Character Index
Imperial Princess: Wenyuan's mother, she was responsible for the magic that brought Kayla to this world.
Lady Lin: A blind divinator who worked with the Imperial Princess. She showed Kayla a vision of the future that prompted Kayla to step up her game.
Wei Guang: The Imperial Edict Bearer and the man who got the current Emperor onto the throne. He is currently Kayla's godfather, being deeply trusted by the Emperor and detested by the Empress Dowager.
Xianchun: The Seventh Prince, he has agreed to help Kayla take revenge for Wenyuan's parents, and offered to arrange an agreement between Kayla and Qu Boyong.
Qu Boyong/Xiang Daozong: Son of General Xiang and the Princess of Chu, he is seeking revenge against the Grand Duke.
Hu Qing/Liang Hongfei: Younger half-brother of Liang Shen and the rightful heir to the Liang household, he was passed off as an illegitimate son for many years and did the dirty work for his older brother. He is now Kayla's retainer.
Minister Liang/Liang Shen: The eighth son of the former Lord Liang and older half-brother to Hu Qing. He is now the Minister of Justice and head of the Liang household, and a member of Xianchun's faction. Being the son of a neglected concubine, his father rarely gave him any attention, even while naming him.
Liang Bailu: The sixth son of the former Lord Liang and deceased older half-brother to Hu Qing. Like Liang Shen, he was the son of a neglected concubine and was named and raised rather carelessly.
Ji Yantao: Formerly an accountant for the Xiang household, he was dragged out of a peaceful life and into Qu Boyong's revenge plot.
Tao Qian: A reliable young man recommended by Hu Qing, he was formerly sent to protect Ji Yantao and served as Kayla's bodyguard before that.
Zhao Chao: One of the men on Kayla's payroll, brought on by Hu Qing. He currently works as Kayla's bodyguard and recently saved her from an assassination attempt arranged by the Grand Duke.
Kuang: The Third Prince, who Kayla has decided to throw her support behind.
Consort Chen: Mother of Xianchun, she was poisoned and killed by the Grand Duke to clear the path for his niece, Consort Zhao. Consort Chen used to be a palace maid until the Emperor took interest in her.
Housekeeper Wang: The Grand Duke's loyal servant.
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Kayla gripped the scroll with shaking hands, suddenly terrified that she would accidentally damage it somehow. She placed it on the table, leaning over to look at it carefully.
The Imperial Princess wrote in katakana?! What the fuck?! Holy shit, did she know Japanese?
Kayla tried to draw on the rudimentary Japanese she’d picked up as an anime fan during her high school years.
I should’ve taken a Japanese class instead of Spanish. Is this read -wa or -hu? Fuck. Has katakana even been invented yet?! Probably not, or Wei Guang would recognize it, he handled diplomats from Japan before, didn’t he? That means I can’t even find someone from Japan to ask.
She grabbed a piece of paper and began scribbling down all the characters she could remember, writing their pronunciations beneath. Going between the scroll and the page, she slowly began to fill in the blanks, scrounging through her brain to piece together the full set. Kayla scribbled down the characters’ pronunciations as she read through the scroll at a snail’s pace, trying to figure out just what the hell this was trying to say.
I don’t know enough phrases in Japanese to deal with this, Kayla wanted to bash her head in against the desk. If worse came to worst, she could go hound a traveler from Japan to figure out what it meant so long as she had the pronunciation. Even after ten minutes, she had only managed to read the phonetic pronunciation of a single line. Yi-to-ha-su-bi-nu-a-ro-nn-ta-i-mu-shi-nn-su-ai-ha-fu-bi-nu-ri-bo-nn-i-nn-chu-u-go-ku.
Kayla blinked at the transcription in confusion.
“The fuck? What is this supposed to mean?!”
Squinting at it in confusion, she mumbled the characters aloud as she traced her finger along.
“Is this Japanglish?!”
It has been a long time since I have been reborn in Chuugoku.
Kayla reread the sentence. A long time since she had been reborn? What the hell is that supposed to mean?!
Kayla closed her eyes, leaning back and taking several deep breaths. She vaguely remembered that Chuugoku was the Japanese phrase for China, but it had been in use for at least a few centuries, and it was hard to pin down a time period from that. However, the fact that Kayla could understand the English being used meant the Imperial Princess definitely was from a time period closer to the modern era.
Kayla pinched at the bridge of her nose, continuing down the scroll. After another agonizing hour or so, she had finally deciphered the first two pages, being left with more questions than she had answers.
Just how many times has this woman been reborn?!
Both of the scrolls were from when the Imperial Princess was only six years old, but one thing was clear. The Imperial Princess’ mental age was at least several centuries old, and she had been reborn multiple times in different eras and different countries. It wasn’t the Imperial Princess’ first time being reincarnated in Ancient China, but Kayla couldn’t tell just how many times it had happened before. Evidently, it was the princess’s first time in this particular era.
Lady Lin and Wei Guang said there were multiple worlds, was the Princess continuously reincarnating in this world, or was she jumping around?
Kayla took a deep breath and let out a sigh, staring at the papers with bleary eyes. She didn’t have enough time to go through the stack of scrolls, not at the moment. The priority was moving forward with Xianchun and Qu Boyong. Negotiations were coming up, and while Qu Boyong was already in her debt, she needed to drag Xianchun down as well.
And all that with the coup…I can only hope it doesn’t come to that. Kayla could feel a headache coming along.
There was a brusque knock and the window swung open. Kayla hastily flipped over the paper with her scribblings. It was a subconscious movement since no one could speak English anyways.
“Hu Qing,” Kayla greeted him as he flipped in, “How are things going? I didn’t think I’d see you for the next few days.”
“Things are going well, my lord. Or, as well as one can expect. Did you know that Fifth Uncle of yours has seven mistresses?” Hu Qing said gleefully.
“Seven?! Why does he need so many? That is so unnecessary! He already has four concubines,” Kayla complained.
“That’s what the men thought as well, it seems that at least two of the mistresses have been discarded by now. Not sure if they’ve found a new man yet, but one of them seems to be raising a child by herself,” Hu Qing replied. “Anyways, most of your uncles really get around. Your male cousins too.”
“Good grief, I should’ve expected this,” Kayla groaned. She felt her headache intensify. Had those people also died when the Zhao clan was exterminated? Kayla didn’t know and had no one to ask now that Lady Lin was dead.
“Overall, we’re through with everyone on the list, and now we’re just combing through the affiliated persons and people hired off the book,” Hu Qing summarized. “It shouldn’t take much longer, we’ll probably be finished by tomorrow or the day after.”
“That’s fast,” Kayla said in surprise.
“They’re not exactly subtle,” Hu Qing pointed out.
“That’s fair. You’ve done well, I’ll make sure to give you and the men a bonus,” Kayla promised.
Hu Qing grinned. “That’s exactly what we want to hear. Speaking of, the men have been getting curious about the plaque in the safe house. Do you want me to move it somewhere else?”
“They’re curious about it?” Kayla frowned slightly. “I didn’t think it would seem so strange.”
Hu Qing shrugged. “What can I say? They love gossip. And they haven’t had too many chances to meet with you either, so of course they’d be curious.”
Kayla let out an exasperated sigh. “If you think that’s for the best, then go ahead and move it. But where to?”
“I’ll just move it into the study space and limit access,” Hu Qing replied. “It’ll stir them up even more for a few days, but out of sight, out of mind. If it disappears for long enough, they’ll stop chattering about it.”
“Alright then. I’ll leave it to you,” Kayla agreed. Hu Qing nodded. He fell silent for a moment, long enough for Kayla to glance at him inquisitively. Hu Qing’s brows were knitted together, an uncharacteristically troubled look on his face.
“Is something the matter?” Kayla asked cautiously.
“Nothing,” Hu Qing said immediately. After a moment, he let out a frustrated sigh. “This is ridiculous. I had my mind made up before I got here, but now I’m indecisive again.”
“It’s fine, just take your time,” Kayla said.
“Forget it.”
Kayla frowned. “Are you sure?”
Hu Qing hesitated, crossing his arms. He started to speak before cutting himself off again. Kayla waited patiently, keeping her silence until Hu Qing gathered his thoughts again. It wasn’t like Hu Qing to be so reticent. A shred of worry began to worm its way into Kayla’s mind.
“That matter from before, I’m willing to try it.”
Kayla blinked in surprise at Hu Qing’s sudden statement.
“You mean…” Kayla leaned forward in anticipation.
Hu Qing nodded. “Becoming the lord of the Liang household, I’ll do it.”
Kayla stood up, making her way over to clap Hu Qing on the shoulder.
“You have no idea how glad I am to hear that!” Kayla said in relief. “But are you sure?”
Better to have him back down now rather than resent me later.
Hu Qing let out a sigh. “I’m sure. I wasn’t interested before, but that plaque changed my mind.”
“That plaque? The one for my friend?” Kayla asked in surprise.
“Exactly. I used to think I wasn’t afraid to die. Sometimes I even had fun seeing how far I could go and still come back from death’s door, and my brother never really stopped me either. But even with everything I’ve done for him, he would never place my plaque in the family shrine. He probably wouldn’t use my real name either. In fact, I doubt that he would even make me a plaque in the first place,” Hu Qing said, his voice taking on a note of bitterness.
“I’m sorry,” Kayla said sincerely. “You deserve better than that.”
Hu Qing scoffed, shaking his head. “I’ve done what he wanted, for his sake, but all of my efforts seem to flow away eastwards with the water. Thinking about it, you’re probably the only one who would consider burying me under my real name.”
“Of course I would.”
“I know, I trust you. It’s a good thing that I left the Liang household, wasn’t it? No one wants to die without even having someone to burn paper money for them,” Hu Qing said.
“I’d rather you didn’t die before me, but if you did, I’d just as gladly burn real money for you,” Kayla said. She had actually done that as a young child when burning offerings on the seventh day after her grandfather’s passing, not realizing that she was supposed to use the fake money they’d bought from the 99-cent store. Kayla’s mother had a massive fit, only realizing after Kayla had already tossed two twenty-dollar bills into the flames. Her mother had forced Kayla to dig through the apartment building’s trash for plastic bottles until she had enough to earn back the forty dollars, intending the impossible task to teach Kayla a lesson about valuing money. They had to stop an hour in because Kayla was crying too hard and the janitor threatened to call the cops.
Regardless, she wouldn’t mind burning actual money for Hu Qing if that was what the theatrical man wanted, in hopes that the promise itself would push back the day of parting.
“You’re serious?” Hu Qing said, laughing at her nod. “That’s ridiculous, they don’t even accept real money in the afterlife! How would you even burn the coins? It would just melt.”
“I could burn brocade,” Kayla offered jokingly. “But the point stands.”
Hu Qing guffawed, throwing his head back in mirth.
“That’s too dramatic, even by my standards,” he chuckled. “I’ll accept your good intentions though. If you don’t compare, you don’t take any damage. I used to think my brother treated me quite well, but now…well, before it was impossible for me to do anything, so I was satisfied and went about living a carefree life. But now there’s a chance, and the things I could have won’t stop bothering me. I don’t want to go to the Yellow Springs without having even lived under my real name.”
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Kayla nodded, listening attentively. It wasn’t like Hu Qing to say things like this, and it must have taken a great deal of effort for him to voice his deepest thoughts. She almost felt as though any additions she could possibly make would cheapen his determination. But Hu Qing glanced at her, waiting for a response.
“Indeed, hope can drive a man to madness,” Kayla murmured. “One does not fear solitude but rather inequality; one does not fear poverty but rather instability. But where there is injustice, there will be resistance. You deserve nothing less than your full birthright. So long as that is what you wish for, I will do everything within my power to help you attain it.”
“It can be done, right?” Hu Qing asked.
“Yes,” Kayla said confidently. “I believe that Minister Liang bribed one of Dong Shiqing’s former subordinates–once we investigate the Ministry of Revenue, that will also come to light.”
“Then he would be charged with a crime,” Hu Qing said, frowning with concern.
“If you don’t want to cause him harm, we can just change the records to make it one of your family members who has already passed away,” Kayla replied. “That might actually be even better–he would have to step down of his own volition, and in doing so, preserves both his reputation and enhances yours.”
Hu Qing hesitated before nodding. “Alright then.”
“Give me a name, and we’ll work off of that,” Kayla said.
Hu Qing thought it over for a while, scrounging for a suitable scapegoat.
“Liang Bailu,” he finally said. “He’s my Sixth Brother, he passed away about a year or two after my eighth brother became the head of household. He got a lung disease while on the run, from back when our clan was being persecuted, so he didn’t last for much longer afterward. He doesn’t have any children, his wife already died, and he didn’t have any concubines, so this won’t affect anyone.”
“Your eighth brother…that’s Minister Liang, right?” Kayla confirmed. At Hu Qing’s nod, she jotted down Liang Bailu’s name. “Got it, we’ll go with this.”
“Thank you,” Hu Qing replied.
“Not at all. But this won’t happen overnight, it’ll take a while before we get to this step,” Kayla told him.
“That’s fine, you still need to focus on dealing with the Seventh Prince and Qu Boyong, don’t you? Neither of them are easy opponents, and the Grand Duke certainly isn’t one either. If you let down your guard even a little, they’ll swallow you whole,” Hu Qing said.
Kayla nodded. “I know. But if you don’t enter the tiger’s den, how will you retrieve the tiger’s cub? I’m going back to the Zhao household tomorrow to set the stage properly. I need to turn a generational feud into a debt, so I can’t skimp on the details.”
“Ji Yantao’s already safe, so take Tao Qian with you. It’ll be too dangerous otherwise,” Hu Qing warned her.
Kayla gave him a nod. “I will.”
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The disbelieving looks from the household guards greeted Kayla as she re-entered the Zhao household. No one greeted her, and no one tried to stop her as she walked down the corridors at a relaxed pace, surrounded by the bodyguards that Hu Qing had insisted on.
Kayla didn’t bother heading towards her own rooms, walking straight towards the Grand Duke’s study. It was irrationally bold and consistent with the behavior of a man overwhelmed with grief and anger after learning of his parents’ unjust deaths. Though Kayla had already cleared out Xianchun’s spies, she had no doubt that he had more eyes and ears in the household. Kuang did as well, and the palace most certainly had quite a few. Sometimes, she even wondered if there were more spies than actual servants in the Zhao household.
Xianchun has to believe that I took a serious risk to get the information about Consort Chen’s murder. But for that to work, she needed conflict. Given the attempts on her life, the murder of Lady Lin, and the attack on Ji Yantao, Kayla had expected to be confronted upon reaching the Inner Quarters, but everyone continued to ignore her. The guards would stiffen and then step aside, staring into the distance with glassy eyes as they determinedly pretended Kayla and her bodyguards weren’t there.
What’s going on? Did the Grand Duke realize something? Kayla glanced around, forcing herself to keep her cool.
“Is there anything unusual?” Kayla asked Tao Qian quietly. He shook his head.
“Nothing, Minister.”
Kayla approached the study and glanced at the guards on either side of the door expectantly. Both of them acted as though they didn’t see her, even when Zhao Chao leaned in provocatively. Kayla reached for the door, but Tao Qian hastily grabbed her arm.
“There’s someone inside,” Tao Qian warned her.
Kayla nodded. “Of course, it’s rude of me not to announce myself,” she said calmly before knocking on the door. “Pardon the interruption, it’s Zhao Wenyuan.”
Tao Qian opened the door and stepped in ahead of her. Kayla entered after, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room. All the windows were closed and the curtains were drawn. Combined with the cloudy weather, the room was encompassed in shadows. In the center of the room, she could make out two familiar figures, that of the Grand Duke and Housekeeper Wang.
So they were waiting for me here, Kayla thought wryly.
“You unfilial brat, you still know to come back?”
The Grand Duke’s voice was much raspier than she remembered, but Kayla found herself instinctively stiffening regardless. Upon closer examination, the Grand Duke wasn’t sitting in his usual mahogany chair, but a wheelchair, with Housekeeper Wang standing behind him.
“This one humbly offers his greetings to you, grandfather,” Kayla replied, remaining safely behind Tao Qian. “I hope that you have been well.”
A sliver of rage emerged in the Grand Duke’s eyes before it was replaced with cold hatred.
“I’m surprised you dare to show your face before me,” the Grand Duke snarled. “But if you think you’ve gained the upper hand, then you’re deluding yourself.”
“There’s no point in exchanging threats at this point,” Kayla brusquely cut him off. “The end result will be decided by our abilities. No amount of arguing will change anything.”
The Grand Duke smiled without mirth, his eyes and teeth taking on a sickening glint in the darkness of the room.
“You refuse the toast to drink the penalty wine. If you had kept your place, you could’ve still met a good end,” the Grand Duke said ominously. “As they say, if the heavens impose calamities, you can still live. If you bring calamities upon yourself, there will be no path left to survival. You haven’t even written a single character yet, and yet you’re already thinking of how to frame the calligraphy. Youngsters really shouldn’t be too arrogant.”
“I’ll be careful then,” Kayla shot back. “Did you send assassins to kill me the night before last?”
“That’s slander. Have you broken neutrality?” The Grand Duke replied without a shred of hesitation.
“How ridiculous, I would never. Did you kill Consort Chen?”
The Grand Duke’s glare intensified but managed to keep his reaction under control.
“What need have I for meddling in the affairs of women? Thinking yourself too clever will only trip you up. Does the palace know of your nullification magic?”
Kayla carefully maintained her bland smile. “I don’t quite understand what you’re saying, grandfather. But I’m sure that the palace has a good grasp of what’s going on in this household, so I wouldn’t worry about it. How did you murder my mother?”
“As you said, the palace has a good grasp on the affairs of this household. If there’s something they should know, then they surely know it. You shouldn’t waste your time on such things,” the Grand Duke said coldly.
Kayla nodded slowly. “Of course not, thank you for your advice, grandfather. Then I’ll return to my own rooms and stop disturbing you.”
“You’re quite confident for a fool waltzing in the wolves’ den,” the Grand Duke said in a low voice.
“That would only apply if there were wolves present,” Kayla shot back. “And unless you’re calling yourself one, I don’t see any reason to be worried just yet.”
“Get out!” The Grand Duke finally lost his temper, slamming his hand onto the desk. Kayla bowed her head slightly and obeyed, leaving the study without another word.
Tao Qian and the other bodyguards silently followed Kayla back to her own rooms, which were now covered in dust. Tao Qian and Zhao Chao entered with her, the others remaining in the corridor. Zhao Chao patted the dust off a chair and gestured for Kayla to sit.
“Thank you,” she said, activating a privacy talisman before turning to Tao Qian. “So, what did you think?”
Tao Qian straightened. “The airflow in the room doesn’t match its structure, and the floor doesn’t sound right given its material. It’s just as you suspected, Minister. There’s probably a secret room in there, but you wouldn’t know it unless you knew what you were looking for.”
“So it’s under the floor?” Kayla asked in surprise.
“I believe so. Given the layout of the house, there isn’t space for a secret room unless it’s underground,” Tao Qian replied.
Damn, that makes things more difficult. Thinking back to the shitshow that set the Grand Duke’s study on fire, most of the scrolls should have been damaged, if not outright destroyed. And yet the Zhao household hadn’t begun taking Plan B measures to consolidate their control over the faction even with the loss of compromising evidence, which could only mean that the study wasn’t where the evidence was being kept.
The novel had clearly stated that Liu Boyue found the evidence of Consort Chen’s murder in the Grand Duke’s study, but not where in the study. It was why Kayla had asked Tao Qian to enter the study with her, ignoring all norms of propriety.
So it’s underground…
“I had hoped that suddenly barging in would startle him into trying to move or destroy the evidence, and then we would have an opportunity to act. But rather than throwing a brick to find the location of the jade, I’ve only turned a trick into a mistake,” Kayla said thoughtfully. “Well, no matter. I don’t actually need the evidence just yet.”
“Minister, if you want to make him bring out the evidence himself, then there is a way,” Zhao Chao said.
“Let’s hear it,” Kayla replied.
“If it’s meant to be secret, it’s definitely encrypted, isn’t it?” Zhao Chao pointed out. “Then, if you could nullify the magic on the scrolls, he’ll be forced to re-encrypt them.”
“No, security would be too tight. It would be impossible to make a move during such a window of time,” Tao Qian said.
“It’s alright. As I said, I don’t need this evidence right now. I’ve more or less confirmed everything I need to know, with you two present as witnesses. Tao Qian, I’d like you to make another attempt to enter the study–you don’t even need to be subtle, just make a show out of trying,” Kayla said. “If you use a ruse, you have to follow the complete act. My goal is to show all the eyes on us that I’ve tried and succeeded, in gaining key information. That’s the point of this entire trip.”
“I understand, Minister. But you should prepare to leave before I go, or there may be danger,” Tao Qian replied.
“I will. Would you be alright?” Kayla asked.
“I’ll be fine,” Tao Qian said firmly. “Don’t worry, Minister. I definitely won’t let you down.”
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Cultural Notes
Katakana: A Japanese syllabary developed in the 9th century, about a century after Kayla's current time period. Many katakana characters may be difficult to differentiate for beginners, for example, this character フ is read hu. This character ワ is read wa.
Japanglish: The Japanese version of localized/pidgin English. Other counterparts include Singlish (Singaporean English) and Chinglish (Variation 1: Anglicized Chinese-Long time no see; no can do; good good study day day up; you see see you one day day only know sleep sleep sleep no know study. Variation 2: Combining English words into nonexistent phrases or replacing some Chinese words with English and vice-verse.) Japanglish is popularly noted for the vowels added after every consonant in pronunciation. For example, Mcdonald's becomes Makudonarudo.
Chuugoku: The Japanese term for China, believed to have been in use from as early as the 13th century.
眼不见为净/Not seeing is cleaner: The Chinese equivalent of out of sight, out of mind.
Family shrines: Members of the family who have passed away usually had their names/plaques in the family shrine in Ancient China, but illegitimate children and concubines often wouldn't be given plaques, especially in later dynasties after people became more conservative (looking at you Song Dynasty).
没有对比就没有伤害/Without comparison there is no damage: A popular Chinese saying in modern China, often in reference to growing wealth inequalities. However, similar phrases have been used throughout history.
烧纸钱/Burning paper money: In Chinese folk tradition, burning paper money is considered a way of giving your deceased loved ones money to spend in the afterlife, as a way of continuing to care for them even after they've passed on. In earlier dynasties, before there was paper currency, paper money was made in the shape of coins or folded into the shape of gold ingots. Nowadays, paper money is made in the shape of paper bills, and in many Chinese immigrant circles, localized currencies are also available. They can be found in Chinese supermarkets, and also in 99-cent stores, another small business popular among first-generation immigrants.
Below, from left to right paper Chinese dollars (I believe this was recently banned because some people got a little too good at making them look realistic) and paper American dollars:
[https://img2.baidu.com/it/u=4226428012,2427928346&fm=253&fmt=auto&app=138&f=JPEG?w=500&h=320] [https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fpic3.zhimg.com%2F70%2Fv2-a521a6606e72b51755583f7287a6c0ee_b.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=59be3aeb3e71aca28e49e4f4daf6b26f98347a2e47933aa4d0e76b56d9670a36&ipo=images]
头七/First Seven Days [After passing away]: A folk tradition that is heavily influenced by Buddhism, in which the spirit of the deceased is believed to be somewhat in limbo for the first 49 days after death, during which you should commit good deeds in the deceased's name to improve their karma. In folk tradition, the seventh day after someone passes away is believed to be the day on which they return home to see their loved ones, and is often when people will burn paper money. Traditions vary by locality, and some people will offer wine while others prohibit it, and so on so forth.
付之东流/Flow east along with the waters: An Ancient Chinese proverb meaning that all your efforts are for naught, that everything disappears as though carried downstream by the rivers. It stems from the line of a Tang Dynasty poem, "世事尽付东流水/Everything floats away with the east-flowing waters". Since China's geography has a higher sea level in the West that gets lower as you approach the ocean, most major rivers that cross the country tend to flow eastwards into the sea.
Brocade as a form of storing wealth: Since the Tang Dynasty did not have paper money yet, brocade became a convenient form of informal currency due to how highly prized it was, and because it was relatively easier to transport compared to heavy loads of coins.
不患寡而患不均，不患贫而患不安/Not afraid of solitude but of inequality, not afraid of poverty but of instability: A quote by the Confucian philosopher Mencius, from the pre-Qin era. Mencius was well-known for taking kings to task on behalf of the people.
黄泉/Yellow Springs: A term for death in Ancient China. It is believed to have been formed from the yellow waters that people encountered when digging underground in regions where the soil was naturally a shade of dark yellow.
哪里有压迫哪里就有反抗/Wherever there is oppression, there is resistance: A quote from Mao’s Little Red Book, though Kayla has never read it, like a good number of second-gen immigrants whose parents grew up during the decades before and during the Cultural Revolution (and would have been required to memorize the whole thing), she would be familiar with some of the most famous sayings, though she might not even know where it’s from.
敬酒不吃吃罚酒/Refuse the toast to drink the penalty wine: An Ancient Chinese saying meaning to refuse the face that someone is giving you and seek humiliation instead.
天作孽犹可活自作孽不可存/If the heavens bestow calamities, you can still live; if you bring calamity upon yourself, you cannot survive: An Ancient Chinese proverb meaning that humans are often the ones who screw themselves over the most. You still have a chance of surviving a natural disaster, but you're much less likely to crawl your way out of the grave you've dug for yourself.
聪明反被聪明误/Cleverness will be tripped up by cleverness: A Chinese saying meaning that being overconfident or overthinking something through your own cleverness is likely to come back and bite you in the end. For example, you overthink a simple task you were given by your boss and do something he never asked for–in the end you get yelled at for not doing your work properly.
抛砖引玉/Tossing a brick to discover jade: An Ancient Chinese proverb meaning to use something of lesser quality to draw out something with better quality. However, it can generally be meant to lure out what you want–for example, pretending you have evidence so that the criminal panics and goes to check if his evidence is still hidden, so if you follow him, you’ll find where the actual evidence is.
弄巧成拙/Trying to be clever and making a foolish blunder: An Ancient Chinese proverb meaning to try and fail to make a clever move, and instead trip yourself up.