"Empress, how skilled is this immortal maiden as a physician?"
Zhao Bing's face showed nothing but concern.
Su Wen fell silent for a moment. That afternoon's scene, in which the dignity of the imperial house had been stripped away without a shred left, was still painfully vivid.
Yet thinking it over carefully, all the woman doctor had done was straddle her back and knead her shoulders, neck, waist and spine. In years past, the palace maids attending her bath had touched far more of her than Li Fei ever had.
Her manner had been a little too eager, perhaps, but at bottom it was the compassion of a healer, all of it aimed at caring for her body. From beginning to end, she had been respectful enough.
As for the loss of composure at the end, there was no one to blame but herself and the way her thoughts had wandered — wandered, to be precise, straight to Li Fei.
Still less could she deny that the immortal maiden's medical skill was truly superb. Five minutes' work had left her feeling reborn, loose and light in a way no famous physician in the realm could have managed.
And so, although for the sake of an empress's dignity and chastity Su Wen had no intention of letting Li Fei treat her again, after a brief hesitation she found she could not bring herself to sully the woman's reputation. In a low voice she said:
"Without equal in this world."
"If even the Empress says so, then my mind is at ease."
Zhao Bing clapped his hands together in admiration. "You need only rest and recover."
Su Wen was about to demur, but the words had barely reached her lips when a palace maid cut in.
Consort Xiang and Consort Hui had come together to pay their respects, carrying a food box between them.
"This is a soup I stewed myself. I added snow lotus seeds — it settles the spirit. Your Majesty should have some as well."
Consort Hui lifted out the steaming soup, her face gentle and benevolent.
"Good, good. Consort Hui is most thoughtful."
Zhao Bing cradled the warm bowl, and a wistful feeling stirred in him.
Born of the imperial bloodline, he had lived through kin turning on kin, brothers at each other's throats. From childhood he had heard the tales of scheming in the deep halls of great houses — the first wife poisoning the second wife's child, the pretty maid pushed down a well by a concubine.
He had never expected that under Su Wen's management, the inner palace would go so long without a single incident, everyone living in apparent harmony and affection. And the grave, upright Consort Hui was a worthy daughter of the Minister of Rites' household, forever inquiring after the Empress's illness, forever asking whether she was warm or comfortable. No doubt she too had contributed a great deal to keeping the inner palace in order.
That his consorts should be so virtuous and well-behaved left Zhao Bing, who had never fulfilled his own duties toward them, both gratified and guilty.
Su Wen, however, was on her guard.
Zhao Bing had no idea what these consorts of the inner palace were really like. Did she not?
When they wanted something, it was "Your Majesty." When they didn't, it was "that dog of an emperor."
Consort Xiang and Consort Hui above all. If this pair of lovebirds hadn't spent their days tirelessly leading the other sisters astray and rotting the atmosphere of the place, most of the consorts would probably have preferred to grow old alone rather than take to nestling cheek to cheek with one another.
Su Wen had even caught whispers that Consort Xiang, for all her sultry charm, merely did as her whims took her, and often enough ran into a wall — a straight woman who simply would not bend. The one who made the real decisions from behind the curtain, who could melt a heart of iron and stone into something soft enough to wind round a finger, was Consort Hui.
Whatever the case, these two had long since treated the Emperor like a plague god to be avoided at all costs — and now here they were, seeking him out of their own accord. Su Wen understood perfectly well that when something runs contrary to nature, there is a demon behind it.
"Elder Sister Wen, your servant hears that an immortal maiden has descended to the mortal world to practice medicine and spread the Way…"
Consort Hui turned the conversation smoothly, smiling eyes lifting toward the Empress, her voice soft and warm as she began to probe after Li Fei's medical skill.
Something dropped in Su Wen's chest. She felt like a woman with thorns pressed against her back.
"The Empress was just now praising the immortal maiden's extraordinary skill."
Zhao Bing chuckled. "Come to think of it, last night We sent men to find two patients with strange, incurable ailments. Once they were in that immortal maiden's hands, the medicine went in and the sickness went out…"
As he spoke, his belief in the reality of immortality grew stronger, and a strange fervor kindled in him.
The dynasty's line secured, and no need to grow estranged from the one he loved — both ends served at once. Wonderful. Truly wonderful.
"Your Majesty, your servant has been somewhat unwell of late."
Consort Hui smiled charmingly as she pressed her case. "And the other sisters, too, take fevers and headaches now and then. Since this immortal maiden has such marvelous hands and such a compassionate heart, why not grant her the rank of imperial physician, so that she might look us over as well?"
"Very well." "Absolutely not."
Zhao Bing and Su Wen spoke at the same moment, and their answers could not have been further apart.
"Empress, why—"
Zhao Bing looked at her, puzzled.
Su Wen lowered her eyes, unable to answer at once.
As if she didn't know exactly what Consort Hui was scheming.
The consultation was a pretext. The real object was that immortal maiden's beauty.
Within the palace gates the walls ran deep, and if consorts with nowhere left to turn comforted themselves by playing dragon and phoenix with one another, so be it. But that immortal maiden was like Qiao'er — a bird that could fly free beyond these walls. How could she be dragged down a crooked road?
And this reason was one the Song Emperor could never, under any circumstances, be told.
Weighing it all, Su Wen chose in the end to betray the duties of an empress and speak a lie to her sovereign.
"The immortal maiden employs immortal arts to treat my body… the drain on her heart and strength is considerable. Until I am cured, I am afraid she will have no attention to spare for other patients."
"So even for an immortal maiden, healing is no easy thing. Truly the compassion of a healer."
Zhao Bing heard this with sudden reverence and praised her again and again.
"Your Majesty, ours are mostly small complaints. Let the immortal maiden take one quick look and write out a prescription — it would hardly cost her any strength at all."
Consort Xiang's bright, liquid eyes rolled, and she chimed in on cue.
"If they are small complaints, let the imperial physicians treat them. Why trouble the immortal maiden's body and mind?"
One sentence from Su Wen left Consort Xiang without a word to say.
But Consort Hui's smile never wavered, and her voice stayed soft and unhurried even as her argument closed like a trap:
"We are all women, and the imperial physicians of this palace are, after all, men. When they look, listen, question and take the pulse, there is bound to be some awkwardness. That is why I make so bold as to beg Your Majesty to grant the immortal maiden the rank of imperial physician."
"Besides, your servant is also thinking of the court… Your Majesty, even an immortal maiden from the heavens has been won over by the vastness of imperial grace, drawing your stipend, serving at your beck and call. Written into the histories one day, would that not be a tale to be praised for a thousand years?"
"The Mountain-Moving Sect has female Reverends as well, and ordinary ailments are nothing to them."
Su Wen's bearing remained serene, her words unhurried. "As for the immortal maiden pledging her service to the court… simply confer some comfortable, well-paid sinecure on her. That would demonstrate Your Majesty's generosity just as well. Why summon her into the palace as an imperial physician?"
"It seems this immortal maiden truly is extraordinary, to be so favored by Elder Sister Wen that no one else may lay a finger on her…"
There was a needle hidden in the silk of Consort Hui's words. She turned her head gracefully and met Su Wen's gaze.
Beside them, Consort Xiang — who normally did not even hold the Emperor in any particular regard — shrank her head down and glanced back and forth between the two poised, elegant women.
So this was… the legendary intrigue of the inner palace?
Terrifying.
"Stop. Stop."
Zhao Bing's scalp prickled, and for a moment he could make no sense of it.
All these years the palace had run in perfect order. Why was it that the moment this immortal maiden set foot inside, he could smell gunpowder in the air?
Having called a halt, he found he could not make up his mind, and the difficulty weighed on him.
He knew well enough how much he owed his consorts, and he had no wish to favor one over another. After a moment's thought he fell back on the same skill he used at court — smoothing the mud over the cracks:
"Then We shall confer upon her the rank of imperial physician. But until the Empress is well, her attention must remain on the Empress… once Her Majesty's health is restored, she may attend the other noble ladies."
"Your Majesty is wise."
Consort Hui praised him at once, nailing the matter down, and only then inclined toward the Empress. "Elder Sister Wen, your servant meant no offense. It is only that life in the palace is dreadfully dull, and the sisters are all terribly curious about this immortal maiden and long to meet her. When they heard she had come to the palace, one after another they clung to me and begged me to plead with His Majesty… I simply couldn't hold them off, and so I became the bird that sticks its head out. I hope Elder Sister will not blame me."
Dull? A hundred and twelve consorts, palace maids beyond counting, pairing off in every combination imaginable, music every night and rivers running — and they find it dull?
The girls of the Drunken Spring Tower probably don't know half your tricks!
Su Wen gripped a fold of her skirt, her chest tight with irritation.
But she did not contradict His Majesty in front of them.
Because Su Wen had already realized that even without the title of imperial physician, these two were perfectly capable of finding Li Fei outside the palace, inventing some headache or fever as an excuse. Was she going to snatch the woman away by force?
While the Empress seethed inwardly, Funing Palace fell quiet again.
Zhao Bing made a show of trying to keep the conversation going, but Consort Hui, gentle as her manner was, had a gift for killing any topic within a few words.
Before long Zhao Bing could no longer sit still and rose to leave, and Consort Hui and Consort Xiang departed together as well.
Su Wen did not rise to see them off. She only watched their retreating backs in silence, her fine teeth clenching without her meaning them to.
Not long ago they were fussing over my comfort, lavishing me with attention.
Now a more beautiful immortal has descended, and they abandon the old for the new just like that?
As Empress, as the model for every woman in the realm, I absolutely cannot allow that doctor — a woman whose whole heart is set on saving lives — to be infected with such habits!
And Qiao'er's benefactor, too. I must find the time to meet her soon… The way that person is said to conduct herself is admirable enough, but the human heart is hidden behind the belly's wall. Qiao'er has been alone and hard-pressed since childhood, simple and kind-hearted. She must not fall into the schemes of that pack of wicked women and end up on a crooked path.
Her mind made up, Su Wen walked once more to the mirror.
She had intended never to see that immortal maiden again in this life, but as things stood now, to keep her from being led astray, there was no choice but…
The thought vexed her — and yet, inexplicably, some part of her leapt with anticipation.
Then, at once, the afternoon's unspeakable scenes surfaced again in her mind.
Su Wen flushed, closed her eyes and forced the stray thoughts away, adjusted her posture and sat upright before the mirror, composed and self-possessed as ever — except for the resolve in her eyes.
There was no escaping this.
Since that was so, and to avoid disgracing herself a second time, she resolved to take up the Meditation Method again and repair her Daoist heart. It had collapsed at the first touch in Li Fei's presence, true — but doing something was better than doing nothing.
Long years of solitude and hardship had tempered Su Wen's spirit. She was not one to admit defeat easily.
"Golden fluid and jade nectar moisten the storied tower; the inner landscape manifests, wondrous and mysteriously joined…"
Su Wen gathered her mind, sat still, and recited the formula. Her spirit emptied quickly and slipped into a dim, unknowable dimension.
In the murky dark, a point of spiritual light kindled, and the shattered mirror surface appeared once more — but to her astonishment, the mirror that had been broken into fragments had knit itself back together!
Only now there were two figures within it…
The flawless round mirror was divided by crossing cracks, each shard reflecting a different scene: herself and Li Fei laughing together beneath flowers and moonlight, or pressed cheek to cheek within the palace halls… some sweet and lovely, some enough to burn her face red. The still well of Su Wen's heart, unmoved for so many years, rippled again.
How — how could this be?
As her spirit wavered, the six directions began to shake, the mirror rippling like water, and Su Wen nearly fell out of the meditative state altogether.
Fortunately, habit forged over a thousand trials brought her thoughts back in hand at once, and this inner world steadied again.
Gazing at the mirror, she found the cracks upon it slowly closing… and her own broken soul showing signs of mending.
How could this be?
Faced with something so far beyond expectation, Su Wen felt not the slightest relief — only confusion and unease.
Then, all at once, the Reverend's stern instruction sounded again in her ear:
"Remember this: the object of meditation may be anything between heaven and earth — the sun, moon and stars above, a blade of grass or a single tree below — using it to commune with heaven and earth. Or it may be a celestial venerable or bodhisattva who receives incense and offerings, drawing down the light of immortals and buddhas to shine upon yourself and gather the pious goodwill of believers."
Su Wen's eyelids trembled. She understood.
That doctor whose beauty could topple cities truly was an immortal!
Her own path had already strayed, yet by some turn of fate a genuine immortal maiden had been added to the objects of her meditation… and because of it, a Meditation Method that had gone dangerously astray, nearly falling into a demonic path, had returned to the proper road. More than that — this road seemed to suit Su Wen extraordinarily well, benefiting her soul, mending its damage of itself as it sublimated and transformed.
"Haa…"
Having reasoned it all out, Su Wen let out a long, hollow sigh.
By pure accident she had stumbled into an immortal affinity. Not only would her damaged soul heal without trouble, she had a premonition that from now on her meditative cultivation would be smooth road all the way, without a single obstacle, carrying her to heights she had never before reached.
And yet, faced with so vast a stroke of fortune, Su Wen could not summon the least happiness. Her heart only kept sinking.
Recovery meant that the empty days would be stretched longer still. She wanted to die and could not.
The immortal woman in the mirror seemed to sense something. In every shard, hundreds upon hundreds of Li Feis lifted their heads in unison, a beguiling light flowing in their deep eyes, endlessly alluring, drawing one down into it.
Bathed in all those burning, bewitching gazes — gazes with something greedy and wicked faintly beneath them — Su Wen felt herself on the verge of melting, her thoughts going hazy.
In that instant, another and far graver warning from the old Reverend echoed in her ear:
"But never meditate upon skulking spirits or evil gods! Demonic thoughts will enter your mind, and you may even be assimilated by the fiend itself — the consequences would be unthinkable!"
Alarm flared inside her. Su Wen jerked her head up and stared at the mirror, only to find that the scene of a moment before seemed to have been an illusion. The immortal maiden in the glass was still twined with her in loving intimacy, without the least distance between them.
"One whose talent does not approach the immortals cannot be a physician; one whose virtue does not approach the Buddha cannot be a physician…"
Su Wen murmured, and the tension that had just gripped her slowly loosened.
That was an immortal without equal in all the ages!
She had descended from the immortal realm to practice medicine, spread the Way and save the multitudes. What mercy that took — how could she possibly be a fiend?
Besides, as an immortal maiden her station was so exalted the whole mortal world could scarcely bear it, and yet before an ordinary woman like herself she still lowered her posture. How could so humble a woman harbor evil intentions?
And appearance springs from the heart. If she truly were the sort of fiend who nursed wicked designs and meant to throw the world into chaos, how blind would heaven have to be to sculpt her so carefully into that face — a beauty to shame the flowers and sink the fish?
As these thoughts surged, Su Wen let down her guard piece by piece, gradually forgetting the misgiving that had flashed through her.
And the mirror mended faster. The immortal within it smiled ever more brightly, ever more coquettishly, her gaze flicking now and then toward the world beyond the glass, as though at any moment she might break through it and step out.
Then something tugged at Su Wen's senses, and she followed it, looking out into the darkness.
In one fleeting glimpse she saw a woman standing amid layer upon layer of black mist, a sword in her hand.
Her white dress was whiter than snow, her black hair fell like a waterfall. Her features could not be made out, yet she carried an air clear as wind and bright as moonlight, like an immortal woman stepped out of an ink painting — steeped in antiquity, peerless in grace.
But… how could the air of a knight-errant, the air of an immortal, and the classical gentleness of a highborn young lady all be fused into one person?
Su Wen gazed dazedly at that distant figure, and her headache flared without warning.
Of course. She was an immortal woman of the heavens — how could she have only one devotee meditating upon her in piety? At the very least, that woman in the white dress with the raven hair had already walked ahead of her.
The Empress rubbed her forehead, an odd sense of loss settling over her.
And the woman turned her head too, seeming to catch sight of Su Wen, their gazes meeting across the void.
The woman covered her lower belly with one hand.
The sky brightened by degrees. The immortal maiden who healed the sick within the palace walls by day and went out beyond the city to subdue demons by night came home on the morning light.
There were pitifully few demons around the imperial capital, however, so Li Fei had spent most of her time breaking in her female ghosts.
At this rate, in a few more days she would finish the first round of attunement with the [Kun] Division female ghosts — winning over the ghost sisters' hearts in three days. Could the Thousand-Year Tree Demon manage that?
Humming a little tune, Li Fei fished a jade slip out before she even reached the Chancellor's residence, raised it to her lips, and provided Miss Stepdaughter with a wake-up call:
"Moshi moshi? Time to get up and eat breakfast."
As magic power poured in, the jade slip blazed with light — and the matching slip beside Miss Stepdaughter's pillow flickered in answer, relaying Li Fei's words with perfect clarity.
After they returned from the palace yesterday, Miss Stepdaughter had discovered the tear in her stockings and immediately declared that next time she was going along to treat Her Majesty the Empress too.
All in the noble name of keeping Li Fei safe, lest some villain harm her or land her in a cell.
And Li Fei had promptly spent two thousand Wealth Points on the extraordinary-world edition of the walkie-talkie — a pair of jade slips. Pour in magic power, battle qi, True Qi or any other energy to activate them, and the two holders could speak to each other, effective radius thirty li.
There were models with longer range, but they cost far too much, and within the imperial city thirty li was more than enough.
Just then Li Fei noticed a eunuch who had been waiting at the gate of the Chancellor's residence since early morning, glancing left and right as though expecting someone.
"Good morning, Eunuch. Is there something I can do for you?"
Li Fei stepped up with a bright smile.
"Miss Li, this humble servant brings His Majesty's edict… receive it on your knees."
The eunuch unrolled the edict at once and waited for Li Fei to kneel.
Li Fei pretended not to grasp his meaning, standing there prettily where she was, her smile sweet as she said:
"Go on and read it, Eunuch."
The eunuch hesitated a moment, then remembered His Majesty's instructions and decided not to make this divine physician — who might well be an actual immortal maiden — kneel at all. He simply read the decree aloud, elevating Li Fei to the rank of imperial physician.
"My thanks to you, Eunuch, and my thanks for His Majesty's grace."
Li Fei accepted the edict with both hands and, knowing exactly how these things worked, slipped him a piece of gold in the same motion.
"Congratulations, Lord Li."
The eunuch tucked the gold into his sleeve and reminded her with a face full of smiles, "His Majesty has named you an imperial physician chiefly so that the noble ladies of the palace may consult you conveniently… You understand, the three palaces and six courts are all women, and it is awkward for imperial physicians to come and go among them. If this humble servant may be so bold as to add a word — those noble ladies' bodies are exceedingly precious, so Lord Li must take great pains with them."
"Ah, pains or no pains — healing the sick and saving lives is the sacred duty of our profession!"
Holding the edict in both hands, Li Fei fought down a grin and promised with a perfectly straight face, "His Majesty has entrusted the noble ladies to me. He's certainly found the right person."
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