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“Your highness?” A servant stood in the entryway of You estate’s main office, arms held in front of him, head bowed in utter deference.
Jinshi looked up from the scattered crop rotation and planting proposals in front of him, Hulan watching with an adoring look at odds with the burn splotches all over his body, Rikuson organizing everything with a competence that couldn’t fail to irritate him and Shikyou taking everything in with an easy sense of leadership that, had he displayed such talents earlier, Jinshi himself might have been able to go home months ago!
Still, there was no use in bemoaning the situation now. Just another few weeks and the Western Capital, as well as its associated lands, might finally be over the worst of the crisis. Fresh food, seed and medicine imports were arriving regularly and the roiling discontent of the populace had begun to ebb as farmers and laborers were put back to work with generous terms of payment to help tide them over until the first full harvest could be collected.
Shikyou had negotiated for taxes on foodstuffs to be suspended for a period of two years, in order to help the farmers get back on their feet and stabilize the food supply. The central authority’s generosity in this matter would be repaid to the Board of Revenue by increased import tariffs on foreign goods for the exact two years that the food tax situation would last. A compromise that displeased many of the Gyoku family, but their new clan head had handled them not perfectly, but with a slowly growing confidence that bespoke quieter internal news from the West in the coming years.
All in all, while Jinshi’s workload was heavy, it was glad work. Seeing the West slowly get back on its feet, the people in the marketplaces regaining their pride as trade began to pick up again, was immensely satisfying.
Nothing, however, could compare to the contented glow, the unknotting of tension in his shoulders and stomach, now that his apothecary was truly his.
Maomao had chosen him. She had come to him, taken comfort from him, and had agreed to be in a relationship with him, as she put it. It put his desperation during their first trip here into a new perspective - he had been so consumed with the mounting pressure to take a wife that he had nearly destroyed the fragile intimacy budding between them.
He never wanted to feel the contrast between her soft lips on his and the hard look of disdain in her eyes ever again. It had been a chilling shock to realize that a kiss could make him feel so alone, even as the heat of her slender body against his burned through his robes. To wit, despite Maomao’s declaration that she was his, he had learned not to push.
Because now he knew how it felt when Maomao curled up in his arms of her own volition. Nothing else would do.
“Your highness?” the servant repeated.
Jinshi startled ever so slightly, a fluttering of his eyelashes that only the truly observant would notice. “You may speak.”
“I have a message from Master Lihaku. May I relay it?” The servant never raised his head.
Jinshi felt his stomach drop. This could only mean one of two things. Either something had happened with the quack doctor or the love of his life had gotten involved in something. Again. “What is the message?”
The servant raised his head and looked confused. “Your cat is stuck in a tree. Come and get her.”
Rikuson began coughing with sudden violence, even as the two brothers exchanged amused glances.
Jinshi drew himself up with perfect composure. “Gentlemen, it appears there is a situation that requires my attention. I trust the three of you can continue on your own?”
All three bowed their heads before the Imperial brother. “Of course, your highness,” they murmured. If Rikuson’s tone was slightly strangled, Jinshi ignored it as beneath his notice and swept from the room at a dignified walk, gesturing for the servant to follow.
Gaoshun was attending him today, Basen having been sent on an errand to gather information from some of the closest farming villages so they could judge their efforts in the face of reality, rather than ambiguous numbers. He fell into place a step behind his prince and asked the servant in Jinshi’s place, “Where is Master Lihaku now?”
“On the grounds, sir. About a third of a li from the greenhouses,” the servant replied.
In other words, at the very edge of Gyokuen’s estate, where some of the carefully irrigated trees had been growing long enough to obtain a decent height. Jinshi quickened his step slightly. “What on earth is she doing in a tree?” he mused aloud.
“One wonders, sir,” Gaoshun murmured, but his studiously neutral tone clearly said not in front of a Western servant.
It took them long enough to arrive on the scene that a fine sheen of sweat graced his hairline and he vaguely wished that the silks of his robes were something cooler, like linen.
At the base of one of the very tallest trees, he saw three familiar faces. The quack doctor, looking up into the branches and wringing his hands in distress. The young doctor who most often worked with Maomao, Tianyu, was arching his eyebrows and taking what appeared to be notes with a stick of charcoal and some paper. At the base of the tree, leaning against the trunk, her bad arm strapped to her chest and laughing, was Chue.
“What on earth is going on here?” Jinshi just barely kept his voice level, but this was not the sight he expected to see.
“He’s here?!” Lihaku’s voice came from up the tree.
Tianyu just smirked and called back up, “His highness has arrived!”
“Thank the heavens!” Leaves rustled as Lihaku shimmied down the branches, his uniform disheveled and various leaves and twigs clinging to him, finally jumping down to land with an easy grace that belied his height. “I don’t know what she took, except that it’s not poison. Only, I’m not sure if that wouldn’t be preferable.”
The quack doctor shook his head. “They were just mushrooms - she wanted to see if they would be good added to soup stock!”
Tianyu looked up from where he was scribbling notes. “I think it’s safe to say that these mushrooms should not be added to anything.” He looked at Jinshi to elaborate. “They came with the medicine shipment, specifically, but none of us are familiar with them, so we prepared a dose to sample, an emetic to be on the safe side, and I was ready to monitor her for the next three days.”
“And you are certain these mushrooms were not poisonous?” Jinshi managed to ask with forced calm.
Chue continued to giggle. “Miss Chue doesn't think so, Moon Prince!”
Tianyu shook his head, perfectly professional at the moment. “I agree with Miss Chue. Mycotoxin symptoms tend to appear one to three days after ingestion, but are typically preceded by an upset stomach or general malaise. If she had shown any of those signs, we would have administered treatment immediately.”
“So, what symptoms is she showing?” Gaoshun asked, his brow furrowed with concern.
“Euphoria, mostly. Heightened sensitivity. In short, her state of mind has been altered, but with none of the sedative effects that would be present with, say, opium. She’s perfectly cognizant, but her judgment is severely impaired.” Tianyu gave his report.
The entire party looked up the tree at that statement. A slender figure dressed in medical white and green could be seen draped across the highest branches of the tree. The mere sight left Jinshi itching to drag her down to safety.
“When did this happen?” Jinshi demanded, feeling his nails dig into his palms as he clenched his fists, fighting to stay calm.
“The shipment arrived this morning and the little lady insisted on cataloging everything before she started researching the mushroom,” the quack continued to wring his hands, but Maomao must have beaten some professionalism into him with nothing but pure stubbornness and her own example over the last year.
Tianyu nodded. “We spent the rest of the morning and half of the afternoon trying to see if we could find a record for the specific mushroom before Niangniang decided the only way to know what we had was to try it.”
Jinshi took a deep breath, feeling his fingers twitch. Of course she had. Of course. After all, she had leapt at the chance to try the mushroom soup at the distillery that had destroyed her ability to hold her liquor temporarily. A new mushroom that Maomao couldn’t identify in a medicine shipment? He could spank her, except he was terrified that the slightest breeze was going to push her out of that tree any minute!
Chue broke in. “Miss Maomao was actually responsible about it - she carefully measured out a small amount, based on what a survivable dose would be of existing similar mushrooms that she knows are toxic. She was preparing to take notes and had Doctor Tianyu on standby, just in case.”
Lihaku shook his head. “Well, whatever those mushrooms are, the effects happened fast. She took it and within thirty minutes she had started to giggle.”
“Miss Chue and Master Lihaku followed her around the medical office before being inside was too much and Miss Maomao insisted on coming outdoors,” Chue elaborated.
“Then she saw the tree and the next thing I knew, she was halfway up it!” Lihaku rubbed a hand over his face. “She’s actively struggling when I try to get a hold of her to carry her down and she’s high enough up that it’s safer to let her stay there. I managed to tie her to a branch with my belt, so she’s not going to fall too easily, but if we want to get her down sometime today, she’s going to have to be talked down. And she’s not listening to me, your highness.”
Jinshi glanced up at the tree and shrugged out of his fine, silk overrobe, handing it to Gaoshun. “You’re not going to make a fuss about me climbing a tree, are you?”
Gaoshun shook his head and smiled unexpectedly. “Not at all, sir. I thought I’d have to wait for the day when you had children of your own before you understood my consternation at you and Basen climbing and jumping off of every high surface you could find.”
He did his best not to squirm at the memory of flinging himself and Maomao off the top of a waterfall. No need to tell Gaoshun that his terror at realizing the apothecary couldn’t swim and had needed him to breathe for her until he got her to cough the water out of her lungs had hammered that lesson home years ago. “All right. I’ll get her down.”
He grabbed a sturdy branch and began to haul himself up after his cat. The feel of the rough bark against his palms was strangely nostalgic as he remembered how to scale the branches, feeling his way along and watching the world below him grow small. He might have enjoyed it more if he had been climbing the tree of his own volition, but as he climbed, Maomao got closer and clearer to him.
She was draped lazily along some of the highest branches that would support her weight, almost boneless with pleasure as she tilted her face toward the late afternoon sun. Lihaku’s belt was wrapped around her waist and knotted through the branch tightly enough that Jinshi relaxed a little upon seeing it. “Apothecary, what do you think you’re doing?”
Maomao turned her head slowly to face him and Jinshi sucked in his breath. Her pupils were blown wide, her expression soft and open. “Oh. Are we back in the Rear Palace again?”
“The Rear Palace?” He carefully tested another branch, hauling himself closer to her.
Maomao smiled. “Mmm. ‘Apothecary this, apothecary that. I thought you didn’t know my name until you decided to get all pissy with Lady Gyokuyou after the hunt.” She picked her head up slightly, brow furrowed in thought. “But you did. You were so pissy that day!”
“How could you tell?” Jinshi grumped, his head almost level with hers now, even as he stood lower than her. He had to be careful - the branches were too slender to support his greater weight, but they cradled Maomao’s much lighter figure higher than Jinshi felt secure going. No wonder Lihaku didn’t feel he could get her down safely!
Maomao reached out her hand and brushed a fingertip just along Jinshi’s temple. “Your eyes weren’t smiling. I thought you were mad I’d insulted your frog.”
He gaped at her. “That’s what you thought I was upset about?”
“Men get pissy about size.” Maomao shrugged. “Didn’t wanna say I was impressed. Then you’d have a big head as well as a big cock.”
Well, clearly their conversation could be heard, because Chue burst out laughing even harder. Nor was she the only one - he heard a couple of distinct male chuckles and one flustered ‘oh my!’ from the quack doctor. He fought the flush in his face, as well as the implication that apparently she thought he was more than decent, to focus on the task at hand. “Maomao,” he tried again.
She pouted. “That’s not fair.”
He took a deep breath. “What’s not fair?”
“You know my name, but I don’t know yours. Just that there’s a moon in there somewhere. Oh, and the Emperor calls you ‘Zui,’ so I guess that’s in there too.” She shifted on the branch, turning to face him with narrowed eyes.
His jaw dropped. “You don’t know my name?”
She shrugged. “I couldn’t say it, so it didn’t seem to matter. So I never looked it up. Besides, you’re still Jinshi.”
“I sign and stamp literally hundreds of documents a day! Surely you could have - no. Of course not.” He hung his head and sighed. As she had said - Jinshi was a name she could say - his given name was irrelevant. Sometimes he wondered which name was his true name, at this point.
The curve of her elegant mouth began to pout again, the lower lip sticking out in a distracting display that almost caused Jinshi to miss what she said next. “I was waiting for you to tell me.”
His hand clenched on the tree branch, rough bark scraping against his palm as he looked into those gorgeous eyes that, for once, were soft and trained directly on his without respectfully diverting her gaze. “Zuigetsu,” he murmured quietly, for her ears alone.
“Pfft! Figures. Even your name is pretty!” Maomao shifted again to face him more fully, idly gripping a much too slender branch overhead to get leverage.
He reached for her. “Maomao, could we maybe finish this discussion on the ground?”
She shook her head. “Then we can’t hear the trees singing.”
“The trees are singing?” He arched his brows.
She smiled again and held a finger to her lips. “Shh. Listen.”
“Maomao - ”
She delicately laid her finger across his lips instead. “Shhhh, Jinshi.”
His skin tingled under her touch. He was frozen in a tree, eyes wide and utterly speechless while she began to stroke just a fingertip across his mouth, delicately tracing the contours of his lips.
He was going to burn every one of those mushrooms just as soon as he got her safely to the ground. Then he was going to check the shipping manifest to find out which fool had put them in with the medicine.
Maomao finally lifted her finger - only to touch that fingertip to the subtle swell of her bottom lip and smile at him.
He might save a sample. For when Maomao had been on her best behavior. Now that they knew what it did. Which apparently let his apothecary hear the trees sing while enchanting and infuriating him with an openness he’d never seen from her before.
She shifted again to get comfortable on the branch and Jinshi decided to switch tactics. He glanced around and found a spot in the branches that looked like it could support the two of them. “Can you hear the trees if we switch spots? I can’t hear them properly where we are.”
Maomao glanced around. “Where?”
Jinshi pointed to the spot he’d found - which was lower in the tree. “Here.”
“Mmm. Okay.” Maomao went to begin climbing down and stopped, looking at Lihaku’s belt wrapped around her waist. “I’m stuck. The tree is hugging me.”
“I can fix that.” He reached up and carefully began undoing Lihaku’s belt, winding it around his arm to use once he had her down from this particular perch.
She slid off her perch with a speed that caused Jinshi’s heart to lodge in his throat before her feet were on a parallel branch to his and he had his arms around her. “We need Lady Ah-Duo.”
“Why do we need Lady Ah-Duo?” He carefully guided her down to his chosen spot, handing her down the branches as if he were guiding her down the world’s most precarious carriage.
Maomao settled her butt against the natural curve of the branches and looked up at him with that open, unconcerned expression. “She usually has something to drink with her.”
That sounded like the worst idea Jinshi had ever heard. Although, if she wanted something to drink… “I believe Suiren has a particularly dry wine in my chambers that she’s been saving for a special occasion,” he murmured, putting every ounce of persuasive charm into his voice.
He wasn’t expecting her to scowl at him in response. “Ugh.”
“Since when don’t you like dry alcohol?” This was a strange, strange mushroom!
Maomao shook her head and poked him between his eyes. “You’re sparkling. Stop it.”
“I’m sparkling?” He furrowed his brow, but silently went back to Plan A, as he slotted himself next to her on the branches and began using Lihaku’s belt to recreate his makeshift harness for her.
“The way you used to when you really were Master Jinshi. Sparkly and charming and gross.” She shuddered, almost like an actual cat.
“You were literally the only person who thought so,” he grumped. Not that he had ever minded her reactions to his charm. Although, her making faces at him did feel a bit different now. He found this induced openness a bit disturbing, but he couldn’t deny that it was also enchanting. It was so rare for Maomao to tell him exactly what she was thinking with no equivocation or hesitation.
Maomao smirked. “That’s because everyone else didn’t care that they were looking at a mask of your face instead of you.”
Well. That was disconcertingly perceptive. He finished the harness and settled next to her on the branches, letting them support his weight. “So, when I’m being charming, I’m being false?” he asked.
She shook her head. “No - well, yes. You are being manipulative, but not false.”
“That was clear as mud.” He settled her against his chest, wrapping his arm around her.
He felt more than heard her sigh. “It’s like a street magician. Look at what this hand is doing, don’t look over here at the trick. But you’re better at it ‘cause you distract people by finding and praising their good parts and they never see how manipulative you can be. Unless they do, but they’re going along with it anyway. You used to drive me crazy in the Rear Palace when you did that.”
“Why is that?” He was feeling more than a little irked at her, admittedly honest, evaluation of his character.
“I told you then.” She shrugged and looked up at him. “You were wasting it on me. I would do it anyway.”
“Because you had to?” he asked, softly. He swallowed a lump in his throat.
“Well, I did. But I always liked you better when you acted like a brat.” For all that, she rested her head against the hollow between his shoulder and his chest, the fit of her body perfect against his as she sighed in contentment. “I thought it was false for a long time,” she murmured.
“Why is that?” he asked, conscious of the people below them. This wasn’t a part of the conversation he wanted them to hear, so he continued to keep his voice low, rumbling in his chest.
She looked up at him with the scowl back on her face. “Really? You have to ask?”
Jinshi couldn’t help but smile in the face of her annoyed expression. “Maybe. Or maybe I like hearing you explain.”
She blew air through her lips. “Handsome men in the pleasure district aren’t the dangerous ones. It’s the charming ones. They’re usually charming for a reason. Best case scenario, they just want the courtesans to like them.”
His heart clenched in his chest. “What was the worst case scenario?” He wasn’t sure he wanted to know and he had the depressing feeling that he could guess, but his lips were shaping the question before he knew it.
“They were the ones who liked to hit. Or be rough with the courtesans who did night work. Or break hearts deliberately. They liked to break the merchandise in general.”
His apothecary truly had a talent for exposing what should have been obvious to him. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.
“When I went home after the garden party, one of the courtesans tried to kill a charming customer with a neat trick. You know different wines have different weights, right?”
This was an abrupt turn! “Yes, somewhat.”
Maomao shifted in his arms so she could look at his face. “So, if you pour a light wine over a heavier one, the two won’t mix and it looks pretty in a glass. Common trick in the pleasure district. She dissolved tobacco in the lighter wine and used a straw to just drink the bottom layer.” She paused and put a single finger on the tip of his nose and pushed, her eyes suddenly turning serious. “Don’t do that. You see someone else use a straw, you ask why and lipstick is not a good enough excuse.”
“Are you worried someone will try to kill me?” He arched his brows.
“Pfft. People have been trying to do that for years now.” She pressed his nose one more time and settled back against him.
“So, did it work?” She’d never mentioned any details of that first trip back to her home and he had felt too awkward to push the subject once he’d realized that she hadn’t spent it giving Lihaku a night to remember. He ran his hand over his face. He was just fortunate that Gyokuyou and Hongniang were the only ones who had witnessed that, along with Gaoshun. If his older brother had either witnessed or heard that story, he would never have lived it down.
She shook her head. “I saved him. Twice. Second time a kid tried to stab him.”
He startled, jostling her. “What?”
Maomao clung to him, despite his arm around her holding her safe. “Kids are scary. Though Xiaohong is cute.”
Apparently! He shook his own head. At least they weren’t on the very highest branches anymore! And she was, once again, curled up against him, her fingers beginning to stroke over the skin under his forearm, where the sleeve of his inner robe had been hiked up while getting them settled. He didn’t think he’d ever been more sensitive to such an innocent touch - as if she were idly petting him.
She paused and tilted her head to the side, looking down at where her fingers were stroking his arm. “Huh.”
“What?” He shifted - was she starting to come out of this?
“You’re actually sparkling. That’s not good. Hey, Tianyu!” She called down the tree, sitting up abruptly enough that Jinshi grabbed an overhead branch with one hand and shifted the other to grab her around the waist. It was a good thing too, because she nearly took a dive to hang her head down the trunk, the makeshift harness straining.
“Yeah, Niangniang?” Tianyu’s voice was extremely amused.
“It’s Maomao, not Niangniang! Ugh! Never mind, you’ll enjoy that too much. Just write down visual and auditory hallucinations! The trees are still singing and the prince is still sparkling!”
“Got it! Any nausea, dizziness or headache?”
Jinshi was gobsmacked that she somehow still managed to call down observations of her own state.
“None! Oh, look! Stars!” Maomao, called, still almost upside down, but now looking at the sky.
Jinshi glanced up at the sky, expecting it to be something else only Maomao could see, but was surprised to see the very first stars beginning to peek out as the sun set and the sky turned blue around the edges. “I’m still not used to how intense sunsets can be here,” he murmured.
“Dad told me that people think the earth is a sphere because you can see the horizon curving at the very edges. Can you see it?” She sat up fully again and shifted her position, practically climbing on top of him to nestle her bottom between his legs and rest her back against his chest, her head tucked under his chin.
He choked, desperately trying not to focus on the feel of her pressed up against him like that. He ran though everything he could think of - a mountain of paperwork that was nothing but invitations. Rikuson, smiling that gentle, inoffensive smile that Jinshi hated, in part because he recognized it every time he looked in the mirror.
She wiggled against him, getting comfortable again.
He closed his eyes and pictured Lakan’s face if he were at the base of the tree right now.
That did it. He relaxed a little as he got his baser nature under control, wrapping both arms around her middle to hold her in place and laid his cheek against the top of her head, inhaling the scent of soap and bitter herbs that she wore in lieu of perfume. Even the branches digging against his back, shoulders and legs weren’t enough for him to want to leave this position - and he was fairly certain they were both going to be stuck in this tree until whatever this mushroom was wore off. How long had it been since she’d taken it? He tried to work backwards from when he was summoned, how long Maomao had been running around impaired before that. He thought it might have been about two dual hours.
Which meant the rest of them, aside from Gaoshun, had been dealing with this for at least that long. He called down the tree, “Everyone except Master Gaoshun is dismissed for the evening.”
“Awww!” came a duet of two voices. Jinshi resolutely ignored them.
Fortunately, Gaoshun was an old hand at dispersing a crowd and Jinshi could hear him handling everything - getting Tianyu’s notes and instructions on what to watch for and when to bring Maomao to the medical office in all haste. Reassuring the quack that everything would be all right. Lihaku simply put Chue over his shoulder and started hauling her away while teasing her - he really needed to make sure that man got a bonus for exemplary service.
“Mmmm. That is one of your best qualities. You know that, right?” Maomao murmured, her voice having dropped half an octave.
“Pardon?” Jinshi felt as if the tenor of the evening had suddenly shifted in a way he was not quite prepared for.
She turned over in his arms, her front now pressed against his belly as she looked up at him, her eyes still wide and soft. But there was also a predatory expression in them that transfixed him. He swallowed an unexpected lump in his throat.
No. No way. They were still almost twenty shaku high off of the ground. This was a terrible time for Maomao to do…whatever it was she was thinking that might put that look in her eyes.
“The way you can take a hint,” Maomao teased, sliding up his body.
“H-Hey!” he gasped, his hands automatically grabbing her upper arms in reflex. All of his careful control from earlier was lost as he felt himself react faster than he’d ever experienced before.
She giggled sweetly and finally brought her face level with his. She leaned forward and her lips parted, close enough that he could feel her breath against his own lips.
He desperately wanted to close the distance and kiss her. His hands clenched on her arms. “Maomao,” he breathed.
“Jin-shi!” she teased, the syllables of his name sing-songed into the night.
He shouldn’t. He really, truly shouldn’t - everything was so new that he wasn’t sure how much would be too much. He swallowed. “I still have that dry wine in my quarters. Do you want to try climbing down now?
She shook her head. “You’re so cute when you’re nervous.” She leaned forward and before he knew it…
…she was rubbing the tips of their noses together. Nuzzling him lightly. Sweetly. He had always loved the kindness that she hid with a brusque manner and sharp words, but he’d never imagined that she had this capacity for soft affection. Her forehead rested against his and his grip on her upper arms loosened to hold her to him. The words I love you felt like they would burst against his throat trying to get out.
She pulled back just enough to look at him, eyes dark in the fading light. “You don’t get to take it back.”
“I don’t get to take what back?” He tilted his head, confused.
“What you said about becoming your wife. You’re stuck, now.” The enchanting smile was gone - she was utterly serious in his lap.
He managed to sit up slightly, trying to get back onto something resembling even ground. “Do you really think I would?” he asked, oh so softly, stifling any hint of anger that she could doubt him on this. After everything he had done.
She poked his chest, scowling the entire time. “It’s going to be your damn honor to marry me. I don’t care if you find someone better suited to you later.”
“Who?” he demanded. “You have this idea in mind that there’s someone out there who’s better than you. Give me an example.”
Maomao looked down, where their hands were now entwined in her lap, saying nothing.
Jinshi smirked, enjoying watching her squirm until this light interrogation. “I see you’re not saying anything. Can I guess why?”
She still didn’t look at him, so he continued. “You seem to think that I’m going to regret marrying you - and only you, Maomao. And, yes, there are other women out there - beautiful, talented, accomplished women. But they’re not Maomao. None of them are my brilliant, driven, beautiful apothecary. So how could they be better? Any and every woman I have ever met since that day I dragged you into the Jade Pavilion has never measured up against you.”
The light was low enough he couldn’t quite tell, but he thought she might be blushing. “You really are a freak. Your taste in women is atrocious.”
He chuckled at that and caught her chin between his finger and thumb to raise her head. “I suppose I can allow you to be wrong on this issue.”
“How gracious of your highness,” she muttered. “My point stands.”
“You had a point?” he teased, grinning at the return of her much more typical grumpy demeanor.
She glared at him. “My point is that while it would be unbearably rude of me not to take you at your word - ”
“When has that ever stopped you?!” Jinshi mused aloud, with mock wonder.
“- I should inform you that this goes both ways.” She continued glaring at him, poking his chest to emphasize her words. “If you even think about taking a concubine, you will not be leaving the privy until you recognize that you’ve made a terrible mistake.”
The world was silent all around them for a long moment before the air rang with Jinshi’s delighted laughter.
“Hey!” Maomao pouted.
Jinshi held on to his darling, territorial cat for dear life, doing his best not to fall out of the tree himself, tears streaming from his eyes. “Oh, Maomao, that will never be an issue.” He rested one hand along the back of her neck, holding her gently in place as he gently touched her nose with his one more time. “Do you trust me?”
“I wouldn’t have accepted you if I didn’t,” she grumped. But she still nuzzled the tip of her nose against his.
“Well, as you said, this goes both ways.” Jinshi cupped her cheek with his hand, cradling her face.
She blinked at him, confused and utterly adorable.
He stroked one thumb over her cheekbone. “You agreed to be mine. That also means I’m yours.”
Maomao stared at him with wide eyes in the last of the fading sunset, her lips parted in shock. Jinshi pressed his thumb to her bottom lip. One day, he promised himself. One day, I will be able to kiss her as I like.
“Now that that’s settled, perhaps you’ve heard enough of the trees that we could climb down?”
Maomao nodded. “They’ve stopped.” She pressed two fingers to the bridge of her nose. “Coming down off of this is going to be interesting. I found the headache.”
“I’ll guide you.” Jinshi began to descend slowly, making sure Maomao had her footing as she followed him down, branch by branch. Finally, he could see the ground and Gaoshun, standing guard by the tree, Jinshi’s overrobe slung over one arm.
“I can get her down safely while you jump, sir.” Gaoshun lifted his arms. “Xiaomao, you ready?”
Maomao nodded and Jinshi carefully watched to make sure she was steady as she slid into Gasoshun’s catch before jumping down himself.
“Here. The temperature is dropping rapidly.” Gaoshun hurriedly wrapped Maomao in Jinshi’s overrobe, providing her a little extra warmth. “Where to, sir?” he asked Jinshi.
He wanted to bring her straight to his chambers, but she wasn’t his wife yet. “The medical office. I’m sure you’re going to want to document the rest of these effects?” he asked Maomao.
She nodded. “Yes, sir.”
They set as brisk a pace as Maomao was capable of - which was much slower than usual. She grinned at the new symptoms, even as the corners of her mouth were pinched in pain.
“We’re almost there,” Jinshi murmured, fighting the urge to scoop her into his arms. She wouldn’t want him to do that unless she were truly incapacitated.
Maomao just nodded and they plodded along, her eyes drooping and her posture slumping more and more the closer they got to the medical office. Jinshi was almost ready to rethink his earlier decision not to carry her, but they made it to the door, where the quack immediately swept Maomao inside, settling her on one of the infirmary beds and managing to coax half a cup of tea into her before their cat finally passed out entirely.
Jinshi looked around. “Is Doctor Li here as well?”
“He got called away to another patient, but he should be back to help monitor her soon. In the meantime, I’m taking my own notes!” The quack gestured to a brush and paper he had at the ready.
He would have felt better if her colleague had been available, but he supposed Doctor Guen (he really must be careful to think of him as such, unless he wanted to slip during an inopportune moment) could handle watching over a sleeping woman. “Your good offices are appreciated, as always, Master Physician,” he said, allowing some of that sparkle to infuse his manner. With this good-natured eunuch, it was expected, after all.
“Not at all, Moon Prince! Miss Maomao is dear to us all!” He beamed and bustled over to cover Maomao with a light blanket.
“She is that,” murmured Gaoshun.
He tamped down his flush at the implication, given what he knew both men had overheard. “Oh, and Master Physician?”
“Yes, Moon Prince?” The plump little man quivered with excitement.
“Please see to it that the mushrooms that caused today’s adventure are properly disposed of, except for a small sample to take back to the capital. I suspect the apothecary may wish to consult the medical libraries to find out what exactly we were dealing with.”
“Of course, Moon Prince!” came his quick agreement.
Jinshi smiled and turned up the sparkle. “Also, may I borrow the manifest for this particular medical shipment?”
The quack bustled over to a small desk and rustled through the papers, picking up one to examine it before offering it to Jinshi. “I believe this is it, your highness!”
He took the paper, glancing over it to make sure it contained the information he needed. “Then I will wish you goodnight.” He took his leave, forcing himself not to glance back.
Gaoshun kept his counsel until they finally reached Jinshi’s chambers and closed the door. Suiren stood from where she had been sitting. “Good evening, young master. I heard there was an incident?”
“Yes. Fortunately, it seems to have resolved well.” Jinshi handed the shipping manifest to Gaoshun. “Could you put that on my desk? I’ll go over it in the morning.”
“Of course.” Gaoshun took the paper and bowed, leaving Jinshi with Suiren.
“I have supper waiting, young master. I’m sure you must be hungry,” Suiren smiled that gentle smile of hers.
His stomach rumbled. “Yes, thank you.”
Suiren bustled out and Jinshi sat. He glanced at his arm to realize that he had left his overrobe on Maomao. The thought of her sleeping, surrounded by something of his, brought a small smile to his face as he absently brushed his fingertips against his lips.
“Congratulations, your highness.” Gaoshun’s soft voice came from the doorway, where he had returned from his short errand.
Jinshi blushed, but didn’t bother pretending not to know what Gaoshun was talking about. “Thank you,” he murmured.
“Will you tell His Majesty the good news in a letter or wait until we’ve arrived at the capital?” His longtime aide came to stand before him.
Jinshi blew his breath out in a huff. “One thing at a time.”
Gaoshun went so far as to look surprised. “Is there something specific you’re waiting for?”
“My damn name, for one.” He combed one hand through his bangs. “Then there’s also Lakan to consider.”
Gaoshun’s brow furrowed. “That could take you another four years.”
Jinshi winced. “Hopefully not.”
“Securing his consent might go faster with the royal family backing your suit, sir,” his aide pointed out.
Jinshi leaned forward, resting his chin on his hands, thinking. “Perhaps. Perhaps not. Regardless, if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s not to rush. Besides, the strategist’s consent might make Maomao rethink the whole thing.”
“Oh, I doubt that,” Gaoshun’s eyes crinkled as he smiled. “Once our Xiaomao decides upon something - or someone - she’s quite devoted.”
Jinshi sat up and stretched out his back, feeling it crackle as he worked out some of the awkward kinks from sitting in the tree with Maomao. “In any case, for now we still have our duties. The West is almost back on its feet - I think my next letter to His Majesty may contain the good news that we are scheduling our return date.”
“Good news indeed, sir.” Gaoshun brightened. While most of the immediate Ma Clan had accompanied Jinshi west, Maamei, her husband and their children were back in the capital. And it had been almost a year since Gaoshun and Taomei had seen their grandchildren. Or Chue and Baryou, their son.
He winced at the realization. “I’m sorry this took so long.”
“You are not at fault, your highness. This trip was supposed to be for form’s sake to witness the handoff to Gyokuen’s heir. Instead, we almost walked into a war on the heels of the worst insect plague in fifty years. You not only did your duty, you followed your conscience. You should be proud of the work you’ve done.”
Jinshi sighed. “I’m sure - ”
“No.” Gaoshun’s voice was firmer than he had heard in years - since he was a child. “You have done a good job here, and you do those around you, those who have helped you, little credit if you do not acknowledge that.”
Including not only Maomao, but Lihaku, Gaoshun and his whole family. Especially Chue, who had been terribly hurt while protecting Jinshi’s heart. Trust Gaoshun to drive a lesson home. Jinshi smiled. “Very well. I am satisfied with what we have done - the rest is up to those who call this area home.”
Gaoshun smiled slightly. “Very good, sir. If there is nothing else you require this evening, perhaps I might be allowed to tend to some other duties?”
Jinshi smiled - Gaoshun always did know him well. Especially when he wanted to be alone with his thoughts. “Of course. Goodnight, Gaoshun.”
“Goodnight, sir.” Gaoshun bowed and only stopped for a moment to speak softly with Suiren, who was carrying a tray with Jinshi’s dinner, before leaving for the evening.”
“I’ve left your night clothes on the bed, young master. Is there anything else you require this evening?” Suiren looked at him with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
“No, thank you, Suiren. Go ahead and take the rest of the night off.” Jinshi suspected that Suiren knew everything, but aside from taking exquisite care of Maomao when she and Chue finally returned, she had said nothing.
Suiren merely bowed in response to his dismissal and left the room, leaving Jinshi in peaceful solitude. There were only two things he could think of that might increase his contentment. A mysterious wind blowing away all the paperwork on his desk (except for a certain shipping manifest he intended to investigate)!
And Maomao, curled up sleeping in his bed instead of the medical office.
If you even think about taking a concubine, you won’t leave the privy until you realize your mistake!
He grinned at the memory of her threat, how she had glared at him! She would do it too, the silly cat. As if anyone else could compare. For now, he allowed himself to bask in the bone deep contentment of having been claimed so unambiguously.
She was his and he was hers. They would face the future one day at a time.
Together.