Chapter Text
The calling card came around midday, when Yan Wushi was still away at the Chancellery running numbers with Gu Hengbo. Shen Qiao set it aside for his husband and continued looking over the map the Secretariat had supplied him.
The northeast had been a bit of a mess when the refugees had re-settled. Infrastructure plans had been drawn up on the fly and put into action just as quickly, and the river that used to run along the northern border had been redirected to run through the province. That was all well and good to get supplies where they needed to go, but now that reconstruction efforts were slowing, Shen Qiao was petitioning court daily, trying to get the Ministry of Works to return the river to its previous path.
Shen Qiao sighed as he tried to find a polite way to ask that they actually send teams from the Department of Works to survey the area this time.
Yan Wushi returned to the Palace of Longevity and Health just as Shen Qiao made the last stroke on his scroll.
“Still fighting with the maps, I see.” Yan Wushi said, as he sat beside his husband. “How quaint.”
“Dou Yanshan said my last proposal was too costly.” Shen Qiao bemoaned. “He even got the Ministry of Revenue to side with him. Stop laughing, it’s a matter of public health. Zhao Chiying wants to talk to you.” He handed Yan Wushi the calling card and snatched the map back out of Yan Wushi’s hand. He shoved it in a drawer then pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger to stave off his impending headache.
“I don’t have time to see her today. I only stopped by to complain about how busy I am,” Yan Wushi said as he leaned bodily onto Shen Qiao’s shoulder.
“You’re the Junior Preceptor, how can you be busy?”
“What can I say,” Yan Wushi kissed Shen Qiao’s ear. “Your husband’s advice is in high demand.”
Yan Wushi had only come into his position because Bian Yanmei was firm about receiving the dividends of whatever bet they'd cooked up, the details of which Shen Qiao had decided he was better off not knowing. But still flaunted his position by sitting in on court each day to remind the ministers how stupid they were, even if he himself didn't have any ideas to offer.
Yan Wushi's teeth glanced Shen Qiao's ear lobe. He pulled away and gave Yan Wushi an unimpressed look. “If you’re so busy, don’t try and start something, write Admiral Zhao back to reschedule.”
Yan Wushi relentlessly tucked his head into Shen Qiao’s neck and said, “Why should I? My husband can meet with her on my behalf, can’t he?”
“…I don’t think my advice on military strategy will be the most poignant,” Shen Qiao said. As a struggling vassal nation, Beimu was no longer a threat, but Touei was no doubt plotting something, even with Liming trying to send an ambassador over to steal their textile production and chariot construction techniques—the eastern navy, more than ever, needed to be strong and smart with its movements. Shen Qiao’s straightforward nature and basic knowledge of battle would likely hurt rather than help Admiral Zhao.
“Who says it’s about the navy? If she wants to see someone today, she’ll have to see you.”
“You know, if you want me to do something, you could just ask. You don’t need to order me about still.”
“Oh, no, no. It’s much more fun ordering you about. Besides, I can’t help it. I was raised to be a tyrant.”
Shen Qiao couldn’t argue with that, so at the tail end of the sheep, he walked to the Hall of Military Glory to see Admiral Zhao. A clerk showed him to a side chamber and insisted that he sit at the head of the meeting table while he fetched the admiral. While Shen Qiao waited, he brewed some tea for the two of them. He was just pouring it when Admiral Zhao entered the room and bowed.
“Physician Shen,” she greeted, somewhat confused.
Shen Qiao’s title had been a point of contention when he and Yan Wushi had returned from Xian half a year ago. What was one supposed to call an ex-concubine married to the Grand-Emperor-turned-Junior-Preceptor? Especially if that Grand-Emperor-turned-Junior-Preceptor married into his family? Shen Qiao had refused the title of Empress Dowager, since he’d technically never been the empress, and he certainly wasn’t a concubine any longer, but calling him “Lord Shen” seemed too generic, almost lowly considering who his husband was. Yan Wushi had finally had enough of Shen Qiao’s fretting and reminded him that he was still the Imperial Physician, so he’d better get his ass over to the Imperial Medicine Room and introduce himself to his staff.
The title pleased Shen Qiao immensely, but he still wasn’t quite used to it, so he laughed awkwardly as he beckoned Zhao Chiying into the room.
“I apologize for my husband’s absence, I hope it’s not too much of an inconvenience.”
“Oh, no, of course not. This might actually be…better.” Zhao Chiying took her seat and accepted the cup of tea Shen Qiao passed to her. She seemed hesitant, shifty, glancing around the room like she was afraid someone would jump out from under the table and attack her. She sipped her tea to gather her nerves, then began a sentence she quickly aborted. She did this two more times, and Shen Qiao quietly sipped his own tea as he waited. Finally, she rested both of her elbows on the table and put her head in her hands. “I’m in love with the Minister of War.”
“You…”
“I apologize, I know you and I are barely acquainted, but I really am desperate.”
“You mean—Minister Rong…and you…”
Zhao Chiying nodded, looking quietly miserable. “Any advice would be appreciated.”
“W-Well,” Shen Qiao said, setting his cup down. He cleared his throat. “I assume you want to let her know?”
“Of course, but I’m afraid I don’t know how,” Zhao Chiying responded. “I’m not even sure if she considers me a romantic candidate.”
Now, in Shen Qiao’s experience, Bai Rong tended to come on strong, so if Admiral Zhao wasn’t sure, it was likely that Minister Bai was uninterested—but, from what Shen Qiao could glean from his occasional visits to court, Bai Rong was much more focused on work than playing around nowadays. It was possible that Bai Rong wasn’t considering Admiral Zhao because she wasn’t considering anyone .
“Then…wooing her,” Shen Qiao said earnestly but awkwardly.
“I wouldn’t even know where to start,” said Zhao Chiying. “Being in the military, I thought it would be selfish to get married and then be absent for most of the year, I’ve never even imagined…” She let out a long breath and settled her head back in her hands.
“Why don’t you tell me a bit about your current relationship, ah?” Shen Qiao asked. “You work together frequently, don’t you?”
Zhao Chiying affirmed. “I report to her regularly to update her on the status of my troops, as well as the progression of the rebuilding efforts. And so long as it’s through letters, it’s fine, she’s so easy to talk to, but the moment I see her…” Xhao Chiying’s ears were bright red. “Physician Shen, you have to understand, I’ve never…about anyone…”
Ah, Shen Qiao did understand. He relaxed a bit and asked, “How long have you felt this way about her?”
“Two years, perhaps?”
“And how did it start?”
Zhao Chiying’s whole face was pink now. “She sent letters, back when she was still working for Huanyue. She’d give me intel and help track Beimu’s movements based on what she could read off her uncle’s paperwork. She never used her name, of course, but her letters were signed with a stamp.”
“Of a peony,” Shen Qiao said. At Zhao Chiying’s confused expression, he said, “You’re not the only one she’s helped.”
Admiral Zhao’s lip twitched upward. “This doesn’t surprise me in the least. Well, in terms of how it started, probably when she sent her first letter.”
Shen Qiao’s brows rose.
“No, I mean that seeing that peony stamp made me remember that there was a land back home I was fighting for, you understand? There are no flowers at sea. So seeing one at least every month made me remember that there was still life beyond the edge of my ship.”
“Did you tell her this?”
“En,” Admiral Zhao said. “And when I did, the next letter came with a dried branch of wintersweet. She said it reminded her of me.” She pulled a small, mostly barren branch out of her sleeve. Zhao Chiying had a generally kind-looking face that veered towards serious, but when she looked at the branch of flowers, her face went soft.
“And that was when you…”
Admiral Zhao nodded. “Her writing had always been so vibrant and joyful, and the more we talked about things unrelated to the war, the more I…Ah, I should stress, I had no idea who she was until I returned to the capital. We never used our real names or included identifying information on the letters, so all I knew was that she was someone who was close to Sang Jingxing. And then when I met her…” Zhao Chiying put her head in her hands again. “She’s so young.”
“Ahh…”
Shen Qiao gave her a moment to collect herself, then said, “Well, it’s not as though a pair of such different ages is unheard of.”
“That’s why I wanted to talk to Huanyue,” she lamented.
Shen Qiao laughed outright, then quickly covered his mouth with his sleeve. “Sorry, I don’t mean to laugh, but I think my husband is the last person you ought to go to for romance advice. He didn’t so much as woo me as tell me that we were going to be married.”
“The first time, of course, he was the emperor, but the second time—”
“No, even the second time. Please don’t misunderstand, I wasn’t coerced, but there was very little courting involved.”
“Then,” she said awkwardly, “what am I supposed to do?”
Shen Qiao really didn’t know, but he found his eyes landing on the dried wintersweet still in her hand.
“Well, I think I may have an idea.”
Several weeks later, on a day Shen Qiao attended court to say that if they wouldn’t put the river back where it belonged they at least needed to provide proper sewage canals for the northeastern region, Admiral Zhao Chiying announced her retirement to the surprise of the entire court, Shen Qiao included.
“I can’t justify getting married and risking my life on the front lines,” she said when asked why.
Shen Qiao was very pleased with this response, but the rest of court, lacking vital information, was confused and upset. They threw invasive questions and uncomfortable implications at Zhao Chiying until she couldn’t keep track of who she was trying to answer, so Bai Rong stepped forward and bowed to Bian Yanmei on the Dragon Throne.
“Your Majesty, please appoint a new eastern Admiral so my fianceé and I won’t have to worry about our future children.”
“Well, this is certainly an unexpected development,” Bian Yanmei said, beaded crown perfectly still. Shen Qiao could just barely see his smile from between the beads. “But our Admiral Zhao has won many battles and accomplished great feats in the name of our nation. If she is asking to retire, how can I deny her?”
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Zhao Chiying said with a bow. “If you care to hear it, I’d like to recommend Zhu Lengquan as my replacement.”
When court let out, Shen Qiao left Yan Wushi behind to discuss some policy or another with Bian Yanmei and looked for Zhao Chiying’s tall figure among the retreating tide of officials in the courtyard. She was not difficult to find, especially with Bai Rong walking beside her, barely an arm’s length away.
“Admiral Zhao, Minister Bai,” he called out as he gained on them.
They both turned and smiled. Zhao Chiying’s face was very red.
“Congratulations,” he said to them.
“Well, my Yingying says we owe you quite a bit, Physician Shen.”
“An idea, no matter how good, only receives merit when acted upon. I am surprised that you’ll be marrying into Minister Bai’s family though.”
“En,” Zhao Chiying said, “I want to have children while I still can, and to be honest, it’s quite a relief to retire. I don’t regret joining the military, but I am looking forward to quiet days of keeping house.”
“Yes, unfortunately, Shen-lang, if you want to marry into my family as well, I can’t offer the position of first spouse,” Bai Rong said, trailing a finger down his chest.
Shen Qiao spluttered, not expecting such a shameless comment. He looked at Zhao Chiying, hoping she would chide her fianceé, but Zhao Chiying had a soft, adoring smile on her face, as if the words had flown straight over her head.
“There’s of course room for you as a second spouse though,” Bai Rong winked.
Yan Wushi’s voice made Shen Qiao startle, “He’s happily married already, thank you.”
He took Shen Qiao by the waist and pulled him away from Bai Rong and Zhao Chiying, the latter of whom called, “Thank you for your advice, Physician Shen!”
Yan Wushi sneered, “Really, I leave you alone for five minutes and you go off flirting! What advice did you give her?”
“Just that…if receiving a flower from Bai Rong meant so much to her, then perhaps she ought to return the favor. Gift Bai Rong flowers.”
“Hmph. It’s a rather cliché gift, don’t you think?”
“You brought me orchids just the other week…”
“Well, that’s different.”
“How is it different?”
“They’re a gift from me, so of course it’s different.”
Shen Qiao shook his head, but smiled.
“Ask me for another gift.”
“Hm?”
“Ask me for another gift, and I’ll give you one, since flowers are ‘so cliche.’”
“You’re the one who said that, not me.”
“Fine, since you’re twisting my arm about it, here.” Yan Wushi put something into Shen Qiao’s hand. It was a large scroll, and when Shen Qiao opened it, he found himself blinking in confusion.
“It’s beautiful,” he said.
“I was thinking the wall in the study was looking a bit bare.”
“There’s already a painting on the wall in the study,” Shen Qiao said, brow furrowed. Yan Wushi had made a great spectacle of hanging the painting Shen Qiao had made for him all those years ago in their study, claiming that his husband’s work was too precious to collect dust in storage.
“Yes, and it’s unbalanced. So this will even it out.”
“Who painted this?” Shen Qiao said studying the painting a bit closer.
“I did.”
“Really?”
“Of course.”
“I didn’t know you were so good at painting.”
“I’m good at everything,” Yan Wushi said shamelessly. “Everyone knows that. What did you do to deserve me, hm?”
“Why a river?” Shen Qiao asked, rolling the scroll back up and carefully tying it.
“You’ve been moaning all month about the damn river, and I no longer have the power to give it to you, so, as with my wall, this will just have to do.”
Shen Qiao waited a moment before agreeing with a soft hum.
“And I’ve also pulled on Yanmei’s ear enough that he’ll see you tomorrow for a private meeting and you can explain all this sanitation nonsense to him. He was in charge of the last canal project, so I’m sure he’ll be much more understanding if you approach it from that angle.”
Shen Qiao smiled, but held the scroll to cover it. His husband really was…
When they returned to the Palace of Longevity and Health, Shen Qiao went to the study right away. A-Qiao the deer, hearing him enter, shook himself awake and bleated a greeting. He was starting to grow horns, so he took a moment to scratch them on the low desk before chasing after Shen Qiao to watch him work.
“Aren’t they nice?” Shen Qiao asked him as he finished. “And they even look better together.”