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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