Everything was not fine.

He was fairly certain Gaoshun had nearly had a stroke resisting saying something about what had happened at the Jade Pavilion that evening. Jinshi tossed and turned in his bed, knowing full well the older man would have been well within his rights to tell say exactly how unacceptable what he had done truly was. Another eunuch might 've lost his job or even his life for taking advantage the way Jinshi had.

The worst part? The absolute kick in the teeth?

Jinshi was not feeling nearly as much regret over his action as he knew he probably should 've.

At least he hadn 't bitten her, though he 'd come awfully damn close.

It would be easy to write off his actions as a simple matter of needing to distract the girl for a moment in order to snag one of the aphrodisiacs she 'd concocted. He needn 't have done so. Hadn 't she said, only minutes earlier, that he could take one? He really should 've taken it then, gotten up and walked out of the place without looking back.

Instead, Lady Gyokuyou had excused herself for the night, leaving him almost completely alone with the girl. The way the concubine had been so obvious in her goal of giving them some time together without interference had only served to give him a moment of opportunity. A moment he snatched eagerly with both hands.

The girl had remained so still. He 'd heard the small sharp inhale when he lifted her hair, exposing the side of her throat. That should 've been it. A decent man would 've let go and left.

He was clearly not a decent man. He was a man stuck in an difficult situation, and he 'd made a poor decision in the heat of the moment.

There were literally hundreds of women within the palace walls who would gladly submit to his every whim. Who would let him take whatever he wanted, and probably thank him when he was finished. He felt nothing for any of them. Never had. The only woman he felt anything for was the apothecary, and at the rate he was going, he was probably going to drive her away completely.

Maybe he really should 've been castrated. It would certainly have saved them all quite a lot of trouble.

Every time he was around her, whatever it was he was feeling grew stronger. He wanted her so much he could barely think straight. Every glare, every sharp snap of a reply, all it did was make the longing worse.

He 'd spent several days denying that he felt anything outside of mild curiosity and amusement when it came to her. Lying to himself had only worked briefly, though he kept insisting to himself that his lies were the truth.

He 'd barely touched her. The kiss against her skin was so light and so brief it probably didn 't even qualify as a kiss. He hadn 't really held her. Just let his hands rest briefly against her upper arms.

Even as he spun the web, trying to acquit himself, he knew it was pointless. He 'd held her as much as he dared. He 'd kissed her because he wanted to. Her skin had been warm against his lips. Her scent, earthy and sweet. She hadn 't trembled or fought him, but by no means did that mean she'd wanted him. It didn 't mean she 'd been okay with it.

He 'd come so close to spinning her to face him. To capturing her tempting mouth with his. Desire had burned bright and he 'd managed to regain control of himself a second before it had been past the point of too late. A moment before he 'd gone from tip-toeing over the line to full on crossing it with no intent to look back.

She had every right to loathe him. At the moment, he loathed himself.

He 'd actually managed to make some progress with her. She 'd seemed to be thawing the tiniest bit over the last few days. He 'd blown up all that progress with the force of a feifa, all because he had let himself lose control for a few moments.

And if he were presented with the same opportunity again, he doubted he 'd behave any better.

***

The palace had a ghost, if rumor was to be believed. For a few weeks, Jinshi had been receiving reports of a female spirit, gowned in white, dancing at night on the palace wall. He wasn 't too concerned at first. People seeing spirits on the palace grounds wasn 't unheard of. Given that all the reports were about a spirit seen at a distance, there didn 't seem to be cause for alarm.

It was when he received a report of a lady-in-waiting that had been found unconscious that he decided that maybe there was something that should be investigated. When the lady-in-waiting had come to, she 'd been terrified. Insisted that she 'd been attacked by a spirit, one that looked like a woman dressed in white with a horrifying countenance. Jinshi set guards to keep watch on the wall, and notify him the next time the spirit was seen.

The next few days, she appeared every night, but still always on the wall, always dancing. After the second night in a row, Jinshi and Gaoshun spent the night outside, keeping watch. Sure enough, the spirit appeared, seemingly out of thin air. It was startling, and strangely beautiful the way she twirled under the night sky, the moon lighting her, making it appear as if she were glowing. She vanished just as abruptly as she 'd appeared.

'Sir, do you see that? '

The dancing spirit had been mesmerizing, so it took him a few seconds to focus on where Gaoshun was pointing. A white figure was climbing down the side of the wall. Jinshi said nothing, but nodded his head indicating Gaoshun should follow him.

They kept their distance, and followed it all the way back to Concubine Fuyou 's residence. The pieces quickly began to fall into place in Jinshi 's mind as he watched the 'spirit ' go inside. Removing the notion that it had been a phantom, it was easy to pinpoint who the dancer actually was.

Returning to his residence he decided to call it a night. In the morning, he 'd seek out the apothecary. She might have an idea of how to cure sleepwalking.

Staring at the ceiling, with only the moon illuminating his room, Jinshi thought of what a fortunate thing it was this little mystery had appeared. After the completely and totally not at all a kiss incident, he 'd not had a good reason to specifically seek her out. He only saw her occasionally when he went to the Jade Pavilion, but she always seemed to station herself right out of his line of sight. Even so, she 'd still managed to bestow a few choice glares, and every damn time he 'd gotten a little more worked up. Lady Gyokuyou seemed to find the whole thing hilarious. On one of his most recent visits, the girl hadn 't been present. The concubine had asked him if he 'd been feeling well on previous visits, given the number of times she 'd seen him flush, as if overheating. When he told her he had no idea what she was talking about, she 'd had the audacity to shift the topic to how well things were working out with her new lady-in-waiting. Except, she referred to the girl by name, and he hadn 't been able to stop the burning heat that blazed in his cheeks at the sound of it.

Maybe if he spent more time around the girl, it would fix the mess of feelings inside. He 'd be able to force them into submission, and stop making a spectacle of himself at the mere mention of her name.

Idly he wondered if the girl thought about him at all. It would be terrible if whatever was going on was merely one-sided. He should not have to suffer alone. Did he show up in her dreams the way she had been in his? It didn 't happen every night, but more and more frequently she was there. And the dreams were getting more 'well 'lewd. He tried to think of a better descriptor, but he couldn 't. Just the previous night the dream had been so lascivious, he 'd woken gasping out her name and found himself in a state that was quite unexpected given the mixture he drank to aid in concealing who he really was.

Yes, more time together would surely put a stop to the madness.

***

The apothecary had been spending some of her time working at the clinic, and that was where Jinshi found her the following day. Walking to the clinic, he was dead tired. He hadn 't dreamt of the girl the previous night, but it was nothing to celebrate. It only happened because he never fell asleep. Nope, he 'd stayed awake all night, thinking about the girl. Sometime, shortly before dawn, he 'd begun to make a mental list of the things she 'd responded positively to, and the ones that had made her disgusted. How she could seem to be so immune to his charms, and yet euphoric over the mere mention of poison was baffling.

His weariness fled the moment he got near enough to the clinic 's open doors to be able to see the girl inside, speaking with the doctor who ran the facility. Jinshi was glad he 'd come prepared with a list of medications. They were ones he did actually need to pick up, but they would also be quite useful in getting the doctor out of the room for a bit.

Once the doctor had scurried off to collect the very long list of items, the girl cut right to the chase and asked, 'Why are you really here? '

What followed was something he was very glad a certain red-headed concubine did not see, or she 'd have teased him about it for at least a month. He asked the girl about a treatment for sleepwalking. And since they were sitting so close together, in the course of their discussion he suddenly reached out and lightly grasped her shoulder. Leaning in, he asked another question, and the glare it prompted dropped him to his knees in front of her. Which only led to her shuddering and looking even more disgusted and displeased. If not for Gaoshun 's less that subtle throat clearing, Jinshi would 've probably made an even bigger fool of himself.

That evening, he sent Gaoshun to accompany the girl to watch for Concubine Fuyou. Jinshi decided that for his own sanity, it might be best not to be out, under the stars with the apothecary. He shuddered to think of the kinds of dreams he 'd have if he saw her illuminated by moonlight. No, until he got himself under control, avoiding those kinds of situations would be for the best, much as he might desire to take part in them.

***

The next day, the girl reported on what they 'd witnessed, and gave her thoughts on the situation. It was strange, though. She told a story about a sleepwalking case with one of the women she 'd known from the brothel. It seemed the story ended very abruptly. In fact, he was certain she was leaving out some important detail. A fact that he tried to confirm, but she staunchly refused to give. Instead she insisted she 'd told him everything.

As there was no way to treat it, Concubine Fuyou was kept under guard, confined to her room. It didn 't last long. She 'd been given to a soldier in marriage as a reward. The day soon arrived that he came to claim her. Jinshi had done some investigating, and discovered that the soldier and concubine had grown up together. Though she 'd been sent away to the rear palace, they had managed to remain in contact. Nothing that could be easily traced, and they 'd both been quite careful not to communicate too frequently.

Jinshi stood at his office window and watched the two childhood friends meet again. There was not much to see, no obvious displays of affection, but he knew he shouldn 't have expected any. ' Looking up from the reunited couple, he caught a glimpse of green and burgundy. Across the way, the girl and Lady Gyokuyou stood observing the departure. He wasn 't close enough to make out their faces, but something about the way the stood, the way the observed the couple, seemed to be wistful.

He stared at the girl until she and her mistress turned to go. Jinshi looked back in time to see the carriage depart. What must it be like to not only find the one you wanted to spend your life with, but to actually find a way to be able to follow through on that dream? It wasn 't a dream he 'd let himself entertain before. Mainly because he 'd not encountered anyone that he thought he might like to spend the future with.

But now? Now that the apothecary was well and firmly rooted in his world? With a jolt, he realized that despite his initial thoughts about her a few weeks earlier, he had somehow started to think of her as being something other than a useful pawn. That 's not to say he didn 't find her skills useful. He did. But she wasn 't a tool or a toy. She was a brilliant young woman.

A brilliant young woman that was not a fleeting infatuation. No, she had sent him tumbling head over heels, and likely had not a clue of having done so.

***

Concubine Lihua 's health continued to deteriorate. Her body was wasting away. When Jinshi went for his daily visit, he found himself trying to figure out how it was possible that the woman continued to worsen when the toxic face powder had been completely removed from the rear palace. Princess Lingli had recovered once the powder had stopped being applied, so why wasn 't Concubine Lihua?

He made a report over the matter to the Emperor. The older man listened intently. 'Is there anything at all that can be done? ' he asked once Jinshi had finished.

Jinshi shook his head, 'There might be, but I don 't know what it would be. We 've thoroughly exhausted the resources available. '

The Emperor sat back. He remained quiet for a long time. Eventually, he straightened and spoke, 'The woman who saved my daughter 's life. Lady Gyokuyou has spoken fondly of her, says that she 's an apothecary. Is this correct? '

Jinshi nodded, 'Yes. '

'Has she been to see Lady Lihua? '

'No. ' Now that the Emperor had asked, Jinshi was a little surprised the idea hadn 't occurred to him. 'Shall I send her to do so? '

Again, his brother paused for a long while, before replying, 'Have you any reason to believe it would not be a good idea? '

That was an easy answer, 'None. She figured out what was causing the illness in the children, simply from hearing a small description of the symptoms. She 's bright and quite observant. I believe it would be wise to send her. '

'Very well. I shall go this evening and speak with her myself. ' He gave Jinshi a very knowing look, 'I hear you seem to be quite taken with her. '

Jinshi tried to play dumb, 'She is merely an exceptional employee and her knowledge comes in quite handy. '

The Emperor laughed, 'I see. In that case, should I be concerned that you 're kissing the necks of all the exceptional and brilliant employees? '

Jinshi looked away, he couldn 't deny what he had done, though he 'd hoped word of it wouldn 't reach his brother. 'It was hardly a kiss, and there is no one else I 'd do that to, ' he muttered.

'Mm-hm. ' The Emperor sighed heavily, 'While I can 't say I fully disapprove, I would caution you against doing such things in the future. You, more than anyone, know there are eyes everywhere. You pleaded with me to take on this role, Zui. Bear that in mind. And if you continue, then I certainly hope it 's worth what it may cost you. '

In other words,

Behave or you 'll have to resume your role as crown prince. Don 't risk throwing everything away over some random girl that you find a little intriguing.

***

The girl 's time at the Crystal Pavilion did not start very promisingly. Lady Lihua 's ladies-in-waiting kept refusing to let the girl do the thing the Emperor had ordered. Jinshi wouldn 't have known what was happening if not for being nearby on her second day there. He saw the door fly open and the girl was unceremoniously shoved out. He was a bit too far away to make out exactly what was barked at her by one of the ladies-in-waiting, but whatever it was clear the girl needed help.

The following day, he arrived at the Crystal Pavilion shortly before the girl returned from the kitchen with a tray laden with tea and what appeared to be some kind of broth. He had stationed himself near the front door to await her arrival, and when she walked in she looked so dejected. Her shoulders were slumped and her gaze never lifted from the tray in her hands..

'I wonder how many days I have left before I lose my head for defying the Emperor. '

He shuddered at the dark words he was close enough to hear her mutter. He wanted to tell her she was worrying over nothing. His brother was typically a reasonable man, but if one of his top concubines passed because the girl had been unable to fulfill the man 's request, Jinshi wasn 't sure things wouldn 't end poorly for her.

'Seems you 're in a bit of a bind, ' he said.

She didn 't jump, but her head did lift enough their eyes were able to meet. Her glare wasn 't as fierce as normal, which was a bit disappointing, but hardly surprising given how worn out she looked. Had she been sleeping at all? Was she being tormented by the women who should 've been helping her?

'Oh, does it? '

'It certainly does, ' he replied.

The girl huffed and glanced away. Before he could say anything else, on the landing above, a saccharine voice called out his name. Both he and the apothecary jumped slightly at the sound. Neither of them had noticed they weren 't alone. Looking up, he saw four of the ladies-in-waiting glaring daggers at the girl. The women proceeded to make disparaging statements about the apothecary, and Jinshi had two options. Either lecture them, or let them witness something that would make it abundantly clear they had picked the wrong woman to harass. The second option was far more entertaining, and he went to work.

In a moment, he 'd closed the distance between them. The girl took a few steps backwards, and he followed her all the way to right beneath where the women stood. He lowered his head down to her ear, and proceeded to mock whisper, 'If it helps, I can come inside. '

It was an incredibly crude choice of words, but it was delightfully effective. He was rewarded with a truly wondrous shudder from the girl, and the women above responded in shock. Glancing up, he gave them a winning smile, but the words he spoke were just shy of a full on threat. 'Such beautiful and talented ladies, don 't you think you should respect the Emperor 's wishes? '

His words hit their mark, and while the apothecary sagged against the wall beside him, the women above began to protest weakly that they had not done that very thing.

'Scary how fast women can change, ' the girl mused wryly.

He accompanied her to Concubine Lihua 's chamber. Despite the women 's protestations that they hadn 't tried to keep the girl from doing as commanded, he had a suspicion that if he wasn 't there, they 'd again refuse to let the girl work. Standing right inside the doorway, the girl came to a stop. He gave her a few seconds, before nudging her, 'Go on. '

She made her way to the sick woman 's bedside. In a scene very reminiscent of the taster test, the apothecary performed her exam. She focused on the woman 's face, and he wasn 't quite sure what happened, but suddenly the girl stiffened. Wheeling around, she stormed up to the ladies. Her mouth was a tight, thin line, her sapphire eyes were like ice. She focused on one lady in particular. 'Are you in charge of Lady Lihua 's makeup? '

'I am. I make certain that she remains beautiful. '

The lady beside her chimed in, 'It 's our duty as ladies-in waiting. We do this for her. '

The slap echoed around the room, and knocked the lady in charge of makeup to her knees. Jinshi was frozen in shock. What the hell was going on? The ladies gasped and he heard one cry out, 'What are you doing? '

'Punishing an idiot, obviously. ' The girl stated, her voice was flat, but rage somehow still managed to accent every word she said. She then grabbed hold of the woman by her hair, and proceeded to drag her across the floor to a small table. Jinshi was in even more shock. How was she so strong? She was tiny, and yet had just done with relative ease what men twice her size would 've struggled to do.

Drawers were yanked open violently, and on the third one, the girl reached inside and removed something. A moment later, she turned and dumped a cloud of white powder on the woman 's head. He heard every single word the apothecary said. She was right to be angry. The girl managed to paint a picture with her words that somehow made facts he already knew about the toxic powder even more disturbing. Though her attention was fixed on the woman in front of her, her wrath-filled chastisement was for all the ladies-in-waiting.

The woman on the ground weakly protested, 'We just wanted her to be happy. '

The girl scooped up a handful of the powder pile on the floor and smeared it on the woman 's face. Taking firm hold of her jaw, she growled, ' 'Who would be happy to be poisoned with the same thing that killed their son? '

A few seconds ticked by, the tension was so thick, and everyone was frozen, even the apothecary. What she 'd said certainly got the point across, but even he was shocked that she 'd said it. The fire in the girl 's eyes suddenly dimmed, and she seemed to belatedly register exactly what she 'd just said. She didn 't apologize, but her body loosened and sorrow stole over her features. She released the woman 's face and again froze for a moment. Slowly she rose to her feet, and in her normal voice gave a few orders to the gathered women.

They hurriedly dispersed to set about obeying, and the apothecary suddenly looked completely drained by the energy she 'd just exerted in her anger. He remembered her words from a little earlier and softly mused, 'It really is scary how fast women can change. '

The girl flinched and glanced his way. He could tell she 'd completely forgotten he was there. ' She blanched and looked away before she hurried back to her patient.

The woman who had been responsible for the makeup had to face consequences for her actions. As did the eunuch who should 've made sure he collected the powder. Jinshi did not look forward to the next several hours of dealing with the mess, but he had no qualms about ensuring punishment would be delivered. With one last look at the apothecary, he was satisfied she had things under control, and left her to her work. There was no guarantee she 'd be able to nurse Lady Lihua back to health, considering how bad the woman 's condition was, but at least there was now a fighting chance.

***

Recovery did happen, but it went slowly. Everyday he stopped by the Crystal Pavilion, and as the patient grew stronger, he noticed the apothecary grew more exhausted. More than once he arrived to find her collapsed in a random spot, taking a much needed nap. The third time he found her that way, he waited until she woke, and suggested that she delegate some of the patient 's care to the other ladies.

'The ones that let this mess happen in the first place? ' She yawned and the way she looked at him made it clear she thought he was just about the stupidest person she 'd ever met. Before he could make a reply, she was off the bench he 'd found her on and hurrying back to her patient.

By the third week, he was convinced the girl wasn 't eating, or if she was, it was nowhere near enough. She didn 't have enough weight on her in the first place, and somehow she 'd managed to lose enough for it to be obvious to everyone. He decided it might be time to step in just a bit.

He found her hanging up laundry to dry. 'You look tired, ' he mused by way of greeting.

She rolled her eyes and continued to work while stating, 'Unlike

certain

people, I have been busy. '

Gaoshun offered her the box of food that Jinshi had asked him to bring along for her. She lit up, some of her weariness vanished briefly, as she took in the contents of the box. Though she did still manage to glare at Jinshi, he really didn 't mind. She was going to eat. That was the important thing. The fact her glare sent a delicious tingle through his entire body was just a bonus.

Hoping the food had softened her a little, he stepped closer and asked, 'What do you need help with? Whatever it is, tell me. Let me help. '

He realized a second too late that he had come so close there was barely any space between them at all. To his surprise, she didn 't back away nearly as much as she typically would 've. Briefly, it seemed she was on the verge of telling him to get lost, but then her glare disappeared and he could tell an idea had come to her. She looked at him with earnestness, 'Well, if you 're serious, there is one thing that would certainly be helpful. '

***

'Lady Lihua 's recovery is going splendidly. That 's so wonderful to hear, ' Lady Gyokuyou said warmly when he went to tell her she 'd have her taster back the following day. She continued, 'And to have Maomao here, just in time for the garden party. I couldn 't possibly be happier! '

'I thought you 'd be pleased, ' he replied.

'Oh I am. Though, now that I 'm thinking about it, there is a matter we need to discuss. ' She glanced around the room and dismissed all of her ladies, minus Lady Hongniang.

Once they were as alone as they were going to be, her demeanor shifted to something quite serious. 'Am I in trouble? ' he joked.

'Not yet, ' she replied. 'However, I want to make it very clear that Maomao is my lady-in-waiting. Do you understand? '

He was slightly confused, 'Of course, she is. Has someone been trying to take her away? '

She gave him a very pointed look, and even before she started to reply, he had a sudden sense of what she was about to say. 'As a matter of fact, I believe that there is someone. A man has taken quite a shine to her. At least that 's what I assume, based on the way he has seemed to single her out, constantly taking time to be with her, and blushing every time he so much as hears her name. Sound like anyone you know? '

He didn 't look away, nor did he deny knowing what she was saying. Instead, he simply asked, 'What would you suggest this man do? '

'For starters, he could swear to me he won 't give her a hairpin at the garden party. She deserves someone who treasures her. Someone who sees how remarkable she is. I 'm not sure this man sees her as anything other than a bit of entertainment. She's strong, but I fear it will cause significant damage if she lets him into her heart, and he then moves on to the next shiny thing. I want him to promise me he won 't give her a hairpin this time. If, by the next party he truly feels something more than infatuation, he can give her one then. '

Jinshi had never seen her like this. Did she really think he 'd do that to the girl? 'I promise the man won 't give her a hairpin until he knows for sure how he feels about her. '

Lady Gyokuyou relaxed and smiled, 'I 'm pleased to hear it. Let the man know I 'm grateful. He 's a good man with a kind heart. She deserves the very best, and I think he could be that, if he decides to be with her. '

***

The day of the garden party Lady Gyokuyou 's words played on a loop in his mind while he got dressed. He decided she was right. He should wait until the next party before doing something so drastic as giving the girl his hairpin. He needed to take his time. His hairpin was secure, and a few minutes later he and Gaoshun left for the festivities.