Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

When time came, just after the banquet, the Emperor wet his throat with some liquor as if to give himself rigor before rising to a speech.

“I shall benefit of this social gathering to make a very important official announcement.” One eunuch walked to His Majesty with one scroll at hand. Maomao glared at Jinshi, and could not contain a mental facepalm at the forwardness of his excitement.

“Moon Prince. Gran Commandant Kan’s daughter. Rise from your seats and come forth to accept the royal edict.”

To everyone’s surprise, Jinshi and Maomao walked in parallel lines between the rows of officials, then finally halted in front of His Majesty and lowered. Promptly, everyone else gathered to their knees and bowed their head to the carpet, waiting for the edict to be spoken.

“The Moon Prince is intelligent and proficient, of humble mind and kind spirit; he has shown to work diligently for the betterment of his nation and to deeply cherish the citizens. Now that he has chosen a betrothed of his liking, the Emperor shall of course grant his wish.

“The daughter of Grand Commandant Kan, Princess of the La Clan, is skillful and devoted; her wit and keen sense of justice have repeatedly saved the lives of many, including royal members who she has personally nursed back to health. She is the ideal betrothed for the Moon Prince.

“Heaven has blessed this couple. Therefore, they are to choose an auspicious date for their wedding. End of the imperial edict.”

The hall echoed with words of regard and gratitude spoken to the Emperor, but a major part was composed by scowling faces and crafted smiles. The eunuch wrapped up the scroll and took a few steps forward to hand it over to Jinshi, who elegantly accepted it. The overjoyed fret of his movements did not go unnoticed to Maomao, who saw him almost slipping on his robes.

Officials and ladies were congratulating with the couple, whether they so desired or not; nonetheless, a quiet chaos of murmurs rose among the guests, startled eyes peeking at the duo like they were seeing them for the first time. When she went to stand, Jinshi offered her an helping arm and a most genuine grin, which admittedly made her heart race despite herself.

Before taking her seat, she bowed to the Emperor and reciprocated the smiles of Empress Gyokuyou and Consort Lihua. Now, her overdressing brought about a new significance: the lady who was to marry the oldest crown prince had the support of both the Empress and the highest-ranked Consort, a meaningful declaration of trust from both sides.

One could only hope this would satisfy and put troubled minds at ease, but if attempts were to be made anyway at the girl’s life… she would be delighted to savour the most expensive and singular poisons they could afford to put in her food.

Chapter Text

Siding the light of a new dawning sun, the voice of the latest occurrence spread with numbing speed, brimming over the slumberous heads of the Palace and reaching corners of the Capital through the telling of fantasy-impregnated tales. The news spread like moss in North-facing surfaces, faster than gossip took to make rounds and rounds amongst the prattle of young ladies.

The fresh novelty clung to everyone’s mind, rousing alongside them on the excuse of work at the gentle morning call of a wife or a servant’s. Shock and bewilderment were the prominent emotions complementing the chattering, eliciting dissatisfied gasps and malcontent scowls.

But this had all been expected.

They let the news run its course without interphering, impervious to the change of topic and to the local responsiveness of the announcement. But Maomao insisted to write a letter to the few people she believed deserving of a thorough explanation, whether to justify her abrupt call-off from work to her superiors, or to explain the suddenness of her actions to people she’d come to share the majority of her days with.

For a number of reasons, she had two letters delivered by Xiaolan the day following the edict: one was a formal explication to the staff, the other one for Yao and En’en.

The content overall remained unchanged, yet the second communicated the same tidings in a perceptively less fancy tone, offering an uncharacteristic personal insight - certainly proportionate to the emotional openness of its author, but a striking difference nonetheless. So much so that before shock could cackle her up, Yao burst out in tears.

Tianyu had insisted they let him read too, but even as she wept on En’en’s shoulder, Yao had kept him at a distance, clutching the letter in her hand. All the while, the bewildered expressions of the physicians took on several emotions, even regret— for how they have treated her, would it result in punishment? It was fine as far as it affected well-educated ladies coming from good families, for their identity did not concern them much in terms of work they would be assigned. But the beloved of the Imperial Prince, the soon-to-be Princess Consort? That put things drastically out of perspective.

They wondered how a girl of her nature - wild in her leisure pursuits, scrawny in appearance and education, deranged beyond her skills, even rejecting her named clan status - had caught the eye of the most qualifying bachelor in the country. But if they were to ask Maomao, she would ponder heedlessly on a desert patch with no solution, or perhaps address bizarre attributes of the esteemed Ka Zuigetsu that few knew the existence of.

From how things stood, it was clear that the two of them had developed a one-of-a-kind bond from years of friendship, flanking each other and working together. Judging by what little explanation Maomao had provided in both letters, she hadn’t certainly planned for this deviation and would have continued down the road of attendant physician if it had depended solely on her choice. Although…

In Yao and En’en’s letter, there was a tacit admission of accepting feelings from the Moon Prince - one that would become superfluous as time passed and new details emerged. By that alone it was safe for En’en to speculate that the true meaning of what was said in the other letter pointed out to how she hadn’t meant nor wished to catch the eyes of a noble, as neither had the proposition of marriage ever appealed to her, but that circumstances (and something private of yet unknown identification) had led her to yield to the proposal she was offered.

They were briefed in about other matters, like how Luomen’s name had been restored in the La Clan, as was long due, so that he could come live with her at Lakan’s residence for a short while until the wedding. They would still see him in a weekly basis.

It wasn’t a goodbye, forasmuch the Palace was vaste, their roles would inevitably bring them on the same road, even by chance.

On Maomao’s part, it was destabilizing to abandon her routine and leave the job she was most proficient at without knowing if she’d make a return. In fact, ensuing the betrothal of the Imperial brother, Maomao had no choice but to turn her back to her old way of living in favour of starting a new life, one that’s to be expected for a nobleman’s soon-to-be wife.

Had she been a common court lady, Maomao could have simply been assigned a place in Jinshi’s house to compensate her raise of status as a concubine of the Imperial brother. Maomao wasn’t just a court lady, though: despite her persistent estrangement, she was a descendant of the La Clan, daughter of one of the higher-ranked minister of the Court.

To keep her name clean and shut rumors, the Emperor ordered that Maomao were to reside in her family residence during the fortnights preceding her wedding, which was the protocol followed by any young lady of her status expected to marry into a noble’s house. And because the same compromise had been advanced by Grand Master Lakan - after many lost argument and much wailing and snot - when Jinshi had formally asked her father(s) her hand in marriage, things set in motion quickly.

Lakan was an eccentric and bizzarre man with a sickly attachment to his only daughter, but his inborn intuition was a trait anyone with the right mind would envy (it being his only one). He had already noticed Jinshi and studied his closeness to his daughter and the honesty of his feelings but, in truth, what did it were the long, long talks with Luomen about his daughter.

But because Jinshi knew she couldn’t stand the thought of sharing an house with Lakan and Lahan, let alone put it into practice, he had suggested Luomen’s name to be restored in the Clan so that he could make a return with her. Maomao had all but silently pleaded him to accept— not that there had been the need to.

It had long widespread that she was the daughter of Grand Commandant Lakan, so no consequences of substance would follow— she was already paired with that old freak. Making it formal would perhaps aggravate her condition, making her an easier target to her father’s enemies.

But once her life-long bond with Jinshi was officially forged, her situation would only worsen, so might as well get used to it.

Five moons later, Jinshi paid a visit to the Lakan's household.

Upon his arrival, everyone stuttered in front of him to greet him, but his eyes drifted and inevitably halted on Maomao, erasing the world around them.

It was his first time visiting her since she'd been transferred away from the medical office and taken to the residence she now legally belonged to. She had abandoned the aoqun that she wore as a court lady, attired in a simple elegant robe, rich but plain fabric making her little curves known and enriching her natural beauty. Face washed of the usual marks and meekly enlivened with colour, she carried the elegance of a woman of good family.

"Moon Prince, may you stop ogling my precious daughter?" Lakan scowled with accountable restrain, catching Jinshi off guard.

"I apologize." He didn't even try to deny it, and bore a blush that gave it all away.

Maomao held herself from sighing, instead turned to briefly bow her head in salute to Basen, who accompanied him. He reciprocated with a visible flush matching his superior's.

The Moon Prince was directed to a pavilion outside, at the center of the flourishing gardens. He was invited to take a seat on the long benches at a table where food and tea were then offered. Maomao was discreet in trying it out for him once it was served.

Dozens of eunuchs and maidens who had followed him inside the Kan residence halted several steps of distance from the stairs and stood in clean lines, holding up trays and boxes of gifts. There were traditional ones and more local picks, a variety of delicacies and stuff.

Plates of Western and local wedding cakes, various candies, stashes of bottles of wine, food and meat of singular scents were lined up, chests of oranges and two pairs of dragon and phoenix candles, all as symbols of wealth, nobility and fertility, and as best wishes of luck. Following were multi-sized treasure troves consisting of an ending amount of jewellery, from silver and golden bangles to intricately patterned blings, from hairpins of various shape and dimension to clasps and crowns, combs and full sets of matching earrings and necklaces.

She couldn’t help but think how huge of a waste this was on her— except for the food and alcohol she could smell from there. Those were well accepted.

Maomao’s gaze skimmed over about anything, lingering pathetically on the wine— indulging the luster, wondering how much of a fortune she could make by selling those jewelleries. Some she had to keep, the gifts from the Empress Regnant she was expected to use during the wedding ceremony.

Others would make a fortune in the Pleasure District… No, new Maomao could not think in these terms anymore. Matters of wealth would not concern her no more, and if she behaved, maybe she could send something to the apothecary shop.

Jinshi’s so-called mother had been kind, but her gaze admitted not an ounce of sentiment as she was presented with a scenery that would have pleased about anyone. While disheartened, her gaze was also fairly vacant, see-through: in her mind played a variety of foreseen visions, ones her thoughts could not help but crawl to.

Indeed, while her family had received an unhealthy amount of gifts wrapped in fine silk and red fabric trimmed with golden - to which Lahan answered with a copious dowry she never knew she possessed - she had received permission from her future spouse and brother-in-law (the Emperor, she cringed) to build a greenhouse next to his residence to cultivate medical herbs, with the promise to steer away from poison.

To everybody’s ignorance, that was the real source of her joy.

Reading right through her with heartening simplicity, Jinshi smiled. Holding her gaze, he gestured one woman to come forth: she was carrying a tray with three small wooden boxes lined up on red golden-trimmed fabric. Jinshi picked up one of them, apparently random, lifted the cover and put the content for Maomao to scrutinize.

Like sunlight reflecting off the polished surface of pure metal, her eyes shone brightly as she picked it up, observing it closely with a smile of bizzarre width. Jinshi was smiling fondly, unshaken by the sudden rupture of personality like many others - many others were wondering whichever diamond and jewelry was contained in the box he’d picked up for her, and the same amount would gape wordlessly if they found out that what the woman was grinning upon was a branch of sharp, pointed leaves of rare specie.

Lakan looked indifferent, while the younger version of the eccentric, Lahan, was rubbing his hands together, unarguably beaming. His tone turned disgustingly honeyed when he glanced at the beauty in front of him.

“Anything I can do for you, Your Highness?”

Sipping at his tea, he lowered the cup and answered with a well-crafted smile. “If I may, I would like to enjoy the company of my betrothed for some time before retiring to my office.”

Maomao quirked an eyebrow; Lakan roared in disdain, but his complaints were cut off by the nephew. Lahan’s smile was quite stressful and disturbing to watch. “Of course! We may sit here if you’d like. The weather is very nice today.”

He took one, two steps forward. Maomao tried her hardest not to facepalm.

Jinshi smiled awkwardly, then cleared his throat, trying not to stutter. “I meant, alone. My attendant should suffice as a chaperone.” Not like they needed one, they’ve far-since broached the physical part of their relationship, Maomao reflected in the privacy of her mind.

Lahan’s body was stiff as marble, freezing and unfreezing in certain spots. Maomao nudged him on the side, and he methodically cleared his expression. “O-Oh, of course. As you wish, Your Highness! We’ll pass later again.”

No one asked!!

Seeing as Lakan wasn’t moving from his spot, face ruptured in unrestrained rage, Lahan asked a trusted man of theirs to help out. “Let us go, father. We shall sort out the Moon Prince’s gifts!”

With some efforts, Maomao and Jinshi were left alone. As soon as the coast cleared, Basen needn’t an order to turn around and offer them some privacy. He twisted his reddened face away as soon as Jinshi shamelessly looped an arm around her waist and pulled Maomao in his embrace, legs dangling off the side as she sat on his legs.

Maomao scowled at him, but he answered with a blinding smile; used as she was to his childish acts - and appreciating that he had waited until everyone was gone - she didn’t protest nor chase him away as she usually did. Still.

"Master Jinshi." she called, voice carrying a rebuke.

He pulled her closer, enough so he could lay his head against her shoulder, sighing wistfully once he had her. "Let me enjoy this."

The air was a little stuffed, so she decided to cease her scolding. Instead, Maomao settled with a gentle pet of his hair, which he seemed to appreciate.

“Has the case progressed?” Maomao couldn’t help but ask. Between her relocation from her dorm’s room and recent local events, she had had no chance to inquire with him before. Lahan had kept her informed about the minimal, with faint addition of details that only those in charge could know and swore secrecy on.

She knew that whereas Vice-Minister Chu’s execution was carried out two days ago, which must be what kept Jinshi up and about, Fu Chuanli had been executed as soon as his confession was signed, labelled as a lesser being, a criminal on the loose.

Lahan had found it important to tell her about the prince’s choice to spare the families of the convicted who had been threatened into submission by Fu Chuanli, who used money to bait those he could exploit to his own advantage. Their crime had been unforgivable to their own sort, but Jinshi saw to it that the families could be offered a second chance outside the Capital.

Jinshi let out a sigh, unsubtly saddened to be shoved in the face that her curiosity merely concerned work-related matters rather than personal ones.

“We hit a dead end, really.” Maomao looked up, surprised, “Vice-Minister Chu confessed on meeting someone in the West and receiving from him a dose of the foreign poison and antidote for testing. It would also seem that most of which he was accountable for was a second-hand advise of this other person.” he paused briefly, fingers curling around the loose strands cascading behind her back. “Rather than the real perpetrator, he was a pawn all along.”

“So it was just for testing…” she mused with a hand on her chin, fixing upon the most trivial fact. Recalling something, she gazed up at him, a question knitting her brow. “But how did he know about Joka?”

But Jinshi shook his head, denying any step forward on that matter. “It was yet another information shared by our mysterious man from the West. Neither he nor Fu Chuanli had much to offer about him though, so we’re putting someone to hunt for his scent, to leave no stone unturned.”

Maomao hummed, lowering her chin in thought. They could spend entire days wondering about a total stranger’s intention, but as long as they didn’t identify him or found a trace, it would be anything hardly more consistent than plain conjectures.

“… Did you interrogate them personally?” she slowed the pace of their conversation.

Jinshi’s face scrunched, any hope she wouldn’t learn of it quickly vanished. Begrudgingly, he couldn’t do much but nod his head. “I am in charge, being present was necessary.”

Maomao could only wonder what that implied. If Vice-Minister Chu had been tortured to grub up information, nothing Jinshi would have said to the guards carrying it out could have spared him from that treatment. Unless he spoke willingly, which he clearly didn’t do.

However high one’s pain tolerance was, Maomao knew that she would never withhold anything if she were in his position. It must have been a pretty raw sight, the exact place Jinshi would have never wished to stand in…

Maomao pulled away from him, looking him dead in the eyes. “You should have gotten me.” She said, firm yet with a softened tone.

“I could never take you to such a place.” he rebutted, eyebrows furrowing. There wasn’t much she could say to that, was there?

He had been grumbling quite childishly about this whole situation, pressing for answers and for a truth that kept eluding them as though someone from Heaven would listen and offer the answer to his every question. Maybe he was just venting, but Maomao wasn’t blind to his appearance.

She sighed, exasperated, but acquiesced. Instead, she looked up and let her finger run against the well-concealed blackness under his eyes, feeling the greasy powder meant to hide it, no doubt Suiren’s craft, "How is everything else?"

Satisfied that the matter was dropped, Jinshi’s head fell back against her shoulder, and before she knew it, her hands had returned to comb between his silky locks.

Voice muffled, he hummed. "Someone snuck an aphrodisiac in my tea for the third time this week."

Maomao flinched. Uh, I'm sorry. Those ladies were probably making one last desperate attempt before he got married. For this exact reason, access to his chambers was strictly limited, but they'd need to tighten controls on his office and any private hall, too.

"After these episodes we are short of maids. Suiren doesn’t trust easily and is quite strict in her teaching, but she can’t do everything on her own.” The fact that he was elaborating upon this problem usually meant that he wanted to consult her about it; and while it could easily be his deal, lately he had been using these moments with her to rant and loosen up, so she let him vent.

“At present, Suiren only lets Xiaolan enter my office and serve the food. She's quite efficient." at that Maomao smiled a bit proudly. Her old friend had been hired by Gaoshun to assist her before she was promoted as her lady-in-waiting. But because Maomao would eventually marry in and Suiren needed more help that her in her current home (if not, the company would have been most appreciated), they opted to let her serve Jinshi instead.

“Should you not consult Gaoshun about it, see if he has anyone he trusts?” The Ma Clan was efficient in every duty and area of competence; if they knew some unemployed maidens, these had more chances than average to be trustworthy and competent.

But Jinshi sighed, having already considered the idea. “I asked, but it might not solve much. The higher-ranked members of the Ma Clan are employed by the Emperor to guard the crown prince and the other imperial princes, so whoever he sends us might be as close to be a stranger as anyone else.”

So they are under-staffed, and because of you I presume, Maomao hummed in understanding, keeping the jab to herself. Gaoshun was the head of the noble Clan and served the Emperor directly, but he too had followed Jinshi for a short while; his wife helped Suiren in her duties while their sons were all aids to the Moon Prince, Maamei included, leaving distant relatives to handle His Majesty’s offspring.

Excluding them, Maomao did a quick check-up of all the female people she knew.

Jinshi tightened his hold, head raising from her neck, fingers twiddling her locks. “Anyhow, once we marry, you’ll become the new Madam of the residence, and some home duties will fall onto you. After you get used to it, Suiren will have less to worry about.”

She hummed in assertion. The lil chit chat appeared to have soothed him, so the conversation quietened.

Maomao still struggled to wrap her hand around the whole concept of her getting married. The idea of sharing everything she possessed - life, bed, body, home - with someone else was unfamiliar to her; she had long grown used (and attached) to her identity of simple street apothecary, ignored and looked down upon by everyone; she wasn’t used to the wealth and money, the embroidered clothes and heavy hairpins, the attention—

It took a huge effort on her part, but she knew she would be compensated once she officially entered Jinshi’s residence; she felt starry-eyed at the sole thought of all the exotic herbs and items she could covertly work on in there!

Well, perhaps not much considering the careful thoughts that went behind her position, but Jinshi had promised to keep her entertained, and she knew he could close an eye as long as she did so in all safety.

Chapter Text

In any Empire, from past to present, peace was the mere facade of a complex picture; by breaking the current balance, they risked liting a flame they wanted to inhibit.

If Jinshi was to marry the daughter of a high minister who embodied the leadership of the neutral faction in Court, it might spur agitation and encourage the faction capitalized by the Empress Dowager to make hasty arrangements to prevail. Hence why this matter was to be treated with sensitivity if they wished to maintain the nation’s status quo.

Indeed, the to-be wedding did not delay to become the main topic of concern of the nearest Court assembly following the betrothal. Up until the latest session, the partecipants frequently brought up their opinion to seek a good consort for the Imperial brother for the stated purpose of assuring more heirs to the throne. Many names had been mentioned, but as long as it was a member of the royal family, no one had the power to impose a partnership that said nobleman did not consent to - unless so ordered by the sovereign.

But if it gathered a crowd, a persistent and unwarranted refusal had every potential to generate friction and pressure the Emperor to reconsider: if a part of the Court became disquiet with how policy was handled, clashes of factions were sure to emerge. Hints of rebukes were the first step to a downfall.

“This young lady has not received proper education and is a child conceived out of wedlock. Even if her kinship with Grand Commandant Lakan does make her qualified to marry a nobleman, proceeding with it might throw off the precarious balance of the Court.” a man on his fifty joined his trembling arms front, outwardly expressing his reasons for reluctance. He had done his homeworks, it seemed. “Surely there are plenty young ladies more suitable for the role.”

Fists tucked on his lap, Jinshi’s hands tightened with strength, unleashing the anger he was not permitted to exhibit properly on his face.

In these years, a myriad of majestic banquet and balls have been organized with this specific purpose without skimping on costs, but Jinshi’s eyes and devotion have only ever belonged to his apothecary. There was an entire Empire of nobles and high-ranked families with daughters to flaunt that would be most pleased if their child became concubine or consort to an imperial prince. The ladies themselves would never find displeasure with someone of Jinshi’s status and beauty, either.

But Jinshi would rather burn both of his cheeks in public and bear the shame than marry or welcome into his bed anyone that wasn’t Maomao.

“Allow me a word.” Lahan separated from the rows of officials, luring the eyes of the two imperial brothers. His attention, however, quickly turned to said middle-aged man with fair amusement. His business face was in full power. “However conceived out of wedlock, after my esteemed father’s wedding to her natural mother, Maomao has become a legitimate child. As for your concern, my adopted sister’s upbringing and aptness to the role of Princess Consort do indeed raise concern. After all, she owns numbers that pale in comparison to those of His Highness.”

Jinshi’s nose wrinkled in the shape of a complain he never voiced out loud. After the solitary snorts around the room, Lahan finely cleared his voice. “But the Moon Prince himself does not seem to mind it much, so she is at least familiar with manners. Moreover, she might lack the education commonly imparted to ladies of good family, but she makes up for it with a keen mind and exceptional skills. She possesses a strong sense of justice and does not harbor ill intentions. I believe these to be the perfect traits for the delicate role of Princess Consort.”

Behind his perfect mask, Jinshi was quick to blink the smidge of surprise out of his eyes.

“Indeed. I heard she has saved the lives of Princess Ringli and of High Consort Liuha. She has also not hesitated to put her life on the line when the poisoning of His Highness occurred.” This was said from a man standing on the left of the Emperor, where many officials supporting the Empress Dowager and his son usually crowded to. ”Just out of gratitude alone—”

“Just out of gratitude, we should offer our Imperial prince in retaliation!? Had we done this with every medic that has assisted the royal family through the years, wouldn’t we have run out of princesses then?” some people snorted at this man’s words, but silence dawned upon their heads with dashing speed, the ever-present eyes and ears of the Emperor preventing anyone from displaying harsher words or excessive tones.

Jinshi couldn’t stand Court assembly— one of the many, many obligations that elicited his enmity for the inheritance of the position. He particularly despised when he was invited to attend because outwardly mentioned, his life a public betting and mere topic of discussion. Even less one were bad things were spoken about Maomao and he could not yield to his childish roars of love: he was currently in the guise of the Imperial brother, and could not parade as the lover of Maomao.

He was not the Jinshi that laid under these heavy pristine robes that he despised so much and fretted to permanently rid of as soon as possible. He could only remain quiet and watch these grown men bicker with one another like old ladies mocking one another as they whispered of rumors and gossip. He was awre that if he said anything or reproached them for their accusations, they would scowl at him for being biased and speaking up for his wife.

“I dare not speak for His Highness, but the one with Grand Commandant Lakan’s daughter is an union of love requested by himself.” was stated by Lahan, who stood his ground despite the severe gap of age with the other ministers and officials. “As for other concerns, while it is true that domestic and politic affairs do indeed align at times, they remain two different layers of society. The matter of politic won’t change.”

He wished to give a tone of reassurance, but his words would hardly suffice to quench the scare and audacious ideas of the officials, who knew how devotedly Lakan acted toward his daughter.

“How naive! No matter if it is love the hand that made the match, a male born from the Moon Prince would certainly stir unsavory actions, especially if by the womb of a woman who has the support of the Grand Commandant!”

He was wordy, but what he was not so subtly implying was: who’s to say the opposite faction won’t grow undersight, and that the neutral will not claim the chance to join the most advantaged group - the one captained by the Empress Dowager - to secure the throne for their Imperial prince?

Some people dismissed the fact that Lakan had not only no care for politic - making his role and weight in Court a burden for others who worked at his stead -, but that he had been the major supporter of the current Emperor’s rise in power when he was but a young prince who stood against the Empress Regnant. But Lahan could certainly not emphasize that matter before the Emperor, so he kept quiet.

People listened with attentive and apprehensive sour looks.

“Your concerns are licit, but our priority should be to secure more heirs. The princes are too young, and our nation has witnessed multiple times how feeble a life can be.” he trailed off, his implications loud and clear— the several children perished before coming of age, like Ah Duo and Consort Lihua’s firstborns.

A loud murmur stemmed from the crowd. “There are two princes of tender age, and of four upper consorts High Consort Lihua is the only one left. Is it not worth being a primal concern?”

A snarl was heard next. “Aren’t you daring!? You speak as though our esteemed sovereign is not present!”

The man recoiled, face paling as he put himself on track. “O-Of course not! My worry always goes to the peace of our nation and to His Majesty, whose sons are of little numbers.” Jinshi nodded mentally. There are not enough male heirs and those they have are too little and haven’t come of age, was what he wanted to say.

A scowling man with crossed arms levelled him a cold look. “Then perhaps expect more heirs from the Emperor, instead of harboring questionable intentions toward the Moon Prince’s future offspring.”

A growl. “You—”

Before any voice could interlace theirs, the one whose words came straight from Heaven declared from above, “I am displeased that my performance has left you so unsatisfied.” some people - like Maomao, if she’d been present - could have lingered on the sarcasm of this man’s words, but most did not. The officials and ministers recoiled, some with composure and some other with fear.

“As for the daughter of Grand Commandant Lakan, I receive your disquiet.” if anyone had sat close to Jinshi, they wouldn’t have missed the furious hammering against his chest. The voice of the Emperor rung loudly across the room, blood-soaked eyes cutting straight through the crowd, dispersing the grief and upset. “However, the matter of the Moon Prince’s betrothal shall not be discussed any longer. Proper arrangements have already been made, and an edict has been proclaimed. We shall concern ourselves with ranking offspring from the Moon Prince only once they come about.”

When the Emperor insisted on the conclusion of a debate, no one could contradict him— unless it was for a validly urgent matter in need of addressing. But nothing of that sort emerged, and the Court was at once dismissed.

“So that’s what happened.”

Without mulling it over, he concluded the brief summary of today’s Court assembly. He did so with a touch of urgency, giving himself the favour of staring lengthily at his betrothed as she enthusiastically disposed of her daily clothes and slipped inside the nightgown Suiren fetched for her - all under his careful scrutiny.

Indeed, the chances to see one another now that their betrothal was public and stragers’ eyes were fixed on them had decreased, especially now that she lived at her biological father’s house.

From what little he had grasped of her current situation, it was Lahan, her sort of adoptive brother, who helped her sneak out of the residence without being noticed, keeping Lakan at arm’s length from the girl when most needed. Was he doing her a favour, or was he doing this for his own self-interest? Whichever way, Jinshi would make sure to compensate him as much (maybe that was indeed his goal, as the young prince had indeed noticed the odd glow and mischevious twist of lips on that man’s face in his presence).

But his thoughts were quickly dispelled by the shuffle of hands fumbling with clothes and a soft breath. Resuming his active staring, Jinshi was firm in his convinction that he would never tire of watching her, of anointing through his eyes the barest version of her, of shaping and engraving into his head the silhouette of her slim and well-proportioned body. Although, the most intriguing parts remained deliberately off sight, an hint of curves and supple skin under flimsy scraps of fabric— somehow making it more enticing, like a gift to unwrap.

“Well, can’t exactly blame them for worrying.” Maomao mused, skirt pooling around her legs and to the floor before she collected it. “Most people ignore your disinterest for His Majesty’s position. Some of them are bound to entertain the idea of you as regent. After all, you were appointed as crown prince until recently.” And imagine what they’d do if they were to learn that the survived Imperial brother was veritably son of the Emperor and true successor to the throne.

The solution was quite obviously to make herself known as a supporter of Empress Gyokuyou and to keep her distance from all ministers and officials of Court so to leave as little ground for claims, as well as to postpone the conception of an heir as much as possible. Even if considered to be of perfect age for child-making, they were still young, too young to become parents right away.

Excluded from Maomao’s thoughts, Jinshi let out a drawn-out exhale of exasperation. “For your sake I won’t entertain the idea, but I wonder still how many wounds I would require to make them deter and leave me be.”

A slapping noise echoed across the quiet room when Maomao roughly cupped his cheeks between her palms, staring ardently at him. “I will burn you myself if you do it one more time.”

Jinshi winced, but his lips broke into a dazzling smile. He cupped her hands tenderly with his and nuzzled against the touch, like a child. “Worry not. I would never willingly put you through that again.”

Fool. Was her mental wellfare the only reason he wouldn’t dare?, Maomao released him and reached for the folded nightgown, scrutinizing it with a frown before draping it across her shoulders. Of course, Suiren would never pick a normal one.

Jinshi drank her in, but kept himself composed as he elaborted upon the matter he’d introduced.

“Some people are concerned about the maintenance of the current status quo in the Court. Particularly from those known to belong to Empress Gyokuyou’s faction, there’s apprehension about forming an union between the royal family and a representative of the military. More so if the family of the betrothed poses at the top of the neutral faction.”

Unfortunately for them, there would always be people who didn’t agree, and some who would take their unsatisfaction to the extreeme, however the matter was presented. It wasn’t correct to insist on it being an union desired by the Imperial brother in the face of genuine affection, for Jinshi’s insistence to marry the princess of the La Clan might be maliciously interpreted as him being ill-intentioned and aspiring to the throne.

On the opposite sense, officials had pressured the Emperor to find him a consort for heir-making, for a multitude of reasons. A good portion supported his marriage with Maomao because of her kinship: this way he would be bound to a neutral faction, keeping him at a distance from worrysome individuals and displeased scheming.

Truly, politic was excruciating.

Her eyes rolled against her will. “As I said, it’s understandable. But no matter who you end up marrying, some people are bound to remain unsatisfied and raise excuses to justify their opinions and actions.”

Jinshi’s lips tilted, expression suddenly coated with amusement. “’Excuses’, uhh? You sound like you are eager to marry me.” Maomao’s back was facing him, so any reaction would have unfortunately gone unnoticed. Despite his delighted expression and content humming, she did not give it much weight.

Instead, as she tucked her arms inside the sleeves and fastened her sash, Maomao took a look behind her in direction of the bed, sporting furrowed brows. “Women are supposed to steer away from Court’s topics. Can you even tell me these things?”

Jinshi grinned brightly. ”Doors are shut for a reason.”

Maomao levelled him with a glare that signified she was barely abstaining from resorting to insults. “So not because I’m changing…?” she half-mocked, half-humored, but Jinshi couldn’t rebuke, jumping with a bit of excitement as she finally easied down next to him across the white expanse of bedsheets, skin fleetingly brushing skin. “Or maybe, to hamper any nocturnal howl from eluding these tiny, tiny walls.”

Chapter Text

The skin glistened under the dim light of the candles, compensating the scarce sunlight of the late evening. Yet, this man's palms were overly clammy, robes glued uncomfortably like adhesives to the body.

Once the plates of the royals were emptied, the food was served to his table, following the same procedure for every other guest taking part at tonight’s dinner.

The eyes of the man shifted unevenly between his own bowl of soup and the similar portion served to a table at the opposite row, to a lady with a soft tan and piercing blue eyes. This one picked her spoon up with elegance, tucking it between her slim fingers and gathering some broth on the oval to bring to her lips.

His heart lodged on his throat throughout the action, and even halted its deranged course for a millisecond when the implement halted at the base of her rouged lip. Relief clouded his sight in dots of white when the content made it beyond them and past her mouth with a short gulp.

No fear or abrupt change of demeanor alerted him of her suspicion. The woman only reached for her napkin to tap in sequence at the little drops of broth on her lips, then resumed eating, alternating her spoons with sips of water.

With a stifled sigh of relief, the man lowered his eyes to his own patch of food, and took a few mouthful of his cold soup.

Halfway in, something tugged at his chest, remnants of the previous feeling of nervousness that had yet to dissipate, and which he found himself indulging. After an inconspicious glimpse, his face - which had been calmer and smoother than any other moment of this dinner - broke in a sweat and lost all its colour, a face of horror that paired well with the icy-blue depth that was stabbing him from a distance.

And alongside it, painted in red powder, an all-too-knowing, supercilious grin.

A word from the host and most guests were dismissed and allowed to return to their house, retiring with haste as the night settled in, all drowsy heads chasing sleep and rest.

This particular man had been amongst the fastest to exit the banquet hall, running ahead and away from a ghostly presence. His face was still twisted in fear, bone-deep shivers rendering him breathless, eyes so wide to induce concern and dread on whoever happened to bump into him.

Then, he bumped onto something. A wall. No, not quite, it was—

“Why the haste?” a foxy-eyed, smiling face asked, and the man was about to stand up and ask for forgiveness before recognition hit him full force.

With his intimidating height, Lahan stared the man down.

“You poison my dear sister and think you can get away with it!? Uh uh,” he punctuated with a shake of his head, lips pursed in an eerie grin, “you must be simply bored with your life.”

At the first signal, two guards lifted him up and a third punched him directly on the stomach, shattering his voice when it stuttered out of his mouth. The entire content of his stomach was emptied at his feet, his robes getting throughout soaked in it when he precipitated to the ground.

“Didn’t I ask you specifically to not restore to violence?”

Accompanied by rustle of clothes, the girl he’d been keeping under watch the whole night came out beside him from the shadows, like a newborn creature of the night. Jumping up, his eyes glued to her figure, trembling head to toe.

Lahan pulled up a scowl, regarding the new arrival with a dissatisfied look. “He will be sentenced to death anyway, he can not be spared that.”

Judging by the frown on her face, the girl didn’t appear overly pleased with the to-be sentence, but she was mute and silently condescending (little did this man know how many times a similar scene had occurred).

Then, Lahan’s eyes returned to the mouse at his feet. “Well well, aren’t you from the Empress’ faction? Should I try and guess what foolishness pushed you to poison the soon-to-be Princess Consort of the Moon Prince?”

Every part of his body hurt as he stood there, harmless to these men. They must have understood he was in no condition to attempt anything that would make him worth being considered a threat, for they let him trash on the soil like he was some dirty worm.

Gritting his teeth together he spoke some lines through the pain and fear. “H-His Majesty sacrificed ‘lot— to establish peace. I-If she marries the Moon Prince… if he were to usurp the thron—”

Lahan cut him off with a big roll of his eyes and an unamused laughter. “The usual prettle indeed.” A brisk smile replaced the previous scowl when he turned to her for consultation. “So? What shall we do?”

Unexpectedly, Maomao turned away, her face a clean show of impassiveness. “I don’t want to know. But be sure to spare the lives of his family.”

As if he would listen to her anyway!

She had already turned away, but even if she hadn’t, she wouldn’t have cared for the pitiful look of surprise that caught the man’s eyes at her words, nor for the tears he shed afterwards.

“Uhh, what kindness…” her cousin scoffed, teasingly but disinterested in the whole. Then, his brow lifted in an arch and his head tilted in her direction, curiosity besting him. “I do have a question, though. How did you identify him so swiftly among everyone else?

Maomao eyes were sharp, but there was an overall feeling of boredom that she seemed to feel particularly in the presence of this other man. “If someone ogles you while you eat rather than indulging his own stomach like everybody else, won’t it strike your eye?”

Making an humming noise, he nodded in understanding. Briefly after, the guards were commanded to leave, dragging the man alongside to arrest him, his destiny inevitably sealed. Unfortunately, it wasn’t something Maomao could have any say in, so she tried to move as fast as she could from the conversation and resume her daily life.

Once they were left alone, Lahan gazed at her, expression tinged with both confusion and uneasiness, a question knitting his razor-thin brows.

“Hey, sister.”

Her brow perched up. “What now?”

“You did eject the poison, right?”

The artificial air of the hall, replete with intense incense and thick-scented perfumes, abandoned his lungs as he cleared them with light, fresh air.

Jinshi was indeed relieved that the ceremony was concluded and that he could finally slip away from the assembly of keen men and audacious women surrounding him, out of the stuffed hall. He was eager to return home, but here he was still, looking for his betrothed whom had mysteriously disappeared. She was nowhere to be found.

He dived with Basen in the nearby gardens, turned and turned, growing uneasy and anxious at every whip of hair, until he caught the silhouettes of two dark-shaped figures on the far distance.

He paced toward them despite Basen’s warning, and when recognition touched his face, there was a prominent scowl on clear sight. "What’s going on?"

It was indeed Maomao, accompanied by none others than Lahan.

She was holding her stomach as though she was in pain, or aching. Her hair tousled like she'd just vomited, breath a note too fast and heavy, but she still held herself upright, face extremely level-headed. In her hand was an empty glass of water.

"Someone poisoned my food at the banquet.” His eyes snapped open, wide with shock and rage. She waved away with her hand. “Worry not, I’m fine."

“Pois—” Jinshi stuttered, and his face hardened instantly. She hadn’t lamented anything during the banquet, but she was acting as though she’d known all along of the presence of toxins in her food. And you ate it still, knowing it was poisoned!?, he wanted to shout, but opted to change the wording to avoid scornful answers from her.

“Why did you not say anything just now?” he rebuked, “The Emperor—"

"Would have surely stopped to drag out of hiding whoever was responsible, and probably have them killed to make an example out of who defies the royal family." Maomao stated with a staggering amount of composure. She looked unimpressed, without so much as a stumble in her voice.

Maomao didn't want to be accounted directly responsible for a stupid girl's mistake, otherwise who knew how many furious fathers she would later find banging at her door to drag her from her hair; who knew how many officials had been let down by His Highness' poor taste for a wife. "The pestering, however, would have only intensified if they saw me as someone who directly benefits from the Emperor's favour. I never planned to keep you in the dark, but I deemed it unnecessary to stop an entire celebration over someone's petty misstep."

"A petty misstep!?" Jinshi parroted, voice rising from its typical pitch. He couldn’t believe his ears; this girl never failed to amaze him in the best and worst of ways, but this once—

Lahan made a snorting sound to gather their attention, effectively cutting off Jinshi’s thoughts - and reminding him of such things like propriety and politeness. That, at least, before he heard him out.

"Please, Your Highness, do be harsh on Maomao. She’s endured a lot, but won’t speak up. I am sure that tonight’s perpetrator is also behind the zoo feasting on our gardens." Lahan commented guilessly, touching his glasses. Maomao's expression petrified at the same instant as Jinshi's face flinched with a shady confusion in the tint of alarm.

He screwed his eyebrows, "What may you be speaking of?"

More so than the tightening of his face, his body language was prominent: his voice lowered severely, and he straightened his posture and lifted his chin in a dexterous exhibition of his status.

Lahan’s face froze in a mockery of horror— Maomao could almost bet he spoke imprudently on purpose. His only genuine reaction toward the Imperial brother were the wild flush of stupor and hard flinch, which Maomao quickly disregarded not to entertain that line of thoughts.

"Uhh, my dear sister did not inform you?" she leveled him a glare, but he remained unfazed. "Lately our residence has been infested by snakes and bugs. The servants check the gardens daily for such creatures and their offspring, so it's impossible for them to arrive from there."

Like the protagonist of a perfomance, he made a show out of himself, making a show out of wiping fake tears from his dry eyes. "She even got bit once to protect her older brother!"

He feigned hurt as he spoke freely, boldly unrestrained, and although he was measuring his every word to draw Jinshi’s anger further up the hill and watch him unravel, he couldn’t know exactly what would the last drop be.

Jinshi’s eyes tightened violently, further contorting his already outraged expression at the person before him. "And you didn't deem it appropriate to inform me?"

Despite her visible dissatisfaction with Lahan, Maomao’s composure remained untarnished. "It wasn't necessary. It's probably just some girl's shabby prank to scare me off." she asserted matter-of-factly.

Obviously, after the engagement was announced, Maomao had become the target of heinous ladies’ envy and of their fruitless moaning. Among the rumors of the common folk rose the boldest speculations that she’d done something uncouth while stuck inside Jinshi’s chamber to coerce a marriage proposal out of His Highness, who was too compassionate to condemn his saviour instead of condemning her.

She had, in their gnarly heads, taken advantage of him while he slept.

Maomao’s upbringing had been an hell on itself, surrounded by the duality of beauty and horror of the world, thus familiar with the sight of squandered bodies lining the street’s side, of flesh charred in the name of vengeance or personal interests… But even in her accustomed mouth the concept had left a foul aftertaste.

Formal events of the likes were a trial by fire, as they put her life at stake unlike when she was in the same confinement of her home— even before marrying one, she’d become a noble in everything that counted: the boundless risks tied down to her identity like a rope around her neck.

"Prank?” but Jinshi could not stand the thought of someone attempting to harm her, even though it was as natural a consequence as conceiving was to intercourse. “Why do you justify them still!? They tried to poison you tonight!" He raised his voice to such a level that Lahan flinched, appalled to see the Moon Prince act so haphazard, but Maomao showed no such tremor.

"It was just a lassative." She found it important to correct, glaring harshly when she saw him snap his mouth to counteract about the meaninglessness of her rectification. In the meantime, Lahan was quietly listening to every word that was exchanged with a poorly concealed sly grin on his lips. At some point, Jinshi regarded him with a flat stare that made him sit on edge, and Maomao sigh bored.

Some of the tension eased out of his posture.

“Lahan.”

Lahan’s eyes glistened. “Yes, Your Highness?”

“Leave us.”

Open objection jumped in his widened eyes. “Your Highness, you and my sister have yet to marry. As she is unchaperoned, it would be unfit—”

“Leave us. You too, Basen.” his voice left no room for protest. “It’s an order.” There was no discussing the word of a noble, much less an explicitly-stated demand of obedience.

Indeed, the two men relented and bowed. “As you wish.”

When the noises of his scrunching boots finally died down the aisle, meaning the two had been left alone, Jinshi’s anger burst into a scornful sigh. The diversion managed to quell his mounting emotions and push him to place reason above anything else to keep himself from exploding.

When the time came, Maomao rerouted their discussion with a wistful sigh, and carefully selected her next words. "Your Highness. Can I trust that you had at the very least considered that someone of your league being married off wouldn't have been accepted so easily?"

She had an eyebrow lifted in a half-severe, half-mocking manner, and in the face of such considerations, Jinshi's anger faded considerably as if slithering off sight on ice. He looked caught off guard for a startling moment, but then something else blinked in the wideness of his beautiful eyes: sadness.

He was looking repentant, carrying a vulnerability that cracked her reason. “I just wish you would confide in me more, and trust that I can protect you.” Maomao thought she heard hurt in his voice just now.

Under her detachment, hidden in her countenance and tugging at her eyes, she was surprised to find something else. Curiously, listening to this voice, she couldn’t help but draw nearer to graze his scarred cheek, her own voice softened. "I do trust your words and noble intentions. But whether it's green-eyed women lusting for you or distrustful men who think of me as a pawn, I am impotent to stop both, and so are you."

Against her touch, Jinshi jolted a bit, but then sighed wistfully. He still looked rather contrite, but most of the hurt had left his eyes, at least. “I’m just… sorry for causing this.”

Something about the way in which the moonlight decided to peek out of the clouds at that exact moment to reflect off his jewelries and skin pallor made her feel raptured. The self-directed discontent in his tone dug deep, his face outwardly exhibiting it. Maomao’s lips shifted in the resemblance of a grimace.

“Jinshi-sama.” she called, face tightened, a recovered apathy in her demeanor. “Isn’t it late for that? You should have considered resentment before doing this.” she marked her words with a light poke on his left flank.

The expression on Jinshi’s face aggravated, appalled, with a sudden burst of hurt.

“For nothing in the world would I ever regret marrying you!” He couldn’t help a scowl, though he meant no anger toward her, but at the would-be insinuations of her statement. But then, progressing in his line of thoughts, something in his eyes gave and softened. “However, this is not the kind of life I wish to give you.”

“And what may that be, if I can ask?” Surely he hadn’t deceived himself to believe he had the capacity to hide and shelter her away from everything mean in this world.

Despite the struggle for embarrassment in his eyes, no hesitation interfered with his resolution. “Freedom, stability, protection, and…” his cheeks changed tone, withholding the same tenderness as his eyes; his teeth chewed on his lower lip in an instant of bashfulness. Maomao believed he looked tremendously alluring like that. “… happiness, I would hope.”

Maomao regarded him lengthily with a deliberate look, and Jinshi dared a step in her direction. The absence of a discernible rebuff prompted a second one. “I have already explained as much, but if you need me repeating it, I will not hold back.”

Then, he pulled forward to a distance which allowed him to capture her hands in his own. “I’m laying out my feelings for you. I am ready and most willing to push to no boundaries to satisfy your every request and desire.” Maomao forced her neck to crane upwards, and he took the chance to caress the side of her cheek with a smile unquestionably sincere. “I trust your demands will not exceed my clout.”

It wasn’t so unheard of of parents that would press their daughters to strive for a higher-ranked partner so to climb the social rank. A vast majority of women were not quite capable, either, to sheathe their greed and gluttony: some could be so ambitious to the extent of fruitlessly tempting him into strengthening his position in the line of succession to the throne— a title of birth that didn’t relate to him in the slightest manner though he had better chance at it, but which lured people like moths to a flame.

It wasn’t easy task to find one of his own specie, so to say, but to his luck, this disinterestedness for materialistic wealth, for influence and power was wholeheartedly shared by Maomao.

The most audacious Maomao could achieve would be squandering his financial resources to buy stocks of rare and exotic herbs to an amount that would cause his residence to stink of medicines. She was too insightful and cautious for anything more, and if worst came to worst, he would gladly lay his bare body for everyone to see, and make himself a commoner. No harm would ever come to her as long as he was around, if she’d allow him.

“Are you thinking something displeasing?” Maomao jabbed suddenly, eyes pressed in a light scowl. Giggling to his heart content, Jinshi drew himself in, intoxicated.

One of his arms sneaked unsubtly behind her back and spread against her hollowed curves, causing an unsilenced flinch that made him hum delighted. His index brushed her lips, lingering. “The most displeasing thought I ever had about you was bedding you prematurely,” a meek blush coloured his cheeks, expression that of a child, “but I would have never eluded taking responsibility. And if I remember correctly, it was you who insisted upon it.”

They had been teasing each other like this for a long time, even before developing the two-sided relationship they currently have. Years back, there had been that sinful kiss they had shared beneath the watchful eyes of a starlit sky, just outside the ball hall hosted for Jinshi in occasion of their first visit at the Western Capital - and it had been somewhat of a mockery, since the event had been used by wealthy men to present well-educated ladies they shared a kinship with to His Highness with the prospect of marriage.

He had sized her up almost as soon as they’d met through the occasional chances they got to work together while she was made a lady-in-waiting to now-Empress Gyokuyou, he knew that this sort of speech wouldn’t faze her - someone whose upbringing had been in the most successful brothel of the pleasure district. And yet, Maomao’s eyes glinted with playful mischief, sparking a lustful look of his own.

“I thought you were a patient man.” she parroted, the challenge in her eyes brisk and vivacious. “You think with your male genital. I wonder what makes you apart from the rest of the male population.”

It was always like this: Maomao didn’t know how to express her feelings explicitly, or maybe willingly chose to, at times, so whenever she entertained Jinshi’s words like this, namely without dismissing him in haste, it was to get some sort of reaction out of him.

At her provocative words, Jinshi let a charming grin surface to match her own expression. “Outside for my beauty?”

She scowled, not noiselessly. “Of course, Your Highness.” He pursed his lips, a reaction she’d expected and most surely expected, and she felt the triumphant stirrings at her chest. “So nothing’s coming to mind? Surely your beauty is not the only skill you have to flaunt.”

“Much does, I assure you.” she lifted her eyebrows at the prospect, clearly expecting him to enumerate some. He felt the intensity of her deep-blue stare, and shrunk a bit in himself - the playfulness floated still, but his eyes swelled with tenderness.

“For once, I hardly believe any other man could handle such a one-of-a-kind woman as their wife.” he munched on his words, sincere… but still ineffective. It was never a challenge for him, because if he started to see it as one, he’s afraid he’d crumble in her hold long before he’d find a suitable response, and he wasn’t ashamed to admit he lacked the courage to put it into practice.

Maomao never broke eye-contact even as his face drew nearer, nor did she cease the blade-sharp look she was flatly giving him. “Flattery is a most common - and ridiculous, may I add - trait of men. Try again.”

Jinshi pursed his lips as though in deep thought, but when he came out with nothing, he didn’t seem too reluctant to surrender and grant her victory. “You win, I can’t think of anything interesting about me.”

With a look to the side - which Maomao caught herself following in a daze - he pushed them both to the side to a bench covered by trees’ curtains, and in a bunch of milliseconds she found herself resting upon a most large and warm seat: Jinshi’s lap.

Maomao shifted uncomfortably, pushing against his chest. “Jinshi-sama, if anyone were to walk in on us—”

“Nothing would happen, as we are to wed in less than a fortnight.” he rectified, and despite her insistence, she already knew he could easily thwart her efforts and render her struggles futile, and that she could never break free unless he allowed it. Which wasn’t the case now.

“Stop wriggling.” He scowled.

Maomao sighed exasperatingly. “I would if you would just let go of me.”

But his answer was to tighten the vice-like grip he had on her, drawing her even closer. “If you want to leave, you must count on your strength alone. Because I won’t let you.”

She couldn’t believe her ears. How could such a childish man be the Imperial brother!? “That is vile. You are much too muscular to shake away!”

After she uttered those words, his expression shifted and he let out a short-breathed snort, amusement coating his tone. Against what he guessed was her honest intention, his chest burned at the foolish swell of pride brought on by her unintentional compliment.

“’Much too muscular’, you say?”

Jinshi’s grin reflected the beaming light upon their heads. Drops of moonlight wet his porcelain skin, exciting a charming gleam all across his softly-shaped face. There was something simultaneously celestial and sinful about the aura he was emitting, and Maomao - who was never affected by his seductive sparkling and morning’s sex appeal - found herself mysteriously drawn in.

In the blink of an eye, positions were switched, and she found her back pressed to the bench. A starved beast hoovered above her, shivers consumed her.

Her palm dug against his pectorals. “Jinshi-sama…”

“Is that something you would define as interesting?” she’d met that unctuous expression before, and now that their faces were so close she could feel the added sweetness to his breath. Was he drunk? He’d conducted himself just fine around Lahan, why now—

“Muscles are one of many profits of sword training. Although I’m said I’m only decent-sized,” her face scrunched, and he snickered successfully albeit with abandon, like it never was his real intention even though he had been hoping for a reaction, “I did develop a strong stamina from my workouts. I believe I showed you plenty.”

After a beat of drawn-out silence considering his inebriated state, Maomao sighed, unimpressed. The released air hit Jinshi’s skin directly, warming his cheek. “You’re feeding meat to an herbivore, I fear.”

There was no laughter, this once. Instead, a terrifying look stemmed off Jinshi’s curved lips, eyes as dark as the shape-shifting shadows of the night, with the moonlight shifting deliberately to highlight his enticing smile as though they were a paid actor of the stage that was this man.

Any other woman at her place - pushed on the bench by an healthy nobleman of insane beauty, his legs trapping her like bars a caged bird - would have swooned already; but Maomao found herself in that situation precisely because she did not fit in that category. And he needed to pursue more desperate and wild measures.

He seemed amused, but there was a soft glint in the levitating eyes that stared at her so languidly. Maomao didn’t know what to make of it, so she shut down her thoughts and observed him.

“I know.”

Nipping in the bud her next sentence, Jinshi’s face descended upon hers. Her lips were incredibly soft against his, though reluctant, but soon proved not to be enough. When he pressed his tongue in the sweet heat of hers, Maomao opened to the intrusion with a tug of her own, twisting his lapels for better leverage against his mouth, but before they could get deeper into it, something caught her attention and she began twisting under him.

She gradually pounded against his chest, her eyes growing vigilant while his were fiercely shut. Eventually, their lips parted; a shimmering thread connected their wetness until she erased the slim remnants of it. Maomao exhaled acutely when she tasted air again, like coming back to the surface after a deep dive.

“Are you— Have you lost your mind?” And had she, too!?

She brought her hand up to wipe her mouth from their mingled saliva, glaring at him with a deepening flush.

Meanwhile, a curtain had fallen over Jinshi’s face, maskering his eyes with a bottomless lasciviousness. His heart pounded wildly in his ribcage, breath catching repetitively in his throat. The voice that came out of her mouth, calling out to him with disdain and a defiant cry to stop, was intoxicating, more efficient than the wine running in his system and than any aphrodisiac Jinshi ever unwillingly consumed.

“Jinshi-sama—”

Something in him throbbed, tempting him into plunging right back inside her open mouth. This time, however, he was met with more resistance. He groaned unhappily, probing her mouth open with a gentle nibble on her lower lip. Since their betrothal, they were forced apart to preserve modesty and conduct the to-be marriage as the manuals of etiquette and countless rules requested— which was too long a time, if you asked Jinshi, and he couldn’t find it in himself to resist the tempting voice at the front of his mind.

“Ji—” her palms pushed him, sometimes relenting with a shake when his tongue slid so perfectly against her, “st—a mom—” She was trying to speak, but he sucked every word straight off the tip of her tongue, unfazed by their weight when they slipped on his own, slithering down forgotten. It seemed he'd managed to gather as much technique from their previous lewd activities, and maybe, just maybe, Maomao resented herself from showing off as much.

Seeing as he wasn’t listening, she kept trying to lock her lips to keep him from intruding her mouth.

Growling frustratingly at her opposition, he pushed her against his chest and off the bench’s cold surface. Then, one finger twisted to trace the length of Maomao's back, causing an unexpected stimulation that pried her mouth open in shock. Like he had been aiming for just that, Jinshi's tongue slipped in, and he hummed victoriously.

The sly little bastard!

Jinshi cupped her cheek next, soft and tender as if to apologize.

It was something beyond him. Once he started kissing her to tease, it became impossibile to stop. Every brush of lips and exchange of hot air thrust heat straight into his core, feeding the fire endlessly; pulling himself away from her became harder and harder, like stripping bare in the middle of a blizzard.

When he finally gave in to her desire and recoiled, putting distance between their panting lips, the air around them had gone from cold to madden hot. His chest was tight, breath heavy.

“Wha-What came over you!?” she spat, scornful, flushed, and terribly aroused. “We are in the Gardens, anyone could see us.” Even worse, she was confident she’d heard the approach of crawling feet during their lovemaking. She also strongly doubted that Lahan had left them alone the way he’d been ordered to, far enough not to defy orders but still sufficiently close to hear and possibly see.

But Jinshi was in a state of disarray that communicated he wasn’t really listening; his eyes were opaque and clouded, his mind occupied by voracious thoughts, no doubt drunk.

“Heaven.” he mumbled wearily, his forehead dropping shy of her cleavage with hot air warming her bare skin, still panting from the exertion. “You’ll be the death of me…” His thoughts inadvertently slipped out, hushing her own for a moment. Maomao blinked repeatedly at the sky.

It came without asking that lost in the ooze of passion, breathlessly inebriated and wet-lipped, his sex appeal increased monumentally, and she could almost taste the ashes of war as the fire spread at this gorgeous man’s feet. But Maomao was indeed not like the other girls, as she could not help but address her growing discomfort and prioritize the niggling trouble in her mind.

“And honestly, sir, you’ll be mine if you don’t stand to be more cautious.” she rebuked, “I’m almost sure someone saw us and ran off! With some luck, they didn’t recognize you.”

It was extremely dark out, and while her body had been completely hidden from view by Jinshi’s, his voluptuous robes as well as the fact that his face had been pressed against hers, thus hidden, gave them a good chance to have eluded recognition. But how long could it last until rumors about the disappeared prince began to roam, and associations with the mysterious man in the Gardens came about? Since Maomao had been completely unrecognizable, grudging ladies would surely claim the chance to spread voices of a secret lover just to dishearten her (undoubtedly an unsuccessful, energy-wasting attempt).

Those news brought authentic surprise upon the celestial being’s face, as though he hadn’t been present at all; in that moment, it would have brought her enjoyment to headbutt that expression straight out of his face and reprimand him with a scowling look of her own. Hadn’t she tried to warn him the whole damn time without success!? He even had the audacity to look surprised!

She sighed, withdrawing a little, but regarding him with the same scowling look. “I fear that from tomorrow on, snakes and bugs will be my last concern.”

Well, seeing the man she was about to marry, they already were, but—

Before she could take a better look at Jinshi’s dispirited expression, he pulled her in a strong embrace. “Forget them. I will speak with the Emperor and make sure they don’t remain unpunished. Also—” he hushed her gently when hints of a protest popped on her face and through her stiffened posture, “I’ll keep quiet on the matter of the poison this once, so the punishment won’t be too harsh. But do not ever think about hiding it again.”

At his last words Maomao couldn’t do anything but relent and tacitly admit defeat— somehow, over time and several incidents, he had learnt to read her so well. It had also been her own fault for involuntarily dropping her walls around him to permit the intrusion.

She sighed with weariness and, keeping her complaint unvoiced, allowed him to keep her in his arms for a moment longer.