Chapter Text
He was tired. She could see it in the way he completed his documents, the way his arm stretched stiffly across his desk to pick up the papers. How he would yawn in the mornings as if he had stayed up the entire night before to finish his work. The worst part was that he had. On numerous occasions. She should know, she was regularly kept up by her own experiments.
She had once believed that he had nothing to do all day but bother her, she figured he spent all of his time in the rear palace anyway. Oh how wrong she was. He may have spent long days in the rear palace, but his mornings and nights were spent completing document after document. Bills and laws she had never heard of, and honestly didn’t care to.
That was the unfortunate price of being too good at one’s job. Other departments regularly foisted their work onto him, and Jinshi, unable to say no, accepted with a smile.
He needed to grow a backbone. Desperately.
That was why when Maomao entered his office for the fifth time that day to see him falling asleep at his desk, only to be woken up by her intrusion, she decided something needed to be done, and quickly.
She had tried multiple times already to get him to have a break and sleep, though it never worked. It seemed even just being in his room, which was scattered with numerous papers that needed to be completed, was enough to force him into some sort of need to work. Not even Suiren and Gaoshun were able to get him to stop, something that surprised all of them.
Now Maomao could have turned a blind eye, she was only a servant after all, her job entailed menial labour, not whatever this was. Unfortunately, she was also an apothecary, a competent one at that. And though she knew Jinshi hadn’t bought her out to serve him in that way, she couldn’t help but feel a certain responsibility for his health. No doubt she would be blamed if he decided to drop dead from sheer overwork, especially if she could have done something about it.
Though by far, it was the way he didn’t even acknowledge her as she brought in more work for him to do, that troubled her the most. He simply stared straight past her, a blank passive look in his eyes, it was like she wasn’t even there. It was strange seeing him like this. He wasn’t himself.
Something needs to be done, desperately.
If he wouldn’t accept an actual break, one far away from any sort of work, then perhaps another technique would be more effective. One that would involve sending the young master on a small errand. An errand that would keep him too busy to even think about getting more work done.
After some time she soon found herself in the kitchen, making some food for Jinshi. She had promised Suiren she could handle it, even adding in foods high in energy to assist him for the rest of the day, regardless of the fact she wanted nothing more than for him to hurry up and rest.
It had been a long day for her as well. She had become something of a messenger in the last few days, along with Gaoshun. Running from minister to official relaying documents that needed to be signed off. More times than not were they sent back empty, with a note to do it again. If she was tired, then she couldn’t imagine how he must feel. The rejection must hurt. Her and Gaoshun had even involved themselves in the paperwork, completing a few documents on their own. Maomao knew nothing about politics but at least she was doing her part to help.
Though perhaps the decision to help was a bit of a selfish one as well. The sooner he relaxed the sooner she could too. Something that would be inherently harder than it sounded.
“Xiaomao.”
Gaoshun stood in the doorway, obvious dark circles under his eyes. It seemed the entire household was suffering because of Jinshi’s poor choices.
“Master Jinshi has decided to skip lunch for the day.”
She could hear it in his tone, the way he was disappointed as he moved further into the room. If it were up to Gaoshun he would have put a stop to this a long time ago. However, in the end Gaoshun was still a servant. He could only do so much.
“He needs to eat.” Her tone was forceful, she was his apothecary after all. She could excuse not sleeping for a few days but if anything, he needed to eat.
Gaoshun only sighed, rubbing his forehead, “I know.”
She looked down at the plate she had prepared, her gaze softening slightly. “I made him some snacks,” she said softly, “nothing heavy just… please have him eat at least a little.”
The room was silent for a few moments before Gaoshun gently took the plate from her hand, a reassuring smile on his face. She knew it was forced.
“I’ll try my best.”
“Master Gaoshun.” She spoke quickly, as if he might disappear before she could voice her thoughts.
He waited patiently, and she took a deep breath before speaking again. She would need to sell this to him if she was going to be given permission.
“I’ve been thinking… about how we may fix this.” She gestured vaguely, her head still tilted downwards.
“Have you come up with a solution?” He spoke calmly, but she could tell he was intrigued. Anything to fix this. The plate was still in his hand, and she wished he would put it down. Who knows how long he’d be standing there like that.
“I believe so,” she spoke carefully, beginning to clean up the small messes from where she had made Jinshi’s food. Suiren would surely be mad if she didn’t.
“We know that Master Jinshi won’t simply take a break,”
She paused, waiting patiently for his opinion, though she was sure he would agree. The door to the kitchen was still open and a warm breeze blew through.
“On that we can agree.” His expression became grim from where he stood on the other side of the counter. He finally placed the plate down, adjusting his posture.
“Then we will just need to send him on an errand he cannot refuse.” She wasn’t quite sure of it herself, how they would convince him when he had piles of documents just sitting there she didn’t know.
“An errand?” He repeated, raising an eyebrow.
“Yes,” she started polishing the plates, her gaze drifting between him and the dishes, “there’s some business I have back home, I was hoping he would be able to accompany me.”
Gaoshun inhaled loudly as she finished, it was far-fetched she had to admit, but it could work. Honestly a better question would be why she cared so much, and to that she didn’t know.
“You believe that him accompanying you home will be enough of a break for him?” She could feel his questioning gaze on her as she looked down at the plate in her hand.
She shook her head quickly, “no of course not. If it were up to me he’d be in bed by now.” Her expression hardened, “but it isn’t up to me, and I can only do so much.”
“And this is your suggestion as his apothecary?” It was her responsibility to make sure the inhabitants of this pavilion remained in good health, and she would try to do exactly that.
“Yes.” Her answer was firm, leaving no room for argument. It would be up to Gaoshun now how they would proceed.
He sighed, rubbing his face slightly, evidently he hadn’t expected such a conversation when he came to alert Maomao of Jinshi’s request for no lunch.
“Very well, we will proceed with your suggestion.”
She hadn’t thought she would get so far. She realised very suddenly that she would need a plan if this was going to work. She looked up just as he began to speak again.
“And how,” he spoke quietly, leaning closer as she reached for another plate to polish, “do you plan on convincing him to accompany you.”
She hesitated, would he agree with her? Or would he perhaps tell her that she was wrong, that she had misread the situation, that Jinshi would never agree. It didn’t matter, she would only do what she could to help him, after that it was out of her hands.
“I’ve told him multiple times how dangerous the pleasure district is. If there are no other men available, he may volunteer himself.”
He sighed, a long sigh that told her he would rather not be involved. She could only hope he wouldn’t get into trouble with Suiren.
“I understand, we will discuss it with him during dinner.” He picked up the plate of food, making his way to the open door before pausing, the breeze was still blowing through the small room, “Good Luck, Xiaomao.”
She gave a small smile before returning to her chores. She had only a few hours to create a plan foolproof enough that even Jinshi would fall for it. And then what? What activities would they do? Nothing too strenuous, she was of that, he wouldn’t have the energy.
Still, she could only hope that her plan would work. Spending her entire day with Jinshi just for him to return the same way would be pointless.
And with the way he was acting now, he would be even more of a drag to spend time with, compared to his usual self. Though sparkly, at least he actually acknowledged her.
The rest of the day went by smoothly, or at least as smooth as it could be. Gaoshun had stayed by his master’s side for the remainder of the day. Delivering paperwork and orders per Jinshi’s request. Suiren had continued running the household, continuing her chores and responsibilities throughout the day. And Maomao, well she had done about everything. Running around with papers falling out of her arms, dusting all inches of the house, and making plates of food in an attempt to get Jinshi to eat. All of that while trying her best to come up with a plan for tomorrow.
It was harder than she had anticipated. She had known Jinshi for months, and yet, it felt like she hardly knew if at all. She only ever saw him completing his responsibilities, whether that be paperwork or tending to the concubines. She didn’t know what he enjoyed doing, unless annoying her counted, in which she knew a lot.
Not only that, but they were born in wildly different worlds. Jinshi was brought up as a noble, and Maomao a commoner. Would the activities she enjoyed be too mundane for him? Actually, scratch that, she had a feeling he wouldn’t enjoy her hobbies given how many times he had almost passed out from her eating something toxic. Not that it wasn’t funny, but it wouldn’t help her here.
She brought the tray of food Suiren had entrusted her with into Jinshi’s room. She let out a small sigh as she saw him finally sitting somewhere other than his desk. Though that sigh was unfortunately short lived as she saw him writing on a piece of paper that sat in his lap.
She scowled, he looked half dead. Had he gotten even paler over the last few days? She didn’t think that was possible.The soft clink of the tray brought him out of his musings, though he didn’t look at her, only picking up his utensils and taking a bite as if he had somehow been conditioned to. She stole a look at Gaoshun, this was worse than they thought.
She took her place at the back of the room, attempting to blend into the wall, similarly to how Gaoshun always did. She didn’t think it worked, but it was the effort that counted, right? The only noise in the room was Jinshi’s thoughtful chewing, that was until he decided to speak up.
“Did Suiren make this, Gaoshun?” his question came as a surprise to both of them. Gaoshun must have been in his own head as well as he seemed to jump for a moment before resuming his stoic stance.
“No, Xiaomao did, sir.”
She took that as her cue, taking a step forward before bowing, something she hadn’t done before since he was too unaware to fully appreciate it.
“Suiren has been quite busy today Master Jinshi, she asked if I could make it instead. Apologies if the flavours are off.”
He looked up at her, his eyes softening as he took her in for the first time in days. She felt her chest tighten slightly.
“It’s delicious, thank you.”
The compliment came as a surprise. She knew how delicious Suiren’s cooking was, her own meal must pale in comparison. She had used spices that were more readily available in the pleasure district, spices she knew well. She wondered if he could tell the difference, or if his tiredness had dulled his sense of taste.
“Of course, sir.”
Perhaps their plan would work. She gave a small bow as he ate the food quickly, quicker than he had in a while. She had been worried he would be too gone to care about her errands, but maybe she was wrong. Maybe he too wanted a break, he just didn’t know how to ask.
“Xiaomao…” Gaoshun’s voice cut sharply through the silence of the room. Jinshi glanced up for a moment, before returning to his meal. “I remember you mentioning something about an errand you needed to run earlier. What was that about again?”
Gaoshun was a smart man, he had to be if he was to deal with someone like Jinshi all day. He had given her an opening, and she was prepared to take it. She cleared her throat, moving closer to the middle of the room where she hoped Jinshi would notice her again.
“Yes, that’s right.” She turned to Jinshi, who had seemed to stop eating to listen in, “sir, if you would be so kind, I would like to request tomorrow off to complete an errand in the pleasure district.”
She could see the gears turning in his head. It seemed even this conversation was beginning to bring him back to some semblance of normal. If it wasn’t for the dark circles and increasingly pale skin, he would have looked fine. Though even with his tiredness, he still looked beautiful.
His voice was soft as he spoke, he rubbed his face slightly, “you have been working hard these last few days, though I hate to see you go, I’m sure we can manage without you for a few days.”
So he had noticed her over the last few days. Strange, she had figured he finally saw her like everyone else did. A servant.
She bowed low, “thank you, sir.” That was the first part of the plan complete, she could only hope he would fall for the second. All that was needed was a little push from Gaoshun. She gave a slight nod as she caught his gaze.
“Are you sure you want to go tomorrow, Xiaomao?” He spoke slowly, deliberately slowly, “I’ve heard some things about the pleasure district as of late.”
They hadn’t rehearsed this part, but she was glad to see they were on the same wave length. She smirked slightly at the implication that they were both lying to their boss. It would be amusing if it wasn’t so necessary.
“Are you referring to the girl who was beaten the other week, Master Gaoshun?” She kept her expression serious, even as Jinshi’s mouth fell open. “It sounded terrible, though I hear she is recovering from her injuries well. She was lucky it wasn’t more serious.”
“Hold it-” Jinshi’s voice was full of emotion as Maomao finished her story, more emotion than she had heard in a long time.
“A girl was attacked?” She nodded.
“in the pleasure district?” She nodded again.
“It isn’t as uncommon as you’d think, sir. Many girls get attacked there.” Her voice was measured, the same indifference she always used. She wasn’t lying now, many girls were attacked or kidnapped in the pleasure district. She herself was no exception.
He shook his head shakily, “I’m sorry, apothecary but I can’t allow you to go. Not with such dangers.”
He was falling right into her trap. Now all she needed to do was make it look believable. Unfortunately, she wasn’t the best actress by any means.
“But,” she paused, biting her lower lip, “I really can’t put it off.”
He shook his head, more firmly this time. She hoped it wouldn’t be too hard to convince him. Maybe she should have laid off all the extra details.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t in good conscience allow you to go. I am, after all, in charge of your care as your employer.”
She glared sharply at him but he didn’t seem to catch it. More like he’s under my care. Gees, who was the apothecary here?
“What if- what if I were to have a guard with me?” Her hands gripped the fabric of her sleeves tightly, she didn’t lie to him often, it felt… wrong.
A hand came up to his chin as his brow furrowed, she let out a breath at the fact that he was at least thinking it over.
“That could work,” he said thoughtfully, he turned his head, “Gaoshun?”
Of course Gaoshun was the one who would have to organise it, she had planned for it.
“I already looked into it when Xiaomao first brought it to my attention, sir. Unfortunately many of the guards we would usually assign are unavailable, including Lihaku.”
Jinshi flinched slightly at the soldier's name. He still hasn’t gotten over that has he?
Gaoshun continued, “there are some new soldiers we can employ, but they are inexperienced.”
Jinshi waved his hand dismissively, almost quickly as if he wanted to put a stop to that suggestion before it even began.
“No that won’t do. They won’t know what to do if something happens.”
She could only hope he wouldn’t offer up Basen. He was strong, and experienced. On paper he would be the best possible candidate to protect her. Though Gaoshun obviously hadn’t brought him up, maybe Jinshi wouldn’t either.
“You,” he emphasised, “could always go with her, sir.” She had been trying to find a way to subtly broach the suggestion to Jinshi. She hadn’t expected Gaoshun to do so, especially in such an unsubtle way.
He didn’t dismiss it out of hand like she thought he might have. Instead, he remained unusually quiet.
“I have paperwork to do.” His response was quiet, as though he was trying to convince himself. He wasn’t even looking at either of them, instead, focused rather intently on his empty plate.
“I can handle your paperwork for the time being, sir. Though either way, I’m sure it can wait a few days.” Gaoshun’s voice was firm, as if he might be the master, not the servant.
He still seemed unsure, looking between Maomao and Gaoshun, before letting out a breath. His eyes hardened slightly as he adjusted his posture,
“Very well, I will accompany you, apothecary,”
“Are you sure, sir?” She needed this to be believable.
He nodded his head, “I am, you said it was tomorrow?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Very well.”
~ * ~
The next day came quickly, and Maomao was really beginning to regret not getting more time to prepare. She had stayed up almost all night deciding how today would go. It wasn’t like she cared that much, but if she was going to go ahead and do something, she was going to do it right.
It was later than usual, Gaoshun and Maomao had both decided to allow Jinshi to sleep in, though he did still wake up earlier than either of them would have liked.
Jinshi wasn’t well known outside the palace, but he was still too beautiful. No doubt he would be flocked the second he stepped out of those gates if he looked like his usual self. He may even be mistaken for a male courtesan. A shiver ran down Maomao’s spine.
“Everything okay? Are you cold?” She had somehow forgotten he was even there.
The room was cold, it was still early in the morning and it seemed her cotton layers weren’t enough to keep her warm, even with the brazier lit in the corner.
She applied more of the cream, his skin turning a tanner shade, “hmm, yes sir, apologies I was lost in thought.”
He chuckled softly and she allowed herself a small smile, “I figured as much.” He always had a habit of knowing what she was thinking.
“Say,” he began, his tone more hesitant, almost unsure if he should be saying his thoughts, “will you be getting dressed up too?”
There was a moment of silence before she huffed a laugh, before continuing to apply more product, the glare he gave her only made her laugh more. “I think you mean dress down, sir.”
He pouted, he was obviously not happy with her correcting him, he rolled his eyes.
Such a child.
“Besides, I’m already dressed down enough, sir.” His eyes seemed to wander her as she continued her work. She wasn’t sure why, she was wearing the same thing she always did.
He pursed his lips, “sure, but if I have to change my appearance then you should too. It’s only fair.”
She couldn’t help the sigh that escaped her. He could be so stubborn sometimes, she had no reason to change her appearance, it was him that would be swarmed if he didn’t. Still, this day was supposed to be about him, and if changing her appearance would help him relax some more then who was she to deny him.
The room was still cold as she took down her hair, discarding the blue ribbon for the meantime. She rarely ever wore her hair down lest it get in her way, though she supposed she could make an exception just this once.
The brush was soft against her skin as she applied some rouge to her cheeks, eyelids, and lips. It was a look she had done numerous times before, something easy for those occasions she was forced to wear makeup. Her freckles were still present, something she wouldn’t get rid of especially while in the pleasure district, the reason she wore them in the first place.
She could only hope this would be suitable enough for him, she didn’t have the energy to do any sort of elaborate hairstyle today.
She turned back to him, a smile on his face. Was he laughing at her? She knew she wasn’t amazing at makeup, but she was regularly asked to help the e courtesans, she was sure she wasn’t that bad.
She reached for another compact, she had gotten far too distracted with her own appearance when his wasn’t even done. Maybe it was a good thing he had woken earlier than she had anticipated. It seemed getting ready would be the hardest part of her day.
His fingers were warm as he gently tilted her head down to where he was seated. A thumb swiped at her lip and she swore she let out a squeak in surprise, her eyes wide.
“There, all better.” He pointed to his own face, “you had lipstick on your skin.” He clarified.
She stayed frozen in her spot, the ghost of his touch still present on her skin. It felt… strange.
“I’m- I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that. I should have just told you.”
She shook her head, as if that alone could get rid of the feeling. The room suddenly felt a lot warmer. Was the brazier finally doing its job?
“It’s no matter.” Her tone slightly higher than usual, she cleared her throat, “thank you, sir.”
She busied her hands, it seemed like Jinshi had gotten some of his regular sparkle back. Good, that was good.
The rest of Jinshi’s staff had left them alone for the morning. Suiren had insisted that she had chores to get to after she brought breakfast, leaving the room quite quickly. And Gaoshun, well Maomao couldn’t help but feel for him. It was because of her that he was stuck doing paperwork after all.
She completed his new look quickly. It wasn’t a big transformation by any means. They weren’t trying to hide his identity, only make him look less beautiful. It was harder than it looked, she had used all the tricks in the book and he still looked like some sort of celestial nymph. She hoped they wouldn’t get hounded during their trip, that would be a quick way to sour his mood.
“There,” she wiped her forehead with her sleeve, “all finished.”
She was worried about what he would think of this new look, that was until she saw the smile graceing his features. How strange, did he really hate being beautiful that much?
“It looks great! Thank you.” He only got more giddy, his fingers lightly grazing his face as he held up a bronze mirror.
It wasn’t until he turned to face her, his giddy smile turning into a smirk, that she began to get worried.
“Something the matter, sir?” She gulped audibly.
She always got nervous when he looked at her like that. It reminded her too much of when he used to flirt with her. She was glad he stopped before she began working for him, or it could be seen as all kinds of inappropriate.
“There’s nothing wrong. Though it is your turn now.” He stated it so simply, as if it was preplanned.
“My turn for what, sir?” Now she was just confused. She tilted her head to the side as he continued to look at her. They were both ready, were they not?
“To get dressed.”
She blinked, “I am dressed, sir.”
His hand grabbed hers, as if he was inspecting her sleeve. The warmth felt nice in the still cold room.
“Not properly.” He wasn’t even looking her in the eye. Instead, staring down like her robe personally offended him.
She tore her hand from his, he had a rather tight grip on it for a moment, before he released her. “I’m not sure what you mean, sir.”
“The makeup you're wearing? My outfit choice? You need something more suitable.”
She gave him a flat look, “my outfit is fine, sir.”
She could see where he was coming from. Her clothing choices were practical, and usually the rest of her reflected that as well. Today though, between her makeup and hair, she looked far more feminine, her clothing could match. But again, she doubted it was necessary.
He didn’t listen to her, only standing up to gather a set of clothes that had been left out, female clothes. When had they gotten there?
“I believe these will suit far better.” His tone was so matter of fact, she simply took the clothes from his hands, something she regretted as soon as she did. Though, she figured he was her boss, he was practically ordering her too, she couldn’t exactly say no.
Besides, they weren’t bad. They were rather simple, a similar fabric used compared to her usual robes. These ones were slightly more feminine. Like the kind of robes a successful female merchant might be seen wearing.
The colours didn’t stand out too much, the dark green would blend in quite nicely.
“Alright, sir, you win.” She dressed herself quickly, they had already wasted far too much time on getting ready. Eventually they’d run out of time entirely, and she was not about to plan a whole day to help him, only for it to not work.
As she stepped out from the changing screen, she couldn’t help but wonder if he had gotten into her makeup, maybe applied some of the rouge. She could have sworn the red twinge in his cheeks wasn’t there before.
“Everything alright, sir.”
“V-very much so, thanks.” Now that didn’t sound right. He didn’t even blink, just stared at her wide-eyed.
He cleared his throat, he never was good with silence. “So where are we off to, apothecary?”
“The Verdigris House, there’s something I need to do there.”