I write in the journal.
Three with seasickness, two with injuries, one in poor health.
"Ah, it's busy."
The quack doctor wiped the sweat from his forehead that had nothing to do with the simple work of brief consultations and handing out medicine.
Several days of shipboard life had passed. Some people still weren't used to the ship's swaying. Even so, the rocking had lessened now that the ship had caught the wind.
"Is that so?"
Maomao
thought the clinic near the military headquarters would have been busier, but for the quack doctor who had always worked at the rear palace clinic where the solitary bird sang, this must have been quite the rush.
He had prepared plenty of seasickness medicine in advance. That said, it was only mildly comforting at best, so for those who showed up at the infirmary with faces turned blue, he even thought that handing them a bucket and guiding them to a breezy spot would be more effective.
(
Raban
wasn't coming, of course.)
That penny-pinching man got terrible seasickness. It would have been convenient to have someone like that around when bringing the eccentric strategist along, but he had probably made some excuse to decline. Even someone like him was technically the next head of house, so he couldn't very well leave home.
She had considered the possibility that the eccentric strategist might have noticed Maomao and come aboard their ship, but so far nothing had happened. He was probably bedridden with seasickness.
"Well then, how about a little
refreshment?
Miss, could you call her over?"
Once the patients were gone, the quack doctor began preparing tea. However, since he couldn't use much fire, he couldn't boil water. He was cold-brewing the tea.
Three cups. Three sweets. Sweets were a luxury aboard a ship, but these had been received during Jinshi's house call yesterday. Since then, snacks were always being prepared for her, and she was always being made to take them home as souvenirs.
(I wonder if he's trying to curry favor.)
Letting out a sigh, Maomao looked outside the clinic.
"What's wrong, miss?"
A man about two heads taller than Maomao was standing there.
Li Bai.
He was the man who'd been assigned as her guard, but he was holding two large weights in his hands. Standing idle would be boring, so he was apparently training instead.
"It's time for refreshments, though."
"Well, how kind."
He set down the weights and entered the infirmary. The room felt a bit cramped with such a large man inside, but there was nothing to be done about that.
"Li Bai, are you all right with sweet things?"
"I can eat anything."
"Really? Do you put sugar in your tea?"
"Huh? Is that even a way to drink it?"
"Apparently they do in the south."
"Sounds interesting! Pour in a whole bunch!"
As he was excitedly about to tip the precious sugar into the cold-brew tea, wondering what it might taste like, Maomao snatched the sugar away in an instant.
"It's a luxury item. No."
"Aww."
He puffed out his cheeks.
This eunuch, building on his habit of using medicine not even stocked in the medical office for his tea, was bound to start causing trouble. She needed to keep the sugar and honey hidden.
(Sweet tea — that's just absurd.)
Maomao loved both spicy food and strong liquor. Sweet tea was beyond forgiveness.
"Just a little should be fine, right?"
Li Bai pouted as well.
Originally, a chatty eunuch and a good-natured military officer. On the surface they seemed an odd pair, but they hit it off right away.
Choosing Li Bai had been the right call, no doubt.
That said, Li Bai was a quack doctor being made into a stand-in for the old man without even knowing it. If he learned the truth, what would he think?
(Saying nothing is probably for the best.)
This
type
Giving bad information leads to failure. Maomao thought as much.
(Perhaps Jinshi would do well to treat me that way, too)
Even as the thought crossed her mind, Maomao immediately dismissed it.
Jinshi must have spoken because he believed it was something she ought to know. And Maomao, for her part, could make her choices more easily when she had the information.
That beautiful imperial brother was, in fact, a capable man. At the very least, he acted on deliberation rather than reflex.
It was precisely because he thought things through that he arrived at answers that were, if not perfect, then at least reasonably satisfactory—and so Maomao had no grounds for complaint.
Was it the use of the thicket as bait that irked her?
Or perhaps—
"Miss, you're not eating?"
"I am eating."
Maomao snatched up a pastry.
Inside the rice cake was pickled vegetables. The seasoning was slightly strong to help with preservation, and eating it diluted with tea hit just right.
She chewed and swallowed with a faint "tch." It was good.
"Not sweet at all, huh."
Yabu's face fell a little.
"Mmm, this is good! Looks plain, but this is a pretty fine sweet, isn't it?"
"Well, it's a leftover gift from His Highness the Princess."
Yabu puffed up with pride for some reason.
Maomao ordered a refill of cold-brewed tea and gazed out the small window.
"I can see land now."
"Oh, is that so?"
Yabu leaned toward the window to look.
"According to the schedule, we were supposed to reach the port by noon, so we're running a bit behind. Well, within the margin of error, I suppose."
Li Bai was checking the ledger.
"After resting through the night and setting out again at dawn, it's going to be a mad dash."
Maomao made a puzzled face.
"That old man—which ship was he on?"
"That old man was on the lead ship."
Li Bai knew exactly who she meant by "that old man."
(Once his seasickness goes away, he might come over here.)
Maomao's expression twisted. If they ended up on the same ship by mistake, it would be a nightmare.
"If that old man's the one I'm thinking of, once he disembarks, he'll be taken to a banquet, so you can rest easy. Since an imperial family member is on such a long journey, they'd be foolish not to use it for diplomacy."
"I've heard about the banquet. One medical officer is supposed to go along, but I'm not going, so you don't need to go either, young lady. More to the point—who is that old man?"
The quack doctor looked at her with a bewildered expression, but Maomao was already lost in other thoughts and ignored him.
"Diplomacy, I see."
"That's right. Here, want to see?"
What Li Bai pulled from between the ledgers was a simple map. It showed the coastline and the ships' routes.
"'It belongs to
Li,
but it's technically a foreign country.'"
Even the simple map had borders drawn on it.
"A few years back, a princess from that country was in the rear palace, wasn't she? I heard she was gifted as a concubine."
It was a story that sounded very familiar.
"'That would be
Fuyou,
Consort. Well, not Consort anymore.'"
"Oh, that person."
At the quack's words, Maomao clapped her hands together. She was the consort who had danced atop the rear palace walls. She'd heard she was a princess from a vassal state.
"So Fuyou might be there too, huh?"
"Nah, I don't think so."
Ribi denied Yabu's words.
"That one, right? The princess who was given as a reward to a military officer for his meritorious service?"
"Well, yes. Though she's from a vassal state, I still think it's rather questionable to just hand over another country's princess so freely."
(They must have verified that properly, right?)
If the military officer was originally an acquaintance of Princess Fuyou, then there was a high chance he was also on familiar terms with her relatives.
If Princess Fuyou wasn't going to fulfill her role as a consort, he might well think it would be more profitable to just leave the rear palace quickly.
"Our military isn't about to simply send back a man who can earn military honors."
"Ah, I see."
"But still, a bride from the rear palace, huh? Personally, I'd prefer something more practical if someone could earn me military honors."
"My, Ribi, that's unexpected. You don't seem like the type to be greedy for money."
"I've got my own circumstances, you know."
(Like wanting to buy out a top-class courtesan.)
I wonder how much Ribi's current salary is. He seems to be advancing steadily, but if he doesn't hit the jackpot soon,
Byakuren
Miss
is going to become a shrewd old woman.
Maomao peered out the window once more.
(If we arrive in the evening, the shops will probably already be closed.)
It's considerably south of the capital, but they probably wouldn't be able to leave the ship right after arriving.
It would be nice if a night market were open, but those kinds of stalls probably wouldn't have much of what Maomao was looking for.
(Baked sweets, skewered snacks, fruit...)
No, that would be fun in its own way.
"Has someone come?"
Footsteps approached from outside the infirmary and stopped. The sound of knocking on the door could be heard.
"Come in."
When Yabu answered, the one who came in was—
Suzume.
There she was.
"Pardon the intrusion."
"What is it? Is Lady Tsuki feeling unwell?"
"No, I've come with a request."
Her small eyes were fixed on Maomao.
"For tonight's dinner, I'd like to borrow one person as a food taster."
Yabu's and Li Bai's eyes also turned to Maomao.
(Well, it's not that I dislike that sort of work...)
However, she had no desire to go wherever that eccentric strategist was. Just as she was wondering whether she could somehow weasel out of it, Suzume kept flashing something at her.
"..."
What she kept flashing was a dried mushroom—something like dried shiitake.
(Mmghh)
Was this
Jinshi's idea, or
Suiren's
doing?
As mushrooms went, shiitake were a luxury item. Wild ones were rarely found.
(If only they could be cultivated, it would be an incredible business.)
They were known as
"fragrant mushrooms," and could be made into medicine effective against anemia and high blood pressure.
They worked well as medicine, and when rehydrated and cooked, they were delicious too.
Was this maid Suzume toying with Maomao? Just when Maomao thought the shiitake had been hidden away, Suzume flashed it again from her other hand. When it seemed to vanish from both hands entirely, she produced two or three more. It was like a magic trick.
"What would you like to do?"
Polite in her manner of speaking, yet brooking no refusal.
She wore an apologetic expression all the while, yet still made sure things got done. Truly, this was Jinshi's way of doing things.
"...Understood."
"Then, here you go."
Swiftly, Suzume produced yet another outfit from seemingly nowhere and held it out to Maomao.
"Please change into these clothes. If you'd like, I can also handle your—"
makeup—
"—as well."
Clutched between the fingers of both her hands were various makeup tools—powder brushes, lip color brushes, and more. The deftness of her movements was like that of a hidden-weapon specialist from a villain's entourage on stage.
(Ugh, she's a lot.)
A simple introduction as "Baryou's wife (Bassen's older brother)" just wouldn't cut it anymore.
(As if there weren't already enough intense people around me.)
Could it be that Suzume, plain-faced as she was, had been compensating with inner strength? Was it that kind of
willpower
she needed just to hold her own against the strong-willed women of the Ma clan?
(She might get completely overshadowed.)
Maomao briefly considered whether she should cultivate some distinguishing trait of her own as well, but decided there was no particular reason to stand out.
"I'll pass on the makeup. Just give me those, please."
Maomao pointed at the dried shiitake.
"Is that so?"
Taken aback by her blunt response, Suzume looked slightly crestfallen and handed over the dried shiitake.
(At this rate, I wonder how many varieties of medicinal herbs she brought along.)
With that thought in mind, Maomao turned her attention to the shiitake.