Chapter Text
Preface
If you’re looking for smut and only smut, feel free to skip to chapter 3 (not posted yet; still working on it.) If you like a side of story with your delicious meal, though, I will have some sexy bits sprinkled throughout the next two chapters to make sure it stays hot.
(ʃƪ ˘ ³˘)♥ Enjoy!
Autumn had captured the Imperial Palace in a bitter, whining howl and a ruthless, icy grip. The cold came in waves, sometimes leaving behind an aftertaste of melancholy.
Jinshi glanced up from his desk to watch as the final distant lights flickered out. Unable to shake the feeling he was missing something, he padded towards his private bath and slipped beneath the steaming surface, letting his jaw go slack and sighing as the painful knots in his shoulders melted away. Even his headache, which had been with him for two days, dissipated. Yet his mind raced on.
He tried his best to meditate - he really did - but there was only ever one true relief from his stress, from the never-ending list of things to do and people to please and idiots with “great ideas”.
Was it a bad habit? Yes. Was it entirely his fault? Also yes, but somewhat debatable. To put it mildly, Maomao was cuter than a darling fawn, even if she was one of the strangest creatures Jinshi had ever met. Her freckles were unique; her desires, odd as they were, he found deeply compelling. His thoughts snapped towards a dark cave and her curious, firm touch. A skirt bunching around her milky thigh as her knee hiked over his arm. Her flushed face on the cold stone, dew dripping from his long hair onto her supple cheek. But, by far, in that quiet moment where their warm bodies pressed together in spite of the cold and humanity was stripped bare enough that, for once, it was just them, there was one detail that stood out, and it was the detail Jinshi replayed most.
Surprise. Sweet, delicious surprise, shining in Maomao’s eyes as he was sure she felt him harden in the honeyed spot between her legs.
A shudder of pleasure. A stifled moan. A minute spent huffing, and the world returned. Jinshi was still catching his breath when he realized what it was he’d felt was missing. It’d been hard to place because it was something he'd never had: proper, drool-worthy, mind-bendingly hot sex.
Or sex at all, for that matter.
/ᐠ - ˕ -マ Ⳋ
2 Weeks Later
Meimei sighed. “I always worry when we lose someone. I hope she'll be alright, so far from home.”
“Meimei,” Joka chided, wrapping her arm around her sister’s shoulder. “Xuan is a smart woman, and Mr. Mu is from a respected family. Remember his bow?”
“Yeah, it was so… Proper,” Meimei laughed.
“I thought so too. You couldn't see it from where you were standing, but from where I was, you could see a sign on his back.” As if tracing a rainbow, Joka arced her hand above their heads. “It said, I’ll go lower upon request.”
With Meimei giggling in the background, Joka tossed her suggestive gaze aside and winked, way too hard, at Maomao.
Maomao shook her head before giving in to a persistent smile. A few minutes ago, they’d said goodbye to a talented middle-class courtesan, Xuan, and while the ceremony started off small, it was starting to get ridiculous. The main hall was practically exploding with exorbitance. Part of Maomao thought it unfair that only in Xuan’s absence the fresh drinks were starting to pour and the musicians were chasing a fiendish rhythm, while her friends danced, side by side, without her.
“Hey, Pairin,” Maomao started. She scanned the crowd for a familiar face with seductive eyes and sleek, black hair. “Lihaku will be here any moment. Should I tell him to meet you somewhere?”
“A woman has to have some secrets, you know,” was Pairin’s cheeky response. “What are you going to do when ‘Master Jinshi’ arrives?~ There’s no escaping him this time, is there, little sister?” As Pairin sang her jest, her manicured finger poked Maomao’s cheek and her amethyst eyes glittered with the golden light of a high-burning lamp. Maomao backed away, grumbling under her breath.
The truth was, Maomao had no idea. It'd been five weeks since she last saw Sir Jinshi. No doubt, it was going to be awkward. So, like her bonus depended on it (because it did), Maoamo spent the remainder of the night pouring sake, and by the third hour, her arms jiggled like useless, overcooked noodles.
She fled to the back room, pulling out a small satchel. A little valerian root to amplify the effects of the alcohol, Maomao grinned, sprinkling the powder into her jug. Nothing crazy.
Then -
“What are you doing?” A voice behind her asked, and Maomao froze.
Shit. The air vanished from her lungs and she grit her teeth, the breath going stale in her throat, a single bead of sweat rolling down her cheek. This is bad, she thought.
Then, a flash: Meimei, with her feminine form sprawled across the couch, critiquing Maomao’s technique. Remember the eyes, Maomao! Seduction is born from the eyes, and seduction is a woman’s greatest given gift.
“Master Jinshi!” Maomao sweetened, twirling around, blowing a piece of loose hair out of her face. Her skin was pink from the sake, her cheeks lit from a genuine smile. She'd missed that voice - even though she’d never admit it. There was also a bit of rouge smudged on her bottom lip, which diluted the coyness and amplified the oodles of mischief glinting in her eye.
“What took you so long?” Maomao asked innocently.
“You're harder to find when you're in a closet,” Jinshi replied, after audibly swallowing his terrible impulses.
Maomao dipped into a small bow. She used the gesture to tuck the valerian root into her pocket and said, “That’s because this place isn't fit for you. It’s for employees only, and Madam gave us strict orders: only the finest will do for the Moon Prince.” A hint of sarcasm escaped from her voice, but if Jinshi noticed, he didn't seem to care.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” he laughed. “This space is in excellent condition. Besides, wouldn’t you consider me a special guest? I can go where I please.”
Eyes narrowing, Maomao gave Jinshi a judgemental stare. “Don’t you want to enjoy the other perks we have to offer? I can arrange a meeting with someone better suited to your needs.”
But he only leaned down and nodded at her pocket. “I won’t tell if you don’t,” Jinshi whispered, inches away from her face.
Maomao leaned back, grimacing. Why’d he have to get so close all of the sudden?
“...Yes, sir."
Content, his eyes fell closed, and he stood back up with a soft smile before leaning on the wall to look at her.
From beyond the curtain, chatter blended with the heady scent of tobacco and sandalwood. They were unified by the atmosphere: one contagious, burning ember. Yet the lack of words between Maomao and Jinshi never felt like silence. Instead, it was their shallow breaths, their instinct to take each other in, that spoke volumes.
Finally, Jinshi relaxed and his expression dropped in relief. “You’ve been working so hard,” he said, swiping away Maomao’s smudged lipstick with his thumb. Right on cue, a shiver zipped up her spine. She turned away slowly and with an odd look. Whatever it was - their close parameters, his thoughtful caress, or maybe her previous nervousness - it was not worth dwelling on, because it had caused her to blush.
“Excuse me, sir, while I attend to our other guests,” Maomao said. The cotton caressed her hand as it parted the curtain, the alcohol sloshing in her hand. It all left Jinshi to wonder if either she was becoming easier to read, or he was learning some new, peculiar language.
/ᐠ - ˕ -マ Ⳋ
Sober but exhausted, Gaoshun bumbled into the courtesan common room. He closed the gushing draft with a rap.
“Xiaomao, it's nice to see you,” he said. “The guests are very pleased.”
“And so is Madam,” she sat up. “Sir Gaoshun, welcome. Are you here on business?”
“I'm afraid so. I know you must be tired by now, so I promise it won't take too long.”
Maomao looked up, blinking lazily. A small part of her was curious about Jinshi's suite. It was on the top floor - no, it was the top floor, reserved for only the finest of guests, and Maomao, who recently only stepped foot in the Verdigris house if Madam had an agreeable job for her, was about to see the details of a place she could only picture in her imagination.
Together, she and Gaoshun pattered into a tapestry of exotism. Cherry wainscoting raced along the walls and a patterned, woven rug quieted their steps. The short path opened into a refined but empty tea room with two other entrances. Gaoshun took residence next to the door in which they came, while Maomao sat on the floor and waited.
When Jinshi appeared, he was wearing a white kimono. His brushed hair was no longer up; it spilled for miles down his back, a sprawling river blanketed by a long, moonless night.
“Hello again, Apothecary,” he said warmly. “You’re still in your formal wear.”
Maomao looked down at herself, then loosened the tie over her waist. “Sorry,” she said. “I don’t mean to be overdressed.”
“It’s fine. Although, the last time I saw you working here, you had a different uniform.”
“Uh-huh. That's because this dress is for private performances only.”
“...Private performances?”
Jinshi stood up and started to pace, pulling at his hair. “Are you working as a courtesan again?” He groaned.
“It's good money,” Maomao shrugged, while Jinshi stopped, shuddered, and paled.
The last time he was here, she said she hadn't started taking customers…
Yet.
It echoed in the recess of his mind - a depraved, empty cavern.
Yet,
yet,
yet…
Shaking his head at the imposed torture, Gaoshun was about to expose Maomao’s ruse when Jinshi suddenly snapped awake, walked briskly over, and grabbed her layered dress to take a closer look.
“Wait a second,” he said, examining its pink and red hues. “The celebration this evening was more than a ruse for me to enter unnoticed! You saw a courtesan off?”
Maomao's eyes widened. He's sharper than usual, she thought, grasping his hand and removing it slowly as Jinshi sat back down in front of her. “Her name is Xuan,” Maomao said. “Well, she's the Duchess of Mu, now. Um… Sir Jinshi…”
His fingertips inched forward until they were on top of hers. “Yes?” Jinshi tensed, looking at her with uncertainty.
“What is the reason you called for me this evening?” Maomao asked.
His gaze flickered down to the chin resting in her palm, adoring the way it caused her blurred lips to pout. Then Jinshi looked back up to Maomao’s eyes and flinched with shock. They were practically gleaming, and he immediately knew what was coming next.
“...Does it involve more ox bezoar?”
Scowling, he pulled away, muttering, “There is a job for you in the Rear Palace, if you're interested, but it comes with some hard rules. I can pay you in coin, or… Yeugh.”
Maomao’s eyes sparkled.
“I also found you four toad-head geckos,” Jinshi winced.
Rare amphibians? Incredible! There's so many recipes to try! But which one do I choose? Maomao sprung up, snickering, and clapped her hands together as she shimmied about. “Those are impossible to find! I'll take it!”
“I haven't briefed you on any other details,” Jinshi reminded her. He tilted his head. “Are you-”
“You can catch me up on the way there. I'll need to pack, but I can be ready before noon. Toad-head gecko…”
The word drifted away into bliss. That is, until Maomao heard the door open and spun around to find Gaoshun missing.
She called out -
“Wait! Where are you - oof!”
- but was unable to finish, as Jinshi's familiar fingers had wrapped around her waist and firmly pulled Maomao into a snug embrace from behind. He had her arms pinned, and his face in her neck. Immediately, a hair began to tickle her face, and Maomao wriggled as she struggled to assume a more comfortable position. Then she felt the shape of her name on her neck as Jinshi whispered it like a desperate prayer. For just a few seconds, Maomao succumbed to her fate, but Jinshi was a radiator, and she was wearing a million layers. Soon, she started to wiggle again.
When he finally let her go, Maomao reached for the sky, yawning. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to take off my makeup before I leave. It's not good for the skin to keep it on too long,” she said.
He nodded. “The vanity is in the bedroom, on the -”
“Here?”
Maomao poked her head into the right-most door before leaning back to gain Jinshi’s approval. “May I enter your bedroom?”
“Y-yes,” he stammered.
Maybe Lady Gyokuyou was right, she smirked, and made her way to the vanity. Jinshi watched with fascination as the soft cloth effortlessly revealed the natural tone of Maomao’s tanned skin.
Outside, a rustling wind picked up. It grabbed fistfuls of gutters, rattling them, whistling its way through a reed of dense forest.
Meanwhile, Jinshi tapped his foot, then strode over. He rested his hands on the back of Maomao's chair and dropped low to look up at her from behind lidded eyes. “How much longer?” He asked, licking his lips. “I'm thinking of ordering a midnight snack. Unless you want any help, of course.”
Maomao looked down.
First, it was an annoyed glare; then, a witty remark never uttered, before, finally, Maomao realized she’d been struck by how soft the embrace of night was upon the sculpted, glowing angel before her. With his dark hair striking against the pale silk, his beautiful features reflected by the moon, and a relaxed, content smile on his face, Jinshi was impossible to be mad at for too long. But when Maomao turned back to herself, all she saw was plainness.
“I'm almost done,” she frowned, a moment too late. Jinshi was already tugging at the pins in her hair and watching the strands as they unravelled down her back.
“Those were tight,” he said. His hands slid down Maomao’s head. Immediately, her eyes watered shut and an immense relief gripped her so violently, she gasped.
Jinshi felt Maomao’s head becoming heavier in his grasp. He paused, then started to massage.
A constrained, high-pitched sigh escaped from between Maomao's open lips. Not a moment later, Jinshi was sent reeling backward as his presence clashed with the sudden act of Maomao standing up. He tripped over his slipper - “Oi!” - before Maomao reached out to steady him.
She grabbed him by the sleeve and they stumbled for a beat before Jinshi caught his footing.
“Sir Jinshi, I apologize,” Maomao said, their eyes locking. Without meaning to, her vision faltered towards his sculpted chest and fallen sleeve.
“Perhaps you want to take my clothes off,” Jinshi mused, shrugging the sleeve lower. He stepped forward to cradle Maomao's chin in his hand.
Instead of the usual disgust he was expecting, Jinshi observed a different expression on Maomao's face so hard that eventually, it mirrored on his own. Everything was subtle: eyebrows, tensed. Head, angled. Then, realization, dawning.
With a shake of her head, Maomao made her way to the present. He has no idea, she thought, and backed away, wagging her hands. “You must be tired. Let's call it a night. Bye bye! Rest up!”
And at that, the door thwacked shut.
Maomao sighed deeply, shuffling her way into the wide corridor.
An argument was brewing. She heard it as it emanated from the room nearest to the stairwell, urgent and tense, like a rubber band pulled taut.
“I put it where I always do – in the medicine cabinet,” a man said. His voice was deep, reverberating throughout the room.
Another person replied, but it was too quiet to be intelligible.
“I carry the key on me. They would have had to…” The voice started to meander, and Maomao pressed her face to the wall as it faded, “- I was seeking. He won't be happy – princess — ruined it…”
She thundered down the steps, the wooden frame of the Verdigris House knocking, her fingers accidentally crumpling the letter in her pocket.
At last, Maomao collapsed into bed. She reached under her pillow to pull out an ornate wooden box and flipped it open, beaming with adoration at a handful of round, flattened seeds. Black goji! Ah, I can't wait to plant them! Maomao swooned. Then, she recalled the letter.
Her hands did not shake when she pulled it out. They did, however, smooth the paper over and over again, despite knowing it would never look the same.
~
Dearest Maomao,
I hope you are as well as you are dearly missed here in the Garnet Pavillion, my dear. So much has happened while you've been away!
I thought it would interest you to learn that a popular barter is traveling about the Palace grounds. It involves the Moon Prince's success with multiple romantic prospects. Innocent as it seems, there are a few individuals involved whose presence makes this deeply concerning to me. I hope this does not catch you by too much surprise, but in the spirit of necessity, I’m asking you to publicly secure the Moon Prince's affections; otherwise, the Emperor will be forced to take drastic action.
Unfortunately, I cannot divulge the details behind my reasoning yet. Such sensitive information is best delivered in person.
The choice is yours. While this is a request, not a demand, please accept these black goji berry seeds as a small token of appreciation, and know that I’ll have more waiting for you if the task is completed.
Warmest regards,
Lady Gyokuyou
P.S. I hope you do not underestimate yourself, dear. You have quite the charm about you.