The Apothecary Diaries Book 3

The Shrine of Choosing

It's said that once upon a time, a different people lived in these lands. These people had no chieftain, but a woman of noble blood came to them from a far place and took up residence among them, and conceived in her belly the son of heaven, who would become the country's first emperor.

The woman was called Wang Mu, "the Mother Royal," and some said she was an immortal. She possessed eyes that could see even in the dark of a moonless night, and it was with this strength of vision that she led the people.

The elderly eunuch read aloud from the book in his soft, gentle voice. About half his pupils were listening attentively; the other half were either actively asleep, or struggling not to be. Maomao, fighting back a yawn herself, didn't blame them for feeling a little drowsy.

From what she could see from her vantage point outside the classroom, there appeared to be about twenty students, though she didn't know if that was a lot or a little. So it went, she thought, but the eunuch beside her seemed somewhat let down.

"Sir, they'll see you," she said to Jinshi, whose face threatened to be visible through the window. Nobody would be able to concentrate on their studies if they knew such a beautiful creature was watching them.

"I was told there were only about ten students to start with, so I think the numbers have gone up a little," Gaoshun said placatingly.

They were at the rear palace's "institute of practical studies," which Jinshi had spearheaded. He'd wanted to hang out a sign boldly proclaiming that it was a place of learning, but Maomao had dissuaded him, arguing that making a big deal about it would only make things more difficult, so in the end the school went ahead quietly.

They'd refurbished one of the less-dilapidated buildings of the northern quarter to serve the purpose. In fact, this was the building that had been used when the foreign emissaries had visited recently, so it was looking very nice indeed.

Xiaolan was among the students. Maomao could see her rubbing her eyes sleepily, splitting her attention equally between the textbook and the teacher. She'd learned to recognize many common words by now and had moved on to reading simple stories. The one the teacher had just been reading was the story of how the nation had been founded, something everyone would have heard at least once in their lives.

Maomao herself had no interest in learning such things at this point in her life, but Jinshi had invited her to come see how lessons were going, and she couldn't really say no. Anyway, it would be untrue to say she wasn't curious. Xiaolan was there, along with a few other palace women Maomao knew, and most of all, if Jinshi's plan succeeded, it could change the face of the rear palace.

"Master Jinshi, it's time."

Jinshi was a busy eunuch, as his attendant reminded him, and he reluctantly turned away from his brainchild. He probably would have liked to continue to observe for a while yet, but he had other things to do.

"What are you going to do next?" he asked Maomao.

"I'd like to stay here and watch a little longer, if that's all right."

"Mm. If you notice anything amiss, report it to me."

Maomao bowed slowly.

When class was over, some eunuchs appeared with baked snacks that they distributed to the students, who eyed the treats hungrily. Maomao found Xiaolan and went over to her.

"Oh, Fwaofwao," Xiaolan said around a mouthful of food. She looked like she was going to choke, so Maomao asked one of the eunuchs to bring some water, and by the time he got back, Xiaolan was indeed pounding on her chest.