After finishing off the street-stall skewers,
Maomao
was pouting.
In the cramped apothecary of the Ryokuseikan, Maomao, Sazen, and Yu were all present.
What they were doing was checking inventory and the ledger.
"Hey, haven't we been getting fleeced on herb prices lately?"
Maomao narrowed her eyes as she verified the purchase prices.
"Right? It's expensive, right? But he says Keyong won't sell unless it's at this price."
Sazen grumbled.
As for Keyong himself, the apothecary was too cramped, so he was outside with Suzume.
He was playing with the children.
Chou'u was playing along with them too. He had made eye contact with Maomao but chose to ignore her—he was probably at that sensitive age.
"Ugh, this one's expensive too."
"Just because it only grows in wetlands, they think they can fleece us."
There was only so much you could do growing medicinal herbs on a farm.
When your sourcing channels were limited, you simply couldn't push back on price.
"Eventually you'll be sent on purchasing trips too, so you'd better memorize the going prices for crude drugs."
Maomao showed the ledger to Yu, who looked bored.
Normally it wasn't something you'd casually show to others, but she wasn't likely to misuse it.
"Basically, you go on purchasing trips with the other court physicians,
but unscrupulous dealers will try to sell to you when the physicians step away.
If they say things like 'this is all that's left' or 'I don't know when I'll be able to get more,' watch out.
They'll try to palm off shoddy goods on you."
"Understood."
"I've been swindled a few times myself, you know."
Sazen let out a sigh.
"You don't exactly seem like a natural at business, Sazen."
"Shut it. I'm a former farmer, got it?"
"Former farmer."
Come to think of it, the current active farmer—
Raban—
how was he doing? When Raban came back, she planned to ask him if he would also take on growing medicinal herbs alongside the potatoes and barley.
After finishing the ledger review, she checked the inventory. While she was at it, she also inspected the medicine Sazen had prepared.
"W-Well? How is it?"
Sazen watched Maomao's expression.
"Not bad. Not good either. Barely passing."
"What's that supposed to mean? I made it exactly the way I was taught."
"Don't just follow what you were taught—think about how to make it easier to swallow, too."
Sazen pouted, though
he took out his notebook.
It was filled with mixing formulas and the like. Sazen wasn't particularly bright, but diligence was a virtue.
(Maybe I should do some compounding while I'm at it.)
"Kei, could you make any medicines you know with the ingredients we have here?"
"A fever reducer and a salve for cuts, at least."
"Then please go ahead and make them."
In the meantime, Maomao continued checking the inventory.
Kei's movements were clumsy, but her method wasn't wrong.
"Did Kokuyō teach you?"
"Yes. Kokuyō taught the village children how to read and write, as well as how to make medicine. Since it was a frontier settlement, injuries never stopped."
I had thought Yuu was the quiet type, but she actually talked quite a lot.
"Did Kokuyou not treat anyone outside of Yuu's family for smallpox?"
"That's right. My father was probably the only one who understood how terrifying smallpox was, and the other villagers wouldn't even listen. Especially since the village chief also served as a sorcerer—Kokuyou must have been in his way."
"You really had it rough, Kokuyou."
Saizen joined in the conversation while checking the ledger.
"No matter how you look at it, he was in the wrong, wasn't he?"
His eyes said he still couldn't figure out why Kokuyou had been punched. Yuu lowered her face awkwardly and ground herbs with a pestle.
Just as Maomao stood up, thinking she'd make something too—
"Maomao, you there?"
She heard a languid voice. She wondered who it could be—
and there was
Lady Joka.
"What's the matter, Lady Joka?"
"Well, there's something I'd like to ask. Could you come to my room?"
Maomao hesitated at the thought of leaving Yuu and Saizen alone together, but both were absorbed in their work. It shouldn't be a problem if she stepped away for a bit.
"All right."
Maomao headed to Joka's room.
The room was lined with bookshelves and filled with the distinctive smell of old books. You'd be hard-pressed to call it a courtesan's room—a scholar's study would be a more fitting description. In one corner of the shelves sat a book Maomao had picked up as a souvenir in the western capital.
"What do I need to do?"
Joka took out an interlocking wooden box from a desk drawer. From inside, a green square tile emerged.
"Do you know what this is?"
"I think you mentioned it was something about a clue to Lady Joka's parents—
a plaque,
right?"
It was a jade token. Its surface had been shaved down, and it was split in half.
Lady Joka was born in a brothel. Her mother was a courtesan, and her father was some nameless client. That client left behind a fragment of this jade token.
The name Joka was indelicate. The character "ka" in her name was one that only members of the imperial family were permitted to use. However, Joka's father was supposedly of noble imperial blood, and his proof was the token he left behind. So the fact that she bore the character "ka" was part of Joka's story.
Joka herself didn't believe she was royalty. She thought some foolish woman had been deceived by a client and handed a stolen keepsake or something of the sort.
That said, a touch of mystique wasn't bad for attracting customers. Joka used the narrative that she might be an imperial bastard child for business purposes.
"I was wondering if you could look into this jade token for me."
"Look into it? But the surface has been shaved off, and it's been split in two. Besides, didn't you say that you don't care who your parents are?"
"That's the thing. I seem to have gotten tangled up in something troublesome."
Joka swept back her glossy hair.
"Troublesome?"
"Yeah. A while back, a customer heard rumors about me and came asking to see the jade token. And then—can you believe it—he actually asked me to give it to him."
"You turned him down, right?"
"Of course I did. As long as I'm still active, even a piece like this has its uses. But here's the thing—the man who asked for it apparently died not long after. And ever since, someone's been breaking into Rokuseikan and ransacking my room. Don't you think that's strange?"
Maomao crossed her arms.
"Hey, was that man still young? What was the cause of death?"
"He was young. A military officer named..."
"Hō..."
"...or something like that. And on top of that, he was apparently killed because he was stringing along three different women and they held a grudge."
"......"
Maomao had just heard something that hit very close to home.
(That's him.)
That was the man who had been hanging in the eccentric strategist's office.
"I don't know if the cause of death matters, but it's certainly unsettling. Since you have connections in the palace, Maomao, I was hoping you could look into it."
"Alright. Can you show me the actual piece?"
"Of course."
Maomao examined the jade token. The surface had been shaved and split, but it was clear that it had originally been carved from a large piece of jadeite.
I don't know if it's from the imperial family, but anyone who could prepare this much jadeite must be awfully wealthy.
"Hmm."
"Maomao, you can take that home with you."
"Huh?"
"If I leave it here and a thief sneaks in and steals it, that would be putting the cart before the horse, wouldn't it? And if you can't figure it out by then, just bring it back — no problem."
Maomao considered what to do as she ran her fingers across the surface of the token.
(Hm?)
She felt a rough texture. Looking at the side, she could see an unshaved pattern.
"Got it.
I'll borrow it for one month.
If I haven't figured it out by then, I'll come return it."
"Sure. I'm counting on you."
Maomao took the token, wrapped it in a hand towel, and tucked it inside her robe.