Taste of Jasmine

pinned by your gaze

Frustrated, Baili Hongyi jumped up and paced back and forth in his study lost in thought. There had to be a solution! There had to be a reason for the Empress's condition. So many possibilities, but he had discarded them all. None of them had worked, he had disproved all of them. The Empress had simply not woken up one morning. Everything had been examined... food, drinks, crockery, rooms, clothes, etc... he had examined the entire kitchen. Nowhere had he found any signs of poison or unusual substances. Nothing told him why the Empress was in a coma-like state. Doctors had ruled out physical injuries. Even now, after several days, there were no unusual discolorations or changes to the fingernails that would indicate poison or possible illness. No changes in her eyes, skin or anything else. She didn't convulse, she didn't breathe abnormally. She simply slept.

The biggest problem was that she was getting weaker and weaker. Feeding her was difficult in this state. But it also seemed that whatever was weakening her continued to rage inside her body, although there was absolutely nothing visible on the outside. It made it maddeningly easy for him not to find out what it was.

He was no detective nor policeman, and yet he found himself in this role. It wasn't just the Empress' life that was at stake; whoever was responsible had made sure that there was a scapegoat. The perpetrator had left behind a lot of evidence that pointed to Baili Hongyi ́s father. Just like his father, he was a Master of Work, an architect, and while his father cultivated a good relationship with the palace, he himself preferred to travel to the restaurants of the empire. He tested restaurants, their cuisine and chefs for quality. Flavor, preparation... just as with construction and planning, there were many components that ultimately formed the whole. Just like a puzzle, it came together piece by piece, it was something he really liked. It had a fascinating logic.

This logic now helped him to keep a cool head and also to realize that the evidence against his father was only being planted.

The evidence so far was overwhelming, it made proving what Baili knew so well difficult, but physical evidence was still missing and he had yet to figure out the how, what, why and who. The "why" seemed simple. Who would be next on the throne? Her only son died more than a year ago and there were no more direct descendants. Of course, the usual power games were everywhere behind the Empress. But he hadn't been able to find out anything "acute".

Annoyed with himself, he sat down angrily behind his desk. It wasn't just the Empress' life that depended on his skills, his father's was also in his hands.

Shen Fei, the guardian of the Baili family and Baili's only friend, entered the room.

"Erlang? Have you eaten something?"

Baili shook his head, he liked good food and of course his cook was excellent, but he didn't feel like eating at all.

"You must keep your strength and wits about you."

"Shen Fei, I don't want to eat." He got up again to pace restlessly up and down the room, "I've tried everything, I've followed every clue. Time is of the essence and I have nothing! They've called in the priests... it seems she doesn't have much time left and so does my father. I don't know what to do anymore, Shen Fei."

A servant came to them and announced a message from the palace. Baili Hongyi was immediately worried, it was unlikely to be good news. Outside, he was greeted politely.

The guard gave a short bow: "The minister asks you to come to him immediately."

"Tell him I'll be on my way." The guard nodded, bowed and left. Baili braced himself for the worst.

*

Baili entered the antechamber of the Empress' private chambers. 6 priests were present, as well as the minister. The priests' incense permeated the rooms like a fine mist. It smelled like a lit bunch of herbs. Baili coughed. His tongue felt furry, it was too much, far too much. His nose picked up every nuance: the tart, sweet, earthy, floral, cold, heavy... every single herb irritated his sensitive senses of taste and smell. Annoyed, he furrowed his eyebrows and held a cloth over his mouth and nose.