ORIGINAL STORY BY NATSU HYUUGA
Fengxian...
I want to be with the daughter she left behind.
That was all I wished for.
It can't be helped if she hates me.
Even so, I wanted her near me.
But I lost the game this time.
I'll let it go for now.
Speaking of, that man...
I can't forgive him.
He placed his hand on my daughter's shoulder three times during the match!
What should I do to get back at him?
So you're finally awake?
You're buying out one of our courtesans.
I'm sure you know that a couple of thousand silvers
just won't cut it.
Of course I do.
If 10,000 silvers aren't enough, I'll pay 20 or 30.
A hundred thousand may be too much.
I see. In that case,
hurry up and follow me.
Geez.
Even the Three Princesses are taking part?
I said pick whoever you like.
But they won't be cheap.
What should I do?
No matter how well-dressed the courtesan,
they only look like go pieces.
In that case, perhaps I should
pay back my debts to Meimei, who helped me out a lot.
Sir Lakan.
I have my pride as a courtesan.
If you desire me,
I will not hesitate to leave with you.
However,
I do hope you're choosing properly.
Meimei! Don't open that without my permission!
What are you doing!
Wait!
A flower that's beautiful even after it has wilted.
If that had any sort of message...
Could it be...?
Kitty cat, kitty cat
Cries out wondering where that child is
Where that child is
The little birds
Without knowing anything
Flew away far
Far up the sky
Kitty cat, kitty cat
Good night for now
Until tomorrow
What are you doing? This room is for sick patients!
Get out now!
Go choose a courtesan over there!
Yes.
I have to choose.
Listen to me!
I want this woman.
Don't be stupid!
You're the one who said that I could pick whoever I want.
I'll pay any price you say.
Be it 100,000, 200,000. Anything.
Don't be stupid!
Let's play go.
I see, that's your move?
Your moves are always so unexpected.
Now I know where Maomao gets it.
Big Sister!
If only you had been honest from the beginning...
Why didn't you tell him sooner?
I'll buy out this courtesan right here.
This woman,
who's as beautiful as balsam.
Basen was the one
who accompanied me in taking that man
to the Verdigris House.
I'm tired.
That conniving family...
That's Concubine Loulan.
She must have stayed behind after the garden party.
That man must be Concubine Loulan's father who pushed to get his daughter
into the rear palace.
But even so,
I wish he wouldn't make comments about a high official right here.
If anyone heard,
they would think I was a part of it.
He's still young, that one.
Hey.
Sir Jinshi is calling for you.
Good work today.
No, it was nothing.
-Oh no, you got so skinny! -I'm all right.
Here, Xiaomao. Eat up!
I'll bring you more!
I thought that you hated the Sir General.
Sir Jinshi.
I don't hate him.
From my end,
it's because of his great aim that I'm here today.
You had no other way of phrasing that?
I mean, it's true.
I don't know what you thought had happened,
but a courtesan can't get pregnant without consenting to it.
They have contraceptives and abortion pills,
and in the early stages, they can get abortions.
She gave birth to me because she wanted to.
I think he was the one who got tricked.
The Sir General was?
Women are cunning creatures.
If they can read the cycle of their blood flow, they can predict
generally when they're most likely to get pregnant.
If they're courtesans,
they can write letters to adjust the dates of the visit.
That's why she lost her mind
when her plot did not work out...
So much that she did not care about hurting herself.
And not only that,
she even sent the baby's pinky along with the letter.
Sir Jinshi.
That man
only spoke to you at your office, isn't that right?
Now that you mention it...
That man can't recognize people by their faces.
What do you mean?
He can recognize eye and mouth shapes,
but not all of them together.
He sees all faces as the same.
-That must be difficult for him. -Yes.
My adoptive father who told me about this said the same thing.
He's had a difficult time.
He has suffered for a long time because of his condition.
I see.
But, for some reason,
he can recognize me and my adoptive father by our faces.
Apparently, he's strangely obsessed with me for that reason.
Sir Jinshi, if that monocled face said,
"Call me Papa," what would you think?
-I'd want to shatter his glasses. -Right?
He wants to call himself a father,
but he's just a sperm donor.
Did that man realize the meaning of the dead rose?
If he didn't, that's none of my business.
I may dislike him, but I don't wish him ill will.
The only thing I thank him for, is me becoming Luomen's daughter.
You say that, but you looked like you hated him a lot.
You don't get it, do you, Sir Jinshi?
When I tried to stop the festivities,
I was helped by that man.
I'm sure he sensed that something was about to happen.
The Sir General did?
But he didn't know anything at the time.
He doesn't collect proof and build theories like me.
He senses fishy things when they're happening
and his senses are rarely wrong.
Frustratingly, he's very lazy and doesn't act on his own.
If that man had openly acted on his suspicions,
the elixir of immortality may have been in my hands
at this very moment!
I know that this is only jealousy.
That man is so talented that Old Man praises him so openly,
and yet,
he doesn't understand the talent he was blessed with!
We can't make him our friend,
but we shouldn't make him our enemy.
I understand.
What's wrong, sir?
Well... In this world,
there are no fathers who want to be hated by their children.
A few days after returning to the rear palace,
I received a small package from Big Sis Meimei.
Inside was a letter
explaining who bought out who,
and a beautiful piece of fabric.
Listen up, Maomao.
The day I'm bought out, you'll dance for me, won't you?
I wanted to see Big Sis Meimei off.
That courtesan who is
more beautiful than anyone.
I didn't know I still remembered all the steps.
Hey!
-What are you doing? -Sir Jinshi.
Why are you here?
I received a report that a strange woman was climbing the outer walls.
Of course I had to do something!
I thought no one could see me...
That was naive of me.
Don't make me work too hard.
You didn't need to come, Sir Jinshi.
You could've sent someone else.
A kind guard recognized your face
and came to speak with me first.
You think no one notices you,
but that's not true for other people.
-Remember that. -Yes, sir.
Now, it's my turn to ask the questions.
What were you doing?
In the pleasure district, whenever a courtesan is bought out,
the other courtesans dance to send her off.
-What is it? -Nothing.
I didn't know you could dance.
It was a part of my basic training.
I'm already hearing rumors.
About the eccentric buying out a courtesan.
I'm sure you have.
He also requested some days off.
He'll be taking a ten-day vacation.
He's causing so much burden on others.
My sister told me in a letter.
They'll be having a feast for seven days and seven nights.
I don't know how much money he paid to buy her out,
but from the number of those lamps,
it must have been an obscene price.
Even so,
the courtesan that was bought out never makes an appearance.
The allure behind the Verdigris House increases more and more.
Just as Grams planned, huh?
In the end,
who did Sir General end up buying out?
I have no idea.
I'm sure you know.
No matter how beautiful she was, she could never beat you, sir.
That's not an answer.
You didn't deny my comment though!
The woman he bought out
won't be in this world for much longer.
When I was at the brothel,
no one ever talked about the woman who gave birth to me.
I'm sure Grams made sure no one talked about her.
But talk like that
can spread around from the smallest of slips.
The fact that I'm the reason that the Verdigris House
almost shut down completely.
About the identity of the woman who,
embarrassed of her missing nose,
kept me far away.
That nightmare was something that happened in real life.
I have no memory of the woman as a mother.
All I have now is a deformed pinky.
It all has nothing to do with me.
I found happiness as Luomen's daughter.
-Sir Jinshi. -What is it?
Did you know that fingertips can grow back?
Don't say that now.
What are you doing?
My scar opened up again.
What are you saying?
I think my body got hot because I danced.
My sense of pain is dull, I think because of my drug experiments.
It's all right. I'll stitch it up now.
No!
Sir Jinshi. Let me stitch this.
Don't do it here!
Hey, Sir Jinshi...
Please let me down.
Your scar will get worse!
What if someone sees us?
It's too dark. No one will see.
And it's my second time carrying you like this.
Right. The day I passed out from my injuries...
Sir Jinshi.
I know this might not be the time,
but there's something I've been meaning to say to you.
What is it? You're being so formal.
It's something very important.
I have to say it to you.
Just say it out loud.
Sir Jinshi...
Please give me my calculus bovis.
Don't tell me you never had it!
Hey! Watch your manners!
Geez.
A head butt? So immature.
But it feels nicer to talk to him
when he's being a little immature.
Wow...
Maomao!
Sir Jinshi is here!
Yes, ma'am!
Excuse me.
Are you feeling well?
Yes. Everyone takes great care of me at the Jade Pavilion.
Did you need me for something?
It's nothing.
I just heard something interesting.
I have a favor to ask of you.
Oh, this again?
So, what should I do to assist you this time?
Maomao's story has only just begun.
What sorts of cases would she get mixed up in this time?
Subtitle translation by: Yukimi Ohashi