Sleepwalking is a not properly understood disease.
Even though they are asleep, they move about as though they are awake.
If there was any cause to speak of, it would be the discord of the heart. No matter how much medicinal herbs are boiled, it is futile.
A certain prostitute was inflicted with that disease.
She was a cheerful woman who was good with poetry. The talk of redemption had come up.
However, that talk was broken off.
She strolled through the brothel every night as if she was possessed.
When the prostitutes who were walking around and the madam tried to stop her, she gouged out their flesh with her nails.
The next day, everyone in the brothel kept their distance from her. What the prostitute said in her cheerful voice was this,
"Oh my. Everyone, what happened?"
The amnesiac woman's bare feet were covered in dirt and cuts.
○●○
"What happened next?"
Jinshi and Maomao were in the living room. Gaoshun and Consort Gyokuyou were also there. The princess was entrusted to Honnyan.
"Nothing. When the talks of redemption died off, her wandering also stopped."
Maomao said curtly.
"So you're saying she hated the redeeming talk?"
"Probably. The other party was a large store owner but her social potion would be below the wife and children, and even after the grandchildren. Moreover, if she worked for another year, her term of service would be over."
If she was redeemed by an person she didn't like, it seemed that she would rather endure one more year of service. As a result, that prostitute had no more new talks of redeeming and was later freed from her service.
"As there are many who wander after they had extreme stress, you can give them a combination of calming drugs and scents, but, well, you only calm them down."
Maomao had prescribed for these patients instead of her dad.
"Hmm."
Jinshi rested his hands on his chin, looking amused.
"Is there anything after that?"
Towards the persistent gaze, she held back the contempt that was going to show on her face
Gaoshun wordlessly sent support beside her.
"After that I return to work, so excuse me."
She bowed once and left the room.
Rewind a small amount of time.
The day after the ghost inspection, Maomao went to see Shaoran, the talkative girl from the east side.
As soon as Maomao met up with Shaoran, she was thoroughly asked about Consort Gyokuyou, so she got information about the ghost disturbance and old news in exchange.
The start of the ghost turmoil was some time before the half moon. The ghost was first sighted at the north side. After that, before long it became that she was sighted on the east side, and she could be seen every night.
The palace guards were scared of the ghost story, so they did nothing.
At present, there were no damages, so it seemed that no one tried to do anything about it.
What a bunch of useless guards.
The next place she went to was the quack doctor's place.
In a period where there was no such thing as personal information, the man who doesn't understand confidentiality will even talk to her about things she's never heard about.
About the recently unhappy Fuyou-hime.
She had the social status of one who attained the rank of high rank consort while being titled as a princess, the third one of a small vassal state that could scatter at a breath.
She had a building on the north side. She danced as a hobby but was timid and easily nervous. She failed when she had an audience with the emperor.
Excluding her dancing, there was nothing about her that stood out in particular. Two years after entering court, she had yet to be chosen.
This time, as she was bestowed to her childhood friend, a military officer, she would be finding happiness.
(I seeee.)
Maomao something linked in her head.
However, what would happen if she said something that didn't come from the limits of speculation?
(Dad said that you shouldn't say things you guess.)
That's why she decided not to say it.
○●○
The docile, fair skinned princess passed through the central gates with flushed cheeks.
Although her looks didn't stand out, everyone lamented at the face that was bright with happiness.
She was thankful that she was bestowed this way.
That scene spread out.
○●○
"Isn't it fine to talk to me at least?"
Consort Gyokuyou, who smiled charmingly, was a mother of one child despite her actual age being not even twenty years old. She had a slight tomboyish smile.
Maomao pondered for a second.
"This is a guess at most. Also, I don't want to hurt your feelings."
"I'll hear it for myself. I won't get angry."
(Umm….)
"Not a word to anyone, then."
"My lips are sealed."
Maomao told her about the story of the sleep walking prostitute.
It was different to the story she told before Jinshi and the others a couple of days ago, the story of another sleepwalker.
Similar to the prostitute from before, she got ill due to the redeeming talks that came up and became cancelled.
However, the sleepwalking didn't stop after that. Like last time, prescribing medicine didn't calm her down.
A new redeeming talk came up for that prostitute. The brothel owner couldn't bring themselves to allow an ill person to be redeemed, but even so, she wanted to be redeemed. Reluctantly, she was arranged to a contract that was half the amount of silvers of the previous redeeming talk.
"I understand what happened after, but isn't that fraud?"
"Fraud?"
The man from the previous redeeming talk was an acquaintance of the man who came afterwards. When he understood that the prostitute was faking her illness, he cancelled it. And then, the destined man redeemed her for half the amount.
"The prostitute still has a term of service left. The man's redeeming silver was not enough to pay for it."
"So you're saying these prostitutes were the same as Fuyou-hime?"
The childhood friend military officer didn't have the social position to propose to a princess of a vassal nation.
He had planned to come for the princess one day by rising up through feat of arms.
However, the princess was made to enter the Inner Palace due to politics. The princess, who thought of the military officer, failed at her specialty, dancing, so she wouldn't attract the attention of the emperor.
As she believed, for the period of two years without sleeping with anyone, she kept her body clean.
The childhood friend collected his feat of arms and when Fuyou-hime became bestowed to him at his next merit, the princess came to wander about questionably.
No matter what happens, so that the emperor wouldn't think it regrettable for Fuyou-hime, so that she doesn't become chosen.
If she became chosen, the bestowing will become after. Also, to the Fuyou-hime who prized her maidenhood, it would be that she can't face her childhood friend on the occasion she sleeps with him.
She was dancing at the east gate was for the sake of prayers to her childhood friend who was coming back for her. The sake of a prayer so he comes back unharmed.
"It's fraud to the end."
"How do I say this. It might be the case concerning the emperor, so you can't say anything."
The Favoured Consort looked slightly troubled.
She was unable to say that the lustful emperor didn't hold any interest to the princess who desired the military officer to that extent.
"If I say that I'm jealous of Fuyou-hime, I might be a cruel woman."
"I don't think that."
Though she thought the theory was mostly coherent, she didn't feel like telling Jinshi.
Because one must be happy.
She wanted to keep that tender, simple smile as it is.
It seemed that the problem was completely solved but….
There is actually still one mystery remaining.
"How did she go up?"
Maomao tilted her head, looking up at the wall that was on all her four sides.