One morning, I found Yuling in the corner courtyard just past the kitchens, scrubbing a copper basin like she was trying to erase a scandal from the surface. She looked up when I walked in and gave me a tired but genuine smile.
"Hey," I said, settling down beside her. "How's palace life treating you? Maid edition."
She exhaled through her nose. "Honestly? It's not so different. Less embroidery, more sweeping. Still way too many rules. And the gossip hasn't changed a bit."
I raised a brow. "Gossip?"
She nodded. "You'd think the servant quarters would be quiet. But no—every corridor is a theater, and every teapot comes with a side of scandal. These girls are ruthless."
I smirked. "So… adjusting well, then?"
Yuling's lips quirked. "Let's just say I've learned how to walk silently, dodge questions, and always carry a second hairpin—just in case."
I laughed, then leaned in. "Anything good lately?"
She glanced around, then whispered, "They have a ranking."
"A what?"
"A ranking. Top five most charming men in the palace. It changes weekly. There's gossip, votes, whisper campaigns... it's practically a cult."
My mouth fell open. They have a fan club?
I blinked. "Who's number one?"
She gave me a pointed look.
"Oh," I said. "Right. Of course. Hanguang-jun, untouchable sword immortal, master of one-word answers."
Yuling grinned. "He has a tragic past, quiet eyes, and a flawless jawline. You think the maids care if he doesn't speak?"
Fair.
She held my gaze for a moment longer, then, mercifully, gave me an out.
"…Want to know who's ranked two through five?"
"Yes," I said immediately. "Desperately."
She smirked. "Number two is Advisor Liu."
I blinked. "Ming Yu?"
She nodded. "Unmarried. Mysterious. Politely aloof. And let's be honest—those robes are tailored."
I tried to hide the involuntary curl of my smile. "That's ridiculous. Who's running this ranking, and do they take bribes?"
Yuling grinned. "The rankings shift every week. It's basically a full underground operation. Hanguang-jun and Ming Yu keep swapping places between #1 and #2."
"Oh no," I said. "It's a silent rivalry."
"Hanguang-jun's drop in votes happened after his demotion," she added, like it was a weather report. "Still beloved, but the 'disgraced noble' aesthetic doesn't appeal to everyone."
I rubbed my temples. I can't believe someone in this palace is keeping track of this like a fantasy football bracket.
"Number three is Prince Wei," she continued.
I blinked. "He's number three?"
"He used to be the first until he got officially 'claimed.' Some of the court girls are dramatic. You wouldn't believe the poetry they wrote when the wedding was announced."
"Wow. He got downgraded for being in a fake relationship with me. Love that for him."
"Fourth is General Luo," she said. "Quiet, deadly, and probably able to carry six water barrels at once."
"That's what makes him popular?"
"That and the rumor that he once blocked a sword strike with his bare hand."
"…Okay, I see it."
"And number five?"
Her grin widened. "Lord Shen."
I blinked. "Who?"
"Lord Shen Kexian," she said, lowering her voice like she was sharing a scandal. "He's from the western border. A court envoy. Shows up twice a year to deliver reports, cause a stir, and look stunning while doing it."
I frowned, searching my memory. "I don't think I've met him."
"You will," she said. "He's gorgeous. Elegant, mysterious, and calculating. Half the palace is obsessed."
"So why's he only ranked fifth?"
Yuling shrugged. "He travels too much. He's not here enough to stir the daily chaos. Out of sight, out of thirst."
"Huh." I leaned back. "Sounds dangerous."
I shook my head, still processing the idea of secret palace thirst rankings.
Then her expression shifted—gentler now. "What about you?" she asked softly. "Are you okay?"
I hesitated. Then proceed to tell her everything.
Understanding flickered in her eyes immediately.
She leaned back slightly, her fingers tightening around the basin rim. "That's going to be a problem for Prince Wei, isn't it?"
I looked at her. "How do you know?"
She gave me a dry look. "Mei Lin. I've been in the palace half my life. Of course I know."
I narrowed my eyes. "You're scarily smart."
She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Prince Wei wants revenge. But to take down the Wang family, he needs power. And that means the crown. And with the crown comes the expectation of an heir."
She continued, "Queen Li Hua's son is only six—too young to act, so she's stalling, betting everything on Prince Wei not having a child before her boy comes of age."
I rubbed my face. "Things are getting complicated. He can't exactly pull an heir out of thin air unless he takes another consort. The problem is…."
I trailed off.
Yuling tilted her head slightly, then finished the sentence for me.
"The problem is, he's in love with someone else."
I froze.
My breath caught somewhere between my ribs.
And then, slowly, I turned to look at her.
Her gaze was steady. Soft. But there was no mistaking the weight behind it.
She knew.
I blinked, then tilted my head with practiced nonchalance. "In love with someone else? That's a bit dramatic, don't you think?"
Yuling scoffed. "Mei Lin."
I raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"If you know where to look," she said, exasperated, "you can see it. Both of them are not obvious, no. But it's there."
I shrugged. "Both of them? Who are we even talking about?"
She gave me a look so flat it could've ironed my robes. "Do you want me to spell it out?"
I opened my mouth.
She held up a hand. "There's a reason they're always together. A glance, a raised eyebrow, half a sentence—and they're on the same page. Honestly, it's annoying how in sync they are. A reason that Hanguang-jun has exactly one facial expression for everyone—and a completely different one for Prince Wei."
Busted.
I looked away, lips pressing into a line. "…You can't tell anyone."
Yuling's face softened immediately. "I won't."
She set the basin aside and looked down for a moment. "Trust me—I know how it feels. Being in love in a way that doesn't… fit tradition."
Her words landed quietly—but with weight.
My breath hitched.
And just like that, my mind slipped back to the kiss.
The one she left on my lips like it was a secret, or maybe a goodbye, or maybe both.
It had been brief. Gentle. But it hadn't felt small.
I swallowed, heart suddenly too loud in my chest.
"Yuling," I said softly, "about the other night… when you kissed me. What was that about?"
Yuling froze.
Her hands stilled on the basin rim, and for a second, I thought she might pretend she hadn't heard me.
But then she inhaled, slow and steady, and spoke without looking at me.
"It started the day we fell into the pool," she said quietly.
I blinked. "The—what?"
"You save me with…," she said, lips twitching in something too sad to be amusement. "You told me it wasn't a kiss. But I'd never been kissed before. So I didn't know the difference."
My breath caught. "Yuling…"
"I kept thinking about it," she continued. "Trying to convince myself it meant nothing. That I was confused. But we spent so much time together after that. You were… kind. Funny. Braver than anyone I'd ever met. And somewhere along the way… I started to like you."
She finally turned to me then, her eyes steady but so heartbreakingly open.
"It wasn't until the plague," she said, voice softer now. "Watching you risk everything for people you didn't even know—giving your strength, your time, your life for a village that might not survive. That's when it really happened. That's when I fell."
I didn't know what to say. My throat was tight.
"I knew I couldn't tell you," she said quietly. "We're both girls. It would've been forbidden… wrong, in everyone's eyes. I thought you'd think I was crazy. That you'd be scared of me. That you'd pull away and I'd lose you completely."
She paused, her voice trembling just a little.
"But if staying close was all I could have—even just as your friend—I was willing to take that."
She looked down again.
"Then Ming Yu showed up," she said softly. "And I saw the way you looked at him… like he was something you'd been pulled toward without even realizing. Like he was gravity."
She gave a small, almost self-deprecating smile.
"I knew then—we'd never be more than this. And I hated that it hurt. I was jealous… even when I had no right to be."
I flinched. Just a little.
"And that night," she went on, "when everything was falling apart and I didn't think I'd make it out alive… I just wanted to kiss you. Once. For the first and last time."
I reached out, hesitated for half a second, then placed my hand over hers.
It was warm. Steady. Braver than I felt.
"I'm sorry, Yuling," I said quietly. "You didn't deserve this kind of hurt. And you definitely didn't deserve to carry it alone."
She didn't look at me, but she didn't pull away either.
I took a breath. My throat felt tight.
"I can't return those feelings," I said. "Not the way you want. I care about you—so much—but not like that."
She gave a small nod, like she'd expected it. But the way her shoulders dropped made something in my chest pinch.
"I still want to be your friend," I said, more firmly this time. "If that's okay. If you still want to be mine."
There was a beat of silence.
I could've left it there.
But no, of course not. I had to go full emotional overachiever.
"My heart…" I swallowed. "It's already gone. Ming Yu has it. All of it. And knowing me, I probably gift-wrapped it with a sarcastic note and no return policy."
Yuling finally looked up, and her lips curved just slightly.
"I couldn't love anyone else, even if I tried," I added, half-laughing, half-serious. "Believe me, I've done the math. It doesn't check out."
That got the tiniest huff of a laugh from her, just enough to make the ache feel a little less sharp.
"I know," she said softly. "I always knew."
Her voice was steady, but her eyes were glassy—and that quiet strength in her hit me harder than any teary breakdown could've.
I squeezed her hand gently.
We sat in silence for a while after that.
Not heavy. Just… quiet. The kind that comes after something important has been said and there's nothing left to add.
Then, Yuling broke it—because of course she did.
"So…" she began slowly, "if you can't have Prince Wei's child… and someone else finds out…"
I raised an eyebrow. "What?"
She glanced at me, serious now. "You know what's going to happen, right?"
I didn't answer, but my stomach already knew.
"Yufei," she said grimly. "She'll find out. She'll swoop in with her simpering smiles and long-lashed innocence, and try every way possible to be the one who gives him an heir."
I groaned. "You're right."
"She tried to drug Hanguang-jun, Mei Lin. Drug him. Just to get him alone."
That snapped my attention back.
I sat up. "Wait—you know about that?"
She looked at me like I was slow. "Xiaohua told me. That girl knows everything that happens within twenty li of the kitchen."
So I told her the full story.
Yuling gasped, one hand flying to her mouth like we were in a drama scene.
"She—! That—! Unbelievable!" she sputtered. "Of course she would! She's been trying to catch one of them like a fox snaring ducks!"
"Honestly," I muttered, "if she tried it with Ming Yu, I might've set the palace on fire."
Yuling shook her head, still flustered. "So now what? What if she really does try something with Prince Wei?"
I leaned back, thinking.
Then the worst idea popped into my head.
"…Technically," I said slowly, "you don't need two people to sleep together to make a child."
Yuling blinked at me. "What?"
"You just need…" I waved vaguely, "a certain liquid… from the man. And then it can be… well, introduced to the woman. In the right place. At the right time."
Yuling stared.
Then her entire face turned crimson. "What?!"
I tried not to laugh. "It's basic biology!"
"I—what do you mean, just the liquid?" she demanded, absolutely scandalized. "How do you even get—?! No! Wait! Don't explain!"
I ignored her flailing. "You don't need the whole—interaction. You just need the seed. That's all. The rest can be… administered."
"Administered? Like it's a tonic?!"
"Well, not far off, actually—"
She covered her ears. "You are cursed, I swear!"
I shrugged, fully enjoying her horror. "Look, I'm just saying. If Prince Wei really needs an heir and can't risk a second consort complicating the court… there are ways."
Yuling looked like her brain had just been put in a hot wok and flipped.
"That sounds like sorcery!"
I leaned in, grinning. "Oh no, sweetheart. That's just science."
And it sounds like a plan.