E9 - Suicide or Murder?

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.
[01:38] Bureaucrats
    That man can't be trusted!
SIGN    Episode 9: Suicide or Murder?
[01:40] Bureaucrats
    That'd create other issues.
[01:49] Kounen
    Drinks! Bring more booze...
[01:52] Bureaucrat A
    Wow, he's changed a lot.
[01:55] Bureaucrat A
    Seeing his face makes the drinks taste bad.
[01:59] Bureaucrat B
    On that, I can agree.
[02:07] Kounen
    Hey... Thanks.
[02:19] Gaoshun
    How much longer are you going to sulk?
[02:22] Jinshi
    I'm not sulking.
[02:24] Gaoshun
    Please don't forget that
    you're still on the job.
[02:27] Jinshi
    I understand.
[02:29] Gaoshun
    He doesn't understand.
[02:32] Gaoshun
    The one known as Jinshi does not
    respond in such a childish way.
[02:37] Gaoshun
    The one known as Jinshi does not
    attach himself so strongly to a toy.
[02:42] Gaoshun
    Here is some more work.
[02:48] Gaoshun
    It took considerable effort to get
[02:50] Gaoshun
    Concubine Gyokuyou to stop laughing
    uncontrollably and explain.
[02:55] (Flashback) Jinshi
    Misunderstanding...?
[02:58] Gaoshun
    The payment she gave in return
    for acting as her guarantor
[03:01] Gaoshun
    was a meeting with a star courtesan.
[03:02] Gaoshun
    Who knew that girl had such connections?
[03:05] Gaoshun
    Who knows what image
    the master had in his mind?
[03:10] Gaoshun
    Youth is a scary thing.
[03:13] Gaoshun
    That said, to put so much effort
    into finishing work quickly...
[03:18] Gaoshun
    And going out to meet her...
[03:21] Gaoshun
    Only to find out she had left
    for home with another man...
[03:24] Gaoshun
    That must have been quite a shock, for sure.
[03:34] Gaoshun
    They should put more thought into these...
[03:38] Gaoshun
    Many bureaucrats try to pass bills
    that benefit them personally.
[03:43] Gaoshun
    I feel sorry for my master, who has to do
    extra work for those useless bills.
[03:55] Subordinate
    Master Jinshi!
[03:56] Gaoshun
    It's already after hours. Can this wait?
[03:59] Subordinate
    It's not about work... Well...
[04:08] Jinshi
    Sir Kounen?!
[04:09] Gaoshun
    Master Jinshi.
[04:11] Jinshi
    Let's go!
[04:15] Gyokuyou
    That's terrible news...
[04:18] Maomao
    Someone high up bit the dust.
[04:21] Maomao
    Maybe this is callous, but I can't
    sympathize with someone
[04:25] Maomao
    who I've never met or heard of.
[04:27] Maomao
    A man past the age of fifty,
    who died from drinking too much.
[04:32] Maomao
    Clearly self-inflicted.
[04:36] Maomao
    Since he went out of the way to make
    the head lady-in-waiting leave...
[04:42] Jinshi
    Apothecary, do you think
    the alcohol was really what killed him?
[04:46] Maomao
    I knew he'd ask.
[04:49] Maomao
    Anyone who likes alcohol should know that
    overindulgence in drink is poison in essence.
[04:54] Maomao
    Drinking constantly can sicken the organs.
[04:58] Maomao
    Drinking too much in one
     sitting can lead to death.
[05:02] Jinshi
    It was a party for a group of co-workers,
    and I heard he had a lot to drink.
[05:05] Maomao
    That could kill him.
[05:08] Jinshi
    But Sir Kounen could
    really handle his drink.
[05:10] Jinshi
    I don't think overindulgence would kill him.
[05:16] Maomao
    The man who died was named Kounen.
[05:18] Maomao
    He was a dynamic warrior
    who drank entire jars of alcohol,
[05:21] Maomao
    and had a well-liked personality, to boot.
[05:23] Jinshi
    Gaoshun.
[05:25] Gaoshun
    Yes.
[05:26] Jinshi
    This is the drink from that party.
[05:31] Maomao
    Ooh, booze!
[05:33] Jinshi
    The specific jar that Sir Kounen drank from
[05:35] Jinshi
    got dropped on the floor
    and the contents were lost.
[05:39] Maomao
    So, if that jar had poison in it,
    we'd have no way of knowing.
[05:44] Jinshi
    Indeed...
[05:46] Maomao
    How modest. He realizes
    he's asking for the impossible.
[05:51] Maomao
    He should just be excessively
    shiny like his usual self.
[05:54] Maomao
    For a while now, Master Jinshi has seemed
    much more childish than before.
[06:04] Maomao
    It's both sweet and salty.
[06:07] Maomao
    Like someone took a sweet
    drink and added salt to it...
[06:12] Jinshi
    What's wrong?
[06:13] Maomao
    It's a distinct taste.
[06:15] Jinshi
    Yes. Sweet, isn't it?
    That's how Master Kounen liked it.
[06:19] Jinshi
    He had a serious sweet tooth.
[06:21] Jinshi
    He'd never lay a finger on even
    the finest smoked meats and rock salts.
[06:26] Maomao
    Huh...
[06:27] Jinshi
    I heard he used to love spicy foods, but
    suddenly developed a sweet tooth one day.
[06:32] Jinshi
    Even his meals became all sweets.
[06:35] Maomao
    That'll cause diabetes.
[06:37] Jinshi
    Stop spoiling my nostalgia with reality.
[06:40] Jinshi
    You're having more?
[06:42] Maomao
    From spicy to sweet, huh?
[06:46] Maomao
    Were there salts available at the party?
[06:48] Jinshi
    Yes. Rock salts, moon cakes, and dried meat.
[06:54] Jinshi
    Do you want those, too?
[06:56] Maomao
    No, I'll be done with the drink by then.
[06:59] Jinshi
    That's not what I meant...
[07:01] Maomao
    Can you get the jar that
    Master Kounen was drinking from?
[07:04] Jinshi
    It's broken and in pieces.
[07:07] Maomao
    That's fine.
[07:14] Maomao
    Also, there's one thing
    I want you to look into.
[07:24] Maomao
    Excuse me.
[07:29] Gaoshun
    Here is the report.
[07:31] Maomao
    Thank you.
[07:37] Maomao
    I knew it.
[07:40] Jinshi
    Here's the bottle.
[07:49] Jinshi
    Is it safe to lick that?
[07:51] Maomao
    There's no poison here.
[07:59] Jinshi
    Salt?
[08:00] Maomao
    Yes. Master Jinshi, you mentioned how Master
    Kounen suddenly developed a sweet tooth, right?
[08:08] Maomao
    And that he only ate sweet foods after that?
[08:10] Jinshi
    Yes.
[08:11] Maomao
    Yet this jar contained so much salt
    that it left crystals behind when it dried.
[08:19] Maomao
    Salt is essential to the human body,
    but too much salt can also be poisonous.
[08:24] Jinshi
    So, the cause of his death is...
[08:26] Maomao
    Given the amount he drank,
    and the salt included,
[08:30] Maomao
    it's easy to conclude this was the cause.
[08:33] Jinshi
    Yes, but you should be able to tell
    if something tasted this salty—
[08:38] Maomao
    But he didn't. Please take a look at this.
[08:42] Maomao
    It's a report on Master Kounen's lifestyle.
[08:47] Maomao
    Judging from what's written here,
[08:49] Maomao
    it seems like Master Kounen
    lost his ability to taste salt.
[08:53] Jinshi
    Oh, no...
[08:55] Maomao
    Kounen seemed like a serious
    and skilled bureaucrat,
[08:59] Maomao
    with a stoic personality.
[09:05] Maomao
    Many years ago, he lost his wife
    and child to an epidemic.
[09:11] Maomao
    From that day on, he was all work, all day.
[09:14] Maomao
    His only forms of entertainment
    were drinking and sweets.
[09:19] Maomao
    There is an illness that
    eliminates the sense of taste.
[09:22] Maomao
    It can be caused by
    an unbalanced diet or stress.
[09:25] Maomao
    Serious people will sometimes
    repress their feelings,
[09:27] Maomao
    and that stress could lead to illness.
[09:30] Jinshi
    So, who put the salt in the bottle?
[09:35] Maomao
    That's not for me to determine.
[09:39] Maomao
    However, there was also salt
    in the drink I had yesterday.
[09:44] Maomao
    It could have been put there
    by someone at the party
[09:47] Maomao
    who didn't like sweet drinks.
[09:50] Maomao
    Alternatively, there are many who
    resent overly serious coworkers.
[09:55] Maomao
    Maybe they put some salt in the drink
[09:58] Maomao
    because they didn't like him and
    wanted to pull a little prank.
[10:03] Maomao
    But because he kept drinking
    seemingly without issue,
[10:07] Maomao
    perhaps they kept adding more,
    hoping he would notice.
[10:12] Jinshi
    Gaoshun.
[10:13] Gaoshun
    Yes.
[10:15] Gaoshun
    Understood.
[10:18] Maomao
    I'm a coward.
[10:20] Maomao
    I've practically named the culprit at this
    point, given the amount of hints I dropped.
[10:26] Maomao
    But I don't want to be directly
    responsible for someone getting punished.
[10:31] Jinshi
    Sorry for your trouble. Thank you.
[10:34] Maomao
    It's fine.
[10:36] Maomao
    An obsidian tassel...
[10:38] Maomao
    He's in mourning.
[10:41] Maomao
    Was he such a person of high esteem?
[10:44] Jinshi
    Yes. He helped me a lot when I was younger.
[10:52] Maomao
    He seems like a normal young man.
[10:55] Maomao
    I guess he is human, after all.
[11:00] Jinshi
    Oh, right.
[11:02] Maomao
    Huh?
[11:05] Jinshi
    Here's your reward.
[11:06] Maomao
    A bottle?
[11:07] Jinshi
    Yes. It's not the same
    as the one from yesterday.
[11:11] Maomao
    Booze!
[11:12] Jinshi
    Don't drink it out in the open.
[11:14] Maomao
    Yes! Thank you!
[11:23] Jinshi
    You don't seem all that grateful.
[11:25] Maomao
    Is that so? Perhaps you
     should return to your work.
[11:31] Maomao
    That reaction... I bet he's slacking off.
[11:33] Maomao
    Perhaps you should finish it
    before it starts piling up.
[11:36] Jinshi
    I am working seriously...
[11:38] Maomao
    What kind of work?
[11:39] Jinshi
    For example, there's a certain bill.
[11:43] Jinshi
    The idea is to set an age limit
    for alcohol consumption,
[11:46] Jinshi
    to prevent young ones from
     losing themselves in drink.
[11:49] Maomao
    Huh?
[11:50] Jinshi
    The bill proposes a ban on drinking
    alcohol until the age of twenty.
[11:59] Maomao
    Master Jinshi...
[12:01] Maomao
    Please, please don't pass that bill!
[12:08] Jinshi
    Hmm. Well, it's not something
    I can decide on my own.
[12:11] Maomao
    M-Master Jinshi!
[12:45] Eunuch A
    Doctor!
[12:49] Eunuch A
    This way!
[12:55] Guen
    There it is!
[13:02] Maomao
    We're lucky it's winter now.
[13:04] Maomao
    She's still in good shape,
    despite being a drowned corpse.
[13:07] Guen
    How can you look directly at her?
[13:09] Maomao
    Where was she found?
[13:11] Eunuch 1
    She was floating in the outside moat.
[13:13] Eunuch 1
    From her dress, we assumed
    she was a servant at the rear palace.
[13:16] Maomao
    I see. That's why they called our doc.
[13:19] Maomao
    But a doctor in charge of
    autopsies acting like this...
[13:22] Maomao
    He truly is a quack.
[13:23] Guen
    Little lady, can I leave this to you?
[13:26] Maomao
    Nope.
[13:27] Guen
    Huh?
[13:27] Maomao
    I've been ordered to not touch corpses.
[13:30] Jinshi
    That's unexpected.
[13:32] Guen
    Master Jinshi!
[13:34] Maomao
    Greetings, Master Jinshi.
[13:37] Jinshi
    You don't seem to be
    uncomfortable around corpses.
[13:39] Maomao
    I've gotten used to them.
[13:41] Maomao
    The pleasure district is just
     one street away from lawless chaos.
[13:44] Jinshi
    Why can't you touch corpses?
[13:47] Maomao
    My teacher told me not to.
[13:49] Jinshi
    Is it an aversion to death?
[13:51] Maomao
    No...
[13:53] Maomao
    It's because humans can become
    medicinal ingredients, too.
[13:57] (Flashback) Lakan
    Given your curiosity, once you give that a try,
[13:59] (Flashback) Lakan
    it wouldn't be long before
    you start digging up graves.
[14:02] (Flashback) Lakan
    Do not cross that line, ever.
[14:05] (Flashback) Maomao
    Y-Yes.
[14:07] Jinshi
    I see.
[14:09] Maomao
    What a rude response.
[14:11] Jinshi
    Doctor, could you please
    do a proper autopsy?
[14:14] Guen
    Understood...
[14:18] Guen
    Eek!
[14:19] Maomao
    "Eek," indeed...
[14:23] Maomao
    She's tall. Hard wooden shoes...
    Bandages on one foot...
[14:29] Maomao
    Fingers are all red.
[14:33] Maomao
    It must have been cold in that water.
[14:42] Jinshi
    The girl was a servant and was
     working normally yesterday.
[14:47] Jinshi
    The guard believes she climbed the wall
    last night and threw herself in.
[14:52] Jinshi
    A suicide.
[14:54] Maomao
    Suicide...
[14:57] Jinshi
    What do you think?
[14:58] Maomao
    I can't tell if she committed suicide,
[15:00] Maomao
    but I think it was impossible
    for her to do it alone.
[15:03] Jinshi
    What do you mean?
[15:05] Maomao
    There were no ladders on the wall,
    and no other climbing tools.
[15:10] Maomao
    The rear palace walls are at least
    four times my height.
[15:14] Jinshi
    So, you mean she couldn't
     have climbed it without tools.
[15:17] Maomao
    In most cases.
[15:19] Maomao
    Strictly speaking, scaling the wall
    without tools is possible.
[15:24] Maomao
    Do you remember the ghost issue
    from a while ago?
[15:28] Maomao
    Concubine Fuyou?
[15:29] Maomao
    Yes.
[15:30] Maomao
    I was wondering how she climbed the wall,
[15:34] Maomao
    so I did a thorough investigation of it.
[15:38] Maomao
    That's where I found the protrusions
    that I believe the craftsmen used.
[15:44] Maomao
    That said, it would be difficult
    for most regular women,
[15:47] Maomao
    especially those with
    bound feet, like that servant.
[15:52] Maomao
    Foot binding is a custom where
    small feet are considered beautiful.
[15:57] Maomao
    It's not done on all women,
[16:00] Maomao
    but I do occasionally see the distinct
    walking style in the rear palace, too.
[16:04] Jinshi
    If it's not suicide,
[16:07] Jinshi
    are you saying it's murder?
[16:08] Maomao
    I don't know that.
[16:11] Maomao
    But I think it's fairly certain that
    she was alive when she fell in the moat.
[16:16] Maomao
    She must have clawed at
    the walls to try to climb out.
[16:19] Maomao
    Her fingers were bloodied and red.
[16:25] Jinshi
    Yes...
[16:27] Maomao
    Suicide, or murder...
[16:38] Maomao
    I would never think to take my own life.
[16:43] Maomao
    I'd hate if someone killed me, too.
[16:47] Maomao
    If I died, I wouldn't be able
    to test any more drugs or poisons.
[16:53] Maomao
    But if I were to die...
[16:58] Jinshi
    What are you thinking about?
[17:00] Maomao
    About what kind of poison I would use to die.
[17:03] Jinshi
    Are you trying to die?!
[17:05] Maomao
    Not at all. But nobody knows when they'll die.
[17:11] Maomao
    Even if it's not something they
    wished for, a malicious third party
[17:15] Maomao
    can cause an undesired death.
[17:18] Maomao
    Like with Master Kounen.
[17:22] Maomao
    Nobody knows when it could happen.
[17:26] Maomao
    There is no way to resist fate...
[18:42] Maomao
    Master Jinshi.
[18:44] Jinshi
    What is it?
[18:48] Maomao
    If you're ever tasked with executing me,
    can you make sure it's with poison?
[18:53] Jinshi
    Where'd that come from?!
[18:54] Maomao
    If I made a mistake, you would
    probably be the one to give the order.
[19:10] Maomao
    Did I step in it just now?
[19:13] Maomao
    I'm sorry, it's not my place to say.
[19:16] Maomao
    I won't complain if it's
    a hanging or a beheading.
[19:19] Jinshi
    No, really, why are you saying all this?!
[19:23] Maomao
    Because I'm a commoner.
[19:25] Maomao
    My life is easily taken away
    over the slightest mistake.
[19:28] Jinshi
    I would never do such a thing.
[19:30] Maomao
    It's not a "would-or-would-not"
    type of issue. It's "can-or-cannot."
[19:36] Maomao
    Looks like I struck a nerve there.
[19:40] Maomao
    If there's no further
    business, I'll excuse myself.
[20:00] Maomao
    Later, I heard through rumors
[20:04] Maomao
    that the dead servant was at the garden
    party where the poisoning took place.
[20:09] Maomao
    They found a will with
    some relevant content in it,
[20:12] Maomao
    so the case was closed as a suicide.
[20:22] Gaoshun
    The report from the other day is finally ready.
[20:25] Jinshi
    It's been two months since I asked for
    you to find someone with burns on their arms.
[20:30] Jinshi
    You took too long.
[20:31] Gaoshun
    I'm very sorry.
[20:33] Jinshi
    So, who is it?
[20:36] Gaoshun
    Yes. It's actually higher up than I thought.
[20:40] Gaoshun
    Fengming, from the Garnet Pavilion.
[20:47] Gaoshun
    Head lady-in-waiting under Concubine Ah-Duo.
[20:53] Jinshi
    I see.
[20:55] Jinshi
    You're excused.
[21:02] Jinshi
    Concubine Ah-Duo...
[21:06] ED Lyrics
    Not just some superficial sweetness
[21:12] ED Lyrics
    I want more warmth than I can even use, oh
[21:18] ED Lyrics
    Having these selfish idealistic thoughts
[21:23] ED Lyrics
    I swallowed them again today
    before putting them into words
[21:28] ED Lyrics
    Still in my memories,
    the scent of fragrant olive
[21:33] ED Lyrics
    The color of twilight in the city
[21:36] ED Lyrics
    We were laughing...
[21:41] ED Lyrics
    Filled with sadness,
    the tears welled up in my eyes
[21:53] ED Lyrics
    I found a glow during those days
[22:01] ED Lyrics
    I guess I took everything for granted
[22:06] ED Lyrics
    The wind was so loud I covered my ears
[22:18] ED Lyrics
    I gotta stop being like that
[22:26] ED Lyrics
    Even if I stumble over the words of love
SIGN    Next Time
[22:46] Narrator
    Next time: "Honey."
SIGN    Episode 10: Honey