Reincarnation In The Shanghai Dynasty

Untitled Episode chapter12

Chapter 12 : The Golden Fever

The courtyard was a mess of oil, soot, and angry merchants. But Lin Xia didn’t look at the men falling in the mud. Her eyes were fixed on the small arrow quivering in the wood beside her hand. She pulled the note free, her fingers steady despite the terrifying words written on the paper.

The Imperial Prince is coming.

Lin Xia looked toward the nursery where the infant, Chen Bo, was being held. This wasn’t just a family crisis anymore. If the Prince—a man with the power of life and death—found out his "heir" was a sick peasant child or a fraud, the entire Chen estate would be wiped off the map by sunrise.

"A-Mei, get the merchants out of here. Use the guards, use the oil, I don't care," Lin Xia commanded, her voice sharp and cold. "A-Ling, go to the kitchen. I need salt, clean water, and the strongest honey we have. A-Jiao, follow me."

Lin Xia burst into the nursery. The room was still filled with the cloying scent of Concubine Hua’s expensive perfumes, but beneath that smell was something sour and wrong. The baby was lying in his golden cradle, his face a pale, sickly gray. His breathing was fast and shallow, the "whistling" sound A-Mei had heard earlier now sounding like a rattling drum.

"He’s burning up," A-Jiao whispered, touching the baby’s forehead. "Mother, his skin feels like it’s been in the sun all day."

Lin Xia checked the child’s pulse. In her old life, she had handled medical malpractice cases for years; she knew the signs of a body in distress. The baby didn't have a "Dragon’s fever." He had a severe infection, likely caused by the dirty goat’s blood and the lack of proper care from a terrified wet nurse.

"He’s dehydrated and his blood is sour," Lin Xia said, her mind racing. "If the Prince arrives tomorrow and sees a dying child, he will blame us for 'neglecting' the royal bloodline. We have to stabilize him now."

In the ancient Shanghai Dynasty, doctors would have used heavy incense or strange, bitter barks that would have likely killed a newborn. Lin Xia knew better.

"A-Ling, the salt and honey!" Lin Xia called out as her daughter rushed in with the supplies.

Lin Xia began to mix a precise solution of warm water, a pinch of salt, and a spoonful of honey—a simple oral rehydration.

"Mother, what are you doing?" A-Ling asked, her eyes wide. "The Master says babies should only drink milk or wine-water for strength."

"The Master is an i***t," Lin Xia snapped. "This boy’s body is a machine that has run out of fuel. We are refilling the tank."

She used a small clean cloth to drip the liquid into the baby’s mouth. At first, the child struggled, but then he began to swallow. Slowly, the rattling in his chest seemed to steady.

While Lin Xia worked, A-Jiao stood by the window, her eyes scanning the dark courtyard. The black carriage of Lord Yan was still parked at the gate. The silver plum blossom sparkled in the moonlight like a watching eye.

"He hasn't moved, Mother," A-Jiao reported. "The Blind Lord is still sitting out there. Why would he care about a sick baby?"

"He doesn't care about the baby," Lin Xia said without looking up. "He’s listening. He wants to see if we break. He wants to know if the 'Silver Phoenix' is a real power or just a woman screaming in the wind."

Suddenly, a soft footstep sounded on the balcony outside the nursery. A-Jiao reached for a small knife hidden in her sleeve, her quick wit telling her it wasn't a guard.

"Peace," a voice whispered.

A man stepped into the light of the nursery. It was the Blind Lord’s personal attendant, a young man with a serious face. He bowed deeply to Lin Xia.

"My Master, Lord Yan, sends a message," the attendant said. "He says that the Imperial Prince is not coming to see a son. He is coming to see a debt. If you want the boy to live through the night, do not use the Physician’s medicine. It is laced with slow poison."

Lin Xia froze. She looked at the small jar of "tonic" the Physician had left on the table. She picked it up and sniffed it. It smelled of almonds—cyanide.

"Your Master knows a lot for a man who cannot see," Lin Xia said, her eyes narrowing.

"My Master hears the ink drying on the Prince’s orders," the attendant replied. "He suggests that if you wish to survive tomorrow, you should look under the third stone of the garden fountain. There is a gift there for Lady A-Mei."

The attendant vanished back into the shadows before A-Jiao could stop him.

Lin Xia looked at A-Mei. "Go. Take A-Jiao with you. See what the Blind Lord has left us."

The two sisters crept out into the garden, moving through the shadows to avoid the guards. They reached the fountain, which was now silent and filled with soot from the fire. A-Jiao used her strength to pry up the third stone.

Underneath was a small, silk-wrapped package. A-Mei opened it. Inside was a heavy, ancient-looking Imperial Seal—but it wasn't the Chen family seal. It was the personal seal of the Empress Dowager, the Prince’s mother.

There was also a note in elegant calligraphy: “A son belongs to his father, but a secret belongs to the one who finds it. Use this when the Prince demands the boy’s life.”

A-Mei gasped. "Mother, this seal... if we are caught with this, it’s death.

The next morning, the sun rose over a tense and silent estate. The courtyard had been scrubbed clean of the oil and soot, but the atmosphere was thick with dread.

At the sound of a golden trumpet, the gates swung open. A massive procession of soldiers in crimson armor marched in, followed by a magnificent carriage draped in purple silk. The Imperial Prince stepped out. He was a man of cold beauty and terrifying presence.

He didn't look at Master Chen, who was shaking so hard his teeth chattered. He didn't look at the merchants watching from the gates. He walked straight toward Lin Xia.

"Where is my son?" the Prince demanded, his voice like rolling thunder.

Lin Xia stepped forward, bowing just enough to be polite, but not a vacuum of respect. "The Young Master is resting, Your Highness. But before you see him, we have a small matter of a 'contract' to discuss."

The Prince’s eyes flashed with anger. "You dare speak to me of contracts? I could have your head for even standing in my path!"

"You could," Lin Xia said, her voice calm and steady. "But then you would never know why your mother’s seal is currently sitting in my daughter’s pocket—or why she has instructions to break it if I don't return to the West Wing in ten minutes."

The Prince froze. The silence in the courtyard was so deep you could hear a leaf fall. Behind the Prince, the door of a black carriage parked in the distance slid open just a fraction.

Lord Yan sat inside, a small, knowing smile on his lips. He leaned back and whispered to the air, "Let the game begin, Silver Phoenix."