Jia had treated fevers, snakebites and possibly even the early stages of lung cancer. But nothing in her modest years of healing experience had prepared her for the delicate task of treating a courtesan who swore she was dying of heartbreak.
The patient in question, a vision of beauty draped in layers of crimson silk, lay sprawled dramatically on the bed. Her dark hair fanned out like a halo of misery, and her painted lips parted in a fragile sigh.
"Jia," she whispered hoarsely. "I can't breathe… I think I'm really dying. But it hurts so much. What should I do?"
Jia barely looked up from the bowl of steaming herb tonic she was stirring. She didn't even bother to look alarmed. Instead, she gave the mixture one last stir and said dryly, "You're not dying, Lian. What you have is a fever."
"Are you sure?" Lian's eyes fluttered open in disbelief. "Because it feels like my heart is being torn apart. Piece by miserable piece. It's too much for me."
She moaned dramatically, clutching her silk-covered chest. "He hasn't sent word in two whole days, Jia. Two! This has never happened to me before!"
Jia bit back a sigh.
Carefully, she dipped a clean cloth into the warm tonic, wrung it out, and pressed it firmly against Lian's flushed forehead. She said:
"Then try to live long enough, so you can complain about it to him personally when he finally sends words."
Lian groaned louder at that, as if trying to make a point. The noise carried through the silk curtains of the House of Blooming Silk, earning a few giggles from the two other courtesans lounging nearby.
"If I die," Lian murmured weakly, fluttering her lashes in mock despair, "tell him he was my last thought."
"If you die," Jia replied without missing a beat. "I'll tell him he owes me money for all the medicine I used on you."
That earned another laugh from both women behind the curtains.
The three young women had always adored Jia from the very moment she started coming to their brothel to treat them– not just because she was clever and charming, but because she always spoke the truth. Even when it stung. Especially when it stung.
The door creaked open a minute later, and the Madam of the brothel stepped inside to check on Lian's condition.
"Is she really dying this time or just being dramatic again?"
"Seventy percent dramatic, thirty percent dehydrated," Jia replied. "She'll live."
"Good," the Madam exhaled in relief, adjusting the jeweled hairpin in her bun. "I don't have time to train another girl. Since Lian will need some assistance at the House of Balance tonight, how about you escort them, Jia?"
Jia blinked. "Escort them?"
"Don't give me that look. I for one, had nothing to do with it this time," the Madam huffed, waving her hand. "They're the ones who suggested it. Of course, they bring in more money than anyone else in my wondrous establishment. So whatever they want, I shall abide by – for the prosperity of the business."
The three courtesans immediately perked up, nodding their heads in agreement.
"The Imperial Crowned Prince will be making his Provincial Tour today," one of the courtesan's named Mei said to Jia. "We were invited to entertain His Highness during his stay at the House of Balance. It will be fun if you come along with us, Jia."
Jia simply stared at them, her expression flat and unamused.
They had to be joking.
It wasn't exactly shocking that the three courtesan sisters were chosen to entertain His Highness. In Eldora Province, their names were practically legend– Lian, Mei and Su– the Blooming Silk trio. Su's voice could make even the palace guards forget their vows, Mei's dancing could put temple goddesses to shame, and Lian's skill with the guqin could summon tears from stone. It was no wonder the Crown Prince's attendants eagerly sought them out.
Still, Jia couldn't bring herself to be roped into all these things. She had better things to do… like not getting dragged into royal nonsense for entertainment.
Sensing her lack of enthusiasm, Lian leaned dramatically against her pillow and gave a frail, overdone cough. "Oh, dear Heavens, my fever might return this very night. How tragic it would be if I were to collapse right in front of His Highness. Tell me, Jia, who would save me then?"
Jia didn't even blink and replied, "Your sense of self-preservation."
She was beginning to pack her herbs into her medicine bag.
Lian gasped in mock offense while her sisters giggled behind their fans.
The Madam, who watched them with a glint of amusement, smirked. "Well, since our poor Lian's health is such a delicate matter, it's been concluded that our little physician has already volunteered to accompany them."
Jia's head snapped up. "Wait– what?"
The Madam waved a dismissive hand as she glided toward the door. "Be ready before dusk. We wouldn't like to keep His Highness waiting now, would we?"
Jia opened her mouth to protest, but the door had already closed behind the woman.
She sighed, rubbing her temples. Somehow, she'd gone from treating a fever to being forcibly enlisted into royal entertainment.
**********
The Provincial Tour was a centuries-old imperial tradition– a grand ceremonial journey during which the Emperor himself traveled across the provinces to bestow blessings upon the people, inspect their welfare, and reaffirm the Crown's dominion across the realm.
It was a spectacle that balanced benevolence and authority: a gesture of goodwill to the common folks, but also a reminder that the Empire's gaze, and its shield, reached every corner of the land.
This year, however, the custom had taken a different turn. Instead of the Emperor, it was his heir – the Imperial Crown Prince – who had been entrusted with the sacred duty, to be accompanied by his younger brother who most haven't laid eyes on in years, the second Imperial Prince.
The decree had swept through the Provinces like wildfire, stirring a frenzy of anticipation. Nobles polished their estates, merchants, eager to impress, prepared lavish offerings like silks, fine wines, and spices worth a year's earnings. The streets hummed with music and excitement as common folks gathered near the House of Balance to catch even a fleeting glimpse of the two Imperial Princes.
The House of Balance itself stood as a symbol of imperial grace – an elegant residence reserved solely for the Imperial entourage during the tour. It was a place few locals ever set foot in, and majority of the time, not at all. Most years, the place remained shut and was only used when the royal procession paused to rest before journeying to the next province.
Tonight, it gleamed with lantern lights and hushed excitement, for the Crown Prince himself was within its walls.
Yet, amidst the banners, drums, and rising fervor, Jia found herself untouched by the jubilation. The sound of celebration only deepened the quiet sense of detachment in her heart.
The three courtesans invited to perform were being prepared in an adjoining chamber, their attendant fluttering about like anxious birds. Jia had accompanied them, carrying a small chest of herbs and tonics in case the ladies' required tending before their grand appearance.
Now, standing near one of the carved pillars of the reception hall, she found herself surveying the glittering assembly below– men and women in garments so fine they seemed to catch every flicker of light. Even the servants moved with a sort of trained elegance, as if they too had been born into gentility.
Jia glanced down at herself and nearly sighed.
She was wearing a plain, dull-colored robe, travel-worn boots, and a healer's satchel swung awkwardly across her shoulder. She looked painfully out of place in such grace and grandeur, like a misplaced villager in a painting of nobles.
For a moment, Jia wondered what madness had made her give in to those courtesans. A healer from a lowly family, standing in a place meant for the Princes and the Lords. She wanted to remain invisible to their gaze till she left.
Her grandfather would surely lose it if he returned and found out she attended the Provincial Tour in his absence.
She was about to slip quietly into the room the courtesans had gotten dressed in when, by the base of the pillar, she spotted a millipede about to make an impressive escape across the polished floor.
"Not in a place like this, you'll be trampled," she muttered, hurrying over to scoop it up with the hem of her sleeve. She frowned at the tiny creature, wondering what a millipede was doing in a gathering like this. She quickly glanced around, looking for a safe spot to set it free.
Meanwhile, a sudden hush fell over the hall below.
Someone burst through the doors, apparently a minister, and he shouted. "Fetch a physician! The Imperial crowned Prince has lost consciousness!"
Jia blinked, the millipede in her hand.
Well that escalated quickly.