E12 - The Eunuch and the Courtesan

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(Please feel free to edit the speaker names if incomplete or inaccurate. Names are handled on a best-effort basis depending on the info on the source file. Dialogue is left as is.)
SIGN    The Apothecary Diaries
SIGN    The Apothecary Diaries
SIGN    Jade Pavilion
    Maomao
[01:33] Jinshi
    What should I do...
[01:35] Gaoshun
    What should we do?
SIGN    This story is a work of fiction. The names of all of the characters, organizations, and so on
     are imaginary. It also bears no connection to any specific real-life events.
[01:39] Jinshi
    After Fengming's execution,
[01:41] Jinshi
    her family's assets were confiscated,
[01:44] Jinshi
    and all underwent varying degrees
    of corporal punishment.
[01:49] Jinshi
    Fengming was determined to
    be the sole perpetrator,
[01:52] Jinshi
    so fortunately, her mistress
    Concubine Ah-Duo was not blamed.
[01:58] Jinshi
    And now, here is the list of Fengming's family
    members and those connected to them.
[02:04] Gaoshun
    The list includes those
    who did business with them.
[02:08] Gaoshun
    They had many businesses
    in addition to apiculture.
[02:11] Gaoshun
    There are about eighty children of those
    families here in the rear palace.
[02:15] Jinshi
    Eighty out of two thousand, huh?
[02:18] Jinshi
    That's quite a hit ratio.
SIGN    Jade Pavilion
    Maomao
[02:24] Jinshi
    The family that the apothecary was kidnapped
    and sold off to was one such family.
[02:30] Gaoshun
    If you wish, we could conceal this.
[02:32] Jinshi
    If "I" wish...
[02:35] Jinshi
    Indeed.
[02:37] Jinshi
    It doesn't matter if it's right or wrong.
[02:40] Jinshi
    If I say so, it will be done.
[02:43] Jinshi
    Given how she likes to separate
    the commoners from the nobles,
[02:46] Jinshi
    she'd obey any order, no matter
    how much she disagrees.
[02:54] Jinshi
    It would be simple to give the order.
[02:56] Jinshi
    I should just simply give the order.
[02:59] Jinshi
    Conceal the facts, and keep
    her at the rear palace.
[03:03] Jinshi
    But if that goes against her will...
[03:08] Jinshi
    How would she feel, if she learned she'd been
    forced to stay in a place she disliked so?
[03:18] Jinshi
    I'm so afraid of the rift between
    the two of us widening any further.
[03:24] Gaoshun
    Master Jinshi.
[03:27] Gaoshun
    I thought she was just a convenient pawn.
[03:34] Maomao
    Mass layoffs?
[03:35] Xiaolan
    Yep.
SIGN    Episode 12: The Eunuch and the Courtesan
[03:37] Xiaolan
    The daughters of anyone who did business
     with that family are being let go.
[03:42] Xiaolan
    And it seems like there's quite a few of them.
[03:45] Maomao
    Huh...
[03:47] Xiaolan
    There are girls around who have to quit
    all of a sudden and are in a real bind.
[03:51] Xiaolan
    I guess that family really
    did a lot of business.
[03:55] Maomao
    I have a bad feeling about this.
[03:58] Maomao
    Getting fired now would be bad.
[04:01] Maomao
    It's just bad timing.
[04:02] Maomao
    After Lihaku, I haven't been able to send
    any more paying customers to the old lady.
[04:07] Maomao
    If I go back now...
[04:09] Maomao
    I'm home.
[04:11] Maomao
    You have a customer!
[04:14] Maomao
    She'll sell me off for sure!
[04:17] Xiaolan
    Maomao?!
[04:25] Maomao
    Last I checked, the family on my
    paperwork were merchants.
[04:40] Maomao
    If Fengming's family ran an apiary,
[04:43] Maomao
    there might be some sort of connection...
[05:30] Maomao
    Master Jinshi!
[05:42] Jinshi
    That's rare. You're out of breath.
[05:46] Maomao
    Uh...
[05:46] Jinshi
    Calm down. You're red all over.
[05:49] Maomao
    I would like to talk to you!
[05:52] Jinshi
    Sure. Let's speak inside.
[05:57] Jinshi
    This is about the mass layoffs, I take it?
[05:59] Maomao
    Yes. What's going to happen to me?
[06:03] Jinshi
    Here's the list.
SIGN    Jade
    Pavilion
    Maomao
[06:08] Maomao
    So, I'm being let go.
[06:12] Jinshi
    What do you want to do?
[06:18] (Flashback) Gaoshun
    I thought she was just a convenient pawn.
[06:26] Maomao
    As Lady Gyokuyou's lady-in-waiting,
[06:28] Maomao
    I can test for poisons and
    hang out in the medical office.
[06:31] Maomao
    I have to admit I'm enjoying my current life.
[06:35] Maomao
    But I'm just a servant, after all.
[06:38] Maomao
    I'm in no position to request to stay.
[06:43] Maomao
    I have to make sure
    I don't appear like I'm begging.
[06:47] Maomao
    I am a mere servant.
[06:49] Maomao
    I'll do as you order, whether it be
    manual labor, cooking, or tasting.
[06:57] Jinshi
    As I order...
[06:59] Maomao
    Yes. I'll do my best, if ordered to do so.
[07:03] Maomao
    If I take a pay cut, so be it.
[07:06] Maomao
    As long as I can buy time before getting
    sold off, I'll figure something out.
[07:12] Maomao
    So please, don't fire me!
[07:18] Jinshi
    Understood.
[07:19] Maomao
    Do you mean...
[07:21] Jinshi
    I'll make sure you're compensated.
[07:25] Maomao
    Huh?
[07:26] Narrator
    Negotiation failed. Maomao is let go.
[07:32] Maomao
    There we go.
[07:42] Gaoshun
    How long are you going to stay like that?
[07:46] Gaoshun
    Perhaps you should have
     ordered her to stay.
[07:49] Jinshi
    Not another word.
[07:53] Gaoshun
    A week after being fired,
[07:55] Gaoshun
    Xiaomao went home to the pleasure district.
[07:59] Gaoshun
    I heard she politely went around
[08:01] Gaoshun
    saying her farewells to every single
    place she had business with.
[08:06] (Flashback) Gyokuyou
    You're going to regret this.
[08:09] Gaoshun
    Finding a new toy to replace his favorite
    one has always been a challenge.
[08:15] (Flashback) Young Jinshi
    No! I want that one!
[08:19] Gaoshun
    Or perhaps...
[08:21] Gaoshun
    That girl should not be treated
    as the same as a toy.
[08:25] Gaoshun
    He only let her go because
    he didn't want to treat her as a tool.
[08:30] Gaoshun
    What a troublesome master he is.
[08:34] Gaoshun
    If finding a replacement won't do...
[08:36] Gaoshun
    Perhaps I can speak to that military officer.
[08:40] Jinshi
    Wah, wah, boo-hoo, sob, sob...
[08:50] Meimei
    You do look much better without your freckles.
[08:53] Pairin
    You can use my lipstick.
[08:56] Joka
    I never thought I'd be going
    to a party with Maomao.
[09:00] Maomao
    My workplace tonight is a noble's
    party outside the brothel.
[09:05] Maomao
    Calling a courtesan to one's
    own mansion costs quite a sum.
[09:08] Maomao
    In addition...
[09:10] Maomao
    A night of drinks with one of
    the Verdigris House's Princesses
[09:12] Maomao
    costs what most make in a year.
[09:14] Maomao
    So to call on all three at once...
[09:18] Maomao
    I guess there's no limit to
    how rich a rich person can be.
[09:21] Maomao
    I'm going with you, but just
    so you look better by comparison.
[09:26] Meimei
    Here you go, Maomao.
[09:28] Maomao
    Because I was paid more than
    expected when leaving the rear palace,
[09:32] Maomao
    I was able to avoid getting
    sold off immediately.
[09:36] Joka
    That's an important job, too.
[09:39] Meimei
    Looking forward to it, Maomao.
[09:41] Pairin
    Oh! So cute.
[09:43] Old Lady
    It's time! Hurry up! Hmm?
[09:49] Old Lady
    Well, well, that's not bad at all.
[09:52] Old Lady
    You could take on customers
     of your own too, you know.
[09:57] Maomao
    The old lady really wants me
    to become a courtesan.
[10:03] Old Lady
    Go make a fortune!
[10:05] Maomao
    I can't recite poetry or play the erhu.
[10:08] Maomao
    Dancing is out of the question.
[10:10] Maomao
    I'm just an apothecary's daughter,
    with no interest outside of medicine.
[10:14] Maomao
    So why is she so insistent,
    especially these past few years?
[10:38] Maomao
    This person sure is loaded.
[10:42] Maomao
    Every piece of furniture is
    unimaginably expensive.
[10:45] Maomao
    I'm sure they wouldn't notice
    one thing taken as a souvenir...
[10:48] Maomao
    No! Knock it off.
[10:50] Guide
    This room, please.
[11:01] Maomao
    I heard Master Lihaku introduced us
    to these high-ranking palace officials.
[11:05] Maomao
    They're younger than I expected.
[11:07] Pairin
    Yum.
[11:09] Meimei
    Come, let's go.
[11:14] Maomao
    If he knows so many rich people, he should
    have introduced them to me sooner.
[11:19] Maomao
    With his connections, I could
    have lessened my loan amount.
[11:24] Maomao
    Anyway, off to work.
[12:25] Maomao
    Work is work, but staying
    all smiles is quite an ordeal.
[12:29] Maomao
    Hmm? Is he bored?
[12:33] Maomao
    Excuse me.
[12:34] Jinshi
    Leave me alone.
[12:37] Jinshi
    I want to be alone.
[12:39] Maomao
    Huh? Where have I heard this voice before?
[12:49] Maomao
    Master Jinshi?
[12:53] Jinshi
    Why avoid me?
[12:54] Maomao
    Please don't touch the courtesans.
[12:56] Jinshi
    Do people tell you that makeup
     changes you considerably?
[13:00] Maomao
    I do get that a lot.
[13:02] Jinshi
    Besides, why are you dressed like that?
[13:04] Maomao
    I'm working part-time.
[13:06] Jinshi
    As a courtesan?
[13:08] Maomao
    Yes.
[13:09] Jinshi
    Does that mean you're...
[13:11] Maomao
    This guy is really prone to
    casting doubt on my chastity.
[13:15] Maomao
    I don't take personal customers.
[13:19] Maomao
    Yet.
[13:20] Jinshi
    "Yet..."
[13:22] Jinshi
    So, what if I bought you out?
[13:25] Maomao
    Huh? What kind of joke is—
[13:29] Maomao
    That might be a good idea.
[13:32] Maomao
    Working in the rear palace again
    wouldn't be too bad.
[13:38] Jinshi
    I thought you quit
    because you hated it there.
[13:40] Maomao
    Huh? When did I ever say that?
[13:44] Maomao
    I tried convincing you to let me stay,
    but you fired me anyway.
[13:48] Maomao
    True, there was a lot of trouble.
[13:51] Maomao
    But where else would I be able
    to perform as a taster?
[13:55] Maomao
    The only thing I missed
    were my poison experiments.
[14:02] Jinshi
    You should really stop
    experimenting with poison.
[14:05] Maomao
    He's even more childish today than before.
[14:09] Jinshi
    That's right. That's the kind
    of person you are.
[14:12] Maomao
    What does that mean?
[14:13] Jinshi
    Do people ever say that you
     don't express yourself clearly?
[14:16] Maomao
    I do get that a lot.
[14:21] Jinshi
    So why flinch?
[14:23] Maomao
    Rules are rules.
[14:24] Jinshi
    Can't you bend them a bit?
[14:26] Maomao
    No.
[14:26] Jinshi
    It's not the end of the world.
[14:28] Maomao
    It's ending my spirit.
[14:29] Jinshi
    Just one hand. Just the tip of my fingers.
[14:32] Maomao
    That's right, this guy
    can be really persistent.
[14:37] Maomao
    Fine, just the fingers.
[14:52] Maomao
    This guy!
[14:54] Maomao
    The color sticks!
[14:57] Meimei
    Goodness, what's this?
[14:59] Pairin
    Oh, Maomao.
[15:00] Joka
    I can't watch.
[15:01] Maomao
    Come on, big sisters!
[15:03] Maomao
    Master Gaoshun?! What? Huh?!
[15:07] Maomao
    I couldn't make sense of any of it.
[15:09] Maomao
    I don't remember much of
    what happened after that.
[15:12] Joka
    So, who was that?
[15:13] Meimei
    How do you know him?
[15:15] Pairin
    Not bad, you!
[15:16] Maomao
    I do remember that it was really hard
    answering all my big sisters' questions.
SIGN    Verdigris House
[15:27] Maomao
    And...
[15:28] Maomao
    I should make some, just in case.
[15:30] Maomao
    Wandering around without
    my freckles leads to no good.
[15:34] Maomao
    That was winter last year...
[15:40] Maomao
    Getting kidnapped was enough of a surprise,
[15:42] Maomao
    but to be sold off
    to the rear palace, of all places...
[15:47] Maomao
    Then to get promoted to a lady-in-waiting.
[15:54] Maomao
    I wanted to lay low until
    my term was over, but...
[15:58] Old Lady
    Maomao. Is it ready?
[16:01] Maomao
    Yeah, here.
[16:04] Old Lady
    I need you to take a look at
     someone. Can you come with me?
[16:07] Maomao
    Got it.
[16:22] Maomao
    The rear palace, huh?
[16:24] Maomao
    I really wanted to avoid
    that place at all costs.
[16:32] Maomao
    I wonder if everyone's okay.
[16:39] Maomao
    Oh, I'll get out.
[16:41] Old Lady
    Take your time. You don't get to
    come here all the time.
[16:45] Maomao
    Yeah.
[16:51] Old Lady
    What are you going to do from now on?
[16:54] Maomao
    I'll pay back my loans, I promise.
[16:55] Old Lady
    That's a given!
[16:59] Old Lady
    Are you going back to the rear palace?
[17:03] Maomao
    I don't know.
[17:06] Maomao
    But... the rear palace and
    the brothels are pretty similar.
[17:11] Old Lady
    Hmm.
[17:25] Luomen
    Having trouble sleeping?
[17:28] Maomao
    I'm going to go get some air.
[17:30] Luomen
    Take care.
[17:32] Maomao
    I will.
[18:04] Maomao
    The rear palace and
    the brothels are no different.
[18:08] Maomao
    A garden, and a cage.
[20:16] Maomao
    What's going to happen from now on?
[20:26] Maomao
    It's freezing.
SIGN    Verdigris House
[20:32] Narrator
    A few days later, a beautiful noble
    comes to the pleasure district.
[20:41] Narrator
    With him, he brings enough cash
    to make the old lady's eyes glisten,
[20:44] Narrator
    and for some reason...
[20:49] Narrator
    A strange herb growing from an insect...
[20:57] Narrator
    And in exchange, he asks for a certain girl.
SIGN    The Apothecary Diaries
SIGN    Next Time
[22:46] Narrator
    Next time: "Serving in
    the Outer Court."
SIGN    Episode 13: Serving in the Outer Court