It was nearly plum blossom season. Early January, the wind was cold and bitter.

The snowflakes fluttered under the moonlight, and across the nighttime gardens of the forbidden city, reaching the window of the palace maids quarters, Wu Yi-Nuo .

As she practiced her embroidery on a silk robe, she heard a knock come to the door.

Promptly, she put her things down and stood to get it.

"Ah, Mei....need something?" She asked.

The other maid stood holding a tray of tea and snacks in porcelain bowls.

"Actually,,, a favor would be nice." The girl smiled bashfully, "I've got that pain in my leg again...and Ms.Cao asked me to bring these to Consort Cheng...I don't think I'd make it all the way over there..."

A smile graced the young woman's face.

"I got it. Don't worry," she voiced while taking the tray from her. "Why don't you make yourself comfortable, and I'll hurry back so we can have some tea together!"

The girl, Mei, smiled with a nod.

"Thanks, Yi-Nuo....I owe you one!"

She left the room, passing across the hall as she headed to Consort Cheng's palace.

The moon shone down on the stone pathway, where lanterns lite the way every so often and a thin layer is snow dusted the ground.
Yi-Nuo walked for a few minutes, before approaching through the western six palaces gate, residence of the imperial consorts and ladies-in-waiting.

"I'm here to bring these to Consort Cheng. Please pardon me," she voiced to the eunuch guarding the gates.

He nodded and pushed the gates open, then closed it after she entered.

Inside was the court yard of the palace of eternal longevity, the residence of Consort Cheng and her ladies-in-waiting. A waterfall flowed through the middle of the garden, flowing through a couple of streams and around the palace, which had multiple rooms surrounded by the main door.

Yi-Nuo crossed the small bridge and announced her presence.

"I've come with tea and snacks for Consort Cheng....may I enter?"

Another maid opened the door, meeting her gaze briefly.

"Consort Cheng is in her room. I'll come with you to avoid interfering in her reading."

She nodded at the woman's words, smiling as she lead her down the hall toward the consort's room.

"Hello? Consort Cheng...Miss Yi-Nuo has arrived with tea..may we come in?"

It was a short moment, before the door opened, revealing the smiling woman who wore her hair up in a delicate bun.

"Ah, thank you, Yi-Nuo...can you bring it in and set in on my table?"

"Of course, Consort Cheng....anything you need!"

The other maid closed the door after her, as she followed the consort to her table.

"Would you like me to pour you a cup before I leave?" Yi-Nuo asked, motioning to the tray she had set down on the low table.

"Actually, there's something I'd like you to do first, if you're not busy." The woman stated.

"Oh, of course. What is it?"

"Well, it seems there's a tear in the Hanfu that his majesty gifted me recently, I don't have the heart to tell him...and I know you're good with a needle...Would you be able to sew it up for me?" She explained, her tone kind.  

Yi-Nuo smiled and nodded.

"Of course, I would be honored,"  She bowed her head, earning a warm smile from the woman.

"What a kind girl you are, Yi-Nuo...I'll get you some candies for helping me out when you're done, ok? I'll be right back with the hanfu and supplies."

Yi-Nuo returned the gesture, her smile widening as she left the room.

She had been close to Consort Cheng since entering the palace as a maid, 6 years ago, to be precise. Though, now she served a lower ranking concubine, she still enjoyed her company. She had been like an older sister to her, helping her through her teenage years, and providing comfort and care when needed.

Yi-Nuo was grateful to have someone like her in the harsh life of the Forbidden city, especially since her family had left her at such a young age.

From a sickness, of course. It had infected both her parents and her young brother, though she herself had narrowly escaped it. 

After the incident, the young orphan was sent to the palace to become a maid, like many other young girls her age.

Now, at age 19, she had built a stable life for herself, despite the harsh circumstances.

"Here you are...if you need anything, I'll be over here at my table reading, so please make yourself comfortable on the seat," Consort Cheng voiced as she entered the room once more.

"Ah, thank you! I'll do my best, Lady Cheng."

She sat down and examined the peach colored hanfu. The embroidery was beautiful and depicted the spring blossoms that fluttered across the sky, fitting for the season. There was a small tears near the sleeve hem, which should be easy enough to fix.

A smile graced her face as she worked quietly. Her threaded needle went in and out of the delicate silk, fastening together the two panels of the front and back.

After nearly 20 minutes, she had finished off the thread and examined her work.

"There, all fixed! You should show it off to the emperor now, Lady Cheng. I'm sure he'll reward you for your stunning beauty," she voiced cheerfully as she smiled.

Her breath caught in her throat as she heard the porcelain tea cup shatter.

"Lady Cheng?"
She stood and looked to the side, where the woman sat at the table, coughing as blood dripped from her mouth and stained the silks she wore.

"Lady Cheng!"

The girl felt her heart beat quicken, Her head began to pound as she rushed to the woman's side.

"Yi...Nuo....please...get the physician." She stated in between coughs, grasping her own stomach tightly.

Yi-Nuo felt tears sting in her eyes, and she dropped the silks she had been mending.

At that moment, the maid from before came rushing in, in response to the sound of porcelain shattering.

"My lady!"  She gasped in surprise, rushing to her side.

"Yi-Nuo!  Go fetch Physician Zheng...right now! He should be tending to the sixth Prince's cold, in the palace of eternal spring...hurry!"

"R-right! I'll go immediately!"

She rushed like lightning out the door, across the courtyard and through the palace gates.

Her breaths quickened as she ran across the stone alleyway, all the way to the Palace of eternal spring, where Imperial Noble Consort Hui resided with her son and young daughter.

She banged on the crimson gates, informing the eunuches to let her in.

"Please! It's Consort Cheng....shes not well, she needs the physician! Please let me in!"

The gates opened momentarily, followed by the young woman rushing past the eunuchs standing on either side.

She stumbled over the stairs and pushed open the door, glancing around the elaborate palace.

"Miss? Is something the matter?" A eunuch asked.

"Where's the physician? Consort Cheng needs help, immediately!" She voiced.

The eunuchs eyes widened, and he motioned for her to follow quickly.

"This way...follow me!"

The two hurried across the hall, where he knocked on the doors, before pushing them open.

Inside was the 4th prince's room. He lay on the intricately carved wooden bed, pillows lain behind him as a man held a damp cloth to the young man's forehead. He looked up upon the sudden entrance of the eunuch and maid.

"Physician Zheng?" Yi-Nuo came forward, out of breath.

The man looked to her as he bowed his head slightly.

"My father, Zheng Haobei, is tending to a patient outside the city...I'm filling in for him tonight. My name is Zheng Mingze...." he said with a charming smile. "Never the less, Can I help you?" 

Yi-Nuo nodded.
"Consort Cheng is sick...she needs help immediately!"

The man's brow furrowed, his expression becoming serious.

"Alright, take me there. Let me get my things," he voiced, standing quickly.

They rushed to the palace of eternal longevity, arriving just in time to see Consort Cheng sitting at the floor.
The other maid held a silk cloth to her mouth as she coughed violently.

"Ah, finally! This is your doing, isn't it, Yi-Nuo??" The maid shouted angrily.  "Shes been coughing blood since drinking the tea you served her....it was poison, wasn't it??"

The female froze in place at her words.

"W-what?? I...-I would never-"

"Get her some water, now!" The man interrupted, leaning down to be on eye level with the consort. "We'll discuss that later, she needs to flush the toxins from her system first,"

"Y-yes, sir."
Yi-Nuo hurried to get the pitcher of water near the front door, and a cup too. As she ran quickly, she felt her heart beat racing. Her head began to pound, and her field of vision blurred.

Before she could act, she stumbled to the floor. Everything went black....

....

"Yi-Nuo......Yi-Nuo, wake up!" Someone shouted.

"No....let her rest. Don't worry, She only passed out from over-exhaustion...she should be okay." Another person said quietly.

The girls eyelids felt heavy. She remembered what had happened.

'The tea...had it been poisoned? Why was Ms Wang accusing me.....Consort Cheng.....please be ok....'

...

Her eyes fluttered open quickly, meeting the gazes of Tao Mei and the Physician from earlier as she sat up in a daze. They were back in her quarters now. She must have been taken there after the incident.

"Yi-Nuo!" The girl shouted, lunging to wrap her arms around her as she sobbed.
"Lady Cheng....she.....she passed away.. they're saying it was you, Yi-Nuo! This should have been me...I was the one supposed to bring tray over in the first place."

Yi-Nuo could hardly speak. Tears welled in her eyes, and she wrapped her arms around the girl, squeezing tightly.

"It's alright, Mei.....but....please believe me. I didn't do it." She muttered.

The man beside them stood.

"Miss Wu, The Emperor informed me to bring you to him once you came too. I'm afraid he wants to speak with you about the current matter." He voiced.

Yi-Nuo looked to him, her brow furrowed. She knew facing the emperor now would mean execution, even if she did plead her case.

"Physician Zheng.....please testify for me....I didn't poison her...you have to believe me. Consort Cheng was kind to me, she was my friend....I would never want to kill her!" She stated, choking back sobs as the man's gaze locked on her.

His eyes were sympathetic....kind. He was silent a moment, before a small sigh escaped his lips.

"Alright. You don't seem like the kind to scheme. I'll do my best to persuade his majesty, but I can't promise anything."

Yi-Nuo felt tears stream down her cheeks, and she knelt forward to the ground.

"Thank you..." she bowed.

His eyes widened slightly.

"Eh, uh...p-please rise....you don't have to bow to me. I'm just a physician."

She looked up and briefly met his gaze as he flashed her a warm smile.

"I'll testify as well..." Mei voiced, sniffling as she grabbed the girls arm and pulled her to her feet. "I'm not sure my word is worth anything to the emperor, but I won't just sit back and watch."

"Right. Come on then, we'll all go together."  Physician Zheng stated.

❛ ━━･❪ ❁ ❫ ･━━ ❜

The emperor was in a fit of rage. He threw his incense burner across the room upon hearing the news.

As the three approached the emperors throne room, the eunuch leading them opened the door for them to enter.

"Your majesty, Physician Zheng, Miss Wu and Miss Tao. They have come to explain the circumstances."

Physician Zheng was the first to step forward, followed by the two young women.

"Your majesty." He began, head hung low. "I would like to-"

"Wu Yi-Nuo!" The man shouted with a clenched fist, interrupting him.

The girl froze in her steps, unable to think as her mind was clouded with fear.

"Is it true? You poisoned my consort?" The emperor shouted once more.

Yi-Nuo fell to her knees.

"No.....your majesty...." She muttered, her forehead touching the ground as she bowed. "I didn't..."

"She didn't poison anyone! She was framed!" Mei spoke up.

Physician Zheng nodded, still kneeling as well.

"Your majesty, I believe that to be true. If I'm correct, Consort Cheng died of  *Nitric Acid poisoning, which is very hard to come by, and must be purchased from an alchemist outside of the forbidden city."

The emperor clenched his fist and, the his advisor stood forward.

"Your majesty, if I may, Miss Wu has no family...parents or siblings, no blood relatives inside or outside of the forbidden palace.....but if I remember right, she did request to meet with someone in the main courtyard three days ago. The poison could have been exchanged at that time."

At his words, the physicians expression shifted.

' No family.....that makes her even more vulnerable a target to frame.....but, who would want to do such a thing? '

Yi-Nuo looked up quickly, tears welling in her eyes.

"That was for personal reasons, your majesty! I requested to meet with Physician Li to get medicine for Tao Mei's leg pain....I didn't get any poison!"

"Enough! I've heard enough of this. You will kneel in front of my palace until morning. I will have the servants search your quarters...if anything is found that could be related to the poisoning of Consort Cheng, you will be executed."

❛ ━━･❪ ❁ ❫ ･━━ ❜

It was pitch dark as Yi-Nuo rested on her knees in front of the palace of heavenly purity, the only light coming from the moon and a few dim lanterns hung from the palace awning.

It had began to rain shortly after, causing the girls hair and clothes to become drenched. With the cold air chilling her bones, she began to shiver and cough.

Through the night, she tried her hardest not to fall asleep, but by morning...she had been so exhausted that she fell to the stone floor.

❛ ━━･❪ ❁ ❫ ･━━ ❜

Tao Mei had begged the young physician to continue to testify for Yi-Nuo. He had accepted, of course.

He found himself negotiating with the emperor early in the morning, after the search was done on Wu Yi-Nuo's quarters.

He held a small, dark brown glass jar with a cloth tied over the top to prevent spilling. Apparently, it had been found amongst the girls things. But physician Zheng believed it to be planted as evidence.

"You majesty....please. I know this bottle and where it comes from, I highly doubt a palace maid could have the means to attain it! I believe Miss Wu to be innocent...if you'll allow me to investigate, I can-"

"Physician Zheng...do you really expect his majesty to be so careless?" The adviser spoke up, causing the young physician to clench his jaw.

"He is right. I will not allow a girl like Wu Yi-Nuo in my palace. Even if she is innocent, I cannot take the chances of possibly losing another one of my consorts to her schemes."

The man lowered his head with a sigh.

"Your majesty. I will take full responsibility for Wu Yi-Nuo at the clinic....if you give me a month, I promise...I will investigate and try my hardest to prove her innocence..." he began, his expression becoming tense. "If I cannot do so....then you can execute us both!"

The emperors eyes widened at the young man's words. He had known physician Zheng and his father since the boy was born, so he knew that a promise like this was one that would be seen through to the end.

He said nothing as he stood, approaching the kneeling male.
He placed a hand on his shoulder.

"One month, my boy. One month. Do not fail...it would be a shame to loose you so soon."

❛ ━━･❪ ❁ ❫ ･━━ ❜

Authors note—-Footnotes.

*Nitric Acid poisoning. Nitric acid is a very corrosive, clear to yellow liquid. It causes severe symptoms when ingested, such as: Abdominal pain, coughing up blood, fever, throat pain and swelling, and a rapid drop in blood pressure. This ultimately leads to death.

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Hello! Milk tea here. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of this story. I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments!