'No! Nonononono! Maomaaaaaaaao! He 's not taking my baaaaaaby! '

This conversation was going about as well as Maomao expected. Lahan was attempting to soothe the strategist while Luomen looked on with an expression that seemed torn between concern and amusement.

They had stopped to recruit Luomen for this conversation after the court jeweler melted the powder back down into gold - a demonstration that would have normally held more of Maomao 's interest - but with this upcoming confrontation she had expressed a desire to hedge the old fart in with as many voices in support of this plan as possible. A strategy to which Lahan had agreed with an alacrity that she suspected meant he had already anticipated the need for Luomen 's presence to soothe the old fart.

Her dad, after Lahan explained what was going on, had simply looked at Maomao and asked her if she was sure of her choice. When she had reassured him that she was determined to choose Jinshi to be her husband, he had sighed slightly, but pressed her hand in silent support before allowing Lahan to help him into the carriage.

And now the La Clan, including Lahan 's Brother (she still couldn 't quite make herself think of him as Junjie), were assembled at the family home as the head of their clan threw what could only be described as a tantrum of epic proportions.

'Honored Father - '

'Don 't you dare! How could you suggest something so ludicrous! '

Lahan 's Brother looked at Maomao and whispered, 'Shouldn 't you say something? '

'Such as? ' It was already as much as she could do to keep from bolting out the front door, her skin crawling at the thought of staying under the same roof as the overgrown child currently berating Lahan for ever suggesting that his precious baby girl should leave them.

'I don 't know. Anything? ' He darted a glance between Maomao and Lakan still ranting while his little brother tried to get his attention long enough to even begin to calm his adoptive father down.

Maomao shook her head, feeling pressure behind her eyes building. Her bold declaration to Lahan, Yao and En 'en felt very far away at the moment as she watched a grown man literally kicking his legs like a child.

'Lakan, that 's enough! ' Luomen finally barked out in a tone that Maomao had only heard rarely while growing up - but whenever it came out, she always knew it meant she was in big, fat trouble.

The strategist sat up on the floor, eyes wide, 'Honored Uncle - '

'You 're not four, Lakan. If you are going to object, at least state your objections like an adult! ' Luomen held his cane in front of him, resting one hand on it, staring his nephew down.

The strategist whimpered, but stood up and began to pace. 'You seriously want me to clean up the Moon Prince 's mess?! ' He looked at Lahan. 'So that he can take my Maomao?! She doesn 't even want to be his wife! '

'If this is anyone 's mess, it 's the Emperor 's. The Moon Prince can hardly be blamed for his parentage, ' Lahan replied, eager to make his points now that the strategist was coherent.

'I 've already cleaned up that royal ass ' mess once before and look at what we got! ' Lakan fumed. 'If he wants to put the Empress ' son on the throne, then he should just do it! '

Luomen shook his head. 'You know I make it a policy of staying out of political affairs, Lakan, but even I know it 's not as simple as the Emperor telling the court and the court obeying without a peep. '

'He 's been ruling long enough, he should know how to keep the court in check! '

'No one can anticipate stupidity, Honored Father, ' Lahan attempted to soothe.

Lakan continued to fume. 'Hao 's not that difficult to predict - a stupid Go stone if I ever saw one! But smart enough to see the obvious - that our honored Emperor has been grooming the Moon Prince for years! '

Maomao stiffened - she 'd thought the same thing before as well. But she 'd also thought the Emperor had seen Jinshi 's determination to leave the line of succession and at least taken it seriously.

'He 's determined to have the Moon Prince succeed him and now the whole court knows it. It 's about time he finally came out with it! Fine, but what does this have to do with him taking my Maomao!? ' Lakan yelled.

Lahan began speaking again, but Maomao couldn 't hear what he was saying. There was a rush of blood in her ears and she noticed with a sense of detachment that her hands had begun to shake, even as she stood slowly and looked the strategist in the eye for the first time.

'This is why you are not my father, ' she said, tone cold enough that the entire room froze at her words.

'Maomao, ' Luomen began, but fell silent when she held up a hand to forestall him.

'You still haven 't learned your lesson after ruining her, ' she continued, staring the strategist down. 'This is all about you. You want to play 'daddy, ' but the one time I 'm asking you to actually act as my father and you act like a child instead! You want to take Luomen 's place, but you can 't. You didn 't raise me. You didn 't educate me. You didn 't care for me and you sure as hell didn 't keep me safe! You were what I had to be kept safe from! So you love me? So what? Your love is about as helpful as a pissbucket with a hole! '

The strategist just stared at her, eyes wide with shock and emotion Maomao didn 't care to name as she continued, the words spilling out of her in force, now that she had finally begun to speak.

'Do you think I 'd be standing in this house if I weren 't desperate? If I had any other options? But I don 't. I promise you, if I did, I would never set foot in this house or ask you for anything. You want me to be a princess of the La Clan? Then do your job as the head of the clan! For ONCE in your life, just do your damn job! ' she shouted, the unexpected prick of tears forcing her to stop and inhale sharply to push them back.

The room fell silent with shock as Maomao turned on her heel and fled.

Maomao sat in the annex, surrounded by Luomen 's library of medical texts and leafing through an encyclopedia of western remedies without really seeing them when the door opened. She didn 't look up, only turned her attention more firmly toward the page she was on. Arthritis remedies. Perfect - she knew her dad felt the pain in his knee especially badly in the winter and the rest of his joints were tender.

Unfortunately for her facade of peaceful study, the intruder slowly sat down next to her, triggering itching on the side of her body closest to him. She took a deep breath and looked up rather than directly at him, at the trigrams that adorned the walls. 'I 'm not sorry for what I said. '

'I know. ' The strategist 's voice was softer than normal.

Maomao fiddled with the edges of the book. 'You can 't change the past. I 'appreciate, ' she ground out somehow, 'that you never intended to hurt me or the woman who bore me. I have never once thought of you as malicious. '

A sigh next to her. 'If not malicious, then what? What kind of man abandons the woman he intended to take to wife and their unborn child? '

'A careless one. Someone who never once thought through the consequences of his actions beyond the next game move. '

Silence greeted her judgment and she continued. 'I 'm honestly grateful for how my life turned out. I was adopted by the kindest man I know. Someone who guided me and taught me and never made me feel lesser than others, even when I turned out to be obsessed with medicine and poison. Luomen is my daddy and he can 't be replaced. '

'I wanted to raise you! I came for you, Maomao, ' Lakan pleaded.

She pressed her lips together to get her first impulse under control. 'Yes, you did. I will grant you that. The moment you knew you were a father, you tried to assume responsibility. Whether or not anyone wanted you to. '

Lakan was silent at that, but she could feel his gaze on her.

'You tried to take me, over and over again. You didn 't care about what I wanted. You didn 't care that I was happy with Luomen. Why didn 't you try talking to your uncle and moving him back into the family home, if you wanted us to live with you so badly? '

'You think I didn 't try that? ' Lakan asked. 'I went to see my uncle shortly after I found you the first time and recognized it was him with you. He gave me the dressing down of my life - and I deserved every word of it. He insisted he was settled in the pleasure district and he didn 't want to uproot either you or his business. '

Maomao sighed. 'In other words, he wasn 't willing to abandon

her

either. And she was still coherent then - she didn 't want anything to do with me, but she couldn 't have borne you knowing what her circumstances were. '

Lakan passed a shaky hand over his face. 'Fengxian always had her pride. I am so grateful you led me to her, but I wish I had had the chance to let her scream at me. Cry, rage, whatever she needed. I would have borne it - and I would have kept going back to her as long as it took for her to understand that I didn 't care about what she 'd had to do to survive and support both of you. That I was proud of her - and of our daughter. ' She could feel his eyes on her. 'Do you still hate her? '

She blinked, startled at the question. 'Hate her? No. How could I? I barely knew her, really. '

She hadn 't dreamed of Fengxian holding the knife in a few years. Not since she had finally confronted Lakan after the blue roses incident and arranged for him to find her. She never had to tip medicine into that woman 's mouth again, or wipe her down, or listen to her singing that infuriating lullaby over and over while laying out her Go stones. 'Nor did I ever really bother imagining what my life would have been like if she had raised me. I had Luomen and granny and my big sisters. I never lacked a family and I was happy with what I had. '

The strategist 's shoulders slumped. 'Well, that 's one way in which you 're like her. She was never prone to sentimentality either. '

Her fingers tightened on the corner of the book and she made herself relax them so as not to crinkle the page. 'I do wonder who she might have been if she hadn 't been raised to be a courtesan. '

'If she hadn 't been, I would never have met her. Nor would you have been born. And despite everything that 's happened, if there is one thing I have never, ever been sorry about, it 's the fact that you exist, Maomao. You are the most precious person in the world to me, ' Lakan said, watching her profile.

She took a deep breath. 'But am I a precious pawn to you? To keep safe and coddled and taken out to play with endlessly? '

'Maomao, ' he breathed, reaching for her.

She pulled away. 'If I 'm a pawn, or any other game piece, then there is no point to my being here. Because what I want doesn 't matter - only what you want. And I have never put up with that - not when I was a child and certainly not as a grown woman. '

Lakan dropped his hand back in his lap. 'So it 's come to this - the one thing I can do as your father is to help you leave me. '

'All children leave their parents, eventually. It 's the natural way of the world, ' Maomao said. 'And, I will point out, I have already left in every practical way. There 's only one duty you have left to perform on my behalf - my marriage. '

'And you want to marry the Moon Prince? ' Lakan asked, clenching his hands on his knees.

Maomao took a deep breath. 'Yes. I want to marry the Moon Prince. '

'And what about your previous loyalty to Empress Gyokuyou? I know you, daughter. You are not the type to be less than devoted to those you care about and marrying the Moon Prince would set you up as a direct rival to her and her son. Any children of your body would be presumed to be the successor to the throne. Forget cutting her children from the line of succession - their lives would be at risk. You would become her enemy. ' Lakan laid out every one of Maomao 's fears with absolute precision.

'Let me clarify, then. ' She finally turned her head to look at Lakan. 'I want to marry Jinshi. I want to marry the man, not the prince. '

Lakan 's eyes widened. 'I 'm not sure what that separation would actually mean. He is the Moon Prince - soon to be the Crown Prince again. His disdain for the position is not a secret to anyone with eyes, but that doesn 't change the fact that he is the eldest son of His Majesty. '

'While I cannot go into details, the Moon Prince took steps to ensure that both His Majesty and the Empress understood without a shadow of a doubt that he had no interest in ascending the throne. It is actually more dangerous for Jinshi to succeed the Emperor than the court realizes and aside from whatever advantages there are to be had from prioritizing I-sei Province, His Majesty has motivation to make sure that Empress Gyokuyou 's son remains the Crown Prince. ' Maomao released the words all at once.

Lakan rubbed his chin, thinking through what Maomao had told him.

She continued. 'Jinshi was supposed to receive his own name. '

'His own name? ' Lakan startled slightly.

Maomao nodded. 'I don 't know how it happened, but that was the deal. He became Jinshi the eunuch and in return, if he succeeded at his task, which I 'm guessing was ensuring there were heirs to replace him, he would be given a name of his own and allowed to leave the royal family. '

Lakan continued to rub at the stubble on his chin. 'That is interesting. '

'The only ones who don 't want the current Crown Prince to stay that way are the stupid people in the court who are throwing a fit because Lady Gyokuyou has Western blood and they think that 's a bad thing. Frankly, given that the Imperial family nearly lost all of its heirs only a generation ago, you 'd think they 'd welcome some dilution of the blood to protect against consanguinity. '

'The court can be a very stupid, boring place. ' Lakan sighed. 'Well, it 's certainly an interesting board that you 've laid out. '

Maomao bristled at Lakan 's phrasing, but deliberately kept quiet, rather than risk sabotaging her progress.

He nodded. 'All right. I need you to tell me exactly what the goal is, so that we are both clear about what you want. '

Maomao took a deep breath. 'I want to marry Jinshi. I want the Emperor to honor his promise to let Jinshi become a retainer and support the crown in a way that won 't kill him to do so. I want Empress Gyokuyou 's son to grow up as safe and secure as possible in a royal court. ' She paused. 'And I don 't want to live in the Rear Palace. That might be Jinshi 's worst nightmare. ' She almost felt bad, laying out a laundry list of wants regarding the most powerful family and the second most powerful man in the empire, but now was not the time to equivocate.

Lakan removed his monocle and polished it. 'Not your worst nightmare? '

Maomao shrugged. 'I 'm familiar enough with the Rear Palace - it 's the same kind of cage as any other brothel. If I 'd wanted to be a courtesan, I could have done that at Verdigris House.

'True enough. You 've always been hardy enough to bloom wherever you were planted, but that doesn 't mean you would thrive there, ' Lakan mused, almost to himself.

That was a strangely poetic turn of phrase from the strategist. Still, Maomao was holding on to her composure by a thread, on edge as she had the longest conversation she 'd ever had with the strategist. It felt strange - but at the same time, some of the tension had gone out of the room. As if, in finally confronting him with the reality of their relationship, some of the poison had been drained from the ever present wound of his presence.

The silence stretched for a few minutes, Lakan clearly thinking through what she had told him. Finally, he put his monocle back on (the other eye, of course) and said, 'I can do this. I can move the pieces to help keep the current Crown Prince in place. But shogi with human pieces is much more complex than any game equivalent. People move with their own motivations and while I know the major players well enough to anticipate the majority of their movements, they do occasionally surprise me. And then there are the smaller pieces, who can create an upset. The end result may not look like what you anticipated. Are you prepared for that? '

Was she prepared for this? She stopped for a moment, thinking it over.

'Even if it means losing your medical work? ' Lakan watched her closely.

Maomao sat straight up. 'What does that mean?! '

'To marry the Moon Prince means to leave the medical offices as a court lady. Married women do not serve in that capacity. You have put in so much time and effort into building those skills and your reputation with the physicians. You 're very well respected - so much so that many of the physicians have been known to bemoan the fact that you weren 't born a man. ' Lakan continued to watch her. 'Are you prepared to give up medicine to be a wife? To manage the Moon Prince 's household and bear his children? '

Maomao scowled. 'I may not be able to be a court lady anymore, but I am still an apothecary. I was an apothecary in the pleasure district and I was still an apothecary in the Rear Palace. Both places, I might remind you, where I was not strictly supposed to be practicing medicine. '

A small voice that sounded suspiciously like En 'en said,

You are a physician and the other doctors know it.

She squared her shoulders. 'I understand your point, but this is something that cannot be taken away from me. I am who I am. And Jinshi has never tried to make me less than what I am. '

On the contrary. Luomen may have trained her, but Jinshi had opened doors for her that she had never imagined walking through, expanded her horizons to encompass more than she 'd ever thought possible.

First she had been a lady-in-waiting and food taster. The Rear Palace was a small world, but larger than the pleasure district Maomao had been raised in. She had finished growing from adolescent to adult in that garden of women.

An apothecary, yes, when she returned to the pleasure district, but also a mentor. Sazen had grown into a perfectly competent apothecary himself and Kokuyou was a good doctor. The two of them were a perfectly acceptable replacement for Maomao and her old man in the pleasure district.

A physician, even if her official title was court lady. Moreover, she was the Moon Prince 's personal physician. She still had so much to learn, but the skills she had already acquired at Jinshi 's insistence (she still had not forgiven him for that stupid brand!) had meant that if Chue 's arm was not fully functional, neither had it rotted and fallen off. If there was a pang at the idea of not being on Doctor Liu 's pharmaceutical research team, it was soothed with a single thought.

Becoming Jinshi 's wife would not - could not - lessen her.

Just as fully leaving behind the title of prince could not lessen him.

They were who they were and, given half a chance, they would continue to grow together.

She focused her attention back on Lakan. 'I don 't know what form it will take, but I will always find a way to practice medicine. '

Lakan sighed. 'All right. I will support your choice. '

'Thank you, ' she breathed, relief flooding her body and leaving her almost giddy. The itchiness had subsided and she was perfectly calm in Lakan 's presence for the first time in her life. 'If you can manage to get special dispensation to keep working with the physicians from His Majesty as a wedding present, I wouldn 't say no, ' she suggested.

'One thing at a time, daughter, ' Lakan grumbled.

Maomao decided to push a little. 'There 's precedent. '

Lakan paused for a moment. 'The Ma Clan? Their oldest daughter? '

'Yes. ' It was Maomao 's turn to stop. Maybe that was too far? She had just gotten him to concede to her marriage, after all! Not that she particularly cared what he thought. If Luomen had been opposed to her marrying Jinshi, that might have inspired some caution on her part. But her dad had simply made sure she was certain of her choice, before supporting her. He had always been like that.

But she refused to humble herself enough to ask for the old fart 's help for nothing. She did her best not to make a face at the realization that, in public at least, she might have to refer to him as 'Father. ' She would feed him red spider lily bulbs without pre-soaking them if he tried to make her say 'Papa. ' There was a limit!

There was a gentle rap on the door. Maomao and Lakan turned to see Lahan and Luomen standing in the doorway. 'Honored Father, there 's someone here to see you, ' Lahan said, his glasses flashing in the low light.

Lakan waved his hand, the peeved expression on his face threatening another tantrum. 'I 'm busy! '

'Lakan, go see your guest. I would like to speak with Maomao, in any case. ' Luomen 's tone was gentle, but expectant.

Lakan grumbled, but immediately stood up to obey his uncle. 'Fine, fine. ' He and Lahan left, her cousin (ugh, her older brother now) flashing her a thumbs up.

Maomao shifted to make room for her dad to sit beside her. Luomen looked over at the book still in her hands. 'Which one is that? '

She flipped it over to show him the cover.

'Ah. Were you looking for something specific? ' His voice was soft, gentle. Soothing.

Luomen really did know her best. After multiple, fraught conversations today, talking about medicine was the best balm she could imagine for her soul. 'Arthritis remedies. The nights are getting colder and I know your leg has been bothering you more. '

She felt a warm hand on the top of her head, stroking her hair with the thumb. The way he always had, since she was young. 'That book has a few interesting options for that. Although you 'd need gold salts for one of them, so it 's a bit rich for the purpose. '

She smiled at that. 'Actually, Lahan and I just found a Western alchemist who was evading taxes on gold imports by dissolving it first. '

Luomen 's brows rose. 'I hope you were careful handling the aqua regia. '

Maomao nodded. 'I was. Still, maybe I should see if Lahan can 'borrow ' a bit of the gold for me to play with? '

Her dad chuckled gently. 'Something tells me you 're not going to have the kind of time you would need to run proper experiments. Besides, over the years what I 've found helps the most is a hot bath. '

'So, maybe warming teas and food, along with hot compresses at night? ' Maomao asked.

Luomen nodded. 'Yes, I think that sounds like an appropriate prescription. I 'll be sure to follow it this winter, ' he said with a smile that crinkled his eyes when he looked at her.

She smiled back at him, letting out her breath.

'Do you feel any better, now? ' Luomen asked, brushing a strand of hair out of her eyes before dropping his hand.

'About what? ' she asked.

Luomen just looked at her. 'What you said to your father. '

'You 're my father, Dad. ' Maomao scowled.

'And yet, I cannot arrange your marriage. Certainly not to the Moon Prince. Only Lakan can attempt it. ' Luomen watched her.

She took a deep breath, attempting to get control of her face. 'It needed to be said. I 'm not a doll for him to play house with. '

'I agree. But you could have been gentler, ' he continued, implacable.

She twisted her hands in her lap. 'I 'm not sure I could have been. It 's like 'lancing a boil. The more you try to be gentle, the more it hurts in the end, versus simply opening the wound to let the poison drain. '

'And has it? ' He tilted his head to the side, his eyes curious.

She took a deep breath. 'A bit. We actually had a conversation, at least. '

'That 's a good thing, Maomao, ' Luomen smiled at her again.

She couldn 't help it. She scowled again, her teeth grinding slightly. 'I still don 't like him. And I refuse to call him 'Dad ' or 'Papa ' or anything but 'Father. ' '

'Of course not. I 'm your dad, ' Luomen teased, but his hand came around her shoulder to hug her close to him.

She closed her eyes and returned the embrace. 'Dad? '

'Yes, Maomao? '

She looked up, eyes wide. 'Do you think I 'm making a mistake? '

Luomen 's eyebrows arched nearly into his hairline. 'It doesn 't matter what I think. It matters what you think. Do you believe you 're making a mistake? '

She thought for a moment, but as she pictured Jinshi 's face, she was just as certain now as she had been back in her dorm room. 'He 's the only person I could imagine being married to. When I 'm with him, it 's 'comfortable. Like - ' she broke off, struggling to find words.

'Like being with him is the most natural thing in the world? '

Maomao just stared at Luomen, surprised, but also relieved that he had somehow put what she was feeling into the right words. 'Yes. '

He chuckled at her expression. 'Oh, Maomao. You wanted to know what I think? I like the fact that your Master Jinshi makes you comfortable enough that you feel free to be who you are with him. But I love that he challenges you even more - and you feel safe enough to rise to that challenge. '

'But, you always seemed so 'worried, ' Maomao pointed out, eyes still stretched wide.

Luomen shrugged and spread his hands. 'I am worried. I know all too well what can happen when those in power become displeased with those who do not have it. ' He sighed. 'But your situation is different from mine. '

'What do you mean? ' she squirmed in her seat next to him.

'I raised you in the pleasure district because I had to, Maomao. But you

are

the sole daughter of the La Clan. The Moon Prince has earned my trust in this matter, but the rest of the royal family will have to reckon with Lakan if they lay one finger on you. Unlike me, who had been disowned by my father and had nobody to back me when I worked in the Rear Palace the first time. '

Her mouth twisted. The Emperor had done that. The same man who would be her father in law, should she marry Jinshi.

And yet, she had seen the Emperor in many guises over the years. A benevolent ruler, a doting father, an indulgent lover and a horny goat.

She pursed her lips and wondered if she should be more bothered by the fact that she knew as much as she did about her potential father in law 's sex life. And taste in erotic books. Many of which she had acquired for him. And instructed his consorts in sexual techniques.

She shook her head to clear it of that thought. That had been a long time ago.

'Something else on your mind? ' Luomen asked, his eyes still amused.

'Nothing at all! ' She shuddered slightly. Some things were best forgotten.

'Miss Maomaooooo! Miss Maomao! ' came a familiar, chirping voice from the doorway.

Maomao turned on the seat to see Chue waving one arm wildly at her from the doorway. 'Miss Chue! What are you doing here? '

Chue hopped over to her and bopped her on the head. 'A little birdie whispered to Miss Chue that Miss Maomao was done moping and had decided to go drag the Moon Prince 's head out of his - '

'Miss Chue, meet my dad, Luomen! ' Maomao quickly interrupted, before things got too characterful around here.

Luomen was openly smiling. 'Ah, you must be Maomao 's friend, Miss Chue? I am pleased to meet you. ' He came to his feet, even though it was slow, and bowed in greeting.

Chue bowed low. 'It is an honor to meet you, Master Physician. Miss Chue owes your daughter her life. '

'I heard that she had performed a surgery in the Western Capital that had reattached an arm. ' Luomen looked at Maomao. 'I can see she did excellent work. '

Maomao hung her head. 'I couldn 't restore feeling to her hand, though. '

'Actually, look! ' Chue held out her arm and screwed up her face in concentration. Her index finger and thumb bent into an approximation of a loose circle.

'It moved! ' Maomao grabbed her hand, inspecting it.

Luomen held out a hand. 'May I? ' he asked Chue.

'Of course! ' She extended her bad arm to him and tilted her head just like a curious sparrow as he examined it.

He looked between Maomao and Chue. 'The human body is truly amazing. Sometimes, all it needs is a little time to heal on its own. If you, ' he addressed Chue, 'are starting to regain some control, then keep working on exercising the arm and more could follow. '

'And we 'll continue the massage to increase blood flow! ' Maomao squealed, excited.

'Well then, that 's perfect! Miss Maomao and Miss Chue will have plenty of time over the next six months! ' Chue grinned.

'Huh? ' Maomao paused in the act of massaging Chue 's hand and tilted her head to the side.

'Pfft! That silly Moon Prince tried to put a different eye on you - as if Miss Chue would let anyone else watch over her dear friend! ' She narrowed her gaze and looked Maomao up and down. 'And, if Miss Maomao is getting ready to battle the court, then she is going to need a chief lady-in-waiting! '

Maomao 's eyes rounded like saucers. 'A lady-in-

what

?! '

Luomen began chuckling again. 'Did you not realize this was coming? '

Chue laughed along with Luomen before her mien turned abruptly serious and she bowed before Maomao - the bow of a servant to a noble lady. 'If Lady Kan Maomao will accept this humble one, Miss Chue would be pleased to serve. '

'Um 'um ' ' she felt her mouth flopping open like a fish, utterly speechless. She had seen this exact pose before - she had taken this exact pose before. But to be on the receiving end?

Luomen nudged her, silently encouraging her not to leave Chue hanging.

Maomao took a deep breath. 'I would be pleased to have your service, Miss Chue. '

'Excellent! ' Chue immediately hopped out of the subservient pose and grinned at Maomao. 'Lady Ah-Duo has the strategist well in hand in his study, so let 's get started - we 've got a

lot

to do, my lady! '

'Well. ' Luomen looked between his flabbergasted daughter and her sprightly lady-in-waiting. 'This is going to be an interesting winter. '