Danruo raised her head and looked for quite a while. After a long moment, she let out a breath and slowly walked out.
