Chapter 2: Imperial Dr. Yen, An Imperial Curse

Lately, there has been a problem of serial death of the infants born from the inner palace.

"Ahh, so it's as I thought."

"Yeah, I heard that's what the Doctor-sama saw when he went in."

Yen was slurping her soup as she listened in. There were several hundred maidservants eating breakfast in the vast dining hall. It consisted of a soup and millet porridge. The maidservant, who was sitting diagonally across from her, continued to gossip. She had an expression of pity, but more than that, curiosity shone from the depths of her eyes.

"It was the same for both Gina-sama and Jie-sama

"Uwahh, so it was the both of them. They're only half a year and three months, right?"

Yeah. Could it really be the curse?"

The names they mentioned were the favored consorts of the emperor. Half a year and three months were the respective ages of the imperial children they had given birth to. Gossip throws its weight around in the palace. They are about the palace ladies who consorted with the emperor, and his successors if there are those about their infamy due to bullying and prejudice, there are also those that are like ghost stories appropriate for the sweltering heat.

"I guess so. Otherwise, there's no reason for those three to pass away as well."

The ones who had passed away are the children born from consorts. That is the imperial children who could have been chosen as successors. There had been one when the emperor was the crown prince, and now as the emperor, too. All of them passed away when they were infants. It's a given that infants have a high mortality rate, but it is strange for it to have been three children from a court noble.

As of now, the only survivors are the two children of Consort Gina and Consort Jie.

While her mouth was full of hot water, Yen's thoughts reached a different conclusion. Among the three children, two had been imperial princesses. As only boys had the right to succession, there are few reasons to kill princesses. The two who sat in front of her spoke of curses and calamities without moving their chopsticks. Yen thought to herself there is no such curse, she would know it if there was. She signed inside she would know.

"I don't know the details but, it was said they all gradually weakened." The maids continued to talk

"I believe Jie-sama has it worse, seeing how the doctor has been seeing her more often." She had said as she wiped down the window frame with a wrung dust-cloth.

"Jie-sama herself?"

"Yeah, mother and child both."

The fact that the doctor was seeing Consort Jie would have to be more the fact that her child is the crown prince rather than who was sicker. Consort Gina's child is an imperial princess. The emperor's favor ran deeper for Consort Gina, but it's clear from the gender of the children who is the more important one.

"While I don't know the specifics of the symptoms, of course, I heard there were things like a headache, stomach ache, and nausea." They continued. Yen had then lost herself in thoughts ignoring their conversation. Before she finally concluded, and as she thought it wasn't a curse.