Housekeeper of the Hundred Blossom Palace

Chapter 136: Who is that Woman?

Just like yesterday, Yui Mei lit the dried leaves while contemplating what she should do.

If that woman was a favorite of the emperor, then maybe the crown prince knew a thing or two about her? Libin was a close aide of the crown prince, so he probably had some information about this.

Actually, she couldnt help but think of Eunuch Du since this matter was related to the emperor, but she couldnt muster the courage to charge at him.

Besides, there was no way she could contact Du from her side.

That will be like an inevitable natural calamity waiting to happen, yup!

Alright, lets try sending a letter to Libin-sama.

She murmured to herself while carrying the freshly baked sweet potatoes.

And so, she immediately wrote a letter as soon as she returned. The next day

Libin was already at her working place, surprisingly.

Arent you too fast, Libin!?

Yui Mei was shocked at the speed of the letter delivery and the immediate response.

She was also surprised that he also got the information about the place she was assigned to clean. 

Hey Yui Mei, why is your letter like this, huh?

And then Libin started complaining right from the get go.

May I know what you mean by like this?

Yui Mei looked perplexed, obviously ignorant of what Libin was pointing out, so he just sighed and took the letter out of his bosom pocket.

Ah, thats the letter that I wrote.

The letter that Yui Mei referred to only contained the words Asking for information regarding the rumored lute player courtesan.

Yup, I did a great job of just putting the gist in it, if I say so myself!

 Yui Mei was nodding her head, obviously pleased with herself, so Libin glared at her.

Its not like youre writing a military directive. Theres a better way of writing a letter than this thing.

Libin was not satisfied with it, apparently.

Didnt you send a proper letter with a better writing style when you wrote to other people before? So why did your words become so curt when its me youre writing to?

Well, I just thought itd be better if we talked about the details in person.

This was Yui Meis reply when Libin commented on her letter.

She thought that it was different writing to someone you couldnt easily meet versus writing to a person who was within reach anytime.

Libin scrunched his brows for a while, before giving up, saying No matter.

So, what is it that you wanted to ask? What happened for you to be curious about the rumored lute player courtesan?

Libin finally addressed the real issue, so Yui Mei told him about her encounter with the courtesan at the dumping site.

According to Aunty Yangs story, the emperors favored musician is rarely seen nowadays, so I thought that maybe she was the person Aunty Yang mentioned. At any rate, courtesans were outside Aunty Yangs jurisdiction, so she doesnt seem to know anything more about that woman.

Hmm, I see.

Libin placed his hand on his chin after listening to Yui Meis story; it was a gesture that he frequently did whenever he was thinking.

Isnt that probably Xu Zi? Yeah, now that I think about it, I dont see her anymore, even at the banquets held by the crown prince. I thought she was busy, perhaps summoned to the emperors banquets. Didnt think shed be sick.

Yui Meis hypothesis was correct; Libin did know something about that woman. He even knew that her name was Xu Zi.

Do you have any idea what kind of person Miss Xu is?

Libin raised a brow at Yui Meis question.

Oddly enough, a woman with an unknown lineage suddenly became part of the palace courtesans at a certain time.

Yui Mei was surprised to hear what Libin said.

Suddenly, at a certain time, he said.

Based on Yui Meis knowledge of C-drama, women entered the palace to become court courtesans under two circumstances either as gifts from other clans, or else they were last surviving daughters of a fallen family.

So she was not gifted by someone else, nor was she a surviving daughter of some fallen family?

Yui Mei was trying to confirm it, but Libin frowned when he heard that.

Youre familiar with this, Yui Mei?

Its just hearsay. Court ladies dont lack those kinds of rumors, after all.

Yui Mei glossed it over with a laugh when Libin tried to probe further.

Libin didnt pursue it any further, apparently convinced that it wasnt something strange.

So thats also from rumors, huh. Anyway, that Xu was said to have entered the Hundred Blossom Palace just because of a single word from His Majesty the Emperor.

His Majesty the Emperor, is it.

The person whose name had been coming up in conversations around Yui Mei was also brought up here.

T/N: Hey guys, super sorry for the late post! Been up to my neck in rl work T.T Hoping that itll settle soon, thanks guys for understanding <3