Volume 7, Chapter 25: Kanzashi Thief Former Part (1/2)

She thought Empress Gyokuyou was an easy-going person.

In the garden of women known as the inner palace, the treatment of the woman who is loved by the emperor is horrifying. Yet, her smile never waned. Maomao believed Empress Gyokuyou, who possessed both the curiosity of a young girl and the determination of a woman would be fine, even without her.

(Was that not the case?)

Empress, mother of the nation or not, she was still human.

Maomao examined the kanzashi entrusted to her.

She was told to stay the night since it was already late. The dorm was already notified.

In terms of distance, the dorms were a quarter of a dual hour away. More importantly, isn’t allowing an outsider stay in the empress’ palace a much more serious matter?

(Was she going to remain uneasy until the culprit is found?)

That said, was it because there was no one else she could entrust it to?

Or could it be—

Maomao sat cross legged on the bed in the room prepared for her, and crossed her arms.

(Blackened silver.)

Silver tarnishes. It darkens when neglected, so it’s constantly polished.

The nobility prefer silver cutlery. Rather, they have no other choice.

Since silver blackens in contact with arsenic.

Arsenic blackens silver quickly. It is colourless, tasteless, odourless, but due to this property, it is easy to discover. Putting it another way, they cannot part with silver cutlery.

Had Empress Gyokuyou come into contact with arsenic before? No, mood aside, her constitution has been generally good, not the air of someone who’s been served poison.

Then, why did it blacken?

(Did the kanzashi become blackened after it was stolen?)

They tried to use poison, but couldn’t. That’s why they stole the kanzashi to threaten Empress Gyokuyou.

(That’s not it…)

It was too indirect.

Assuming they had a motive, Maomao couldn’t make a guess. What could their objective be?

And there was one other thing that bothered her.

“It doesn’t look broken.”

Honnyan said there was a large crystal inside. Where did that crystal go?

(Crystal, huh.)

“Hmm.”

When she crossed her arms, there was a knock at the door.

“Maomao, are you free?”

It was Infa.

“What is it?”

Normally, Maomao would think Infa was here to chat, but that didn’t seem to be the case. However, it was perfect timing. Maomao also had something to ask her.

“I-It’s about the kanzashi, but.” Infa made a somewhat awkward expression.

Suddenly, Maomao understood. “Could the crystal used in this kanzashi be—”

She recalled something she made when she was at the Jade Palace.

“A salt crystal?”

She had steadily grown crystals from small grains. She gave a number of nicely made ones to Empress Gyokuyou. If she didn’t mention what it was made from, they might be mistaken for quartz crystals.

“…as expected of Maomao. You know it well.” Infa nodded in shock.

“I knew it.” Maomao picked up the kanzashi with a cloth and waved it around. “Why did she use salt in the kanzashi? It breaks easily.”

She had warned Empress Gyokuyou when she gave it to her that it will melt in high humidity. No matter how pretty it looks, salt is salt.

“Gyokuyou-sama has been bored lately. That’s why she wanted to have some fun at the garden party.”

Infa said that it was Empress Gyokuyou who orchestrated it.