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The Apothecary Diaries

This story is a work of fiction. The names of all of the characters, organizations, and so on are imaginary. It also bears no connection to any specific real-life events.

Take a look, Maomao!

Wow, this is impressive.

I know, right?

I see, this is why they bothered to summon me.

It's a great mirror, isn't it?

Episode 28: Mirrors

Can you tell what it's made of?

This reflection... Is it glass?

Correct.

Honestly, it's like there are two Lady Gyokuyous.

Making mirrors out of glass is difficult.

The only way to get them is through trade with the west.

Meaning this is extremely expensive.

If I broke this by accident, they'd have every right to chop my head off.

We had a glass hand mirror before, but Yinghua broke it.

Please don't remind me about that!

I'm glad Lady Gyokuyou is an even-tempered person...

Does this interest you, Maomao?

Yes. I wonder how it works?

If we could mass-produce this domestically, we could make a lot of money...

Yes, right.

This mirror is a gift from the foreign special envoy.

A special envoy?

The quack doctor mentioned something like that.

The large-scale caravan was an advance party to the special envoy, or something.

I think they gave one to all of the high-ranking concubines, though.

Don't phrase it like that.

There's four high-ranking concubines, including Concubine Gyokuyou.

A special envoy would have to treat them fairly.

Bringing four giant mirrors like this must have been hard,

whether it was over the desert or by sea.

For them to go through all of that for the concubines,

they might be trying to start a big business deal with our nation.

Xiaomao, may I have a moment?

Master Gaoshun, what is it?

There's something I would like your opinion on.

Lady Hongniang, may I borrow this room?

Yes, that's fine, but is it a difficult topic?

Lady Hongniang joined us, saying I shouldn't be alone with him,

but she lost all interest once she found out Gaoshun has a wife and child.

So, I don't know if I can be of any help, but what did you have in mind?

Well, an acquaintance of mine is very concerned.

It's a very strange situation, but...

A rich family has two daughters.

They're close in age and have similar appearances.

The girls were loved deeply by their parents, but when they came of age,

their parents became overprotective of them.

They were never allowed to leave the house, not even together.

A lady-in-waiting was assigned to monitor them,

and they spent their days in their house.

The lady-in-waiting felt sorry for them and took them out occasionally,

but the father found out.

He stationed male servants outside the room to watch them,

and locked the doors at night so that they couldn't get out.

The daughters were introverts, so they spent all day on their embroidery,

but one day...

Father, my little sister...

She is pregnant, carrying the child of a wizard!

That's...

A strange story.

Didn't the lady-in-waiting just sneak them out again?

No, the lady-in-waiting had already been fired as a warning to the others.

The new lady-in-waiting didn't interact much with the daughters.

Well... in that case, though it would be improper, what about the servant men?

That would be difficult as well.

They weren't allowed to approach the room, even while monitoring them.

That is quite a conundrum, but it seems outside my realm of knowledge.

For example, if the ask was, "Is it possible to become pregnant without seeing a man?"

I could explain it.

Does that ever happen?

The body can trick itself into believing it's pregnant

without actually becoming so.

There was a case in the brothel where a young courtesan

claimed that she was carrying the child of the man she loves.

Without actually becoming pregnant?

Exactly. She began missing her periods, and her breasts and stomach grew tender.

A strongly held belief can have a powerful effect on the body.

Are you sure the younger daughter was pregnant?

Well, yes...

Let's just say she was.

The problem is, how was she able to sneak out past the surveillance?

Well, do you know how they were being watched?

Yes. Here is a diagram.

The sisters lived in a separate building on the north side,

connected to the main house by a corridor on the west.

Where is the washroom?

Inside the separate building.

If the younger daughter were to escape...

The only way in or out is the corridor on the west side.

There are windows on the east and south sides, but the servant men were watching those.

Where were the servants watching the windows from?

The south window was watched from the third floor of the main house,

while the east window was being watched from the first floor.

Hmm. They seem to have a very limited field of vision.

Could they see inside the room at all?

Not really, but the daughters were often doing needlework by the window.

A strange hobby, embroidery.

They came from a pastoral culture.

Hmm... It sounds like he's hiding something important.

The windows on the south and west seem to be in the same room.

The daughters have separate bedrooms for themselves.

Was this separate building originally for guests?

I'm impressed that you noticed that.

How many men were watching?

Two. They were always stationed in the same spot.

He knows the details quite well.

Yet, it feels like he's not telling me everything...

Is he really talking about an "acquaintance" of his?

Hmm... I don't know if I want to bring this up...

By the way, Xiaomao.

Master Jinshi sent a message.

He wanted to apologize for the delay in delivering the ox bezoar.

Hmm?

The bezoar!

That's true, he hasn't handed it over yet.

I didn't want another headbutt, so I kept my mouth shut, but he is indeed late.

I'm sorry. It seems like demand for it suddenly went up.

Why so suddenly?

I've heard recently that Master Jinshi

has been gifted many rare medicines from all sorts of people.

Rumor has it that he's quite passionately searching for them.

W-Well, anyway, please take this.

What is this?

It is a bear gall.

It's a bear's gallbladder, dried.

It's bitter, but it's valued for its use

in medicines for the digestive system!

I'm glad you like it.

I think Master Jinshi wanted to deliver it to you personally.

So, did you notice anything?

Yes. Can you wait for a moment?

Let's say that these nuts are the two daughters.

Are these the spots that they always sit in?

Yes.

Two people watching them, always from the same spot every day.

What if...

I put a mirror here, like this.

It does look like another nut is there.

What if there was a large mirror here, near the east window?

It would be a good distance away from the watcher,

so it would be hard to tell, even if it looked a bit unnatural.

So, you're saying there was only one daughter in the room,

and the other was an image in the mirror?

If the daughters looked similar,

it may have been difficult for the watchers to tell them apart.

But Maomao, what about the needlework?

They were working on different things, were they not?

Yes, I heard they were stitching animals, such as birds or rabbits.

Well, as an example...

Take an image like this.

When I flip this picture upside down, doesn't the smile now look like a frown?

So you're saying the embroidery was part of the trick, too?

Maybe they were working on embroidery

that looked like a different image when seen through a mirror.

If so, one could be actually doing needlework by the southern window,

while the other escapes out of the exit on the west.

I see.

I guess using that method, it would be possible to sneak out and meet someone.

The large mirror that the foreign envoys brought was so beautiful.

From a distance, it would be hard to tell a reflection from reality.

A long time ago, when my dad went to study abroad in the west,

he told me that needlework was common among high-class daughters.

Master Gaoshun said a girl from a rich family snuck out of the house to get pregnant,

but I don't know how accurate that story is.

Maybe she was carrying a bigger secret instead of a child.

I suppose sometimes, one would need to

accept someone who is suspected of being a spy as a guest.

But I'm not going to question that and get myself too involved.

More importantly...

What should I make with this bear gall?!

An otherworldly beauty that sheds pearls as tears?

Yeah, the high-ranking official in charge of the welcoming party came begging for help.

Master Jinshi, you don't have to accept any more work...

I know.

It's not just the mirrors. What are the envoys thinking?

Apothecary, have you ever heard a story

of an otherworldly beauty who sheds pearls as tears?

Huh? What is it?

I'd love to say,

"There's an otherworldly beauty in front of me right here..."

What do you mean by "pearls as tears"?

I don't know the details, but...

She was a beautiful woman, like a moon fairy.

When she danced, lights danced with her as if blessing her.

When she cried, the tears turned into pearls as they fell down.

I think she was a courtesan from the pleasure district, but...

A moon fairy? Where did this come from?

It's a serious request from the special envoy with us now.

The special envoy? From the west?

Yes. When they were young, the envoy's grandfather told

the story of the moon fairy, over and over again.

So, now they're asking me to find her, so that they can meet her.

Their grandfather? That must mean this is a pretty old story.

Yes. It's difficult, but they're important diplomatic partners.

I'd like to respond to the best of my ability.

Does this remind you of anything, even a rumor?

Fifty years ago...

A dancer from the pleasure district... Moon fairy...

Oh!

This is obviously decades ago, so who knows if she's still alive...

She's very much alive.

Really?!

Really, and in fact, you've met her before in the pleasure district.

I have?

Yes.

I don't remember meeting anyone matching the description...

It's no surprise that you can't think of her immediately.

Could it be?

Indeed, it's the old lady of the Verdigris House.

Oh, what is she like?

She'll come any time, as long as you can pay. What do you think?

W-Well, that's...

The envoy knows the person is from fifty years ago.

Couldn't you just find a different beautiful woman?

Well, we already hosted a welcoming party with beautiful women.

They might not have been moon fairies,

but I still think we brought in some top-level beauties.

They didn't seem to be satisfied. In fact, they seemed to laugh it off.

Who is this guy?

I'm sorry, but did any of these top-level beauties provide any overnight services—

Maomao!

No, we couldn't do that.

The envoy is female.

Ah, so that's why they came to Master Jinshi for help.

He has beauty that would impress anyone, and is technically male.

He does have what it takes to make a woman go head over heels.

But he could cause trouble, too.

What if she took his seduction seriously and demanded he stay overnight?

He can't deliver.

Of course, being a special envoy as a woman must have taught her

to refrain from such careless acts,

but it's a risk worth avoiding.

How important is this envoy?

Let's just say they completely control the western and northern trade points.

The latest caravan was so large

because both nations want to advance talks of new trades.

I see.

I hear in distant lands, marriages take place across international lines,

causing beautiful men and women to become quite commonplace.

For someone from such a nation to call someone a moon fairy...

Did she put hallucinogens in the incense or something?

Do people do that?

Not usually, but it would be the quickest way.

That would cause a diplomatic disaster.

I'm grasping at straws here. Is there any information from back then?

He really is distraught.

Well, let's bring in the straw to grasp.

Thanks for coming all the way out here.

This is a strange ask.

What a boring place. Not even a cup of tea?

This is just a visitation room, of sorts.

Old lady, did you welcome a foreign envoy in the past?

Yes, I did. It must have been over 50 years ago.

This was back in the age of the emperor before the previous one.

The city was originally a town built on an ancient ruin,

and we had a bunch of tourists visiting.

When they suddenly decided to make this popular spot the capital,

there was a bit of turmoil.

Anyway, the capital was still new, so we didn't have a great castle

and nowhere to welcome guests.

The higher-ups couldn't think of anything, so they used a remaining ruin.

It used to be some kind of ceremonial site.

It had a pretty pond and buildings next to an orchard.

Is that...

There was a ruined orchard on the north side of the rear palace

that I visited the other day.

It's not out of the question that the party venue might now be part of the rear palace.

I was selected as the main dancer in the performance using that ruin as a stage.

Why you?

Well, I was the highest-class courtesan

in the whole pleasure district back then.

I was the main dancer, and about a dozen others danced with me.

She looks like a dead twig now, but...

That said, I think the biggest reason was my build.

I was very tall, and had a very curvy body.

It does make sense to assign someone with a bigger body as the main dancer.

That said...

A lot of the event was improvised, so we had difficulty preparing.

We had to plan everything, like the phases of the moon,

and removed obstacles to give the guests a better view.

The nearby orchard meant lots of insects,

so we went in and picked out every single larva from the leaves.

We did end up getting insects around the torches, though.

Even after all that work, there were idiots who tampered with my costume that night.

They rubbed insect carcasses on it.

But I was too tough for them.

I used my outfit skillfully to hide it.

The audience ate it up, and the idiots seemed so angry.

I've heard that story so many times. Got anything else?

Have some respect!

What a beautiful picture. I haven't seen this before.

It must be precious to the old granny as well.

Who would've known this mesmerizing beauty would become a penny-pincher...

This painting was commissioned by the envoy after he returned home.

Saying he saw a "moon goddess" or something.

Ah, I see. This picture is beautified as well.

What did you say?

Nothing.

So, the envoy never set foot in our land again,

but he sent this to me through the caravan.

But granny, you were just doing your job as usual, right?

Why did he like you so much?

How should I know?

The old lady can see things objectively.

She probably isn't exaggerating.

But...

Even if the old lady was beautiful back then,

what caused them to call her a goddess?

Hmm, I don't know.

Should we find someone who looks like the person in the picture?

That's all I can think of.

Honestly, finding a tall woman who looks like this would be difficult.

Why don't we just look for a tall woman, not necessarily one that looks like this?

She's shrunk quite a bit now, but she said she was 175 centimeters tall back then.

That is quite tall.

Yes. She was a skilled dancer, and her long limbs helped make her dances look even better.

But finding a tall woman on par with her beauty would be difficult.

The envoys are about that tall.

If we find someone too small, they might appear like children.

The "envoys"? There are more than one?

Yes. They are cousins with the same grandfather.

From the way they described it, the envoys must be quite pretty as well.

So we have to find someone who's more than 175 centimeters tall,

whose beauty would impress another beauty...

Oh.

I found someone. A very suitable candidate.

A beautiful person taller than 175 centimeters, right?

Oh!

Huh?

What are you trying to say?

Wow!

Next Time

Episode 29: Moon Fairy

Next time: "Moon Fairy."