The Fake Legend of Princess Mei Mei - Episode 5.6
Keigetsu felt restless.
“Oh no, please don’t. That is our job.”
Whenever Keigetsu picked up a cloth to clean the room, a sharp-eyed lady-in-waiting would rush over and take it away. It seemed they wanted Keigetsu to just sit and drink tea.
Not having to prepare meals, tend to the fields, or go to the mountains to pick medicinal herbs made this life quite difficult for Keigetsu.
Even when asking Kouji about it, she, having been raised as a noble lady, did not understand Keigetsu’s worries. Instead, she kindly suggested, “Would you like to look at some picture scrolls?”
That was not the issue. Keigetsu swallowed the words and politely declined the offer.
By the third day, Keigetsu could not endure it any longer and requested a meeting with Rougyoku. It was daunting to trouble the busy queen with personal concerns, but remaining silent felt unbearable.
“Is there something bothering you?”
Seeing Keigetsu’s gloomy expression, Rougyoku smiled gently.
“It’s not that I’m uncomfortable… but may I have some work to do?”
“Work?”
“Anything is fine. Cleaning, washing, or tending to the garden. Doing nothing at all is very difficult for me.”
Rougyoku tilted her head curiously, while Keigetsu, on the verge of tears, pleaded once more. Rougyoku’s eyes widened at her words.
“That is the job of the servants.”
Though Keigetsu expected that response, hearing it out loud still stung. She nodded weakly and let out a quiet, “I see…” before lowering her shoulders in disappointment.
Seeing this, Rougyoku’s expression turned slightly stern.
“Keigetsu. Do you understand what is most important for a concubine?”
Keigetsu tried to think about it, but she barely understood what it meant to be a concubine, let alone the workings of the inner palace. It was a difficult question.
Rougyoku chuckled at her troubled face. She expected as much.
“A concubine is like a flower that blooms in the inner palace. She must dress beautifully to soothe the king’s heart, support him with her intelligence and kindness, and bring him comfort with her polished body. That is what it means to be a concubine.”
Keigetsu’s face turned red. She was not so young that she didn’t understand what Rougyoku meant.
“His Highness the Crown Prince described you as a kind and hardworking person. In that sense, you already meet the standard for kindness. What you lack is knowledge and the skills of the inner chamber.”
As she spoke, Rougyoku gestured with her hand, and Gijouu stepped forward with a book.
“This book contains many poems about men and women. The writing is simple, making it easy for young ladies to read.”
Keigetsu cautiously flipped through the pages and nodded.
“There should be about fifty poems. Read one or two each day and interpret them in your own way. Then, report your thoughts to me. That will be your task for now.”
Keigetsu nodded obediently, thanked Rougyoku for giving her time, and left the room.
“Tea.”
As Rougyoku picked up her interrupted book, she instructed Gijouu, who was waiting nearby.
The tea was soon prepared and served, but Gijouu had a concerned expression.
“What is it?”
“Ah, it’s just… something is on my mind.”
“What is it?”
Rougyoku took a sip of tea and looked up at her hesitant maid.
“Well, I just realized that she can read.”
Rougyoku sighed in mild exasperation.
“At her age, that’s normal.”
That book was one Rougyoku had read with her friend Getsuran when they were around twelve or thirteen. If young girls could read it, Keigetsu should have no trouble.
Gijouu furrowed her brows slightly.
“Commoners usually cannot read.”
Rougyoku’s eyes widened.
“For example, Princess Houbai struggles with reading and writing. I’ve heard that Lady Sou even has Bihou write letters for her.”
“Is that true?”
“Yes, that’s what I’ve been told.”
The king’s illegitimate daughter and a village girl from the mountains—though their bloodlines differed, they were both raised in poverty. Yet the king’s daughter struggled with literacy, while the village girl seemed to have no trouble reading. Wasn’t that odd?
“Perhaps you’re imagining things?”
Rougyoku shook her head slightly and smiled. But Gijouu firmly denied it.
“No. Earlier, she flipped through the pages easily, without hesitation, as if she understood.”
Now that she mentioned it, that was true. Keigetsu had looked at the book, nodded slightly, and seemed to understand Rougyoku’s words.
“With her personality, if she couldn’t read, wouldn’t she have said so?”
“…That is likely.”
Though they had only met a few days ago, Rougyoku already had a sense of Keigetsu’s character. She was modest but not timid, straightforward, and gentle. Even coming here today was to express her feelings honestly.
If she were illiterate, she would have admitted it without hesitation. Someone raised in a world where not reading was normal wouldn’t see it as something shameful.
“Keigetsu said she was from Haso Village, on the slopes of Harin Mountain, correct?”
“Yes.”
Houbai claimed to be from the city of Harin, and Keigetsu had lived nearby. Their backgrounds were similar, and their ages were close. That coincidence felt strange.
Recently, Gijouu had reported her two-month-long investigation.
They found no record of a girl named Houbai in that city. No family seemed to have lost an adopted daughter either.
Instead, many people spoke of a girl named Gekka from Haso Village, who had gone missing.
Whenever investigators asked about a runaway girl, they were told it must be Gekka.
It was possible Houbai had been given a different name, but Gekka lived with her parents and younger brother and was well-loved by the townspeople for her beauty—nothing like the life Houbai had described.
Lost in thought, Rougyoku unconsciously bit her thumbnail.
She had believed Houbai must be Getsuran’s daughter or a relative, given their identical appearance. Getsuran had disappeared eighteen years ago after angering the Crown Prince at the time, and since Houbai was eighteen now, her story had seemed believable.
A small snapping sound broke the silence, and Gijouu scolded her lightly. Rougyoku looked down to find her nail chipped.
“Gijouu.”
As Gijouu hurried to fetch a nail file and scissors, Rougyoku looked at her calmly.
“Send someone to Haso Village.”
“To investigate Keigetsu?”
“Yes.”
“Understood. But…”
Gijouu hesitated. Keigetsu had already told them her home was burned down and her mother lost. What more was there to investigate?
“You yourself questioned how she learned to read. There must be a reason.”
Perhaps she had a connection to a scholar. If she were related to a reclusive sage, it would be a better impression than just a commoner’s daughter.
Even if she wasn’t directly related, receiving education from a scholar would make her more acceptable.
Understanding this, Gijouu nodded. If they found something useful, Keigetsu might be more welcomed.
Once Gijouu finished tending to her nails, she stood to make arrangements. But Rougyoku called her back again.
“Also, investigate this girl named Gekka.”
“Understood.”
As Gijouu left, Rougyoku gazed at her neatly trimmed nails.
“What is true, and what is false…?”
This question had troubled her for some time. The king adored the princess without question, and Rougyoku had started doubting her own suspicions.
But Keigetsu’s arrival had stirred those doubts again.
Was that princess really the king’s daughter? Was she truly the child of Getsuran, Rougyoku’s dearest friend?
Even a single drop of poison could taint everything. And Rougyoku’s doubt was that very drop.
Muttering again, “What is true, and what is false?” she turned back to her book, her expression serious.