The Apothecary Diaries (2023) s01e15 Episode Script

1
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