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And so the end came. The Moon Prince was officially gone, abdicating his title in favor of a commoner’s life. The Emperor, after much pushback, finally agreed to his terms, and granted him a name.
Jinshi was now merely Jinshi. No longer was he called a name no one else could say. No longer did he carry Ka in his name. Jinshi was human once again.
Maomao had rarely seen him so at peace. He still had work to do, for his duties to the country remained. The Emperor would only agree to his terms if Jinshi promised to stay as a minister. There was a high chance he would become prime-minister someday, but His Majesty showed him a bit of mercy to start. With this new position, Jinshi was free from the chains that tied him to the throne.
Maomao had done her part, too, though she was still resigned about it. She had to keep reminding herself that this was a small price to pay. But when she was forced into her weekly dinners at the La clan household, she felt like the price had been too steep.
She would endure it. If spending a few hours with the freak strategist was all she had to do in order to be a part of the La clan, she would do it. Jinshi had not asked her to, but she knew this was the only way to secure the strategist’s approval. She would never have gotten near that weirdo if she didn’t think she could get something out of it.
Luomen was quite happy with this development, though, and he did not hide his contentment. More than once he’d mentioned how lovely it was to see Maomao and the strategist having dinner as a family.
She resigned herself to silently disagree, even if it wasn’t nearly as terrible as she’d thought it would be when Lahan had proposed this deal. Anything to secure an heir, even if Maomao would be dead before she let that other freak raise any children she might have.
Things were decidedly different now. Jinshi still lived in his home for the time being, though he was looking for a new one outside of the court walls. He could do that now, and he was excited about that prospect. Maomao wondered what sort of home he would pick. He’d always had expensive, yet subtle tastes.
She hoped he wouldn’t move too far away. It was already a hassle to go from her dormitory to his house, even with a carriage. If he did move too far, it would be an excruciating walk after a long day of work.
How odd of her to think about this in such clear terms, but was she wrong to assume? Jinshi wouldn’t vanish from her life now that he wasn’t the Moon Prince. Hadn’t this been his whole goal?
She was walking home right now. It was a cool night, the wind blowing a gentle breeze in her hair. Maomao was taking her time around the outer court, her mind buzzing with far too many thoughts.
She couldn’t deny how on edge she’d been since the Emperor had made it official. She could not stop hearing the gossip about it; how many could not understand Jinshi’s decision. Some even implied it had been punishment for a transgression. What transgression, no one could say.
No one in this country seemed to know anything about Jinshi’s personality as a ruler. Good thing he was not in danger of ruling Li anymore.
But the fact remained that she hadn’t seen Jinshi in a while, and that fact made her anxious. His letters to her were far too mundane, only giving her basic information about what he’d been up to, never inviting her over. He was scheming something, she could feel it.
Maomao sat on a nearby bench, sighing. She didn’t know if she wanted to see him or not. Her stomach tightened at the thought. The inevitability of her future scared her.
Was it such a terrible fate, then? Was this not what she wanted? Yes, but reality was always a little more complicated. It was all too real now, and the idea of actually getting what she wanted suddenly became terrifying.
Something would go wrong. Jinshi had gotten away too easily. There must have been some bigger ploy at work, yet she couldn’t see it. Am I missing something?
Maomao didn’t have time to consider it too deeply, as she heard footsteps nearby. “Ah, what a nice surprise!” A beautiful voice said. “I was looking for you.”
Her stupid heart began to race. Jinshi smiled at her. It was a strange relief to see him. Maybe a part of her was truly scared he would disappear; as if Moon Prince was the only thing he was. “Mind if I sit here?” He asked.
She shook her head. “How have you been, sir?”
The sigh he let out was tired as usual, but the smile did not leave his face. “There’s always much to do… His Majesty is still putting me to work.”
“Perhaps that’s his way of punishing you for what you’ve done.”
“Perhaps… although I am not unhappy with it, as it were.” He went on to explain that much of his work was unchanged, but rather the reach of what he could do had diminished.
It sounded like a disadvantage, but Maomao knew as well as he did that if Jinshi had the power, he would pull no stops to fix an issue. He would rather deal with any problems himself than delegate them, which was only detrimental to his health.
His new title as minister left little wiggle room in terms of what he could do, so the danger of overworking himself was not as great anymore. It was all Jinshi had ever wanted. “Although,” he continued. “I’ll have a bit of free time to look at some houses soon.”
“Where do you suppose you’ll move to?”
“Not too far, I would still like to be close to the palace. But there are some interesting properties just outside the outer court. The houses are nice and bright, many have room for expansions…”
Maomao noticed his hesitation. “And?”
Jinshi smiled. “Oh, nothing. But… I did see a greenhouse on one of the properties…”
Her ears immediately perked up. “A greenhouse, sir?”
“Yes. But I’m not a very good judge of greenhouses, unfortunately.” He turned to look at her. “Would you like to come see it with me?”
Maomao tried to contain her excitement. A greenhouse! How big was it? Was it as nice as the one in the Western capital? Would Jinshi let her use it, then, was that why he was asking? “If you’d like my opinion, I’d love to accompany you!”
Jinshi’s smile took on a different hue, his cheeks turning red. “Of course I’d like your opinion.”
He looked like he wanted to say something else, but didn’t. Something about his smile made her earlier worries come back. Maomao knew he’d been quite busy, though, and that was why they hadn’t been able to see each other. He had been looking for her now. She wondered what he wanted.
A gust of wind blew in her face, and Maomao looked up at the night sky, watching the scarce clouds roll by. The moon was new tonight. “Maomao,” Jinshi said.
“Yes, sir?”
She turned to face him. The smile remained on his face, though perhaps a little more nervous. “I would like to remind you that nothing stands between us anymore.”
Her palms started to sweat, and she had to look away. “Is that so?”
“Yes.” His hand found hers on the bench, their fingers intertwining together. She took in a breath, hoping he wouldn’t notice. “I heard that a prince wanted to make you his betrothed once, is that true?”
A smile tugged on her lips. She decided to play along. “I suppose yes.”
“I can see why you’d attract his eyes.” He paused, taking in a breath. “Well, I come from a good family too. I’m in the Emperor’s good graces. I know you have quite a lot of achievements yourself, though I hope my position is good enough for the La clan princess.” She huffed on instinct. She would never get used to being an official member of her family. “Your father approves of me, too. I know he didn’t like the prince much.”
It was true. The freak strategist had always hated the Moon Prince. For many reasons; his infatuation with Maomao was a mere aggravator. He didn’t see faces; he saw potential, and it irked him to see the Moon Prince wasting all his leadership skills pretending to be a eunuch in the rear palace.
But Jinshi had gained his respect with time. The old fart might still dislike the fact he’d fought so hard to be removed from the line of succession, but he couldn’t help but sympathize with his reason for it. He’d been willing to do much worse while trying to buy out that courtesan, after all. Jinshi looked borderline merciful next to him, though no less cunning.
Besides, all Maomao had to do was give the strategist a hint about her desires. She could not deny the fact that he would approve of any candidate, if only Maomao assured him that was what she wanted.
Jinshi’s hand was rough against her palm. She could feel it starting to sweat. “It would be hard to compete with a prince,” he continued. “But I have much to offer you. And I know for a fact that I love you more than that prince ever did.”
The word caught her completely off guard. Maomao knew that Jinshi had strong feelings for her, she wasn’t that dense. But she never thought he would ever put a word to those feelings – especially not that one.
It was such a loaded word. She couldn’t help but only have negative associations with it. Transactions which turned into obsessions and the desire for possession; things she’d seen repeat themselves at the Verdigris House in the name of love. The men who went there only liked the idea of love. The courtesans sold it knowing it meant nothing.
Maomao had run from those feelings when she first realized maybe she was capable of them. It would lead her nowhere good to nurture such impossible feelings – for an unattainable prince, no less. She could never end up like the woman who’d birthed her; alone and betrayed after believing in an illusion.
Jinshi had not given her an illusion, though. She looked at him now, thinking he was so different from the boy she’d met long ago. A boy trying desperately to appear more mature, wearing a slimy mask that had always put her off.
There were echoes of that immature teenager in him still, but what Maomao saw now was a man. A hard-working, honest man, who remained true to his word from the day he’d promised he wanted her as his wife. He’d never strayed from his goal. He’d never wanted anyone else, and he’d gone to great lengths to prove it.
She glanced at their joined hands, hoping the night was dark enough to hide her flushed cheeks. “I don’t know how that’s possible, sir.”
“It’s simple: I love you more every single day.” Jinshi raised her hand to his lips, kissing it. “Maomao… I’ve done all I could. There is no threat anymore, you’ll become nobody’s enemy.” He smiled. “I can even promise you a greenhouse now.”
Maomao wanted to smile, but she couldn’t help her knee-jerk reaction to protect herself. She knew this was where they were headed. She had accepted it; she was ready to have him the way he wanted. Yet now that things were real, fear crept up into her gut. “Are you certain this is what you want?”
“Yes,” he answered, no hesitation. “I did all of this for you. I could never change my mind.”
Maomao wanted to say she hadn’t asked him to do any of that. But at the same time, the fact he never gave up shocked her. How stupid is he? How many hints had she dropped that she wanted him to leave her alone? She wasn’t worth it. She would never be a good match for the Moon Prince.
But Moon Prince he was no more. This wasn’t her fault. She knew Jinshi had wished to be freed from the imperial succession line long before they’d met. Maomao had only made it happen sooner.
The truth still remained. The man next to her was no longer untouchable. He was merely a man. A man so in love, he’d been willing to do things she would never understand.
Yet he’d done them. For her. “I’m free from my binds now,” he continued. “And so you’ll be free, too. You can keep working in the outer court. You can continue to study. You know I would never want to get in the way of your passions.
“All I ask of you is a little of your time.” Her hand was still on his, and he placed it on his chest. “Please marry me, Maomao. I want nothing else but to be your husband.”
His heart was pounding. She felt like she was holding it in her hand.
What could she say, after everything they’d been through? After she’d let him win? After she’d been ready to give up on her freedom for him?
After falling in love with him?
It turned out Maomao was capable of such emotions, even if they were more subdued than a regular person’s. Yet Jinshi never seemed to mind. He took whatever she gave him, and he was thankful for it every single time.
Maomao wanted to quip. She could make a joke about the greenhouse; about all the rare medicines she wanted from him; she needed to find something witty to say to try and dissipate the tension between them. The sheer force of his feelings never failed to make her uncomfortable.
But she couldn’t think of anything. All that was on her mind was her feelings in the past few years. How they’d morphed into something so unfamiliar Maomao barely recognized herself anymore.
She didn’t know if she would ever be able to give him as much as he’d given her. But she wanted to give him more. Maybe this could be a start. “Yes,” she said.
Jinshi’s eyes went wide, as if he couldn’t believe what he’d heard. “Yes?”
Maomao glared at him. “Do you want me to change my mind, sir?”
“N-no, of course not!” He laughed awkwardly. “I was not… do you understand what I’m asking?”
She only kept glaring at him. But a thought suddenly crossed her mind: he had reassured her. It was only fair of her to reassure him. “Yes. I want to marry you, Master Jinshi.”
The words sounded so strange coming from her mouth. Maomao was not one for such direct requests, especially ones of this nature. Yet the idea that she’d said it made her feel almost proud of herself.
Her life was not the same as before. The fear of being sold off to the Madam hadn’t been there in years. She would not be relegated to a sad future as a courtesan, so she should stop viewing the world with those lenses.
She would not have to worry about men trying to deceive her, playing her in the field she was most uncomfortable in, outsmarting her in the game of love. No, Maomao had already won.
She smiled, but the heat in her face made her look away. Jinshi’s hand held her chin, gently lifting her head to meet his gaze. He was smiling too. “I’m glad.”
Jinshi leaned down to kiss her, something he never would have done when he was still the Moon Prince. They were out in the open, and it wasn’t like the Moon Prince could ever walk around by himself. There were very few times when Jinshi and Maomao were actually, truly on their own.
Things were different now. Yet Maomao was glad that his lips still tasted the same. His eyes were shining when she pulled away. “When can we see the greenhouse?” She asked.
Jinshi would usually become somewhat exasperated when she changed the subject like this. Tonight, it seemed like nothing could bring his mood down, not even her usual antics. “Whenever you have a day off work.”
Maomao couldn’t help but grin. “I can take tomorrow afternoon off!” She could hardly wait to see the glorious greenhouse that could someday be hers. She hoped it was light, and spacious, and was close to a well she could get water from…
Lost in her own daydreams, Maomao barely heard Jinshi chuckle. “Anything for my wife.”