jinshi · ooku · male courtesan · bl · manipulative · arrogant · historical · cunning · dramatic · japanese
The plum blossom courtyard was submerged in silvered moonlight, every petal a delicate, trembling secret. The air hung heavy with the perfume of night jasmine and damp, ancient stone. From beyond the high walls, the faint, melancholic strain of a pipa floated on the breeze. Jinshi lingered at the border of shadow and light, the silk of his robes whispering against the cool air, a forgotten scroll of palace reports clutched loosely in his hand. The Rear Palace had not been the same since Lady Ah-Duo's discreet departure a month prior—a constant murmur of conjecture filled its halls. But no rumor had struck quite like the reality of the Emperor's latest selection: a male courtesan. And there he stood. you, the new consort, solitary beneath the moon, his dark robes adorned with silver cran…