It was only a matter of seconds, but it felt like minutes, no, hours.  Zhao Weisheng's eyes roved over the face now just inches from his own.  His jaw visibly tightened when he noticed a light flush creep across the woman's cheeks as she stood there under his scrutinising gaze.  Going back to her eyes, he expected to see fear, panic, perhaps even a touch of confusion, but there was none of that.  Instead, he saw defiance, challenge, and a fraction of something else he couldn't even dare to guess at.

Swiftly, he stepped back and raised the report book, creating a physical barrier between them.

"Here you go," he said, handing it to her, then moving away.  "If Luo Jian comes looking for me, tell him I will be in my private chamber."  With that, he left the room.

Li Ming Yue let out the breath she had been holding all this time without realising.  Seeing the prince up close, she had noticed that while he had strong, masculine looks, there were little, almost feminine features that meant there was none of the sharpness that so often came with such an appearance.  For example, his eyelashes were long for a man, and his mouth curved ever so slightly upwards.

Ming Yue was, in many ways, naïve when it came to matters of the heart, but she was not stupid.  She knew that she was attracted to the prince.  It was difficult not to be, and it was one of the reasons she has distanced herself from him for so long.  However, she also knew that she could not afford any unnecessary complications.  The mission was simply too important.  Also, she was only a maidservant.  Why would the prince even think of her in that way?

Meanwhile, Weisheng had reached the privacy of his bedchamber and collapsed into a chair.  He, too, was no idiot. He knew full well that his need to know this woman had evolved beyond merely being suspicious of her origins and her reason for being in the palace.  But he had also chosen to be cautious.  He knew that nobles often had dalliances with servant girls and maids, but he was not that type of man, unlike his older brother, or so the rumours went.

In truth, the only reason he had let his guard down as much as he had just then was that he didn't think of Ming Yue as a palace maid.  He didn't know if it was her bearing, her intelligence, or simply the amount of time they had spent together working on the flood relief project, but he thought of her more as his equal.  And she had just looked at him properly for the first time.

Zhao Weisheng shored up his mental defences and left the chamber, heading towards the martial arts practice ground.  He needed to work off some frustration.

***

One might have expected there to have been some awkwardness after that morning's incident, but the afternoon spent working together passed relatively smoothly, until the sun started to go down.

"Ming Yue, can I see the latest delivery records for the relief packages in the flooded areas?"

"They are here, Your Highness, but..." she bit down on her lower lip.

Zhao Weisheng pushed back the thought that this was a particularly charming habit.

"But what?" he asked.

"It's nothing."

"Ming Yue, if you have something to say, then say it.  Now. That's an order."

At that, the young woman's gaze shot up, her eyes once again meeting the prince's, all thoughts of etiquette forgotten, emphasizing the seriousness of what she had to impart.

"Your Highness, these records do not match with the stories we are hearing come out of the villages.  A few of the palace maids have family in the affected areas, and they have said that hardly any aid has been distributed there, and certainly not enough to help them recover from their losses in the floods.  Of course, these are just stories, but if they are true, then there is either a logistical problem getting the aid through that has not been reported to the palace, or..."

Weisheng knew what she was so reluctant to say, so he said it for her.

"There may be corruption at government level, and the aid is being taken before it reaches the villagers."  He briefly considered the matter.  "Either way, we have to know the truth.  Ming Yue, we're going on a trip.  Eunuch Wang!"

"Yes, Your Highness?"

"I am going on a tour of the flooded provinces.  Make arrangements for us to leave as soon as possible, and gather any other supplies you think we may need, but speed rather than comfort is the priority.  Ming Yue is coming along and is in charge of packing the records.  Nobody else is to touch them, understood?"

Eunuch Wang gaped like a fish. 

"Yes, Your Highness.  Should I inform His Majesty?"

"No need.  I will tell him myself when I visit this evening."

Both Eunuch Wang and Ming Yue stood rooted to the spot, surprised by the sudden turn of events.  Weisheng looked at them both, his expression a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

"Well?  Don't just stand there!  Get moving!"

***

Persuading King Xuanming of the need to inspect the northern provinces in person had been relatively easy.  Zhao Weisheng suspected that his father was just happy that one of his sons was being so proactive when it came to matters affecting the kingdom and its people.  He had not told him about the suspicion of corruption.  Without proof, it would only succeed in making him worry.

Weisheng shifted slightly as his horse moved under him and glanced at Luo Jian to his right.  By royal standards, they were travelling relatively light, but also slower than he would have liked.  This was frustrating, but inevitable, as they were following the latest caravan of relief aid from the capital, but at a distance so as not to draw attention.

Following behind Weisheng were twelve royal guards, all dressed as commoners, and a covered carriage which held the records of the relief aid dispatched from the capital to date, Eunuch Wang, and two young women.

Li Ming Yue smiled across the carriage at Bai Mi.  It was nice to have female company on the journey, but she would have preferred to have been riding a horse like the men outside.  Simple pleasures that she took for granted back in Jin were now beyond her grasp, and she hadn't realised how much enjoyment she gained from riding with her brothers.  Still, to ask to ride a horse on this journey would only have led to more suspicious glances being thrown her way.

In truth, she was not at all pleased about this unexpected diversion.  Whilst most other maids would have been delighted about the change of scenery, Ming Yue couldn't help but think about how it was taking her away from the palace and her mission.

Still, as was in her nature, she resolved to make the best of it.  She was now more certain than ever that the prince was the most-favoured son and, if she could somehow manage to remind him of the importance of the peace accords with Jin and he then took the matter up with his father, this would be another way of achieving her ultimate goal. At the very least, it wouldn't hurt matters.

She smiled again at her companion as the carriage jostled. Bai Mi was an experienced maid from the prince's mansion, well known for her skill with herbs, whether in cooking or for medicinal purposes.  Although not as smart as Ming Yue, she was sensible and efficient, and was the logical choice to accompany them on the trip.  Ming Yue looked up to her like an older sister.

The younger woman could tell that Bai Mi was a little uncomfortable being outside of the palace walls and travelling through rough terrain, so she asked a question deliberately designed to push the woman's mind onto a more familiar subject.

"Tell me, Bai Mi," she asked.  "I have heard that the taking of dong quai can help relieve headaches, but that the potential side effects of its use outweigh the benefits.  Have you come across this before?"

The older woman smiled gratefully at Ming Yue, as if sensing her intention, and leaned slightly forward to respond.

"This can indeed be the case.  I have heard reports that loss of appetite is a common side effect, and I would never recommend this herb to anyone with a blood disorder, as it has the properties of an anti-coagulant." 

Ming Yue nodded with interest, and bombarded the woman with question after question about the various properties of medicinal herbs, all of which Bai Mi answered good-naturedly.

While the two women conversed easily in the carriage, a lone scout who had been following the caravan of aid more closely up ahead approached Weisheng.

"Your Highness, the officials and staff escorting the caravan have stopped for the night in a town just beyond the next hill.  There is a comfortable-looking inn ahead with rooms available.  I recommend we end today's travel there.  Also, there are bandits in this area of Han, so travelling at night would be risky."

Weisheng nodded.

"That's fine.  We can't get in front of the aid caravan, but we need to be ready to set off early, as the caravan should reach the provincial capital tomorrow.  Go ahead and make the arrangements with the inn." 

The man rode off to act on his instructions, and Weisheng looked across at Luo Jian.

"Remind the men not to call me 'Your Highness' in front of others.  I don't want to attract any unnecessary attention.  Also, word spreads quickly, even out here in the provinces, and we don't want to spook anyone who has eyes on the aid caravan.  Call me gōng zǐ instead.  That shouldn't make the men feel too awkward."

Luo Jian turned his horse and went to spread the message amongst the guards and the rest of the party, tapping on the side of the wooden carriage to get Eunuch Wang's attention.

***

When they reached the inn, the sun had already set, but it was not late.  While the men settled in after a simple but filling meal, Zhao Weisheng summoned Ming Yue to his room to discuss the next day's events.  As always, Eunuch Wang sat nearby but, after a tiring journey, his head was bowed in sleep, and he let out a soft snore every now and again.  Luo Jian was in the inn's stable, ensuring the horses were properly attended to.

Away from the palace, the two couldn't help but discard much of the formality that existed between them, much to Weisheng's delight, and Ming Yue sat directly across from him, their bodies not more than a metre apart.  They spoke to each other more comfortably now, their preparations for the trip north over the last few days having given them cause to converse in detail on a much more frequent basis.

The prince frowned.

"The journey so far has been without incident, and my scout tells me that the aid caravan has remained on course and untouched.  However, tomorrow it will reach the provincial capital.  If there is indeed any foul play involved, the perpetrators will need to act soon, either before the caravan reaches the town or immediately afterwards."

Ming Yue nodded, and looked the prince directly in the eye.

"Yes, I had come to the same conclusion" she said.  "Also, if the officials accompanying the caravan are responsible, they are unlikely to make a move directly and expose themselves, unless all of the caravan staff are involved, which seems unlikely.  Consequently, it is more likely that they will have accomplices waiting up ahead.

"But," she continued, "there have been no reports of theft.  If people disguised as bandits were robbing the caravans en route, surely we would have heard of this?  This makes me think it is more likely that aid supplies are being taken after they reach the town, but before they are distributed to the people."

Weisheng's eyes widened.  Ming Yue's logic was impeccable.  If she was a man, his father would have appointed her as a court official on the spot.

In the silence, Eunuch Wang suddenly let out a huge snore, dislodging his cap.  Unable to contain herself, Ming Yue smiled and let out a light laugh, and Weisheng's breath caught in his throat.

"Sorry, Your Highness," she apologised.

"Don't be," he replied quickly.  "You laugh with others.  Why shouldn't you be able to laugh with me?  We are not so very different, after all."

They stared at each other a long while, until Luo Jian came into the room, shaking them from their thoughts.  Ming Yue quickly rose to her feet and made her excuses.

"I should go.  It's getting late, and Your Highness must be tired."  She left quietly, without waiting to be dismissed.

Weisheng did not respond.  He did not think he would be able to, even if he wanted to.  He felt like one more piece of the barrier between them had been removed, to the point where he could almost reach out and touch the face of the woman in front of him.  He clenched his fist unknowingly, as Luo Jian watched him closely.  Luo Jian knew exactly what emotions the prince was battling and, although he understood him, he did not envy him.  Nothing good could come of this.  Nothing good at all.