19. The Red Medicine Packet
When the
nightingale sings, it is then time to sleep. As Yuiko changes into her
nightgown, a man rushes into her quarter harshly, and that person is the
Minister of Left Fujiwara no Yorinaga.
“Minister of
Left Yorinaga, how can you rush into the quarter without announcing
yourself?”asked Ryoko.
“Where is
your mistress? I want to see her now!!”
“What’s all
the commotion, Minister of Left Yorinaga?” asked Yuiko.
“What had
you done to my servant Kimiharu?”
“What about
that?”
Yorinaga
then takes out the red medicine packet which Yuiko gave yesterday to heal
Kimiharu.
“It happens
that there are trances of arsenic in this red packet, and YOU are the one who
gave it to Kimiharu!”
“Are you
accusing me for poisoning your servant?”
“Are you
not?”
“Why would I
do such things?”
“To take
revenge, for Kimiharu had killed Satou Norikiyo!”
“So it was
him then!! You instructed him to do so?”
“That’s
really none of your business!!”
“What none
of my business? He had killed Norikiyo, an important imperial guard and of
course my best friend and my lover!!”
Yorinaga’s
face becomes uneasy when Yuiko said the word ‘Lover’.
Yuiko then
continues: “If you said the death of Norikiyo is none of my business, then I
guess Kimiharu’s too as well the same. What I did was clear as water, white as
snow; the medicine I bought was truly the actual herbs to heal him. I don’t
have any right to stop you accusing me, so do it if you like! As for now, it’s
been quite late already I would like to call it a day, so would you kindly
LEAVE?”
Yorinaga
tried to protest but was stopped by Yuiko’s lady-in waiting Ryoko.
***
Yorinaga was
truly upsets with his servant Kimiharu’s death. The usual diligent minister of
left was absented at the court office for seven days because of this. Within
these seven days, he would only eat simple vegetarian meals and spent all of
his time praying for his death servant’s soul.
Almost immediately
after Yorinaga’s seven days leave at the court, he is going to be absent again,
this time for a month. His wife Fujiwara no Sachiko had passed away at the age
of forty. Record stated that she had passed away due to sickness, but the truth
is she had committed suicide. A small red medicine packet containing traces of
arsenic was found beside her dead bed…
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