The Apothecary Diaries: Volume 13 (Light Novel)

Maomao opened the large cloth package. Out came packets of medicine, along with all sorts of other things Jinshi didn’t recognize.
“What’s all this?”
“They have lantern plant root, whiteblossom, and balsam berries in them, among other things.”
Jinshi recognized all those names, and the combination meant something to him.
“Those are all plants you said to be wary of in the rear palace!” he exclaimed, more loudly than he’d meant to.
“That’s right.” Maomao was completely blasé.
The rear palace was a place for giving birth to and raising the Emperor’s children. It had to be purged of anything that might be harmful. Hence all of these plants were forbidden there.
“Why do you have those here?”
“Lady Suiren has already vetted them. Don’t worry, sir, I’m not going to use them on you. They’re for me.” Once again, her eyes were completely serious. “I have tools that can do physical damage as well, but they aren’t very effective, and I know you don’t appreciate that sort of thing, Master Jinshi, so I thought it might be best not to use them.”
Next Maomao took out some kind of cylinder carefully wrapped in paper. “This is made with ox intestines, and I wasn’t sure how that would sit with you...” She gently put away the thing made with the intestine of an ox—whatever it was.
“I get it. These are all to prevent pregnancy?”
“Yes, sir.”
“So when you said you had worked hard to prepare...”
“I gathered everything I could get my hands on in the pleasure district.”
Jinshi promptly blanched. He felt cold all over.
“Having accepted your feelings, Master Jinshi, I also accept what comes with them, even having relations. But I must draw a bright line when it comes to that agreement: I will not become Empress Gyokuyou’s enemy.”