I'll Help You Remember

The Terrible Night

They were on another expedition, or rather, on their way back from one. Jinshi had been sent to the outer villages of Li to investigate yet another potential food shortage. These villages weren't Li's primary sources of food, but they still played a significant role in the capital's food supply. Now, an unsettling mystery hung over them.

Some villagers whispered of curses or malevolent spirits. Others shrugged it off as bad luck or fate. Only a handful believed the cause to be something tangible, like bandits or some other human hand. Whatever the truth, Jinshi, now publicly acknowledged as the imperial brother, had been tasked with finding answers.

He had considered the usual officials and palace physicians to help him on this expedition, but dismissed the thought almost instantly. This wasn't the kind of problem for someone who followed procedure. He needed someone with sharp instincts, unflinching honesty, and the ability to see what others overlooked. The image came to him without effort...Maomao, brow furrowed in thought, muttering to herself as she pieced together a puzzle.

Once the thought took hold, he found himself already turning toward the clinic.

When Jinshi came to fetch Maomao, he found her in the palace clinic with only En'en and Yao for company. The physicians had gone out to purchase more supplies, leaving the three of them to the tedious task of sanitizing bandages.

Jinshi leaned casually against the doorway, arms folded, his lips curved into that insufferably smug smile she knew too well. "Come with me. I have a mystery that needs your... particular touch."

Maomao didn't bother looking up from the roll of linen in her hands. "There are plenty of other people in the palace that can help you. Why not send one of them?"

"Because they're not you," he replied smoothly.

She soaked another bandage and gave a deliberate sigh. "I'm busy. Find someone else."

"Busy, hmm?" He pushed away from the door and stepped closer, reaching into his sleeve. From it, he produced a tightly wrapped bundle of layered cloth, the shape irregular, its weight clearly solid. He didn't loosen the ties. Instead, his voice lowered just slightly, as if savoring the effect his words might have.

"It's a root," he began, "dark as ink, with veins the color of deep violet. Highly toxic, lethal if ingested raw. The alkaloid in it can even seep through the skin, so you'd want to handle it wrapped just like this. But with the right processing..." He paused meaningfully. "...its medicinal potential is extraordinary."

Maomao's head snapped up, her eyes bright. "Aconitum carmichaelii?"

A slow smile spread across his face. "Exactly. A rare specimen from the Western regions."

She set the bandage aside with almost comical speed and crossed the room in a few brisk steps. "Give it here."

He lifted the bundle just out of her reach, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.

"Two conditions," he said, chuckling as his other hand settled lightly on her shoulder, a gentle barricade to keep her from leaping for it.

"One: you come with me."

"Fine," she replied, impatiently tapping her foot. "What's the other?"

"And two... you don't digest it."

Her eyes narrowed. "I wasn't going to eat it!" she huffed, making another grab for it.

"I'm not taking chances," he said, clearly savoring her indignation.

Her eyes narrowed, but the glint in them betrayed her excitement. "...Fine. Where are we going?"

As Jinshi lowered the bundle into her hands, En'en and Yao exchanged a knowing glance over the pile of bandages. Yao muttered under her breath, "He's bribing her again."