Soyeon was on her feet before she consciously decided to move.
"Take me there," she ordered. "Now."
~
The kitchen was chaos.
Servants clustered around a man collapsed on the floor, his mouth flecked with blood, his body convulsing. The head physician, an elderly man in elaborate robes, was frantically checking the man's pulse while younger assistants hovered uselessly.
Soyeon pushed through the crowd.
"Move," she snapped. "Move!"
She dropped to her knees beside the patient. One look told her everything she needed to know.
Arsenious poisoning. Classic symptoms, vomiting, bloody saliva, abdominal cramping. If he had ingested it within the last few hours, there might still be time.
"Get me activated charcoal," she barked. "If you don't have that, bring me burnt wood, fully carbonized, ground to powder. Now! And clean water, boiled, cooled. Large quantity. And—" She looked around wildly. "Milk! Do you have fresh milk?"
The servants stared at her.
"NOW!" she shouted.
They scattered.The head physician sputtered. "Who is this woman—"
"I'm saving his life. Are you going to help or get in my way?" His face purpled, but he stepped back.
Soyeon turned the man on his side, making sure his airway stayed clear. "Stay with me," she murmured. "Come on, stay with me."
The servants returned with the items. The charcoal wasn't ideal, they had brought her ground burnt wood from the stove, but it would have to do. She mixed it with water, creating a dark slurry.
"Help me sit him up. Carefully."
They propped the man up while Soyeon forced the mixture between his lips. "Swallow," she commanded. "I know it tastes awful but you need to swallow. Good. Good. More."
She made him drink the entire mixture, then followed it with milk to coat his stomach lining, then more water to dilute whatever poison remained.
"Elevated feet. Get something under his legs. Keep him warm."
Time crawled.Five minutes. Ten. Fifteen.
The man's convulsions slowed. His breathing steadied. Color began returning to his face.
The crowd that had gathered began murmuring in amazement.
"She did it!"
"He's stabilizing."
"Incredible."
Soyeon sat back on her heels, her hands shaking with adrenaline. The man would need monitoring for the next several hours, but he would live.
"Continue giving him water," she instructed the physician, who now looked at her with reluctant respect. "Small amounts, frequently. If his urine output decreases or becomes dark, increase fluids immediately."
"Yes, yes, of course," he mumbled.
Prince Zhao Yifeng appeared at her side, helping her to her feet. "That was extraordinary," he said softly.
"It was basic toxicology," Soyeon muttered. But her knees were weak.
Lady Xia rushed over, her face pale. "You saved him! Oh, Su Yan, you actually saved him!"
"We need to find out what he ate," Soyeon said. "And who else ate the same thing. This could be an outbreak—"
"Or an assassination attempt," Prince Zhao Yifeng finished grimly. His expression had gone ice.
"General!" He called out. "Seal the kitchens. No one in or out. Test all the food. Find the source."
Guards swarmed in immediately. "Your Highness," one of the officials said nervously. "We must hold court. The Emperor needs to be informed immediately."
Prince Zhao Yifeng nodded. "Prepare the throne room. Emergency session." He glanced at Soyeon. "You might be called upon to give a testimony about the treatment."
"Of course, Your Highness."
~
The throne room thrummed with tension.
Officials lined the walls, whispering among themselves, their faces masks of concern and calculation. Father Emperor sat on the dragon throne, his expression grave. And beside him, in her smaller throne, the Empress Dowager watched everything with eyes rivalling frost.
Prince Zhao Yifeng stood at the base of the dais, reporting the incident in formal tones. But his mind was elsewhere, circling the same thoughts over and over.
Does she want Jian?
The question had been needling him since this morning. Since he had seen the way her face had changed when he mentioned his brother's departure. The flash of something in her eyes, disappointment? Worry?
She should be throwing herself at me. Every woman does. Every woman wants to be Crown Princess. But she runs back to his cold, unwelcoming palace. Refuses my protection. Barely listens when I speak.
Why?
It wasn't that he couldn't have her. He was the Crown Prince. He could command her to his harem and she would have no choice. But that wasn't what he wanted.
He wanted her to want him.
For the first time in his life, someone looked at Prince Zhao Yifeng and chose someone else. His brother, of all people. His cold, bastard brother who barely knew how to smile.
What does she see in him that she doesn't see in me?
The thought rankled. Irritated. Like a thorn under his skin he couldn't quite reach.
"—potential outbreak," he was saying to the court. "Lady Su Yan's quick action saved the cook's life. However, we must consider this may have been a deliberate poisoning attempt."
The officials erupted in concerned murmurs.
"Who would dare poison the palace kitchens?"
"Perhaps rebels from the north—"
"Or the Xiongnu spies—"
"Enough." The Emperor's voice cut through the noise. His eyes swept the assembly, landing on the conspicuous empty space where Prime Minister Li would normally stand. "Where is Prime Minister Li?"
An uncomfortable silence fell.