Kusuriya no Hitorigoto

Trouble arrives without warning.

Jinshi saw the signs, so it was within expectations. But its actual arrival was disconcerting nonetheless.

As to what happened exactly

We were under attack from the nomadic tribe of the north.

There are the odd minor skirmishes, but nothing beyond that. Those usually resolve by themselves.

It appears they were after the wheat, Baryou said, summarising the detailed report for Jinshi.

thought so. Jinshi answered while resting his chin on his hands. He did so as only Baryou and Maamei were in the room with him. If Gaoshun were here, hed probably be frowning.

Even now, Maamei was briskly sorting documents. The brother and sister pair were truly hard workers. Basen, their other sibling, was out training at the military grounds right now. He was holding an unarmed, one-on-one sparring session, one that ended only when he lost. The unsociable Basen didnt have an abundance of sparring partners, but Jinshi was a little envious of that too.

Nomads are also human. They consume vegetables and grains, not just goat milk and meat products. As they dont own fields, they often trade furs and meat in exchange for other foodstuffs in town. It wasnt unusual for the trading to take place in the town on the national border, but

This tribe is normally located further up north.

Many guards were posted in the north, but even so, it seems they only captured a small number of enemy stragglers.

Rather than a sudden attack, it seemed they had tried to purchase supplies from another town. However, they only owned Hokuaren currency and with communications issues due to the language barrier, negotiations had broken down.

They dont understand our language? Jinshi asked.

Seems like it. Apparently, their accents were so thick it was hard to follow what they were saying, so interrogation of those captured took too much effort.

His head hurt.

From the information they managed to gather so far, the nomads normally bought grain from somewhere else. However, they werent able to this time, so they went to a different town, but failed to acquire it in the end. Did they attack the farms because they couldnt return empty-handed?

Hokuaren is keeping a tight rein on their supplies, right?

Yes. I believe thats more or less the case.

Its not as if Rii enjoyed a good harvest this year either, but only regions with locust damage were struggling to provide products for sale. Taking into account harvest from other regions, they should still be able to make up for the shortage.

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Any news of the sweet potato produce?

If I recall correctly, Rahan-dono sent over the documents.

Maamei passed over the paperwork without a moments delay.

The capable woman worked as if it were her second-nature.

For the most part, the amount of harvest is within expectations.

Is that so. Having prepared himself for the worst case scenario of there being no harvest, Jinshi was relieved. Following that, there were issues related to the preservation, processing and transportation of the crop, but its probably safe to leave that with Rahan. Despite his idiosyncrasies, hes a capable person once you understand his nature. Jinshi felt that he had left too many tasks to the other man recently, so he mustnt give him anymore.

Theres no problem with leaving work to those you trust, but doing so in excess only leads to bothersome matters.

He was meant to understand that, but.

It was the moment he placed the document down on the table.

The door was flung wide open.

JINSHI-SAMA!

BASEN! Maamei raged at Basens sudden entrance. However, Basen was out of breath as he stood before Jinshis desk. He was in training clothes, so Jinshi assumed he had come straight from the training grounds.

Whats wrong? That was much too brazen. Out of consideration for Maamei who had gone red in the face, Jinshi also reprimanded him a little. However, no matter how quick-tempered Basen was, there must be a reason why he was in such a hurry.

There were signs of a break-in at Ah Duos estate.

What? Jinshis brows rose in shock. I havent heard anything.

Yes. Its also my first time hearing of it. B-by chance.

Basen was out of breath, so Jinshi looked at Maamei. Although she was angry at her younger brother, the capable court lady passed Basen some water.

Basen drained the bowl of water in one gulp and wiped the side of his mouth. I happened to hear about it by chance. Around ten days ago, what appears to be a burglar had broken into Ah Duo-samas palace, leaving behind a fire during their escape.

Really?

Yes. I questioned them. They were keeping it under wraps as a secret, but I overheard it when they suddenly spoke of it among themselves. Basen clenched his fist. Although they had suddenly let it slip, they wont be speaking about it in detail. Could he have used force to make them spit it out?

The crime of burglary, no, could it be that they choose Ah Duos palace on purpose? It used to be the emperors villa. Even if it was outside the imperial court, many guards were present.

If it were a burglary, itd be much easier to go for a wealthy merchants house.

Moreover, there were the surviving children of the Shi Clan, Suireithe previous emperors grandchildand the western priestess.

. Jinshibelatedly reflected that they were overly reliant on her.

Ah Duo is a smart, trustworthy individual. However, they still shouldnt have relied on her to such an extent.

after this, well head to Ah Duo-donos place, Jinshi said.

What shall we provide as the subject matter? Maamei prepared a wooden slip and a brush. As paper increased in quality, use of wooden slips had decreased significantly, but there were those who take it upon themselves to use it. In Maameis case, she used it often, appearing to like scented woods.

write that I want to play a game of Go.

Ah Duo seemed like the type to snap up an invitation to falconry over board games, but it was also too late at night.

Jinshi-sama.

Youre still here, Basen? Jinshi said with a hint of distaste.

Please bring me along too!

no.

WHY!?

Basen was indignant, but it didnt mean that Jinshi hadnt considered it. And Maamei and Baryou, who were present, understood what their younger brother wanted to do.

Didnt you force them to tell you about Ah Duo-sama? Did you do it somewhere outside of the public eye?

As Maameis pressed him, Basen shuddered. Basen was weak to women in general, but was even weaker to his mother and sister in particular.

I, I led them to the back.

You didnt check your surroundings properly, right? And whats with your outfit? I dont know if you were in the middle of training or what, but you stink. You got that? You. Stink. If you walk into the office soaked in sweat and oil, what will people think? Theyd be suspicious, right? Even children know, even monkeys know, so is your brain the same as a monkeys?

. Basens face twisted miserably.

Baryou watched in pity through the gap in his partition.

The women of the Ma Clan are extremely strong.

Youve already been exposed. Being covert is impossible for you. Thats why Jinshi-sama also used Go as an excuse to visit Ah Duo-sama.

I, I know.

You dont! Come on, go outside. You stink. Uwah, did you eat garlic today? My nose just clogged up. She covered her nose with her sleeve.

Scary.

She was probably still holding back since Jinshi was there, but she was scary regardless.

Although Baryou felt sorry for Basen, he understood that he would lose even if he spoke up. He could only watch intently through the gap.

If you dont do something about that stench, you wont be popular with women. Youll be hated.

hated!

It was a crushing blow for Basen.

Eh, what? That reaction. Could it be that you have someone you like? Oh my, really. Do tell big sister. Maameis eyes glittered.

Though she has two children, she is still only twenty-two. Since she found a good match, she married at sixteen, but that didnt mean she was opposed to this line of conversation.

Wh-what are you saying? W-were in front of Jinshi-sama. Basen panicked.

That has the opposite effect, Jinshi thought.

Maamei nudged Basen around with her elbow.

Indeed, the conversation wont progress at this rate.

Maamei, leave it at that. Thats right. While were at it, shall we bring some pastries along? Go check if Suiren can prepare those baked pastries, Jinshi said.

Yes. Maamei had a messenger take the wooden slip and headed for the palace Suiren was in.

Basen sighed deeply.

so, who is it?

Jinshi-sama too, Basen said quite dejectedly, so Jinshi laughed without meaning to.