In the seventh year of Jinghe[1]Jinghe is an era name used for dating years in this story’s imperial setting. Chinese emperors traditionally dated years by named eras; the dynasty here is not identified. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736155_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736155_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, the chill of spring still lingered.
The capital had entered the third month[2]In traditional Chinese calendars, months were reckoned using a lunisolar system, so the third month does not correspond exactly to March on the modern Gregorian calendar. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736155_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736155_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });. By rights, it should have been the season when willows brushed the banks and apricot blossoms clung to one’s clothes.
But that year the weather was unusually cold. A light snow, falling late in spring, drifted down in flurries from dusk onward.
The people of the capital all said, “Snow in the third month is no auspicious omen.”
The Duke of Dingguo’s Residence[3]Duke here renders gong, a high Chinese hereditary noble rank. Dingguo forms part of the family’s noble title, not necessarily the name of an independently governed territory. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736155_1_3').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736155_1_3', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); stood at the eastern end of Anxing Ward[4]A ward, or fang, was a named urban district in many historical Chinese cities. Its layout and administration varied by period. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736155_1_4').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736155_1_4', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });. For three generations, the Shen clan had been a family of meritorious nobles. In an age of turmoil, they had helped the founding emperor establish his dominion over the realm, and were granted the hereditary title of Duke of Dingguo.
The heir of the residence[5]In this noble household, the heir corresponds to a shizi, the designated successor to a hereditary family title, not the imperial crown prince. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736155_1_5').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736155_1_5', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, Shen Xiuyuan, had married Ming’an Commandery Princess[6]Commandery Princess, or junzhu, was a title for women of the imperial nobility, distinct from the title commonly translated as Imperial Princess. The precise rules of eligibility differed between … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736155_1_6').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736155_1_6', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); Xie Mingshu—the legitimate daughter[7]In a traditional elite Chinese household, this means a daughter of the principal wife rather than a concubine; maternal status mattered to family hierarchy and marriage alliances. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736155_1_7').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736155_1_7', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); of Grand Tutor[8]Grand Tutor, or Taifu, was a prestigious imperial-court title associated with advising or tutoring a ruler. Its duties and whether it was honorary varied by dynasty. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736155_1_8').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736155_1_8', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); Xie Yuan, the Empress Dowager[9]The Empress Dowager was a senior imperial widow, commonly the mother of the reigning emperor, whose formal standing in the court was especially high. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736155_1_9').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736155_1_9', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });’s own niece, and the emperor’s first cousin on his mother’s side.
The emperor himself had decreed their marriage.
The Xie and Shen families—one a civil house, the other a military one—had joined in a marriage alliance so grand that no one in the capital was unaware of it.
At the time, everyone said that Ming’an Commandery Princess was blessed with both beauty and talent, and possessed a noble status. For her to marry into the Duke of Dingguo’s Residence as the heir’s wife was truly a perfect match, a union between equals.
Yet now this peerlessly noble princess had been bedridden for many days.
Deep in the rear courtyard of the Duke of Dingguo’s Residence lay Yingxue Pavilion.
The heir had named the pavilion years ago, in preparation for welcoming his bride. White plum trees grew throughout its courtyard. In past years, when they bloomed, their sparse shadows crisscrossed and their delicate fragrance drifted through the air, lending the place an air of serene elegance.
Though the season of full bloom had passed, a few lingering plum blossoms still clung to the branches. Weighed down by the late snow, they drooped as if sighing on their mistress’s behalf.
Through the half-open window, a few maids and serving women could dimly be seen standing beneath the eaves. Worry showed on every face, but none dared speak above a whisper. They could only exchange anxious glances.
The woman on the bed lay on her side against a soft brocade pillow. A moon-white inner robe showed beneath a brocade quilt embroidered with curling lotus vines.
She was extraordinarily beautiful, with brows like distant mountains veiled in ink, lips like the first cherry blossoms of spring, and eyes that tilted slightly at the corners, giving her a bright, captivating charm.
But now, an untimely flush colored the cheeks of her usually composed, self-possessed face.
It was not the healthy flush of vigorous blood, but a bewitching, ominous brightness, like the last red leaf clinging to a branch after the first frost of late autumn. The more vivid its color, the closer it was to falling.
Her brows drew together faintly, and her lashes trembled as if she were tossing restlessly in a dream.
On a brocade stool beside the bed, her personal maid, Bai Zhi, was frantic with worry.
Bai Zhi had served the princess since childhood, and her bond with Xie Mingshu went beyond that of an ordinary mistress and maid.
She was neat and pretty, with a steady disposition. Usually, she handled everything with the utmost care and consideration. But now her almond-shaped eyes were swollen and red as peaches, her chin trembled, and she twisted her handkerchief tightly in her hands.
The steady drip of the copper clepsydra[10]A clepsydra is a water clock that measures time through the controlled movement of water; copper dripping-water clocks were used in historical China. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736155_1_10').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736155_1_10', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); rang through the silent night, each drop striking like a count toward some ending.
Bai Zhi could bear it no longer. She moved on her knees to the bedside and gently clasped Xie Mingshu’s hand where it lay outside the quilt.
It was cold to the touch—so cold that Bai Zhi’s heart clenched. At last, the tears she had held back for so long rolled down her cheeks.
She fought to suppress her sobs. Her voice was soft and trembling.
“Your Highness… Please hold on a little longer. His Highness Prince Jing[11]Jing is Xiao Heng’s princely title designation, not a surname. In imperial Chinese settings, a prince’s title did not necessarily mean that he independently ruled a territory. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736155_1_11').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736155_1_11', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); has dispatched a swift rider to carry a message to Jiangnan[12]Literally “south of the river,” Jiangnan commonly refers to the region south of the lower Yangtze River, though its historical boundaries varied. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736155_1_12').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736155_1_12', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); overnight. Divine Physician[13]“Divine Physician” is an honorific for an exceptionally skilled healer in Chinese fiction, not necessarily a claim of supernatural powers. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736155_1_13').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736155_1_13', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); Du’s skill is miraculous and will surely be enough to cure this poison. You only have to hold on for a few more days…”
Prince Jing, Xiao Heng, was the emperor’s full younger brother and Xie Mingshu’s younger first cousin through her paternal aunt.
When Prince Jing learned that his elder cousin was gravely ill, his residence dispatched its swiftest horsemen that very night to hurry to Jiangnan and seek Divine Physician Du.
That was not only the bond of royal blood, but also a reflection of the respect Prince Jing had always held for his cousin.
By the time she finished speaking, even Bai Zhi could hear how little conviction she had. Her voice weakened, and the end of her sentence faded into the haze of medicinal fumes.
Xie Mingshu had heard every word.
She slowly lifted her eyelids. Long illness had left her gaze somewhat unfocused, but it was still clear.
She saw Bai Zhi’s tear-streaked face and the fear and unwillingness shining in those bloodshot eyes. Her lips moved slightly, as if she wanted to smile and comfort the girl.
But she no longer had even that little strength.
She knew as clearly as a mirror that this body of hers would likely not last through the night.
Divine Physician Du was far away in Jiangnan. Even at a gallop, the journey there and back would take seven or eight days.
She would not live that long.
As her thoughts drifted, she recalled what had happened seven days earlier.
She had spent several months recuperating after giving birth. Though still somewhat weak, she had begun to recover.
Her baby, just past the hundred-day mark[14]A baby’s hundredth day is a traditional milestone in Chinese family life, sometimes celebrated with a banquet and blessings for the child’s health and longevity. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736155_1_14').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736155_1_14', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, was plump and fair, as lovely as a carved figurine—at the age when everyone wanted to cuddle him.
Every day, she watched him nurse and sleep peacefully. Though many worries still weighed on her, motherhood had softened her expression.
At dinner that evening, she remembered, there had been a plate of osmanthus yam cakes[15]Osmanthus is a fragrant flowering plant whose blossoms are used to scent Chinese sweets and teas. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736155_1_15').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736155_1_15', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, one of her usual favorites.
Not long after the meal, a faint pain began in her abdomen.
At first, she paid it no mind. There were all sorts of discomforts after childbirth, and an occasional stomachache was nothing unusual.
When the residence physician was summoned, the old doctor took her pulse and stroked his beard. He said her liver and stomach were out of balance[16]In traditional Chinese medicine, organ names can also represent broader systems of bodily functions, not only the corresponding anatomical organs. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736155_1_16').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736155_1_16', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); after childbirth, and that she had also caught the chill of early spring. It was nothing serious. He prescribed a medicine to restore her health and told her to rest properly.
Xie Mingshu took the medicine as prescribed for three days.
After three days, she had not improved. If anything, her condition had grown worse.
First the pain in her abdomen intensified; then her whole body grew weak, her limbs limp and sore, until even getting out of bed and walking became difficult.
On the night of the fourth day, she developed a high fever. Her face burned red, and she began to rave.
Bai Zhi panicked and sent someone straight to the Imperial Medical Academy[17]An institution of court physicians often called the Taiyiyuan, responsible for medical care within the imperial household. Its organization varied across dynasties. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736155_1_17').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736155_1_17', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); with a formal request for a physician. The Academy did not dare delay; that very night, they dispatched Imperial Physician Wang.
Imperial Physician Wang was a seasoned senior physician at the Imperial Medical Academy. He had spent decades treating the palace nobility and had seen every manner of difficult ailment.
Yet when he placed his fingertips against Xie Mingshu’s pulse, his usually composed, elderly face slowly changed color.
His brows knit into a deep furrow, and his fingers lingered at her pulse for a long while.
At last, he slowly withdrew his hand.
“Imperial Physician Wang,” Bai Zhi asked urgently, stepping forward, “how is our princess?”
Imperial Physician Wang did not answer at once.
He glanced at Xie Mingshu, half-reclining on the bed, then at the maids and serving women filling the room. In a grave voice, he said, “Please have everyone else leave. I have something important to report to Her Highness.”
Bai Zhi sent the others away and stood guard at the door herself.
Only Imperial Physician Wang and Xie Mingshu remained in the pavilion.
Imperial Physician Wang knelt on the footstool beside the bed and lowered his voice. “Your Highness, your pulse is slippery yet rough, floating on the surface but deep underneath[18]Traditional Chinese pulse diagnosis distinguishes qualities such as slippery or choppy and pulse depth such as floating or deep; these are categories within its own medical framework. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736155_1_18').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736155_1_18', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });. The signs of your qi and blood[19]In traditional Chinese medicine, qi is a concept of vital activity, while blood, or xue, is understood as a nourishing substance; these meanings are not identical to modern biomedical ones. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736155_1_19').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736155_1_19', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); failing have appeared with startling speed and for no clear reason. This is certainly not caused by an ordinary chill or an upset spleen and stomach.”
Xie Mingshu propped herself halfway up against a bolster. Her almond-shaped eyes were deep as a frozen pool as she gazed at him, showing little alarm.
Though her voice was weak, her words remained clear and steady. “What does it resemble?”
Imperial Physician Wang’s Adam’s apple bobbed. Fine beads of sweat had already formed on his forehead.
He had practiced medicine for decades and delivered bad news countless times, but none had ever been as difficult as this.
The woman before him was the only daughter of Grand Tutor Xie Yuan, the Empress Dowager’s own niece, and the emperor’s first cousin on his mother’s side.
Behind her stood the entire Xie family—and half the imperial house. Every word he spoke next could stir up a storm in court.
“It resembles… poisoning.”
At last, he said it aloud. “And this poison is most unusual. It is not among the substances commonly found in the Central Plains[20]The Central Plains, or Zhongyuan, refers broadly to the historical heartland of China, especially the Yellow River region; its geographical scope has varied. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736155_1_20').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736155_1_20', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });. This humble official is ashamed to admit that I cannot yet identify it. I can only tell that it is of a fiercely cold nature and is rapidly attacking Your Highness’s very foundations.”
Though Bai Zhi at the door had caught only a few indistinct words, she still drew in a sharp breath, her face turning instantly pale as paper.
Xie Mingshu’s hand, resting on the brocade quilt, curled slightly. Her fingertips were cold.
Poison.
She had actually been poisoned.
In the Duke of Dingguo’s Residence.
She was silent for a moment. That silence weighed more heavily than any words. Outside the pavilion, the wind swept stray snowflakes against the window lattice with a faint patter, like someone softly knocking at the door.
“Imperial Physician Wang, you have practiced medicine for decades and seen much. Do you have any suspicions?”
Imperial Physician Wang considered this for a moment.
His gaze flickered several times, as if he were weighing something. At last, he gritted his teeth.
“This humble official… once read a similar description in a fragmentary ancient book.” His voice dropped even lower, so low that only the two of them could hear. “In the Western Regions[21]The Western Regions, or Xiyu, was a historical Chinese term for lands to the west, often referring to the Tarim Basin and sometimes more widely to Central Asia. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736155_1_21').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736155_1_21', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, there is a rare poison called Yu Meiren.”
“This poison has neither color nor taste. Once added to food or drink, it is impossible to detect. At first, its symptoms resemble nothing more than a chill, making it easy to mistake for an ordinary illness.”
“But once it reaches the internal organs, it is like ice eating into the bones, drawing the body’s qi and blood out little by little until they are drained away. Its victim lies bedridden, withers day by day, and finally… dies, like a fading flower.”
He paused, then added one last thing. “The strangest thing about this poison is that its victim’s face does not grow haggard. On the contrary, it becomes increasingly rosy and radiant. Even at the very last moment, when the body is utterly spent, the victim still looks like a flower in full bloom. That is why people call it ‘Yu Meiren.’”
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