Chapter Text
The year had swiftly passed by. The leaves on the trees surrounding the palace had already turned deep shades of orange and red, and the wind had taken on a certain freshness. Autumn had arrived in the Empire of Li, bringing with it the first anniversary since the Imperial Family had revealed Jinshi´s true identity.
For a year now, he had officially lived as the Crown Prince. For a year, his responsibilities had multiplied. And for a year, he had not seen Maomao.
Jinshi sighed audibly at the thought, which didn't escape Basen's notice. His loyal bodyguard and longtime friend stood beside him as Jinshi settled in the small pavilion where he had first met with Lihaku. A cup of tea sat before him on the table, untouched. The liquid had turned ice-cold and undrinkable over time. Jinshi traced the rim of the cup with a finger, reminiscing about one of his last interactions with the young apothecary.
A year ago, on the day of Gyoku-ou's execution, he had pulled Maomao aside and told her the secret of his birth, only to be surprised that she had already known the secret long before him! While he had trembled, telling her about this new revelation, she hadn't even flinched. Maomao had simply listened without interruption and then bowed briefly before him, in farewell. Nothing more.
It was only Ah-Duo who had gently informed him the next day that she, had personally introduced Maomao, to their little family secret, months prior. And Jinshi?
He had felt deeply betrayed and had acted irrationally in that moment. Full of anger, he had gone to the emperor and requested Maomao's temporary banishment from the palace. He simply couldn't bear to face her, knowing that she had known his identity all along the whole time! And hadn't even given him a clue.
No, in that moment of greatest pain, he had acted quite irrationally. In hindsight, he realized that Maomao probably just wanted to be as inconspicuous as possible. She didn't want to give anything away and was probably very unhappy about learning such a secret from Ah-Duo.
So, she had simply not told Jinshi, out of fear for herself. And he had been too foolish to recognize it in time. He had let his emotions guide him too much and banished the person from his life whom he didn't want to be without.
Another deep sigh escaped his lips as he rested his head in one hand, gazing hypnotized into the cold tea. The wind had begun to pick up again. Jinshi's long hair was swept over his shoulders by one of the gentle breezes. One of the strands fell into the tea, but he made no attempt to change the situation. The handsome man simply felt empty in this moment. He closed his eyes and discreetly sniffed at the cold cup. However, he couldn't identify the type of tea.
Maomao would surely have known what plant it was, he thought silently to himself. If she had been with him in his study when he was kidnapped by Gyoku-ou, then what happened afterwards surely wouldn't have occurred. He was sure of that. She would have prevented him and Basen from drinking the tea or at least explained its effects beforehand.
The thought made the prince smile slightly, and he opened his eyes before finally lifting the strand of hair out of the tea. A few drops of liquid dripped onto the back of his hand, causing him to shudder slightly. Yes, the tea had indeed gone cold. Jinshi pushed the cup away from him with a gesture resembling that of a child, but he had lost the desire to drink tea.
He wanted nothing more than to embrace Maomao again, to take her pretty face in his hands and give her a kiss on her beautifully curved lips, which craved all sorts of poisons. He remembered the moment they had shared on his bed. He had just woken up from his coma, as Maomao had lured him with the words that the old madam of the Verdigris House wanted her to receive customers now. Fortunately, that had only been a tactic to wake him up faster, but now…
A year had passed after all, and in a year, a lot could happen. Jinshi didn't want to release another sigh, but he let his shoulders slump slightly and glanced back.
Basen was still his only bodyguard who was with him around the clock, but since he had publicly revealed his identity, he was hardly allowed to leave his residence without additional protection. So now two more soldiers stood somewhat farther away, keeping an eye on him.
The additional protection annoyed Jinshi somewhat, but he could understand why the emperor had insisted on it. After all, Jinshi had been kidnapped and raped last year. To such an extent that his heart had stopped beating and he had been in danger even after his rescue for a certain period of time.
Since then, the emperor had been especially cautious when it came to his son's safety. Meanwhile, Jinshi had made his peace with the idea that the emperor was not his brother but his father instead. But sometimes he woke up at night, hoping that the conversation with Lady Ah-Duo, Lady Anshi, and the emperor had just been a dream and he was still just the Imperial younger brother. Only to be confronted with the truth, when waking up.
The revelation of his true title had caused a certain division in the kingdom. On one hand, there were those who wanted to see him as the first son of the emperor on the throne. But there were also those who saw the son of Empress Gyokuyou as the true heir, as she was the official wife of the emperor and regent.
However, Jinshi was still not keen on the throne and wanted to escape that fate as much as possible. But now it was much harder than ever before. Gyokuyou also seemed to have no objections to Jinshi inheriting the throne, at least according to the emperor’s wishes. It was almost suspicious how relieved she looked at the thought whenever the topic came up. But Jinshi didn't want to think about a future as possible Emperor, which hopefully was still far away.
His thoughts drifted back once again to his apothecary as he now leaned both elbows on the table, resting his forehead on his hands. What should he do?
After giving the order for Maomao's temporary banishment from the palace, he hadn't encountered her again. Gaoshun had reported to him the next day, with a worried expression, that she had left the palace as instructed.
This situation had reminded both Gaoshun and Jinshi of the moment when the prince had had to dismiss the apothecary for the first time. But back then, it had been extremely involuntary, as Maomao's dismissal had been a consequence of Fengming's punishment. Jinshi had hardly been able to do anything, at least not legally.
Now things were somewhat different, as he was personally responsible for Maomao's situation. And he would very much like to change this situation and undo his actions. The most beautiful man in the nation sighed audibly once again and let his upper body slump onto the table, unable to keep himself upright any longer.
Basen, who had witnessed this behavior of his master's repeatedly over the past months, also took a deep breath before turning his head to the slouched heap of misery that was his prince.
"Master Jinshi, you should talk to her and explain your behavior from a year ago. I'm sure she will understand," he said for the umpteenth time.
In response, he received sigh number four.
So, Basen refrained from making any further comments for the time being. Because once his master fell into this mood, there was nothing his environment could do but wait until said mood passed. Over the past year, Basen had experienced this firsthand. But he missed the undisturbed nature of the apothecary as well. He liked her and thought that she and his master would make an extremely formidable couple. Although he often kept this thought to himself. But Maomao wasn't just missed by him.
Lihaku and Suiren were also worried about the young woman and hoped she was doing well. However, the newlywed soldier had the opportunity to see Maomao occasionally through Pairin. He had reported this to Basen, but the latter had not wanted to pass on the information to his master. If Jinshi had known that Lihaku had seen Maomao a few times during the past year, he would probably be even more depressed than he already was. And Basen wanted to prevent that at all costs.
After lying on the table like a lifeless rag doll for a few more minutes, Jinshi finally straightened up with one last sigh, brushing his hair away from his face and adjusting the fluffy manteau draped around his shoulders. At this windy time of year, it was better to be dressed warmer before catching a cold. With a brief glance up at the blue sky, Jinshi turned to Basen as he stood up, noticing how the other two soldiers were also getting ready to accompany him. The prince's clear eyes fixed on those of his longtime friend, and he nodded slowly.
"You're right. It was my fault that she left."
Or rather, had to leave…
"But I'll make amends for my mistake. Please ensure that a carriage is ready. We're going to see Maomao today!"
Basen's eyes widened at his counterpart's determined words, but inwardly, he smiled. With a small bow, the young soldier nodded and couldn't help but let one corner of his mouth twitch upward.
"As you wish! I'll prepare everything immediately."