64話 心労のもと
「それに......」
公主は言い難そうな顔をして、声の調子を一段落とす。
「黄県主は昔父上――皇帝陛下の妃を黄家から出す際に、選ばれなかったことを根に持っているそうで」
確かに黄家の勢力がそんなに大きいならば、黄家の娘が後宮にもいるのも当然のことだろう。
昭儀もそうだったし、お妃の座争いは実家で既に始まっているってわけね。
それに黄家の家格から言って上位の
雨妹は掃除で主にウロウロするのは中位以下の妃嬪のお屋敷なため、遭遇しなかったのだろう。
「あ、でもそれで言うと、その
の座を狙う歳だったなら、その娘は太子の相手として丁度いい年頃となっているのではなかろうか。
「はい、その方はわたくしより二つほど年下で、黄県主は太子殿下の妃にしようと育てられたようですが......」
けれどその娘も後宮に行ってないということは、太子の妃嬪の座も逃したということで。
母娘揃って妃嬪の座を逃したのならば、彼女たちにとって後宮は鬼門と言えるだろう。
さらに、ならば大公夫人の座を得ようとすれば、公主が降嫁して来る始末。
――それじゃあ「嫌味か!」ってなるのもわからなくもないな。
そして潘公主がいわゆる「後宮の女」っぽくないことも災いした。
「あの程度でチヤホヤされるなんて!」と思ってしまったのかもしれない。潘公主の立場としては完全なる八つ当たりだが。
かくして少しでも黄家内で認められようと、今まで気にしなかった体型改善にも意欲を見せ。
屋敷の使用人たちと積極的に交流を持とうとしたりと、潘公主は努力した。
そこを嬉々として突いてくる黄県主母子に、ますます心労が溜まっていく。
悪循環に陥っていた際に、風邪を引いたのが決定打となり、今に至るというわけだ。
「このように弱ってしまったわたくしに、黄県主は皇帝陛下が不良品を押し付け、黄家を侮辱したと息巻いておりまして。
――うわぁ、実は結構な崖っぷちなのか!
出家と聞いて脳裏に浮かぶのは、後宮を追放され自ら命を絶ってしまったという母のことだ。
なにせ公主としての生活と尼寺との生活は落差が激しい。
一応公主を受け入れるための尼寺もあるのだろうが、それでも果たして潘公主に耐えられるのか。母の二の舞になりやしないか。
雨妹としても、これは放っておけない問題であった。
「潘公主、では美しく痩せてみせて、黄県主やお屋敷の方々を見返してやりましょう!」
「......できるかしら?」
雨妹が強くそう言うと、潘公主は今までの減量の失敗を思い返し、不安そうに呟く。
「わたくしの、努力......」
失敗続きの減量だったのに、「努力」という言葉をかけられたのが意外だったのか、潘公主が目を丸くする。
「病は気からとも申します。
「そうね、わたくしやってみますわ」
潘公主がそう言って頷いた様子に、見守っていた付き人の娘が胸の前で両手を組んで涙ぐんでいた。
こうして潘公主の減量計画が始まったわけだが。
彼女にはまず長期間の偏った食生活のせいで、弱った胃の機能を回復させる事からする必要がある。
なので最初の目標は普通の食事ができるようにすることだ。
これについては厨房の料理長との話し合いが必要となる。
なので雨妹は早速、立勇と一緒に厨房へ向かうため、廊下を歩いていたのだが。
「ねぇ、あの娘」
「なんで居座っているのかしら」
「金でも強請ろうと残っているんじゃないの?」
「そうね、どうせ皇族なんて黄家のお金で贅沢している連中だしね」
屋敷の使用人らしき娘たちが、こちらをチラチラ見ながら全く潜まっていない声で喋っているのが聞こえる。
――なぁんか、感じ悪いなぁ。
これが後宮なら、娘たちは立場が上な相手にお喋りしている所を見られた時点で叱責ものだ。
しかし彼女たちは平気な様子であるため、このお屋敷は後宮よりも自由な気風なのかもしれない。
――それとも潘公主や立勇の言っていた通り、皇族を見下しているのか。
だからそれに纏わる者も憎らしいというわけだろう。
雨妹がそんな風に観察しながら歩いていると。
隣を歩く立勇がそんな呟きを漏らした。彼は黄家の屋敷内ということで武装しておらず、普段着姿である。
それでも武人としての威圧感があり、先ほどの娘たちも立勇に睨まれるとコソコソとその場を去っていく。
この威圧感を宦官の立彬では感じさせないのだから、器用なものだ。
いや、元々別人という話だったか。
全くもってややこしい男である。
Chapter 64
"Besides..."
Princess Pan fell silent, seemingly finding it difficult to speak.
"The Huang County Lord held a grudge against Father -- His Majesty the Emperor, when he did not choose her as his concubine when the Huang Family sent their daughters."
Since the Huang family held such a great influence, it was only natural that one of the daughters from their family entered the Inner Palace.
'Imperial Concuble Hu was also like that... the battle for the concubine seat starts within the maiden family, huh.'
And the concubine form the Huang family must be a high-ranking one, possibly one of the four noble consorts of the emperor, even.
Yui Mei was cleaning around the area of the concubines ranked middle and below, so she had never met one of them.
"Ah, but even if you said that, how about the Huang County Lord's daughter?"
If the Huang County Lord aimed for the seat of the emperor's concubine, then her daughter should be around the age suitable to become the crown prince's partner.
"Yes, that person is younger than me by two years, and she had been raised to become His Highness the Crown Prince's consort, however...."
However, if that person wasn't in the Inner Palace, that meant she also lost the seat of the crown prince's concubine.
The mother and daughter pair both lost the chance to become the concubine, so the Inner Palace must've become their Achilles heel.
Moreover, they must have shifted their target on becoming the grand duchess, but the princess came as a bride.
'It won't be surprising to say 'Are we hated!?', huh.'
Plus, Princess Pan not being the typical Inner Palace woman was also a disaster.
They must've thought that "they're treating us as fools!". Princess Pan's status would naturally evoke an outburst of anger.
She must have tried to improve her figure that she didn't focused on before, In order to be acknowledged even for just a little bit.
Princess Pan exerted great effort and proactively tried to get along with the mansion's servants. However, part of her efforts had been done improperly, so her body condition worsened.
Her anxiety levels shot up after the Huang mother and daughter joyously attacked her.
The vicious cycle was repeated, and her getting the cold became the decisive blow on her.
"Because I have become this weak, the Huang County Lord blames His Majesty the Emperor for forcing a defective 'good' onto the Huang family, stating that he had done so because he holds the Huang family with contempt. She appealed to the Grand Duke to have Li Min-sama divorce me. If that happened, I, who had sullied the great name of His Majesty, would have no choice but to enter the nunnery....... "
'Whoa, so it's a critical moment, huh!'
When Yui Mei heard that the princess would become a nun, her mother, who took her own life after being driven out of the Inner Palace, came to her mind.
The difference between living as a princess and living as a nun was like heaven and earth.
There would be nunneries who would accept the princess, but could the princess endure living there? Wouldn't she repeat history and be just like her mom?
Yui Mei couldn't leave this be.
"Princess Pan, attain that gorgeous figure and make the Huang County Lord and the people of the mansion look at you twice!"
"...can I do this?"
Yui Mei energetically declared, but the princess recalled all her weight loss failures, so she asked doubtfully.
"My efforts...."
Princess Pan's eyes widened in surprise. It had been a string of failures, yet Yui Mei called it 'effort'.
"Sickness and health start with the mind, they said. We must first look forward and start with nurturing your body back to health."
"Indeed, I will try."
The princess' lady-in-waiting clasped her hands on her chest and tears flowed from her face as she watched Princess Pan agree.
And so, Princess Pan's Weight Loss Program had begun.
It was imperative that her stomach, which had weakened because of her long-term lifestyle, must recover first.
And so, her first goal was to be able to eat normally.
It was important that Yui Mei talked to the chef about this.
Yui Mei and Li Yong decided to immediately go to the kitchen, so they headed towards there as they strode through the corridor.
"Look at that girl."
"Why is she still here?"
"Maybe she's here to pester them for money?"
"Yeah, anyway, the royalty are a bunch of people who only knew how to spend the Huang family's money for luxury, right."
The maidens who seemed to be servants in this mansion didn't even bother lowering their voices as they kept on glancing towards the two.
'Hey, they're really creepy.'
If this was the Inner Palace, they were already scolded for gossiping about their superiors.
However, these girls didn't seem to care, so maybe this place was a lot more relaxed than Inner Palace.
'Or maybe it's just as Princess Pan and Li Yong said, they're looking down on the emperor.'
That's why the people related to him were also being loathed.
Yui Mei thus observed as they walked.
Li Yong grumbled as he walked beside her. It was the Huang family mansion, so he wasn't armed, and he was donned in casual clothes.
Nevertheless, his military aura was truly intimidating, so when he glared at those girls, they couldn't help but fearfully leave.
As a eunuch, Libin wouldn't let them feel that overwhelming sense of intimidation. What a shrewd guy.
Ah no, wasn't it said that they're different people from the start?
Really, what a complicated man.
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