46話 嫌な縁もあったもので
そして皇后の場合、姦通の罪を犯した男は見つかったものの、そこで問題解決とはいかなかった。
、当時に美人の位にいた女が招き入れた人物であったと、皇太后の証言によって判断されてしまったのだ。
その美人が、皇后と同じ時期に丁度妊娠していたのもよくなかったのだろう。
彼女が後宮から追放されたことで、不貞疑惑は表面上では沈静化したらしいのだが。
――なんか、急に聞いたことのある話の流れになったんだけど。
は微妙な顔で聞いていた。
似たような内容の話を、自分は知っている。
それは果たして偶然か?
渋い顔をする雨妹を、太子がじっと見つめながら告げる。
「そのあおりを受けて後宮を追放されたのが、
――やっぱりか!
雨妹は思わず叫びそうになったのを寸でのところで堪える。
尼たちが語る母の物語そのままなので、聞いたことがあるのも道理だろう。
争う相手が皇后だなんて母が負けるわけだと、雨妹としても納得だ。
なんの後ろ盾もない女が、後宮で二番目に偉い女と喧嘩して、勝つ見込みなどあるはずがない。
心中複雑な雨妹を余所に、太子が語る。
「後宮を去る羽目になった張美人はもちろん哀れだが、残された皇子も順風満帆とはいかない。
――まあ、そうだろうね。
表立って言わなくなっただけで、影でヒソヒソと噂されてしまうのは当然だろう。
女たちにとっては格好のネタなのだから。
「不貞の皇子」という評判と常に共にあった
確かに子供の教育環境としては良くないだろう。
貧しくとも尼たちに守られて、自然の中で伸び伸びと育った雨妹と比べて、どちらが幸せな子供時代と言えるだろうか。
少なくとも雨妹はそんな環境は嫌だ。
「こうして多少捻くれたものの、普通に育っていると思っていた大偉だけどね。
「......それって、青っぽい髪の娘が好みだとか、そういう話じゃないんですよね?」
多少の同情心が芽生えかけていた雨妹だったが、大偉皇子から髪に頬擦りをされたことを思い出し、鳥肌を立てながら質問する。
「そのくらいだったら、可愛いものだったんだけどね。
――なにその切り裂き魔的犯行は!?
大偉皇子は青っぽい髪の蒐集とかをしていたのだろうか。
部屋に髪が飾られていたとしたら怖すぎる。
そこへ自分の髪が加わると想像するともっと怖い。
「皇帝陛下や皇太后陛下に叱られても、大偉は止めることがなかった。
――なるほどね、要するに大変な問題児だったわけだ。
国の官僚だって、そんな危ない男の妃に娘を差し出したくないだろう。
皇帝の息子が大偉しかいないならばともかく、他にもいるのだから。
そして大偉皇子が供も付けずにウロウロしていたのだって、誰かと一緒だと髪蒐集を止められるからだと推測される。
もしかして供を振り切ってあそこにいたのかもしれない。
あの時大偉皇子は、「噂に聞いた青い髪」と言っていた。
誰かに青い髪の宮女の噂を聞かされ、急遽花の宴に参加したと考えるのは、果たして雨妹の自意識過剰だろうか?
というかそもそもだが、大偉皇子が青い髪好きなのは母のせいではない、と思いたいのだが。
自分の出生時のゴタゴタを聞かされた大偉皇子が、張美人について興味を持っても不思議ではない。
母が後宮を出た頃の大偉皇子は、年齢からするとまだ生まれて間もなかったわけで。
その容姿が記憶にあるはずもないが、噂話で聞いた容姿が記憶に深く残ったのだろうか。
「とにかく、大偉は花の宴が終われば出て行くのだから、それまで気を付けるんだよ?」
「はぁ、わかりました」
太子からの忠告に、雨妹も素直に頷いた。
「ほら、蒸しパンもお食べ」
こうしてしばしモグモグしていると、太子がふと呟くのが聞こえた。
Chapter 46
In the empress's case, the adulterer man got caught, so they had to solve the problem that arose.
The empress dowager declared that it was not the empress who summoned him, but a particular woman with the status of a beauty, and her testimony became the truth.
That beauty also conceived around the same time as the empress, and this became her misfortune.
She bore the brunt of it and was driven away from the Inner Palace, and the allegations against the empress's adultery subsided on the surface.
'Somehow, I feel I heard this story already, though.'
Yui Mei's expression was complicated at this point as she listened.
She knew the details of this familiar story.
Was this a coincidence, perhaps?
The crown prince stared at her puckered face as he stated his next words.
"The beauty who was chased out of the Inner Palace was a person called Lady Zhang."
'I knew it!'
Yui Mei almost screamed out, but she caught herself in time and tried to refrain from doing so.
It was exactly as the nuns had said, so logically, she already heard about this before.
For Yui Mei, her mother losing against the empress was a no-brainer.
She did not have a backing, yet she fought with the woman who had the second highest status in the Inner Palace- of course she did not stand a chance.
The crown prince continued on, indifferent to Yui Mei's inward turmoil.
"Lady Zhang was pitiful for having to leave the Inner Palace, but the imperial prince who was left behind was also in a pathetic state. On the surface, misgivings about his birth ceased, but a rumor remains forever."
'Well, that's also true.'
They wouldn't say it to his face, but it was only natural that people would talk about him behind closed doors.
For women, it was a good material for gossip after all.
Without anyone knowing how it started, Imperial Prince Dawei became twisted after bearing the reputation of 'bastard imperial prince' for so long.
Indeed, that kind of environment was not suitable for a child.
Between him and Yui Mei, who grew up surrounded by nature while being protected by the nuns despite being poor, who had a fortunate childhood?
At the very least, Yui Mei despised that kind of environment.
"Although he did become a little bit twisted, we all thought that Dawei still grew up normally. Then a problem manifested itself when he became an adult. He became extremely obsessed with bluish hair."
"...Do tell me, I pray, does that mean he prefers maidens with bluish hair?"
Sympathy started to sprout within Yui Mei's heart, but when she recalled how Imperial Prince Dawei rubbed her hair on his cheeks, goosebumps rose all over her skin as she asked.
"If only that was it, then it would have been cute. However, he would cut the hair of women whose hair had a bluish hue under the light. During those days, he would ambush them in dark places and cut their hair, much like a random attacker, causing a lot of damage. It became a huge  problem when they discovered that it was Dawei's doing."
'What's with that malicious 'cutting' crime!?'
Was Imperial Prince Dawei collecting blue-tinged hair?
It would be horrendous if he kept that in a room.
But it would be more terrifying if her hair was also mixed in there.
"Dawei did not stop despite being rebuked by His Majesty the Emperor and Her Majesty the Empress Dowager. He was nearly under house-arrest at the palace of the Empress, and he was sent out of the Inner Palace the moment he came of age. To be honest, the court ladies and the maids were relieved, so they said."
'I see, in short, he was an awfully problematic child.'
No government official would dare send his daughter as a concubine to such a dangerous guy.
It would be a different story if the emperor only had Dawei as his son; however, there were others.
He was wandering alone, perhaps to avoid being stopped during his hair collection excursion.
Maybe he even shook his attendant off, that's why he was here.
At that time, Imperial Prince Dawei said 'bluish hair according to the rumors.
Was Yui Mei being excessively self-conscious for thinking that he purposely attended the Cherry Blossom Viewing Banquet because he heard from someone about the court lady with the blue hair.
She was hoping his obsession with azure hair wasn't because of her mother, though.
It was not surprising if Imperial Prince Dawei held interest regarding Lady Zhang after hearing the messy stories about his birth.
Counting his age, he had just been born when her mother was kicked out of the Inner Palace.
He did not see her with his own eyes, but the rumors he heard must've left a deep impression on him.
"Anyway, Dawei will leave once the Cherry Blossom Viewing Banquet is over, so until then, be more careful, alright?"
"Yes, understood."
Yui Mei frankly nodded after hearing the crown prince's warning.
"Here, have some mushipan."
After munching for a short while, she heard the crown prince's whisper.
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