Work Text:
Sha Hualing is many things, but an idiot is not one of them. She wouldn’t have survived this long, wouldn’t wield the power she does, wouldn’t be Luo Binghe’s favorite (okay, one of them—those childhood sweethearts ((eugh)) were annoyingly difficult to beat) if she was.
She is adept at reading the situation around her, and she knows exactly what strings to pull in any scenario to get what she wants. She can tell when something isn’t going to work out and it would be best to abandon ship like she did against her own father so long ago when Luo Binghe challenged him. She knows the exact manner she should approach and what to say to get the other girls in the palace to do exactly what she wants and thank her for it. And, most importantly, she knows how to keep her place at the top of the ladder. How to inevitably draw Luo Binghe right back into her arms, whether by charm, by threatening the competition, or even ‘accidentally’ falling into a certain patch of flowers that only a certain heavenly pillar can cure. She has him wrapped around her finger.
Or at least she did.
Sha Hualing thought she knew every trick of the trade, thought she could come out on top of any situation, but in this case…
She just can’t figure out Shen Yuan.
Luo Binghe disappearing for a long period of time is expected. Luo Binghe returning from his absence with some new pretty thing that he will be preoccupied with for a time is also expected. Hell, Sha Hualing isn’t even too put out about Shen Yuan being a man. She’s long been convinced that Luo Binghe would fuck anything so long as it was pretty enough, and even she can admit Shen Yuan is attractive. But Luo Binghe has brought home hundreds of pretty things in the past, and she has always been able to lure him back to her side soon enough. Novelty wears off.
Except this time it isn’t. Months have passed since this new addition to the palace, but Luo Binghe is yet to leave him alone. No matter what Sha Hualing tries—strategic clothing mishaps, small victories in command of one of his demon armies, crocodile tears, she even gets poisoned by one of the most potent plants in her collection! And though Luo Binghe dedicates an entire day and night to curing her, he goes right back to following Shen Yuan around like a pathetic dog after, barely even taking a moment to clean her up as she lies panting and ravished on the sheets of her king-sized bed before he leaves.
Something needs to be done about this interloper, Sha Hualing decides. Just as soon as she can walk again.
-
Luckily, Sha Hualing hasn’t lost all of her power. It’s easy enough over the next couple days to nudge a few of Luo Binghe’s more… volatile wives in each other’s direction and create a conflict that requires their husband’s personal attention to solve.
Once she ensures he’s busy with that, she seeks out the now alone Shen Yuan and discovers he has retreated to his room.
Not so confident without your guard dog, hm? Sha Hualing knocks lightly on the door. A moment passes, then the door is opened by the one who has been driving her insane these past months.
“Sha-guniang,” Shen Yuan greets with what, she is pleased to see, is no small amount of caution. She smiles, a look that she has carefully crafted for exactly these situations. Polite, but not overly polite as to be unbelievable. If Shen Yuan is at all intelligent—and he must be if he’s managed to ensnare Luo Binghe so thoroughly—he won’t believe she has no ulterior motives for this visit. Best to give him just a little, let him think he’s seen through her while still concealing the true depths of her machinations. If he thinks he’s more in control, he’ll let down his guard.
“No need for that,” she demures. “Surely Yuan-xiong will agree such formalities are beyond this situation?”
Shen Yuan dips his head. “If Sha-jie insists. What can this Shen Yuan do for you?”
“Oh, nothing in particular.” Sha Hualing takes advantage of his slight deference to push past him into his room, flinging herself down to sit on his bed. “I was only realizing that you’ve been here for some time now, and I haven’t properly introduced myself!”
“I’m aware of who you are,” Shen Yuan says, adding on a muttered “believe me,” that Sha Hualing only catches because her hearing is much better than that of an average human. Interesting.
“Being aware of someone’s presence and getting to know them are two separate things, though, right Yuan-xiong? Knowing who a person is, their likes and dislikes, their hobbies…” As she speaks, Sha Hualing rolls onto her side and grabs a book off of Shen Yuan’s night table. At first glance it appears to be a boring manual on the history of some such war, but when she picks it up the cover shifts slightly and she can see the corner of a romance novel peeking out from underneath. She doesn’t let on that she’s seen it, just gives it one more cursory glance then tosses it to the side.
“There certainly is a difference,” Shen Yuan agrees. He picks up the book where it fell, smooths out the pages and returns it to its former spot. “I wasn’t aware Sha-jie took interest in such lowly matters.”
A very delicate way of putting ‘why the fuck do you care so suddenly.’ Sha Hualing was right to be cautious around Shen Yuan. He is definitely sizing her up as much as she is him, like two swordsmen circling each other before one will inevitably strike. Despite the circumstances, Sha Hualing feels a shiver of excitement race up her spine. Even in just these few moments, she knows Shen Yuan is going to be a difficult opponent, and she relishes the challenge.
“Surely if they’ve captivated the attention of our lord so, Yuan-xiong’s interests cannot be as lowly as he says.” She pushes more. Hints at the issue, just to see what he’ll do with it. Clearly he’s aware of her, of her reputation, of what she’s capable of doing to those who stand in her way.
“I assure you, I have no idea what Lord Luo sees in this one. This Shen Yuan really is uninteresting.”
Sha Hualing hums. “I disagree.” Before Shen Yuan can say anything else on the matter, she abruptly switches topics. Keep him on his toes. “How have you been settling in? Do let your Sha-jie if there’s anything she can do to assist, anything to make this place feel more like home! Or…” she leans in conspiratorily, “if Yuan-xiong needs any advice? Perhaps on how to deal with… relations… with our lord?” She winks.
For the first time, Shen Yuan’s composure cracks. “What?! No– I…”
Sha Hualing leans in more. “No need to be shy, we’ve all been through it. I know it can be a lot to handle at first, right?”
The thought had come to her as she was recovering from Luo Binghe’s treatment. Though he had helped her, he had acted as if it were a duty he had to complete, rather than indulging in the act. So maybe, she had thought, the novelty of having a male partner for the first time is what was causing her issue. If she can coax Shen Yuan into opening up about it, then maybe she’ll get an idea of what he’s doing differently that Luo Binghe likes so much and can replicate it herself. (It can’t just be that he’s a man. She would know if Luo Binghe isn’t attracted to women. There’s no way.)
But Shen Yuan shakes his head rapidly. “I– You’ve got the wrong idea. He’s not– We’re not–”
And to her absolute astonishment, Sha Hualing doesn’t detect a trace of dishonesty in the words. Is it possible that Shen Yuan is just that good of an actor? Maybe, but she doubts it. When she focuses her advanced hearing, she can pick up on the sound of his heartbeat, and it gives absolutely no indication of a lie.
Luo Binghe hasn’t fucked him yet.
Mind racing, Sha Hualing finishes the conversation on autopilot, exchanging a few more pleasantries before excusing herself. She has plans to make.
-
With her newfound knowledge, the solution is clear. Luo Binghe is focused on Shen Yuan because he hasn’t gotten what he wants from him yet. Once that urge is satisfied, Shen Yuan will surely fade into obscurity just like any of Luo Binghe’s other conquests, and everything will go back to normal.
Though she’s still finding it difficult to believe nothing has happened, since that’s the case, all Sha Hualing has to do is arrange things so he gets what he wants—easy enough for a woman of her talents.
…or not, when the one involved is Shen Yuan, apparently.
Sha Hualing spends a month getting to know him, getting him to lower his guard so she can work out the root of the issue, and the only conclusion she can come to in that time is that Shen Yuan is the smartest idiot she’s ever encountered.
Dressing him up, setting up romantic encounters—Sha Hualing does everything short of poisoning Shen Yuan (and she only holds off because she hasn’t figured out a way to do it without it tracing back to her). None of it works. Shen Yuan keeps turning down the advances, Luo Binghe keeps pining, and Sha Hualing is no closer to getting what she wants.
It all finally comes to a head when Sha Hualing goes to visit Shen Yuan one day and finds him lying prone in his bed, his body wracked with painful shivers. Some interrogation reveals he is suffering from the poison Without-A-Cure. Though his body’s cultivation level is high enough that it hasn’t killed him outright, he tells her he suffers from painful flare-ups from time to time that leave him in this weakened state.
Exasperated, Sha Hualing bluntly asks, “Then why isn’t it cured yet?” And when Shen Yuan goes to protest, she cuts him off. “Don’t tell me there is no cure. You know exactly what it is, and I’m sure Luo Binghe has offered, so why haven’t you accepted?”
Shen Yuan shakes his head. “Because, he doesn’t really want to. He’s just offering as a courtesy, since I was infected trying to protect him.”
Sha Hualing’s jaw drops. She can’t help it. “You can’t possibly think he would do that, what, just to be nice?!”
“Yes, I think he would,” Shen Yuan says, sincerely enough that it makes her pause for a second before she shakes her head.
“Well, even if that was part of it, believe me, I know when Luo Binghe desires someone, and he definitely desire you. If he didn’t, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
Now it’s Shen Yuan’s turn to stare. “No he doesn’t. He’s not— he— he doesn’t.”
Sha Hualing rolls her eyes. “If you’re so sure, then why not ask him yourself?” Before Shen Yuan has a chance to ask her what she means by that, she gets up and leaves, passing Luo Binghe in the the hallway.
“You’re welcome,” she says under her breath as she passes him.
“What was that?”
“Nothing. Have fun with Yuan-xiong.” And she leaves. If this doesn’t work, then… Maybe she should just accept the consequences of getting caught slipping Shen Yuan an aphrodisiac. At least then Luo Binghe would look at her again.
-
At first she thinks nothing happened. Luo Binghe continues to follow Shen Yuan around like a puppy. She continues to be ignored.
But then she goes to see Shen Yuan again after a week, a handful of Wilting Rain Moon Lily petals in her pocket, ready to slip into his tea—consequences be damned!
But then they’re making idle chitchat, and Shen Yuan blushes and says, “I wanted to thank you for your advice earlier. I was in my head, and didn’t realize… Sha-jie really helped put things in perspective, so… thank you.”
All at once, Sha Hualing sees red. She doesn’t think, she just acts, grabbing Shen Yuan and dragging him down on top of her. She drags his hands against her skin, makes sure his fingernails leaves marks against her, tears her clothing to present herself as a disheveled mess and screams.
No matter what infatuation Luo Binghe has for this interloper, there is one thing he has never tolerated, and that is anyone trying to touch what is his. No matter how Sha Hualing has seemed to fall lately, she is still his first and foremost, so if she can just make it look like Shen Yuan is trying to take advantage, trying to force himself on her, then surely Luo Binghe will react first and ask questions later!
Just as planned, Luo Binghe bursts into the room at the sound of her distress. He is on them in an instant, pulling them apart. Sha Hualing is immediately ready with the most pitiful tears she can muster, ready to weave a tale that will have Shen Yuan out of their life for good, but—
He isn’t looking at her.
He isn’t looking at her!
Luo Binghe pulls them apart, and instead of comforting her, listening to her tale of woe, he cradles Shen Yuan in his arms. Asks if he’s okay.
“I’m alright, Binghe,” Shen Yuan soothes. “It was just a misunderstanding, everything is fine…”
Sha Hualing leaves amidst his soothing, barely registering his attempts to keep Luo Binghe’s wrath away from her, despite what she did. Behind her, she faintly registers when his voice cuts off, taken over by the sounds of kisses.
She just doesn’t understand why that didn’t work! Whatever is going on, whatever enchantment Shen Yuan has Luo Binghe under, it goes much deeper than Sha Hualing initially thought, but she will get to the bottom of it.
Shen Yuan is going down.