The letter Maomao had written was entrusted to the male attendants and delivered promptly. If it had to reach Jinshi directly, protocols had to be followed, so she generally relied on Gaoshun or Bashen. However, Bashen had quite a few gaps in his reliability, so almost all of it went to Gaoshun.
Sure enough, a reply came by the next morning. And shortly after, a carriage arrived to pick Maomao up. It was to take her to where Suirei was — she had heard it was with Ada, the former Fourth Consort.
Maomao handed over all the illustrated reference books to the attendant who had come, then closed the door of her apothecary.
"Hey, nice — you going out?"
The one tugging eagerly at Maomao's sleeve was Chou U.
Maomao scowled.
"Take me with you!"
"No."
Ada's residence housed not only Suirei but also children of the Shi clan. They had gone to the trouble of raising them apart — taking him along would defeat the purpose entirely.
"Come on, you stingy thing!"
"I'm going on business. You stay here and sweep the front of the shop or something."
She tapped him lightly on the head and handed him off to Ukyou, who was nearby. Ukyou, who was fond of children, hoisted Chou U onto his shoulders and carried him away from the carriage.
If the paralysis on one side of his body hadn't remained, they might have raised him to become a male attendant. But guarding a pleasure house required a certain level of physical prowess.
(Should I make him an apothecary?)
But for now, he showed no interest whatsoever. If Maomao had been his age, she would have memorized a hundred herbal preparations by now.
(It's such an interesting trade.)
Maomao boarded the carriage with a slightly sour expression.
Ada's mansion, being also a retreat for the Emperor, was exceedingly splendid. Perhaps for that reason, Maomao was made to change clothes before stepping out of the carriage. Ada herself likely wouldn't care about such things, but this was what courtesy demanded.
Maomao gathered up her long skirt and walked carefully to keep it clean. She passed through an impressive gate and crossed a garden paved with gravel. The garden, where garden stones, gravel, and moss came together like a painted scroll, had a beauty that spoke of its gardener's pride.
After walking for a while, she arrived at a room where two people awaited — Ada, the mistress of the house, and one other. Both were dressed in men's clothing. The other was Suirei.
"Welcome."
Her clear, commanding tone was unchanged — if anything, she seemed more vivacious than before. Between her attire and her bearing, her current life clearly suited her.
Suirei, perhaps following Ada's lead or perhaps for another reason, was also dressed in men's clothes. As always, her expression was blank, and she stood one step behind Ada.
"I don't think any preamble is necessary. I'll be sitting in, but don't let it bother you — just proceed."
With that, Ada settled comfortably onto a long sofa.
She gestured for Maomao to sit, so the guest took her seat next, and Suirei sat down last.
(Don't let it bother me, she says.)
But of course it would bother her. Feeling ill at ease, Maomao took the illustrated compendium the servant had brought in.
On the desk, she laid it out.
If there was anything that shouldn't be known, Jinshi would have thought of that — all she could do was press forward with the conversation.
"Does this look familiar to you?"
"It was something my master used."
Perhaps it was because they were in front of Ada, but Suirei's manner of speaking was more deferential than usual.
"Is this all of them?"
At the question, Suirei tilted her head and looked through the compendium.
"...One volume is missing. I believe there were fifteen in total."
"Do you know where the remaining volume is?"
"I do not."
Speaking in a quiet voice, Suirei didn't appear to be lying. More importantly, she had no reason to lie.
She had already severed ties with the tribe of her child. Unable to ever show her face in public again, all that remained for her was a life of being kept alive on a leash.
Maomao didn't know what would happen next or what the Emperor was thinking, but she felt it was a terrible waste.
If she claimed not to know the book, then there was only one question left to hit her with.
"Then — where is your master right now?"
Ada didn't miss the way Suirei flinched. Sipping her tea, she watched the scene unfold.
"So they really are alive, then."
Maomao said, as if seeking confirmation.
"The resurrection drug — your master tried it on themselves, didn't they?"
Suirei's gaze dropped. She slowly closed her eyes, then nodded as if resigning herself.
"...That is correct. Otherwise, I could never have escaped from that fortress."
As part of an experiment, Suirei's master had drunk the resurrection drug. And from the way she spoke, it was clear the master was still alive. However— "But you wouldn't be able to get the information you want, would you?"
"What do you mean?"
At Maomao's question, Suirei half-opened her eyes and answered.
"Chouu — that is her current name. When you look at that girl, doesn't it give you an idea?"
Chouu had drunk the drug, died, and been resurrected. But as a result, she had lost control of half her body. Her past memories were gone as well.
"She lost her old memories, you mean?"
"That's not quite it, but something like that. Rather, you may have crossed paths without even realizing it."
"What do you mean?"
Suirei sorrowfully lowered her lashes.
"Do you remember the hot spring village we used for the children's recuperation?"
"Yes."
"One of the bedridden elderly people there is my master."
Maomao did remember there being what appeared to be such a place in a section of the hot spring village. Many who had already fallen into dementia wandered about.
"She has likely forgotten who she herself even is by now. If my master were still in her right mind, that girl would never have dreamed of dragging you into that affair."
When she said "that girl," Suirei's face darkened once more.
What kind of relationship Suirei and Shisui — the two of them half-sisters — had built together, Maomao could not say. But the clever Suirei must have realized that Maomao herself was partly to blame for the reasons Shisui had acted.
"...Is that so?"
Maomao felt all the strength drain from her entire body.
She had thought this was information hard-won. No — there was still hope.
"Then I would like to know about the locusts your master was researching."
Maomao placed a book of insect illustrations in front of Suirei.
But Suirei shook her head once more.
"I had no involvement in that matter. When it came to insects, that was the child's domain."
And the "child" was no longer here.
Maomao's shoulders slumped once more.
"When we were ordered to create the elixir of immortality, nearly all of Master's research materials were disposed of. The only things brought to her were what happened to be in that room."
In order to focus on creating the elixir of immortality, Suirei's master had tried to erase all previous research. But Suirei, who still wanted to continue, had been secretly using Sazan to investigate various things.
"I see."
Suddenly, Ada, who had been listening quietly this whole time, moved. She set her teacup down on the table and looked at Suirei.
"It sounds like 'the child' was quite the clever one."
"No matter how clever the child may have been, she is no longer here."
What is gone is gone. There is nothing anyone can do.
"Then, are you saying this clever child left without leaving anything behind?"
"!?"
There was a thud. Maomao braced her hands against the table as Suirei shot to her feet.
"...No, I apologize."
"Please, don't worry about it. Try to relax."
To Suirei's apology, Ada replied.
"I don't care for formalities. I'd like you to feel at ease. Look at me—I'm not even bothering with such things, just sitting here lost in thought."
Maomao agreed that an apology was in order. But something about Ada's earlier words had caught her attention.
What was it?
What exactly had...?
She traced back through her memories. Had something happened at the fortress? Or was it before that...?
Before that—the inner palace, the medical office, no, that wasn't it.
It was definitely there...
Maomao slammed the table once more.
"The clinic! The clinic—what's happened to the clinic now?"
Before Maomao had been snatched away from the rear palace, she had been at the clinic. What she had found there. The book placed inside the bookshelf. It was an illustrated compendium—of insects, wasn't it?
(She never missed a thing.)
Thinking of a girl she would never see again, Maomao smiled. The realization that the girl might have been showing it to her precisely to catch her on the edge like that—beyond any frustration, laughter welled up.
Recalling the face of Shisui, who would laugh gleefully while playing her pranks, Maomao struck the table over and over.