Housekeeper of the Hundred Blossom Palace
Chapter 134: Will Not Play

Yui Mei scrunched her brows at the woman’s words.

“You cannot play the lute?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

The woman nodded when Yui Mei pryingly asked.

“You already saw it yesterday, right? My hands are ugly and swollen, so if I try playing the lute in front of the bigwigs, I’ll only make them feel disgusted.”

She then exposed the hands that she had been hiding in her sleeves.

‘Hmm…’

It was just a short peek yesterday, so Yui Mei examined her hands more closely this time.

The woman said her hands were ugly, but based on Yui Mei’s observation, she had a feeling that the swelling was still somewhat light.

For musicians and craftsmen who had to use elegant and dainty hand movements, it might seem devastating, but for people who did not have those professions would replace it inconvenient because of the slight pain.

Well, this seemingly slight inconvenience would accumulate eventually, and it would lead to anxiety, so this condition shouldn’t be taken lightly.

In other words, if the woman was treated now, she would probably be cured.

“Have you tried going to the doctor to have those hands treated?”

Yui Mei asked, but the woman just looked at her as if she was an idiot.

“So, where can you replace a harlot who is stupid enough to call for a doctor, huh?”

The woman referred to herself as courtesan instead of court courtesan, so Yui Mei was taken aback.

“No! It doesn’t matter if you’re a maid, a court lady or a court courtesan, you can still go to the doctor for a checkup!”

Yui Mei expressed her thoughts, but the woman just snorted.

“That’s only lipservice. After all, we’re only musicians, and even among the harlots, we’re the ones considered to be totally replaceable by countless others.”

“….!”

Yui Mei couldn’t say anything in reply to what the woman said about herself.

There was no such thing as a replaceable musician.

This was especially true if the woman was a high-class musician.

However, the woman referred to herself as “harlot”. In short, they must be treated as such by those around them here at the Hundred Blossom Palace.

In fact, although it was explicitly forbidden for the emperor and the crown prince to have engaged in bedroom matters with these harlots, that wasn’t applicable for the other men, who could do as they please because there would be no one to kick up a fuss even if they did.

There were a huge number of eunuchs in the Hundred Blossom Palace, and the term “bedroom service” didn’t only refer to the very act of procreation. There were a lot of other things that could be done.

The court courtesan couldn’t refuse if such service was required from them.

Were those guys taking out their low status on these women?

‘So, are they saying that worthless courtesans don’t deserve to eat!?’

One part of Yui Mei was filled with indignation

However, another part of her calmly considered the fact that maybe it wasn’t their own volition that they bully these women. Perhaps the jealousy of the other women also played a part, given that this was a place filled with women.

Musicians, especially those who excelled in their profession, could captivate people.

That could draw the envy and ire of those who did not possess that same power.

Those musicians who weren’t that skilled probably had become part of the background scenery in banquets and they couldn’t swallow that.

In other words, women who captured the interest of the emperor through their skills were probably perceived as a threat by the other women in the Hundred Blossom Palace, and so, when they would be on the brink of being eliminated if their health deteriorated.

‘Is she really that good with the lute?’

Yui Mei wanted to ask her at all costs.

It wasn’t sure whether news of this situation would reach the emperor, and she also knew the difficulty of such a feat.

That’s because there was a vast number of women here in the Hundred Blossom Palace, and the women he cared for wouldn’t be that few, either.

If this world had the same technology of keeping information in computers, then it might be possible to grasp the situation of each and everyone of them. Unfortunately, it was understandable that such a matter would be almost impossible in this country, given that information was passed through word of mouth.

Besides, the title of “favorite musician” was still in the lower rung of the hierarchy of priority.

It would be a different story if it referred to a beloved concubine, but if it was an ordinary musician, then they only had the banquets as their chance to shine.

If people labelled them as “sick”, the others would only say “is that so” and send get-well gifts at most.

‘Hmmm, what a difficult place this harem is!’

Yui Mei was reminded once again how dangerous it was to stand out in this Hundred Blossom Palace.

Afterward, her thoughts were filled with how to help this woman get treatment.

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T/N: Hi! Sorry for the very late post! Been busy over the weekend ? I posted it together with today’s release to make up for the missed chap. Thank you! ?  In Ancient China, jì nǚ (妓女), or prostitutes (I used harlot here) referred to women who took singing and dancing as their career. Although most of them would often sell ‘extra’ service (bedwarming), this did not apply to all.