Kayla sat silently in the interrogation room with the same blank expression she’d kept on for the last few hours. She could sense the magic device in use, and had to hold back several times to stop herself from nullifying it and rendering it useless.
Externally, it seemed that the newly promoted Minister was stubbornly refusing to speak while keeping his composure, but internally, she was screeching like a banshee.
This is the worst. Your grandmother can’t help us, and we can’t let them investigate in that direction. The only options we have are confessing or forcing the Grand Duke’s hand.
There was nothing but glum silence from Wenyuan.
Sorry, Wenyuan. I know you’re uncomfortable with this, and I’ll do my best to make sure it doesn’t get publicized. I’m betting on the Grand Duke burying the case once his own reputation is at risk, but I can’t give you a guarantee.
I trust you to get us through this, but it really does scare me.
That’s fair, Kayla admitted. Her internal conversation was interrupted by the door opening.
“Minister Zhao,” Minister Liang greeted her. “I hope you haven’t been too uncomfortable?”
“Not at all, Minister Liang,” Kayla replied insincerely.
“After some deliberation, we’ve decided to release you for a medical examination to confirm the status of your health,” Minister Liang said.
Kayla blinked in surprise.
He actually found an excuse to let me out? Why would he do me such a favor? “That’s very kind of you,” Kayla managed to say.
“We’ve reached out to your servant, Qu Boyong. He’s here to pick you up. You’ll have to be accompanied by an official from the Ministry of Justice, but only to the extent of being within the same building,” Minister Liang said.
“That’s very kind,” Kayla said, genuinely amazed. It was pretty much giving her a chance to find new opportunities or make a move, and a huge favor at that. Likely one that would be difficult to repay, but she could worry about that later.
“But of course, the Emperor’s faith in you attests to your character,” Minister Liang said. “I hope you feel better soon.”
“Thank you,” Kayla replied. She followed him out, exchanging a glance with Zhang Dingyong who was smiling with a calculative glint in his eyes.
So it’s a joint effort, are the princes behind it or is it their own doing? The Secretariat Director had stormed off already, but the remaining officials openly stared and didn’t bother lowering their voices as Kayla passed. She was beyond caring at this point, feeling a rush of relief as Boyong came into sight. After signing a guarantee for her return, she was sent off with Boyong and a low-ranking secretary from the Ministry of Justice who had only recently been promoted from the provinces. Kayla had never seen the secretary before, but he had an affable and earnest look to him.
“My lord, Chamberlain Sun and Case Reviewer Chen helped me arrange for a healer,” Boyong said. Given that there was an outsider present, he refrained from elaborating. Kayla was dying to ask him if he’d made any progress, but she would have to wait until they could speak privately.
“I see, I’ll have to thank them,” Kayla replied, fighting to keep the anticipation out of her voice. The secretary glanced between Kayla and Boyong, both of whom were keeping their faces politely stoic while sitting in taut silence.
“Minister, if it’s alright with you, I prefer riding on horses,” the secretary suddenly spoke up. Kayla and Boyong gave him looks of surprise. At their confused expressions, the secretary flushed a little.
“I’m from Anling County, my lord. We were grateful that someone bothered to reinvestigate the case for Governor Yue,” he said shyly. Kayla gave him a look of gratitude.
“Thank you,” Kayla said earnestly. Boyong hastily stopped the carriage, arranging a horse for the secretary before ordering the horseman to start again. Now that they were alone in the carriage, he immediately leaned forward with visible excitement.
“My lord, we’ve found the girl. I wasn’t able to locate her, but it seemed that Case Reviewer Chen’s brother happened to know where she lived. She wasn’t asked to testify before, since she didn’t know who you were,” Boyong said. Kayla felt a rush of relief.
“Thank heavens,” she sighed. “Finally, some good news.”
“The girl’s name is Zhu Ling’er, she’s waiting at the healer’s with Chamberlain Sun and Case Reviewer Chen. The man who tried to recruit me as a spy before also showed up again, I got him to agree to meet with you. He's actually the healer we're going to. I know it’s not a good time, but I thought it would be better to keep him near us than let him leave with whatever information he’s managed to garner or to involve a healer whose background is unclear,” Boyong reported.
“Good work,” Kayla said, unable to stop herself from smiling broadly. “This really is good news, Boyong.”
“My lord, about the witness…it seems Sun Ruhui has drawn some conclusions about…Liu Hongyu from the witness’ answers,” Boyong trailed off hesitantly. He searched for more words before falling silent.
Kayla shifted uncomfortably. “Don’t worry, I’ll explain more once we’ve met up with the others. I don’t plan to let this information get publicized though, so I’d appreciate it if you would keep quiet about it.”
If anyone tried to blackmail her with this information, Kayla had no intention of letting them off easily. At the very least, she didn’t have to worry too much about Xianchun’s reaction even if he somehow found out. The result of Yu Bianfu’s attempt to blackmail her was probably still clear in the Seventh Prince’s mind.
“Of course, my lord.”
“It’s fine if it makes you uncomfortable, it’s understandable,” Kayla said.
“I’m just surprised, my lord,” Boyong said earnestly. “Most of us who served the household knew that despite appearances, it wasn't all calm winds and gentle waves inside the family, but even so, we had no idea as to the extent.”
That much was understandable. Wenyuan had been traumatized enough by getting beaten right after his mother’s funeral for “failing to uphold the family honor” that he had mostly obeyed the Grand Duke and kept his head down, avoiding the severity and frequency of beatings that Kayla had a penchant for receiving. Until Kayla had taken over, there were rarely any confrontations or disagreements between Wenyuan and the Grand Duke.
Qu Boyong didn’t seem disdainful of her or at least hid it well, and Kayla felt a small rush of relief. She only had so much support outside of the palace, but she had no interest in keeping around someone who would look down on Wenyuan for circumstances not of his choosing. “What can I say? I didn’t have a choice until when I’d already been backed into a corner. Even a rabbit bites when it’s desperate,” Kayla replied. “I’m guessing Chamberlain Sun already knows what I plan to do then?”
“Yes, he’s already guessed that you’d use this information to force the Grand Duke to fold, and he also guessed at the person responsible being from the palace,” Boyong replied.
“That guy’s incredible,” Kayla shook her head in disbelief. “I knew he was smart, but still, he’s way too smart. He’s got the gist of it though. My grandfather probably never considered I would even consider letting this come to light. But even if I oppose my grandfather politically, in this matter, our shame and honor are tied together.”
----------------------------------------
Hu Qing smiled politely as an official dressed in the robes of a sixth-rank official got off his horse as the carriage pulled to a stop. For some reason, the sixth-rank official wasn’t riding in the carriage, and Hu Qing suspected that Zhao Wenyuan had politely forced him out. Qu Boyong got out of the carriage first, holding out his hand to help the other occupant down.
“Hello good sirs, may I ask which one is the patient I was contacted about?” Hu Qing asked in a saccharine tone. Qu Boyong gave him a blank look of barely contained annoyance that Hu Qing ignored.
“Hello, are you the healer?” The official asked. “I’m Secretary Zhen from the Ministry of Justice, the patient is this man, Minister Zhao of the Court of Judicial Review.” He gestured at the man who had emerged from the carriage in the meantime.
Hu Qing finally caught sight of Qu Boyong’s employer, glancing the man over with intense curiosity. Zhao Wenyuan was a good-looking man in his mid-twenties. He was rather thin and had dark circles under his eyes, with the distinct stiffness to his shoulders of a man who had been stressed for a long time.
“Of course, please come this way,” Hu Qing led them into the small house Qu Boyong had prepared. Strangely, Zhao Wenyuan didn’t seem familiar with the place, which meant that he either didn’t know about the place or was so rich that he didn’t remember all the buildings he owned.
“Thank you, I’ll be in your care,” Zhao Wenyuan said. Qu Boyong cleared his throat slightly.
“Excuse me, Healer Hu. Is there somewhere that Secretary Zhen could take a rest while you treat the patient?” Qu Boyong asked.
“Of course, please take a rest in the reception room to your right,” Hu Qing said with a smile toward Secretary Zhen. The affable-looking man gave a quick word of thanks before heading into the room without any sign of annoyance at being shuffled aside.
“My lord, this is the man I told you about,” Qu Boyong said to Wenyuan in a hushed voice. “His name is Hu Qing.”
Hu Qing turned to keep walking backward while giving a bow to Wenyuan.
“At your service, Minister Zhao,” Hu Qing said.
“Well met, Hu Qing. I heard from Boyong that you’ve helped us out quite a bit,” Wenyuan said.
“I’m happy to serve, my lord,” Hu Qing replied blithely.
“He didn’t do that much,” Qu Boyong objected. Wenyuan acted as though he didn’t hear it.
“Are they here already?” Wenyuan asked. Hu Qing nodded.
“They’re in the inner rooms, my lord. Zhu Ling’er was a little nervous, but Ministerial Case Reviewer Chen is with her, so she calmed down pretty quickly,” Hu Qing said.
They entered the inner room, Caichun and Ruhui quickly shooting to their feet as Wenyuan approached. Zhu Ling’er who was sitting between them looked at him with surprise before nervously getting up as well. From her reaction, it seemed that Ling’er definitely recognized Wenyaun.
“Minister, are you alright?” Sun Ruhui asked urgently.
“I’m fine,” Wenyuan replied. “Thank you for your hard work in such a trying time.”
“Not at all, my lord,” Caichun and Ruhui said in near unison.
“My lord, this is Zhu Ling’er,” Sun Ruhui gestured at the young girl, who nervously shrank back. “We’ve already recorded and transcribed her testimony.”
Wenyuan nodded in the girl’s direction, giving her a friendly smile. “Hello again, I believe this is the first time we’ve been properly introduced. I hope this hasn’t caused you too much trouble.”
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“N-not at all, sir. I’m so sorry if I was rude to you in any way b-before,” Zhu Ling’er stammered. “I didn’t know who you were...”
“There’s nothing for you to worry about, I’m grateful that you were willing to testify,” Wenyuan said kindly. Zhu Ling’er lowered her head, flushed red to the tip of her ears.
“To be honest with you, this case has broad implications. I’d like to compensate you for your troubles, given that you've lost your place of employment and have also been called to testify multiple times, but since your testimony relates to a case in which I’m the primary suspect, I’m afraid my hands are tied. However, if you are so willing, I’d like to contribute to your dowry once this case is wrapped up,” Wenyuan continued. Zhu Ling’er looked up in shock.
“No, my lord, I can’t accept anything from someone so important! I didn’t know how important this was, or I definitely would have testified properly before,” Zhu Ling’er protested. “I really didn’t know who you were, but this is something I should do anyways.”
“Regardless, this may create difficulties for you in finding employment in the future,” Wenyuan said patiently. “I can recommend you to a household, but depending on how the case turns out, I’d be hardpressed to ensure that people would do me such a favor. Since it relates to my affairs, I’d like to take responsibility.”
Zhu Ling’er began to stammer out a protest, but Caichun gently took her hand.
“Since the Minister’s said so, you should accept his good intentions,” Caichun said in a kind tone. “If things don’t work out well, then you’d be provided for. If things turn out fine, then you can just refuse it then.”
Zhu Ling’er mumbled out a few words of thanks. Wenyuan smiled at her before giving an imperceptible nod to Caichun. The young woman quickly escorted Zhu Ling’er to wait in the side room with her aunt before returning. Hu Qing watched the exchange with interest. Zhao Wenyuan didn't need to bribe commoners into silence given his growing power in court, especially not a girl from a family of servants, but it seemed that the man didn't have a taste for threats.
“Minister,” Caichun said softly as she closed the door behind her. Qu Boyong nodded at Hu Qing, cueing for him to go join Zhu Ling’er as well. Hu Qing briefly considered staying just to see if Boyong would physically remove him but decided against it.
“Then I’ll also take my leave for now, Minister,” Hu Qing said with an exaggerated bow.
“Thank you, Healer Hu. I’d like to have a brief discussion with you in a moment if it’s not too much trouble,” Wenyuan said.
“Not at all,” Hu Qing replied. He left the room, closing the door firmly shut behind him.
----------------------------------------
Kayla slowly took a deep breath as she sat down, gesturing for the other three to sit as well. Sun Ruhui and Chen Caichun exchanged a glance with Qu Boyong before settling into their seats.
“Good work finding Zhu Ling’er, I had been worried it would be like finding a needle in an ocean,” Kayla said. Caichun gave a sheepish smile.
“I’m afraid it was mostly luck rather than ability, Minister. I had asked my brother if he knew anyone we could ask to find out more about the accusations, but this girl just happened to be the only one whose address he knew. It seems that he took her back after she was called in for questioning,” Caichun explained.
“A coincidence,” Sun Ruhui agreed. “But it seems that the heavens favor you that we would have such a stroke of luck. I’m guessing that her testimony is going to be crucial in your next steps?”
Kayla nodded. “The three of you are exceptionally intelligent individuals, I have no doubt you already have a good sense of the situation at hand. The palace has its hands tied, so Zhu Ling’er is crucial to resolving the predicament we’re facing. She’s the only one who can provide a valid testimony.”
At the hesitant silence that stretched out as everyone tried to find an appropriate way to ask the questions on their minds, Kayla cleared her throat slightly.
“To put it simply, my testimony in the Liu Hongyu case omitted many crucial details,” Kayla explained. “I’ve been drinking with Liu Hongyu for a few years now at the behest of my grandfather, as Boyong must’ve told you already. Liu Hongyu often spoke in an inappropriate manner about my late mother, unbefitting his status as my elder and as an official of the court. I didn’t take it too seriously at first because I thought it was just the drunken words of an aging man who may or may not have been in the early stages of dementia. Since my grandfather didn’t think much of it, and also because the political situation wasn’t conducive to taking any action, I didn’t report Liu Hongyu for lese-majeste until very recently when he spoke against my mother while sober. When testifying against him, however, I didn’t mention that he often spoke inappropriately to me in our interactions as well.”
Wenyuan had been forced to undergo countless interactions over the years that Kayla would’ve reported as sexual harassment in the modern world, but she planned on glossing things over as much as humanly possible for the sake of Wenyuan’s pride.
“I’ve approached my grandfather about this matter in the past, but he chose to brush it off. Since very few people know of this, and even fewer people have borne witness to it, it primarily relies on Zhu Ling’er’s testimony and my own. But no matter what my grandfather says, the court won’t see it as just simple dismissiveness or negligence on his part, his reputation would plummet along with mine. There’s also the risk that he would rather go down with me than let go after sinking his teeth in, but I doubt it.”
She glanced around at the others. The silence that fell over the room was unbearably heavy. All three of her subordinates had troubled looks on their faces, which didn’t exactly inspire any confidence in how they were taking the information. Before she could start overthinking herself down a rabbit hole, Kayla gave a pointed cough. “What do you all think of this plan?”
“I’m sorry to hear that, Minister. But if that’s the case, then I believe you have a high chance of success,” Sun Ruhui said. “Since your hold over him is based in truth, it can withstand scrutiny. It’s just like your inability to contest Li Sanjin’s statement, since his testimony against Liu Hongyu was false, the Grand Duke will be unable to contest Zhu Ling’er’s testimony.”
“But there’s also a high risk. Minister, you’re tied to the Emperor and the neutral faction, while the Grand Duke is only tied to the Zhao clan. He may choose to back down to avoid ruining the reputation he’s built up over his lifetime, but that doesn’t mean his allies will. After all, they also benefit if the Grand Duke’s ruined,” Caichun pointed out. “If you take this course of action, it needs to be done discreetly. But that has its fair share of difficulties. In order to do this, you’d have to write a confession admitting to lying by omission and supplement it with Zhu Ling’er’s testimony, and that would also have to be notarized. But your confession and Zhu Ling’er’s testimony can’t fall into anyone else’s hands, nor can anyone be allowed to know of its contents.”
“I’ll have to leave the notarization and safekeeping of the documents to you two. It’s just as Case Reviewer Chen says, they’ll have to be made to disappear after this matter is resolved. I know I’m asking both of you to go against regulations to withhold and destroy key evidence here, but would you be willing to do so?” Kayla asked.
“Of course, I owe a debt of recognition to you,” Sun Ruhui said, Caichun nodding her agreement. “But what about Zhu Ling’er? Now that she’s involved this deeply, how will you deal with her?”
"We need to provide for her safety, since the Ministry of Justice won't. How is it that we still don't have formal policies for protecting witnesses?" Kayla sighed deeply.
Qu Boyong leaned forward in his seat. “My lord, the best idea may be to find her a good job outside of the capital and provide a large enough dowry. Quite a few members of her family work as servants, so they’ll surely understand our meaning and stay silent if that’s the case.”
Kayla sighed and shook her head. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea. The capital may be dangerous, but outside of the city, the sky is high and the Emperor is far. Even if she feels pressured to stay quiet, there’s no telling what kind of methods people will use against her. As a young girl alone in a different city…well. I would hire her, but given the circumstances of my household, it’s probably best not to, for her sake if not for mine.”
“Minister, Investigator Li’s serving girl recently left to get married, and his wife has her hands full with their three children. Perhaps we can ask him to hire Zhu Ling’er for the time being. As the servant of a senior Investigator, no one will dare to trouble her. So long as she keeps her mouth shut, this matter will be taken care of,” Caichun said.
“Good, then it’s settled. We’ll follow Case Reviewer Chen’s suggestion,” Kayla announced. “I’ll draft up a statement immediately. Chamberlain Sun, please notarize it for me once I’m done.”
Kayla had already drafted several versions inside her head while sitting in the Ministry of Justice, so the process was quickly completed. Once Sun Ruhui stamped her statement, Kayla turned to Boyong.
“I need to get back home to make a deal with grandfather, can it be arranged?”
“Of course, my lord. Hu Qing can authorize the release,” Qu Boyong said. “Do you want to take the chance and talk with him? He doesn’t know the details of the case though.”
“Sure,” Kayla gave her approval. She gave Sun Ruhui and Chen Caichun a grateful smile as Caichun tucked away the copies of the statement and testimony.
“You two really saved me this time, I’m really grateful,” Kayla said sincerely.
“Not at all, Minister. I’m glad my foolish older brother was of use for once,” Caichun said lightly.
“We hope that we can continue to serve under you for a long time, Minister,” Sun Ruhui added. “It’s only natural that we do what we can to ensure that.”
Kayla’s smile grew brighter at their assurances. “Could I trouble the two of you to keep an eye out for Zhu Ling’er for the time being?”
“Of course! I’ll take her to meet Investigator Li later,” Caichun agreed. After chatting a little longer, the two left the room for Kayla to speak with Hu Qing. Boyong remained where he stood in the corner, watching Hu Qing’s movements with caution. Though she hadn’t seen much of Hu Qing, the young man gave Kayla the feeling of an outgoing college student with a penchant for mischief and socializing, a personality type she was quite familiar with.
“Healer Hu, thank you for helping us out today,” Kayla said politely. Hu Qing bowed his head slightly.
“Not at all, my lord. I’m happy to be of service,” Hu Qing replied.
“I’d like to ask another favor,” Kayla continued. “I would like to be allowed to return home for a short time before returning to the Ministry of Justice, could that be arranged?”
“Of course. Would three days suffice?”
“It would be more than enough,” Kayla said after considering it for a moment.
“I’ll arrange for it right away,” Hu Qing said. Kayla hastily held out a hand to stop him from leaving again.
“Before that, I have a few things I wanted to discuss with you. If you don’t mind, I’ll open the door to the mountain rather than going in circles,” Kayla said.
“I would like nothing more, I hate it when people take corners to get to the point,” Hu Qing replied.
“Excellent, that suits me perfectly. You tried to recruit Boyong a few days ago, didn’t you? Whose orders did you act on?” Kayla asked.
“My lord, I have to protect my clients’ confidentiality. If I’ve accepted someone’s request, I have to be loyal to their matters. There’s nothing I can tell you about that,” Hu Qing said with a smile.
“That’s fair.” Kayla smiled back at him. “Then let’s talk about something else. Would you be interested in a change of employers? I would like to recruit you if you would be so willing.”
Hu Qing gave her a smile that was now tinged with a slight degree of condescension, reading along the lines of can’t-you-tell-I’m-from-a-rich-household-from-my-super-expensive-sword.
Kayla continued before Hu Qing could reply. “If I’ve guessed right, you’re from a rich household, aren’t you? You must be related to someone pretty influential to carry that fancy sword of yours. But for you to be working in this kind of occupation, well, then you’re either a bastard or your mother is of low birth. I’d guess it’s the latter, given that I don’t know of any particularly affluent household using the surname of Hu here in the capital. You must be using your maternal family name.”
Hu Qing’s smile faded away.
“The Minister sure is observant, no wonder you were placed at the head of the Court of Judicial Review,” Hu Qing said darkly. Kayla’s smile brightened in response.
“I mean no offense, I don’t care about someone’s birth in the slightest. If you’re so willing, I’d like to hire you formally like I did Qu Boyong, rather than as a shadow worker the way your current employer does,” Kayla offered. “It may not seem very tempting given my current circumstances, but I expect to resolve this predicament shortly.”
“You mean to reach a compromise once you’re home then?” Hu Qing asked.
“Not at all. I mean to force his hand. Once this is done, I also plan to look into any coercion or illegal action on my grandfather’s part in getting Li Sanjin’s statement against me,” Kayla said.
Hu Qing nodded. “Is it true though? That you ordered Li Sanjin to give false testimony?”
“Hey, you rude bastard,” Qu Boyong cut in, bristling at Hu Qing’s tone. Kayla nodded for him to calm down before turning back to Hu Qing.
“No, I didn’t order him to give false testimony, but I gave one myself,” Kayla admitted. “If you choose to work for me, you’ll come to know the details behind this case.”
“Thank you for your offer, my lord. But I’m not interested,” Hu Qing shot her down immediately.
“Are you sure? If you choose to work for me, you’ll have many opportunities in the future to gain merit and achievements,” Kayla said pointedly. As a child of low birth, gaining merit through military or civil service, whether as an official or as a retainer of one, would be Hu Qing’s only path to officially attaining recognition in his family.
Hu Qing stared down at the ground for a moment before shaking his head. “There’s no point.”
“So your family won’t grant you recognition even then?” Kayla asked in surprise. Hu Qing looked away, his mouth a hard line. Kayla shook her head at that.
“Well, they can fuck off then,” Kayla said after a short pause. “If they don’t want to acknowledge a talented person, that’s their problem. But you could raise the status of your mother’s house through gaining merit, and attain achievements under her family name. Isn’t that better than working in the shadows for people who have no intention of ever allowing you a better future?”
“But my mother’s dead, there’s no point,” Hu Qing said, sounding a little flabbergasted at her reasoning.
“My condolences,” Kayla said regretfully. “But that doesn’t mean that there’s no point. The end goal of gaining merit is to honor one’s clan and bring glory to one’s ancestors, why only do so for your father’s family? Why not your mother’s?”
Hu Qing gave Kayla a thoughtful look. “You have some pretty interesting ideas, my lord. But I’m happy where I am right now.”
“That’s fair. But if you ever feel unsatiated, my offer remains open,” Kayla said.
“Thank you, but they feed me well enough,” Hu Qing said with a wry grin.
“Alright, I won’t push you too much. But can I ask you to keep quiet about Zhu Ling’er’s involvement in this matter? It’s for the girl’s safety,” Kayla explained. “You won’t need to keep quiet for long, after three days you can tell your employer. I’m happy to offer an incentive.”
Hu Qing shook his head. “There’s no need. Like I said, client confidentiality. Your servant gave me a good amount of silver, so I’m obliged to keep your secrets.”
Kayla nodded. “I appreciate it.”