The Apothecary Diaries (2023) s01e16 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.
I'm sorry to bother you with this, but
He always brings annoying work
without asking for permission.
This is very unlike Sir Jinshi.
- What is it?
- The thing is
It's a troublesome affair
happening to a friend of a friend.
A court purveyor goldsmith has passed away
without teaching his apprentice sons
his techniques.
Some of those techniques
have never been shared with anyone.
So you want me to figure out
the secret technique of the goldsmith.
You say it like it's easy.
And you seem more enthusiastic than usual.
Is that so?
The goldsmith had three sons,
who were all his apprentices.
One of those sons will be the purveyor
now that the father has passed away.
In their father's will,
he had written down
how his possessions would be split.
The first son will get
the outbuilding studio.
The second son will get furniture
with goldsmith decorations.
The third son will get a goldfish bowl.
And he left behind the words,
"You all should have tea together
just like the old times."
That was it.
Tea?
That's got to mean something.
Should we take those words at face value,
or does it mean something else?
Seems like the sons have no idea either.
And there seems to be an imbalance
in how the possessions were split.
A shed, furniture, and a goldfish bowl.
The youngest seems to be getting
the short end of the stick.
What type of goldfish can it be?
I haven't heard the details about that.
However
If you want to know more,
here's the address.
"If you're curious, you should
pay them a visit." That's what he said.
He's prepared.
Seems like he knew the whole time
what was about to happen.
How interesting.
Could I take time off
to pay them a visit tomorrow?
Looks like I'd get more work
once I'm back.
Oh, is that
His name was Basen,
if I remember correctly.
Just like before,
you're my "personal servant."
Don't move around on your own.
Understood, sir.
Just like before.
He only talks when he needs to.
Seems like he dislikes me.
As long as he doesn't do me any harm,
it's fine.
Yes. Sir Basen, correct?
I was told you are coming.
Oh, that belonged to my father.
He had a hobby of collecting odd things.
I see.
- That's the studio?
- Yes.
But we mostly do our work
at the main house.
Now, it's a place
where the workers have tea.
Come in.
Brothers, they're here.
- Hello.
- Thank you for coming.
It seems like the boy
that showed us around
is the youngest brother.
The furniture is arranged strangely.
Hey!
He's right.
Having furniture in the middle
like this must be annoying.
But the room doesn't look bad.
Probably because the tables are placed
in a uniform way,
and because the cabinet is decorated.
Goldsmith decorations on the corners.
Keyholes on the top three rows,
and the bottom center shelf.
The bottom shelf is decorated
with a different kind of metal.
It's fixed to the floor so it can't move?
Hey, that's mine.
You can look, but you can't touch.
The furniture was passed on
to the second son.
If that cabinet is one of
the pieces of furniture,
then he must be the second son.
That means this tall man is
the oldest son.
The window is placed oddly too.
A long window in a Western style.
This home is made to let in
plenty of sunlight,
but the large chestnut tree outside
is blocking the sun.
The light entering here
is filtered through the tree..
This spot is the only area
with enough sunlight.
This mark
Was something placed here for a long time?
So you'll really figure out
our father's message?
Well, that's
I couldn't say
until you tell us more details.
You've already heard it all.
Our father left us without teaching us
the secret technique.
Instead, he left behind this shed for me.
For me, this cabinet.
And this bowl was for me.
It's made of high-quality glass.
I thought that the goldfish bowl
would be wood or porcelain.
In that case, all these possessions
all hold their own value.
What was Dad thinking?
He left this behind,
but there's only one key
and it doesn't fit in the hole.
The key doesn't fit?
I think this key is for this
central shelf.
But it doesn't fit.
The top three shelves
all open with the same key,
but I can't find the key in question.
What's the point of receiving this
if I can't use it?
Same goes for me.
I have this shed, but I can't
move the cabinet. It's in the way.
Dad caused us a lot of trouble.
I think
I think Dad wanted us to
You're lucky, you know?
You received something you can
sell on the spot.
Yeah.
If you sell that, you could live off
of that money for a while.
What was wrong with Dad?
What's the point of having tea together
after all this time?
Now, what shall we do?
Looks like the relationship
between the brothers
is quite strained.
Cut it out, you three!
Don't embarrass yourselves
in front of the guests.
I'm so sorry.
I don't know when they became this way.
The two oldest sons
became cynical and bitter,
and the youngest
can't speak up for himself.
This is why my husband
worried for them
until his very last breath.
Seems like parents
will always worry for their children,
no matter how old they are.
Please have some tea. Enjoy.
Everyone changed positions to sit down.
They must have designated seats.
They probably don't sit in front
of the window out of habit.
There's sunlight coming through the window
at this time of day.
If the light stretched out a bit more,
it might hit the cabinet.
But there was no sun damage
on the cabinet.
Sun damage?
Hey.
The sun doesn't hit this area
for a long time.
There's something stuffed inside.
Did you figure something out?
I thought he reminded me of someone.
He looks just like Gaoshun!
So?
The shelf in the middle with the lock
doesn't open, right?
It used to open years ago.
But as Dad added goldsmith decorations,
it got sealed shut.
There's only one key?
Just this one. Dad said
if we break the lock,
whatever's inside will break too.
So I can't force it open.
The three possessions passed
onto the three brothers.
The shed. The cabinet. The goldfish bowl.
The cabinet locked in position
to the shed.
A lock that doesn't open
on the cabinet. Also
"You all should have tea together
just like the old times."
Could it be?
Excuse me. Could it be
that this goldfish bowl was
decorated on that shelf?
Yes, that's right.
We used to place it here
with a goldfish inside.
It would die if it gets too cold,
so in winter, it was only here
when we had tea, during warm hours.
Around this time of day, actually.
The past few years,
we haven't had goldfish,
so it just became a decoration.
Hey, you!
I'm going to go ask for some water.
She's moving around
without permission again.
This is how you added the water back then?
Yes.
So that the painting would face this way.
I knew it.
Hey! What is this?
Don't touch it!
I'm sorry. If you look at the light,
you'll go blind.
Also, you're in the way, so please move.
Otherwise, it won't unlock.
The sun hid behind the chestnut tree.
It's hot. And it smells strange
Hey, what's the point of all this?
Please open this shelf
with your key from before.
- I told you, it doesn't open!
- Go ahead.
What does this mean?
Could it be that
your father often had
anemia and stomach pains?
Yes, he did.
What about nausea or depression?
He had those too.
I don't know much about goldsmithing.
Do you use solder in the studio as well?
Yes, we do.
What does this mean?
I only followed your father's wishes
to have tea together,
just like the old times.
It's mold to make a key.
Can I remove this from the mold?
Oh Sure.
It's still a little warm, and soft.
The metal stuck inside the keyhole
must have melted from the heat
and poured into the mold below
and hardened.
- It's open!
- What's inside?
What the hell is this?
This blue crystal
is the same one decorated
by the front door.
Damn it! What was the point
of playing nice?
All we did was get pulled into
Dad's little tricks for the last time!
So sick of this.
Lead and tin?
"Skills should be acquired by observing."
A craftsman client used to say this often.
I took those words to heart
and infused Old Man's medicinal herbs
by copying him
and poisoned myself.
Listen before watching, all right?
That's what he said to me then.
Only the youngest son
understood his late father's message,
it seems.
Solder melts at a lower temperature
than its original metals
when it is mixed with
various types of metal.
Out of the three metal chunks,
two are lead and tin.
What if combining a third type of metal
could create a whole new metal?
Despite being exposed to the heat of
the light aggregated by the bowl,
it wasn't exposed to the heat for long.
That means the melting point is that low.
The different sizes of the shelves
may be indicating the mixing ratio.
But that's not for me to say.
What kind of will is this? Let's go.
I shouldn't have expected anything of Dad.
Wait, Brothers!
- What?
- These aren't tricks.
So what is it, then?
Dad wanted us to be close again.
That's why he left behind this message!
- What?
- That's why
I want to continue working with you both!
You want to work with us?
Don't make us laugh. We're not like you.
You have talent.
That's why Dad doted on you.
That's not true!
Dad trusted you two.
Dad always used to say to me,
Brother Chan is always calm,
and is always accurate with detailed work.
Because you don't make mistakes,
he can trust you with any task.
Brother Tsu is good at
capturing people's hearts.
Being able to become friends with anyone
is a skill that you should be proud of.
Dad regarded us all in the same way.
That's what I think, at least.
- Excuse us.
- Oh, I'm sorry.
A father, huh?
I wouldn't know anything about that.
Thank you very much!
I'll just leave them with this.
Hey!
In The Verdigris House
at the pleasure district,
there is an apothecary named Luomen.
He's a very skilled doctor as well.
Please give him a visit
if you're not feeling well.
Yes, I will.
Thank you for your help the other day.
It was very interesting.
It seems as if
the youngest was the most capable
out of the three brothers.
You must've known that, Sir General.
The youngest became
even more skilled after that affair.
He'll become the successor
and create metalworks for the court.
And the two eldest
will no longer work as craftsmen
after this incident.
- Why is that?
- It's nothing bad.
They took their
late father's words to heart,
it looks like.
The eldest will manage sales.
The second son will be the salesman.
They'll continue to support
the family business in different ways.
In other words,
they all settled down in roles
they're suited for.
I don't know what happened
in that mansion.
I'm sure the Apothecary knows,
and will keep quiet.
The late goldsmith's work
was really magnificent.
It was a simple metal fitting,
but using that as decoration
for ritual goods
will be beautiful.
That's true.
What an unlikeable man.
He knows that ritual goods
have nothing to do with my position.
- Why did you, Sir General
- It's nothing.
I just felt it was a waste
to neglect a hidden talent like that.
It doesn't matter who's older.
We should recognize great talents.
He's right.
Lakan is a sleazy man,
but he's good at finding people's talent.
That power got him
to the position he is in now.
Speaking of,
I'd like to hear more
of what you discussed before.
What do you mean?
The story about the courtesan.
Oh, you mean, how to decrease
the scarcity value of a courtesan?
You should ask
someone who's well-versed in that world.
Oh, it's already time.
My men will yell at me
if I stay for too long.
Please give this
to your live-in maidservants.
It's not too sweet. It's easy to drink.
I'll see you tomorrow!
- Sir Jinshi.
- Yeah?
I'm sorry to bother you after a long day.
Did you call for me?
Do you know much about makeup?
I have the basic skills.
In that case Will you put makeup on me?
What?
PREVIEW OF NEXT EPISODE
Next episode, "A Jaunt Around Town."
Subtitle translation by: Yukimi Ohashi