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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.

Episode 32: The Empress Dowager

Starting today, this will be your room.

A storage shed...

You really want me to use this place?

Yes. Think about what you did.

Lady Yinghua, are you all right?

How could I be?! I can't believe
you collect those things!

One of these days, Lady Hongniang
will kick you out of your room,

and transfer you to a storage shed!

That sounds good.

Huh?

The storage shed is bigger
than my current room,

and I could make noise at night...

Maomao?

Yeah, it's a good idea.

In that case, let's get going.

I have to go back and ask Lady Hongniang.

What? Wait! Wait!

What in the...

Think about what you've done!

Lady Hongniang...

Thank you so much!

This is where I'll hang herbs!

This is where I'll make medicine!

That goes here! This goes there!

I told you so! It's pointless!

The storage shed? Unbelievable!

You told on her to Lady Hongniang?
Didn't you go a bit too far, Yinghua?

It wasn't me! Maomao asked
Lady Hongniang herself!

Right, Maomao?

Yes. It works out for me in several ways.

Huh?

At any rate, Maomao...

Stop collecting insects, okay?

Insects? What I'm collecting are lizard tails.

Besides, I stopped gathering
them after you collapsed.

Really?

But there's a rumor going around

that a weird court lady is catching
bugs while laughing to herself.

I don't do that.

There was that one time I was
collecting moths as part of a job,

but laughing while chasing insects...

This is a serious issue.

Huh? Hfff I hmmg Hinmhi mmghi?

Yeah, Shisui. Have you seen her recently?

Shisui, huh? She can be a real phantom...

Hey, does anyone know where Shisui is?

Shisui? I might have seen her,
but I might have not...

Huh? Where was she? Tell me, please!

Well... Um...

Oh, I bet they're being cautious
because I serve a concubine directly.

Xiaolan is actually the rare one
for talking to anyone openly.

Do I have anything on me to use as a gift?

Oh, here we go.

Depending on the information,
I could give you this...

Use this.

You're bleeding.

Th-This scent...

Could it be his...?!

I'll leave that up to your imagination.

So, is there anything you can tell me?

They said she's usually out
in the thicket on the north side, but...

I think this was where I ran
into her the last time, too.

Is this her favorite spot?

I should have brought a mosquito repellent.

White blossom...

So, this is where they grow.

When I was little, I used to collect
white blossom seeds with the courtesans.

Not for using the powder inside for make-up,

but to make an abortion drug.

Shin didn't wear any perfume at first.

Since she was trying to take
Concubine Lihua's place,

it wouldn't be strange for Shin to avoid
perfume, which could lead to miscarriages.

Still, Shin risked wearing perfume so
she could secretly make abortion drugs.

That's probably because...

Lady Gyokuyou isn't the only one
receiving the love of the emperor.

It's possible that Lady Lihua
is pregnant as well.

But that's not the only mystery
I noted from that incident.

The abortion drug made by courtesans
uses, in addition to the white blossom,

other ingredients like lantern plant,
peony, balsam, and mercury.

Aside from mercury, the other ingredients
can be found in the rear palace.

Even though she could
have gotten them here,

Shin got her abortion drug
ingredients through the caravan.

In other words,

Shin had no knowledge of medicine,
and someone taught her how to make poison.

And that someone is probably
still here, in the rear palace...

Found you!

Hold it right there, you! Hold it!

This is who they confused me for? How rude.

Got you!

Insect!

Oh...

Shisui, it'd be great if you could let go...

Sorry about that, Maomao.

It's fine.

Were those the insects you were hunting?

Yes!

She must really love bugs.

This insect is native to
the island nation in the east!

They make noise by rubbing
their wings together!

It was probably part of
some trade goods, but escaped!

I think this is the only place you can find
them, like the moths from the other day!

They do have a similar color as cockroaches,
but they're different, don't worry!

And also! And also! And also!

I shouldn't have asked.

What's that sound?

Is that... the empress dowager?

Last I saw her was
at the garden party last year.

She really does look young.

Hard to believe she's the emperor's mother...

Why are you hiding?

Why are you?

Well, it's kind of reflexive.

I wonder if she's going to the clinic?

Clinic?

Yeah, it's an unofficial clinic
run by court ladies.

I know about that.

Apparently, the empress dowager
was the one who founded it.

The empress dowager?

This was back when the empress
had a lot of power,

so the empress dowager
couldn't make it official.

I see.

The empress dowager is really kind.

Also, they say she was behind
the banning of slaves and eunuchs.

I see.

From a humanitarian perspective,
banning slaves was probably a good idea.

But, aside from slaves
who are treated like animals,

there are some, like courtesans, who use
their bodies as collateral to borrow money.

This is legal, and considered
to be similar to employment.

However, seen from the outside,
courtesans could appear to be slaves as well.

The old lady said when the bans were
announced, she felt a chill down her spine.

Officially, slavery is banned,
but in practice,

everyone knows it still exists
under a different name.

Well, I'd better get going.

Maomao, you probably shouldn't be wasting
too much time outside either, right?

Well, yeah, but...

Does the empress dowager visiting
the clinic have anything to do with

what happened at
the Crystal Pavilion the other day?

If the empress dowager is on the case,

there could be a big reform
in the medical system in the rear palace.

If that's what's being discussed,
I'd love to listen in, but...

Nah, I'm going home.

I've been causing a lot of upset lately...

Do over!

Yes...

This is the third time.

I was wondering if I was starting
to get bullied now, but...

Pay attention!

Yes!

There!

Yes!

The other ladies-in-waiting
are getting nitpicked, too...

Be extra careful this time!
I don't want to see a speck of dust!

What's going on? Is someone coming to visit?

It's been a while, Lady Anshi.

It was the empress dowager!

Are you well?

Thank you for your compassion.

So, the empress dowager knows
that Lady Gyokuyou is pregnant.

I guess she must be really trustworthy.

This feels more like "two friends a few
years apart," not "wife and mother-in-law."

You there.

You're the lady-in-waiting assigned here
from Jinshi's place, yes?

Yes, I am.

How does she know that?

Suiren told me. She said a girl worth
training had gone back to the rear palace.

She used to be my lady-in-waiting, you know.

I see. That wily lady-in-waiting and
the empress dowager know each other.

Lady Anshi, I beg your pardon.

It seems Lingli is tired.
May I put her to bed?

Yes, of course.

She really can take a hint.

Please, take a seat.

Yes...

I hear you go around solving problems.

I merely voice facts from
my limited pool of knowledge

that I feel are appropriate for the situation.

Did that sound too negative?

But I don't have an incredible imagination
or the deep knowledge my dad has.

I have to tell her beforehand,
otherwise I'd feel uneasy.

It's just the way I do things.

That's fine.

I just want you to do your best
to look into something.

Did I...

put a curse on the late emperor?

A curse, huh?

Perhaps it's natural for someone
to think that way.

To be honest, I've only ever heard people
speak poorly of the previous emperor.

"Foolish emperor," "idiot ruler,"
"puppet of the empress."

The one most famous in the rear palace
would probably be "pedophile".

Taking a very young wife
as part of a political marriage

or for collateral on a loan is not unheard of.

However, the last emperor deliberately
chose the youngest girls available,

despite being surrounded by women
of a more appropriate age.

The empress dowager has a scar on her stomach.

When she gave birth to the current emperor,

the empress dowager was not yet mature.

They had to cut her belly
open to retrieve the baby.

The unfortunate doctor
who had to become a eunuch

to help with that surgery was Luomen, my dad.

Thanks perhaps to those sacrifices, the
current emperor grew up strong and healthy,

and the empress dowager later gave birth
to her second son, the imperial brother.

If I remember correctly,
the brother is one year older than me.

The empress dowager must have been
approaching thirty years old at that point.

Obviously no longer a little girl.

Which means...

Is the imperial brother really
the son of the previous emperor...?

If I said that out loud, I could be beheaded.

A few days later, the empress dowager

invited the four high-ranking
concubines to a tea party.

This way, Lady Gyokuyou.

There's still some time before
the tea party begins. Please rest here.

Thank you. I will do that.

Lady Gyokuyou is getting sleepy often,
a symptom of early pregnancy.

What is the empress dowager thinking?
Meeting outside the rear palace for tea?

It's outside the rear palace, but it's
the inner court, where the emperor lives.

That's why it's scary!
We never go there usually.

The empress dowager knows
Lady Gyokuyou is pregnant. So why now?

You're right, but I think we can trust
the empress dowager to be careful about that.

Sure, the empress dowager will. But who
knows what the other concubines will think?

Lady Gyokuyou's pregnancy is an open secret,

but at a face-to-face tea party,
there could be a more direct probe.

I guess Lady Lihua would avoid asking
questions that could backfire on herself.

Also, Lady Lihua is a proud woman.
She wouldn't try to undercut others.

It would also be a bad idea for Lady
Gyokuyou to pick a fight with Lady Lihua,

since Lady Lihua has a more noble bloodline.

Lady Lishu might say something
if urged to do so by her ladies-in-waiting,

but I doubt that head lady-in-waiting,
the former taster, would step out of line.

That leaves Concubine Loulan
as the possibility.

She's strangely free of rumors, aside from
the well-known one about her flashy fashion.

Maomao, can I have a moment?

Yes.

How may I help?

I will be the taster today.
You understand what that means, right?

Yes, I do.

By not having a separate taster at a party
set up by the empress dowager,

it demonstrates our trust in her.

And, regarding you specifically,

the empress dowager would like
your help with something.

Have you been asked to solve a problem again?

Did I... put a curse on the late emperor?

I'd like to speak to you elsewhere.

Don't answer that, I know you can't tell me.

However!

Please don't do anything
to betray Lady Gyokuyou, all right?

I have no desire to get on your
bad side, Lady Hongniang.

Good. I would also like to maintain
a good relationship with you, Maomao.

Indeed.

Lady Hongniang really deserves the title
of head lady-in-waiting for Lady Gyokuyou.

If the empress dowager
wants to discuss something,

it's most likely the curse she mentioned.

Thank you for waiting.

This way.

This used to serve the rear palace's function
before the current rear palace was built.

I see.

There's nobody here,
but the cleaning is impeccable.

The pebbles on the dry landscape
garden are well laid out, too.

This is the place.

We can't go any further.

Not even the cleaners
are allowed to enter this place.

What is this smell?

What is this room...?

During the reign of our emperor's grandfather,

a court lady who became a
low-ranking concubine lived here.

This was the room of the woman
who was referred to as the empress.

This was also where the late emperor
was raised, and where he passed away.

Let's go somewhere else.

During his final years, the late emperor,
and his mother, the so-called empress,

spent a lot of time in that room.

As if clinging to their memories,
they spent much time there.

The late emperor,
perhaps due to a weakened spirit,

drew his last breath in that room,

shortly after the empress died,
as if chasing after her.

This may sound rude, but he wasn't
young when he passed away, right?

He was old enough to be described
as dying a natural death.

Then why does the empress dowager
think she cursed him?

I also suggested to her that there is no curse.

However, Lady Anshi said...

I cursed him.

I wished he would go away.
For the longest time...

Almost every night, I wished for it.

Is there anything else to suggest
that a curse was at play?

The late emperor's body,
after his spirit left it,

was placed in a mausoleum
for a year as is customary.

A year later, when our emperor and Lady
Anshi took a look at the body to bury it...

The body was almost exactly the same
as when he had passed away.

You mean there was no decay?

Correct. The empress's body, who had
passed away at around the same time,

was in a state that
no words could describe. Yet...

So that's why Lady Anshi thinks
she cursed the late emperor.

Yes.

I see.

The mausoleum is chilly even
in summer, but every corpse rots,

gets infested with insects, and dries out,
unless it's placed in ice or something.

If that didn't happen,
that is indeed quite unusual.

Everyone returns to dust in the end.

That's true for nobles,
farmers, and everybody else.

No matter the status one is born into,
that is the equalizer.

That building will be torn down soon.

We would like you to investigate
before that happens.

I understand.

However, I have just one request.

A request?

Next Time

Next time: "The Late Emperor."

Episode 33: The Late Emperor