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.
I heard that the palace woman who drowned and died killed herself,
she was the maid for the Garnet Pavilion.
She was the one
who poisoned Lady Lishu at the garden party.
Maybe she did it for her master, Concubine Ah-Duo.
The Pure Concubine?
Yes.
It was rumored that she'd be removed
from the four ladies and replaced by a younger concubine.
Concubine Ah-Duo, at age 35, is a year older than the Emperor.
She lost a boy that she had when the Emperor was still
the Eastern Palace.
The rear palace exists to have as many children as possible. It can't be helped…
A mother of a dead baby boy, huh?
If Lady Lihua continues to not have children, will she have the same fate?
Same with Lady Gyokuyou.
You never know for how long she will be the Emperor's favorite.
Even beautiful flowers will wilt one day.
Flowers of the rear palace must bear fruit to have value.
I have to go back soon.
Take this, too.
It's leftovers from the tea party yesterday.
Thank you!
You have so many snacks that you have leftovers?
Tea parties are amazing!
You think?
Tea parties are duties that concubines must fulfill.
Maomao, you get ready, too!
There's another one?
Everyone seems to be especially energized.
Of course we are.
The Virtuous Concubine, Lady Lishu, is coming!
The microcosm of the rear palace can be found in this one room.
Welcome, Concubine Lishu.
Thank you.
Poking at each other's hidden motives.
Is it the fate of all women to be on edge
when facing other women?
Honestly,
it's more tense than when the Emperor comes to visit.
Lady Gyokuyou is gathering information even in a friendly conversation.
She may look gentle, but she's still a concubine.
She apparently sends the information she collects back home.
Her home is a resting point for trade,
so it must be important to understand
the flow of people and the times.
The food taster at the garden party?
I'm glad she hadn't been punished that harshly.
I won't bite, you know.
The other attendants aren't paying attention to their lady at all.
But it doesn't seem that they're bullying her for now.
If my report to Sir Gaoshun was a mistake, then that's great news.
You don't dislike sweets, do you?
I love sweets.
I'm glad.
It's cold, so I thought something like this would be nice.
I brewed citrus peels with honey.
It'll warm you up.
I hope you like it.
Oh? She can't have honey, either?
She's being picky again?
She won't even have what's offered to her?
Twitch, twitch.
Lady Gyokuyou.
Oh, my mistake.
I'm sorry, Ailan.
It looks like we need to soak it a little longer.
I'll offer something else.
Can you have ginger tea?
Yes, I can.
Unfortunately, it looks like
the bullying rumors were true.
Oh.
Leave the cleaning up to us.
You go rest, Maomao.
I can clean up, you know.
How was the tea party with Concubines Gyokuyou and Lishu?
I thought it was weird to suddenly invite Lady Lishu
for a tea party.
It was his plan all along.
They seemed to enjoy themselves.
We're not finished talking.
Will you let me go?
About the poisoning incident at the garden party.
Did you know that it was done by the Garnet Pavilion maid that killed herself?
I have heard rumors.
Do you really think she killed herself?
That's not for me to decide.
Why would a mere maid want to
put poison on Lady Lishu the Virtuous Concubine's plate?
I have no idea.
Then, could you go help at the Garnet Pavilion starting tomorrow?
"Could you?"
He says that, as if I have any other choice.
Yes, sir.
A pavilion's atmosphere
is determined by its master.
Lady Gyokuyou's Jade Pavilion is homey, and Lady Lihua's
Crystal Pavilion was
noble and refined.
And the Garnet Pavilion where Lady Ah-Duo lives is
efficient, elegant, and practical.
Sorry for making you come so suddenly.
I look forward to working with you for the next three days.
I haven't been instructed by Sir Jinshi to do anything.
Might as well work, then.
I haven't seen you around.
Who are those girls, Fengming?
They're here to help with the spring cleaning.
I see. Thank you for your work.
The Pure Concubine, Lady Ah-Duo.
She's neither flashy nor plump,
but she's both feminine, masculine, and dignified. She's beautiful.
So she's 35, huh?
If she wore the robe, one could mistake her for a young civil servant.
She might look better in hufu,
rather than the robe and skirt for concubines.
Looks like they're into her.
She reminds me of someone.
Ms. Fengming, the head lady-in-waiting.
She must come from a good family based on her position,
but she's very friendly.
First, can you hang these books out to dry?
If anything is too heavy, just give it to a eunuch.
As expected of a veteran high-ranking concubine.
Though the mansion is clean,
it's packed with things.
Similar to the Jade Pavilion,
the Garnet Pavilion attendants are hard workers.
I'd like to show this to the ladies who are all talk, no work.
We're finished here.
You already got this much done?
And everything is so neat. You're a big help.
Can you help at the reception room, too?
Yes, ma'am.
She's friendly, observant, and praises others well.
She's skilled in employing others as the head lady-in-waiting.
I haven't done physical labor in a while. I'm tired.
-Good work. Thank you for helping today. -Not at all.
You're spending the night at the Garnet Pavilion, right?
Come with me.
A sweet scent?
Use this. It'll be cold tonight.
Thank you, ma'am.
Rest well.
I haven't been told by Sir Jinshi to do anything,
but…
Would I really find the mastermind behind the poisoning here?
Everyone truly works hard.
Not just the attendants, but…
Ms. Fengming!
We can do the wiping down there.
It's all right, it's nothing.
I just noticed it, that's all.
Ms. Fengming is the leader of the pack.
She's past the age to get married,
but if she had, she would've been a good wife.
Did she not consider getting married?
Maybe she chose to dedicate her whole life to Concubine Ah-Duo.
A strong sense of loyalty
could very well be the motive for the poisoning.
Now that a new concubine may be coming,
Lady Ah-Duo's position is at the
highest risk.
But what if another seat opens up before that?
The Emperor only reacts positively to ripened fruits.
As such, he does not visit Lady Lishu.
This is great news, considering her age of 14,
but she's also not fulfilling her duties as a concubine.
If the poison attempt was done for Concubine Ah-Duo,
Lady Lishu is a reasonable target.
Can someone help here?
Honey?
Ms. Fengming's home runs a bee farm.
That's why you have so much high-quality honey.
So the sweet scent yesterday was honey.
Lady Lishu?
She's only here with the food taster?
Why is she at the Garnet Pavilion?
Oh, right. At the tea party…
That's all that happened at the Garnet Pavilion.
I see.
So?
There's nothing else for me to say.
I don't know what he's looking for,
but I'm just a regular apothecary.
It's not my job to be a spy.
Anyways, isn't he a little too laid back these days?
Let me rephrase my question.
If anyone were to use special methods to contact the outside,
who would it be?
What a mean question.
Someone who could possibly do that is
the head lady-in-waiting, Ms. Fengming.
Why do you say that?
She had bandages wrapped around her left wrist.
The colored wood tablet from before
was wrapped around a woman's robe with burnt sleeves.
Someone made the effort to burn different colored flames.
If the flames meant anything,
it would be code.
Honestly, I can't imagine
a calm head lady-in-waiting like that
scheming anything like that, but…
That's only my personal speculation.
I guess you pass.
He took the chance to eat some honey.
I'm sure he knew this much.
I have to give treats to good girls.
-No thank you! -No need for that.
I don't need it. Do that for someone else.
Just because he's good-looking, he thinks he'd get away with anything!
That's the kind of pervert he was!
Sir Gaoshun!
I'll poison you with laxatives!
-You don't like sweets? -I like salt and spice.
But you can eat it, right?
Shit. I can't get through to him.
If he wasn't a higher-up, I would kick him in the crotch.
No. I can't kick what's not there.
Should I just obey his orders,
or run away and keep my dignity?
Only if this was an aconite syrup…
You don't dislike sweets, do you?
I hope you like it.
Honey?
Ms. Fengming's home
-runs a bee farm. -Lady Lishu?
Syrup…
Honey.
Apothecary?
What are you doing to my lady-in-waiting?
Concubine Gyokuyou, this is…
Whose permission do you have to do that?
Xiaomao,
he just got carried away.
Will you forgive Sir Jinshi?
In that case, you should lick him next time, Sir Gaoshun.
Lick? Well, that's…
Do you get it now?
I have a few things I need to confirm.
Excuse us.
Welcome… Oh?
Sir Jinshi isn't here?
No. Sorry for barging in like this.
So? What does a Jade Pavilion attendant need from me?
I need to ask you something.
You're from the garden party…
What is it?
Do you dislike honey?
How do you know?
It's pretty obvious.
Have you ever had an upset stomach from consuming honey?
It's common to dislike a certain food after
experiencing food poisoning.
That's not what happened.
I don't remember. I was just a baby.
I hear my life was at risk at one point.
My wet nurse told me never to eat it.
You're being quite rude. These are intrusive questions.
You didn't even protect your lady at the tea party. You're one to talk.
What are those eyes?
You don't need to listen to an attendant like that.
Yes. It's rude to you, Lady Lishu, the Pure Concubine.
You should kick her out!
They must make outsiders out to be the villain this way
to make her think they're her only friends.
-Lady Lishu… -A sheltered rich girl like her
would easily get tricked.
An isolated concubine
must rely on her attendants.
She doesn't even realize she's being bullied.
It's a vicious cycle.
I was ordered to come here. If you have
any complaints,
say them directly to Sir Jinshi.
To Sir Jinshi?
Directly?
I should be able to get away with this much.
I'm excited to think how these attendants would approach that pervert eunuch.
Another question for you.
Have you ever met Ms. Fegming,
the head lady-in-waiting at the Garnet Pavilion?
-Xiaomao? -Sir Gaoshun,
is there a way to learn about past events in the rear palace?
I'll look in the court archives.
Thank you, sir.
What did she find out this time?
She's a clever girl.
I can't believe that she's just 17.
She's knowledgeable and calm.
She thinks things through rationally, and can process information well.
She can be a bit strange, but also somewhat impressive.
Seventeen years ago,
when the current Emperor was still the Eastern Palace,
he had a baby boy
with Concubine Ah-Duo.
The boy has since died.
The boy was born around the same time as the Emperor's brother,
the child of the former Emperor and the Empress Dowager.
He only had that one child as the Eastern Palace.
His only concubine was Lady Ah-Duo.
The current Emperor and Lady Ah-Duo are foster siblings,
so I get that he's attached to Lady Ah-Duo, but…
I can't believe that lustful old man only had one concubine.
The baby boy died 16 years ago. It was investigated by…
LUOMEN
I had imagined
that this might be the case.
The medicinal herbs growing in the rear palace
are ones I've been using for a long time.
Someone must have transported them here.
A man who drags his foot like an old woman.
A man so skilled in medicine that it's a waste
he's an apothecary in the pleasure district.
A man with one of his knee bones removed.
A former eunuch.
LUOMEN
What the hell are you doing?
Old man?
PREVIEW OF NEXT EPISODE
Next Episode, "Reducing Two to One."
Subtitle translation by: Yukimi Ohashi d.