E4 - The Threat

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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
[01:30] Lady-in-Waiting 1
    How dare you try to feed
    Lady Lihua such lowly food!
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.
[01:34] Lady-in-Waiting 2
    Only the most luxurious foods
    suit our Lady Lihua.
[01:39] Lady-in-Waiting 2
    I'd hesitate to even show this to her!
SIGN    Episode 4: The Threat
[01:42] Lady-in-Waiting 1
    Who would ever think Lady Lihua
    would enjoy something like this?
[01:45] Maomao
    Yikes. What a pain.
[01:45] Lady-in-Waiting 2
    We know best what Lady Lihua likes to eat.
[01:49] Maomao
    I'd never have come to the Crystal
    Pavilion if I'd had a choice, but...
[01:50] Lady-in-Waiting 2
    How dare you try to sneak this
     past us, servant. Shame on you.
[01:55] Narrator
    The night the emperor
    visited the Jade Pavilion...
[02:23] Maomao
    There is no poison.
[02:26] Maomao
    Excuse me.
[02:31] Emperor
    Wait.
[02:33] Maomao
    Uh-oh, the emperor directly addressed me
    for the first time.
[02:36] Emperor
    I have a request for the famous apothecary.
[02:40] Maomao
    Famous? I have a bad feeling about this.
[02:43] Maomao
    Yes.
[02:44] Emperor
    Concubine Lihua is not well.
    Could you look after her?
[02:49] Maomao
    By "look after her," he means "cure her."
[02:54] Maomao
    The word of the emperor
    is the word of the heavens.
[02:57] Maomao
    If I declined, that would be
    grounds for my beheading.
[03:00] Maomao
    Yes, Your Majesty.
[03:03] Maomao
    Why would he say that in
    front of another concubine?
[03:08] Maomao
    His Majesty really is "an emperor" by nature.
[03:13] Maomao
    That said, it's pretty incredible that they
    treat me like this. I'm here by imperial order.
[03:18] Maomao
    Since they serve Lady Lihua, I suppose
    they hate me as a servant of Lady Gyokuyou.
[03:24] Maomao
    Hmm?
[03:25] Lady-in-Waiting 1
    Get out if you're done cleaning!
[03:28] Maomao
    Boing boing.
[03:31] Maomao
    Oh, well. Guess I have to cook it again.
[03:36] Xiaolan
    Maomao, are you at the Crystal Pavilion now?
[03:39] Maomao
    Yeah, I'm looking after Lady Lihua.
[03:41] Xiaolan
    I see. Lady Lihua hasn't recovered yet...
[03:46] Maomao
    The whitening powder's poison
    must still be in her system.
[03:49] Xiaolan
    The poisonous powder, huh?
    I heard it was banned.
[03:54] Xiaolan
    I heard the eunuchs took away all
    the remaining powder in the rear palace.
[03:59] Maomao
    I see. Good.
[04:02] Xiaolan
    But a request from the emperor?
    You're awesome, Maomao. I was surprised!
[04:09] Maomao
    He must really not trust the doctor
    to rely on a girl like me.
[04:15] Xiaolan
    Maomao, you're going
    to the kitchen later, right?
[04:17] Maomao
    Yeah.
[04:18] Xiaolan
    Good luck with the cooking!
[04:20] Maomao
    Thanks.
[04:26] Maomao
    Right!
[04:28] Maomao
    In looking after Lady Lihua, the first thing
    I set out to do was to improve her diet.
[04:30] Maomao
    Um, excuse me.
[04:32] Cook
    Yes?
[04:32] Maomao
    First I needed to expel
    the poison still in her body.
[04:36] Maomao
    To do this, a porridge with lots of fiber,
[04:39] Maomao
    plus a diuretic tea sounds good.
[04:41] Maomao
    Not this. Not this either. This one...
[04:45] Maomao
    And this one, too. But not this one...
[04:51] Lady-in-Waiting 1
    Enough is enough!
[04:53] Lady-in-Waiting 1
    This is no place for lowly girls like you.
[04:57] Maomao
    Boing boing.
[04:59] Maomao
    This is going to take a while.
[05:02] Maomao
    In that case, let's try...
[05:04] Maomao
    This one, that one, the other one, and this.
[05:11] Lady-in-Waiting 3
    How many times do I have to tell you?!
[05:12] Maomao
    Well, first, she needs to eat
     something easy to digest—
[05:15] Lady-in-Waiting 1
    No way! Sick people need nutritious food, 
    not cheap stuff like that. Obviously.
[05:22] Maomao
    So that's her usual meal.
[05:24] Maomao
    Sure, it's nutritious,
[05:27] Maomao
    but it's too heavy for a sick
    person's weakened stomach.
[05:30] Maomao
    That's not hard to understand.
[05:33] Maomao
    Why won't anyone stop them?
[05:36] Lady-in-Waiting 1
    Lady Lihua, your meal is ready.
[05:40] Lady-in-Waiting 1
    We brought you all the things
    you like. Please try to eat.
[05:50] Lady-in-Waiting 1
    Lady Lihua?!
[05:51] Lady-in-Waiting 2
    Oh no, what do we do?!
[05:52] Lady-in-Waiting 1
    Quick, bring water!
[05:54] Lady-in-Waiting 3
    Are you all right, Lady Lihua?!
[05:55] Lady-in-Waiting 1
    Lady Lihua, please have some water.
[06:02] Lady-in-Waiting 4
    This is your fault, lowly servant!
[06:04] Lady-in-Waiting 5
    Your presence ruins the atmosphere!
[06:06] Lady-in-Waiting 6
    Get out! Now!
[06:09] Maomao
    Boing boing.
[06:12] Maomao
    I won't even be able
    to get near her at this rate.
[06:16] Maomao
    Now, what shall I do...
[06:24] Maomao
    If I could at least do an examination...
[06:26] Lady-in-Waiting 1
    No need. What if you make things worse?!
[06:32] Maomao
    At that rate, she's bound to wither and die.
[06:36] Maomao
    People die unless they eat.
[06:40] Maomao
    She probably lost the will to live
    after losing her child.
[06:50] Maomao
    How many days do I have left,
[06:52] Maomao
    before my head bids farewell to my body
    for defying the emperor's order?
[06:57] Jinshi
    It seems like you're in a bit of a bind.
[07:01] Maomao
    Does it appear that way to you?
[07:03] Jinshi
    It does appear that way to me.
[07:06] Lady-in-Waiting 1
    Master Jinshi?!
[07:09] Lady-in-Waiting 4
    What's with that girl?
[07:11] Lady-in-Waiting 5
    Why is she with Master Jinshi...?
[07:12] Maomao
    An annoying misunderstanding...
[07:18] Jinshi
    Let's go inside, for now.
[07:22] Lady-in-Waiting 2
    Oh...
[07:22] Lady-in-Waiting 1
    M-Master Jinshi?!
[07:23] Lady-in-Waiting 4 & 5
    Eek!
[07:24] Jinshi
    It's not befitting of beautiful
    and talented ladies like you
[07:27] Jinshi
    to ignore the emperor's arrangements.
[07:32] Lady-in-Waiting 1
    Oh! Oh no, we aren't ignoring...
[07:33] Lady-in-Waiting 4
    Whoa! Eek!
[07:34] Lady-in-Waiting 2
    Right. We were just, um...
[07:35] Lady-in-Waiting 5
    H-Hey!
[07:38] Maomao
    It's scary how women can change so quickly.
[07:48] Jinshi
    There. Now go.
[08:20] Maomao
    She does have the will to eat.
[08:23] Maomao
    But she's weaker than I thought.
[08:26] Maomao
    Maybe she can handle rice water instead.
[08:32] Maomao
    Excuse me.
[08:35] Maomao
    The same shade as before...
[08:57] Maomao
    Are you the one in charge of
    the concubine's makeup?
[09:00] Lady-in-Waiting 1
    Indeed I am.
[09:02] Lady-in-Waiting 1
    We want Lady Lihua to always be beautiful.
[09:05] Lady-in-Waiting 1
    That is our duty as ladies-in-waiting.
[09:08] Lady-in-Waiting 2
    It's all for Lady Lihua. Obviously.
[09:11] Maomao
    I see.
[09:14] Lady-in-Waiting 1
    What's wrong with you?!
[09:16] Maomao
    Huh? Just punishing an idiot, obviously.
[09:19] Lady-in-Waiting 1
    Ouch! You're hurting me! Stop! It hurts!
[09:31] Maomao
    The poison will infect your
    whole body after a while.
[09:34] Maomao
    You should be glad. You'll be pretty too,
[09:38] Maomao
    just like your beloved Lady Lihua.
[09:41] Maomao
    Pale, bloodless skin, sunken eye sockets,
    a body unable to even eat...
[09:48] Maomao
    Don't you understand why this stuff was banned?!
[10:01] Lady-in-Waiting 1
    I j-just thought it would
    make Lady Lihua happy—
[10:06] Maomao
    I told you, it's poison.
[10:08] Maomao
    There are no thoughts in your head.
    You just think you know everything.
[10:14] Maomao
    Who would be happy poisoned with
     the same thing that killed their son?!
[10:29] Maomao
    Go rinse your mouth and wash your face.
[10:33] Maomao
    Hey! This is bad for the patient.
[10:37] Maomao
    Clean this floor up immediately!
[10:39] Ladies-in-Waiting
    Y-Yes!
[10:44] Jinshi
    It truly is scary, how women 
    can change so quickly.
[10:49] Maomao
    Oh...
[10:52] Maomao
    I've really done it now...
[10:55] Lady-in-Waiting 2
    Let's go.
[10:59] Maomao
    Lady Lihua's health was worse than I thought.
[11:03] Maomao
    I started by changing from
    porridge to rice water.
[11:06] Maomao
    I forced the food into her mouth and
    had her swallow slowly, repeatedly.
[11:12] Maomao
    No sense in worrying about
    manners at a time like this.
[11:17] Maomao
    I did some ventilation, which thinned out
    the incense, revealing the smell of the sick.
[11:22] Maomao
    Those incompetent fools can't even
    wipe down their mistress properly?
[11:25] Maomao
    How do they even call
    themselves ladies-in-waiting?
[11:28] Maomao
    There's so much they could have been
    doing before worrying about incense.
[11:34] Maomao
    Hey. Hot water and cloth, now.
[11:37] Ladies-in-Waiting 2 & 3
    Y-Yes.
[11:41] Maomao
    You all, get to work.
[11:42] Ladies-in-Waiting 4; 5; 6
    Y-Yes!
[11:50] Maomao
    I had her drink tea every chance I could find.
[11:52] Maomao
    Frequent urination helps flush
    the poison out of her body.
[11:56] Lady-in-Waiting 2
    Um, are you sure Lady Lihua isn't in pain...?
[12:00] Maomao
    It doesn't matter, she must drink.
[12:03] Maomao
    She began to eat more, so I increased
    the amount of rice grains in the water.
[12:08] Maomao
    When she began to be able to swallow
    them, I added soup and ground fruit.
[12:14] Maomao
    I heard the lady-in-waiting
    was put in confinement.
[12:19] Maomao
    Apparently, she'd hid
    the powder for Lady Lihua.
[12:25] Maomao
    The eunuch who was supposed to recover
    the powder was punished by flagellation.
[12:46] Jinshi
    You seem tired.
[12:49] Maomao
    Yes. Unlike a certain someone, I'm quite busy.
[12:53] Gaoshun
    We brought gifts.
[12:57] Maomao
    Thank you!
[13:00] Maomao
    Wow!
[13:02] Maomao
    He really knows what I want!
[13:04] Maomao
    It's considerate people like him
    who become good husbands.
[13:08] Maomao
    He is a eunuch, though.
[13:11] Maomao
    Compared to him...
[13:17] Jinshi
    Do you need help with anything?
[13:20] Maomao
    Well...
[13:23] Jinshi
    What is it? Tell me anything.
[13:27] Jinshi
    Over there, they need help. Someone please.
[13:31] Jinshi
    Everyone, please hurry.
[13:33] Eunuchs
    Yes!
[13:35] Gaoshun
    A steam bath?
[13:37] Jinshi
    Apparently, sweating is good for her.
[13:40] Gaoshun
    Is it useful?
[13:42] Jinshi
    I suppose it is.
[13:44] Maomao
    We have to use whatever we have.
[13:56] Lihua
    You... Why...
[14:01] Maomao
    Yes, what is it?
[14:04] Lihua
    Why wouldn't you...
[14:09] Lihua
    let me just die?
[14:14] Maomao
    You could stop eating, then.
[14:19] Maomao
    But you eat the porridge
    because you want to live.
[14:42] Lihua
    I see.
[14:58] Lihua
    You're right.
[15:48] Maomao
    You.
[15:50] Lady-in-Waiting 1
    I was released from confinement and am
    permitted to serve Lady Lihua once again.
[15:57] Lady-in-Waiting 1
    I will never make that mistake again. Ever.
[16:02] Lady-in-Waiting 1
    I will take your place now. Please rest.
[16:07] Maomao
    All right.
[16:16] Lady-in-Waiting 1
    Lady Lihua.
[16:21] Lady-in-Waiting 1
    Lady Lihua.
[16:27] Lihua
    Ah...
[16:33] Lihua
    Can you get me some water, if you could?
[16:41] Lady-in-Waiting 1
    Yes.
[16:46] Lady-in-Waiting 1
    Yes!
[16:53] Maomao
    After about two months, Lady Lihua
    recovered enough to be able to walk by herself.
[17:02] Maomao
    She has self-respect, but isn't arrogant.
[17:06] Maomao
    After that matter with the prince,
    I imagined her as a selfish princess,
[17:11] Maomao
    but as it turns out, she has
    a personality befitting a concubine.
[17:50] Maomao
    I will take my leave tomorrow morning.
[17:54] Lihua
    I see.
[17:56] Maomao
    I've already spoken to your
    ladies-in-waiting about your food
[17:59] Maomao
    and other things to be careful of.
[18:03] Lihua
    Hey. Am I incapable of birthing another child?
[18:10] Maomao
    I don't know. Perhaps you should try.
[18:14] Lihua
    But His Majesty's love for me is gone.
[18:18] Maomao
    I was sent here by a direct
     order from the emperor.
[18:22] Maomao
    Once I return to the Jade Pavilion,
    perhaps the emperor will visit you.
[18:29] Lihua
    I ignored those words of
    advice and let my child die.
[18:34] Lihua
    Will I be able to win
    against Concubine Gyokuyou?
[18:37] Maomao
    It's not a matter of winning and losing.
[18:42] Maomao
    There are hundreds,
    thousands of flowers in the world,
[18:45] Maomao
    but who can decide whether a peony
    or a bellflower is more beautiful?
[18:52] Lihua
    I have neither her jade eyes
    nor her bright hair.
[19:00] Maomao
    You have other... assets.
[19:04] Maomao
    Not just the sheer size, but the shape
    and tension are truly magnificent.
[19:09] Lihua
    Huh?
[19:11] Maomao
    Could you lend me your ear?
[19:14] Lihua
    Y-Yes.
[19:30] Maomao
    Excuse me.
[19:37] Maomao
    The knowledge I left with Lady Lihua
    was a secret technique taught to me
[19:37] Lady-in-Waiting
    Lady Lihua, what's wrong?
[19:41] Ladies-in-Waiting
    Lady Lihua?!
[19:42] Maomao
    by my big sisters at the brothel.
[19:44] (Flashback) Pairin
    You should learn this, just in case!
[19:47] (Flashback) Young Maomao
    Huh?
[19:49] Maomao
    Unfortunately, I don't have the sizable
    fruits to employ the technique.
[19:54] Maomao
    It's perfect for Lady Lihua, though.
[19:59] Maomao
    I hope it turns out to be useful.
[20:07] Maomao
    I'm back.
[20:10] Gyokuyou
    Welcome back.
[20:12] Yinghua
    Maomao, are you all right?!
[20:14] Guiyuan
    You've gotten so thin.
[20:16] Ailan
    It must have been very hard.
[20:18] Jinshi
    She completed the emperor's
    mission all by herself. Impressive.
[20:26] Narration
    There was a period after that where
    the emperor's visits to the Jade Pavilion
[20:29] Narration
    decreased in frequency quite significantly.
[20:34] Gyokuyou
    Finally, released from sleep deprivation.
[20:39] Narration
    Maomao couldn't keep a straight face,
    but that's another story.
[21:00] Eunuch
    It's a curse...
SIGN    Next Time
[22:46] Narration
    Next time: "Covert Operations."
SIGN    Episode 5: Covert Operations