45話 大偉皇子
そしてここへ至るまでのいきさつを簡単に話されたのだが。
「まぁ可哀想に、さぞ怖かったことでしょうね」
衣服の上からだとわからないが、彼女の意外と豊満な胸に顔が押し付けられる形になり、少々息苦しい。
「待ってなさいな、鏡と櫛を持って来るから!」
――別に私、今のままでも困らないんだけどなぁ。
そして太子を放って行ってしまったが、いいのだろうか?
「どうやら話を聞く必要があるようだから、部屋へ行こうか」
この様子だと、どうやらお茶どころではなくなったようだ。
こうして移動した太子宮の一室で、雨妹は改めて先程の事の顛末を語ることとなった。
皇子に遭遇し、お茶に呼ばれていたことを話す。
これを聞いて太子が「そうか」と頷く。
太子は友仁皇子が皇太后にいじめられていないか、心配していたらしい。
「野遊びみたいで楽しそうでしたよ? お饅頭を貰っちゃいました」
そうしてお茶に呼ばれた後の帰り道の途中で、
なんでも立彬は、太子の願いで雨妹を呼びに行ったところ、その雨妹を探す楊おばさんと出くわしたらしい。
同じ場所に配置された宮女から、「雨妹は手洗いに行った」と聞いていたから、厠所の周辺を探そうとしていたという。
雨妹と立彬の話を聞いた太子は、深く息を吐いた。
「災難だったね、まさか大偉が来ていたとは知らなかった。
おばさんが通ってくれて助かりました、そうでなかったらどうなったか......」
労わるように言う太子に、雨妹はあの気持ち悪い頬擦りを思い出して、一瞬ブルリと震える。
今回は楊おばさんの存在に救われたものの、あのまま大偉皇子と二人きりであれば、きっと雨妹は髪を取られて泣き寝入りしていたに違いない。
想像するだけでも恐ろしい事態である。
変わった皇子殿下がいらっしゃるのなら、私もウロウロしませんでしたよ」
なんと言っても、揉めた相手は皇子なのだ。宮女と皇子では持ち得る力の差が歴然としている。
雨妹がたとえ髪を切られたと訴えても、相手が「そんなことは知らない」と言えばそちらの意見が通るだろう。
雨妹たち宮女の身が守られるのは、あくまで証拠が揃っている場合なのだ。
なのでそんな危ない皇子がいるのだったら、前もって教えて置いて欲しかった。
「まあ、変態呼ばわりも仕方ないことをしたようだから、気持ちはわかるよ。
決して知らぬふりをしていたわけではないという太子の言葉に、雨妹も少し冷静になった頭で考える。
――確かに、皆があれだけ皇子の話をしていたのに、聞いていないとか変かも。
毎日の皇子の噂話の中で、誰からもあんな危ない皇子の噂を聞いていない。
あんな人の髪を問答無用で切ろうとする男を、無警戒だなんておかしいだろう。
「うーむ」と考え込む雨妹に、太子が大偉皇子について教えてくれた。
皇后の皇子の噂は雨妹も聞いたことがある。
皇后がわが子を太子にするために様々な働きかけをしたが叶わず、つい昨年成人を迎えて、後宮を出されてしまったという話だったはず。
母や祖母と面会を繰り返し、自分の方が太子に相応しいと主張するのが、正しい対抗馬の在り方ではなかろうか。
首を捻る雨妹に、太子が続ける。
「大偉には皇后陛下が不貞を働いた末に生まれた子ではないか、という噂があるんだ」
――ああ、ドラマでもよくある、ドロドロ展開の典型的お約束ね。
皇帝の子を持つことが身分を保証する後宮において、子種を余所の男に求めることは、日本と違ってDNA鑑定など存在しないこの国では、バレなければ通用する裏技である。
けれど子供が皇帝に似ず、違う男に似てくれば、当然疑われるだろう。
しかも後宮に近寄れる男は数が知れているもの。
なので安易かつ危険な裏技といえよう。
Chapter 45
He then briefly explained what happened.
"Oh my, poor thing, you must have been very scared."
She hugged Yui Mei tightly in her indignation. Her ample chest wasn't obvious from her clothes; it was hard to breathe being pushed to her bosom.
"Wait here, I'll go get a mirror and a comb first!"
'I'm not worried about it, though~'
And was it really fine leaving the crown prince just like that?
"I think I need to talk to you, so let's go to the room first, shall we?"
It was no longer the time to relax with tea.
Yui Mei then recounted the details of the event once again in the crown prince's room.
She encountered Imperial Prince Youren on her way back from the privy, and she was invited to join them for tea.
The crown prince nodded and said 'I see' after hearing about this.
The crown prince seemed worried whether Imperial Prince Youren was bullied by the empress dowager.
"It was fun, and they looked like they were having a picnic, you know? I also got some manju from them."
She then explained that she was on her way home from having tea when the encounter with Imperial Prince Dawei happened.
Because Libin came to call Yui Mei under the order of the crown prince, Aunty Yang had to go find her, apparently.
The court lady stationed at the same place told her that 'Yui Mei went to the washroom' so she went to search within the privy's vicinity.
The crown prince sighed deeply after hearing Yui Mei and Libin's story.
"What a disaster, I didn't know Dawei would come unexpectedly. I heard he didn't participate in the Cherry Blossom Viewing Banquet, so I was surprised."
"Aunty Yang came so I was saved, if that was not the case then...."
With the crown prince's grateful tone, a shiver ran down Yui Mei's spine as she recalled how revolting it was when he rubbed her hair on his cheek.
She was saved thanks to Aunty Yang, but if she had been alone with that Imperial Prince Dawei, Yui Mei was certain that she could only accept that her hair was taken.
Just imagining it was already dreadful enough.
"If I knew that perv...no, I mean, peculiar Imperial Prince came, I wouldn't wander about."
Regardless, the person she fought with was an imperial prince. It was already clear who had the upper hand between a court lady and an imperial prince.
Even if Yui Mei appealed that her hair was cut, if he said 'I don't know anything about that' then of course his opinion would be favored.
Court ladies like Yui Mei could protect themselves if evidence was complete.
That was why she would've appreciated it if they were told that there was such a dangerous imperial prince beforehand.
"Well, it can't be helped if he's denounced as a pervert, so I understand how you feel. I thought Dawei wouldn't show his face because of various reasons, though. If I knew, I would've sent Libin to warn you."
Since the crown prince didn't wash his hands of the incident, Yui Mei also calmed down. She started to contemplate it.
'Yeah, everyone was talking about imperial princes, so it's weird that I didn't hear about him."
She never heard about that dangerous prince during the daily gossips about the imperial princes.
It was also strange that nobody was on guard about a person who would forcefully cut someone's hair.
Tthe crown prince explained more about Imperial Prince Dawei when he saw Yui Mei deep in thought.
Yui Mei also heard about the rumors surrounding the empress's imperial son.
The empress did various methods to instate her son as the crown prince; unfortunately, all her efforts were in vain, and he had to leave the Inner Palace eventually when he came of age.
A proper rival wouldn't visit his mother and grandmother repeatedly and assert that he was the one suitable to become the crown prince, though?
Yui Mei was still confused, so the crown prince continued.
"Rumors said that Dawei was born due to Her Majesty the Empress's unfaithfulness."
'Ahh, so it's a typical muddy situation frequently shown in dramas.'
It had been a popular trick to bear the offspring of a guy from somewhere else. It was due to the very nature of the Inner Palace; there was a guarantee that only the emperor could sire any children. There was no such thing as DNA testing in this country, unlike Japan, so it was a good cheat if they didn't get caught.
However, it was naturally suspicious if the child did not resemble the emperor, and instead looked like a different man.
Moreover, the number of men who could enter the Inner Palace was already known.
So suffice it to say that this trick was simple yet fraught with danger.
Housekeeper of the Hundred Blossom Palace
百花宮のお掃除係～転生した新米宮女、後宮のお悩み解決します。
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/housekeeper-of-the-hundred-blossom-palace/
Fantasy Romance Shoujo Slice of Life
Adapted to Manga Ancient China Complex Family Relationships Different Social Status Female Protagonist Imperial Harem Love Interest Falls in Love First Reincarnated in Another World Royalty
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n4104ev/
黒辺あゆみ