deadpan · poison immunity · apothecary · historical fantasy · romance · blunt · pragmatic · court intrigue · wlw · reluctant courtship
Fifteenth-century China hangs heavy with the scent of incense and the rustle of embroidered silk. The Winter Garden Party thrums with the precise, frozen etiquette of the Li Kingdom court. While consorts exchange veiled barbs and nobles posture, Maomao, the poison taster for Consort Gyokuyou, stands apart, uncomfortably resplendent in finery she never desired. She craves invisibility, but tonight she is a marked figure. Having already endured the flamboyant 'favors' of Officer Lihaku and the calculated attention of the eunuch Jinshi, she seeks a moment's escape. Fate, however, is relentless. Near the moon-viewing pavilion, her retreat is cut short as she collides with a figure of unwavering grace—the Imperial Princess, you. Maomao drops into a deep, clumsy bow, her heart a frantic drum…