The Free Consort of the Rear Palace: The Virtuous Consort Who Died from Overwork Solves Mysteries - Make a Deal with the Suspicious Merchant

The surveillance eunuch, Zhao An, held out a packet of medicine with a worried expression. "[serious]Consort Shu, how are you feeling? This is a stomach medicine prescribed by the medical officer." Shu Rei, still lying in bed, nodded weakly. "[whispers]Ah... thank you. But it still hurts..." She placed a hand on her stomach and furrowed her brow slightly. Even she had to admit, she was quite the actress. There hadn't been a "How to Lie for Job Hunting" course required in her previous life, but she had a fair amount of confidence in faking illness from her part-time job days. "Is that so... Then please rest here for a while. I will be waiting outside." Zhao An bowed deeply and stood by the entrance of the room. He was a eunuch without any openings—or rather, so diligent it was a pain. The surveillance agent sent by that Empress, Ka Rin, under the pretext of "health management." (In other words, a spy. Well, it's completely obvious.) But that was something she had already factored in. Shu Rei signaled with her eyes to her handmaiden, Dong Mei, who was waiting in the corner of the room. Dong Mei gave a small nod. "[sad]Um, Sir Zhao An... I would like to cook some rice porridge for Consort Shu. Would you mind coming with me to the kitchen? There's a heavy pot, and it's a bit difficult for me alone..." Dong Mei lowered her brows in apparent distress. She had just turned fifteen, had a baby face, and looked incredibly childish when asking someone for a favor. This, in turn, worked extremely well on naive eunuchs. "Hmm... but leaving Consort Shu alone..." "[weak]I'll be fine, I'm going to sleep for a bit. Sorry, but could you come back quickly?" Shu Rei pulled the sheets up to her nose and looked up at Zhao An with teary eyes. Zhao An's ears reddened slightly, and he looked down. "...Understood. I will return shortly. If anything happens, please call out loudly." As she listened to the footsteps of the two leaving the room, Shu Rei did a mental fist pump. The wisdom of a slacker cultivated in her previous life—that is, how to avoid troublesome things and carve out free time for yourself. The blink of surveillance was nothing, as long as you knew the right moment to exploit it. (Seriously, what a pain... but for freedom, it can't be helped.) She leaped out of bed, quickly changed into light, easy-to-move-in clothes, and tied her hair up. Outside the window, the veil of night had completely fallen. Tonight, there would be movement near the East Gate—she had picked up that information yesterday when she went to borrow some Kouju grass from the medicine storehouse. It was a tidbit of information casually dropped by the absent-minded eunuch in charge while he was drinking tea. "Do you know a man named Rasetsu from the Tenrin Trading Company? I hear he often works on the eastern side of the rear palace." That one sentence had made something click. The key to the case was held by someone outside the rear palace. Because of the Three Prohibitions of the Rear Palace, she couldn't freely go out to meet outsiders. But if they came to her, that was a different story. She could "be" here, using her privilege as a consort. Her safety and status were guaranteed. In that case, she could use that as bait for a deal. Shu Rei slipped out through the service entrance behind the peach tree and melted into the darkness of the night. A thin crescent moon hung in the sky. The stone paving was cold, pleasantly cool against her bare feet. She walked briskly down the narrow alley leading to the eunuch dormitories, which were far more austere than the bureaucratic residences. The eunuch dormitories at night were so quiet it was hard to believe the daytime bustle had ever existed. The stone walls were cold, stained with oil, and gave off a slightly sour smell. (Now, where...) Deep in the alley, in the shadow of a dilapidated warehouse used for storage, there was a presence. "...The goods are three, as confirmed. The payment, to the usual account." A young man's voice. Low and resonant. "Yes, boss. Then, I'll leave the rest to you..." A man who seemed to be a subordinate bowed his head and ran off. Left behind was a single man. Backlit by the moonlight, he held a small cloth bundle in his hand. He was tall and broad-shouldered. Yet, his stance was strangely supple, without any wasted movement, almost like a cat. His attire was that of a high-class merchant, but the snake pattern embroidered on his collar and the strange short sword at his hip told her he was no "ordinary merchant." —Rasetsu. Shu Rei took one step out from the shadow of the wall. "[casual]Good evening. It's a nice night." The man's—Rasetsu's—fingertips twitched in response. He slowly turned around, as if appraising prey. His narrow eyes glinted sharply in the moonlight. "...Well, this is a surprise." Rasetsu lifted the corner of his mouth. It was less a smile and more the expression of a carnivore that had found its prey. "Has the sheltered princess of the rear palace come all the way to the men's dormitories this late at night to take a piss? You've got some pretty strange hobbies, huh?" His flippant remark was clearly laced with mockery. A mix of annoyance at having seen something troublesome, and curiosity at having found something interesting. "[matter-of-fact]Unfortunately, I don't have that kind of hobby. I just came to rubberneck because I heard a rumor about an interesting business deal." She retorted without flinching. Rasetsu casually tossed the bundle in his hand and caught it lightly. In that instant, a puff of white powder escaped from the edge of the bundle. Shu Rei twitched her nose. A faint, chemical-like, sickly sweet, yet somehow bitter smell drifted over. Memories from her previous life set off an alarm in her head. This pungent odor was similar to a certain reagent she had smelled in a chemistry lab. She didn't know what kind of drug it was. But in the rear palace, at night, secretly transporting something like this. "...That." "Hm?" "That's Seika Powder, isn't it?" She pointed her finger and declared it outright. The amused look in Rasetsu's eyes vanished, replaced by a blank expression. He hid the bundle behind his back and took half a step closer to her. "...You say some interesting things, little lady." A gust of night wind whistled through the alley. "It's just powdered medicine. I've got a stomachache." "Hmm. And where did you get that prescribed? A proper medical officer? Or the back route of the Tenrin Trading Company, outside the East Gate?" She met his provocation head-on with one of her own. Rasetsu stared at Shu Rei expressionlessly for a moment. Then, he let out a soft sigh. "...I see. You're far more capable than those guys from the Suiran Office. This is interesting. So you're that 'Lazy Virtuous Consort' I've heard about." Without lowering his guard, he directed an appraising gaze at her. "When a good-natured, curious, and slightly clever fool like you goes out for a night on the town, heads start rolling. Why don't you just be a good girl, hole up, and take a nap?" "[calm]Unfortunately, it seems I've already stuck my neck too far into this case. If I'm not the culprit in three days, my head will roll. I can't prevent that by sleeping." Shu Rei shrugged. "So, I'd like to propose a deal with you. You know the distribution route for Seika Powder. And I can move safely within the rear palace. Can't we exchange what we have for what we want?" Rasetsu laughed shortly. "Hah. What could you possibly give me? Money? A woman? Or have you fallen head over heels for me?" "No. The provision of information, and a promise of non-interference. If I reveal this deal, the Suiran Office will move. Your business will face considerable trouble. But if you team up with me, you'll gain an unprecedented 'informed collaborator' inside the rear palace." "You're quite the shrewd woman, aren't you?" Rasetsu shook his head, seemingly impressed. "But, princess. Information is heavier than life. Do you really understand why that consort, Ling Hua, died?" He threw out a topic that touched on the heart of the matter, as if testing her. "I don't know, that's why I'm investigating." "If you keep investigating, you might end up floating in a pond just like her. Even so?" "[firm]Turning back now is far scarier to me. Because dying in three days is the one thing I absolutely refuse to do." Their staring contest continued for several seconds. (This man is testing my nerve. If I show fear, I lose—or rather, he'll write me off.) Her heart was pounding an unpleasant rhythm. But she couldn't afford to back down. Just then—. "Boss!! We've got trouble!!" Another man came running from the direction the subordinate had gone earlier, completely out of breath. His face was pale, visible even in the moonlight. "The eunuchs from the Suiran Office are patrolling the East Gate!! They're expanding the cordon, they're coming this way!!" "Tch." Rasetsu clicked his tongue. The next moment—. Shu Rei's wrist was grabbed with a strong grip. "Wha—hey—" "Quiet. Don't move." Without waiting for a reply, Rasetsu pulled Shu Rei's body close and slipped with her into a narrow shadow between the dormitory wall, a drying rack, and a pile of empty bottles. She felt the cold stone wall against her back. And right in front of her, Rasetsu's chest. It was cramped. Far too cramped. She couldn't even move. Multiple footsteps, crunch, crunch, approached. The light of a raised lantern passed right by their hiding spot. "...Good grief. How did the information leak at this hour?" She could hear the grumbling voice of a eunuch from the Suiran Office. Rasetsu placed one hand on the wall next to Shu Rei's head and put his index finger to his own lips with the other. His breath fell directly on her ear. It was steady, and surprisingly warm. (Whoa, too close, too close, too close!! Stop it!) She screamed internally. Her heartbeat was becoming annoyingly loud for a different reason than before. "[whispers]...If you've got a complaint, why don't you just walk out? You'll feel a lot better." Rasetsu whispered teasingly in her ear. (You bastard...!) But making a fuss now would ruin everything. Shu Rei gritted her back teeth and kept her mouth shut. After a while, the voices and footsteps of the eunuchs faded away, and silence returned to the area. "...Phew." They both exhaled at the same time. As they moved away from the wall, the night wind suddenly felt cold. Rasetsu stared intently at Shu Rei's face, then twisted the corner of his mouth into a grin. "W-what?" "Nah, nothing. Just thought your ears are a little red." "[angry]Shut up! More importantly, what's your answer to the deal?" Shu Rei hurriedly covered her ears with her hands and changed the subject. After laughing deep in his throat for a moment, Rasetsu's expression turned slightly serious. "...Alright. I'll buy that guts of yours. There are interesting consorts like you after all. I'll team up with you." He took a small piece of paper from his pocket and pressed it into Shu Rei's hand. "A little welcome gift. I looked into the initial delivery route for the Seika Powder. My gut tells me this is just the tip of the iceberg." She opened the paper. On it, a concise note was scribbled: *'Seika Powder, source of funds for the first order—possibly the Empress's private funds. Account books need verification.'* "...The Empress's private funds." Something clicked loudly in her head. That Empress with the unsmiling eyes, Ka Rin. That woman was funding the distribution of poison? "But that's just a 'theory.' From here on, you'll need proof." "Where are those account books?" "Who knows. They're probably somewhere in the Tenrin Trading Company, but I can't show them to you on my own authority. If you want more than this, you'll have to find something you can give me in return. A pearl sunk at the bottom of t

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Episode 3

Name: The Free Consort of the Rear Palace: The Virtuous Consort Who Died from Overwork Solves Mysteries
Author: Novelia

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