Kusuriya no Hitorigoto

Maomao stayed over at Jinshis villa for the night. The funeral will be held at Uryuus estate.

Normally, it would be a more private affair, but as the incident had been so overblown in public, they couldnt hold the funeral service quietly either. Jinshi will also be attending the service.

She looked at Uryuus estate from Jinshis. There were women clad in white going inside. Seeing how they were wearing black veils, they had to be mourners. They arranged quite a number of them, Maomao saw. Around the house, servants adorned with flower wreaths were greeting the attendees who showed up with their heads bowed.

Maomao then looked at the clothes that had been given to her as well. White outfit and white veil. Mourner clothes.

Honestly, there isnt a job that suits you least.

It was Basen who said that, but Maomao agreed with him entirely. Mourners lament and cry for the dead. There was no way it suited her. It turns out Maomao will be a mourner employed by Jinshi. As he employed several, she was going to hide among them.

(I suppose thats the case.)

Uryuu knew Maomaos face. It was just perfect that she could hide it.

There were paper money and models of daily necessities on the table.

Even though youre rich, youre not using the real things? she asked.

Isnt that what the nouveau rich do? Jinshi countered.

That was natural. Furthermore, it was bad taste to do that at another persons funeral.

Even so, the emperors relative mourning the dead like sodidnt feel entirely strange. As the emperor himself is the heavens messenger according to the people, he is a person of respect from the start.

The quality of the paper money was very good. Was it made by the quacks village? She thought it would be a waste to burn it, but she shouldnt be stingy here.

She glanced at Jinshi. He looked somewhat gloomy. Occasionally, he squeezed his fist, nails digging in.

Normally, Maomao would be more involved in it though. Its just right to be indiscrete when youre involved, she thought.

Well then, shall we head off?

From Jinshis words, Maomao slipped herself into the group of people clad in white who were waiting outside. She followed from the back of the group of mourners who trailed behind Jinshi, Basen, and the guards. Even though the distance was a mere eyes distance, he had specially prepared a carriage. It would be faster to walk, but it seems this will set a bad example for others.

Maomao, with the rest of the subordinates who didnt board the carriage, headed towards Uryuus estate on feet. There was a curtain in front of the estate to check the people who were entering the estate. Jinshis carriage would pass through it quickly, but it seems this group clad in white would require various procedures.

The reception checked the number of mourners and passed them a wooden tag. There was a number written on the tag.

Come on, move it.

The mourners abided by those words.

Uryuus estate was a building based around a water garden. When they first went through the stone paved pathways, there was water flowing on both sides. Willows swayed refreshingly here and there. It was dotted with red pillars and yellow roofed gazebo. Lotus leaves floated on the expansive pond, where the water occasionally rippled.

(Fish?)

She peeked at the waters surface. And saw something flapping their mouths. They were black, she couldnt see them properly, but they seem to be koi fish.

It seems these bottom feeders had approached from hearing peoples footsteps. Looks like they are reliably fed by people.

Oi, move it.

From the words of the man who came to lead Maomao, she went silent and returned to the group of white-clad people.

There were also people gathered in front of the estate. A different group of mourners were crying.

There were many faces she had seen before among the condolence callers. Even if Maomao didnt remember them, she thought that she had seen them before when she was serving at the imperial court. Again, I cant let my face be seen, she thought and wore the veil again.

Jinshi had prepared five mourners with Maomao included altogether. However, there were over fifty mourners who had already cried.

They might have been brought over by the other condolences callers, but she couldnt help feeling that it was a little too much. It was the work of women to raise their voices and cry, but she felt they were holding back a little this time. If they didnt do so, it would be loud, so it couldnt be helped. They really are crying for work, she ended up thinking.

And so, Maomao was obliged to cry lousily with them, but she was relieved that there were those who were worse than her. As the mourners had been assembled from within the capital, as expected, there would be a bad mourner mixed in as well. As her voice still had some shyness to it, she might have just started this job not so long ago.

During the drawn-out funeral, as if it was tough to keep crying, occasionally, the front would swap over with those at the back. In other words, by swapping to cry, they must be preserving their energy. With the mourners placing an importance on efficiency, there would be the question of whether the dead would come to mind it, but Maomao thought that therell be nothing to it as they were dead to start off with. It cant be helped at these women were working to eat.

When Maomao was behind the next in turn, someone tugged her sleeves. She wondered what it was. It was the man who had guided Maomao just then.

Ill explain, so come.

Maomao pulled back as she was being told. It was just thick with foliage; it was perfect as a hiding spot. With this many mourners, it would be no problem if there was one less person.

My apologies for before, the man said.

Its okay, she said.

Towards Maomao, it would have to be a haughty manner of speaking. She didnt really mind it; she thought it was normal, but him taking a friendly attitude like so could also probably mean that he knew of Maomaos lineage.

Maomao decided to hear the circumstances for the time being. She had heard the details from Jinshi and Basen first, it was greatly different to have someone who had been at the actual scene.

I was also present at the banquet, the man said andsmoothly pointed to the building that could be seen from the top of the trees. It was a tower with a four-fold roof. It was tall so it could be seen even with obstacles. She had hung down from the top of that place.

If she had hung herself at such a place, she had quite some guts. After trying to harm her younger half-sister, would it be bold that she committed suicide?

Its like she was showing off.

Considering Jinshis gloominess, she also gave a bitter smile. Him acting in such a way, meant that Jinshi and the others cannot condemn Uryuu.

It was fundamental that parents would take up the daughters misconduct, but the victim this time was also an actual daughter as well. Even if she is a consort who entered the inner palace, if she is forced against accidents from the family up until now, it is something she is forced to avoid.

(This would be troubling huh.)

Previously, there was also the incidence where the perpetrator had been Consort Rifas head maid. That ended with the head maid just returning home with Consort Rifas kindness.

Honestly, any of those matters werent things that could be settled in a better way. It just that there could be various issues if the point of compromise was left within that range of pardon. Even in regards to the Shi Clan, exempting the children and those were already left the family, the rest of the clan getting executed was also a compromise that the emperor and Jinshi had decided on.

They should squeeze more if they want to squeeze out the pus, but if you try to hollow out more of the wound, the system of the country could also collapse. Even if it was from the perspective of a layperson, Maomao thought that it was the right decision.

As for Jinshi, even if the daughter were to die, it was important to clarify whether there was a ringleader or not. And Maomao was here to investigate that.

It was a mysterious sight. A woman in white clothing dangling from the topmost storey of that tower. It was like she was floating, the man said.

At that point, Maomao got a question. Like she was floating, you say? As she was wearing white clothing, normally, isnt that something that cant be seen from such a distance?

About that, as it was her birthday celebration, the tower was brightly lit up. The garden had been lit up in various places.

If its like that, she understood.

Maomao took out a sheet of paper from her bosom. It was the map of Uryuus estate that had been given to her beforehand. As it was another persons house, it wasnt drawn in much detail, but she tapped the tower where the suicide had taken place with her finger.

Well then, so what is this about the one who hung here being the daughter? she asked.

She was wearing the same clothes as the celebration. A white dress and red sash, the man answered.

And the possibility of it being someone else?

The man was silent in regards to that. He only averted his gaze and whispered. Can you say that right to my face?

In regards to this, he could only be dumbfounded. Besides, the body who fell to the bottom of the tower was the daughters.

So Uryuu-sama had confirmed that, Maomao said.

Thats the case, the man affirmed.

And speaking of what Jinshi got Maomao to investigate something amid that, he was really talking about the absurd.

So youre saying that her body was found at the bottom of the tower, she said.

Thats right. The body was crushed and burned. There were cut bits of rope around her neck.

It was a given that she would be crushed if she fell from such a height.

When everyone saw the hanging woman, they all ran towards the tower. However, what they found when they reached the top was only some cut rope. And when they went down to look, the body was there, he continued.

Was there anyone who saw the moment the body fell? Maomao asked.

The servants saw. However, no matter how hard they looked, they couldnt find the body.

It was because the exact moment when the body fell from the tower, they saw a strange light. The watchfire had been burning the clothes the body was wearing.

So the servants headed to the place where the body fell, right? Maomao asked.

Thats right. They said they couldnt see as it was from a distance. They timidly told that it was like she had been floating airily, he replied.

(Airily?)

The half-sister had been wearing white. The man said that she was like a ghost.

Which reminds me, I was told that it was distasteful that there were a lot of mourners today.

(Well yeah.)

It is distasteful to have fifty women just to cry.

Its about time theyre moving so Ill be back, the man said and went somewhere.

Maomao returned to the files of mourners with an innocent look.

The coffin was decorated with flowers, flames leapt around it. There was a young man there, feeding fake money into the fire. Aside from that, there were imitations of clothes and paper flowers that were being burned. That way, was a customary practice where you send things to the world of the dead. As this was done by relatives, could that be the older brother? The half-brother, in the case of Consort Riishu?

They moved to the next place. As the women walking closely together in groups with eyes suppressing tears, she ended up stepping on the dress of the mourner in front of her many times. When Maomao gave off a small distance to walk, a different woman stepped with all her might and someone fell flashily. There was a clatter. A numbered tag had fallen. Maomao picked it up and handed it to the fallen woman.

Thank you. I was so close to being stuck here, the fallen woman said.

Her voice was still young, but she must be working as a mourner like this for income.

They shuffled along, and the koi fishes once again gathered with their mouths flapping. Speaking of how energetic they were for food, the moment a leaf fell into the surface of the water, there were splashes.

(Are they fed properly, these guys?)

They had to be fed, but there would have to be quite a lot as the pond was too big.

Suddenly, Maomao looked in the direction of the tower.

There was a pond around the tower too.

Then, she looked at mourners again.

Maomao took out the tag she was given.

(So its something like that.)

Maomao curled her lips lightly and entered the centre of the ranks, and accidentally stepped on the mourners hems flashily.

Even at the next place, the work of a mourner had ended.

The man who was Jinshis messenger turned up, but after he told her only a single word, she soon returned to her post.

As Maomao heard a lousy crying voice beside her, she gave a terrible ham performance of a cry, but midway she skipped out and was poked by another mourner beside her.

The mourners who had finished their work were guided by the servants and left the estate. And in the place of the tent, they would return the tag but.

Hey, is it okay if I take a look? It was Basen who was waiting in front of the tent.

Face severe, he was looking at the mourner who had taken out her tag.

The mourners around them exchanged glances, and mysteriously looked at the mourner Basen had called out to.

The number on the mourners tag was the same as Maomaos.

And then

Maomao approached that mourner and tore off her thick veil.

And there, on her face, was gaudy make-up unbefitting of a mourner.