for the vast majority of her life, maomao considered herself unable to recognise or reciprocate romantic love — or most kinds of affection, really — though over the course of your long and slow courtship you were able to prove that theory of hers to be incorrect

courting maomao is an incredibly slow process as she’s not the type to even consider dating someone she doesn’t know and isn’t able to completely trust. so before you even think about asking her out you’ll need to have a long history as her friend, her confidant, her advisor, and as someone she knows she can openly rely on or else she’ll just reject you outright

(it’s nothing personal — truly it’s not — she just doesn’t see herself as the relationship type unless she’s had adequate time to develop and come to terms with her feelings of you… which is, to reiterate, a very slow process)

being with her means accepting that there are two ‘loves of her life’ — you being one, and the other being poisons… or, well, medicinal ingredients and her work as a taster/apothecary in general but especially poisons/venoms/toxins

she doesn’t do pet names, but if you’re someone she loves then she’ll drop the formal language and just refer to you using your first name — likewise she’d rather just be called by her personal name, but as long as you don’t call her anything too silly or childish she’s not strictly opposed to you using pet names with her when you’re alone

she’s not the type to beat around the bush with you and she will just outright tell you when you’re wrong or when you’re being stupid — and while she doesn’t intend to be mean she can be very blunt with how she says these things

if you’re big into self care — makeup, hair care, body hair removal, etc. — then she’ll offer up her assistance and teach you everything that she learned from her older sisters back at the verdigris house

speaking of the verdigris house, while she’s not the bragging type maomao does tell her family back home that she’s in a relationship when she’s certain that you two are going to last. call her pessimistic but she wants to be sure about everything, about you, before bringing you around the people that have the most embarrassing stories about her

(goodness knows her big sisters won’t miss the chance to tease her or start bugging her for details…)

won’t stop working as a poison tester or experimenting on herself once you two become a thing, but she is more mindful about overworking herself once you start getting on her case about it. after all, poisons might be her passion but you are still her partner and she acknowledges that this whole thing isn’t the easiest for you to deal with

it takes her a long while — like actual years — to get comfortable with being emotionally vulnerable and completely honest with you about what she’s thinking and feeling. it’s not that she doesn’t try, or that she doesn’t want to, it’s just that emotions don’t come easily to her and she’s more comfortable with, more accustomed to, just bottling everything up, ignoring it, and pretending everything is okay until it actually is

do not ask her about her work unless you’re mentally prepared to get info-dumped at about poisons and medicines for the next few hours — it’s all very interesting of course, but it’s a lot to process all at once

if you manage to get your hands on some exotic or rare ingredient for her to experiment with then she’ll be all but jumping for joy — it’s about the only sort of gift she’ll accept without argument, and the one that she’ll be the most openly and loudly appreciative of

(though she does still keep every gift you give her, even if they’re not medicine/poison related)

cannot do any sort of pda but when you’re in private she’ll accept whatever you want to do with/to her — she grew up in a brothel, after all, so nothing really shocks her

… just don’t get in the way when she’s working or doing her research because that would be terribly inconvenient

she’d never say this outloud, but her favourite place to be kissed is either the bridge of her nose (over where she paints her freckles) or the palms of her hands. and her favourite place to kiss you — aside from your lips, obviously — are your cheeks

she stares at you a lot without realising, to the point where pretty much everyone close to her has pointed it out at least once or twice — especially lady gyokuyou and shisui who have both mortified her by pointing out this habit, loudly, right in front of you and in public settings

(yes she still gets embarrassed no matter how long you’ve been together, it’s just a thing)

she insists on making your medicines herself whenever you’re ill — and if you deal with recurring symptoms relating to a chronic condition (e.g. lightheadedness, nausea, fainting, pain) then she makes a habit of keeping the ingredients needed to treat those symptoms in stock where she works at all times

one of the perks of dating an apothecary, i suppose

tries to keep you as far away as possible from the old man and visibly died a bit inside when he ran into you both and introduced himself as her ‘papa’ — would be very appreciative of you taking her side about the whole ordeal and finding new ways for her to avoid him without going above either of your ranks

as protective as she can be given her status and will do what she can to keep you safe even to her own detriment — which is something she struggles to understand why she does even after you two have been a couple for a while

Yandere type: overprotective, controlling, manipulative, obsessive, possessive, infantilizing

Knew you before she left

Saw you the same way she did Lishu

Only called you your full name when you're in trouble

Called you only by your first name

Gifted you toys and clothes all the time

Treated you like a toddler sometimes then covered it up with "joking"

Due to being fairly active she has no problem picking you up and sitting you on her lap

Cuddled you a lot

Fully trusted you with Fengmeng and her other ladies in waiting

Had a hand in Fengmeng and the other ladies in waiting treating you younger than you are

The one to build your bedroom in the Garnet Pavillion in the first place

When she got word she would be leaving she thought about taking you with her

Though, she knew Lihua, Lishu, and Gyokuyou loved you and so she agonized over it

When she does leave she gives you a tearful goodbye gift, a doll that looks like her

Loved doing your hair and dressing you up

When she had moments of maternal instincts she would focus on you

As she was packing up to leave for the Southern Imperial Villa, she almost smuggled you out with her

She sends you letters and gifts from her new residence

Offers to let you visit her if you wish

Wants to still be a presence in your life in some way

Always waiting with open arms for you

Really hopes your future is bright as the adopted child of who the world thinks is Li's Imperial Brother

Would always give you small forehead kisses

Would give you makeup like hers if you asked

Left you with one of her hairpins and maybe a few other things to remember her by

When told what happened to you she hugged you and tried her best not to cry

Might go looking for your mother to ask her why she left you in the Rear Palace alone

Yandere type: overprotective, manipulative, possessive, obsessive, infantilizing

Never calls you by your name, only little one or little (Name)

Tells you stories of her homeland

Sits you on her lap all the time

Would let you sleep on her

When she got pregnant the hormones made her infantilization worse

Originally you spent next to her room, now you just full on sleep in her bed with her

If you try to leave she won't let you

Hugs and cuddles you a lot

If you're not eating or not eating enough then she'll try and feed you

When Lingli was born her mind went "now you have two babies"

Never makes you take care of Lingli

As Lingli gets older and more attached Gyokuyou can't help but smile

Wishes you would stay cute and small forever

Teaches Lingli to call you Táng Gē/Jiě(Chinese term for an older male/female cousin on your father's side)

Remembers so many things about you

Will gift you toys and other items you like from the West

Shares sweets with you all the time

The only thing she makes you do with Lingli is play with her

When it's just Hongniang, Ailan, Guiyuan, and Yinghua as her ladies in waiting she has them watch you

When her sisters Haku-u, Koku-u, and Seki-u join as ladies in waiting they aren't left alone with you, not because they'll hurt you but because Gyokuyou's overprotective nature doesn't trust them yet

Scoops you up and away from what she sees as a danger to you

Will as Maomao to make stuff to calm you down

Love dressing you in her colors as a symbol to ward away others

Hates it when Jinshi or the lady in waiting of another concubine comes to collect you

Will work with Lihua to make you scared of everyone who isn't one of the "good people" in the Rear Palace

Comforts you when Ah-Duo leaves

When she becomes empress she'll find a way to give you a nice comfortable status where you'll be safe but won't have to deal with politics

Yandere type: overprotective, controlling, manipulative, obsessive, possessive, infantilizing

She was already somewhat motherly towards you

When she was pregnant with her first child she put some of that extra maternal love on you

When her first child died she became more attached to you

Sometimes infantilizes you, especially during her depression period following her first child's death

When she was on the brink of death she thought about you being without her and she was scared

Once she was healed both physically and emotionally she gifted you some of the toys she had for her first child

Will gift you toys and little things

Calls you little one or "Xiao de (Name)"

Would sometimes play with you when she had time

Wouldn't fully leave her ladies in waiting alone with you, they could be near you just supervised

Will force you to rest

Memorizes everything about you

In the Crystal Pavillion you're on a schedule

Gently redirects you if she thinks you're doing something dangerous

Tells her ladies in waiting to report your behaviors to her

Cuddles you close when you're sad

Will make you scare dof the world out her, the other concubines and the Rear Palace

Hates things about how you might have to leave the Rear Palace on day

After the incidents and dismissal of her cousin Shin, she gets more overprotective

Now she never lets you out of her sight

When she's pregnant with her second child that extra loves still goes to you, but more intense

With the help of a wet nurse and other help the baby doesn't stop her from loving you

At first you had your own room in the Crystal Pavillion

Now you sleep in her room, near her and her baby

Has had nightmares about what could happen to you

Hates the thought of you getting involved in politics

Might plot to bring you with her if she ever leaves the Rear Palace, only thoughts for now

Sits you on her lap a lot

Pets your hair and sometimes kisses your forehead in secret

Would gift you a hairpin

Does your hair all the time when you visit

Would use her status and family wealth to make sure your mother suffers for leaving you

Never makes you do anything with her son except playing with him

Yandere Type: overprotective, self sacrificing, delusional

Thinks of herself as your big sister

Since you're 8, and she's 14 you're the only on even somewhat close to her age

Is a soft platonic yandere and the second most "normal" of the concubines

When you're at the Diamond Pavillion and have to leave, she might use tears to make you stay longer

When Ah-Duo was still the Pure Consort the two would update each other on you

Has tea parties just so she can learn about your life and tell someone

Knows you tell her thinks you wouldn't tell Jinshi

Feels a little guilty about ratting you out to someone

Quickly patches over that guilt by thinking that this is really for the best

Would get you small gifts

Would be the one most likely to play pretend with you or something similar

Calls you by your first name only

Gifts you toys

Will try and pick you up and out of danger, though she's not the strong so you both end up on the ground

Once she learns of her bully ladies in waiting, she never leaves them alone with you

Will sacrifice anything and everything to keep you safe

Due to her being the legal wife of the former emperor, she most likely never had a happy, deccent young childhood

So, she kind of projects that onto you, making sure you're happy

When she learns about your backstory she just wants to cry

She would make sure you have extra of everything just so you know that you're loved here

Has worries about your future in the court

Never wants you to experience what she did

If you're being a bit too much she might go to Maomao and ask for something to make you chill out

Will use her position as your superior in the caste system to make you go to Maomao/The Doctor

Worries you might end up in a bad position when you're too old to be in the Rear Palace

When she's sent to the Red Pulm Village she worries more about you

If you visit her she'll let you play with the ducks

Might try and help you smuggle a duckling or two into the Rear Palace

Tells Basen about you, framing you as this cute little thing

Will ask the current emperor to look out for you in some way

You two shared a bedroom, mostly because she got so worried she couldn't sleep unless she knew you were ok

Would gift you your own magic mirror like her own, except with her visage

Yandere type: Manipulative, obsessive, overprotective

Due to being new she was kept away from you by Gyokuyou and Lihua

When she does get to know you she looks at you and goes "ok, now I see why the others love you"

Uses her second life as a Shisui to get close to you

As both Loulan and Shisui she resists the urge to pull you onto her lap and hug you

As shisui she is very physically affectionate with you

Calls you all sorts of nicknames, most of which are bug themed

Can only see you when you're not with Gyokuyou, Lihua, or Jinshi

Hates when you avoid her as Loulan

Might have her ladies in waiting cause some distractions while she hangs out with you as Loulan

Uses everything you tell her as Shisui to her advantage

Will keep you very far from her family, especially Shenmei

Uses her family's wealth to buy you many gifts, mostly clothing, jewelry, and other such items

Due to being quiet you think she hates you, but she doesn't

Wishes she could be as open with you as she wants to be

When the Shi rebellion happens, she worries about you

When she fakes her death and goes to another country she thinks about you

As Tamamo she sends you anonymous letters and gifts

Even though she's an ocean away she still wants to know about you and your life

Sends you gifts from her new home

Due to her abusive upbringing she wants to give you the childhood she never had

Might also send you a few toys now and again

When she learns of your origins she's both so mad but also wants to cry

Would "accidentally" have extra food that her ladies in waiting " coincidentally" didn't like that she would give to you

Lets you have many tastes of the noble lifestyle

When she leaves she worries about your life without her in it

Might visit you as Tamamo if she can make it happen

Hopes you never get involved in court politics

In the Garnet Pavillion you were always watched by ladies in waiting

The room right next to hers was your bedroom, you only slept there

She wanted to cuddle you in her bed, so she would snatched you from your bed when you were in deep sleep and cuddle you

Her hands, usually steady as a surgeon’s, faltered slightly as she crushed a dried root into fine powder. It wasn’t the task that troubled her—it was the silence. The kind that makes thoughts fester like untreated wounds.

She supposed someone like Suiren, or one of the high-ranking consorts, would, at this point, sigh softly and whisper of guilt and pain before crying themself to sleep but Maomao did not sigh prettily nor did she cry.

What she felt was not guilt. It was rot.

A slow, creeping decay that had taken root in the hollow beneath her ribs and was now curling its way up her throat. It choked her with a thick, acrid bile no amount of dried plum or sweet cherry blossom tea could wash away.

Her fingers brushed the edge of the hairpin Jinshi had given her. She hadn’t even meant to touch it, yet there it was, cold silver from the Western Mountains, shaped like a chrysanthemum in mid-bloom, each petal curling against the pin.

A gift no one refused, even she had accepted the pin that day on the pavilion. But you had decline the pin. 

And he had loved that.

You had snubbed him and he basked in it. You had refused or rather tried to till a member of the Moon Prince’s private household delivered you a more elaborate ornate pin, not any pin his pin. The prince's.

Maomao pressed her fingertips to her temple. Her thoughts were loud now, too loud. Unclean. She was rotting from the inside out. She wanted to flush it out the way she would a festering wound cleanse them with logic, with distance, perhaps with a stiff dose of alcohol.

But there was no remedy for this.

Her adopted father had always said the only cure was confession, to lighten the soul. So late that evening, Maomao found herself slipping beyond the walls of Jinshi’s residence and making her way through the quiet gates of the Imperial Court. No one stopped her. The guards were used to her odd comings and goings, her robes always smelling of tonics and tinctures, her arms often burdened with strange offerings.

Tonight was no different, her offering discreetly placed her sleeve.

The hour was late, the sky a canvas of thick ink. Servants scurried through the halls rushing to wrap up the last of the day's duties. But the light in your chamber was still lit. Of course it was. Your father, the Chancellor, was away at court again, yet another meeting ahead of the looming war.

The room was warm, too warm for the late hour. Drapes of silk stirred faintly in the breeze from the half-open window, lantern light casting shifting shadows against golden walls. The faint hum of crickets echoed from the garden beyond.

You sat by the window, bathed in moonlight, posture regal but relaxed. From this height, the palace grounds looked peaceful, placid even. A lie, of course. Nothing in the Inner Court was ever truly at rest.

“Mistress,” came a voice, soft as smoke. “Forgive the intrusion. But I must speak with you.”

You turned, slow and deliberate. Maomao stood at the edge of the lamplight, half-shadowed, robes slightly rumpled, hands folded before her like she had arrived from a battlefield rather than the apothecary. Her face was unreadable, her eyes darker than usual.

“Then speak, Apothecary,” you said, tone calm. Cool, but not cruel. “What does your master want now?”

Her eyes flicked, just briefly, to your hair. To the silver pin twined in your braid, your father’s gift, not the Moon Prince’s.Then she dropped. Knees to polished floor, forehead nearly touching it, her bow so deep it was almost theatrical. But you knew better. Nothing Maomao did was without calculation.

“I’ve come to apologize,” she said, hands resting in her lap. “To beg forgiveness.”

You raised a brow, leaning an elbow on the windowsill. “For what, exactly?”

“It was I who put you in Master Jinshi’s path.” The apothecary spoke softly, but clearly.

That drew your attention. A pause. Stillness, sharp and sudden. You did not speak, instead you waited for her to continued.

“I used you,” she continued, voice even. “He took an interest in me. A dangerous interest. For someone of my station… such attention is rarely a blessing. I feared what would follow. So I shifted his gaze. Toward you. Someone far more suitable.”

You studied her. The way her fingers curled just slightly in her lap. The way she refused to lift her gaze. Like a criminal already bracing for the blade.

“I understand the instinct to survive,” you said mildly. “But there’s no need for dramatics. Your master is… harmless. Beautiful, yes, but a eunuch, nonetheless. the only fear I have is him attempting to put me the Emperor's garden.” you voice amused at the young woman.

Maomao lifted her head and now there was something sharp behind her eyes. “He’s not.”

The words struck. Your back straightened.

The apothecary didn’t blink. “You must have noticed. The resemblance to the Emperor. The way even high-ranking officials lower their eyes around him. He is no more a peacock than a tiger in painted feathers.”

You said nothing at first. Just the faintest tilt of your head, moonlight catching on your cheek.

“…Are you saying—”

“There is nothing I can do to save you, my lady,” Maomao interrupted softly, her tone too level to be comforting. “Only offer my services.”

You arched a brow, resting your hands against the silk of your robes. “What need have I for an apothecary at this hour? Are you here to offer me poison to end my worries?”

Maomao blinked. A faint twitch at the corner of her mouth betrayed her surprise, not at the words, but at the lack of alarm behind them. She had expected gasps. Outrage. Perhaps the clatter of summoned guards. Not that.

“Nothing so dramatic,” she said, smoothing her sleeves with measured calm. “I simply wish to correct a wrong I’ve done… to lighten me guilt by offering what skills I possess. Being an apothecary is only one of them. I was raised in the Verdigris House.”

You didn’t flinch.“A brothel,” you replied evenly.

She inclined her head with all the grace of a court lady, though her robes still carried the scent of herbs and iron. “Yes.”

You exhaled slowly, as though growing weary of riddles. “And how is that supposed to help me?”

Maomao’s gaze flicked up briefly, precisely. “Master Jinshi has… particular tastes.”

The corner of your mouth twitched with dry skepticism. “And I fail to see how that is remotely relevant. What do I care for the Moon Prince’s appetites?”

“I won’t insult your intelligence,” she said, her hands now folded neatly over her lap. “Your family stands on a precipice. Your father leaves again soon, to meet the war gathering at the borders. Your mother is at home, wrestling with conspiring Lords. Your brothers is young. Too young. And while you are capable, formidable even… the Inner Court is no place for women who stand alone.”

“I need no protection.”

“Agreed,” Maomao said, without hesitation. “But even tigers must sleep. And snakes wait for that moment to strike.” Her words hung in the still air.

“Master Jinsh or the Moon Prince, if you prefer could protect you. But Master Jinshi is the safer path. Childish at times, yes. Overbearing… obsessed… but devoted. You could do worse than align yourself with him. If you chose to wield your influence over him… there would be little in the court beyond your reach. You could protect your family.”

You narrowed your gaze. “And if I wished to be Empress? Your plan would hurt your own dear lady.”

“You don’t want the throne,” Maomao said flatly. “The Emperor knows that. Which is why he encourages this match. It keeps Jinshi happy and strengthens his court. You want safety. For your brothers. For yourself. This is how you get it.”

A heavy pause. The lantern crackled softly.“And how exactly, am I meant to wield a prince like a dagger?”

Maomao’s voice dropped lower, softer, but somehow more unsettling. “He is a masochist.”

You blinked once.

“Raised to be revered, yes. Worshiped. But what he craves… is surrender. He wishes to be beneath someone. To kneel. To suffer. To worship.” Her lips curled faintly, not in mockery but grim understanding. 

You stared at her. “Interesting, if not mildly disturbing,” you said slowly, your tone hard and biting. “But hardly useful to me.”

“He desires you,” she said simply. “For your ability to look at him and not be moved by his beauty. For the way you do not melt beneath his gaze or fawn at his presence. Your aloofness only feeds the flame. A flame that has become an inferno within him.”

“One that you started,” you couldn’t help but snap.

You regretted it immediately. For all the danger the strange girl brought, you could not hate her not completely, anyway. In this world, women occupied a delicate position. And for a girl of Maomao’s station, Jinshi or whatever name he wore was dangerous. You could not blame her for that. Not really. You might have done the same thing if you were her.

Maomao leaned forward slightly, her voice barely above a whisper. “He takes a tincture. An old compound, used by monks designed to suppress certain urges. But if he were to stop taking it… his body would catch up. His restraint is borrowed. Not natural. It is not hard to believe that his appetite would be as the Emperor…”

You said nothing, but your lashes lowered ever so slightly. Not enough to show interest. Just enough to not deny it.

“I have served him for years,” Maomao continued. “In all that time, not once has he ever forced anything upon me. Not when he could. Not even when he wanted to. He is… loyal. Deeply. And if you wanted him,truly wanted him, he would not only obey, he would be devoted. Utterly. Insatiably.”

You looked away. Briefly. Then, “What makes you think I want that? A husband?”

Maomao tilted her head. “You remind me of my sisters.”

Your eyes flickered to her sharply.

“Pairin and Joka,” she clarified, voice soft. “Two of the three Verdigris Princesses. Pairin is warm, affectionate, with a dangerous appetite for pleasure. Joka is sharp, with a scholar’s wit. She advises ministers behind beaded curtains.”

Your expression betrayed a flicker of recognition. You had heard of them.

“I meant it as a compliment,” Maomao said, bowing her head again. “You are not limited to one role. Not just a noble daughter. Not just a strategist. Not just a woman, You are all these things and more... and it is for that reason I offer this.”

She reached inside her sleeve and drew out a leather-bound tome. The binding was frayed with age, its surface worn smooth by hands long dead. It bore no title. Only a seal pressed into its cover, a Western design.

“A gift from the West, from the land of your mother,” she said, offering it in both hands. “A book of pleasure. But also one of control. The women of the Verdigris House guard it jealously. And now I give it to you. The beginning of my apology.”

You reached for it, fingertips brushing against the old leather. It was heavier than expected.

“So you come to apologize,” you said slowly, “and instead you offer me a strategy. A lover. A husband. And compare me to courtesans.”

Maomao lowered her eyes. “I offer you tools. I offer you freedom, should you choose to take it. And, if you’ll allow it… I offer my service too, as a sign of penance.”

You stared at her, silent. Then you nodded, once. “Very well. Leave it.” You did not smile. “Should I find the need of you again,” you said, turning back to the window, “you will be in my service.”

Behind you, Maomao bowed again. Her footsteps faded into the corridor beyond. Only the scent of crushed herbs remained, leaving you to stare out of the window, waiting for your father to return. There would be much to do. So much to prepare. You would need to speak with Empress Gyokuyou. Discuss what came next. Weariness settled in your bones. Your eyes flitted over to the book laying on the table, its presence heavy, full of silent promise. Much to do. So much to do.

But for now, you let the breeze lift the edge of your sleeve and close your eyes. For now, you allowed yourself to rest. If only for a few hours.

Okay hear me out! Jinshi is not going to fall for the naive easy reader, he is going to fall hard for the aloof baddie with attitude. For a women in this period the only way to get power is to marry well. The reader is stuck by society and expectation. Just like all the characters are really.

Also if Jinshi falls for anyone he would be a Yandere, sweet and loving but obsessive and forceful just like we see in the frog scene(sooo good) He needs someone that can control or at least deal with his yandere-y nature. So the reader would definably be in for a ride...then again so would Jinshi. However their love would be as beautiful as Jinshi himself, if not more so.

Hope you enjoyed it.

Maomao would never describe herself as malicious or mean. She was not particularly nice, either. She didn’t find herself feeling many emotions—she felt them, of course—but she approached life with a pragmatic detachment.

For example, being kidnapped and sold to the rear palace had been more of an annoyance than a tragedy. Mildly inconveniencing, yes, but at the end of the day, it could have been much worse. The cold, gilded halls of the inner court had become just another backdrop to her daily life, the scent of expensive incense and silk-wrapped bodies blending into the clinical sterility of her world.

Regret was a rare visitor in her mind. She only ever felt it when a particularly sumptuous poison was snatched from her grasp, usually by Jinshi, Gaoshun, or Basen. The lost opportunities to study those delicate toxins still haunted her but now, she felt regret deeply, like a sharp knife pressing against her ribs, unrelenting and suffocating.

She had done this to you. She had put you in the path of an oddly obsessive man-child.

In her mind, she had been right to divert Master Jinshi’s fixation away from herself onto someone more suitable. It was far too dangerous for her to have such an attachment with someone like him. His current position would not remain the same forever. There would be an heir, and Jinshi would gain more freedom—within limits, of course. Maomao wanted to be nowhere near him when that happened. She was perfectly content in the doctor’s office, surrounded by the comforting scent of crushed herbs and aged parchment. With any luck, she might even gain enough favor to begin making medicine herself. After all, the Emperor was always changing the old rules., why should she benefit?

So, she had needed to find a suitable replacement for herself in Jinshi’s heart.

Love was fickle. She had seen for herself how quickly affections could change within the Verdigris House. But love could also be stubborn, clinging on despite adversity. If Jinshi was going to fixate on someone, they had to be capable of enduring his whims. They had to be intelligent—cunningly so. Beauty was a bonus but not essential. Body type seemed unimportant to the man. But there was something that was essential—they had to look at Jinshi in a way that, as Gaoshun had so eloquently put it, resembled looking at a slug.

And, of course, they had to fit his particular inclinations. Maomao knew all too well that Jinshi was a masochist. He delighted in the challenge, in the rejection, in the sting of disdain. It was part of his peculiar set of kinks and fetishes, his deep-rooted craving for resistance that made him all the more insufferable. If he had been the type to be satisfied with adoration, he would have long since picked a consort from the dozens of women who threw themselves at his feet. But no, he wanted the chase, the suffering, the thrill of unattainability. 

Obviously, the women of the rear palace were out of the question. Jinshi was still seen as a eunuch, and the Emperor would not take kindly to him stealing one of his consorts or concubines. The outer palace was also unsuitable—servants fawned over him too easily. Most of the women there were of too low a rank.

That left the imperial palace and the guest residences surrounding it. Visiting royalty, honored guests, and members of the Emperor’s council stayed there. A limited pool, much to Maomao’s relief.

From there, it became a process of elimination. Any woman who took an immediate interest in Jinshi was crossed off her list. Unfortunately, it soon became apparent that his unearthly beauty made him irresistible. Maomao had all but given up hope. She had already started flipping through the books she had given to the high-ranking consorts, mentally preparing herself for the inevitable.

And then it happened.

Jinshi’s encounter with you.

The apothecary could have wept with joy at your apparent disinterest in the Overseer of the Inner Court and Rear Palace. Your eyes barely lingered on his angelic features before shifting to the two young boys running around the garden. The sunlight caught the stray wisps of your hair, giving you an almost ethereal glow, but instead of focusing on the man before you, your gaze softened only when following your younger brother’s laughter. More concerned with your family than a man whose beauty could literally start a war.

That had hurt him.

And that was enough. Maomao could use that.

Slowly but surely, Jinshi became obsessed, and Maomao had helped every step of the way. She had been so happy to be free that she hadn’t realized the monster she was creating.

With her, he had been playful—flirtatious, yes, but in a way that treated her like an amusing pet, a source of entertainment when he was bored. With you, it was different. It was devotion. A consuming obsession.

He found any excuse to be in your presence. Any opportunity to gift you something. He even went so far as to have the absent Moon Prince himself present you with a birthday gift, reveling in the look of barely concealed disgust you tried so hard to mask at the sight of the hairpin, its delicate silver filigree catching the candlelight.

Maomao’s father had warned her not to toy with emotions—they were as unpredictable as poisons, capable of causing unforeseen damage. She was painfully aware of that now, watching as Jinshi’s besotted eyes followed you, his usually composed mask slipping whenever you so much as moved. The intensity of his fixation was suffocating, like a snake coiling tightly around its prey, biding its time while its prey slowly succumbed to the vice like grip.

You sat with your family, the warm glow of the lanterns reflecting off your skin as you softly chastised your unruly brothers, your father watching on with quiet amusement. Jinshi stood in the shadows, a predator watching its prey.

It would not be long before he had you. If Gyokuyou bore a son, there would be very few obstacles left to prevent him from claiming you. Maomao knew there had been several secret meetings between Jinshi and the Emperor. Even your father would be helpless against the Emperor and the Moon Prince's will.

The apothecary frown deepened. Yes, it would happen soon.

And for the life of her, the apothecary couldn’t figure out how to fix what she had done.