"Umm, about what happened earlier," Weisheng said, then stopped, realising that he was not entirely sure what he wanted to say.

Luckily, Ming Yue interjected before the silence became too awkward.

"I am quite recovered now, thank you," she rattled off quickly.  "It really was very kind of Your Highness to assist me.  I hope it was not too much of an inconvenience."  She smiled, and Weisheng took her cue.

"Not at all, not at all," he said.  "I was glad to be able to help.  We need say no more about it.  No more about it at all," he finished.

His words might have been brief, but his mind was racing.  If this was to be how they resolved the matter, then the way forward was clear.  They would simply behave as normal, and Ming Yue would not have to leave his side.  "After all," he reasoned to himself, "if a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?"  If he and Ming Yue both carried on like nothing had happened, then it was logical to decide that nothing actually had happened.

Weisheng ignored the small, nagging voice that told him his logic in this respect was fundamentally flawed.

The two of them stood still for a moment, acknowledging the silent agreement between them.  Then Ming Yue made the first move.

"Well, if there is nothing else Your Highness needs...?"

"No, nothing at all.  Please be on your way. I will see you tomorrow."

They made their way off in different directions, back to their own chambers.

***

When Ming Yue was back in her room and able to think about their brief encounter just then, she decided that, all things considered, it had been a good thing.  The matter had been resolved relatively quickly and under the comforting cover of darkness.  It would have been much worse, she concluded, to have had to deal with the prospect of an awkward conversation in the cold light of the morning.  As it was, the end of that day as the moon reached its peak also symbolised the drawing of a line under the incidents that had occurred in the twenty-four hours previously.  Now, they would just move on and say no more about it.

However, as many times as Ming Yue told herself this, her body and her mind betrayed her, and she spent her most restless night yet within the palace walls.

The following morning, she dressed in her new clothes. She was delighted to find that they were a perfect fit, and the simple, flowing lines of the heavier material draped around her figure in a much more flattering way than the maid's outfit, but still left her with plenty of room to move around easily. The darker shade also contrasted well with her pale skin and dark hair.

Also, as she was no longer a maid, she decided she would forgo the usual maidservant's hairstyle and, instead of pulling all of her hair into tight braids on top of her head, she left the back section to fall loose, only securing the fronts and sides away from her face.  It wasn't much of a change, but it made her feel just a touch closer to the woman she had been before she entered Han, which was a comforting sensation.

After a light breakfast, she made her way to the prince's study.

Unlike Ming Yue, Weisheng had slept rather well. After being faced with the possibility of having to send her away, their mutual, unspoken decision to treat yesterday's incident as never having happened had left him free to pursue the lesser of the two evils and keep her as his secretary, even if he knew things could go no further between them.  Consequently, his mind had been relatively at ease as he laid his head down on the pillow the night before.

It was only when he saw Ming Yue enter the study that morning that he realised he may have bitten off more than he could chew.  She looked radiant in her new outfit with her less rigid hairstyle, and her eyes were smiling at him, showing how much she appreciated the opportunity to wear something which was clearly considerably more in line with her own tastes.

Attempting, and largely failing, to steer his thoughts back on course, Weisheng addressed the young woman in front of him.

"Tell me, have you had any further ideas about our conversation yesterday?"  She blinked slowly at him, and he suddenly realised where he had gone wrong.

"Ah, I mean our conversation about my mother's birthday celebration."

Letting out a sigh of relief, Ming Yue responded.

"Your Highness, last night I took the liberty of writing down a few details of the performers who have most impressed the people in the capital according to palace staff.  We are expecting a few deliveries this afternoon, so I was also going to ask some of the delivery people who reside outside of the palace if they had heard of any exceptional singers or musicians in the area.  However," she paused briefly.  "I do recall that Your Highness instructed me to deliver the report on the northern provinces to the Hall of Records today."

Due to the events of the previous day, this had of course slipped Weisheng's mind completely, and he was inwardly grateful for the woman's efficiency.

"Of course," he said.  "You must do that first.   As I said, make sure they show you around as well." Ming Yue nodded, then spoke again.

"It is best for me to go now, Your Highness, as I believe you have a long-standing appointment to take tea with Her Majesty in her private gardens this morning, so you should not require my assistance for the next few hours."

Weisheng once again thanked his lucky stars that someone else at least was able to retain some focus.  Like Ming Yue's visit to the Hall of Records, he had completely forgotten about his promise to visit his mother, and they saw so little of each other nowadays that he knew she looked forward to every opportunity they had to spend some quality time together.

"Indeed," he said.  "I should not keep Mother waiting.  We will leave each other to our morning plans and meet up again this afternoon to discuss the birthday celebrations."

Ming Yue paid her respects to the prince and left the room to begin the walk through the sprawling complex.  The Hall of Records was located at the other end of the palace grounds to the prince's mansion and, if she was also going to be shown around the many archive rooms it held, her errand would easily take up the entirety of the morning.

***

Weisheng made his way through the palace gardens to his mother's favourite courtyard.  He had heard that she had not been in good health recently, so he was keen to visit her and see for himself how she was doing.  However, this time, there was some hesitancy in his step.  He had a feeling that the queen was going to raise a certain subject that he had been studiously avoiding for the past year.

The queen's mansion was always a peaceful place, reflecting her own calm and unruffled bearing.  She had been a silent, yet unwavering supporter of his father over the years and, whilst the two of them had not been seen together often over the last few years due to the king's busy schedule, whenever they did reunite it was clear to all that they were still very much in love, despite their long years together.

The queen was sitting in a sheltered part of the garden, with a delicate tea set on the table in front of her.  She looked up and smiled as Weisheng approached and took a seat to her right.

"Mother, it's good to see you," he said.  "Tell me, what palace gossip have I missed since I was last here?" he continued in a playful tone.

The queen gently batted her son's arm.

"Silly boy," she said.  "Why are you always so mischievous when you come to visit me?  Your father tells me that you have been quite the image of a royal son at court recently.  And I hear you have just returned from a visit to the northern provinces, so I suspect you have more news than me!  You must tell me everything.  I insist!"

Weisheng leaned back to adopt a more comfortable position and, indulging his mother's wish, started to tell her about the slightly less alarming aspects of his trip to the north.  Occasionally the queen would interject with a question or a reaction, and the easy conversation continued like that for some time.

Eventually, the tea was finished and the general catching up was over.  The queen shifted slightly forward in her seat and Weisheng, familiar with her habits, had a sinking feeling that the conversation he had been dreading was now about to begin.

"Weisheng," she began.  "You know I always have your best interests at heart, and thus far I have respected your wishes and not pressed you heavily on this issue.  However, you are now of an age when you really should be considering marriage."

Weisheng sighed heavily.

"Mother," he replied.  "I know that you are only thinking of me, but I really cannot afford to think about getting married at the moment.  Matters at court have become very busy, and relations with Jin are still tenuous.  This is no time for distractions."

"Besides," he continued, "Li Jun is not married yet either.  Surely my brother would lose face if one of his younger siblings marries before him?"

The Queen contemplated Weisheng's words.  Although she wouldn't admit it, he had a point about his brother, and ordinarily she would not dream of finding a match for a younger son before the elder was already settled.  However, she was not blind to her eldest child's faults.  She had heard of his womanising ways from various reliable sources, and she was afraid that to push a daughter of any of Han's noble families into Li Jun's mansion as his unfortunate wife would be more of an insult than an honour.

Weisheng saw that his mother's resolve was wavering and took the opportunity to press his point.

"Mother, you know what Li Jun is like.  He takes everything very personally."  He was careful not to overtly criticise his brother.  "If he knows that you are looking for a wife for me, he will be hugely offended but, even worse, he will think that this is part of a strategy to position me as the heir to Father's throne!"

Just as Weisheng had hoped, this was the argument that tipped the balance.  The queen could not bear to think of her children in conflict with each other, even though she knew that it was a very real possibility in the future.  She took a long look at her favourite son.

"Fine, we will leave the matter for the time being.  Unlike others, I would never force you into marriage or press my own choice upon you.  But you must know that I only wish for you to experience what your father and I have had over the many years.  Having a partner in your life who can share your burdens and offer you support when you are at your most vulnerable is a gift."

Weisheng smiled indulgently at his mother.

"Believe me," he said.  "I wish for that too.  I am only asking you to wait a little while.  I promise you that I will find the perfect wife and you will love her, and she will love you as I do."

***

While Weishing was enjoying his reunion with the queen, Ming Yue had filed the prince's report with the Hall of Records and was in the middle of a tour of the archives being given by one of the junior scribes.

She was pleased to learn that Han's administrative practices were incredibly similar to their own in Jin, and that this was yet another way in which the two kingdoms were not so very different at all.

As the tour reached its conclusion, she thanked the young man and took her leave, noting that if she hurried, she could be back at the prince's mansion with the midday sun.  Her mind focussed on that thought, she set off in the direction of her current home, oblivious to her surroundings.

Meanwhile, Prince Li Jun was returning from a visit to the royal guards, trying to find out the reason for the recent request from Prince Weisheng's mansion for additional security.  Frustratingly, no-one had been able to give him any information, as it seemed like the prince's head of security, Luo Jian, was playing his cards very close to his chest.

As he made his way back towards his own mansion, past the Hall of Records, he noticed a figure in a dark blue dress gliding gracefully along the path.  Sensing that she was familiar, he moved closer, until he recognised that it was the very same woman he had seen at the training grounds with his brother the other day.  He started moving more quickly to catch up with her but, to his great annoyance, as he rounded the corner after her she had disappeared from view entirely.

He cursed his misfortune, but was not too disappointed.  After all, he had a fair idea where she was headed, and there would be plenty of time for him to acquaint himself fully with her in due course.