WEBVTT

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The Apothecary Diaries

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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.

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I'm going to the Jade Pavilion.

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Yes.

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Passed away?

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Concubine Jin... I see.

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I have been told it was food poisoning.
The word just came in.

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I heard she had been bedridden
for about a year now.

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Master Jinshi is here.

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Let him in.

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Episode 27: Corpse Fungus

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Thank you in advance.

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Got it.

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I should let her concentrate.

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A court lady is missing?

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Yes. Her name is Tao.

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She was a good girl, hard worker.

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Her tenure was almost up, and she
was scheduled to get married soon.

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Marriage?

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I heard she was given a hairpin
at the garden party.

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And it was from an up-and-coming bureaucrat.

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The matron wanted her to stay, though.

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Huh...

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So, such a capable court lady goes
missing without even saying goodbye.

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Do you have any idea where she went?

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Not at all, unfortunately.

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That said, this type of thing isn't unheard of.

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A lot of the women here
have interpersonal concerns.

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I understand.

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I sometimes forget,

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but this is the rear palace,

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a flower garden packed with two thousand women.

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Oh? Is that so?

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An outdoor tea party today.

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I guess if she stayed inside,
people would suspect she's pregnant.

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She's paying attention
to the venue and her attire,

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but I'm sure some have noticed by now.

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The problem is, does that someone
have good intentions, or bad?

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Oh, you're back.

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Come here, Maomao.

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How may I be of service?

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To him, actually.

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Well, let's move elsewhere.

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I don't mind. Why don't you talk here?

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No, I mustn't spend too much time
with the emperor's beloved concubine.

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Besides, well...

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Oh.

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Lady Gyokuyou, please.

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Boo.

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So, what did you need?

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You've heard that the emperor is
handing out novels to the concubines, right?

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Yes. After the concubines read them,
they're being read by their ladies-in-waiting.

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And also to the other court ladies around them.

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Copies are being made, and it's prompting
some to learn to read and write.

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I see.

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This is still early in the planning phase,

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but I was thinking of
building something like this.

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I think it's called a penmanship
school in the populace.

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A school for servant girls.

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I knew he was up to something,
but he acts faster than I thought.

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I think it's a good idea.

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What happened to your signature stare?!

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Are you unwell?!

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Why are you reacting that way?

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Well, it's somewhat unsettling.

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Masochist.

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So, what do you think?

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There are already those who are trying
to learn, so I think it's a good idea.

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It would help some find new jobs
after their tenure is up, too.

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I see.

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But...

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Tell me.

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The southern courtyard is a convenient spot
for delivering goods and so on,

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but it's close to the main gate.

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It's a popular spot for high and
mid-ranked concubines to gather.

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Some of them are very prideful.

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They may not be too pleased by
the idea of educating the servants.

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We might have to build it on the north side.

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Yes. I've heard the north side
has not been maintained well,

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and there are several
abandoned buildings there.

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Renovating those should be more than enough.

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Also, you should call it vocational training.

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You can gather more people by
framing it as a way to earn a living.

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Is that how it works?

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An occasional snack might be good, too.

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Only occasional?

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Yes. Nobody gets addicted to
a gamble that pays off every time.

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Is that so?

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His head's in the right place
but he doesn't think things through,

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probably because of
his high-class upbringing.

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I guess he asks me because
he's aware of that much.

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It's all just my personal opinion.

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Is that all?

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Oh, and one more thing.

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Do you know much about mushrooms?

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Well, they're used for both food
and medicine, so yes, somewhat.

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This time of year, some court ladies

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forage for mushrooms without
permission and get food poisoning.

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I guess there are a few gluttons anywhere.

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Indeed. There once was someone eating
matsutake with the doctor at the clinic.

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I hear the fruits from the orchard
often go missing, too.

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Those aren't poisonous mushrooms.

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And I was just lightly thinning the orchards.

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So, I'd like for you to find and dispose
of any that might get mistakenly eaten.

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Also, take note of what types
of poisonous mushrooms you find.

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I'm going to ask you to take a break

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from all other Jade Pavilion tasks,
other than tasting.

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I see.

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That sounds like something
to explain in front of Lady Gyokuyou.

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What's that look he keeps giving me?

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I'm counting on you.

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Understood.

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There might be something going on...

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But it sounds fun, regardless.

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So, where should I go...?

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The gardens, orchards, pine trees...

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There's many places where
mushrooms can grow.

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It's prime mushroom season, too.

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If court ladies are foraging in secret,

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I can probably skip places with lots of
people and the south side in general.

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In that case...

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North it is.

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Hmm? What's that smell?

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It stings a little...

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Is this the weird smell
Shisui mentioned before?

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Maybe the leaking sewage
is feeding the mushrooms.

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I'm back.

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Hey, welcome back—whoa!

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Don't come in like that. You're nasty!

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Nasty...

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Maomao, you smell strange.
What have you been up to all day?

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It was such a fulfilling day.

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I even got some medicinal mushrooms.

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I told him they're all poisonous,
so not even that quack would eat it.

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Are they really poisonous? Maybe if
I tried one, I could tell...

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Hurry and get changed.
Lady Gyokuyou's dinner is soon.

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Yes.

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My apologies for being late.

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Sorry we had to rush you.

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It's fine.

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A black string on their wrists...

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I'm going out after dinner.

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Please accompany me.

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Understood.

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So, someone noble passed away
within the rear palace...

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She was a concubine named Jin,

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an upper-middle-rank concubine,
and daughter of a high-ranking official.

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She's been sick for the past year,
and was always in her room.

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Apparently, she got food poisoning
and never recovered.

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It wasn't like the emperor was visiting her.
She should have gone home.

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It's rare for you to speak
of someone that way.

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Concubine Jin was a little...
difficult, personality-wise.

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She was very jealous of the other
concubines and court ladies.

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She would attack them verbally, sometimes
even physically if they were lower class.

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And that was when Lady Gyokuyou was poisoned,
while she was pregnant with the princess.

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Of course, she didn't openly attack
the high-ranking concubines.

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But given her personality, Master Jinshi
had to at least go and make an inquiry.

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However...

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Do you have any evidence?

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So, it remained a suspicion only.

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I heard there was a lot of turmoil internally,

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and even her ladies-in-waiting
had a rough time.

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To be honest, I'm a bit relieved
that this happened.

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If something were to happen
to Lady Gyokuyou again...

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I guess that's Lady Hongniang's honest take.

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Hmm?

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Apparently, she got food poisoning
and never recovered.

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Also, take note of what types
of poisonous mushrooms you find.

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Why did Master Jinshi ask me
to investigate mushrooms?

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Why did he avoid discussing it at the Jade
Pavilion, in Lady Gyokuyou's presence?

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It can only be because he's suspicious
of the people at the Jade Pavilion.

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That one of us killed Concubine Jin
with a poison mushroom.

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I thought he was perhaps a bit
too partial to Lady Gyokuyou,

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but he's actually treating
everyone quite fairly, after all.

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I guess if his line of thinking was
made obvious, it would affect trust.

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Anyway, Lady Gyokuyou can't be the culprit.

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Poisoning is way too much trouble,

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and there are many easier ways
to oust a middle-rank concubine.

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The other ladies-in-waiting aren't built
for that kind of underhanded work.

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So, the prime suspect is...

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Oh, me.

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If he was probing my reaction while fronting
it as a request to investigate mushrooms,

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I'm quite impressed, actually.
Not at all disappointed.

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Please.

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Hmm? Is she Concubine Jin's lady-in-waiting?

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Did she get a rash from something?

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Please.

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But, that inflammation...

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If I'd at least been able to hear what her
symptoms were before she passed...

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Concubine Son! Please stop!

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You got what you deserved!

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The inflammation on her face...

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Do you know much about mushrooms?

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...and even her ladies-in-waiting
had a rough time.

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...and even her ladies-in-waiting
had a rough time.

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Ah. I see it now.

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So that's what Master Jinshi
was trying to find.

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I was told the woman who
caused a scene last night

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is a low-ranking concubine
named Concubine Son.

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She's from a wealthy merchant family,
and had a great personality.

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The emperor even visited
her from time to time.

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However, almost exactly two years ago...

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Why... Why is this happening?!

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She contracted a mysterious illness,

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and talks were raised
to remove her as a concubine.

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But even if she went home,
she wouldn't be able to marry.

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She was allowed to stay in the rear palace,

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likely out of compassion by the emperor.

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So then, why did she behave
that way at Concubine Jin's funeral?

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Simple. She believed Concubine Jin
was to blame for her illness.

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Found it.

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Master Jinshi, please wear this.

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Quite the precaution.

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Yes, it's extremely poisonous.

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This... Where did you find it?

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In the forest on the north side.

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The area wasn't maintained,

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creating probably the best
environment for this mushroom.

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It's quite rare, and extremely dangerous.

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Ingesting only a piece is lethal, and it
can cause harm just by touch—

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Please don't move any closer.

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You'll end up like Concubines
Jin and Son, like this.

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I came across the same
mushroom once in the past,

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when I was foraging for herbs with my dad.

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You touched it?

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Yes. I washed it immediately,
but this is the result.

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Are there more scars underneath those bandages?

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No, the other ones are through
experiments I did on myself.

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Wait, what experiments?

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My hobby.

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What do you mean, your hobby?!

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I guess I never showed him until now.

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Anyway, that's not important at all.

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Really?

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Concubine Jin's body was covered with
rashes, and she had lost a lot of hair.

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Master Jinshi, were you looking for
where this poison came from?

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She's sharp, as always.

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Two years ago, Concubine Son
suddenly contracted a mysterious illness,

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and poison was suspected as the cause.

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The culprit was rumored to be...

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Concubine Jin.

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Yes. But we couldn't definitively
prove that it was her.

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Then, one year ago, the same symptoms
appeared on Concubine Jin as well.

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She must have tried to use the same poison
on someone and touched it by mistake.

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From then on, Concubine Jin
became depressed,

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like she was a different person.

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I went to see her at least once a month,
but she could barely even speak.

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She was a very proud woman.

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Unable to take it anymore,
she took poison to commit suicide.

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That's the testimony of the women
that served her, anyway.

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It does make sense as a story. But...

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Concubine Jin died from eating
the poison mushroom, right?

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Right.

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That doesn't make sense.

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What do you mean?

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This mushroom does cause stomachaches,
vomiting, and paralysis when eaten.

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It would cause inflammation
inside the mouth,

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but I've never heard of it spreading
to the rest of the face.

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Really?

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Yes. The inflammation on
her face appeared fairly new.

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As if someone directly rubbed
the poisonous mushroom on her face.

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Meanwhile, her hands were quite clean.

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The inflammation was on...

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If you have something to say, say it.

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Can you give me a few days?

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Also, I'll need a few eunuchs who can keep
a secret and do some physical labor.

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I can't say for certain.

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Do it anyway.

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I guess framing it as an order
makes it easier for me.

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Understood.

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I wonder what Xiaomao is trying to figure out?

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I don't know, either. But...

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When the apothecary is like that, she's just
looking for one final piece of evidence.

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We're here.

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Mushrooms...

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Can you dig here?

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Understood.

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This smell...

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So, this is your evidence.

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I didn't think I would find it
on the first try, though.

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They confirmed that the body
was indeed Concubine Jin.

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Her emblems were on the accessories she wore.

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I don't know if it was
a murder or an accident,

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but she must have died a year ago.

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Right around when she fell ill?

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Yes. The real Concubine Jin
was buried in the forest,

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and an impostor took her place.

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So, the body at the funeral was...

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Have you heard about the missing court lady?

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A woman named Tao,
who disappeared before her marriage.

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Don't you think she looks like Concubine Jin?

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I asked around, and apparently,
even their builds were similar.

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By covering up her face,
nobody would be able to tell,

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except maybe her immediate servants.

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It wouldn't have been difficult
to trick a monthly visitor.

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So, this Tao woman was conspiring
with Concubine Jin's ladies-in-waiting?

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I suspect so, though I don't know any details.

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I have some personal conjectures, of course.

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It was probably triggered by jealousy.

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Concubine Jin probably didn't enjoy the fact

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that a court lady who
looked like her found love.

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In her case, she couldn't even
get a visit from the emperor.

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Tao was, indeed, regularly abused.

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Then perhaps there was an argument.

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An accident... or some incident,
that ended in Concubine Jin's death.

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The ladies-in-waiting, perhaps out of
self-preservation and sympathy for Tao,

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suggested they cover up
Concubine Jin's death.

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Tao couldn't decline, of course.

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But as her marriage talks
got increasingly serious,

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keeping up the impostor act
became too difficult.

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Enough of that. The higher-ups can
make up whatever motives they want.

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But how did you find out
where the body was buried?

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There was evidence left behind.

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Evidence?

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Mushrooms!

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The mushrooms in the area

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are all those that like to grow
on animal carcasses and excrement!

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No wonder there was
that peculiar, rotting smell there!

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Who would have thought I was enjoying
mushroom hunting over a corpse!

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What are you going to do with the mushrooms?

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These are really,
super-interesting mushrooms.

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Mushrooms that grow on corpses?

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Well, they don't grow <i>directly</i> on
corpses, like the caterpillar fungus...

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B-Besides, if they did, they'd be
called corpse fungi instead—

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Confiscate them!

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It's just innocent curiosity...

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A mushroom that grows on a corpse...

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If such a thing existed,

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what would it look like,

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and what effects would it have?

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Next Time

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Next time: "Mirrors."

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Episode 28: Mirrors