The Apothecary Diaries Book 3

The Empress Dowager

"She's an odd one," one of the ladies said. "Just when you think you've seen her, it's like she's gone again."

"You know, I feel like she's been around..."

"Yeah, me too."

The one thing they seemed sure about was that they weren't sure.

"Ooh, where, where? Tell me, pretty please!" Xiaolan, with no fear of anyone she might be talking to, began to pester them mercilessly. The three ladies looked at each other, obviously hesitant to say. They were probably feeling sensitive about having Maomao there. Her outfit wasn't like theirs. It was still plain and easy to move in, sure, but it wasn't one of the general uniforms the rear palace issued to its staff. No, she wore clothing given to her by her mistress, as befitted an attendant of one of the consorts.

Those outfits created an invisible but uncrossable barrier between those who attended the consorts and those who didn't.

Shoot... Maomao realized she should have kept her distance. Some of the palace women could be hostile toward those who served the consorts, but many of them simply clammed up, afraid that sharing the wrong rumor might get them in trouble. Few people were as carefree as Xiaolan.

So, what to do now? She might have been able to lighten the mood with some snacks, but she'd given everything she had to Xiaolan already. Maomao felt in the folds of her robe, wondering if she might be carrying anything that could work as a bribe in lieu of food.

Ooh! she thought as she ran across one particular item.

"If any of you have any details, I might find my way to giving you this."

It was a lovely piece of cloth, pleasant to the touch and faintly perfumed. It was technically a handkerchief, but it was of such fine material that, with some imagination, it could be practically anything. In point of fact, Jinshi had given it to Maomao when her cheek had been injured. She'd been thinking she might be able to sell it to the quack doctor at the medical office. She didn't want to spend too long thinking about any interest in men he might have, but she might get a few coins out of him for something that had belonged to the gorgeous eunuch.

"Is that..."

"It looks like silk, doesn't it? Most unsuitable material for a handkerchief, I daresay."

One of the women took the cloth and brought it to her nose. Then her eyes went wide. "This smell... It can't be! Can it?"

Maomao turned toward the woman with a slight smile on her lips, though she didn't let it reach her eyes. "I'll leave that to your imagination." She feared that actually saying Jinshi's name would be counterproductive. Let them get a whiff of the idea and fill in the rest themselves.

The woman with the sensitive nose was mumbling to herself: "Wait... But... Can it really...? Could it be his...?" Maomao couldn't be sure who she was thinking of, but she saw she had a taker. When they saw the woman's reaction, the other two ladies with her took turns sniffing the handkerchief.

Maomao folded the cloth up and said respectfully, "Perhaps I could prevail on you to share your insights first?"

The palace women told Maomao that they'd spotted Shisui among the unkempt groves in the northern quarter. It made sense; that was where Maomao had run into her before. It was apparently a favorite spot of hers. Maomao went there and sat down among the trees. It being summer, there were a lot of noisy insects. The cicadas crying all around she could forgive, but she crushed a few mosquitoes that buzzed irritatingly past her ear.

Should've brought a little burner to keep the mosquitoes away, she thought. They used mugwort and pine needles to produce a thick smoke that kept the bugs at bay. One was always burning at the Jade Pavilion because Princess Lingli was still so young.