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A quartet of young men lounged in an open air pavilion, surrounded by all the flowers the Emperor's public spring gardens could offer - two to a couch, one in a chair and one standing apart. All of them were dressed in fine silk, subtle perfume scenting the air around them gently. Three of them were young men of good families; wealthy, noble, reasonably handsome, with excellent prospects ahead of them, just as soon as they settled down with the right woman.

All of which would be perfectly boring and ordinary, except for the specific young woman they were currently debating the best way to court.

'You sent pink orchids? ' The first man, by the name of Jiahao, huffed. 'As if orchids could compare to her elegant nature! '

The second man, called Zheng, folded his arms and looked nettled. 'Orchids also represent friendship, which I thought might be a less forceful way to declare my intentions than tulips! '

There was a snort from the third man with a clever handsome face - the oldest of the three by a couple of years, called Qiang - at the two of them. 'I will never understand why the two of you are so intent on pursuing a woman who could not more clearly have no interest in either of you. '

The two of them bristled at that, but Jinshi appreciated it as he subtly leaned against a pillar and directed his gaze at the gardens, sipping a cup of herbal tea that would hopefully do something to fight the headache pounding behind his eyes. Qiang had been one of the first young men in his office that day - and while his taste did not run in Maomao 's direction, he appeared keenly interested in whether she would become the new Pure Consort. He also had a dry wit that provided at least some relief from the lovesick boys inundating him.

'Moon Prince, perhaps you could settle this for us? ' asked Jiahao.

Zheng also looked toward Jinshi, eyes lighting up. 'Lady Maomao did train in etiquette under your household, did she not? '

He took another sip of tea, his entire demeanor infused with the false sparkle that marked his time in the Rear Palace. 'Surely the lady 's reaction could tell you more than my opinion? ' He forced his eyes to crinkle in a smile, even as he felt every muscle in his body tighten, waiting for the answer.

'That 's just it! Her lady-in-waiting accepted the gift and thanked us, with no indication of what the lady herself thought! ' Jiahao complained.

Qiang darted a glance at Jinshi. 'Well, that certainly does tell you something, ' he murmured.

'That the strategist might have been home? ' Zheng shot back.

Jiahao shuddered. 'I hope they didn 't end up delivered to him. '

All four men there exchanged uncomfortable glances at the image. Qiang picked up the thought. 'I heard that the grand commandant promised to castrate any man who wanted to marry his precious, only flower with a rusty spoon. '

Jinshi hid his shudder better than the other three did. Wouldn 't that be an irony to make the poets chuckle for a generation? To spend six years pretending to be a eunuch only to actually be rendered one by his prospective future father-in-law. He deliberately ran his fingertip along the rim of his teacup - a calming tic that those closest to him would have recognized, but these three fortunately did not.

'Can 't make that threat if she enters the Rear Palace, ' Jiahao pointed out to Qiang.

'Exactly. ' Qiang lounged back into his chair. 'Even our honored strategist wouldn 't dare direct such florid language in the direction of the Imperial family. '

All three pairs of eyes turned Jinshi 's way at that.

Jinshi never dropped his sparkling smile. 'I believe all queries about my consort selection should be addressed to Her Majesty. '

Jiahao looked at Jinshi with an expression of genuine concern in his eyes. 'Surely you have some input on the matter? Even if it 's simply to look at portraits. '

'I do, ' he replied, lightly.

Zheng sighed. 'So, if neither orchids or tulips please the lady, what would you have sent, Moon Prince? '

Cordyceps. Fine alcohol. An invitation to go foraging for mushrooms, even.

Not that he would have told these idiots that. He simply held the teacup and his mask firmly in place. 'Gentlemen, if you would court the lady, it strikes me that perhaps you should ask her about her preferences. '

'But she 's so mysterious! ' Jiahao sighed, his eyes turning dreamy. 'You speak to her and you realize that she knows all about you, but she hasn 't said a word about herself! '

Qiang pressed his lips together, clearly fighting back outright laughter. 'Sounds like you appreciate the sound of your own voice just as much as the lady. '

'No, no, I 've noticed that too. She 's so easy to talk to, but she 's also cold. Distant. Like a star, fallen to the earth and always wondering if she could return, ' Zheng chimed in.

Jinshi took a deep breath. He had idly speculated over the years, should he succeed in stepping away from the line of succession and remained in the palace as an advisor, what kind of court mask Maomao might have learned to don. He had always pictured her as cold, remote and indifferent - a natural extension of her demeanor as a servant. It appeared he had anticipated two out of the three - but the Maomao he knew was supremely uninterested in anything that didn 't concern her. The idea that she would be taking the time to remember these young men 's interests?

He worked hard not to crack the teacup, placing it gently on the table. 'Well, this has been a lovely time, gentlemen, but I 'm afraid I do have duties to return to. '

The three young men all stood and bowed. 'Of course, Moon Prince. It 's been a pleasure to meet you. ' said Jiahao.

'Perhaps, if you have the time, you could join us for a small gathering I 'll be throwing tomorrow night. ' Qiang offered. 'It 'll mostly be a chance to relax and socialize, but I know the attendees would be honored by your presence, Moon Prince. '

He 'd rather scoop his eyes out with Lakan 's rusty spoon. 'Give the details to my adjutant and I will see if I have the time, ' he managed with an equanimity that concealed his irritation.

He left as the three of them bowed, forcing himself to maintain the perfect bearing of a noble, his walk unhurried and calm, his court mask firmly in place. He didn 't have time to either sulk or lose his temper like a child - he was afraid if he started yelling, he might not stop.

Basen fell into step behind him, his normally taciturn demeanor subdued into silence. Jinshi 's ire had not spared either him or Baryou for not warning him in advance about Maomao. He had spent approximately one evening being snippy with Suiren also before his dinner was abruptly replaced with fare that was appropriate for a 'spoiled brat, ' as she put it.

But where the hell was Maomao?!

She wasn 't in the medical office when he checked and the physicians ' buying trip had concluded three days ago! She should have been back by now, but he 'd seen neither hide nor damned hair of her.

Lahan was also conspicuously absent. Granted, he 'd expected Lahan to turn cold toward him the moment he realized that any potential profit to be had through Jinshi was at an end; but he had still expected social coldness, rather than the man disappearing entirely!

Lakan could certainly be found - although the change was not yet official, he would be ascending as the head of the military. General Lo himself would be stepping aside into an advisory role, with the approval of the Emperor. Not that this retirement had been General Lo 's idea.

Lakan had challenged Lo 's martial supremacy at the beginning of winter, while Jinshi had been playing dancing monkey across the width and breadth of Li. The mock war campaign that followed had been eagerly consumed by the idle members of the court who had little else to occupy their attention during the winter months.

Heaven forbid they actually do their jobs!

Jinshi thought, clenching his fist before deliberately relaxing his hand.

According to the rumors Jinshi had doggedly investigated, it had been a truly epic struggle, with both sides putting up a hell of a fight. But in the end, General Lo 's more traditional strategies were defeated by Lakan 's highly mobile squads that promoted based solely on merit and the squad leaders ' independent initiative in the field, proving Lakan 's point that Lo just wasn 't quite fast enough to keep up with a war, should one break out - and with tensions rising in the north and west, war was certainly on the Emperor 's mind.

Lo had always been a steady presence in the background of Jinshi 's life - the Empress Dowager 's protector and a competent military leader, who had won his position on merit as well as his ability to play the good old boys ' game with his connection to the then-Empress. He was being allowed to step into that advisory position with honor, but Jinshi wouldn 't want to be Lakan.

Not after Lakan had hanged General Lo 's right hand man for running his mouth about how Jinshi was the only viable Crown Prince candidate over a foreign born infant.

Lakan did not respect the Imperial family enough to have exerted himself purely on their behalf like this. And Jinshi 's stomach roiled at the realization that, to keep him off the throne, Maomao appeared to have traded her autonomy to her blood father.

Lakan 's not-so-joking threat about taking a rusty spoon to the genitalia of any man who dared court his only flower was only one of many. And yet, rather than express any of the disgust Jinshi knew she felt around the strategist, apparently she had been attending event after event on Lakan 's arm, leaving rumors to swirl around her sudden burst onto the court 's stage during the spring garden party he had been all too happy to miss like an utter fool.

She had acted quickly to save a young man who had begun having a severe allergic reaction, ordering Lakan to hold the patient 's head perfectly still between his knees and cutting a small hole in his throat to insert a reed, ensuring the young man got air until the reaction itself passed. The Empress herself had cleaned the blood off of Lady Maomao 's hands as the Emperor declared his approval of her swift action - those that might have criticized her for soiling her purity with blood were publically silenced in the face of united Imperial favor.

A breath of fresh air, they called her.

Elegant and enigmatic, she was a flower to make the common beauties of the court look overblown and florid by comparison, easily commanding the attention of whatever room she entered.

A smile from her was worth more than jade; receiving one from the lady even more rare, yet she was as kind as a healing balm.

She wasn 't to every man 's taste, but even those who didn 't seek her favor were apt to describe her as intelligent and insightful. Many wondered where Lakan had been hiding her all these years.

A few, truly observant officials realized that Lady Kan Maomao was the same palace woman who had been then-Consort Gyokuyou 's food taster at a spring garden party so long ago. An elegant, composed girl who had brought the entire banquet to an utter halt when she tasted a poisoned soup with sensual delight on her face that captivated the attention of everyone present.

So, of course, some idiot deliberately gave himself food poisoning to try to catch her attention when more traditional courting gifts failed to move her - and it had caught on as a new fad of the court. He clenched his jaw, relieved that no one had thought to offer

her

the poison as a gift.

That might have been more effective.

All in all, Maomao 's legend had grown until she was now recognized as an unexpected breakout beauty of the court, a worthy woman to wash the taste of the Shi Clan 's treachery out of the Emperor 's mouth. Favored by the Emperor, adored by the Empress, it was a heartwarming display of accord between the Emperor 's wife and a potential concubine, while also leashing the head of the La Clan with a dose of much deserved public recognition.

Jinshi ground his teeth at the memory of the Emperor 's reaction to his disquiet about Maomao 's sudden new role within the court.

Really, Zui, it 's been quite some time since you ran the Rear Palace for me. I don 't feel the need to rein Lakan in for now, given that our interests are currently aligned, but it certainly won 't hurt the court to speculate, as you well know. And if Lakan gets too full of himself, it also won 't hurt to have this option in my back pocket.

His Majesty had been badly concealing a smile within his beard at the sight of Jinshi 's pacing within his chambers.

But - !

Enough!

Not a suggestion - an order. His father 's eyes had been soft in contrast to the snap of his tone.

You made your decision months ago. You let her go, just as you promised. Do you expect her to live the rest of her life alone?

He had just stood there, stunned.

But the Rear Palace?

The Emperor had shrugged.

Perhaps.

The soft expression in his father 's eyes had faded, a gleam of provocation shining through with a poorly suppressed grin.

In any case, don 't you think you ought to focus your attention on your own consort selection?

The challenge was clear. If Jinshi was truly so bothered by the idea of Maomao becoming the Pure Consort, then there was only one viable solution.

He could marry Maomao himself.

Jinshi wanted that solution so badly he could almost taste it. The political setup was too perfect. Lakan had more than rebuilt the buffer 's influence that had dwindled during their time in the Western Capital - his influence was now clearly aligned with the throne.

The throne, not the Emperor. He had single handedly shifted the military 's politics in a subtle, but revolutionary, direction. The military 's allegiance was to Li itself, which meant that they supported the current Son of Heaven and his chosen Crown Prince. Jinshi had never even heard of such a thing before - the game of soldiers and thrones was a well established one. The idea that the military itself was a neutral force for the

nation 's

benefit had the potential to make Li 's military the dominant force on the stage of regional politics.

If the military had needed Lakan 's reminder that to even begin to openly speculate on the subject of

which

prince should succeed the Emperor was utterly beyond the station of a soldier and, in certain cases, treason on the part of the officers, during the flurry of battlefield promotions, bonuses, honor and glory? The body of General Lo 's right hand man had been left on the gallows for a full week after his execution.

Lakan was effectively playing the stick to Gyokuen 's carrot. Some people had begun to discuss how nice it was that new trade goods coming from the West were much easier to get ahold of now that the influence of the Western capital was expanding. Glass mirrors were an especially popular import. The court appeared to be having the lesson hammered into their heads that Gyokuyou 's son 's ascension would come with significant benefits for those clever enough to grasp them.

There was only one person who could have convinced Lakan to bring the military to heel and begin reshaping the politics of the court to keep Jinshi off that most honored seat in the empire. Which reminded him that Maomao appeared to have disappeared into thin air.

Again

.

Honestly, if he managed to marry that gorgeous, infuriating little gremlin, he was going to bell her like a literal cat! That way he might actually know where she was and nobody could just run off with her without him knowing!

'Your highness, ' Basen murmured, snapping Jinshi out of his own head.

Standing in front of them was a lady in waiting, dressed in summer green and navy blue with accents of white and yellow that both of them would know anywhere. Her right arm was held close against her chest, but she greeted them both with a wide smile to accompany her very proper bow. 'Moon Prince, little brother-in-law! '

'Chue! ' Jinshi took two steps forward, forcing his hands down even as he itched to grab Chue 's arm and have her march him directly to Maomao.

Basen sighed. 'You deal with him for five minutes. '

Chue merely giggled at both of them. 'Oh, little brother-in-law, you 're beginning to resemble my honored father-in-law more every day! '

'Gaoshun wouldn 't have said anything, ' Jinshi shot back, glaring at Basen.

Basen returned his glare. 'He 'd have thought it, sir. Loudly. '

Chue actually snorted at that one, causing both men to give her a look that said

really?

as loud as they could stare. She ignored their unspoken opinions.

Jinshi deliberately took a deep breath, calming himself. 'May I ask where your lady is, Miss Chue? '

'Oh here and there, Moon Prince. She 's quite in demand these days. ' Chue smiled brightly. 'How are you liking your return to the court? '

'

Chue

, ' he ground out.

She arched her eyebrows. 'Your highness, perhaps you would favor this humble lady-in-waiting by taking a walk? ' She turned her body to indicate a short path that would lead them to yet another small gazebo dotting the gardens - one that was fortunately empty.

He fell into step beside her, Basen trailing a pace behind them.

Chue was silent as they walked the path, her characteristic hopping present and accounted for, but turned to him once they were inside the structure and assured of at least a little bit of privacy. Basen stood on guard at a polite enough distance to pretend he couldn 't hear their conversation. 'My lady would like to return something of yours. ' She reached into her sleeve to pull out a slender, paulownia wood box.

Jinshi reached out and took it, already feeling his stomach twist as he opened the lid to reveal a familiar hair stick - silver, carved with poppies and crowned with the crescent moon. His sigil. His declaration to Maomao, so long ago, of his intentions toward her. He had never seen her wear it again after their first trip to the Western Capital - it did not have the best memories associated with it. He carefully closed the lid and offered it back to Chue. 'It was a gift, ' he managed to make himself say with an approximation of an even tone.

Chue shook her head. 'It would be inappropriate for my lady to possess such a symbol of the Moon Prince 's favor as he prepares to wed. '

'Does she really think I would marry anyone but her? ' Jinshi whispered.

Chue just looked at him, as if puzzled. 'What, exactly, did your highness think was going to happen when you set Miss Maomao free? '

He winced.

Chue continued. 'Did the Moon Prince believe that Miss Maomao would happily skip off to make medicine in the medical offices for the rest of her life? Or was she supposed to hide in obscurity, so nobody else would ever notice her? '

'She certainly seems to have made a conquest of the court! ' Jinshi snapped, the sharp edges of the box biting into his fingers and palm as he clenched his hand around it.

'Oh ho! The idol of the Inner Palace does not like it when the shoe is on the other foot! ' Chue chortled.

Jinshi flushed, but bit back any response. For all her banter, a hard expression entered Chue 's eyes as she stared him down.

'Miss Chue watched the Moon Prince court Miss Maomao - and she missed at least half of it! She remembers how patiently your highness wooed her in the Western Capital, the cases you procured for her, every small, thoughtful gift. Each day your highness coaxed her - not with courtly gestures or promises of status, but with the steady, reassuring promise that

she would never be abandoned

. '

He reared back as if he 'd been struck. 'I never - ! '

'You did, Moon Prince. It was done with the noblest of intentions, the purest motivation, but you still left her, your highness. ' Chue openly glared at him now. 'Do you know what happened immediately after you left on your tour of the empire? After that appalling letter you sent her, breaking off all contact? '

'No, ' he breathed.

'Doctors Kan and Liu put a watch on her - surely it hadn 't escaped the Moon Prince 's notice that Miss Maomao 's experiments on herself gain in frequency and intensity when she is in pain? '

He sat down heavily on the nearest bench. Maomao 's experimentation with poisons and medicine had been a part of his understanding of her personality for so long that it had not occurred to him. In the wake of Chue 's condemnation, though, he remembered the horror of entering her apothecary shop in the Verdigris House after the Shi Clan 's rebellion to find her with an upraised knife and her littlest finger tied off to stop blood flow.

What

are you doing?

She had put the knife away immediately upon his aghast exclamation. There had been no indication that she had been bothered by his absence until that point. Bile rose in the back of his throat and he thought he might vomit right there, realizing what he had actually witnessed. 'Did she - ? ' he whispered, his voice hoarse.

'Miss Maomao has many people in her life who love her, Moon Prince. As Miss Chue said, Doctor Kan informed Doctor Liu about the possibility, so it became a game in the medical offices to keep her so busy with complicated pharmaceuticals to compound that she wouldn 't feel the need to experiment, even if she could somehow find the time. Master Lahan contributed with interesting cases so he could also keep an eye on how she was doing. This went on for three weeks before Miss Maomao resolved on her current course of action and the danger passed. ' Chue managed to cross her arms by supporting her bad arm with the other hand under the elbow.

Jinshi buried his head in his hands, the box falling to the stone of the gazebo as he threaded his fingers through his bangs to pull on his hair, the sting on his scalp stronger than his stinging eyes.

Chue pressed her advantage. 'Did it never occur to the Moon Prince that Miss Maomao 's affection, once given, would be absolute? That her devotion would equal yours? That just as the Moon Prince would be willing to sacrifice his own dream of freedom on the altar of his duty, she would intervene so long as she had anything of her own to sacrifice? '

He lifted his head, eyes red and shining with unshed tears. 'Chue,

where is she

? '

His demeanor must have been just desperate enough - or just pathetic enough - that Chue answered him. 'Where else would she be? She is a princess of the La Clan now, open and acknowledged as Grand Commandant Kan 's beloved daughter. When she is not at work, she lives in her family home. '

'She 's

living

with the strategist?! ' Jinshi cried.

Chue arched both brows. 'That is commonly what noble young ladies do, yes. '

'She despises him! Why would she - ' Jinshi broke off, the answer to his question obvious.

The tension hung in the air for the space of a few heartbeats before Chue sat down next to him. 'Moon Prince, neither your love nor your good intentions have ever been in doubt. But Miss Chue would like to offer an observation. '

'Go ahead, ' he gave permission softly.

She took a deep breath. 'The Emperor, your father, made a unilateral decision that changed the course of Lady Ah-Duo 's fate. That decision shaped the Moon Prince 's life. Your highness grew up seeing the consequences of what love in captivity looked like and you did not want that either for yourself or for Miss Maomao. But that doesn 't change the fact that your highness also made a unilateral decision, without ever asking Miss Maomao what she thought. '

His head shot up, eyes stretched wide in shock. True, he had made his promise to set Maomao free in front of her, but looking back he realized that he had never actually asked her opinion on the matter. They had discussed logistics of removing the brand, Maomao had quietly asked him if he would be all right without her, but he had not asked for her thoughts.

The fact of the matter was that, while Lakan 's support had given Jinshi breathing room, Gyokuyou 's son was still only two years old. His Majesty 's second round with appendicitis had forcibly reminded Jinshi that he could not control everything. He could still be thrust onto that throne, should events play out unkindly.

Would Maomao choose to stay by his side as his Crown Princess, his

Empress

, should it come to that?

Chue picked up the paulownia wood box and handed it back to him. 'A banquet to honor the Shin Clan 's matriarch on her eighty-fifth birthday is in two days. My lady will be there. '

He felt his fingers close around the box. 'Chue, please just tell me. Does she want me to court her? Or is she too angry at me? '

'If Miss Chue didn 't worry that her little brother-in-law would separate her head from her body for it, she would smack you upside the head for that one, Moon Prince! ' Chue gave him a look of utter exasperation, beginning to tick off her points on the fingers of one hand. 'Does your highness think Miss Maomao would have secured the strategist 's support, allowed her granny and sisters to dress her up like a doll, used every skill of the courtesan 's world to captivate the court and become a marriage prospect that a potential Crown Prince could marry with no objections from anyone - would she have done

any

of that if she was prepared to let you go without a fight? '

He finally let out a half-laugh, half-sob. 'I guess not. '

'Well then. Miss Chue hopes the Moon Prince stocked up on expensive foreign medicines and alcohol during his tour of the empire, because after the last six months, it would appear that the Moon Prince has some courting to do. With a side of groveling. ' Chue stood up.

Basen entered the gazebo. 'I guess I don 't need to sneak him out of the banquet now? '

'Oh, you 'll still be doing that, but at least now he 'll know why you 're sneaking him. Which reminds Miss Chue! When you 've switched duty shifts, Miss Chue wants to go over what we discussed. '

Basen nodded, his lips pressing together for a moment.

Jinshi looked between the two of them, eyes narrowing. 'Is there anything else I should know? '

Chue looked between him and Basen. 'The bruising on his forearms - is that from sparring? '

Basen blinked and looked at Jinshi. 'You 've been performing your regular morning exercises, but we haven 't sparred in a few weeks, no. '

Jinshi lifted his hand, allowing the sleeve of his robe to fall down his arm. He hadn 't really noticed, but his forearm was speckled with tiny, purple-red bruises that marred the smooth skin. He couldn 't remember hitting his arm hard enough to cause that. He let his arm fall to look at Basen and Chue, both of whom had grim expressions on their faces. 'What 's wrong? '

Chue looked at Basen. 'We need that report on his food taster tonight. In the meantime, Moon Prince, be prepared for Miss Maomao to conduct a medical exam at that banquet - Miss Chue agrees with her that this is starting to look more and more like poisoning. '

He felt his body chill with icy fear before it was followed by a flush of hot anger. 'I see. If your lady is working late tonight, perhaps the three of us could go over that report? '

Basen bowed. 'Of course, Moon Prince. '

'It would be Miss Chue 's pleasure, your highness. ' Chue bowed as well. 'If there is nothing further the Moon Prince requires of Miss Chue? '

'You may go, ' he murmured, idly spinning the wooden box with Maomao 's hairpin between his fingers.

'Moon Prince? ' Basen ventured after a few minutes.

Jinshi sat another moment, thinking things over. The pieces were not hard to assemble, once he had enough of them. Basen had clearly been in contact with Chue before this, at least, if not Maomao herself. And he was concerned enough about Jinshi 's health that they had discussed the subject of poisoning and investigating his food taster.

Everyone else had been right. He should have taken Maomao with him all those months ago. For more reasons than one, it would seem, but he couldn 't do anything yet to fix that. Instead, he looked up at his oldest friend, his milk brother. 'I 've been acting like an ass. I 'm sorry. '

Basen crossed his arms and grunted. 'As soon as we figure out what the hell is being slipped into your food, I 'm willing to let it go as poisoned dumbassery. '

Jinshi snorted at that description.

'I would, however, suggest you be very nice to my older brother if you feel the need to apologize - if you annoy him too much, the actual work on your desk could end up replaced with petty invitations. '

Jinshi sighed. 'Speaking of which, perhaps I ought to accept Qiang 's invitation for tomorrow night. '

Basen arched his eyebrows. 'You want to spend time listening to the apothecary 's lovesick swains wax poetic over her eyebrows? '

'Call it a scouting trip. ' Jinshi smiled with teeth. 'It would seem I put Maomao in this position - I had better get a good lay of the land, if I 'm to plot my own courtship. '

Basen shook his head. 'Why can 't you send her a letter and ask her to meet you somewhere public, like a normal person? '

'From the man who can 't talk to the love of his life without risking fainting due to extreme flush? ' Jinshi teased him.

Basen just grinned. 'I 'll have you know that Maamei received an official letter from the U Clan 's head last night. They 're willing to hear my suit for Lady Lishu 's hand. '

Jinshi sat up fully. 'That 's wonderful news! '

'Mmm. I don 't think you need a scouting trip, as you put it sir, but if it 'll get you out of the house and distracted until the next banquet, I can 't see how it 'll hurt. Of course, banquets are already boring enough, but now you can 't even eat. '

Jinshi shrugged. 'It 's not like I 've never sat through a banquet without eating before. At least this time I won 't be half suffocating in a mask. We 'll ask Suiren to prepare something beforehand. '

'The Emperor is hosting it. You risk offending him if you don 't accept his hospitality. ' Basen pointed out.

'I suspect his Imperial Majesty would prefer me to stay alive than be strictly polite. We 'll confine my consumption to the wine - it should be harder to discreetly tamper with just one item, especially if we 're watching the food taster. ' Jinshi thought back - the woman had been extremely discreet, but he believed her name was Lianshi.

Perhaps it would be more prudent to simply dismiss her from his service, but if Maomao was right (and when it came to poison, Jinshi utterly trusted her instincts), then they could lose the chance to find whoever was backing her while also motivating them to try to attack him from a different angle. If he remembered her file correctly, she was a recent widow whose husband had been in debt. It was unlikely a widow of limited financial means would have the motivation or the resources to poison a member of the Imperial family on her own recognizance. And someone with the boldness to subvert a food taster was absolutely someone Jinshi wanted to track down and deal with.

Basen nodded. 'Speaking of Lady Suiren, if you wanted to take her something in lieu of an actual apology, one of the palace merchants got an early shipment of lychee wine. '

Which just so happened to be Suiren 's favorite. Jinshi nodded and stood up, tucking the paulownia wood box into the pocket of his robes. 'Let 's do that. '

He stood up and strode out of the gazebo, Basen trailing behind him. If he didn 't precisely have a spring in his step, there was a new determination burning in his eyes.