172話 再びの
雨妹
――今日も掃除が捗らなかったなぁ。
事情があったとはいえ、本来の仕事ができていないのは問題である。
「明日こそは掃除をするぞ!」と意気込みながら宿舎に戻る雨妹を、待ち構えていた人物がいた。
「おお雨妹よ、戻ったか」
杜が雨妹の姿に気付いて、気軽に手を振ってくる。
――なんてちょうどいい時に来る人なんだろうね?
もしや、全てを分かってああしているのかもしれない。
雨妹はあり得る話だと思いつつ、そちらに近寄っていく。
「お久しぶりです、杜様。
雨妹は挨拶をしながら、手っ取り早く目的を尋ねる。
お偉い人との話し方としては、色々な話題を振りまきつつ遠回りをして核心の話を聞くべきなのかもしれない。
けれどもうじき夕食の時間であるので、ハラヘリ雨妹としては早く話を終わらせたいのだ。
率直に聞かれた杜は、特に気分を害した風でもなく「そうさな」と応じる。
「聞いたぞ、教坊でのゴタゴタに巻き込まれて刑部にまで出張ったらしいなぁ」
そしてあちらもズバリと言ってきた。
「杜様、お耳が早いですね」
つい今しがたの出来事だったのに、その情報を掴んでこうして待ち構えているとは、さすがの情報網である。
「刑部の方が詳しい話が聞きたいとのことでしたので、協力してきたところです。
刑部は基本、関係者か犯罪者しか入れぬ場所ゆえ、自慢できることであるぞ?」
雨妹の言い様が面白かったらしく、杜がにこやかな笑顔でそう言ってくる。
「刑部に入ったことを羨む者が、どのくらいいるものかねぇ......」
杜の隣で、楊がそんなことをぼやく。
雨妹としては他人に羨まれなくても構わず、ただ自分の欲望が満足すればいいのである。
「結果を言うと、悪い人はちゃんと捕まったみたいでよかったです。
雨妹はそう楊に向かって説明する。
楊がホッとした顔になった。
冬のインフルエンザによる人手不足は未だ解消されているとは言えないので、この人手が偏る事態に頭を痛めていたに違いない。
「それにしても、これまでなんで悪臭のことを報告しなかったんですかね?」
雨妹はふと浮かんだ疑問を口にする。
「臭くて仕事にならない」と言えば、ケシ汁のことまで追及できたかはわからないが、悪臭の元を取り除くことはしてもらえただろうに。
「それはきっと、『高価な香料の匂いだ』とでも言いくるめられたのだろうよ」
「香料の中には、素がとんでもなく臭いものもあるからのぅ。
「なるほど、そうかもしれません」
杜の話に、雨妹も納得する。
さすが大勢の女と付き合っている男の言う事は説得力があった。
「ところで、徐子はどうであったかな?
杜が話を変えてそう問うてきた。
どうやらこれが聞きたくて、待ち構えていたらしい。
雨妹はなんと言うべきかと、一瞬迷う。
もしかすると皇帝相手には、悪い話は耳に入れないようにされているのかもしれない。
だが本当のことが聞きたくて、わざわざ杜の姿でここまでやって来たのだろう。
雨妹はそう考え、素直に現状を話す。
「まさに妙なことを考えてしまって、『自分が全部悪いから罰してくれ』なんて刑部の人に言っちゃってます」
「なんとまぁ......」
杜は半ば想像できていたのか、「やはり」という顔でため息を漏らした。
Chapter 172: Again
Yui Mei tried to deduce the matter behind the incident, but she couldn't do anything on her own at the moment.
'I didn't finish my cleaning duty again today...'
Even if an incident occurred, it was still a problem that she didn't finished her assignment for that day.
'I'll definitely clean tomorrow!'
"Oh, Yui Mei, so you've returned."
Du cheerfully waved at Yui Mei when he noticed her.
'What good timing, he always comes at the right time, huh?'
Perhaps he already knew everything, so he was like that.
Yui Mei thought it was probable, so she approached him.
"It's been a while, Lord Du. May I know what brings you here?"
Yui Mei politely greeted him, and she immediately inquired about his purpose.
People must talk carefully with a lot of twists and turns in their words, always beating around the bush when facing bigwigs.
However, Yui Mei was starving and it was already time for dinner, so she wanted to get over it as soon as possible.
Du didn't appear offended by Yui Mei's blunt questioning, and he even responded.
"Yeah. I heard about it, you got involved with the mess and even got dragged to the penitentiary."
He also went straight to the point bluntly.
"Lord Du, you're quite quick to hear about things."
It was an event that had just happened a short time ago, but he managed to grasp that information and was even waiting for her. What an impressive information network he had.
"The people from the Ministry of Justice wanted to know the details, so I cooperated with them. I never thought I'd be able to see the Imperial Palace, it's truly such a fortunate thing for me."
"Hohoh, I see. That penitentiary is actually a place that only the related personnel and criminals could enter, so that's quite something to be proud of, you know?"
Du apparently found Yui Mei's words amusing, so he said those words with a broad smile.
"Just where on earth can you find someone who envies another for entering the prison..."
Yang muttered beside Du.
As for Yui Mei, she didn't care whether somebody would envy her or not, it's fine as long as satisfy herself.
"As for the result, they apparently caught the criminal satisfactorily, so it's all good. The personnel from the Ministry of Justice also collected all the sources of the stench, so people will no longer dislike working at the Jiaofang, right?"
Yui Mei turned to Yang and explained.
Yang looked relieved.
The shortage of manpower caused by the flu last winter had yet to be resolved, so they must've worried about this situation of being short-handed.
"Still, it's a wonder that nobody tried to report the stench until now, isn't it?"
Yui Mei suddenly thought of this, so she tried to ask about it.
Even though it wasn't sure whether they'd be able to pursue the matter about the poppy juice, they could've at least removed the source of the stench if somebody complained that "it's too stinky that I can't work".
"That's because they were probably cajoled, saying it's a 'luxury fragrance'."
"There are incense and perfumes with offensively stinky bases. They might be ridiculed as clueless country bumpkins if they complained about the stench, so that might be the reason why the other people didn't say a word."
"I see, that might be true."
Yui Mei agreed with Du's point.
What persuasive power, as expected of a casanova dating tons of women.
"So, how was Xu Zi? I'm a bit worried that she's depressed and ruminating on strange thoughts."
Du changed the topic by asking that.
This seemed to be the real reason why he had been waiting for her.
Yui Mei hesitated for a moment, wondering what she should say.
Maybe the emperor wasn't supposed to hear any bad news, so it was blocked.
However, he probably wanted to know the truth, because he went out of his way to come here with the appearance of Du.
That was Yui Mei's guess, so she decided to recount the current situation in all honesty.
"Indeed, she had some strange thoughts going on. She even implored the personnel of the Ministry of Justice, saying 'everything's my fault so punish me'."
"Goodness..."
Du seemed like he partly guessed it would happen based on his expression. He heaved a deep sigh.
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