The first day of the naming conference's torrent of events had come to an end.
The second day was unremarkable compared to the first.
If I had to spell it out, it was that the eccentric strategist had started playing Go for stakes and was trying to strip visiting dignitaries from other houses down to their socks. And for whatever reason,
Rahan's
brother
kept asking Maomao
about
Yanyan.
That was about the size of it.
As far as Maomao was concerned,
Yao's
problem had been resolved, and
Ma San
had been introduced to the Mao clan, so her objective was achieved.
However, it felt like more problems had piled up than had been solved.
At any rate, Maomao was grateful that she could return safely.
"Yanyan-san is good at cooking, isn't she? What kind of vegetables do you think she'd be happy to grow?"
Rahan's brother — he denied it himself, but inside his head, he was a farmer through and through.
"Even if you ask me, I wouldn't know."
"Come on, who's the one that eats all of Yanyan-san's cooking?"
Good grief, who was this hopelessly transparent brother?
"Brother, why don't you try growing some spices?"
Rahan was already shrewdly recommending profitable crops.
"Grow pepper, you say? I don't know the first thing about growing it."
"But don't you think if you could grow it, your cooking repertoire would expand?"
You could almost hear the sound of an abacus clicking away in Rahan's head.
"
Lord Rahan
, what should we do with this luggage?"
"Mm, do as you please."
The eccentric strategist was having the war spoils packed into the carriage. They hadn't stooped to taking the undergarments, but seeing all those quality coats and obi sashes stacked upon one another, he was tempted to put his hands together in gratitude. Rahan would surely sell them off properly later.
"What are you going to do after this, Maomao?"
Yao
asked. En'en was busy packing Yao's mountain of luggage into the carriage. It was the kind of baggage that made you question whether it was really necessary for a single overnight stay.
"Well, I think I'll head straight back to the dormitory. I have work starting tomorrow."
Since Yao, En'en, and Maomao had coordinated to take the same days off, work would have piled up. She was also curious about how the newcomers were faring, so before bed, she thought she would have a word with
Chousha
at the very least.
"Hey, Rahan!"
Maomao called out to Rahan. Rahan had been recommending crops other than pepper to his brother.
"Drop me off in front of the dormitory."
"Ah, if that's the case—"
Rahan glanced briefly toward the horse clan's carriage.
"Take that carriage instead. Father will have given you some liquor-filled sweets, so don't worry about it."
Maomao had thought her work was already finished, but it turned out there was still something.
Asami
was beckoning to her with little waves.
"I'll be in your care."
"Yes, right this way."
Asami narrowed her raptor-like eyes and guided Maomao into the carriage.
Ma-sen
Since both he and Asami's husband were riding on horseback, inside the carriage it was just Maomao and Asami.
"So, what business did you have with me?"
Maomao asked point-blank.
"Didn't you previously ask the Moon Lord to look into something?"
"Yes."
"A messenger just arrived. They say the results are in."
"Is that so?"
Maomao's heart thumped. In other words,
Joka
it meant the origin of the jade tablet that Joka had asked about had been discovered.
What troubled Maomao was that they had gone out of their way to send a messenger to the meeting. It wasn't as if she had needed the investigation done that urgently.
"In that case, we will be heading straight to the Moon Lord."
"Understood."
Normally,
Sparrow
this would be Sparrow's job, so having Asami handle it felt a bit odd.
"Is something the matter?"
"No. It's just that Sparrow didn't appear to be at today's meeting."
She was exactly the sort of person who would show up wherever good food was served.
"Ah, Sparrow. Despite appearances, she's remarkably gifted with languages. Even if she lost a limb, as long as her head and mouth were still attached, she'd be of use."
Maomao understood that Asami was praising Sparrow, but it was a terrible way to put it.
"Is she doing interpretation work for some foreigner or other?"
She wished she hadn't asked out of mere idle curiosity.
"Yes, they've gathered up the prisoners, locked them in cells, and left them there, quietly straining to overhear whether anyone talks, so I hear."
"Oh my."
That was quite the alarming story.
It wasn't uncommon to capture foreigners at the border. She'd heard most of them were engaged in bandit-like activities and were often executed immediately. But if they were called "prisoners," perhaps they held some degree of status.
"By the way, Maomao."
"Yes? What is it, Asami?"
Maomao accidentally gave a response fit for a servant girl.
"Shall I explain the current power dynamics within the military?"
"No. That has nothing to do with me, so I'll pass."
Maomao answered firmly.
"I'm sure you'll say that, but you and I—our hobbies really don't align, do they?"
"I occupy myself with compounding medicines, conducting experiments, and the occasional taste-testing of poisons."
Maomao answered with a sharp expression, though Asami's face clearly read "I have zero interest in that."
"Horseback riding, swordsmanship, and estate management. As for conversation topics when meeting children of other households, I keep up with the latest romance novels and trends in hairpins and clothing."
*(The Ma family should just let this woman take over.)*
Here stood someone who completely covered the weaknesses of both younger brothers.
For the record, Maomao's face also clearly read "I have absolutely no interest."
"
For a
moment—would you like to hear such talk?"
"No. Then what about medicine?"
"I'm afraid not. I don't want to hear it."
She was turned down flatly.
"Then shall we sleep until the carriage arrives in the capital?"
Maomao had no intention of forcing conversation with someone whose interests didn't align with hers. Asami was a rational person by nature—she believed she would agree.
"After this, if you're heading to the Moon Princess's place, I expect my mother will be there. Even if she learns I was accompanying Maomao, she'll want to know what was discussed."
Asami's eyes were sharp. But even the owner of those sharp eyes feared—
Momomi
—her own mother.
"Understood. Though, is Momomi still around?"
Momomi had accompanied Jinshi to the Western Capital as his attendant.
"Suzume stepped down from being the Moon Princess's attendant, so I've been filling in on various tasks. Currently, I've more or less taken over her horse-related duties, so there's no problem."
(That's terrifying.)
"In truth, Lady Suiren is well past the age where retirement would be normal. And given her position, it wouldn't be appropriate for her to be too closely attached to the Moon Princess."
"Given her position?"
Maomao echoed the words back.
"Didn't you know, Maomao? About who Lady Suiren really is?"
"I've heard she's the legendary attendant who protected the young Empress Dowager when she had no backing."
Sounded like the tagline of some swashbuckling adventure.
"Yes. She was both an attendant and a wet nurse. A young Empress Dowager cannot adequately provide milk to an infant."
"Both attendant and wet nurse."
She'd heard that Suiren was Jinshi's wet nurse, and the current emperor's wet nurse as well. But even so, a wet nurse didn't necessarily mean she was the one breastfeeding—she'd always thought of the role as more of a caretaker.
(Wait a moment.)
Ada
was the emperor's milk-sibling.
"She's Lady Ada's mother?"
Maomao tilted her head.
"Yes—you didn't know?"
"They don't really look alike, do they?"
"I've heard Lady Ada takes after her father."
Maomao felt her head starting to spin.
"Is it really proper to assign the mother of an emperor's consort as wet nurse to the emperor's brother?"
"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager,
Lady An
—it's not uncommon for siblings to share the same wet nurse. However, what was unusual was the large age gap between His Majesty and Lord Tsuki, and that a wet nurse's daughter was made a consort."
Asama was right.
"Our Ma clan has often served as wet nurse siblings to the imperial family for generations, which is precisely why we never receive official positions."
It was a deliberate measure to keep power out of the hands of those with personal ties to the court.
That made Maomao realize once more just how extraordinary Ada's position truly was.
"Currently, Her Highness Crown Princess
Gyokuyou's
prince has my husband and one other member of the Ma clan attending him. And when Princess Rifa's prince leaves the inner palace, at least one will be assigned to him as well."
"Lord Tsuki seems to have monopolized the Ma clan rather thoroughly."
"Well, he was Crown Prince for over a decade. Naturally, he'd receive that level of attention. Now then, shall we set aside the digression and return to our earlier discussion?"
(No, I can't process any more of this.)
And so Maomao found herself having to listen to Asama's explanation, whether she liked it or not.