Volume 9, Chapter 21: Tea Time

The elegant room smelt of aromatic tea.

The tea pouring out of a foreign style teapot was rouge red.  Maomao savoured the aroma, while thinking of its name red(black) tea being what it is. The tea leaves could also be brewed with sugar and cow’s milk, but she declined, reproving the idea of tea being sweet.

“Well then, what kind of opinion do you have?”

Jinshi was the picture of elegance even while stirring tea with a spoon. He had it with cow’s milk, but it was the proper way to not upset one’s stomach. Maomao was sitting on the opposite side of the table, facing him drinking tea.

(I wonder if it’s fine with this form.)

Maomao came to Jinshi’s room as Taomei led her here, but no matter how she saw it, this was a tea party. Suiren wasn’t raising any objections either, so it seemed to be fine on that front, but…

“Here you go.”

Suiren offered her tea with a smile, so Maomao couldn’t bring herself to decline any more. She took a sip, then decided to state her opinion.

“My opinion is nothing more than–”

“Conjecture, and there’s also a chance it’s different from the truth, is what you’re trying to say, am I correct? If I don’t take your opinion at face value and verify it objectively, it shouldn’t be an issue?”

“Yes.”

Maomao could only say yes. Jinshi then glanced at Taomei. Were his polite words him being mindful of Taomei?

“Then what will I be expressing my opinion about?” Maomao asked.

“About the Wind-reader tribe. Feel free to say what I already know. Summarise it please,” Jinshi said.

“Understood.” With Jinshi’s words, it became easier for Maomao to talk. She selected her words, making sure to avoid repetition. “I heard about the Wind-reader tribe from Nenjen, a former serf from the farming village I went to inspect. The tribe perished in the past due to bridenappers and slave traders. I heard they presided over rituals and was protected by the Ih clan.”

Jinshi must have already known this. He was drinking tea and eating baked treats–foreign-style cookies that paired with the tea.

“I believe the ritual they performed was a preventive measure against locust plagues. Called autumn ploughing, it not only improved the soil by digging up the fields but also exterminated pest eggs. I think the older brother of Rahan knows of the details.”

“Rahan’s older brother, right? The Ra clan are all skilled. So they have two farming experts, huh.” 

He’s being called Rahan’s older brother here too.

(I feel Rahan’s older brother had no choice but to learn farming.)

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With his oddly overearnest nature, he would have practised farming diligently. If he were born to a normal family, he could have been a normally accomplished individual.

“Where’s Rahan’s older brother?” Jinshi asked.

“I got the message that he’ll be back tomorrow. It seems he’s finished with teaching the general operations.” Basen reported. It seems he didn’t have his mother take over his work this time. He didn’t have many jobs lately, so wouldn’t he have free time?

“Then, summon him once he returns.”

“Yes.”

(Would it be fine?)

Maomao felt a little uneasy, but she set it aside for now. “The Wind-reader tribe uses birds, but I don’t know how they are used from the former serf’s story. However, from the testimony of the suspicious person arrested today, Kulumu, we learnt that the Wind-reader tribe didn’t perish and is still alive with their descendants possessing the skill to raise birds.”

Regarding Kulumu’s skill in raising birds, it would seem like they only sold pets to wealthy people, but it wasn’t the case.

“I believe the birds can assist in finding insects depending on how they are raised, but the real issue at hand is something else. If they also raise pigeons and similar birds, I can see how the birds can be greatly useful as a tool of communication.”

Maomao gave the answer that probably already came to Jinshi.

“The tribe’s greatest strength appears to be communication via birds. It’s only conjecture, but it wouldn’t be odd to have them work in an intelligence unit.”

Jinshi’s complexion didn’t change.

“Then, what happened to the surviving members of the tribe?” he asked.

“This is only conjecture but…I believe they were protected by the people who bought their skills,” Maomao answered slowly, selecting her words.

“Who do you think protected them?”

“…I don’t know. The Ih clan, or some different power.”

“Why do you think the Ih clan?”

Even Maomao thought her answer was contradictory.

“I will dare to use the words Empress Regnant, the late emperor’s mother,” she said.

“I don’t mind.”

“It’s because she destroyed the clan.”

“Hm.” Jinshi also looked accepting. The woman who controlled the country with the late emperor as the puppet could be considered a rational person. The Empress Regnant had reasons for the continued expansion of the inner palace and the prohibition of logging. However, there were many unknown points regarding how she put the entire Ih Clan to death.

“In other words, you’re saying that the clan was punished for hiding the intelligence unit from the imperial family as a pretext for gaining power?”

“It is one of the possibilities.”

“Got it. Then, what about the case it’s not the Ih clan?”

“…about that.”

It was extremely difficult for Maomao to say it out, but Jinshi had probably already heard of it. Maomao glanced around. There shouldn’t be anyone listening in, being Jinshi’s room. “From Kulumu’s testimony, I believe Gyoku’en’s wife, Gyoku’ou’s mother came from the Wind-reader tribe.”

“That’s right,” Jinshi said clearly.

(Had he already investigated it?)

Then there was no point in him hearing Maomao’s conjectures. Behind them, Chue made a victory sign. It seems the woman had already investigated.

“It seems Gyoku’en-dono’s wife was greatly useful in his business. However, it’s not like how Maomao is thinking.”

“W-what do you mean?”

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Maomao thought about Gyoku’ou’s mother’s age. No matter how young she is, she would have had to have been born when the Wind-reader tribe was hunted by slave traders.

“Gyoku’en-dono’s former wife was a slave. It seems Gyoku’en-dono bought her when she was sold in Sha’ou to be a maid.”

(Relative, she said.)

There was no mistaking the girl was part of the same tribe. However, Gyoku’en’s wife would then be part of the destroyed side, thus changing the story.

“I would be rude to ask about a deceased person’s past…position-wise. This is what’s known from prior investigations.”

(Prior investigations, you say. So you already know about it.)

Chue got cocky, again with that sh*t-eating grin, but froze when her mother-in-law noticed and watched her with raptor eyes.

“About this matter, try not to leak it to other people.”

“Understood,” Maomao said.

(A slave in Sha’ou.)

The son of a slave now the lord of the western capital would raise issues. Where did Chue uncover such a fact of absolute secrecy?

“The lady’s character was fine. I heard she was a gentle, intelligent woman.”

“Is that so?”

Then there’s no need to touch on this subject anymore, Maomao thought, but there was one thing she had to confirm. “Is it okay if we slightly diverge from the topic of the Wind-reader tribe?”

“What is it?”

“It’s about the case when Rikuson visited the village to scout.”

“…about that huh.” Jinshi looked up from the side. Seems like he was thinking. “I also investigated Rikuson. I also know that he had gone on an agricultural inspection. Apparently he couldn’t really go as he was busy with work in the western capital. It was originally a matter from the capital.”

Maomao tilted her head. “Originally?”

She found it a little fishy.

“Yeah. In the report on Isei Province, large farming damages weren’t seen. However, we can’t be relieved unless we see the actual thing. So Rikuson picked up the baton.”

“…is that true?”

“Why are you distrusting?”

“No, just a feeling.”

When she arrived at the Western capital, his get-up wasn’t really clean. Had Maomao been deeply suspicious of him, thinking that he had done something to be guilty about?

“Chue-san will explain the reason for his bad get-up.” The woman huffed out of her nose. It seems she also referred to herself as Chue-san before Jinshi.

“Chue.” The raptor glared at the (extremely bold) little bird. “Alright? Say it.”

“Understood. Chue-san already investigated. On the way back, Rikuson-san had been pursued by robbers. Maomao-san would know. It’s those robbers. The poor robbers whose arms got broken by Basen-san.”

“Yes. I remember,” Maomao said.

(Chue-san had used me as bait.)

“Yes. We caught a couple of robbers and a few hours later took them away. In addition, we also caught the boss afterwards. The informant confessed. Also, one of the guides was the person who guided Rikuson to the farming village a few days ago too.”

Summarising Chue’s words, the guide passed information about the visitors to the robbers, and the robbers attacked the visitors who were not familiar with the grasslands. And the reason Maomao’s group and Rikuson were attacked by robbers was that the same guide led them over.

“Chue-san’s group was truly attacked out of nowhere–”

(Oi, don’t lie.)

“The matter with Rikuson-san seems to be an attack the guide and someone else led over.”

“Was the inspection to the farming village a hindrance?”

“That could be a possibility, or it might just have been a simple threat. Or it might be to look like they’ve been defeated to dress up as the victim; Chue-san hasn’t thought about that part.”

Chue was oddly skilled at drawing the line. Even though she was speaking the truth, she didn’t bring up her opinion.

(You used me as bait though.)

Maomao felt a little resentful.

“Got it.” Jinshi gestured for her to withdraw. Chue straightened her posture and bowed.

(From the looks of it,)

It felt like Jinshi hadn’t completely grasped the type of person Rikuson was. At least, from what Maomao heard, he seemed like a man devoted to his professional duties though.

Jinshi drank tea to consolidate the information. Maomao also drank the mostly cooled tea.

(I don’t feel like eating sweet food now though.)

When Maomao thought about wanting to eat something salty, a tub of snacks was placed next to her. It seems Suiren had placed it; she winked. Inside were simple rice crackers.

“It’s dull to indulge in snacks alone, so join me at it,” Jinshi said, snack in hand.

“In that case, excuse me.”

Maomao ate it with an audible crunch. She wondered if it was rude, but the salty crackers were tasty.

(They’ll wrap it up for me later.)

She also wanted the cookies as a souvenir for the quack doctor.

(But there’s Tenyuu.)

If it’s the quack doctor, she could gloss over it, but how could she do that with Tenyuu? It’s better to check with it once, Maomao thought.

“May I ask a question?” she asked.

“What is it?” Jinshi smiled widely.

“It’s about the new court physician Tenyuu. What should I say about my position? If I come here frequently, I don’t think I can keep deceiving him like I do with the q– court physician-sama.”

“…that’s true. About that…”

There was a pause in Jinshi’s reaction.

“Tell him that you worked to learn good manners, so you’re acquainted from before. Rest assured,” Suiren answered with a bright smile.

“Learn good manners…” Maomao said.

“Yes. On the whole, it’s not a lie.”

“Umm, that’s true but…”

It was honestly an unpleasant way of calling it for Maomao. Learning good manners by serving elegant people, were, for the most part, a part of bridal training.

“It’s not a lie,” Suiren said again smilingly.

Feeling uncomfortable, Maomao nibbled on another cracker.

- my thoughts:
Yes, Maomao. It's not a lie. :) Anyway triple release today cause I'm on a caffeine high. Too much tea (;D) can do that to you. Enjoy!
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