It starts as a measure of practicality, at first.

In the aftermath of the locust plague that swept through I-sei Province, famine and chronic shortages lapped at the heels of nearly everyone in the city, save for those privileged and wealthy enough to hold themselves firmly above that dark water. Even with the cultivation and distribution of sweet potatoes, medicine and properly nutritious food were hard to come by. Before the first ships of aid came, medical offices faced chronic shortages of the former, while deprivation of the latter led many to their doors.

Another reason is that this city is, in the most skeptical of eyes, enemy territory. Allies of Gyokuen and his family are everywhere, embedded in serving staff and military guards and medical offices alike. While

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