One week later, Yixing

The sound of metal cutting through empty air could be heard across the courtyard of the Fourth Prince’s manor as Zhang Yixing leapt and spun through the air. The breeze drawn from his sharp movements caused a stream of leaves to fly around with him, creating an image of a war god descending to earth. The sound of a second weapon slicing through the air drew Yixing’s attention, and he turned just in time to parry the blunt edge of an elaborate sword scabbard. On instinct, he leapt forward to strike a return blow, then stopped a few moments later when he realized who had struck the first blow.

“Yifan!” He exclaimed, “What are you doing here?” His older brother chuckled as they both landed neatly onto the ground.

“You are getting distracted, Brother.” He said, “Your mind is not focused.” Yixing frowned.

“Is it that obvious?” He asked. It was true, he hadn’t been entirely thinking about swordplay while he was practicing today. Instead, his mind had flown away to thoughts of Zhiruo. The young physician had seemed a little distracted during the past few days, and sometimes her thoughts had been completely elsewhere. It was completely unlike her. Then, early this morning, she had been seen leaving the manor alone, and hadn’t been back since. It was all quite strange.

“Thinking about Lady Shangguan?” Yifan teased. Yixing huffed and turned away to sheathe his sword while conveniently hiding his embarrassment. Besides Zhiruo, Yifan was the only one who could read him well enough that no secrets could be kept between them.

“Just tell me why you came all of a sudden.” He said, quickly switching the topic. Yifan chuckled and handed Yixing a rolled up canvas. Frowning in confusion, Yixing unrolled the canvas and raised an eyebrow at Yifan as he took in the image of a young woman painted on the light tan canvas.

“This is…?” He asked. Yifan crossed his arms.

“A princess from Tibet.” He said, “She came with a few diplomats to meet Royal Uncle a few days ago, and the first thing she said was she wanted to marry you.” Yixing’s jaw dropped.

“I can’t marry a girl just like that!” He protested, “Uncle didn’t even mention this to me!” Yifan chuckled.

“It was quite sudden.” He agreed, “I only found out this morning. Uncle knew that you wouldn’t even so much as look at the painting if a eunuch delivered it, so he sent me to do it instead.” An amused glint entered the elder prince’s eyes.

“The Tibetan people are quite the warrior tribe.” He said, “They live on an open plain and their children are taught to do all sorts of outdoors activities from an early age. You two would be a good match.” Yixing scoffed as he rolled up the painting and tossed it back to his brother.

“I’m not interested.” He said firmly. Yifan shrugged.

“You can tell that to her yourself, Brother.” He replied, “She’s on her way to your manor at the moment. In fact, she might be here by now.” Yixing’s eyes widened.

“That is absolutely ridiculous!” He growled, “What kind of unmarried woman just walks up to an unmarried man’s home?” The door to the courtyard opened before Yifan could respond, followed by the sound of a foreign language being spoken and quick footsteps. Yifan smirked.

“This one, apparently.” He said, before turning to look at the newcomer. Yixing raised an eyebrow as he took in the young woman striding confidently up to him. She wore an elaborate Tibetan style outfit, complete with a fluffy white hat and long white sleeves. She checked herself and put on a small smile as she confidently raised her gaze to Yixing.

“So you are the Prince of Lanling?” She asked without so much as a greeting, “I have heard much about you.” Yixing cleared his throat at the abrupt beginning, then bowed politely.

“Indeed, I am Zhang Yixing.” He replied. The princess walked forward and looked at him closely before walking in a small circle around Yixing. It took all of Yixing’s self control to keep a straight face; the way the princess was acting, it was as if he was an animal in his uncle’s menagerie. Discomfort was only the beginning of how he was feeling at that moment. The princess hummed in approval as she completed her circle.

“I am Princess Rinchen of Tibet.” She declared, “And I intend to choose you as my prince consort!” Yixing cleared his throat, a little unsure of how to deal with the sudden news.

Just treat it like the battlefield. Pretend she is a sudden change of events that you hadn’t planned for.

He looked at the princess for a long moment as he tried to think of what to say. As he did so, he couldn’t help but conjure up an image of Zhiruo next to the princess. Yixing bit back a small smile at the thought. Princess Rinchen was nothing like Zhiruo.

Zhiruo is demure, but not subordinate. She knows her place and her limits in society, but isn’t afraid to speak her mind when she finds it necessary. Her tongue is sharp but witty, unlike the useless meaningless words that many shallow women like to say. Zhiruo is intelligent, but isn’t overly confident in her capabilities. She never forces her will onto others, but rather frames everything as a suggestion that would be to everyone’s benefit.

A pleased smile turned up the corner of his lips as an idea came to his mind.

That’s it! Zhiruo is the answer to getting me out of this dilemma.

____________________________________________________________________________

Zhiruo

The sun shone brightly in the sky as Zhiruo carefully slipped away from Gongsun manor and headed back for the Fourth Prince’s manor. She hesitated at the end of the street and turned to look one more time at her old home. Today was the anniversary of her family’s massacre, and while the manor was technically sealed off from the public, security had become lax in the time since then, allowing Zhiruo the chance to pay her respects for her family once a year.

I’ll be back next year, Mother, Father.

Zhiruo turned and resumed her trip back, stopping briefly to pick up some packets of medicine to cover for why she had left the manor so early in the morning. As she approached Fourth Prince Manor, her gaze fell on an unfamiliar carriage waiting outside the manor.

A visitor?

Prince Yifan approached as Zhiruo stepped inside the manor, his eyes lighting up as he saw her.

“Lady Shangguan, you are finally back!” He exclaimed, “Where have you been?” Zhiruo lifted up the packet of herbs.

“I went to pick up some herbs I had ordered for the Fourth Prince.” She said, “Is something wrong?” Yifan shook his head.

“Yixing has been looking for you.” He said, “You need to go to the front room immediately.” Zhiruo frowned as Yifan plucked the herbs from her hand and ushered her along.

“Hurry up!” He urged. Zhiruo did as she was told, confusion clouding her mind. It didn’t seem like Prince Yixing was having health issues that would need her immediately help, so what was the rush? Zhiruo stepped carefully into the front room of the manor and folded her hands neatly in front of her to greet the prince.

“Your Highness.” She greeted. Yixing’s eyes sparkled in relief as he saw her.

“Ruo’er, where have you been?” He asked, “I have been looking for you all day!” Zhiruo’s eyes widened at the sudden change.

Did he just...call me Ruo’er?

Such an intimate nickname was usually reserved only for the closest of friends and family members. Besides that, it was usually saved for…

Lovers.

Zhiruo raised an eyebrow inquisitively at the prince, hoping to get some answer from him before she responded. Prince Yixing’s gaze slipped to his left, and Zhiruo noticed another young woman sitting in one of the elegant chairs lining the room. Prince Yixing rose from his seat at the center of the room and came to stand next to Zhiruo.

“This is Princess Rinchen of Tibet.” He introduced, “She wants to be married to me.” Before Zhiruo could react, Prince Yixing reached out and wrapped an arm around Zhiruo’s waist, eliciting a surprised squeak from her as he pulled her in close.

“I told her that I already have a princess in my heart, but she wouldn’t believe me.” Prince Yixing said, “I’m glad you returned in time, my little kitten.” Zhiruo’s cheeks flushed red at the onslaught of pet names.

What is he trying to do?

She took in the meaningful look he was giving her, thought back to how he had just mentioned a princess he loved, and finally understood after a few long seconds.

Ah, I see. He wants me to pretend to be his lover to drive away this princess.

It was beyond Zhiruo’s usual duties, that was for sure. But as a member of the prince’s household, it was her duty to help in whatever way she could when it became necessary. Zhiruo took a deep breath, pressed a smile to her face, then leaned lightly against Prince Yixing’s embrace.

“Yixing ge,” She whined softly, drawing out the endearment ever so slightly for effect, “You are going to embarrass me if you go around telling people about us!” Prince Yixing’s eyes widened slightly, then an amused smile crossed his face.

“Silly girl.” He teased, cupping a hand on her cheek, “You look so cute when you are embarrassed, Ruo’er.” Zhiruo felt her cheeks grow hot, but she kept the smile on her face and nuzzled into his hand.

“Xing ge!” She pouted, “I made some healthy soup for you, but you haven’t gotten the chance to drink it yet. Come with me before it turns cold!” Prince Yixing chuckled.

“Of course, my darling.” He murmured, “We’ll go as soon as I see the princess off.”

“Zhang Yixing!” Princess Rinchen shrieked as she rose from her seat, “I’ve had enough of this! Stop this right now!” The foreign princess rose to her feet and crossed her arms.

“Surely a warrior prince like you can do better in choosing women than a medicine boiler girl!” She snapped. Prince Yixing’s eyes narrowed.

“Princess, I understand that you are royalty and of a high class, but I wish that you will be respectful of people in my manor.” He said firmly, “Zhiruo is this country’s only female royal physician, and my personal physician as well. There are many things that she understands that either of us understand at all. I am a warrior, but I do not necessarily need a warrior princess as my wife.”

“What is so good about a girl that cannot even protect herself?” The princess demanded, “She’ll only drag you down!” Zhiruo opened to protest incredulously, but Prince Yixing spoke first.

“She doesn’t need to protect herself.” He said, “Because I can protect her, and she can depend on me.” His gaze was warm as he looked down at Zhiruo.

“Ruo’er is kind, gentle, and intelligent.” He continued, “She has saved my life multiple times already. I intend to pay back that favor with the rest of my life.” He smiles as he carefully tucked a strand of lose hair behind Zhiruo’s ear.

“Zhiruo will be my only princess, now and forever.” Prince Yixin declared with an air of finality. Zhiruo’s heart pounded in her chest as she couldn’t help but smile at his words. Even though the prince was only saying this to drive the princess away, she still felt touched by his words, her chest growing warm just by hearing them. She looked over at the princess’s furious face.

It’s time to end this, but how?

As she looked back up at Prince Yixing, an idea entered her mind. No, it was more of an impulse, and Zhiruo moved before she could talk herself out of it. Stretching up on her tiptoes, she lifted her head a pressed a soft kiss to Prince Yixing’s cheek.

_________________________________________________________________________

Yixing

Blood roared in Yixing’s ears as he felt Zhiruo’s soft lips pressed against his cheeks. His heart pounded in his chest, and his fingers trembled by his side as he felt himself freeze in place.

What is...going on?

He had never felt this way before, not even when he was on the battlefield facing a multitude of enemies alone. Zhiruo pulled away from him after a few seconds, her cheeks flushed an embarrassed pink as she looked down shyly, her hands clasped tightly together. Yixing took a deep breath to collect his thoughts, his head spinning from the shy kiss. It was obvious why Zhiruo kissed him; there was no better way to make the princess leave, especially after they had made a show of being in love. As his heart rate calmed down a little, a small smirk turned up the corner of Yixing’s lips.

Such a bold woman. But that...is one of the many things I like about her.

As Zhiruo stared shyly down at her hands, Yixing reached out and pulled her to him again. Zhiruo gulped as she stared up at him.

“Highness?” She eked. Yixing chuckled. At that moment, Zhiruo really did look like a kitten, a small cute one with wide eyes that had been startled by something.

“Silly girl.” He said softly, “Didn’t I tell you to let me do the kissing?” Yixing pulled her forward into a hug, then carefully pressed a soft kiss to Zhiruo’s forehead. He heard her in her breath in surprise, her body trembling slightly in his arms. The faint scent of Zhiruo’s floral perfume filled his nose, soothing his racing heart.

Why does this feel so….right? Holding Zhiruo in my arms, she fits so perfectly into my embrace. Shangguan Zhiruo, why don’t I want to let go?

Zhiruo’s cheeks were flushed even redder than they were before as he pulled away from her, and she quickly turned away in embarrassment, hands clapped over her face. The princess, who Yixing had all but forgotten was there, shrieked in irritation.

“Zhang Yixing, how dare you!” She cried, “You will regret this!” Without so much as a goodbye, Princess Rinchen hurried out of the room, her entourage rushing to keep up with her. From near the entrance, Yixing heard the clank of the carriage door opening, followed by the sound of horse hooves as the princess departed. When he was certain that she was gone, Yixing blew out his breath in relief.

“Finally.” He said. Zhiruo didn’t answer him, and Yixing looked back over at his physician to see that she still had her back to him, her head bowed. Yixing stepped over to her other side, and chuckled softly as she turned slightly to avoid him again.

“Shangguan Zhiruo, look at me.” He ordered. Zhiruo shook her head furiously, the ornaments in her hair clinking together with the strength of her head movement. Yixing crossed his arms in amusement.

“Are you embarrassed?” He asked. Zhiruo looked up at him sharply, and Yixing almost laughed again at the look on her face. Zhiruo’s lips were pouted ever so slightly, an indignant expression burning in her dark brown eyes. Her cheeks were still flushed from his kiss, and it was all Yixing could do to stop himself from chuckling.

“Of course I am, Your Highness!” She exclaimed indignantly, “How could you just...kiss me like that in front of a foreign princess?” Yixing raised an eyebrow as he leaned down to look closer at Zhiruo.

“Shangguan Zhiruo, you were the one who kissed me first.” He pointed out, “But I am not complaining, am I?” Zhiruo’s eyes widened, and for the first time, she seemed to be at a loss of words, spluttering for a few moments before sighing and lowering her head.

“Yes, Your Highness.” She mumbled. Yixing chuckled softly as she peeked up at him.

“But Highness...how could you not be embarrassed at all?” Zhiruo asked, “You are not known to be a womanizer.” Yixing smirked and pulled Zhiruo’s hand over to him. Her eyes widened as he pressed her hand to his chest, directly over his heart.

“Who says I wasn’t embarrassed?” He replied. Zhiruo froze as he held her in place. Yixing’s heart was still pounding from the shy kiss, and he was certain the rapid beat could be felt under Zhiruo’s small slender fingers. Yixing took in the look on Zhiruo’s face, and couldn’t help but further.

“Were you perhaps hoping for a real kiss?” He asked teasingly, “Is that why you were embarrassed that it was only on the forehead?” Zhiruo’s eyes widened again, and she quickly pulled her hand from Yixing’s grasp as she took a few steps back.

“Highness, you are not making sense!” She responded quickly, “This servant would never think to want such a thing!” Before Yixing could think of something else to with, Zhiruo curtsied quickly.

“If you will excuse me, Highness, I still have medicine to prepare.” She declared, and then hurried out of the room before Yixing even gave her permission. Yixing laughed softly as he watched Zhiruo disappear out the door.

Shangguan Zhiruo, if you keep acting like this, I will not want to let you go.

____________________________________________________________________________

Zhiruo

Zhiruo clutched the herb packaging tightly in her hands as she dumped the proper amounts into a pot and let it begin to boil. She blew out a deep breath and placed a hand over her chest. After stepping away from Prince Yixing, her heart was finally starting to calm down. Still, her cheeks felt hot as she recalled the stream of events that had happened. It had all started out simple enough; put on an act and drive the foreign princess away. But then...Zhiruo sighed and slapped herself lightly on the cheek.

“Shangguan Zhiruo, what were you thinking?” She muttered, “How could you kiss the prince, even on the cheek?” Still, Zhiruo couldn’t help but smile softly to herself as she thought back to Prince Yixing’s answer when the Princess Rinchen had demanded what was so good about Zhiruo.

“I didn’t realize he saw that many good things about me.” Zhiruo mused, giggling softly as she stirred the boiling medicine carefully. Her small smile grew wider as she thought back to his forehead kiss. Although she had felt embarrassed at that time, and her heart had been pounding so loudly that she was sure the prince had heard it, along with that embarrassment there had been a fair share of warmth that had spread from her head to the tip of her toes. Zhiruo patted her head lightly where the prince had kissed it, then laughed softly to herself for no reason in particular.

What is this unfamiliar emotion that I am feeling?

____________________________________________________________________________

A few hours later

“Your Highness?” Zhiruo called as she stepped inside the prince’s study, his daily tray of health medication in her hands. She frowned as she realized he wasn’t there, then walked over to his desk and placed the tray onto its polished surface. Prince Yixing now trusted her enough that she was able to enter  and exit his library and study without prior permission, although his private chambers were naturally still off limits without the prince around at the same time. As she stepped away from the desk, Zhiruo’s gaze fell on the messy pile of books covering a good portion of the prince’s desk. She laughed softly and stepped around to the other side of the desk. Prince Yixing was often very busy with various tasks at court or with his soldiers; it was no surprise that he wouldn’t bother cleaning up his books. Since he didn’t allow maids to enter his study, Zhiruo decided it take it upon herself to straighten the books on his table. As she pulled books together into a neat pile and turned them onto the edge to straighten the pile, her hands slowed as her gaze fell onto the title of one of the books. Or rather, what caught her eye was not the title, but the author. Zhiruo’s chest tightened as she took in the three characters.

Gongsun Jing.

“Father…” She whispered softly, her fingers running over the written name. As Zhiruo pulled the book out from the stack, she noticed that it seemed to be well worn, its pages clearly showing signs of repeated turning and reading. Zhiruo remembered from her childhood that her father had often written books, but she had never been told what happened to them. As a nobleman’s unmarried daughter, she had been well sheltered from anything outside the confines of the manor, or even outside the innermost chambers where the women of the house lived. Discussing politics and knowing about the royal court had been clearly out of the question. The only outside habits her father ever allowed her to indulge in was the medicinal arts, and she had only been allowed to leave the house with her face half covered with a silk mask. But what was her father’s book doing here? As far as Zhiruo knew, he hadn’t been in the habit of publishing whatever he wrote. Zhiruo carefully opened to the first page of the book, her eyes falling on the handwritten note inside.

“Your Highness Prince Yixing, I hope you can cherish this book and remember its teachings for the entirety of your life.”

A lump rose in Zhiruo’s throat as she recognized her father’s curvy handwriting. The short message was simple, and anyone else looking at it might have forgotten it after giving it a cursory glance. But other people didn’t know what Zhiruo knew: while her father hadn’t allowed her to discuss politics, she had heard from both servants gossping and her mother that her father rarely chose to favor any of the princes or openly speak to support them. It was one of the ways that he had survived in court for so long. Taking sides drew a person towards power struggles, and loss of life. To think that he had bothered to write a handwritten message in a book for the Prince of Lanling, it had to mean something. A whirlwind of thoughts went through her mind as she clenched the book tightly in her hand.

The prince mentioned that he had a very beloved teacher....could it be…?

Before she could finish the thought, a voice spoke from behind her, cutting off her train of thought.

“Lady Shangguan? What are you doing?”

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Author's note: So who's ready for them to actually kiss?