The Apothecary Diaries: Volume 9 (Light Novel)

“Are you sure?” A smile flitted across Maomao’s face, and she slowly pulled her hands away. Except they didn’t leave his cheeks. Jinshi held them there. “Please let me go, sir,” she said.
“Don’t want to.”

She discovered, though, that there was something else behind her boiling anger. Her hands went to Jinshi’s cheek. “You’re only human, Master Jinshi. You’re not some mythical immortal who can save everyone.” She held his face in her hands, the fingers of her left hand brushing his scar. “You can be wounded, scarred, brought low. Only human.”

“Pain, pain, go away,” Maomao said, recalling a rhyme her older sister Pairin had often used on her. She kissed the reddened cheek ever so gently. Her lips were colder than her fingertips, and made the cheek feel that much hotter.

She was alone with Jinshi. That wasn’t so strange; she was going to have to look at his burn later, but she wanted to do it before her mood changed.

Jinshi sucked in a breath and was about to open his eyes, so Maomao placed her hand gently over his eyelids. “Let me see it,” she said. Even her hand hurt, so Jinshi’s cheek must be burning. She could see the flush rising in it.

Suiren will never miss this. Whether the old lady got upset would depend on how Jinshi reacted.

“Pain, pain, go away,” Maomao said, recalling a rhyme her older sister Pairin had often used on her. She kissed the reddened cheek ever so gently. Her lips were colder than her fingertips, and made the cheek feel that much hotter.

I know a children’s verse can’t actually work. It was funny, though: somehow the cheek looked less red than before. Nah, that can’t be. And it wasn’t: rather, Jinshi’s entire body was redder than it had been.

Maomao lifted her hand off his eyes. He couldn’t quite look her in the eye, but his hands clasped hers firmly.

“M—Maomao,” he said.

“Yes, sir?” she answered, drawing away slightly.

“The other side too, please.”

He pointed at his right cheek, the one with the scar.

I would agree, but it turns out I can’t seem to cut myself off completely.”

Maomao looked at him, unimpressed. He managed to meet her gaze, but he didn’t look very comfortable.

Maomao found herself angry again. “Master Jinshi, you’re a man of power, and I think it’s time you behaved like it.”

“I know...”

“You should use the things that are available to you to use.”

“I am...”

“In that case...” Maomao stepped up to him and smirked, standing on her tiptoes to look him right in the face. She slammed her right hand against the wall, effectively trapping him. His eyes went wide. “I can’t say I enjoy being used. However—” Here she lowered her voice so that only Jinshi could hear. “Half-assed attempts at being nice are a far greater nuisance. I’d much rather be a useful tool than a meaningless burden. Your hesitation is the country’s hesitation, and a moment’s indecision on your part could mean the deaths of tens of thousands of your subjects. I know you’ll only regret that. So yo

is fingers brushed her chin. She raised her head, trying to avoid him.
“You’re going to pretend you can’t imagine, when we’ve come so far? No one else can serve as my nighttime companion now.” Jinshi smirked, but fat droplets of sweat showed that he was reaching his limit.
Maomao simply refused to speak. Annoyed, she grabbed his robe, which he was still only half wearing.
“Which of us is it that lacks imagination? Did you think I wouldn’t be angry to be put in this position?” She stretched until they were almost nose-to-nose. “What you’re doing is tyranny, Master Jinshi. A damn, dirty trick meant to tell everyone what you want. You don’t care about anyone else. You don’t care about your status. What you’ve done is self-centered and masochistic and so deeply exasperating that I don’t even know what to say about it!”
Jinshi didn’t answer, but his face spoke clearly: You obviously do.

“Master Jinshi, I’m going to try to ask my father to teach me. You have no objection, I trust?” It would be best, she figured, to ask her old man first.
“Sir Luomen?” Jinshi feigned a moment’s thought. “Very well.” Luomen was a man of deep insight, and if Maomao came to him asking to learn surgery, he might suspect that something was up. At the same time, he would never speak of anything he only assumed.
I’m sorry, Pops, Maomao thought. She felt so anxious she thought a hole might open in her stomach, but staying silent would be even worse. You can blame it on him. She glared at Jinshi.
As for Jinshi, he gazed up at the ceiling. “It will be well if Sir Luomen agrees...” Jinshi started. Maomao, cleaning up her workspace, nearly said that it wouldn’t be well at all.

Chapter 2: The Villa

The messenger didn’t take her to Jinshi’s usual palace, but to a villa outside the court proper.
How many villas does the Emperor have?
Admittedly, it was probably easier to get Maomao into a place like this, given all the stuff she was bringing. Just here in the capital, the Emperor had another villa, the one where Ah-Duo lived. Nobility like him could probably construct a new building or two just to kill some time.
The guard was lighter than usual, and Maomao was brought to a room where Jinshi, Suiren, and Gaoshun all waited.
Not Basen? she wondered, but then she realized this was His Majesty’s doing. Basen was smart enough, but he was stubborn. Gaoshun was much more likely to keep his thoughts to himself if she and Jinshi ended up alone together. He might guess something he wasn’t supposed to know, but he wouldn’t pursue it.
And what’s the old lady think of this?
Suiren was smiling like she always did, but her smile could be frightening—precisely because Maomao didn’t always know what was behind it.
There seemed to be someone else there too. Maomao could hear the clattering of dishes from within. Had they found someone who could endure Jinshi’s beauty and Suiren’s severity?
“Is there anything you need, Xiaomao?” Gaoshun asked.
“No, thank you.” She’d prepared all her tools herself, along with most of the medical components she might need. She thought it would be best not to give Gaoshun too many clues as to what she would be using. Then

“I can’t say I enjoy being used. However—” Here she lowered her voice so that only Jinshi could hear. “Half-assed attempts at being nice are a far greater nuisance. I’d much rather be a useful tool than a meaningless burden. Your hesitation is the country’s hesitation, and a moment’s indecision on your part could mean the deaths of tens of thousands of your subjects. I know you’ll only regret that. So you might as well pick a path and throw yourself headlong down it.”