Character Index
Hu Qing/Liang Hongfei: Minister Liang's younger half-brother and Kayla's retainer.
Zhou Xianchun: The Seventh Prince, he currently thinks favorably of Kayla but comes to hate her in the future, believing she had helped the Grand Duke cover up his crimes.
Qu Boyong/Xiang Daozong: The son of General Xiang and the Princess of Chu, cousins with the Princes and with Wenyuan. Currently seeking revenge on the Grand Duke for the extermination of his clan.
Lady Lin: A blind divinator who worked with Wenyuan's mother, she sacrificed years off her life to divinate the future she showed Kayla.
Wei Guang: Imperial Edict Bearer and former teacher of the current Emperor and the Imperial Princess, Kayla's godfather.
Dong Shiqing: Minister of Revenue and the Grand Duke's ally.
Imperial Princess: Wenyuan's mother and a magical researcher.
Zhou Kuang: The Third Prince.
Zhou Yunqi: The Fifth Prince.
Zhou Chengqian: Son of the Third Prince and Cao Shuyi.
Minister Liang: Minister of Justice and Xianchun's supporter, older half-brother of Hu Qing.
Sun Ruhui: Left Secretariat of Justice, Kayla's supporter. Blackmailing Minister Liang with Hu Qing's identity.
Chen Caichun: Chamberlain in the Court of Judicial Review, a talented young woman who's always aspired to be an official.
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Kayla tried to wrap her head around the spell the Imperial Princess had created. Why had Wenyuan’s own mother chosen to use this type of spell? Given Lady Lin’s words, it evidently wasn’t an accident. Then why didn’t she simply find a way to save Wenyuan? Or were there plans that had fallen through, and Kayla’s transmigration was only the result of a backup plan? It made her head ache even more to think about it.
Focus, Kayla. We need a plan to deal with Xianchun and Qu Boyong, Kayla chastised herself. What do I do? Should I just kill Qu Boyong? But then Ji Fangluo might end up being his safety measure, and she’s already recorded in the system.
Killing Xianchun was a non-option. There wasn’t a single plausible situation where she could get away with a prince, even if Kayla managed to stage a scenario of self-defense.
He has a victim complex, couldn’t I make use of that? I’ll take his route and leave him with no route to go down. The question was then how? Could she manage that without getting herself murdered in the process?
I mean, there's got to be some way, right? That old woman's not a god.
“Fuck, why is it so hard to survive?!” Kayla groaned, burying her face into her hands. The thoughts racing through her mind made it feel as though her head was on fire. Kayla lifted her face out of her hands as the carriage slowed to a stop, the door opening to Hu Qing’s concerned expression.
“My lord, we’ll be back in the capital within two hours,” Hu Qing reported. “Are you feeling alright?”
“I’m fine,” Kayla said.
Hu Qing frowned. “What did you say? I didn’t understand that.”
“I’m fine,” Kayla assured him.
“Hold on a moment,” Hu Qing called over his shoulder at the horseman before climbing into the carriage and carefully approaching Kayla.
“Your face is a little red,” he said cautiously. “Are you feeling any discomfort? Can you understand what I’m saying right now?”
“Thanks, but like I already said, I’m fine,” Kayla replied.
“I…can’t understand you, my lord,” Hu Qing said, deliberately keeping his voice calm.
Kayla blinked in confusion before realizing that she was speaking in English. For some reason, her mind hazed over when she tried to find the words in Chinese. Hu Qing reached out and held the back of his hand to Kayla’s forehead, his expression growing grave.
“You have a high fever, my lord,” he said, already reaching for his healing talismans.
“I do?”
At Hu Qing’s uneasy look, Kayla decided to stop speaking until her brain sorted itself out.
“Here, drink this,” Hu Qing gave her a vial. “It’s a medicine for fighting fevers.”
Kayla drank it without question, docilely letting Hu Qing work with the talismans. Her body felt as though it were growing heavier by the moment, and it became increasingly difficult to keep her eyes open. Within moments, Kayla was asleep. Hu Qing opened the carriage door and waved over a guard.
“Contact the Wei household and tell them we need a healer. We need to move as fast as we can.”
The guard glanced over Hu Qing’s shoulder nervously.
“Is the Minister alright?”
“He has a high fever and the healing talismans aren’t doing much,” Hu Qing replied tersely. “Come on now, get moving.”
The guard gulped and nodded, hurrying off to comply.
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Alone in his study, Wei Guang frowned pensively at a scroll. He was overwhelmed with work.
The Grand Duke was still out of commission, but he had tightened security and was stubbornly continuing to breathe. An official investigation had been launched against Dong Shiqing's housekeeper on the grounds of attempting to assassinate Wenyuan, bringing with it all the work needed to frame someone.
Despite Wenyuan's absence, the escalating tensions at court were all related to him in some form. The Emperor didn't pay any mind to it, but the Empress Dowager was increasingly suspicious of the man who used to be her favorite grandson. She had begun aggregating all the tiny mistakes and miscellaneous details to reshape her opinion of Zhao Wenyuan, and the problem was, not all of her suspicions were unfounded. The latest out of a series of extremely tense conversations he had with the Empress Dowager was still echoing in his mind, bringing more and more doubts to the surface.
“By any chance, did you happen to gift Wenyuan a nullification talisman? I do wonder how an Imperial Edict Bearer like you had gotten such a volatile one–the one I gifted him could only nullify magic within a hundred meters, but the nullification magic from three nights ago had encompassed the entire Zhao household, and with extreme precision at that.”
Wenyuan had mentioned nullifying the communication-blocking spells when cornered by the Grand Duke, but Wei Guang hadn't realized just what the scale had been. Wei Guang sighed, setting down his brush. He had covered for Wenyuan, of course, but the matter continued to bother him a full day after the meeting.
The Empress Dowager’s suspicion was no great matter of importance–even if Wenyuan’s nullification abilities were discovered, what could she do to him? All Wenyuan had to do was to say that his magic had been sealed by the late Imperial Princess, and the Empress Dowager would be hard-pressed to go any further on the issue without publicizing the fact that her own daughter didn’t trust her.
The problem was Wenyuan’s abilities.
How are his abilities so powerful? That shouldn’t be possible. A hundred meters isn’t the standard limit because of safety concerns, it’s because that’s the limit of most nullification mages.
The Imperial Princess had pleaded with Wei Guang twenty-five years ago, tearfully lamenting that her son’s magic was too weak and that he would never survive in the military. Wei Guang couldn’t refuse a mother’s tenderhearted fears for her child and agreed without further question. It seemed that he had made a mistake.
Weak? The range of his magic is beyond belief, and you call that weak? If that boy had entered the military academy, he would’ve been trained under the Imperial Guard, outside of the Grand Duke’s reach. Even if he were sent to the battlefield, a nullification mage of his caliber would be protected with every precaution, he could've made General by now!
More importantly, Wenyuan would’ve never gotten dragged into the muddy waters of the court.
If parents loved their children, they should plan for their future. The Imperial Princess had evidently made a misjudgment. In hindsight, Wei Guang could’ve spared both mother and son a great deal of suffering just by asking a few more questions. Wei Guang shook his head with a frustrated sigh, regretting that he hadn’t pressed her further. He glanced up as a serving maid knocked at the door of his study.
“Pardon the interruption, my lord. The guards just sent word that Minister Zhao has entered the capital, they should arrive here shortly,” the girl said.
Wei Guang nodded, pushing away his thoughts. “Wonderful! Fetch me my cloak, I’ll go and greet him.”
The girl bowed and left, brushing shoulders with another serving maid.
“My lord, Minister Zhao’s retainer just sent a request that we call for a healer,” the second serving maid told him as she approached.
Wei Guang’s pleased smile disappeared. “What? Did he say what was the matter?”
The serving maid shook her head.
“Go and fetch one immediately,” Wei Guang ordered. The second girl also left. Wei Guang strode towards the main gates, stopping by the entrance. His steward hastily came forward, bearing Wei Guang’s cloak.
“My lord,” the steward said, his voice laced with concern.
“Are Wenyuan’s rooms prepared?” Wei Guang asked.
“Of course.”
“Make sure that no one says a word about this,” Wei Guang ordered. “If even a single rumor emerges from within the household, there will be hell to pay for all of you.”
The steward bowed and headed off. After a few moments of anxiously looking about, the carriage came speeding into sight. It screeched to a halt before the gates, Hu Qing swiftly descended from his horse.
“What’s going on?” Wei Guang said in alarm.
“Is the healer here?” Hu Qing asked.
“He’s been summoned, it won’t be long now. Is Wenyuan injured?” Wei Guang asked.
“No, but he has a high fever,” Hu Qing replied. Behind him, two of the guards opened the carriage door and retrieved an unconscious Zhao Wenyuan.
Wei Guang paled at the sight. Hu Qing carried Wenyuan into the house on his back, led in by the steward. Wei Guang followed behind them, keeping pace with Hu Qing’s brisk steps. Zhao Wenyuan had grown much more haggard, having lost weight in the few days since Wei Guang had last seen him.
“It’s not as bad as it looks, I gave him fever medicine,” Hu Qing explained.
“Fever medicine doesn’t do that!” Wei Guang gestured furiously at Wenyuan.
“Not the usual kind, I used something stronger. People in my trade use it quite often. Don’t worry, it’s perfectly safe, just a bit potent. It brings down the fever quickly, but the side-effect is that it also doubles as a sleeping draught.”
That didn’t reassure Wei Guang in the slightest. Hu Qing set Wenyuan down on the bed, removing his shoes. Wei Guang hovered over them, unable to contain his anxiety until the healer arrived and politely shooed both of them out.
“What in the heavens happened?!” Wei Guang demanded. Hu Qing frowned, shaking his head.
“I don’t know, Minister Zhao instructed me to wait outside the whole time. He was in a bad shape after the first day, and I wanted him to leave, but he insisted on staying. It got worse yesterday, and he was already unwell when we set out this morning, so I had the horseman go at full speed in case something went wrong,” Hu Qing explained.
“And a good thing that you did,” Wei Guang said, glancing towards the bedroom. “When did the fever start?”
“About halfway through the journey,” Hu Qing replied. “When I checked on him, he started speaking incoherently. I was worried his condition would get worse if I let the fever be, so I decided to give him the medicine despite the side effects.”
Wei Guang nodded. “Good thinking,” he said quietly. “Curse it all, I should never have reached out to Lady Lin! I had thought that since she was on the mark with urging my return to the court, her words would also be useful to Wenyuan. But that was just my one-sided belief. I’ve put you all through needless suffering.”
“Please don’t say that, I’m sure that the Minister understands your concern for him,” Hu Qing replied. They fell silent as the healer emerged, bowing to Wei Guang.
“Your Grace, I’ve finished the check-up. Minister Zhao’s fever should break soon. I’ve prescribed some medicine for him, but he should also avoid stress and try to get as much rest as he can,” the healer said.
Wei Guang frowned. “What is his condition right now?”
The healer hesitated. “That is…his fever has gone down now, but he seems to have suffered a bout of brain fever in the recent past. Thankfully, it was not serious. He should be able to make a complete recovery within a few days.”
“He was speaking in tongues,” Hu Qing said.
The healer nodded. “That can happen when the onset of illness is rapid, some patients lose the ability to speak and write altogether. Thankfully, the Minister’s case should be temporary. Did he show signs of understanding you when you spoke to him?”
“Yes.”
“That’s a good sign, it means the symptoms weren’t serious,” the healer said in relief. “If he’s still suffering symptoms when he wakes up, please call me again.”
Wei Guang and Hu Qing exchanged a look.
“I understand, thank you.” Wei Guang gestured to his steward, who came forward to pay the healer.
“Healer, is there anything else we should be watching out for?“ Hu Qing asked. The healer mulled it over a bit.
“Minister Zhao shows signs of long-term stress and fatigue. All of these weaken the body and make it more susceptible to disease,” the healer replied. “Medicines do little for these problems, it’s the problem of his lifestyle.”
Hu Qing bowed his head slightly. “Thank you.”
The healer bowed toward Wei Guang and then at a lesser angle to Hu Qing before leaving with his money.
“The fever was probably the effect of whatever the mage did,” Hu Qing said darkly.
“What were his symptoms?” Wei Guang asked.
“Vomiting, nausea, dizziness, nosebleeds, and loss of appetite,” Hu Qing listed them out. Wei Guang quietly ran it over in his head before coming to a conclusion.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“I see,” Wei Guang said solemnly. “It was probably advanced divination magic, no wonder it took such a toll on him. Hu Qing, please ask Left Secretariat Sun and Chamberlain Chen to wait on standby. Once Wenyuan is awake, he will probably wish to speak with them. We also need to make sure nothing happens in the meantime. I can handle everything in the court and the palace.”
“Then I’ll handle the rest,” Hu Qing agreed. “We have enough men on hand to take care of it, so please be at ease. The main threats are the Grand Duke, the Seventh Prince, and Qu Boyong. I’ll keep an eye on them, so if you could also help ensure that all their channels to the court are blocked, I would deeply appreciate it.”
Wei Guang nodded. “Very well, let’s proceed as such.”
He waved over a servant. “Send some men to Lady Lin, I want to know just what she said to Wenyuan. We need to prescribe medicine according to the causes.”
The servant bowed and hurried off.
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Kuang frowned at the report in his hands, reading it over for the third time.
“What is it, brother? You’ve been looking at that for quite a while,” Yunqi asked, bouncing Chengqian on his knee.
“Qian’er, go find your mother,” Kuang said, ruffling the boy’s hair. Yunqi set Chengqian down. The boy ran off, his footsteps pattering against the floor. Kuang waited until his son was out of earshot before speaking.
“Our cousin has returned to the capital in as much of a hurry as he left in,” Kuang said thoughtfully. “Soon after, a healer was called to the Wei household and has since left again. They’re been quite vigilant to prevent any additional information from slipping.”
“He didn’t return to the Zhao household?” Yunqi asked in surprise. “Now that the neutral faction’s taking on Dong Shiqing, the Grand Duke would be hard-pressed to touch him without serious consequences, why would he escalate tensions at a time like this?”
“My bet is that they tried to kill each other,” Kuang replied. “Certainly, both of them have the guts to do it.”
“The Grand Duke’s been on sick leave for days, and his faction’s been crumbling apart like a tower of sand. Perhaps he was simply playing weak to make Wenyuan lower his guard? And he returned in such a rush…do you think that the Grand Duke made another attempt on his life?”
Kuang let out a sigh. “Who knows? There’s almost no information right now. But one thing is certain–whatever happened, the palace will let bygones be bygones. So long as it doesn’t escalate out of control, we should do the same.”
“He must be quite frightened, going head-on with the Grand Duke with his life on the line,” Yunqi said sympathetically. “Perhaps this is a good chance for us to reach out to him? I’m sure he’d welcome a friendly hand.”
Kuang shook his head. “He’s not a frail maiden who wishes for the reliable arms of a savior. If we reach out to him first, he’ll feel threatened, and will only shy away from us all the more. Let him make the first move. The more control he has, the safer he’ll feel.”
Yunqi nodded. “I was worried that Xianchun would make a move first, but it seems that would only benefit us, wouldn’t it?”
Kuang put the scroll away, smiling with certainty. “Indeed. And in either case, if you help someone, you should help them to the end. That Qu Boyong is back in the capital, isn’t he? Perhaps it’s time we did something about him.”
Yunqi’s smile broadened.
“Indeed.”
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The guards and secretaries in the Ministry of Justice held their breath as Sun Ruhui calmly walked down the hallway and knocked on Minister Liang’s door. After the loud and emotional argument between the two, everyone had been walking on eggshells around them. Minister Liang was evidently angrier than Sun Ruhui but refused to mention even a word of what had happened. The tense mood hung over the Ministry oppressively, and now, Sun Ruhui was knocking on Minister Liang’s office door as though the Minister hadn’t been giving him the cold shoulder all day.
“Please pardon the disturbance, Minister,” Sun Ruhui called as he opened the door. He did not step in. “I wish to take a leave for the rest of the day.”
Everyone exchanged glances of disbelief behind Sun Ruhui’s back. The workday was almost over, and Sun Ruhui was a Left Secretariat. He didn’t even need to report to Minister Liang if he wanted to go. What was the point of provoking Minister Liang like this?
“Go if you like,” Minister Liang snapped.
Sun Ruhui didn’t hesitate, bowing his head slightly. “Thank you for your understanding, Minister. I’ll take my leave now.”
He closed the door and went back the way he’d come. Sun Ruhui ignored the soft sighs of relief from the secretaries and guards. He didn’t have any thought to spare for their worries, not when Zhao Wenyuan was back, and apparently, seriously ill.
Asking for leave had been a deliberate jab at Minister Liang, reminding him of the card Sun Ruhui held. Sun Ruhui couldn’t take the chance of leaving Minister Liang to his own devices–who knew if the man would grab onto the chance of Wenyuan’s return when everyone had let their guards down?
My lord, you’ve really put me in quite a predicament, Sun Ruhui lamented to himself. Blackmailing Minister Liang worked for a time, but it was far from a permanent solution. Who knew when Minister Liang would decide to air out his dirty laundry to the Seventh Prince and seek his help?
All of the measures we’ve taken after the fiasco with the Grand Duke have been temporary. So long as the Grand Duke’s still alive, these are all like swords hanging over our heads, he thought grimly. The worst part was that Zhao Wenyuan was apparently out of commission. Were they to defer to Wei Guang’s orders in the meantime, and would Zhao Wenyuan blame them for it afterward?
Sun Ruhui’s bottom line was that no matter what course of action they took, it couldn’t be something that harmed the neutral faction or Zhao Wenyuan’s position. The rest was negotiable.
Still deep in thought, Sun Ruhui made the journey to Wei Guang’s household. Chen Caichun hadn’t arrived yet, her lower rank making it difficult to leave work on such short notice. A steward ushered him in, leading Sun Ruhui down the corridors toward Wenyuan’s room.
“I’ll take him from here,” a familiar voice said. The steward bowed and left.
Sun Ruhui nodded in greeting toward Hu Qing. “It’s good to see you here. How is the Minister?”
Hu Qing shook his head. “Still sleeping, but his fever broke. How’s the situation with the Ministry of Justice? Did my brother throw a fit at you?”
“Not particularly,” Sun Ruhui lied.
Hu Qing sighed softly. “I’m sorry that you had to offend him, hopefully, he’s still reasonable enough to be professional about it.”
Minister Liang was not, but Sun Ruhui decided not to give Hu Qing additional worries.
“Don’t worry, everything’s fine. The Ji Fangluo case hasn’t progressed in your absence. But just what happened? Did the meeting with the divinator not go well?” Sun Ruhui asked.
“Definitely not,” Hu Qing said through gritted teeth. “The divination magic had serious side effects that she apparently didn’t tell him about beforehand, and whatever he saw was enough to cause him some serious distress. That’s how he got sick in the first place. It was so bad that he was talking in tongues on the way back.”
“I’ve heard of divination magic causing madness or brain fever,” Sun Ruhui said, frowning in concern. “Surely it won’t be permanent?”
Hu Qing sighed, shaking his head. “The healer said it should be fine. In any case, I don’t know when he’ll wake up, but we can wait in the sitting room for now.”
The two made their way over slowly, keeping pace with one another. They both glanced up in alarm as they heard a crash. Hu Qing dashed towards Wenyuan’s bed-chamber, Sun Ruhui following in his footsteps. As they got closer, they could hear Wenyuan speaking in a panicked voice.
Sun Ruhui’s blood ran cold. None of what Wenyuan was saying was remotely coherent.
Was the damage permanent after all? Damn it!
Sun Ruhui’s horror was interrupted by a new source of alarm as they burst into the room. Wenyuan glanced up at them, eyes wide and desperate. A teacup was smashed on the floor, shards scattered in every direction. The largest shard was gripped in Wenyuan’s hand. It was dripping with blood, and only inches away from his neck.
Fear surged through Sun Ruhui’s veins and he rushed forward. Hu Qing moved faster, grabbing Wenyuan’s wrist in a tight grip and forcing open his fingers.
“My lord, please calm down! Don’t do such a foolish thing!” Sun Ruhui pleaded, grabbing a handkerchief from his sleeve to press onto Wenyuan’s hand. His heart was pounding in his throat now, and Sun Ruhui barely managed to keep his hands from shaking.
Wenyuan gave him a disoriented look. “What?”
Thankfully, the Zhao heir was collected enough to speak coherently now.
“Are you insane?! How can you make light of your life like this?!” Hu Qing demanded furiously, getting to work on healing Wenyuan’s hand.
“Exactly, my lord! You can’t make such a shortsighted decision!” Sun Ruhui quickly added. “No matter what difficulties there are, we can surely find a solution together. Where would you leave us if you act so rashly? A man is obliged to be resolute and broad-minded, having a heavy burden and a long path. If you abandon your duties in this manner, you would be assisting the tyrannical in their abuse!”
Wenyuan’s look shifted to one of confusion. “What are you talking about?” His look changed to one of exasperated disbelief. “You guys are misunderstanding–I’m not suicidal! I broke the cup by accident!”
Sun Ruhui and Hu Qing exchanged a look, coming to a mutual understanding that it was not just an accident.
“I see,” Sun Ruhui said cautiously.
“I’m telling the truth,” Wenyuan protested. “I didn’t mean to break the cup, I was just disoriented after waking up. Seriously, I’m far from being suicidal, I’ve got a pretty strong–well, a relatively strong will to live, all things considered.”
His words didn’t exactly inspire much confidence, but his look of exasperation seemed to be real.
“I understand, but if there’s something troubling you, please discuss it with us. We’re more than happy to help in whatever way we can,” Sun Ruhui replied.
Wenyuan let out a soft sigh, his shoulders slumping. Sun Ruhui and Hu Qing exchanged another look of concern.
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Kayla sighed helplessly, feeling a sense of disbelief.
It's not like I meant to break it! She knew they meant well, but the misunderstanding befuddled her. Kayla was always desperate to survive, regardless of what kind of life she was leading. Whether it was as a downtrodden cashier estranged from her family or as an official trapped in the turbulent waters of court politics, Kayla never once considered death an option. Just how the hell had they made that leap?
It had truly been an accident, though not without cause. Kayla had woken up to a painfully dry throat. She reached for the teacup at her bedside and was immediately faced with Wenyuan’s request to die.
I can’t do this anymore. Are you seriously going to make me suffer through the extermination of my clan? Wenyuan’s words had felt like a slap in the face.
Kayla suddenly felt a strange sense of empathy for the balding men in bad TV shows who lost their jobs and were immediately hit with a request for divorce when they went home to their wives.
Between the horror of the past few days and Wenyuan’s request, Kayla hadn’t even noticed the cup breaking until Hu Qing was wrenching a shard out of her hand.
“I didn’t mean to break the cup,” Kayla repeated. “It was an accident, I just didn’t notice.”
“You didn’t notice that you were bleeding this much?” Hu Qing asked in alarm.
“That’s not…you should be more careful with your body,” Sun Ruhui said gently.
“I…I was just…” Kayla said weakly, trailing off as she saw that their concerns only increased. She changed the topic. “Left Secretariat, how have things been in our absence?”
“Everything has proceeded smoothly, my lord. Minister Liang has not made any progress on the Ji Fangluo case. How are you feeling?” Sun Ruhui immediately dragged the conversation back on track.
“I’m fine, do you know if he’s said anything to the Third Prince?” Kayla asked, desperate to shift their attention away.
“The…Third Prince?” Sun Ruhui asked. He and Hu Qing shared a look of alarm.
“The Seventh Prince! I meant the Seventh Prince! I just woke up, my brain hasn’t sorted itself out yet!”
Her mistake did not help matters in the slightest.
“We should have the healer take another look,” Hu Qing said softly.
“I’m really fine,” Kayla insisted. She glanced between the two of them. “Did you guys actually think I was suicidal just because I broke a cup?”
Hu Qing relaxed a little, sensing that Kayla really was fine. Sun Ruhui remained vigilant, watching Kayla with nervous eyes.
“You can hardly blame us. I mean, your lot is much more prone to killing yourself. Military officers usually don’t go for it quite as much, but civil officials like to overthink things and then overreact accordingly,” Hu Qing pointed out, releasing Kayla’s hand as he finished healing it up.
I mean, that is kind of true. She almost felt bad for scaring them, as little as she had meant to do so. But I guess watching someone hurt themselves is more unnerving than hurting them yourself, even Xianchun panicked when I stabbed my eye in that timeline, didn’t he?
Kayla's eyes lit up as she was hit with an epiphany. Wait, I know how to deal with Xianchun now.
“I think I know how to deal with the Seventh Prince,” she announced.
There’s a reason why women in Ancient China repeatedly turned to the classic three-step tactic when faced with their husbands. When you're faced with someone more powerful, moral extortion works–Especially when you’re playing the victim.
Kayla had often heard people speak with disdain, mocking wives and concubines who took their husbands' reputations hostage through the timeless combo of crying, throwing a fit, and threatening suicide, but they'd worked with what they had.
I'm in the same situation. I need to work with whatever resources I have, and if that fails, I'll fucking take Xianchun down with me.
“I’d recommend taking it easy for now,” Hu Qing hastily interjected.
“I absolutely agree!” Sun Ruhui chimed in.
Kayla ignored them, a plan piecing itself together in her mind.
“Left Secretariat, about my question earlier?” Kayla asked after a moment of thought.
“From what I know, Minister Liang is unwilling to go to the Seventh Prince with this. It would destroy his image as a righteous man, but I fear that he will eventually choose to confess rather than continue to be blackmailed,” Sun Ruhui replied. He swept his gaze over Kayla’s face intently. He seemed to be relieved by what he saw and relaxed a little.
“Indeed, who knows what he’ll choose? I’ve put both of you in a difficult position,” Kayla murmured. “How about this? Let’s just take this road all the way to the end. I’ll tell the Seventh Prince that Ji Fangluo’s case is connected to the Grand Duke and that we were suppressing the investigation to prevent her from getting killed.”
“That will only spark his curiosity further, he’ll stop at nothing to find out the truth if we do such a thing!” Sun Ruhui warned her.
“Then we’ll be on the same page. I want to speak with Ji Fangluo, we need to see if we can negotiate a working agreement,” Kayla replied.
Sun Ruhui and Hu Qing exchanged uneasy glances.
“Won’t that place you in greater danger?” Hu Qing asked. “The more he knows, the more precarious our situation will be!”
Kayla let out a sigh. “Riches and glory are found in danger, are they not? Right now, our situation is heading towards outright conflict with the Seventh Prince. What I want to do is to put us all on the same side, with the same enemy.”
Sun Ruhui frowned slightly, hesitating to speak.
“I’m not abandoning the Zhao clan,” Kayla explained. “If the whole clan is done for, then I’m done for as well. What I’m saying is that both the Seventh Prince and Qu Boyong are people who only accept soft approaches and not harsh ones. We need to act accordingly.”
“Maybe you should sleep on that for a bit, I doubt my brother is in any rush to spill the truth to the Seventh Prince,” Hu Qing suggested.
Sun Ruhui nodded. “Your ideas are sound, but perhaps we should deliberate some further,” he added diplomatically.
Kayla couldn’t blame them for their hesitancy, given everything that had happened.
“No, listen to me. I wish to borrow a knife to commit murder, rather than acting myself, I want the Grand Duke to die at Xianchun’s hands. I’ll give him exactly what he wants.”
“I’m not sure that’ll help you,” Hu Qing shot down the idea. “Given that man’s personality, it’s hard to say if he would then turn around and call you unfilial or something.”
Kayla shook her head. “Not if he knows that the Grand Duke killed my parents. I’ve been going about this the wrong way, trying to be on his good side while walking on eggshells around him. In truth, I should be teaming up with him, shouldn’t I?”
“You wish to side with the Seventh Prince?” Sun Ruhui asked in alarm.
Kayla smiled, her eyes flashing with a conspirational glint.
“Absolutely not. Only in the matter of revenge would I align with the Seventh Prince. As for the succession to the throne, I wish to side with the Third Prince.”
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Cultural Notes
走他的路让他无路可走/Go his path and leave him with no path to go down: A common trope/meme in modern Chinese novels, such as when an Emperor infiltrates a rebel movement, rebelling against himself and thereby rendering everyone's efforts ineffective (yes, this happens in various stories, it's always made to make sense some way or another). Alternatively, a woman confronted with a Handsome Overbearing CEO uses his tactics to reverse-harass him, frightening him off from harassing her any further (examples involve kabedon-ing him, tossing cash at him when he protests, princess carrying him without consent, and using ridiculous pickup lines from the CEO's repertoire until he thinks that "this woman is insane, I'm out of here", or, they somehow become a pair).
Temporary Aphasia/Bilingual Aphasia: Aphasia is a condition in which someone temporarily or permanently loses their ability to read/write/speak/understand speech. Bilingual aphasia is when a bilingual person suffers from aphasia, which may result in more language loss for one language over another, or being unable to understand one language but still understand another one. I have taken a lot of artistic license with this to combine the two, please note that this is not an accurate description of a medical condition.
走漏风声/Leak the sound of wind: An Ancient Chinese proverb meaning to accidentally leak a secret or a plot.
推己及人/Extend one's feelings to another's experiences: An Ancient Chinese proverb meaning to show empathy for someone in a similar situation, approximately equivalent to "Do not to others what you do not wish done to yourself"
头风/Head wind: A concept in traditional Chinese medicine that covers what Victorian England called "Brain fevers", which were approximately equivalent to strange behavior caused by inflammation of parts of the brain. Head wind can incorporate anything from brain inflammations and blood clots to tumors and migraines.
轻生/Make light of your life: An Ancient Chinese term for suicide.
寻短见/Seek shortsighted means: An Ancient Chinese term meaning to seek an end to your life shortsightedly.
对症下药/Administer medicine to the symptoms: An Ancient Chinese proverb meaning to react according to the specific situation.
仕不可以不弘毅，任重而道远/A gentleman cannot refuse to do great things, having a heavy burden and a long path: Originating from a quote from The Analects, the "gentleman" here refers to a member of the educated class, who then has the right to try and become an official. The full quote says, "士不可以不弘毅，任重而道远。仁以为己任，不亦重乎？死而后已，不亦远乎?/An educated gentleman must be resolute and broad-minded, for he has taken up a heavy responsibility and a long course. Is it not a heavy responsibility, which is to practice benevolence? Is it not a long course, which will end only with his death?"
助纣为虐/Assist Zhou in his [tyrannical] abuse: An Ancient Chinese proverb meaning to directly or indirectly contribute to the problem. Zhou, not the Zhou used for the Imperial Family, was a tyrant in pre-Qin China (from the Shang Dynasty) known for his abuses of power.
一哭二闹三上吊/One cry, two [throw a] tantrum, three hang yourself: A Chinese saying referring to what is known as the classic three-step set used by women to achieve their goals/protest a decision. While it's often used in derision, or to imply the woman is being unreasonable, it's often missed that one of the only recourses a woman had over her household was to threaten their reputation with her own life. This may also be applied to situations where the person in question is in a position of lesser power and prestige.
富贵险中求/Riches and power are found in danger: An Ancient Chinese proverb meaning that fortune favors the bold.
吃软不吃硬/Eat [up a] soft [approach] but not a hard [approach]: A Chinese saying referring to someone for whom harsh words and disciplinary measures don't work, but gentle persuasion and smooth words do the job.
借刀杀人/Borrow a knife to commit murder: An Ancient Chinese proverb meaning to do something sinister by someone else's hand, whether through manipulation or making a deal.