This Puts Me in a Difficult Spot (5)
The person who had rushed in was a woman, and upon seeing her, Governor Po's eyes widened in surprise.
"Aren't you Ja-ryeong's maid?"
"My lord! Miss Ja-ryeong has fainted and won't wake up."
What was that supposed to mean?
The governor's daughter had fainted?
"What did you say?"
Shocked, Governor Po hurried toward the inner quarters, and somehow, we all ended up following him in a daze.
The residence was spacious and comfortably furnished, clearly with great care put into it for his daughter.
But is it really okay for me to barge into the inner quarters like this?
"Ja-ryeong! Ja-ryeong!"
Governor Po called his daughter's name as he entered her room. I could see a young woman lying on the bed.
She looked pale, but her distinct features suggested she must have been quite a beauty in good health.
Despite the governor calling her name repeatedly, she didn't stir in the slightest.
"What happened?"
The maid answered his question.
"Miss's condition hasn't been good since this morning. She started coughing nonstop, then suddenly fainted."
Seeing the governor and the household staff in a panic, it seemed this was the first time she'd fainted like this.
"Physician!"
"Yes, my lord!"
"How is my daughter's condition?"
Sweating profusely, the physician replied to his question.
"Well... I can't find any cause at all."
"You can't find the cause?"
"Her pulse is beating normally..."
At that moment, I felt a strange sense of familiarity.
Her pulse was normal, but her condition was mysteriously worsening bit by bit?
I subtly extended my energy to examine the teapot beside the bed.
"...!"
It was a familiar energy.
The same energy I'd sensed before.
"Excuse me, but what is the young lady's illness called?"
The physician answered my question.
"It's a type of illness I've never seen before."
"Doesn't the young lady often complain of thirst but refuse plain water, insisting on tea instead?"
"Eh? Yes, that's right."
The one who answered was the maid.
I continued questioning her.
"And she sweats a lot too, right?"
"Yes."
"Even in the dead of winter... Ah, but it's hot here, so maybe not. Doesn't she wake up every morning feeling stuffy, like indigestion?"
"Eh? Yes."
"And it gets better after drinking tea?"
"Yes! That's why she loves drinking tea so much."
Everything I'd asked so far matched the symptoms the White-Haired Physician had described for severe poisoning from that toxin.
That's right. The young lady wasn't sick—she was poisoned.
"B-but... who might you be?"
I ignored the maid's question and asked one more.
"Among the teas the young lady drinks, are there any like Phoenix Chirping at Dawn, Plum in Bright Moonlight, or Green Plum Charm?"
She gasped in surprise at my question.
"How on earth do you know those? She loves them. She drinks those three every day."
"She eats jujubes too, doesn't she?"
She nodded and opened the box beside her.
It was filled with dried jujubes.
Ah, damn it.
To encounter that poison here again.
Phoenix Chirping at Dawn, Plum in Bright Moonlight, Green Plum Charm.
The toxins mixed into these three teas balanced each other out, showing no symptoms until the toxin in the jujubes disrupted the equilibrium, triggering them. A quadruple-layered poison called Mugak-su.
The same poison that killed the empress in my past life and nearly claimed the Jegal Supreme Patriarch in this one.
Growing suspicious as my questions hit the mark one after another, Governor Po asked me,
"What on earth are you talking about? How do you know Ja-ryeong's symptoms?"
"To be honest, I was once invited to the Jegal family. I can't go into details, but someone there nearly faced a crisis with the exact same symptoms. So I asked just in case."
"Then, do you know why Ja-ryeong is ill?"
"Yes. I do. The young lady has been poisoned."
At my words, Governor Po staggered in shock but quickly steadied himself and looked at me.
"Poisoned? Who would poison my Ja-ryeong?"
"I don't know that either. Today is the first time I've seen the young lady."
"Well, true. You're new here today..."
He blinked at me, suddenly realizing I'd tagged along uninvited.
I quickly cupped my hands and bowed my head.
"I deeply apologize for an outsider like me entering your inner quarters. Circumstances led me here, so please forgive me."
"No, no. The situation was urgent, so you couldn't help it. It's my fault for not showing you to your quarters first."
He continued,
"More importantly, can you treat Ja-ryeong?"
"I'm a merchant, not a physician. But I know someone who can."
"Who is that?"
"Do you know of the White-Haired Physician?"
The physician standing nearby spoke up at my question.
"The White-Haired Physician from Hubei Province?"
"That's right."
The physician urgently told Governor Po,
"My lord, if the young lady is poisoned, we must summon him immediately. He's unmatched in antidotes. I'm a healer of illnesses, not versed in such poisons."
"Bring him here at once! Money is no object!"
"Yes, sir!"
He gazed at his daughter with distant eyes.
"Ja-ryeong, I brought eyes for you to see..."
"My lord, from the symptoms, she'll regain consciousness in a few hours. No need to worry too much."
"That's a relief."
"So it might be best to show her then."
"Yes, thank you. We must hold onto hope."
He told me,
"I'll provide quarters for you. Go rest there."
"Then, I'll take my leave."
I left the inner quarters under a servant's guidance and was shown to the guesthouse in the outer compound.
Sitting at the table, I pondered this incident.
Who would've thought I'd encounter Mugak-su here.
That poison is made by the Murim Alliance. It's tricky to use and expensive, so not just anyone can get it.
Did the Murim Alliance make a move?
What's their goal?
To eliminate Governor Po and install one of their own?
But why target the governor's daughter instead?
And in my past life, Governor Po was still in office even when I died.
So was the daughter the target from the start?
Let's sort this out.
Clearly, the daughter died due to the Oseong Merchant Group's meddling.
Maybe it wasn't mere mischief—what they brought worsened her poisoning.
If that was unforeseen even by the Murim Alliance, they might have failed their objective.
At any rate, with this poison turning up here, there's a high chance a Murim Alliance member is near Miss Ja-ryeong.
The maid and physician answered my questions too readily, so they're probably not involved...
I hope the White-Haired Physician gets here soon.
Since I mentioned the poisoning myself, I can't leave until he arrives.
Of course, I could've kept quiet, taken my reward from the governor, and left.
But I couldn't gamble with a person's life.
Then Palgap said to me,
"Young master, you should wash up and change clothes."
"Ah, right."
I washed with the prepared water and changed into clean clothes. After a late lunch and some reading, the servant who had shown me here returned.
"Deputy Branch Head Eun Seo-ho. The governor summons you."
"Yes. Has the young lady woken?"
"Ah, yes! Just now. B-but..."
He hesitated, then asked me,
"Will the young lady be okay? She can recover, right?"
"I'm sorry. As I'm not a physician, I can't give a definite answer."
"......"
He looked regretful and apologized.
"I asked a difficult question. My apologies."
"No need."
This reminded me anew of how cherished Miss Ja-ryeong was by everyone here.
As we walked, I said,
"You all seem to adore the young lady."
"Of course. She's our joy. We were thrilled when a good match was arranged for her..."
Come to think of it, her illness started at sixteen, when marriage prospects are set.
We arrived at the entrance to the inner quarters.
Governor Po stood waiting there.
"My lord, you summoned me?"
"My daughter has woken. She heard about the eyes and wants to see them now. Bring them here."
"Understood. I'll do so."
I immediately fetched the cart and returned to the inner quarters' entrance.
But the cart was larger than expected and wouldn't fit through, so I had to carry the box in by hand.
Seo-u Warrior and Jin Yu Warrior lifted the box, and Governor Po marveled.
"It looks heavy. Impressive."
"My guards are quite skilled."
"You must have good virtue. Have them carry it to my daughter's room."
"Um... is it alright for us to enter the inner quarters?"
"Didn't you already come once?"
"True enough."
And so we entered.
As we reached Miss Ja-ryeong's room, the window opened.
A young woman in a veil peered out at us.
The veil allowed the governor to permit our entry.
"Pleased to meet you, miss. I'm Deputy Branch Head Eun Seo-ho of the Eunhae Merchant Group. These are my attendant and guards."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Ja-ryeong."
Her voice was incredibly sweet.
Even in her weakened state, how pleasant would it have been to hear if she were healthy?
"I heard you brought eyes for me."
"Yes. Your father prepared them for you."
"It must have been hard work regardless."
"Of course it was tough. But merchants don't shy from hardship to satisfy customers."
I signaled my guards, and they opened the box.
They opened the inner box and presented the tray of snow to her.
"Miss, this is snow."
As I spoke, I subtly released a chill.
The snow in the box was preserved by the cold in my pendant, but once out, the warm air could melt it quickly.
"This is... snow."
Her voice trembled as she reached out, then hesitated.
"C-can I touch it?"
"Of course."
She extended her hand slowly, ever so slowly, like seeing it for the first time.
Plop.
Her finger touched the snow.
"Ah... it's cold."
"Yes, it is snow, after all."
I continued,
"When the weather turns cold, rain freezes in the air and changes shape like this. You can think of snow as a kind of ice."
"I see. But this is my first time seeing such ice."
Then she lifted her veil.
"Ja-ryeong...!"
"Sorry. But I can't see this snow properly with the veil on."
She smiled.
"White and sparkling... beautiful."
She looked so happy it filled me with a sense of accomplishment.
"I heard you can play all sorts of games with this snow."
"Yes. As a child, I packed it into balls and threw them, or built snowmen."
I went on,
"I even wrote my name in the snow. They say if it doesn't melt until New Year's, you'll live past a hundred."
"Is that... true?"
"I'm not sure myself."
Then she began writing letters in the snow.
"Hm?"
But they weren't her name.
"Are those your father and mother's names?"
"Yes."
She beamed.
"Father told me that pendant keeps the snow from melting."
"Yes, that's right."
"If it's not too much trouble, would you sell me that pendant? Or even just lend it? I want this snow to last until New Year's."
"So their names won't fade until then?"
"Yes."
She nodded.
"I want my parents to live past a hundred."
"......"
I was at a loss for words.
How can someone have such a kind heart?
I could see why everyone here cherished Miss Ja-ryeong.
With a heart this pure, how could anyone not love her?
At her words, Governor Po and the middle-aged woman behind him dabbed tears with their sleeves. From her attire and looks, she seemed to be the young lady's mother.
Then a question struck me.
"But why not write your own name?"