CH 5.1

Reirin stretched out, basking in the sunlight that poured down from the bright blue sky.

“What wonderful weather after last night’s rain. It’s a perfect day for farming!”

After bending backward greatly, she made a cover with her hands and looked around the garden in a circle.

Here and there in the beautifully landscaped rows, droplets of water floating on the grass and leaves reflected the sunlight, making the entire garden seem to glisten. Even the puddles were like mirrors reflecting the sky.

It had been four days since the switch.

For Reirin, if she could describe her current life in just one word, it would be “wonderful.”

(Food and medicinal herbs grow easily, I don’t collapse at all even if I devote myself to farming day after day, I don’t worry anyone even if I stay up late, the food is delicious…am I allowed to be this happy?)

As she clasped her hands in front of her chest, she asked that question to the Ancestral God in her heart.

Even though she was the one who had been hated and punished, she was now so happy that she even felt apologetic towards Shu Keigetsu.

First of all, her healthy body was incredible. Reirin had to be prepared to risk her life for even a little bit of training, but this body wasn’t exhausted at all, only feeling some muscle pain.

This might have been due to the breathing techniques she developed during the time she was Reirin in order to reduce her physical burden as much as possible, or because of the medicinal herbs she mixed herself, but it was still amazing to see the difference between multiplying by zero and multiplying by ten. After just four days of doing the “little” exercises and drills Reirin had made a habit of doing, she could feel her body tightening up fast.

(The more I look after them, the more the flowers and trees grow, and the healthier my body becomes. This pleasant feeling as I witness this…perhaps the “men’s resourcefulness” people talk about is something like this.)

Reirin gazed in admiration at her limbs, which were now moving so nimbly.

Shu Keigetsu was taller than the other Nestlings, and perhaps she was worried about making large and sweeping movements, but in her memory, she always seemed to be hunched over. Even so, her clothes were gaudy, so she made a mismatched and unappealing impression.

However, from Reirin’s point of view, this was truly a waste. Her long arms and legs should be exercised to the fullest, and she should show off her flexibility. She, who loved healthy beauty more than anything, stroked her thin and newly developed biceps through her clothes, and a wide smile spread on her face.

(Muscles. That is power.)

Secretly, she also harbored the ambition to get a six-pack.

(But, as expected, I won’t be able to get them in three days…)

The purification period was seven days. In other words, in three more days, the Nestling Court would reopen. And then this house arrest would be lifted, and she would be able to see Shu Keigetsu, or rather, “Kou Reirin.”

(I wonder what Lady Keigetsu is thinking.)

Reirin gently lowered her eyebrows.

At this point in time, she didn’t have a full picture of Shu Keigetsu’s intentions. She was jealous of Reirin and wanted to take her place and life, but now that Reirin had survived the Beast Interrogation Rite, what did she want from her?

If she wanted to prevent her from revealing the situation, she should have relentlessly tried to kill Reirin, but she hadn’t been in mortal danger since at least the Beast Interrogation Rite. Could it be that she had given up on killing her and decided to just continue with the switch?

Or, judging from the rumors Riirii heard, “Kou Reirin” had been bedridden since the Skill Beseeching Festival, so perhaps she simply wasn’t in any shape to attack her.

“As expected, the situation won’t change unless we meet…”

Reirin murmured.

Even with things the way they were, she made an effort to go see her.

However, even though “Shu Keigetsu” was acquitted in the Beast Interrogation Rite, there was no way she would be allowed to see “Kou Reirin” under these circumstances. To be more precise, she had yet to be given the opportunity to explain everything to Noble Consort Shu. Shuku Palace’s disregard for “Shu Keigetsu” was still continuing.

(…Yes. That’s right. I tried, but I had to give up, so I’m reluctantly taking advantage of this situation. Yes.)

The normal Reirin wouldn’t have backed down after just one attempt. If she hadn’t received a response to her letter, she would have written it again and again, lied in wait for an ambush, or lured the person out.

Even so, the fact that she used Noble Consort Shu not responding to her letter asking to talk to her as an opportunity to quickly decide to maintain the status quo must have been because she herself had become quite fond of this life.

(…You mustn’t, Reirin. No matter how much the other party wishes for this, you can’t push that no-good body on someone else. In the first place, my body doesn’t just belong to me. My responsibilities as a Nestling, the many ladies-in-waiting who have pledged their loyalties to me, and the Empress who I revere are fried potatoes…unknown medicinal herb prospect…I found caterpillar fungi yesterday…)

She clasped her hands together and tried desperately to reason with herself, but then idle thoughts began to get mixed in.

As she was moaning, she heard a sullen voice from behind her.

“What are you moaning about in the morning? It’s creepy.”

It was Riirii, still rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

“My, Riirii, good morning. You’re an early riser, aren’t you?”

“…You’re the one who’s up before a lady-in-waiting.”

When she greeted her with a smile, the other woman’s face twitched. At first, she was surprised by her rough language, but Reirin was very fond of this expressive girl. After all, she was ordered to live alone. Although she was happy to be free, she sometimes felt lonely, so it was good to have someone like her to talk to, to liven up the atmosphere.

(After all, we’ve been eating and sleeping together for the past four days, haven’t we?)

In the end, Riirii ate her three meals with Reirin and slept here in the storehouse. Well, after they ate the fried potatoes, she went back to the lady-in-waiting rooms once, but in the middle of the night, she packed up her things and came to the storehouse.

——Though Reirin pretended to be asleep as she wiped her eyes repeatedly with a clenched fist.

Even after she had come to live in the storehouse, she hadn’t tried to find out her circumstances. She had red hair, which was rare in Ei, and she wore pale vermillion even though she was a personal attendant—well, she could more or less imagine what kind of situation she was in.

(It seems that Riirii has to fight for herself every day here.)

When Reirin glanced over at Riirii, she turned her gaze away from her thoughtful face as if in a panic. She was probably thinking about what kind of 'service work” she was going to do today.

(Oh, my mistake. It was “harassment,” not 'service work.”)

She corrected herself in her mind. If Riirii had heard that, she was sure that she would be very angry at her.

Yes. Whether it was in retaliation for Shu Keigetsu’s past actions, or whether someone had ordered her to do so, Riirii was trying her best to harass Reirin.”

For instance, she threw a box full of insects into the garden, stuffed scissors into her pillow, and scattered collected filth into the garden. These were several of the rather spirited actions that a sheltered young maiden probably wouldn’t be able to do.

But from Reirin’s point of view, it was as though she was given earthworms when she wanted to till the fields a little bit more, given scissors when she wanted to do some needlework, and compost when she wanted to improve the soil. So altogether, it was a situation that continued to please her.

For the past few days, whenever Riirii did something, Reirin would unintentionally shout with joy and shock the other woman.

(No, I shouldn’t be happy. Riirii is taking this seriously, so I can’t trample on her intentions.)

The people of the Kou clan liked people who were hardworking and persevering. She wanted to support Riirii, who was trying so hard, but she felt guilty that she couldn’t even let out a scream, as though she was not living up to her expectations.

She felt guilty—but there was also a part of her that was a little bit looking forward to the next one.

(If possible, I would like to receive a knife or some dye next.)

She was impatiently eager.

“…Hey, you. You were thinking something no good just now, weren’t you?”

“No, not at all. I was just admiring how hardworking you are.”

Reirin shook her head curiously as Riirii suddenly turned around. She wasn’t lying at all.

She quickly changed the subject with a shake of her head, deciding that if she pursued the matter any further, all sorts of things might get exposed.

""

“Now that you’re awake, let’s have breakfast. Today’s menu consists of steamed potatoes, with fried potatoes as the main dish, stir-fried potatoes as the side dish, and fried potatoes as the palate cleanser between dishes.”

“How is that a palate cleanser!? They’re all heavy! And they’re all potatoes!”

Reirin had told her the menu with a smile, but she was snapped at harshly and her brows drooped in sadness.

“Really…? But I was so excited to prepare this menu, because I thought no one would dislike it.”

“Why do you believe so much in potatoes and oil!?”

Of course, that was because she wasn’t able to eat them easily back when she was Reirin.

(With this body, I won’t get heartburn from the smell of oil, and I won’t faint from too much salt…when it comes to humans, we are beings who want to throw open the door to our desires.)

Reirin inwardly nodded and briskly paid no attention to Riirii’s shouts.

“Oh yes, don’t worry. I have of course seasoned the fried potatoes differently for the main dish and the palate cleanser. I am very careful about such things. I’m putting the finishing touches on them now, so please wait a little bit.”

“Are you listening to me!?”

Riirii exclaimed at Reirin, who was about to skillfully place the finishing touches on breakfast without the help of her lady-in-waiting.

However, when she saw Reirin wrap large leaves around her arm with a “Hup!”, she shut her mouth suspiciously.

“…What are you doing?”

“Shh. Caution is required for this task, so please be quiet.”

However, Reirin was quick to hold her back.

She carefully covered her arms and hands, walked silently and approached the wall of the storehouse. There was a bulky wooden multi-tiered box there, probably used to store food once.

“What are you being so cautious about…?”

“Shh.”

Riirii asked quizzically, and Riirii once again restrained her before slowly lifting the top tier.

Immediately, small shadows floated around her, and Riirii, who was watching behind her, let out a scream.

Not minding her, Reirin gently moved the box and held it up for a short while over a pot she prepared.

Plop, plop.

Golden liquid slowly dripped from the box and began to collect at the bottom of the pot.

“What are you doing!?”

“I’m collecting honey.”

Yes, bees had built a hive in the abandoned box.

“B-b-b-b-bees! Y-you’ll get stung…!”

“The bees at the top of the hive are docile because they’re busy making honey. Unless you damage the hive at the bottom, you won’t be attacked. …In theory.”

While Riirii turned pale and started shouting, Reirin, who was surrounded by bees, smiled calmly.

In fact, as soon as Reirin put the box back, the bees gradually returned to the box, as though to follow her. As soon as she saw the last bee withdraw into the hive, Riirii finally exhaled.

“I can’t believe it…what are you doing sticking your hand into a beehive…?”

“Oh my, you don’t like bees, Riirii?”

Reirin bowed to the box. “Thank you for your wonderful blessing,” she said, and then turned to Riirii.

“Now that I think about it, the insects you collected were all ground-crawlers were all spiders and centipedes. Maybe you don’t like winged insects?”

“No, it’s not about the wings…most women don’t usually like bees, you know!?”

“Is that so? Well, now that you say that, my favorite insect isn’t bees either, but crickets.”

""

“Crickets? Well, if it’s crickets…”

When she named the insect that made beautiful sounds in autumn, Riirii felt a little relieved and trailed off.

(Crickets, when dried and crushed, taste like shrimp. If this self-sufficient life were to continue, I’ll have to gather some sooner or later. They can also be used to make medicine.)

However, their conversation didn’t seem to be on the same wavelength at all.

But that wasn’t what was on Reirin’s mind right now.

“Oh, what a beautiful color…”

Of course, it was the honey collected in the pot.

Like the first distilled drops of alcohol, the first drops from the hive were beautifully clear, with no debris from the hive or box mixed in.

(Aah…if I can, when there’s a little bit more honey gathered, I’ll get a dagger or some other blade and cut off a little bit of the nest. If I crunch in with the tips of my teeth, how wonderful it would taste.)

Reirin gazed at the honey, spellbound. Just looking at the smooth golden color of the honey made her salivate, and just imagining the white crystallized parts, the crunchy texture of the hive, and the sweetness seeping out of it made her heart pound.

(Also, if I can get the hive out, I would love to try my hand at making beeswax from the lees. I can light it at night and enjoy the fragrance…or use it for cosmetics…oh, such fulfilling days…)

Collecting honey was an activity that no lady-in-waiting in the “Reirin” era would have allowed. She had no idea she would be able to experience such a thing in an abandoned storehouse. Once again, Reirin gave thanks for this lush green environment.

She lifted the pot reverently, as if handling a piece of jewelry, and moved it to a part of the garden that she had designated as the kitchen.

On top of a stove made of the stone that was used for the walls of the storehouse, there were potatoes that had already been fried and were lined up in a neat row, releasing faint steam. Reirin quickly dropped them into the pot and mixed them in the honey. The sticky, amber coating was irresistible.

“Have a taste,” she called Riirii over, who was watching her nervously, and smiled at her.

Riirii, whose stomach had been gripped by Reirin over these past few days, pulled her chin back at the intimate distance, but finally opened her mouth hesitantly.

When she tossed the fried potato in her mouth, Riirii’s eyes widened a little with an “Mmm!”

Feeling very pleased with her reaction, Reirin put the food that was supposed to be a palate cleanser in her mouth before anything else. “Mmmmmm!” she held her cheeks with both hands and danced on the spot.

(I can’t get enough of this!)

The first thing she tasted was a straightforward sweetness that almost numbed her tongue.

When she bit into the still-hot potato while mingling it with the sweetness in her mouth, she could feel the crunchy texture as well as the rich flavors of the oil and the potato itself all at once. It was worth the effort to fry the potatoes in oil for as long as she could.

“Aah…I’m so happy…”

Reirin gently wiped her eyes and then quietly pressed her hand against her chest.

The euphoria that filled her mouth in the morning was unbelievable. No more nausea, no more overwhelming amounts of prescriptions, no more paying attention to the needs of others so she wouldn’t worry them. The only thought that plagued Reirin for the past few days was, “Should I use salt or honey for the fried potatoes?” Incidentally, that had been resolved by using both.

(No, that’s wrong, Reirin. This body is only for doing some repair work on Lady Keigetsu’s storehouse…)

Was it only her imagination? The speed at which she succumbed to temptation was increasing day by day.

Reirin looked around this overly attractive environment with trepidation.

Weeds were already popping up on the ground, even though she had just weeded two days ago.

The plaster and other materials had all peeled off of the storehouse, exposing the inside of the building in all its interesting inner palace construction techniques.

The vegetables that grew everywhere there was space and were bursting with fruit.

A lovely lady-in-waiting who provided energetic conversation.

(…No. With things like this, I can’t help but lay my hands on them excitedly…)

As a member of the Kou clan who loved to take care of things, the sight of all the things that needed to be taken care of lined up in front of her was a sight that made her feel nothing but satisfaction. It was as if a duck had landed in Shuku Palace with not only a spring onion in its beak, but also a pot on its back.1

(First, I’ll weed the grass and reinforce the grass bed I’ve woven before. The branches I cut on the first day are dying at the right moment, so I’ll smoke them and use them for disinfection. And then, I’ll re-lay the storehouse’s collapsed stones, and the vegetables…hmm, perhaps I can make them into preserved food. If there’s any left over, they can be delivered to the kitchen of Shuku Palace. Or maybe I can use the gourds as cosmetics. And after that…)

She couldn’t help but get excited when she thought of all the things she wanted to do and how she had the strength to “accomplish” them.

While fiercely scolding her cheeks for loosening as soon as she was careless, Reirin couldn’t hold back the smile that spilled out and continued to prepare breakfast in a good mood.

(Shit…what the hell is wrong with this woman?)

Riirii, on the other hand, looked at this unfamiliar smiling woman with an alert attitude.

Yes, she was smiling.

This woman, who was supposed to be Shu Keigetsu——was always smiling gently to an unbelievable extent.

(Can people change this much…?)

The Shu Keigetsu Riirii knew was the very picture of an “unpleasant person.” She would edge up to those above her station with a wheedling voice, but as soon as she saw someone of lower status, she would not hesitate to kick them hard. She would persistently pick at someone’s faults, and if there was anything she was displeased with, she would scream shrilly and throw things. Riirii herself once had cold water poured on her on a cold day, and was almost turned over to the Eagle Officials because she was accused of a theft she had no memory of committing.

But then, what about this woman in front of her?

She rose earlier than the ladies-in-waiting at sunrise, worked diligently on the garden, delighted in saying that the flowers had bloomed, and even tried to take care of Riirii.

It seemed as though she had switched her mind and soul with a good person, but there were also some strange things about her. The other day, she had thrust her hands into the box of insects and sorted through it, even tilting her head and saying, “Mmm, I don’t have enough containers, so I should put the spiders and centipedes together.”

Without thinking, Riirii had quipped, “Are you going to make poison!?”2

She didn’t think it was the appropriate tone to take towards a Nestling, if she did say so herself, but it was more than just the fact that she was dealing with a wicked woman—it was the fact that she was saying and doing things that made her want to scream.

She was also very greedy about food. She seemed to be particularly fond of fried food, and every day she would fry something and then nod her head with moist eyes, saying, “Delicious, delicious.”

""

For example, yesterday.

“Um, since Riirii is still growing, you can eat the bigger half of the potato.”

She had said, holding out the potato half, but the expression on her face was so pitiful that Riirii took the smaller half despite herself. Her cheeks then flushed instantly, as though she was moved, and she repeatedly expressed her gratitude. Riirii couldn’t help but think that was cute, but no, no, that Shu Keigetsu was not Shu Keigetsu.

But if she were asked who that was, she would have no idea.

A woman who was gentle, bold, greedy, and spoke elegantly. She had never met such a person before.

On this day as well, Riirii could only conclude that she had lost her mind in prison.

And Riirii still didn’t know how to torment someone who had lost her mind.

“Oh, Riirii. The hem of your outer robe is frayed. Give it to me and I’ll sew it up for you.”

“…No thank you. And you, don’t use a curse doll as a pincushion! It’s creepy!”

“Oh, I’m sorry! It was just so convenient, so I couldn’t help myself.”

The other woman who had taken out her sewing kit quickly was holding a curse doll with needles stuck all over its body, which Riirii had hidden two days ago.

(That’s why!?)

When Riirii, who had sent her the curse doll, screamed involuntarily, the other woman turned the doll over in a panic and began to remove the needles.

“Don’t worry. See, if I stick them in the back or shoulders, it will look like an acupuncture model…”

“It won’t!”

Riirii shouted.

She wondered what it was. The harassment was supposed to be a form of retaliation, but lately she had been feeling like it was all for nothing. She thought she could get a white-mouse robe just for tormenting a woman she hated, but perhaps this job wasn’t worth it.

Feeling exhausted since the morning, she let out a weary sigh, and the other woman’s shoulders slumped apologetically.

“I’m sorry. You have your own problems as well. I truly wanted to give a fearful reaction by vomiting blood or crying tears of blood, but I just couldn’t do it…”

“No…if you say that, then my position is completely gone…”

Having lost all her will to fight, she let out another sigh. The woman with the face of Shu Keigetsu timidly spoke up.

“If that’s the case, then perhaps you should consider stopping this service work…er, this harassment? You are a very dedicated, spirited, hard-working, and wonderful lady-in-waiting. I think it would be better for your heart if you demonstrated those virtues to your heart’s content and fully do your rightful job of lady-in-waiting.”

“…”

Riirii stared at the other woman’s face. Not just by Shu Keigetsu, this was the first time she had ever been praised to her face.

Unable to accept the straightforward words, she immediately shook them off.

“…What’s that supposed to mean.”

The discomposure in her chest was detestable. There was no way she was going to let this woman move her feelings.

“You’ve been mocking people for so long now, so what are you doing praising them after all this time?”

“That’s——”

“What are you talking about, telling me to do my rightful job, like you had nothing to do with this. Being ordered to serve a criminal-like woman in an abandoned house…you’re the one who dragged me into this ‘unrightful’ situation, weren’t you!?”

As she thrust her finger at her and glared, her mind caught up to the fact that she was actually right.

She despised this woman. She hated her. That was only natural, as she was tormented by her.

Although they weren’t starving thanks to the good fortune of the storehouse’s location, in reality, they wouldn’t be able to maintain their living without Gayou’s help. In order to secure her future, Riirii had to chase after that woman and get a white-mouse robe.

“You tell me to do my rightful job, but if I serve you with all my heart, will you reward me? You won’t, right? Or what, you’re going to guarantee me my position and remuneration as a lady-in-waiting?”

“I…can’t give you those things, as I am currently…”

“Right!? Then don’t talk so big!”

She spat out. The other woman closed her mouth tightly and looked down.

Riirii turned her face away when she saw the clear hurt in her eyes.

This made it seem as though she was one-sidedly mocking her.

(No, that’s not it. I’m not doing anything wrong. I’m just paying back the person who had been tormenting me.)

She unconsciously told herself that, and then she suddenly realized what she was doing.

Were her true feelings so different that she had to persuade herself?

“Riirii, where are you going!? Breakfast isn’t——”

“Shut up!”

Unable to believe that she was about to be completely won over by her in just a few days, Riirii quickly ran away from the scene.

However, even though she had started off at a brisk pace, there was no place where she could settle down at Shuku Palace.

Inevitably, Riirii’s feet went in the direction of the Nestling Court, a shared space. In the middle of the exorcism, the court was deserted and the perfect place for a lady-in-waiting to hide in.

However, when Riirii was about to stumble towards the Nestling Court, a voice stopped her again.

“Oh my. This is perfect. Stop there.”

A round fan of thin silk and shironeri robes. It was the upper-rank lady-in-waiting of the Kin clan, Gayou.

The time for her report was supposed to be in the evening. Surprised to meet her at this unexpected time, Riirii hurriedly dropped to her knees. She knelt right into a puddle, and the water soaked into her hem.

“Good day to you, Mistress Gayou—”

“Riirii. I’m disappointed in you.”

However, she caught her breath at the words that interrupted her greeting.

The other woman’s face was hidden by the fan, but she could still feel her looking down on her coldly.

“I have believed your daily reports and given you rice, but I heard that Shu Keigetsu is spending her time laughing in that storehouse. The washing women were gossiping.”

“T-That’s…”

The lower-ranking ladies-in-waiting, who delivered laundry to various places, came and went here and there inside the palaces, and also used the shared washing place in the inner palace. Probably one of them saw Shu Keigetsu excitedly talking about her discovery of an amazing herb and gossiped about it.

“How can a person who has had worms and curse dolls thrown on her, blades thrust into her pillow, and filth thrown into her garden be laughing carefreely? You’ve lied to me, haven’t you?”

“No! No, not at all. I really did those things. I swear on the Ancestral God!”

Riirii desperately clung to her. She didn’t want her path to the white-mouse robe to be closed up here.

“Oh, so you can swear? Are you saying that you’ve truly abandoned your allegiance to the Shu clan?”

“Yes, I’m sure.”

“Shu Keigetsu hasn’t won you over?”

“Of course not, mistress.”

When she answered without a moment’s delay, Gayou fell silent, as though thinking for a moment.

Eventually, she opened her mouth in a relaxed manner.

“Very well. I shall overlook it this time.”

“T-Thank you very much.”

“However.”

But then, Gayou searched in her sleeve and tossed the thing she took out to Riirii.

It was a heavy dagger in a black scabbard.

“Next time, I want proof. Use this.”

""

“For what…exactly?”

She had touched scissors and nails before, but this was the first time she had ever held a weapon.

When Riirii gulped at the vivid sensation, the shironeri woman let out an annoyed sigh.

“Well now. It’s your job to think of that. Do whatever you like. As long as you have proof that you can offer to Lady Seika, that is all that matters. It can be her clothes, her hair, or her heart. Rip out whatever you want.”

“But…!”

Riirii raised her tense face.

“Harassment and that…injuring are completely different things. You tell me to bribe the Eagle Officials, but she’s still a Nestling, and if I use a blade on her, the response will most certainly be different. I will be executed.”

Though things might appear this way, Riirii had been harassing Shu Keigetsu by staying behind the line where she could ensure her own safety. There was a difference in the degree of danger between cursing at her and raising havoc in her surroundings, and hurting Shu Keigetsu herself.

However, Gayou was curt.

“So what does that matter?”

“Huh…?”

“You have no clue about your own position, do you?”

The corners of the red lips peeking out from behind the fan suddenly raised. It was the kind of contemptuous smile often seen in Shuku Palace.

“Since the moment you accepted that hairpin, your life has already been in my hands. If you say you can’t do it, I’ll just turn you in to the Eagle Officials. For the crime of stealing a hairpin of the Kin clan. Me, a shironeri, and you, a pale vermillion, and what’s more, a foreigner. It is as clear as day who the Eagle Officials will believe.”

“No…”

“Did you really think I would give you a white-mouse robe? The likes of a dancer’s daughter who can do nothing but seduce men? Don’t make me laugh.”

Riirii’s face paled at those excessive words.

“Well then, I shall see you in the evening.”

“Please wai—!”

She quickly clung to Gayou’s ruqun3 as Gayou turned on her heel.

Thud!

She was kicked without hesitation. The muddy shoe pushed her in the chest and she fell back forcefully. Water splashed and mud splattered on her cheeks.

“Please do not touch me. You will only get fed after you’ve done your job, Miss Rat.”

After saying that in a coaxing voice, Gayou left this time.

Stunned, Riirii watched her leave.

This was like 16 pages in Google docs man…luckily the next parts are much shorter

Footnotes

This is from the Japanese idiom “鴨がねぎを背負ってくる” which literally means “a duck comes carrying a Welsh onion on its back” and actually means “along comes a sucker just begging to be parted from his moneyRiirii uses the term 蠱毒 (kodoku) which means a venom-based poison.A ruqun is a traditional Chinese attire consisting of a separated upper garment and a long skirt.