Early the next morning, Kayla was picked up by a carriage from the Imperial Investigation Bureau. She shifted uncomfortably in the unfamiliar carriage, pulling at the collar of the unfamiliar robes. The carriage pulled to a stop before the Imperial Investigation Bureau, where Li Que was waiting in greeting with his mask removed.

“Li Que humbly greets the Left Secretariat,” he said. “Congratulations on your promotion to third rank, my lord.”

“Thank you, Li Que. Are you going to be working on this case?” Kayla asked.

“I will be assisting the head of the investigation by orders of the Emperor,” Li Que replied. Kayla frowned in confusion.

“The head of the investigation? Is that…me?” She asked.

“That’s right, my lord. Tabuyir will continue the investigation of the Ministry of Justice, so please be assured that you need not turn your attention to that matter,” Li Que said.

Kayla nodded slowly. “Alright. Got it. Well, I guess we should get started then. Have Governor Yue’s guards testified yet?”

“Most of them have, we’re still waiting for the Head Guard to testify,” Li Que reported. “He’s the one who knows the most.”

“He wouldn’t cooperate?” Kayla asked.

“Yes, my lord. I wanted to hold off physical torture until I had your orders,” Li Que said.

“Good,” Kayla quickly replied. “I’ll speak to him myself.” If he’d been tortured Xianchun would really kill me.

“This way, my lord.” Li Que led her into the Bureau and down the halls to an interrogation room.

“I’ll go speak to him,” Kayla said. Li Que hastily stepped forward to block the door.

“My lord, please do not speak with the suspects alone. Even if they are chained, they still pose a great danger to your safety. With your permission, we would accompany you,” Li Que said, gesturing to himself and another investigator standing by the door.

“Good point, I’d appreciate that,” Kayla replied. The rooms each had surveillance magic to record what was done and spoken, so it probably really was for her benefit rather than for keeping an eye on Wenyuan.

Li Que bowed his head slightly before opening the door, stepping in before Kayla to menacingly glower at the man. The other investigator closed the door after himself. Kayla recognized the man chained to the table as the one Xianchun had unmasked.

“You,” the man growled as he caught sight of Kayla’s face. His fists clenched, rattling the chains that tightly wrapped around his wrists.

“I heard you refused to testify,” Kayla said in a casual tone.

“I won’t cooperate with a bastard like you!” The man shouted.

“Watch your tongue!” Li Que snapped at him.

“This doesn’t have to be difficult, you don’t even have to see my face if you’d kindly go along with this,” Kayla said. “You can even avoid execution.”

“I don’t care if I die! I’d rather be executed than help you!”

“It’s not me that you’re hurting by refusing to cooperate,” Kayla reminded him. “It’s your benefactor, the one who saved you last time.” It was as far as she could go without explicitly dragging in Xianchun. The man realized it as well, glowering at her for a long moment before finally spitting at the floor.

“I cooperate on the behest of my benefactor,” the man spat out. “If not for his words, I’d rip your heart out myself!”

Kayla raised an eyebrow at the bloody description.

“Watch your tongue, you ruffian!” Li Que snapped again before glancing at Kayla apologetically.

“It’s fine, I don’t care,” Kayla said. She leaned forward and met the man’s gaze. “You can curse me however you like, but I’m the only one who can give you justice. Give me names.” The man glared at her, but slowly lowered his gaze. Kayla let out a huff of air and straightened her back, looking at the man thoughtfully. After a moment, she nodded at the other investigator and turned to leave.

“If he doesn’t want to talk to me, that’s fine. Let me know once we have a list,” Kayla said over her shoulder before leaving the room. Li Que stepped out as well, closing the door softly behind them. The two silently made their way back to Kayla’s temporary office. Li Que closed the door behind him as he entered, before bowing his head slightly to Kayla.

“Judging from his attitude, I don’t think this will be an easy case to deal with,” Li Que said in a low voice. Kayla glanced at him.

“You think he won’t talk?” Kayla asked.

“I think it’ll become difficult because he will talk,” Li Que said meaningfully. Kayla sighed, looking down at the ground.

“Li Que, I understand your meaning. I’ll take responsibility for offending anyone, so please be at ease,” Kayla said. It was clear that the case was going to implicate powerful people at this point, but the Emperor had set her on this path and Kayla could hardly back down without taking on the fight.

“I apologize, my lord. That was not my intention,” Li Que said with a note of alarm in his voice. “I was simply concerned for your sake. Do you not want to bring in another official from the Ministry of Justice, perhaps?”

In other words, bring in an official of lower birth to take the brunt of the court’s wrath? As long as there was an easier target, no one would carelessly move on Wenyuan for the time being.

Kayla shook her head. “There’s no need. It would only make things more difficult. Do you believe that anyone would want to pursue this properly if they knew the potential consequences?”

“But my lord, His Majesty’s intention is also that this case should not become a roadblock for you,” Li Que said hesitantly.

Best that it does, actually. Kayla had a feeling that the Empress Dowager was playing the long game here, and she didn’t really want to know what the results were meant to be.

“I understand the Emperor’s benevolence, but I am determined not to disappoint his expectations of me. This case must be pursued to the end, may I count on support?” Kayla asked. She left the source of support open, waiting for Li Que’s reaction. It wasn’t the Imperial Investigation Bureau whose support she really needed but the Emperor’s. After all, she was planning to push ahead with methods that were barely even legal.

Li Que bowed his head. “His Majesty’s intention is that you will be fully supported regardless of the circumstances, my lord. The investigators of the Bureau will follow your lead.”

Kayla nodded. “Li Que, once we have the names, I want the Imperial Investigators to arrest them.”

Li Que furrowed his brow slightly. “My lord, do you not want to investigate first?”

Kayla breathed out slowly. “Yeah, well, that’s the thing, actually. I don’t think our investigation will actually turn up anything if we go by procedure, so once the names are out, I want the witnesses to identify the three, no, let’s make that four…The four people who will likely know the most. And then I want you to arrest them right away. Make sure they don’t get a chance to contact anyone else, and that no one sees the arrests.”

Li Que nodded. “As you wish, my lord. So you have a plan in mind?”

“More or less. Once you arrest them, I want you to put them separately into individual interrogation rooms right away, the small ones with no windows. I need to be certain that they can’t communicate with anyone other than the investigators who enter the room,” Kayla said. Li Que nodded dutifully.

“I will see to it, my lord.” He bowed and left the room, leaving Kayla alone in the office.

The Imperial Investigation Bureau mostly relies on cross-examining and physical torture for interrogation, I doubt the people from this era would have much experience with psychological methods, Kayla mused.

True enough, it's mostly just beating them into talking. Or starving them out. Are you going to intimidate them, then?

I’m like ninety percent sure this is illegal, but yeah, more or less.

What could be more intimidating than torture?

Have you ever heard of the Prisoner's Dilemma?

Wenyuan didn't get a chance to reply before there was a knock on the door.

“It’s Li Que, my lord.”

Kayla blinked in surprise. That was fast!

“Come in,” she called. The door opened, and Li Que entered with a scroll in his hands.

“The list, my lord. I’ve circled the names they said were most important,” Li Que said, handing her the scroll. Kayla looked over the list, scrunching up her face. Seven names were circled, all of them familiar to Wenyuan.

Would you look at this, Kayla marveled. There was a pang of exasperation from Wenyuan.

Seriously, why are three of them related to our clan?

Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

I know, right? Your grandfather must be getting careless with how much power he has. You know what, I’m going to start in with them so no one can say I’m being unfair.

Wait, are you serious?!

Why? Were you fond of them?

No, I’ve only met them a few times before, but is that really alright?

It’s for the best, trust me. Kayla nodded determinedly and dipped her brush in red ink, marking the three names. Two of them were distant relatives from a side branch of the family but retained their Zhao surname, and one of them was the grand-nephew-in-law of the Grand Duke. Li Que stepped forward in surprise, but quickly controlled his reaction as Kayla continued to muse over the list.

Who else do we go for?

For biggest impact?

Yup. Pick a name, Kayla offered. Wenyuan hesitated for a moment before settling on the final name, the cousin-in-law of Dong Shiqing, the Minister of Revenue. Kayla marked the name and handed it over to Li Que, who took the paper with no small amount of trepidation.

“Is it too much?” Kayla asked apologetically. Li Que shook his head.

“No, my lord. I was merely surprised,” Li Que said. “It seems you are truly determined.”

Kayla nodded, not knowing what to say in response.

“Then, my lord, I will send out the order for the arrests,” Li Que said.

“Go ahead,” Kayla said. Li Que bowed his head and left with the scroll. Another investigator soon entered, unmasking and bowing slightly before presenting the scroll with the witnesses’ testimonies. Kayla unfurled the scroll and turned her attention to the transcript. She frowned slightly at the contents, setting to work at piecing together the bigger picture.

After a while, there was a knock at the door.

“Come in,” Kayla called. The door opened and a young man removed his mask.

“Excuse me, Left Secretariat, a report. The arrests have been completed and the suspects have been isolated as you ordered,” the young man said. Kayla nodded.

“Great work. Lead me over, would you?” Kayla asked.

“Of course, my lord.” The young man bowed his head slightly before leading Kayla to the interrogation rooms. She nodded in satisfaction, noting the four cells with guards standing outside. They were far away enough from each other, and she could sense magic spells at work.

“Are there soundproofing spells?” Kayla asked.

“That’s right, my lord,” the young man replied. Kayla tilted her head thoughtfully as she looked around. It wouldn't do if they get too scared and try something stupid.

“Are there any spells that can prevent them from committing suicide?” Kayla asked. The young man lifted his head with a start.

“Not directly, but I can arrange for the appropriate precautions,” he said.

“Good, I’ll leave that to you,” Kayla said. “I’ll be back in about two hours.”

The young man hesitated as though he wanted to protest, but kept his mouth shut and bowed slightly. Kayla made her way back to the temporary office, stopping briefly at where Governor Yue’s guards were being kept to check they were still alive and unharmed. To her relief, they were just fine.

The last thing I need is for them to die on me, Xianchun will have my head for sure.

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

The young man who had reported to Kayla bowed his head in greeting as she arrived back in the holding rooms. She nodded at him. It had been a bit over two hours, and Kayla was more or less satisfied with the timing.

“So, which one’s which?” Kayla asked, gesturing broadly.

“My lord, in that room is Zhao Qi,” the young man said, pointing to the first room. He gestured at the next rooms in the counterclockwise direction. “That room is for Zhao Lufang, that one for Ning Gengyu, and that one for Wang Fulin.”

Kayla nodded thoughtfully. “Hmm, guess I’ll start with Zhao Lufang then.”

“As you wish, my lord. I will accompany you in,” the young man said politely.

“Alright, just make sure to keep your mouth shut and don’t say a thing,” Kayla said. She paused for a moment before glancing at the young man again. “I didn’t ask your name, did I?”

“This humble servant is named An Haoyang,” he replied.

That name rings a bell. Was he a character?

Kayla nodded slowly. “Well met. Shall we?”

Haoyang bowed his head and put on his mask again before he moved forward to open the door for Kayla. She entered and nodded at the vaguely familiar man before her. The door clicked shut behind her, Haoyang slipping into a corner silently. Zhao Lufang’s face lit up as he recognized Wenyuan.

“Oh good heavens, is it the young master?” Zhao Lufang cried out in relief. “Young master, I-”

“Cousin, please hear me out, we don’t have much time,” Kayla cut him off before Lufang could start pleading for help. Going off Wenyuan’s memories of the man from family reunions, Lufang could go off on a long spiel for just about anything.

“Young master?” Lufang’s voice cracked at the grave look on Kayla’s face. She sat down across from him and let out a deep sigh, shaking her head resignedly before reaching across the table to take hold of Lufang’s chained hands.

“Cousin, I’m afraid that I can’t save you,” Kayla said sadly.

“What are you talking about?” Lufang asked, looking increasingly nervous.

“You’re to be executed tomorrow, along with your immediate family,” Kayla said in a grave tone. She patted his hand comfortingly. “However, your wife is the descendant of an official with great merit, so she will likely be imprisoned instead.”

“What?! That’s not possible! I didn’t do anything!” Lufang cried pleadingly. He glanced between Kayla and Haoyang desperately. “Young master, I don’t even know what I was arrested for, I can’t just die cluelessly like this!”

“The Yue Wuxuan case.” Kayla watched coldly as Lufang’s face fell. “Cousin, do you really not know what you’re here for?”

“I wasn’t involved, I swear I had nothing to do with it! Please help me, young master! My family is a part of the Zhao clan as well, isn’t there anything you can do?” Lufang pleaded.

“Involved in what? What did you have nothing to do with?” Kayla asked. “Lufang, you’ve disgraced our clan to this extent and you still have the guts to play innocent?!”

“No! Young master, I-this-” Lufang stammered. Kayla’s eyes narrowed.

So he’s afraid to implicate the Grand Duke.

“Lufang, even your five-year-old son will not be exempt. The Emperor was furious to begin with, once he heard the testimonies, you were immediately sentenced. He would have exterminated your entire family if not for the fact you are of the Zhao clan,” Kayla said heavily.

“What testimonies?” Lufang asked tearfully, looking at her with complete befuddlement.

“We previously interrogated Wang Fulin and Ning Gengyu,” Kayla said, the lies rolling smoothly off her tongue. “They all chose to make up for their crimes with merit and pointed to you as the primary culprit. Unfortunately, their testimonies seem to match up with each other. Lufang, you’re about to die. Go forth with honor, and I will do everything within my power to protect your wife.”

“Those bastards, they framed me! Young master, please believe me! I didn’t do anything- I just passed along the orders! Of everyone, I’m of the lowest birth, they must have conspired to trap me as the scapegoat from the very start!” Lufang pleaded, grasping onto Kayla’s hands.

Kayla frowned slightly. “Passed along orders? What do you mean? That’s not what I heard.”

“What you heard wasn’t true! There’s so many people involved, they’re trying to cover it up! That must be why they’re pushing me to my death,” Lufang hastily replied. Kayla frowned slightly.

“Speak plainly, cousin. I swear to you, no matter what truth you reveal, I will relay it truthfully to the Emperor,” Kayla said. “You know full well my loyalty to the Emperor and the bond between us.“

Lufang’s eyes flickered with hope, but his expression became dull again as he hesitated to speak. Kayla leaned forward slightly.

“Lufang, listen to me. Do you really want to get your family killed? If you can testify and provide something useful, you can also make up for your crimes with merit. Surely, you will at least be able to avoid the extermination of your family,” Kayla urged him gently.

Seeing Lufang falter, Kayla quickly pressed on. “If you don’t testify against Wang Fulin and Ning Gengyu, you’ll be done for. They’ve already testified against you! At this point, that alone won’t be enough, you need to give us every name and detail you can think of if you want to protect yourself and your family,” Kayla said. “They won’t know who testified against them, I promise. Listen, if you’re exiled, I can still make sure you live well and eat well. You and yours will be taken care of. But there’s nothing I can do for you if you’re dead.”

Lufang lowered his eyes to the table, staying silent for a long moment before beginning to cry, clasping Kayla’s hand like it was a lifeline. After a few moments, he composed himself a little and lifted imploring eyes towards Kayla.

“I’ll testify,” Lufang said in a quivering voice. “I’ll testify, young master. So please…”

“See, there’s a good man,” Kayla said encouragingly. “I’ll definitely help you as long as you cooperate.” She nodded to Haoyang, who stepped forward and began recording the testimony. The list of names grew as Lufang began to babble out the details, but the man still carefully avoided implicating anyone directly tied to the Grand Duke, much less the Grand Duke himself. He was far less careful with Liu Hongyu on the other hand, seeing no issue with scapegoating a sinking ship. Kayla offered a few more reassurances after he finished, barely managing to keep a smile off her face.

"Good work, cousin. Leave the rest to me," she urged gently. Lufang nodded furiously, wiping at his dripping nose. Kayla gave him one last nod of encouragement before leaving with Haoyang in tow.

The door closed behind her as she left the room with Haoyang, and Kayla let out a short huff of air in relief. She had placed a great deal of hope on her simplified version of a prisoner’s dilemma. So glad that worked, I legit did not have a backup plan.

You did, they were just really bad, Wenyuan mercilessly reminded her. She ignored him in favor of nodding in Haoyang’s direction. The young man used a talisman to create a copy, which he handed to a lower-ranking investigator.

“What do you think?” Kayla asked lightly. If the investigators didn't approve, it was still going to be a problem. Haoyang bowed his head slightly.

“I’m deeply impressed by your methods, my lord. I must admit I had my doubts about arresting them without evidence, but it seems I had nothing to worry about in that regard.”

Kayla tilted her head, sensing the unspoken words behind the reply. “Then is there a regard you’re worried about?” The investigators and guards in the hallway seemed to stiffen slightly, but Haoyang ignored their reactions.

Haoyang hesitated briefly before speaking. “My lord, the suspect was clearly trying not to implicate anyone from the Zhao clan,” he said bluntly.

Even Kayla was a little taken aback by the open accusation.

“Sir, please watch your words!” The lower-ranking investigator hurriedly reminded him.

Kayla held up a hand. “No, I like straightforward people. That’s a great observation, Haoyang. And I did notice that. But look at the names on the list. A lot of them are under Liu Hongyu, aren't they? Once you question them, they'll be implicating no one but the Zhao clan. You already heard what I said, just rework it to suit their situations instead,” Kayla said airily.

Haoyang stared at her with a look of surprise and Kayla smiled back pleasantly. Did he expect me to throw a fit? I can't figure out what this guy's trying to do, but we'll have to keep an eye out.

Haoyang shifted nervously. “I apologize, my lord. Please forgive my rudeness.”

“Not at all,” Kayla replied. “Send someone to arrest the ones Zhao Lufang labeled as most important, and repeat the same process for them.”

“As you wish, my lord. I will tell them that they were implicated by their fellow officials then?” Haoyang confirmed.

“Yes, don’t mention Zhao Lufang, and don’t mention my name. Just threaten them with execution and extermination of their families and go from there,” Kayla said. Haoyang bowed and quickly headed down the hallway to give the orders, and Kayla nodded as another investigator handed her a cup of tea. She downed it in one go and handed the cup back.

“I’d like to take a quick break and look at the transcript again,” Kayla said. The investigator bowed slightly.

“As you wish, my lord. There’s a room for investigators to take their breaks in this way,” he said, gesturing at a door at the end of the hall. “I’ll bring you a copy of the transcript in a moment.“

“Great, thank you. Tell the interrogators to take a look at the transcript and follow my lead with the others,” Kayla said. “Don’t tell them anything unnecessary and absolutely do not allow them to communicate with anyone outside their cell.”

The investigator bowed. “Please be assured, my lord. We will be very careful.” Kayla nodded before heading to the break room.

Li Wei used this method as well, and he was pretty successful. Here’s to hoping that it’ll work out for me as well.