さんを宮妓にして連れて来たのって......」
雨妹が皆まで口にすることなく、杜があっさりと暴露する。
己の想像が当たった雨妹は、納得感しかない。
雨妹に聞かれた杜は昔を思い出したのか、「あの時はなぁ」とため息を吐いた。
「徐をもっと早く助けてやれなんだのが悔やまれる。
杜が当時の状況をそう語る。
――なるほど、時期が悪すぎたのか。
しかし皇帝ともあろう人が、そうそう都合よく他人の不幸に合わせて暇ができて、偶然通りかかれるわけではない。
「それで杜様、今日は私に刑部での話を聞くために来られたのですか?」
雨妹は改めて尋ねるが、それであればわざわざここまで来ずとも、刑部からの報告を待てば良い話だ。
それか、きっと密偵のような人が情報を集めているはずで、それを聞けば良い。
だが、わざわざここまで来たということは、雨妹でなければならない用事があるのだろう。
そう考えて問うた雨妹に、杜がニコリを笑みを浮かべる。
「いやいや、それだけではなくてな、知りたいことがあったのよ。
そして尋ねられたのは、徐の体調についてであった。
――そう言えば、そもそも始まりは徐さんの風湿病のことだったんだよね。
それがここまで大事になってしまっているが、雨妹はもちろん病気について忘れてはいない。
「結果を言うと、徐さんに出ている風湿病の症状は、軽度ではないかと思われます。
この雨妹の説明に、杜が「ふむ」と顎を撫でる。
「確かにあれ程巧みな琵琶師であれば、常人と違った感覚に悩まされるものかもしれんなぁ」
そしてしみじみと頷く杜に、雨妹は聞かずにはいられない。
興味津々な雨妹に、杜は「ほう、気になるか」と口の端を上げる。
「徐子の琵琶の音色を聴いてしまったら、もう他の琵琶師の演奏が児戯に聴こえるだろうよ。
「音楽に愛された、ですか!」
それはなんと心をくすぐる表現だろうか。
―― 俄然、徐さんの琵琶を聞きたくなってきた!
やる気だけは本人次第ですが、応援は全力でやります!」
「うむうむ、人間己の欲望に素直が一番!
二人して話が合って、妙に気分が盛り上がってしまう。
「......なんだろう、根本が似ているのかねぇ」
"Ahm, there's something that's really bothering me. I heard that Lord Du was the one who brought her here to be a palace courtesan..."
Yui Mei didn't have to say everything; Du already exposed himself.
Yui Mei's conjecture was proven to be true, so of course she was satisfied.
Du then continued on, sighing as he reminisced about the past that Yui Mei asked about.
"Back then, I really regretted the fact that I didn't save her earlier. It was a period of turmoil, and it was only later that I knew about her situation. By the time I noticed it, it was already after Xu's lover went to the borderland's warzone."
Du explained the circumstances of that time.
'I see, so the timing had been pretty bad then.'
However, there was no way such an esteemed person as an emperor would be idle enough that he would have time right when somebody else fell into misfortune. Such an opportunism only existed in dramas.
"Does that mean the reason Lord Du came here today is to inquire about what happened at the penitentiary?"
Yui Mei asked once again, but even so, she couldn't help but think that he didn't have to go out of his way to come here; he could've waited for the report from the Ministry of Justice.
Else, there was surely somebody acting as his private investigator in secret, so he could have listened to that person's report.
However, the fact that he came all the way here meant that he had a business that needed Yui Mei's cooperation.
Such thoughts ran through Yui Mei's mind, and Du grinned at her.
"No, no, that's not the only reason I came here. I also have something I want to know. I heard that you're familiar with the cause of Xu Zi's condition. So, how is it, do you think she can play the lute again?"
The matter that he inquired about was regarding Xu's condition, in the end.
'Oh right, come to think of it, we started with Miss Xu's rheumatism.'
It had turned into a serious matter, but it didn't mean that Yui Mei forgot about the disease.
"If we're considering her condition, then I can say that the degree of fengshi she's suffering is quite light. It won't hinder normal people's day to day lives, but Xu is a musician. For an artist who uses her fingers in a delicate manner, it must have been quite a blow to learn that she couldn't move her fingers as she wished. Wouldn't she be depressed because of it?"
Du rubbed his chin when he heard Yui Mei's explanation.
"Hmm, indeed, such an adroit lute player as her would probably be worried about sensations that are different from normal folks."
Du earnestly nodded his head in agreement, so Yui Mei couldn't help but pose another question.
Yui Mei was obviously interested, so Du smiled.
"Hoh, so you're curious about it. It's like this. Once you hear Xu play the lute, the musical performances of others will become like mere child's play. Xu is a woman beloved by music, I warrant."
"Beloved by music!"
What a flattering remark.
'I suddenly want to hear Miss Xu play!'
"I will do anything in order to hear Miss Xu play! Of course it's still up to the person herself, but I will do everything I can to support her!"
"Yes, yes, it's best to be frank about one's ambitions! Of course, greed that causes trouble for others would only destroy oneself, but it's not good to overly suppress yourself."
The two of them were getting strangely excited as their opinions coincided.
"...How strange, is it because they have similar principles?"
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