E15 - Raw Fish

Source: Crunchyroll
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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    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.
[01:31] Military Officer 1
    Hey, did you hear about the fire the other day?
[01:33] Military Officer 2
    Lihaku did a really good job with it.
[01:36] Military Officer 3
    I never expected he'd be able to solve it.
[01:39] Military Officer 1
    Actually, I heard a rumor that
    a servant girl helped solve it.
[01:44] Military Officer 3
    A servant girl?
[01:46] Military Officer 2
    They say she's a personal
    attendant of Master Jinshi.
[01:48] Military Officer 1
    Wow, really?
[01:50] Military Officer 1
    Didn't Master Jinshi buy out
[01:52] Military Officer 1
    a courtesan from the Verdigris
     House the other day?
[01:55] Military Officer 1
    I hear she's a beautiful
    intellectual with cold eyes.
[01:59] Military Officer 2
    Yeah, the guys who saw her
    wouldn't shut up about her.
[02:03] Military Officer 1
    Master Lakan?!
[02:07] Lakan
    Mind telling me more about that?
SIGN    Episode 15: Raw Fish
[02:21] Gaoshun
    Xiaomao, could you spare a moment?
[02:23] Maomao
    Master Gaoshun. What is it?
[02:27] Gaoshun
    There's something
    I'd like you to take a look at.
[02:31] Maomao
    Records of an old incident.
[02:34] Maomao
    Ten years ago, at a merchant's home,
[02:36] Maomao
    there was a food poisoning incident
    involving a raw pufferfish dish.
[02:40] Maomao
    Pufferfish poison...
[02:42] Maomao
    I love how it tingles and stings.
[02:44] Maomao
    Oh, I really want some now!
[02:47] Gaoshun
    I can take you to a place
    that serves it sometime soon.
[02:53] Maomao
    So, what about this?
[02:55] Gaoshun
    A while ago, I was officially
     involved with this case.
[03:02] Gaoshun
    A colleague asked me for advice, because
     a similar incident occurred recently.
[03:09] Maomao
    A similar incident?
[03:10] Gaoshun
    A bureaucrat ate pufferfish, raw and seasoned
    with vinegar, and fell into a coma.
[03:16] Maomao
    A coma?
[03:19] Maomao
    Master Gaoshun, my apologies.
[03:22] Maomao
    Is it appropriate for me to learn about this?
[03:25] Gaoshun
    That won't be an issue.
    You are someone who knows her place.
[03:31] Maomao
    In other words, stay silent about this.
[03:33] Gaoshun
    Besides, this story involves poison.
    Are you sure you want me to stop here?
[03:40] Maomao
    Please, do continue.
SIGN    Pufferfish
[03:48] Gaoshun
    In this instance, they served
    parboiled pufferfish skin and meat.
[03:53] Gaoshun
    He ate this and fell into a coma.
[03:57] Maomao
    The meat? Most of the poison is in the gut.
[04:02] Gaoshun
    Yes, the skin and the meat.
[04:05] Maomao
    The meat isn't supposed
    to have much poison in it...
[04:08] Maomao
    Maybe it depends on the type of
    pufferfish or the environment it's from.
[04:15] Maomao
    Nothing seems out of place, then?
[04:17] Gaoshun
    The thing is, in both cases,
    this time and in the past,
[04:21] Gaoshun
    the cook claims they hadn't
    used pufferfish in the dish.
[04:26] Maomao
    That sounds interesting.
[04:29] Gaoshun
    That's not the only thing in common.
[04:31] Gaoshun
    The two who fell ill...
[04:33] Gaoshun
    The bureaucrat from this case
    and the merchant from the past one
[04:36] Gaoshun
    were both gourmets who loved eating rare foods.
[04:40] Gaoshun
    They both often ate raw fish and
     pufferfish was one of their favorites.
[04:47] Gaoshun
    After the incident, all of the organs
    and skin were discovered in the trash,
[04:53] Gaoshun
    so it was determined that
    the guts were never consumed.
[04:57] Gaoshun
    In both cases, the cooks claimed innocence, said
     the pufferfish was served the night before,
[05:03] Gaoshun
    and that on the day of the incident,
     they'd used a different fish.
[05:08] Gaoshun
    However, there were
    no witnesses to provide proof.
[05:12] Gaoshun
    The bureaucrat ate all the food served,
[05:15] Gaoshun
    then became intoxicated
    and collapsed half an hour later.
[05:18] Gaoshun
    He was discovered convulsing.
[05:22] Maomao
    He did a more thorough
    investigation than I'd expect.
[05:25] Maomao
    Plenty of other bureaucrats would put
    in zero effort and just make up a suspect.
[05:31] Gaoshun
    What do you think?
[05:32] Maomao
    The symptoms do sound
    like pufferfish poison,
[05:35] Maomao
    but I can't say for certain
     without more details.
[05:39] Maomao
    Master Gaoshun, can you try
    to find more information?
[05:44] Gaoshun
    Understood. I will look into it.
[05:52] Maomao
    At this time of year, it's not rare to
    have food trash sit out for a few days.
[05:58] Maomao
    The testimony of using different fish
    matches the evidence of the leftovers...
[06:04] Jinshi
    What were you talking about?
[06:07] Jinshi
    That look would wound anyone, even me.
[06:13] Jinshi
    You seemed to be listening
    very eagerly to Gaoshun's story.
[06:17] Maomao
    People naturally pay attention to
     stories that are actually interesting.
[06:21] Jinshi
    Wait, hold on. You often
     cut me off mid-speech—
[06:24] Maomao
    Oh dear, it's getting late.
    With that, I'll take my leave.
[06:28] Jinshi
    Hey, I'm not done talking—
[06:30] Suiren
    Oh no, don't move.
[06:33] Suiren
    Come on, stay still.
[06:42] Gaoshun
    Xiaomao, about the discussion
    we had yesterday...
[06:46] Gaoshun
    These are the cook's notes.
[06:49] Gaoshun
    According to the servant, it describes
    everything served to their master.
[06:54] Maomao
    Thank you.
[07:00] Maomao
    "Parboil the fish. Add cut vegetables.
    Season with vinegar."
[07:04] Maomao
    The recipe looks normal.
[07:08] Gaoshun
    There are several types of
    vinegar mixtures outlined,
[07:11] Gaoshun
    but the list of ingredients lack detail.
[07:14] Maomao
    That must be because the types of fish
    and vegetables available differ by season.
[07:20] Maomao
    This won't help us understand the key facts
    around what was actually used to cook the dish.
[07:25] Jinshi
    You can't understand?
[07:28] Maomao
    He wants to join in.
[07:32] Jinshi
    So, what can't you understand?
[07:37] Suiren
    It will be mealtime soon.
[07:39] Jinshi
    I know.
[07:41] Maomao
    That's quite childish.
[07:44] Maomao
    When did the incident occur?
[07:46] Gaoshun
    About a week ago.
[07:49] Gaoshun
    Meaning winter vegetables,
    so probably radishes and carrots?
[07:55] Gaoshun
    Actually, I hear they used seaweed.
[07:59] Maomao
    Seaweed?
[08:01] Gaoshun
    Seaweed.
[08:03] Maomao
    If he likes rare foods, I guess
    he could have tried strange seaweeds.
[08:09] Maomao
    If possible, could I take a look
     at the kitchen involved?
[08:29] Maomao
    I'm here under Master Gaoshun's orders.
[08:32] Basen
    I'm Basen. I've heard about you.
[08:36] Maomao
    I am Maomao.
[08:37] Basen
    We're heading to the mansion now,
    but remember, you're my follower.
[08:41] Basen
    Don't do anything without my permission.
[08:44] Maomao
    Understood.
[08:50] Basen
    Once we arrive, the servant there
    will show us to the kitchen.
[08:54] Maomao
    Understood.
[08:55] Maomao
    Master Gaoshun sure does work fast.
[08:59] Maomao
    That aside...
[09:01] Maomao
    I've never seen this officer before.
[09:03] Maomao
    He looks familiar, though.
[09:07] Maomao
    He doesn't seem to have
    a good impression of me.
[09:09] Maomao
    Oh, well.
[09:16] Servant
    This is the kitchen.
[09:22] Servant
    It hasn't been used since the poison incident.
[09:29] Basen
    Hmm? Hey!
[09:34] Official's Younger Brother
    Who let you in here?! Get out!
[09:35] Official's Younger Brother
    What are you doing?!
    Did you bring these people here?!
[09:40] Basen
    I've gotten permission from the mistress,
    and this is official business.
[09:45] Official's Younger Brother
    Is that true?
[09:47] Basen
    May we continue? Or would that
    inconvenience you in some way?
[09:52] Official's Younger Brother
    Whatever.
[09:56] Maomao
    Who is that?
[09:57] Servant
    That is the master's younger brother.
[10:00] Servant
    After the master fell into the coma,
    and the mistress took ill from fatigue,
[10:05] Servant
    the younger brother manages the mansion.
[10:09] Maomao
    I see.
[10:12] Maomao
    Master Basen.
[10:13] Basen
    Yeah.
[10:16] Maomao
    The cook washed all the cooking utensils.
[10:21] Maomao
    Other than that...
[10:34] Maomao
    What is this?
[10:35] Servant
    Ah, the master loved that.
[10:38] Servant
    It's his favorite. He ate it often.
[10:40] Servant
    I don't think it's poisonous...
[10:44] Maomao
    He doesn't seem to be lying.
[10:46] Official's Younger Brother
    So that's that.
[10:48] Official's Younger Brother
    If you're done here, please leave.
[10:51] Maomao
    Indeed.
[10:56] Maomao
    Sorry to bother you.
[11:02] Basen
    Why did you back down so easily?
[11:04] Maomao
    I don't consider that backing down.
[11:10] Basen
    You brought it with you?
[11:12] Maomao
    This is strange.
[11:14] Maomao
    This seaweed isn't in season quite yet.
[11:18] Maomao
    But even if salted and preserved from
     last year, it wouldn't last this long.
[11:24] Basen
    I see.
[11:26] Maomao
    I don't think it was gathered in our region.
[11:30] Maomao
    Perhaps it was imported from the south.
[11:35] Maomao
    It would be good if we could
    find out where it came from.
[11:42] Maomao
    I think he gets what I mean.
[11:44] Maomao
    In that case, I'll do what I have to do.
[11:56] Jinshi
    What's this?
[11:58] Maomao
    The seaweed I got from the mansion.
[12:01] Maomao
    I've split it into two
    and put it in some water.
[12:05] Maomao
    Why is Master Jinshi here?
[12:08] Basen
    The seaweed was indeed
    imported from the south.
[12:13] Basen
    According to the servant, the master
    never ate that seaweed in the winter.
[12:20] Gaoshun
    The cook also said this is the same
    as the seaweed they normally use,
[12:24] Gaoshun
    and can't be poisonous.
[12:26] Maomao
    You can't assume it's not poisonous
     just because it's the same seaweed.
[12:31] Maomao
    Maybe this seaweed
    isn't eaten often in the south.
[12:37] Maomao
    Perhaps a merchant learned that
    it's a favorite of this bureaucrat,
[12:41] Maomao
    and, looking to profit from that,
[12:43] Maomao
    went out of his way to get some locals
    to make a salted version of it?
[12:48] Jinshi
    Why is that a problem?
[12:51] Maomao
    Sometimes, poisons can become not poisonous.
[12:56] Maomao
    For example, eels are originally poisonous,
[13:00] Maomao
    but by bleeding them out or cooking
    them, they become edible.
[13:04] Maomao
    In the case of this seaweed, I think
    it had to be soaked in limewater first.
[13:09] Maomao
    What I have here is one batch soaked in
    limewater, and one batch without that.
[13:18] Jinshi
    What are you doing?!
[13:19] Maomao
    It's fine.
[13:20] Maomao
    Probably.
[13:21] Jinshi
    What do you mean, "probably"?!
[13:23] Maomao
    Don't worry. I have
    an emetic agent right here—
[13:27] Jinshi
    Don't say that so proudly!
[13:29] Jinshi
    Gaoshun!
[13:30] Gaoshun
    Yes.
[13:31] Maomao
    Hey—
[13:32] Jinshi
    Vomit, now!
[13:38] Maomao
    I wanted to test if the detoxification
    could be done overnight...
[13:43] Maomao
    Um, back on topic.
[13:46] Maomao
    So, the issue is: who suggested that
     the trader bring the salted seaweed?
[13:54] Maomao
    If the one who ate it imported it himself,
[13:57] Maomao
    it'd be his own fault, in a sense.
[14:00] Maomao
    But, if he didn't...
[14:04] Maomao
    Bringing it in from a region
     that doesn't eat it
[14:07] Maomao
    is obviously taking a pretty big risk.
[14:11] Gaoshun
    I understand.
[14:13] Maomao
    The people here are smart.
    I don't have to elaborate further.
[14:19] Maomao
    I guess that settles it for now.
[14:26] Jinshi
    Hey!
[14:30] Gaoshun
    The culprit was the official's younger brother.
[14:34] Gaoshun
    When we found where he bought the seaweed,
[14:36] Gaoshun
    he confessed to being
     the one who'd purchased it.
[14:41] Gaoshun
    His motive was that, being
    the younger son, he wasn't treated well.
[14:45] Gaoshun
    He wanted to remove his older
    brother from the picture.
[14:48] Gaoshun
    A commonplace story.
[14:49] Maomao
    But how could a person who'd plot to murder
    someone for such a thoughtless reason
[14:55] Maomao
    have learned about the seaweed poison?
[14:59] Gaoshun
    He happened to hear about it from a person
    sitting next to him at a tavern, apparently.
[15:04] Maomao
    "Happened to," huh? Sure...
[15:11] Maomao
    In the end, I didn't get to try
    the poisonous seaweed...
[15:16] Maomao
    By the way, what should I use it for?
[15:19] Maomao
    That mushroom the color of dry leaves
    growing from the dead insect!
[15:23] Maomao
    Should I make medicinal booze?! A pill?!
[15:31] Maomao
    Welcome home!
[15:33] Maomao
    Welcome home!
[15:45] Gaoshun
    What's going on?!
[15:47] Maomao
    It's not my fault.
[15:53] Suiren
    You seem tired.
[15:55] Jinshi
    I have so much work piled up,
[15:57] Jinshi
    but there's someone
    I just don't get along with.
[16:00] Jinshi
    We just can't see eye-to-eye.
[16:02] Maomao
    I never would have thought you'd
     ever have trouble with people.
[16:07] Jinshi
    This man's a razor-sharp
    high official in the military.
[16:11] Jinshi
    He comes from a good family, but even
    though he's past forty, he hasn't married.
[16:15] Jinshi
    He adopted his nephew as his son
    and has him handle his household.
[16:19] Jinshi
    A famous weirdo.
[16:21] Maomao
    A forty-plus, high-ranking
    military officer... and weirdo?
[16:26] Jinshi
    His only interests are go, shogi, and rumors.
[16:32] Jinshi
    He files complaints, barges in,
[16:35] Jinshi
    and keeps extending deadlines
    on decisions that need to be made.
[16:39] Jinshi
    I think he has it out for me for some reason.
[16:42] Jinshi
    He's been camping in my office
    for several days in a row.
[16:47] Maomao
    Okay, let's forget about this!
[16:49] Maomao
    No good can come from dwelling on this.
[16:55] Maomao
    However, no matter how hard I try to forget,
[16:58] Maomao
    as usual, my bad hunches are correct.
[17:01] Jinshi
    This matter was settled already.
[17:04] Lakan
    Flower viewing in the winter is difficult.
[17:06] Lakan
    I thought this would be better instead.
[17:10] Jinshi
    This man is Lakan. He is a strategist.
[17:14] Jinshi
    It seems like the reason
    he's confronting me
[17:17] Jinshi
    is because I made Maomao, who is connected
    to the Verdigris House, my servant.
[17:22] Lakan
    Come to think of it, I have an old
    acquaintance in the Verdigris House.
[17:27] Jinshi
    That's unexpected. I thought
    he had no interest in romance.
[17:33] Jinshi
    What kind of courtesan is she?
[17:37] Jinshi
    Shoot, I asked without thinking.
[17:39] Lakan
    She was a good courtesan.
[17:41] Lakan
    She was very good at go and shogi.
    I could beat her in shogi, but never in go.
[17:48] Lakan
    Defeating our master strategist?
    She must have been good.
[17:52] Lakan
    I considered buying her out,
[17:55] Lakan
    since I felt I would never meet
    another woman as interesting as her.
[18:00] Lakan
    But sometimes, things just don't work out.
[18:04] Lakan
    Two rich men with curious tastes
    endlessly tried to outbid each other.
[18:10] Jinshi
    Is that so?
[18:12] Jinshi
    It's said, at times,
    buying out a courtesan
[18:14] Jinshi
    could cost about as much as a small palace.
[18:17] Lakan
    She was a strange courtesan.
[18:20] Jinshi
    Where is he trying to go with this story?
[18:24] Lakan
    She would sell her skills, but never herself.
[18:27] Lakan
    In fact, she didn't treat
    guests as customers at all.
[18:31] Lakan
    Even when pouring tea,
    she had an arrogant look,
[18:36] Lakan
    like she was being charitable
    to a lowly peasant.
[18:39] Lakan
    But there were many with curious tastes
    who were head over heels for her.
[18:44] Lakan
    Myself among them, naturally.
[18:47] Lakan
    That chill down my spine
    was truly irresistible.
[18:55] Lakan
    Oh, how I wanted to try
    to force myself on her one day.
[19:03] Lakan
    In the end, I couldn't give up on her,
[19:06] Lakan
    so I had no choice but
     to use a bit of a dirty trick.
[19:10] Jinshi
    Meaning?
[19:11] Lakan
    If something's too expensive,
     you simply lower its value.
[19:16] Lakan
    I made her less exquisite.
[19:21] Lakan
    Do you know how I did that?
[19:25] Jinshi
    Why play hard-to-get all of a sudden?
[19:33] Lakan
    Well, before I get into that,
    I have a favor to ask.
[19:38] Jinshi
    What is it?
[19:40] Lakan
    I heard that the servant girl you hired
     recently is quite intriguing.
[19:46] Lakan
    They say she has a strange
    knack for solving puzzles.
[19:52] Lakan
    I was acquainted with a metalworker
    who was the palace purveyor.
[19:58] Lakan
    He suddenly passed away a few days ago,
[20:01] Lakan
    and failed to name a proper successor.
[20:04] Lakan
    He had three children who
    were also his apprentices.
[20:08] Lakan
    Unfortunately, he died before passing on
    his secret techniques to his children.
[20:14] Lakan
    He left a puzzling will, which might be a hint.
[20:19] Lakan
    That's been bothering me for a while.
[20:23] Jinshi
    Where are you going with this?
[20:25] Lakan
    Nowhere special, really.
[20:29] Lakan
    I just wonder if there's some way
     to learn that secret technique.
[20:35] Lakan
    Perhaps, for example,
[20:37] Lakan
    by having your clever servant girl take a look.
[20:47] Jinshi
    Well... I suppose I could hear the whole story.
[20:59] Maomao
    That's a lot of rain.
SIGN    Next Time
[22:46] Narrator
    Next time: "Lead."
SIGN    Episode 16: Lead