Chapter Text
Jinshi has been able to see his red string of fate for as long as he could remember.
The thread followed him everywhere - From the regal halls of the Royal Pavilion to the impromptu camps he found himself in back in his days of military service. It wound and wove around his legs, belongings, and environment, but the other end always stayed true to where his soulmate supposedly was: The Royal Capital, just south of the Imperial Palace.
Of course, locating said soulmate was no easy task. The Royal Capital is the most densely populated city in all of Li, packed with buildings and people for his string of fate to weave between and become thoroughly tangled in. Besides, did he really want to find his soulmate? What if they could never be together? What if she wasn’t to his liking? Worse yet, what if he wasn’t to her liking?
“Master Jinshi.” Gaoshun’s voice cut through his train of thought, and Jinshi once again caught himself gazing out at the southern gate of the Rear Palace. As always, he never stepped beyond the precipice.
He knew he was being foolish for thinking of his potential soulmate while working, or at all, really. After all, ‘Master Jinshi’ had no time to get attached to someone romantically, especially not one he may never meet in his lifetime. As long as he followed the emperor’s will and gained respect and notoriety as ‘Jinshi’, he could one day have the freedom to do as he wished. Maybe then, and only then, he could go looking for this elusive woman and make her his wife.
“Might I remind you that we have been tasked with visiting Lady Lihua. She’s expecting a child any day now, and it will not do for us to arrive too late in the night.”
Despite his stern words, Gaoshun’s tender expression betrayed him. From a young age, Jinshi had always stared out towards the Capital, wondering what - or who - awaited him there. Of course, with age came responsibilities and his own set of plans and motivations, but that sense of longing never left him. His advisor would of course be the first to notice, and this gradually became a routine between the two. The young prince would find himself drawn just south of his home and work, and his advisor would have to pull him back to reality.
“Right. Let’s go, Gaoshun.” Jinshi ordered half-heartedly, giving the red string threaded between the doors of the gate one last glance before continuing on his path to the Crystal Pavilion.
As a child, he'd heard tales from Suiren of how an older soulmate could see the string from their partner's birth, while the younger of the two could feel but never see it. That is, until both partners developed romantic feelings, at which point the sight and feeling of the string would remain mutual until one of the two passed away.
Jinshi would never say it aloud, but he was eternally grateful that his soulmate was close enough to his age for the string to appear when he was very young. After all, he didn't want to partake in the previous emperor's... Unpleasant tendencies, as scornfully referred to by his successor.
Being raised by two adults who'd found their soulmates earlier in their lives affected his opinion of the celestially ordained string around his ankle, which would otherwise be an inconvenience for a noble - One who, when the time comes, may have to marry for political gain instead of love. This was simply a fact of life - One that was made apparent to him from a tender age, as he watched girls only a handful of years younger or older than him marry into the Imperial Court.
Perhaps, due to his lot in life, he felt some degree of jealousy towards his caretakers. He didn't miss the way Suiren's timeworn eyes sparkled when talking about her husband back at home, or how Gaoshun's typically stoic expression softened when letters from his wife arrived.
It must be nice, having the freedom to marry for love.
Pairin sighed wistfully as she glanced out of the window, her soft features illuminated by candlelight.
Behind the courtesan, her beloved little sister prepared her typical dose of contraceptive medications and tea. She paused upon hearing what could only be described as a fair maiden's longing sigh. Here we go again.
"What's wrong, Pairin? Are you feeling unwell?"
Why was she even asking when she already knew the answer?
"Oh, Maomao... I'm simply wondering when my prince will arrive."
Maomao set the jasmine tea down and knelt next to Pairin on the bed, gazing out of the window with her at seemingly nothing. It was the early hours of the morning, and even the bustling nightlife of the Pleasure District had come to a halt as customers and courtesans alike retreated to their homes and chambers.
Pairin pointed down at the gate to the Verdigris House, its golden accents glittering under steadily fading lamplight. It had already been closed and locked by the old proprietor for the night, allowing the courtesans and their overnight visitors some form of protection in an otherwise dangerous, albeit beautiful red light district.
"My red string is still down there, I can see it. It goes out of the gate..."
Maomao’s gaze followed Pairin's finger as it traced an invisible line towards the dimly-illuminated streets of the Pleasure District.
"And makes a hard right."
"Have you tried to follow it?" Maomao asked against her better judgement. She's an apothecary, not a matchmaker. Besides, she's certainly not qualified to speak of romance, having no experience herself.
"I did. I was still a serving girl, and my string had suddenly appeared one day. It used to go some other way, and its origin was so far away that I had to turn back before sundown.”
Pairin chuckled to herself as a fond memory came to mind.
“I remember I got an earful from the old lady that day about how it was a dangerous world out there for a little girl like me, and I shouldn’t have wandered as far as I had. Meimei and Joka told me she was worried sick, even if she’d never tell me herself.”
‘Typical granny, never knowing how to say how she truly feels.’ Maomao thought to herself, as hypocritical as her doing so was. That old woman’s love language really has been incessant scolding since the dawn of time. She allowed herself one dry chuckle as Pairin continued.
“A few years ago, though, the string started going that way. Perhaps my love moved…”
‘A little bold to call someone you haven’t met your love, isn’t it?’ The apothecary monologued as she glanced down the right side of the street for reasons beyond herself. It's not like she was one of the few blessed with the ability to see others' strings. Despite her doubts on the real-world compatibility of soulmates, she’d hate to rain on Pairin’s romantic parade, as delusional as the older seemed.
“I agree, he probably moved away from home.” Maomao obliged her sister where she normally would’ve let the conversation fade. Perhaps she should’ve gone to bed a few hours ago, before she got swept up in Pairin’s romanticism. Despite her lack of sleep, her brain began turning on its own. Just what was up north? “Is he always there?”
"Most of the time. I sometimes see the string wander for weeks at a time, only to return to that direction." Pairin said with a sigh as she leaned on the windowsill.
‘The picture of a fairytale princess…’ The younger thought. That is, if the fairytale princess had been gifted with bountiful fruits of womanhood. The less gifted of the two pondered for a little while longer. What would prompt a man to stay put for most of the year, only to stray for several weeks before returning?
The thought of a man having to leave home for an extended period of time brought a certain monocled freak's story to mind, as well as a distinctly bitter, non-medicinal taste in her mouth. She grimaced for a mere moment, but couldn’t quite shake the possibility out of her mind.
"He might be in the military." Maomao murmured to no one in particular. Pairin, aided by the calm of twilight and her proximity to the girl, hummed thoughtfully.
"Oh? What makes you say that?"
"The military’s headquarters are that way."
Maomao rested lazily on her unbandaged arm, while the other pointed at where Pairin's string allegedly went.
"He probably moved there to join the military a few years ago, and leaves for camp when he's needed. That's why he moves for so long, but always returns to that point to the north."
"A military man, huh?"
“Yeah.”
Of course, that was all conjecture on Maomao’s part, but Pairin didn’t need to know that. She decided to let the older of the two dream of her soulmate a little longer, and turned to see her expression. The apothecary found it to be a mixture of her typical lust with something else she couldn't quite read. Pride? Love? Longing?
"Yes, I'd quite like that indeed…” Pairin chuckled to herself, thoroughly satisfied with the supposed answer Maomao had provided her with.
“What about you, Maomao? Surely a prince of your own is out there somewhere~"
Pairin's attention turned to the girl, placing a hand on her head and drawing her closer. The gesture was what Maomao could only describe as encouragement... Or peer pressure. The latter of the two certainly felt some sort of pressure as her head was pressed against the older woman’s form.
"I've told you before, Pairin. I can't see my string... If I even have one."
"Ah, well that just means they’re older than you, then! Any tension against your ankles?"
Maomao sighed in frustration. Of course Pairin wouldn't give up so easily. She considered lying to her, but the older woman who’d practically raised her would see straight through her anyway.
"Pretty often. I used to feel tugging all day, but in the past five years, I mostly feel it at dawn."
Pairin giggled, patting the top of Maomao's head. "So you do have a soulmate, and it seems that they're the active sort, too!"
“Yeah, the sort that likes to wake me up at the crack of dawn for years.” Maomao said with an exasperated sigh. The young apothecary brushed Pairin’s hand off of her hair, and rested her chin atop her folded arms on the windowsill. She was all but certain she couldn't feel what others called love. Her soulmate would have to understand that, if they ever met at all.
Then again, she was a peasant girl - The chances of her marrying for anything other than one less mouth to feed were close to none. The old lady had already been trying to make her a courtesan for years, and then it would only be a matter of time before a middle-class man would come and buy her for his own strange tastes. She shuddered at the very thought.
Meanwhile, Pairin had hardly noticed, having long returned to her star (string) gazing as the sun began to rise over the horizon. Unlike Maomao, Pairin was a special case. She was simultaneously a high-ranking courtesan and extremely sexually active. While the former stopped those of the middle and lower class from laying a finger on her, the latter scared away many high-ranking officials and rich men who valued purity above all else.
At that moment, Maomao felt envious of her older sister. Pairin could choose to stay at Verdigris until she's forced to retire. With her appeal and high price, even the nagging old lady wouldn't stop her. If someone rich enough to afford buying her came by, she would be guaranteed elevated status and a life of comfort. Finally, on the off-chance that her soulmate came looking for her, if he truly is a military man, then he must be of decent stock and fair wealth. These were all favourable options, as far as Maomao was concerned.
Maomao suddenly understood her grandmother's insistence on her becoming a courtesan. Being a high-ranking courtesan is not only extremely lucrative, but a means of independence and protection. But that requires looks, and...
Maomao glanced down at her pathetically flat chest and undeveloped form.
Never mind.
It must be nice, having the privilege to marry for love.