WRITTEN BY HYUGA NATSU
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.
Let me introduce them to you, Maomao.
These are the new attendants at the Jade Pavilion.
They’re three sisters.
I’m Haku-u.
I’m Koku-u.
I’m Seki-u.
They really do look alike…
How have you been?
Fine. It’s been a while.
Do you know each other?
Yes, we’re from the same hometown and are familiar with each other.
The eldest, Haku-u,
is the same age as Lady Gyokuyou.
So they're surrounding her only with people from her hometown?
For Lady Gyokuyou who has been nearly assassinated before,
this arrangement would be safer.
And you are?
I am Maomao, the food taster, Lady Koku-u.
I'm not Koku-u.
Oh, then you must be Lady Seki-u…
I’m Haku-u.
From now on, we’ll wear hair ribbons that match our names.
-Then you can tell us apart. -Understood.
I really can’t tell them apart…
Well, I guess I’ll figure it out over time.
But more importantly…
Maomao!
Return to your designated room!
No, the storage room is fine for me.
Even Lady Hongniang told me this is my room,
so I’ll continue using it as it is.
I will not allow that!
You took that joke too seriously once again!
But I’ve already moved all my belongings here…
It wouldn’t set a good example for the new attendants!
What are you two doing?!
Oh my.
Has the storage room completely turned into Maomao’s nest?
You can do as you like with the shed.
But when you sleep, please use your designated room.
Understood.
They’re such kind superiors.
With the arrival of new attendants,
the workload per person has significantly decreased.
With Lady Gyokuyou expecting a child,
the Jade Pavilion will need even more hands.
So reinforcing the workforce is certainly a good thing…
But this is also likely an effort to balance things out
with Lady Loulan’s Garnet Pavilion, which has a large number of maids.
Thanks for your hard work.
Well then, I’ll head to the shed.
Maomao!
Lady Yinghua, does Maomao really live in a shed,
instead of a proper room?
Is that true? Even though she’s Lady Gyokuyou’s attendant?
Well…
The reason Lady Yinghua is trying to stop me from shutting myself away in the shed
is because she’s looking out for my well-being.
She wants me to quickly feel at ease with the new attendants.
It’s a reflection of her thoughtfulness.
I’m sorry for acting so selfishly.
It’s fine, but…
Hey, Maomao, do you feel even a little remorse?
Huh? I do, of course.
Really? Do you actually feel bad?
Yes, of course…
I thought so!
Then tonight, you’re coming with me!
Tonight, the only ones free are you and me, Maomao!
How convenient!
I walked right into that…
Uh, about going out tonight, what did Lady Hongniang say?
It’s fine. I already got her permission.
The north side of the rear palace…
There should only be old buildings around here.
Maomao, here.
Put this on like this.
Isn’t this hot?
It’s fine. It’ll feel cooler soon.
Here we are.
Welcome. Two participants, correct?
Yes, we’re looking forward to it.
Likewise.
Turn off the lanterns and use these instead.
She's beautiful, but quite an aged palace woman.
Now, let’s begin.
This place was used during the previous emperor’s reign.
There are far fewer palace women now than back then,
but for something like this, it’s perfect.
Take a seat wherever there’s space.
Everyone’s here.
Gathering 12 people in a closed room on such a hot day…
Everyone, are you ready for the stories?
Tonight, let's enjoy 13 chilling tales.
Thirteen tales?
And so…
Night after night, at the moat by the north gate,
there was a figure of a maid repeatedly throwing herself in.
Feeling pity, a palace woman floated flowers in the water,
when suddenly from somewhere, a voice could be heard…
Startled, she looked into the moat, and…
the maid’s pale face floated to the surface.
As the palace woman panicked and tried to flee,
she was suddenly grabbed by the leg.
The maid, crawling out of the water, said…
"That day, the one who pushed me in…
Was it you?!"
This sounds like a story I've heard somewhere before.
She's scared, but it seems she's enjoying it.
Apparently, this event involves telling ghost stories in order of seating
and blowing out a candle after finishing each tale.
However, most of the stories are just rear palace rumors.
Not exactly chilling to the bone.
After all, there's little entertainment in the rear palace.
That's probably why such gatherings are permitted.
-Good evening. -Shisui.
-Want some? -I'll have a piece.
Now then…
This is a story from my hometown.
There was a forest,
which had long been said to be forbidden to enter.
Anyone who entered would be cursed,
and their soul would be devoured by a demon.
But one day,
a child broke this taboo.
That year, crops had failed,
and the child, starving beyond endurance,
entered the forest in search of food.
The child told his mother,
"I'll tell you something good.
There’s plenty of food in that forest."
However, when the villagers learned that the child had entered the forest,
the mother and child were cast out from the village.
Isolated, with nothing to eat,
they grew frail and weak.
Yet, no one reached out to help them.
One night,
someone saw a flickering light
enter the mother and child's home.
The next day, upon hearing the news,
the village chief went to visit their home.
But the child was already dead,
and the mother was on the verge of death.
With her last breath, she said to the village chief,
"I'll tell you something good…"
And with that, she died.
Her face bore an eerie smile.
In the end, no one knew what she had meant to say.
Even now, the forest is feared as a forbidden land.
And they say that a demon appears
at the homes of those who break the taboo,
devouring their souls.
-Hmm, I see… -See what?
I’ll tell you later.
I'm kinda sleepy…
There are so many people in such a small space.
I’m feeling dizzy from the crowd.
Now it's your turn.
Okay!
This is a story from a far, far eastern land.
A certain monk,
on his way back after conducting a funeral in a distant place,
realized that night had already fallen.
The area was an open plain covered in silver grass,
and it seemed that a pack of stray dogs were lurking nearby.
As the anxious monk looked around,
he spotted an old, worn-down house.
Pardon the late hour. Is anyone home?
What brings you here, dear monk?
Before I could cross the mountain, night fell…
If you wouldn’t mind, even a corner of the barn would do.
Could you let me stay for just one night?
Oh my… You must be exhausted.
The wife fed him
and even prepared a sleeping place for him.
Moved by her heartfelt hospitality,
the monk, who had nothing to offer in return,
decided to at least recite a sutra as a token of gratitude.
Is that the sound of a bell?
No… It sounds like a bell, but…
Is this… a human voice?
So, what will you do?
Nothing. It should be fine as it is.
No, that won’t do!
I don’t want to be alone.
Then, what do you plan to do?!
I can't take this anymore…
Are they arguing? Should I step in?
No. I mustn’t interfere. I just have that feeling…
-That monk… we'll use him instead. -I guess there’s no other way…
Alright, let's do this.
Where is he? Where’s the monk?
Did he escape?
He’s not here. He’s gone!
I have to find him. Otherwise, I…
I…
The monk
continued chanting the sutra, until the sounds of chewing stopped.
When the noise ceased, the monk stepped outside.
The young couple was nowhere to be seen, and in their place…
only insect wings lay scattered on the ground.
The monk quietly pressed his hands together in prayer
and continued walking, chanting the sutra, until dawn.
She's really good at telling stories.
It’s like she's a completely different person.
This side profile…
Feels like I’ve seen it somewhere before…
Maomao. You’re up next.
Oh, right…
What should I talk about…?
My foster father once told me a story.
There was a rumor that ghostly fireballs appeared in the graveyard.
It sounded suspicious,
so a group of brave young men went to investigate.
And what they found was…
A man from the same town,
walking with a torch in his hand.
-That’s it? -Yes.
The man was a grave robber,
trapped by a sinister curse.
He would dig up graves, cut open corpses’ bellies,
and take human livers, said to cure rare diseases--
Enough!
That’s all…
You're next, Lady Yinghua.
Well…
There was once a man…
No, an old woman…?
And then… Um…
So then… Um…
Then, I’ll go next.
Come to think of it,
that palace woman mentioned "13 tales" at the start.
But there are only 12 of us here. What does she mean?
This is a story from the previous emperor’s time.
Back then, the rear palace kept growing,
and new quarters were constantly being added.
For what reason?
The Grand Empress Dowager,
who wielded immense power at that time,
was gathering girls to match the emperor’s tastes.
What…?
The previous emperor
would choose young girls, barely of age, and take their innocence.
The girls, once taken,
were never allowed to leave,
spending their days in confinement.
One of them became pregnant
and pleaded with the emperor.
But she was never allowed to leave the rear palace,
and just before she died, she spoke her last words…
"Next… it will be your turn!"
Maomao!
No wonder my head feels foggy!
Lady Yinghua, Shisui!
Move the weakened palace women near the windows and doors!
What on earth is going on?
Hurry! The lingering flames are releasing
toxic air that's filling the room.
Got it!
I realized it too late…
And I was so close.
That palace woman…
Things got pretty chaotic, huh?
And the hostess disappeared too.
Maomao!
The girl from earlier…
She's an acquaintance of mine.
Hey, Maomao. What was that story about earlier?
Earlier?
You know, the story about the Forbidden Forest.
The "Forbidden Forest" is just a superstition,
but I can’t say for sure that there’s no reason it became taboo.
The forest is rich in food,
but it’s also full of things that aren’t edible.
People from other lands would come,
eat things from the forest and fall ill.
And so, people started saying, "You mustn’t eat anything
from the forest carelessly."
Over time, that became a forbidden rule.
And when famines occurred later on,
people could no longer tell which foods were safe and which were not.
The mother and child in that story were starving during a year of poor harvest.
Since they were breaking the rules, they must have entered the forest at dusk,
gathered food, and returned home after nightfall.
There’s a mushroom called "moonlight mushroom,"
a type of mushroom that resembles oyster mushrooms.
It looks very delicious, but it's poisonous.
And it has a unique trait, it glows in the dark.
If a villager had seen someone walking at night from afar,
they might have mistaken it for a ghostly spirit.
The poison isn’t very strong,
but if a starving, weakened mother and child ate it…?
Perhaps, in her final moments, the mother wanted to say this…
"There are delicious mushrooms in the forest…"
She meant to say that as a way to get back at the villagers
who abandoned her and her child.
So that’s what it was!
Yeah, now it all makes sense!
Well, I’m heading back this way!
Once you understand the truth behind it, it's nothing special.
I'm sure other stories have similar hidden meanings too.
Well, who knows?
What do you mean by that?
I'm back.
Oh, that was quicker than I expected.
There was a bit of commotion.
Well, as expected…
When someone inexperienced is in charge, things happen.
Inexperienced?
The palace woman who handled it until last year passed away,
so I was worried about who would take over this year.
She was a very thoughtful and kind person. I was taken care of by her too.
In the end, she never got to leave the rear palace.
Actually, she was once favored by the previous emperor,
and that gathering was her only source of joy.
The fact that the gathering ceased the year after she passed away,
I always found that rather unsettling.
I'm glad someone decided to continue it.
That story…
The previous emperor chose young girls, barely of age, taking their innocence.
The girls, once taken, were never allowed to leave…
Was that palace woman's story her own tale?
Or was it a cruel jest by someone who knew the truth?
The world is full of things we may never understand.
Tonight,
let's enjoy 13 chilling tales.
At that time, at that place, even counting the elder palace woman,
there were only 12 people present.
For now,
I'm glad we didn’t end up becoming the 13th ghost story.
-Maomao! -Yes?
Can I sleep with you tonight?!
Rather than a spine-chilling night,
it became a restless, uncomfortable one instead…
-Too hot to bear. -What is…this…?
NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW
The next episode is "The Hunt."
Subtitle translation by: Abhishek Chand Ramola …