“Were you on your way to meet my father?” Xianchun asked. Kayla bowed slightly.

“That’s right, my prince.” Please don’t join me please don’t join me please don’t-

“I’ll join you then,” Xianchun replied. “Let’s walk together.” Kayla looked at him nervously, trying to assess the prince’s mood. She had expected him to be angry, but the prince didn’t seem to be radiating the same intense fury she’d grown used to.

“Yu Bianfu is currently under house arrest,” Xianchun said after a short silence. “Does this satisfy you?”

“I doubt she’ll be there long, but honestly? Yes,” Kayla replied. “Grandmother is more likely to place importance on people whose faults have already been tempered, so General Yu probably won’t be suffering for this in the long run anyway.” Xianchun let out a sharp breath.

“A maternal grandson like you has a better understanding of Grandmother than me,” Xianchun said, a faint note of bitterness in his voice. “I’m sure you know best.”

“I won’t lie though, I didn’t think the Dowager would be that angry,” Kayla admitted. “But I won’t apologize if that’s what you want from me.”

“Of course she was angry,” Xianchun snapped. “The Imperial Doctor told her you’d been injured multiple times recently and she was furious. She took out her anger at your grandfather on Bianfu instead!”

Kayla blinked in surprise, not knowing how to react to that. “Oh,” she managed lamely. “Okay.”

Xianchun didn’t push the topic further, looking away with a look of slight frustration.

“Let me make it up to you then,” Kayla said, mustering her courage to push forward with her plan. “I didn’t do that to remove your military support, it was purely personal.”

“You want to make it up to me? How?” Xianchun laughed incredulously.

“With information, like I did with Lady Yue’s case. Aren’t you interested?” Kayla offered. Xianchun glared at her but gave her a short nod.

“Grandfather’s good at protecting himself, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s covered all his tracks already,” Kayla said. “But Chancellor He isn’t quite as good at this.”

“He Shirang?” Xianchun gave her a sharp look of surprise. “He’s the least of my worries right now.” He Shirang wasn’t particularly crafty, competent, or organized, and was more or less a mascot in the Grand Duke’s alliance.

Yeah? You sure needed him in the novel!

“Anling County is where He Shirang’s nephew handles money laundering for the family. If you go through the accounting you shouldn’t have trouble finding the evidence, and it’s pretty damning,” Kayla said. “I bet he’d do anything to avoid execution, my prince.”

In the novel, Xianchun had eventually uncovered Lady Yue’s true identity and found evidence of He Shirang’s corruption, using it to threaten the man into selling out the Grand Duke. Xianchun had further pushed the Chancellor out of power, replacing him with his own ally. Even though the Grand Duke also didn’t place much importance on the Chancellor, his power soon became threatened once the Chancellor was gone, his other allies scattering for self-preservation. Kayla planned to move that plot point forward.

“You’re suggesting I blackmail him? I thought you disliked blackmail,” Xianchun said, focusing on a strange point. Kayla frowned at him.

“Not for actual crimes, I don’t, I’m against blackmailing people for shitty reasons,” she said in annoyance. “The point isn’t that, it’s-”

“Take down He Shirang and use his information to pressure the Grand Duke, I understood just fine,” Xianchun said. He gave her a curious look. “Just how do you know all this?”

“If you don’t believe me, investigate and you’ll see,” Kayla said, echoing her words from last time. Xianchun nodded. He actually seemed to believe Kayla, though he could just be good at pretending.

“I don’t understand why you don’t use the information yourself,” Xianchun replied. Kayla didn’t reply to that, choosing to push her plan forward instead.

“Consort Liang has never met her cousin and niece before, right?” Kayla ventured bravely. Xianchun gave her a questioning look.

“Consort Liang, who’s known for her beauty and virtue, and greatly favored by His Majesty the Emperor, must be concerned for Lady Yue, isn’t she?” Kayla prodded with much less subtlety. Xianchun’s eyes flashed with understanding before crinkling with amusement.

“Zhao Wenyuan,” he said with a voice tinged with interest, “You really are something.”

“Is that a compliment or an insult?” Kayla asked nervously. He doesn’t seem pissed off though.

“It’s also a compliment,” Xianchun replied. “Come on, let’s go in.”

They had arrived at the building, Kayla following Xianchun as they entered. She silently cheered inside her head. If this worked out, she would be much further away from suffering Wenyuan’s horrible death.

//////////////

The meeting with the Emperor was pleasant, even with Xianchun awkwardly trying to act casually with his father. Once the mood was light enough, Kayla gently redirected the topic to Lady Yue.

“I heard her daughter hasn’t spoken a word since arriving in the capital,” Kayla said sympathetically. “The whole experience must have been quite a shock for her.”

“Indeed, it’s quite a pity,” the Emperor remarked. “But the doctors in the capital are quite good, I’m sure she’ll recover quickly.”

Kayla nodded morosely, ignoring the incredulous look Xianchun shot at her performance.

“Even now, I can’t help but break into a cold sweat upon thinking of my mistake,” Kayla said, her voice dripping with sincere repentance. “I’ve let you down, Uncle.”

“Oh, come on now, Wenyuan. Who doesn’t make mistakes? It’s a good thing that the tragedy was averted, but as long as you’re more careful from now on, there’s nothing for you to worry about,” the Emperor said kindly. He was far less forgiving towards his own sons, but Kayla supposed that not having a bunch of stepmoms trying to screw you over really helped her case.

“Thank you for your graciousness, Uncle,” Kayla said meekly.

“But how did such information slip past the Ministry of Justice’s investigation, cousin? It’s true that it was not an obvious fact, but it was easily uncovered by a basic investigation. How could the Ministry responsible for this have failed to know?” Xianchun asked. She couldn’t tell if he was trying to cooperate with her or corner her, but it suited her objectives just fine.

“Actually, I was also concerned about that as well,” Kayla said in a hesitant tone. “Local cases are usually handled by the regional investigators, and this one further included the capital’s investigators due to being a crime of treason. However, when I went back to check the documents after Lady Yue’s case was revealed, there were discrepancies in both teams’ notes and their witness statements. What was more, the documents they had were also different from the documents that were presented to me.”

Perhaps because everyone in the Ministry knew Wenyuan was a puppet who only stamped documents and presented cases, no one stopped Kayla from flipping through documents or going through archived scrolls, so long as she kept a bored expression on her face like someone with nothing better to do. Kayla had spread it out over a good amount of time and looked through a good variety of cases, so no one had suspected it either. If anything, they were annoyed that someone in such a high position barely did any work while they were struggling to finish their duties.

“What? Speak clearly, cousin, what on earth is going on?” Xianchun asked. She could sense he was trying to hide his excitement now that Wenyuan seemed to be actively throwing the Ministry of Justice under the bus.

“Is there a problem in the organization of the Ministry of Justice?” The Emperor asked, face becoming serious as he took in Kayla’s words. “What do you suspect, nephew?”

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

“It’s too early to say, but after realizing the discrepancy, I went through some other cases as well. There were a large number of discrepancies between investigation notes and the final reports, and there also seemed to be parts of investigations that were obscured after the fact, if you look at how the pages were numbered and dated. None of the differences are very large, and wouldn’t be particularly noticeable either unless you know what you were looking for. But I suspect that there’s something rotten in the Ministry of Justice,” Kayla said in a low voice.

“Why did you not mention this earlier, nephew?” The Emperor asked.

“I don’t know how big or small the issue is, or who is involved, I’m afraid of startling the snakes by beating the grass without being able to uncover the root of the issue,” Kayla said. “I haven’t revealed my suspicions before now because I hoped to speak about it with you privately, Uncle.”

The Emperor nodded. “Well done, Wenyuan. It’s good you’ve grown into such a cautious and capable man. What is your grandfather’s stance on this?”

Kayla hesitated, looking awkwardly away from the Emperor. He frowned slightly, a confused look on his face.

“What, you haven’t told him?” The Emperor seemed genuinely shocked at this.

“It’s complicated, Uncle, I have reason to believe that those people are trying to make use of my grandfather,” Kayla confessed. It was actually the opposite that was true, but it wasn’t the right time to say that.

“Explain,” the Emperor ordered. Kayla slightly bowed her head.

“Many of them were rather talented as students, and as you know, my grandfather deeply cherishes youths who have potential. However, after receiving my grandfather’s patronage, they seem to have used the Grand Duke’s name to their benefit in making dirty deals during investigations,” Kayla admitted. “I’ve come to see that they are abusing grandfather’s kindness, and I don’t know how to break the news to him. He’s always been dedicated to mentoring younger officials, it would be a huge blow to him if he learned of this, especially if he learned of it from his own grandson.”

The Emperor nodded. “Wenyuan’s thought about this deeply,” he said thoughtfully.

“My cousin has a point,” Xianchun said. He ignored Kayla discreetly giving him a meaningful look. “If we don’t have evidence to put the pieces together properly, we would only upset the Grand Duke without carrying out justice.” He gave Kayla a smile that sent chills down her spine.

“Father, why not have my cousin continue to investigate in secret? If he is able to eradicate the issues in the Ministry of Justice, the Zhao clan’s reputation can also be preserved by the achievements of their heir,” Xianchun proposed. Kayla forced herself not to glare at him.

No! I’m trying to push the work onto the Emperor! Why are you pushing it towards me?! She had hoped to kick off a secret investigation by the crown, not get dragged into it herself.

“I don’t have the intelligence and bravery to carry this out myself,” Kayla hurriedly protested.

The Emperor gave her an assuring smile like she had given Chujiao, and Kayla’s heart dropped. “Don’t be so humble, nephew. Xianchun’s proposal pleases me. Of course, I won’t make you work on this alone, I’ll be sure to send Imperial investigators to assist you by investigating in the regions and localities as well. But who else has the familiarity with the documents and personnel of the Ministry to do this for me?” He said gently.

Nooo, goddamnit, Emperor! “But, my grandfather, I,” Kayla feebly protested.

“This’ll be a secret between us,” the Emperor promised. “But rest assured, I’ll make sure to protect you if things go south.” Kayla scrambled to find the words to object before giving up, resignedly bowing her head.

“Then I’ll give it my best, Uncle,” she said morosely. The Emperor gave her an approving nod and patted her on the shoulder.

“Let me know if you need any help, I’ll take care of it,” the Emperor assured her. Kayla didn’t feel very reassured but gave her thanks anyway. The meeting wrapped up soon after that, Kayla and Xianchun taking their leave together. She glanced askance at the prince. It felt like it was becoming a pattern that she had to leave together with Xianchun. As soon as there were fewer people around, she shot him a glare.

“What was that?” Kayla asked accusingly. He gave her a knowing smirk.

“Since it also benefits me, I’ll help you out,” he said smugly.

“How is that helping?! I was going to leave it to the Emperor’s investigators!” Kayla groaned, covering her face in exasperation.

“Why? You’d be throwing away an opportunity to establish yourself,” Xianchun said in a confused tone. Kayla looked at him in surprise.

Could it be that he wants to make use of me now? Does that mean I’ve avoided the death ending?

She thought back to Consort Zhao’s fearful expression, her hopefulness fading. Never mind, it’s probably only temporary. I can’t let my guard down around him.

“I don’t particularly want to establish myself,” Kayla finally replied. “I just don’t want to be an accomplice any longer.”

“What a waste,” Xianchun snapped. “I wouldn’t have spoken up for you the way you were before, but I’m extending a chance for you to draw a clear line between yourself and the Grand Duke! I’m not foolish enough to let a useful man languish in the dust, but it can’t be helped that you’re this lacking in ambition.”

“The higher the ambition, the tighter the noose. I prioritize my survival over all else,” Kayla replied. “But I’ll thank you for your good intentions, my prince. I hope the matters we spoke of earlier will play out the way you hope. Please excuse me then.”

She sped up, trying to throw Xianchun behind, but the prince kept pace easily, likely due to having longer legs. “We’re going in the same direction,” Xianchun said with annoyance.

Dude, either go faster or go slower, don’t keep pace with me! I’m already stressed!

Their awkward walk together was thankfully interrupted by a eunuch, but Kayla’s thankfulness quickly faded as he opened his mouth to speak.

“Seventh Prince, Young Lord Zhao,” the eunuch greeted them. “Young lord, the Empress Dowager wishes to speak with you.”

“Grandmother?” Kayla said quizzically. She glanced at Xianchun out of the corner of her eye. The prince was frowning, looking rather displeased.

“Shall I join you then?” Xianchun asked, seeming intent on monitoring Kayla’s actions in the palace.

“The Empress Dowager only asked for the young lord,” the eunuch said apologetically. “Please have a safe trip, your highness.” Xianchun let out a displeased scoff, giving Kayla a long, meaningful look.

“Well then, have a nice talk with Grandmother then,” Xianchun said, continuing to make intense eye contact. “I had an interesting talk with you, so I’ll have a lot to think about.”

“Have a safe trip, your highness,” Kayla said, bowing her head slightly. Xianchun turned and walked off without a word, his robes billowing in the wind. Kayla turned back to the eunuch.

“Is the Empress Dowager alright?” Kayla asked worriedly. Just what the hell was this about?

“Her Highness is well,” the eunuch replied politely. “This way, young lord.”

Kayla followed him back into the Inner Palace. The more doors she passed through, the more she felt the oppressing weight of the towering walls. The palace that upheld the dignity of the Imperial family was majestic at times and terrifying at others, and now that she was up against the unknown, it seemed more like a dark labyrinth than anything else.

Do you think she noticed and we’re in trouble now?

Wenyuan didn’t reply, radiating with nervousness. Kayla withheld a sigh, following the eunuch into the Dowager’s quarters. The eunuch announced Kayla’s arrival before stepping out of the way.

“Grandmother, Wenyuan has arrived,” Kayla said, bowing politely.

“Drop the formalities! Come here, Wenyuan, sit by me,” the Empress Dowager called out affectionately, waving Kayla over. Kayla went over to sit close with the old woman as usual, feeling slightly relieved that the Dowager was as affectionate as always. To her surprise, the Dowager then waved her hand slightly, and her ladies-in-waiting and eunuchs quickly left the room, closing the door behind them.

There was now only Kayla and the Dowager left in the room. A cold fear gripped her heart, and a chill went down her spine. Her instincts were screaming at her to run, and Kayla suddenly felt like prey in a room with a predator, but the Dowager only continued smiling affectionately.

“Wenyuan, are you feeling alright now?” The Dowager asked gently. “I have been so worried since last time.”

“Thank you for your concern, grandmother,” Kayla replied. “Wenyuan’s fine now, please don’t worry anymore.”

The Dowager nodded, looking at Kayla with such genuine fondness that for some reason, it made her even more afraid. “Grandmother, was there something you wanted to speak with me about?” Kayla ventured tentatively.

“You’ve probably heard, but General Yu was suspended from her post and ordered to reflect on her errors at home,” the Dowager said. “After how she acted towards you, would you be satisfied with that?”

Kayla blinked in surprise. “I don’t…understand, Grandmother,” Kayla said nervously. Was the Dowager testing her? Or did she truly love her grandson so much she was willing to go even further in punishing General Yu?

What’s the right move? She met the Dowager’s eyes with confusion. The old woman’s eyes were deep and unfathomable, and Kayla suddenly realized that there wasn’t a right move.

“Of course I’m satisfied, grandmother, how could I be dissatisfied with any of your decisions?” Kayla asked, smiling innocently despite the cold sweat beading under her collar.

“Wenyuan’s such a good child,” the Dowager said tenderly. “Wenyuan, what would you think if grandmother were to lift her suspension?”

That fast?! It’s barely been three days!

Kayla forced herself to continue smiling. “It’s up to grandmother, of course. Whatever you decide is surely for the best.”

The Dowager gently patted Kayla’s head. “Wenyuan, do you understand why I intend to lift her punishment?”

Kayla shook her head silently.

“Your grandmother would like to just protect and cherish you, but grandmother’s also the Empress Dowager of this country,” she said, still in that same affectionate tone. “I have to keep the scales balanced since the Emperor can’t seem to do so.”

Kayla’s blood ran cold. She knows. Instinctively, Kayla knew the Dowager knew.

“Grandmother,” Kayla said urgently, hurriedly dropping to her knees. “I-”

“Come on now, Wenyuan, get up and sit,” the Dowager said.

“I was wrong! I deserve to be punished!” Kayla barely got the words out, trembling in fear before the Dowager. The Dowager only smiled in that same affectionate manner.

“Come and sit with me, Wenyuan,” the Dowager insisted. “I’m not done talking yet.”