Chapter Text
Since the announcement of Lady Gyoukuyou and Lady Lihua's pregnancies, you have been promoted. The Emperor had permitted you to study out West and you became an accomplished midwife there. The arrangement was made shortly after your father became a eunuch. Your father, Gaoshun, had convinced the emperor and Jinshi to hire you in the rear palace to aid Luomen. You had been ecstatic when you received the good news, and happily began working in the clinic. You worked beside Luomen and Mao Mao, preparing remedies for the pregnant women and trading stories of past patients. Your brother Basen often came to the clinic to "check on you" (annoy you) and the two of you bickered often. It was mostly amicable, but sometimes you were truly annoyed with each other.
Your brother always tried to give you career advice, which you largely ignored, unless it was given by your parents. However, as bossy as Basen may be, you were worse. Your mother had passed on her authoritative nature to you. You often bossed him around, nagging him to be nice or telling him to fetch something for Mao Mao. She played along with you, often "threatening" to tattle on him whenever the man gave her attitude unnecessarily. This was fairly out of character for the young woman, but you encouraged it regardless. You had quickly befriended the apothecary, exchanging recipes and knowledge. When she had humbly told you the stories of how she had saved the little princess and determined the prince's cause of death, you were shocked. You admired her greatly for this, and were quite annoyed that your father’s letters had severely downplayed her accomplishments. He often wrote to you about "shaomao" and her many shenanigans with Master Jinshi, but he mostly wrote about the cat Mao Mao.
"My father never told me all this! Mao Mao you're incredible!" You praised the young woman constantly, but she always brushed it off. Mao Mao was present at every check up with the pregnant concubines, often assisting both you and Luomen. She provided every comfort they needed, bringing tea, vitamins and medical advice multiple times a day. When she notified you of Lady Gyoukuyou's potential breech baby, you rushed to the Jade Pavillion as quickly as you could. Mao Mao had begun the proper treatments, earning more of your praise. "Mao Mao you really should consider becoming a midwife!" You suggested cheerfully. "I appreciate your kind words, but I'm quite happy working as an apothecary." You respected her dedication to the craft; she was obviously passionate about the subject.
When Master Jinshi offered Mao Mao a bouquet of roses, she eagerly pulled off the petals to use the rose hips. She made oils and tea from the ingredients, gushing about the anti-inflammatory effects and digestive aid they provided. Master Jinshi pouted for 2 days after she "destroyed" his bouquet. "My lord, Mao Mao really did enjoy your gift! She used the ingredients happily," you attempted to comfort him. He only whined in response while stewing in the corner. "But she destroyed ittttt," he moaned pathetically. "She simply did what she knows best. Did you really think she was going to put them in a vase? Mao Mao is an apothecary." Your father shot you a look at that. You immediately bowed behind your sleeves, attempting to avoid his pointed glare. Jinshi continued to stew in his own misery as you dismissed yourself. In your haste to return to the clinic, you bumped into a young man, nearly knocking him to the ground if it wasn't for his quick reflexes. He held an abacus and notebook in one hand and steadied the both of you with the other. "My apologies! I was in a hurry and-" The man interrupted you, "no need to be sorry my lady." You took a step back after realizing how close you were to him, practically chest to chest. "If I may, what is your name? I've never seen you here in the rear palace before," you inquired. The man adjusted his spectacles before responding, "I am Lahan, son of Lakan. And you are?"
"[Name], daughter of Gaoshun." He smiled, "it is wonderful to make your acquaintance, [Name]" His eyes softened as he spoke your name, and it nearly made your heart stop. "Do you need any help navigating the rear palace?" You asked, offering guidance to your new acquaintance. "No need my lady, I am here to visit Master Jinshi. Would you happen to know if he's in his office?" His words were perfectly polite, matched with a smile. "He is, I just left there. His office is right over there," you pointed in the direction you had just come from. "Thank you, [Name]," the man said before bidding you farewell. You pondered your conversation with the man as you walked back to the clinic. Lahan seemed familiar, you just couldn't remember why. Something about him reminded you of Mao Mao, and you briefly wondered if they were related before pushing the thought out of your head. If Mao Mao was from the La Clan, then surely she would be a lady of the court. Besides, Mao Mao had told you stories from her childhood, and had never mentioned any father but Luomen.
While you were lost in thought, Lahan was discussing the country's agriculture profit margins. Jinshi was forced to abandon his wallowing and listen to the young man's presentation. Lahan happily discussed the numbers despite Jinshi's obvious boredom. He ignores this, carrying on for several minutes. "Don't get me wrong Lahan, but why did you come tell me this in person? You usually send all of this information by mail in your monthly reports." Jinshi inquired, utterly exhausted from dealing with the male members of the La Clan. "My father wanted me to check on my dear sister," Lahan admitted behind his long sleeves. Jinshi sighed, he expects nothing less from Lakan. The man had been relentless in the pursuit for his daughter ever since the blue rose incident. Jinshi sighed and pinched his brow, his day had stretched on for ages despite it only being noon. The young man let out an exasperated sigh, “of course he did.” Lahan was dismissed with a wave of the hand and Jinshi immediately returned to his pouting.
The sly young man made a bee-line towards the clinic, spotting Mao Mao’s figure by the entrance. He approached cautiously, attempting to conceal his presence the best he could. His sister was very observant, and if she were to see him, she would likely run away to avoid his gaze. Checking in on Mao Mao was practically an olympic sport at this point, as the woman was quite elusive when she wanted to be (which was most of the time). However, Lahan had unintentionally gained a new way to spy on his sister, and that was you. As soon as you noticed the young man standing by the tree outside, you cheerfully greeted him and invited him inside. The young man made his way towards you, grinning like a fox. “[Name], my good lady, do you need something?” You shook your head no, “Not at all, I was going to invite you in for afternoon tea! The four of us eat a light snack and enjoy tea around this time every day and I wanted to invite you. Would you like to join us?” Lahan considered your proposal, it would be rather beneficial to him afterall, however he knew better than to intrude on Mao Mao’s territory. “Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to burden you,” the young man explained and you shook your head no again. “Nonsense! You wouldn’t be a burden at all! Besides, my father and Master Jinshi join us quite often, much to Dr Guen’s delight,” you chuckled. The eunuch seemed quite… attached to Master Jinshi, often exhibiting the same fangirl behavior as the rest of the palace. Lahan laughed and accepted your offer graciously.
Luomen greeted the young man politely, and Lahan immediately bowed, knowing how highly Lakan regarded the older man. You prepared jasmine tea with honey and rice crackers while Luomen made polite small talk with the younger member of the La Clan. “Oh a guest! What a delight! Who may you be, young man?” Guen asked, alerting Mao Mao to Lahan's presence. The girl immediately stiffened up like a cat and her face was twisted into a wicked scowl. “Mao Mao, this is Sir Lahan, I just met him this morning! I have invited him for tea,” you informed the green haired girl with a smile. Guen immediately greeted him and engaged the bespectacled young man in small talk. Mao Mao approached you and began helping set out rice crackers and plates. She grumbled in annoyance about that stupid abacus face and you sheepishly followed her with the tea. You weren't sure what kind of history the two had, you really were just trying to be nice by inviting the young man to tea. “Do you two know each other?” You asked her quietly, and Mao Mao shot you a death glare.
You let out a surprised squeak and sat down, avoiding eye contact while you served the tea. Luomen scolded Mao Mao for her sour face and the young woman muttered out an apology. You quietly accepted it and tried to ignore the awkward silence. “Thank you miss,” Lahan said to you quietly as you poured his tea and offered him a plate of rice crackers. You simply smiled in response before serving Luomen next. Guen replaced the tense atmosphere with lively conversation as he asked Lahan about his duties. The young man practically glowed as he explained his role in investigating financial matters on Lakan and Jinshi's behalf. The man was obviously passionate about numbers as he kept spouting off figures and statistics regarding the country's financial status. “You must be good at math,” you mused, sipping your tea. The fox eyed man looked over at you and nearly gasped. When he spoke to you before, he hardly looked at you, mostly focused on his own objectives and priorities, however now that he had a good look at you… you were utterly exceptional. Lahan, much like Lakan, had prosopagnosia, and typically saw people as numbers, and not by their facial features. By the grace of the gods, your face was perfectly symmetrical and Lahan found himself wanting to measure every feature. You were one of the most numerically perfect people he had ever seen, with the sole exception being Jinshi of course.
“Numbers don't lie. They are everything, and understanding math means understanding the economics that control this country,” Lahan responded with a bit of sass. Mao Mao stomped on his toes in annoyance. “Ah, well I suppose you're right. I was wondering if you would be interested in helping me look over a few billing statements I have prepared? I want to ensure every detail is accurate before I give them to Master Jinshi,” you inquired politely. The fox faced man lit up at your words, “yes of course! I'd be more than happy to help.” Mao Mao raised a suspicious eyebrow at her adopted brother; Lahan never agreed to anything unless he was going to get something out of it. She was right of course, as Lahan was planning on luring you into gossiping about Jinshi and Mao Mao's relationship while he helped you. He already had a step by step scheme on how he would lure you into feeling comfortable before he began asking questions. In Lahan's opinion, this was a win-win situation for him; he was going to be doing what he enjoys most while completing the mission his adopted father had tasked him with. “What are you planning?” Mao Mao asked suspiciously.
Lahan feigned innocence, “I have no idea what you mean, Mao Mao. I am simply going to help your friend with her accounting, that isn't an issue is it?” You and Guen shared a confused look; it was obvious they had some sort of history, given Mao Mao's fierce reactions, but why did she dislike this man so much? The apothecary was staring down the court official with a look that could kill, and the young man only smirked as he adjusted his glasses. The tension was palpable. Thankfully, Luomen changed the subject, asking you how your preparations were going. “I have scheduled an acupuncture appointment for Lady Lihua this afternoon and I will be performing a moxibustion treatment on Lady Gyoukuyou this evening after dinner. I have already prepared the moxa sticks with mugwort for incense,” you responded cheerfully. Mao Mao's head perked up, “may I help?” You nodded, “yes please, I will need your assistance this evening if you don't mind.” The apothecary eagerly agreed to join you later, as she had been an active part of treating Lady Gyoukuyou's breech pregnancy.
You offered everyone more tea and crackers before offering a small treat to cat Mao Mao. You pet the furry creature with a smile, “How did you manage to become everyone's favorite so fast? I swear, my own father might replace me with you little Meow-Mao,” you cooed. Guen giggled, “she is quite the little charmer isn't she?” You had inherited your father’s love of animals, however you still managed to remain composed around them, no matter how cute (unlike your dad, Gaoshun). The young apothecary across from you politely excused herself and you watched Lahan's eyes trace her every movement. You would be lying if you said you weren't interested in their shared background, but alas you were paid to be a midwife not a detective, and such matters did not concern you.
“Where is the paperwork you want me to look at?” Lahan asked with a tilt of his head. “Oh! Let me get it from the back,” you said before scurrying over to your desk to retrieve the stack of papers. You sat next to Lahan as you placed the billing statements in front of him. The young man immediately took out his abacus and began calculating the price for your services. “Do you have any other receipts or costs that I am unaware of?” Lahan asked as he wrote something down. “No, all other supplies are provided by the palace,” you explained to which the man nodded. “Well, as I'm sure you're aware, the price is ultimately determined by the cost of goods + mark-up, and the industry standard is approximately 8%. However, if you factor in the consumer's perceived value, that price goes up as well. Based on the information in front of me…” Lahan trailed off as he wrote something down, “this should be the sum on this month's billing statement.” The man declared with a proud smile as he turned the paper towards you. Your eyes widened a bit at the large number, “Oh my! That’s a bit more than I intended to charge,” you murmured sheepishly. “The Emperor can afford it,” Mao Mao lamented from her spot at the cabinets. “She's right, [Name]. Not only could the Emperor afford this sum, I have also taken into consideration several other factors, like your competitors average cost. I assure you, this is a fair amount to charge for your services,” Lahan spoke, cocky undertones shining through. You sighed in defeat.
“I'll deliver them tomorrow, thank you for your help today Lahan. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to repay you,” you bowed with a smile. Lahan seemed quite pleased with himself and brushed off your thanks, informing you that it was unnecessary. As you walked him out and went out of earshot, Lahan spoke up. “Forgive the sudden change of subject, however I was wondering if you were close with Mao Mao. You see, she is the daughter of … a person I hold dear to me. I want to keep an eye on her and ensure she is doing well.” You shot him a puzzled look before answering, “I would say we're on the road to friendship, we do work together. I admire your concern, however I don't think Mao Mao would approve of me sharing details of her private life with you.” Lahan smirked, “you're right, she wouldn’t. I still had to ask though.” You hummed, “well rest assured that Master Jinshi is quite dedicated to Mao Mao’s wellness. The man is quite relentless about forcing her to take care of herself, as are the ladies of the Jade Pavillion. There is no need to worry, Mao Mao is a strong girl with many people watching her back, whether she realizes this or not.”
The court official seemed to be satisfied with your response and bid you farewell, already planning his next visit. Lahan had a new mission; he would get close to you and gather intel on Mao Mao and Jinshi. Lakan had been carrying on about the eunuch's closeness to his daughter for nearly a month now, and Lahan couldn't deny his curiosity over their relationship. He secretly hoped they were having some sort of affair, as Lakan suspected Jinshi was actually much higher rank than he pretended, and Lahan could only think of how a relationship between the two would elevate the clan’s status. If his adopted father was right, a strategic marriage between Mao Mao and Jinshi would prove fruitful, especially if his sister was able to give birth to an heir. The bespectacled man adjusted his glasses as he exited the Rear Palace, mentally finalizing the details of his plan. He wore a satisfied smile as Lahan prepared his next move. This was going to be fun for him.