Character Index
Qu Boyong/Xiang Daozong: Son of General Xiang and the Princess of Chu, he is seeking revenge against the Grand Duke.
Chujiao/Jing Shuyou: Maternal cousin of Qu Boyong and the former serving girl of Wenyuan. Kayla made use of Chujiao's romantic feelings for Wenyuan to take her hostage against Qu Boyong.
Zhou Xianchun: The Seventh Prince. His mother was Consort Chen, who was rather well-liked by the Emperor before the Grand Duke murdered her.
An Haoyang: A former Imperial Investigator and Qu Boyong's retainer.
Ji Yantao: Former accountant of the Xiang household, he was dragged into Qu Boyong's revenge plot against his will.
Tao Qian: Kayla's bodyguard, recommended by Hu Qing.
Zhao Chao: Kayla's bodyguard, recommended by Hu Qing.
Housekeeper Wang: The Grand Duke's loyal servant.
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Qu Boyong moved through the shadows of the trees, carefully keeping himself out of sight. His movements were timed to be exactly consistent with the swaying of the trees, which disguised the sound of his leaps. He was following another man, carefully covering his own movements so as not to be discovered by his target.
Qu Boyong was almost certain that he was about to find Chujiao’s location–Zhao Wenyuan’s new hires were unexpectedly careful, and Qu Boyong had never successfully tailed one of them to a destination, always being thrown off one way or another. And yet, if a move is made, an opening will appear. The increasing frequency at which Zhao Wenyuan’s men moved about the city finally gave him an opportunity.
He needed to get Chujiao out of Wenyuan's control before negotiations began with the Seventh Prince. Qu Boyong's hands were tied with Chujiao being held as a hostage, and even if he asked Xianchun to intervene, Zhao Wenyuan would likely reveal their relationship and claim that Chujiao willingly remained with him.
There's absolutely no way I can let that happen, Qu Boyong seethed silently, his blood boiling at the thought of it. If Zhao Wenyuan so much as said the words, the Seventh Prince would accept that Chujiao was Wenyuan’s woman. If Xianchun was stupid enough, he might even try to arrange a match between the two, which would all but ascertain that Chujiao would live her entire life as a concubine.
Zhao Wenyuan, you underhanded bastard…I’ll see how long you can keep Chujiao hidden. I’ll never allow her to suffer such an indignity, not while I’m still alive and breathing!
Even if Wenyuan didn’t have an upcoming political marriage that could only relegate Chujiao to concubinage, it made Qu Boyong grind his teeth to think about a union between their houses. With all the blood that had been spilled, it was unfilial to even consider such a thing.
The man he was following had stopped, and Qu Boyong hastily stilled as well. The man glanced around for a few moments before nodding to himself, satisfied that he was not being followed. Qu Boyong followed as the man began moving again. He stopped again as the man flipped over a wall and into the courtyard of a small household.
Qu Boyong cautiously peered into the courtyard and its surrounding streets, a sheen of cold sweat beginning to form on his forehead.
Just how thorough is that Zhao bastard? On one hand, the security made it impossible to make a move. On the other hand, the level of security all but confirmed that Chujiao was definitely here. Qu Boyong bit the inside of his cheek as he took in the situation. The courtyard itself looked perfectly normal, located in a residential neighborhood. And yet, there were at least five of Wenyuan’s men inside and around the courtyard. There appeared to be a sixth man circling the rooftops in a wide loop, still a good distance away from Qu Boyong.
How can I get her out like this? Just as he was thinking of her, Chujiao came into his line of sight to greet one of the men, who had wandered into the courtyard to hand her a basket of what was probably food. Qu Boyong could vaguely smell the fragrance of roasted sesame seeds as the wind blew in his direction. To his relief, Chujiao seemed to be in good health, and good spirits as well.
Qu Boyong quietly backed away before someone could notice him, retreating to a safe distance to consider how he could possibly whisk Chujiao away under the eyes of at least six skilled individuals. Taking them head-on wasn’t an option, but sneaking around them was unlikely to work either.
He’s much more prepared than before, Qu Boyong grimly thought to himself. He was pulled out of his brainstorming by his communication talisman.
Qu Boyong glanced down at the message from An Haoyang, rearing back as his plans took a second blow.
“Ji Yantao was attacked by the Grand Duke’s men.” The message had evidently been written in a hurry, with several characters written incorrectly.
Damn it! It’s sure to pour when your roof is leaking, you’re sure to meet a headwind when your boat is already late, everything’s going wrong recently! Cursing under his breath, Qu Boyong turned away from the courtyard and left, leaving a gust of wind in his wake.
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Kayla glanced up as Tao Qian landed with a thud on the roof of the moving carriage. She opened the window, and then thinking better of it, thoughtfully opened the door for him. In a swift movement that would put trained acrobats to shame and also broke at least three different traffic safety regulations, Tao Qian flipped into the carriage and closed the door just as they began to turn a corner.
“Are you alright?” Kayla asked. Tao Qian bowed his head slightly.
“Thank you for your concern, Minister. This one is fine. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find the entrance to the Grand Duke’s secret vault before I was discovered and made to leave,” he replied.
“I’m impressed you even managed to get into the study with how things are inside the household right now,” Kayla said. “They weren’t too rough with you, were they?”
“No, Your Grace. They didn’t seem upset at all, in fact, they seemed a little smug,” Tao Qian replied. “The ones who escorted me were dressed like normal guards, but they were unusually skilled. I believe they were the Grand Duke’s private assassins. I suspect they know of the secret vault, and knew that I wouldn’t be able to find it.”
“Interesting,” Kayla muttered thoughtfully. She glanced back to Tao Qian and softened her expression. “You’ve done well, this much is enough for my needs. I’ll be heading over to the Seventh Prince’s residence, so I’ll be troubling you to accompany me again.”
Tao Qian nodded. “As you wish, Minister. Will I be going in with you?”
“No, just wait on standby. It’s best if you stay hidden unless needed. If worse comes to worst, I’ll need your help to get out.”
Since Kayla hadn’t returned to the Zhao household in a while now, any eyes and ears Xianchun had would’ve reported the incident at the first opportunity. At this point, she had no doubt that he already knew of the trip, making her next steps that much easier.
Kayla’s communication device made an almost-silent buzzing sound inside her robes, and she hastily checked it.
“Guard duty suspects the location of the young lady has been exposed, transfer to a safe house has been completed.”
Kayla frowned, making to reply. Chujiao’s location was exposed this quickly? I thought we had been rather careful.
She sent back a message. “Do you have confirmation whether it was Qu Boyong? Which safe house are you taking her to?”
Deep inside her mind, she rankled against the idea of Chujiao inside the safe house Kayla frequented. She didn’t want Chujiao to see the plaque for Wenyuan. Part of it was fear of a woman’s sixth sense, and part of it was simply finding it too cruel for Chujiao to see the plaque and yet not realize who it was for. Kayla didn’t know whether it would be too cruel for Wenyuan or for Chujiao, or perhaps for herself, the only person who knew the truth behind it.
The instantaneous reply put her fears to rest.
“The secondary safe house outside the Fabric District. We have yet to substantiate our suspicions, but it was most likely Qu Boyong who breached our wards.”
Kayla tucked the communication device away with a sigh of relief. A few moments later, the carriage pulled to a stop before the Seventh Prince’s household. Tao Qian remained in the carriage at a blind spot where he couldn’t be seen from the door, and Kayla got out and headed straight to the gates. Zhao Chao followed two paces behind.
“Minister Zhao,” the doorman hastily greeted her, seeming a little surprised at the unexpected visit.
“Is His Highness in?” Kayla demanded in an urgent voice.
“He is, Your Grace. Please come this way,” the doorman bowed his head slightly and led her in. One of the guards hastily jogged in ahead of them to announce Kayla’s arrival to Xianchun, while Kayla was led to and deposited in a sitting room, with Zhao Chao escorted to a different waiting room for guards. Before she could even be offered a cup of tea, the steward came to ask Kayla to head over to the study.
Strangely, even though she was essentially holding a live bomb, Kayla felt no apprehension. There wasn’t the sensation of drowning in anxiety with no driftwood in sight, only a heaviness in her bones.
If it works, it works. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t.
Kayla stepped into the study.
“I humbly greet His Highness the Seventh Prince.”
“Wenyuan, I wasn’t expecting you today,” Xianchun greeted her. “But it’s good that you’re here, I wanted to talk with you about Qu Boyong.”
Kayla bowed her head to hide her awkward expression, delaying it just long enough for Xianchun to catch sight of her face.
“That is…gladly, my prince.”
Xianchun paused for a moment, a frown flickering briefly over his face.
“Look at me, jumping into another topic so quickly. Before we speak about that, was there something you needed?” Xianchun asked.
Kayla hesitated and lowered her gaze further, nervously clenching her hands into the sleeves of her robes. Xianchun did not miss the movements, and he furrowed his brow again.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
“What is it? You trusted me before, why do you now swallow your words?” Xianchun demanded.
“It is just… well…earlier, I went back to the Zhao household,” Kayla admitted reluctantly.
Xianchun pressed his lips together to keep his expression from showing that he knew.
“Isn’t that quite dangerous?” Xianchun asked reprovingly.
Kayla lowered her head sheepishly. “Yes, but if you don’t enter the tiger’s den, how can you retrieve the tiger’s cub? I thought that I should at least try to get something out of the Grand Duke, or I wouldn’t be able to face my parents.”
“Wouldn’t that just be beating the grass and startling the snakes?” Xianchun chided her. “You really ought to be more careful. Did you get anything?”
Kayla hastily broke eye contact, avoiding his inquisitive gaze.
“I confirmed that my parent’s deaths were his doing,” she said quietly. “And also…”
“Go on,” Xianchun prompted.
“He let it slip that…that Consort Chen…” Kayla trailed off, her voice steadily getting softer. Before she could react, Xianchun had shot to his feet and closed the distance between them, clutching her collar in a vice grip.
“My mother?! What about her?!” Xianchun shook Kayla forcefully. She stammered for a bit, and Xianchun shook her with even more force, eliciting a wince. "Spit it out!"
“He…he didn’t say anything specific! I couldn’t get any evidence either. He only implied it,” Kayla said in a pleading tone, holding up her hands. Xianchun’s grip only tightened. The wild hatred in his eyes was frighteningly familiar.
“What did he imply?” Xianchun grit out.
Kayla gulped nervously. “That…Consort Chen’s death was…was his doing,” she said in a small voice. Xianchun let go of her with a shoving motion, and Kayla stumbled backward. She steadied herself against a chair, glancing up just in time as Xianchun grabbed his sword from the wall, unsheathing it in a single fluid movement.
“My prince!” Kayla cried out in alarm. Xianchun was shaking with rage, his knuckles white on the hilt of the sword.
“That mongrel! See if I don’t hack him into eight pieces!” Xianchun roared. He whirled around and headed for the door.
Ah, shit. Kayla rushed forward to block his path, cautiously taking a step back as she glanced at his sword.
“My prince, don’t be hasty!” Kayla pleaded.
“Move!” Xianchun snarled.
“Please, we don’t have evidence yet! If you act so rashly, it’ll only backfire upon you!”
“Move! What evidence?! Am I meant to sit and stew here in silence while my mother’s killer walks free?!”
Kayla flinched back at Xianchun’s bared teeth but held her hands up placatingly.
It’s fine, right? Even if I can’t stop him, Liu Boyue will intercede….right?
“I’ll find it! I swear that I will! And once I do, I will not only stay out of your way but actively assist you in butchering him if that’s what you wish to do. But please don’t act impulsively! Not only will you be likely to fail, but this’ll spin out of your control. Without evidence, this’ll only be used against you!”
Xianchun’s glare intensified as Kayla spoke.
“Enough of your blabbering! Move!”
Kayla hastily scrambled for the right words. Xianchun lost patience and shoved her aside with one hand. Kayla crashed to the ground, and Xianchun stepped over her towards the door.
Fuck, why the hell does he have to be so ridiculously strong?! Stop working out, damn it!
“Wait!” Kayla hastily grabbed onto his robes. “Stop it! Just think about it for a second, even if you can kill the Grand Duke like this, it’ll only be seen as murdering a veteran official who has served the court for three generations!”
“I don’t have the time to care about that right now!”
“You must! Not only will your mother not receive justice, but you’ll also be eliminated from the competition for the throne!”
Xianchun hesitated for a moment before his eyes narrowed with steely determination.
“It’ll be worth it if that’s the price of revenge,” he snarled. Kayla scrambled to her feet, using Xianchun’s robes to pull herself up. She latched onto Xianchun’s free arm with a death grip.
“What are you saying?! Are you willing to give up on everything just like this?” Kayla said in disbelief.
“I said to get out of the way!” Xianchun shouted, throwing Kayla off. She dashed forward to block the door.
“A mother gains prestige through her son–where will you leave Consort Chen if you’re charged with murder?!”
“Fuck off, you bastard! You don’t understand shit!” Xianchun’s vision went red. The sight of Kayla determinedly blocking the door further added fuel to the fire, and his mind went blank with rage. He grabbed an inkstone off the desk next to him and flung it at Kayla. She ducked too late to avoid it completely, and it struck her on the forehead.
Pain flooded her senses before blending into a rushing heat that filled her head. Kayla stumbled and caught her balance on the doorframe, her vision flashing with spots of light. The inkstone had struck her head harder than she'd expected. Kayla's ears rang with a high-pitched noise, and she had the strange but not unfamiliar sensation of being distant from the world around her as though she was underwater. There was blood dripping down her face, much more than she expected, and Kayla had to squeeze her right eye shut to avoid getting blood in.
Xianchun had stilled. Shock, concern, and regret mixed on his face before he hastily smoothed over his expression.
Calm down, head wounds bleed a lot, Kayla assured herself. The worst thing I can do right now is panic or lash out–the more you respond according to Xianchun’s expectations, the more he can justify himself out of feeling guilty. Wasn’t that what he was like in Lady Lin’s visions?
She forcibly pulled herself together, hiding a wince to bow slightly toward Xianchun.
“My prince, I’m sorry for disobeying your commands. It’s an unforgivable crime on my part. Yet if I allow you to act emotionally, then the consequences are unthinkable. For a great man to take revenge, ten years is not too late. One moment’s impulsiveness will result in a lifetime of regret, please reconsider!” Kayla said earnestly. She ignored the blood on her face altogether, acting as though Xianchun’s future was more important to her than her own health.
Xianchun’s face flickered with guilt. His temper had died down, quenched by the unexpected bloodshed. He was wavering, but far from convinced.
“Please believe in me, my prince. My trip was not without its fruits. I have confirmed that the Grand Duke conceals crucial evidence in an underground vault–to know your enemy is the most crucial step in a battle, is it not? My own parents died by his hand, and I have no intention of letting him off the hook. The Grand Duke will most certainly die in humiliation and agony, but the time is not right yet,” Kayla pressed on, striking the iron while it was hot.
At the mention of Wenyuan's parents, Xianchun breathed in sharply, glancing aside. After a moment, he let out a sigh.
“Curse the heavens! I can finally confirm that my mother was murdered by him, and yet I can’t take revenge,” Xianchun spat the words out with resentment.
“Believe me, I understand that bone-scraping frustration,” Kayla softly replied. “But we must treasure the precious lives that our mothers suffered to give us, and plan before we act.”
Xianchun stewed in anger for a moment longer before sheathing his sword. He set it back upon its rack with a loud clang and turned to face Kayla reluctantly.
“Sit down, you need a healer,” he said gruffly. Kayla bowed her head slightly.
“Thank you for your concern, my prince.” Kayla picked up the inkstone from the ground and wiped the blood off with her sleeve before setting it back in its original position on Xianchun’s desk. Xianchun watched with an expression of discomfort. Kayla was covering up the tracks of Xianchun’s tantrum to save him face, and he knew it. More importantly, Kayla needed to sharpen whatever flickers of guilt Xianchun felt. She sat down close to the door, prepared to block Xianchun should his temper suddenly flare up again.
Xianchun glanced at the inkstone uneasily before calling over a servant to send for the healer. Once they were alone again, Xianchun stepped closer with an awkward expression.
“I didn’t expect the inkstone to hit,” he said stiffly.
“I understand, my prince. It’s perfectly normal for people to let out their anger in private,” Kayla agreed. “It was my fault for reacting so slowly.”
Xianchun’s discomfort seemed to increase.
“The underground vault, where is it?” He asked, changing the topic.
“Under the Grand Duke’s study,” Kayla replied. “My servant couldn’t find the entrance, and I didn’t get a chance to look.”
“No need, if it’s underground, we can just blast right through,” Xianchun said.
“There may be wards that would cause the vault to self-destruct if accessed by force,” Kayla pointed out.
Xianchun furrowed his brow. “Can’t we torture it out of the Housekeeper then?”
“I don’t know,” Kayla said. “Given his loyalty to the Grand Duke…he might commit suicide before we can even get hold of him.”
“Damn it!” Xianchun hissed. He began to pace the room with forceful strides before stopping abruptly.
"Could we nullify the wards somehow?" Kayla prompted.
“That's right! I have a nullification talisman from grandmother,” Xianchun said in realization. “Couldn’t we just make use of that?”
“Please wait, my prince. You shouldn’t use it on such a thing, what will you do if you need it later? Grandmother meant for you to use it in self-defense,” Kayla protested.
“Don’t be ridiculous! This is much more important!”
“How about this? You can use mine,” Kayla offered. “I also received one from grandmother, but I have much less need of it than you do.”
Xianchun frowned. “If it’s for self-defense, you’re the one who needs it the most,” he said bluntly.
“As you said, this is much more important,” Kayla replied. “Third Cousin and Fifth Cousin haven’t used theirs yet. I can’t sit by and let you put yourself at a disadvantage because of that old codger. I’ll just be more careful in my daily life. Let’s use mine.”
I don’t need one anyways. Piling on the favors is much more important, so long as I'm the reason he was able to take revenge, he won't be able to rear back and bite me for it.
“Alright then,” Xianchun said, his tone softer than before. “Thank you, Wenyuan.”
Kayla bowed her head humbly. “Not at all, my prince. This is only what I should do.”
Jackpot.
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Cultural Notes
有行动就会有破绽/When you make a move, there will be an opening: A Chinese saying meaning that nothing can be done perfectly, there will always be mistakes or openings to take advantage of, so sometimes it's best not to act at all.
屋漏偏逢连夜雨，船迟又遇打头风/When the roof leaks it rains all night, when the boat is running late there will be a headwind: An Ancient Chinese couplet meaning that everything that can go wrong will go wrong, all at once.
女人的直觉/第六感/Women's intuition/sixth sense: I believe there is a Western equivalent of this as well, but a common Chinese trope that has been used for centuries is that women have abnormally sharp intuitions/sixth senses, especially when it comes to the men in their life. For example, a common trope is that whatever the male lead doesn't want the female lead to know, she will definitely find out in a laughably short amount of time, regardless of how well he hides it. One of the best examples is Nirvana in Fire, where the male lead underwent full-body plastic surgery to hide his identity and also underwent serious personality changes, but the female lead realized his true identity very quickly, almost entirely by instinct. The male lead's grandmother took even less time, recognizing him at first glance.
不入虎穴焉得虎子/If you do not enter the tiger's den, how will you retrieve the tiger's cub: An Ancient Chinese proverb that you cannot make gains without taking risks. Goes as far back as the Han Dynasty. As for why they need a tiger cub, they didn't write that down, and it's no longer common knowledge for most people.
打草惊蛇/Beating the grass and startling the snakes: An Ancient Chinese proverb meaning to tip off/scare off your opponents before you're ready to act.
大卸八块/Hack [you] into eight pieces: A Chinese saying that's been in use for at least two to three centuries. We no longer know exactly which eight pieces it originally refers to, but it basically means to dismember someone into pieces.
三朝老臣/Old official who has served three generations [of Emperors]: A category of officials in Ancient China who were both skilled and lucky, and most importantly, long-lived (unless the Emperors were just ridiculously short-lived for that stretch). Having served the court for so long makes them hard to kill without making the Emperor look bad, unless they have pretty sound evidence.
母凭子贵/Mothers gain prestige through their sons: An Ancient Chinese saying that has two meanings, that a woman in a polygamous marriage would increase her position by having a son, and that a woman's position improves when her son achieves great things.
君子报仇十年不晚/A great man's revenge is not late even if it takes ten years: An Ancient Chinese proverb meaning that one should bide their time and seek the right opportunity to serve vengeance.
知己知彼/Know thyself know thy enemy: An Ancient Chinese proverb stemming from Sun Tzu's Art of War.
刻骨铭心/Carve onto one's bones and heart: An Ancient Chinese proverb to express the intensity/depth of one's emotions (usually after learning a lesson the hard way or after a bad experience, but can also be used for romance, especially ill-fated loves).
Filial Piety as protecting your health/body: It was considered unfilial to cut your hair in Ancient China because your body is given to you by your parents, and therefore it would be ungrateful to damage it in any way. Similarly, it was considered unfilial to self-harm, commit suicide, or throw yourself in harm's way.