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thinkingotherwise · 4 months ago

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I decided to publish the short stories about Basen that I had on my WIP list, for a long, long time, and I'm not sure I'll finish writing out the whole fic.

Basen x Fem! Seamstress! reader

First meeting HC and short stories

HC of some first interactions between the two as well as some bg info

(Y/n) BG info

(Y/n)'s very pretty and quickly catches the attention of nearby people with her light purple kimonos and gentle smile.

Because of her working mostly for Verdigris House, she knows a lot of things when it comes to conducting conversations and pleasing other people.

Inside her home, she's very disorganised and usually wears clothes with ink stains, because of her drawing new dresses. She has many pieces of materials and clothing, which are the only things that seem to be organised in her room.

She is often seen to be carrying a tube for her designs and/or a new dress in a pretty package.

She's not super strong that she could fight someone but she is strong enough to carry the materials she needs and she is agile and quick enough to run away if in trouble.

She's easily flustered and her cheeks are warm almost all the time. She doesn't wear makeup. Of course, like in Maomao's case the Madam from Verdigris wants her to be a courtesan but she disagrees, she thinks she's not pretty enough and has almost no tolerance for alcohol.

She prefers creating dresses and kimonos for other people.

She tries to be nice and kind to everyone she meets but if someone disrespects her she won't hold herself back to tell them off. She spends most of her money on new materials and clothes and with the rest she tries to help some people, that can't afford food or medicine.

Her father works at the police while her mother helps taking care of her siblings's children. Her father is very protective of his only daughter but hesitantly agrees to let her work as a seamstress for Verdigris.

MaoMao and (Y/n)

Maomao and (Y/n) are friends, as both girls while working at Verdigris met up and talked about different things usually about plants that can dye the fabrics or make the texture different.

(Y/n) is slightly older than Maomao, so whenever they meet she worries about the younger girl, especially after knowing how the apothecary tests poison on herself.

(Y/n) is sometimes called (N/n) as a term of endearment by those close to her: Maomao, the Three Princesses, Madam, and her family. She gets flustered when someone else calls her that, she especially flushes when someone she finds attractive calls her that.

First meeting

Basen was waiting for Maomao to be her attendant for another poison-connected task. When the apothecary finally appeared he turned towards the carriage but didn't notice the girl rushing with a tube and package in tow and bumped into her making her fall.

Maomao instantly recognised the girl and helped her get up while collecting the package as the girl grabbed the tube.

"(N/n), what are you doing here? Are you rushing to Verdigris?" Maomao asked.

The older girl wiped the dirt from her kimono and turned happily to her friend.

"Maomao, I'm happy to see you. No, I've just bought the new materials and can't wait to get to work on this new kimono that I thought of." She smiled brightly and took a good look at the shorter girl.

"You look happy, is it a new poison?" (Y/n) asked and Maomao joyfully nodded and wanted to talk but a cough cut her off.

"Apothecary, we need to go. I don't have time for your chit-chats. I'm sorry Lady (N/n) but we must be on our way." Basen said firmly.

The older girl immediately flustered when she heard him call her by the nickname. She stared at him taking in his pretty eyes and good figure.

Maomao giggled at the same time knowing well enough why her friend was so flustered.

"I- I see. Then Maomao you can come visit me in my workshop after you're finished. I'm sorry for stopping you Sir, have a nice day." (Y/n) said quickly and turned in the direction she was going quickly running to her workshop.

Basen followed the girl with his gaze before turning back to the apothecary who was grinning widely.

"Get in." He told her motioning towards the carriage and sat beside her.

Getting to know his name

"Master Jinshi, Sir Gaoshun, this is my friend (Y/n). She's working as a seamstress mostly for Verdigris."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Master Jinshi, Sir Gaoshun. I'm thankful you're taking such good care of Maomao."

"Wait, I thought her name was (N/n)." Basen asked confused as his gaze moved to (Y/n).

The girl flushed at that and shook her head before turning towards the younger male.

"That's a nickname of sorts that my family and friends call me."

He blushed after hearing that and bowed down.

"I apologize for calling you that, Miss (Y/n)."

"It's fine. In return, you can tell me your name." She smiled softly at him pointing the fact that all this time he hadn't introduced himself.

"Aah.. my name is Basen, I'm the second son of Gaoshun and attendant of Master Jinshi."

"It's nice to officially meet you Basen."

Gaoshun raises his brow at the conversation between the two and Maomao grinned.

"So you're a seamstress? Isn't your father a police officer?"

A voice called and (Y/n) turned towards the purple-haired male.

"Yes, I sew kimonos mostly for the courtesans but I had some made for other officials as well. As for my father, yes he works in the police."

A little private cliche moment

"Miss (Y/n), what are you doing up there?" A voice called behind the girl making her startled.

"Whaa-" The seamstress fell down the ladder as the male voice surprised her.

She closed her eyes before meeting the floor but all she heard was a grunt and she felt something holding her tightly. (Y/n) opened her eyes to be met with Basen who flushed under her gaze but his hold on her stayed and she slowly relaxed in his arms leaning against his chest.

"Sir Basen, you surprised me. Why are you here?" She questioned and he sighed before responding.

"Master Jinshi is asking for your presence"

"Oh, did something happen to Maomao? Why would he need me?" (Y/n) asked slightly worried for her friend.

"The apothecary is good, don't worry. It's something about a dress for someone in the rear court, that's all I know."

The seamstress's eyes glimmered at the mention of the rear court and she shivered at the possibility of her sewing a dress that would be worn by someone there. Basen felt the girl shiver in excitement and smiled seeing her gleaming eyes.

"Well then, let's go." The girl said and smiled brightly making Basen automatically turn towards the doors of her workshop. She then giggled and made the attendant stop when she patted his shoulder.

"I think you should let me down before we leave." At her words, Basen noticed that he still held her against his chest and quickly put her down stepping away and turning around to hide his red face.

"I'm sorry about that."

"No need, well I'm thankful you caught me when I was falling." She smiled in his direction noticing the red colouring even the back of his neck and his ears.

When he didn't say anything (Y/n) collected some of her things necessary for her work and stepped towards the doors.

"Well then, can we go, or do you need another minute?" She teased him softly and he jumped at her insinuation.

Basen coughed loudly and turned to her with a lighter blush then before moving towards the doors.

"Let's go."

#the apothecary diaries #the apothecary diaries x reader #basen x reader #the apothecary diaries basen #apothecary diaries #apothecary diaries x reader

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cjrae · 6 months ago

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Tragedy of the Jade Nightingale. Or: My thoughts on Vol. 11 of the Apothecary Diaries.

Given that this volume just came out in English a few days ago, spoilers under the cut!

I usually think of the Apothecary Diaries volumes as pairs - usually two volumes make up an arc. If so, Volume 11 will be the first half of the arc with 12, but it also functions beautifully as a tragedy in it's own right.

** I will be only discussing information appearing officially through Vol. 11. Yes, I have read the fan translations of the web novels, but given that details can change, until it appears in official English translation, I won't yet be including it here.

The Hero

Gyoku-ou. Talk about someone who thinks he's smarter than he actually is. We knew this guy was a threat all the way back in Vol. 8, with how Gyokuyou reacted to her brother's letter and his veiled insult of sending a younger version of herself to catch either her husband's attention or the Imperial Brother's. Now we get to see him in action and he's scary - right up until he's not.

This man is charismatic as anything - he understands what makes people tick on both an individual level as well as a social level. His ability to wield a mob effectively makes him extremely dangerous, but I'm oddly put in mind of Lakan's initial impression of Fengxian. "This woman is strong, but she only knows how to fight in her own, small world."

The world Gyoku-ou inhabits is a very small, petty one. You can see it in his conspiracy theory about Jinshi's birth.

Jinshi is one of two people Gyoku-ou fails to read. When he brings Lakan and Jinshi to his puppet council to gauge support for attacking Shaoh, he thinks he's got a young malcontent in his hands, someone who wants power and is prone to the flashes of temper and insult that often drive young men. Someone who is easily manipulated. Instead, Jinshi mops the floor with him in that meeting, cutting Lakan's support out from under Gyoku-ou and making it clear that his priority is peace above war.

This doesn't take away from Gyoku-ou's political genius - this meeting teaches him that Jinshi has to be maneuvered around, rather than maneuvered directly. If the Imperial Brother doesn't want to play his part, then too bad. Gyoku-ou will see to it that Jinshi is hedged in all directions except where he wants him to go - which is to war. And even then, he's got a fight on his hands as Jinshi fully takes advantage of Empress Gyokuyou's information to undercut Gyoku-ou's support within his own family.

It's a mark of Jinshi's political skill that Gyoku-ou's move in that family council is to flirt with treason. If he can't maneuver the Imperial family through Jinshi, then he shifts tactics to turn Jinshi (and the rest of the Imperial Family) into the villain of his piece - a prince born and raised into utter depravity.

Let's just sit with what Gyoku-ou suggests to the rest of his siblings (minus the Empress) in that meeting. He implies that the Emperor impregnated his own mother in order to produce an heir. A son that he loves so dearly (and unnaturally) that he would willingly look the other way while Jinshi murders his other children in order to make sure that his brother-son-lover succeeds the throne.

This is a brilliant examination of how the bare facts of the situation can be construed by people with very different motivations to fit whatever worldview is most convenient for them. I'm a fan of the palace politics in this series because they feel very real.

Gyoku-ou doesn't lie once. But boy does he create a narrative that suits his purposes and dares anyone (namely Rikuson) to tell Jinshi. He is escalating the situation and he's doing it fast, while also challenging the legitimacy of the Imperial Family. A fact which, if it does get back to Jinshi (or the Emperor), could get the entire new You Clan wiped out just as fast as the Yi Clan was. This scene functions as a microcosm of Gyoku-ou's two fundamental character flaws; his short term thinking and his utter self-absorption.

Becoming The Wind

Since Rikuson was introduced in Vol. 5, he's been a mirror for Jinshi. He's a "pretty boy," calm under pressure, fundamentally kind and decent to other people while also being extremely competent at his job. Unlike Jinshi, he's also a bit older and more mature. He also clearly admires Maomao and sees the qualities that make her exceptional, despite her various masks.

As it turns out, Rikuson mirrors Jinshi in another important sense too - he also has a secret identity. The Yi Clan were the de facto royalty of the Western Capital and Rikuson is one of the direct survivors of the clan. He was never in the line of succession given the Yi Clan's matrilineal structure. But they were quick enough to save some of the children, namely Rikuson and Empress Gyokuyou's three ladies in waiting, Haku'u, Koku'u and Seki'u.

Rikuson, who was Gyoku-ou's excuse to trick His Former Majesty into giving him the authorization to destroy the Yi Clan. Rather than truly being an bastard Imperial prince, he's a young pawn in Gyoku-ou's hands to whip up an armed mob to hunt Rikuson down - and his mother and sister give their lives to ensure his survival - not for vengeance, but so that the Yi Clan's mission of protecting the west will live on even if the named clan itself dies. So, like Jinshi, he is dedicated to the welfare of the people above all else.

The trouble with relying on an unruly mob is that it's sloppy. Gyoku-ou left multiple survivors and they have absolutely no love for him. He's left weapons at his back.

Rikuson is the other person Gyoku-ou utterly fails to read. He spends well over a year back in his homeland, working for Gyoku-ou as an aide ostensibly from the central region, patiently waiting for an opening - even as Gyoku-ou, who knows that Rikuson has to be assigned to the west with some kind of ulterior motive, is so blind that he thinks he must be a secret member of the La Clan, rather than the Yi boy he tried to kill seventeen years earlier.

Rikuson represents the culmination Gyoku-ou's short term thinking in that he doesn't bother to think about the threat of any surviving Yi clan might pose to him.

He will not insult his mother's memory, or his sister's. But if his mission of protecting the west coincides with vengeance for his family? Sure enough, Gyoku-ou's insistence on going to war (and dragging the Imperial family's legitimacy into his motivations) gives Rikuson his opening; especially because he isn't a vigilante.

He is acting under orders.

The New You

Rikuson's point about Gyoku-ou's life being a tragedy hits home when you consider Gyokuyou's thoughts of how she knows her father loves her - but would also abandon her in a heartbeat if she is no longer valuable to him. Unlike her older brother, she has a very clear-eyed view of how their father operates and focuses on making sure that her value never drops in his eyes.

Gyoku-ou's value to Gyoku'en plummeted the day he destroyed the Yi Clan - Gyoku'en's family. He was given a second chance to show that he could still perform the single function of the men of the Yi Clan - to protect the west. When he endangered it instead, Gyoku'en sent the weapon he'd spent seventeen years preparing (Rikuson) with an execution order.

By first destroying the Yi Clan and then following it up with a proposed invasion of Shaoh, Gyoku-ou proved to Gyoku'en that he was no son of his. Given how desperate he was to be his father's son, this whole book is a tragedy in the classic sense. The Jade Nightingale was so desperate to reinvent himself as a Jade Eagle that he destroyed himself in pursuit of the one thing he never lost - his father's love. But, to be his father's heir, what he needed was Gyoku'en's trust and respect, not his love.

And he killed that seventeen years ago along with the Yi Clan.

Ironically, the foreign born girl that he despised and attempted to undermine at every opportunity, emerges as their father's true heir and mother of the nation, with the rest of the surviving Yi clan as part of her loyal retinue.

In her triumph, the Yi Clan is reborn as the You Clan as Gyoku'en, a Yi man, is given a clan name on the strength of Gyokuyou's role as Empress. So much of their history has been lost, down to the matrilineal succession and family records, but their mission lives on through the Yi men who will continue to protect the west, no matter the personal cost to themselves. There is no room for self-absorption here, therefore Gyoku-ou has no place in their new clan.

Also, a parallel to pay attention to is how the destruction of the Yi Clan and the Shi Clan are mirroring each other with the children being saved. The Yi Clan is reborn with a new name, which leads one to wonder what the consequences of saving those Shi children will be long term.

A Dagger In The Dark

Gyoku-ou sucks up a lot of air in Vol. 11 because he is driving the action - Jinshi, Maomao and their party are all stuck reacting to him, except for one character; Chue.

We see Chue attach herself to Maomao starting with the ship and it's not difficult to guess that just as Lihaku is serving as a discreet bodyguard for Maomao on Jinshi's orders, Chue is also there as protection. Chue doesn't try to conceal that she is clearly trained in espionage either.

Rikuson's proposal to Maomao is not a serious bid for her hand, but nor is it a joke - it's a message to Chue that Jinshi needs to tighten security around Maomao. As he puts it, he knows the "hyper protective" elements around her will close ranks. Because he's foreseen a strategy that may not have yet occurred to Gyoku-ou (who tends not to pay attention to the bit parts of the play), but if it does would almost certainly push the country into war.

Maomao is the lever that could move both Lakan and Jinshi.

All he has to do is kill her and make it look like a foreign attack. Lakan's instinctive ability to read a situation and Jinshi's formidable investigative skills would likely be dulled in the face of their rage and grief. Especially since they are technically Gyoku-ou's guests and don't have freedom of movement to push the issue.

Rikuson seizes his opportunity before Gyoku-ou can continue to escalate, but he realizes quickly that Chue arranged the stage and was there as both spy and backup assassin. (I think it's safe to say that Gyoku-ou's conspiracy theory AND that Yi family ledger will be reported, given that we know there were ladies-in-waiting at the meeting and that's how Chue was disguised - and she didn't actually promise to dispose of it).

Gyoku-ou doesn't bother to think that while the Emperor may be far away and the Imperial Brother is a manageable threat, that the people surrounding Jinshi may not be bound by his strictures. Hence, Chue was on standby. No matter what, Gyoku-ou was never going to make it to that ritual. He was never smart enough to realize that his crossing the line would be never be forgiven.

While Jinshi would order an execution if necessary (and has in the past), he would never order an assassination. Therefore, it's evident that Chue reports to someone else. Who that someone is, we don't know, but there's only one person further up the Imperial tree than Jinshi, so it would be reasonable for Rikuson to assume that the Emperor has placed additional protection around not just Jinshi, but Maomao.

Exclusive: Baby Swap!

Jinshi's birth is not a secret to the audience and while Maomao doesn't have confirmation, she's pretty certain of her suspicion. This volume made it patently obvious that there are others out there who are perfectly capable of putting the pieces together, even if the details are twisted.

Let's return to Gyoku-ou's conspiracy theory.

He's put together all the correct pieces. The Emperor's attitude toward Jinshi makes no sense in a traditional palace setting - a much younger, handsome, charismatic and competent brother? That's a threat to the Emperor and his direct line. But Jinshi is never treated that way - instead he's indulged on many fronts.

He's allowed to duck most of his official duties as Ka Zuigetsu (except for a few he can't, where he appears masked).

He's allowed to pretend to be a eunuch for six years and run the Rear Palace.

When he finally reveals himself to the court to put down the Shi Rebellion, he's described as "hale" and "just as proficient in the military arts as the administrative." (More proof that Jinshi is NOT the best judge of his own abilities). He emerges fully formed into court politics - a perfectly trained Crown Prince - only to have a newborn given the title instead.

Gyoku-ou deliberately put the worst possible spin on these facts. I suspect the rest of the You siblings are going to keep their mouths shut about Gyoku-ou's ugly theory, but if he could think of it, if Maomao could think of it with just seeing Jinshi standing next to Lady Ah-Duo, then so can others.

Maomao can be mad about Jinshi branding himself all she wants, but it's currently looking like an absolutely BRILLIANT move on Jinshi's part. Whatever doubts Gyoku-ou managed to plant about Jinshi and the Emperor's motives with the rest of the You clan siblings, Empress Gyokuyou is not likely to entertain it.

Also, it got the Emperor to essentially "banish" Jinshi to the edges of the Empire shortly after his new Crown Prince was born, which makes it look to other members of the court like the Emperor is taking steps to rein in his younger brother and balances the factions that have to be forming back in the capital.

This is not a secret that can be kept forever. No matter how careful Ah-Duo and Anshi were, the information is starting to leak out around the edges, as we see that the Empress' ladies in waiting that were dismissed clearly had eyes and ears - and in at least one case, a loose tongue.

The next arc is being seeded and Jinshi is inching closer and closer to that throne. He ran the Rear Palace for years (essentially managing the nation in microcosm) and as of the end of Vol. 11, he's now stepping up to govern a province and gain actual ruling experience while also having suppressed a war.

I've said before that Jinshi ascending the throne is the bad ending - if there is a single person who is more trapped by the palace than the prince, it's the emperor. We'll see what happens!

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