Volume 11 - Chapter 6

The Apothecary Diaries

Report #

The red carpet stretched straight ahead. At the end of it was the throne, where the current emperor sat.

Jinshi was supposed to report to him as soon as he returned, but thanks to the consideration of the emperor, who was also his fraternal twin brother, it was postponed until the following day. Furthermore, the appointment was set for after noon, which was probably to give him a break rather than to accommodate the other person who was to report.

The one sitting on the throne was the emperor. During his time as the Crown Prince, he was known as the Lord of the Sun and the Lord of the Day. Jinshi started to be called the Lord of the Moon in contrast to him. He was the only one in this country who could call Jinshi by his given name.

He didn’t seem to have changed much in a year. However, perhaps due to the lighting, there were a few strands of white hair mixed in with his black hair. The fact that he left it as it was without trying to hide it probably meant that the emperor had told him not to do anything about it.

Standing on either side of the emperor were the senior officials. In the place where Shishou used to stand was Gyokuen.

“Kazuigetsu greets Your Majesty.”

He bowed slowly.

Jinshi could only say his real name in front of the emperor.

Behind Jinshi were Rakan and several other high-ranking officials. Basen was also there, probably glaring at Rakan, ready to pounce if he did anything out of line.

The report had already been submitted to the emperor. He only spoke briefly about what had happened in Jusshu during the past year.

Gyokuen’s expression didn’t change when Jinshi glanced at him, but he must have had some thoughts about his son’s death.

“You have done well.”

It was a low, familiar voice. Normally, he would be summoned at night, and they would talk over drinks and snacks, but what about now?

He finished his report in a very concise manner and was about to leave the room before Rakan could do anything. A lot had happened in the past year, but when it came to reporting, it could be summed up in a few lines. He reported in a casual manner, and if there were no particular questions, he would leave—

“Oh, Zui.”

Just as the report was about to end, the emperor called out to him.

“Would you like to go to the Inner Palace with me for the first time in a long time?”

He made a ridiculous suggestion, and the senior officials around him stirred.

It was an open secret that Jinshi, as an eunuch, was in the Inner Palace, but it was not officially recognized. He felt like he had been pranked.

The correct answer here should be, “Your Majesty is joking,” but as someone who had been in that position for six years, it was difficult for him to say that.

“I’m just joking. You must still be tired. Take it easy until tomorrow.”

The emperor didn’t wait for Jinshi’s reply.

He felt relieved, but at the same time, he knew that the emperor was still a hard person to deal with.

Rakan, who had been standing behind him, left the room without falling asleep, apparently glad that the boring time had passed quickly.

“Take it easy.”

After greeting the emperor, he had to greet the empress dowager, who was his mother, and the Crown Prince and Gyokuyou, who was the Crown Princess.

After that, he should be able to relax. He had finished all the paperwork on the ship, so he should be able to take it easy for a few days until he returned.

“Lord of the Moon, are you going back to your room?”

“After I finish greeting the empress dowager and the others. But first, I’d like to ask you to call someone.”

“What is it?”

“Could you ask Maomao to come?”

Jinshi said with a slight embarrassment. Rakan was already out of sight, and he made sure that no one else could hear him before he spoke.

“That girl…?”

Basen tilted his head.

“What? Is there something wrong?”

Basen was rather dull, so it was understandable that Jinshi would hesitate to call Maomao. However, for the sake of the future, he had to get used to it.

“No, the court physicians started work today, so I thought she might be starting work as well. Should I call her now?”

“…No, never mind. Forget it.”

Yes, that’s right, Jinshi thought. He could rest because the emperor had told him directly to do so, but the others couldn’t. Then he thought of calling her after work, but what if he called her on her first day back at work?

She was his senior, so she couldn’t refuse, but she would probably give him a cold look, thinking, “What are you doing, even though you’re tired?” That wouldn’t be so bad, but he felt reluctant to put his own desires first.

“Hmm. Then, can you call Mamei?”

“If it’s her sister, it should be fine.”

Ma Mei, Basen’s sister, had stayed in the capital. She was an excellent woman, so she should be able to tell him what had happened during the year he was away.

The empress dowager and Gyokuyou hadn’t changed in a year. They seemed to have something to say to Jinshi, but they held back because it had been a long time.

What saddened him was that Rinri, the princess he had favored in the Inner Palace, had completely forgotten about him. Even taking into account her shyness at this age, he was still quite shocked.

When he returned to the palace, Suiren was cleaning. It wasn’t just a regular cleaning, but a thorough one.

“Suiren, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but you must be tired from the trip. Take it easy.”

In the first place, the palace was already well-cleaned. To clean it again was like the stereotypical overbearing mother-in-law.

“I’d like to take it easy, but there are so many of these things.”

Suiren showed him suspicious charms, dolls, and ropes made of hair.

“… "

“You may have forgotten, my lord, but when you take your eyes off her, you never know what she’ll do. She’s a girl in love.”

“No, no, no.”

“There’s also the underwear with hair sewn into it, as usual. Do you want to wear it?”

“Throw it away.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Suiren mercilessly threw them into the trash bin.

The charms and dolls might not only be for love but also to curse Jinshi directly. However, he didn’t intend to pursue it, and those who only attacked with roundabout methods like curses, which were superstitions, would not appear in the open. Jinshi was able to draw a line because he clearly thought that curses were superstitions.

“Is Ma Mei here?”

“Yes. I’m having her help in the back room.”

Ma Mei was also a formidable woman, but she couldn’t beat Suiren.

In the living room, Ma Mei was throwing suspicious dolls into the trash bin, just like Suiren.

“It’s been a while, Lord of the Moon. We’ll burn these later, so please rest assured.”

She was like a younger version of Taomei from Seito.

“I know it’s sudden, but can you tell me what happened during the past year?”

“Yes. Let me start with what’s related to the Lord of the Moon.”

Without stopping her hands, Ma Mei began to speak.

Gyokuo’s daughter, who had come from Seito, would soon become Gyokuyou’s maid.

In addition, there were calls to do something about Jinshi’s wife.

The faction that wanted to make Rifa’s son the Crown Prince was beginning to move.

“What else…?”

Ma Mei hesitated for a moment.

“Is there something else?”

“It’s just a rumor.”

“Tell me.”

Jinshi sat down in a chair and drank the tea that Suiren had prepared without him noticing.

“Currently, the small number of male members of the royal family is a problem. Your Majesty has two sons, and the Lord of the Moon is unmarried. So, there are those who are trying to get close to the few male members of the royal family.”

“Well, that’s reasonable. I think there was the former emperor’s younger half-brother.”

In other words, he was the emperor’s uncle. He had heard that he became a monk out of fear of angering the former empress.

“Yes. He has one son.”

Since they were male-line descendants, they had the right of succession. Jinshi had heard that there were such people several times.

“Are they plotting a rebellion?”

“Their attitude hasn’t changed since before. However, separately from that, there is a rumor that there is a male-line member of the royal family.”

“A male-line member of the royal family?”

Jinshi tilted his head.

“How many generations ago was this royal family member?”

“Three generations ago, perhaps. It is said that there was a person who was a member of the royal family but incurred the wrath of the emperor at the time.”

“Hmm.”

“He was stripped of his royal status before he was executed, but before that, he had a child with a daughter of a commoner.”

“What a fairy tale.”

“Yes. It’s a ridiculous story, but since we’re on the topic…”

It was Ma Mei’s way of joking. He had heard similar stories countless times. There were even prostitutes who called themselves ‘Hua’ and claimed to be descendants of the royal family.

“There’s still a lot more to tell, but what would you like to do?”

“I’m hungry. Can I just listen while I eat?”

“Yes, my lord.”

Ma Mei found another cushion with hair embroidery and threw it into the trash bin.

Jinshi thought it might be faster to change the palace, but he didn’t say anything because he imagined Maomao making a face and telling him not to waste money.