Kusuriya no Hitorigoto

Red and white white-powder flowers bloom en masse. Some also have black, round beads that were dropped by the flowers. Maomao went beyond it. A field of long grass extended out. Ring, ring. She heard the bell-like sound of insects.

Maomao eased her way through the grass. There was the shadow of someone squatting in the centre of the field. The girl, who was tall yet innocent, was catching insects and putting them inside the insect cage. She had put in one, two, three, when she finally noticed Maomao standing behind her.

What is it? You want to gather them together?

Shisui smiled in satisfaction as she showed her the insect cage. Maomao shook her head, then slowly dipped her head. When she looked upand was about to speak, Shisui shook her head and pressed her index finger to her lips.

Can we stay like for a little longer? Weve just become close.

Shisui had garnered something Maomaos attitude. A somewhat forlorn expression gave rise in her innocent smile.

I guess that cant do.

She heard a voice call calling for someone at a distance. The court ladies were searching for Consort Rouran.

Shisui stood before Maomao and held out the insect cage. A bell sound ensued.

This insect, you know. When the female lays eggs, she eats the male. Yet they make such a pretty sound.

Lashes lowered, Shisui whispered into Maomaos ear.

Its as if, it is just like here.

That wasnt the innocent voice of a young girl. It was a slightly hoarse womans voice. And then.

Bad insects carry calamity. Its up to the doctors to stop it.

Shisui passed by Maomao. When Maomao turned back, the innocent young girl was nowhere to be seen. The dignified woman was surrounded by several maids. A stunning gown was draped over her shoulders. Rouge was applied to the make-up-indifferent lips, a huadian was pasted onto her forehead. When she put on the coronet that had the feather of a curious foreign bird, the court lady Maomao recognised disappeared right there.

Consort, lets return in haste.

I know.

The womans wooden voice left Maomao behind.

There was a clear wall. A mere court lady and a high ranked consort, if they werent master and servant, there is no tangent.

And, Maomao and the consort wearing the feathered coronet had no tangent.

As the long feather wavered in the wind, the consort and her entourage left.

Treating Maomao as though she wasnt there.

And then, only the bell sound resounded in the insect cage.

Bad insects carry calamity.

What was the thing that Shisui said at the end supposed to mean? Maomao groaned as she polished the silverware. Were her hands to stop while she was groaning, the head maid Honnyan could turn up out of nowhere and scold her so her hands cannot stop. Lately, her fists that seem to hollow out were rapidly improving and came quite often.

(Bad insects and calamity?)

Was this some sort of metaphor? Or was the meaning as it is? Maomao could go either way for calamities and like. In this world, bad things happening could be due to anything.

However, speaking of doctors for calamities, that could also be said as a kind of disease.

(There are also diseases carried by insects.)

That meaning?

(Or she could be teasing me?)

It can be taken either way. However, Maomao considered the young girl who is called Shisui. Regarding her, speaking of knowing nothing, she knew nothing. Speaking of knowing to a certain extent, she knew.

In other words, she had no idea.

While knowing nothing, night approached, and the emperor came. When she saw Consort Gyokuyous swelled abdomen, she made a complicated expression. She heard that he had been diligently visiting Consort Rifa recently.

Maomao slurped the congee that was added with aromatic vinegar and glanced at the emperor. He was looking at his daughter, Princess Rinrii, with affection.

Once, the emperor asked Maomao when Consort Gyokuyou wasnt around. About whether there was a method to tell the sex of the child in the abdomen. I dont know. Maomao could only shake her head.

She recalled the emperor saying, I see as he lowered his gaze slightly.

With the two high ranked consorts having a child in their abdomen at the same time, when it becomes like this, the gender distinction and order of birth was important. The first to be born will be Consort Gyokuyous child, however, the gender is unknown. If the child is female, what could become of it?

Honestly stating her impressions, it seems the emperor wanted Consort Gyokuyou to give birth to a boy. This doesnt necessarily mean that he is slighting Consort Rifa. It seems that between Consort Gyokuyou and Consort Rifa, more than the difference in favour, Consort Gyokuyou is more convenient to the emperor one way or other on the political side of things.

With Princess Rinrii on his knee, playing with her by blowing the pinwheel, he appears to be a good father, but he is a court official. For the noble ones, blood relatives are allies and enemies at the same time. Historically, the relatives of consorts even if she gave birth to a son whose fathers become a hindrance, get erased, are very many.

At least, regarding Consort Gyokuyou and Consort Rifas relatives, that concern is less, must be the emperors consideration.

(What a cunning old man.)

And he also heads to other consorts places.

Yesterday, he should have gone to Consort Rouran.

.

What is it?

The movement of the spoon scooping the congee had stopped. Honnyan asked with a slightly dubious expression.

No. Its nothing.

Maomao placed the congee bowl down on the table and rinsed her mouth. And then she started on the next side dish.

Maomao worked as a food taster in the Jade Palace like this, but what about the Crystal Palace. She was concerned about whether the maids at Consort Rifas place have become decent.

Glancing at Consort Gyokuyou, Maomao closed her eyes. This time, she thought of trying to ask even Gaoshun.

The next day, Gaoshun turned up alone; he had various previous arrangement with Honnyan. Jinshi seemed to be busy as he was working on something in the imperial court again.

According to Gaoshun, the court lady that was newly assigned to Consort Rifa was a middle-aged woman who has passed her forties plus another three young court ladies. It seems she was the person who had educated Consort Rifa and her former head maid in the past he said that they didnt overlook that point.

Maomao somehow imagined Honnyan and Suiren together split into two, and put her hands together for the Crystal Palace maids.

Leaving that aside, Shaomao.

Gaoshun said, the wrinkles of his brow creased more than usual.

Maomao had a somewhat unpleasant feeling and subconsciously knitted her brow as well.

This is about Consort Rourans older sister.

Maomao gave a start.

Do you know this kind of girl?

Gaoshun took a piece of paper out of his breast pocket and spread it out for Maomao to see. The portrait drawn with fine lines had a face she had seen from somewhere before. Slender, neat features. Her height was five shaku six sun[note]Close to five foot six, ~170cm[/note].

oh hey.

The woman looked like one of the court ladies who had charged at Maomao before. She was also tall. She was pretty sure that she recalled that this imperial court lady in Shishous troupe that she caught sight of in the time of the blue rose.

So this is the real Shisui.

Indeed, it seems she normally calls herself Suirei[note],Cui Ling in Chinese. The same Sui as in Shisui.[/note].

As the child of a mistress, she must feel ashamed. To receive the single character in the name of an inferior, everyone around her might also be envious. If her half- younger sister became a high ranked consort, it must be all the more so.

(What a strange feeling.)

Shisui, no, Consort Rouran talked her about her older sister very joyfully.

Regarding that, Maomao cant see the real Shisui smiling. She only made a bored and somehow weary expression.

Does Shisui talk enjoyably only if its to Consort Rouran? Or does Consort Rouran one-sidedly adore her? She had no idea.

What is it about this person?

Gaoshun glanced around at Maomaos question. The room had no other maids; there was only one other attendant eunuch.

Her mother was said to be a town girl. She seems to have already died.

Gaoshun mumbled. It seems he hesitated to tell Maomao for some reason.

(Was it better that I didnt ask?)

While thinking that, her curiosity that started to expand stared at Gaoshun and demanded a response.

The one who raised Shisui, seemed to be a former medical officer.

A former medical officer?

If so, she understood what Consort Rouran meant about her sister who knew a lot about medicine. Just like Maomao, she must have been trained in the knowledge of medicine. If thats the case, this raises a number of bad things.

Indeed. The former seemed to be an outstanding medical officer who even studied abroad in a foreign country.

To have studied abroad in a foreign country, that was amazing. It reminded Maomao of her dad, Ruomen. Her dad also studied in the West for several years.

Unpleasant sweat gradually rose for some reason, but Gaoshun continued.

He incurred the empress wrath and was dismissed.

And then the one dismissed

Ah, enough.

Maomao wanted to stuff her ears. She was going to lose to her curiosity, but the scales tilted towards safety. I shouldnt hear any more than this, Alarm bells rang inside Maomao.

The reason he was dismissed was that he impregnated a court lady in the inner palace.

.

Gaoshun said it. He said it clearly. She rapidly stepped into a place of no return.

Why didnt they think it was a eunuch?

.

In the past, only medical officers were exempted from castration.

Gaoshun told her things she didnt want to hear in succession.

From that incident, there became no exceptions.

Taking responsibility, it was said the officer was deprived of his official rank. And it was said that from then on, all the medical officer who enters are to be castrated.

(Considering the empress, the measure was too lenient.)

As unpleasant sweat dripped, Maomao arrived at that question. Gaoshun immediately told her the answer.

The pregnant court lady seemed to be a girl who had only just past ten years of age.

It was a story that made her subconsciously want to spit. In this world, are lolicons common? Do those bastards really prefer the young to that extent? However, it was a troublesome thing even if the disease spread in the world that is full of unique tastes.

Maomao knew about one person who possessed the cannot be helped taste for little girls. Even now, the person remains in the gossip of the inner palace.

The medical officers reduction of penalty was requested from the previous emperor.

(About thaaat.)

The child was taken in by the medical officer and the court lady remained in the inner palace.

(Huh?)

Maomao recalled something she was stuck in. Wasnt there a story that she heard before that sounded similar?

The court lady, in those times, was a maid that followed a high ranked consort.

She knew what happened to that maid afterward. She was shunned by the consort, unable to leave the inner palace, lived by just enjoying ghost stories, and then, died.

The former high ranked consort is currently bestowed to Shishou.

So, Consort Rouran is her daughter. And speaking of Shisui.

(For arguments sake, if Shisuis mother is, if she was the child that was taken from the inner palace by the medical officer.)

The previous emperor only had two children. This undermined that assumption.

Shaomao should understand what that means with me telling you this much.

Maomao neither shook her head nor nod. She only stood in a daze.

Having disclosed the complicated family relation, Gaoshun made a look like he relieved some burden. As if to say, you are also an accomplice, with that.

Maomao reproachfully sent off Gaoshun who went back with a slightly cheerful demeanour.

T/N: It seems a certain former medical officer is connected a lot of things in the inner palace.

And this is the last of the daily chapters for the mass release from me. The JFB mass release will be continuing until mid-December so be sure to check out the other novels. There will be more new novels coming out during this event.

As for me, the next chapter will be released on Monday. I guess well be back to the normal schedule (unless I start slacking cause of holiday mode *cough*)?