Kusuriya no Hitorigoto (The Apothecary Diaries)

The Apothecary Diaries

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.

Hmm?

Could you deliver some medicine to the Verdigris House?

Yeah, got it, Dad.

Be careful out there. Kidnappings are on the rise.

I'll be fine. I'll stop by the herb plot on my way back.

Yes, please do.

I'm off!

Verdigris House

Huh, is this all you've got?

It's my life savings! I beg you!

This is a non-starter.

That must be Pairin, one of the famous Three Princesses of the Verdigris House!

If you want to gawk, pay up!

Hmm, it's taking too long to heal.

I'll tweak the recipe some.

Oh, Maomao!

Hey, Pairin.

Hey, you have more wounds again!

It's just my usual drug experiments.

Are you eating well?

You seem to be very well nourished, as always.

Maomao!

You'd better not be setting off explosions again for your so-called experiments!

Or, would you like to start a career as a courtesan?

Yikes!

Granny, I left your meds here!

Say hi to your old man for me. Sheesh.

Did I just hear Maomao's voice?

Hey, where's Maomao?

She took off.

That shrewd old bag, always trying to make me a courtesan...

Could it be? Kidnappers?!

Dad's gonna be really worried...

The prince is born!

Congratulations, Lady Lihua!

The prince was born safely.

I see. Wonderful.

Three months later

Episode 1: Maomao

I want meat skewers from a stall...

I wonder if Dad's eating properly.

I'm not sure if I was sold off or ransomed, but annoyingly, it's already been three months.

The palace and the brothels are really similar.

If I had a choice, I'd have nothing to do with the rear palace, ever. But...

Well, what can I do, now that I'm here?

I was living a pretty good life as an apothecary, and now...

The rear palace is a garden of women who are to give birth to the emperor's children.

No men are allowed to enter.

The only people allowed in here are the emperor, his kin,

and eunuchs, "formerly male" individuals who lost an important part of their body.

It's a huge collective of two thousand concubines and servants,

and one thousand eunuchs.

Unlike the high, mid, and low-ranking concubines,

we serving girls are expendable and can lose our lives at any moment.

Next in line are the shut-in, low-ranking concubines.

I guess, at the very least, I get paid.

Hey, Maomao...

Do you know which room this plate is for?

Oh. This one is Wisteria-9, so over there.

Thank you!

Many of the servants are illiterate.

In order to work in the rear palace,

they're taught the bare minimum essentials of etiquette.

But reading and writing is a whole different story.

The raise I would get for being literate would just get swiped by my kidnappers.

That said, even servants like us could become low-ranking concubines.

What's key is...

Looks.

Freckles.

Flat.

Given my skin-and-bones look, that's not applicable to me.

If I stood out, my life would be at risk. I'm better off just laying low.

All I have to do is work hard. I'll be out in two years.

I need a drink.

Hey, did you hear?

Huh?

I heard there's a super beautiful eunuch in the central area.

Everyone's been talking about him!

I see.

I'd like to get a glimpse of him, if he's so handsome!

Am I right?

A eunuch, huh?

She has lost much weight.

Yes.

Xiaoling...

I'm sorry, the physician is busy attending to the prince.

I see...

They're only three months and six months old, right?

Yeah, both the prince and Princess Lingli...

Is it really a curse?!

What are you talking about?

You didn't hear, Maomao?

The entire rear palace is buzzing about this rumor.

The deaths of all the heirs born in the rear palace!

All three of the emperor's children born so far grew weak and passed away!

Doesn't that seem weird?!

All three?

And it looks like the same thing's happening now.

You mean they're unwell?

Yes! And this time, the doctor went to visit both Lady Gyokuyou and Lady Lihua!

Huh...

The emperor doesn't have an empress consort, so that makes Lady Lihua,

who gave birth to the prince, the empress consort, right?!

Naturally, I guess.

Since there is no empress consort,

Concubine Lihua gave birth to the prince,

so she should be considered the top of the rear palace.

But then, rumor says the emperor favors Lady Gyokuyou.

They say that could be related to the curse, too.

A power struggle...

Lady Lihua might be worse off, since the doctor is always with her.

Lady Lihua herself is sick, too?

Yeah, mother and child both. Head and stomach aches.

Nausea too, I think.

Headache, stomachache, nausea...

It has to be a curse!

Curses are stupid.

Huh?

Headache, stomachache, nausea...

Poison is a possibility.

No, if it's over the position of imperial heir,

it doesn't make sense to go after the princess.

Deliberate poisoning is low on the list of possibilities.

Could an illness be more likely?

Perhaps something hereditary?

Why am I taking a rumor so seriously?

It's all just conjecture.

But still...

I guess I can take a quick peek.

Given this is where all the high-ranked concubines' pavilions are,

every building is exquisite, right down to the individual pillars.

It's your fault!

Lady Gyokuyou!

You're trying to curse my son, because your child is a daughter!