Introduction
お金があれば何でも思いのままになるのか?とは限らない!しかし、自分を溺愛する夫・宋初心のそばでは、戴月荷はいつだって思いのままに振る舞えた。そして宋初心は、遥か遠い時空から来た孤独な魂として、戴月荷と出会えたことをずっと幸運に思っていた。周囲がどれほど彼女について噂し、傷つけようとも、揺るぎなく彼女に寄り添い続けた。
富など何だというのか?名声など何だというのか?この人生で、ただ願うのは、ただ望むのは、君と共に朝日を迎え、夕焼けを愛で、そして二人だけの小さな庭に、君の好きな花をいっぱい植えることだけ……
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About Author
Evelyn Thorne
Chapter 1
熱気むんむんとした厨房で、袖を高く捲り上げた戴月荷は一刻も休まず忙しく立ち働いていた。かまどに薪を継ぎ足すだけでなく、火の燃える合間を見計らって次の料理の材料を準備しなければならなかった。
黒髪を丸く結い上げ、茶色の四角い布で包み、その上から黒い髪紐を何重にも無造作に巻いていた。青い粗布の衣を身につけたその若い女性は、翡翠のように透き通った芹を切りながら、絶え間なくあくびを漏らしていた。
夏の最も辛いことと言えば、蒸し暑い厨房で料理をすることだろう。ましてやこれは一日の中で暑さが最も厳しい昼下がりなのだ。
しかし姑の口は厳しく、少しでも口に合わないものがあれば、茶碗を叩きつけて罵り始める。
姑の悪意に満ちた罵声や、持ち上げるたびに風切り音を立てる黒塗りの杖を思い出すと、戴月荷はふと、この蒸し暑い厨房もさほど暑くないように感じられた。
「戴月荷、もっとてきぱきとできんのかい。金貴が旅の埃まみれで帰ってきたんだよ。外で一日中働いて、もうお腹が空いているんだから」
嫁が家に来てから一度も厨房に立って料理をしたことのない趙氏は、窓越しに戴月荷に向かって不機嫌そうに怒鳴った。
まるで今しがた厨房に入ったばかりの戴月荷がわざと怠けているかのようだったが、実際は彼女をわざと責め立てているだけだった。
「はい、お母さん、ご安心ください。すぐにできますから」
腕を上げ、袖で顔の汗を雑に拭った戴月荷は慌てて返事をしたが、動揺のあまり、誤って指を切ってしまった。
にじみ出る血を見て、窓の外の趙氏に知られれば叱られると恐れ、手早くハンカチで包むと、痛みをこらえながら野菜を切り続けた。
「急いでないって、口先だけはうまいねえ。あんたはいつも私をごまかすばかり。うちの陸家に来て三年、子どもを産めないだけじゃなく、料理一つ作るのもぐずぐずしている」
髪を低く結い上げ、涼しげな竹の布で作られた上着と裳を身につけ、片手に黒塗りの杖、もう片方の手には団扇を持ってゆったりと仰いでいた趙氏は、窓の中で忙しく動く影をじろりと見やりながら、とめどなく文句を言い続けた。
厨房から漂ってくる香りを嗅ぎながら、彼女は内心とても得意だった。自分が嫁をよく躾けたおかげで料理が上手になったのだと。
「お母さん、怒らないでください。一緒に部屋に戻りましょう。厨房の入り口は暑いですよ。熱中症になってしまいますから」
髪を銀の簪で留め、薄い絹の上着を着た陸金貴が、急いで自分の母親の腕を取った。
厨房で忙しく働いている妻には目もくれず、そのまま自分の母親を連れて部屋へと戻っていった。
「はぁ、やっぱり息子が一番孝行だね。この嫁ときたら毎日家で私を怒らせるばかり。あんたが帰ってこなかったら、私はもう怒り死にしていたよ」
戴月荷の悪口を言いながら、足取り軽く息子と一緒に母屋へ入り、竹の椅子に腰を下ろしてもなお、彼女の口は止まることなく悪態をついていた。
「お母さん、そんなに彼女が気に入らないなら、離縁して別の女を娶りましょうか?お母さんのお気に召す人を迎えて仕えさせるのは?」
手元の赤い漆塗りの小さなテーブルから白い磁器の冷茶の壺を取り上げ、陸金貴の顔に笑みがいくつもの波紋のように広がり、目には星のような光が踊っていた。
慶元郡で商売をしていた時に出会ったあの小姐のことを思い出すと、彼の心は甘い蜜で満たされた。あれこそ本物のお嬢様で、一挙手一投足が優美で、魂さえも奪われそうになったのだ。
「あんた、外でまた側室でも見つけたのかい?なぜ連れて帰って私に見せないの?」
子を知るは母に如かず。息子のあの歯が見えなくなるほど笑っている間抜けな様子と、その話し方を聞けば、目をつぶっていても、息子が外で気に入った女性に出会ったことがわかった。
だから彼女はそう確信したように尋ねたのだ。家にまた自分に仕える者が増えると思うと、彼女の皺だらけの顔はたちまち菊の花のように咲き誇った。
「お母さん、如蘭は慶元郡の塩商人の嫡女です。どうして私の側室になれるでしょう。今回帰ってきたのは、戴月荷と離縁して、それから堂々と彼女を正式に娶るためなんです」
自分の母親が喜んでいる様子を見て、狡猾な彼は当然、離縁の手助けを頼むのは簡単だとわかっていた。
そうだ、最初から家が貧しくなければ、彼は決して戴月荷のような農家の娘を娶っていなかっただろう。大きな字一つ読めないだけでなく、頑固な性格をしているのだから。
「なんだって?塩商人の娘?それはどれほどの格式なんだろう?こんな田舎者の家を彼女が気に入るのかい?」
一連の質問が趙氏の口から飛び出した。彼女の黒ずんだ顔は興奮で赤らみ、まるで古い銅鏡に紅が塗られたように見え、混沌として嫌悪感を抱かせるものだった。
息子が娶ろうとしているのが塩商人の娘だと聞いて、趙氏が興奮しないはずがなかった。大昭国では私塩の販売は許されていないのだ。塩商人になれるのは、朝廷に人脈があり、裕福な家柄でなければ、考えることすらできないことだった。
「お母さん、この僕の容姿、この頭脳なら、僕に嫁げるなんて、彼女の幸運というものです」
母親がこれほど興奮しているのを見て、陸金貴は足を組み、得意げに茶碗を手に持ち自慢し始めた。
その端正な顔に、両目は不思議な輝きを放ち、如蘭の父が自分に約束した条件を思い出すと、明日にでも彼女を娶りたいほどだった。
「わが息子は本当に才能があるね。それなら、この件はお母さんが引き受けるよ。あんたの手を汚したり、評判を落とすわけにはいかないからね」
夫は五年前に亡くなり、息子は一人っ子だった。趙氏はずっと倹約して、やっと生活を維持してきた。あの頃、息子と戴月荷が幼い頃から婚約していなかったら、息子は一生独身だったかもしれない。
しかし今や息子は外で奮闘して成功し、今にも高貴な縁を得て、出世しようとしている。家に何の利益ももたらさない嫁など、もう必要ない。
「千山万水を歩き回っても、やっぱりお母さんが一番僕を可愛がってくれる。お母さんが助けてくれると知っていました。ほら、これは如蘭がお母さんに持たせてくれた装飾品です。気に入りますか?」
そう言いながら、彼は袖の隠しポケットから赤金の細工が施された腕輪を取り出し、両手で趙氏に差し出した。
慶元郡の塩商人と繋がりができてから、彼の財産もかなり豊かになった。戴月荷はもはや自分に釣り合わない。早く離縁すれば百利あって一害なしだ。
「まあまあ、これは赤金の腕輪じゃないか。如蘭さんにはお金を使わせてしまって」
震える手でその腕輪を受け取り、趙氏は慎重に自分の手首にはめた。喜びに満ちた表情を浮かべていた。
天に誓って、陸家に嫁いできてから、彼女は一度も装飾品を買ったことがなかったのだ。だから興奮しないわけがなかった。
「お母さん、旦那様、お食事ができました」
ちょうどそのとき、顔を赤らめた戴月荷が黒塗りの盆を持って入ってきた。
食事を卓上に並べながら二人を食事に招き、すべての料理を並べ終わると、やっと背筋を伸ばして頭と顔の汗を拭うことができた。
「見なさい、汗臭いったらありゃしない。早く出ていきなさい、私の息子に臭いをかがせないで」
手の黒塗りの杖を地面に強く打ちつけながら、趙氏は袖で汗を拭ったばかりの戴月荷を嫌悪の表情で見つめた。
この娘は、嫁いできたばかりの頃は肌も白く繊細だったのに、たった三年で炭のように黒くなってしまった。本当に見れば見るほど気に入らない。
「では、失礼します」
全身汗だくで、もうべたべたして不快に感じていた戴月荷は、そう言われるとすぐに外に出ようとした。
言葉は不愉快だったが、その意図は自分の願いと一致していたので、彼女は早く立ち去りたいと思っていた。
「何を慌てているの?私の話が終わるまで待ちなさい」
戴月荷が出ようとするのを見て、趙氏は彼女を引き止めた。息子に一瞥をくれると、彼女は今すぐ離縁の件を言い出すことに決めた。
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About Author
Evelyn Thorne
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