"It's work. Off you go."
She was hurried along by the brisk old woman and bundled into a remarkably splendid carriage.
Tonight's job was apparently to attend some nobleman's feast.
Or so she had been told.
Led to a grand mansion in the northern part of the city, Maomao could only sigh.
The young ladies and several others were all there, wearing beautiful garments and glamorous makeup. The thought that she herself was dressed to match made her feel strangely uncomfortable.
They passed through a long corridor, climbed a spiral staircase, and were shown into a spacious room.
Lanterns hung from the ceiling, their red tassels swaying.
The floor was covered in a red carpet, upon which animal pelts were layered one upon another, and upon them sat tonight's guests.
About five of them sat in a row, younger than she had expected.
Seeing the young men illuminated by the flickering flames, Lady Hakurei licked her lips.
The lady sitting beside her, Lady Joka, elbowed her in the ribs.
"(Could've introduced us sooner.)"
They said he was a high-ranking official serving in the court.
The one making the introductions was Li Bai apparently.
If it was through a connection with Li Bai, Maomao's debt should decrease a little, at least.
Well, she'd received a more generous severance than expected, so she wasn't in desperate enough straits to sell herself, and she was glad to be taking temporary work like this.
(That old hag, clicking her tongue at me.)
The shrewd old woman was bent on making Maomao into a courtesan.
Over the past few years, that push had become increasingly obvious.
She'd been told many times to quit playing at being an apothecary, but that was out of the question. She had absolutely zero interest in turning her focus from pharmacology toward singing and dancing.
(Still, what a fortune she must have.)
Summoning courtesans to a private residence cost more than hosting a banquet at a brothel. And the ones she'd called were top courtesans whose single night of pouring drinks could burn through a year's worth of silver.
The Verdigris House — the three top courtesans known as Baibai, , Hakurei, , and Joka — all summoned at once.
Maomao was one of several people brought along to help present the three courtesans.
He'd received most of his basic training, but he couldn't recite poetry, couldn't play the erhu, and dancing was completely out of the question.
The best she could do was have him keep an eye on the guests' cups and make sure none of them went empty.
She fixed a smile onto his facial muscles, then had him slowly pour sake into empty vessels.
Everyone was absorbed in the young ladies' poetry and dancing, so nobody was looking their way, which made things easy.
(Hm? Is he bored?)
Everyone around wore smiles on their faces, thoroughly enjoying their drink and the performance, yet one person alone sat hunched over, looking downward.
A young man in fine silk robes sat with one knee raised, pouring his own sake.
Around him alone, the air turned a murky gray.
(There goes my job.)
Maomao, who had a peculiar streak of earnestness about her, picked up a generously filled sake bottle and sat down next to the gloomy man.
His glossy bangs covered the upper half of his face.
"Leave me alone."
(??)
Come to think of it, she felt like she'd heard that voice before.
Even as the thought crossed her mind, her hand was already moving.
Rudeness, impoliteness — all of it had flown clean out of her head.
Without touching the man's forehead, she gently lifted his bangs.
A stunning visage was revealed.
His sullen expression transformed into surprise in an instant.
"
Jinshi ?"
There was none of his usual dazzling smile, none of that honey-sweet voice — but it was unmistakably the eunuch she knew.
Jinshi blinked several times. Being stared at so intently made him visibly uncomfortable.
"Who are you?"
"I'm told that all the time."
"Don't people say you look different with makeup?"
"I'm told that all the time."
She had a vague feeling they'd had a similar conversation before.
She let the forelock she'd been fiddling with fall back into place.
Then Jinshi's hand shot out, trying to grab Maomao's hand.
"Why are you pulling away?"
He looked at her with a sullen expression.
"Please don't touch a prostitute."
It was a rule, so there was nothing to be done. She'd have to charge him extra.
"For that matter, why are you dressed like that?"
"I'm on a short-term job."
"At a pleasure house? ...Don't tell me, you—"
Maomao understood what Jinshi was getting at and glared at him with narrowed eyes.
He really did seem to be the type who questioned everyone's chastity.
"It's not as though I've been soliciting clients on my own. Not yet."
"Not yet..."
"..."
She couldn't argue with that. Before she paid off the rest of her debt, there was no guarantee the old woman wouldn't drag clients to her by force.
Thanks to the old man and the young ladies keeping things in check, nothing had happened so far.
"Shall I buy you?"
"Huh?"
She was about to say "You're joking," but something suddenly crossed her mind.
"That might not be a bad idea."
"!?"
Jinshi was struck with shock.
For some reason, without his usual sparkle today, his expressions seemed richer. The celestial maiden's smile was lovely, but it wasn't the kind of face a human would make.
Sometimes, she even wondered whether he had two souls crammed into one body.
"You know, going back to work in the rear palace wouldn't be so bad."
Jinshi's shoulders sagged.
What was going on with him?
"I thought you quit because you couldn't stand the place?"
"When did I ever say that?"
She had only gone to ask if they would let her keep working so she could pay off her debt, but it was the other side that fired her.
There were plenty of annoying aspects, but being a lady-in-waiting for Consort Gyokuyou was a remarkably good posting. Being a food taster was a rare job—not something you could become just by wanting to.
"If there's anything I disliked about it, it was only that I couldn't run poison experiments."
"Yeah, you really ought to give that up."
Jinshi rested his chin on his raised knee. A wry smile floated across his face.
"That's just like you, isn't it? That's exactly the kind of person you are."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Aren't you ever told you don't say enough?"
"...I get that a lot."
His bitter smile gradually softened into a childlike grin.
This time it was Maomao who looked down in displeasure. Jinshi's hand reached out toward her.
"So why do you run away?"
"Because it's the rules."
That said, Jinshi showed no intention of withdrawing his outstretched hand.
He stared intently at Maomao.
"Just a little would be fine, right?"
"No."
"It's not like you'll lose anything."
"My energy will decrease."
"Just one hand. Just the fingertips would be fine, right?"
"..."
So persistent. Come to think of it, this man was incredibly tenacious.
Resigned, she closed her eyes and let out a deep breath.
"Fingertips only, alright?"
Something was pressed against her lips.
When she opened her eyes, she saw red rouge on the tips of Jinshi's long fingers.
While Maomao stood there stunned, Jinshi withdrew his fingertips. And then — of all things — he gently pressed them to his own lips.
(This man...)
When he separated his fingers, a faint trace of rouge had transferred to his well-shaped lips.
Jinshi narrowed his eyes and let an even more innocent smile spread across his face. His cheeks appeared to have caught some of the rouge as well, flushed a faint cherry blossom pink.
Maomao's shoulders trembled, but faced with such a childlike smile from Jinshi, she could say nothing and simply looked down, averting her gaze.
(It's going to transfer!)
Maomao's mouth was set in a tight, jagged line, her cheeks flushed the color of cherry blossoms — even though she wasn't even wearing any rouge.
When she caught soft, stifled giggles, she realized everyone around her was looking her way.
The young ladies were all smirking at her.
The aftermath was going to be terrible.
She felt thoroughly uncomfortable.
Without her even noticing, he had appeared.
Gaoshun.
He stood with his arms crossed, wearing a resigned expression.
He had the air of a man who'd just finished his job.
It was all such a muddle that she could barely remember what happened afterward.
What she did remember was how relentlessly the young ladies had pressed her with questions.
○●○ A few days later, a beautiful nobleman appeared in the capital's pleasure quarter.
Even the shrewd old madam was left starry-eyed — by the gold coins.
And this man, who for some reason also bore a strange plant that had sprouted from an insect, requested one girl.
Anyway, that wraps up one section.
I know there are probably things that haven't been made clear yet, but that's just how it is — please bear with me.
The continuation will mostly be me setting up flags and knocking them down, so if that's your sort of thing, I hope you'll stick around.
I've learned that having "mystery" as a tag makes things incredibly tough, so I'll be switching to "fantasy" going forward.
If you're so inclined, I'd appreciate the support.