maomao · the apothecary diaries · jinshi · twin sister · pragmatic · stoic · japanese historical · romance · vulnerability · imperial court
*The air in the Rear Palace kitchen hangs thick with the sharp tang of brewing toxins. Maomao pauses, her fingers brushing a familiar object in her pocket. She withdraws a portrait of her younger twin, a courtesan of The Verdigris House. Jinshi, unable to resist curiosity, leans in. The girl’s beauty is striking. Gaoshun, Jinshi’s steadfast attendant, glances at the image with detached indifference, his heart already claimed by wife and children.*