The afternoon light had started to fade.
Soft sunlight came through the open window, touching the tatami mats for a moment before moving on, like it knew not to stay too long.
Gaoshun sat across from Moon. His back was straight, his face calm. He didn't take up too much space, but the room felt full because he was there.
For a little while, neither spoke.
Then Gaoshun said, quiet and even, "Let me ask again. Your answers before make me think something has become clearer inside you."
Moon looked up and nodded once. "Yes."
"You remember pieces," he went on. "Not everything. But enough to act without getting lost."
"Yes."
"Then listen close," he said. "Answer only what you know for sure."
Moon put her hands together in her lap. She waited.
"Where did you live before you came here?" Gaoshun asked.
"In a small village," Moon said. "Far from the Inner Palace."
Gaoshun watched her face. "Is that true?"
"Yes."
No pause.
No extra words.
"How did you get here?"
Moon's eyebrows came together a little, like she was thinking hard. "I don't remember the trip. It feels like... someone brought me."
She stopped, then added, "When I woke up, I was already in the garden. Maids were there. Noble ladies too."
Gaoshun nodded once. "Yes. That's where I found you."
Moon didn't say anything more. She didn't argue.
"So you came into the Inner Palace with no guard, no papers," Gaoshun said. "Like some girls who arrive in secret."
Moon thought about that.
"Maybe," she said soft. "Or maybe it was just meant to be."
Her eyes moved to the window. The sun was lower now. Shadows on the floor got longer.
Gaoshun watched her quiet.
"It looks like," he said after a bit, "you are not a spy. Not someone put here on purpose."
Moon turned back to him. "No."
"Then what are you?" he asked.
She answered calm, voice low. "Just a normal girl."
Brought here by things she didn't pick.
Gaoshun didn't say if he believed her or not.
"One last question," he said.
Moon sat up a little straighter.
"What is your name?"
She didn't look at him when she answered.
Her eyes stayed on the light outside the window. Moon took a small breath.
"This girl," she said soft,
"is called Yelan Hua."
Gaoshun didn't ask if that was real.
He just nodded.
"Very well," he said. "Since you were brought here without knowing or agreeing, from today you will work under me."
Moon turned to him fully and bowed her head low, respectful.
"Thank you very much, Gaoshun-sama," she said quiet.
Gaoshun stood up and walked to the door.
Before he left, he stopped.
"This stays as it is," he said. "For now."
Then he slid the door closed behind him.
Moon stayed sitting as the room went back to quiet.
Yelan Hua.
The name didn't ring loud.
It just stayed there.
Like it had always been waiting.
The sunlight kept fading.
Shadows filled the corners slow.
And Moon—Yelan Hua—sat still, hands in her lap, eyes on the window where the day was ending.
A new name.
A new place in the palace.
But some questions still hung in the air, quiet and unanswered.
Disclaimer
This work is a fan-made story inspired by The Apothecary Diaries. The world, its canon characters, and original setting belong to their creators.
Moon, her journey, and all new scenes written here are entirely my own creations. This story is shared purely for love of the universe and for personal enjoyment. No copyright infringement is intended.