From CEO to Concubine-Chapter 95: Quack

"Humble Subject Fu Minde greets Lord Yue."

Yan Zheyun propped the emperor up in bed with the help of some long square cushions that lined the wall. It was fortunate that soft pillows had already been invented because the alternative was the ceramic or rattan versions that he still couldn’t get used to, in which case, the emperor might as well just lean back against the solid headboards of the bed frame.

It was only until Yan Zheyun was certain that the emperor was comfortable that he turned to regard the gentleman with the snow-white beard, who had walked up to present a bow to him. His robes were officious as they had a buzi (1) stitched upon them, two white birds amidst a colourful brocade. Yan Zheyun had no idea what rank this pattern indicated but given the man’s seniority, his family name, and his presence here in this hidden corner of Qianqing Palace, Yan Zheyun could hazard a guess at his identity.

"Imperial Physician Fu?"

"That is this subject."

Fu Minde was the emperor’s personal physician from the sound of things and also very possibly the head of the imperial medical bureau. Yan Zheyun had no idea how that was structured in the Ye Dynasty or how advanced their medical knowledge was but if Fu Minde didn’t have answers for him, he figured no one would.

"Fu Minde, tend to Lord Yue’s injuries at once." The emperor’s eyes were drawn constantly to Yan Zheyun’s neck but it wasn’t until Head Eunuch Cao offered a set of fresh robes to Yan Zheyun that he realised some of his blood had seeped into the collar of the eunuch’s attire he was wearing, leaving an eye-catching dark stain.

It was only after he let Fu Minde bandage it for him and changed into an oversized set of silks that the emperor allowed him to return to his side once more, reaching out to squeeze Yan Zheyun’s hands as he drew him close.

The emperor’s hands were cold. Yan Zheyun tucked them under the covers as he started to talk.

"Your Majesty, I suspect that there was something in the incense in Tianlu Pavilion that has brought upon your illness." He paused and met the emperor’s eyes in trepidation, to see how his words would be taken. He’d taken so many liberties this evening, broaching the matter of the emperor’s health was just another one, but Yan Zheyun had to gauge whether he’d gone too far.

Apart from the emperor’s slight disorientation, his quiet gaze was free of censure, patiently waiting for Yan Zheyun to elaborate.

Emboldened, Yan Zheyun turned to Fu Minde. "Imperial Physician Fu, have you heard of such a substance that, when taken, would cause its user to crave more of it?"

"This subject can think of such an instance with Bian Que’s poison wine (1), used to prevent patients from feeling pain."

"What is in it?"

"A mixture of the mantuoluo flower (2) and dama, although the latter is rarely used medicinally." Fu Minde Fu Minde’s distinguished brows furrowed so deeply that his eyes nearly vanished beneath them. "We do not use poison wine as often as mafei powder but if this subject were to recall, there have been patients who asked for more after multiple dosages but we do not give it to them as the mantuoluo flower is highly poisonous and must only be ingested in tightly controlled amounts."

Yan Zheyun wasn’t sure what the effects of the mantuoluo flower were but dama he recognised because it bore the same name even in modern society and was, as far as he could tell, Liu Suzhi’s favourite pastime. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"Have there been records of any problems after taking dama?" he asked tentatively.

Fu Minde’s expression turned mildly puzzled. "This subject is uncertain what direction Lord Yue is headed in," he confessed. "Usage of dama is common amongst those seeking to commune with spirits and their dead loved ones. Many pharmacopoeias since ancient times have written about its benefits as it can lighten its user’s body and make one more in tune with one’s soul."

This difference in understanding was what Yan Zheyun had been afraid of. "So no records of anyone feeling ill after stopping it?"

"...please forgive this subject’s ignorance!"

Yan Zheyun, who was getting used to the way the civil servants and actual servants of the imperial city operated by now, reached out swiftly and snagged the Fu Minde by the arm before he could sink into a kneel. Not only was Fu Minde old enough to be his grandfather, but Yan Zheyun also couldn’t blame him for not knowing the answer. More than likely, any adverse side effects after stopping the drug would have been attributed to retribution from the spirits or coming into contact with yin energy, something along those lines anyway.

This made his case much harder to present but for everyone’s sake, he had to give it a shot regardless.

He looked back at the emperor, who was seated upright and proper as though he was in his chair in his study and hadn’t just been roughing out what was most likely withdrawal symptoms in secret. Yan Zheyun’s mouth tightened with worry as he took in the emperor’s sallow complexion. Now that his outer robe had been removed, Yan Zheyun could see how thin he’d become too.

"Your Majesty, you started lighting the incense to assist with sleeplessness?"

The emperor nodded before looking over at Fu Minde. There were beads of sweat on both their foreheads, the emperor’s because of the physical discomfort he was experiencing and Fu Minde’s because he was aware of the consequences of saying one wrong word at a crucial time like this.

Yan Zheyun couldn’t assist Fu Minde with his predicament but he could accept a clean dry cloth from Head Eunuch Cao to dab at the emperor’s brow gently.

Fu Minde lowered his head to not intrude on the private moment. "This subject personally prescribed that incense blend," he said softly like he was afraid speaking any louder would disturb the peace of the persons of eminence before him. "Although the medicines are prepared by the herbalists in the bureau, this subject understands the importance of His Majesty’s safety and oversaw all steps in the procedure, nothing was added that should cause any of the effects His Majesty is experiencing now."

Yan Zheyun had a big culprit on his mind, one that was a staple even in the 21st century when it came to painkillers. But since Fu Minde hadn’t mentioned it, he could safely bet that it hadn’t been brought into widespread usage in the Ye Dynasty yet.

"Has Imperial Physician Fu heard of opium?" he asked suddenly. Although he kept his voice as level as he could, he could feel the sharp prickling of his nerves as he broached the subject. The sheltered ex-prime minister’s son and Wu Household slave shouldn’t know this much. If opium truly didn’t exist in this era yet, they might think he was making it up. If opium did, bringing it up out of the blue would be more than likely to raise suspicions.

And the best part was, if asked, he wouldn’t even be able to justify why he appeared so ’adept’ at medicine.

Fu Minde shook his head. "This subject has not heard of it before. Is it a herb?"

Yan Zheyun made an affirmative noise. "Have there really been no records at all about any cures or remedies for pain that also help their user feel sedated after? Relaxed and drowsy or even happy?"

The biggest difficulty Yan Zheyun faced now was that the Ye Dynasty was set in a parallel universe to his own. Or at least, he was convinced of this. He’d seen aspects of it that resembled a mishmash of dynasties that he could recognise from his country’s history but it was so jumbled up that he could only flounder around in the dark now and hope that he hit on something useful.

He thought that Fu Minde would reply with a negative again but instead, the old man let out a low pondering hum.

"This subject recalls that two ruling generations ago, during the twilight years of Emperor Mingde’s reign, the relationship between Great Ye (3) and the southwestern tribes wasn’t as contentious as it is now. As part of the annual tribute, an envoy once presented Emperor Mingde with a gift of a rare incense that he called ’black perfume’, said to be a precious remedy for aches and pains, so effective that it left its users wanting of more. Back then, this subject was new to the imperial medical bureau and did not have permission to investigate this black perfume personally. Moreover, the envoy had only brought one box of black perfume with him and after the late emperor ascended to the throne and the relationship with the southwestern tribes deteriorated, the imperial medical bureau had been unable to obtain more. Now, there is only has a small amount left in storage."

Black fragrance. It sounded very familiar, might have been one of the many aliases that opium had been called in history, such as ’A Fu Rong’. He couldn’t confirm this for a fact but the possibility alone was devastating, especially when he wasn’t aware of just how potent this black fragrance was.

Yan Zheyun honed in on this. "Yan Yun begs Your Majesty to check the stores as soon as possible," he said grimly. "This black fragrance is likely addictive and after a period of usage, will cause unpleasant side effects to manifest once contact is withdrawn." He deliberately sidestepped explaining why he knew and was surprised that no one called him out on it. Perhaps they were waiting to see what he had to say. "My guess is that someone burnt it along with Your Majesty’s usual incense and had done so for a while."

"Ever since this sovereign started having headaches, is that what Yan Yun is implying?" The emperor paused as he thought some more. "Come to think of it, those headaches occurred most frequently during morning court, after a whole night away from Tianlu Pavilion. And this sovereign is feeling unwell now because the person responsible for this stopped burning the black incense?"

Yan Zheyun gave a subdued nod. He didn’t realise that his hands were shaking until the emperor wrapped them up in his own to still them. Even after everything that had happened, he was still holding himself together, offering Yan Yun support when he should have been the one crumbling at the terrifying discovery that his life had been manipulated by an unknown hand. It took remarkable willpower to remain this calm and it was both admirable and heartbreaking at once.

What sort of life did someone have to lead in order to emerge with this sort of unwavering strength?

The emperor proved his tenacity again by launching straight into action after seeing Yan Zheyun’s confirmation. "Cao Mingbao," he snapped. Just from his voice alone, it was impossible to tell that he was ailing. "Interrogate the servants of Tianlu Pavilion, this sovereign wants the truth by dawn."

Cao Mingbao bowed. "As Your Majesty commands." His glance shifted to Yan Zheyun. It didn’t have a large amount of confidence in it but he seemed to realise the inevitable outcome of having to leave to fulfil his newly assigned tasks because he added, "is Your Majesty entrusting yourself to Lord Yue’s care?"

The emperor didn’t reply immediately. Yan Zheyun didn’t understand why until he realised that the emperor was watching him.

Watching and waiting for his response.

"If Your Majesty would have me," he murmured, "Yan Yun would like to stay and help out."

"This sovereign would like that." The emperor let his eyes linger on Yan Zheyun’s for a second more before he redirected them to his personal physician, the fondness in them fading back into impassivity. "Fu Mingde, do as Lord Yue requests and check the supply of black fragrance."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Imperial Physician Fu," Yan Zheyun called out. What he was about to say was probably going to fly in the face of everything else he’d painstakingly spoken about earlier but after careful deliberation, had decided to mention it anyway. "If there’s still black fragrance left, would it be possible to prepare them in small amounts for His Majesty’s use?"

As expected, this was met with a chorus of dissent.

"Lord Yue, what is the meaning of your suggestion?" Head Eunuch Cao interjected. "After telling us that His Majesty’s suffering is probably because of this dangerous substance, you’re now advocating that His Majesty continues to use it?"

Fu Minde was eyeing him dubiously too, unable to comprehend why he would make such a contrary suggestion.

"This...isn’t the same as fighting poison with poison (4), Lord Yue," he said with a frown. "This subject cannot see the rationale..." he fell silent as the emperor held up a hand to stop their discussion.

But the emperor didn’t say anything either, just looked at Yan Zheyun with an expectant air.

He was giving Yan Zheyun the chance to explain. This cautious, taciturn, rational man knew the risk and was choosing to trust Yan Zheyun anyway and this realisation spurred on a slight quickening of Yan Zheyun’s heart.

There was no way to convey what he knew about drug rehabilitation, which wasn’t much anyway. If it hadn’t been for some of the rich playboy acquaintances in the high society circles, Yan Zheyun wouldn’t have been aware of the concept of medical detoxes or tapered doses. But he knew someone who had died from heart failure following dehydration from an ill-managed cold turkey withdrawal. Although the science eluded him, he could comprehend how dangerous it could be to just stop a drug completely.

"Yan Yun suspects that the longer one is exposed to black fragrance, the longer and more violent the side effects would be." He wracked his brains to try and justify his point of view but he didn’t know where to begin. He wasn’t a doctor, had never been addicted before, and had never been involved in a negotiation that had made him feel this helpless before, left with nothing in his arsenal but emotional entreating. "It’ll just be small amounts at a time, reduced slowly to help His Majesty suffer less...Yan Yun is willing to accompany His Majesty for the duration."

"But—"

"Listen to him," the emperor said suddenly. His tone brooked no argument, and Fu Minde and Head Eunuch Cao were left with no choice but reluctant agreement.

Still, Fu Minde hesitated. "Lord Yue is knowledgeable on this matter and this subject does not mean to offend, but what information we have on black fragrance is still limited. Whilst investigating it, it would be amiss to discount other possibilities."

His advice was born out of concern and Yan Zheyun didn’t blame him for it. If he were a chief physician in a hospital, he would take the words of some random layman, who waltzed in and started spouting nonsense like a quack, with a pinch of salt too. Maybe a whole shaker of it even.

"This sovereign is aware. Reconvene here as soon as you have an update."

The emperor’s orders were issued in quick succession, given out to subjects who were used to receiving them, and the flurry of activity that ensued left Yan Zheyun’s exhausted head spinning. He’d already been mentally and physically drained for days. After the earlier excitement of sneaking around like a thief and the nervous tension that came from inwardly fretting that he would make a mistake and trigger the emperor’s mistrust again, he felt on the brink of a crash.

As such, he didn’t realise that everyone else had retreated out of the cramped room until the door creaked shut behind Head Eunuch Cao’s back.

"This sovereign’s Yan Yun is pulling a long face." The emperor broke the silence first as he struggled to lean forward. He was looking worse for wear now than he had just minutes ago and Yan Zheyun, who wasn’t sure whether this was the result of the emperor’s symptoms flaring up again, panicked.

"What are you doing?" In his agitation, he forgot all honorifics, lapsing back into normal speech as he steadied the emperor as best as he could, torn between pushing him back into a reclining position and supporting him so that he could sit up better. "You should be resting, what—"

He cut himself short as a softness brushed against his cheek, so light and fleeting that it felt like the beat of butterfly’s wings. It was gone as soon as it came but left behind a heat that spread like slow lava to the rest of his skin.

...?!

The emperor, this serious man, this responsible ruler, who at this juncture was facing treachery, betrayal, and a political mess all at once, still had the mood to—to—

"That’s better," the emperor murmured, collapsing back against his heap of cushions now that his mission was presumably accomplished. "At least one of us should have a healthy red glow on our faces."