01x01 - Maomao

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Diaries

Diaries

This story is a work of fiction. The names of all of the characters, organizations, and so on are imaginary. It also bears no connection to any specific real-life events.

Maomao.

Hmm?

Could you deliver some medicine to the Verdigris House?

Yeah, got it, Dad.

Be careful out there. Kidnappings are on the rise.

I'll be fine. I'll stop by the herb plot on my way back.

Yes, please do.

I'm off!

Verdigris House

Huh, is this all you've got?

It's my life savings! I beg you!

This is a non-starter.

That must be Pairin, one of the famous Three Princesses of the Verdigris House!

If you want to gawk, pay up!

Hmm, it's taking too long to heal.

I'll tweak the recipe some.

Oh, Maomao!

Hey, Pairin.

Hey, you have more wounds again!

It's just my usual drug experiments.

Are you eating well?

You seem to be very well nourished, as always.

Maomao!

You'd better not be setting off explosions again for your so-called experiments!

Or, would you like to start a career as a courtesan?

Yikes!

Granny, I left your meds here!

Say hi to your old man for me. Sheesh.

Did I just hear Maomao's voice?

Hey, where's Maomao?

She took off.

That shrewd old bag, always trying to make me a courtesan...

Could it be? Kidnappers?!

Dad's gonna be really worried...

The prince is born!

Congratulations, Lady Lihua!

The prince was born safely.

I see. Wonderful.

Three months later

Episode : Maomao

I want meat skewers from a stall...

I wonder if Dad's eating properly.

I'm not sure if I was sold off or ransomed, but annoyingly, it's already been three months.

The palace and the brothels are really similar.

If I had a choice, I'd have nothing to do with the rear palace, ever. But...

Well, what can I do, now that I'm here?

I was living a pretty good life as an apothecary, and now...

The rear palace is a garden of women who are to give birth to the emperor's children.

No men are allowed to enter.

The only people allowed in here are the emperor, his kin,

and eunuchs, "formerly male" individuals who lost an important part of their body.

It's a huge collective of two thousand concubines and servants,

and one thousand eunuchs.

Unlike the high, mid, and low-ranking concubines,

we serving girls are expendable and can lose our lives at any moment.

Next in line are the shut-in, low-ranking concubines.

I guess, at the very least, I get paid.

Hey, Maomao...

Do you know which room this plate is for?

Oh. This one is Wisteria-, so over there.

Thank you!

Many of the servants are illiterate.

In order to work in the rear palace,

they're taught the bare minimum essentials of etiquette.

But reading and writing is a whole different story.

The raise I would get for being literate would just get swiped by my kidnappers.

That said, even servants like us could become low-ranking concubines.

What's key is...

Looks.

Freckles.

Flat.

Given my skin-and-bones look, that's not applicable to me.

If I stood out, my life would be at risk. I'm better off just laying low.

All I have to do is work hard. I'll be out in two years.

I need a drink.

Hey, did you hear?

Huh?

I heard there's a super beautiful eunuch in the central area.

Everyone's been talking about him!

I see.

I'd like to get a glimpse of him, if he's so handsome!

Am I right?

A eunuch, huh?

She has lost much weight.

Yes.

Xiaoling...

I'm sorry, the physician is busy attending to the prince.

I see...

They're only three months and six months old, right?

Yeah, both the prince and Princess Lingli...

Is it really a curse?!

What are you talking about?

You didn't hear, Maomao?

The entire rear palace is buzzing about this rumor.

The deaths of all the heirs born in the rear palace!

All three of the emperor's children born so far grew weak and passed away!

Doesn't that seem weird?!

All three?

And it looks like the same thing's happening now.

You mean they're unwell?

Yes! And this time, the doctor went to visit both Lady Gyokuyou and Lady Lihua!

Huh...

The emperor doesn't have an empress consort, so that makes Lady Lihua,

who gave birth to the prince, the empress consort, right?!

Naturally, I guess.

Since there is no empress consort,

Concubine Lihua gave birth to the prince,

so she should be considered the top of the rear palace.

But then, rumor says the emperor favors Lady Gyokuyou.

They say that could be related to the curse, too.

A power struggle...

Lady Lihua might be worse off, since the doctor is always with her.

Lady Lihua herself is sick, too?

Yeah, mother and child both. Head and stomach aches.

Nausea too, I think.

Headache, stomachache, nausea...

It to be a curse!

Curses are stupid.

Huh?

Headache, stomachache, nausea...

Poison is a possibility.

No, if it's over the position of imperial heir,

it doesn't make sense to go after the princess.

Deliberate poisoning is low on the list of possibilities.

Could an illness be more likely?

Perhaps something hereditary?

Why am I taking a rumor so seriously?

It's all just conjecture.

But still...

I guess I can take a quick peek.

Given this is where all the high-ranked concubines' pavilions are,

every building is exquisite, right down to the individual pillars.

It's your fault!

Lady Gyokuyou!

You're trying to curse my son, because your child is a daughter!

You know that's absurd!

My Xiaoling is sick, too!

Lady Lihua is furious.

I feel sorry for Lady Gyokuyou.

Master Jinshi...

That's why I'd like you to examine my daughter's state, as well.

Yes... Well... Um...

Is that flustered eunuch in the middle the physician?

What a stupid quack.

He seriously still hasn't noticed? After spending all that time near the concubines?

Or rather...

Maybe he really doesn't know?

Death of the infants. Headache, stomachache, nausea.

And most of all, how Lady Lihua seems so worn out.

As I thought, this is no curse.

The only issue is, how do I tell them?

If only I could find something to write with...

Barely a month passed before word got around

that the prince had passed away.

It seems like you have a question for me.

Is that...

The day I visited the Crystal Pavilion to ask to have my daughter examined,

I found this on the windowsill, tied to this branch.

A rhododendron.

"The white face powder is poison. Don't let the baby touch it."

It truly is a sin to be ignorant.

The palace physician would not take such a roundabout approach.

Agreed. He never could seem to figure out how to treat the prince.

Who could have sent this message?

I'd like you to find out.

Coming to think of it, back then...

If only I could find something to write with...

Understood.

May I keep this for the time being?

I heard the emperor is visiting Lady Gyokuyou a lot,

to show his love for the surviving princess.

What about Lady Lihua?

Haven't heard anything about her.

How convenient.

Oh, there you are.

You are to report to the Matron of the Serving Women immediately.

You're being summoned?

For what, I wonder?

All right, all of you who've gathered here, head inside.

Serving girls getting summoned by the high officials can't be good news...

Or do they just want more workers?

Thank you all for coming.

Who is this arrogant-looking woman?

I am Jinshi, manager of the rear palace.

That's a man?

Ah, that must be the good-looking eunuch that Xiaolan was talking about.

That's a waste. He's so handsome, but he can't have children.

You with the freckles, stay here

Huh? Freckles? Stay...?

Oh, no!

We're done here. You may all return to your rooms.

Huh?

What was that about?

Did I do something to get attention?!

Wait, did the message from the other day...

Ah!

I'm the only servant here who can read!

He wrote that just now to single me out!

Oh no, I have to get out!

Come now, I just told you to stay.

Just keep quiet and follow me.

It was a trap...

This is odd. I looked you up. It said you couldn't read.

I am of lowly birth. It must be a mistake.

I'll never admit it. Pretending to be ignorant makes everything easier in this world.

Besides, how did this man find out about the messages?

I made absolutely sure nobody was around...

He's so mistrustful!

Rather, he must have nothing better to do!

Please.

Excuse me.

What will I be punished for?

I hope I make it out of this alive.

I brought her.

Come in.

Thank you for your trouble.

I'm so glad.

So, it was you.

Thank you for saving Lingli's life.

P-Please, I'm not worthy of such kindness!

No, I can't ever thank you enough.

You are my baby's savior.

Perhaps you have the wrong person?

There must be a misunderstanding.

I don't want to get beheaded for lying,

but I don't want to get involved, either!

Concubine Gyokuyou showed me something.

The white face powder is poison. Don't let the baby touch it.

Did you know this fabric is used in the clothing for the serving girls?

It does look similar, I suppose...

Yes, for those who work on clothing, I hear.

Like a laundry worker, such as yourself.

Did you rip apart a skirt, perhaps?

So, he figured out that much already...

Now, you will explain why you put that flower on the windowsill.

Because I figured out what was wrong that day.

That the cause was the makeup powder.

There were many courtesans

who used high-end powder in the brothels that I grew up in.

Most of them were poisoned by it and lost their lives.

They tried to trade life for beauty and lost both.

I used to be an apothecary, so I know a few things about poisons.

That face powder...

It was used by the baby's nurse.

She said it has a better whitening effect compared to other powders.

She seemed to have gotten ill too, so I gave her a break. I paid her properly, too.

I see.

It truly is a sin to be ignorant.

I should have paid more attention to the things that go into my baby's mouth.

I am guilty, as well.

Had I noticed sooner, I might have been able to save more lives.

The Prince, too...

When I saw the message, I told Concubine Lihua about it, as well.

But it seemed like everything I said only made her believe me less.

So...

What can I do for you?

Well, starting today, you'll be my lady-in-waiting!

Huh?

There are some things Maomao cannot hold back.

Curiosity, a thirst for knowledge...

And just a smidgen of a sense of justice.

No, no, no, no...

No, if I keep a low profile, it shouldn't matter where I—

Hey, Maomao!

Welcome back, Maomao! How was it?

And thus, Maomao became a lady-in-waiting of Concubine Gyokuyou,

recipient of the emperor's love.

Put simply, it was a big promotion.

Hey!

It's poison!

Next Time

Next time: "Chilly Apothecary."

Episode : Chilly Apothecary