3話 お待ちかねの後宮
いよいよ宮城までやって来た。
中から木戸が開き、おばさんが現れた。
「ふん、全員健康な
「もちろん、それが一番の条件でさぁ」
ジロリと鋭い目つきで雨妹たちを品定めするおばさんに、おじさんがへこへこと頭を下げながら告げる。
「じゃあなお前ら、しっかり働けよ」
雨妹たちにそう声をかけたおじさんは、中身が重そうな袋を受け取ると、さっさと立ち去っていく。
「全員、ついておいで」
そして入ってまず目についたのは、白い土壁と木造の建物だった。
通りから見えた朱塗りの建物とは違う、要は普通の庶民の家だ。
洗濯物が干してあったりゴミのようなガラクタが散乱していたりと雑然としており、宮女であろう女たちが数人ウロウロしている。
そのまま集会所のような建物に連れて行かれ、まず行われたのはおばさんによる身体検査だ。
「全員、着ている物を全部脱ぎな」
後宮は皇帝の住まう場所。
そこに入るのに身体検査は必須だろう。
それ以外にも、処女であるか、性病などを持っていないかも調べるのだが。
雨妹は想定していたので覚悟を決めていたが、他の娘たちは泣きそうになっていた。
だがこの場に宦官がいないだけマシだと思う。
身体検査の後、色々と聞き取り確認していく。
年齢、健康状態などなどだ。
これらのことが済んだら、おばさんが宮女の仕事場を案内する。
台所や食堂、厠などの細々した場所の説明をして、最後に宮女の宿舎であろう家屋の大部屋に連れて行かれた。
「ここが今日からの、あんたたちの寝床だよ」
中は屏風で仕切られており、数人が寝ている息遣いが聞こえる。
夜勤の宮女たちだろうかと推測しつつ、おばさんに振り分けられた自分の場所に向かう。
雨妹は屏風で仕切られた空間に入り、概ね想定内だと頷く。
というベッドのようなものと、荷物を入れるのであろう竹で編まれた丸い箱があった。
ここだけが雨妹の自由な空間だ。
床几の上には、宮女のお仕着せが用意されていた。
――おお、木綿だ!
雨妹は与えられた木綿の服に感動する。
これまで生地と言えば麻布だったので、暑い時はいいが寒いと風を遮らなくて凍えてしまっていた。
重ね着しても風の通り具合はあまり変わらないので、寒さが厳しい時には毛皮を羽織って暖をとる。
前世での毛皮のコートなんていう洒落たものではなく、まさに動物の毛皮を剥いだものをそのまま羽織るのだ。
我ながらどこの盗賊かと思ったものである。
それが木綿の服を着ただけで、都会に来たという気分になった。
それは他の娘たちも同様のようで、屏風の向こうできゃあきゃあとはしゃぐ声がする。
田舎の事情というのは、どこも大して変わらないらしい。
全員荷物を置いて着替え終わると、再びおばさんの元に戻る。
大部屋なので貴重品などは置かずに身に着けておく必要があるだろうが、生憎雨妹には盗られそうなものは持っていない。
ただなにかに使うかと思い、荷物から布を二枚出して帯に挟み、集合場所へ向かう。
再び集まった雨妹たちに、おばさんが仕事を振り分ける。
「あんたたちの主な仕事は掃除と洗濯だ。しっかりやりな」
そう言って雨妹たちを洗濯組と掃除組にわけた。
洗濯と一言で言っても、後宮に暮らす人数は、宮女たちを含めれば千なんて軽く超える人数だろう。
恐らく一日中洗濯物と格闘する毎日に違いない。
それに偉い人が着る絹の衣なんかを触らせるなんて夢のまた夢で、まずは宮女たちの洗濯物を洗うところから始めるのだろう。
そして掃除については言わずもがな。
後宮の広さを考えると、軽く掃いて終わりなど考えるのは愚かというもの。
きっと体力との勝負に違いない。
「まあ最初だし、一応選ばせてやるよ。掃除と洗濯、どっちがいい?」
おばさんに希望を聞かれる。
「はい! 掃除がいいです!」
雨妹はすかさず掃除組を希望した。
せっかく後宮に来たのだ、出来るだけ行動範囲を広げたいではないか。
最初はそれこそ宮女の住まい周辺の掃除だろうが、認められればきっとお偉いさんがいるあたりの掃除に回してもらえるはず。
雨妹は好奇心を満たすためなら、労力を惜しまないのだ。
雨妹が意思表示をしたのに釣られたのか、他の娘たちもポツポツと希望を話し出す。
なにも言わずともおばさんが自動的に振り分けるのだろうが、自分の希望で就いた仕事の方が、本人もやる気が違うだろう。
「それじゃあ、それぞれの世話役から話を聞きな」
そう告げたおばさんに呼ばれて寄って来た数名の先輩宮女が、分かれた二組をそれぞれ連れて行く。
雨妹に宛がわれたのは、二十代の女だった。
「今は人手が足りないんだから、新人だからって楽できると思わないことね」
女は初っ端からそんな風に威圧的に言ってくるが、雨妹はムッとしたものの黙っておく。
こちらがなにも反応しなかったのが面白くないのか、女は鼻に皺を寄せて睨みつけると、箒と塵取りに雑巾が入った桶を放り投げる。
「ついてきて」
雨妹は地面に落ちた掃除道具を拾って、言われた通り付いて行く。
てっきり宮女の住まい周りの掃除かと思いきや、宮女の宿舎近くを離れて結構奥の方に連れて行かれる。
――っていうか、どこまでいくの?
そして到着したのは、妃嬪の住まいらしき建物だった。
「アンタはここの掃除だ。綺麗に磨き上げな」
それだけを言って、女は元来た道を戻って行く。
「誰の住まいだとか、細かい説明は無しかい」
一人残された雨妹は、女の姿が見えなくなったのを確認してぼやく。
ぱっと見、ちょっとお洒落な庶民の一軒家だが、窓にガラスが入れられているのが高級感を出している。
立地も宮女たちの区域に近い隅の方だし、後宮の妃でも比較的下位の妃嬪の住まいと見た。
だが人の姿がなく、現在は留守のようだ。
下位とはいえ、もしかしたら皇帝が来るかもしれない場所なのに、なんだか全体的に埃っぽい。
それに天井に蜘蛛の巣が見えるのだが。
今まで誰か掃除していたのだろうか。
とてもそうは思えないが。
「一人でこれを掃除しろと」
しかし現在時刻は昼をとうに過ぎているため、夕食までの時間はあまりない。
この国は基本一日二食だ。
なにせ暮らしは夜明けと共に起きて日暮と共に寝るのが普通。
夜を照らすのに電気の明かりなどなく、行灯やろうそくの明かりで夜を過ごすのが精々である。
だから一日の活動時間が現代日本よりも格段に短く、二食で事足りるのだ。
日本人的には、少し遅い午後のおやつくらいの時間に夕食を食べるので、昼を過ぎると夕食へのカウントダウンが始まっているというわけである。
なので、雨妹に与えられた掃除時間は短い。
「ようし、やってやろうじゃないの」
雨妹は困難に直面すると燃えるタイプであった。
Chapter 3
At last, they finally reached the Imperial Palace.
This must be where the Inner Palace was. The door opened from the inside, and a middle-aged woman appeared.
"Hmpf, you sure they are all in great health?"
"Of course, that is the most important requirement, after all."
The mister bowed his head servilely as the woman sharply assessed the girls.
"So long, you guys. Work properly."
The mister promptly scurried off after he received a hefty-looking bag from the woman.
"You all come with me.
The first thing they saw upon entering was the white earthen walls and the wooden building.
It was different from the vermilion-lacquered building they saw from the street back then. It looked like a house for an ordinary citizen.
Laundry was hung up, trash-looking objects were scattered around, and everything was a mess. A few women, who seemed to be court ladies, were wandering around restlessly.
Without breaking pace, they were taken into another building that looked like an assembly hall. They were first subjected to a physical examination according to the woman's instructions.
"All of you undress. Take off everything."
The emperor resided in the Inner Palace.
A physical examination was compulsory if one was to work there.
Aside from that, it was to verify whether they were virgins, and to ascertain that they did not have venereal diseases. For this reason, even the most private parts were examined carefully.
Yui Mei assumed this would happen, so she already prepared herself, but the rest of the girls were on the verge of tears.
At least, there were no eunuchs present in this place.
After the physical examination, their listening comprehension was tested.
They were asked questions such as their age and health condition, among other things.
After the interview, the woman toured them around their workplace.
She explained about various places in the building, including the kitchen, the dining hall, and the privy. Lastly, she took them to their lodging --  a huge room inside the house.
"This will be your sleeping quarters from now on."
Folding screens were used to create partitions. A few people were sleeping, and their soft breathing could be heard.
Yui Mei surmised that they must be the night shift court ladies. She headed towards her assigned place.
Yui Mei entered the space divided by the folding screen. Everything was within her expectations.
There was a wooden bed*, as well as a round basket woven out of bamboo for her things.
This was the only place where Yui Mei could be free. However, if she was promoted, then someday she could also have her own room.
The court lady uniform was prepared on top of the wooden bed.
'Oh, it's cotton!!'
Yui Mei was deeply moved by the cotton clothes.
She had been wearing clothes made from hemp. It was fine during the hot days, but she would be freezing in the cold, since hemp could not block the wind.
Layering did not help, so during the bitterly cold days, she would wear fur to keep warm.
They were nothing fancy like the coats in her previous world. She would skin the animal, and then she would wear it directly afterward.
She herself thought that she was like a bandit from some place.
The reality that she was in the capital hit her as she changed into the clothes made of cotton.
It seemed that the other girls also felt the same, and she could hear them squealing in delight beyond the screen.
The situation in the countryside didn't change that much, no matter where that may be.
She needed to return back to the woman's place after changing clothes and leaving all her possessions.
It was necessary that valuable possessions should be brought along instead of leaving them behind, as this was just a partitioned large room, but Yui Mei did not have anything worth stealing.
She just took two sheets of cloth and slipped it in her obi, with the thought that these might come in handy somehow.
After all the girls had gathered again, the woman started to assign their work.
"Your main job is to do the laundry and cleaning. Do it properly."
She would divide the girls into the laundry group and the cleaning group.
The number of people living in the Inner Palace would easily exceed a thousand if the court ladies were included.
To sum it up, it would probably be a job wherein they had to do laundry all day long --  every single day.
They first had to wash the clothes of the other court ladies.
As for cleaning, it needn't be said.
It would be foolish to assume that it could be accomplished just by lightly sweeping around, considering the sheer size of the Inner Palace.
It would definitely be a test of strength.
"Well, since this is just the beginning, I will let you choose. Cleaning or laundry, what will it be?"
Her wish was unwittingly granted by the woman.
"Yes! I want to do the cleaning!"
Yui Mei had immediately hoped that she would be assigned to the cleaning group
She finally came to the Inner Palace at great pains, so it was but natural that she would want her area of activity to be as wide as possible.
She would probably start with cleaning the court ladies' quarters and the surrounding areas around it, but if she was recognized, then it would be possible that she would be assigned to clean the areas around the dignitaries.
Yui Mei was willing to labor in order to satisfy her curiosity.
The other girls were drawn, too, after Yui Mei declared her intention, and they started to choose their jobs one after another.
The woman could have chosen to automatically divide them without saying anything. However, the motivation and attitude they would show towards their work were bound to be different if it was a job that they chose themselves.
"Alright. Now, listen to your respective supervisors."
With that, the senior court ladies that were summoned by the woman earlier led each of the separated groups away.
The one assigned to Yui Mei was a woman in her twenties.
"We're lacking manpower right now, so don't think you can have it easy just because you're a novice."
Yui Mei was irritated, but she didn't say anything.
The woman was not able to elicit any reaction from her, so finding it uninteresting, she wrinkled her nose and glared at her. She then flung the tub with the rag onto the broom and dustpan.
"Follow me."
Yui Mei picked up the cleaning paraphernalia that fell on the ground, and obediently followed her.
She had been certain that she would be cleaning the area near the court ladies' quarters. Contrary to her expectations, however, she was led further from the lodging house, and deeper into the palace.
'Wait, how far are we going?'
They arrived at a building that looked like it could be a concubine's residence.
"You will clean here. Make sure you polish it beautifully."
The woman left it at that, and she returned back the way they came.
"Won't you at least explain the details, like who's living here?"
Upon seeing that she was left all alone, Yui Mei grumbled.
At first glance the place looked like it was owned by a stylish commoner, but the glass windows gave it the air of luxury.
It was also located in a corner near the court ladies' domain, so even if it was owned by a concubine, her status should be relatively low.
However, not a single shadow could be seen, so the owner must have left.
Even if the owner was someone low-ranking, it was still a place where the emperor might come, yet it was very dusty for some reason.
She could also see some cobwebs high in the ceiling.
'Did anyone ever clean this place?'
It really didn't seem that way.
'Clean this alone' -- That must be the woman's intention when she left Yui Mei on her own.
However, it was already past noon, so there was not much time left until dinner.
This country basically had two meals in a day.
It was the norm for people to rise at daybreak, and retire at sunset.
They did not have any electricity to illuminate the night; at most, they could only make do with paper lanterns and candles to spend the night.
Compared to modern Japan, their activity period was much shorter; hence two meals would suffice.
Their dinner was around the time when Japanese people had their afternoon snacks. In other words, the countdown until dinner began at past noon.
That was the reason why Yui Mei's allotted time was short.
"Alright, let's do this!"
Yui Mei was the type of person who would become stronger when confronted with tribulations.
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