ORIGINAL STORY BY NATSU HYUUGA
THIS STORY IS A FICION, AND ALL NAMES OF FIGURES ND ORGANIZATIONS ARE FICTITIOUS.
MOREOVER, THE STORY HAS NO RELATION TO REAL-LIFE INCIDENTS AND EVENTS.
She has no understanding of chastity.
She's a picky eater too!
It's not like she'd die.
-So cold! -The warming stones help a little, but…
To have nothing to do in this cold is torture.
The wind is so chilly!
At least have some sort of tent…
This seating is made to foster hostility among the four concubines.
Look. That lady is the Empress Dowager.
She's very youthful.
She's quite young, actually.
Because she gave birth to the Lord at…
She must've worked hard to give birth to him!
The Empress Dowager has two children,
the Lord and his younger brother.
But it's rumored that
the brother is very ill and can't leave the house often.
It seems like he was here until recently, but…
I see.
What? You call this plain?
An attendant is to serve her master.
What's the point of dressing up?
Did you hear that?
It's the master who suffers
when her attendant looks poor.
I'm so pissed!
Those attendants are Lady Lihua's…
Oh no, Yinghua's at it. They started a battle by proxy.
Let's go, Maomao.
She even hired that ugly duckling, that's to be expected.
Ugly duckling? Is she talking about me?
That is so embarrassing!
What did you say?
-Yinghua! -Calm down!
They haven't realized?
We were so close at the Crystal Pavilion!
If you get too carried away, I'll tell Father!
Then I'll make sure you physically can't tell on anyone.
Huh?
It was just a courtesan joke…
Apologize to Maomao!
Why are you suddenly all quiet?
I'll leave you alone for now!
-Huh? -You…
You better be grateful!
What's up with them?
Hey, are you okay, Maomao?
They don't know you're really this cute.
It doesn't bother me.
Do you want to switch warming stones?
Not only did she suffer misfortune,
she even mistrusts men so much that she dirties her face…
She desperately suffered horrible bullying
at the Crystal Pavilion for two months…
She didn't complain once,
and she doesn't want to worry us…
It makes sense that the kind-hearted Sir Jinshi watches out for her!
They're making up stories again.
Doesn't she even know her position?
Look at that red clothing!
Another battle by proxy.
It's the Virtuous versus the Pure.
Those two groups don't get along well, either.
The Virtuous Concubine is very young at 14,
while the Pure Concubine is a veteran at 35.
Of course they don't get along!
And, they were formerly mother and daughter-in-law.
Mother and daughter-in-law?
So… This is a bit complicated,
but the two Ladies were originally the former Emperor's concubine
and the current Lord's concubine.
But then, the former Emperor passed away.
The former Emperor's concubine became a monk,
then came back as the current Emperor's concubine.
The former Emperor passed away five years ago.
Concubine Ah-Duo, who was a Lady at the time, was 30-years-old.
The Virtuous Concubine, Lishu, was nine at the time.
I know it's politics, but to be married at nine…
Can you believe it? A nine-year-old mother-in-law.
A nine-year-old mother-in-law…
A mother-in-law?
So…
The one who was concubine to the former Emperor was…
Lady Lishu?
So that is the young mother-in-law?
I think you've noticed,
but the Virtuous Concubine, Lady Lishu, is still quite young.
It seems like it.
Traditionally, the Virtuous Concubine should be wearing white.
But that dark pink color…
It clearly overlaps with Lady Gyokuyou, The Precious Concubine.
Maybe she doesn't notice things like that.
The warming stones were a big help. Please make them again.
Yes, ma'am.
So cold…
If you're cold, you should have these.
Here.
You're too nice.
Asking whether you can share with the attendants in the Crystal Pavilion.
You even asked for permission from Lady Gyokuyou.
It's nothing.
A hair clip?
That's how they recruit talented people hidden in the flower garden.
I see.
It can have other meanings though.
I see.
I said, it can have other meanings!
Meanings, huh?
This is for you, miss.
I guess he's giving them out to everyone
so that no attendants are embarrassed.
Thanks.
I'm Lihaku.
Nice to meet you!
He's like a big dog.
Woof, woof!
You got that? Show me.
It's a participation prize.
That's not enough, don't you think?
Long time no see.
Long time no see, My Lady.
That's all for now.
Lady Lihua?
Let's go. Goodbye, all.
Lady Gyokuyou…
Might get a little more than upset.
What are you going to do?
Wow.
This is quite impressive.
He must be more higher-up than I imagined.
He fits right in with all the soldiers.
That soldier from before is there too.
He's in the last seat. He's young, so he might have been promoted.
That glittery eunuch isn't here.
But that doesn't matter.
Now, time for poison testing!
No cloudiness to the contact areas.
No strange scents, either.
But a poison tester's job isn't over until she swallows…
Now rinse my mouth with fresh water…
A poison tester's life is expendable.
I'm the only one who tastes poison for fun.
If possible, I'd love some puffer fish!
Sneaking its organs into soup….
The way it tingles my tongue is irresistible!
Concentrate!
Raw fish and vegetables. The Emperor's favorite.
It was served at the rear palace sometimes.
It usually contains blue fish,
but today it's jellyfish.
The Food Service in charge of the Emperor's meals
would never mistake his favorite ingredient.
Lady Gyokuyou doesn't have any foods she can't eat.
They must've messed up the food distribution.
She doesn't like fish?
I guess she can't leave anything uneaten in front of the Emperor.
I wish I hadn't seen that.
Did you see, Lihaku?
That poison tester looks determined.
What's so fun about watching people eat
while fearing for their lives?
Just look!
That poison tester…
It's the girl from before.
How delicious is it?
This is poison.
-Poison in the Precious Concubine's soup? -Is it really poisonous?
The poison tester drank it!
Minister! What are you…?
Formal wear is so uncomfortable…
The Minister drank the soup and collapsed!
Apothecary…
Apothecary!
How do you do, Sir Jinshi?
You're in a great mood.
Oh no, I was excited by the poison. It's like I smiled at him!
Where are you taking me?
To the medical room.
I spit out the poison. There's nothing wrong with my body.
I actually wanted to swallow it right there.
If I had, the poison would be circulating all around me…
Sir Jinshi, um…
What is it?
Please give me the leftover soup!
You're stupid, aren't you?
I'm ambitious, you mean.
After you left,
someone doubted that it was poison, drank it, and collapsed.
What idiot did such a thing?
The Minister. Now, people are panicking even more.
In that case, use this.
It's an antiemetic drug. You can vomit so much that your stomach turns around.
That's a poison on its own.
Hey!
A new hair clip?
So eunuchs get hair clips too?
Now that I think about it, his collar is disheveled.
He's not as glittery as usual.
Is this why I didn't see him at the banquet?
But now, he looks like any young man his age…
Actually, he looks quite young.
He looks better this way.
It works! As expected of medicine from the court doctor!
Are you all right?
Yes. I'm all finished.
Now, tell me what happened.
Who put poison in Concubine Gyokuyou's food?
I have someone I want you to bring about that.
Who is it?
Will you call Lady Lishu for me?
Sir Jinshi. What did you need from me?
I apologize for calling you to such an unrefined place.
Who we really wanted was that attendant there.
The attendant?
Excuse me.
I knew it.
Is it seafood you can't eat?
What is this about?
There are some who can't eat particular foods.
For me, it's soba noodles.
Even though you eat poison happily?
Leave me alone.
I've tried hard to eat them.
But my throat closes up, and I can't breathe.
Even a little bit gives me a rash.
It's hard to adjust the amount, and recovery is slow.
That's what "not being able to eat" means.
Lady Lishu. Is your stomach all right?
I can offer you a laxative.
How did you know?
The meal at the garden party was clearly
prepared by the rear palace.
The fish and vegetable dish had different ingredients than usual.
I think there was an error
and Lady Gyokuyou and Lady Lishu's meals got mixed up.
I see…
Is it mackerel you can't eat?
This has nothing to do with being a picky eater.
This time, hives were the only symptom,
but it could cause difficulty breathing.
If you knew this and served it…
It's the same as poisoning someone.
You. You're the poison tester, right?
Yes.
I've gathered things to look out for
in case of emergencies.
Of course, the best bet is to not eat it at all.
Please look over this.
There's nothing hard about it.
But if you mess up once,
even a physician can't resolve the issue.
This is a life-or-death problem.
Please don't forget that.
That's enough blackmailing.
What is this about?
I'm of low class. Please refrain from touching me.
You're the only one who says such things to me.
They just don't want you to feel hurt, that's all.
Now, I must report to Lady Gyokuyou…
Wait. Why did you have the poison tester be present for that?
What do you mean?
Don't play dumb. You said to call her.
Just so I could inform her of everything.
So you're saying that the servers simply made a mistake?
That's not for a mere attendant to know.
At least tell me this, all right?
The target was the Virtuous Concubine, Concubine Lishu, right?
If there was no poison in any other plate.
I see…
I'm so tired.
Does this have something to do with the wood tablet incident?
There were no burns on that attendant just now.
Who could it be…?
PREVIEW OF NEXT EPISODE
Next episode, "Homecoming."
Subtitle translation by: Yukimi Ohashi ust now.