Rather than the sound of cicadas, the chirping of crickets had grown more prominent.
Maomao was relaxing at the washhouse as usual. With the water nearby and just the right amount of dappled sunlight filtering through, the spot served as a gathering place for the maids to chat. A breeze drifted through — pleasant in the lingering heat.
Today's snack was a leftover she had received from Consort Gyokuyou — mahua.
A pastry twisted into a rope shape, filled with crunchy sugar granules — the premium variety.
"Hey, about the consort you serve,"
Xiaolan said, nibbling happily, chatting with Maomao as usual — but...
"Could it be that she's not feeling well?"
(I had a feeling this topic would come up soon.)
Consort Gyokuyou's belly had grown to a size that could no longer be concealed, no matter how she tried. The tea gatherings had grown fewer, and she had stopped venturing outside — some were bound to grow concerned. Even if they didn't know it was pregnancy, there must be those who sensed something amiss.
Maomao tilted her head while nibbling on the mahua.
No one else had noticed their conversation. Maomao pulled another pack of mahua from her sleeve.
"Want some?"
"Yes!"
Maomao watched Xiaolan stuff her cheeks with the snack, thinking about how to deflect the question.
Then she remembered — there was a perfect topic to steer the conversation away.
"Have you heard about the ghost story meetings in the inner palace at night?"
"Oh, yeah, yeah! Apparently something showed up, right?"
Maomao was impressed by how quickly word had gotten around.
"Apparently what showed up was the ghost of a court lady who died here. She was already quite advanced in years, but there was apparently some reason she couldn't leave."
They didn't seem to know the specific details of why, though.
Maomao thought it would be poor form to point that out, so she just nodded along — and then noticed a hand quietly reaching for the fried dough twists beside her.
"Those look tasty, can I have some?"
"I'm already eating them."
Munching away at Maomao's snacks was...
Shikosui.
Maomao was already full, so she gave her the rest, and Shikosui let out a delighted squeal.
Shikosui's outfit today was...
the Wardrobe Attendant's, that is, the same laundry staff uniform as Xiaolan's.
(Wherever did she get that?)
Rouran's.
As a lady-in-waiting attached to the consort, she should have been issued separate clothing. But would it be rude to say this servant's uniform suited her better?
"So, the ghost story?"
"Yes, the ghost story."
Shikosui, who had no fear of strangers, slipped naturally into the conversation. Xiaolan accepted it just as naturally. Maomao was impressed — that was a feat she herself would find difficult.
"It's about a court lady who died in the rear palace."
"Oh, that one. The court lady who couldn't leave the rear palace in the end."
"Huh?! You know about it? What's the story?!"
Shikosui brought up what Maomao had stopped herself from saying. And Xiaolan was not one to let that pass.
"Um, it's said she couldn't leave because she had been intimate with the previous Emperor, but that's not actually the real reason."
Maomao pricked up her ears, thinking, "Oh?" It seemed like...
Hongniang.
She tilted her head, finding it slightly different from what she had heard.
Xiaolan continued to munch on her food, staring intently at Shisui. Shisui hemmed and hawed, saying "Well, let me see..." before beginning her story.
"It's a well-known tale, but the previous emperor here had something of a problem with his tastes."
He had no interest in any woman. The then-Empress Dowager — that is, the Empress Regnant — had been growing ever more frustrated as she kept expanding the inner court, desperately searching for any woman who might catch his eye.
And so one day, she said to one of her retainers: "Send me your daughter."
The girl was renowned throughout the capital as a peerless beauty.
For the retainer, it was a godsend — a fine stepping stone for advancement.
However, for the girl herself, it was unbearable.
She was already betrothed, but she could not defy the Empress Regnant's command, so she entered the palace with a few attendants in tow.
Everyone marveled at her beauty, sighing in admiration, thinking the emperor would surely be satisfied this time.
But.
"The one he actually took an interest in was her attendant. And she was only eleven — a completely innocent girl."
Xiaolan's face twisted in disgust as she listened.
Maomao had heard this story before as well, but it still made her recoil.
The reason the emperor's eye wandered from the beauty was that she was too refined — too grown-up, in a sense.
How much— Her dignity— must have been utterly shattered.
After that, the attendant rose in status and was given her own palace, but it didn't last long. Once the attendant grew up and the emperor lost interest, he set his sights on new women. Somehow word had gotten out, and young girls began being sent to the inner court one after another.
The forgotten attendant lived out her days quietly within the inner court.
"When the emperor passed away, she could have left the palace, you know."
There was no place for her outside.
Having brought shame upon her master, she couldn't even return to her homeland, so she spent the rest of her life within the inner court.
She reportedly lived on nothing but a single small pleasure — collecting scary stories.
"So that's the story!"
Despite having spoken in a hushed tone just moments ago, Shisui suddenly wrapped things up in an oddly lighthearted manner.
For once, Xiaolan wore a somber expression.
"That's so sad. It's not even her fault, though!"
Xiaolan puffed out her cheeks.
That much was true. There was nothing she could do to defy it. But that was the sort of injustice that pervaded the world — those who had, gained; those who had not, simply had not. That was all there was to it.
"Yeah, there's no point holding a grudge, right?"
Shisui said this in a breezy tone as she tossed every last piece of the mahua into her mouth, chewed a few times, and swallowed.
"And then, the untouched beauty was gifted to a certain high official. The 'Blade' of the North — does that ring a bell?"
"Blade?"
Xiaolan tilted her head.
Maomao had initially wondered what this was about, but then she recalled Basen had told her the other day. The one who holds three blades beneath the flowers of Li — that is the country of Li. The "Blade" of the North refers to Zishou, meaning Rouran's father.
(A high official who received the gifted woman, then...)
Reflecting on how all things were interconnected, Maomao decided it was time she got back to work and hopped down from the wooden crate.
○●○ The dimly lit office — Gaoshun sighed as he stepped inside.
"Could you at least turn on a light?"
At the work desk, a single dried-up noble lay slumped over.
"This is about right."
The noble in question — Jinshi — glanced sideways at the documents while pressing his approval seal with the most half-hearted motions imaginable. He was technically doing his job, but his movements were agonizingly slow. Meanwhile, pile after pile of other work continued to accumulate.
Gaoshun considered what to do, then decided to go ahead with his report.
"Regarding the merchant caravan from the other day —"
"Apricot."
"There was no connection."
Apricot, the former head maid of Consort Rifa, was currently back in her hometown. Officially, she had been dismissed following a falling-out with Consort Rifa, which made it difficult to investigate further even if one wanted to dig up details. More importantly, her birth status was comparable to Rifa's, so she wasn't someone you could casually meddle with.
"It appears this was the reason she acted as she did."
After several visits, Apricot had finally produced something, and Gaoshun placed it on the desk. It was a sheet of paper with numerous names of fragrant oils and spices written on it. As it happened, Apricot knew that several of these ingredients had abortifacient properties. So she had been gathering them together.
She had tossed it out as something she "just picked up." Whether that was true or not, he couldn't say, but at least the fact that there was no connection to the merchant caravan left things ambiguous.
The investigation had likely only been possible thanks to Consort Rifa's cooperation. She had been remarkably quick to act regarding the abortion-inducing drugs. She apparently hoped that nothing like that would circulate within the rear palace again.
Without even thinking that wider circulation might benefit her.
It was precisely that quality that Gaoshun viewed favorably. If someone like her were to become the mother of the nation, perhaps better governance would follow.
On the other hand, he didn't think she had the tenacity to hold onto that position.
She didn't need to go so far as to kick others down, but she needed at least enough strength to protect her own standing.
In that regard, Consort Gyokuyou was the superior one.
"Also, there was no connection to Consort Gyokuyou either."
"I see."
Jinshi raised his head and spoke.
It was the kind of remark that sounded like he might add "That's good."
Who had arranged for the merchant caravan to transport the abortion drug ingredients — and was that coincidence or necessity? If it was the latter, then the root cause would need to be thoroughly investigated.
The culprit's identity didn't matter, even if it turned out to be a senior consort.
Consort Gyokuyou, in particular, hailed from a western trade city. It would be reasonable to assume her connections ran deeper than most.
Jinshi dropped his face back onto the desk and began stamping seals once more.
Gaoshun pressed a finger to the crease between his brows, silently pleading for an end to this.
With no other recourse, he decided to bring out his trump card.
"Your Excellency Jinshi, we received word from a merchant who previously sold us the herb grown from insects — he has a new product to report."
At Gaoshun's words, Jinshi's face lifted abruptly from the desk. To Gaoshun, it looked like the face of a sulking child, but to anyone else it would come across as a brooding, alluring expression — how troublesome.
"It's said to be a stone found in the gallbladder of only one in a thousand head of cattle. It's called 'ox bezoar' and is apparently a highly precious medicinal ingredient."
"..."
Jinshi's gaze sharpened little by little.
"Is that true?"
"I had an experienced physician examine it, and he confirmed it's likely authentic. He did say it's one-of-a-kind, though."
"Buy it."
Jinshi said it as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
One might even say he was starting to look a little more energized.
A master who was hard to read, yet easy to read — that was the sort he was.
"The merchant hasn't named a price yet, however."
When Gaoshun said this, Jinshi's mouth slowly curled into a grin.
"Still cheaper than keeping a courtesan from the finest brothel in the capital and drinking all night, I'd imagine."
Gaoshun managed a wry smile at how nonchalantly Jinshi put it.
"Very well. I'll have it arranged. Also..."
This, at least, he had to say. Gaoshun fixed Jinshi with a look.
"That line just now — Little Cat — I would advise against saying it in front of her."
He explained that this was because he'd been told not to waste words.