#wss366 06/14 #trip
#FanFiction #TheApothecaryDiaries

*** Bitter, Peppery ***

Maomao savored the smell.

The Fúnán dish, a recent import, was supposed to be spicy, mildly so, with a citrusy lean. She closed her eyes and inhaled: turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, and far too much galangal. And something else, just barely there. What was it? Something unfamiliar, she noted, a flicker of pleasant curiosity stirring. Perhaps the evening would not be a complete waste after all.

Someone had been overzealous with the seasoning. The spices would drown out the delicate flavor of the rare mushrooms hidden beneath.

Jinshi did not summon her to taste things often these days. But with a prince visiting from the distant western kingdom of Tiānzhú, her inconvenient expertise had proven useful again. No one quite knew why he made the TRIP to the imperial court, though his appetite for exotic cuisine was no secret.

The clumsy preparation did not bother Maomao. She shoveled a generous portion into her mouth. There it is, she thought. A bitter, peppery note, barely poking through the muddle of stronger flavors.

She reached for a second bite, but Jinshi snatched the bowl away.

“You have had enough,” he said flatly. Then, turning to the guard at his side, “Arrest the one who prepared this dish. Immediately.”

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