Slavery's as common as anything in this world; I just never thought ever I'd be one.
"Get out of my way, girl! You've kept me away long enough! I DEMAND to see my mistress!" Lady Lihua's ladies-in-waiting barked at me. These women were slaves like the rest of us in the royal Harem, and in reality, the Emperor could- and did- have his pick of them as well. He just favoured concubines like Lady Lihua and Lady Gyokuyou more that everyone else, thus giving them more privileges. But that didn't save these women from the Emperor's wandering eye; they just weren't rewarded for their troubles, so they looked to their mistresses for power. The head lady-in-waiting, Shin I guess her name was, was gorgeous but very spiteful. Rumour had it that she had to warm his majesty's bed while her cousin was in dispose, only he employed certain methods to ensure that she wouldn't get pregnant, greatly shaming her to the rest of the women in the harem. It was like a public statement that she was good enough to bed, but not good enough to bare his child. I kinda felt bad for her…. She wasn't in a favour position at the moment either, and was currently using what little authority she had to lash out at me.
"I'm sorry, ma'am, but I cannot allow you to enter. This room has been purified," in other words, I'd scrubbed every last speck of lead makeup out of it. Her face contorted in rage. "Are you calling me "impure", you worthless wretch?!" "Of course not, ma'am, but you must have bare skin and hair to enter. No makeup or perfume, lest it contaminate the air." She rolled her eyes like this was the stupidest thing she'd ever heard. Her arms crossed defiantly. "That's ridiculous! When has makeup ever hurt anyone? You just want to keep Lady Lihua's attention all to yourself!" "No indeed, ma'am. She is recovering quickly and will be able to rejoin you in her quarters soon. But before that, all white face makeup must be removed and all the walls, windows, curtains, tapestries, floors, and carpets be thoroughly cleaned. She's still in a vulnerable state and I don't want anything compromising her immune system."
Shin looked like she wanted to throttle me with her bare hands, her palms twitching in abject rage. "You're the most useless apothecary I've ever seen. Serves them right for teaching a woman the art of medicine! A MAN would have had her all better by now!" I pursed my lips tight together, realising I had a decision to make on the fly. On the one hand, I could have retorted that many men had tried and failed to cure the lady and the princess, hence why the Emperor looked far and wide for a female doctor; someone who could actually enter the Inner Court. On the other hand, that might be a REALLY bad choice of words. Granted, I doubt Shin had the power to order for my head to be chopped off, but she'd been here a lot longer than I had and was Lady Lihua's cousin. Best not to say anything. I just narrowed my eyes a little in frustration; when I spoke next, my voice was strained.
"I'm doing my best, ma'am. Her ladyship and the royal princess are making a good recovery. It's just taking time." She pointed an accusatory finger right in my face, continuing to shoot me death glares. "I bet you're doing this on purpose. You're deliberately keeping her ill, maybe even poisoning her yourself, just so you could be the only one with access to the most powerful lady in the Inner Court!" "That's a horrible accusation! I would never do such a thing! I'm supposed to heal the sick; not make them worse," I accidently raised my voice a little too high, shocking some of the other ladies-in-waiting cowering behind Shin; they'd been conveniently silent up til now. Shin's face contorted again in even more anger and disgust.
"Then why isn't she better?! It's been two months since you sequestered her off from the rest of us!" "Because it takes time! One just doesn't heal overnight. The body needs to be detoxed, the humours restored. You can't rush these things; all we can do is do the best we can and trust God to give us the strength to deal with the rest." Her hand rose up in the air swiftly like she was ready and wanted to slap me. "Don't you speak to me about God! What has He ever done for us?! Don't forget, you're a slave too! You're at the bottom of the bottom; no one here gives a damn about you or your life! Now for the final time, get out of my way!" "No! You can't! She's recovering quite well, and I can't let anything interrupt that!" My arms extended out protectively blocking the closed door. Shin literally growled, reaching out to grab me viciously. "Why you little…!"
"Excuse me, ladies. Are we interrupting something?" All our heads turned to see Jinshi and Gaoshun coming down the hall toward us; he stopped Shin just before she took hold of me. "Master Jinshi?" I asked and the ladies-in-waiting, minus Shin, started to sigh and swoon, which he clearly enjoyed seeing. He flashed them a devilish, stunning grin before gazing back to us, looking directly at Shin though he wasn't smiling so keenly at her.
"Is there a reason you're accosting my apothecary, my lady?" Wait, HIS apothecary? That's a bit of a stretch, wouldn't you say? But I remained silent as Shin pointed her forefinger back toward me. "Master Jinshi, have this girl removed at once! She's refused me entry for two months now, and I've had it! She cannot control who can and cannot see my cousin." "You're right, she can't. But I can. The apothecary's explained her reasoning to me, and I think it makes sense. I see no point in heh, defying doctor's orders," he gave a single chuckle, and the girls cooed and swooned again, causing Gaoshun to groan and roll his eyes. Meanwhile Shin's cheeks burned in rage as her hands curled into clenched fists.
"You can't be serious…. Tell her to let me inside, then! How can my staying away from Lady Lihua possibly make her better?!" Jinshi smiled playfully, glancing to me. "Why don't you tell her, apothecary?" My back arched up and my eyes widened slightly. "Erm, yes. Um, the white powder the women in the Inner Court wear contains an ingredient called lead. It makes skin appear paler, but it's poisonous, especially with long-term use. It can kill small children if there's too much exposure," I told everyone and the ladies-in-waiting all wore astonished and horrified expressions. Finally one spoke for the first time since they arrived with Shin, raising her finger up in a thoughtful manner. "So the face powder….. may have poisoned the late prince?" She was referring to Lady Lihua's son, and I nodded. "Yes, I believe so." That's when Shin gave me another monstrous glare, clearly unconvinced.
"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. That face powder was invented by apothecaries! How can it be poisonous?!" "I-I'm sure they didn't know lead was toxic when they invented it. New poisons are being discovered every day. We can't blame them for their lack of knowledge." Her eyes rolled again and she planted a hand on her hip dramatically. "Well aren't you a saint? Of course YOU'D defend apothecaries- men of the Abbey." "That has nothing to do with it. I just empathise with them, that's all. I'm sure they never meant to do harm at the time," I countered and her face lit up irate once more, her eyes darkening. "And you think you know better?! You're just some nobody from a crumbling down old Abbey by the sea! How could you know better than they did?!"
That's when Jinshi stepped in, raising his hands up again and grinning that sickeningly sweet way of his; the other ladies-in-waiting were having a field day, drooling over him with no shame, which I KNOW he openly liked. It only made me think less of him…. Sure I thought he was physically perfect with flawless features too, but at least I didn't let his beauty cloud my thinking. I bet he noticed that too, and didn't know what to make of it… But right now he ramped up the charm to eleven, trying to appease everyone.
"Now, now, let's everyone calm down. You must give her some credit, Lady Shin; her methods do seem to be working, and her reasoning is sound." She tisked, rolled her eyes one last time. "So what are you saying? That I'm STILL not permitted to see Lady Lihua?" She asked him and he looked to me, still grinning. "Apothecary?" That's when I saw an opportunity which I was willing to jump at; I was sick of going to the bathhouse every day, having the Emperor voyeuristically watch us from a window out of sight. This could be my escape….. I tried to sound reserved, not too eager or forward-thinking.
"Well actually, if you bathe and wear nothing but a fresh pair of clothes, including shoes and hairpins, then you may see Lady Lihua. You can begin escorting her to the bathhouse, if you wish." Shin's eyes lit up in surprise, as did her ladies-in-waiting and Jinshi's; she obviously wasn't expecting me to say that and wanted to push her luck a little farther. "But I never leave my chambers without any makeup on. What if I humour you and simply don't wear any face powder?" My head shook resolutely. "I'm sorry, ma'am. I can't take any chances. You are free to come visit her ladyship, but you must be clean and bare. It's for her and princess's safety."
Neither she nor Jinshi said anything for a moment before the latter flashed her a winning smile. "See? I told you the apothecary was reasonable," and Shin snorted, glaring off to the side upset. "Reasonable indeed…" She muttered under her breath. Gaoshun also huffed, running his hand over top of his eyes. "Well, at least that's settled. Now come on, sire; we need to get going." "Very well. You may see Lady Lihua tomorrow, provided you follow her orders and come without any makeup or perfume, and wear clean clothes and shoes," he told Shin, who bowed her head at him. "Yes, sire." Satisfied with that, Jinshi's head then spun back to me, smiling more sincerely now. His eyes lowered a tad.
"And as for you. It looks like you'll have some free time if Lady Shin takes her mistress and the little princess to the bathhouse. What will you do with your stolen time?" "I thought that should be obvious," I spoke before thinking, immediately wearing an expression of horror. Even the other ladies-in-waiting and Shin were scandalised, and patiently- or impatiently- waited for Jinshi to respond. His own face went from startled to mischievous in a matter of seconds as he playfully shut his eyes. "Oh? And what would that be?" I smirked a bit uncomfortably, lowering my chin and lifting my eyes up while twiddling my fingers together. "Erm, go to the temple and pray, maybe do some reading….." "What a waste of time," Shin uttered under her breath again. Jinshi just kept staring at me though, softening his grin…. and eyes. He looked at me with soft, soulful eyes just then.
"Of course you are. I wouldn't expect anything different from you." I cleared my throat, spinning to face the door and place my hand on the handle. "Y-Yes well, if you excuse me, sire…" "You're excused. I'll have a maid bring some fresh linen to the temple tomorrow," he chimed before beginning to walk away, still smiling to himself. The ladies-in-waiting blinked confused, glancing between one another as if searching for some sort of answer. "Linen? Why would anyone need linen in a temple?" One inquired but I didn't reply; I merely watched them leave, Gaoshun…. and Jinshi. My lips parted a sliver. I know why he's having some brought to the temple; he's mocking the fact that I like to cover my hair while I'm inside, as a good Sister is want to do. He's making fun of me; he must be…. My eyes lowered a tad also confused…. and feeling something else swirling inside the centre of my chest.
It's a strange way to mock me, even for him.