The doors of the hall were thrown open with a tremendous crash.
The same two guards from earlier rushed inside, seized Song Ying by the arms, and dragged her out without a word of explanation.
The guards here all wore iron masks that concealed their expressions, leaving only their eyes exposed.
Their gazes were icy cold. Song Ying needed only one glance to feel a shiver run through her.
She was quickly thrown into a side hall, and the door slammed shut behind her.
A heavy, musty smell immediately assaulted her nostrils, making Song Ying sneeze several times in succession.
Clearly, no one had lived in this side hall for a long time.
Song Ying forced herself to calm down and looked around.
Before her stood a folding screen decorated with landscapes, flowers, and birds. When she lightly brushed a fingertip across its surface, she left a clear streak through the dust.
Walking around the screen, she discovered a large wooden bathtub filled with steaming water. A neatly folded set of clothes had been placed beside it.
…Hot water.
Song Ying surveyed the room once more.
The side hall really was completely empty.
She suddenly realized that over the past few days, she hadn’t seen a single palace maid.
Even high-ranking eunuchs were few and far between. The palace seemed to be filled almost entirely with guards.
This imperial palace… had an indescribably sinister atmosphere.
Uneasiness welled up in her heart.
Not daring to dwell on it, Song Ying quickly stripped off her dirty clothes and slipped into the bathtub.
The warm water instantly enveloped her, its comforting heat seeping into her body.
It felt so wonderful that her scalp tingled.
Resting her arms along the rim of the tub, Song Ying closed her eyes and enjoyed the rising steam.
…She knew what Emperor Yongzhao was trying to do.
At first, he had ordered her to appear before him covered in blood.
Now, he had sternly commanded her to bathe and change her clothes.
One dirty, one clean…
Was he using her for a controlled experiment?!
Song Ying slowly sank to the bottom of the bathtub, allowing the warm water to cover her head.
But right now, even she herself had no idea what it was about her that could provide Emperor Yongzhao with mental guidance.
She tried hard to recall the details of the previous night.
Emperor Yongzhao had smeared Li Jingrong’s blood onto her face, yet those cold golden slit pupils hadn’t changed at all.
Today, she had been covered in even more blood than last night, but Emperor Yongzhao had quickly calmed down after seeing her.
The only difference between the two situations…
Was probably that most of today’s blood had dried on her clothes. Her actual body hadn’t come into direct contact with the blood.
…So, could it be that her very presence was enough to provide Emperor Yongzhao with mental guidance?
The possibility sent a jolt through Song Ying, and she burst up through the water.
Yes!
That had to be it!
What Emperor Yongzhao needed was her!
In an instant, all her fear and unease vanished, replaced entirely by an excited sense of calm.
Now that she had a plan in mind, Song Ying was no longer flustered.
After finishing her bath, she changed into a set of clothing appropriate for a palace maid—
A lotus-pink top paired with a peach-red ruqun skirt made her skin appear even more luminous and fair. A grass-green shawl draped across her shoulders, rather than looking out of place, gave her a refreshing appearance reminiscent of clear skies after a spring rain.
Earlier, when Song Ying had been dragged away by the guards, her hairstyle had become rather loose and disheveled.
So she arranged her hair into two flat buns that hung beside her ears.
In the mirror, the young girl had gently curved brows and bright eyes, making her appear especially delicate and harmless.
Song Ying blinked at her reflection in satisfaction.
That’s what you get for tormenting me, you bastard, and not letting me get a proper night’s sleep!
Fortunately, on the way back from the side hall to Wanchun Hall, the two guards didn’t drag her around again.
They merely followed silently behind her.
When Eunuch Runde, who was waiting outside the hall, saw Song Ying’s appearance, his eyes brightened for an instant.
Unlike before, Song Ying no longer cowered timidly.
She walked inside with an open, composed manner.
Then she performed a graceful curtsy.
“This servant pays her respects to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty enjoy lasting peace and good health.”
“Rise.”
Emperor Yongzhao’s voice echoed through the hall.
Song Ying had barely straightened up when a figure silently appeared before her.
Emperor Yongzhao was standing so close that she could clearly make out the embroidered patterns on his robes.
Despite herself, Song Ying instinctively tensed, her heart pounding wildly.
Last night, Emperor Yongzhao had become terribly agitated when she held her breath.
Could it be that the effectiveness of her mental guidance was somehow related to the rhythm of her breathing?
To test her theory, she drew in a deep breath.
Then, concentrating with all her might, she held it.
Emperor Yongzhao had sensed Song Ying’s presence the moment she entered the hall.
It was a fresh, plant-like fragrance.
Yet it wasn’t merely the raw, earthy scent of soil and grass. There was also a gentler, sweeter richness to it.
It was a fragrance that made his spirits feel lighter and more expansive, regardless of whether he was breathing it in.
Emperor Yongzhao could even sense that the oppressive atmosphere throughout Wanchun Hall had become fresh and lively from the instant Song Ying stepped inside.
Even the headache that had tormented him seemed to dissipate as the fragrance surrounded him.
But…
Why was it that the closer he got to her, the fainter that sweet fragrance became?
Emperor Yongzhao frowned slightly and bent forward.
His gaze fell upon her slender neck.
His nose came so close to the hollow of her neck that it almost touched her skin as he sniffed intently.
Some of the fragrance came from the faint scent of soapnuts lingering on her body after her bath…
But that soothing scent was barely discernible now, growing increasingly faint.
He had intended to move even closer and carefully distinguish the different fragrances.
However, when his gaze swept over Song Ying, he saw that she was standing as stiffly as a wooden post.
At the moment her shoulders began to tremble, Emperor Yongzhao seemed to sense that the faint fragrance was trembling along with her, becoming even thinner and more disordered.
Could it be… that the strength of this fragrance was also connected to her emotions?
The irritation he had suppressed earlier began surging back.
“You’re not allowed to be afraid!”
Emperor Yongzhao gritted his teeth, struggling to suppress the agitation threatening to erupt from within him, and barked the command angrily.
Song Ying had already been holding her breath for so long that she was almost at her limit.
Her chest felt increasingly tight from the lack of oxygen.
When he suddenly shouted at her, she was so startled that her entire body jerked, and the breath she had been holding escaped at once.
She began gasping for air, drawing fresh oxygen into her lungs.
Her eyes turned slightly red.
Emperor Yongzhao: …
Seeing her on the verge of being frightened to tears, Emperor Yongzhao felt the veins at his temples throbbing.
As she gasped for breath, that fragrance returned.
But it had become even more chaotic and muddled!
“Someone!” Emperor Yongzhao abruptly swept his sleeve and turned his back on her. “Take her to the western side hall.”
Song Ying understood.
The first round of testing was over, and it was time to change the variables.
This time, the iron-masked guards didn’t appear again.
Instead, Eunuch Runde personally escorted her there.
“Miss Song, please follow this old servant.”
After opening the doors, Eunuch Runde remained outside.
Once again, she was expected to enter alone.
Song Ying noticed that the way Eunuch Runde looked at her had changed slightly from the way he’d looked at her outside Wanchun Hall earlier.
The moment she stepped into the room, she understood why.
The entire room was filled with an intensely sweet fragrance.
It was an overpowering scent, as though nectar had been extracted from hundreds of the most richly fragrant flowers, mixed with an enormous amount of honey, and finally condensed into this concentrated sweetness.
It was so strong that it stung her nose, and so sweet that it was almost sickening.
The fragrance made Song Ying dizzy, and an irritating itch rose in her throat.
“Cough! Cough, cough, cough—”
She coughed so violently that tears nearly spilled from her eyes.
It took quite some time before Song Ying finally grew somewhat accustomed to the heavy, perfumed scent.
Emperor Yongzhao’s reaction in Wanchun Hall had already confirmed her suspicion.
—When she held her breath, the effectiveness of her mental guidance on him decreased dramatically.
So what new trick was this room, filled with an unfamiliar fragrance, supposed to be?
Did he want to see whether the strong perfume would conceal the scent coming from her body?
Or was he trying to test how stable the effects of her mental guidance would remain in environments filled with different fragrances?
Song Ying intended to test Emperor Yongzhao’s limits little by little.
She also wanted to use this opportunity to figure out the rules governing the mysterious fragrance emanating from her.
This time, she planned to breathe in short, shallow bursts and see how Emperor Yongzhao would react under this new condition.
She knelt beside the door and quietly waited for Emperor Yongzhao to arrive.
*
Outside the western side hall.
Any strong incense or perfume could easily awaken the restless urges lurking within Emperor Yongzhao.
He knew this better than anyone.
That was why the use of all incense and fragrant substances had been explicitly forbidden throughout the imperial palace.
The specially prepared incense in the western side hall had only been obtained because he had personally ordered it to be secretly brought in from outside the palace by express riders.
Eunuch Runde naturally understood what the emperor was attempting.
Even standing outside the hall, he could already smell the fragrance.
And naturally, he also understood just how dangerous His Majesty’s actions were.
This was no different from gambling with his own life!
He cautiously raised his eyes, only to discover that Emperor Yongzhao’s expression was perfectly normal, without the slightest trace of agitation.
Emperor Yongzhao silently closed his eyes.
An unfamiliar, heavily perfumed fragrance flooded his nostrils.
In the past, a fragrance this strong would have immediately driven him into an uncontrollable frenzy.
But today, he could sense the perfume seeping into his body, attempting to awaken the violent agitation buried deep within his bones and blood.
Concentrating carefully, he distinguished something else mixed into that overwhelming sweetness.
A faint trace of cool, refreshing fragrance.
That refreshing scent diluted the cloying sweetness and suppressed his restless urges, instantly soothing the torment that had been entrenched in his heart.
Emperor Yongzhao slowly exhaled.
The irritation was still there, but it was no longer the kind of violent frenzy that robbed him of his reason.
The fragrance itself hadn’t changed.
Yet he… could actually tolerate it.
He wasn’t forcing himself to endure it.
He was genuinely calm, having been soothed.
Although he had planned many more tests, what had happened so far was already enough for him to understand—
It was this person’s very presence that soothed him.
But how utterly absurd!
And how incredibly bizarre!
Such an ability was actually attached to a living body of flesh and blood…
Then how was he supposed to control it?
Emperor Yongzhao’s eyes darkened.
Anything he couldn’t control represented an unpredictable variable.
If she harbored malicious intentions, or if someone threatened and exploited her…
“Summon the Director of the Imperial Medical Bureau.”
Emperor Yongzhao’s voice suddenly turned severe.
With that command, he turned and walked away without sparing another glance at the western side hall.
For now, he could only place his hopes in those old fellows at the Imperial Medical Bureau.
He wanted them to investigate exactly what was so unusual about Song Ying’s constitution.
And more importantly, where in this vast world could he find a second person like her?!
The entire Imperial Medical Bureau turned out in force, surrounding Song Ying so completely that there was hardly any room to move.
It wasn’t until dusk that Director Zhang finally arrived outside Wanchun Hall.
“Director Zhang, His Majesty summons you for an audience.”
Upon hearing this, Director Zhang’s legs nearly gave way, and he almost dropped to his knees.
Wanchun Hall?
Even a high-ranking eunuch serving directly before the emperor, someone like Eunuch Runde, could only wait respectfully outside the hall unless His Majesty explicitly summoned him inside!
What qualifications did a mere Director of the Imperial Medical Bureau like himself possess to receive such an honor…?
“Eunuch, th-this… I’m afraid this isn’t in accordance with palace regulations…”
Eunuch Runde reassured him.
“Don’t worry. His Majesty has issued the order himself. You need only go inside.”
Despite those reassuring words, Director Zhang’s heart continued pounding anxiously.
At noon, His Majesty had suddenly summoned him and ordered him to lead every imperial physician in the Imperial Medical Bureau to examine a young woman’s pulse.
The emperor had merely said that her constitution was unusual.
Yet their entire group had surrounded the young woman, examining her appearance, listening and smelling, questioning her, and taking her pulse.
They had spent nearly four hours putting her through one examination after another, but still couldn’t figure out what was unusual about her.
The woman’s pulse was steady and strong, her qi and blood were abundant, and the condition of her spleen and stomach was so excellent that it was almost astonishing.
Forget complicated or difficult-to-treat illnesses.
She didn’t even show the slightest sign of an ordinary minor ailment!
If there really was something unusual about her, shouldn’t there at least be some symptom that distinguished her from an ordinary person?
Upon entering Wanchun Hall, Director Zhang bowed deeply with his head lowered and carefully reported Song Ying’s pulse readings and physical condition.
Emperor Yongzhao patiently listened to the long, tedious report, which was filled with redundant and empty information.
By the end, the only phrases left in his mind were “perfectly healthy,” “balanced constitution,” and “excellent digestion.”
It was like throwing another handful of firewood onto the flames of his already unbearable frustration!
In truth, ever since returning from the western side hall, Emperor Yongzhao had already begun contemplating murder.
Being able to cure the strange illness that had tormented him for so many years was certainly important.
But—
He would never be foolish enough to drink poison simply to quench his thirst.
If something was medicine, then it ought to be used as medicine, rather than existing as a living, breathing person.
As long as she was human, she would remain a vulnerability that could turn against him at any moment.
Wouldn’t that mean living in constant fear from then on?!
Rather than risk being controlled by someone else in the future, it would be better to eliminate her with his own hands right now and put an end to the threat once and for all!
But…
To destroy such a precious remedy, seemingly bestowed upon him through Heaven’s mercy, was something Emperor Yongzhao truly couldn’t bear to do.
Kill her or keep her alive.
The benefits and the risks.
Suddenly, an idea occurred to him.
A solution that would allow him to have it both ways.
“My esteemed physician, all things in this world can be used as medicine. Plants and trees can be made into remedies, and so can birds and beasts.”
Emperor Yongzhao’s gaze was dark and unfathomable, carrying a bone-chilling coldness.
“Then… if a living person were to be used as a medicinal catalyst, how should that person be prepared?”