E2 - Chilly Apothecary

Source: Crunchyroll
Translator:
Editor:
Timer:
QC:
(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.
SIGN    Episode 2: Chilly Apothecary
[01:41] Soldier A
    Hey!
[01:44] Soldier A
    It's poison!
[01:47] Soldier B
    Damn you! Who's behind this?!
[01:51] Officer
    Wait.
[01:53] Officer
    Tend to the soldiers first.
[02:04] Jinshi
    Poison?
[02:05] Gaoshun
    The food was cooked by the villagers.
[02:08] Gaoshun
    The village leader has been put into
    custody for aiding the barbarians.
[02:12] Gaoshun
    Please advise.
[02:14] Jinshi
    Understood. Give me a moment.
[02:17] Gaoshun
    As you wish.
[02:19] Gaoshun
    By the way...
[02:20] Gaoshun
    I heard you hired a new lady-in-waiting
    to serve Concubine Gyokuyou.
[02:25] Jinshi
    Yes. Concubine Gyokuyou
    has only four women serving her.
[02:29] Jinshi
    It's too few compared to Concubine Lihua,
[02:31] Jinshi
    who also high-ranking and has over ten.
[02:35] Jinshi
    It hurts her dignity as
     a high-ranking concubine.
[02:38] Gaoshun
    Yes. However, Concubine Gyokuyou
     is not just bright and gentle,
[02:43] Gaoshun
    but also wise and cautious.
[02:46] Jinshi
    She would never hire
    someone of unknown origin.
[02:50] Jinshi
    Being constantly wary of
    everyone around them
[02:55] Jinshi
    is the only way an emperor's
    concubine can survive.
[02:57] Gaoshun
    And who is this new lady-in-waiting?
[03:01] Jinshi
    Gaoshun, I found just the right pawn.
[03:05] Jinshi
    It's that freckled servant girl.
[03:10] Jinshi
    Her knowledge of medicine
    is too valuable to pass up.
[03:13] Gaoshun
    I see. But if she were to abuse
    that knowledge...
[03:18] Jinshi
    I'll make sure she can't do that.
[03:21] Jinshi
    It should be easy.
[03:23] Jinshi
    I suppose I should seduce
    her a little, just in case.
[03:29] Xiaolan
    It's so cool that you get to serve
    a high-ranking concubine.
[03:32] Maomao
    Ugh, I really didn't want to.
[03:40] Jinshi
    Apothecary. Are you ready to move?
[03:43] Maomao
    Yes, I'm on my way to the Jade Pavilion soon.
[03:46] Maomao
    Did you need something?
[03:48] Jinshi
    No, nothing.
[03:50] Maomao
    Huh?
[03:52] Maomao
    Why's he here, then? Nothing better to do?
[03:58] Jinshi
    Be sure to serve Concubine Gyokuyou well.
[04:06] Maomao
    Excuse me.
[04:09] Xiaolan
    Good luck, Maomao!
[04:14] Maomao
    Ew, gross...
[04:20] Hongniang
    Are you Maomao?
[04:22] Maomao
    Oh, yes.
[04:24] Hongniang
    I am Hongniang,
    head lady-in-waiting for Lady Gyokuyou.
[04:28] Hongniang
    For starters, I'll show you around
    the Jade Pavilion. Follow me.
[04:32] Maomao
    Yes.
[04:37] Gyokuyou
    Welcome to the Jade Pavilion.
    I've been waiting for you, Maomao.
[04:44] Gyokuyou
    Looks like Xiaoling is happy to see you, too.
[04:47] Gyokuyou
    We're glad to have you around.
[04:52] Maomao
    Thank you.
[04:55] Hongniang
    This is the parlor, where we bring guests.
[04:59] Maomao
    So big...
[05:00] Hongniang
    This is the kitchen. You should be able
    to do some simple cooking here.
[05:04] Maomao
    Wow.
[05:06] Hongniang
    This is the living room.
[05:07] Hongniang
    Here are the other ladies-in-waiting.
    Let me introduce them to you.
[05:11] Hongniang
    Everyone, gather up.
[05:12] Ladies-in-waiting
    Yes!
[05:14] Yinghua
    Nice to meet you, I'm Yinghua. Ask me anything!
[05:19] Guiyuan
    I am Guiyuan. Nice to meet you.
[05:22] Ailan
    I am Ailan. Very pleased to meet you.
[05:27] Maomao
    I'm Maomao. Looking forward
    to working with you.
[05:31] Hongniang
    At the Jade Pavilion,
    we don't hire any serving girls.
[05:35] Hongniang
    So, we do all the work around here.
[05:38] Yinghua
    It's the least we can do to make sure
    Lady Gyokuyou lives comfortably.
[05:43] Maomao
    Then I'll also—
[05:44] Yinghua
    You go ahead and rest in your room.
[05:46] Maomao
    Huh?
[05:47] Guiyuan
    Take it easy.
[05:49] Ailan
    You have a special task coming up.
[05:52] Maomao
    Special task?
[05:54] Hongniang
    Maomao, I'll show you to your room.
[05:57] Maomao
    Um, sure.
[06:01] Yinghua
    Did you see her left arm?
[06:04] Yinghua
    She's hiding it with those bandages,
    but there are scars under them, right?
[06:08] Guiyuan
    She must have been abused
    by her parents back home,
[06:10] Guiyuan
    and sold off to the rear palace...
[06:13] Ailan
    On top of that, there's that terrible job...
[06:17] Three Ladies-in-waiting
    That poor, unfortunate girl!
[06:23] Hongniang
    Wait here until you're summoned, all right?
[06:25] Maomao
    Hey, um...
[06:32] Maomao
    I've gotten quite the promotion.
[06:37] Maomao
    The Jade Pavilion's always
    been run by a select elite.
[06:40] Maomao
    So of course a newcomer
    wouldn't be totally welcome.
[06:44] Maomao
    But they all looked so...
[06:48] Maomao
    Sympathetic? Why?
[06:53] Jinshi
    Tasting for poison.
[06:55] Jinshi
    That's your job, apothecary.
[06:59] Maomao
    Poison! Tasting for poison!
[07:04] Maomao
    Oops.
[07:06] Jinshi
    Food cooked for the concubine changes hands
    a few times before being brought here.
[07:15] Jinshi
    It's possible for it to be
    poisoned during that process.
[07:20] Jinshi
    In fact, when Concubine Gyokuyou
    became pregnant,
[07:23] Jinshi
    her food was poisoned at least twice.
[07:26] Jinshi
    The taster back then received nerve damage
    and still can't move her hands or feet.
[07:33] Maomao
    I see. That's why the others
    were sympathetic to me.
[07:38] Hongniang
    So... Here you go.
[07:42] Maomao
    These bowls...
[07:45] Maomao
    No suspicious colors. Or scents.
[07:52] Maomao
    No numbness.
[07:56] Maomao
    I can't detect any poison here.
[08:00] Maomao
    Back when I lived by the brothels,
    I ran a lot of experiments on my arm.
[08:07] (Flashback) Luomen
    Mad scientist.
[08:10] Maomao
    I've gradually trained my body against poisons,
    so many of them have no effect on me.
[08:15] Maomao
    To be honest, detecting
    poison isn't suited for me.
[08:19] Maomao
    But in a way, I'm lucky to get this job.
[08:25] Jinshi
    She's laughing...
[08:27] Maomao
    I think you should switch to silver plates.
    Those react to poisons.
[08:33] Hongniang
    It's like Master Jinshi said. We used
     ceramics on purpose to test you.
[08:41] Maomao
    That was his idea!
[08:45] Hongniang
    Your knowledge applies to both
     poisons and medicines, then.
[08:48] Maomao
    I used to work as an apothecary.
[08:51] Hongniang
    If you'd mentioned that you're literate,
    you would have gotten paid more.
[08:56] Maomao
    I was kidnapped and brought here,
[08:58] Maomao
    and I'm incensed that part of my pay
    gets sent to the kidnappers.
[09:05] Hongniang
    So, you'd rather take less pay than give
    your kidnappers drinking money, hmm?
[09:20] Hongniang
    Goodness, this was quite expensive.
[09:24] Hongniang
    You couldn't afford it with
    your lady-in-waiting salary.
[09:27] Hongniang
    How will you send money to your family?
[09:30] Hongniang
    In fact, we might need to charge them.
[09:34] Maomao
    Ah, I'm so sorry.
[09:38] Maomao
    Please take it out of the money to my family.
[09:40] Maomao
    If that's not enough,
     from my savings, too.
[09:43] Hongniang
    Yes, I'll arrange the paperwork.
[09:46] Hongniang
    By the way, here's hazard pay
    for your food tasting services.
[09:52] Maomao
    Almost equal to my regular salary...
[09:55] Maomao
    Since the kidnappers don't get
    a cut of this, it all goes to me.
[10:00] Maomao
    Thank you.
[10:03] Maomao
    She knows how to motivate her workers.
[10:17] Yinghua
    Don't worry about it!
[10:19] Guiyuan
    Rest for now.
[10:20] Ailan
    We've always been fully staffed.
[10:22] Maomao
    I'm bored!
[10:25] Maomao
    I only get called on as taster for
    two meals and the mid-day tea time.
[10:30] Maomao
    Now that I have my own room,
[10:33] Maomao
    if there was a venomous snake or
    something, I could experiment...
[10:36] Hongniang
    Maomao.
[10:39] Maomao
    Did you need me, Lady Gyokuyou?
[10:41] Gyokuyou
    He does, actually.
[10:45] Maomao
    Ugh.
[10:47] Jinshi
    Why won't this work on her?
[10:54] Maomao
    How may I serve you today?
[10:56] Jinshi
    I received these from a certain
    military officer. Can you taste them?
[11:01] Maomao
    Baozi buns...
[11:07] Maomao
    It has an aphrodisiac in it.
[11:10] Jinshi
    You can tell without eating it?
[11:11] Maomao
    It's not harmful. Please
    feel free to enjoy them.
[11:15] Jinshi
    Given who I received
     these from, I can't do that.
[11:19] Maomao
    Perhaps that person
    might visit you tonight.
[11:24] Jinshi
    Hmm. So you can tell by the smell alone?
[11:27] Maomao
    Did this guy try to make me eat one
    knowing they have an aphrodisiac in them?!
[11:38] Jinshi
    I had one more question for you.
[11:42] Maomao
    Yes, what is it?
[11:44] Jinshi
    A squad of soldiers on a mission to attack
    some barbarians was poisoned the other day.
[11:49] Maomao
    Poisoned?
[11:50] Jinshi
    Yes. Several fell ill after a meal.
[11:53] Jinshi
    They reported nausea, difficulty
     breathing, and other ailments.
[11:57] Maomao
    Nausea and difficulty breathing...
[12:01] Jinshi
    The meal was prepared in a nearby village.
[12:04] Jinshi
    They arrested the village leader
    for assisting the barbarians,
[12:07] Jinshi
    but an officer diffused the situation,
[12:09] Jinshi
    and has put the decision on hold.
[12:12] Maomao
    It would be natural to assume
    the villagers poisoned the soldiers, but...
[12:20] Maomao
    Master Jinshi, where were they eating?
[12:23] Jinshi
    They were at camp, so
    they likely ate outside.
[12:25] Maomao
    Did the villagers provide
    the plates and chopsticks?
[12:28] Jinshi
    No, the soldiers should
    have provided their own.
[12:33] Jinshi
    Did you notice something?
[12:36] Maomao
    This is just my opinion.
    Let me share something.
[12:40] Maomao
    This flower is a rhododendron.
[12:44] Gyokuyou
    Does it taste good?
[12:45] Maomao
    No, eating it causes nausea
    and difficulty breathing.
[12:49] Jinshi
    Hey!
[12:51] Maomao
    As you see, even the rear palace
    has plants with poison in them.
[12:55] Maomao
    This one has poison in the leaves, but some
    have poison in the branches or roots.
[12:59] Maomao
    Some wood can even emit poison when burned.
[13:04] Gyokuyou
    When burned...?
[13:09] Jinshi
    I see.
[13:11] Maomao
    It's fortunate the bright
     officer was there.
[13:14] Maomao
    We could have lost a whole village.
[13:17] Jinshi
    Yes.
[13:19] Maomao
    If that's all, I'll take my leave.
[13:21] Jinshi
    No, wait.
[13:23] Maomao
    Is there more?
[13:27] Jinshi
    Can you make an aphrodisiac?
[13:31] Maomao
    Make? You mean...
[13:34] Maomao
    Making drugs?!
[13:42] Maomao
    Given time, the proper ingredients,
    and the right tools,
[13:45] Maomao
    I could make something like that.
[13:49] Mid-Rank Concubine
    Master Jinshi, where are you headed?
[13:54] Jinshi
    I'm returning to my office. May I help you?
[13:58] Mid-Rank Concubine
    I was wondering if you'd have
     tea with me in my room...
[14:01] Jinshi
    Unfortunately, I have much work
    to attend to. Please excuse me.
[14:10] Gaoshun
    The servants must not be aware
[14:13] Gaoshun
    that Master Jinshi serves as a test
    of their loyalty to the emperor.
[14:18] Jinshi
    Just because the emperor does not visit her,
[14:20] Jinshi
    she shouldn't try and lure
    other men to her room.
[14:22] Jinshi
    What an indiscretion.
[14:24] Gaoshun
    Indeed.
[14:25] Jinshi
    A concubine cannot simply be
    beautiful or well-educated.
[14:30] Jinshi
    They must be loyal to
     the emperor, and be chaste.
[14:34] Gaoshun
    But to place you in the rear palace
    and use your beauty as a test...
[14:41] Gaoshun
    Our emperor can be quite severe at times.
[14:43] Jinshi
    We all use whatever is available to us. But...
[14:46] Jinshi
    Not only does she feel no lust
     for me, but that look...
[14:50] Maomao
    Glare...
[14:53] Jinshi
    I've never been so harshly
    looked down on in my life.
[14:57] Gaoshun
    Well then, I will take my leave.
[15:05] (Flashback) Maomao
    Perhaps that person
    might visit you tonight.
[15:07] Maomao
    Tonight... Tonight...
[15:13] Maomao
    I'm leaving now.
[15:15] Hongniang
    Good luck.
[15:17] Maomao
    Yes!
[15:24] Maomao
    Pardon me.
[15:26] Maomao
    The quack doctor, and...
[15:29] Gaoshun
    Miss Maomao. Let me reintroduce myself.
[15:32] Gaoshun
    I am Gaoshun.
[15:34] Gaoshun
    I'm Master Jinshi's assistant.
[15:37] Gaoshun
    Pleased to make your acquaintance.
[15:39] Maomao
    Hello.
[15:41] Maomao
    It can't be easy assisting that guy.
[15:44] Guen
    What is this servant girl
    doing in my territory?
[15:50] Gaoshun
    This way, please.
[15:54] Gaoshun
    I have been told you may use
    anything in this room.
[16:09] Jinshi
    Is that some sort of cursed dance?
[16:15] Maomao
    What a luxury, being able
    to use paper so freely.
[16:19] Maomao
    And also, I need...
[16:22] Gaoshun
    Over there?
[16:25] Maomao
    He's really quick to notice things.
    Compared to his master...
[16:30] Maomao
    If you're not going to do
    anything, just go away.
[16:33] Gaoshun
    Here you are.
[16:35] Maomao
    Thank you.
[16:38] Maomao
    That's not enough...
[16:41] Jinshi
    What is this?
[16:42] Maomao
    It's cacao.
[16:43] Jinshi
    If you need more, we'll simply find more.
[16:46] Maomao
    But it's from the West,
    and the far southern region, too.
[16:50] Jinshi
    I'm sure there's more in
     the trading goods storage.
[17:01] Maomao
    Milk, butter, sugar, honey,
    and powdered cacao.
[17:07] Maomao
    That should be enough.
[17:09] Yinghua
    All expensive ingredients.
[17:11] Ailan
    I wonder what she's making?
[17:13] Guiyuan
    A snack, maybe?
[17:15] Hongniang
    What are you all doing?
[17:17] Hongniang
    Get back to work!
[17:19] Three Ladies-in-waiting
    We're sorry!
[17:22] Hongniang
    Goodness.
[17:24] Maomao
    Now to actually make the aphrodisiac!
[17:31] Maomao
    I had a taste of cacao just once in the past.
[17:33] (Flashback) Meimei
    This is called "chocolate." Say "ah," Maomao.
[17:39] (Flashback) Meimei
    Maomao?!
[17:43] Maomao
    Perhaps a malicious customer wanted to get
    a popular courtesan's attention.
[17:47] Maomao
    Unfortunately for him, he got
    banned by the shrewd old lady.
[17:52] Maomao
    Looks good.
[17:53] Maomao
    There.
[17:57] Maomao
    Now I just cool it and wait for it to harden.
[18:00] Maomao
    I have a bit left over. Oh, I know.
[18:05] Maomao
    This probably doesn't need to be cooled.
[18:10] Maomao
    I guess I should clean up now.
[18:17] Maomao
    Wait, medicinal herbs?!
[18:19] Maomao
    There too?! And over there!
[18:24] Maomao
    Oops, I got a little carried away.
[18:27] Maomao
    Sorry for the delay!
[18:41] Jinshi
    At least we know it works.
[18:44] Hongniang
    So, what's going on?!
[18:46] Maomao
    Well, it is what it is...
[18:49] Maomao
    It's fine, they didn't go all the way—Ow!
[18:54] Gyokuyou
    So, this is the aphrodisiac?
[18:56] Maomao
    No, this is.
[19:00] Jinshi
    Then what are the other ones?
[19:02] Maomao
    A midnight snack for myself.
[19:05] Maomao
    If you're used to alcohol
    and other stimulants,
[19:07] Maomao
    it won't have that much of an effect.
[19:10] Jinshi
    Oh, so it won't be a problem if I ate it?
[19:14] Gaoshun & Hongniang
    Please don't do that!
[19:17] Jinshi
    Haha, just joking.
[19:19] Maomao
    What a reprehensible joke to make
    in front of the emperor's concubine.
[19:23] Maomao
    But if he approached someone with
    an impassioned blush on that face...
[19:30] Maomao
    It'd immediately captivate
    any person, male or female.
[19:33] Maomao
    He does have a great face, after all.
[19:36] Maomao
    It's quite strong, so please
     limit it to one piece at a time.
[19:40] Maomao
    Too many could excessively increase
    blood flow and cause nosebleeds.
[19:44] Gyokuyou
    Maybe you can make some for the emperor,
    to avoid things getting too dull.
[19:48] Maomao
    It should be around three times
    more potent than the usual tonic.
[19:53] Gyokuyou
    Three times? Does she mean duration...?
[19:56] Maomao
    Let's pretend I didn't hear that.
[19:59] Maomao
    Also, please only use it when you are
    alone with the person in mind.
[19:59] Gyokuyou
    Three times... Three times...
[20:04] Jinshi
    I see.
[20:06] Gyokuyou
    Well, I'll take my leave now.
[20:12] Hongniang
    So she can make drugs?
[20:16] Gyokuyou
    How reliable.
[20:22] Maomao
    It's finally over.
[20:29] Jinshi
    Good work.
[20:39] Jinshi
    Thank you.
[20:46] Maomao
    I see.
[20:48] Maomao
    I hope there aren't any victims.
SIGN    Next Time
[22:45] Narrator
    Next time: "The Unsettling
    Matter of the Spirit."
SIGN    Episode 3: The Unsettling Matter of the Spirit