Character Index
Wei Guang: Imperial Edict Bearer and Kayla's godfather.
Yu Bianfu: A female General and Xianchun's left-hand woman. She was framed by Kayla for deceiving the Empress Dowager and withholding information about what she saw in the Zhao household.
Liu Hongyu: Former Secretariat Director, he died under house arrest after Kayla accused him of lese-majeste. He used to verbally harass Wenyuan during their drinking sessions, having been infatuated with the late Imperial Princess.
Dong Shiqing: Minister of Revenue and an ally of the Grand Duke. Unlike his peers who grew arrogant and careless with time, he has always been extremely careful, making the Ministry of Revenue a steel wall without any cracks or openings.
Sir Zheng: An eunuch who serves the Emperor, an ally of Xianchun.
Ji Yantao: A former accountant of the Xiang household, he was summoned to the capital as part of a revenge plot. His daughter Ji Fangluo is currently taking part in the plot on his behalf.
Qu Boyong/Xiang Daozong: Son of General Xiang and the Princess of Chu, seeking revenge on the Grand Duke.
Liu Boyue: Xianchun's best friend and right-hand man, currently in an awkward position after being exposed for going behind Xianchun's back.
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Kayla entered the Emperor’s study and knelt to give her greetings. She had checked beforehand to make sure she looked suitably haggard, setting the stage for a new round of confrontations. After consulting at length with Wei Guang, the new approach she took with the Emperor was essentially a rehash of what she had done to frame Yu Bianfu. This time, she was framing the Grand Duke.
“Wenyuan humbly greets Your Majesty,” Kayla said, lowering her head to the ground. For some reason, it felt strange to say the words now that Wenyuan was no longer there.
“No need for formalities, Wenyuan. Come on over here and let your uncle take a look at you,” the Emperor waved her over. Kayla felt a rush of relief at the sight of his healthy visage, unmarked by worries and disease. He peered at her closely, frowning with concern as he took in the pallid tone of her face.
“Thank you for your kindness, Uncle. But I’ve recovered fully,” Kayla assured him.
“You still look quite pale, you should take some supplements. I’ll have the eunuchs pack some for you to take back,” the Emperor said.
Kayla thanked him and sat down where the Emperor gestured to and bowed her head in thanks as the Emperor pushed a plate of tea cakes at her.
“I was rather surprised to hear that you left the capital–and in such a hurry too. Wei Guang told me that there was a bit of a situation with your grandfather, but he didn’t go into details. What on earth had you running off like your tail was on fire?” The Emperor asked. Seeing that Kayla’s mouth was still full, he gestured for her to finish eating first. She gulped the food down as quickly as she could, making sure that her hands visibly trembled before hastily hiding them in her sleeves.
“Apologies, Uncle. I know that I acted rashly…and childishly, at that, and that I’ve caused you a great deal of inconvenience by running off so suddenly,” Kayla said sheepishly.
“No matter,” the Emperor waved off her apology, his curiosity sharpened by Kayla’s attempt to hide her nervousness. “Young men are supposed to be impulsive, better that you act rashly on this matter than on an important matter of state. But you’re usually a man of caution, what happened?”
Kayla bowed her head slightly. “It’s embarrassing to admit, but I argued with my grandfather. It got…out of hand. I may have gone too far with my words, but he was so furious that I thought I might…” She drew her face into a look of faint horror, staring off into the distance.
“Wenyuan?” The Emperor prompted her, his voice taking on a note of unease.
Kayla jolted back to attention, eyes wide and disoriented. “U-uncle, I apologize.”
“No need,” the Emperor said, his expression growing solemn. “Keep going, what happened with your grandfather?”
“He–nothing. Nothing happened, we argued, and I just got frightened and left. I-it was just an act of impulse,” Kayla hastily replied.
The Emperor’s eyes narrowed. “Is that all?”
“That’s all.”
The Emperor’s face furrowed with displeasure. “Wenyuan, you know full well that lying to the Emperor is a serious crime. You would knowingly break the law?”
Kayla got out of her seat and knelt, bowing her head. “That was not my intention, I beg your forgiveness!”
“Get up! I’m not trying to hand out punishments here, Wenyuan. I just asked you a simple question, why is it so difficult to get a clear answer from you?” The Emperor reached out, tugging Kayla up. She meekly complied and returned to her seat.
“Uncle, I’m not lying to you, nor am I trying to withhold an answer. It’s the truth that nothing really happened, I just got frightened and ran off,” Kayla said, a pleading note in her voice.
“You’re a third-rank official of the court, what on earth could've frightened you so badly?” The Emperor demanded.
Kayla broke eye contact, slowly lowering her head.
“I..I thought he would kill me,” she said in a small voice. The Emperor leaned forward, frowning.
“You’re his heir and my nephew. Even if he ate a bear’s heart or a cougar’s gall, he wouldn’t dare to kill you over a mere argument. What on earth do you have to fear?”
“As you know, my grandfather has always been…strict with my education,” Kayla said, avoiding his gaze. “So when he threw an inkstone at my head, I just overreacted out of instinct.”
The Emperor took a sharp breath. “Instinct?” He asked in a low voice.
Bingo.
“No, I mean–” Kayla feebly began to protest.
“That time you were ill for three weeks after your twentieth birthday, was your grandfather responsible?” The Emperor demanded.
That was not the immediate connection she expected him to make, but Kayla was more than happy to go along with it. Wenyuan had actually just been ill that time, the stress of his drinking sessions with Liu Hongyu having worn down his immune system. But she was trying to portray the Grand Duke as someone arrogant and bold enough to openly try to kill Wenyuan over an argument, what did it matter if she twisted the truth a little?
She didn’t reply, lowering her head instead.
“You had no fear taking on the entire court, but you fear for your life when arguing with him,” the Emperor said, his voice taking on an angry note. “Why did you never bring this up to me?”
And how did this guy never notice the domestic abuse right under his nose?
Kayla decided to keep that question to herself.
“The country has its laws, the family has its discipline,” Kayla replied. “Even though I stand opposing him as an official, as a grandson, I can’t go against my grandfather if he punishes me according to the family’s rules.”
“You fool! Family discipline is one thing, but if it threatens your life, it counts as harming an official of the court!” Despite the sharpness of his words, the Emperor’s words were wrought with worry and sympathy.
“I apologize, Uncle,” Kayla said. “But this time, it really was nothing. I just reacted out of fear and ended up causing such a mess.”
“Don’t apologize, I can’t blame you for such a thing,” the Emperor replied, his tone softening. “I’ll do something about this, so don’t worry too much about it. Just focus on recovering your health and returning to work.”
“Thank you!” Kayla bowed her head.
The Emperor waved off her thanks. “Your grandmother also wanted to see you, so I won’t keep you any longer.”
Kayla took the cue to leave and left, glancing over at Sir Zheng where he stood at the entrance to the study. Seeing that he was carefully pretending not to have listened in, she left for the Empress Dowager’s residence in satisfaction.
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Kayla chose to forego the theatrics with the Empress Dowager, giving an excuse about discord with the Grand Duke and proceeding to politics within a record-breaking three minutes’ worth of time. The second she got a chance, Kayla turned the topic towards Dong Shiqing and dealing with the Ministry of Revenue. It was only after she finally ran out of ways to keep the discussion on court politics that the Empress Dowager even got the chance to ask after Kayla’s illness.
“Thank you for your concern, grandmother. I apologize for worrying you, but I’m fine now,” Kayla said politely.
The Empress Dowager smiled, looking every bit the affectionate grandmother.
“Good, good. I’m glad to hear that you’re feeling better now,” she said gently. “Your uncle and I know full well how much effort you’ve put into serving the court, but you should prioritize your health.”
“Thank you, grandmother,” Kayla said, bowing her head slightly. Despite the kind words, Kayla couldn’t help but instinctively keep her guard up.
Is she really going to let the matter go so easily when I even dragged in Wei Guang to ward her off? It’s not like her to be so generous when I’m wriggling out from her grasp.
“That’s right, Wenyuan. Did you happen to use the nullification talisman I gave you?”
Kayla felt her blood run cold. Of course, she fucking knows about the magic nullification–does that mean she knows about everything else as well?
She forced herself to calm down. Now that Wenyuan was truly gone, Kayla couldn’t help but feel increasingly anxious, as though his unnoticed absence would somehow expose her as an imposter.
“That’s right, grandmother. Even though the situation didn’t really necessitate it, I panicked while arguing with my grandfather and ended up activating it,” Kayla said apologetically. “I’m sorry for wasting such a precious resource.”
The Empress Dowager stared at Kayla intently. “It can’t be helped,” she replied, evidently not convinced in the slightest. “These things do happen, I’ll see to it that you receive a replacement.”
Kayla bowed her head. “Thank you, grandmother.”
“Of course, it is only what I should do as your elder. But you should also take more care not to use the replacement carelessly,” the Empress Dowager said meaningfully. “If something does happen to necessitate its use, I hope that you will tell me truthfully.”
The thinly-veiled warning actually calmed Kayla down, reminding her that the Empress Dowager still needed the neutral faction and “Zhao Wenyuan”.
She may have discarded me in the future I saw, but right now, there’s no one who can replace me. Even if she knows anything, all she can do is issue threats.
“I would not dare to withhold anything from you, grandmother,” Kayla replied.
The Empress Dowager nodded, smiling with satisfaction, but Kayla knew that the page hadn’t been turned yet.
“Wenyuan, I know that you’ve focused more on civil affairs rather than martial ones in your studies, so it may be difficult for you to gauge just how dangerous a situation is at times,” the Empress Dowager said. “Why don’t I assign you a few of my guards?”
So she wants to put me under even more surveillance than she already has? The Empress Dowager’s people have a unique status, if they refuse to leave me alone when I need to speak with someone, I won’t even be able to send them away for risk of being reported. Like hell I’m going to agree to something like that!
“I dare not accept such an honor, grandmother! The Imperial Guard serve the palace and the palace alone, what kind of message would it send for me to have them in my retinue? That is an honor that even my cousins have not been granted, it is a privilege beyond my position and my virtue, to accept it would only degrade the magnitude of your benevolence,” Kayla replied.
The Empress Dowager narrowed her eyes slightly.
“You’ve improved your knowledge of rites and propriety, is it perhaps due to Imperial Edict Bearer Wei’s tutelage? Like godfather, like godson, I suppose,” she said.
Yikes. Given the Empress Dowager’s dislike of Wei Guang, it was more an intimidation tactic than a compliment. It was evident the Empress Dowager wanted to force Kayla into saying that Wei Guang wasn’t really all that important to her, but Kayla had no intention of going along with that. When it came to her godfather, he had the Emperor’s support in spite of, or rather, because of the Empress Dowager’s disdain. Compared to the Empress Dowager who treated her as a disposable chess piece, Kayla needed Wei Guang more if she wanted to avoid a bloody future.
“You’re much too kind, I am still inexperienced and have much to learn,” Kayla said.
A look of displeasure flashed over the Empress Dowager’s face.
“You’ve really grown,” the Empress Dowager said pointedly. “They say that as a girl grows into a woman, she will undergo eighteen changes, but the same can apply for men as well. You’ve changed so much from when you were a child, it sometimes feels like I no longer recognize you.”
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Kayla hesitated, not sure how to respond to the barbed statement.
Because I’m not Wenyuan. The unspoken words sent a sharp pang of loss through her chest.
“All of my achievements are thanks to Uncle and grandmother’s care and guidance, though I’m afraid I still have far to go in order to prove worthy of such kindness,” she said carefully. “If I am simply satisfied to remain as I was, then it would be too ungrateful of me.”
“Of course, no matter how much we try to pave the steps, a man must forge his own path,” the Empress Dowager replied. “It pleases me to see you improving yourself. But in my old age, one can’t help but be overcome with nostalgia and wish for the old days.”
Oh hell no, don’t do this. Don’t start saying this now, not for this purpose–
There was a growing pool of pent-up emotion in Kayla’s chest that made her want to tear apart the luxurious drapery around them with tooth and nail.
“Proud as I am of you now, I cannot help but miss the Wenyuan I once knew,” the Empress Dowager went on.
Fuck. Kayla’s eyes stung, her vision blurring before she could control herself. Kayla drew in a sharp breath, trying to pull herself together.
“Wenyuan, there’s no need to take the words of an old woman to heart,” the Empress Dowager continued, satisfied that her emotional blackmailing had taken effect. “I grow old by the day, my eyes and ears are beginning to fail, and all that’s left to me are days gone by.”
Wenyuan wanted to hear those words so badly, why the hell did you never say them earlier?! Even once would’ve been enough for him!
Kayla couldn’t stop the tears from streaming down her face, wiping at them with bitter frustration. The Empress Dowager reached over in concern, even as the satisfaction in her gaze increased.
“Grandmother, you have no idea how much I wanted to hear those words just a few days before,” Kayla said in a choked voice. “Even if it were a little earlier, I would’ve done anything just to hear you say that!”
The Empress Dowager stopped short of reaching Kayla’s arm, staring at her in perplexed surprise.
“Wenyuan? What are you…never mind that, wipe your tears now, don’t carry on so,” The Empress Dowager couldn’t hide the note of unease in her voice as she realized this had gone in a completely unexpected direction. It had resulted in an outburst of emotion as she had intended, but that of grief and resentment rather than feelings of guilt.
Just two days ago–should I have come to the palace earlier? Should I have made Wenyuan hold on until he at least got to hear this once?
Kayla dug her nails into her palms until they drew blood, forcibly quashing the tsunami of emotion surging up relentlessly.
“I apologize for showing you something so unsightly, grandmother,” Kayla said as calmly as she could.
“Not at all, it seems that you aren’t fully recovered from your illness yet,” the Empress Dowager said, offering an olive branch by giving Kayla a stair to step down on.
Wenyuan’s really gone now, but I’m the only one who mourns him. Even his own grandmother is just bringing up the past as a card to use against me.
Kayla bowed her head deeply, her breathing growing uneven as grief overwhelmed her again.
“It-it is as you say, grandmother,” Kayla said. Her quavering voice seemed to bring the Empress Dowager discomfort rather than satisfaction, and the old woman gently patted Kayla on the shoulder.
“Even if the healers say you can return to work, you should still prioritize your health. Don’t overwork yourself,” the Empress Dowager said. “Make sure to get the healers to take another look after you go back.”
“Understood, thank you for your concern,” Kayla replied. “Then I’ll take my leave for now.”
The Empress Dowager let her leave, a senior eunuch coming forward to activate a cosmetic talisman. Kayla returned to the Wei household in complete silence, making her way back to her empty room in a haze.
Kayla called over the steward to send a meeting request to Xianchun before she made her way to the desk and sat down. She automatically reached for the scrolls of paperwork, but the paper didn’t feel right under her fingers. Kayla wandered over to the couch and suddenly found it unbearably stifling to sit there. She flung herself face-first onto the bed and lay still for a moment before taking a deep breath and silently screaming into the pillow.
Wenyuan, she called out even though she knew there would be no reply. She tried again anyways.
Wenyuan…There isn’t anyone who knew you were here, and there isn’t anyone who knows that you’re gone. I’m the only one left…Wenyuan, I’m really alone now.
There was a mountain of things Kayla needed to do, but she couldn’t muster the will to move. She remained in the same spot as the light from the windows moved across the walls and faded.
Hu Qing found her curled up on the bed when he entered from the window. He rushed over, glancing around the room with concern.
“Are you alright?” Hu Qing asked uneasily. He carefully peered at Kayla as she nodded and sat up. Unsatisfied, he reached over to check her hands, before moving to pull at Kayla’s sleeves and then her collar, letting out a sigh of relief upon seeing that she wasn’t injured.
Kayla let him complete his check, equally exasperated and touched at his needless worries.
“I’m fine, just tired,” Kayla replied. “The Empress Dowager was more difficult to deal with than I expected.”
“Maybe you rest for another day or two,” Hu Qing said with a frown. “I asked your godfather, and the side effects might start up again if you’re too tired or stressed. If you push yourself too much, you could ruin your health.”
The Empress Dowager never even considered that, not when she needs me to take back the Ministry of Revenue, Kayla noted with a small pang of bitterness. It didn’t matter to her as Kayla, but it would have mattered to Wenyuan.
“I’m fine,” Kayla replied. “How’s the situation with Ji Yantao?”
“We’ve spread rumors in the Zhao household about him being connected to the Xiang household, and the Xiang household being wrongly accused. It’ll only be a matter of time before it reaches the Grand Duke’s ears. It shouldn’t take too long,” Hu Qing assured her.
“Good,” Kayla sighed. “I’ve sent a message to request a meeting with the Seventh Prince, but we’ll need to balance things out with the Third Prince. After all, he’s the one I’m really supporting. I’ll meet with him the day after, and hopefully, that’ll work out.”
“The Seventh Prince will think you’re two-timing him,” Hu Qing pointed out.
Kayla shook her head. “I’ve prepared an excuse. I’ll just tell him that we need to keep the Third Prince off of our backs if we want to do this.”
“But how will you keep the Third Prince off your back? It’s not like he’d just back off on a chance once he’s sniffed it out,” Hu Qing said.
“He’ll back off if he knows there’s a better chance waiting ahead,” Kayla replied confidently. “The Seventh Prince is the one who’s more stubborn than a mule.”
Hu Qing only seemed to be more concerned.
“Even more reason why you should be careful. You can’t put your life in his hands, and putting your dignity at his mercy isn’t a great idea either,” he warned her.
“I know, but I’m walking into a dead end because I keep trying to act in the most reasonable manner, but fortune favors the bold. If I’m too afraid of taking risks, I’ll end up with nothing.”
“It just worries me that you might be rushing into this. You haven’t been doing well recently,” Hu Qing said bluntly. “I know that Sun Ruhui and Chen Caichun have agreed to go along with this, but if things don’t go well, you’d be the one to suffer most.”
“Thank you, but I’ll be fine,” Kayla assured him. “I know what I’m doing, and I have a good sense of Xianchun’s mentality. To put it simply, he’s too self-righteous to back down from any decision he’s made, so I just need to trap him into making one. If I don’t do that, I’ll end up as a scapegoat the second he runs into any major obstacles.”
“Scapegoat?” Hu Qing asked quizzically.
“Basically, he’ll blame all his problems on the person it’s easiest to take out his frustrations on,” Kayla explained. “For Xianchun, I’m a convenient target not only because I’m from the Zhao clan, but also because the Emperor favors me more. This is my best chance to cut off all his suspicions at the source and to gain leverage over him as well. If I can turn a lethal weakness into a debt, why wouldn’t I do it?”
Hu Qing nodded reluctantly but didn’t look too convinced. “Well, if you’re sure about what you’re doing. Do you need me to go with you just in case things go south?”
“They won’t,” Kayla assured him. “I’m almost completely certain that this’ll work.”
“Alright then,” Hu Qing acquiesced. He remained where he was, waiting for Kayla to voice her other concerns. Kayla quietly turned the matter of Wenyuan over in her mind, trying to find the right words and the right request.
Is this even something I should be doing? Kayla glanced at Hu Qing thoughtfully.
He’s the most reliable person I know. If I can’t ask this of him, I can’t ask it of anyone.
“There’s something else that’s been weighing on my mind,” Kayla said cautiously. “A friend of mine passed away a while ago, but he is someone who I can’t complete any rites for if you know what I mean.”
“Ah, yes, the child of a persecuted official?”
“Well, not quite so extreme, but I can’t have anything connecting me to him,” Kayla said. “It bothers me that I can’t see to his last rites. Do you have any ideas?”
“You could set up a plaque privately in the safe house,” Hu Qing said, not questioning her any further. “If he’s someone who you would get in trouble for mourning, then you should write his name in another language, or use a pseudonym. Preferably the latter, or even combining both. There’s no telling if your enemies might grab a translator. As for his last rites, if you want to do an empty-casket burial, I can get him a grave outside the capital and have them go through the funerary rituals. But it would also have to be under another name, and you can’t be associated with it. I can have one of our men take care of it under the guise of burying a family friend.”
Kayla nodded. “I don’t know if the dead can see any of this, but I’d like to do it even if it’s meaningless. Can you set it up for me?”
“Even if the dead can’t see anything, it must mean something to have made the effort,” Hu Qing replied. “I’ll have it done within the week. What name do you want to use for the plaque and the gravestone?”
Kayla thought it over for a long moment.
“I’ll write out his pseudonym in his native language,” she finally said. She went over to the desk, writing out the letters Zhao Wenyuan in English. It would be centuries before this would remotely be a problem, by which she would be long dead.
“For the funeral rituals and the plaque, please use this name,” she said, handing the paper over to him.
“How do you pronounce this?” Hu Qing asked. Kayla hesitated. She rummaged around in her brain, but only a single name popped into mind.
“Kayla Lee,” she said, the words heavy on her tongue.
I’ll live on under your name, so I’ll bury you under mine.
Hu Qing glanced at her, sensing her heavy mood.
“Is this the friend you told me about last time?”
Kayla winced slightly. “Well…you can think of it that way.” Hu Qing didn’t ask anything more, sensing that it wasn’t something that he should know.
“I see. Alright, I’ll make sure it’s done, and you can burn incense for the plaque next time you go to the safe house,” Hu Qing said.
“Thank you. This…it means a lot to me.”
“Not at all,” Hu Qing replied. “You should get some proper rest, you look like you need it.”
“I will,” Kayla assured him. Hu Qing nodded at her and left through the window again, a gust of wind in his wake. Kayla leaned against the desk, staring at the moonlight spilling in.
Sleep did not come easy to her that night.
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A knock sounded out on the door. Xianchun glanced up from the paperwork he was squinting at with bleary eyes.
“Pardon me, my prince,” Liu Boyue said, staying outside the door.
A rush of frustration and bitterness flooded his veins, on one hand, because of how formal Liu Boyue now acted, and on the other hand of why that had become the case. Xianchun hadn’t blamed Liu Boyue for failing to gain any evidence at the Grand Duke’s study, but he couldn’t just pretend not that nothing had ever happened between them. Xianchun would often feel flashes of unease that Liu Boyue might still be acting in his name without his knowledge, and cursed the fact that his most trusted friend was the one to make him feel this way.
“Come in,” Xianchun said, realizing he hadn’t replied yet. Liu Boyue entered, kneeling in greeting. It was the same action as before, but now there was a weight to it that pushed Liu Boyue’s head closer to the ground. It was the greeting of a retainer, not a close friend.
“No need for formalities,” Xianchun said, the words feeling stiff on his tongue. He hastily glanced away from Liu Boyue and gestured for the man to speak.
“My prince, I was contacted by Qu Boyong,” Liu Boyue said. Xianchun twitched, irritation instantly surging up at the reminder of Liu Boyue’s past actions. He forcibly suppressed it.
“It seems that other than Zhao Wenyuan’s retainer, the other man who was in the Grand Duke’s study that night was Qu Boyong’s ally, probably that man from the Imperial Investigation Bureau. Qu Boyong reached out to me because he wanted to form an alliance with us,” Liu Boyue reported. At Xianchun’s unwavering stare, Liu Boyue bowed his head slightly.
“I believe it would be in our best interests to accept, my prince. Qu Boyong claims to be the sole survivor of the Xiang clan, the son of General Xiang and the Princess of Chu. He believes that his clan was framed by the Grand Duke,” he said.
Xianchun shot to his feet. “The Xiang clan?! You mean that he’s my cousin? No, more importantly, the Grand Duke was behind the Xiang clan’s extermination?!”
“I have not verified his claims,” Liu Boyue said. “However, he can prove to be very helpful to us, and an alliance with him would be beneficial.”
Xianchun frowned, moving away from his desk to pace the room.
“The Xiang clan…then why did he work for Wenyuan? And why did he stop working for Wenyuan? That guy is also going against the Grand Duke. Why betray a man who trusted him and reach out to a stranger?”
Liu Boyue hesitated for a moment before speaking again. “My prince, please allow me to speak frankly. I believe that it does not matter why, or even if he really is who he claims to be. The Grand Duke is currently hiding away, and Zhao Wenyuan has been acting suspiciously. If we want to make a move ourselves, it would be much too risky. However, if we can use this Qu Boyong, then things would become much easier. If it succeeds, he would be able to take revenge, but if it fails, it has nothing to do with us.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, if he really is my cousin, then that’s not something I can just ignore!” Xianchun protested. “Boyue, see if you can verify what he says.”
“Understood. Then do you wish to meet with him?” Liu Boyue asked.
Xianchun hesitated. He didn’t fully believe in Qu Boyong’s words, but somehow, the instant he heard of the Grand Duke’s involvement, everything seemed to make sense.
Before Xianchun could make a decision, there was another knock on the door.
“Your Highness, apologies for the interruption. There is a message from Minister Zhao,” a serving girl announced.
“Bring it in,” Xianchun called. The serving girl stepped through, carrying the message on a tray. Xianchun took it, waving her off. He read through the message with a thoughtful look on his face.
“Wenyuan is requesting to meet with me tomorrow,” Xianchun said. “Didn’t you say he was ill?”
“It must not have been serious then,” Liu Boyue replied.
Xianchun tucked the message into his sleeve, a look of interest in his eyes.
“He has some good timing, there’s a lot I want to ask him. Send a message back and tell him to come over tomorrow night,” Xianchun ordered.
“Then…about Qu Boyong?” Liu Boyue prompted
Xianchun mulled it over for a moment. “Let me meet with Wenyuan first, I’ll think it over a little more.”
Liu Boyue opened his mouth to protest, but pressed his lips into a tight line instead, thinking better of it.
“As you wish, my prince.”
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Cultural Notes
年轻气盛/Young and full of energy: An Ancient Chinese proverb referring to the relatively impulsive nature of younger men.
意气用事/Acting emotionally/impulsively: An Ancient Chinese proverb.
欺君之罪/Crime of lying to a ruler: A crime in Ancient China that could result in anything from demotion to imprisonment, castration, exile, or execution.
熊心豹子胆/Bear's heart and cougar's gall: An Ancient Chinese proverb referring to courage, usually in contexts where someone acts boldly/rashly/forgets their station.
国有国法家有家规/A country has a country's laws, a family has a family's rules: A Chinese proverb referring to the authority of the country and the clan over the life of individuals.
女大十八变/Girls experience eighteen changes as they grow: A folk belief that originally referred to the legendary dragon maiden/the daughter of a dragon, but it was eventually incorporated into common belief that a girl's appearance/personality will change (hopefully for the better) as she grows into a woman. Often heard from relatives in the context of "Hey don't worry that your daughter looks...like that, girls undergo eighteen changes as they grow!" As one might expect, that usually doesn't make either the parent or daughter feel much better.
台阶下/Stair to step down on: A saying meaning to let someone save face, to give someone a way to back down without losing face.
比驴还掘/More stubborn than a mule: A Chinese colloquialism.
富贵险中求/Glory and riches are found in danger: An Ancient Chinese proverb meaning that fortune favors the bold.
替罪羊/Scapegoat: A term that did not exist in Ancient China, it was imported from other cultures. Now that Hu Qing has grown extremely comfortable with Kayla's relative permissiveness, he's starting to question the phrases that she uses when he doesn't recognize them. The corresponding term in Chinese culture would've been 替死鬼/ghost that dies in your place.