The cool breeze blew gently. Palace Matron Hong stood under the eaves and scolded the palace staff. “What’s the rush? Keep your voices down.”
“Yes, yes.” The palace maid holding the silver basin had been pale-faced, but seeing Palace Matron Hong calm and composed, even taking the trouble to correct the maid’s deportment, she instead felt relieved and slowed her steps.
Cheng Danruo could not help thinking that although they were first cousins, Palace Matron Hong and Lady Hong were completely different.
Lady Hong lived a comfortable life, and her expression was always gentle and amiable, like a leisurely narcissus. Palace Matron Hong, however, was dignified and stern, with a sharp, imposing edge, just like an upright green bamboo.
“What instructions do you have?” she asked.
“You’re quite bold.” Palace affairs were complicated and numerous, and Palace Matron Hong had developed a nature of not wasting words. “Aren’t you afraid?”
Cheng Danruo replied, “I am a physician, only reporting on an illness.”
Palace Matron Hong showed a faint smile. “If the princess is handed over to you, can you handle it well?”
“I will do my utmost.” She thought for a moment, then added, “Physical illness is easy to treat; illness of the heart is hard to cure.”
Palace Matron Hong sighed, rarely revealing a hint of helplessness. “The princess is young and inevitably a little stubborn. Once she marries, she will be fine.”
She herself had taught Princess Rong’an for more than half a year. At the time, the princess had agreed readily and also knew she was in the wrong. Who would have thought that as soon as Wang Yongxu entered the palace, the princess, blinded by jealousy, would make mistake after mistake.
This was what Palace Matron Hong disliked most: once a woman is jealous, she throws all reason to the back of her mind. And the princess could neither be beaten nor scolded, which was truly troublesome.
Cheng Danruo said, “Usually, a person who has died once will not have the courage to die a second time.”
Especially since Princess Rong’an had not encountered any insurmountable difficulty – it was purely a matter of a broken heart. However, “making trouble for others is always possible.” Her expression was cold. “Wang San-niang’s good luck will not come a second time.”
Palace Matron Hong glanced at her, not particularly surprised.
When Wang Yongxu confessed on her own, she did not mention Cheng Danruo at all and took all the blame herself. But over the past half year or more, the Six Bureaus had come to understand something of the character of the Wang family’s young lady.
Clever and proud – these were admirable qualities, but having never suffered hardship, she lacked a measure of care and calculation.
That someone was pulling strings behind the scenes was not strange. Considering that the person traveling with her was Cheng Danruo, this answer was also not surprising.
“Wang San-niang’s reputation precedes her, and she is also the granddaughter of the Minister of Rites. That is why the princess paid her such special attention,” Palace Matron Hong said. “You need not worry too much.”
“I am not worried about myself,” Cheng Danruo shook her head. Even knowing that she was the adopted daughter of Yan Hongzhi, Princess Rong’an would not pay her too much attention.
An orphan whose entire family was dead – her fate was unusually harsh.
But, “What about the others in Xiefang Palace?” she asked Palace Matron Hong. “They suffered disaster through no fault of their own.”
The palace maid who served the tea had already been dragged away and imprisoned. Tomorrow, this person would never be seen again.
“The fact that they did not notice the princess harbored a death wish is a dereliction of duty,” Palace Matron Hong did not agree with her way of putting it, but she also did not wish for the princess to continue making a scene – it benefited neither others nor herself.
With a sigh, she said, “Persuade her slowly. Be attentive, and report to me promptly if anything comes up.”
Cheng Danruo nodded. “Yes.”
About half an hour later, the imperial physician finally arrived.
He diagnosed the princess’s pulse through the curtain, then looked at the vomit she had expelled, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. “Most of the poison has been vomited out, but the stomach meridian has been damaged. Although licorice and mung bean soup can counteract the poison, she will need careful recuperation from now on to avoid leaving lingering problems.”
He then prescribed a formula for nourishing the stomach.
After all the fuss, he still had to go to Qianyang Palace and report the princess’s condition to the emperor.
“The princess accidentally ingested oleander leaves.” First of all, it had to be accidental ingestion – taking poison deliberately was absolutely out of the question. Had they not seen that the palace maid who served the tea was about to be beaten to death? It must have been her mistake.
“Oleander is warm in nature but toxic, with the leaves being the most toxic.” The leaves were the most poisonous, and the condition was serious.
“Melon pedicel is bitter and cold, and inducing vomiting damages the spleen and stomach.” Both taking poison and inducing vomiting – the patient was very weak, and treatment was difficult. “She should rest quietly, eat a light diet, and take the stomach-nourishing decoction on schedule…”
Although the emperor was probably not unaware that the imperial physicians deliberately made things sound so mysterious as a means of self-protection, he was still irritable and interrupted him, “Is there any danger?”
The more experienced the imperial physician, the more slick and seasoned. “The princess must rest quietly for a period of time before she will be properly recovered.”
The emperor waved his hand impatiently.
The imperial physician promptly took his leave.
The emperor pondered for a moment, then said, “Give the order – tomorrow afternoon, have that female official from the Dispensary Office come over.”
Eunuch Shi hurriedly assented.
That night, Cheng Danruo stayed at Xiefang Palace.
She did not sleep, and neither did anyone else. Everyone kept watch over the sleeping Princess Rong’an, nervous and on edge, fearing another mishap.
Cheng Danruo had official rank, so her treatment was slightly better. Unlike the palace staff on night duty, who could only sit on the floor to keep watch, she was able to sit in the side room.
The early autumn weather was still hot, and the windows were open. The whimpering wind blew through, mixed with the sound of a girl’s despairing sobs.
All was silent.
She closed her eyes.
Being forced to marry a man she did not love – was that painful? Of course it was painful.
Being unable to obtain the one she loved – was that painful? Of course that was painful too.
Princess Rong’an’s pain was real, and the pain of the girl about to be beaten to death was equally real.
Unfortunately, Princess Rong’an had the chance to walk out of her pain, but that palace maid no longer had any chance at all.
She made up her mind.
The night flew by.
At dawn, when the sky was just beginning to brighten, Cheng Danruo quietly entered the hall, lifted the gauze curtain, and glanced at the sleeping Princess Rong’an. She crouched down, placed her fingers on the princess’s wrist, and silently counted her heart rate.
It had basically returned to normal, and the pulse was relatively steady.
She withdrew her hand and signaled the palace maid on night duty to come out.
She asked, “How did the princess sleep last night?”
The palace maids on night duty were not there merely to stand around. They had to stay awake all night, strain their ears, and silently keep track of how many times the princess turned over and whether she made any sounds – these were all things the imperial physician would surely ask about when inquiring after the illness. If they could not answer, they would no longer be fit to serve.
“The princess turned over twice, and her breathing was occasionally a little heavy, but she did not wake.”
Sure enough, the palace maid answered very carefully.
Cheng Danruo nodded. “When the princess wakes, even if she is hungry, she must not eat much – only some rice soup with sugar added.”
In ancient times there were no IV drips. To avoid irritating the stomach, the only option was to go hungry.
Last night, the imperial physician had said the same thing.
The palace maid assented.
Cheng Danruo then summoned the wet nurse and asked her, “You were one of the late Empress’s people, weren’t you?”
The wet nurse was actually not old either – just past forty – but the bleak, lonely life of the palace had worn her down, and silver strands already streaked her temples.
“Yes, I served at the late Empress’s side,” the nurse said neither haughtily nor humbly. “If the you have something to say, please speak plainly.”
Cheng Danruo asked, “Was it your idea to give her melon pedicel earlier? Do you know medicine?”
“A little.”
As expected. Cheng Danruo paused, then smiled. “Then you should know that the princess first took oleander and then vomited violently, damaging her spleen and stomach severely. She cannot withstand any more strain. If the stagnation in her heart is not resolved and her five viscera fall out of balance… I hope you can stay by her side and offer comfort and persuasion as much as possible.”
The nurse said, “That is my duty.”
True to her word, the wet nurse was more attentive than Cheng Danruo, keeping vigil by the bedside until the princess woke.
However, when the palace maids tried to feed her warm rice soup, she refused to drink it and threw a pillow at them in a rage.
When Palace Matron Hong arrived, she saw Cheng Danruo standing outside the curtain, coldly watching the room, though her words were gentle. “Remove everything that could easily injure the princess. Pad the corners of the bed and table so the princess doesn’t bump into them.”
Her eyes flickered, and she looked back into the room.
The wet nurse held Princess Rong’an in her arms, and the senior palace maid held the rice soup. Both were pleading earnestly, to no avail.
But Princess Rong’an turned her head away, lay on the pillow weeping, and would neither eat nor drink.
The senior palace maid came out and pleaded anxiously, “The princess refuses to eat. What should we do?”
Two missed meals and she’ll be fine. Cheng Danruo thought this but said, “With the spleen and stomach damaged, loss of appetite is unavoidable. What about the stomach-nourishing decoction the imperial physician prescribed? She still needs to take her medicine.”
The senior palace maid hesitated for a moment, then lowered her voice. “And if the princess still refuses to eat after that?”
Cheng Danruo looked at her and said slowly, “Then we will all be in trouble.”
The senior palace maid’s face went pale, and she instinctively looked behind her.
There, imprisoned, was the palace maid who was to be beaten to death today.
Her name was Cui Jing, sixteen years old, taken from the line in “Song of the Peony” -“Green stems and red stamens, Heaven’s power lends them grace.” She could brew excellent tea, with a clear and delicate fragrance.
On ordinary days, only these senior palace maids could order her to brew a cup of tea, and even then they would be scolded by her. “You’re all people who chew peonies like oxen – what do you know about tea?”
Now, she was going to die.
“Focus on your work.” Cheng Danruo offered a brief reassurance, then noticed Palace Matron Hong’s figure. “Palace Matron.”
Behind Palace Matron Hong followed two tall eunuchs.
“Where is Cui Jing?” the eunuch said. “His Majesty has ordered that she be dragged outside for execution, so as not to frighten the princess.”
The senior palace maid turned her head away and said nothing.
Cheng Danruo also said nothing.
“Wait a moment, both of you,” Palace Matron Hong said. “I must ascertain her family’s native place and the bundle to be sent home. His Majesty is merciful – this matter will not implicate her family.”
The eunuchs, giving her face, stood and waited.
After a moment, another palace maid came out supporting Cui Jing. She was utterly distraught, already like a walking corpse, and was led away woodenly by the eunuchs.
Under the eaves, behind the windows, along the corridors – countless people watched in silence.
Palace Matron Hong was silent for a while, then asked, “How is the princess?”
The senior palace maid’s lips trembled. “She refuses to take her medicine.”
Palace Matron Hong frowned.
“Actually,” Cheng Danruo said slowly, “medicine alone is not enough. The root of the illness is not in her stomach.”
The senior palace maid hesitated for a moment, then suggested, “Shall we – shall we have Young Master Xie come persuade her?”
Palace Matron Hong rebuked her. “Nonsense!”
“You’ve got it wrong. This matter has nothing to do with Young Master Xie,” Cheng Danruo said softly. “The princess does not want to marry Young Master Han. The key lies with him, not with Young Master Xie.”
The senior palace maid was stunned.
The morning passed slowly. Xiefang Palace was quiet from top to bottom – everyone was likely mourning their own kind.
Only the wet nurse, out of tender concern for the princess, stayed by her side the whole time, coaxing and persuading until her mouth went dry, and only then managed to coax Princess Rong’an into drinking some water. But the princess still refused to eat the rice soup.
In the afternoon, someone came from the Hall of Light to summon Cheng Danruo to an audience with the emperor.
She handed over a purse and asked the young eunuch who had come to deliver the message, “May I be permitted to go back and change my clothes?”
“His Majesty is concerned about the princess’s health. You had best make haste,” the young eunuch answered glibly, but pushed her bribe back. “There may come a time when I need to trouble you.”
Cheng Danruo did not insist. Favors should be owed – only then can there be back-and-forth between both sides. Once a debt is cleared, things become dull.
“Then let us go.” Without delay, she went straight to the Hall of Light.
This was her second time coming to the very center of power, and still she had no time to admire the scenery.
“Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty.” She knelt smoothly.
“How is the princess today?” The emperor was reading memorials and asked without even raising his head.
Cheng Danruo said, “She has already woken. Her pulse has become more steady, and she slept fairly soundly last night. The effects of the poison on the princess have diminished considerably.”
Any emperor who actually did the work would like subordinates who were steady and efficient.
He nodded and asked again, “What did she eat at noon?”
“The princess has a poor appetite. She only drank water and did not eat.”
His brow furrowed abruptly. “She is refusing to eat again?”
The word “again” was enough to show his displeasure.
“Inducing vomiting yesterday inevitably damaged her spleen and stomach. Poor appetite over the past two days is normal.” Cheng Danruo offered her opinion from a medical standpoint. “Even if she has an appetite, her diet must be light – she should eat congee and noodles that are easy to digest.”
She paused, and before the emperor could become displeased, immediately added, “However, the princess’s poor appetite is also connected to internal injury of the emotions. Beyond dietary care, only soothing her heart and mind will allow full recovery.”
The emperor’s expression darkened slightly, his anger or pleasure impossible to discern. “Did Rong’an tell you to say these things?”
“Your Majesty is perceptive. I am a physician and speaks only of the illness, with no personal motive,” Cheng Danruo said calmly. “Please allow me to finish speaking.”
The emperor glanced at her, already recalling her connection to Palace Matron Hong. He had his own calculations in mind but showed nothing on his face. “Let’s hear it.”
The golden bricks on the floor were very cold, and her knees ached. Cheng Danruo had been nervous at first, but in such pain her thoughts instead grew calmer, her body warmed slightly, and her hormones surged rapidly.
On her lowered face, a subtle smile appeared.
“As the saying goes, illness of the heart must be treated with medicine of the heart. I take the liberty of having diagnosed the princess’s heart meridian,” Cheng Danruo said unhurriedly. “The princess’s internal injury of the emotions is half due to her marriage prospects not going as she wishes, and half due to grievance.”
