A Merchant's Journal 3 - (The Apothecary Diaries, Self-Insert)
Out of all outcomes Maomao would have seen of her most humble and static life, the one involving her being shipped off to Taiwan was not part of the list. Oh no, she was aware that random circumstances can come up in those weird times, but this one was definitely the good weird and not the bad weird she had been worrying about.
Part of her expected this Teng Mu to eventually seduce her or whatever. He was a young stud, no women around himself, and clearly not eyeing the regular beauty as seen by his lack of interest towards the queens of the brothel. Maybe he liked men, or maybe... he liked girls like her.
Slim, lanky... or bright in the mind. If that last bit was true, then her faux freckles could hardly protect her from any lustful impulse from her 'benefactor'. But while the worry lingered, she had to admit that the idea of checking out Taiwan after hearing the mythical tales of its verdant forests and grand cities felt enticing enough. The promise of having her own workshop with 'cutting edge technology' felt also strong enough to make her at least willing to check out what it was all about.
Thus Maomao was soon saluting the old man, the one that pretty much sold her to a stranger after taking care of her for so many years, and soon she found herself riding the same horse as Teng Mu herself. She expected the young man, so close to her age, to make a move on her. Anything, something - whatever to prove her paranoia right. But not even once he made her uncomfortable. Rather he looked mighty annoyed whenever she went too deep in her curious questioning of the various herbs that were nurtured in the 'legendary island'.
The girl understood the irritation, for she was told many times she was chatty whenever it was about poisons, but the nuisance in this case stemmed more on her extensive drilling of her knowledge rather than on the topic itself. It was clear that Mu was extremely clever to know his own stuff around poisons as part of 'chemistry', but he seemed most displeased whenever the conversation happened too lenghtily or in public.
In fact, Maomao had to admit that the puzzled and worried looks some of the people around them levied was enough to make her aware others were keen to think she was planning to murder someone. Which wasn't the case, for this knowledge wasn't just to be used to kill, but to save lives. To know poisons meant to know antidotes and to know other effects that poisons can be used for. And Teng Mu agreed on this, so it wasn't a dislike of poison that made him upset. Taking note of this Maomao restrained her unbound giddiness to have someone aware of this matter and from behaving like a goofball as her 'master' told her she was.
And after passing by the Imperial Capital for a few hours, the two made it to Suzhou. From there, a large boat crafted by the dockyards in Taiwan waited for them, the sailors uniformed and showing courtesy and respect not only to their boss but to her too to a degree that made Maomao hopelessly think that this was the biggest trick yet if they end up proving to be as monstrous as other sailors tended to be. The boat trip was where issues started, just not from the sailors, but by her bowels. She had never taken a trip through a ship, but her stomach was already disagreeing with the voyage itself.
Teng Mu was quick to offer her a strange root-like plant that he called 'Ginger', and he told her it would calm down her upset belly. She was pleasantly surprised by the spicy tone of this ginger plant, even more as her nausea dulled away to a mild discomfort at worst. It was a nice discovery that kept her intrigued by what other spices and plants were produced solely in Taiwan and which of those she could easily put her grabby hands on. Two days on a ship was still enough to make her miss land, and thus she was even more impressed by the time they arrived.
While the rumors embellished the size of Taiwan with monumental imperial palace-like buildings all over and tall gardens to mesmerize the visitors and merchants, the place wasn't as developed but was nonetheless a beauty to the eye. The bluish connotation of most buildings felt differing than the favored green at the Imperial Capital. Jade didn't seem to be preferred by the island as the many shades of blue softly complimented its seafaring society. Upon arriving at the docks and anchoring the ship, Maomao was surprised by a small group of guards armed with light armor and small-looking 'tubes' leading them to the 'Mayoral Palace'.
The heart of Taipei, the soul of Taiwan, the Mayoral Palace stood taller than most administrative manors, second only to the Imperial Palace in Nanjing. Her eyes were wide open as she took greater care to learn of its many paths. As she watched and witnessed, she also realized a major detail not many were aware of in the mainland: Taiwan seemed to follow a more lenient approach towards women. She had seen plenty of those, young and not, wandering in pants rather than skirts. Even those serving the imperial staff had an uniform that tended to clash with the one for the male servants for sharing so many details with the men.
But what truly sold the trip to her was not the societal novelty, but the laboratories themselves. Maomao lost composure as she moved away from Teng Mu's side and started to look at the multiple plants cared in this 'sterile environment'. They were all kept in glass containers, unusual but clearly meant to keep any impurity from corrupting those. Some were familiar, but most were new herbs that intrigued her to the core. This was- this was her workplace, she realized, and that made her even giddier as she wondered which one of those was a new poison to sample on herself-
"Oh, but hello young lady."
The polite grandfatherly voice that suddenly came to the side totally didn't make her jump and shriek. She was above that, and whoever said the opposite would be most hated by her. That being said, the old man now bowing at her made her mildly surprised. After all, Maomao hadn't heard him approaching.
"Baicai, good to see you."
"Oh, young master Mu, I am glad to see you are well and... this one is?"
"M-Maomao," She introduced herself, looking at her employer for support as he nodded.
"Maomao here is a new hire. She will join you as an assistant and have access to a new workshop for her to specialize in poison-treatment and development."
These words felt heavier of trust - more than it was needed in the girl's opinion but-
"Is that so? I have always wished for one of my students to show interest in such topic. It's quite a sore spot to most, but I assume you are aware of the stigma this may land upon your shoulders."
"It's nothing new, really," She calmly remarked, and the old man's smile... widened. "I know that the first thought goes to using poison to hurt others, but it's not like knowing this stopped others known to be 'moral' from using it."
"Indeed, a tragic hypocrisy that we are above of. A poison is like its antidote, it is useful to remove specific threats. May them be poisons themselves or... people that are troublesome to start wars over."
She nodded at that, and found herself smiling.
Maybe this new situation wasn't as troublesome as she thought it to be but... intrigue sounded to be abound if there was support in producing poisons. After all, with a fragile empire, one has to wonder when one of the 'loyal' administrators will take steps to 'secure the Emperor in safer hands'.
AN
Maomao gotten! And next up is a review of the situatio in Taiwan as trouble is abound with pirates from Japan and, by Imperial mandate, a punitive expedition will soon unfold.