Father
Fonmin's Execution was swift.
Her family's assets were seized and they all received physical punishment.
It was a miracle Ah Duo didn't get dragged into this, Maomao thought as she cooked baby food that morning.
She went about her day cheerfully, before she went to meet Shaoran for latest gossip.
'A massive dismissal?' Maomao blinked.
'That's right.' said Shaoran, munching on the filled bread Maomao made for her. 'It's kiiinda like a family execution or something. That the girls from merchants who had dealings hafta quit or something,'
'Heee...'
Well, Maomao need not worry.
She outed her kidnappers who pretended to work in trade as merchants, and told the Eunuchs her REAL affiliation. She was investigated of course. So yes, while she was in trade, she was not linked to merchants, but rather to performance trade. She has no worries!
She can earn more money to send home to her father, she no longer needs to give money to the old hag. Plus her virginity has no price anymore as being free, she can't sell it to the highest bidder.
As a maid for a madame, her salary is incredible and retirement pays are always huge. She's been saving up for family this time, now that all her debts are paid off.
A few days since Ah Duo's dismissal, the new one came. None of her business.
And it wasn't even long before she got something weird. About a month later in the gardens where Maomao was sweeping snow off the walkways leading to Jade Palace, while humming a song.
Hearing the other sisters sing, she secretly trained how to control her voice to suit each song as they had, but it can only be done when younger.
Like hell she'll make her ability known, she'd be pressed into courtesan-hood for sure!
'That's the most unusual hairstyle I have ever seen.' Jinshi commented on Maomao's...accessory of choice. He had seen her with her long hair down once, when she sang for Ah Duo. She took off her 'hairy scarf' at the time to sing in comfort.
Here he is again. His job is to check on all consorts on scheduled intervals, but he sure as hell does NOT have a schedule for Jade Palace. He visits whenever!
'It's cold.' said Maomao flatly. 'And I'd rather use my money to renovate my house than buy something that won't last long anyway.'
Indeed, Maomao did just that with her reward money.
She bought a small patch of land closest to Hanamachi where it's safe, then had a house built there, small and good enough for two people to make taxes cheap and all furniture new. She then purchased these unusual beddings off of merchants that he took interest in.
Most poor sleep on straw mats but Nihon's poor sure are living well, if their bedding was so comfortable!
'By the way, is it a new mission?' Maomao asked him. She treats his visits like 'mission control'.
'Er, someone wants to see you.' said Jinshi with an awkward smile.
'Eh? Who? I hardly know anyone in this palace.'
'That weirdo official named Rakan...'
Instant Atmosphere Change! Jinshi and Gaoshun noted.
If she looks at Jinshi with exasperation and resignation with sometimes, occasional mischief, this was one frightening expression she's making now...a face he would never want at him from her.
'Ah, is that so? Humm, I'm busy and no time.' Maomao smiled beatifically but both men felt something terrible in that smile.
'Gulp, noted.' Jinshi shook.
That expression was scary. Just what did he do to make her like that, he wondered? He was just glad that face is not aimed at him, his heart can't take it!
'Milady is training Shaorin how to walk, you can visit her today.'
'Erm, right...be on our way!' and they quickly fled.
'...that's funny, they looked spooked all of a sudden...' Maomao was again, oblivious.
xxx
'Ara, you look deeply shaken.' Gyokuyou noted, when Jinshi and Gaoshun came, pale-faced.
'Ahaha, never mind us! Just that, what do you think of the newcomer...?'
'Well...Honnyan, tea please!'
After official business, Jinshi broke down before the consort of how terrified he had been for unknowingly stepping where angels fear to tread even though he didn't know why the man set off the youngest in Jade Palace to such a degree she made Crystal Palace Incident look tame in comparison.
He sooo wanted to look into this.
xxx
Ruomen never dreamed he'd get paid a visit by a Eunuch from the Inner Palace.
'About Rakan eh?' Ruomen mused. 'It's a long story.'
'Eh?'
'Rakan was someone with a disability...he cannot see faces. Thus he identifies people by voice and clothing. Thus he has a terrible lacking in understanding humanity.' said Ruomen, shaking his head as he put tea before he pair. 'But one day, on a whim when he went to Rokushoukan...there was one woman whose face he could see.' he said. 'She was Fenshen. She was one he could see that he never wanted to let her go...but he cannot afford her. At the time, she was Rokushoukan's princess.'
He then sipped tea.
'Untouched flowers are very expensive. Pluck that flower, their value halves...but if she falls pregnant, that flower withers as the fruit grows and ripens.' he said somberly. 'He never came back when she had Maomao. Fenshen slowly lost her mind that one day, Meimei, Pairin and Joga saw her about to kill her own infant child after seeing Maomao's part of pinky sliced off.' Jinshi and Gaoshun shook at that. 'I reckon they told Maomao the truth when those girls raised her. Hence how she reacted when you mentioned that name...and she sees that love only brings suffering because of that tale. Even now, she dreams.'
'Dreams...?' Gaoshun choked out.
'Of a woman holding a knife above her. With a crazed look on her face. Her own mother trying to kill her because of a broken promise, that bearing the fruit named Maomao made her worthless, something Fenshen could not accept, after knowing several years of life of preciousness and she took pride in it. While she would have been alright with it if Rakan married her as promised, he never did after lowering her value that when Maomao was born, word came out that she was touched. And because she was worthless, rules are rules that she was made to leave Rokushoukan.'
'And it may be why I'm an exception as I became her father figure while she is wary of men and deceit, knowing how sad this world is as a means to protect herself. She also avoided becoming a Courtesan and paid all she could. Now that she is free of debt, she no longer has any fears of abandonment after a man gets what he wants from her. She ensured she grew up capable and can survive by herself. She has no faith in love and marriage. To her, men are trouble.'
In another life with a different Maomao, this conversation never happened.
But because the soul inhabiting Maomao's body was a special one, this conversation happened.
This Maomao, with the soul of death's favored, was headed towards what her previous self lacked in life for 26 years, before he was murdered an unmarried man. Unfulfilled, empty man.
xxx
That night, Jinshi could not sleep.
Ruomen, ex-royal physician's words kept ringing in his head.
The woman he fell for, was an oblivious, but scared little girl afraid of getting hurt thus built herself up to be tough than be hurt.
She trained herself to be capable by being a mad scientist at home and in the Inner Palace that it wouldn't be a stretch if she takes over family business in being a physician.
He would not have known this, had Rakan not approached him about Maomao.
This was because he had heard of his links to a Palace Maid who has links to the brothel and the name was special.
Maomao was a very accomplished Palace Maid which was VERY UNHEARD OF. That and she was the only maid who ever earned the Emperor's favor and trust.
He had known he had a daughter but hasn't even seen her yet but was anticipating to. Was there a reason he never picked up Fenshen, earning him Maomao's grudge? Then again courtesans are still commoners, princesses only in finery and cultured class, but never pedigree. He must have met a lot of trouble...and it may only be recently that his 'troubles' are out of the way, but too late now. Fenshen died of grief and insanity out of losing everything for nothing, and his daughter hates his guts that she resolved to be strong to never need anyone who wasn't considered 'family'.
She never became a Courtesan but became a Pharmacist instead and a very good cook, and other skills she studied on the sly that only Ruomen knew of, or be pressed into becoming a flower. Maomao has high potential to be a future brothel princess, but wanted none of it.
It seems, his battle hasn't even started yet.
While Ruomen was OK with him pursuing Maomao - assuming he wins and can actually prove her wrong, the real battle was the target and her real father.
xxx
Consort Rouran, the new Pure Consort threw everyone in the harem into confusion.
One thing she's this and next she's that. She knows so many trends and changes into a different one each day.
In a sense, she was a fashionista, in a sense, she has no composure. Her face was neat by nature, but her looks didn't stand out. It was from that reaction that he heard as a rumour it became like this, but how would that turn out?
It said every time the emperor visited, the consorts are thrown into disorder of not knowing who it will be. And so, it said she really can't get into it.
Even Jinshi felt the same way. However, among the palace ladies, there seems to be those who see Consort Rouran's new trend, and tilt their heads in incomprehensibility.
The emperor's policy was that he would not touch them until they were sixteen. In another year, Consort Riishu who is currently fifteen will be secure. The current emperor might be against it to the point of feeling nauseous because of his father, the previous emperor's taste.
Maomao had the task of giving her personal visits for treatments to make her more womanly in charm and that's with Jinshi for an escort or at least, Gaoshun ever since the scandal of her maids that only her Food Tester was spared somehow while her other maids, punished. She was tasked with giving her thrice-a-day supply of full-body skincare creams just to be sure nobody switches it with poison(and supervises application), as well as medicine she must consume to induce femininity.
Riishu cried at how bitter it was and to think it's every after meals! Yuck!
'Sorry, but its orders from the top.' said Maomao with a wince. She would know full well how terrible it is as she drinks it every day since she turned 12. She just gives Riishu candy afterward to get rid of the aftertaste. A very sour candy. She even had to deal with Consort Rifa too. Only, it's skincare and anti-wrinkles. The poisoning and malnutrition affected her looks her neverending task was restoring the Able Consort that while her appearance made it in time for the Winter Garden Party, her insides were another matter.
Months after the Garden Party at the start of winter, the effects of skincare and haircare are showing at least for Consort Riishu who started late than Consort Rifa.
It was now January.
A lot had happened in the year of her employment.
And now...she has to visit Consort Rouran too as her Suou persona with much of her face and neck in bandages, and her hair in a tight bun.
The excuse was, 'petty squabbles, plus hot oil'.
'Jeez, you can come up with morbid stuff.' Jinshi choked out as Maomao came out in costume.
'Well, newbies are under watch aren't they? Our boss handles politics with her father who's in good terms with the Dowager while our job is his daughter.' Maomao sighed. 'We gotta put on a good 'we care' show to lower that man's guard so his motives are visible right? Considering while Consort Ah Duo's time has run out, she could still stay here out of good will but that man strong-armed his way in and that's bound to raise eyebrows and all eyes on him and his family.'
'I agree that it's indeed politics...troublesome.'
'That's our job. Troublesome.' Maomao deadpanned as she compounded the goods in the clinic. 'In this world, job chooses you. You don't choose your jobs.'
'Sad truth.' Jinshi agreed mournfully. 'By the way, Consort Gyokuyou's getting lethargic lately...'
'Ah, he came last night.'
'...oh.'
Maomao was that good in her job, that Consorts who gave birth certainly didn't look the part. They all always looked like young flowers in bloom, without pregnancy plumpness that came with it. Her medicines only come to those judged worthy by their Master.
And now, she was faced with a new matter.
Consort Gyokuyou's period stopped.
Apparently, she didn't have terrible morning sickness and her sense of taste didn't change much. Aside from her irregular menstruation, there wasn't much positive proof that she's carrying again. She wasn't physiologically showing obvious symptoms of pregnancy but nontheless, a gag order was on Jade Palace until they're absolutely sure...and will continue if she was as there's a high chance it's a Crown Prince this time, after Imperial Princess Rinrii.
For now, very few people know. The Jade Palace, Jinshi and Gaoshun, and the Emperor.
Since Maomao was the cook in Jade Palace while she's still working her term off, nobody'd be suspicious about it. She cooked a lot of egg-rich foods.
She always had instincts since young that never failed her, not even once as long as its her well-being, food and medicine. All else, she had to work hard for in trial and error.
The Emperor's visits continued to conceal a possibility, otherwise poison would head Consort Gyokuyou's way.