Volume 6, Chapter 18: Selection Criteria (1/2)

It was still at the height of summer. A notice had arrived for the court physician assistants who had been washing and sterilising bandages over and over for days on end despite their exhaustion.

“For me?”

It was En’en who tilted her head. The notice that came was only for her.

“What could this be about?” Yao studied it in wonder. Including Maomao, she had the best physique out of the three, but her inquisitiveness made her look younger.

“It looks like a notice of personnel change,” Maomao said.

After seeing the contents, the three scrunched up their faces. Then they looked at the court physician who had brought in the notice.

“And so, this is where En’en will be working temporarily,” he said.

To say who contorted their face the most from the court physican’s words, it was En’en herself.

“My apologies, but I would rather not separate from Yao-sama,” she said.

“Do you think you can oppose this person?” the court physician asked.

The phrasing was polite all in all, but it seems he wasn’t giving her a direct answer.

Speaking of what was written on the notice…

“Ummm, so it’s about working for His Highness the imperial brother, for a fixed term,” Yao summarised the letter. In other words, being in charge of assisting Jinshi.

“May I ask a question? Why me? If you review the results and such, wouldn’t Yao-sama be considered the more excellent choice?” En’en asked.

(Nah, that’s because you undermined your performance, no?)

It was Maomao’s kindness that she didn’t retort despite her wanting to do so.

“Besides, when you consider parentage, I think I’m unfitting.”

While Yao was a different matter, En’en was a commoner. It would be natural to select someone with a good pedigree to become the maid of royalty.

However, Maomao felt that she understood the reason En’en was chosen. (T/N: The webnovel had Yao, which sounded really off imo, so I checked the light novel version—En’en made more sense.)

“Rather, he is avoiding people with good parentage,” the court physician said, putting on some airs. “If he was to carelessly select someone from a good family, there won’t be few suspecting that person to be His Highness’s consort candidate.”

Jinshi was one year older than Maomao, twenty-years-old. He looked older, but it wouldn’t be strange for him to even get a concubine soon. Rather, it would be strange if he didn’t have one.

“Also, I was notified that it would be troubling to get someone unskilful due to that face of his.”

It was as she predicted. If it was En’en, though it was somewhat twisted, since she lived for her young lady, she probably wouldn’t get infatuated with Jinshi. Rather, it was written on the court lady’s face that she was against transferring.

“Maomao was also among the candidates, but…” The court physician peeked outside. There was monocle weirdo stuck to the window. Just when she thought she hasn’t seen him recently, he was back at it again. Everyone was already used to it. “I got a notice from a certain gentleman stating she was unsuitable, so she has been exempted.”

As that gentleman stared in, a pair of people who looked like his subordinates were behind him, dragging him back by his hands. She wished for him to never return, but he would probably be back a little while later.

(Which reminds me.)

She had caught sight of the weirdo tactician, but his adjutant, Rikuson, was nowhere to be found. That man was treated as a priceless treasure with his ability to never forget a face he has seen once, but could he have other jobs?

“It’s abrupt, but I want you to go starting from tomorrow,” the court physician said.

“…” En’en was expressionless, but she was releasing an absolutely reluctant aura. She stared at Yao for help. And that Yao accepted it, saying that if you say parentage, then it can’t be helped.  Maomao had thought that the other court lady would be jealous, but she was surprisingly fine for that part. Yao might have known that En’en was the power behind the throne.

“If it’s En’en, it wouldn’t be strange wherever you go. Good luck,” Yao said with a sparkling smile. Instead of what Maomao had normally expected her to do, to retaliate in response to giving En’en away, there were no signs of that air whatsoever—she was giving her blessings. She couldn’t read En’en’s cues at all.

En’en’s face twisted. She couldn’t say anything since her master had completely sold her off even though it would be better for her to speak out here.

“Then, I’ll leave it to you.” Clapped on the shoulders by the court physician, En’en hung her head, crestfallen.

.

.

.

“With one less person, it indeed got busier at work,” Yao said as she cleaned up the medicine in the shelf. She was speaking more frequently to Maomao, but this was due to En’en’s absence.

“I guess so. En’en works a lot after all.” Maomao checked the medicines as she sorted them. There were occasions where unusual medicines would be mixed among those, but the ones brought here today were pretty much only additions to normally used medicines.

“I want to believe that it will be okay, but it’ll be great if there’s no blunder,” Yao said.

“There’s nothing to worry about,” Maomao replied.

“That’s true. It’s En’en. She’ll be fine.”

(No, even if you make some blunder, you won’t get beheaded.)

Rather than En’en’s ability, it was a judgement based on Jinshi’s character. It wasn’t Jinshi’s specialty to punish people willy-nilly. Of course, he’ll punish if it’s unavoidable, but she didn’t think En’en would commit such a terrible mistake.

(Limited to not committing treason.)

Anyhow, Maomao worked as she normally did.

〇●〇

There were more people in the office than usual. With documents in one hand, Jinshi looked at the civil official, military official and court lady who had been referred to him.

Normally, with Jinshi’s position, he wouldn’t have face to face meetings with newly assigned people. However, it was Jinshi’s consideration to purposely confirm it.

“It will get busy from here on, so do your best at work.” Jinshi smiled. It really wasn’t that he wanted to show courtesy, nor was it to make the subordinates feel anxious.

All the people here stood without a change in their expression.