「放しなさいよ、放せぇ!」
部屋の外から、そんな女の金切り声が響いてきた。
が「なんだろう?」と外の様子に耳を澄ませていると、男が「クッ」と小さく嗤う。
そう告げる男を見て、雨妹は目を丸くした。
本命とは、つまり犯人ということだろうか?
雨妹が外の音を窺っていると、どうやら近くの部屋に押し込められているらしい物音が聞こえる。
男はそう言うと、飲んでいたお茶を卓に置いて立ち上がると、壁の方へ近づく。
なにをしているのかと雨妹が黙って見ていると、彼が壁をいじっていたところが、なんと一部外れて小さな覗き穴が現れたではないか。
「ファッ!?」
変な声が出た雨妹に、男は人差し指を口元に立てて見せる。
「あちらは掛け軸がかかっていて、この穴の存在は気付かれない」
そして小声でそう言うのに、雨妹はコクコクと頷く。
――わかりました、黙っていなきゃいけないんですね!
あちらの部屋も相当騒がしいようなので、幸い先程の雨妹の声は聞こえていないようだ。
あの覗き穴からなにが見えるのかと気になる雨妹は、ソワソワするが大人しく座っている。
ここは刑部であり、さすがの雨妹も野次馬根性の見せ場を間違ったりはしないのだ。
「......!」
呼ばれた雨妹は椅子を蹴立てそうになって慌てて椅子を手で押さえ、足音を立てないように忍び足で壁に近付く。
男が覗き穴を譲ったので、雨妹もそこを覗く。
確かに穴の向こうは掛け軸らしきものがかかっていて、そこに小さな穴が開いていて、上手く見えるようになっていた。
この掛け軸の向こう側にはなにが描かれているのか、雨妹はそれも気になる。
しかし、今気にするべきは見える景色の方だ。
「あの宮妓を知っているか?」
男に問われ、雨妹は首を横に振る。
「いいえ、というか私は宮妓の知り合いは徐さんだけで、教坊の掃除に入ったのも昨日が初めてだったんです」
雨妹はそう説明しながら、覗き穴の向こうの景色をよくよく見る。
あちらの部屋で刑部の者らしき男たちに囲まれている宮妓は、身に付けている衣服は豪奢なもので、おそらくは宮妓の中でも人気者の稼ぎ頭なのだろうと推測された。
だがその宮妓は、衣服の上からでもやせ細っているのが見て取れて、肌も青白く目が充血気味だ。
「あの女性はケシ汁の中毒、しかも重症患者ですね」
雨妹が思わず呟いたのを、男は聞いていたようだ。
「なるほど、末はああなるといういい見本ということだな」
「それにしても酷い臭いだ。
確かに、この小さな穴を通してでも異様に化粧臭い空気が流れてくる。
恐らくは香油や香を焚き込んだ香りだったりなどの、色々な匂いが混じっているのであろう。
――まあ、体臭対策をするとああなるかもね。
あのケシ汁の臭いに長時間接していると、当然あの臭いが香を焚き込むように衣服はもちろん、髪などにも沁みついているはずだ。
それは煙草の臭い同様に、どんなに清潔にしても簡単には消えない。
そうなってしまったら臭いをとるのは難しく、悪臭を消すためにはそれよりも強烈な匂いを身に付けるしかなくなる。
その結果、刺激臭で刺激臭を消すという悪循環に陥るのだ。
"Let go, I said let go!!"
A woman's shrill, piercing cry rang outside the room.
Yui Mei perked her ears while looking perplexed, and the man chuckled seeing her like that.
Yui Mei's eyes widened when she heard what the man said.
Likely winner -- was he referring euphemistically to the criminal?
She strained her ears, trying to listen in, when a thud resounded, as if something had been pushed inside the room.
The man remarked as he put the tea he had been drinking on the table. He then stood up and strode towards the wall.
Yui Mei silently watched him, inwardly wondering what he was up to, when the man suddenly groped the wall, and a small peeping hole appeared.
"Fuhaa!?"
Yui Mei let out a weird sound, so the man placed a finger to his lips and gestured for her to be quiet.
"There's a hanging scroll on the other side, so they won't notice the existence of this hole."
The man whispered and Yui Mei nodded like a chicken.
'Got it, got, I have to be quiet, then!'
The other side's room seemed to be boisterous, so it seemed that Yui Mei's gaffe wasn't heard earlier.
Yui Mei was curious what was going on on the other side, but she still meekly sat down even though she was fidgeting.
This was the penitentiary, after all, so she wouldn't mistakenly display her thirst for gossip.
"...!"
Yui Mei had almost toppled the chair in her haste to stand up, so she hurriedly catch it before it hit the floor. She then tiptoed towards the man, careful not to make a sound as she drew nearer to the wall.
The man let her peep into the hole.
True enough, there was a hanging scroll in front of the hole, but it also had a hole so they could see the view clearly.
It made Yui Mei curious about what was on the hanging scroll.
However, she must focus on the scene before her right now.
"Do you know that courtesan?"
The man asked, but Yui Mei shook her head in response.
"No, actually, the only courtesan I know is Miss Xu. I also started cleaning the Jiaofang yesterday."
Yui Mei explained while peering more intently at the scene beyond the hole.
The courtesan surrounded by the men of the Ministry of Justice was clad extravagantly, so she was probably the biggest earner among the courtesans.
Her hands were shaking, her eyes were darting around restlessly, and she looked terrified -- she was obviously acting suspiciously right from the get go.
"That woman's addicted to poppy juice, and it seems like she's a heavily sick patient."
Yui Mei unwittingly mumbled, but the man caught her whispers.
"I see, so that's a good example of what happens in the end, huh."
"Still, what a horrible stench. Is that the fragrance of incense? I can smell the pungent odor all the way over here."
Indeed, even if the hole was small, the strange aroma of cosmetics wafted to them.
It was probably a scent that was a mixture of pomade and incense and other assorted smells.
'Well,  that's what happens when you try to cover your body odor, I guess.'
If a person was exposed to poppy juice for a long time, the scent would resemble burning incense, and it would naturally permeate into the clothes as well as the hair.
And just like the smell of cigarettes, it wouldn't easily disappear no matter how much they cleaned their bodies.
Once that happened, it would be difficult to get rid of the stink, and the only way to erase the smell was to cover it with a stronger fragrance.
As a result, it would be a vicious cycle of using pungent odors to eliminate similarly pungent smells.
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