Character Index
Yan'er: A young prostitute who helped Hu Qing hide from the Grand Duke's assassins.
Hu Qing/Liang Hongfei: Kayla's retainer who loves drama, he is also the rightful heir to the Liang household and has resolved to retake his position.
Zhao Chao: One of Kayla's employees and bodyguards.
Li You: One of Kayla's employees and bodyguards.
Wei Guang: The Imperial Edict Bearer and Kayla's godfather. He was responsible for the coup that placed the current Emperor on the throne.
Ji Yantao: Formerly an accountant for the Xiang clan, he was dragged into Qu Boyong's revenge plot and subsequently into Kayla's contrivings.
Tao Qian: One of Kayla's employees who sometimes serves as her bodyguard, being constantly moved around to where he is needed most.
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Hu Qing jolted awake as someone nudged him in the ribs with their foot. He winced, blinking away the bleariness in his eyes as he propped himself up on his elbows. Yan’er stared down at him owlishly.
“It’s morning,” Yan’er announced. Hu Qing squinted at her.
“It’s not even bright out yet,” Hu Qing pointed out.
“The morning market’s opening, are you going or not? I’m not sneaking you out any later–the madam will kill me if she finds out!” Yan’er said.
“Alright, alright. Let’s go then,” Hu Qing assured her. She flung a robe at him.
“Put this on and wipe your face a bit, you look terrible,” Yan’er said. “I was worried you would die in your sleep.”
“As if I would,” Hu Qing replied. He wiped his face with the wet towel Yan’er handed him, ignoring her look of distaste as he handed the towel back. Hu Qing glanced at the robe curiously as he put it on–it seemed to be the clothing of a merchant, and a large one at that, given its width. It sagged unseemingly on Hu Qing’s frame, completely obscuring his figure. He accepted the ugly and mishappen hat that Yan’er gave him before following the girl out of the room. Yan’er tiptoed down the hallway with exaggerated motions before grabbing Hu Qing and yanking him out the door, speeding up as they wound through the alleyways.
“Where are we going? This isn’t the right way,” Hu Qing said.
“What are you, a walking map? I know what I’m doing!” Yan’er shot back. She clambered over a series of large pickling jars in between two people’s houses, treating the narrow space as though it were a public alleyway. Shaking his head in exasperation, Hu Qing followed her as the girl confidently barged through a series of laundry lines, not bothering to shake off Yan’er’s grip on his arm.
“It’s really the morning market,” Hu Qing said in surprise as they emerged into the square from a bunch of shrubberies.
“Of course it is! Like I said, I know what I’m doing!” Yan’er said indignantly.
“You’re incredible! Thank you, Yan’er. I’ll definitely repay you for this,” Hu Qing said.
Yan’er cast him a look of disbelief, reaching out to latch onto his arm with both hands as Hu Qing turned to enter the market. “Wait! You’re not just leaving like that! You promised to pay me!”
“I gave you all my money!” Hu Qing protested. “I know your name and where you live, I’ll come back to pay you later!”
“No! That’s what every man says before disappearing off the face of the earth! If you don’t have money, give me something as a deposit,” Yan’er demanded.
“Fair enough,” Hu Qing reached into his inner robes, fumbling for something to give Yan’er. After some hesitation, he handed her the bronze plaque that proved his employment to Wenyuan. “This is my work plaque, hang on to this for now, and I’ll come back to pay you back.”
Yan’er scrutinized the plaque a bit before nodding in satisfaction, letting go of his arm.
“Alright, you can go. Be careful not to die on your way back,” the girl said, waving as she stepped back. Hu Qing nodded.
“Don’t show that plaque to anyone, and keep quiet unless someone from the Ministry of Justice asks you. You’ll be safer that way,” Hu Qing warned her.
Yan’er nodded, and Hu Qing made to wave his goodbye, stopping short as he caught sight of the men loitering at the entrances and exits of the market.
Fuck, how many are there? Hu Qing glanced around, annoyance surging in his chest. There were at least a dozen fighters in plainclothes with weapons hidden in their robes at each exit.
There’s not much I can do with so many civilians around, and I’m not in a state to fight either. Yan’er seemed to sense Hu Qing’s mood becoming grimmer and quickly took a step back, turning to leave. Hu Qing hastily grabbed her by the arm.
“Yan’er, actually, can I ask you for another favor?”
Yan’er scrunched up her face. “No. I can tell it’s nothing good.”
“I just need you to take me to a different location through your little paths, it won’t be far and it won’t take long. I’ll give you fifty silver more!”
Yan’er shook her head furiously. “No! It’s dangerous, isn’t it?! I’ll be risking my head!”
Hu Qing sighed, his grip loosening. It was dangerous, and he wasn’t about to force the hand of someone who had saved his life.
“That’s true,” Hu Qing admitted.
“That's why fifty is too little! Pay me a hundred, at least a hundred!”
So it was about the money?
“You want money but not your life?” Hu Qing couldn’t help but say in disbelief.
“No money no life! Women in my line of work retire early, I’ve got decades' worth of money to save up for,” Yan’er shot back.
“Fine! A hundred it is, with extra if you take me through the shortcuts again.”
“Okay, but you can’t use my secret paths after this, or they won’t be secret anymore,” Yan’er agreed.
“Fine. Do you know the Wei household? I need you to take me there.”
“Hell no!” Yan’er shot back. “That and this are completely different! A market and all is fine, but that’s some fancy guy’s house! I'll get arrested if I so much as take an extra peek at it!”
“I’ll pay you a hundred fifty.”
“Fine, let’s go.” Yan’er grabbed Hu Qing’s hand and took off again through a web of leaves in the narrow space between two houses, flippantly stepping on someone’s wine jars.
“Don’t kick that bowl,” Yan’er warned him. Hu Qing carefully avoided the bowl of water on top of one of the jars.
“You know how to get there, right?” Hu Qing asked.
“Of course I do!” Yan’er shot back. “Just shut up and follow.” Shaking his head, Hu Qing complied.
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“Still no news?” Kayla asked as the door opened. Zhao Chao bowed his head apologetically.
“I’m sorry, Minister. We haven’t found any sign of him.”
Kayla let out a sigh for the umpteenth time. Fuck, where the hell did Hu Qing go? He’s not dead, right? No, there’s no way he would die…but he got injured fighting An Haoyang one on one before, would he be alright if he were outnumbered? Then again, I don’t know how strong the Grand Duke’s men are, if they were like the ones who attacked me before, then Hu Qing shouldn’t have too much trouble–he’s stronger than Zhao Chao and Li You, and they didn’t struggle much with those guys.
Kayla resisted the urge to groan. “How does this even happen? I go out for a few hours and my retainer’s gone off the face of the earth,” Kayla mumbled. She cleared her throat and turned back towards Zhao Chao. “Sorry, what did you want to say again?”
“There’s a summons from the palace, Your Grace. His Majesty the Emperor wishes to speak with you,” Zhao Chao said.
“Right now?” Kayla straightened. Had she been going to Xianchun’s house too frequently, enough to warrant an emergency summons in the early morning?
“No, at the hour of Si.”
So around nine o’clock…but what for?
“Did they say what for?” Kayla asked.
“It’s about your marriage.” Wei Guang’s voice rang out.
Zhao Chao hastily stepped aside, bowing. Wei Guang entered the room, waving off Kayla’s greetings. Zhao Chao quietly left, closing the door behind him.
“Good morning, godfather. I hope you had a good rest,” Kayla said politely.
“I did, but it doesn’t seem like you got any rest,” Wei Guang replied, glancing at Kayla’s countenance. “You must value that retainer of yours a lot, you weren’t even so frazzled when it came to attempts on your own life.”
Kayla awkwardly dipped her head. “It’s easier for me to deal with danger than with uncertainty at this point,” she replied.
“It’s most likely the Grand Duke’s doing,” Wei Guang said. “But lucky men will have the blessings of the heavens. If he’s not meant to die, he won’t. In any case, you should be focusing on your own battleground. Did the three of you not agree to act tomorrow night? That means the two days are crucial. This meeting with the Emperor is nothing to make light of either.”
“I understand, godfather. Please be assured that I won’t let this affect my performance,” Kayla replied. “You said that this meeting was about my marriage?”
“Indeed. It’s also crucial that you don’t arouse any suspicion from the Emperor and Empress Dowager–both will want to speak to you, and the Empress Dowager will most certainly prod at you to see what she can find out. If she asks about your meetings with the Seventh Prince and your visit back to the Zhao household, you can’t make her feel even a sliver of suspicion. The easiest way to do that is to let her think that you do have something to hide, and let her think she’s figured out what it is,” Wei Guang said. “That way, her self-confidence will inevitably cause her to loosen her guard.”
“Then what do you recommend?” Kayla asked.
“The palace must have already heard about the attempt on Ji Yantao’s life–if she presses you, pretend to let it slip that you tampered with the Ministry of Justice’s case so that you could use it against the Grand Duke. Create a weakness for her to grab onto so she doesn’t latch onto the real opening.”
“I understand. Thank you, godfather,” Kayla bowed her head slightly.
“And one other thing–after you leave the Empress Dowager’s palace, open this package and follow the instructions inside. That will be both your alibi and your excuse,” Wei Guang said.
Kayla withheld a frown as she accepted the sachet he handed over, a lieu of questions popping into her mind.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“May I ask what you mean by that?”
“It might be better if you didn’t know–the less you know, the more effective it will be,” Wei Guang said with finality. Sensing that it was useless to ask any further, Kayla gave in. Wei Guang’s fate was tied to her own, and he, more so than anyone else, understood the necessity of “Zhao Wenyuan”’s continued existence to the point of entrusting her with a potential palace coup.
He benefits much more from my survival than my death, I can at least trust him on that point.
“I…understand, godfather. Thank you.”
Wei Guang nodded, his voice heavy as he spoke. “The path is long and the burden is heavy, Wenyuan. Don’t forget that.”
Kayla couldn’t tell whether Wei Guang was referring to Hu Qing’s disappearance or the upcoming coup, or perhaps both, but she knew better than to ask any further. She silently bowed her head as Wei Guang left the room.
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“Here we are,” Yan’er announced as they reached the backdoor of the Wei household, emerging from a narrow alleyway that was filled almost entirely with discarded furniture and broken jars, covered in shadows by overgrown branches from seeds brought there by the birds. Hu Qing hadn’t even realized it was an alleyway despite being in the area for a while, which wasn’t unreasonable given how unusable it was for everyone except stray cats and the young prostitute before him.
“You’re incredible,” Hu Qing said in amazement. Yan’er tilted her chin up proudly.
“Of course I am! Now pay me. 150 hundred silver in full,” Yan’er demanded. Hu Qing grinned at her.
“Sure thing, just hold on one moment.” He raised a hand in greeting as Tao Qian dropped down from the rooftop, eliciting a squeak of surprise from Yan’er, whose first instinct was to kick at his face. Tao Qian avoided it, turning his attention to Hu Qing.
“You’re back!” Tao Qian said in relief. “We were looking all over for you!”
“So were the Grand Duke’s assassins. The only reason I managed to hide out safely until morning was because of this girl,” Hu Qing waved at Yan’er. He glanced at the girl, who had her hands clamped over her ears.
“I can’t hear anything,” she loudly proclaimed. "Stop talking about important things in front of me, I don't want to know the details of anything you're involved in."
“Don’t worry, since you’ve helped me, I’ll ensure your safety,” Hu Qing promised her. Yan’er dropped her hands, shooting him a glare.
“Just pay me,” she said petulantly. “I still have to go back to the brothel.”
“Tao Qian, could you pay her 150 silver?” Hu Qing asked.
Tao Qian raised an eyebrow. “It seems the young miss is good at bargaining.”
“Indeed,” Hu Qing said pleasantly. “Yan’er, I’m really grateful to you. If there’s anything you need from now on, feel free to contact me–” Hu Qing patted at his robes, remembering that his communication talismans had been destroyed during the fight. He gave Tao Qian an expectant look. The man dutifully took out a communication talisman and handed it over.
“Feel free to contact me with this,” Hu Qing finished his sentence, passing the talisman to Yan’er.
Yan’er nodded, handing him back his bronze plaque of identification, and Hu Qing gave her one last smile before entering the household.
He was greeted almost immediately by Zhao Chao, whose relief was practically written on his face.
“That glad to see me back?” Hu Qing teased him.
“We were worried, you bastard,” Zhao Chao said in fond exasperation. “Are you hurt?”
“Not too badly,” Hu Qing answered as Zhao Chao trundled him down the corridors toward Wenyuan’s rooms.
“Good, the Minister was frantic,” Zhao Chao said. “He hasn’t slept all night, hurry up and go report your return to him.”
Hu Qing nodded sheepishly, touched and guilty at the same time. So he really did throw a fit, Hu Qing thought to himself, knocking on Wenyuan’s door. The action was unfamiliar to him since Wenyuan had always indulged Hu Qing’s lack of etiquette to the point where Hu Qing barely ever used a door, much less knocked on one.
“My lord, it’s Hu Qing,” Hu Qing said, opening the door and stepping inside. Wenyuan whirled towards him. The Zhao heir had stopped mid-stride from pacing the room, and Hu Qing couldn’t help but feel like a child who had been caught sneaking back at midnight.
“Hu Qing! Are you alright?!” Wenyuan demanded.
“I’m fine,” Hu Qing replied.
“I can smell the blood from here,” Wenyuan said. It wasn’t true in the slightest, Hu Qing was professional enough to mask the stench of blood when trying to keep his cover, but Wenyuan’s guess was on the mark. Hu Qing’s wounds weren’t serious but they had been left untreated all night.
“Sit down! I’m calling a healer,” Wenyuan said, pointing at the sofa.
“I don’t need one,” Hu Qing protested as he removed his outer robe and sprawled onto the sofa lazily. “Just give me some healing talismans.”
Wenyuan handed him a stack of talismans and a cup of water.
He really was worried, Hu Qing noted as he caught sight of the dark circles under Wenyuan’s eyes. Zhao Chao wasn’t kidding when he said Wenyuan didn’t sleep all night.
“You’re spacing out,” Wenyuan said with a frown. “Are you sure you’re alright? How do you feel?”
“I’m fine,” Hu Qing assured him.
“What happened? If you’re tired, you can tell me later. Just let me know if there’s something I need to take care of immediately,” Wenyuan said.
“I need to pay a prostitute a hundred fifty silver from our funds,” Hu Qing immediately replied. “I know it’s not within the usual range of reimbursement, but Yan’er hid me for the night and brought me back here, so I owe her money.”
Wenyuan nodded, accepting it without further question. He listened attentively as Hu Qing gave a brief summary of the events.
“Since this Yan’er has helped you, it’ll be dangerous to leave her there. How about buying up her contract and hiring her?” Wenyuan offered.
“That’s a good idea,” Hu Qing replied. “She’s a bit of a fierce one though.”
“That’s not a problem. In any case, I’m glad you made it out alright,” Wenyuan said. “Rest up for now, I’ll handle the rest.” He stood up, straightening his robes.
“Be careful, my lord. The Grand Duke’s serious about killing you, he doesn’t even care about maintaining appearances anymore,” Hu Qing warned him. “Even if you’re already planning to strike, you’ll still be at a disadvantage if he strikes first.”
“I know, I’ll be careful,” Wenyuan said. “But since the Grand Duke’s in such high spirits, it would be rude of me to hold back.”
Hu Qing smirked at the steely edge of anger in Wenyuan’s voice. “Of course.”
“If you think of anything else you need to take care of, just tell Li You. Save your energy,” Wenyuan added on.
“Got it. Did everything go well with Qu Boyong?” Hu Qing couldn’t resist asking.
Wenyuan nodded. “As well as I could expect, I guess. We’re making our move tomorrow night. I have a meeting with the Emperor that I need to get to, and then I’ll be heading back here. Let’s talk about the details then.”
The palace? Hu Qing felt his instincts prickle at the information.
“A meeting with the Emperor?”
“And the Empress Dowager. Now that you’re back, I can go without any further worries. It seems my marriage has been decided, and since it’s a state affair, there’s certain to be a lot to prepare for,” Wenyuan explained. “Uncle and grandmother will have plenty to talk about, though hopefully it won’t take too long.”
He stopped at the door, giving Hu Qing a smile. “Then I’ll be off.”
Hu Qing sat up properly, an inexplicable sinking feeling in his stomach.
“Be careful,” Hu Qing said again. “I have a strange feeling about this. Take Tao Qian with you and make sure the security’s tight enough–there’s not a single person in the Grand Duke’s payroll that you could win a fight against.”
“I will,” Wenyuan replied. “Don’t worry and just rest up.”
He left, closing the door behind him.
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The Empress Dowager frowned as the Imperial Investigator kneeling before her finished his report.
“The Grand Duke and Wenyuan are just openly fighting now! What are you lot doing, allowing them to clash in the streets like this? Even if they don’t care about losing face, I do!” She snapped.
“I beg your forgiveness, Your Highness.”
The Empress Dowager waved off his apology, her eyes narrowing in thought.
“Your Highness, Minister Zhao has been meeting repeatedly with the Seventh Prince over the last few days and even had another confrontation with the Grand Duke. Shouldn’t we interfere a little? He’s acting out on his own a bit too much for someone representing the palace, isn’t he?” The Imperial Investigator asked cautiously.
The Empress Dowager leveled him with a cold look. “This is why you couldn’t become a Senior Investigator even though I’ve shown you so much favor, Investigator Qi. Why would I interfere while Dong Shiqing and the Grand Duke are still like nails in my eyes and thorns in my flesh? I’ll give him a small warning, but there’s no reason that I, or anyone else for that matter, should be restraining his movements at this point.”
Investigator Qi gulped nervously, lowering his head. “I-I apologize for my foolishness, Your Highness.”
“That’s not to say, however, that you shouldn’t begin an investigation covertly,” the Empress Dowager continued. “I have no intention of raising a tiger to become a threat–wherever possible, such a thing should be nipped in the bud. Once Wenyuan’s fulfilled his duties, there’s no need for him to become an official who has served the throne for two generations.”
Investigator Qi nodded slowly, half-comprehending her meaning and half-befuddled. Sensing his confusion, the Empress Dowager let out a soft huff.
“There was a young prostitute who helped Wenyuan’s retainer, wasn’t there? See what you can get from her,” the Empress Dowager ordered.
“Understood!” Investigator Qi bowed his head.
“You can go now.”
Investigator Qi bowed again and took his leave. The Empress Dowager heaved a sigh of exasperation.
“What a fool he is,” her serving lady commented. “Your Highness, why not change him out for someone quicker on the uptake?”
“The ambitious ones aren’t obedient, the obedient ones aren’t loyal,” the Empress Dowager said darkly. “Aren’t Wenyuan and Investigator Qi the best illustrations of that?”
The serving lady gulped, stepping back with a small bow. She gestured for the serving maids and eunuchs to bring out some tea and snacks from the side room in a bid to distract the Empress Dowager from her foul mood.
“We better be careful, the Empress Dowager’s in a bad mood,” the head serving maid whispered to her coworkers. They all nodded, save for a sweating eunuch who was blanking out in the corner. One of the serving maids nudged him, and he gave a start of fright.
“What are you doing?” she hissed at him.
He dabbed the sweat off his face, shaking his head. “Nothing, sorry.” She frowned at his dark eye circles and sweaty countenance.
“Get it together! The Empress Dowager’s in a bad mood,” she said. “Hopefully she’ll cheer up a bit once Minister Zhao comes to appease her.”
The eunuch gave a shaky chuckle, tucking his handkerchief away.
“I doubt it,” he muttered.
“What?”
“Nothing.” The eunuch moved forward to take a tray, scuttling out to serve the Empress Dowager her morning tea.
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Cultural Notes
酸菜坛/Pickling jar: Traditionally, pickling jars were rather huge. In the countryside, there would be enough space to place them, but in the crowded city, people would be forced to find other storage options, such as placing them in the alleyway or the courtyard. For size and shape, see this image for reference:
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酒坛/Wine jar: Similar to pickling jars, these were also quite huge. There were, of course, smaller ones, but the larger ones were often for rice wine/yellow wine and not the super high-quality ones. However, they were different in shape from pickling jars, and often had the character for wine on the jar, as seen below:
[https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fpic.ntimg.cn%2Ffile%2F20160615%2F22847175_114857808001_2.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=55a3ae3ff0bb61ee20773b76e7bdbbb84fcc61ec663f0629aa912ef5e074dfe0&ipo=images]
Placing a bowl of water: Sometimes used to adjust the fengshui of a place or as an anti-burglary tool. Fengshui refers to the ancient Chinese practice of arranging objects, buildings, and even landscaping in order to achieve harmony with the natural world and thus improve your luck/quality of life. It was born from folk wisdom regarding the natural environment and how to maximize your living space, but it also incorporated various geomancy practices and beliefs.
100 Silver: So how much was 100 silver in the Tang Dynasty? At the peak of the Tang Dynasty, 1 silver was equal to about 2000 (aka 293 to 586 USD). So 100 silver would be 200,000 RMB, aka 29302.40 USD (compare this to Kayla's yearly salary of approximately 1,016,000 RMB or 158,880 USD a year), hence why Yan'er accepted without a second thought. Wenyuan has a deep wallet, since he had little reason to spend any of his own money and also has an inheritance from his parents (separate from the Zhao household's finances), so Hu Qing didn't even hesitate to offer this much. On the other hand, Yan'er would be earning enough to buy out her contract and to purchase some land and housing of her own, and still have enough savings to live off of, so she wouldn't refuse such an offer no matter what.. However, one should also note that going to an upscale brothel cost and buying drinks there could cost at least 20 silver, and staying the night would cost even more, depending on how in demand the courtesan was. In other words, you needed some savings to have the ability to make connections over drinks. And of course, the thriving Silk Road economy would have increased both the level of prosperity in the capital and the prices in the capital, thus why there are examples of leading scholars having to save up for 30 years to pay off the initial payment for a house in the city.
巳时/Hour of Si: Refers to the two-hour period from approximately 7:00 am to 9:00 am in traditional Chinese timekeeping.
吉人自有天相/Lucky men have their own blessings from the heavens: An Ancient Chinese idiom meaning that everyone has their own fate, and that if you're meant to be lucky, you will be protected by the heavens no matter how dangerous things get.
任重而道远/The burden is heavy and the path is long: A quote from Confucius' student Zengzi, "士不可以不弘毅，任重而道远。仁以为己任，不亦重乎？死而后已，不亦远乎？/A great man cannot fail in being broad-hearted and resilient, for his burden is heavy and his path is far. To take kindness/humaneness as one's responsibility, is that not a heavy burden? To not stop until one's death, is that not far?" It refers to the broad-hearted ambitions and sense of responsibility that an ideal person should have.
要钱不要命/Want money [but] not want [your] life: A Chinese saying that refers to someone valuing money over their own life.
莫得钱莫得命/No money no life: A somewhat more rustic/extremely colloquial way of replying to the above.
他们不怕丢脸我怕/[He/She/They're] not afraid of losing face but I am: A Chinese saying often used to express one's frustration and indignation, especially in regards to the shameless behavior of someone related/associated with them.
眼中钉肉中刺/Nail in one's eye thorn in one's flesh: An Ancient Chinese proverb referring to a thorn in your side.
养虎为患/Raising a tiger to become a threat: An Ancient Chinese proverb meaning to create a threat to oneself, often in reference to raising someone to power purposefully or inadvertently, or for the surviving son/child/sibling of an enemy.
两朝功臣/Official of merit for two generations of Emperors: An Ancient Chinese term for someone who served the throne during the reign of two consecutive Emperors and wasn't deposed in the process. Relatively easy to achieve for someone younger who entered the court while the Emperor is getting on in his years.