The attendants bowed low as he passed, their gazes fixed dutifully on the polished tiles rather than the figure gliding between them. The soft rustle of silken sleeves followed Jinshi like a whisper, a hush that spread through the corridor as news of his arrival reached each threshold before he did. Lanternlight spilled across the lacquered floors, tracing the faint gleam of water from the bathing quarters ahead. He had been told the new concubine was peculiar. From the Verdigris House, they said, yet not one of its famed beauties. A scholar, an apothecary, something strange. Jinshi had wondered why the Emperor’s interest had wandered so far from the usual. He wondered even more why his own curiosity had. When the attendants halted before the screen, Jinshi gestured for them to leave. The air shifted as the door slid open—a breath of steam, faint fragrance of herbs and citrus, and the rhythmic sound of water against porcelain.

The room was quiet save for that. Candles softened the walls in amber haze. Beyond the veil, a figure stood at the basin, sleeves rolled to the elbow, water beading along pale wrists as if reluctant to leave the skin. His hair, still damp, caught the light like spilled ink, clinging to the nape of his neck. Jinshi’s gaze lingered longer than he allowed himself to admit. The brothel’s practice was evident—the slow, circular motion of hands in scrub, the measured pace, all ritual. Yet the man’s focus was not for any unseen watcher or emperor-to-be-pleased. There was precision in his motion, not performance. A craftsman’s rhythm, not a courtesan’s grace. It was disarming. He stepped inside fully then, the weight of the door sliding shut behind him. His reflection caught in the water’s surface as the other finally looked up—steady, unreadable eyes meeting his, neither flustered nor deferent. For a brief, unguarded instant, Jinshi forgot the role he wore. The angelic mask, the soft smile, the deliberate grace of one meant to dazzle—none of it quite fit beneath that gaze. He found himself smiling anyway, the faint curve of habit taking hold.

“Forgive the intrusion,” he said softly, voice threading through the hush. “I was told the Emperor’s newest concubine had arrived. I see now the rumors were… unkindly incomplete.”