The Apothecary Diaries Book 5

The Banquet (Part One)

Diplomacy was a lot of trouble: for example, you went somewhere that took more than twenty days each way to reach, only to stay there for just five days. During those five days, there was no end of meeting, greeting, and eating, such that the important people were constantly busy; whereas Maomao had no such job to do. She couldn't exactly go sightseeing, though, so she was just thinking that maybe she would go study the plants in the garden when a knock came at her door.

Who the hell is that?

She opened the door to discover a woman standing there smiling. Maomao didn't know her name, but she knew who she was: Consort Lishu's half-sister. The requisite entourage flanked her on both sides.

"May I help you, ma'am?" Maomao asked politely, but she thought, Consort Lishu's room is next door—get it straight! She was at least adult enough to keep that thought to herself.

The half-sister looked at Maomao, and then very deliberately laughed, "Pfft!" One might ask what had inspired such an infuriatingly condescending laugh, but it seemed to represent the woman's overall assessment of Maomao.

"I simply thought I might introduce myself," the other woman said. "As fellow members of named clans, I imagine we might be seeing each other again in the future."

Maomao felt a scowl cross her face at the mention of named clans. She hated being treated like a member of the family, even if it was just this once.

The half-sister, meanwhile, was glancing at Maomao's head. "That was a truly gorgeous hair stick you were wearing last night," she said.

"Do you think so? Unfortunately, I'm not particularly attuned to the value of objects."

That's where her attention was? These princess types were awfully quick-eyed. Maomao realized that if she were to sell the hair stick, it would soon be traced back to her.

"I'm so terribly excited to discover what you'll wear to tonight's banquet," the half-sister said, and then with a flourish she hid her mouth behind a peacock-feather folding fan and walked away.

This hadn't been about introduction so much as about observation, Maomao thought. She was one of only a few young women to have accompanied the westward expedition—although judging by dinner the night before, most of those who were present were hoping to insinuate themselves with Jinshi.

Watching the way the woman's hips swayed as she walked, Maomao concluded that this half-sister did not much resemble Consort Lishu. If she had, perhaps Lishu would have wondered less about her parentage. Still, if the Emperor really was Lishu's father, Maomao couldn't help wondering if he wouldn't have found a better way to use her. It might be malicious of her, but she thought there were probably better uses to which Lishu could be put.

Now then, having been mocked first thing in the morning, Maomao headed for the garden in hopes of making herself feel better. A garden, fed by the all-important oasis, was a show of power in this parched land. But Maomao suspected it wasn't entirely frivolous—Empress Gyokuyou's father didn't seem like the kind of man to indulge in luxury purely for its own sake. A lesson he had passed on to his daughter, Maomao realized, when she considered the number and quality of serving women there had been at the Jade Pavilion.

And what was there in the garden? In one corner grew a strange plant, like nothing Maomao had ever seen. It couldn't be said to have leaves or stems. When she inspected it, eyes wide, she found it had a sort of wax on the surface, like a candle, and that it was covered in narrow thorns. It looked similar to aloe, but fan-shaped. Most intrigued, Maomao reached out to touch it.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Those thorns aren't easy to get out if they stick you," someone said. The voice wasn't obviously masculine or feminine, and when Maomao looked toward it, she saw a lovely person in men's clothing crouching down and inspecting the unusual plant. It was Suirei. She was attended by a young man. He looked like a servant at first glance, but Maomao knew he was a minder. It was strange she had even been allowed to come here; evidently the minding wasn't very strict.