A nap in the Jade Pavilion

His back straight, his gorgeous face solemn and his hands tucked in his wide sleeves, the "heavenly nymph" named Jinshi was walking through the Emperor's "flower garden", the Inner Palace, performing one of his duties as its overseer: paying a visit to the four upper consorts. His long hair was slightly moved by the wind and his posture the very embodiment of dignity and authority, making him seem like an unapproachable being that stood above everyone else. Accompanied by the longing sighs of the palace women he passed by and his faithful aide Gaoshun. But the closer the two of them were getting to their last stop, the Jade Pavilion, home of Consort Gyokuyou, the more that image kept fading; the "beautiful celestial being" was transforming into just an ordinary young man. A young man, who was almost beaming with happiness, looking as if he would start humming a song any moment now. So beaming, he was even on the verge of forgetting to not let his mask slip. "Sir, there is a grin on your face. Please be more careful, it looks very childish," Gaoshun, who was walking behind him, reprimanded him quietly, noticing his lord's expression, when the latter turned his head to the side. "Oh, is that so?" Even Jinshi's voice sounded overjoyed. He did wipe the grin from his face, replacing it with his usual fake smile, since he still couldn't forget where and who he was, but that didn't sullen his mood. And he had the feeling that nothing would. Because today was the day he had been eagerly waiting for. The day he would see a very special young woman again. One that he had "lent" to Consort Gyokuyou for the time being. It had been several days since the last time he had seen his favorite apothecary. Being already used to having her live in his residence, her absence felt as if there was a certain emptiness inside him, as if something was missing. Every morning upon waking up, he needed to remind himself of the fact that, once again, he wouldn't be able to see her familiar petite silhouette neither in his chambers nor in his office or walking through his hallways. And it did cause him a certain pain. Yes, Jinshi was missing Maomao horribly. However, this time it was different: this time, he, at least, knew for sure that no one would take her away in his absence, that she wouldn't go anywhere and also that she was (relatively) safe where she was living now. That he would definitely see her again. That made everything more bearable. And thus, he just kept counting the days until his next visit, the days until he would be allowed to feel complete again, even if it was just for a mere few minutes. Watching days and nights pass, immersing himself in his usual work and counting, always counting. Until he would have a reason to go see her. *** Finally, Jinshi and Gaoshun saw the entrance of the Jade Pavilion in front of them, and Jinshi's lips threatened to curve into a grin once again at the thought that Maomao was right there, behind that door (if she wasn't on an errand or something, which he very much hoped wasn't the case). But he managed to contain himself with some difficulty. As soon as they entered, the two men were received by Lady Gyokuyou herself and her ladies-in-waiting. While being led inside and inquiring about the consort's health and well-being during her pregnancy, the young noble let his gaze wander around searchingly, trying to be discreet, his eyes widening slightly when he realized that the apothecary wasn't among the women. The disappointment was almost written on his face, as if all the happiness from a few minutes ago had gone out like a candle deprived of oxygen. Jinshi swallowed heavily. So she had been sent on an errand, after all, huh? Being as perceptive as ever and as if she had read his thoughts, Gyokuyou brought a hand to her mouth, letting out a giggle. "No worries, 'the cat' is in the room next door, watching the princess." The way Jinshi's face instantly lit up when he heard her words was almost comical. So much the consort almost laughed out loud. He was really like a little boy sometimes. Life in the inner palace was often pretty much monotone and without a lot of distractions, so Gyokuyou found it highly entertaining to watch these two, also teasing them from time to time. "I see," Jinshi said with a smile. "Would you mind if I went to greet her as well?" "Not at all, go ahead." They all headed together to the next room, with Gyokuyou opening the door. "Maomao!" she announced. "Master Jinshi has arri- Oh, my!" Her voice trailed off suddenly, and her eyes widened in surprise, catching sight of a very unexpected scene: The apothecary girl was, indeed, inside, but it was impossible to say that she was watching the princess. Or more precisely: she couldn't watch her. Since she was sound asleep, sitting on the floor, her head inclined and her hands resting on her lap. A position that didn't look very comfortable. It was a wonder she hadn't fallen over yet. Princess Lingli, in the meantime, was lying next to her on her stomach on the rug and playing happily with some wooden animals. Once she noticed that the door had opened, she looked up and giggled when she spotted her mother, the ladies-in-waiting and the two visitors. They all just stared blankly at the toddler and Maomao, not really knowing what to say. "Oh, she must be really tired, I guess," Ailan finally commented quietly, sounding a bit awkward. "I thought I heard some strange noises come from her room last night... laughter, I believe. So it wasn't my imagination, after all," Yinghua added. "Maybe she was doing something with these strange herbs of hers once again. I saw her hanging up some new ones to dry a few days ago." The chief lady-in-waiting, Hongniang, was, in the meantime, fuming and gritting her teeth. "I will teach her to neglect her duties like that! What if something had happened to the princess?!" She raised her hand, with the obvious intention to walk up to Maomao and slap her awake, but didn't get very far, since she felt her lady's hand on her shoulder. "Now, now," Gyokuyou tried to calm her down. "Nothing has happened, in the end. And if she really is so exhausted that she has nodded off like this, then I think we should just let her sleep a bit more." She bent down and stroked the head of her daughter, who had walked up to her and was now hugging her leg. There was a gentle smile on the consort's face, but everyone present didn't miss the sudden sparkle in her eyes that left them a bit bewildered. She dedicated a gaze to the sleeping Maomao. "Well, in order to not risk waking her up, I'd suggest that she should just continue to rest here, on the rug. But not like this." And after having asked Guiyuan and Ailan to bring a pillow and a blanket, Gyokuyou picked up Lingli and stood in front of Jinshi, showing him her sweetest of smiles. "Master Jinshi, I know this is a bit impudent of me, but would you please get her into a lying position, so she can sleep more comfortably?" "I could do that, Lady Gyokuyou," Gaoshun offered, taking a step forward, as the attentive aide that he was. But the look he got from the consort shut him up on the spot. It wasn't as bad as Maomao's glares, but still intense. The gaze of a woman who would not allow anyone to get in her way, one that Gaoshun was pretty much familiar with thanks to his wife and daughter. Oh. Now he understood. Gyokuyou smiled at Jinshi again. "So would you please?" The young noble just stared at her, needing a moment to react. "Y-Yes, of course." A bit hesitant, he approached the sleeping "cat" and got down on his knees in front of her. Then he placed one of his hands on the back of her head and lifted her legs with the other, lying her down on her back as slowly and carefully as he could. Maomao stirred a bit during that process and eventually turned to her side after a few moments, which made Jinshi hold his breath for a second, thinking that he had failed his task after all. But, to his relief, she didn't wake up. Having made sure that she was still fast asleep, he got up again. And then just stood there with a light blush on his cheeks, watching her sleep as if her breathing movements were hypnotizing him, and the girl herself the most fascinating creature in the world, making it impossible for him to take his eyes off her. After all, he had longed to finally see her again. But out of the blue, he heard someone cough behind him and returned to his senses, remembering where he was and turning around to his "audience". Consisting of the slightly troubled-looking Gaoshun, who had just cleared his throat in order to bring his lord back to reality, and the women, who were all smiling at him, even Hongniang. With all these pairs of eyes on him, Jinshi felt his ears grow hot and cleared his throat too, out of awkwardness. He was no shy person at all, but it was still a bit embarrassing for him to be watched by someone who wasn't as close to him as Suiren or Gaoshun while showing his true self when he was with the apothecary. Maybe because it was the first time in his life showing completely genuine affection towards someone else. Gyokuyou giggled discreetly, covering her mouth with her hand, just as the two she had sent away came back with the pillow and blanket. As soon as the pillow was placed under Maomao's head and the blanket covering her body, the consort placed her hand on her cheek, looking as if she had just remembered something. "Ah, now that you are here, Gaoshun: the weeds have sprouted in the garden once again. Would you please pluck them out for us? You did it so well last time." Gaoshun's eyes widened. "Lady Gyokuyou! But..." Jinshi was a bit baffled by that sudden request as well (and also by the revelation that Gaoshun had already acted as Gyokuyou's gardener once before), but eventually waved his hand. "It's alright, just go help them. I will wait for you in the meantime, this is the last pavilion we have to visit, after all." "Very well, sir." The aide bowed, and in the next moment, he was all but pulled away by the ladies-in-waiting, who had understood what their lady was planning. "Then I would suggest you wait for him right here," Gyokuyou said to Jinshi. "I know you wanted to spend a bit of time with Maomao, hence it would be a shame if you just left now because she's asleep." But before he could produce even a sound to reply to that, Gyokuyou had already left the room, carrying the princess in her arms, who had started to play with her mother's necklace. And just like that, Jinshi had been left alone, standing there and still having to process what had happened right now (wondering if he had really been THAT obvious), a bit unsure what to do. He gulped, blushing faintly once more, as he slowly turned around to the sleeping apothecary on the floor. Well, no, not really alone... He cautiously looked around, and after having made sure that there really wasn't anyone else in the room except for him and Maomao, came closer and sat down on the floor right next to her, continuing to admire her. This was highly inappropriate for someone of his status, but since nobody could scold him right now, he didn't care. "I really missed you, you know," he finally dared to whisper the words he had never said aloud before. Jinshi had to admit that he was a bit disappointed not to be able to talk to her this time, not to see her beautiful eyes, but... ...but just watching her sleep so peacefully filled his heart with so much warmth. He shook his head, his lips curved into a gentle smile. "No, it's alright. This is plenty. There will be other times." Because she wouldn't be going anywhere. There would be other opportunities, without any doubt. He raised his hand and carefully brushed her bangs aside with his fingers. Maomao sighed softly in her sleep. The next thing Jinshi intended to do was to caress her cheek, but instead, his eyes widened, and his hand froze mid-air, when he heard some noises coming from the open door. Had someone returned already? Starting to sweat a bit, he turned his head to look, almost jumping to his feet, but then relaxed again, letting out the breath he had been holding. Nothing to fear, it was just Princess Lingli. But what was the child doing there? Had she escaped the one watching her now when the latter wasn't looking? Seemed like it. "Why, hello again, Princess," he said, still relieved that he hadn't been caught by any of the adult women. Lingli smiled at him, holding on to the door, and then... ...started to clumsily walk into his direction. Well, Jinshi had to admit that he was a bit annoyed that his time with Maomao had been interrupted so suddenly, after all he had been waiting so long for this, but the little girl was so adorable that he couldn't help showing her one of his genuine smiles. And then decided to just let her be, turning his head back to Maomao. However, since the princess was still a bit unsteady on her feet, she fell down on her behind half-way. Jinshi's eyes widened again when he noticed that scene from the corner of his eye. He really hoped she wouldn't start crying now, for he didn't have the slightest clue what to do in such a case. But his worries were for nothing: instead of wailing, Lingli smiled again and just got on her knees, crawling the last meters towards him. How fortunate that she was such a cheerful soul. She started tugging at his sleeve. "What's the matter, princess?" Jinshi asked, confused, wondering what she might want from him. "Mao!" The child pointed at the apothecary. Jinshi chuckled. "Yes, that's right, this is Maomao." Lingli's smile got even bigger. He let out a sigh. "Your mother and the ladies-in-waiting are probably looking for you right now, so I guess I should bring you back." Having cast a last brief, longing gaze at Maomao, he was already about to stand up and pick up the child, but before he could do that, he froze again as a certain word reached his ears. A word that was so unexpected, it left him completely baffled and speechless for a moment. "Brother!" Lingli was now pointing her finger directly at him, clutching his sleeve with her other hand. Jinshi just stared at her, mouth agape. And then smiled again, patting her head. "I'm not your brother, little one, if anything, I'm your uncle," he muttered softly. But Lingli was having none of it, puffing up her round cheeks and clenching her tiny hands into fists. "Brother!" she insisted. Jinshi was a bit surprised by her tenacity, but continued to smile and patted her head once more. He didn't want to argue with a toddler. And apart from that, he couldn't deny that this word did stir something inside him, for he had never been called like that before. "Fine, fine, as you wish," he finally gave up, making her happy again. "But be quiet now, please, alright? Otherwise, you'll wake our Mao up." He brought his index finger to his lips, and the little girl imitated him, giggling. She was really cute. Jinshi laughed quietly and finally did what he had wanted to do all along, starting to absent-mindedly stroke the apothecary's cheek, being watched by the princess. Thankfully, Maomao was still fast asleep. She was a deep sleeper, alright. "Our cat is tired today," he murmured. "Cat!" Lingli agreed. Then she suddenly pulled herself up to her feet and toddled behind Maomao, letting herself fall to her knees and putting her small hands on the apothecary's back, starting to pet her clumsily. "Cat!" At first, he didn't understand what exactly she was getting at, but then it dawned on him. "Oh, I see. You want to pet her as if she was a cat, right?" Lingli was beaming, proud that he had understood her. Jinshi smiled and got on his knees as well next to the little one. "Alright, let's do it then." He placed his own large hand on Maomao's back and started to caress her gently, moving it along her spine. The princess did the same. Maomao, who wondrously slept even through all that, sighed once again with a content expression on her face and curled up a bit more, looking as if she would start to purr any moment. Jinshi almost laughed out loud at that sight, but managed to control himself, bringing his other hand to his mouth. "Just look at her! Really like a cat!" Lingli giggled again, clapping her hands and almost falling over from all the fun she had. What the two (three) of them didn't know was that Lady Gyokuyou and the ladies-in-waiting had returned and were now standing by the door and watching them, dying from cuteness. Joined by Gaoshun, who had finished plucking the weeds and was on his way to wash the earth from his hands, stopping by the door to see what was going on inside. The scene made him smile as well. *** About a quarter of an hour later and much to Jinshi's frustration (and shock that he had been watched basically all that time), he was reminded by his aide that it was time to return to his residence, since he still wasn't completely done with his work for the day. Oh, well, nothing you could do about that. "See you next time," he whispered, briefly squeezing the apothecary's hand, still blushing slightly from the fact that he had been caught acting so silly. Lady Gyokuyou herself saw the two men off, holding the princess in her arms. "Don't you want to say goodbye, my dear?" she asked the little one. Lingli waved her tiny hand at Jinshi. "Bye-bye, Brother!" Everyone froze with surprise as soon as they heard that. Everyone besides Jinshi, who just smiled and waved back. "Goodbye, Princess." Well, that visit was nothing like he had imagined, but he got to see his favorite apothecary and this was what really mattered.