Character Index
Feng Yi: A merchant Kayla hired to sell communication devices in the provinces at ridiculously cheap prices, for the express purpose of stirring up a mess so the Court of Judicial Review can step in. Feng Yi, however, does not know the true purpose of his trip and is taken aback when there is an attempt to burn his stock.
Shu Ling: One of Kayla's employees, she was sent to chaperone and guard Feng Yi.
Su Clan: The influential local clan in Jiangxia Commandery, with several members of the clan serving as officials in court in a relatively impoverished region.
Lady Lin: A blind divinator who worked with Wenyuan's mother and assisted in creating the soul magic for Kayla's transmigration.
Imperial Princess: Wenyuan's mother and a magical researcher, she has been reincarnated multiple times.
Wei Guang: The Imperial Edict Bearer and Kayla's godfather, he was also the teacher of the previous generation of the Imperial Family and responsible for the coup that put the current Emperor on the throne.
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Feng Yi seethed as he ran a hand over the charred wood of the wagons. The abrupt fire had been put out before too much damage had been done, but a good number of communication devices had been destroyed nonetheless.
“Sabotage,” he hissed venomously. “This is definitely sabotage!” He turned towards the guard who had been on duty last night but withheld his admonishments at the guilt-stricken look on the guard’s face.
“Did anyone catch sight of the arsonist?” Feng Yi asked instead.
“There were two men with their faces covered when I caught sight of them, but they got away before I could get a better look,” the guard said in a small voice.
Feng Yi heaved a sigh in frustration. He glanced at Shu Ling, expecting the woman to coolly announce that the area was no longer safe and that they needed to leave right away, but she said nothing.
“Please step back!” One of the guards took a half-step in front of Feng Yi as the others jolted to attention. Feng Yi peered over the burly man’s shoulder in confusion, paling as he saw a group of thugs armed with axes and sticks. There were at least a dozen of them, accompanied by the local county magistrate and a man in jarringly fine clothes that stood out starkly from the poverty around them. A few soldiers from the local commandery were also present, standing at the back with their spears.
“What the–soldiers? What the hell is this?!” Feng Yi asked uneasily.
“Please get back,” Shu Ling said calmly. “This could get ugly.”
The thugs stopped a small distance away, evaluating the strength of Feng Yi’s guards. They seemed to find themselves at the advantage and stepped closer with smug grins.
“Are you the pieces of trash selling communication devices?” One of the thugs demanded.
“It’s no business of yours,” Shu Ling said coldly.
The thug peered into the wagon and scoffed. “Well, the answer’s self-evident, isn’t it? Which clan do you serve?”
“None.” Shu Ling replied.
“Which Ministry are you associated with?”
“None.”
“Which official are you related to?”
“None.”
The thug let out a scoff in disbelief. “You have no backing and yet you dare to be so insolent on the Su clan’s territory?! How dare you sell these without Sir Su's permission?! Don’t you know that his sons are high-ranking officials in the capital?!”
Feng Yi made to protest but was promptly hushed by the rest of his group.
“We’ve never heard of any law that requires us to seek his permission,” Shu Ling said, her voice still as flat as it had been at the start, even as the thugs were growing increasingly worked up.
“Ha! You bitch, you’ve got some guts to talk back to me like this!” The thug lifted his weapon threateningly and glanced back, not looking towards the magistrate but at the man in fine robes, who gave a small nod.
“Alright, men! Let’s smash this shit!” The thug shouted. His men gave a rowdy roar of malicious glee and promptly began smashing up the wagon.
“Wait, stop! What are you doing?!” Feng Yi cried in protest, moving to step forward. Shu Ling very firmly clamped down on his shoulder and began dragging him away, the other guards cautiously forming a protective circle around them as they retreated. They stopped a short distance away, near the post where the horses were tied. None of the thugs approached them yet, focusing instead on destroying the wagons and the devices.
“No! Stop! You bastards, what the hell are you doing?!”
Feng Yi rushed forward but was stopped by the sturdy arms of one of his guards.
“Let go of me! Can’t you see they’re destroying our stock?!” Feng Yi cried out.
“You can’t go over there, sir! It’s too dangerous!”
“Damn it, can’t you do anything to stop them?!” Feng Yi flailed about, unable to break out of his guard’s grip.
“We were instructed to prioritize your safety, not that of the merchandise,” Shu Ling said bluntly. “We need to leave before they try to stop us.”
“But the devices!”
“They don’t matter,” Shu Ling said.
“How can you say that?! Just one of those things is worth a family’s food and rent for half a year!” Feng Yi protested.
Shu Ling shook her head. “We can procure more, but we can’t risk your safety,” she said firmly.
“Damn it! A communication device is like a lifeline for the families here, but they’re just destroying it without a second thought,” Feng Yi spat out the words, hatefully glaring at the men smashing up the stock.
“It’s precisely because it’s a lifeline that they’re doing this,” Shu Ling said. “If you understand, then you should know that they won’t let us off so easily–we need to leave, and we’ll do so regardless of your wishes. Guys, get ready to move!”
“Let go of me!” Feng Yi cried out as the guard holding him pulled him along. The man from the Su clan caught sight of Feng Yi being manhandled out of the way and gave a condescending smirk.
Feng Yi’s temper exploded and he began to struggle with renewed fervor.
“These fucking bastards! They have no respect for the law!” He shouted.
“Please calm down!” The guard holding him pleaded. Behind Feng Yi’s back, Shu Ling gave the guard a silent nod. The guard gave a minuscule nod in response.
“I curse your ancestors to the eighth generation! They’re the bastards the ancients talked about when they said that a man who steals a pendant is sentenced to death, but a man who steals from the country becomes a noble!” Feng Yi shouted at the top of his lungs. Out of his line of sight, Shu Ling gave a brief smile of satisfaction.
“You goddamn trash! What the hell did you just say to my lord?!” One of the goons stepped towards them, raising his voice in anger.
“You’re the fucking trash!”
“Who the fuck do you think you’re cursing at?!” The goon threatened him. “My lord’s from the prestigious Su clan–”
“Who else would I be cursing?! You parasites are the ones who are ruining this dynasty!” Feng Yi shot back. The guard holding him lowered Feng Yi to the ground but didn’t loosen his grip. “What prestigious Su clan?! He’s nothing but scum!”
The Su clan member’s face darkened and he turned towards the magistrate, softly speaking a few words. The magistrate nodded and gestured at the soldiers.
“Arrest this bastard! Not only did he sell merchandise illegally, he dared to curse the dynasty! This is slander against the court!” The magistrate shouted.
“All my paperwork’s in order, you corrupt piece of–” Feng Yi was quickly cut off by a guard clamping a hand over his mouth.
Shu Ling stepped forward as the soldiers approached, tilting her chin up as she took out Wenyuan’s seal and letter from her robes.
“Make the call,” she ordered over her shoulder to one of the guards as she walked forward.
“Stop where you are! We bear the seal and letters of Zhao Wenyuan, Minister Zhao of the Court of Judicial Review. Anyone who dares to lay a hand on this man will have committed the same crime as laying a hand on Minister Zhao himself,” Shu Ling announced, holding up the talisman. Her voice wasn’t loud, but it carried far. The thugs didn’t recognize either the name or the seal and began to laugh mockingly, jeering at Shu Ling and Feng Yi. But the soldier who appeared to be in charge frowned, stopping as he caught a better look at the seal.
“To look upon his seal is to look upon his personage, any disrespect will be duly reported and punished,” Shu Ling warned. One of the younger soldiers scoffed and tried to step forward past his commander, but was stopped by a steel grip on his arm.
“Wait, I’ve heard of that man…isn’t Minister Zhao the Emperor’s nephew?” The commander said uneasily.
“This is just a scam!” The younger soldier protested.
“Exactly! What on earth are you all dallying about for?!” The magistrate blustered.
“Look at the magic on this seal, who dares to deny that it’s from Minister Zhao himself?” Shu Ling asked coldly. “If you cannot even recognize such a thing, then you should not be a soldier in the first place. And let me ask you this, since you seem to be so reluctant to comply: Whose position is higher, a Minister’s or a magistrate’s?!”
The commander grew even more hesitant at that.
“There’s no way Minister Zhao’s men would be all the way out here!” The Su clan member hissed. The magistrate nodded.
“That’s right! You little wench, I’ll be adding impersonation and fraud onto your crimes,” the magistrate said. Shu Ling gave a soft chuckle.
“So the local snakeheads really are as powerful as they say…even the court’s orders don’t have any effect these days?” She taunted.
“You–!”
The magistrate was cut off by an excited shout from one of Feng Yi’s guards.
“Shu Ling, the call connected!”
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Kayla sat contritely before the Empress Dowager. It had been a long morning after a long and sleepless night–the Emperor had been relatively easy to deal with. He just wanted to congratulate Kayla and offer her a bunch of advice about dealing with a wife, which Kayla knew better than to take at face value.
The Empress Dowager, on the other hand, was just as difficult to deal with as always, if not more so. After a lot of passive-aggressiveness and backhanded comments to express her displeasure towards Kayla’s recent actions, the Empress Dowager had taken an aggressive offensive and started interrogating Kayla about Ji Yantao. Kayla let slip just enough under the intensive questioning to let the Empress Dowager piece together a story about Kayla interfering in Ji Fangluo’s case to use it against the Grand Duke, which toed the line just enough to warrant a reprimand but not quite a punishment and furthermore satisfied the Empress Dowager’s suspicions.
Kayla lowered her head in a convincing act of shame before the Empress Dowager’s chastisement, offering apologies and self-remonstrations until the Empress Dowager felt satisfied. The old woman likely suspected that there was more to this than met the eye, but it was enough for now. By the time the Empress Dowager pressed the matter further, it would no longer matter. The Grand Duke would be dead, and Kayla’s presence would be all the more necessary in order to keep the vacuum of power from being filled entirely by the princes’ factions.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
“I truly have no words for expressing my remorse,” Kayla said.
The Empress Dowager leaned back with a sharp sigh.
“I’ll let it go this once since you had good intentions, but there won’t be a next time,” the Empress Dowager warned her. “I can’t protect you every time.”
“I understand! Thank you, grandmother!” Kayla bowed her head further.
The Empress Dowager’s anger faded, and she relaxed back into her chair. Kayla had given her the upper hand.
“You really must be more cautious in your actions, especially with your marriage approaching. As a husband, you’ll have more responsibilities to uphold, your youth will no longer be enough to excuse you,” the Empress Dowager said. Her tone was light, but from the sharp glint in her eyes, the warning was anything but. Kayla lowered her head slightly.
Once Kayla moved into her marital home with the Turkic Princess, there would be far more of the Empress Dowager’s eyes and ears around.
She’s not just spouting empty threats either, Kayla reminded herself. Don’t get cocky and leave an opening.
“I understand, grandmother. I will do my utmost to be worthy of your kindness,” Kayla said respectfully. “There are still many things that I am inexperienced in, I’ll be troubling grandmother for advice.”
“Your godfather would be better for those types of questions as someone who’s taken on the role of a husband and the head of household,” the Empress Dowager said.
So she’s still not done. Damn, this lady really holds a grudge, she’s almost on par with my mom.
“Godfather has experience as a husband, yes, but I wish to be more considerate of my wife’s feelings–not only will she be alone in a foreign land, but our marriage will also be a symbol of the spirit of cooperation between our two nations. It’s quite a heavy burden for both of us, and I would be grateful for your advice on how to make her feel more comfortable,” Kayla replied.
The Empress Dowager’s attitude softened.
“It’s good that you’re being considerate, but it wouldn’t do for you to be too soft-handed in the marriage. You can’t concede to your wife for everything,” the Empress Dowager gently admonished.
“Grandmother’s advice is wise,” Kayla replied, bowing her head.
“That being said, a young bride is often a lonely person, especially if she’s marrying a long distance from home. However, she’s certain to have some pride as well, which means she won’t be so open about the troubles she faces. You’ll have to be more attentive to her moods and be understanding and patient,” the Empress Dowager said.
“I’ll try my best,” Kayla replied.
The Empress Dowager let out a sigh, the last of her anger dissipating at Kayla’s compliant act.
“Don’t trouble yourself too much about it, where the water flows the canal will form,” the Empress Dowager assured her, gesturing towards a eunuch and two serving maids on standby. “Tell me, have you seen the portrait of your bride yet?”
“Was there one? I haven’t seen it yet,” Kayla asked in surprise.
“Goodness, your uncle must’ve forgotten. He was too busy imparting his advice and well wishes, wasn’t he?” She smiled in satisfaction at Kayla’s nod.
“Very well, bring my copy over,” the Empress Dowager ordered as the eunuch and serving maids brought over a tray of tea and snacks. They bowed politely, the serving maids scurrying off to retrieve the portrait. The eunuch finished pouring the tea and backed away again.
Kayla couldn’t help but glance at the eunuch a second time at the dark circles under his eyes. It wasn’t strange to see such a sight in the Zhao household or even the Wei household, but it was her first time seeing such a thing in the palace.
Did something happen in the palace last night? The others look fine though. Damn it, I really need someone in the palace as well, Kayla thought to herself as she drank the tea.
“Have something to eat,” the Empress Dowager added. Kayla smiled and obliged, taking a teacake. The serving maid from before returned with a portrait but stopped before unfurling it, glancing uneasily at the eunuch.
“What’s the matter?” Kayla asked. The serving maid bowed and hastily came over.
“Apologies, it just seems that Sir Lu isn’t feeling well,” the serving maid said.
“If he’s not feeling well, then have him go rest,” the Empress Dowager dismissed him with a wave of the hand. “Come now, show my grandson the portrait.”
Kayla couldn’t help but follow the eunuch with her eyes as the man stiffly made his way toward the exit. A discomforting sense of unease swirled up in her stomach. She hastily tore her gaze away and directed it towards the portrait.
The portrait was done in the typical style of the era, which meant it was far from realistic.
What am I even supposed to see from this? Why did they even bother making one?
“How beautiful,” Kayla said politely. “She looks like a lovely young woman.”
“Indeed! A talented groom and a beautiful bride, it’s the perfect match,” the Empress Dowager said in satisfaction.
How the hell can you tell she’s beautiful from that?!
“Thank you for your kind wishes, grandmother,” Kayla said, the mild discomfort from earlier intensifying as she spoke. She began to feel a little nauseous, the feeling reminiscent of the side effects of Lady Lin’s divination magic. The unease from before ballooned.
There was a sharp squeak from the other serving maid. Kayla’s gaze snapped to her, and then followed the woman’s line of sight to the exit where the eunuch had slumped over.
What the–is he dead? But how? The reason for her inexplicable unease suddenly became clear.
A cold shock ran through her body as Kayla realized what was happening.
Was it poison?! Here?! In the Empress Dowager’s palace?! It was a place with the strictest security in the country save for the Emperor’s personal dwelling. Fuck, the tea!
“Sir Lu!” The serving maid cried out in shock, rushing over to the fallen eunuch.
“Grandmother–” Kayla choked the word out as her throat began to close up. The Empress Dowager glanced over, her eyes narrowing as she saw Kayla’s expression.
Shit. It shouldn’t have even been possible for this to happen in this place, but somehow it had. The room was blurring. Kayla’s fight-or-flight instincts kicked in at the worst moment possible, and her knees gave in as she shot up from her seat.
“Minister!” One of the serving maids squeaked in alarm.
"Call a healer!" The Empress Dowager shouted. "There's been a poisoning!"
Are you fucking kidding me?! Right under the Empress Dowager’s nose?! Was she poisoned too? Her vision was filling with spots. Kayla grabbed at the table's surface like it was her lifeline, her nails scrabbling uselessly on the smooth wood. Am I really going to die here?
“Wenyuan!” The Empress Dowager cried out in a panicked voice.
This can’t be happening! Just one more day and I’d have succeeded!
To the credit of the Empress Dowager, an Imperial Healer arrived almost immediately and rushed over to haul Kayla onto the nearest couch. An entire retinue of serving maids and Imperial Guards swarmed into the room and the Empress Dowager was quickly escorted away within the span of minutes, though Kayla barely registered any of it.
“Please bear with this for a moment, Your Grace,” the healer said grimly as the magic took effect.
Bear with what? Kayla’s question was answered a second later when a strong sense of nausea overwhelmed her. She retched over the side of the couch, vomiting uncontrollably until Kayla was coughing out stomach acid.
Fuck I am going to fucking die–The panic made it even harder to catch her breath, and she was sure that she would choke and die no matter what happened next. Kayla couldn’t sense the healing magic doing much, which only added to an irrational fear that the magic just wasn’t doing anything at all. Just as Kayla was growing certain of her impending doom, her nausea faded away and the vomiting ceased.
The healer patted Kayla’s back and helped her to lie back on the couch.
“You’ll be alright, Minister. Please just bear with it for a moment,” the healer repeated his words from earlier, his tone much lighter than before. Despite the declaration, relief didn’t hit her quite yet.
“The Empress Dowager,” Kayla tried to say, the words coming out in a hoarse voice. The healer somehow managed to understand her.
“The Empress Dowager is fine,” he assured her.
“The eunuch,” Kayla pressed on.
“He passed away,” the healer said. “The Imperial Guards are investigating, but it’s very likely that he was the one who poisoned you.”
Kayla’s mind immediately went to the Grand Duke, her shock melting away into fury.
Not many people are capable of pulling off an assassination attempt right under the Empress Dowager’s nose…and if that eunuch was already dead by the time I started getting symptoms, he would’ve had to poison himself ahead of time. It was probably suicide and not murder, that would explain the dark eye circles. Then if that’s the case, it’s most likely–no, I’m almost certain that it’s the Grand Duke.
Kayla kept her face blank while the healer finished his work.
Fuck, I am going to tear that old bastard to shreds.
“Please drink this, Your Grace,” he urged, helping her to sit up. Kayla instinctively hesitated at the sight of the dark brown potion. Seeing her reluctance, the healer launched into a long explanation of its components. Not wanting to deal with the lecture, Kayla downed it in one go, withholding a wince at the bitter liquid.
“Thank you,” Kayla replied. Her throat had been healed, and she could now speak normally again.
“Not at all, Minister. I’m only fulfilling my duty.”
A senior serving lady approached, bowing her head respectfully.
“Your Grace, Healer Wu,” the lady greeted them. “Her Highness wishes to inquire as to the Minister’s condition.”
“Minister Zhao’s body has been purged of the poison, and the damage has been healed. There won’t be any lasting issues, though His Grace should take it easy and avoid stress for the next few days,” Healer Wu said.
Fat chance of that, I’ve got a coup tomorrow night.
“Your Grace, you’re very fortunate,” Healer Wu said, directing his attention towards Kayla again. “The poison was actually highly toxic and would have taken your life within minutes if not for the fact that your body appears to have some immunity towards it. If it had been another poison, you might not have been so lucky.”
“It seems that the heavens favor you,” the serving lady said with a smile.
“I have immunity towards the poison?” Kayla asked in confusion. The serving lady’s smile seemed to falter somewhat, and Kayla sensed that she shouldn’t say anything more before Healer Wu.
“It seems that I really was lucky then,” Kayla said, meeting the serving lady’s gaze. The lady’s eyes flickered away.
“Is grandmother alright? I hope she wasn’t too startled.” The lady relaxed a little as Kayla changed her line of questioning.
“Her Highness was rather shocked, but she’s alright. Once she knows of your recovery, I’m sure she’ll be able to put her worries to rest,” the serving lady said.
“Of course, please go ahead and convey that to her,” Kayla replied.
The serving lady bowed and took her leave. Healer Wu hovered a moment more before he was shuffled out of the way by an Imperial Guard. Kayla gave her account of what had happened and was politely escorted out of the Inner Palace by a different guard.
“Please get on the carriage, Minister Zhao,” the guard said politely, gesturing at the carriage right outside the Empress Dowager’s residence.
“I can’t ride a carriage within the Inner Palace,” Kayla protested. A eunuch scurried forward.
“This was arranged by Her Highness the Empress Dowager, please accept her goodwill,” the eunuch said.
“If that’s the case, then I’ll follow grandmother’s arrangements. Please convey my gratitude to her,” Kayla replied.
The carriage took off, Kayla uneasily settling into her seat. Even before the Imperial Princess’ death, the number of times Wenyuan had been permitted to ride a carriage or a horse within the Inner Palace could be counted on one hand.
Is it because I was poisoned in her sitting room? Or is it something else? Healer Wu said I had immunity to that poison, but Wenyuan has no memories of being poisoned–and the serving lady seemed to know something too, which means the Empress Dowager definitely knows as well. Is this out of guilt then?
Kayla shook her head, chasing away the thoughts. The unanswered questions could wait, getting rid of the Grand Duke was the major issue at hand, and the countdown had already begun. She remembered the package Wei Guang had given her and pulled it out. Wei Guang had repeatedly emphasized that Kayla needed to open the package before leaving the Inner Palace, continuing his nagging until the very last second before Kayla left.
She retrieved the package from her robes. Though Wei Guang called it a package, it was really just a small piece of paper wrapped around an even smaller sachet.
The inside of the wrapping paper contained a message in Wei Guang’s handwriting.
“Take the contents of the sachet and destroy this note.”
Kayla frowned at the cryptic message, glancing suspiciously at the small sachet of powder beneath the note. She wasn’t exactly eager to down a suspicious substance right after being poisoned. Moving onto the next line, Kayla’s frown deepened.
“This is your alibi and your excuse.”
Kayla hesitated for a moment longer. They were almost out of the Inner Palace now, and she didn’t have much longer to deliberate.
My alibi and my excuse…he said that before as well. But what the hell is this supposed to be? Since it was powder, then her best guess was that it was something that would get her misdiagnosed as bedridden and act as a smokescreen for the palace and the Grand Duke. If that’s the case then this might be the best option. If I can get them to let their guard down, it’ll be much easier for me to act.
Kayla took a deep breath and hastily poured the contents of the sachet into her mouth. It was tasteless and melted away without any grittiness on her tongue. She took out a small inkpad from her robes and completely blotted out the note before she tore it into shreds and folded the pieces into the sachet, tucking both into the innermost pocket of her robes.
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Cultural Notes
江夏郡/Jiangxia Commandery: A Tang Dynasty administrative unit located in modern-day Hubei, one of the nine commanderies that composed the administrative unit of 荆州/Jingzhou.
窃钩者诛窃国者诸侯/A man who steals a pendant is executed, a man who steals from the country is made a noble: A quote from the Taoist classic Zhuang'Zi/Chuang Tzi (depending on the romanization), it is often used to condemn inequality and injustice. There is some debate about whether the "pendant" actually means a hook (a farming tool), a jade pendant, or just anything of value, but there is little question as to what was meant by stealing from the country.
诽谤朝廷/Slandering the court: A serious crime in Ancient China, it could end your career or even get you thrown into jail.
水到渠成/When the water flows [over] the canal will form: An Ancient Chinese proverb meaning that everything will come together when you need it to, essentially that what will happen will happen.
Ancient Chinese portraits: The art style differed greatly from the realism in classical European art, and tended to use simple lines that focused more on capturing the essence rather than the form. As someone who grew up with color photographs, Kayla would have had a lot of trouble imagining what someone looked like based off their portrait. For example, take a look at this picture of a Tang Dynasty maiden:
[https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fd.ifengimg.com%2Fw650_h360%2Fp3.ifengimg.com%2Fa%2F2017_24%2F23dd2d7fe736134_size128_w687_h430.jpeg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=e7316072fcfb902ae35ae240b8c422a517950c94f67fc3715930030866f44af0&ipo=images]
郎才女貌/The groom is talented and the bride is beautiful: An Ancient Chinese saying still in use today, it's often used to praise a couple as being well-suited for each other.