Chapter Text
Life had been quiet - something that Maomao wasn't overall used to, or at least hadn't known to be stable. She hadn't expected things to change from how they were when she first entered the palace, and had accepted a life of avoidance and silence. But life had apparently found a way to change, to forge a new, kinder reality all on its own, even with her lack of input.
But it was still unexpected, and change was something she rather disliked, even if she was not one to make her complaint known when it did occur.
Perhaps that was why her posture had remained tense when meeting her new servants, sitting before them as they stood and introduced themselves one by one.
Their names, she would never remember immediately. Only time would tell if she learned them at all, but she tried to give each of the nervous girls a lightly positive expression, as if to say, "It's okay, I don't bite."
What didn't help with the nine girls' growing jitters was the ethereal man that stood adjacent to her seat, smiling encouragingly. Or, she was sure that was what Jinshi thought he was doing, but it only resulted in everyone becoming a stuttering mess as they tried and failed to avoid eye contact with him. Maomao had half a mind to send him out the room, but she refrained from doing so out of fear that it would only become awkward without her somewhat trusty conversation-maker.
That said, they were hardly getting anywhere when two of them near the back of the room kept asking more and more pointless questions just to squirm when Jinshi answered in his silky, pleasing voice.
So Maomao finally stood up after a moment too long of trying to hide her mild annoyance for the delay in her departure .
"Well, thank you for your introductions, but I am sure that Lady Sanfan can take it from here. I have a prior appointment that I cannot miss, so if you will excuse me," she quickly announced, only feeling slightly apologetic after hearing Sanfan's squeak of disapproval, before retreating from the overcrowded room with carefully paced steps. She missed Jinshi's confused glance at first, but was met with it only moments later when she realised she had been followed into the corridor.
His footsteps caught up to hers after a short delay, the door closing after him, "Prior appointment? And what would the near-reclusive princess consort have planned that slipped past my notice?"
His tone was teasing, but it was clear he was curious nonetheless. And she wasn't 'near-reclusive'… personal space was something nearly everyone could appreciate, surely.
"Well, I realised I hadn't checked on my drying herbs this morning," she reasoned, coming up with her excuse on the spot. "The weather is becoming a lot more humid, I suppose a storm is approaching soon and I wish to check on them. Damp and rotting herbs are no good."
"Why are we heading towards the sleeping quarters of the building, then?"
She scowled, still annoyed with all the pointless questions people seemed to be fabricating that day, "Where else would I keep my herbs?"
"Y- you keep them in your personal chambers?"
"Is there a problem with that?" she asked in turn, coming to a quick halt as she turns to look at the expression on Jinshi's face. His pace had slowed anyway once he realised where he was following her to.
His face was tinged ever so slightly red - at what, the reality of a woman having her own bedroom? Or the fact he had been following her there? But besides that, he also looked strangely disappointed, like a kicked puppy. Presumably because her retreating to her chambers meant less pestering Maomao time.
"I shall leave you to tend to those… herbs, then. Please report any issues you find with the new staff, immediately this time," Jinshi warned, as though she were the one in trouble for her own past servants' messes, then sighed deeply. "I'll check in with Lady Sanfan again later. Is it too much to hope to see you, also?"
"We'll see," she replied noncommittally. Maomao wished he would just speak his mind instead of asking questions to feign politeness, but most of all she really did want to check on her herbs now, even if it was just an excuse to make her escape.
"In that case, I hope to speak with you this evening, my lady."
She gave him an acknowledging nod and a faint smile before he turned to leave, with Jinshi returning a much larger grin of his own before he twirled away from her, walking away with his silk-like hair swaying behind him. Funny how a slight smile from Maomao was able to cut short what would have otherwise been another five minutes of back and forth conversing. For some reason, a smile seemed to be enough for Jinshi, as she had found out recently, and so it had become a tactic she knew she could exploit if she really wanted alone time without telling a nosey, clingy Jinshi to go away.
To preserve her own peace, of course, not to see his overjoyed response.
Jinshi was still a strange character in Maomao's book. They weren't especially close on a personal level, and she didn't consider them friends as she would herself and the prince, Yue, now - but even so, he seemed to be the only person to… care. Care about what, she wasn't sure, but he just always seemed so bothered by one thing or another in regards to her. It was the only form of care she was used to - the kind that took place only as a consequence of things having gone wrong - but it was care nonetheless.
But what was the most strange was how equal he silently insisted they were. In actuality, it was somehow Maomao that stood above his level within the hierarchy, and even so it still felt as though she were closer to a maid servant compared to his natural commanding of the courts, but when they spoke, there wasn't any of that.
Even the way Jinshi exhausted any excuse to refer to her as 'my lady' with that dulcet tone, it was a tease at best. Despite it all, despite how he trailed after her as though she were a sheltered princess who needed attending any time her feet touched the ground, it was Jinshi who treated her closest to how she wished to be treated.
An equal, in a way. If there could ever be a way that Maomao and someone such as Jinshi could be equals.
It was something she had grown to appreciate, at least.
But those thoughts were easily swept to the side once she reached the door to her chambers, revealing five more hanging bundles of drying herbs than Sanfan had allowed her to keep. It was a shame for her head lady in waiting that, well, she didn't quite have the authority to actually ban her from anything, merely strongly discourage it. And Maomao was good at ignoring discouragement.
But the herbs were never what she actually left to check on. Instead, after closing and bolting the door behind her, and taking a precautionary glance over each drying bundle, she was quick to abandon the hairpins and gown she had greeted her new staff in, and in its place, a laundry maid uniform and freckles. To complete her look, a basket of fresh laundry that had been delivered moments before Jinshi had arrived, with each of the new serving women in tow. Maomao didn't mean to test the servants, but she was curious to see the perspective of each young lady without them fidgeting with the hems of their sleeves and keeping to a polite script.
So, with a basket in hand and taking the long route to the front of the pavilion, Maomao formed a plan to reintegrate with the group. She was sure there would be tasks to do wherever majority of the servants had gathered, so she would start there.
Upon entering the building once more, the first thing she noticed was the disappointed scowl aimed at her, coming from a rather disgruntled Sanfan. It was only a slight turn of expression, but Sanfan's disappointment wasn't easy to ignore once one knew the signs to look for. It was safe to say that her head lady in waiting did not approve, but with the same not-quite-roll of her eyes that she excused Maomao's foraging hobbies with, Sanfan turned her gaze to where the rest of the servants were working through the main corridors and receiving room.
Extra good reports to be sent about her to the strategist this month, Maomao decided, as she swiped a broom and continued on her way with the laundry basket.
As she took a closer look at the new servants, it was clear to see they had separated themselves rather unevenly into three groups, each performing a different task area - the floors, the walls, and the various ornamental pieces and gifted decorations.
The latter group, a pair of two, immediately stuck out like a sore thumb. Despite being so used to having such a lazy workforce within the building, the two dawdling ladies stood starkly out of place against the other freshly motivated girls, spending majority of their time whispering and giggling as they picked up and scanned over various items that had been placed around the room at some point or another. Maomao was fairly certain they can't even been polishing them as they went, merely appraising them with whatever large words they could recite in a posh tone.
Unsurprisingly, it turned out to be the same two that had tried to delay Jinshi's dismissal with meaningless questions, the two she had heard complaining and moaning distantly in the background when the man had followed after her instead of entertaining them further.
Maomao proceeded through the hall paying little more attention to the two of them, dropping her laundry basket onto a table in an adjacent room, before returning to begin sweeping. Her ears were peeled for any and every conversation that was taking place as her eyes remained on the ground, sweeping over areas that were yet to be reached.
It wasn't long before her presence was noticed.
"Oh, another girl! Hi!" a young girl called out, with her hair tied into two braided loops and pinned with small bows. "Are you one of the usual laundry maids here?"
Maomao turned to face her properly, finding that the girl remained scrubbing the floor diligently even as her attention fixated on Maomao, a wide smile on her face.
"Something like that," she replied, keeping her tone even. She didn't want to encourage or discourage conversation, but merely see where things went.
"Ah! Well, we are all new here, and haven't really heard much about Lady Maomao or… met her much either, and we really don't want to screw up!" she explained, her tone timid and nervous even while her face reflected only joy as bright as rays of sunshine. "Do you have any tips for us?"
Oh, excellent, she thought quietly, careful to not let her face morph into a smile. Time to set some 'unspoken rules'.
"Hmm… I've heard Lady Maomao appreciates her alone time, so don't interrupt her even if it seems as though she has been sat silently in her chambers for hours. And no snooping in her chambers, too!" That should keep her herbs safe for a little while, at least, "And don't offer her a poison taster. Under any circumstances. You know, I've heard that was the reason a previous serving lady in waiting of hers went missing."
A little dramatisation of the actual events that had transpired, but she was well aware of the news that had circulated after the garden party half a year prior - she'd heard a few tales of the rumours that spread after the defecting serving lady's name was never publicly announced. On that matter, the issues with her previous attendants that were fired days prior had also been kept rather quiet, so Lady Maomao's name carried quite the selection of stories and conspiracies, told between servants that could have probably made for remarkable authors had they known how to write or read.
"W-what?! Really? I thought that was just a rumour!" the young girl cried, suddenly looking nervous. Maomao supposed that should have been the expected response, but she quickly realised that she needed boundaries, not terrified servants.
"Well, that's only what I've heard, so it could still be a rumour," she clarified, turning her head with a hum to seem as though she were focusing on her sweeping once more. "I personally haven't found any trouble with Lady Maomao. I'm sure nothing bad will happen as long as you don't try and cause issues. She's a private person by nature."
One of the girl's friends, a woman with light hair too short to be tied back, stepped forwards, "She sounds pretty reasonable, then. I can understand a want for privacy. I mean, didn't she come from a life outside of the courts? I can't imagine enjoying this life when you're so used to freedom."
As much as her tone gave way to the fact that this new girl was certainly a bit of a gossip, her words drawled in all the right places to sensationalise a tale, her face gave away no ill-will, even when she thought her new employer was not present. That could certainly come in useful, if she needed news or a counter-smear when politics become unpolished.
Though, Maomao wasn't sure why she had considered actually utilising these servants. She was content in her independence. Right?
"A fair assessment," was all Maomao responded out loud, her face maintaining a neutral disinterest.
It was then that she looked to the rest of the group - two still hadn't spoken, but were clearly listening in. There wasn't really much to add to such a conversation, in all honesty, but the girl with braided hair continued anyway, looking less worried than she had before.
"So, how often are you around here? What were the last serving ladies like?!" she asked, opening her mouth once more as though preparing for a third question, before closing it. Perhaps she realised three may be two too many to ask in one go.
It was rather cute though, how genuinely intrigued she seemed to be.
"I come and go every now and then, on quieter laundry days," that seemed to be an acceptable answer - vague, but enough to not seem quite so fake. "The last ladies were… I believe they were recruited from the court lady programme. Unused to any actual labour, so not much got done around here."
"Ah, that must have been tiring for when you did come to help with tasks then, right?"
"I suppose. It was only myself and Lady Sanfan cleaning for a majority of the time."
It was tiring, and it was only thanks to Lady Suiren that they ever managed to finish cleaning in one day. So, not a lie, technically.
"If that's so, then if we were to-"
An interruption came from behind Maomao - a nasally voice that sounded far too confident for someone who was picked out of similar laundry maid uniform to the ones Maomao now wore. It was one of the two girls who had spent a significant amount of time idling away.
"Oh my goodness, do you ever stop asking questions?" the voice asked, rather unkindly before continuing, "Get back on the floor, before Lady Maomao comes back and sees you standing there talking!"
Highly ironic, all things considered - she hadn't seen the girl pick up a cloth once, let alone even brush off dust from the ornaments she claimed was her equal share of labour.
"What did you just say, freckles?!"
Ah, I must have said some of that out loud. No point keeping it in now.
"I said, that's hypocritical coming from you. Are your ears as lazy as the rest of you?" Harsh, but Maomao was explicitly seeking this kind of interaction with the two servants that had caught her eye for their lack of commitment to their roles, wanting to understand the dynamics she was working with early as opposed to later on when it may have become harder to spot.
"Now- Who do you think you are?! You don't even work here!" the young woman exclaimed, going a little red in the face as she brushed a stray lock of dark hair from in front of her eyes. "Have you come here just to undermine us all?!"
Maomao remembered this girl, who she had spontaneously chosen to hire because she had been so pale while introducing herself for the position that her face had turned a sickly pale, her voice shaking alongside the rest of her. It seemed that reaction was limited to authoritative figures, or perhaps the social support of her new friend was what gave her the confidence to act out. Bold to pick on someone within a group that doubled the size of their pair.
"Hui, don't waste your time on such an ugly little thing," her friend spoke up, giving both Maomao and the young girl with a smile like sunshine itself an up and down judgemental glare.
Hui; an ironic name, considering it was meant to attribute wisdom. Time would tell if their behaviour was at all wise, given their still low-ranking position.
"Hey! We don't have all day to stand around arguing, get back to your task!" a new voice chimed in - one of the friends within the group of four she had been talking to. "Do you think our new mistress will be pleased with anyone if everything isn't finished? We need to make a good impression."
This young woman seemed more confident than the others, but Maomao had certainly remembered how she stumbled over her introduction. Her name slipped her mind, however.
Hui muttered something to her friend, the pair of them laughing before she spoke once more, "Learn your place, idiots. Her father works in the administrative offices - a word from him would be taken more seriously than any complaint the lot of you could ever come up with."
Whatever that was supposed to mean. Jinshi had looked over each of the candidates' family histories, and even made a point to mention to Maomao that each family was either nameless or working no higher than the equivalent position of a lady-in-waiting for a princess. Perhaps a little classist for Jinshi to assume that such a thing would be a critique, but that man seemed outrageously out of touch at times. He overall treated everyone equally, at least, and had the sense to be embarrassed and re-choose his words when she had asked if that made her equally as unworthy for her position given her own background.
All of that to say - this girl's father didn't mean shit.
But Maomao instead chose to keep her mouth shut. If anything, she was more interested in seeing how their behaviour would change in front of 'Lady Maomao', if it did at all.
"Don't just ignore me now, freckles!" Hui squawked once more, but Maomao had already decided that her attention was better paid to the remaining three women she hadn't yet interacted with, stood on the other side of the room. Whatever Hui continued to say was quietened in her mind.
The final three remained close to each other, not talking as the rest of them had been, but they seemed to have grouped together due to being the remaining few without a task assigned. For being the group assigned to scrubbing and dusting down the walls, it made for a rather funny trio. One was very short, shorter than Maomao herself, but with long hair that she had tried to twist into a bun - the ends of her hair still trailed down her back regardless, having too much of it for the ribbon to hold. She worked closer to the floor. Oppositely, a very tall girl stood reaching for the ceiling, able to dust out the corners of the room effectively, but she kept glancing over her shoulder anxiously as though checking to make sure no one was watching her. Maomao made the mistake of brushing eye contact with the woman, and her face instantly paled and she cowered. And then, between them both, a young woman with an average height - able to reach high enough and low enough to bridge the height gap between the two other women. She seemed to be the only one trying to make any conversation, and though a full conversation never occurred, she seemed happy enough to just have comments made here and there.
She would go over and ask if everything was okay, if it weren't for the fact Maomao believed the taller girl may just collapse from unexpected socialising. She had been much the same in her interview - though brief, she'd spoken no more than five words and simply handed over a slip of her previous few credentials. It was efficient, much more efficient than the other ladies who tried to drone on about their experiences with childcare and vanity within social events, so Maomao had hired her based on competence with no second glance to whatever was written within her background slip.
However, she was distracted rather suddenly from her musing when a hand came to grab at her hair, sliding the beads she wore right out of it and tugging on the section as it did so.
"What are these, anyway? Wooden beads? Couldn't even afford actual jewellery, just painted wood!"
It was Hui's friend, though Maomao had long since forgotten what her name could have been. For all her confidence, her facial structure was rather similar to that of a horse. Maomao would name her Xiaoma for now, an ode to her long skeletal structure.
What was unfortunate, was that those beads were rather dear to her, and being within the hand of someone who belonged in a stable made her rather annoyed.
"Give them back," she asked, sternly but without letting anger seeping into her tone.
But the cocky girl only looked more pleased to get a reaction, regardless of what it was, and turned to her friend with a grin far too wide, "Hm? Did it say something Hui?"
"I didn't hear anything. Must have been a pesky mosquito."
"Ah, of course! Now, let's see about this other girl's little bows. Such ugly, cheap things," she mused, before letting out an evil little giggle. "Do none of these women have any fashion sense? Heavens knows why Lady Maomao would hire such ragged and tattered women. We must fix this!"
As the same thieving hand now reached out to where the small girl with braided hair was backing up against a wall, her small arms weakly trying to cover her face, Maomao felt her last string of patience snap. The poor girl who's face had previously been lit with smiles despite her nervousness was now twisted into fear. If Maomao listened closely, she could hear the girl's breathing become ragged as panic took over, and that was what triggered a final response.
With a swift precision Maomao didn't quite know she had, she raised her hand, and-
Slap.
Hui's friend tumbled to the ground - whether it was out of shock or from the force exuded, Maomao wasn't sure. Her own hand stung from the power she had put into it, and the woman now on the floor had a lovely red, splotchy mark forming instantly across her cheek.
"Wh- What do you think you're doing?! Do you know who I am?!" she spluttered, clearly not having anticipated consequences for her actions. "My face- My face! If it swells up before the princess consort, I will make sure you are all beheaded before the end of the week!"
"Even when facing the consequences of your own actions, the first thought on your mind is that of protecting your vanity," Maomao muttered, loud enough for it to be heard, but low enough that the sound didn't travel further than it needed to. "Pathetic. Truly, pathetic."
In the aftermath of the other woman's tumble, the stolen beads from one side of Maomao's hair had rolled across the floor, and so her priority was to collect the both of them before Xiaoma decided to take any more action.
She knelt down to take the both of them into her hand, and at the same time, a strong yank pulled on her loose hair, and drew her face close to where Xiaoma still sat, Maomao's hair now firmly in her grasp.
"Let go," Maomao tried to ask steadily, unwilling to entertain her childish behaviour any further.
"Hm, no! If I get punished for my behaviour, I'm making damn sure that your own punishment exceeds anything given to me by far," she tried to threaten, and Maomao would have ignored it, if it weren't for the fact she was stuck by her hair within a few inches of the other woman's face. The crazed look in Xiaoma's eyes and grin across her face also only managed to create a pit in Maomao's stomach. "Remember your place when you get whipped for your outburst, freckles. My father will hear all about this, and then you-"
"Tell him. Go run to daddy with the issues you created, see where that lands you."
It wasn't Maomao that said this, as much as she wished she could have spat back a response with such a steady and cold tone. Nor was it any of the other ladies that were now watching the exchange with rapt attention, scared to intervene once it got physical.
No, instead, it was Sanfan. And right behind her, a very angry young man with a face far too beautiful for this world.
Crap. He wasn't meant to return until this evening!
She looked to Sanfan for any clues or hints as to just how long they had been standing there, or why Jinshi had returned so soon to the pavilion, but all she got in response was an amused, satisfied look: Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
Maomao supposed she deserved that.
"L-Lady Sanfan! Master Jinshi! I was just-" Xiaoma stumbled, looking to Hui for support, but the other woman who had started the issues to begin with had backed off, leaving her to deal with it alone. She huffed at the betrayal, before standing tall, dragging Maomao along with her by the hair. "This laundry maid, she came in and caused trouble! I was only trying to teach her a lesson!"
Maomao wasn't sure who Jinshi looked more angry with; Xiaoma, or herself. I guess I deserve that a little bit too…
"And how, exactly, would this provide a good first impression?" Jinshi questioned, his tone clearly giving way to his anger, but Maomao doubted that Xiaoma or Hui heard such a tone through their ogling. He did look unfairly gorgeous when angry, in all fairness. "And let go of her hair. Now."
"Ah, well, it wasn't intended for Lady Maomao to witness something so unsettling! I apologise for getting carried away, it will not happen again!" she continued to explain, earning an eye roll from nearly every individual in the room, but under Jinshi's intense glare, she continued without comment on it. At least she let go of Maomao's hair to which she pulled out the few ripped hairs. "By the time Lady Maomao returns, I will ensure-"
"It's too late for that," Sanfan cut in, her words drawn out as both a warning to Xiaoma and Maomao. While Maomao knew her second identity would be exposed one day, for it to be taken from her on the very first day was not within her plans.
"W- what? Of course it is, Lady Sanfan! I was only trying to help! There is still time," she responded, stumbling over her words as a feeling of dread visibly washed over the woman. It seemed she realised she had dug herself a hole, but time would tell the size of that hole. "I'm sorry! I apologise for my behaviour, but it was her that caused the issue!"
At that, the woman kicked Maomao forwards, causing her shoulders to jolt forwards under the unexpected force.
"This surely calls for her punishment over mine! Creating physical fights within Lady Maomao's pavilion? Outrageous!"
If she had expected Sanfan and Jinshi to agree with her after suggesting such a thing, then the following silence was deafening. It was then that, wordlessly, Gaoshun appeared from where he had stood just out of sight. After bowing his head to Maomao, he was quick to detain Xiaoma much to her protests. Her confused cries were the only sound filling the room, until Jinshi stepped forwards, approaching where Maomao remained sitting.
And then, loud enough for them all to hear, "My lady, don't dirty yourself on the floor."
He held out a hand to help her up, which she was reluctant to take, but did so anyway much to his smug delight.
It was clear that at least a few of the ladies in the room were now starting to put the pieces of the puzzle together, judging by their muffled gasps and tension that grew, but Xiaoma was still within the majority that seemed unaware, perhaps too lost in her confusion as to her detainment.
"Why wait to plead your case to Lady Maomao later?" Sanfan interjected, her tone unamused now that her quiet teasing of Maomao's predicament had passed. "She's standing right before you."
Xiaoma froze, entirely froze, unable to move or speak besides the shaking of her knees, and then eventually when her legs gave out and she dropped to the floor. But Maomao wasn't going to wait for her grovelling, and instead turned to Hui with a finger to point with.
"It was her, also. They were about to start harassing, uh…" Maomao paused, realising she had no clue as to the name of the servant with bows in her braided hair. Up until that point, 'sunshine' had been how she was identified as within her head.
But sunshine spoke up, bowing her head as though apologising for speaking, "My name is Xiaolan, your Highness."
Ah, I really have to recover from the image I created of myself later, she thought, disappointed to see the smiley girl look so terrified for something that was not her fault.
"Yes, they were threatening Xiaolan. I had to step in," she finished, much to Jinshi's disappointed glare once more.
"You didn't have to step in with anything," he murmured, but after realising he was still holding onto her hand after helping her stand, was quick to let go with a little redness to his cheeks. "Ahem. Gaoshun, have them both arrested."
"What?!" they both squealed at the same time, but were quickly silenced when two further guards entered the room and escorted them away with efficient speed.
Jinshi watched as they left, but only for a brief moment before his gaze returned to where Maomao now stood, brushing off her clothes out of habit, "I believe we need to talk, my lady."
"Really? I don't think there is anything to discuss," she muttered, avoiding eye contact.
"Oh? Is that so? Then I suppose you won't mind me reporting back to the prince exactly what I walked in on?"
Ah, shit. Maomao wasn't naïve as to believe Yue would never hear of the incident, but from how it must have appeared… well, she'd rather that Jinshi's exaggerated version of events not reach him. He had enough to deal with.
She surrendered with a small huff, and was about to make her way towards the door, before Jinshi caught her once more.
"Pick two ladies, we need to have you back as the Princess Consort before Suiren arrives."
Suiren?! Ah, well, she didn't need a repeat of last time when the grandmotherly woman found her in such a state.
"Fine. Xiaolan and, um," she called out, pointing to the girl with the short hair standing beside her, both with eyes wide like saucers.
"Yujing, my lady!" Xiaolan answered, less terrified this time and with a quicker understanding of what Maomao was asking, but still squeaky and nervous. It was improvement.
"Yes, Xiaolan and Yujing, could you come with me?"
Silently, they followed behind as she and Jinshi left the room, most likely to bicker until they reached Maomao's chambers, and then he would disappear with rosy cheeks before she could open the door. The remaining five girls were left in Sanfan's care once more.
As predicted, the bickering began before Yujing had entirely closed the door behind them.
"My lady," Jinshi began, keeping his tone cool even as his hands were clenched and knuckles white. Maomao ignored it. "Please, enlighten me as to why I return to the pavilion to see you having your hair ripped out by Miss Junmei."
Junmei? Jun as in… 'noble steed'? That brought a grin to Maomao's lips, and only served to make her look downright suspicious as she attempted to maintain a steady tone in response.
"I wanted to know their true personalities - they would never do such a thing to Lady Maomao's face, so they had to meet regular Maomao first."
"So you performed a solo sting operation, with no one elses knowledge?!"
"It wasn't a sting operation, Master Jinshi," it sort of was a sting operation, but whatever, "I was only trying to be practical."
"And now you've been physically assaulted as a result!" he protested in response, only sounding further and further distressed. The two servants trailing behind remained silent, only their light footsteps being indicators that they were still present at all. "That will land in their deaths, you know. Assaulting a member of the royal family is treason to the empire itself. Did you stop to think of that?"
"My hair was tugged, so what? The last ladies did worse, and they all went home just fine."
"They did what?!"
For a moment, she had forgotten that Jinshi had no idea the extent of the poor behaviour she had been subject to during her time here. As a result, part of the truth slipped out. Oops.
"Don't make this a bigger deal than it is," she protested, though it came out sounding more like a request. Or maybe a plea. "Send them home disgraced, blacklist their family names if they have to, but I refuse to be the reason for anyone's death."
Jinshi looked increasingly frustrated as he slowed his pace with them approaching the hallway to her chambers. But at the very least, his tone softened from the snapping inflection it previously held.
"That's- You need to realise the position you're in, my lady. You can't be someone who finds herself hurt over such things, you're part of the imperial royal family," then, he let out a soft sigh, the tension leaving him slightly. "I'll speak with the prince about this, but whatever he decides is a worthy punishment, that is what it shall be. It doesn't matter whether you provoked them or not."
Okay, I didn't provoke them. Perhaps my presence was intentionally meant to get gossip out of them, but I started nothing here!
Instead of snapping back and starting their bickering all over again, she silently nodded, letting the tension diffuse. Then:
"How come you returned to the pavilion so shortly after leaving anyway, Master Jinshi?"
He sighed even louder than before, a disgruntled tone slipping back in, "Because I was worried you'd do something like this."
Maomao let out an unintentional gasp at this, but her horror couldn't be masked even if she tried. She had become predictable! Oh, this ruined so many of her plans.
"Clearly, I wasn't right to doubt that you'd allow for a normal morning," he continued, but now his tone was more teasing than annoyed. That was a sign she had to escape before it got any worse.
"Well, lucky guess. Anyway, I really would hate to leave Lady Suiren waiting for me, so I must be off now," she excused, rushing over her words a little as the grin on Jinshi's face only grew wider with each word. "Xiaolan, and uh… Ya… J- Yujing? Follow me, please."
"Oh, one last thing! Miss Yujing, Miss Xiaolan, His Highness the Moon Prince has requested that you do not listen to Her Highness if she insists practical outfits are better than ones of high quality. She is known to be rather persuasive with her reasoning."
Maomao couldn't believe this… this betrayal! From the one who insisted upon being her friend, too! "What do you mean he requested that?!"
"His words, not mine," Jinshi shrugged, far too innocently to be completely unaware of the reason behind the new rule. "As a compromise, each of your dresses from now on will be altered to at least have deep sleeve pockets or pockets within your outer robe, but please do not make it obvious you're stashing away herbs or fungi for later."
That was… well, far more lenient than she expected, but still, Maomao couldn't understand why such a rule would be created.
"I suspect it is so people stop believing they can walk all over you, my lady," he continued, before his voice taking on the lilting, flirty melody he uses if he ever wishes to wind Maomao up. "You make for a rather intimidating beauty when you dress formally. It tells people to not mess with you, and I'm sure he wishes to see it too."
Like he ever sees me. We see each other once a season for events, but other than that, our communication is all in writing, she thought, dispelling Jinshi's unnecessary flattery about her so-called beauty instantly. Yue probably just hopes I don't bring down his reputation… Which, I suppose I should put a little more effort into. He treats me far too kindly for me to give him nothing in turn.
"Fine. I'm going to dress now," she announced, before departing with no further words. She opened the door to her chambers, and by the time she glanced back to see whether Jinshi was still standing around waiting to tease her further, all she saw was his departing figure, hands clasped behind his back as they usually were when he left a conversation entertained.
Yujing and Xiaolan exchanged a glance to each other, but said nothing still. The silence didn't last long, though, once she gave them free reign to shiny jewellery and snacks to eat while they worked.
With the final count of seven new servants, each turned out to be rather competent after all, despite their initial nerves and need for instructions and directions. Once Suiren had listed all of the tasks they had to perform - and there were a lot more than even Maomao expected, but most of them were linked to traditions and home rituals rather than practicality - each of them proved themselves to be a dedicated worker. Maomao had been silently banned from so much as approaching them in their training, but with little more to do, she lurked around the perimeter regardless, occasionally joined by Jinshi. He seemed to have too much free time that week.
Once a rhythm was established within the pavilion, nervousness left and made way for careful politeness. She didn't enjoy the formality still, but she also doubted a large group like that would all be willing to drop titles so quickly, so instead she focused her goals on getting them to at least not see her as some terrifying figure.
At Jinshi's - and Yue's - insistence, she was forced to take on one of the ladies as a poison taster after all, much to her distaste. She didn't enjoy watching poison tasters suffer, and would much rather she could detect the poison herself so she could know what they were working with and prevent damages. And also a little poison here and there would make her day. But they came to a compromise that Maomao would be allowed to personally train the taster. At the very least, she could be confident that her training would provide an amount of safety to the cruel task.
Minlu, one of the girls within Xiaolan's friend circle, was chosen to be her poison taster, having surprisingly chosen to volunteer herself after the suggestion was put in place. It wasn't out of bravery, nor out of a lack of care or suicidal ideation, but when Maomao had curiously asked why she had placed herself forwards, Minlu had responded rather honestly with:
"It has always been a great worry of mine, my lady. And, we heard word of how you detected poison at the spring garden party! I would be honoured to train under you!"
A rather large amount of faith into what Maomao could only assume was a story that was largely dramatised upon, but she couldn't turn down the optimism. It also meant that Maomao was (under supervision) allowed access to certain substances to use within her teachings. Only after theoretical lessons had been given, though, as Jinshi had argued that practical lessons with Maomao as her guide would scare the girl off.
Whatever that meant.
So, with that, Maomao had finally accumulated a competent household of servants for a woman of her status. The previous lie of a functional household had only lasted half a year, and as much as she was unaccustomed and unwilling to find change, the previous rumour-mill of a pavilion felt friendlier. Dare she even say welcoming to return to.
It had brought a smile to her face when, quietly sitting in the next room over, Maomao had overheard a light-hearted conversation with Xiaolan and one of the other girls who had arrived alone. She felt a little guilty for not having made any further introductions to the three that had formed their own small group at the beginning out of necessity, but they had looked so nervous that she didn't want to intervene and make such a thing worse. It had only been one day since their arrival; she would give them one more day to settle. Palace life had taught her at least a little on when it was acceptable to push or pull with people - it was an art like haggling, but interpersonal skills were always something she had been poor with. So it was still nice to hear them all becoming closer as colleagues.
It also made Maomao feel a little lonely, still being so unapproachable. But Yue had gifted her more herbs, so she had been kept busy enough for it not to bother her too largely between that and trips to the archives for research material.
"Bailan, can you check that corner for me? I don't remember if I dusted the cobweb out or not," Maomao overheard one of the girls ask - Mingxiu, she believed to recognise the voice as. Or was in Yujing? And Bailan… was she the short one with long hair or the chatty one with average height?
"Sure! I'll get rid of it if its still there, you can go onto the next room," Bailan answered, at least confirming that it wasn't the shy taller girl - Maomao hadn't heard her speak outside of quiet mumbles.
Mingxiu, Minlu… she was pretty certain that one of the other girls also had a name beginning with M. Mei something or other. Xiaolan and Bailan? It was as though she had accidentally chosen each girl with the intention of struggling with the many similar sounding names.
At least she had Sanfan to whisper the names into her ear… if the woman was feeling generous. Sanfan remained a loyal attendant as ever, but she had grown a petty streak, perhaps as a result of Maomao's string of poor decisions that weren't befitting of her station. Sanfan had come from a merchant family, so maybe part of her biology was to be petty to those who made transactions difficult.
"Lady Maomao," the woman in question said as she approached, interrupting her quiet. "You've been sitting there silently for nearly an hour."
"I suppose I have," Maomao responded, still unwilling to move. There was little to do, and she had learned not to waste any small passion projects she found to occupy herself by completing them in one go.
"You have nothing within your schedule today, and it's still morning. Is there anything you wish to do?"
The honest answer was, not really. Even Jinshi was yet to make his appearance for the day, and she had no doubt that he would find a way to make space for pestering her eventually. Who else was there to talk to? Yue? He would only respond come evening - he rarely responded to her letters before that, and she rarely sent letters before noon. It would break their weird schedule they'd fit into place, one that they both silently followed with no exceptions these days.
Speaking of which, Sanfan handed over a letter with the prince's handwriting decorating the front of the fine paper. The routine remained unbroken.
"How about you read and respond to this, and think about anything you wish to do today in the meantime," Sanfan suggested, perhaps having taken the silence for what it was - indecisiveness and boredom - and instantly procured a temporary respite from it. "I'll send two girls along in an hour to help you with your hair, that should give you enough time."
It was an annoyance having to have her hair tied or twisted elegantly and pinned in place daily, but the reality was that if anyone important were to visit and catch Maomao under-prepared for such a thing, it would only cast shame onto the prince by extension. Curse Jinshi for exposing her secret laundry maid identity so quickly - she wouldn't be able to bring that out for a while now, though perhaps when her ladies in waiting had learned she didn't bite after all she could try once more.
"Alright," Maomao replied instead of voicing her full thought process. Tucking the letter into her sleeve carefully, she stood to her feet and brushed out the wrinkles gathering on her outer robe. "Thank you, Sanfan."
At least she was given privacy and space when she retreated to her chambers.
-
Forms, invoices, and a ridiculous amount of work that surely did not need to be handled by either the Moon Prince or Jinshi had stacked high onto his desk by the time evening fell. It had been a long day, the very same one where Maomao had decided she would risk her safety to spy on her new servants, and ended up hurt as a repercussion.
As much as the small woman had insisted that she was completely fine, and that nothing so bad had happened besides what he bore witness to himself (and he was sure she would have failed to mention that much had he not been there), it had left Jinshi in a foul mood. Why did she do things like that? Was it within her nature to place herself at risk for curiosity's sake? It certainly seemed as such!
While he couldn't fault the cat for being curious, as she had probably deemed the situation safe enough that any worst-case scenarios wouldn't occur, and while he did not deem Maomao to be stupid in any way, shape, or form, she was just so-!!
She was so smart, talented, trustworthy - he admired her greatly, deeply. She had proven herself to be loyal, and avoidant to unnecessary confrontation, which was a good quality overall, but why did it seem to always land her in situations such as this!
He couldn't, and refused to, keep her on a leash. Not as Jinshi nor as the prince. He wouldn't ever limit the already minuscule freedom of choice she had left, but he still hoped - desperately and endlessly - that she would keep herself out of situations where she could end up harmed. He was half-sure the day would never come where she chose the safe option or asked for help, but he hoped at least one of his identities would be given a chance to prove himself as reliable somehow.
Briefly, yet frequently, his mind ran back to the scene he had entered the pavilion to - one where the small, tiny harmless little thing that was the princess consort, had slapped a girl to the ground. Each time he remembered it, the fiery flustering of his cheeks had to be manually stamped out of his thoughts, leaving him a grumbling mess.
His mood was only worsened when, upon reaching for a stack of letters - assuming they would all be flowery drabble of little meaning, perhaps a request for an audience with him or his brother - the first eight were pleading letters of forgiveness. They were all letters apologising to him, from the fathers of multiple ladies in waiting that failed his wife. He was sure if he were to glance through the rest of the many letters he had to read that there would be more, but it was shameful enough that their fathers were resorting to polite bribery, offering wealth and women to him because of their daughters' failings to serve and act remotely appropriately to his legal wife.
While he couldn't blacklist the fathers in question, all just slightly too high in the hierarchy to boot from court without presentation of treason (which, Jinshi would argue that these mens' daughters' actions were treason, but Maomao had told the prince explicitly that she did not want them to suffer over mere pettiness, but he would (for now) keep to his word that he would trust her with deciding their punishment) he could certainly prohibit their mail to - and blacklist them from - his residence.
He would have to speak with Gaoshun of that come morning, but the man had already retired for the night, many hours beforehand. It would be cruel to wake him up over such a thing.
Picking up each letter after the slightest skim read through, he was quick to tear each and every one to small pieces, and store them in a box he kept for feeding the brazier on colder nights. Call him petty, but burning such irritating letters always made the warmth just that little bit more pleasant.
When he returned his gaze to the desk before him, he picked out invoices for quantities of goods within the inner court. Something neutral - boring, but less likely to trigger a stress headache. They were easy too, only requiring his signature before they could be passed back to whoever it was organising the shipments themselves, but still involved a lot of checking of numbers, both quantities and cost amounts. As such, they were quick work for him, and he soon found himself having gone through a small pile.
When he reached for his tea, which had long since turned stone cold, he had carefully cleared all of the delicate paper from the desk space. As such, it was much easier to notice a small slip of torn paper that lay still, folded in half and far too small to be any form of official letter. On the front, it addressed 'Master Jinshi', so his first thought was that it would be some kind of IOU from the rear palace matron, or perhaps a eunuch. It must have fallen out of the stacks of invoices somewhere. As such, he opened it with little hesitation.
'Moon Prince,
Why must you feel a need to hide your identity? Is it out of weak constitution? Or is it another matter entirely.
You can't outrun your lies.'
A cold breeze swept through the room - odd for such a warm few days where the nights had remained slightly too hot to be comfortable.
His hands froze, along with the rest of his body. All except his eyes, which drifted over to the singular set of open windows, and then back down to the paper, retracing each line once more. He turned the paper over, and still, it remained written with 'Jinshi' as the addressee.
After a moment, a long moment where his heart beat was suddenly unnervingly audible in his own ears, he stood. With a swift pace, he closed the windows, pulled blinds to cover each, and checked that his door was locked. It would be an annoyance for Suiren in the morning, but he pushed the heavy chair from his desk over to the doorway anyway, just so the noise of it scraping against the floor would wake him.
If he was able to sleep at all after that note, anyway.
He thought about shredding it, but in the end left if whole, tucked into his robe where no one else would accidentally stumble across it. He would need to speak with… well, someone would have to help him. He and Gaoshun could solve a few issues here and there, but this… he didn't even know where to begin.
As he paced the room, thinking faintly about how he would one day wear a dent into the floor with how often he paced back and forth in the same loop, he decided that what he could presently do was nothing. Nothing, but keep himself alive, preferably. With at least one person out there knowing of his identity, one person that he was unaware of, he had to brace himself for anything. In the morning, a higher guard count could be arranged, but there was little he could do in the early hours of morning.
The sun would rise in around four hours, so until then, a sword tucked under his bed would have to suffice.
