70 Chapter 11: Imperial Dr. Yen, Quack Doctor and Dumb Eunuch (2/2)

”Anything.” the quack doctor huffed in pride.

”Then, can you make medicine that can break curses?” the man said while rubbing his inflamed right hand. Color had returned to his pale face some time ago. ”It was something from the evening of yesterday. I finished with the cleaning up the rubbish as usual. Rubbish from all over the inner palace is collected in a cart and incinerated on the west side. It was originally forbidden to light a fire after the evenings, but since there was no wind and the air was humid, it was approved with no issues.

The low-ranking officials threw the rubbish into the hole. I devoted myself like the others so that I could quickly finish my job. Suddenly, something in the cart caught my eye. A woman's clothes, although it wasn't silk, it was of exceptional quality. It would have been a waste to throw it out. Then I saw that there were loose wooden slips bundled up inside it. There was a large scorch mark on the cuff of the clothing that wrapped it. I then throw the wooden slips into the flames, and in doing so, the flames blew up into a gust and changed into a weird color,” the eunuch said.

”Ahh.” The old man's shoulders trembled, looking dreadful from his reminiscence.

”Were the colors red, purple and green?” Yen asked.

”That's right,” the eunuch affirmed. Yen nodded in understanding.

”That's the curse of the consort who died in a fire a long time ago. I knew it was wrong to light a fire at night. That's why it turned out like this.” It seemed that the rash on the eunuch's hand was from after seeing that flame. ”Hey, girl. Make me medicine that will break the curse.”

”That sort of medicine doesn't exist.” After declaring that coldly, she got up from her seat and went to rummage in the medicine shelves next door.

Giving a backward glance at the flustered quack doctor and the old man, she put something on the table. There were several powders, and then pieces of wooden slips.

”That flame. Was it this color?” She added the wooden slips onto the charcoal, and after confirming that they were lit, she scooped up some white powder with a medicine spoon and added it to the fire.

The orange fire turned red.

”If not that then, this?” After she added a different powder, it turned green.

”I can do even this.” When she added a pinch of salt that been on the matsutake, it turned yellow.

”Lass, what in the world was that?” The quack doctor asked astonishment.

”It's the same as colored fireworks. Just that the color changes according to what is burnt,” she replied.

”Then, what is with my hand? Is it not due to the curse?” the eunuch asked.

Yen presented him the white powder. ”A rash can break out if you touch this with your bare hands. If it weren't for that, they wouldn't paint lacquer onto the wooden slips. Either way, isn't your skin weak to these?”

”…is that what it was?” He slumped down as if he lost his bones. His face was a mix of surprise and relief. It must have been on the wooden slips. Burning that will birth colorful flames. That was all it was.