The next day,
Maomao
finished her work assisting the court physicians and headed straight for
Go's
residence.
Perhaps because
Jinshi
was not there today, Go was absent as well, and in his place the lady of the house came out to greet them politely. Several other servants were present, but the concubine in question was nowhere to be seen.
"I heard you've identified the culprit."
"Yes. I'd like to explain in detail, but would it be all right if we changed locations?"
Amami
took the lead.
Suzume
had come along as well, but it seemed best to leave things to Amami.
The lady's complexion was just as poor as the day before.
"This way, please."
The lady guided Maomao and the others to the guest room.
It was a spacious room. Those who entered were the lady, one maidservant, and Maomao's group of three. Guards had been posted outside the entrance.
"So you've learned the truth about the cursed jar."
The lady lowered her slightly reddened nose. She already seemed to know the answer and was merely asking for form's sake.
Amami looked at Maomao. Maomao opened her mouth.
"It wasn't a curse — it was a poison jar. It was designed to gradually weaken someone, mimicking illness until it led to death. The poison could be made from common ingredients, and it had been aging underground."
"So something like that was buried beneath the eaves."
How contrived, Maomao thought. But then again, given the lady's position, that was probably the only way she could respond.
「Yes. The one who made it was Lord Go's concubine, and the one being poisoned was her daughter」
「……」
The lady kept her head lowered. She showed no sign of being shocked.
(So she already knew)
The one handling matters with the Dowager Empress was not the head of the household but his wife. What could the lady's purpose have been in consulting the Dowager Empress about the cursed vase of her own volition? And the Dowager Empress, for her part, had deliberately sent Jinshi.
「Your daughter — her name is
Kuchinashi
, isn't it? She was given a name related to the family's flower, perhaps?」
「That's right. Thanks to that, I'm the one they call Suetsumuhana.」
「Suetsumuhana」
Suetsumuhana was another name for safflower. The lady was rubbing her red-tinted nose. Knowing only that much was enough to understand why she was called by that nickname.
「It's not Kuchinashi's mother, but the lady herself who's called Suetsumuhana」
Maomao said, sounding faintly exasperated.
(Hōsenka and Kataguri)
She recalled the names that had been given on a whim, long ago.
「Even without a blood tie, perhaps you looked like mother and daughter?」
(No, that's not quite it either.)
She had let the thought slip out more or less at random. She worried she might have offended her, but the lady, surprisingly, simply wore a blank expression.
「W-What are you saying?」
「Indeed, what am I saying?」
Maomao herself wondered the same thing.
「But at the very least, you are a kind person who could not abandon Kuchinashi, even without any blood connection.」
Maomao extended her hand toward Sparrow.
「Here you go, Maomao.」
「Thank you, Sparrow.」
What Sparrow handed over was a small ceramic sake jug. When Maomao opened the lid, she caught the scent of milk.
"The cows in the barn are being milked, it seems."
"Yes. If you don't milk them regularly, they develop inflammation. Besides, cow's milk is nutritious — it promotes bodily growth."
"You seem to know quite a lot about it."
"My family originally managed the rear palace's cattle. They had a long history, but fell on hard times and were eventually absorbed by another household. Does that make sense to me?"
So that was how she'd become Gao's wife. Given the family's history and expertise, taking the Lady as a bride must have held considerable advantages.
"You were giving that nutritious cow's milk to Kakei, it seems."
"..."
"Kakei's body showed symptoms of poisoning as well as chronic malnutrition. I was told she was fourteen, but she appears much smaller than average. I've heard she was frail from a young age, but what was she really like?"
"Kakei's meals appear to be managed by the concubine. While I was at the barn anyway, I had a little chat with the cooks."
Sparrow interjected.
"Don't you consider the possibility that the jealous first wife poisoned the concubine's child?"
"If that were the sort of thing I was thinking, I wouldn't have consulted the Empress Dowager about the cursed pot. The head of the household may be Lord Gao, but the true mistress of this estate is undoubtedly you."
Maomao spoke plainly.
"The Lady's reputation among the servants is excellent, you know. Quite the admirable Lady, she is."
At Sparrow's words, the Lady let out a sardonic laugh.
"How absurd. My husband only ever tells me to stay out of sight at banquets and to handle things behind the scenes. And yesterday, he didn't even bother to introduce me, did he?"
"No, he didn't. But this household couldn't function without you."
The previous head had apparently been capable, but the current one was unremarkable. And yet things still ran — surely because of the Lady.
Getting caught between a husband who disliked you and the Empress Dowager was no ordinary feat. Maomao thought that spoke to what an accomplished woman she must be.
"Furthermore, she's borne three sons. Honestly, isn't that the ideal wife for a household head?"
Yet the Lady's expression remained gloomy. She held a deeper insecurity about her appearance than anyone.
"Let me get back to the subject at hand. The Lady is quick to deny things, so I'll simply state my opinion from here on. Whether I'm right or wrong, you needn't react."
The Lady didn't move a muscle, staring fixedly at Maomao. Her complexion, however, did seem somewhat improved.
Maomao began recounting what she had told Jinshi and the others the day before.
「She had been using her daughter to win the lord's sympathy. And then, by chance, the cat happened to find the poisoned pot.」
The wife closed her eyes.
「How long had you been giving cow's milk to Koko? You don't have to tell me. I can ask Koko herself.」
「...Please don't make me sell out the child's mother.」
The wife opened her mouth.
「I had been giving her cow's milk since before the child turned ten. I had my son and the servants handle it.」
Perhaps she didn't go in person because it would look bad.
「My husband was swayed by that woman whenever she wept about how pitiful the sickly child was. Yes, he has a weakness for fragile women, that man of mine. He wouldn't even realize that feeding a child nothing but thin rice gruel was no different from treating a patient. When told it was because she was ill that she needed the gruel, he would simply nod along in silence and even buy expensive medicinal herbs for her.」
At the mention of medicinal herbs, Maomao leaned forward with her mouth twitching, but Suzume elbowed her and she straightened up.
Rather than calling the concubine by name, she used the word "woman." The wife had her own feelings toward the concubine.
「That woman knew exactly what she was doing. She understood my husband's tastes perfectly. In the past, he had taken in concubines many times, but in the end, only that woman remained. All the others were given severance money and sent away. The women who were called to the mansion and kept as concubines probably felt they were loved more than me, the first wife. They carried themselves as though they were the wife, and in the end, my husband started complaining that they were insufferably arrogant.」
*(Take responsibility to the end.)*
That's what a dog or a cat would say.
But among humans, receiving severance money was already quite generous. Perhaps it was the wife who had been paying it all along.
「She kept up the act of being a frail woman so the lord wouldn't lose interest in her. And she even used her own daughter.」
「Yes. I wanted to believe it was none of my business. She was the obnoxious child of a concubine, with no blood relation to me. But I happened to see it. The emaciated child was leaning out, trying to eat a frog hopping along the ground.」
*(Tree frogs are poisonous and not recommended for consumption.)*
Seeing the starving child try to eat a live, hopping frog must have been a shock to the wife, who despite her fall from grace still hailed from a prestigious family.
「By secretly giving her cow's milk, Koko's health had seemed to recover considerably over the past few years. But over the past few months, her condition started deteriorating again.」
She had been wondering why, and then she found the cursed pot. That was when the wife realized that Koko was being poisoned by the concubine.
「Why didn't you tell the lord that his daughter was being abused?」
Asami must have her own feelings about this as a mother.
「I did tell him. And do you know what he said? 'You're the one bullying her, aren't you?' Yes, that would be just like him. He probably saw me as a woman jealous of a concubine younger and more beautiful than myself. I confronted her several times, but it only resulted in unflattering rumors spreading among the guests.」
The wife gave a dry laugh.
Whether it was because the concubine was skilled at currying favor, or because the lord was simply foolish, it was probably some of both.
Gou would summon the concubine to his bedchamber in place of his wife. The concubine would then have recounted, with a blend of modesty and earnest sincerity, how the Lady had mistreated her there.
"Either way, I bear some responsibility for Kusu's deterioration. I want to help that girl."
And so she had consulted the Empress Dowager.
Maomao shook the tokkuri filled with cow's milk.
"Kusu was rather lucky."
"How so?"
"The Lady gave her cow's milk for nourishment. It seems the result went beyond mere nutrition — it saved her life."
The tokkuri made a sloshing sound when shaken.
"When you say 'beyond mere nutrition,' what exactly do you mean?"
"Cow's milk and tea are a poor combination. The nutrients in cow's milk are neutralized. Conversely, when the toxins contained in tea are mixed with cow's milk, they become weakened."
The poison from the tea Maomao had drunk —
Luomen —
— had diluted it with milk.
Given the quantity of poison involved, she should have died long ago. Yet Kusu was still alive. The cow's milk must have saved her.
"But it fell short of complete detoxification. At this rate, there is a possibility she could have died."
"How exasperating. It would have been pointless if she had died."
Asami seemed to have personal feelings invested in this.
"Indeed."
The weaker her daughter grew, the more sympathy she could expect to receive. To become the heroine of a tragedy, she would do whatever it took.
"What is it that the Lady wants from the Moon Princess?"
Was she hoping to have Jinshi intervene with the concubine? Or perhaps —
"Would it be possible to take custody of Kusu?"
"Do you understand what that would mean?"
Asami asked without missing a beat.
Asking the imperial family to take in a daughter could only be heard as a marriage proposal.
"I understand full well how disrespectful this is. Even as a lady-in-waiting, Koushi's presence would be a nuisance. That child currently has neither the skill nor the stamina to serve as a lady-in-waiting."
"Then why did you bring it up?"
"Koushi cannot bear children. My husband apparently had the doctors examine her to see if she could truly enter the inner palace, and the answer was no."
"..."
Asami fell silent.
The daughter of a powerful man was ultimately a tool for political marriage. Even someone as free-spirited as Asami understood that much.
"This is all the result of our household's failures."
The wife spoke in a strained voice.
"I was hoping the Moon Prince's household might take her in, as atonement for what was done to Koushi. Mmm, honestly, I can't see what advantage this offers the Moon Prince at all."
Suzume had a point.
"The Moon Prince arrived at Lord Gao's estate, and then took his daughter away. From the outside, it would look like nothing more than the Moon Prince, who hasn't even taken a single consort yet, taking a fancy to Lord Gao's daughter and marrying her."
Asami said as much too.
(Sure, that's how it would look.)
Gao would be pleased regardless of how it came about. The imperial prince who hadn't had any scandalous affairs had taken a liking to his daughter.
"What do you think, Lady Maomao?"
Suzume whispered in Maomao's ear, poking her with an elbow.
(What do I think...)
Suzume probably wanted to see Maomao look jealous.
Unfortunately, that wasn't going to happen.
"I think it would be cruel if Koushi got her hopes up for nothing."
"Hmm, so you're saying the Moon Prince won't cast his eye on other women, is that it?"
(Oh, here we go...)
Maomao decided to say nothing more.
The wife seemed to have expected this response. She gave a light nod, as if to say that was exactly what she had hoped to hear.
"The Empress Dowager gave us the same answer. However, she did say there was one advantage."
"What sort of advantage would that be?"
"It would serve as grounds to fend off the endless marriage proposals that will only keep piling up."
Amami's and Suzume's ears seemed to perk up.
"Ah, well..."
"That could be quite appealing."
The two of them kept stealing glances at Maomao.
"But having a selfish mother in the picture is a bit much..."
"There's no need to send that woman along with her."
The wife stated plainly.
"My husband would never think to impose his concubine on the arrangement as well. That woman will certainly object, but she'll be in no position to refuse."
No matter how much Gou might dote on his concubine, he would never weigh her against an imperial prince.
"The way people look at my husband may shift somewhat, but it would only be temporary. The Tama family's foundation isn't all that solid. Even if a bit more weight were added to our side, it wouldn't create any significant shift in the balance of power."
"Mm."
Amami hummed in acknowledgment. The woman wasn't entirely wrong.
As expected, Maomao thought, the wife was quite clever.
"Still, the advantages seem rather slim, don't they?"
"I have three sons. I believe each of them is capable, yet they're all modest in temperament and not the sort to forget a debt of gratitude. Moreover, none of them have the kind of grandiose ambitions my husband has."
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
"My husband may look young, but he's fifty-five this year. Will he even live another ten years?"
She had said she would make the next head of the household swear loyalty to Jinshi.
(She's no mere wife who simply supports her husband.)
The wife was certain of the ultimate victory, keeping her eyes on the long term.
That was probably why she had been able to endure her misfortune for so long.
"This isn't something we can give a quick answer to."
In the end, they would have to bring the answer back with them.