Work Text:
“Did you hear?”
“About the head maid? Yes, it’s so obvious! I’ve even seen the little girl running around carrying things!”
One of the young women whispering on the corner with their baskets full of dirty clothes shushed the other, her excitement always made her exclaim and talk louder, attracting the attention of everyone. She didn’t like talking to her too much because of this, but the gossip was too good to pass up, so she continued.
“Me too! Yesterday, when it was my shift, I noticed that her face twitched! I think she was smiling but I was too far away to see!”
“Woah! Do you think-“
“Lovely ladies,” someone interrupted suddenly, “I get that you love hearty discussions, but please, I beg you to keep working on the meantime,” a young man, with his black coat and impeccable pressed white shirt had ambushed them - politely as ever - from the other side of the corner. In his face there was a polite smile, charming and soft, his eyes were crinkled with the gesture, his skin was smooth and healthy and his hair perfectly combed. It was head butler Yue Qingyuan, best friend of the head maid, Shen Qingqiu, whom they were exactly talking about.
It was not an exaggeration to say that both maids were internally screaming at being talked by him, taking into account how he kept to himself, and that, because of his job, the head butler Yue Qingyuan didn’t have anything to do with the maid division and so, he had never directed even a smile at them. He was also a handsome and polite bachelor that had at least half the maids and butlers alike charmed and sighing.
He and Shen Qingqiu were rumored to be a couple at first, but they soon realized their mysterious relationship was more complicated than that, and there was a monthly poll-bet-theory-gossip sharing about those two mainly between the maids and the butlers of the palace.
“We are so very sorry! We got caught up in useless talk instead of doing our jobs, we will go back to it right away your excellency!”
“That’s right! Please forgive us!”
Yue Qingyuan watched as the two bowed in front of him and felt a wave of discomfort and smiled awkwardly. The palace had eyes in the walls, but also ears, noses and fingers, it really was sobering; if it wasn’t for Qingqiu, maybe he wouldn’t be here…but it was a good job, and Qingqiu and him had been childhood friends and even after Qingqiu lost her memory, decided to stuck together like family; she was very diligent and respectful, but now these people were gossiping about her again.
“Please keep working hard,” he said, before walking past them and reeling in a sigh. The maids whispered furiously between them as they quickly retreated.
‘At least,’ he thought with some humor, ‘at least they are gossiping about something that makes Qingqiu happy, instead of whether I’m dating my sworn sister or not.”
He turned another corner and entered a room, finally arriving at the meeting place, where Shen Qingqiu was not-as-sternly instructing Luo Binghe.
Watching the young girl frown in deep concentration, while Shen Qingqiu directed her a look of pure fondness let him a sweet feeling. He was happy if she was happy.
*
The scribe tripped over her own feet when she saw her best friend being hugged by the lil girl that was training to be maid.
It was…did Shen Qingqiu let herself be hugged??? That ‘physical contact eww’ Shen Qingqiu??? What had the world come to!
So yes, Shang Qinghua stared, as the girl tripped on nothing and went careening straight towards her teacher’s chest…which…okay? Hmm that’s…
“…Interesting,” said Liu Mingyan next to her, wildly writing without even looking at the paper, her eyes fixated on the pair and gleaming with something terrible and almost manic in them. Shang Qinghua barely resisted the urge to walk away from her coworker.
Maybe though…she could ask to see the manuscript for that hypothetical book? And cook some ideas together? She knew that it wouldn’t reach Shen Qingqiu’s eyes unless it was published, because she would wring her neck on the spot. But there was a possibility…
Luo Binghe giggled from Shen Qingqiu’s arms, in response to something she may have said. It was too fucking adorable.
Then Shang Qinghua’s eyes met her friend’s, and that, combined with the raised eyebrow sent her running, taking Liu Mingyan with her.
“Let’s go! My lady, I mean, Lady Mo must be waiting.”
Shang Qinghua had made a grave mistake.
She watched as Liu Mingyan delicately mouthed her slip of tongue, the manic glint in her eyes was back.
Surely, now not only Shen Qingqiu but Shang Qinghua as well, they were - surely - fucked.
*
Elder Meng watched as the little princess came and went, her eyes brilliant as she followed behind her beloved teacher, and rubbed his head. She would never find a husband like this, and to think the empress (and the emperor, but well, he was mostly a spoiled eye candy these days) had tasked him with the responsibility of accompanying the little heir on her life-seeking trip…and the princess had left the palace for errands like two times so far.
This was going to be a catastrophe! Maybe he should separate them…? Yeah no way in hell, he valued his life!
What if he sent the head maid and her new apprentice on a vacation or a trip to look for something? If they went out, the princess would finally go out to study the situation of her people, and maybe a good young man would catch her eye. That now, it was a good idea…maybe they could search for something legendary that the princess required in the future…?
Meng Mo watched as princess Luo gave him an excited smile while passing next to him, and he already knew that he and the young Yingying would be listening to how lovely and how beautiful and how knowledgeable her teacher was ad nauseam. Honestly, why did the empress make him do this very important work again? Listening to an eager teenager talk and sometimes even gossip with her lady in waiting was pure t o r t u r e.
He sighed. Maybe he should start that plan soon. The moon-rhynoceros-phyton gem could be a fine gift for a marriage proposal right? He could send them to retrieve that. No biggie.
*
“SOMETHING HUGE HAS HAPPENED!!! One excited maid screamed, running into the dining hall for most of the personnel to hear.
“Calm down Hualing, please tell us quick if there’s an emergency,” said Liu Mingyan, eyeing the palace captain, already standing with his sword even though he hadn’t finished eating, really, why was her brother always like this?
“But I can’t! The princess!” At this, the whole hall started payed attention, there had been talks of the princess going to the traditional life-seeking journey of royalty for five years already, and this would be the first time they had news of her, so everyone awaited for Sha Hualing’s next words.
“The princess! The princess has declared her love for head maid Shen Qingqiu!!! And now they are betrothed! And coming back to the palace!!!”
The hall stayed quiet for a whole minute. Then, there was the sound of a sword falling to the ground, and Liu Mingyan winced at her brother’s look of pure shock. That sound startled everyone out of their trances and the cacophony of sounds started in full; there was all types of reactions wherever you looked, Yue Qingyuan was uncharacteristically jumping in place, Liu Qingge was pale from the shock, Shang Qinghua could be seen scribbling furiously and not stopping even when he knocked back inkpots or splashed people with ink, everyone was talking and screaming.
Nobody noticed one solitary Ning Yingying, fawning a passed out Meng Mo, with a wistful smile on her face.
Or maybe, someone did notice, the palace walls had all kinds of senses, after all.