130話 宮妓の女
宮妓とは、後宮で働く
妓女というのは、雨妹的には前世で言うところの遊女――歌舞をしたり寝所で客をもてなしたりが仕事の女たちと印象が似ている。
妓女になるのは罪人であったり、借金のかたに売られたりした女で、このあたりも同様だろう。
けれど遊女と妓女の違いは、芸能の道を歩む女も含まれる、ということだ。
歌い手や楽師、役者の女たちも、また妓女なのである。
などは雑な身分の括りだなと思ってしまう。
そして民間の妓女は寝所働きが主だったりするが、宮妓となるとそのようなことはせず、純粋に歌や楽器、踊りで宴席を盛り上げるのが仕事である。
――まあ、後宮で寝所っていうと、皇帝や太子なんかの寝所になるものね。
そのようなことを、皇后が許すはずがない。
宮妓が後宮入りするのは、戦で負けた御家の女が罪人として入る場合と、諸侯から贈り物扱いで入る場合とがある。
宮妓は宮女や女官のような出世をしないが、それでも後宮に生きる女であることには違いなく、皇帝の目に留まれば后妃になり得る。
そんな宮女や女官とは立場が微妙に違うのが、宮妓だ。
その宮妓が、何故かごみ焼き場にいた。
年の頃が二十代後半か三十代くらいだろうか?
ごみを焼くわけではなく、ごみ捨て場を囲む塀の隅の方でただボーッと宙を見て座り込んでいる。
――なにをしているんだろう?
雨妹としても気になるけれども、今は持っている落ち葉を燃やすことが先だ。
背負った落ち葉の入った籠を「よいしょ」と降ろすと、燃え跡のある場所にひっくり返して落ち葉をこんもりとさせ、焼き場に置いてある火打石で手早く火をつければ準備は完了だ。
まずは落ち葉が燃えてしまうのを待つ。カラカラに乾いた葉ばかりであるので、棒でかき混ぜながら待てばあっという間に灰になる。
そのまだ燃えたてホヤホヤの灰の中に甘藷を入れて、この灰の熱で甘藷が芯までホカホカになるのを待つだけだ。
――ふっふっふ~ん♪
この美味しいものができるまでの時間も、美味しくするために大事なものだ。
焼き芋のためなら、雨妹は冷たい風に吹かれることだってへっちゃらだ。
次第に甘藷の甘い香りが灰の中から香って来ると、雨妹は口の中に唾液が溜まってくる。
「......いい匂い」
すると、雨妹の中で景色と同化していたあの宮妓が、そう呟いたのが聞こえた。
――出来上がりそうになってそんなこと言ったって、あげないからね!?
食い意地が張っていると言うことなかれ、寒いとお腹が空くのだ。
いや、夏だって暑いとお腹が空くと言っていた気もするか。
要するに、年中お腹が空いている成長期なのだ。
ただ純粋に、香った匂いの感想を述べただけなのだろうか?
それ以降彼女がなにも言わないので、雨妹はまた焼き芋に意識を戻す。
「お、いい焼き具合♪」
棒で突いて探れば、いい感じなホクホクに焼き上がっていた。
雨妹は灰をどけて焼き芋を拾い上げ、「アチチ」と言いながら焼き芋を持っていた布に包んで、さあ食べようとなった時。
雨妹はなんとなく、景色なあの宮妓が気になってしまった。
――あの人、どうしてこんなところにいるんだろう?
こんな、誰も来ない淋しい場所に一人でいて、なにをするわけでもなくボーッとしているその様子が、どうしても視界に引っかかってしまう。
こんなにモヤモヤした気持ちでいると、美味しい焼き芋に集中できないではないか。
というわけで、雨妹はその宮妓に歩み寄ると。
「あの、食べますか?」
彼女に三分の一に割った焼き芋を差し出した。
半分に割らなかったのは、この焼き芋をそもそも用意して焼いたのは自分なのだし、だから多めに食べても別に後ろめたく思うことはないからだ。
つまり、食い意地が勝った結果である。
彼女はそこで初めて、雨妹と目を合わせた。
どこか、どんよりとした暗さを感じさせる目だ。
――なんか、気になる目をする人だな......。
雨妹が微かに眉を寄せていると、彼女は細い腕を伸ばして、焼き芋に袖の布越しの手で触れる。
「......温かい」
掠れた低めの声が彼女の口から漏れた。
「焼き立てですから」
雨妹は当然だとばかりにそう返した。
Chapter 130
Court courtesans were women working as entertainers in the palace.
They were similar to the geisha in Yui Mei's previous world who entertained guys by singing and dancing and even accepted male customers for the night.
And just like geisha, the people who become courtesans were criminals or women who were sold as collaterals for debt.
However, the difference between a harlot and a courtesan was that the latter also included those proficient in the performing arts.
Even the singers, master musicians and actresses were referred to as courtesans.
People like Yui Mei thought it was such a crude way of classifying people because of this point.
And while commoner courtesans mainly worked in bedchambers, court courtesans were not employed for such purposes, and their job was purely to liven up banquets with their singing, dancing and performances with musical instruments.
'Well, the Inner Palace can be considered as the emperor and the crown prince's bedroom, after all.'
There was no way the empress would allow that.
Women enter the Inner Palace as court courtesans either because they became criminals after their families lost in the war, or when they were sent as gifts from the lords.
Court courtesans didn't serve and work in the same way as court ladies and maids, but they didn't differ from the other women living in the Inner Palace in that they could also become concubines if the emperor fancied them.
They had a slightly different status than the court ladies and the maids.
And for some reason, one such court courtesan was currently here, at the trash burning site.
She was probably around 25 to 30 years old.
She wasn't here to burn trash; she was just sitting in the corner of the fence, staring blankly into space while surrounded by trash.
'What is she doing?'
Yui Mei was bothered about her, but she had to burn the fallen leaves she was carrying first.
She lowered the basket she was carrying behind her back then turned it over the burnt spot and covered that place with the dry leaves. She promptly set it on fire using the flint in the burning site, and her preps were done.
She waited until all the leaves were burned. The leaves were very dry, so she just had to poke and stir them with a stick and they turned to ashes soon enough.
She placed the sweet potatoes among the ashes from the freshly burnt leaves. All she had to do now was to wait for the heat from the ashes to warm the sweet potatoes down to its core.
'Hum, hum, hum~ '
Time was also of essence in the pursuit of deliciousness, in order to make tasty food.
Yui Mei could brave the cold wind blowing on her, all for the sake of baked sweet potatoes.
.She couldn't help but drool when the sweet smell of sweet potatoes wafted from the midst of the ashes.
"So fragrant."
Suddenly, the courtesan that had already become part of the scenery in Yui Mei's eyes mumbled.
'It's almost done, so even if you say that, I won't give you any!'
It wasn't because of gluttony, but because the coldness made her stomach rumble.
No, apparently, she also said that summer was hot so it made her hungry.
She was in her growth period, so she was hungry all year round.
Did she simply express her thoughts about the fragrant smell?
The woman didn't open her mouth again, so Yui Mei turned her attention towards the freshly baked sweet potatoes.
"Oh goody, it's perfectly done!" 
She used the stick to grope around the ashes, and discovered that they were nicely done.
Yui Mei pushed the ashes away, then she picked the freshly baked potato with a cloth, while saying "hot, hot". She was about to sink her teeth in, when --
Yui Mei was bothered about the courtesan who had melted into the scenery.
'What on earth happened, and why is she here?'
She was all alone in this solitary place that people didn't frequent, and she didn't even do anything but just stare into space. Her current plight couldn't help but attract the gazes of those around her.
Yui Mei couldn't concentrate on the tasty sweet potato while someone was being all gloomy beside her.
And so, Yui Mei approached that court courtesan.
"Ahm, would you like to have some?"
She offered one-third of the baked sweet potato to her.
Yui Mei didn't divide the sweet potato in half because of a simple reason. She felt that she was justified even if she took the bigger portion, since she was also the one who prepared and baked it.
In short, gluttony won.
The woman met Yui Mei's eyes for the first time.
She had that forlorn, pitiful eyes that could make you feel gloomy.
"...she got quite a pair of bothersome eyes."
Yui Mei's brows shot up slightly. The girl stretched her thin arm and touched the cloth wrapping the baked potato with her hand that was barely peeking out of her sleeve.
"... warm."
A hoarse voice spilled that out of her mouth.
"It's because it's freshly baked."
Yui Mei replied, as if it was natural.
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