“Minister, are you alright?! You’re bleeding!” Hu Qing asked, pinning the assassin against the wall effortlessly.
The assassin summoned his last burst of strength, flinging himself backward to break out of Hu Qing’s hold. Utterly unfazed, Hu Qing grabbed the man by the hair and slammed him facefirst into the ground. The assassin made a choked sound of pain, struggling uselessly against Hu Qing’s iron grip.
“This piece of shit,” Hu Qing growled. “What the hell do you think you’re doing, picking on a guy who doesn’t have the arm strength to truss a chicken?”
Kayla scrunched her face up, a little offended despite the rush of gratitude in her chest.
The assassin made a garbled noise as blood filled his mouth, only to have his head slammed into the floor again. He fell limp this time, and Hu Qing didn’t waste a second before binding and gagging him.
“Seriously, what the hell are the guards doing?” Hu Qing grumbled, deftly tying the final knot. He turned back towards Kayla, who was still sitting on the floor.
“Hu Qing, what are you doing here?” Kayla asked.
Hu Qing let out a sigh. “Actually, I came here to say goodbye to you. I was planning to leave the capital tonight, but…” he glanced around the hallway with narrowed eyes. “I guess I’m changing my plans. Minister, are you alright?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Kayla replied shakily. “Thank you so much, I’m really grateful. I thought I was done for.”
Hu Qing pulled Kayla up, checking her for injuries. He frowned at the torn robes where the assassin’s blade had struck, pulling at it to see if there was any blood. Seeing that there wasn’t, he gave a nod of satisfaction.
“Alright, let’s go back to your room for now, the corridor’s not safe. I’m guessing this is an inside job then?” Hu Qing said. Kayla nodded.
“Even a beast as cruel as the tiger doesn’t eat their own young,” Hu Qing said darkly. “This guy’s worse than an animal.”
Kayla let Hu Qing gently nudge her in the direction of Wenyuan’s room, glancing back at the assassin on the floor.
“Is it really fine if we leave him here?” Kayla asked.
Hu Qing shot the assassin another look of disgust. “Yes, we can both ascertain he’s still alive and has no means of offing himself, so if he dies it’ll prove this to be an inside job. He won’t pose any further threat to you right now, but who knows if he’ll try something if he gets close enough. I didn’t do a thorough check, he might have hidden explosives or something dangerous in his clothes. Better to leave him here,” he explained.
Kayla nodded again and mechanically followed Hu Qing back to Wenyuan’s rooms, leaving the unconscious assassin in the corridor. The alarm was still blaring loudly, the red light flashing throughout the room, alternating between illuminating the shattered door and plunging the room into darkness. It made for a very disorienting effect that had Kayla’s head spinning.
“I’ll deactivate the talisman first,” Kayla said. The loud noise didn’t help her slipping concentration as she fumbled for the right talisman. As much as she wanted to, she couldn’t just nullify the magic before Hu Qing. She winced as she finally fished out the right one to deactivate the anti-theft talisman, silencing the noise. The room fell into darkness again, the only light on Kayla’s desk having been upturned by the chaos earlier. Hu Qing glanced past the gaping door into the courtyard.
“Shit, is that a dead guy in your courtyard?”
“Yeah,” Kayla said grimly. “I’m guessing he’s an investigator.”
“Figures, I didn’t sense any investigators on my way in,” Hu Qing muttered. “Guess they’ve all been wiped out. But that guy was too weak to have done it, either there was a mole among the Investigators or there’s someone else still hanging around.”
Kayla grit her teeth together. “No wonder, there are no witnesses so he can just cover up any disturbance, no matter how large it is! And here I was foolishly thinking that if it became enough of a commotion, he’d have to back down.”
“Given that you didn’t stand a chance against that guy from earlier, it’s not a bad plan,” Hu Qing comforted her. “But damn, your grandfather’s got balls of steel to try something like this.”
“I was still thinking of this in terms of political implications, but he was going for the kill without hesitation. No wonder he’s stayed in power this long, that old codger has the guts to do whatever he wants and the skill to get away with it,” Kayla said darkly.
“I feel sorry for you to have such a grandfather,” Hu Qing commented.
Kayla glanced around the dark room, which was now illuminated only by the moonlight.
“Is it really alright to stay here?” Kayla asked.
“Far safer than taking you out of the household,” Hu Qing replied. “Here, it’s still a controlled environment. No matter how hard he goes, that old man has a limit to what he can do. It’s also easier for me to sense people as they approach in a confined region rather than while I’m moving around, staying here is our best bet. The Imperial Investigators are supposed to change shifts during the night, they’ll soon notice something’s wrong. Once they send backup, you’ll be fine.”
“That makes sense,” Kayla said. “But I should probably contact Chen Caichun, she can alert them right away.”
Hu Qing nodded his agreement, and Kayla stiffly activated the communication talisman for Caichun, using it to send a brief written message. The adrenaline was wearing off now, leaving her exhausted. Hu Qing brushed the splinters off a chair and gently pushed her into the seat.
“Take it easy, Minister. Let me heal you up first, he got you under the eye so I’ll have to heal your whole face or it’ll be a splotchy mess,” Hu Qing said, his tone deliberately light and casual. Kayla relaxed a little, letting Hu Qing do his work. The comforting tingle of healing magic washed over her face.
“What about your ribs? Want me to take a look?” Hu Qing asked. Kayla hesitated for a moment before nodding. She pulled out the golden plaque as she removed her robes, frowning as she saw the dent in it. It was still emanating magic, though she couldn’t tell the effect it was meant to have.
“That’s a serious dent,” Hu Qing remarked as he healed the plaque-shaped bruise. “Did you use it to block a blow or something?”
“It blocked that guy’s sword earlier,” Kayla said, showing him the plaque. “He stabbed me as soon as I opened the door, I got really lucky that he hit the plaque instead.”
“You…opened the door for him?” Hu Qing asked. Kayla flushed in embarrassment.
“I thought it was someone I knew, he used their voice. And his height and figure were close enough,” Kayla said, her voice wavering between sheepish and defensive.
“Damn, a voice modification? That’s expensive as hell to prepare,” Hu Qing said in surprise. “No wonder you fell for it.”
“It was pretty stupid of me, I should’ve asked for proof of identity first,” Kayla said. She rubbed at her head, which was starting to ache dully.
“Well, I’m not sure how to say this, Minister. But you’re a civil official, not military personnel. Under normal circumstances, there would be no reason for you to be familiar with the various tricks of the shadow trades,” Hu Qing consoled her as he finished up with the healing magic. Kayla pulled her robes back on, her movements slow and sluggish.
“Yes, but I was careless. I should’ve been much more cautious.”
“I think you’re plenty paranoid already, Minister. Even your subordinates agree with me on that. If you slip up, then that just means you’re exhausted from worrying all the time,” Hu Qing replied.
Kayla let out a deep sigh, the murkiness in her chest clearing up a little.
“You’re probably right. I just…I want things to stop happening so much all the time, but that’s out of my control,” Kayla said. Hu Qing held out a hand to silence her, frowning as he tensed his body.
Kayla glanced at him nervously, but she wasn’t left to wonder for long. The door to the corridor flew open with a crashing sound. A guard dressed in the Zhao clan’s uniform had kicked the door open, his foot still outstretched. The guard’s eyes glinted dangerously as he stepped through the doorway with a sword in his hand, several guards standing behind him in the shadows. Kayla instinctively stiffened, jumping up from her seat.
“Young lord, there’s been an intruder-Agh!” The guard was cut off by Hu Qing’s fist making contact with his face. He stumbled back, bleeding from his broken nose.
“You bastard, how dare you! He must be one of the intruders, seize him!” One of the other guards snarled. From his uniform, it seemed that he was the rank of a vice-captain. Hu Qing scoffed, reaching for his sword.
“Pieces of shit, you show up late with your blades out, just what are you trying to do?” Hu Qing snapped. He unsheathed his blade, a murderous look on his face.
Kayla shook herself out of her shocked silence, stepping forward to grab Hu Qing’s arm.
“That’s enough, this man is with me,” she said to the guards.
“Please move aside, young lord. We’re here to secure your safety,” the vice-captain said dismissively.
“Did you not hear me the first time?” Kayla snapped. The vice-captain’s expression twitched at her cold tone but showed no signs of backing down.
“Apologies, young lord. But-”
“I’m not interested in what you have to say. Leave immediately. If it’s security you’re worried about, then take the man in the corridor into custody and see to it that he stays alive until the Imperial Investigators can interrogate him,” Kayla ordered. “No one is to enter my quarters without my permission. This man is enough to ensure my safety.”
The vice-captain clenched his jaw, annoyance flickering in his gaze.
“Young lord, the city guard is more than enough to deal with a thief,” the vice-captain began.
“A thief? Is that what we’re going with?” Hu Qing asked accusingly.
“I’ve already contacted the Imperial Investigators, but it can’t be helped if the city guard has already been notified,” Kayla replied, deciding to cut her losses by choosing the fight she could win.
If push came to shove, things would become overly complicated if Hu Qing ended up killing one of the guards. “Since it’s just a thief, then there’s no reason for you to trouble yourselves. I have a guard present already, you should ensure the security for the rest of the Inner Quarters.”
“Apologies, but the Grand Duke has ordered us to guard you,” the vice-captain said firmly.
Kayla frowned in frustration. Just how persistent is this guy? There was no guarantee that the Grand Duke hadn’t ordered them to off her before the investigators could arrive, pinning the blame on Hu Qing or the assassin. She still had a corpse in her courtyard and her room was already a mess, at this point, it wouldn’t particularly increase the amount of suspicion the Grand Duke would face if Kayla died.
Even if Hu Qing could take down all of them, it would plunge him into hot water if they couldn’t prove that the guards were trying to kill her. Kayla glared at them and took out the golden plaque in her robes, ignoring the large dent in it.
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“Do you know what this is? This plaque symbolizes the authority the Emperor has personally granted to me as the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review,” Kayla said, resorting to pulling rank over them. The plaque didn’t even serve that function, but its symbolic importance as an item from the Emperor himself would hopefully be enough. “I am telling you to leave my quarters as a Minister, not as the young lord of the household. If you insist on barging into a site that I have deemed restricted, then I will personally see that you’re harshly punished for threatening national interests.”
“National interests? How absurd, how can this be a matter of national interests? You’re being unreasonable, young lord!” The vice-captain protested.
“Minister,” Kayla corrected him. “And that was not a threat but a promise. Try taking a single step forward and I’ll make sure to prosecute you into oblivion. Hu Qing, close the door.”
Hu Qing gladly obliged, slamming the door shut in the vice-captain’s face. Kayla backed away from the door, tensely waiting for the vice-captain to make a move. To her relief, there was only some resigned mumbling on the other side of the door before the guards dispersed, their footsteps moving away. The Grand Duke must’ve decided to cut his losses as well, Kayla realized. He must’ve realized that he won’t be getting anywhere with this.
Kayla let out a deep breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, sagging in relief. She slumped into the chair again, feeling even more drained than before.
“What a mess,” Hu Qing bit out. “Minister, how are you holding up?”
“I’m fine,” Kayla replied. “At least I can be ninety-nine percent certain who’s behind this, saves me the trouble of trying to figure it out.”
“You’re in a pretty dangerous situation, Minister. Wouldn’t it be better to just go ahead and leave this household? No matter how bad the political implications of breaking ties are, your life is more important,” Hu Qing suggested.
Kayla gave him a grateful look. It had always been tacitly understood that Wenyuan was meant to maintain relations with the Grand Duke and the Zhao household. Even the Emperor and Empress Dowager who doted on Wenyuan were willing to overlook his abuse in order to keep the Grand Duke in check until they were ready to strike.
“I would like to do that more so than anything else,” Kayla admitted. “I’d even be happy to marry someone from the Khaganate right here and now in order to do so, but that’s really out of my hands.”
Ultimately, no matter how much authority she was granted, Kayla and Wenyuan weren’t allowed to covet anything they weren’t given. If Kayla lost their favor, she would be done for.
“Your family sucks,” Hu Qing said sympathetically.
Kayla shook her head, smiling wryly at his comment. “Let’s talk about something else. Earlier, you said you were leaving the capital tonight. Can I ask why?” She could use a distraction before she had a meltdown.
Hu Qing shifted uncomfortably.
“Feel free to ignore my question if you don’t want to answer,” Kayla said.
“That’s not it. It just sounds pretty silly when I say it out loud,” Hu Qing admitted. “I had another fight with my uncle and overreacted to something he said. And then the more either of us tried to make things better, the worse it became. He would say something condescending or I would say something inappropriate. It just became a mess. I don’t want to deal with it anymore so I’m leaving.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Kayla said. “But will you be alright leaving the capital? Your quality of life will probably drop a lot if you leave your household.”
“It’s better than my current situation,” Hu Qing said, his voice teeming with frustration. “I’m not a master, but I’m not a servant. I’m not a member of the family, but I’m also not an outsider. I can do and say whatever I want without regard for propriety, but I can’t eat with the family or be present when there’s a guest. Sometimes I really can’t tell if I’m lucky or unlucky.”
“Do you want to talk about it while we're waiting?” Kayla offered. The sharp brittleness was easing out of her mind as her attention shifted to Hu Qing’s troubles instead of her own situation.
Hu Qing sighed, leaning against Kayla’s desk. After a long silence, he spoke.
“My employer, my uncle, that is. He isn’t really my uncle,” Hu Qing said.
Kayla nodded. The guy’s probably Hu Qing’s father, but doesn’t want to claim his son, she hazarded her assumptions.
“He’s actually my brother.”
Oh. Kayla barely stopped herself from raising her eyebrows. Wait, what? That is not what I was expecting.
“That sounds like a complicated relationship,” Kayla said instead.
Hu Qing shook his head with a sigh. “My employer, he’s actually the son of a concubine, and the only surviving son other than me. Our father didn’t take another formal wife for a long time after he was widowed, but shortly before his death, he married my mother even though she was a courtesan. That’s how I was born.”
“That makes you the legitimate heir then, doesn’t it?” Kayla asked.
“Yes, so to speak. That’s why my other relatives wanted to kill my mother and me, but my employer intervened. I guess he felt bad or something since my mother isn’t much older than him and had a weak body after giving birth to me. But he also refused to acknowledge my status, so he turned me into the mistake of one of his deceased brothers instead of the mistake of his father,” Hu Qing explained.
“I’m sorry to hear that, that is so…convoluted,” Kayla said, sincerely sympathetic. Wenyuan’s situation wasn’t much better, given the twisted relationships of the Zhao clan.
“I guess,” Hu Qing pushed a hand through his hair, looking rather frazzled. “I mean, I shouldn’t have even told you any of this. But– damn it, I’m tired of dealing with it, you know? I care about my employer a lot, and I think he cares about me as well. But if he ever needs to sacrifice someone, he’d probably think of me first. I’ve always known that, but I didn’t think it mattered. As time goes on, it’s becoming clearer to me that I value him far more than he’ll ever value me. Rather than stay there and let our relationship deteriorate, I’d rather strike out myself.”
“I can understand,” Kayla assured him. “Probably more so than you might think.”
“Yeah, I get that feeling from you,” Hu Qing replied. “In any case, that’s the rundown of why I was planning to leave.”
Was?
Kayla gave him a look of surprise before realization hit her. Hu Qing was waiting around until a member of the Imperial Investigators showed up, out of concern for Kayla’s safety. But that meant his presence would no longer be hidden from the authorities. If he left the capital now, he would definitely be tailed and subjected to surveillance. But even if he stayed, Hu Qing’s career would have to be put on hold until the attention faded.
“I’m sorry for dragging you into this,” Kayla said.
Hu Qing shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. Since I was already here, I couldn’t just ignore the situation. It can’t be helped that I’m such a warm-hearted person.”
“That’s very kind of you."
Hu Qing gave her a grin. “Of course, I’m a virtuous man with a heart of gold!”
Kayla smiled back before hesitantly making her offer. “Since you’ve gotten into quite a troublesome situation because of me, I’m more than happy to take responsibility. Hu Qing, do you want to work for me? You don’t even have to do anything much, since I don’t want to put you in conflict with your brother, but I really do feel bad about messing up your plans. I’ll just pay you for doing nothing until you’re free to go.”
“Seriously?” Hu Qing asked gleefully, his eyes lighting up. “Paying me for nothing? Wow, Minister, you’re such a generous soul!”
“Is that a yes?” Kayla asked.
“I really don’t have to do anything?”
Kayla shook her head. “I understand the feeling of wanting to break away from your house before ruining things completely, and if you end up getting stuck back there because of me, I’d feel terrible about it. I’m happy to just give you a salary so you can go independent from your brother. If you want to leave the capital after everything calms down, that’s also fine.”
Hu Qing’s face took on a look that Kayla couldn’t quite recognize.
“Of course, I get that my situation is also quite discouraging for potential employees,” Kayla awkwardly said. “But if it’s financial support-”
“I’ve decided, Minister. I’m throwing my lot in with you,” Hu Qing cut her off.
“You’re what? I mean, I am recruiting you, but given my position right now-”
Hu Qing cut her off again. “What can I say? I’m weak against pathetic, helpless men.”
“Wow, that’s really something,” Kayla replied, too surprised to even feel offended.
“I don’t mean that in a bad way either, it’s just that I’d feel bad about myself if I ignored your situation,” Hu Qing said. “Your grandfather wants to kill you, your guards from the Imperial Investigators evidently aren't competent enough, and you don't trust Qu Boyong for help. I mean, isn’t your situation pretty bad right now? I'll feel bad if I just leave you to die.”
“Wait, that’s your reason?” Kayla asked, genuinely shocked at his answer.
“I hope you’re not offended, but yes,” Hu Qing replied. "Also, you seem easy to get along with. Last time when I mentioned I wasn't interested in women, you didn't even bat an eye. Most people would've thrown a fuss right there and then."
“I really wasn't expecting this, but I'm glad to hear it. If you’re really willing, then please work for me," Kayla offered.
Gaining Hu Qing’s support because he thought she was pitiful had been the last thing Kayla expected, but she wasn’t about to kick a gift horse in the mouth, especially when said gift horse had just saved her life.
Hu Qing grinned at her. “I'm glad you’re not too proud to accept, you’d be surprised at how many people would be,” he replied. “Minister, I’ll be in your care from now on.”
“Great, let’s talk about the salary and benefits,” Kayla began.
“Hold on, the Imperial Investigators are arriving. Do you want me to stick around or leave first?” Hu Qing asked. Kayla hesitated for a moment. The last thing she wanted was for Hu Qing to catch the attention of some investigator and end up in a rooftop chase.
“Please stay,” Kayla replied. “It might be dangerous for you to leave now, I’ll just tell them you work for me.”
“How reliable,” Hu Qing said lightly. After a moment, there was a light thump in the small courtyard, a tell-tale sign of an Inspector arriving. Kayla glanced out of the broken door nervously. To her relief, it was the familiar figure of Li Que.
Li Que removed his mask as he stepped through the doorway, glancing at the corpse and the shattered wood frame of the door before bowing at Kayla.
“Apologies for our tardiness, Minister. Are you alright?”
“Thank you for coming, Investigator Li. Thanks to my employee, I’m perfectly fine,” Kayla replied, gesturing at Hu Qing, who nodded politely at Li Que.
“I’m terribly sorry for our negligence,” Li Que said. “Unfortunately, it seems my fellow Investigators were overpowered, my colleagues are recovering the bodies right now.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Kayla said, her heart dropping into her stomach. So they really had been wiped out after all. “How many Investigators were killed?”
“We’ve found four bodies, including the man in your courtyard. A fifth man is missing, but it’s too early to say what happened with him,” Li Que said grimly. “Once we find out who was behind this, we’ll definitely make them pay with their lives.”
“I hope you give them what they deserve,” Kayla agreed.
“Thank you, Minister. But in any case, this was the Bureau’s failing,” Li Que bowed his head.
“Please don’t say that, the only one at fault here is the criminal,” Kayla hastily assured him. She had also been careless, even after realizing that someone as skilled as Hu Qing could easily slip past the Imperial Investigators.
“Thank you for your graciousness, Minister. But this-” Li Que stopped as he caught sight of the rip in Kayla’s robes.
“Minister, are you injured?!” He asked in alarm.
“I’m fine,” Kayla replied.
“But your robes!”
Kayla pulled out the dented plaque to show him. “I’m really fine, see? This plaque saved my life.”
Li Que stared at the plaque in surprise before shaking his head in disbelief. “No wonder the Imperial Guard was dispatched,” Li Que muttered.
“What? The Imperial Guard?! That’s-” Kayla fell silent halfway through her sentence, glancing uneasily at the plaque in her hands. Just what is this thing?
“They should be here momentarily,” Li Que replied. “Did His Majesty not say anything about that when you received the plaque?”
Kayla shook her head. “His Majesty never mentioned anything about the Imperial Guard.” Kayla had also pushed them to the back of her mind now that she no longer had to worry about Yu Bianfu.
“I’m sure they’ll be happy to explain it to you later. Since the Imperial Guard is getting involved, the Emperor and Empress Dowager have probably been notified. More likely than not, you’ll be making a trip to the palace, Minister.”
“I see,” Kayla said, not sure whether to feel stressed or relieved at the notion. “On another note, is Investigator Chen alright?”
“Investigator Chen?” Li Que gave her a befuddled look.
“Investigator Chen Jian,” Kayla clarified. “The assassin was using his voice.”
At Li Que’s contemplative frown, Kayla balked a little. “He wasn’t stationed here tonight, was he?”
“No, he wasn’t,” Li Que quickly assured her. “He was at home with his sister until she received your message. But that’s troubling to learn, it all but confirms that there’s a rat within the Bureau.”
Hu Qing jabbed a finger at the corridor. “I left the guy tied up in the hallway, but I doubt he’s still alive.”
Li Que let out a sigh. “I’ll be sure to take a look later, but it’s unlikely we’ll find a lead there.”
He glanced at a communication device on his wrist. “It seems the Imperial Guards have arrived. May I escort you to the gates, Minister?”
Kayla took a deep breath. The Imperial Guards getting involved meant that the Palace would be directly intervening, and the implications of that were far more complicated than just dealing with an assassination attempt. Her mind flitted to the assassin with Chen Jian’s voice.
There was a rat in the Imperial Investigation Bureau, the Grand Duke was out for blood, and now the Imperial Guard was here. Things will only get more complicated from here on. I really can’t wait any longer. As reluctant as she was to be seen as actively seeking more power before the Emperor and Empress Dowager, Kayla’s life was like a candle in the wind.
I need to make my move.
“I’d be grateful, Inspector Li,” Kayla said calmly. “Hu Qing, you can go back for now.”
“It might be a good idea to bring him with you for now,” Li Que suggested in a soft voice.
“Alright then. Hu Qing, is that fine with you?”
Hu Qing nodded. “I’ve never been inside the palace before, I wouldn’t mind taking a look.”
“Then shall we go, Minister?” Li Que asked.
Kayla nodded. “Of course, it wouldn’t do to keep the Imperial Guards waiting.”