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The Apothecary Diaries

2
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This story is a work of fiction. The names of all of the characters, organizations, and so on
are imaginary. It also bears no connection to any specific real-life events.

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I'm going to the Jade Pavilion.

4
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Yes.

5
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Passed away?

6
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Concubine Jin... I see.

7
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I have been told it was food poisoning.
The word just came in.

8
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I heard she had been bedridden
for about a year now.

9
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Master Jinshi is here.

10
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Let him in.

11
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EpisodeCorpse Fungus
Thank you in advance.
Got it.

12
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I should let her concentrate.

13
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A court lady is missing?

14
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Yes. Her name is Tao.

15
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She was a good girl, hard worker.

16
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Her tenure was almost up, and she
was scheduled to get married soon.

17
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Marriage?

18
00:02:28,022 --> 00:02:31,025
I heard she was given a hairpin
at the garden party.

19
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And it was from an up-and-coming bureaucrat.

20
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The matron wanted her to stay, though.

21
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Huh...

22
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So, such a capable court lady goes
missing without even saying goodbye.

23
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Do you have any idea where she went?

24
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Not at all, unfortunately.

25
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That said, this type of thing isn't unheard of.

26
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A lot of the women here
have interpersonal concerns.

27
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I sometimes forget,

28
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but this is the rear palace,

29
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a flower garden packed with two thousand women.

30
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Oh? Is that so?

31
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An outdoor tea party today.

32
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I guess if she stayed inside,
people would suspect she's pregnant.

33
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She's paying attention
to the venue and her attire,

34
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but I'm sure some have noticed by now.

35
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The problem is, does that someone
have good intentions, or bad?

36
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Oh, you're back.

37
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Come here, Maomao.

38
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How may I be of service?

39
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To him, actually.

40
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Well, let's move elsewhere.

41
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I don't mind. Why don't you talk here?

42
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No, I mustn't spend too much time
with the emperor's beloved concubine.

43
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Besides, well...

44
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Oh.

45
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Lady Gyokuyou, please.

46
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Boo.

47
00:04:09,040 --> 00:04:12,001
So, what did you need?

48
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You've heard that the emperor is
handing out novels to the concubines, right?

49
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Yes. After the concubines read them,
they're being read by their ladies-in-waiting.

50
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And also to the other court ladies around them.

51
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Copies are being made, and it's prompting
some to learn to read and write.

52
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I see.

53
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This is still early in the planning phase,

54
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but I was thinking of
building something like this.

55
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I think it's called a penmanship
school in the populace.

56
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A school for servant girls.

57
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I knew he was up to something,
but he acts faster than I thought.

58
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I think it's a good idea.

59
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What happened to your signature stare?!

60
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Are you unwell?!

61
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Why are you reacting that way?

62
00:04:58,047 --> 00:05:01,009
Well, it's somewhat unsettling.

63
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Masochist.

64
00:05:08,057 --> 00:05:10,059
So, what do you think?

65
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There are already those who are trying
to learn, so I think it's a good idea.

66
00:05:15,023 --> 00:05:18,026
It would help some find new jobs
after their tenure is up, too.

67
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I see.

68
00:05:19,986 --> 00:05:20,987
But...

69
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Tell me.

70
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The southern courtyard is a convenient spot
for delivering goods and so on,

71
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but it's close to the main gate.

72
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It's a popular spot for high and
mid-ranked concubines to gather.

73
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Some of them are very prideful.

74
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They may not be too pleased by
the idea of educating the servants.

75
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We might have to build it on the north side.

76
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Yes. I've heard the north side
has not been maintained well,

77
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and there are several
abandoned buildings there.

78
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Renovating those should be more than enough.

79
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Also, you should call it vocational training.

80
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You can gather more people by
framing it as a way to earn a living.

81
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Is that how it works?

82
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An occasional snack might be good, too.

83
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Only occasional?

84
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Yes. Nobody gets addicted to
a gamble that pays off every time.

85
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Is that so?

86
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His head's in the right place
but he doesn't think things through,

87
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probably because of
his high-class upbringing.

88
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I guess he asks me because
he's aware of that much.

89
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It's all just my personal opinion.

90
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Is that all?

91
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Oh, and one more thing.

92
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Do you know much about mushrooms?

93
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Well, they're used for both food
and medicine, so yes, somewhat.

94
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This time of year, some court ladies

95
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forage for mushrooms without
permission and get food poisoning.

96
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I guess there are a few gluttons anywhere.

97
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Indeed. There once was someone eating
matsutake with the doctor at the clinic.

98
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I hear the fruits from the orchard
often go missing, too.

99
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Those aren't poisonous mushrooms.

100
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And I was just lightly thinning the orchards.

101
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So, I'd like for you to find and dispose
of any that might get mistakenly eaten.

102
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Also, take note of what types
of poisonous mushrooms you find.

103
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I'm going to ask you to take a break

104
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from all other Jade Pavilion tasks,
other than tasting.

105
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I see.

106
00:07:13,975 --> 00:07:18,980
That sounds like something
to explain in front of Lady Gyokuyou.

107
00:07:20,982 --> 00:07:23,025
What's that look he keeps giving me?

108
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I'm counting on you.

109
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Understood.

110
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There might be something going on...

111
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But it sounds fun, regardless.

112
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So, where should I go...?

113
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The gardens, orchards, pine trees...

114
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There's many places where
mushrooms can grow.

115
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It's prime mushroom season, too.

116
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If court ladies are foraging in secret,

117
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I can probably skip places with lots of
people and the south side in general.

118
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In that case...

119
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North it is.

120
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Hmm? What's that smell?

121
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It stings a little...

122
00:08:16,037 --> 00:08:19,040
Is this the weird smell
Shisui mentioned before?

123
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Maybe the leaking sewage
is feeding the mushrooms.

124
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I'm back.

125
00:08:28,966 --> 00:08:31,010
Hey, welcome back—whoa!

126
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Don't come in like that. You're nasty!

127
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Nasty...

128
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Maomao, you smell strange.
What have you been up to all day?

129
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It was such a fulfilling day.

130
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I even got some medicinal mushrooms.

131
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I told him they're all poisonous,
so not even that quack would eat it.
Are they really poisonous? Maybe if
I tried one, I could tell...

132
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Hurry and get changed.
Lady Gyokuyou's dinner is soon.

133
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Yes.

134
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My apologies for being late.

135
00:09:06,963 --> 00:09:08,047
Sorry we had to rush you.

136
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It's fine.

137
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A black string on their wrists...

138
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I'm going out after dinner.

139
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Please accompany me.

140
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Understood.

141
00:09:21,060 --> 00:09:25,982
So, someone noble passed away
within the rear palace...

142
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She was a concubine named Jin,

143
00:09:31,988 --> 00:09:36,033
an upper-middle-rank concubine,
and daughter of a high-ranking official.

144
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She's been sick for the past year,
and was always in her room.

145
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Apparently, she got food poisoning
and never recovered.

146
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It wasn't like the emperor was visiting her.
She should have gone home.

147
00:09:52,008 --> 00:09:56,012
It's rare for you to speak
of someone that way.

148
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Concubine Jin was a little...
difficult, personality-wise.

149
00:10:05,021 --> 00:10:07,982
She was very jealous of the other
concubines and court ladies.

150
00:10:08,024 --> 00:10:12,028
She would attack them verbally, sometimes
even physically if they were lower class.

151
00:10:12,069 --> 00:10:18,034
And that was when Lady Gyokuyou was poisoned,
while she was pregnant with the princess.

152
00:10:20,995 --> 00:10:26,000
Of course, she didn't openly attack
the high-ranking concubines.

153
00:10:26,042 --> 00:10:32,965
But given her personality, Master Jinshi
had to at least go and make an inquiry.

154
00:10:33,049 --> 00:10:34,008
However...

155
00:10:36,010 --> 00:10:38,971
Do you have any evidence?

156
00:10:40,056 --> 00:10:43,976
So, it remained a suspicion only.

157
00:10:43,976 --> 00:10:46,020
I heard there was a lot of turmoil internally,

158
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and even her ladies-in-waiting
had a rough time.

159
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To be honest, I'm a bit relieved
that this happened.

160
00:10:54,028 --> 00:10:56,989
If something were to happen
to Lady Gyokuyou again...

161
00:10:59,992 --> 00:11:03,037
I guess that's Lady Hongniang's honest take.

162
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Hmm?

163
00:11:04,080 --> 00:11:07,041
Apparently, she got food poisoning
and never recovered.

164
00:11:07,958 --> 00:11:10,961
Also, take note of what types
of poisonous mushrooms you find.

165
00:11:11,962 --> 00:11:15,966
Why did Master Jinshi ask me
to investigate mushrooms?

166
00:11:16,050 --> 00:11:20,971
Why did he avoid discussing it at the Jade
Pavilion, in Lady Gyokuyou's presence?

167
00:11:21,055 --> 00:11:25,976
It can only be because he's suspicious
of the people at the Jade Pavilion.

168
00:11:26,060 --> 00:11:29,063
That one of us killed Concubine Jin
with a poison mushroom.

169
00:11:30,022 --> 00:11:33,984
I thought he was perhaps a bit
too partial to Lady Gyokuyou,

170
00:11:33,984 --> 00:11:36,028
but he's actually treating
everyone quite fairly, after all.

171
00:11:36,987 --> 00:11:42,034
I guess if his line of thinking was
made obvious, it would affect trust.

172
00:11:42,993 --> 00:11:46,997
Anyway, Lady Gyokuyou can't be the culprit.

173
00:11:46,997 --> 00:11:48,999
Poisoning is way too much trouble,

174
00:11:48,999 --> 00:11:52,962
and there are many easier ways
to oust a middle-rank concubine.

175
00:11:52,962 --> 00:11:56,048
The other ladies-in-waiting aren't built
for that kind of underhanded work.

176
00:11:56,048 --> 00:11:58,968
So, the prime suspect is...

177
00:12:00,010 --> 00:12:00,970
Oh, me.

178
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If he was probing my reaction while fronting
it as a request to investigate mushrooms,

179
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I'm quite impressed, actually.
Not at all disappointed.

180
00:12:10,020 --> 00:12:11,021
Please.

181
00:12:12,982 --> 00:12:15,985
Hmm? Is she Concubine Jin's lady-in-waiting?

182
00:12:16,068 --> 00:12:17,987
Did she get a rash from something?

183
00:12:18,028 --> 00:12:18,988
Please.

184
00:12:18,988 --> 00:12:20,990
But, that inflammation...

185
00:12:26,036 --> 00:12:31,000
If I'd at least been able to hear what her
symptoms were before she passed...

186
00:12:43,012 --> 00:12:45,973
Concubine Son! Please stop!

187
00:13:01,030 --> 00:13:03,032
You got what you deserved!

188
00:13:05,034 --> 00:13:06,994
The inflammation on her face...

189
00:13:07,036 --> 00:13:09,038
Do you know much about mushrooms?

190
00:13:09,038 --> 00:13:13,000
...and even her ladies-in-waiting
had a rough time.

191
00:13:15,002 --> 00:13:16,962
Ah. I see it now.

192
00:13:18,005 --> 00:13:21,008
So that's what Master Jinshi
was trying to find.

193
00:13:25,054 --> 00:13:27,056
I was told the woman who
caused a scene last night

194
00:13:27,056 --> 00:13:30,059
is a low-ranking concubine
named Concubine Son.

195
00:13:30,059 --> 00:13:33,062
She's from a wealthy merchant family,
and had a great personality.

196
00:13:33,062 --> 00:13:36,065
The emperor even visited
her from time to time.

197
00:13:36,982 --> 00:13:39,985
However, almost exactly two years ago...

198
00:13:41,987 --> 00:13:44,990
Why... Why is this happening?!

199
00:13:45,074 --> 00:13:47,034
She contracted a mysterious illness,

200
00:13:47,034 --> 00:13:49,995
and talks were raised
to remove her as a concubine.

201
00:13:50,037 --> 00:13:54,041
But even if she went home,
she wouldn't be able to marry.

202
00:13:55,000 --> 00:13:56,961
She was allowed to stay in the rear palace,

203
00:13:56,961 --> 00:13:58,045
likely out of compassion by the emperor.

204
00:14:00,047 --> 00:14:05,052
So then, why did she behave
that way at Concubine Jin's funeral?

205
00:14:05,970 --> 00:14:11,016
Simple. She believed Concubine Jin
was to blame for her illness.

206
00:14:15,020 --> 00:14:16,021
Found it.

207
00:14:20,067 --> 00:14:22,027
Master Jinshi, please wear this.

208
00:14:22,987 --> 00:14:24,989
Quite the precaution.

209
00:14:24,989 --> 00:14:26,073
Yes, it's extremely poisonous.

210
00:14:39,044 --> 00:14:41,046
This... Where did you find it?

211
00:14:41,964 --> 00:14:43,966
In the forest on the north side.

212
00:14:43,966 --> 00:14:46,051
The area wasn't maintained,

213
00:14:46,051 --> 00:14:49,054
creating probably the best
environment for this mushroom.

214
00:14:49,054 --> 00:14:54,977
It's quite rare, and extremely dangerous.

215
00:14:54,977 --> 00:14:59,982
Ingesting only a piece is lethal, and it
can cause harm just by touch—

216
00:14:59,982 --> 00:15:02,026
Please don't move any closer.

217
00:15:02,026 --> 00:15:04,987
You'll end up like Concubines
Jin and Son, like this.

218
00:15:08,032 --> 00:15:11,035
I came across the same
mushroom once in the past,

219
00:15:11,035 --> 00:15:13,037
when I was foraging for herbs with my dad.

220
00:15:13,037 --> 00:15:14,079
You touched it?

221
00:15:14,079 --> 00:15:18,000
Yes. I washed it immediately,
but this is the result.

222
00:15:19,001 --> 00:15:22,046
Are there more scars underneath those bandages?

223
00:15:22,046 --> 00:15:26,008
No, the other ones are through
experiments I did on myself.

224
00:15:26,008 --> 00:15:27,968
Wait, what experiments?

225
00:15:28,052 --> 00:15:30,012
What do you mean, your hobby?!

226
00:15:30,054 --> 00:15:33,015
I guess I never showed him until now.

227
00:15:33,015 --> 00:15:35,059
Anyway, that's not important at all.

228
00:15:35,059 --> 00:15:36,977
Really?

229
00:15:37,978 --> 00:15:42,983
Concubine Jin's body was covered with
rashes, and she had lost a lot of hair.

230
00:15:43,025 --> 00:15:47,029
Master Jinshi, were you looking for
where this poison came from?

231
00:15:47,988 --> 00:15:49,990
She's sharp, as always.

232
00:15:52,993 --> 00:15:56,038
Two years ago, Concubine Son
suddenly contracted a mysterious illness,

233
00:15:56,038 --> 00:15:58,958
and poison was suspected as the cause.

234
00:15:58,999 --> 00:16:01,043
The culprit was rumored to be...

235
00:16:02,002 --> 00:16:03,003
Concubine Jin.

236
00:16:03,045 --> 00:16:09,051
Yes. But we couldn't definitively
prove that it was her.

237
00:16:09,051 --> 00:16:14,974
Then, one year ago, the same symptoms
appeared on Concubine Jin as well.

238
00:16:15,015 --> 00:16:19,019
She must have tried to use the same poison
on someone and touched it by mistake.

239
00:16:19,979 --> 00:16:21,063
From then on, Concubine Jin
became depressed,

240
00:16:21,063 --> 00:16:23,065
like she was a different person.

241
00:16:24,984 --> 00:16:29,989
I went to see her at least once a month,
but she could barely even speak.

242
00:16:30,072 --> 00:16:32,992
She was a very proud woman.

243
00:16:33,033 --> 00:16:35,995
Unable to take it anymore,
she took poison to commit suicide.

244
00:16:36,036 --> 00:16:39,957
That's the testimony of the women
that served her, anyway.

245
00:16:40,040 --> 00:16:44,003
It does make sense as a story. But...

246
00:16:44,962 --> 00:16:48,007
Concubine Jin died from eating
the poison mushroom, right?

247
00:16:48,048 --> 00:16:49,008
Right.

248
00:16:49,008 --> 00:16:51,010
That doesn't make sense.

249
00:16:51,969 --> 00:16:53,012
What do you mean?

250
00:16:54,013 --> 00:16:58,976
This mushroom does cause stomachaches,
vomiting, and paralysis when eaten.

251
00:16:59,018 --> 00:17:01,979
It would cause inflammation
inside the mouth,

252
00:17:01,979 --> 00:17:04,064
but I've never heard of it spreading
to the rest of the face.

253
00:17:04,982 --> 00:17:05,983
Really?

254
00:17:06,025 --> 00:17:11,030
Yes. The inflammation on
her face appeared fairly new.

255
00:17:11,030 --> 00:17:14,992
As if someone directly rubbed
the poisonous mushroom on her face.

256
00:17:14,992 --> 00:17:17,995
Meanwhile, her hands were quite clean.

257
00:17:17,995 --> 00:17:19,038
The inflammation was on...

258
00:17:24,001 --> 00:17:26,003
If you have something to say, say it.

259
00:17:31,967 --> 00:17:33,052
Can you give me a few days?

260
00:17:34,011 --> 00:17:38,057
Also, I'll need a few eunuchs who can keep
a secret and do some physical labor.

261
00:17:40,059 --> 00:17:42,019
I can't say for certain.

262
00:17:42,978 --> 00:17:43,979
Do it anyway.

263
00:17:45,064 --> 00:17:48,984
I guess framing it as an order
makes it easier for me.

264
00:17:49,985 --> 00:17:51,028
Understood.

265
00:17:54,031 --> 00:17:58,952
I wonder what Xiaomao is trying to figure out?

266
00:17:58,952 --> 00:18:00,996
I don't know, either. But...

267
00:18:01,038 --> 00:18:05,042
When the apothecary is like that, she's just
looking for one final piece of evidence.

268
00:18:25,979 --> 00:18:27,022
We're here.

269
00:18:29,024 --> 00:18:30,025
Mushrooms...

270
00:18:31,026 --> 00:18:33,028
Can you dig here?

271
00:18:33,028 --> 00:18:34,029
Understood.

272
00:18:46,041 --> 00:18:47,042
This smell...

273
00:19:00,013 --> 00:19:02,057
So, this is your evidence.

274
00:19:03,016 --> 00:19:06,061
I didn't think I would find it
on the first try, though.

275
00:19:08,981 --> 00:19:12,025
They confirmed that the body
was indeed Concubine Jin.

276
00:19:12,025 --> 00:19:14,027
Her emblems were on the accessories she wore.

277
00:19:14,987 --> 00:19:17,072
I don't know if it was
a murder or an accident,

278
00:19:17,072 --> 00:19:19,992
but she must have died a year ago.

279
00:19:20,033 --> 00:19:22,077
Right around when she fell ill?

280
00:19:22,077 --> 00:19:25,038
Yes. The real Concubine Jin
was buried in the forest,

281
00:19:25,956 --> 00:19:28,041
and an impostor took her place.

282
00:19:28,959 --> 00:19:30,961
So, the body at the funeral was...

283
00:19:32,004 --> 00:19:34,047
Have you heard about the missing court lady?

284
00:19:35,007 --> 00:19:39,011
A woman named Tao,
who disappeared before her marriage.

285
00:19:40,012 --> 00:19:42,055
Don't you think she looks like Concubine Jin?

286
00:19:43,056 --> 00:19:46,977
I asked around, and apparently,
even their builds were similar.

287
00:19:47,060 --> 00:19:50,981
By covering up her face,
nobody would be able to tell,

288
00:19:50,981 --> 00:19:52,065
except maybe her immediate servants.

289
00:19:52,983 --> 00:19:56,069
It wouldn't have been difficult
to trick a monthly visitor.

290
00:19:56,987 --> 00:20:02,034
So, this Tao woman was conspiring
with Concubine Jin's ladies-in-waiting?

291
00:20:02,993 --> 00:20:05,996
I suspect so, though I don't know any details.

292
00:20:09,041 --> 00:20:11,043
I have some personal conjectures, of course.

293
00:20:12,002 --> 00:20:13,962
It was probably triggered by jealousy.

294
00:20:14,004 --> 00:20:16,006
Concubine Jin probably didn't enjoy the fact

295
00:20:16,006 --> 00:20:18,967
that a court lady who
looked like her found love.

296
00:20:20,010 --> 00:20:23,972
In her case, she couldn't even
get a visit from the emperor.

297
00:20:24,014 --> 00:20:27,059
Tao was, indeed, regularly abused.

298
00:20:27,059 --> 00:20:29,978
Then perhaps there was an argument.

299
00:20:29,978 --> 00:20:32,981
An accident... or some incident,
that ended in Concubine Jin's death.

300
00:20:33,023 --> 00:20:36,068
The ladies-in-waiting, perhaps out of
self-preservation and sympathy for Tao,

301
00:20:36,068 --> 00:20:39,029
suggested they cover up
Concubine Jin's death.

302
00:20:39,029 --> 00:20:41,990
Tao couldn't decline, of course.

303
00:20:43,033 --> 00:20:45,994
But as her marriage talks
got increasingly serious,

304
00:20:45,994 --> 00:20:48,997
keeping up the impostor act
became too difficult.

305
00:20:52,042 --> 00:20:57,005
Enough of that. The higher-ups can
make up whatever motives they want.

306
00:20:57,047 --> 00:21:01,051
But how did you find out
where the body was buried?

307
00:21:01,051 --> 00:21:04,012
There was evidence left behind.

308
00:21:04,012 --> 00:21:05,013
Evidence?

309
00:21:07,015 --> 00:21:08,016
Mushrooms!

310
00:21:08,058 --> 00:21:10,018
The mushrooms in the area

311
00:21:10,018 --> 00:21:13,021
are all those that like to grow
on animal carcasses and excrement!

312
00:21:13,021 --> 00:21:16,024
No wonder there was
that peculiar, rotting smell there!

313
00:21:16,024 --> 00:21:20,028
Who would have thought I was enjoying
mushroom hunting over a corpse!

314
00:21:22,990 --> 00:21:24,992
What are you going to do with the mushrooms?

315
00:21:27,995 --> 00:21:30,038
These are really,
super-interesting mushrooms.

316
00:21:30,038 --> 00:21:32,040
Mushrooms that grow on corpses?

317
00:21:32,040 --> 00:21:35,961
Well, they don't grow directly on
corpses, like the caterpillar fungus...

318
00:21:37,004 --> 00:21:40,048
B-Besides, if they did, they'd be
called corpse fungi instead—

319
00:21:40,048 --> 00:21:41,049
Confiscate them!

320
00:21:48,974 --> 00:21:51,059
It's just innocent curiosity...

321
00:21:59,026 --> 00:22:02,029
A mushroom that grows on a corpse...

322
00:22:04,990 --> 00:22:06,033
If such a thing existed,

323
00:22:07,075 --> 00:22:08,994
what would it look like,

324
00:22:09,995 --> 00:22:12,039
and what effects would it have?

325
00:23:44,965 --> 00:23:59,020
Next Time
Next time: "Mirrors."