120話 宦官、杜
現れた男が皇帝なのか、それともそっくりな宦官なのか?
どちらともわからない雨妹は、答えを探ろうと楊をちらりと見やるが、その楊は顔を余所に向けていて目が合わない。
――楊おばさぁん、助けてくれないの!?
雨妹がすがるような目を楊に向けていると、宦官が「ウォッホン!」と咳ばらいをする。
そう言いながら、ニコリと笑って友好的な雰囲気であった。
雨妹は皇帝の渋い声しか聞いたことがないが、偉そうにせずに明るく朗らかに話すとこういう声になるのかもしれない、という気がする。
どれほど考えても答えが出ない以上、ここで裏読みをしても仕方ないのではなかろうか?
少なくとも、例え皇帝本人だとしても、宦官の格好をしてこうしてやって来たのだ。
ならばどれほど怪しいとしても宦官なのだ。
よく考えると、それは立彬と同じである。
――そっか、そうだよね!
そう考えたとたんに、雨妹は気持ちが軽くなった。
この人は宦官で、髭を生やしたら皇帝陛下のソックリさんな人。
そういう体で話をしても、雨妹が叱られることはないのだ。
雨妹は自分の中で答えが出たところで、深呼吸をして気持ちを落ち着かせる。
「はい、明様になにがあってああなったのか、知りたいです」
「そなたは、かつてここ百花宮から辺境の尼寺へ追放された美人がいたことを、聞き知っているかな?」
「......! はい、なんとなくですが聞いています」
冒頭からずばり母についての話をされ、雨妹はドキッとしながらも頷く。
「その明はな、皇帝......陛下より直々に頼まれ、その美人を辺境の尼寺まで送り届ける役目を負った男であるのよ」
「そうなんですか!?」
雨妹にも初耳の話が出て、思わず大きな声が出てしまった。
そう言えば、母は辺境の尼寺まで追放されたのに、どうやって女一人が辺境まで行ったのかということまで、あまり深く考えていなかったかもしれない。
ただ漠然と、護送みたいにして連れて行かれたのか、くらいしか思っていなかったのだ。
しかし、話はそれよりも酷いものだったようである。
「当初はな、その美人は追放を命じた者の手筈によって、たった一人で都から放り出されるはずだったのよ。
近隣の里には美人の追放の知らせが前以て広まっていて、保護などをしないようにという通達までされているくらいの徹底ぶりだったとか。
そんな状態で辺境にたどり着くなど、はっきり言って不可能であろう。
どこかの道端で野垂れ死ぬのが関の山である。
それを察知した皇帝が、己の信頼する近衛にその美人を無事に送り届けるように頼んだのだそうだ。
そして、皇帝には別の思惑もあったようで。
「明はな、その美人を憎からず想っておった男であった」
杜の口から出たのは、なんと母のもう一つの恋話である。
自然と聞く体勢が前のめり気味になる雨妹に、杜は話を続ける。
「明が主と美人との忍びの外出に付き添う内に、密やかな想いを抱くのはそう不自然なことではあるまい?
できるだけ口を挟まずに聞こうと思っていた雨妹だったが、つい疑問が口から出てしまう。
しかしこれが華流ドラマであれば、そこから嫉妬によるドロドロの関係が始まる場面であろう。
それがあまりにあっさりとし過ぎているのではないだろうか?
――いや、平和に越したことはないんだけどね。
現実と華流オタク脳との狭間で悩ましい雨妹に、杜が懐かしむような目をして答えた。
「明は臣下であると共に、大事な友だからだ。
けれどその機会が最悪の事態で訪れてしまったことで、皇帝は考えたそうだ。
「明に申したのは、『その美人の供をして、お主の思うように行動せよ』というものだった。
杜曰く、何度も何度も念を押した皇帝に、明は深く頷きを返し、美人を追いかけて都を出立したそうだ。
けれど、母は辺境の尼寺へたどり着いてしまい、明は現在都にいるわけで。
「明様は、駆け落ちを選ばなかったのですね」
「明は美人を辺境の尼寺にまで送り届け、都に戻って来た。
「そうなんですね......」
ということは、明は元気な母と別れて、都に着いたら母が死んだと聞かされたわけか。
手紙が届く早さは明が戻るまでの時間と大して変わりないだろうから、母は明と別れてすぐに、自ら命を絶ったことになる。
Chapter 120
Was the man who appeared here the emperor himself, or was he just a eunuch that looked exactly like him?
Yui Mei wasn't sure about this, so she peeked at Yang in an attempt to find the answer, but the woman just turned her head and wouldn't meet her eyes.
'Aunty Yang, you won't help me!?'
Yui Mei imploringly stared at Yang, when the eunuch suddenly cleared his throat.
The eunuch said while smiling amicably.
Yui Mei only heard the emperor in a sullen voice, but she couldn't help but think that if he were to speak in a clear and cheerful manner, then this would be his voice.
Since she couldn't come up with the answer no matter how hard she tried, it couldn't be helped that she was searching for hidden meanings, right?
At the very least, even if it was the emperor himself, he came here looking like a eunuch.
In that case, no matter how suspicious he looked, he was a eunuch now.
It was just like the case with Libin, if she thought about it carefully.
'Oh, so that's how it is!'
It was as if a heavy burden was lifted the moment she realized this.
This eunuch was a person who happened to have the exact same face as the emperor if he donned his beard.
So even if Yui Mei treated him as such, she probably won't be scolded.
Once the answer came to Yui Mei, she tried to calm herself by taking a deep breath.
"Yes, I want to know why Lord Ming turned that way."
"Have you heard about the Beauty who was driven out of the Hundred Blossom Palace into a nunnery in the borderlands?
"...! Yes, I heard about it, somehow."
Yui Mei's heart dropped for a moment when her mother was mentioned right at the start of the story.
"It is quite a famous story, so it's no wonder that you know about it. That Ming was the man personally tasked by the emperor...His Majesty to take that Beauty to the borderland nunnery."
"Really!?"
It was the first time that Yui Mei heard about this story, so she unwittingly raised her voice.
Come to think of it, her mother had been exiled to the borderland nunnery, but she didn't think too deeply about how a woman could have gotten to that place on her own.
She just assumed that she was probably sort of escorted there.
However, the reality proved to be harsher than that.
"In the beginning, the person who gave the order to banish that woman arranged it so that she would set off all alone, with not a single piece of clothing on her back nor any other thing she could bring."
The news of the beauty's exile had been spread far and wide, even to the neighboring villages, prior to that, and an official notice was also circulated, thoroughly ensuring that nobody would take her in to offer protection.
If that happened, then it wasn't even sure whether she would reach the borderland.
The only probable ending was that she would die on the roadside somewhere.
The emperor inferred that, so he entrusted the beauty to the hands of his most trusted imperial guard, to escort her safely to the borderland.
The emperor also had another ulterior motive.
"Ming was a guy who was fond of that woman."
Du suddenly revealed another love story about her mother.
Yui Mei was unconsciously leaning forward, hanging on to Du's every word. He continued on.
"Ming escorted his Lord and the Beauty during their secret trips outside the palace, and he secretly fell in love with her, but it was out of his control, wasn't it? The emperor...His Majesty was aware about it, but he decided to just turn a blind eye."
Yui Mei had been trying hard not to butt in while he was talking, but she couldn't help it this time.
If this was a Chinese drama, that alone would have been enough to spark jealousy and envy and it would become the start of a muddy relationship.
And yet, why did he let it pass so easily?
'Well, I guess there's nothing better than harmony, huh.'
Yui Mei was torn between her current reality and her Chinese drama fanatic mind. Du continued on with a hint of nostalgia in his eyes.
"He was a most trusted aide, and at the same time a precious friend. The bond was enough to consider bestowing the Beauty to him as his bride, should the Beauty say that she wanted to be liberated from the Hundred Blossom Palace."
However, the emperor apparently considered doing that because the worst case scenario happened.
"Ming answered "I will accompany the Beauty, and will do as MiLord commands. It was probably for the best if they eloped, disappearing without a trace."
According to Du, the emperor had repeatedly urged him, so he bowed deeply, and he left the capital to chase after the beauty.
However, her mother reached the borderland nunnery, and Ming returned to the capital.
"Lord Ming didn't choose to elope, it seems."
"Ming escorted the beauty until they reached the borderland nunnery, then he returned to the capital. He received the news of the beauty's death right after that."
"So that's what happened..."
In other words, Ming parted with her healthy mother, but he heard about her death as soon as he reached the capital.
The time it took to deliver the letter probably wasn't that different from the time it took Ming to return, which meant that her mother took her life soon after Ming left him.
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