Character Index
Wei Guang: Imperial Edict Bearer and head of the Hanlin Academy, he served as the "moderator" for the previous generation of princes, ensuring their survival past the succession struggle, he is deeply trusted by the Emperor but detested by the Empress Dowager. He was also the teacher of the Imperial Princess, having assisted in her investigations, and is now Kayla/Wenyuan's godfather.
Zhou Xianchun: The Seventh Prince and former main character, he was responsible for the OG Wenyuan’s death in the original timeline. In the current timeline, he has yet to learn of the culprit behind his mother’s murder and still bears some degree of goodwill towards his cousin.
Hu Qing/Liang Hongfei: Younger brother of Minister Liang and rightful heir to the Liang clan despite his mother being a courtesan, he was formerly responsible for doing the dirty work for the Liang clan, and later the Seventh Prince's faction under Liu Boyue's orders. He now works for Kayla, mostly for entertainment.
Feng Yi: A clumsy spy sent by Xianchun's faction to act as a red herring, he was caught by Hu Qing and brought before Kayla, who let him leave without giving him too much of a hard time. In thanks for being let off easy as well as the not-insignificant sum of money Kayla gifted him, Feng Yi promised to repay Kayla if she ever had need of him.
Liu Boyue: Xianchun's strategist and right-hand man, he has been secretly acting without Xianchun's permission, believing that he is benefitting Xianchun. He has met Hu Qing before, having contracted Hu Qing's services through Minister Liang for a variety of purposes, including an attempt to recruit Qu Boyong.
Sun Ruhui: Left Secretariat of Justice, formerly a Chamberlain of the Ministry of Judicial Review and a Country Magistrate before that. He was recruited by Kayla and is committed to acting as a loyal advisor out of gratitude for having received opportunities through her help (specifically, going from a ninth-rank provincial officer to a fourth-rank capital official.)
Imperial Princess: Wenyuan's mother and sister of the current Emperor, she was involved in groundbreaking magical research prior to her death from illness. She also conducted investigations into the Grand Duke's crimes, uncovering extensive evidence that she hid away to protect Wenyuan.
Zhou Kuang: The Third Prince, one of the primary contenders for the throne. Son of the Noble Consort, who comes from a prominent military clan.
Zhou Yunqi: The Fifth Prince, close with Kuang and one of his primary supporters. Currently withdrawn from court politics to take the heat off his mother the Wise Consort and his maternal relatives the Shu clan, a prominent military clan concentrated in the Northeast.
Zhao Wei: Current Minister of War, and one of Wenyuan's relatives. Generation-wise, he counts among Wenyuan's uncles, though the actual family ties are much more complicated than that.
Minister Liang: Head of the Liang clan and Minister of Justice, one of Xianchun's supporters.
Qu Boyong/Xiang Daozong: Son of the Princess of Chu and General Xiang, he formerly worked as Kayla's servant while undercover in the Zhao household. He has now embarked on his revenge plot against the Grand Duke, pretending to flee the capital in order to confuse his enemies.
An Haoyang: A retainer of the Xiang clan, working undercover as an Imperial Investigator. He has provided information to Qu Boyong over the years, and recently pretended to leave the capital to confuse his enemies.
Matron Li: A senior female servant in the Grand Duke's household, she was sent by the palace to ensure the survival of Wenyuan's father, Zhao Kangyu, and she is the only servant who still tends to Wenyuan, the others actively avoid Wenyuan and refusing to serve him out of fear for the Grand Duke.
Chujiao/Jing Shuyou: Qu Boyong's cousin, she was sent undercover into the Zhao household as a child, and served as Wenyuan's personal serving girl. The two had requited romantic feelings for each other. She recently "quit", having been shuffled over to Sun Ruhui's household, where she remains as a hostage against Qu Boyong.
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Kayla arrived at Wei Guang’s household, sending off Xianchun’s men. Unperturbed by Kayla’s sudden arrival without any prior warning, Wei Guang’s steward led her in with perfect etiquette.
“Hu Qing, go and scout things out, I need to figure out what will and will not work,” Kayla said to him quietly. Hu Qing nodded, immediately understanding that Kayla wanted him to scout out the Grand Duke’s security to see how he could die in a way that best resembled suicide.
“Then I’ll take my leave,” he said, nodding politely to the elderly steward before peeling off at the speed of light, leaving a gust of wind in his wake.
“This way please, Minister,” the steward said kindly, tactfully pretending not to see Hu Qing flipping over the wall instead of taking the gate two feet to his left. Kayla gave the steward an apologetic look as he led her into a tidy sitting room and called for a serving girl to bring tea.
“I’ll go and notify the master of your arrival,” the steward said.
“Thank you,” Kayla replied. She waited quietly, thoughts ramming around in her mind at full speed. Wenyuan’s stubborn silence was actually a boon for the moment, reducing the total amount of cacophony in her head.
“Minister, please have some tea,” the serving girl said, pouring her a cup. Kayla took it with a quiet murmur of thanks. The taste of the tea made her startle in amazement.
Wait, this is the kind of tea Wenyuan’s mother used to make, Kayla recognized it from Wenyuan’s memories. She glanced down at the cup in surprise. As expected of teacher and student, even the tea is similar.
Something seemed to click inside her, and Kayla silently came to a decision.
“Wenyuan, you’re here!” Wei Guang called from the corridor as he approached the room. The serving girl bowed and discreetly took her leave.
“Godfather, I apologize for dropping in without prior notice,” Kayla greeted him as he entered.
Wei Guang smiled at her. “No such thing, you’re always welcome in my household.”
“Thank you, godfather. Everything happened rather suddenly, so I didn’t have a chance to send a message ahead of time,” Kayla said. Wei Guang nodded for her to go on, and she launched into an explanation of what had happened with Feng Yi, Liu Boyue’s involvement, Xianchun’s spies, and the new agreement they had reached over the Ministries of Revenue and Rites.
Wei Guang gave her a concerned look. “From what you’ve told me, it’s not safe for you to return to the Zhao household for now,” he warned her. “You’ve crossed the Grand Duke enough times to garner his killing intent, you should not take unnecessary risks.”
“I can’t leave the household either,” Kayla pointed out. “That devalues me in the palace’s eyes, and then where does that leave me?”
Wei Guang sighed. “Then at least give him a day or two to cool his temper, and make it clear that there are eyes on his actions before you return,” he said. “The Grand Duke has impressive physical strength for a civil official.”
“I know, I know that very well,” Kayla said drily. “The funny thing is, he never really let me learn martial skills properly. I can ride a horse, hold a sword, and maybe shoot a bow with an accuracy of about five out of ten, but that’s all the progress my instructors ever allowed.”
It didn’t escape her notice that Wenyuan had been given martial education as would be expected for a child of such a prominent lineage, but only enough to keep people from saying that the Grand Duke didn’t provide for his heir, and certainly not enough that Wenyuan could reliably defend himself.
Wei Guang frowned, piecing together Kayla’s words before coming to a realization. Kayla watched with a small sense of vindication as guilt flashed across his face, followed by bitterness and anger. Wei Guang hadn’t been privy to what Wenyuan suffered under the Grand Duke after the Imperial Princess’ death, only knowing what was available through the grapevine.
He probably didn’t even know how bad it was. Kayla doubted he fully understood it from just a few hints she’d dropped either, but surely he knew enough to understand why she was here instead of at the Zhao household.
“Even one as poison-hearted as a tiger does not eat their own young, he truly is a man without humanity or loyalty!” Wei Guang said bitterly.
Kayla lowered her eyes, shaking her head with a deep sigh.
“Grandmother warned him before, but it only seemed to make him angrier,” Kayla said dejectedly. “And now I’ve angered him again. I don’t think of myself as a coward, but I can’t deny being afraid of his reaction.”
Wei Guang held out a hand. “Say no more, Wenyuan. Stay here for the next few days, I insist.”
Kayla gave him a grateful look. “Thank you, godfather!”
Wei Guang gave a heavy sigh. “It is only what I should do. Wenyuan, you’ve been incredibly courageous in doing what you have. If there’s anything I can do to help you along, it’s only right that I should do it.”
Kayla grabbed onto her chance. “Godfather, there’s something I’ve been struggling with for some time now. I’ve been tormented over what the right choice should be, but now, I don’t think there’s any other choice if I want to save myself and the rest of my clan.”
“Tell me what it is, perhaps I can be of some help,” Wei Guang offered.
“In terms of loyalty, the Grand Duke is a parasite upon the dynasty, eating away at its foundations in order to satiate his own greed. His crimes are enough to damn our clan to the ninth degree,” Kayla said, offering her justification before her decision. “In terms of filial piety, the Grand Duke is responsible for the death of my father. One cannot share the same sky as one who has killed their parent.”
She met Wei Guang’s serious gaze for a moment before hastily shifting her eyes away. “That is, what I mean to say is,” Kayla trailed off, mustering her courage to push forward.
Kayla hesitated for a moment. “I need the Grand Duke to die.”
Wei Guang nodded slowly. “I see.”
“By his own hand,” Kayla added. There was a drawn-out silence in which Kayla had to resist the urge to dash toward the door. Discussing it with Sun Ruhui and Hu Qing was one thing, discussing it with a powerful official who was an established Confucian scholar was a completely different matter.
Finally, Wei Guang let out a soft sigh, nodding his head.
“It would be just as well if he dies of illness,” Wei Guang replied. “But it would be more difficult for you to accomplish.”
He took a deep breath, patting Kayla’s shoulder reassuringly. “Very well, I will help you make it happen.” Kayla carefully glanced over his face and body language, ascertaining if he was sincere. Her mind flashed to the Imperial Princess’ investigations and the tea, her nervously pounding heart finally settling down.
“Thank you, godfather.” Kayla bowed her head.
“What say you we make the most of this?” Wei Guang asked her. “Soon after his death, you should use your mother’s investigations to expose at least some of his crimes under the guise of having found the evidence in his belongings, and denounce him as well as your other guilty relatives, actively offering their wealth and estates to the treasury. The Emperor may dig up the Grand Duke’s grave to behead him, but he would have a good enough reason to differentiate between the guilty and the innocent.”
“That is precisely what I was hoping for!” Kayla replied.
“I was thinking of further maximizing this. Your position will no doubt take a hit even if you step forward to reveal your grandfather’s crimes, but that is of great detriment to the neutral faction at a time when the power vacuum would lead to a scramble for power by both princes’ factions. Rather than allowing this to hurt you, we should use this to give the Emperor an excuse to bestow the surname of Zhou upon you,” Wei Guang said.
Kayla hesitated instinctively. “It will receive great pushback.”
“Justifications are easy to come by,” Wei Guang assured her. “And this will ensure the Zhao clan will not be exterminated. As for what happens to them afterward, you need not worry about it any further. You’ve more than done your part for your clan.”
That’s true.
“But the princes will not sit easy with that,” Kayla pointed out.
“Which prince are you worried about, specifically?” Wei Guang asked. Kayla uneasily shifted, trying to find a neutral answer.
Seeing her reluctance, Wei Guang began voicing his own thoughts. “The Third Prince is charismatic, just, and capable, with the makings of a great ruler, but he is prone to arrogance due to his natural tendency to excel. The Fifth Prince is the pinnacle of refinement and coolheadedness, but is swayed too easily by matters of family and can be too indecisive. The two of them balance each other out to some extent, but not to the point where their faults disappear. On the other hand, we have the Seventh Prince who is sharp like a freshly polished blade, with a strong sense of righteousness and a burning sense of motivation, but he is judgmental and prone to harshness. That is what I have observed. What do you think?”
Kayla stared at Wei Guang in mild amazement for a moment before bowing her head. “Godfather’s words put me to shame, your perception is truly extraordinary!”
Wei Guang chuckled softly. “Don’t avoid the question with flattery. What do you think? Speak without reservation, I myself had quite some thoughts on who was suitable for the throne in your uncle’s generation, and wasn’t afraid of voicing them.”
“The princes of this generation have sharper claws and are hungrier with ambition,” Kayla admitted. “The power balance also does not overwhelmingly favor one side, so it is hard to say who will emerge victorious, hence my reluctance.”
“Then that is your fault. Rather than falter and cower, you should always voice your criticisms with great conviction. They will not respect you otherwise,” Wei Guang admonished her. “If you speak boldly, officials will bow to your leadership, the scholars will write of your loyalty, and the people will praise you for daring to remonstrate a ruler. Thus, it will be the palace that hesitates to touch you.”
Kayla thought of how Xianchun would react to such a thing and withheld a wince.
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That would work for every emperor who cared about their reputation, with the exception of Xianchun after he went into revenge mode.
“Seeing your expression, you have already thought of who would not listen,” Wei Guang prompted.
“I thought of the Seventh Prince,” Kayla admitted. “He is, as you said, sharp as a blade, but that blade sings for blood once it is angered. When he will hear reason, the Seventh Prince is an excellent candidate, but when he will not, no man or god could intervene.”
It often made her wonder about the original timeline. Just what kind of future did Xianchun create after paving his path with blood?
“He is why you are reluctant to receive the Zhou surname,” Wei Guang remarked.
“Yes.”
Wei Guang nodded. “Of what you have said, I have yet to see signs of. But I’m sure you have your reasons for thinking this way. Allow me to observe him further and see if he might be susceptible to other methods of persuasion. If he is not, there is nothing further to be said.”
Kayla stared at him in shock. “Godfather, what do you mean by that?”
“Then he must not become the Emperor,” Wei Guang said simply.
At Kayla’s stunned expression, Wei Guang chuckled lightly.
“Wenyuan, every dynasty has its rise and fall. The shorter ones may only last for a few decades, while the longer ones last for centuries. But what causes a dynasty’s rise, and what causes its ruin?” Wei Guang said.
Kayla frowned, trying to figure out where they were going with this. At a loss, she went along with the question.
“From my understanding, a dynasty usually establishes itself as a unifying force after a period of chaos. The government redistributes land and resources, agricultural production increases once people are able to farm in peace, and the dynasty slowly begins to build up its strength. The first few generations of rulers usually benefit from their proximity to chaos and thus tend to be more careful in their rule, promoting the able and punishing the corrupt. This then allows the government to be filled with loyal and capable officials, and the dynasty enters a period of prosperity,” Kayla said, cautiously watching Wei Guang’s reaction. He nodded, waving for her to go on.
“As for how it then enters decline, what I’ve understood is that as the population increases, the amount of arable land becomes insufficient. Furthermore, over the course of generations, clans gain prominence and large amounts of influence in the localities, allowing them to increasingly buy up farmland and accumulate wealth, while more and more peasants are forced to become sharecroppers. The administration also becomes bloated and corrupt as time goes on, especially as rulers who are born into peace and prosperity grow complacent, and the prominence of clans also increases social stratification while preventing upward mobility from the peasant class," Kayla continued.
"Culturally, politically, and economically, the dynasty stagnates and begins to enter decline. As time goes on, the central government loses its ability to properly collect tax revenues or to administer its rule in the provinces due to both the concentration of land in the hands of a few as well as a crumbling and corrupt bureaucracy, and thus is short-handed when there is a natural disaster or an invasion. Then the peasants lose their faith in the court, the regions grow stronger and more autonomous, and eventually, rebellions break out and the dynasty is toppled. And then the ensuing chaos cuts down the population enough that the next dynasty is able to offer more resources per person, and the cycle begins again.”
She looked towards Wei Guang for affirmation.
“You have the basic gist of it,” he said with a small note of surprise. “More so than I would have expected from someone your age. Of course, various factors differ across dynasties, but the general patterns remain the same. A dynasty begins, builds up its power, enters a golden age, declines, and meets its end. What differs is whether or not there will be a revival of a second golden age that slows or even reverses the process of decline. The Wu dynasty has been established for several generations already and is past its golden age. The question is now whether we will see the dynasty reinvigorated or if we will slowly and steadily head down the path of decline, and for that, the next ruler is crucial. Timewise, if the next Emperor fails to at least set the foundations for the dynasty to be reinvigorated, the clans will have grown too strong for later generations to successfully grapple with.”
“Even if they want to, they won’t be able to,” Kayla said thoughtfully.
“Exactly. If you miss the opportunity, the momentum will be too difficult to reverse,” Wei Guang agreed. “A country is like a large and heavy wheel that rolls across the fields of time. Once it is tumbling downhill, it takes incredible strength to push it back upwards, or even to slow it down. Whether in the military or the civil administration, we’re already starting to see the weakening of the Emperor and central government. Local clans have a strong influence on regional administration, and colluding for benefit is commonplace. Right now, the central government is still strong enough to cull these developments before they get out of hand, but the question is whether the next Emperor will be able to do so.”
Kayla frowned. “Both the Third Prince and the Seventh Prince have expressed their interest in doing so, but they seem to differ in how to go about it.”
Wei Guang nodded. “And how exactly do they differ?”
“The Seventh Prince intends to act quickly and cut down corruption with large knives and heavy axes, while the Third Prince advocates for moving slower and using more soft-handed measures,” Kayla replied.
“Just as I thought,” Wei Guang said. “The Third Prince can use his charisma and talent for politics to achieve his goals, while the Seventh Prince’s determined personality allows him to push forward boldly without hesitation.”
“That’s right, but what approach is more likely to succeed?” Kayla asked. “I can understand the benefits to either, one prioritizes stability and minimizing backlash but takes longer, while the other prioritizes reducing the burden for the populace as soon as possible but is much more likely to face pushback and insubordination. Godfather, with your wisdom, which do you think better of?”
Wei Guang shook his head. “Neither.”
“What? Neither?” Kayla frowned in confusion. “Then–”
“Both methods can end in failure if not tempered by its counterpart,” Wei Guang explained. “A subtler approach can easily lose momentum if it does not have a driving force composed of more radical proponents, while a harsher approach can easily be ground to a halt by widespread backlash unless it also employs softer means for pacification. That is why, rather than deciding who is more likely to succeed by the method they wish to use, it is more important to see whether they can accept criticism and advice.”
Kayla lit up with realization. “I see! So that is what you meant when you said he must not become Emperor if he cannot listen to the words of his advisors!”
Wei Guang nodded. “I will look into the Seventh Prince and confirm your words to see if that is the route we must take, but in terms of deciding the successor, their gains and losses in court is only one part of the problem. You should take heed to manage them in this regard, but more importantly, there is the Emperor’s decision. Right now, none of the princes are close enough with the Emperor to successfully use him in their struggle, but you are close enough that the Emperor entertains your words with his consideration. In this regard, you have the utmost advantage.”
“So you would support me if I decided to prevent the Seventh Prince from gaining the throne?” Kayla asked.
Wei Guang nodded, not taking offense at Kayla’s need to repeatedly confirm his intentions. It was clear enough to him that Kayla’s precarity led to her paranoia, and offering reassurances was easy enough when he meant it.
“Yes, I would. If your judgment is correct, and I strongly suspect that it is, then for the sake of the dynasty’s future, I must support you,” he replied. “That is exactly what I returned to the capital for.”
Kayla bowed her head. “Thank you.”
“It’s only what I should do,” Wei Guang said. “Now about the Grand Duke, you should act as soon as you can, but not before you have the pieces in place to deal with the power vacuum. That shouldn’t be as much of a problem, what’s more important is making it believable. Find some way to get him to write something expressing his regret.”
Kayla turned it over in her head briefly. “Zhao Wei’s resignation could be a good opportunity. I’ll write to some of my relatives, I know that quite a few of them must be feeling antsy now. If they could convince the Grand Duke for me, it can be done.”
Wei Guang nodded. “Good. Try to make them act quickly, or the long night will bring many dreams, and they’ll likely change their minds.”
“Understood, godfather. I’ll follow your advice,” Kayla replied.
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Xianchun frowned pensively at the scroll before him, the words swimming on the page. Ever since Wenyuan’s visit the day before, Xianchun couldn’t shake the tendrils of suspicion that curled into his mind and took root there.
“No need to worry, my prince. He’s a man of loyalty and honor. He is bound by customer confidentiality. He’s not interested in political power either, there’s no need to worry about any trouble with the Liang clan.” Wenyuan’s words kept echoing through his head.
The implications were worrying. Wenyuan seemed to believe that Hu Qing had been hired by Xianchun before, and also that Hu Qing was someone who could gain power within the Liang clan. If he really was just an illegitimate son, there wouldn’t even be a need for Wenyuan to give any assurance.
The more he thought about it, the more he bothered him.
Hu Qing. Minister Liang. There was a missing piece there that further tied them to Xianchun, but he had no idea what it was.
“My prince,” Liu Boyue called out his greeting, bowing as he entered the room. “Minister Liang sent you a message.”
Something twisted in Xianchun’s gut as he stared at Liu Boyue. Xianchun quickly dismissed the ridiculous notion and smiled.
“Let’s see what he said,” Xianchun replied. He read over the message, frowning anew.
“Qu Boyong? Wenyuan’s former servant? It’s probably just a coincidence, I don’t see how he would be tied to an Imperial Investigator,” Xianchun said incredulously.
“Perhaps, but there must be a reason why Minister Liang reported the two of these in conjunction. An Imperial Investigator whose family was from Henan was seen racing toward Dengzhou in horseback only a day after being released from the internal investigation, and within an hour, Qu Boyong was spotted at the horse exchange outside the South Gates. If he’s really headed to Henan, then that probably means he has connections there to draw upon. Better to believe there is something there and proceed with caution rather than to think nothing of it,” Liu Boyue urged him.
“You have a point,” Xianchun said. “If they really have ties to any nobles in Dengzhou or Henan, that's not something we can afford to overlook. Very well, do what you think is necessary.”
Liu Boyue bowed his head slightly. “As you wish, my prince.”
“Wait,” Xianchun called out to him as Liu Boyue turned to leave. Liu Boyue turned back to face him, a curious look on his face. Xianchun hesitated, suddenly at a loss of words and inexplicably guilty.
“The people Wenyuan brought back yesterday, is that all taken care of?” Xianchun asked.
“Yes, I’ll be sending them out of the capital soon so that the Grand Duke’s household can’t use that against us,” Liu Boyue replied.
Xianchun nodded slowly. “It seems another man was caught the night before, but Wenyuan let him go. That man, was he one of ours?”
Liu Boyue shook his head. “I’ve heard of that from our people, but he wasn’t one of ours.”
“I see. We’ll have to arrange new people then,” Xianchun sighed wearily. “What a setback, we’d gotten so far only to get thrown back to ground zero.”
Liu Boyue shifted on his feet. “My prince, I don’t think it was a coincidence that our people were caught in one go. From what they told me, there were simply too many coincidences for each and every single one of them to end up in the same place, not to mention they found items they had hidden away uncovered and laid out on their belongings. This smells of sabotage.”
“Who do you think it is?” Xianchun asked.
Liu Boyue bowed his head. “I believe it was Zhao Wenyuan’s way of cleaning out your spies under the pretense of doing you a favor.”
“With what help? From what our people saw, almost none of the servants bother serving him, much less do all this for his sake. In fact, they barely even got a single shred of information about him because of that,” Xianchun pointed out. “The only ones who even interact with him are an old woman who doesn’t have the skills and a young woman who recently resigned. Even if it’s sabotage, it wasn’t set up by him.”
“He does have the ability to arrange this,” Liu Boyue insisted. Xianchun felt the twisting feeling in his gut again and felt the urge to stop, but something made him continue.
“Qu Boyong was quite capable, I admit. But he left,” Xianchun said flatly. Sensing the change in atmosphere, Liu Boyue stilled, reluctant to continue.
“Or do you know anything about Hu Qing’s abilities?” Xianchun asked, leaning forward in his seat. “Boyue, how do you know about that?”
“I looked into him when you allied with Minister Liang,” Liu Boyue replied. “I wanted to make sure he wouldn’t be a threat, but it seems I underestimated him.”
“You never mentioned it to me,” Xianchun prodded.
“I didn’t think it was worth your attention,” Liu Boyue said apologetically.
Xianchun nodded, but the answer didn’t satisfy him.
“Just what is his relationship with Minister Liang? Wenyuan mentioned that it was complicated,” Xianchun pressed him.
“Minister Liang said Hu Qing was his illegitimate nephew,” Liu Boyue replied. “I can look into it some more if you would like to know.”
Xianchun nodded slowly. “Alright, go ahead and do that.”
Liu Boyue bowed and took his leave, Xianchun watching as he left. Something about the conversation left Xianchun with a strange sense of unease that refused to be pushed away.
“The allure of power is something that will drive men to madness. Every leader faces issues in keeping their men in line. The crux of the matter is simply that you will never be able to completely rein in people’s desires.”
Xianchun grit his teeth as Wenyuan’s words suddenly sprung to mind.
“As if,” Xianchun muttered through clenched jaws. “That has nothing to do with me and Boyue.”
The twisting in his stomach didn’t go away.
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Cultural Notes
Education for Nobles in the Tang Dynasty: The Tang Dynasty emphasized martial skills, and so the children of rich or noble families, who could afford for them to engage in full-time education, would be trained in both martial and literary skills. This usually involved learning basic martial arts, learning to use weapons, shoot a bow, ride a horse, as well as on the literary side, learning the Four Classics and Five Books, history (usually the Qin, Han, Wei, and Jin dynasties that weren't included in pre-Qin classics), how to manage accounts, poetry, prose, geography, social studies (could include a wide range of fields depending on the teacher), and so on so forth.
虎毒不食子/One as poison-hearted as a tiger does not eat their own young: An Ancient Chinese proverb meaning that even evil and ruthless men still show mercy towards their own children, which also means that if you fail even to do that, you're even worse than a beast.
不仁不義/Inhumane and disloyal: Humaneness/kindness/mercy/benevolence was represented by the concept of 仁/Humane goodness as one of the five most important virtues, along with loyalty. So to call someone inhumane and disloyal is among one of the worst insults to their character.
腐蝕根基/To rot away at foundations: An Ancient Chinese proverb meaning to actively eat away/make to rot at the foundations of a family, institution, community, society, or dynasty.
殺父之仇不可與同代天/One cannot share the same sky as one who has killed their father: An Ancient Chinese proverb, this can also be applied to mothers.
Filial Piety in Confucian values: One of the most important tenets of Confucian values is filial piety, with the famous proverb 百善孝爲先/Of a hundred virtues, filial piety is first, hence Kayla's reluctance to voice her plans before a Confucian scholar.
優柔寡斷/Hesitant and Indecisive: An Ancient Chinese proverb used to describe someone who is not decisive enough, especially at critical moments.
锯牙钩爪/Sharp fangs and curled claws: An Ancient Chinese proverb comparing someone to a predator with sharp fangs like a saw and curled claws like an eagle's talons.
Loyal Officials and Remonstration: In Ancient China, loyal officials who weren't afraid to offend the Emperor with straightforward remonstration and advice were highly valued, and tended to be well-received among the people and the literati, which thereby serves as a protection against the Emperor's anger via public opinion. This is especially the case when compared to officials who flatter their way into the Emperor's favor and abuse their power. As such, many Emperors purposefully keep a very sharp-tongued person around to show their magnanimity and benevolence.
Dynastic Cycles: Usually, a dynasty will aggregate all lands as public lands at the beginning of the dynasty, and then evenly distribute it among the populace. As the population increases, productivity on arable land also increases until there is enough surplus to support the trades, military, and a robust scholar class. However, the court and Emperor tend to get more opulent as the dynasty goes on, while the population begins to increase past the point that could be supported by the agricultural technologies of the time, which coupled with a few natural disasters here and there (China's pretty big, there's almost always a drought or a flood or a storm or an avalanche at least somewhere in the country), means that the average amount of resources per capita are going down while taxes are going up. Kayla gives a basic overview of all this in the chapter, so I won't go into too much detail, but as taxes and population levels rise, peasants who can no longer support themselves often end up having to sell their land in times of need and are thus relegated to sharecropper status.
The more uneven resource distributions are, the less revenue the dynasty can extract, which then further weakens its ability to respond to natural disasters or military threats, and usually, a particularly bad natural disaster will cause widespread rebellions among the peasants, and that's it for this dynastic cycle. When looking at literature from the later years of a dynasty, you'll find that for contemporaries, younger officials usually attributed the reasons for the dynasty's decline to various factors such as the consolidation of power or corruption of eunuchs, in-laws, members of the Imperial Harem, or a few specific officials/generals, which would mean there's still a way to fix the system and reverse things, but older officials who had seen enough cycles of idealistic people getting crushed by the system tend to have a more comprehensive [and fatalistic] understanding that the dynasty's system is broken.
開國，升平，太平，中興，滅亡/Dynasty begins, rises in prosperity, reaches the golden age, experiences revival [after golden age], comes to an end: The basic dynastic cycle as Wei Guang says it, the one that a large number of Chinese historians generally agree with.
大刀闊斧/Large knives and heavy axes: An Ancient Chinese proverb meaning to go in swinging, no holds barred.