“You’re saying the Princess is poisoned?” In the Commandery Princess’s bedroom, the maid called Qiong Ying’s expression suddenly changed: “Impossible!”
The other maid, Fang Zi, mumbled: “The Princess’s daily items are all carefully inspected by us. Fearing someone might tamper with them, we don’t even use fragrances, only fruits and flowers to scent the room. As for food and drink, we eat and live with the Princess. Neither I nor Qiong Ying have had any reactions, how could the Princess be poisoned…”
Lu Tong remained silent.
Poison wasn’t something that had to be administered through fragrances or food. For those with ill intent, opportunities could be found anywhere.
She looked at the black mark on Pei Yunzhu’s wrist. “It seems the Princess has been poisoned for some time now.”
Pei Yunzhu was thunderstruck, her face draining of all color as she looked up at Lu Tong, speaking in a daze: “Doctor Lu, this poison…”
“Without identifying what kind of poison it is, I cannot treat the Princess,” Lu Tong said.
Pei Yunzhu’s body trembled. Fang Zi quickly moved forward to support her, anxiously speaking: “Doctor, my Princess, being heavy with child, rarely leaves her room. There were no signs before this, and the Imperial Physicians who visit regularly never discovered any problems – how could she be poisoned?”
Lu Tong pondered for a moment, then asked: “When did the Princess first notice symptoms of neck swelling, fever and sweating, darkened skin, and abdominal rash?”
Pei Yunzhu thought for a moment before softly answering: “About two months ago.”
“In these two months, has the Princess gone anywhere?”
“No.”
Lu Tong said: “The poison showed symptoms two months ago, yet the Imperial Physicians didn’t discover it. The symptoms all appear to be common signs of late pregnancy. Whoever administered the poison was very careful. It must have been accumulated gradually – the Princess had been exposed to the poison early on, and it only showed effects after accumulating for some time.”
She turned to look at Fang Zi: “Now tell me everything about the Princess’s daily routine, no matter how small, don’t leave anything out.”
Hearing this, Fang Zi nervously recalled for a moment before saying: “The Princess rises around 9-11 AM daily. After breakfast, she takes a walk in the courtyard. During the recent hot days, she didn’t go outside, spending her days reading, playing the qin, and drawing flower patterns. After becoming heavy with child, she grew fond of sleeping, taking an afternoon nap, and retiring before 9-11 PM…”
“We take all three meals with the Princess, and we have our kitchen in the courtyard – no one can poison the food.”
Lu Tong frowned slightly.
Since Fang Zi was so certain no one could poison the food, there probably wasn’t an issue there. Pei Yunzhu’s daily routine sounded remarkably simple, as clear to see as her bedroom.
Reading, playing the qin, drawing flower patterns…
Lu Tong walked a few steps into the outer room, her gaze falling on the ancient qin covered with silver gauze. She paused, walked forward, and lifted the gauze covering the instrument.
The ancient qin was dark and profound, like a piece of clear, cold wood. Lu Tong didn’t recognize what kind of qin it was, but merely ran her hand lightly across its surface.
Qiong Ying had just followed out to see this scene and said: “The Imperial Physicians said listening to peaceful music would make the child in the womb happy, so the Princess plays a tune or two every day.” Seeing Lu Tong motionless, she cautiously asked, “Is there something wrong with the qin?”
Lu Tong withdrew her hand: “No.”
The qin was clean, without any trace of poison. Not just the qin – Pei Yunzhu’s entire bedroom was clean. As her maid had said, fearing trouble, they didn’t even keep incense burners, only placing fruits and flowers for fragrance.
Lu Tong’s gaze swept across the room’s furnishings, pausing suddenly when it reached the table.
Not far from where the qin was placed, on a low table, sat a pair of small clay dolls.
These clay dolls were made with exquisite craftsmanship, brightly colored, painted to show children holding lotus pods, and covered with red and green gauze. The dolls were lifelike, their clothes inlaid with pearls, gold, and ivory pendants, appearing quite valuable.
Lu Tong started – Mocailuo dolls?
She knew about Mocailuo dolls. During the Qixi Festival in the Liang Dynasty, street vendors would sell such figurines. People used Mocailuo dolls to make offerings to the Cowherd and Weaver Girl, praying for male children and abundant offspring.
When she was in Changwu County, she had seen people selling them during the Qixi Festival when out with her family, but these dolls, though small, were expensive, so she could only look.
Pei Yunzhu’s room was simple and elegant, with only this pair of bright and exquisite dolls seeming out of place.
Lu Tong reached out, picked up one of the dolls, and held it to her nose for a gentle sniff. Her brow suddenly twitched.
Qiong Ying: “What’s wrong?”
Lu Tong’s expression turned cold. She gripped the doll tightly and turned back into the inner room.
In the inner room, Pei Yunzhu and Fang Zi were startled to see Lu Tong enter with the Mocailuo doll. Pei Yunzhu said: “This…”
Without a word, Lu Tong walked to the table, quickly stripped off the doll’s elaborate clothing, took up the scissors from the table, and scraped a thin layer of clay from the doll’s surface, pouring the powder into a teacup on the tea tray.
The old kiln porcelain cup still had half a cup of tea in it. When the clay powder was poured in, it immediately became murky. Lu Tong took out a gold needle and stirred the water. Yin Zheng, standing behind her, let out a shocked cry.
The originally gleaming gold needle had suddenly turned black at its tip.
“There’s poison on this?” Pei Yunzhu cried out, frozen in place.
Her lips trembling, face terrifyingly pale, “This is… Mu Sheng gave this to me, how could he poison his child…”
No matter how cold the Commandery Prince was toward her, that was between husband and wife, but the child in her womb was Mu Sheng’s flesh and blood – he had no reason to harm the child.
Yet these Mocailuo dolls were indeed given to her by Mu Sheng. Because of their auspicious meaning of “many sons and much fortune,” and finding the dolls exquisite and lovely, she had kept them, playing with them daily, never imagining these dolls harbored deadly poison!
As Pei Yunzhu swayed unsteadily, Lu Tong stood at the table, staring intently at the doll in her hand, her eyes ice-cold.
The doll, stripped of its decorative clothing, still retained its painted features, holding an unopened lotus pod, its long eyes curved like crescent moons.
For an instant, those ink-drawn smiling eyes overlapped with another pair of long, beautiful eyes.
Yun Niang’s smiling voice echoed in her mind.
“I once made a poison. This poison is colorless and odorless, easily dissolving in paint. When pregnant women are exposed to it, at first there’s no reaction. Gradually, they develop fever, their skin darkens, and after a few months, their neck and shoulders begin to swell. When the time comes, there may be signs of abdominal pain and bleeding – this means the poison has entered the fetus, a sign of maturity.”
“But that’s not the most interesting part.”
She smiled and said: “The most interesting thing is that even so, the fetus in the poisoned person’s womb still appears stable. Even if doctors examine it, they’ll only think these symptoms are normal pregnancy signs. Taking medicine to stabilize the pregnancy will only let the poison seep deeper. When the full ten months come, a stillborn child will be delivered, but the mother will be unharmed.”
“That’s why this poison is called ‘Child’s Sorrow.'”
Child’s Sorrow…
No wonder she had felt something strange when she first saw Pei Yunzhu’s symptoms – many years ago, she had already heard Yun Niang mention this poison.
Seeing Lu Tong’s grave expression, Fang Zi carefully asked: “Doctor, do you know what poison this is?”
“Yes.”
Fang Zi brightened: “That’s wonderful! Please help our Princess detoxify quickly!”
Silence fell.
Pei Yunzhu looked at the silent Lu Tong, her heart gradually sinking. “Doctor…”
“There is no cure,” Lu Tong said softly. “This poison has no antidote.”
The Mocailuo doll in her hand smiled with curved eyes, as if through its cheerful painted face she could see Yun Niang’s curved lips.
The woman had said: “I only make poisons, why would I care about antidotes? Once this poison enters the body, it’s like a seedling taking root, parasitizing the fetus. Neither medicine nor acupuncture can alleviate its toxicity. Like a newly growing tree, you can only watch it slowly wither, helpless.”
“Little Seventeen,” she had smiled joyfully, “this is the meaning of making poison.”
“Doctor!”
Pei Yunzhu suddenly raised her head, ignoring Fang Zi’s restraint and insisting on getting down, trembling as she tried to kneel before Lu Tong. Lu Tong instinctively stepped forward to support her, but Pei Yunzhu grabbed her hand.
Pei Yunzhu gripped Lu Tong’s hand tightly, those frail hands seeming to possess endless strength. She stared at Lu Tong, her gaze full of despair and pleading, her voice choked with emotion.
“Doctor,” she cried hoarsely, “please… save my child!”
“Princess—” Fang Zi and Qiong Ying exclaimed.
But Pei Yunzhu insisted on not getting up, looking at Lu Tong as if she were the only hope in a dead end.
Lu Tong’s heart shook.
She could see the unwavering light in Pei Yunzhu’s eyes – she had said “child” rather than “myself.”
For some reason, she suddenly remembered what Ke Chengxing’s servant Wan Fu had told her in the teahouse.
Wan Fu had said that her sister Lu Rou was found to be with child before her death.
She couldn’t know what Lu Rou had thought upon learning of her pregnancy, but at this moment, she seemed to see her sister’s shadow in Pei Yunzhu.
They had both been harmed while pregnant, but the difference was that her sister hadn’t lived to see anyone come to her rescue, surrounded by wolves and tigers, dying alone in the cold pool water.
Pei Yunzhu’s tears fell one by one as Fang Zi and Qiong Ying softly consoled her: “Princess, don’t cry, the Imperial Physician will arrive soon, there must be a way…”
Lu Tong closed her eyes briefly.
Don’t be soft-hearted.
Can’t be soft-hearted.
The situation in the Commandery Prince’s manor was complex and intricate. As an outsider, rashly getting involved would surely bring trouble. If Pei Yunzhu survived, she had already revealed the truth about the Princess’s poisoning and would inevitably earn the poisoner’s hatred. If anything happened to Pei Yunzhu, it would be worse – as a mere commoner drew into this, she would only become a target for retaliation, dying alongside the Commandery Princess.
Moreover, “Child’s Sorrow” was truly an incurable poison. Yun Niang never lied – if she said there was no antidote, there was no antidote. Pei Yunzhu had been poisoned for a long time; even if the child were delivered now, it had already been nourished by accumulated poison and might not survive.
She had a blood debt to settle, her great revenge still unfulfilled. She shouldn’t put herself in danger for the affairs of others – she needed to preserve her life for more important matters.
That’s right, this was how it should be.
Pei Yunzhu’s weeping beside her was filled with anger and helplessness, hiding an indescribable desolation.
Lu Tong opened her eyes and suddenly spoke: “It’s useless.”
The crying in the room abruptly stopped.
She said coldly: “As the Princess said, Imperial Physicians have visited many times before but failed to detect any poison, let alone treat it. Moreover, this poison doesn’t harm the mother, it exclusively damages the fetus. The Princess has been poisoned for many days – today’s bleeding is a sign that the poison has matured. The more pregnancy-stabilizing medicine the Princess drinks, the deeper the poison takes root, achieving the opposite effect.”
Pei Yunzhu looked at Lu Tong: “Doctor, you have a way, don’t you?”
Lu Tong lowered her eyelids.
The black mark on Pei Yunzhu’s arm had spread to her elbow. Soon, when it completely crossed the joint, the child in her womb would have no chance of survival.
Yun Niang said this poison had no cure – no cure after it had fully taken effect. But if it could be stopped before the poison fully activated, there might be a slim chance.
“Doctor,” Pei Yunzhu crawled forward a few steps, grabbing the hem of her skirt. Despite this humble posture, those clear eyes burned bright, as if grasping all hope. “Please save my child—”
The room remained silent for a long time.
Just as the light in Pei Yunzhu’s eyes was gradually dying, Lu Tong spoke.
“There is one method we can try.”
Pei Yunzhu’s eyes brightened.
Lu Tong turned her head, staring at her as she spoke each word deliberately.
“Induced labor.”
……
In a small room, Meng Xiyan stood before a flower table, arranging autumn flowers one by one into a blue-glazed vase beside her.
The maid entered and reported: “The people in the Princess’s quarters say that after taking the pregnancy-stabilizing medicine, she’s much better now. That Doctor Lu is helping to regulate and comfort her condition – there should be no major problems.”
Meng Xiyan smiled, gently picking up the silver scissors from the basket, carefully trimming excess branches while saying: “The Princess is truly blessed by heaven, always turning misfortune into fortune.”
The maid dared not speak.
With the excess branches trimmed away, the arranged flowers showed pleasing variations in height and rhythm. As Meng Xiyan examined them, a satisfied smile slowly spread across her red lips.
Unsightly things should be cleanly cut away.
Just like the bastard child in Pei Yunzhu’s womb.
Meng Xiyan’s expression turned icy.
That poison called “Child’s Sorrow” was given to her by her cousin, a palace consort.
At that time, Pei Yunzhu had just been diagnosed as pregnant, and the entire Commandery Prince’s manor was extremely lively. The Commandery Prince, who had always neglected Pei Yunzhu, unexpectedly began showing concern for her well-being. Even the lowly servants in the manor started following suit, all eagerly trying to curry favor with Pei Yunzhu.
Meng Xiyan was consumed with hatred, followed by worry about her future. If Pei Yunzhu bore a son, he would be the heir to the Commandery Prince’s manor. Even if Meng Xiyan later bore children, Pei Yunzhu and her son would always remain above her.
No matter how favored she was, she was still just a secondary consort. That seemingly aloof Princess would likely soon rise in status through her son.
With this weighing on her mind, it showed on her face when she visited the palace, and her cousin, a palace consort, noticed and asked what was wrong.
Meng Xiyan then revealed all her worries. After listening, her cousin instead laughed.
“I thought something serious was troubling you this much, but it’s just a pregnancy. There are so many pregnant consorts in the palace, but how many give birth? And of those who do, how many children grow up safely? Nothing is certain yet – why are you defeating yourself first?”
Meng Xiyan grew frustrated. “Your Highness doesn’t understand. I’d like to do something, but Pei Yunzhu is extremely careful with her food and daily items now – I can’t find an opportunity to act. Moreover, she is the daughter of the Marquis of Zhaoning. If anything goes wrong, it might be difficult to handle.” She looked probingly at her cousin. “Perhaps Your Highness could show me a clear path?”
Her cousin also needed family support in the palace. With the Commandery Prince’s favor, the Commandery Prince’s manor could stand with her cousin – it would be helpful support for her as well.
Her cousin didn’t speak, her gaze moving across Meng Xiyan’s face as if evaluating whether she was worth the risk.
Meng Xiyan’s heart was in turmoil until she heard her cousin give a soft laugh.
She said: “There is a clear path, but it depends on whether you dare to use it.”
Her cousin gave Meng Xiyan a package of medicine.
Her brocade skirt swept across the carpet laid in the hall, its embroidery reflecting jewel-like sparkles like scattered sunlight, her tone as pleasant as a spring breeze.
“This medicine is called ‘Child’s Sorrow.’ It was originally a forbidden medicine in the palace.”
“When the previous emperor was alive, a consort was discovered using this poison to harm imperial offspring, and afterward, the palace banned this medicine.”
“This poison is colorless and odorless, easily dissolving in paint. When pregnant women take it, at first there’s no reaction. Gradually, they develop fever, their skin darkens, and after a few months, their neck and shoulders begin to swell. When the time comes, there may be signs of abdominal pain and bleeding. However, even so, the fetus in the poisoned person’s womb still appears stable. Even if doctors examine it, they’ll only think these symptoms are normal pregnancy signs. Taking medicine to stabilize the pregnancy will only let the poison seep deeper. When the full ten months come, a stillborn child will be delivered, but the mother will be unharmed.”
“This poison doesn’t harm the mother, it specifically targets the infant, hence the name ‘Child’s Sorrow.'”
Meng Xiyan looked at the medicine package before her, suddenly withdrawing her hand as if stung.
Seeing her movement, her cousin smiled dismissively: “Child’s Sorrow has almost disappeared now. However, because I have some connection with people in the Imperial Dispensary, I learned of this secret.”
“I wouldn’t dare use this medicine in the palace, but you can try it.”
She leaned close to Meng Xiyan’s ear and whispered, “You know, that favorite concubine of the Director of Protocol – it was because she took this medicine that she delivered a stillborn child.”
Hearing the last sentence, something stirred in Meng Xiyan’s heart.
She knew about that favorite concubine of the Director of Protocol, who played the qin beautifully and was greatly favored. She had become pregnant shortly after entering the household, and the Director had taken good care of her, but when the time came to give birth, the child was stillborn.
That concubine was devastated by this event, fell ill, and soon after passed away. The wives of officials in the capital all said she was unfortunate, never knowing she had been poisoned.
Thinking of the gentle and virtuous appearance of the Director of Protocol’s wife, Meng Xiyan couldn’t help but shudder.
She knew that because the Director of Protocol favored his concubine when she was pregnant, he would summon Imperial Physicians for even the slightest headache or fever. Even the Imperial Physicians hadn’t discovered anything unusual, and even after the concubine was buried, it was only attributed to an unhealthy pregnancy.
If she used this poison on Pei Yunzhu, she could silently kill the child in her womb.
Meng Xiyan couldn’t help but be tempted.
So she accepted her cousin’s “kindness.”
After all, directly taking Pei Yunzhu’s life would be too obvious. But if Pei Yunzhu lived and stayed safely until delivery, only to deliver a stillborn child, no one could be blamed.
Those occasional fevers, headaches, and rashes would all become evidence that Pei Yunzhu’s pregnancy had been unstable from the start.
If Pei Yunzhu died of grief afterward, that would be even better.
Meng Xiyan cut two more clusters of leaves until she could find no more imperfections, then put the scissors back in the basket. Suddenly remembering something, she asked: “Has the Imperial Physician seen Pei Yunzhu?”
It had been over two hours since Pei Yunzhu showed symptoms – the Imperial Physician should have arrived by now. Just as her cousin had said, whenever Pei Yunzhu had the slightest discomfort, the Imperial Physicians would come to examine her, always saying it was normal pregnancy symptoms, telling Pei Yunzhu not to worry and just take some pregnancy-stabilizing medicine.
At first, Meng Xiyan had been worried that the physicians might discover something unusual, but after several months passed with no one noticing anything wrong, she gradually relaxed. Her cousin hadn’t lied to her – truly few people knew of this forbidden medicine.
The maid softly replied: “Imperial Physician Wang came earlier, but was turned away by Qiong Ying at the Princess’s side. They said the Princess was much better now and resting. Imperial Physician Wang left somewhat unhappy.”
Meng Xiyan paused: “Pei Yunzhu refused to see the Imperial Physician?”
“Yes. It seems that Doctor Lu has already comforted the Princess successfully.”
Meng Xiyan looked suspicious.
Since becoming pregnant, Pei Yunzhu has been extremely careful with her food and daily routine, fearing something might happen to the child. Even when requesting Imperial Physicians, she would have different ones examine her each time to prevent them from being bribed.
As for the midwife she had engaged, she had connections with Pei Yunzhu’s maternal family, showing she had made thorough preparations.
Today Pei Yunzhu had abdominal pain, and Doctor Lu examined her because of the sudden situation. Even if Pei Yunzhu was now fine, with an Imperial Physician right at the door, wasn’t it strange that Pei Yunzhu would ignore the Imperial Physician and trust an unknown female doctor instead?
Perhaps due to a guilty conscience, Meng Xiyan couldn’t help but scrutinize any unusual behavior from Pei Yunzhu.
She thought for a moment, then asked: “After seeing Pei Yunzhu, what did that female doctor do?”
The maid thought carefully before answering: “Doctor Lu first examined the Princess’s condition, then said there was nothing serious wrong, and sent her maid to a nearby pharmacy to get some medicine for stabilizing the pregnancy.”
Just prescribing some pregnancy-stabilizing medicine – it seemed there was no problem.
But… pregnancy-stabilizing medicine?
Meng Xiyan’s expression suddenly turned ugly.
The manor had plenty of pregnancy-stabilizing medicine, and Pei Yunzhu’s kitchen had some. Moreover, she had reportedly already taken a bowl when the abdominal pain first started – why would they go to the trouble of buying more from an outside pharmacy?
Could it be… that a female doctor discovered something?
As soon as this thought arose, Meng Xiyan immediately shook her head. Impossible – she was just a small doctor from an unremarkable medical hall, probably not even familiar with all common medicines, let alone a long-lost forbidden palace poison. Lu Tong couldn’t possibly be more capable than the Imperial Physicians.
But for some reason, a trace of unease passed through her heart, as if something had already slipped from her control and was developing uncontrollably in a direction she didn’t want to consider.
Lu Tong was now staying in Pei Yunzhu’s room and hadn’t come out. At present, to avoid suspicion, she couldn’t directly go find Lu Tong. Moreover, these were all groundless speculations – she was probably overthinking.
So…
Meng Xiyan hesitated, then ordered the maid in the room: “Find someone to go to the pharmacy where Lu Tong’s maid just went and ask what medicine she just bought. Hurry!”