Jinshi noticed that the days had grown considerably shorter. It was still a genuine relief to be able to go home before the sun set.
"Well then, I'll be going."
Masen headed back to his own home. He left the night watch to someone else. He used to make a big fuss about pulling overnight guard duty, but honestly, having someone tailing him all day wore Jinshi out, so he'd rather not impose.
The moment he returned to the palace, Shuiren came to greet him.
"First, you should have dinner."
"No, a bath first—"
Jinshi tried to correct her, but the atmosphere in the palace felt different from usual. Normally she burned the incense he liked, but today a slightly sweeter scent was stronger than normal.
The guards inside were also different from the usual faces.
"A guest?"
"Yes."
And there were only so many people who would come to visit Jinshi's palace.
As the guards along the corridor bowed their heads, Jinshi made his way to the sitting room.
The person he had expected was there, relaxing in the sitting room.
"You don't need to visit the rear palace today?"
Jinshi bowed his head as he addressed the Emperor.
"The recent administrators keep pushing nothing but new consorts on me."
The imposing man with the magnificent beard tilted his cup as he read from a book. A go board sat before him. Here too, someone had gotten caught up in the latest trend.
"They keep shoving girls at me, claiming they're my type."
He supposed that meant large-chested women, but Jinshi knew better. The ruler of an entire nation didn't choose his consorts on that basis alone.
Even if he happened to favor a consort who was politically unsuitable, it would be a problem. When the Emperor said "problem," that was what he meant.
But that wasn't the only reason.
There was Gyokuyou, who had risen from consort to empress—his principal wife. Her father was— Gyokuen.
He was currently staying in the capital.
"Are you concerned about your father-in-law's watchful eye?"
This was Jinshi's palace. Their conversation could be a touch more casual.
"In every era, those who bear a crown must watch the faces of everyone around them."
The emperor clicks a go stone into place, then gestures with his free hand for Jinshi to sit.
Jinshi smiles at this and settles into the chair across the go board. The go bowl on his side contains black stones.
The emperor sets down his book. Needless to say, it was the eccentric strategist's book.
Suiren brings a cup to Jinshi as well. Inside was a blood-red liquid.
Through the transparent glass, he tilts the cup and enjoys watching the liquid swirl.
"This place's wine has a strong tartness to it."
A cup already sits beside the emperor.
"I had it prepared to match your preference."
"I don't dislike it myself, but I hear sweet wines have been trending lately."
The thought suddenly crossed his mind that Maomao would probably make a disgusted face at the mention of sweet wine.
"What's the matter?"
"Nothing at all."
His expression nearly cracked, and he hastily composed himself.
The emperor looks puzzled and swirls his cup.
"Come to think of it, with go being all the rage, I've been somewhat out of the loop, but I hear imported goods have become quite popular among the common folk."
"Indeed."
Jinshi knew as well. Not long ago, when the western priestess arrived, many foreign goods had begun circulating. The temporary tax reduction likely played a part.
"Among them, do you know which item is the most popular?"
"What would that be?"
The emperor grins. Since he could never let his guard down during work, it was not unusual for him to make playful faces in front of Jinshi.
"Apparently, it's wine."
"Wine?"
Jinshi tilts his head.
"Not the kind made in the western regions?"
The area around Seito, Empress Gyokuyou's hometown, was known for its abundant grape production. The wine currently in his hand was also from Seito.
"The wine made in Seito has that distinctive sourness, doesn't it? But apparently imported wine is strongly sweet and delicious."
"Is the quality really that good?"
Jinshi takes a sip of the wine. Seito wine had a sourness to it, but the underlying taste wasn't bad. Though, he vaguely recalled Maomao saying it wasn't supposed to be that sour to begin with.
When was that again?
It must have been last year, around the time Maomao left the rear palace and began working for Jinshi.
On a whim, Jinshi swirls his cup.
"Is it truly an imported product?"
"...The taste must be different, yes? I haven't had any myself, but the minister said it was delicious."
"Perhaps it would be better not to drink it."
Jinshi signals to Suirei with his eyes. When Suirei came over, he whispered in her ear.
Suirei left the room briefly, then returned with a cloth-wrapped bundle.
"What's that?"
To the emperor, who was stroking his beard, Jinshi showed the contents of the cloth bundle. Inside was a metal cup.
"I received this some time ago. Was it last year, perhaps?"
Jinshi suddenly recalled last spring.
〇●〇 "You would do well not to drink that wine."
The blunt apothecary's daughter spoke while clearing away the dishes. He had just poured the wine into his cup after the meal.
"Why not? You tested it for poison earlier, didn't you?"
Jinshi tilted his head and swirled his cup.
The apothecary had left the rear palace the other day and returned to the pleasure district. He had hired her as his lady-in-waiting and poison taster, offering good pay to lure her in.
"I've tested it. I don't think there's anything poisonous in the wine itself. If I had to say, the acidity is rather strong."
Jinshi preferred things with a strong sourness over things that were merely sweet. Suirei must have prepared it to suit his tastes. It was a product of the western capital.
"Then—"
"There is, however, an issue with the vessel."
"The vessel?"
Jinshi looked at the metal cup.
"Has the vessel been coated with poison or something?"
"No."
"Then what is it?"
The apothecary gently took the cup from Jinshi.
"Pardon me."
She dipped a chopstick into the wine in the cup and took just a single drop into her mouth. After savoring it slowly, she quietly slipped out of the room. Presumably to spit out what she'd taken in and rinse her mouth.
She returned shortly, carrying a bottle of wine.
"It has become poison."
"It has become?"
The apothecary chose her words with deliberate weight.
"The wine I just tasted was somewhat sweeter than what I originally drank. With a bit more time in use, it will grow even sweeter still. It tastes sweet and pleasant, but the substance itself is poison."
"I don't quite understand, but may I state my hypothesis?"
"Please."
Without changing her expression, the apothecary nodded.
"Individually, neither is poisonous. But when the two are combined, they become toxic — is that what you're saying?"
At Jinshi's words, the apothecary's lips curved upward ever so slightly. It seemed he was correct.
"Metal has the property of dissolving in strongly acidic substances. This vessel is likely made of lead. When lead and sour wine are mixed together, the lead leaches out and the resulting compound is said to taste sweet. I have heard that in the western regions, lead was added to wine to sweeten it."
And those who drank it suffered poisoning symptoms at a high rate, she added.
"This is merely my foster father's assessment, but I believe there is a high probability that was the cause of the poisoning."
Her foster father was apparently a rather accomplished physician. According to the apothecary, he was the sort of man who could hear one thing and understand ten.
"......"
Jinshi gently set down the lead cup.
"If you only drank it once or twice, I can't say whether it would cause acute poisoning symptoms, but regular use could be dangerous."
She made no definitive statement. The apothecary's defining trait was her refusal to speak on mere speculation.
"Hypothetically, if this were poison, what symptoms do you think would appear?"
At Jinshi's question, the apothecary thought for a moment.
"......Do you recall the poisoned face powder in the rear palace?"
"Of course. That's not something I'd forget."
"I've heard that one was made by combining lead with vinegar."
In other words, symptoms similar to lead powder poisoning would occur.
Jinshi nodded in understanding.
"For the person who taught you how to drink this wine, it might be worth investigating how they themselves drink it."
If that person also drank from a lead cup, then they had taught Jinshi out of goodwill with no ill intent. If not, there was a possibility of malicious intent.
Jinshi had been targeted for assassination on more than one occasion. What the other party's intentions were, what they had done — that needed to be investigated.
"May I add one more thing?"
"What is it?"
The apothecary glanced at the wine that still hadn't been poured into the cup.
"You originally believed that this wine's sourness was due to its region of origin, but..."
The apothecary gave the bottle a shake.
"I believe the wine has simply been on the verge of turning to vinegar due to the long journey."
"......"
In other words, she was saying that the taste Jinshi had grown fond of was the taste of a subpar product.
"I believe it started as a fine wine. If more care had been taken with the transportation methods, the wine likely wouldn't have deteriorated like this."
The western capital was quite far away. And on top of that, it was hot.
"But it tastes fine to me."
Maomao narrowed her eyes at Jinshi, who tilted his head.
"When you're tired, your sense of taste dulls and you stop noticing the sourness, so..."
"..."
"Also, my preference is for a drier wine."
The poison taster had made her request.
Unfortunately, Jinshi wanted to say he had always preferred sour flavors. Wanted to believe it.
"We'll stick with grape wine for a while."
"Understood, young master."
Because Lingli answered so agreeably, the pharmacist pulled a face.
○●○ "So that's what happened."
His Majesty drained his cup. Beside him, Lingli had quietly set out some baked sweets while no one was looking.
Jinshi's half-empty cup had been refilled to the brim as well.
"Hmm, so the wine currently on the market..."
"There's a high chance it's either substandard or counterfeit."
It was wine transported from a foreign land. It must have taken longer to get here than from the western capital. If that was the case, maintaining consistent quality would be difficult, and if enough was being sold on the open market, substandard products would inevitably increase.
Even so, if they were calling it sweet, it had to have been artificially sweetened. In that case, what was being sold was poisoned wine.
Furthermore, if someone was making wine and passing it off as an import, that was fraud. Imports were taxed simply for being imports. Even if the tax was reduced, the transportation costs and rarity value alone would make it more than twice as expensive as wine from the western capital.
There was a chance that, by coincidence, good-quality imported wine was making the rounds, but the probability was low.
"This should be looked into."
Jinshi picked up a baked sweet. It had a fluffy, unusual dough with dried fruit kneaded into it, and carried a faint smell of alcohol. When he bit into it, it was soft and sweet, deflating gently.
She must have known His Majesty was coming. Lingli was Jinshi's wet nurse, but she was also His Majesty's wet nurse. She had prepared these interesting sweets to entertain him.
His Majesty was already stuffing his cheeks. He seemed to enjoy them, and after finishing every last piece, he washed them down with freshly poured wine.
"Shall we play a game for the first time in a while?"
His Majesty stroked his beard, brushed away a crumb of pastry, and pinched a black stone with his free hand.
"The last time we played was just before you entered the rear palace, wasn't it?"
His Majesty returned the go stones to the bowl with a nostalgic air.
When Jinshi was thirteen, the late Emperor passed away. That very year, when Jinshi had been named Crown Prince, he challenged His Majesty to a game of go.
"Ever since then, I've been telling myself that one should never play go for stakes."
"...It's a bit late to reverse that now, wouldn't you say?"
Jinshi held the black stones and won against His Majesty. Then he asked for a reward.
"If you had said you wanted the throne, I would have given it to you in time."
"I don't want it."
He threw a tantrum, insisting he didn't want to become Crown Prince.
However, at that time, the Emperor had no children. They had long since passed away, and there was no one else among the late Emperor's bloodline.
In the end, they decided to create a new substitute.
He would enter the rear palace as a eunuch, as Jinshi, and search for a consort for the Emperor.
"I've never regretted losing a game of go more than I did that time."
"I wouldn't say that."
The current Emperor doted not only on the Crown Prince, his child with Empress Gyokuyou, but also on Princess Lingli. There was no longer any meaning in restoring Jinshi to the position of Crown Prince. If anything, it would only sow the seeds of conflict.
His very existence must not become the seed of war.
At the same time, the sparks that would fly had to be avoided.
"...Your Majesty, I have one request?"
"Are you scheming something again? I'm not making any more bets!"
"It's nothing so grand."
Jinshi picked up the black go stone bowl. His Majesty, however, didn't seem inclined to take up the game.
"I was wondering if you might lend me the go instructor for a while."
At Jinshi's request, His Majesty released the black stone bowl with a skeptical look.