ORIGINAL STORY BY NATSU HYUUGA
THIS STORY IS A FICION, AND ALL NAMES OF FIGURES ND ORGANIZATIONS ARE FICTITIOUS.
MOREOVER, THE STORY HAS NO RELATION TO REAL-LIFE INCIDENTS AND EVENTS.
Did you hear about the fire the other day?
Quite an accomplishment for Lihaku, I'd say.
I never thought he'd solve it.
Seems like, according to rumors,
a maidservant played a big part in solving it.
A maidservant?
Apparently it's Sir Jinshi's assigned servant.
Is that so?
Speaking of Sir Jinshi, he bought out a courtesan from the Verdigris House.
I heard she's an intellectual beauty with a cold look!
That's what the guys who saw her said!
-Oh… -Sir Lakan?
Could you tell me a little more?
Xiaomao, can I talk to you for a bit?
What is it, Sir Gaoshun?
I want you to take a look at this.
Documents on an old case?
A merchant family ten years ago
got food poisoning from a dish of puffer fish and vegetables.
Poison from puffer fish…
That tingly poison feels so good!
I want some right now…
I'll take you to a restaurant that serves a similar dish.
So, what's happening?
I was involved with this case for work
back when it happened.
A very similar case to this happened recently,
and a former coworker asked for my help.
A similar case?
A government official ate a dish of puffer fish and vegetables,
and is in a comatose state now.
A comatose state…?
Excuse me, but…
Is it okay that I'm hearing about this?
It's not a problem.
You're someone who knows your position.
So it's confidential, huh?
And you've already heard this much.
Do you really want to cut off a story about poison right here?
Please. Go right ahead.
PUFFER FISH
This time, the dish contained
parboiled puffer fish skin and flesh.
He ate that, and then went into a coma.
He ate puffer fish flesh?
Most of the poison is in its organs, like the liver.
Yes. It was the skin and flesh.
The flesh shouldn't contain that much poison…
There might be poison in the flesh
depending on the type of fish and its environment…
This case doesn't seem strange.
The thing is… In both this case and the one ten years ago,
the chef insists he didn't use any puffer fish in the food.
Oh? That's interesting.
There are more similarities.
Both victims…
The government official and the merchant
both loved fine dining and delicacies.
They ate raw fish often,
and loved puffer fish.
After they collapsed, they found all the fish organs and skin
in the kitchen trash,
so it was proven they didn't eat the liver.
Both the chefs from the two cases claim that
the puffer fish was used for dinner the previous night
and that they used different fish for the fish and vegetables dish,
to assert their innocence.
But there were no witnesses to their claims.
30 minutes after the government official finished his meal,
he developed symptoms of poisoning, collapsed,
and was found going into convulsions.
I didn't expect them to investigate this thoroughly…
There are many good-for-nothing bureaucrats
who investigate carelessly and make up a culprit…
What do you think?
The symptoms align with puffer fish poison.
But I don't have enough details…
Sir Gaoshun, could you collect more information?
Of course. I'll investigate more.
During this time of the year,
it's not rare for cooks to leave out food waste for a few days.
They claim to have used another fish.
They found some fish scraps, so it makes sense…
What were you talking about?
That face is pretty hurtful, even for me.
You were listening to Gaoshun very intently.
Most people listen intently when it's an interesting conversation.
Hey, wait a minute. You often cut me off…
All right, then. It's late.
I'll be going home.
Hey, I'm not done talking to you…
Hey, now. Don't move.
Stay still, all right?
Xiaomao. About that case…
Here is the recipe.
The servants say that
most recipes served to their patron are recorded here.
Thank you.
"Add shredded vegetables to parboiled fish and mix with vinegar."
There's nothing strange about this recipe.
There are several types of vinegar mixture combinations,
but the ingredient list is not specific.
Probably because the fish and vegetables
they can obtain depends on the season.
But with this recipe,
we don't know what they used in the dish.
You don't know?
Looks like he wants to join.
What is it that you don't know?
You haven't eaten your meal yet.
I know.
He's being very childish.
-When did this occur? -About a week ago.
So did they use winter vegetables in the dish,
like radishes and carrots?
They say they used seaweed.
Seaweed?
Yes, seaweed.
If they like delicacies,
they might have used some rare seaweed.
Is it possible to take a look inside that home's kitchen?
Sir Gaoshun told me to come here…
So I've heard. I'm Basen.
I'm Maomao.
We're going to the mansion now,
but starting here, you're my "servant."
-Okay? Don't try anything silly. -Yes, sir.
Once we arrive, the mansion's servant will show you around the kitchen.
Yes, sir.
As expected of Sir Gaoshun. He works fast.
Speaking of…
I haven't seen this soldier before.
He reminds me of someone…
Looks like he doesn't like me very much.
Whatever.
Here is the kitchen.
We haven't used it since the poisoning.
Hey!
Don't come in here! Get out!
What are you doing? Did you bring them here?
We got permission from the lady.
This is our job.
Is that true?
Can we enter?
Or would that cause an inconvenience?
Do as you like.
Who is that?
He is our patron's younger brother.
After Patron went into a coma,
the lady has been bedridden from exhaustion,
and his brother has been managing this mansion.
I see.
-Sir Basen? -Yeah.
Seems like the chef already cleaned the cooking supplies.
Other than that…
What is this?
Oh, that's what Patron likes.
It was his favorite. He ate it often.
So I don't think it's poisonous…
Doesn't look like he's lying.
You got that?
Are you done? Leave already.
Yes, we're done.
Sorry for the trouble.
Why did you back down so easily?
Oh, I don't think I backed down.
You brought that here?
This is really strange.
It's too early in the season to get this seaweed.
But it's not something that'll last this long
even after it's been soaked in salt.
I see.
I don't think it was caught around here.
Maybe it was imported from the south through trade, or….
It would be nice if we can find out where it was imported from.
Looks like he got it.
So now, it's time for me to do my job.
What is this?
I brought this seaweed from the mansion.
I divided them into two and soaked them in water.
Why is Sir Jinshi here?
I looked into it.
The seaweed was imported from the south.
According to servants,
their patron didn't usually eat this seaweed in the winter.
The cooks also said
it's the same type of seaweed they use all the time,
and it's not poisonous.
Just because it's the same seaweed doesn't mean it's not poisonous.
Perhaps it's not customary
to eat this seaweed in the south.
What if a merchant learned this is a foodie bureaucrat's favorite,
and had the locals make a salted seaweed in order to make money?
Why would that be a problem?
In this world, there are ways
to make poisonous things not poisonous.
For example, eels are poisonous in their natural state.
But you can draw their blood or cook them to make them edible.
As for this seaweed,
it needs to be soaked in limewater.
What we have here is seaweed soaked in limewater,
and seaweed not soaked in limewater.
What are you doing!
I should be fine… I think.
What do you mean, you think?
Don't worry. I have an emetic right here.
That's not something to be proud of!
-Gaoshun! -Hey!
Wait…
Throw up!
I was going to test whether a one-night soak
would get rid of the poison…
All right, let's reconvene.
Here's a question.
Who was the person who asked the trader to bring
the salted seaweed?
If it was the Patron himself who ordered it, then it's his own fault.
But if it wasn't…
Importing ingredients from an area where they don't eat it
is always risky, isn't it?
I understand.
Everyone here is quick-witted.
I don't need to say more.
Looks like this case is closed…
The culprit was the official's younger brother.
Once we found who the seller was,
he confessed and said he bought it.
He said he did it because he felt overlooked as the younger brother,
and wanted to get rid of the older brother.
Tale as old as time.
But how did a man who attempted murder for such a shallow reason
find out about the poison in the seaweed?
Apparently he learned it by chance from someone next to him at a pub.
"By chance," huh…?
In the end, I didn't get to eat the poisonous seaweed…
But what should I make with that?
That brown mushroom growing out of the dried insect…
Medicinal alcohol?
Or pills?
Welcome home, sir!
Welcome home… home… home…
Huh?
What's going on?
This isn't my fault.
You look tired, Young Master.
I have a lot of work left…
But there's someone I can't get along with.
We disagree on everything.
So there are people even you can't get along with, Sir Jinshi?
He's a very intelligent high military official.
He's from a good family,
but won't marry even though he's over 40.
He adopted his nephew and has him managing the household.
He's a famous eccentric.
Over 40…
A high military official… An eccentric?
His only interests are
Go, chess, and gossip.
He nitpicks and barges in
so that he can extend the deadline to sign off on cases.
Looks like I'm his next target.
He sits in my office every day…
Okay. I'm going to forget about this.
Remembering won't do me any good.
But even if I try to forget,
my bad feelings usually come true…
We already signed off on the case.
It's hard to see flowers in the winter.
That's why I'm here. For the flowers.
This man's name is Lakan.
He's a general.
Looks like he's pestering me
because I hired Maomao, who has connections to The Verdigris House.
Speaking of,
I have an old friend from The Verdigris House.
That's unexpected.
I assumed he wasn't interested in this sort of thing.
Who was this courtesan?
I didn't mean to ask.
She was a good courtesan.
She was good at Go and chess.
I could beat her at chess, but I always lost at Go.
To beat you, Sir General, she must've been good.
I didn't think I could meet
a more interesting woman than her, so I considered buying her out.
But the world isn't that easy.
Two rich men with unique preferences
kept raising her price, like it was a bidding war.
How unfortunate.
Buying out a courtesan could cost
as much as building a whole villa.
She was a really strange courtesan…
What is he trying to get at, talking about this?
She was skilled, but didn't sell her body.
She doesn't even think of customers as customers.
Even when pouring tea to customers, she had an arrogant look,
as if she was giving alms to a lowly peasant.
But there are men that get infatuated by that sort of thing.
I was one of those men.
It sent shivers down my spine. So divine!
I wanted to have her one day.
I couldn't give up on her.
So I used a bit of a dirty trick.
-A dirty trick? -I couldn't afford her.
So I just needed to lower her price.
I decreased her scarcity value.
Want to know how?
You said this much, and you won't tell me?
Before that, I have a favor to ask.
What is it?
I heard you recently hired a very interesting maid.
I hear she's good at solving mysteries.
I had a friend who was the court purveyor goldsmith.
He passed away the other day,
without assigning a successor.
He had three children that were his apprentices,
but he died without telling them his secret technique, those poor things.
It seems like his mysterious will
is some kind of clue.
This has been bothering me for a bit.
What are you trying to say?
It's nothing, really.
I'm just wondering if it's possible to know what this secret technique is.
For example,
perhaps your clever maid could take a look.
Before I say anything,
please tell me the details.
It's pouring.
PREVIEW OF NEXT EPISODE
Next episode, "Lead."
Subtitle translation by: Yukimi Ohashi ook.