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Maomao wasn't surprised when she was called to Jinshi's office this time.
It was impossible for her not to know why. It was a hot topic among all the servant girls.
"Judging by your face you already know why I called you here," Jinshi said.
Maomao realized there was a crooked smile on her face. Not good. She quickly tried to correct her expression.
"It's about the hot goods circulating among the servants, isn't it?" she asked.
"You are making a weird expression again," Jinshi complained.
"I'm sorry. It's just kinda funny," Maomao admitted. It was hilarious, really.
Jinshi scowled at her, as he picked up a piece of fabric from his desk. "There's nothing funny about someone cutting up one of my robes into pieces and selling those pieces to half of the Rear Palace."
Maomao made a thoughtful face. "I don't think there would be that many pieces out of one robe unless they were much smaller than the one you are holding."
"You get fixated on the weirdest details," Jinshi said, but he did sound calmer now. Maomao still didn't understand why random things she said could sometimes placate him like that.
"Anyway, you don't need to worry. I didn't buy one, even though I received an offer," Maomao assured him.
Jinshi hid his face in his hands. Apparently, he didn't like knowing just how far reaching this new business was.
"That is and isn't a problem," Jinshi said, sounding somewhat conflicted. "Anyway, I want to get to the bottom of this case and find the person responsible."
Maomao was silent for a moment, as she thought about the request. She was planning to agree, however, there was one thing she needed to ask.
"Responsible for what exactly?"
"Excuse me?" Jinshi asked, looking at her confused.
"This isn't the first time someone has distributed goods that supposedly belonged to you." Maomao decided not to elaborate. Jinshi was probably happier not knowing just how many loincloths that supposedly belonged to him were passed around the Rear Palace. "The fact that you are interfering this time suggests to me that this isn't actually a scam."
Jinshi sighed. "You are right. At first I assumed it was a scam, but then I got a hold of one of those pieces, and this is undoubtedly a part of my attire. I'm assuming someone stole one of my damaged robes that were supposed to be burned."
"In that case, there might be more than one party responsible. The person who stole your robe and the person who distributed it among the servants of the Rear Palace might be two different people. Or maybe an even bigger group."
"Are you saying there might be an organized group aiming to get rich off my possessions?"
Maomao lowered her gaze. "It's just a possibility, but unless your robe was misplaced in the Rear Palace, it's very likely we are dealing with more than one person. It's hard to think of a person who could access your lodgings and who spends enough time in the Rear Palace to distribute the goods and not raise suspicion aside from Gaoshun. And I find him a highly unlikely suspect."
Jinshi threw a quick gaze at Gaoshun but quickly averted it.
"I also don't think it's him. So since we are dealing with multiple suspects, you want to know if I want to focus on the thief or the ones selling pieces of my robe," Jinshi realized.
"Exactly. The thief is obviously more of a security issue, but if the robe was stolen while it was being transported with other trash it might also be impossible to track the culprit. Moreover, given how far this trade has reached, I suspect most if not all of the robe is in the hands of either distributors in the Rear Palace or people who already made a purchase. If you want to stop the trade, it's better to focus on them."
"So we can only reliably aim for one culprit."
"Yeah, if we go after both, they might catch wind of what we are doing and withdraw while disposing of the evidence," Maomao confirmed. "I would advise focusing on one culprit and hope we uncover enough hints to lead us to the others."
Jinshi sighed. "I get it. If there are multiple people involved this indeed complicates the matters."
"Who do you want to focus on then?" Maomao asked.
Jinshi made a conflicted face, before finally deciding. "The ones selling the robe to servants. The robe had to be stolen a while ago, so finding the culprit might not even be possible. If we find out who's selling it we might at least set an example, so these things don't happen in the future."
Maomao nodded. A wise choice.
"I understand. However, as I mentioned I already refused to buy the piece of robe once. In order to avoid suspicion, I will need the cooperation of one more person."
*
"Are you sure this will work?" the quack doctor asked. He looked nervous as he followed Maomao through the back alleys of the Rear Palace.
"It will be fine. Just imagine that we aren't following Jinshi's orders and you are actually trying to buy his robe for yourself," Maomao explained quietly. The quack doctor was similar to her in that he wasn't good at outright deception, but there weren't many other people who Maomao could work with on this. She would probably just have to cover for him as always.
"I will do my best. After all, Jinshi personally asked for my help," the quack doctor said, sounding a bit braver this time.
"That's the spirit! We are about to reach the meeting place, so be careful."
The quack doctor nodded. The two of them slinked across the narrower passages until they reached a dead end between two buildings. There were two women waiting there, both of whom were of similar age as Maomao. They looked suspiciously at Maomao and the doctor.
"Wait, he's the buyer you were talking about?" one of them asked, in surprise. The other girl quickly hushed her.
"Yes, he's a huge fan of Jinshi," Maomao confirmed. She glanced at the doctor and he made a shy nod. "He heard rumors about the robe, but didn't personally know anyone involved in the transactions, so he asked for my help."
"Are you sure he can be trusted?" the first woman asked, still suspicious.
"Ummm, I'm really here just to buy the robe. I even brought money," the quack doctor said quickly, as he pulled his purse to show the coins he prepared. Good thing, his nervousness looked justified under these circumstances.
"Does he look brave enough to buy a piece of Master Jinshi's robe and admit to it? He will hide it like a treasure and never tell a soul," Maomao pointed out. The quack doctor nodded eagerly next to her.
The women squinted at him.
"She has a point," one of them whispered to the other in a tone of voice that was still loud enough to hear.
"Well, I heard that he is a pushover, but that might work against us if he gets pressured. I feel like he could spill the beans easily."
"Come on, we are slowly running out of buyers. It's best not to overthink it and just rake as much profit as possible at this point."
Maomao happily pretended she hadn't heard what they were saying.
"So what's your decision? I can't keep the doctor here for too long or someone will get suspicious about his absence." Maomao decided to push a bit more.
The girls looked at each other before one of them walked past Maomao and faced the doctor quivering behind her.
"Oh fine," she said, stretching out her hand. The doctor blinked at her, before glancing at Maomao. She nodded at him, without turning around. She didn't want to appear too overbearing. The doctor gave the girl money, and she quickly handed him a scrap of fabric.
The doctor held it carefully as he inspected his purchase. "Is this really…?"
"Yeah, it's not like all those fakes before. You can tell by the color and quality, right?" the girl said proudly. Maomao couldn't help thinking that the girl was strangely boastful given that she wasn't involved in obtaining the robe.
"Ah, thank you," the doctor said, clearly happy. Maomao couldn't help but pity him. Jinshi would surely take that scrap from him.
Despite herself, Maomao started to wonder if it wouldn't be possible to maybe arrange another scrap for him once this whole thing was over.
"That's all you wanted, right?" The second girl also stepped forward. Maomao quickly shifted her attention to her.
"Actually, there's something I wanted to talk with you about," Maomao admitted.
"So you are plotting something!" the suspicious girl hissed. Maomao remained calm. The hostility wasn't really unexpected.
"Didn't you say that it would be dangerous for the doctor to remain here for too long?" the girl behind Maomao asked.
"You are absolutely right," Maomao said, as she turned around. "Can you return by yourself, doctor?"
The doctor blinked at her. This wasn't really a part of the plan, but it was obvious they needed to improvise a bit. Luckily, the quack doctor got the hint. "Well, I think I can find my way."
"Then please go back now. I still have business to attend to. I will visit you tomorrow in case you need something more," she added to reassure him a bit more.
"Thank you for your help," he said sincerely, before nodding gratefully at the girls. They seemed to be taken aback by his sincerity, as they watched him walk away.
They all waited for him to get out of earshot in an awkward silence. Maomao used this time to compose herself once more. She needed to nail the next part.
"I want to talk business," Maomao said, once she judged that enough time had passed.
"I thought as much," the more composed girl said. "You also want to try selling pieces of this robe."
"I'm glad you catch on quickly," Maomao said.
"Why should we?" the suspicious girl asked.
Maomao couldn't help but give her a look. "Why shouldn't you? Do you have something to lose?"
"The more people are selling this stuff, the less we are likely to sell," the girl argued.
"Was the client I brought in someone you could have contacted without my help?"
She was met with silence, as both girls realized what she meant.
"I see, I guess there's no reason not to help you as long as you give us a small fee," the composed girl decided.
"Deal," Maomao said, before the second girl could get a word in. She didn't want to waste more time on discussion. "Give me a time and place, once you manage to set up a meeting for me."
The first step was done.
*
It was unfortunate that the world was full of nitpicking people who couldn't even appreciate the effort others put into fulfilling their orders.
"Why did you send the doctor away?" Jinshi demanded.
Maomao stifled the urge to sigh. "Because the girls were more suspicious of him than I thought. It was an oversight on my part. I should have realized his presence would make them uncomfortable."
She had got so used to the quack doctor, she almost forgot how guarded she was around him initially. Nowadays, she couldn't help but view him like one would a big dog. Potentially dangerous in his clumsiness, but completely devoid of malice.
Jinshi gave her a disgruntled gaze.
"So you admit it's your fault?" he demanded.
"Well, yes," Maomao said, having a bad feeling. She really didn't like where the conversation was going.
"Then make sure to include me in the next part of your plan," he demanded as though it was an easy request to grant.
Maomao couldn't help but make a face at him.
"Are you serious?" she asked, because there was no way he was really trying to embed himself into this plan.
"Why wouldn't I be?" Jinshi asked, his voice more serious now. "I'm quite distressed by the fact that someone stole my robe and is apparently making a fortune with it."
"I don't think they are making quite that much," Maomao admitted. Jinshi really wasn't taking into account just how much money was lost when there were several people selling the goods, as opposed to just one seller with freedom to set the price. However, Maomao didn't feel like giving Jinshi a crash course in trade, so she kept those thoughts to herself.
"Still, this matter concerns me personally, and I get a feeling I shouldn't take my eyes off you." He gave her a stern look.
Maomao did her best to mask her discomfort. It was annoying that Jinshi had to be sharp about this sort of thing. It was true that Maomao's heart wasn't in it, but she thought she was masking it well.
"I understand," she said, realizing there was no point in resisting. If she tried to oppose Jinshi too much, it would make her look suspicious. It was better to just include him into the plan, so she could also keep track of him.
Maomao could feel the headache coming at the very thought of Jinshi carelessly crashing her carefully laid setup just because he wanted to feel included.
Jinshi smiled at his victory.
"So what's the next step?" he asked, sounding very smug.
"Once the meeting is set, I will go and meet the person above the two girls. I will talk with her to try and figure out if she is the main person spreading the robe pieces around. If she is, I will give a signal and a small group of guards we hide nearby will capture her. If she's not the main source, I will try to persuade her to let me meet with the person above her. Obviously, I can't guarantee the outcome. If it looks like she won't provide me with more information, I will also give a signal."
"So I will hide with the guards?" Jinshi asked.
"Yes, I need to look like I came alone to that meeting to gain their trust," Maomao explained.
"But I will be able to hear what's happening?"
"You will be able to hear the signal."
"I meant, will I be able to hear your conversation with that girl?"
"That might be hard…" Maomao admitted.
An awkward silence descended as Jinshi kept looking expectantly at her.
"...I will try to think of something," Maomao promised.
*
Jinshi felt slightly impressed, as he tried to position himself as comfortably as possible while leaning over the wooden bowl. Maomao had connected two bowls with a thread saying it was the best she could do, as she placed one outside, making it lean on a crate, while the other stayed inside the shed. Surprisingly her little invention worked. It didn't make the sound perfect, but Jinshi could hear a lot more through it than by plastering himself against the door of this small shed. It was normally used to store some tools, and, right now, three men besides Jingshi. Gaoshu was spared from this task, so instead three young eunuchs were chosen, since the meeting place was still within the Rear Palace. They all looked extremely uncomfortable, trying to settle down, without invading Jinshi's personal space.
Gaoshun probably warned them against that.
The sound of voices finally came through the bowl. Jinshi put a finger against his lips to signal everyone to stay quiet, even though they'd been sitting in awkward silence for an hour now. Jinshi didn't want them to ruin Maomao's plan.
The voice was slightly indistinct at first, with only sparse words coming through. So far it seemed the conversation was focused on introductions, so missing some parts wasn't a problem, but Jinshi hoped things would get better. He knew the connected bowls were a bit of a stopgap measure, but he hoped to hear the conversation rather than just a signal.
Jinshi couldn't shake the feeling that Maomao was keeping some kind of information to herself. He didn't really have any solid basis for this suspicion, but he also couldn't completely dismiss it. It wouldn't be the first time she hadn't shared important details with him.
Suddenly, the voice coming through the bowl became slightly clearer.
"...I'm just here to do business. If you don't like making money, then I guess that's it," Maomao said. She must have moved slightly closer to the shed while talking, given how much clearer Jinshi could hear her.
"I wasn't saying I'm not willing to do business with you. I'm just saying that trust is important," another voice argued. It must have been the mysterious person distributing pieces of the robe. From what Maomao had learned, she operated in secrecy using an alias: Seamstress.
Jinshi remembered Maomao sounding somewhat derisive as she shared the name. She definitely had opinions about the alias this woman chose.
"Then should I make some excuse to call Master Jinshi here to testify that I'm not meeting you on his orders?" Maomao asked.
No sound came through for a moment, but Jinshi could easily imagine that there was a gasp that the contraption didn't pick up.
"Don't be ridiculous!" The woman's voice was much clearer now. She must have walked closer to Maomao or raised her voice. Either way, Jinshi was grateful that he didn't have to strain his ears so much to hear the conversation through the bowl.
"You are the one who's ridiculous," Maomao's voice was much calmer in contrast to the Seamstress'. "It's not like I can disprove your accusations in any way. You can either believe them and there's nothing for us to discuss, or you choose to trust me and this conversation continues. That's the only two options available to you right now."
Jinshi could imagine the Seamstress' frustration all too well, but Maomao was right. There was no proof she could actually offer, regardless of whether she was lying or not.
Trust was such a difficult thing, wasn't it? Jinshi almost felt for the woman's plight. In order to make profit she had to put her trust in someone who could betray her. Of course, it was too late. She would be caught sooner or later. Right now, Maomao was only delaying the woman's sentence by trying to gather information.
"There are people saying that Master Jinshi was the one who used his connections to give you the position as a servant of Lady Gyokuyou," the woman said, deciding to test Maomao.
"He only searched for me on the orders of Lady Gyokuyou. It wasn't because he held any particular favor for me," Maomao pointed out.
Jinshi was surprised that the conversation turned to his relationship with her. Was he truly so conspicuous in his favor for Maomao?
"Maybe. But if that was the case why did he employ you as a servant at his private quarters?" The Seamstress continued to argue.
That was a damning argument. Jinshi couldn't help but hold his breath.
"Oh, that was because he couldn't immediately reinstate me as Lady Gyokuyou's servant. As a favor to her he kept me for a while until I could safely return," Maomao continued to explain.
Wait, was that what she truly thought?! Surely, it was just a lie. Then again, Maomao wasn't very good at lying. The way she said it, suggested that she might have actually believed that he only took her as a favor for Gyokuyou!
Jinshi had to restrain the urge to run out of the shed and tell Maomao she was wrong.
"Still, you agreed to work for him!" the Seamstress insisted. "You are pretty much living with him, and have insight into his life that no one else here has! Do you want me to believe that you aren't close to him at all? Can you really claim that there's nothing going on between the two of you?"
Jinshi was holding his breath waiting for Maomao's response. He knew that no matter what she felt she needed to deny the allegations, and yet some selfish part of Jinshi desperately wanted Maomao not to dismiss their connection. Even if this whole charade was for Jinshi's benefit, if it meant that he had to listen to Maomao indirectly reject him it would be too much. He wouldn't be able to bear it.
It didn't help his nerves that Maomao didn't respond immediately. Jinshi couldn't see her, but it was almost as if she was hesitating. Was she reluctant simply because she had no logical argument to refute the arguments? Or because the allegations were true?
Jinshi would give a lot to know the answer, but just like always Maomao's feelings remained a tightly wrapped secret. When she finally spoke, her cold tone made it obvious that she wouldn't entertain this questioning any further.
"I have an old father to take care of back home and needed money to repay a debt I had. Of course I agreed to work for him. Money doesn't just lie on the ground. And that's why I'm meeting you. Even if this is the best job available to me, I currently need to get some more money to help my family. That's why I want to take this risk. So tell me, will you trust me or not?"
There was a tense moment of silence between the women. Jinshi wasn't sure how to feel. He knew that Maomao didn't agree to return to working in the Palace just for money, yet there was an undercurrent of urgency in her voice which sounded a bit too real. Was Maomao in some trouble? Or was this part of her lie?
And hadn't Maomao just completely avoided the question about the nature of their relationship?
"Fine!" the woman finally said, sounding frustrated. "I will trust you."
"Great," Maomao said with no inflection. Her voice suddenly grew more distant. She must have walked away from the shed. However, even with that interference her cold tone remained unmistakable as she said, "But trust needs to go two ways, so now it's my turn to ask. Are you really the main person holding the robe pieces, or is there someone above you?"
"You think I'm scamming you!"
"I think I also deserve to get some answers before we shake on this," Maomao pointed out.
"Ughh, okay. I get it. Yes, I'm the one. There were some girls pretending to be me, but I stopped supplying them once I realized what they were doing. So you won't find another person who can actually give you as many pieces as I can."
"So were you the one who stole the robe?" Maomao asked.
"Of course not. I got it from a crone. Don't know her name," the Seamstress said dismissively.
"So there is someone above you," Maomao pointed out.
"No, she sold me the whole robe. Maybe she kept a piece or two for herself, but given how much I got from her, I doubt she can offer you more pieces than me. And right now even I don't know how to reach that crone again."
"How much do you have left?" Maomao asked, changing the topic. She probably decided it would be too suspicious to question the Seamstress about the person she got the robe from. Not to mention the woman seemed to know distressingly little about the identity of the thief.
"A dozen right now. I could get some more since some of the girls that were helping me sell are struggling to finish selling their stock. I'm not sure how many they still have, but I could likely supply at least several more if needed."
"The dozen should be enough for now, but I think I can also find buyers for the rest."
"Where?" the Seamstress asked.
"Huh?"
"Where do you hope to find buyers? I know that the Palace is big, but everyone is struggling to sell their pieces at this point. Who are you aiming for to be so confident?"
Maomao was quiet for a moment.
"I guess it's fine to share my plan. After all, you also want to make profit out of this." She paused for a second, before asking. "Did you know that Lady Lishu idolizes Master Jinshi?"
Jinshi was of course aware, it was really hard not to notice and all too understandable given Lishu's age. However, to the Seamstress, who could only look at the consorts of the Rear Palace from a distance, this was likely a shocking revelation.
"Really?!"
"Yes, I've seen it for myself. And her serving ladies are no different. I will promise them pieces of Master Jinshi's robe for a supposedly lower price and convince them to help me sell a piece to Lady Lishu for a much higher price," Maomao described, sounding devious. It could have just been a distortion of the sound given that she was now further away from a bowl, but Jinshi could almost see the scheming look on Maomao's face. Her plan sounded far too feasible for comfort.
"Are you sure you will succeed?" The Seamstress could barely hide her greed.
"Of course, I will. Lady Lishu's servants have a high opinion of themselves, so they don't interact much with other servants. They are probably unaware of the situation and once they learn that there aren't many pieces of the robe left, it will be all too easy to negotiate a good price with them!" Maomao assured her.
"Let's talk money. How much can you pay for the pieces of robe I have?"
The discussion turned to the topic of how much Maomao would pay and on what terms. Jinshi gestured with his hand at the other men in the shed to pay attention. Maomao would likely give the signal soon.
Not long after, everyone in the shed heard a sound of a bag of coins hitting the ground. Jinshi heard through the bowl how Maomao gave a half-hearted apology to distract the Seamstress a bit longer, but at this point the eunuchs were already opening the door to the shed.
Even though the plan went off without a hitch, and Jinshi could hear the sounds of the woman being apprehended, he couldn't help feeling like something was off.
*
It was exactly like Maomao said. The woman calling herself the Seamstress didn't know the identity of the thief.
"She had a worn out robe with a hood, not to mention we met at night, so I could never see her face clearly. But she looked and sounded really old. Her voice was very scratchy," the woman testified.
"How did you get in contact?" Jinshi asked.
"I met her one night while taking a walk. She showed me a sleeve of the robe as a proof and gave me a few pieces. She promised more if I brought her money. Then she said we would meet in the same place in three days. After that we ended up meeting two more times and during the last one she claimed that she was selling me everything she had left. I lent money to pay her, so she got paid for everything then, and we didn't need to meet again. I was honestly glad. That crone was very creepy."
Jinshi sighed. This really didn't get him any closer to finding out who stole his discarded robe.
He had to face the facts, even with Maomao's help, he had been outplayed. Whoever the mysterious crone was, she both got her money and had hidden her identity well enough to avoid punishment. The dozen confiscated robe pieces and identities of other girls involved in the trade felt like a lousy consolation prize.
Once the interrogation was over, Jinshi let himself sprawl over the desk in defeat. He knew this case wasn't as serious as the assassination he barely avoided, but the defeat still stung.
Jinshi closed his eyes and thought back on everything that happened. He couldn't shake the feeling that he was missing something. He thought about how strangely animated Maomao was when he called her. How well she lied about her motives before the woman calling herself the Seamstress. How accurate Maomao's prediction was about the thief being difficult to catch. How she got questioned about her connection to Jinshi.
…he was thinking a lot about Maomao, wasn't he?
Jinshi knew he should return to work, but he couldn't bring himself to. His mind lingered on that moment when Maomao hesitated in her response to the final question about the nature of her relationship with Jinshi. What she said back then…
He jolted, as he realized he found it—hidden in that conversation was a critical hint about the culprit's identity.
*
"Good evening, Master Jinshi," Maomao greeted him with her usual flat tone. "I hope the investigation is going well."
Jinshi did his best not to let his emotions show on his face. He needed to be methodical about it.
"Apothecary, do you need money?" he asked.
He could see a confusion and a bit of panic that was quickly hidden behind her arms.
"A woman is always in need of money," she said, evasively. "There are many medical ingredients that cost quite a lot."
"Let me rephrase, do you need money for something not connected to medicine?" Jinshi asked, smiling at her.
He could see Maomao shrink under his gaze. "N-not really."
"Do you not need money because you already obtained it, say, by selling something that didn't belong to you?" he pressed on.
There was no response as Maomao continued to hide her face behind her arms, but it was obvious she was shaking. Her whole being seemed to be asking how Jinshi found out.
"Raise your head," Jinshi ordered. Maomao lowered her arms and raised her head, revealing a mixture of embarrassment and guilt on her face. "You know you are a lousy liar, Apothecary."
"Yes," she muttered.
"Still, you almost fooled me. I only realized it, because your lie fooled the Seamstress. That woman wasn't dumb. She would have noticed an obvious lie. And yet she didn't call you out on it. That made me think. Perhaps your success was caused by the fact that you spoke as few lies as possible. And that you said the truth when you mentioned taking a risk to earn money for your father."
Maomao tensed, but then raised her head again.
"Even if you assume that—" She awkwardly attempted to defend herself, but Jinshi didn't let her.
"You had the opportunity to steal a robe while you stayed with me and if I'm right you have a motive."
"If I was the person who stole the robe, wouldn't that Seamstress woman recognize me when we met?" Maomao tried.
They looked at each other. There was a desperate hope in Maomao's eyes that maybe she could weasel her way out of this.
Jinshi beamed at her. "That's a great argument. It wouldn't be easy to change your looks to that extent. It would require knowing all those tricks you showed me. Like being able to make your voice hoarse with a special mixture. Or using make-up."
Maomao shriveled with each word, until she fell on her knees and prostrated herself.
"I'm sorry. I did need to make quick money," she confessed.
Jinshi sighed. Now that Maomao had admitted to her crime, he didn't even feel angry. He was more disappointed that she didn't try to rely on him for whatever trouble she got into.
"Why exactly?"
"My dad got swindled and ended up with debt. He's usually sharp enough not to fall for scams, but I guess it was inevitable that he would slip up at some point. Anyway, I needed to quickly send him money, since the terms of that debt were really bad and we wouldn't be able to pay it if I tried to wait and slowly pay it back through my salary. And that's when I got the idea of selling Master Jinshi's robe."
"Why did you even have it?" he questioned. He'd assumed she picked up the robe with the purpose of selling it, but apparently that wasn't the case.
"I initially thought of giving that robe to my father since it's made from such nice material and he wouldn't mind that big stain on the sleeve. But then I realized that it was a bad idea, since someone could mistake him for a noble due to it and try to rob him. So I scratched that idea, but then I didn't really have an opportunity to dispose of it."
Right, with the injury to her foot, it was probably hard to carry the robe discreetly. And cutting it into smaller pieces and making several trips to the place where trash was burned would be a lot of work for no real gain.
"So how much money did you need to pay back the debt?"
Maomao gave him the number.
"You know you could have borrowed that much from me or Lady Gyokuyou? We wouldn't have ignored your request after everything you've done."
Maomao grimaced before admitting, "I actually needed twice as much."
Jinshi leaned forward. "Why?"
"If I only obediently paid the debt, those scoundrels would try to swindle my dad again. That's why Granny promised that she would hire someone to teach those guys a lesson. That way the debt would be paid, but other vultures would think twice before trying," Maomao explained, sounding somewhat feral. It was clear that she was extremely angry on behalf of her adoptive father.
"So you used that money to pay them back in both meanings of the word?"
"Yes," she said proudly. It was obvious she didn't really feel any repentance about what she had done.
Jinshi had some ideas of punishment before he called Maomao, but none of them felt right. He didn't feel like making her return the money given what she used it for. And he didn't really want to make her do any extra chores given her foot still hadn't completely healed.
Honestly, he just wanted her to know how uncomfortable he felt about the fact that she sold his robe to people…
…wait a moment.
"Raise, Apothecary," he ordered her. As she slowly got up from the floor, he walked around the table and stopped right before her. He wanted to see her face clearly for this.
Maomao was clearly uncomfortable by both the proximity and the wait for the announcement of her punishment.
"Given your previous contributions, I have decided to lessen the sentence. For the crime of stealing my robe… you will give me yours."
Maomao froze, before making an incredulous expression. "Right now?!"
"No! No! I will issue you a new one and then you will give the robe you are using currently," Jinshi said quickly.
Maomao looked slightly less panicked, but still extremely uncomfortable. "Isn't that a bit…?"
"A bit what? Is it strange to imagine what someone is doing with clothes you used? I wonder how it feels to know that someone owns your clothing and may be doing something weird with it," Jinshi said to drive his point home.
Maomao couldn't argue with that. "I understand. I will deliver it once I get a new robe."
"I'm glad you understand," Jinshi said. He was feeling much better now. The whole incident was starting to feel almost worth it. Jinshi decided to press his luck. Who knew when he would get another chance to get answers out of Maomao. "There's one more question I have."
Maomao nodded to indicate she was listening. This time it was Jinshi who almost hesitated but decided to push on. He wanted to truly get to the bottom of this incident filled with truth and lies.
"Why did you avoid answering the Seamstress question about the relationship between us at the end?"
Strangely, Maomao's expression turned contemplative as though she didn't have a prepared answer. Jinshi wasn't sure if it was a good or bad sign. He just waited hoping for an answer that would give him just a little bit of insight into the strange girl before him.
"Master Jinshi, I know I might be a bit distant, but we worked together for so long that I can't pretend to think of you as a mere stranger. That's why I was afraid my response wouldn't sound sincere."
"Was that really all?" he asked. She sounded like she was once more avoiding the question given that it wasn't just about them not being strangers. What the Seamstress was implying when she asked it was—
"You said it yourself that I'm a poor liar. Isn't that a reason enough?"
Jinshi wanted to call her out on it, but he had a feeling it would achieve the opposite effect. Even when he was so close, the depths of Maomao's eyes still felt like the dark unexplored corner of the ocean.
For some reason he remembered a passing comment from Maomao, when she was working on her blue roses, how some flowers just needed more time to bloom than others.
He sighed, guess he shouldn't try to be too greedy. Flowers were delicate after all. "You are dismissed. But before you go, a word of caution."
"Yes?" she asked.
Jinshi leaned forward to whisper into her ear. "If you try a stunt like this again, I will ask for your undergarments. So you'd better not try to solve any such problems by yourself."
But even if they were delicate, it would be bad if a flower turned into a weed just because the gardener didn't keep an eye on it.
Maomao pretty much leaped backwards upon those words. "I-I-I understand. I won't try this again."
Jinshi beamed at her. "I hope you won't."
The door closed behind Maomao as she desperately tried to keep distance. Jinshi let his expression drop a bit, as he returned to his desk and thought about what he learned.
"Why couldn't she just keep that robe to herself?" he muttered. Even though he might have discovered new things about Maomao and obtained her robe, he couldn't help thinking how much nicer it would have been if her crime ended at that stage.
*
Maomao sighed as she returned to her room.
She knew she got off with pretty much a slap on the wrist, rather than a real punishment. She should have been happy about not having to return the money or getting flogged, but still.
"...he won't do anything weird with it, right?" Maomao asked as she raised her hand to look at the sleeve of her robe.
She knew it was hypocritical of her, but she couldn't help feeling a bit self conscious. Courtesans usually didn't give away their belongings easily. They would only do that if they were serious about getting bou…
"Well, it's a punishment, nothing I can do," Maomao said to interrupt her train of thoughts.
She self-consciously looked at the door, before reaching for her pillow and pulling two pieces of cut robe out of it. One was a small piece that ended up too irregular to sell. Maomao decided to give it to the quack doctor once things calmed down a bit. She knew the piece he bought had been confiscated, and he did deserve something nice for helping her out.
The other piece was much bigger, due to the fact that it contained a big stain, which seemed to be the reason why the robe was discarded in the first place. Maomao couldn't sell it, but curiously enough she couldn't bring herself to throw it out either.
"Why did I even keep that robe in the first place?" she wondered out loud. She didn't really understand it herself. She was glad that Jinshi let her off with a vague explanation in that regard. If she really wanted to get rid of the robe she would have found the way to do so, and the fact that she didn't was the most puzzling aspect of this entire situation.
Even now she didn't want to discard that stained piece of robe she was left with.
"No use thinking about it," she decided, hiding the two scraps back inside the pillow. She had a strange feeling that thinking too hard about it wouldn't bring her answer. Just like when Jinshi asked her why she avoided answering the Seamstress' question. Somehow there seemed to be more and more questions she had no answers to, the longer she stayed at the Palace.
She anxiously embraced the pillow, as she let herself lie down on the bed.
It was fine if she didn't have the answer yet. Maomao wanted to believe that if she kept holding onto that useless piece of fabric, maybe someday she would discover the root of that feeling and the truth behind her actions.