The Apothecary Diaries
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. Maomao, let me introduce you.
These are new ladies-in-waiting who've joined the Jade Pavilion.
They're all sisters.
I am Haku-u.
I am Koku-u.
I am Seki-u.
Wow, they look alike.
Have you been well?
Yes, long time no see.
Do you know each other?
Yes, we're all from the same hometown and know each other.
Haku-u, the eldest, is the same age as Lady Gyokuyou.
Limiting the staff to only those from the same hometown, I see.
That's a safer way to go about it, especially for Lady Gyokuyou,
who was almost assassinated before.
And you are?
I am Maomao, the taster, Lady Koku-u.
I am not Koku-u.
Huh? Um, well, Lady Seki-u?
It's Haku-u.
From now on, we'll all wear hairbands that match the colors in our names,
so that you can identify us.
Yes, understood.
I can't tell them apart at all.
I guess I'll have plenty of time to learn.
More importantly, the issue is...
Maomao! Go back to your room already!
No, I'm quite comfortable in the storage shed.
Lady Hongniang also said that this is my room now.
I'll continue to use it!
There's no way that'll work!
You took the joke too literally!
But I already moved all of my things to the shed...
You're setting a bad example to the new ladies-in-waiting!
What do you think you're doing, you two?!
EpisodeA Ghost Story Oh, so the storage shed is Maomao's nest now?
You can do as you wish with that shed.
But please sleep in your original room.
I understand.
They are such good bosses.
With the new ladies-in-waiting joining,
the amount of work per person went down dramatically.
Given Lady Gyokuyou's pregnancy, the Jade Pavilion needs more workers than ever.
So, these new arrivals are helpful, but...
This is also to balance things out
with Concubine Loulan's Garnet Pavilion, which has a huge headcount.
Thank you, everyone.
Well, I'm off to the shed now...
Hey, Maomao!
Yinghua, does Maomao live in the shed, not her room?
Really? Even though she's Lady Gyokuyou's lady-in-waiting?
No, um... Haha...
I don't appreciate Lady Yinghua pulling me out of the shed,
but I know she did it out of benevolence.
She wants me to get comfortable with the new ladies-in-waiting quickly.
Very considerate of her, as always.
I'm sorry to be so selfish all the time.
Well, I don't mind that much.
Hey Maomao. Do you regret what you did, even a little bit?
Huh? Yes, of course.
Really? So, you feel like you owe me one?
Oh yes, certainly...
I know, right?
In that case, you'll be accompanying me tonight!
Huh?
You and I are the only ones free this evening.
Perfect timing!
She got me...
Um, does Lady Hongniang know about our excursion tonight?
Don't worry. I got permission.
The north side of the rear palace...
There should only be old buildings out here.
Oh! Maomao, put this on. Like this.
Aren't you too warm?
Don't worry, it'll get chilly really soon.
Welcome. Two of you will be joining us?
Yes, thank you.
Thank you.
Put out your lamp, and take this instead.
She's pretty, but quite old for a court lady.
Now, let's go.
This place was used during the era of the late emperor.
Compared to then, the number of court ladies has gone down quite a lot.
But for occasions like this, this place is perfect.
Sit in an open spot.
We're all here.
Twelve people on such a hot day, in a closed-off room...
Did everyone come prepared with your stories?
Tonight, let us enjoy the thirteen spine-chilling tales.
Thirteen tales?
And from then on...
Every night, at the moat at the north gate,
the servant could be seen throwing herself into the water, over and over.
When a court lady who pitied her came to scatter flowers on the moat,
She heard a voice from somewhere.
And when she gazed into the moat to find the source...
The servant girl's pale face came floating up...
When the court lady tried to escape, something suddenly grabbed her feet!
The servant girl rose up from the water, and said...
"The one who pushed me in that day...
It was you!"
Sounds kind of familiar.
So, Lady Yinghua is easily scared yet enjoys these stories.
Seems like this event involves taking turns telling ghost stories,
then blowing out the candle when you're done.
However, the stories are more like rumors heard in the rear palace.
Not sufficiently spine-chilling.
It's hard to find entertainment in the rear palace.
Speaking together like this is allowed, it seems.
Good evening!
Shisui.
Want a bite?
Thanks.
So.
This story is from my hometown.
Near the village, there existed a forest,
which the villagers had always been told not to enter.
If you went in, you would be cursed, and demons would eat your soul.
But one day, a child broke the rule.
That year, the crop yields had been low.
The child was so hungry, he wandered into the forest in search of food.
The child told his mother,
"Let me tell you a good secret. There's lots of food in that forest."
But when the other villagers found out that he'd gone into the forest,
the boy and his mother were ostracized.
The two, now alone, had nothing to eat and grew thinner every day,
but nobody tried to help them.
One night, someone saw a light floating into the family's house.
The next day, the village elder heard the news and went to visit them.
The child was already dead, and the mother was on the verge of death.
The mother said to the elder,
"Let me tell you a good secret."
But at that moment, she died.
She had a strange smile on her face as she passed.
And so, no one knows what she was trying to say.
The locals still fear the forest, regarding it as forbidden land.
Anyone who entered would be attacked by a demon in their homes,
and their souls would be devoured.
Ah, I see.
You see what?
I'll tell you later.
I'm sleepy for some reason.
I guess it's a lot of people in a small space.
Maybe I'm dizzy from being around too many people.
This is a story from a distant land, far to the east.
A monk from a foreign nation finished performing funeral rites in a distant land.
On his way home, he realized the sun had set at some point.
He was surrounded by tall grass, and wild dogs could be heard nearby.
The monk was eager to get out of danger, and suddenly,
an old house appeared in front of him.
Excuse me, sorry to disturb you so late at night.
What is the matter, venerable one?
I was trying to cross the mountains but couldn't make it before nightfall.
Would you allow me to stay overnight? Just a corner of your shed would be fine.
Oh, you must be so tired.
The wife welcomed the monk with food and bedding.
The monk was grateful for the heartfelt welcome, but had nothing to give in return.
Is that the sound of a bell...?
No, it sounds like a bell, but is actually a human voice?
And what are you planning to do?
Nothing. It's fine.
You can't. Come on. I don't want to be left alone.
Then what do you suggest we do?
I can't take this any longer.
Are they arguing? Should I intervene?
No, something tells me I must not stop chanting the sutra.
Let's use that monk as a replacement.
It's the only way.
Come on, let's do this.
WhERe iS thAt moNK?
DId hE esCaPE?
He'S nOT hEre... hE's noT hERE!
I hAvE to fiND HIm! OtHErwiSe, I...
I HaVE to tAKe YOU INSTEAD!
The monk continued the chant until the chewing sounds stopped.
Once it was quiet, the monk stepped outside.
The young couple was gone, and instead...
All he found were the wings of insects.
The monk clasped his hands together and continued to walk,
chanting the sutra, until dawn.
What a good storyteller. It's like she's a different person.
Hmm? Her face at this angle... why does it seem familiar?
Maomao, you're next.
Huh? Oh, right.
What shall I talk about?
I heard this from my adopted father.
Rumors went around that floating spirits had been seen in a graveyard.
Suspicious, a group of brave young men stood up to investigate.
It was just another man from the same town, walking with a torch.
That's it?
Yes.
The man was a graverobber. He grew an unhealthy interest in a strange curse,
and went around digging up graves to cut up corpses
and harvest human livers which he believed were cures for—
Enough!
That's all.
You're next, Lady Yinghua.
Huh? Oh, um...
Once upon a time, there was a man...
Or... was it an old woman?
Um...
Then, I will go next.
Coming to think of it, she said "thirteen stories" at the beginning.
There are only twelve of us here. What does that mean?
This was during the late emperor's reign.
Back then, the rear palace was always growing, constantly adding new sections.
For what reason?
At the time, the Great Empress Dowager, also known as the Empress, wielded immense power.
She was trying to find girls who would fit the late emperor's tastes.
What is this...?
The late emperor chose the youngest girls, deflowering them one after the other.
The girls spent their days in the rear palace, barred from ever leaving.
One of these girls became pregnant.
She petitioned the late emperor, but...
She was never allowed to leave the rear palace.
Right before her death, she said...
Maomao?!
No wonder I was getting dizzy!
Lady Yinghua! Shisui!
Move the unconscious ladies near the door and windows!
Huh? What's wrong?
Hurry! The smoldering fire is filling the room with bad air!
G-Got it!
It took me way too long to realize.
That court lady...
What a night. The organizer disappeared, too.
Maomao.
You're from earlier...?
She's an acquaintance of mine.
Hey, Maomao. What was that story about?
The story?
You know, the forbidden forest.
Ah.
The "forbidden forest" is probably just a superstition.
But some things have a reason to become forbidden, and this could be one of those.
Huh?
Forests are full of food, but also full of inedible things.
If someone from outside entered the forest, ate something, and got sick,
it would be natural for word to get around that you should be very careful
when eating things from the forest.
This, over many years, could morph into something "forbidden."
Later, by the time famine broke out,
people no longer knew what could and couldn't be eaten.
The mother and son from that story were starving from the bad harvest.
They must have entered the forest as it grew dark, since they were breaking the rules.
Then they foraged for food, and went home as night set in.
There's a type of mushroom called the moonlight mushroom.
They resemble oyster mushrooms and look delicious,
but they're poisonous and glow in the dark.
If a villager saw someone carrying these mushrooms from a distance in the dark,
it might have looked like a floating spirit.
It's not a powerful poison, but if eaten by a starving, weakened person...
Maybe, as she was about to die, the mother was trying to say...
There are delicious mushrooms in the forest.
As a way to take vengeance against the villagers who abandoned her and her son.
So that's what it was!
Great, it's all cleared up now!
Okay, I'm going this way, bye!
Hah. Now that I know the truth, it's not scary at all!
I'd bet all the stories have backgrounds like that.
Well... who knows?
Humor me just this once, would you?!
We're back.
Oh, you're earlier than I expected.
There was a bit of a commotion.
Ah, I expected as much.
I guess things could happen when the organizer is new.
New organizer?
The court lady who organized that event passed away last year.
I was a little worried about who was taking over for this year.
Huh?
She was a nice person, very helpful. I got a lot of help from her as well.
I guess she never got to leave the rear palace.
She actually had relations with the late emperor.
She said that gathering was the only fun she ever had.
It would have been too bad if the event ended the very next year after she passed away,
so I'm glad someone took over.
That story...
The late emperor chose the youngest girls, deflowering them one after the other.
The girls spent their days in the rear palace, barred from ever leaving.
That court lady's story was her own experience.
Or is it a prank pulled by someone in the know?
The world is full of things I can't fully understand.
Tonight, let us enjoy the thirteen spine-chilling tales.
Including her, there were only twelve people there.
I'm glad we didn't end up becoming the thirteenth ghost story.
M-Maomao...
Yes?
Please sleep with me tonight!
Instead of becoming a spine-chilling night, it turned into a hot, stuffy night.
So hot...
Next Time EpisodeThe Hunt Next time: "The Hunt."