The Apothecary Diaries Book 8

The Hair Stick Thief

The chicken did indeed turn out crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside. Just the memory of it was enough to make Maomao salivate.

That was one delicious dinner, she thought, letting her mind wander over the previous day's meal as she did her work. She powdered some herbs in a mortar and swallowed her drool.

Maomao thought of herself as a halfway decent cook, but she had to admit she couldn't hold a candle to En'en in the kitchen. En'en had mentioned something in passing once about her older brother being a professional chef, but she was no slouch herself when it came to preparing food. The chicken skin had been grilled to perfection, hiding light-pink meat beneath. When Maomao had bitten into it, warm juices exploded in her mouth. It had been seasoned with salt and a crunchy black powder that seemed to be, of all things, pepper! En'en didn't hold back when it came to feeding Yao; Maomao had to think most of her wages went to food. And with Maomao getting in on so many of their meals recently, it couldn't be getting any cheaper.

Maomao paused. When she thought of it that way, she realized that maybe she should at least be contributing some food money. This was sure better than eating at some crappy diner somewhere; maybe she could at least cover ingredients.

"Hmm, all right," she said, nodding to herself.

Yao appeared beside her. "What are you nodding about? Dr. Liu's been calling for you."

"Oh, I see," she said, cleaning up the mortar and herbs.

"I can do that. Just get going. What did you do, anyway?"

"Nothing yet."

Nothing at all—so far. Yao's expression suggested that the question was intended as her equivalent of a joke—if a somewhat pointed one. Maomao was substantially more experienced as an apothecary than either Yao or En'en, so she was often given assignments the other two weren't. She was frequently sent out to collect ingredients, for example. The disparity in their tasks pained Yao—hence her barbed humor.

She's really softened since we first met, though, Maomao thought. Had Yao changed, or did Maomao simply see her differently now?

She went to the room where the doctor was waiting. "You needed me, Dr. Liu?"

"Mm. Here." He handed her a letter, sealed in wax with a familiar seal.

Empress Gyokuyou...

There were probably other ways to get a letter to her, at least under normal circumstances. The fact that it was in Dr. Liu's hands implied it was something urgent.

"You're wanted at her palace immediately," he said. The letter said much the same; it contained no details.

"Very well," she said. "I'll find Luomen and—"

"No. Just you."

She didn't understand. A eunuch like her old man should have been perfectly qualified to examine the Empress. Why her alone?

"I can see you have questions—but you know who sent this letter and you know what she wants. There's nothing I can add. Don't waste time; get going." Dr. Liu seemed to have some qualms of his own, but this was the Empress they were dealing with. Even a chief physician couldn't argue with her.

"Yes, sir," Maomao said, and then, as instructed, she went.

She was taken from the medical office to Gyokuyou's palace by carriage. She wouldn't be leaving the palace grounds, but it would have been unseemly for her to simply walk between the outer and inner courts. She passed through a series of gates, and finally arrived at the Empress's pavilion.