Two men quivered in fear, glancing at each other nervously as they were shoved to their knees in an unfamiliar room. The younger man, who looked to be scarcely twenty, let out a whimper that was muffled by the gag in his mouth, futilely trying to wiggle loose from the tight ropes that wound around his neck, torso, and arms. The more he struggled, the tighter the robes constrained his limbs. The armed men in the room ignored him, staring stoically forward.
The room had all its windows closed and curtains drawn shut, and it was as dark as night despite being the middle of the day. There was a soft noise at the door and all the guards straightened to stand at attention. The two men looked up in terror as a man dressed in simple but expensive robes opened the door and stepped into the room, their fear intensifying as the man stepped aside to bow slightly as another figure emerged in the doorway.
A well-built man with white hair and a neatly-kept beard stepped into the room. He was dressed in luxurious robes and carried himself with an imposing air, glancing at the two bound captives disdainfully. The old man made his way to an elaborately carved chair and sat down. Rather than turn his attention to the captives, he took up the cup of tea that his servant handed to him, sipping at it slowly before finally nodding in the direction of the captives.
“Remove their gags,” the old man said. The guards moved forward to do so but stopped their movements as their master raised a hand.
“If you so much as say a single word without my permission, I will break your leg,” he said. He waved for the guards to continue. The gags were removed, but both men remained silent out of fear.
“Speak your names,” the servant in expensive robes ordered.
The two captives glanced at each other nervously before the older one spoke.
“My name is Li Sanjin, my lord,” he said hoarsely. The younger man quickly spoke as well.
“M-my name is Li Da, my lord.”
The servant bowed slightly and nodded to the old man, who merely waved carelessly for him to continue.
“The two of you served Liu Hongyu as servants, haven’t you? Nod or shake your heads.” The servant asked.
The two hastily nodded.
“Li Sanjin, you provided a false testimony to the Imperial Investigators, did you not?” the servant hissed menacingly. Li Sanjin hastily shook his head.
“Of course not, good sir! I-I only told the truth! I had no choice, they were the Imperial Investigators, and I-”
“Enough,” the servant cut him off. “My master doesn't have the time to dally with you. I’ll only give you one more chance. You provided false testimony, did you not?”
Li Sanjin looked at him with an imploring look and shook his head again. “No, I swear, my lord!”
The servant nodded and a guard stepped forward. Li Sanjin flinched as the guard raised a large wooden staff, bracing himself for the blow. He gasped in shock as the staff swung down and struck Li Da instead. The younger man screamed in pain as the staff hit his back, doubling over in pain.
“Da'er!” Li Sanjin shouted. He looked at the old man in horror. “My lord, please! I-I really didn’t provide false testimony, please take mercy on us! We’re just mere servants, we-”
The guard struck Li Da again, hitting the young man’s ankle with a sickening crunch.
“No!” Li Sanjin tried to get up and lunge forward but was shoved back down onto his knees by the other guards.
“I advise you to rethink your answer carefully,” the servant said menacingly. "Our patience is very limited."
“Please, I beg you! Hit me instead, don’t harm him!” Li Sanjin pleaded.
“You'll talk if you know what's good for you. If you don’t want him to come to further harm, answer us truthfully. Who ordered you to give false testimony?” The servant asked.
“I-I didn’t give a false testimony! I told them what I heard the master say, I didn’t want to, but-but they would have imprisoned me if I didn’t cooperate. I wouldn’t have risked execution to lie to the Imperial Investigators, of all people!”
“Break his other leg,” the servant ordered. Li Da let out an agonized scream as the guard complied, Li Sanjin crying quietly as he watched helplessly.
“I swear it! I shouldn’t have said it, perhaps, but I really did tell the truth!”
“That’s impossible.”
Li Sanjin flinched as the old man finally spoke again.
“M-my lord, I-”
“Do you know who you speak to?” The old man demanded.
Li Sanjin lowered his head. “I don’t dare to know,” he meekly replied.
“You would be a fool to continue this pretense. Do you think I don’t know the ongoings of the Liu household?”
Li Sanjin winced at the old man’s question, shrinking away as much as he could.
“I-I wouldn’t dare, my lord.”
“Then you should know better,” the old man said. He glanced at the young man whimpering in pain.
“I take it you favor your nephew,” the old man said. Li Sanjin looked up to meet the man’s eyes with a look of mounting horror.
“You have one last chance. If you do not speak, he dies. I’ve wasted enough time on this already.”
Li Sanjin looked at Li Da, who stared back at him with terror in his eyes. The silence drew out as Li Sanjin slowly broke eye contact with his nephew, turning back to the nobleman. Tears dripped down Li Sanjin’s face as he shook his head.
“My lord, please believe me! I wouldn’t dare lie to you! I really didn’t give a false testimony,” Li Sanjin pleaded. The old man shook his head imperceptibly.
“Fool,” he said. The guard lifted the staff again, the two captives letting out an intermingled scream of horror. The staff made a sickening sound as it connected with the back of Li Da’s head, driving the young man’s face into the ground.
“No!” Li Sanjin screamed. Other than the men holding him in place, the rest of the room was content to ignore Sanjin's screams as the guard continued. The guard stopped abruptly, squatting down to ascertain whether Li Da was dead or not before giving the servant a quick nod of confirmation.
“What a waste of time,” the old man said, getting up from his chair.
“You lunatic! Do you think this will go unnoticed? The heavens will punish you for this! Sooner or later, the Zhao clan will receive divine punishment!” Li Sanjin shouted, his voice cracking. The old man stilled, glancing at him coldly.
“Liu Hongyu always had the servants wait outside while drinking with my grandson. Did you think I didn’t know that? You brought this upon yourself.”
Li Sanjin stared at the old man in shock and horror before slumping to the floor, his strength drained from him.
“Leave him here, he’ll talk soon enough,” the Grand Duke ordered. Housekeeper Wang opened the door for him and bowed slightly as the Grand Duke exited. The guards filed out, ignoring Li Sanjin’s sobs as they left him alone with the body. The door locked shut behind them, and the anguished screams were abruptly muted.
Housekeeper Wang walked quickly behind the Grand Duke.
“My lord, shall we use torture?”
“No need, from his reaction alone I’ve already narrowed down the possible masterminds. Now all I need is for him to break. I want a signed testimony within three days.”
“Then perhaps I should call over the professionals,” Wang offered.
“Unnecessary. He’ll break by himself. Now that he knows that his nephew died for nothing, the guilt will consume him soon enough,” the Grand Duke replied. “Let me know when it’s ready.”
“Of course, my lord.” Housekeeper Wang bowed before turning to give commands to the guards.
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The carriage moved swiftly, perhaps faster than should’ve been possible for a horse-drawn carriage. Upon a closer look, passersby could tell that it was a magic carriage, specifically designed to align with the magic used to maintain the government-owned roads. The other travelers wisely made way, knowing that it was probably someone or something too important to provoke if they warranted the use of such an expensive service.
Sun Ruhui sat inside the carriage with a calm look on his face. He was mildly confused, but altogether not too bothered by the sudden change in circumstances foisted upon him. He had received a summons to the capital only three days before and had been given half a day to put things in order before ending his term as the county magistrate. The messenger had declared that he was being raised to the position of Chamberlain while keeping the specific department and rank vague. It sounded shady, and Ruhui had been hesitant. Thankfully, his wife was decisive enough to force him to accept on the spot, and also efficient enough to get everything together within two hours, allowing him to be rushed into a carriage long before half a day was up.
He mulled over the various reasons why a ninth-rank county magistrate would be rushed to the capital in a magic carriage, mentally running through a list of the various people who would have access to one. After hours of deliberation, he decided to simply let things follow their natural flow. When he had protested the sudden summons on account of his mother’s ailing health, a healer had been immediately sent to his house. Even if it was only for that, Ruhui was willing to comply with the mysterious summons.
Outside the capital, healers could rarely be found outside of provincial capitals where they served the elite. Some doctors knew a little bit of healing magic and could charge higher prices, but for the most part, the vast majority of the population could never encounter healing magic in their entire lives. The only exception was medicine hags, generally single women who worked as informal, unlicensed doctors. Many of them knew bits and pieces of healing magic from their experience serving healers as maids, but they were looked down upon by the more affluent sectors of society. Sun Ruhui didn’t care about that. He never said a word when his mother and wife hired medicine hags for their ailments, it wasn’t as though he could afford a healer on the salary of a county magistrate.
As they neared the capital, the number of carriages and travelers increased. Many merchants had set up stalls along the road, peddling various foods, drinks, and items of every sort. The carriage passed through the city gates without stopping for verification. Ruhui calmly looked out the window as they passed through the gates, the range of potential summoners continuing to narrow. At this point, there was no longer any reason to consider anyone below a fourth rank to be responsible.
Sun Ruhui was jolted out of his thoughts by the horseman shooing away a middle-aged woman loudly peddling beauty talismans by the book, shaking his head in fascination as the carriage passed her by.
“Sorry about that, sir. Those vendors are relentless, I’ll tell you that.” the horseman called over his shoulder.
“Not at all,” Ruhui replied good-naturedly. “I’m always a little surprised when I enter the capital. The talismans here are so cheap and plentiful, it’s no wonder they call it the Magic Capital.”
“That’s certainly true! Every time I visit my hometown, I have to bring back a whole sackful or my family will never let me hear the end of it,” the horseman replied. “Especially my sisters!”
“Ha! I suspect I’ll be on the same boat!” Ruhui laughed. He continued watching the vendors as the carriage trundled down the street. The horseman cheerfully pointed out a few vendors to Ruhui as they passed, naming them as selling cheap but reliable talismans.
“It’s a pity there are so few spells for growing crops, it'd make everyone's life easier,” Ruhui remarked.
“That would be messing with the heavens,” the horseman immediately shot back in a scolding tone. “Better a famine than divine punishment, surely. The last thing we want is for the freezing years to come back.”
Ruhui didn’t reply, keeping his thoughts on that to himself. He turned his attention back to the streets of the capital. Outside of the capital Luoyang and the West Capital of Changan, the only places with such a high concentration of magic were the northern and northwest borders, and Ruhui hoped to never venture to those places. The nomads had their own magic systems for combat that sparked tales of death and destruction, which he was more than happy to never bear witness to.
"Speaking of, spirits seem high in the capital. Last time I came, the streets weren't quite so vibrant," Ruhui said, quickly changing the subject.
"Of course, the Third Prince came back from the border a few days ago."
"It's because of his return? The people must love him then."
The horseman chuckled at that. "They'll love him all the more now that there won't be a war."
Ruhui smiled. "Indeed, it's a blessing."
“Here we are, sir,” the horseman said as the carriage pulled to a stop. Ruhui frowned slightly, his wonder fading into unease at the building before him. It was one of the more expensive inns, with freshly painted walls and green-tiled roofs.
“I’m not sure this is the right place,” Ruhui said carefully. He couldn’t afford to stay here until he found a place to rent even if he emptied his wallet.
“It’s paid for, good sir,” the horseman said jovially. “Don’t worry and enjoy the stay, I heard their serving girls are rather pretty. A carriage will come to pick you up tomorrow, I reckon in the afternoon. The court will have finished convening by then.”
“I appreciate it, but I wouldn’t be able to pay for all this,” Ruhui said, a little more insistently.
“I’m not sure you’re meant to,” the horseman replied. “Now, let me help you get the luggage in.”
Ruhui got out of the carriage, still a little uncomfortable. He ignored the curious glances from the other patrons as he stepped into the building, following the horseman as he spoke a few words to the inn’s owner. Ruhui was dressed in simple cotton robes with no designs and narrow sleeves. If not for the length of his robes, he looked almost like the horseman’s fellow worker.
“Alright, it’s taken care of. Have a good time in the capital, sir,” the horseman said in a friendly voice as he turned to Ruhui. Ruhui reached into his robe to retrieve his purse.
“Thank you, good man. The payment-”
“Was already taken care of,” the horseman said, gently patting Ruhui’s upper arm. Ruhui frowned and fumbled to take out a silver coin instead.
“Then, a token of my thanks,” Ruhui said.
“That was already taken care of too,” the horseman replied. “Don’t worry about it in the slightest. Then, I’ll be heading home to check on my wife.”
“Of course,” Ruhui said, shaking himself out of his surprise. “I wish you and yours the best.”
“You as well!”
The horseman disappeared back into the street, and a worker came over to guide Ruhui to his rooms, another carrying Ruhui’s luggage. Ruhui shook his head in befuddlement and apprehension. There weren’t many reasons that a ninth-rank official from the counties would be rushed into the capital like this and given such preferential treatment, and not many of them were good. Ruhui withheld a sigh and followed the workers to his quarters.
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Shuyi briskly stepped into the courtyard, where Kuang was holding his son up to a tree so the child could touch the leaves.
“This is a camellia tree, do you remember the characters for camellia?” Kuang asked the child. The toddler shook his head, pulling at the leaves with his small hands.
“Perhaps he would’ve remembered if you taught him the basics first,” Shuyi said as she came closer, gesturing for the servants to step away. Kuang shifted his son’s weight and handed him over to his nanny, who took the boy into her arms before following the servants out of the courtyard.
“Shuyi,” Kuang greeted her warmly. He held out an arm as she approached, pulling his wife into a one-armed embrace.
“You should be getting ready instead of doting on your son all the time, the court convenes tomorrow!” Shuyi scolded him, but her smile gave her away.
“Father will be stirring up the winds and waves tomorrow, that’s for sure,” Kuang said breezily. “Might as well relax before then, we certainly won’t get to do so afterward.”
“What use does an ambitious man have for leisure?” Shuyi asked. Kuang chuckled, shaking his head.
“Is there any word from Yunqi?”
“He’ll be by in the afternoon, a servant from his house came by earlier,” Shuyi replied. “But I wanted to speak to you about something else. My cousin received word that several of our people were assigned by the Ministry of Personnel to new positions. It was just as we expected, father-in-law wishes to restore the Court of Judicial Review.”
“Due to his painstaking organization, we’ve collected droplets into a river. You must thank your cousin for me, let him know that I appreciate his services and will see he receives his reward in due time,” Kuang said, pulling Shuyi closer to his chest.
“It’s what he should do. We’re family, after all, if the lips are gone, the teeth feel the cold. If he knows what’s good for him, he’ll be unwavering in his service,” Shuyi assured him.
“People need to be reminded of their value from time to time,” Kuang replied. “Pass on my thanks. And for the positions, do we have the names?”
“Of course, here it is.” Shuyi pulled a rolled-up piece of paper from her robes and handed it to her husband. Kuang unfurled it and nodded approvingly as he read it through.
“Shen Liangjun as the Vice-Minister, good. Do we know who the other Vice-Minister is?”
“Not yet,” Shuyi admitted. “But it’s definitely not Xianchun’s man.”
Kuang nodded, continuing down the list. “Gong Kai will be perfect for the role of Chamberlain,” he muttered. He glanced over the names for positions in the secretarial staff and guards before nodding again in satisfaction.
“Good, I’m very pleased with the results,” Kuang said, handing the list back to Shuyi.
“I’m glad,” Shuyi replied, giving him a pleased smile.
“I couldn’t have done this without you and your family,” Kuang said gently. “You and Yunqi will always be my greatest benefactors.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Shuyi protested. “My family will serve as doctors regardless of how politics play out, if they can help you build your support base, why should they not?”
Kuang smiled at that. The Cao family produced scholars and doctors, but very few politicians and military officials. Kuang had proceeded with a marriage regardless, choosing to lean on the clan’s illustrious reputation instead. Yunqi had protested Kuang’s choice of in-laws, but the Third Prince knew exactly what he was doing. In the seven years since his marriage, the Cao family built ties and recruited for Kuang in the places where no one would think to suspect, buying untraceable favors through medical services and recruiting from promising scholars who were far from well-connected.
No matter which official fell from his perch, Kuang had plenty of options for replacing him. Unlike his youngest brother’s hastily formed alliances, this was something he’d meticulously built up over the course of years. If anything, Xianchun and Wenyuan’s actions benefited Kuang more than anything the Third Prince could arrange by his own hand, all while shielding him from the court’s animosity. He almost felt an urge to thank his headstrong younger brother for kickstarting this chain of events.
So long as he could keep the situation under control, Kuang’s faction would remain the most powerful and the most difficult to pin down. Kuang was also the only prince with military merit, as well as the only prince who had a son already giving his position further leverage. Yunqi had married years ago, but his wife died of illness months after the wedding without bearing a child, and the Fifth Prince had remained single since. Xianchun’s strong resistance to marriage, on the other hand, was something that only the Seventh Prince himself could possibly understand. It served Kuang’s purposes well enough, especially given the most recent developments at the border.
In the eyes of the court and the people, Kuang was the best choice. The problem was what the one on the throne thought. Kuang glanced in the direction of the palace, his smile twisting into a determined grimace.