Sleepwalking is a rather perplexing ailment.
One moves about as though awake, even while still asleep.
The cause, you see, lies in the mind's
inner turmoil—
and no amount of brewing medicinal herbs will make a difference.
A certain courtesan fell ill with this condition.
She was a cheerful woman skilled in poetry, and there had even been talk of purchasing her freedom.
However, those plans fell through.
As though possessed by some spirit, she wandered the brothel every night.
When the madam tried to stop the roaming courtesan, she was slashed by her fingernails.
The next day, everyone at the brothel confronted her about her strange behavior, but the courtesan answered in a cheerful voice:
"Oh my. What's the matter, everyone?"
Her bare feet, of which she had no memory, were caked in mud and covered in scrapes.
○●○
"So what happened then?"
In the sitting room
were Jinshi,
and
Maomao,
as well as
Gaoshun,
and
Gyokuyou
the consort, too. The princess—
Hongniang
She left everything to Hongniang.
"It's nothing. Once the marriage proposal fell through, the wandering stopped."
Maomao answered flatly.
"So you mean she disliked the idea of being bought out?"
"Most likely. The man ran a large establishment, but he had grandchildren, let alone a wife and children. Besides, she only had one more year left to serve."
It seemed that if being bought out meant going to someone she didn't like, it was better to endure one more year of service. In the end, the courtesan had no new proposals and her term simply ran its course.
"Since the wandering tends to worsen after extreme emotional highs, I prepared a calming fragrance and medicine, but it's really just for peace of mind."
Maomao had prepared them in the old man's stead.
"Hm."
Jinshi rested his chin on his hand, looking thoroughly unimpressed.
"Is that really all there is to it?"
Against that languid gaze,
contempt—
she restrained herself from letting it show on her face.
Beside her, Gaoshun stood in silent support.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be getting back to work."
She bowed and left the room.
Let me rewind a little.
The day after the ghost tour, Maomao headed for the east wing, to the chatty girl—
Xiaolan.
—that was where she went.
As soon as Xiaolan saw Maomao, she tried to pry every last detail about Consort Gyokuyou out of her, so Maomao traded innocuous information in exchange for what she'd learned about the ghost disturbances.
The disturbances had started about two weeks ago. At first, a ghost had apparently been spotted on the north side.
Shortly after, sightings began appearing on the east wing as well, and it was said to be seen every night.
The guards were terrified by the ghost stories and did nothing.
Since there was no actual harm so far, nobody seemed inclined to do anything about it.
Completely useless security.
Next, Maomao headed to the quack doctor.
In an era where the concept of personal information didn't exist, a man who didn't understand things like confidentiality would tell you things you hadn't even asked about.
About the recently downcast
Fuyou
Princess.
She was the third daughter of a tiny tributary state — the kind who might blow away with a breath — and despite the title of princess, her status was too low to even become a high-ranking consort.
She occupied the north wing, and her hobby was dancing, but she was timid and easily nervous, and she had failed during her audience with the Emperor.
Aside from dancing, she had no particularly striking features, and having entered the inner palace two years ago, she had yet to be visited by the Emperor.
It was said that she would soon be bestowed upon a childhood friend who was a military officer, and everyone wished her happiness.
(Makes sense.)
Something clicked into place in Maomao's head.
But it was still only speculation — was it worth bringing up?
(Old man always said not to talk based on speculation alone.)
So she decided not to say anything.
○●○
The pale, mild-mannered princess blushed as she passed through the central gate.
Though her appearance was unremarkable, everyone sighed at the bright flush of happiness on her cheeks.
If one were to be bestowed upon someone, this was how it should look.
That was the scene unfolding before them.
○●○
"You could at least talk to me about it, you know."
Gyokuyou smiled with a sultry grace — a mother of one, though she was not yet twenty. A hint of mischievous playfulness crept into her grin.
Maomao thought about it for a moment.
"This is merely speculation, of course. And, provided you aren't offended by it."
"You're the one who asked, so I won't get angry."
Hmm.
"If it stays between us."
"I can keep a secret."
Maomao told her about the sleepwalking courtesan at the pleasure house.
This was about a different sleepwalker — a second one, unlike the one Jinshi and the others had seen the other day.
Just like the previous courtesan, she fell ill right when a proposal to buy out her contract came up, and the deal fell through.
But the sleepwalking didn't stop afterward, and just like last time, the prescribed medicine did nothing to help.
Now a new buyout proposal came for this courtesan. The madam of the house said it would be unconscionable to let someone buy out a sick woman, but the prospective buyer insisted. Reluctantly, the contract was finalized for half the price of the previous offer.
"I found out later, but this was all a scam."
"A scam?"
The man who had made the first buyout proposal was an acquaintance of the man who made the second. They knew the courtesan was faking her illness, so the first deal was deliberately broken. Then the real buyer swooped in at half price.
"The courtesan still had years left on her contract, and the man didn't have enough silver to buy her out."
"So you're saying these courtesans and Lady Fuyou are in the same situation?"
The childhood sweetheart was a military officer — not someone of a rank that would allow him to propose marriage to a princess, even of a tributary state.
He intended to earn military honors and one day come to claim her as his bride.
But the princess was entered into the inner palace through political maneuvering. Having feelings for the officer, she deliberately botched her signature dance to avoid catching the emperor's eye.
Sure enough, she went two years without being summoned for the emperor's bedchamber and remained untouched.
As he piled up military accomplishments, the time was approaching when the next
feat of arms
would bring Lady Fuyou's bestowal — but around that time, the princess began wandering about in a suspicious manner.
She had to avoid letting the emperor find her precious — she must not become his.
If she became the emperor's, the bestowal would be delayed. Moreover, for Lady Fuyou, who prized her virginity, losing it to the emperor would mean she could never face her childhood sweetheart again.
She had danced at the east gate to pray for her returning childhood friend. To pray that she would not be injured.
"That is purely speculation."
"How should I put it — when it comes to His Majesty, you can never say never, so I can't say anything definitive."
The favored consort wore a slightly troubled expression.
One could not definitively say that the lecherous emperor would not take an interest in a princess that a military officer desired so fervently.
"If I said I was envious of Lady Fuyou, would that make me a terrible woman?"
"I don't think so."
The pieces fit together well enough, but she had no intention of telling Jinshi.
That would surely be happier for him.
She wanted to preserve that soft, honest smile just as it was.
Everything appeared to have been resolved...
But in truth, one mystery still remained.
"How did she manage to get up there?"
Maomao gazed up at the wall — four times her own height — and tilted her head.