Original subtitles

THIS STORY IS A FICTION AND ALL NAMES OF FIGURES AND ORGANIZATIONS ARE FICTITIOUS

MOREOVER, THE STORY HAS NO RELATION TO REAL-LIFE INCIDENTS AND EVENTS

Hey, have you heard the rumors?

About that evil woman who stirred up a rebellion?

The imperial younger brother commanded the Forbidden Army

to punish the wicked ones, eh?

But that villainess named Loulan

apparently scarred the imperial younger brother's face.

That's harsh.

Sir Jinshi.

What?

These are circulating through town.

They're writing about you and the revolt of the Shi clan

in a rather unrestrained manner.

Leave it alone.

Yes, sir.

And this one's from that girl.

From Maomao?

My apothecary closes when the Verdigris House opens.

Good customers don't come at night.

Lighting the lamps is a waste of oil.

Grams.

What?

Today's sales. Do your thing.

Got it.

Chou-u, time to go.

What, already?

It's freezing…

What, aren't you going to eat?

I'm eating…

Get out of bed.

Meanie!

Shut up and put this on.

I want more meat.

Then start making money.

I'm getting enough funds to support Chou-u,

but I don't intend to waste it.

Come on, Freckles. You make tons of money.

Why don't we eat something better?

Listen, dummy. I borrow space for my shop from Grams.

Rent is more expensive than you think.

I'm cold…

That winter garment sure does look pretty cold.

I'm shopping for clothes tomorrow. Come along.

Huh? Really?

All right!

That hurt!

Don't wander off.

This main street divides the capital into East and West.

As you advance north, the shops get nicer.

The further south, the lower the quality.

The byroads are also packed with suspicious street vendors.

I said don't wander off.

Here we are.

Come on, secondhand clothes?

Don't be greedy.

Okay, winter garments for kids…

What's that one?

Looks like a barbarian tribe's garment.

Looks kind of shabby, huh?

Ouch!

Looks shabby, does it?

Isn't it, though?

Young girls' clothes should have more vibrant colors, right?

Normally, yeah, I suppose.

You see, this is a robe worn by a heavenly maiden.

Heavenly maiden?

A gorgeous heavenly maiden who disappeared in a lake.

Wanna hear the legend?

I sure do!

The owner here is a chatterbox.

Pretty sure my old man fell into his trap too.

This story takes place in a certain western village.

One day, a villager rescued a young girl who lost her way.

She was incredibly beautiful with golden hair and fair skin.

For the villager, it was love at first sight.

To thank him for saving her, the girl wove a robe for the villager.

That robe, embroidered with a strange design,

apparently sold for several times the price of other fabrics.

As months passed, the girl cried and desperately yearned to return home,

but the smitten villager repeatedly proposed

until she finally agreed to marry him.

Shortly after,

the girl's family came to the village searching for her.

The villager didn't want to let her go.

He concealed her,

and all of the villagers feigned ignorance.

The girl's family withdrew for the time being

but seemed to harbor suspicion.

And so, the villager decided to carry out the wedding ceremony at once.

The girl sensed her family and refused, but the villager showed no mercy.

He made her cleanse in the village spring

and wear a wedding gown she'd woven in the style of her homeland.

Her tears showed no signs of drying up.

Her entire body was soaked in them.

One last time, the girl begged to be returned to her family.

But when he refused…

All that remained was a single piece of cloth,

the veil that she'd worn on her head.

She returned to the heavens.

That's what the villagers apparently believed.

And this is the very robe woven by the heavenly maiden herself.

Hey, Freckles. This is awesome! Why don't you buy it?

Miss, since you're probably the same age as the heavenly maiden,

here's a discount.

Pricey!

Off by a whole digit…

What, you don't believe the legend of the heavenly maiden?

Where's your sense of wonder?

Says the guy who's trying to scam us.

I've already seen a heavenly maiden vanish in the water.

Can I touch that?

Fine, but don't get any filth on it.

Various oddities exist in this world,

but they always have a place of origin.

Since nobody knows the origin,

people try convincing themselves

by blaming curses, wizardry, or sometimes even ghosts.

This design…

Hey, what would you do if I sold this for ten times this price?

Ten times?

If you could do that, I'd give you all my clothes for free.

Hear that, Chou-u?

Ten times?

Nobody's gonna pay that much.

What's with the crazy talk, Freckles?

Owner, let me borrow this robe and some charcoal.

Hey! What are you doing?

Stop! Are you trying to char my precious goods?

It's not charred…

That's charcoal, right?

But how?

Miss, what on earth…

You said it yourself, didn't you?

This robe was woven by a heavenly maiden!

Heavenly maiden?

Now, as you can see,

charcoal can't burn this or even leave a scorch mark.

This bizarre miracle robe is…

What?

That's right!

It's the legendary "fire rat cloak" woven by a heavenly maiden!

Let me take a look!

How much?

Ten! I'll give you ten!

No, 20.

I'll pay 50!

Freckles, I'm so hot…

Take them off, then.

You're the one who opted to wear them instead of carrying them.

I would've preferred softer colors,

but I got them for free, so I can't complain.

So, why didn't that robe burn?

Do you know what clothes are made from?

Cotton, hemp fibers, and stuff?

Bugs too.

Yeah, but that robe was made of stone.

Stone?

Stones like these?

Stones come in various shapes too.

Clothing made from fibrous stone won't burn easily.

Nonflammable cloth woven from asbestos is called "huohuanbu,"

also known as "fire rat cloak."

They might have heard of its existence, but most people have never seen it.

Okay… Then what about the story of the heavenly maiden?

I guess that's a half-truth and a half-lie.

What the heck?

I recognized the embroidery on the robe's cuff.

They're foreign characters that my old man often drew.

When written stylistically, the design looks like a vine.

The so-called heavenly maiden probably came from a foreign land.

I dunno whether she was really lost or if somebody kidnapped her,

but she wove that robe with a deep desire to go home.

By embroidering a design with characters illegible to the villager,

she secretly appealed to her compatriots for help.

Right, so that's why her family came to get her.

Then, on her wedding day,

while "cleansing" in the spring, she soaked her undergarment

and donned the asbestos robe on top of it.

Did you know?

A wooden bowl filled with water won't burn until the water fully evaporates.

It's the same idea.

Furthermore, if you layer flammable garments over the white robe,

even big flames won't reach the body right away.

All she had to do was jump in the spring before she got burned.

Why didn't you tell the dude at the shop?

He values a sense of wonder, right?

I don't get it…

A foreign girl.

Would it even be possible for a completely ordinary girl

to send messages through embroidery and set herself on fire?

She could read and write. She had knowledge of asbestos too.

Why would a girl like that be wandering around in a foreign land?

Western countries often fight each other.

Come to think of it,

the two envoys visiting the country of Li behaved suspiciously as well.

One of them seemed to have a connection with the Shi clan.

The so-called heavenly maiden could have been a spy or something.

Or maybe not.

Hey, Freckles?

Hello, and welcome!

What?

Xiaomao, have you mistaken the man next to me for someone else?

This is Sir Jinshi, you know.

Come on in.

It's thinned out since those stitches came out,

but I guess it left a scar after all.

Didn't you have something to tell me?

Right.

Please look at this.

What is it?

Some opportunistic looter

stole this from the Shi clan's stronghold and sold it off.

How did you find it?

I found it by coincidence at a bookstore.

Ukyou did me a favor and collected all the ones sold in other towns.

Ukyou, can I leave this man in your care?

Sure, I could use some extra help right now.

But Chou-u knows him, right?

Yeah, that's a problem.

Then I'll change my name.

I won't miss my old name.

Let's see.

How about "Sazen"?

What's so special about this book that "Sazen" guy sold?

The other books of this series are in the stronghold, I think.

I want you to gather them for me.

Why do you want them?

Well…

because of this.

What are those?

Simmered locusts.

They're mostly grasshoppers, though.

No… I'm not eating those!

I didn't ask you to.

There was an outbreak of grasshoppers last year.

Haven't the farmers told you about a locust plague?

I've received that report.

There was extensive damage to northern farmlands.

But not bad enough to cause any death from starvation.

To make up for the poor harvests,

we decided to draw on reserves from Binan-shu in the south.

In Binan-shu?

Yes.

We sought help from the Bi clan, to which they graciously agreed.

I see.

However, locust damage could continue for several years.

If it happens again this year, things are looking bleak.

You're certainly right.

When locust plagues happen,

people blame the Emperor for not ruling the country properly.

People are ridiculously superstitious.

If this happens a year after destroying the Shi clan,

what would the people think?

It might completely reverse the contents of those books going around.

Sir Jinshi probably realizes that too.

Locust plagues are an act of nature.

What are we supposed to do?

Build fires to lure the bugs in?

Or squish them all one by one?

That's why I'm looking for these.

These illustrations were left by that stronghold's previous apothecary.

Apparently, the apothecary was researching ways to prevent locust plagues.

Seriously?

INSECTS: PART I

Locusts aren't listed in this one.

There should be another volume about insects.

I think it's still in the stronghold.

Although I don't know how far the research advanced,

it's worth looking into.

Gaoshun.

Yes, sir. I'll arrange for it to be obtained in the next few days.

For now, I've told him everything he needs to know.

Are you tired, sir?

Well, I suppose so.

But I'm fine.

At this rate, he's going to keel over.

What?

He should just sleep.

If he's that exhausted,

he should just get some rest and let his errand boys do the work.

Would you like to rest, Sir Jinshi?

What kind of question is that?

I'll prepare a bed straightaway.

Please go to sleep.

Right here?

Afraid to sleep alone?

That was a joke. Please wait a moment--

Yeah, I can't sleep alone.

I see. Looks like he gets lonely.

Understood, sir. Please wait a moment.

That takes time to prepare.

I know.

It's a 30-minute wait.

That's enough time to prepare it?

Right this way.

Please get some rest here, sir.

Work is important, but rest is also essential.

If you fancy a warm bath,

we've prepared a medicated bath next door.

Please use this sleepwear.

Okay.

The heavenly maiden smile is gone,

but his otherworldly beauty holds up well.

I'll have a sleeping partner, correct?

Yes.

I'll go bathe now.

Enjoy.

Why are there scantily clad girls in there?

They're pro masseuses. Not your thing?

It's just a massage, right?

They usually do more than that.

I'll pass on the bath.

Should I help you dress?

I'll do it myself.

He's still got that buff physique.

Despite being busy, I guess he still makes time to train.

Here you go.

What's this? Sleep medication?

A performance enhancer.

What do I need a performance enhancer for?

Because I heard it's the best thing for fatigued men.

Do you understand what that sounds like?

What did you think I meant?

Even though he's a man, maybe I should've worded that discreetly.

Now, Sir Jinshi…

If I may ask…

Go… on.

What kind of girls are you into?

What's this about?

Ms. Suiren told me you prefer girls around your age.

Don't worry. They're all virgins.

Are none of them your type?

I'd rather just sleep right now.

Let me sleep.

Okay, which girl--

I mean "sleep" literally!

Would you like one instead?

I'm a henpecked husband.

And my daughter is a clean freak.

I see.

I probably shouldn't have offered courtesans to a married man.

She tells me, "Papa, you're dirty. Take your bath last."

Do you know what that feels like?

I understand…

how the daughter feels.

Now then, please excuse me.

At least sing me a lullaby.

I'm a bad singer.

I don't mind.

Kitty cat, kitty cat

Kitty cat, kitty cat

She cries and cries Wondering where that child is

The little birds that know nothing

Flew higher and higher

Up in the sky

Kitty cat, kitty cat

Kitty cat, kitty cat

Sweet dreams for now

See you tomorrow

His face regained its color,

and he inhaled three bowls of rice porridge, so I'm sure he's fine.

Maomao.

Big Sis Pairin.

Why don't you just accept it already?

No clue what you mean.

Here you go.

PREVIEW OF THE NEXT EPISODE

The next episode is "Let Them Eat Cake."

Subtitle translation by: Logan Lampkins