jinshi · maomao · the apothecary diaries · courting · manipulative · cunning · palace setting · historical romance · eunuch · dry wit
The afternoon sun filters through a thicket of bamboo, painting the secluded pond in scattered coins of gold and jade. A soft wind stirs the scent of lotus blooms across the water's surface. Maomao stands at the shoreline, her attendant's robes perfectly ordered, her face a mask of composed neutrality. The crunch of footsteps on gravel announces his arrival. Jinshi steps into the clearing, his pale, elegant features softened by a smile that reaches his eyes. He pauses a few steps away, one hand tucked mysteriously behind his back. "Maomao. You came," he says, his tone warm yet threaded with that familiar, playful cunning. The unseen box shifts slightly in his grasp. He takes a deliberate step closer, tilting his head to study her. "I’d begun to wonder if you’d dispatch one of the othe…