Spoilers should always be hidden using spoiler blur.
When discussing a specific section, please mention where you are in the book, ideally by chapter so people reading different versions have a clear point of reference.
Feel free to read ahead if it’s exciting, but please refrain from spoiling ahead of the appropriate week.
If you have a question about grammar, vocab, cultural things, etc - ask! That’s a welcome part of the discussion too, and other readers will be happy to help.
This was a nice little chapter; 猫猫 and 壬氏 take a stroll through town in disguise. Neither are all that good at playing their assigned parts (young well-to-do lady and her attendant), but this outing doesn’t seem too high stakes, so there aren’t any problems because of it. 壬氏 learns about 猫猫’s father for the first time, a highly-educated physician who was castrated; makes me think he’s going to go do some digging when he gets back to the palace. Iirc it was either implied or outright stated in the first book that 猫猫’s father delivered 壬氏, which due to reasons was also the reason he was castrated and (I believe) at least one of his kneecaps broken, so I would imagine it wouldn’t be too difficult to find the info.
猫猫 drops him off at some sort of tavern/inn that has a reputation for “serving” its male clientele, and leaves under the continued impression that 壬氏’s here for a good time. Poor guy can’t catch a break.
Looks like we might get a part three of this particular scenario? I’m enjoying the longer page count for sure.
Oh I remember this! I really liked it too. (In general, getting more interactions between those two OR learning more about the world is fun, and we get both)
He did deliver 壬氏. He was castrated so that he could get into the 後宮 (and help). I’m not going to comment on the kneecap to avoid spoilers. If I had more time I would check buuuut…
Ah, that makes sense. I was thinking it was a punishment for something, but that makes more sense. You have to wonder if it was worth it for him, though… (Disregarding the kneecap stuff.)
Poor guy can’t catch a break.