The next few months past slowly, Yen would often enter the medical office, she also often saw the loach mustache quack doctor rigidly grinding the mortar. Yen knew that in this case the doctor wasn't making medicine but wasting time. Otherwise, it would be pointless for him to give away half the dose he made every time. At the start, it seemed that he thought that Yen was a little girl who didn't know what she was doing, but his attitude gradually eased after he saw the medicines she made.
Nowadays, he takes out tea snacks, and it reached the point where he gives portions of essential ingredients to her, but that wasn't an excellent thing for a medical office to do. He doesn't have confidentiality or whatever it is. She grabbed materials to make cold medicine for the maidservants who were sick, as she was making it, she heard gossiping court ladies walking by
It was something about a white woman who danced in mid-air. The inner palace was surrounded by a wall. There was a deep moat on the other side of the fence, and the only way to traverse the place was through the four directional gates. It was impossible to escape or raid the palace. It was said that the consort who had attempted to break out of the inner castle was still sleeping under the deep moat even now. There should be no buildings close by, only a pine forest.
After Yen was done making some cold medicine, she went back to mind the little princess. When Consort Gina noted that her daughter adored Yen company's, she had Yen become her minder or wet nurse as you could.
Consort Gina was sipping some tea her maids attending her while Yen was not too far with a giggling Wuying laughing and smiling.
"Do you know about the ghost panic?" Consort Gina asked Yen.
"As far as rumors go."
"Then, do you know about sleepwalking?
Consort Gina did not overlook the glint that settled on the edge of Yen's eyes.
"How would you go about curing that?" she inquired
"It's not a disease you can cure with medicine."
"When you say that it can't be cured by medicine…" she trailed off
"Then what Can"
"Your highness may I tell you a story" Sleepwalking isn't a properly understood disease. Even though they are asleep, they move about as though they are awake. If there is any cause to speak of, it would be the discord of the heart. No matter how much medicinal herbs are boiled, it is futile. And besides, the Consort from the rumors has already left.
"A certain courtesan was inflicted with that disease. She was a cheerful woman who was good at writing poetry. The talk of redemption had come up for her. However, that talk was broken off. She strolled through the brothel every night as if she was possessed. When the madam tried to stop the courtesan, who had been walking around, she got scratched. The next day, everyone in the brothel came to press her about her erratic behavior. What the courtesan said in her cheerful voice was this,
"Oh my. Everyone, what happened?"
The bare feet of the woman who had no memory of the night before were covered in dirt and cuts."
"What happened next?" Ren walked in with his attendant Yijun, and they were interested in her story
"Nothing. When the talks of redemption died off, her wandering also stopped." Yen said curtly.
"So, could you mean that she hated the redeeming talk?" Consort Gina asked.
"Probably. The other party was a large patron, but he had not just wife and children, but even grandchildren. Moreover, if she worked for another year, her term of service would be over. As many wander after they had extreme stress, you can give them a combination of calming drugs and scents, but, well, you only calm them down."
"Hmm." Ren rested his hands on his chin, looking amused. "Is there anything after that?"
"Don't Know" Yen remember the so-called ghost consort whom she had briefly met.
The Consort had the social status of one who attained the rank of high-ranking consort. She danced as a hobby but was timid and easily nervous. She failed when she had an audience with the emperor. Excluding her dancing, there was nothing about her that stood out in particular. Two years after entering the court, she had yet to be chosen. She was eventually bestowed to her childhood friend, a military official, and she should be happy right now, Since, the emperor never touched her. The docile, fair-skinned consort passed through the central gates with flushed cheeks, no matter what anyone said the day she left was when she was at her most beautiful.
Consort Gina had dismissed Ren and her maids a little while after. It was just Yen, Princess Wuying and Herself in the room. "Isn't it fine to talk to me at least?" Consort Gina asked
"Not a word to anyone then,"
"My lips are sealed," Consort Gina promised. Yen began her tale of another sleepwalking courtesan.
"She got ill due to the redeeming talks that came up and got canceled. However, the sleepwalking didn't stop after that. Prescribing medicine like last time didn't calm her down. A new redeeming talk came up for that courtesan. The brothel owner couldn't bring themselves to allow an ill person to be redeemed, but even so, he wanted to redeem her. Reluctantly, she was arranged to a contract that was half the amount of silvers of the previous redeeming talk. But this turned out to be a form of swindling,"
"Swindling?"
"The man from the previous redeeming talk was an acquaintance of the man who came afterward. When he understood that the courtesan was faking her illness, he canceled it. And then, the destined man redeemed her for half the amount. The courtesan still has her terms of service left. The man's redeeming silver was not enough to pay for it."
"So, the Consort is similar in this case."
"The childhood friend military official didn't have the social position to propose. He had planned to come for her one day by going up the ranks through the feat of arms."
"The official who came for her was her childhood friend!" Consort Gina exclaimed
"However, due to politics, the consort was made to enter the inner palace. She still had feelings for the military official. So, she failed at her specialty dancing on purpose. So, she wouldn't attract the attention of the emperor. As she had expected, her body stayed clean within the two years she didn't sleep with anyone. Around the time the childhood friend collected his feat of arms and had the consort bestowed to him at his next merit, it reached the point where the consort was wandering about suspiciously.
It was so that the emperor would never valuable pick her. Were she to be chosen, the bestowing will be postponed. The consort, who prized her maidenhood, wouldn't be able to face her childhood friend again if she slept with another. She was dancing for the sake of prayers to her childhood friend who was coming back for her. For a prayer that he comes back unharmed."
"How do I say this? Since it could be true concerning the emperor, I won't say anything." Consort Gina looked slightly troubled. She was unable to say that the lustful emperor didn't hold any interest to the consort who desired the military official to that extent. "If I say that I'm jealous of her, would I be a cruel woman?"
"No," Yen said as the little Princess had been fallen asleep in her arms.