The Moon Prince Diaries - Read on MistNovel

If Lady Lihua and Lady Gyokuyou hadn't fought that day, it�s entirely possible that Jinshi never would've taken notice of the freckled girl with sapphire eyes. Not because he thought himself so far above the servants, but more because there were just so many. However, the two concubines did fight that day and it changed his life.

He was summoned when the altercation began. Weariness wore on him, though he kept it well hidden as he briskly made his way toward the scene. Calming everything down, keeping the women happy was part of his job. The Emperor would be quite displeased if Jinshi couldn't manage to do that.

A large crowd of onlookers had gathered surrounding the two women. As he drew near, something passed him in a blur, and he distinctly heard a woman�s voice mumbling about needing something to write on. Momentarily he was distracted as he turned his head to see who had just passed him. Three things immediately stood out to him.

1. The mumbler was a very petite girl wearing the uniform of a servant.

2. The girl�s hair was dark green.

3.She hadn't noticed him.

Most people are used to going unnoticed, but it was an incredibly rare experience for Jinshi. In fact, he couldn't immediately remember the last time it had happened. His entire life, people had noticed him. As a child it was due to his status, but over the last several years it had been due to his looks. He was well aware of exactly how handsome he was, something he found to be both a blessing and a curse. It had become a very useful tool in his arsenal of dealing with others. People tended to be so in awe of his appearance he easily had the upper hand in nearly all situations. Did he like manipulating people that way? He was never quite certain. Maybe he did. He certainly didn't shy away from using it to his advantage whenever he needed or wanted to.

He couldn't go anywhere without all eyes constantly trained on him. Even people who were just walking by would always stop and watch him, seemingly stunned.

And yet, that girl had blown right past him without so much as a glance back over her shoulder. For once, he'd been the one turning back for a better look. What kind of girl was capable of ignoring him so successfully?

What he wanted was rarely what he was allowed. A fact that he was again reminded of as he sighed and continued on to the fracas, wishing he could instead hurry after the servant. He was always so busy, he didn't have time to search for her. He could ask Gaoshun to try to locate her, but the older man would likely make valid, albeit unwanted, points about how Jinshi was supposed to be focusing on trying to keep the infant prince and princess alive, while also keeping the Inner Court running smoothly. There wasn't time to do things just out of idle curiosity. He had to hope that fate would be kind and let their paths cross again.

It would be a month before that hope would come to fruition.

***

It had been a downright brutal month. Despite all the doctor�s best efforts, the baby prince had succumbed to a mysterious illness. An illness that Lady Lihua, the prince�s mother, was now wasting away from. No one could make sense of it, there was no cause that could be pinpointed. Even stranger was the fact that Princess Lingli, the baby daughter of Lady Gyokuyou, had also had the illness but had managed to fully recover.

Jinshi knew babies died. It wasn't an uncommon thing. However the infant death rate of the Emperor�s children was alarming. None of them seemed to survive, and no one could figure out why. Perhaps, as one physician had suggested, there was some sort of trait that was passed from father to child that caused it to happen. Jinshi had even accepted that as a logical explanation until the most recent death. If that was true, why was Lady Lihua experiencing the same illness? It seemed unlikely for it to just be random chance. No, something else was going on, and he had a nagging suspicion the illness was far more sinister than any of them knew.

Throughout the month, Jinshi�s thoughts kept returning to the green haired servant. Whenever he was out of his house, he kept his eyes peeled, but he never encountered her. He had started to wonder if his exhausted and overworked brain had conjured her up.

It was Lady Gyokuyou who unknowingly set the wheels in motion for him to have a legitimate excuse to look for the mystery girl.

One morning, he received a message from the concubine, asking that he come see her that day, as she had an important matter to discuss with him. It was a request he could easily grant. Lady Gyokuyou was the Emperor�s favorite, which meant Jinshi had to make all her requests a top priority. More than that, though, he genuinely enjoyed spending time with the woman. She was brilliant and kind. They had an easy rapport, and they'd seemed to adopt each other as siblings. It was no surprise the Emperor favored her over all the other concubines and consorts. Jinshi had often thought that if he was capable of being actually attracted to a woman, he�d have fallen for the lady. Something that would've caused no end of trouble with the Emperor. He doubted the Emperor would've done anything too drastic, but there certainly would've been punishment.

Perhaps it was Jinshi�s inability to experience attraction to a woman that allowed the Emperor to feel unbothered about someone as gorgeous as Jinshi being in charge of the harem.

Actually, Jinshi wasn't sure he was unable to experience attraction. The problem was, nearly all women he encountered were unable to actually see him. They noticed his looks, enjoyed his flattery, but nothing more. Lady Gyokuyou was one of the rare exceptions to the rule, but for some reason that hadn't led to him being attracted to her. Maybe he really was incapable of feeling that sort of thing. Or perhaps his condition stopped it from happening. It was impossible to know for sure.

Midday, accompanied by Gaoshun, he made his way to the Jade Pavilion. Lady Gyokuyou greeted him warmly, and after they dispensed with pleasantries, he found himself asking something that had been weighing on his mind, �Do you have any thoughts on why the princess was able to recover?�

Lady Gyokuyou nodded, �It's strange you should ask, since that is why I wished to speak with you.�

She held out a piece of fabric to him, which he promptly took. A message had been written on it in grass stains. The words weren't the easiest to decipher, but he did manage it after several long moments. It was a most unexpected warning.

Your face powder is poison. Don't let it touch the baby.

He looked up and asked, �Your face powder?� It was such a common item, he wasn't sure what to make of such a message. Surely if it was so dangerous, the palace physicians would have insisted it be banned from the Rear Palace.

She nodded and proceeded to show him the powder in question. He considered it carefully. It was a higher end cosmetic, and it certainly seemed unlikely it would contain something that could harm, let alone kill, someone who wore it. He�d expect that from the cheap face powders, but not one that most commoners would consider the height of luxury. His eyes darted from the powder to the note. There was something about the handwriting that seemed to indicate it had been written by a woman. Looking up again, he asked, �When did you get this? Who sent it?�

�This is where it becomes quite odd. Do you remember the day Lady Lihua and I fought? It was shortly before the prince died.�

He barely had to search his memory. That fight had been quite public. He nodded.

�Later that day, it appeared on one of the window sills here, tied to a rhododendron branch. Unfortunately I don�t know who left it, nor do I or any of my ladies recognize the handwriting. I know it might be an unsolvable mystery, but I would like for you to make an effort to find them.�

That was a tall order, to be sure. He stared at the message trying to think of where such a search would even begin. The timing of when the message had been left certainly seemed to indicate that it was written by someone who had been present for the fight. But why hadn�t the mystery woman (for he was growing more and more certain it was a woman) come to him with her concern? Had she thought he wouldn't take her seriously?

I need something to write on.

The words came to him in a flash. Was the girl with green hair the mystery message author? He had a hunch that was where he should start his search, and his hunches were almost always spot-on. There was one thing he needed to know before attempting what might be a herculean task, and so he asked, �I make no promises I�ll find the person, but if I succeed, what will you do?�

Lady Gyokuyou�s smile was soft as she looked to the crib where the baby princess was sleeping and answered, �That message saved my daughter�s life. I am in their debt and wish to thank them personally.�

There was not a doubt in his mind she would reward the mystery author with far more than simple words. If his suspicions were correct about the green haired girl being the writer, Lady Gyokuyou�s thanks would likely be life changing. She was looking at him again and he nodded, �Very well, I shall begin the search.� Waving a hand at the powder & note, he asked, �May I hold on to these for a bit?�

Her smile was dazzling, �Of course. I hope it aids you in the search. I eagerly await your findings.�

Standing, he collected the items, and before departing informed her, �As soon as I have an answer, I�ll send word.�

***

A brief visit to the Matron of the Serving Women got the search started. He provided her with the few scant details he could remember, namely height and hair color. He was quite tall, but even so, he knew anyone would describe the girl he was thinking of as short. Her head hadn't even reached his shoulders. Though he doubted it, he knew it was possible the green of her hair might've been a trick of the light, so he included a few possible other colors that it could've been.

The Matron had a list to him by the following morning. It wasn't terribly long. Nothing stuck out to him about any of the names, nor was there anything in any of their service records that gave him good reason to believe he was on the right path. He�d hoped to find otherwise, but not a single one was listed as being literate. Either his hunch was wrong, or one of those women had lied. A very strange thing to lie about, in his opinion. Being a literate woman wasn't a crime, in fact it typically meant far better placement among the servants. Why would someone willingly opt to be placed in the lowest of positions when they could be far more comfortable & have work that would likely be much more interesting?

He sent eunuchs to collect the women on the list, and sent Lady Gyokuyou a message updating her on the search. In his message, he informed her that, provided she was available, and the mystery author was in the women being gathered, he would bring her to the Jade Palace that afternoon. Shortly before the women arrived, a reply came that her ladyship would be available and hoped his search had been successful.

Early that afternoon, the women were delivered and once they were all gathered inside the Matron�s office, he made his entrance.

A moment before walking into the room, he took a deep breath, and the mask of Jinshi, the charming eunuch, overseer of the Inner Court, slid into place.

It was no surprise that his greeting to the women was met with sighs and blushes. He barely noticed. Normally that would be because he was so used to that response, but this time it was for another reason entirely.

The mystery girl with emerald green hair stood in the mix. Not a trace of any shade of red colored her pale cheeks. Her posture indicated nothing even close to a swoon. No smile curved her lips, and her sapphire eyes were narrowed in suspicion. A smattering of freckles adorned her otherwise flawless features. He was even more certain than before that his hunch had been correct.

Taking a seat behind the desk, he jotted down a quick note, the entire time he could feel the icy gaze fixed on him. After several seconds, he held up the note for the women to read. He watched her closely, saw her eyes take in the message, her small mouth moved reading the words.

You with the freckles and green hair. Stay here.

Her eyes went wide, locked with his, what little color was in her face drained away completely. He almost laughed with delight. Standing, he used every ounce of charm to dismiss all the others.

There was the sound of disappointed and confused muttering as the group departed. The girl tensed, and turned to leave as well, but he�d moved quickly from behind the desk. Gently, but firmly he took hold of her slight shoulder, her head swiveled quickly, and again their eyes met. Offering her his most dazzling smile, he asked, �You wouldn't possibly be thinking of leaving as well, would you? Not after I just told you to stay?�

Though she appeared to be standing perfectly still, beneath his hand he could feel the tiniest tremble coursing through her body. Was she frightened? Rather than ask, he simply commanded, �Follow me.�

She finally moved, doing the last thing he would've expected. Her tiny hand raised and pointedly pushed his hand off of her with far more force than he thought she was capable of. The move only served to make her more intriguing and he was glad his persona was so good natured. It made the fact he continued to smile at her seem completely normal.

They left the office, heading for the Jade Palace. The girl walked a few feet behind him, and as they walked, he spoke to her, hoping to get some sort of read on her before arriving to meet the concubine. �It�s rather strange. Your record indicated that you are illiterate.�

�That is correct, sir. I am of lowly birth, to think I am literate must be a mistake.�

There was a note of anxiety in her voice. He laughed silently to himself over her blatant attempt to lie. Her answer might not have been helpful, but it did allow him to hear her voice, and it confirmed to him she had indeed been the one that mumbled about needing something to write on. He decided to push, just a little, �I see. Strange then that you were able to read what I wrote.�

A moment passed before he heard her say, �I apologize sir, I fear I don't know what you mean. I truly am illiterate.�

Hmmm, she was certainly determined to resist being honest. There was something going on, and he was going to figure it out, however he decided it might be best to give the poor girl a respite, �I see. Perhaps my eyes deceived me.�

She made no reply, and they made the rest of the short trip in silence. His mind raced the entire time. There was something truly strange about the young woman. She spoke simply, her words, even those that were a lie, seemed to be chosen quite deliberately. Her voice, even nervous, was of a lower register. Not one high pitched giggle had left her. Her guard was up, it was almost as real as the walls that surrounded the palace. He'd encountered fear and anxiety before, but this was different from how it usually came across. He only recognized it was present because he�d encountered it before. In himself. A memory flashed through his mind of a day long ago when he�d experienced what he sensed from her. It took all his willpower to dispel the memory and not allow his shudder to be noticeable.

Fortunately, he hadn't time to dwell, given they had just arrived at the doors to the Jade Palace. Quickly, he escorted her to the doors of the chamber they�d been directed to, and lightly knocked. A moment later a familiar, musical voice called out, �Come in.�

Leading the girl inside, they found Lady Gyokuyou standing, cradling the infant princess. Respectfully, he informed her, �I have brought her, as you requested.�

Her ladyship beamed at the girl, �I thank you for allowing me to trouble you for a moment of your time.�

He heard a soft gasp, and he glanced at the servant. For a moment, the guard that had been up dropped just a fraction. Her eyes were wide as she took in the lady and baby. Her gaze fixed on the infant, her face relaxed and softened a fraction. She murmured in a low, relieved voice, �That�s good. I�m so glad.�

�Oh, I am glad you were found! I am so very grateful that you saved the life of my daughter. We are both in your debt,� Lady Gyokuyou told her kindly.

The girl stiffened, Jinshi could feel her guard go firmly back in place. Her head lowered, eyes fixed on the floor, �Please, milady, I apologize. I fear there has been a misunderstanding. I am a lowly servant, I don't deserve such praise and gratitude.�

Jinshi stared at her with curiosity. If those words had come from someone else, they'd have been facetious. However, when the servant girl spoke, there was no doubt that she truly felt unworthy of what had been said.

�No,� insisted Lady Gyokuyou, �you saved the life of the princess. There are not words enough to ever fully express my gratitude for the service you rendered.�

And yet, the girl dug her heels in, growing more adamant, �Forgive me, milady, I believe you have the wrong person.�

Jinshi glanced away from the girl and met Lady Gyokuyou�s eyes. She gave him a look of confusion and slight worry, including the tiniest nod seeming to indicate he should step in. Something he did without a moment�s hesitation. He cleared his throat, fixed his attention on the girl, while taking out the note, �Concubine Gyokuyou was kind enough to allow me to borrow this to aid with the investigation.�

He noticed the girl�s eyes lift slightly to see the piece of fabric he held out. After a second, he asked, �Are you aware that this type of fabric is used in the servant girls� clothing?� It was a useful fact he�d learned from the Matron.

The girl stared at it warily, almost as if she thought it was a poisonous snake. Her voice shook slightly as she slowly acknowledged, �There does seem to be a resemblance, sir.�

He nodded, �Hardly a surprise that you�d say that, considering any of the servant girls that work in the laundry would be intimately familiar with the fabric.� Her lips formed a tight line, clearly indicating her unwillingness to speak. He casually added, �I wonder, did you rip this from one of the skirts since you lacked paper?�

To his relief, that did the trick. Her eyes dropped back to the floor, head bowed, entire body seemed to pull in on itself. She let out a shuddering breath and said, �Your ability to reason that our so quickly, sir, is surprising. What is it you want with me?�

He looked to Lady Gyokuyou, and they smiled at each other. It had taken more effort than he�d anticipated to get an admission out of the girl, but at least they had it. Turning back to the girl, he saw her head had lifted slightly, and she�d taken in both the lady and his expressions. Gently, he commanded, �Explain why you left this note and the flower on Lady Gyokuyou�s windowsill.�

A moment passed, and then another, before a remarkable change came over the girl. She stood tall, lifted her head, and proceeded to answer. She spoke calmly and eloqunetly, �I left the note because I had seen the symptoms before. I grew up in the brothels of the Pleasure District. Time and again, I witnessed courtesans use that white powder. It enhanced their beauty, but the cost was severe. Slowly it poisoned their bodies, taking everything from them, leaving nothing but a corpse. In the past, before I was here, I was an apothecary. Poisons are something I am well acquainted with.�

The girl was quiet again, her head lowered, no longer did she meet their eyes.

Lady Gyokuyou sighed sadly, �I never thought to question it when the baby�s nurse suggested using it. She claimed it would work far better than other whitening powders. My ignorance was a sin, and nearly cost Lingli her life.�

Jinshi felt equally ashamed, and guilt threatened to overwhelm him as he thought of the other infants that had suffered such a cruel fate. �The sin is mine as well. I should have taken greater care to be aware of what was being allowed into the Rear Palace.�

To his surprise, the girl suddenly spoke again, though she did not lift her head, �Please, milady, now that you know the truth, what is it you wish of me?�

Jinshi could stop himself from staring at her in disbelief. The way the girl spoke, it sounded as though she was resigning herself to face some sort of punishment. Something that there was no reason for her to be concerned about, a fact that was confirmed a moment later as Lady Gyokuyou laughed merrily and informed her, �You have proven yourself to be what I hoped. Beginning today, you will become one of my ladies-in-waiting!�

***

Late that evening, long after most of the world had turned in for the night, Jinshi sat at his desk, a mountain of papers sat in front of him, but he ignored them. His thoughts were fixed on the girl. To their surprise, she'd seemed downright alarmed about the promotion she�d been given.

After she�d been dismissed, Lady Gyokuyou had mused, �An interesting girl. Certainly not what I expected, but I believe she is exactly who I�ve been looking for.�

He�d nodded, �I assume you intend to make her your new taster?�

�You assume correctly. Do you disagree with my choice?�

Jinshi had thought of what the girl had shared, and how she had acted. He still wasn't certain why she had felt the need to lie and avoid taking ownership of the tremendous service she had rendered. It was clear that she was far more educated and intelligent than she desired to let on. �I doubt you could have chosen better,� he had replied.

In the morning the girl would move from the servants� quarters to the Jade Palace. He was quite glad. She was going to be a valuable resource for both Lady Gyokuyou and himself. More than that, she was a puzzle that he very much looked forward to solving. Not once had she ever seemed remotely close to being susceptible to his charms. Her sapphire eyes and emerald hair were visual confirmation of what he already suspected. The girl was a jewel, well worthy of a setting befitting the most exquisite of gems.