Chapter 131: The Incident

Everyone in the hall was focused intently on Consort Diexiang’s dance. Emperor Zhou stared unblinkingly, his eyes nearly popping out of his head.

The woman was only in her early twenties; her movements were graceful and light, and she carried a rich fragrance. As she swayed, the entire palace became filled with the scent. The musicians struck the strings and bells with even greater vigor. As the drumbeats reached a crescendo, Consort Diexiang suddenly crouched down, freezing in a glamorous pose.

Below the stage, a young eunuch had been waiting with a large chest. Seeing the moment was right, he unlocked the small door. Instantly, dozens of colorful butterflies swarmed out, drawing gasps of wonder from the crowd!

Some butterflies flew away, but many more circled around Consort Diexiang. The scene was like a fairyland. The crowd fell silent; for a moment, only the sound of the music echoed through the rafters.

Fearing a stray butterfly might fly into his wine, Pei Yuan threw a handkerchief over his cup, then chuckled and began to clap.

He thought to himself that Bao Ning was truly clever and sharp—how did she think to design such a dance? It was spectacular. Empress Gao was already jealous of Consort Diexiang’s youth and favor; now that this fire had been stoked, she would surely be even more resentful.

Pei Yuan glanced over. Indeed, Empress Gao wore an expression of displeasure, forcing a smile as she clapped along. Privately, she was grinding her teeth, cursing under her breath, “Slut! Vixen!”

Pei Xiao was not present. Gao Feihe sat beside Empress Gao, attending to her. Seeing this, she hurried to rub the Empress’s back, but her mind drifted back to what her advisor, Sun Xingye, had told her before she left this morning.

Sun Xingye had been planted by Pei Xiao at her side; Gao Feihe knew this well and did not trust him. However, the “Small Fragrance Pills” he produced were extremely effective, so she held him in some regard. Occasionally, she would listen if he said something useful.

For example, this morning, Sun Xingye had advised her to present these pills to Empress Gao. What woman didn’t love beauty and fragrance? The Empress would surely be delighted and reward her.

Gao Feihe was originally unwilling. She wasn’t that generous; a thing is valued for its rarity. If every woman in the harem became like Consort Diexiang, what would be special about it? She wanted to keep it for herself; there was no need to use such a precious thing to flatter her aunt. But now… she had misspoken in the afternoon and incensed the Empress. Their relationship had cracked, and she was desperate to repair it.

While Gao Feihe was still hesitating, the maid beside her, Yinling, spoke up first, as if seeking credit: “Does Your Majesty not know? Some time ago, His Highness acquired a new advisor named Sun. He possesses a secret ancient recipe for medicinal pills that, when taken, fragrance the body. Mr. Sun speculated that Consort Diexiang might have achieved her current scent by taking these pills for years. Our Crown Princess has been taking them, and she already has a faint fragrance. If Your Majesty doesn’t believe it, you can take a whiff.”

Gao Feihe was stunned. She snapped her head toward the maid named Yinling and realized in an instant: this girl must have been bribed by Sun Xingye to speak up for him, hoping to help him climb the ladder to Empress Gao.

The Empress’s interest was indeed piqued. She pulled Gao Feihe’s wrist to her nose and nodded: “There truly is a scent.”

She said reproachfully, “You girl, really now—keeping such a good thing to yourself. You should have told your aunt.”

Gao Feihe smiled awkwardly and said, “Aunt, this is the first time I’ve seen such a thing. I didn’t dare offer it to you rashly for fear of harming your health, so I tried it myself. Now that I feel it’s good, I planned to give it to you when I returned tonight. I didn’t expect this quick-tongued girl to beat me to it.” Gao Feihe shot a secret glare at Yinling.

The Empress asked, “Do you have it with you? Let me see.”

Gao Feihe said repeatedly, “I have it, I have it.” The pills were taken once in the morning and once in the evening. Fearing she would miss the time, she always kept them with her attending maid, Yinling.

Yinling respectfully brought out the medicine bottle. The Empress scrutinized it, asking skeptically, “Does it really work?”

Gao Feihe was beyond reluctant, but under pressure, she could only force a smile: “It works.”

Yinling chimed in: “Mr. Sun said that if taken with wine, the efficacy is even better.”

Gao Feihe frowned and glared at her: “I’ve never heard of that.”

Yinling murmured, “I only heard Mr. Sun mention it by chance.” She was saying exactly what Sun Xingye had taught her.

Sun Xingye had promised her that if she did this well, he would petition the Prince to release her from her bond of servitude and send her out of the manor to be married. Yinling was already nineteen; her greatest hope was to marry soon. Since Sun Xingye just wanted to show his face before the Empress and it wasn’t a capital crime, she agreed. After all, if she missed this chance, she would likely grow old and die in the manor as a withered old nanny.

The Empress laughed, “We happen to have wine right here. It’s about time for Feihe to take her medicine anyway, isn’t it? Why not try it now?”

She was already tempted by the pill, but she was still worried about whether eating it would cause trouble. Since Gao Feihe was there, letting her take one with wine would serve as a test. If she was fine, the Empress would immediately ask Pei Xiao for the recipe.

Gao Feihe naturally agreed. She took the pill from Yinling and picked up a cup of wine. For some reason, her heart suddenly began to race, as if something bad was about to happen. With the Empress’s eyes fixed on her, Gao Feihe forced another smile, put the pill in her mouth, and swallowed it with the wine.

Pei Yuan watched the entire exchange. He narrowed his eyes, returned his gaze to the high stage, and continued to lazily clap and drink.

Consort Diexiang was nearly finished with her dance.

Gao Feihe thought she might be drunk. Otherwise, why was her head hurting more and more, and why did her eyes feel so hot? She blinked and wiped her eyelids with her hand. They felt wet. When she looked at her hand, it was covered in bright red blood!

“Ah!”

Consort Diexiang’s dance pose froze at the final moment. A sudden scream erupted below the stage, and everyone scrambled to look. Gao Feihe stood at her seat in terror, her face and hand covered in blood. Beside her, Empress Gao was stunned, but once she reacted, she shouted: “Call the imperial physicians, quickly!”

As her voice fell, Gao Feihe suffered a sudden, violent convulsion and collapsed, writhing on the floor.

Pei Yuan watched coldly and drained the last drop of wine from his cup.

In the Palace of Eternal Autumn, Bao Ning watched the Empress plant flowers under the moonlight. The sulfur powder from the Imperial Academy of Medicine had been brought. Following the method Bao Ning described, the Empress dug up the autumn chrysanthemums by the roots and set them aside, mixing the flower soil with a small amount of sulfur.

Even outside, the Empress insisted on lighting that plate of red sandalwood incense. The smell made Bao Ning drowsy; she could hardly keep her eyes open.

Bao Ning couldn’t help but ask, “Does Your Majesty like this incense so much?”

“Yes,” the Empress replied. “I’ve smelled it for over ten years; I can’t quit it now. The scent is comforting; it calms my heart.” The Empress tilted her head. “Does Bao Ning not like it?”

Bao Ning smiled. “It’s not that I don’t like it; it just feels a bit strange.”

The Empress said, “You young people probably aren’t used to it.” She instructed the old nanny, “Move the incense a bit further away.”

The packet of sulfur powder was placed very close to the incense burner. When the old nanny went to move the burner, Bao Ning helped move the paper packet. But as her eyes caught it, she noticed something strange. Fearing she had misseen, she held the packet up to her eyes. Now she was certain: among the pale yellow powder, there were tiny red granules, resembling the color of low-grade cinnabar.

She recognized it; that substance was called cinnabar.

But how could cinnabar be mixed into sulfur powder? The people at the Imperial Academy of Medicine wouldn’t make such an oversight.

Upon further thought, Bao Ning’s heart skipped a beat. In an instant, a layer of cold sweat broke out on her forehead.

The Empress noticed the change in her expression and asked with concern, “Bao Ning, what’s wrong?”

Bao Ning recalled when she first started studying medicine with Auntie Ming. She had learned about a substance that was both a medicine and a poison: mercury. Auntie Ming told her that its medicinal properties were very potent and it was mainly used for disinfection. If someone had lice, applying a bit would kill them all overnight. If a pregnant woman had a stillbirth, taking some mercury could quickly expel the fetus.

But in the hands of a villain, this was not medicine—it was a deadly poison.

Mercury is colorless and odorless, making it undetectable. It is a patient poison that, over time, tortures a person invisibly.

At the time, she had asked casually: if it’s colorless and odorless, how can one tell? Auntie Ming told her that when mercury and sulfur are put together and meet fire, they turn into red cinnabar.

Bao Ning stared at the incense burner. The smoke rose in curls, drifting into strange shapes with the wind.

The Empress and the old nanny looked at each other in confusion. Just as they were about to ask more, Bao Ning said, “Your Majesty, I don’t like this incense. It makes me dizzy. Can we get rid of it?”

Bao Ning nervously tugged at the Empress’s sleeve, acting spoiled in a forced manner.

She didn’t dare say directly: Your Majesty, it seems someone added mercury to the incense to harm you. Since this poisonous incense had been burning in the Palace of Eternal Autumn for years, there must be a mole for the villain within the palace. Revealing it rashly might alert the enemy or even put them both in danger.

Bao Ning’s palms were sweating. She kept thinking: What should I do?

Pei Yuan was still at the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Calculating the time, the incident on his end should have already started; he wouldn’t be able to come. But in the Palace of Eternal Autumn, Bao Ning didn’t know who to trust. Even in the entire Imperial Palace, good and bad people were mixed together… Bao Ning thought that perhaps she should suppress her doubts for now and just ensure the Empress stopped using the incense. She would wait until she saw Pei Yuan tomorrow to handle the rest.

Unaware of the turmoil in her mind, the Empress looked at how Bao Ning was leaning softly and obediently against her shoulder. She found it adorable and was ready to agree to anything. “Alright,” she replied.

Bao Ning continued to plant flowers with the Empress.

Her mind was a mess. She was worried about Pei Yuan’s situation and wondering who wanted to harm the Empress. She was so distracted that she failed to hear the Empress speak to her several times.

Suddenly, a girl’s voice came from behind: “Your Majesty, Princess, you must be tired. The kitchen just made some snacks. I’ve brought them for you to try. They are small mushroom cakes.”

The old nanny beside the Empress took them with a smile, saying, “Taoxian is very thoughtful.”

Bao Ning looked up. Taoxian bowed to her and smiled shyly. She looked about thirteen or fourteen, even younger than Bao Ning.

The Empress explained to her, “One year when we went to the summer palace to escape the heat, I saw this little girl on the road. She was nearly starving to death. I saw that she was bright and pretty and couldn’t bear to let her suffer outside, so I brought her back to the palace. In the blink of an eye, seven years have passed, and little Taoxian has grown up.”

Bao Ning said, “Your Majesty is kind-hearted.”

The Empress smiled and pushed the small plate toward her. “You eat first. I’ll wait a bit.”

Taoxian was already walking away, but hearing the Empress say this, her steps suddenly faltered.

She hesitated for a moment, then turned back and said with concern, “Your Majesty, the mushroom cakes should be eaten while they are hot. If they get cold, they will have a fishy smell.”

“Oh, is that so?” After hearing this, the Empress wiped her hands with a handkerchief and picked up a piece with her chopsticks, blowing on it. “Alright, then I’ll eat now.”

Taoxian smiled and curtsied. The old nanny said the girl’s body was weak and she shouldn’t be in the wind, ushering her back to rest. Taoxian had no choice but to leave. Bao Ning was now full of suspicion, viewing everyone as a potential villain. She stared at Taoxian’s retreating back, feeling her gait was stiff and nervous—something was odd. Could there be something wrong with the cakes?

But then she thought: what thief would have the audacity to openly poison the Empress in her own palace?

It was almost impossible.

Her hands moved faster than her thoughts. A nerve snapped in Bao Ning’s brain. she reached out to stop the Empress: “Your Majesty, look, are there insects on these cakes?”

The Empress stopped as expected, looking closely in surprise: “Are there?”

Bao Ning said firmly, “There are.”

She snatched the cake from the Empress’s chopsticks and tossed it onto the table. “This can’t be eaten.”

“Then I won’t eat it for now.” The Empress went back to fiddling with her flowers. “I wasn’t hungry anyway. I’ll finish what’s in my hands first.”

Bao Ning smiled. “Then may I try one first?”

The Empress nodded, and Bao Ning thanked her, taking a small bite behind her handkerchief. The palace chefs were indeed skilled; the crust was crispy, and the mushroom filling inside was fresh and tender. As it sat on her tongue, there was a sweet juice. After swallowing, Bao Ning judged it internally: it seemed there was no poison.

She relaxed slightly. Out of courtesy, she finished the piece she had bitten before putting down her chopsticks.

The Empress was so absorbed in her autumn chrysanthemums that she had long forgotten about the cakes. Bao Ning stayed by her side to watch. At first, everything was fine, but as she watched, she felt something wrong with her body. Was she hallucinating? Whenever her gaze shifted even slightly, she felt dizzy. The sky, the earth, and the plants before her all turned into a dazzling blue-purple.

Looking closely, there were little dancing people everywhere—dancing on the petals, running on the ground, wiggling their hips on her knees. Some could even fly, trying to crawl into her ears…

Bao Ning’s heart began to race uncontrollably. It wasn’t that she was nervous; it was as if her heart had a life of its own, thumping violently. Her face turned red. In her trance, it felt as though she were walking on cotton, about to fly away.

Jianshouqing! (The “See-Hand-Blue” mushroom). These words suddenly popped into her head.

Bao Ning realized that the cake was indeed not “poisonous” in the traditional sense. What was toxic was the mushroom inside—a type of poisonous mushroom from the deep mountains of the southwest. it wouldn’t kill a person; it only caused hallucinations.

If an ordinary person ate it, they would recover after suffering for three or four days.

But if the Empress ate it… she already suffered from a mental illness. Under the double effect, she might have an episode and do something extreme.

From the corner of her eye, Bao Ning caught a glimpse of Taoxian.

She was standing behind the half-closed door, hands clasped together, looking somewhat anxious. Bao Ning suddenly understood the person’s goal: they wanted to use the Empress’s hand to commit a crime against her! She couldn’t stay in the Palace of Eternal Autumn any longer. But where could she go?

After thinking it through, Bao Ning came up with the simplest solution—find an imperial physician.

By claiming to be ill and asking for several physicians, no matter how long the culprit’s reach was, they couldn’t control every physician in the Imperial Academy of Medicine, nor would they dare to commit a crime openly. As long as there were many outsiders, the person would have scruples, and they would be safe.

Bao Ning’s head grew dizzier. More and more little people appeared before her eyes like a swarm of dancing butterflies. She took a deep breath, grabbed the Empress’s hand beside her, and smiled. “Your Majesty, shall we go inside for a while? I have some heartfelt words I wish to share with you.”

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