Volume 3, Chapter 27: Bell Cricket (1/2)

Maomao sighed as she prepared supper. A newcomer maid who was nearby watched her. Maomao still wasnt that close to the newly entered maids. Since Maomao went out often and didnt talk to them herself, it cant be helped though.

Even the other maid, perhaps she was alone and felt out of place to mingle with a stranger, didnt try to talk that much.

(Its fine though.)

Leaving that aside, Maomaos head was full of other matters. Why did that worldly-wise attendant, again, talk to Maomao about such a bothersome thing?

(I dont plan on telling others though.)

Even so, wasnt it better to not reveal the information for a while longer? Could there be some reason for it?

While thinking of such things, the supper was delivered from the kitchen. Maomao arranged the utensils that had been prepared for it.

Amid that, Maomao noticed a certain thing.

She picked up something that looked like a root with a pair of chopsticks.

At a glance, Maomao doubted the thing that looked like burdock root and placed it on a small dish.

What are you doing?

The new maid doubtfully looked at Maomao who was breaking apart something on the small dish. Maomao put the broken up pieces of the root into her mouth and then spat it out.

Can you call Honnyan-sama?

That wasnt burdock root. That was ground cherry root.

I also feel that its after all this time.

Maomao said as she looked at the contents of the dish.

It certainly is after all this time.

Honnyan said, her lashes lowered.

Ground cherry is also used as an abortion drug. In the early stages of pregnancy, it can cause miscarriages, but now, even if Consort Gyokuyou ate it, she didnt think there would be that much of an effect. Consort Gyokuyous pregnancy was spread in the inner palace was a tacit understanding of not being spread publicly. Consort Rifas pregnancy was also spread to this extent.

If it goes well like this, Consort Gyokuyou should give birth in around a month. Even Consort Rifa should have a couple of months after this.

Even if they targeted either of them, she cant help feeling it strange that they added in poison after all this time. If they targeted them earlier aside.

However, to have actually mixed it in.

Maomao scratched her head like she was going to scratch it off, but Honnyan was right before her so she bore with it. Consort Gyokuyou wasnt around. She must be considering the pregnant consort, but it was that consorts matter. She must have got some inkling of it.

Honnyan stared at Maomao who was worrying endlessly.

You have something youre concerned about?

.

No. It would be a lie if she said that.

If I remember correctly, even the suppers are made in the kitchen together with the other consorts.

She enquired to make sure. Honnyan affirmed it.

As a way to soak in the flavour, arent other consorts meals are mixed as well?

You got that situation from eating it huh.

Honnyan said, appearing shocked.

Isnt it that you dont understand if you dont eat it, Maomao thought. At any rate, it was good that there was more incentive if she ate it.

(I wonder what it could be.)

Maomao pondered. There was something she was strangely stuck on.

What was it, the first thing she was stuck on? She felt something connected somewhere.

(Just what happened with that?)

Speaking of abortion drugs, there was that incident.

The caravans came and sold a multitude of abortion drug ingredients there. That was what Consort Rifas head maid purchased and tried to make abortion medicine. She made it for Consort Rifa. The reason she, who was distant from the knowledge of medicine, tried to make it was because she found a scrap of paper that had the ingredients written on it by chance. Also, she didnt know the original owner of the scrap of paper.

Was the former head maid covering up for another person?

(No.)

How could that be? Would that haughty person ever go that far? Otherwise, was she harassed by the government officials who did her hearing?

(Theres even the possibility of relatives.)

In that case, it wouldnt be consistent if the other person was Consort Rifa. Honestly, that head maid would think it was difficult to acquire the emperors favour. If so, wouldnt Consort Rifa who had the same relation take precedence?

(What if she really had picked it up?)

It would become that there is such an insolent fellow in the inner palace.

Otherwise, the story of the scrap of paper might be a lie from the start. However, Maomao didnt think it was like that.

(They specifically wrote all the ingredients that were hard to gather.)

There were methods to make abortion medicines that were closer. Whether white-powder flower or ground cherry.

(!?)

Where was the place she saw white-powder flowers recently? And who was the other person who was there?

Did she have some objective?

Maomao, what is it?

From Honnyan calling out to her, she grasped her unsettled thought.

No, its nothing.

She still hasnt reached a conclusion. It wasnt good to speak about conjectures.