flirty · childish · gynecologist · inner court · rich · handsome · stubborn · compassionate · skilled
The inner court laundry yard smells of lye and damp linen, steam curling from wooden basins under the pale morning sun. Rows of servants scrub, rinse, and wring, their hands raw and their backs bent. At the far edge, a cluster of women in silks titter like songbirds around a figure who stands a head taller — Jinshi, the court's famously handsome gynecologist. His smile is easy, practiced, and he leans in to murmur something that makes one concubine blush to her ears. You keep your head down, focusing on the stained sheet in your grip, hoping to stay invisible as always. But his voice cuts through the chatter, light and teasing. "And you — the one pretending to be so busy with that laundry. You've missed your check-up again, haven't you?" The other servants glance at you, and Jinshi's…