Character Index
Zhou Xianchun: The Seventh Prince, he had been pulled into the Grand Duke's forced-suicide by Kayla's manipulations and subsequently suffered a setback with Kayla's arrest also implicating him.
Hu Qing/Liang Hongfei: Kayla's right-hand man and the rightful heir to the Liang clan. He was the son of the late Lord Liang and a former courtesan.
Ji Fangluo: A bold and sharp-minded woman who entered into the schemes of the capital when her elderly father was dragged into Qu Boyong/Xiang Daozong's revenge plot.
Ji Yantao: A kindly but weak-hearted man, the former accountant of the Xiang household. Father of Ji Fangluo.
Chujiao/Jing Shuyou: Qu Boyong/Xiang Daozong's cousin, a young woman who was Wenyuan's childhood friend. Though she and Wenyuan were in love with each other, neither were able to act on their feelings due to their social statuses and familial circumstances.
Xiang Daozong/Qu Boyong: The son of General Xiang and the Princess of Chu, he sought revenge against the Grand Duke for the framing and subsequent extermination of his clan. He was reinstated by Kayla's hand and has since come under her protection.
Liu Boyue: Xianchun's strategist, right-hand man, and best friend. His relationship with the prince was tested by Kayla's plot to indirectly reveal Liu Boyue's actions behind Xianchun's back.
Sun Zhong'e: A middle-aged woman who works for Kayla, she is a jack of all trades.
Yu Bianfu: A female military officer who formerly served in the Empress Dowager's palace as an Imperial Guard, she was Xianchun's childhood friend and left-hand woman. She was framed by Kayla after threatening to blackmail the latter and was subsequently sent from the capital to be stationed at the Southwest border.
Housekeeper Li: Formerly known as Matron Li, a senior female servant who loyally protected Zhao Wenyuan and his father under the orders of the palace.
Cao Shuyi: The Third Princess Consort, she is the wife of Zhou Kuang and the mother of his child. She hails from the Cao clan, which has produced a large number of educators and healers.
Sixth Princess: A princess who is in weak health and wheelchair-bound, she is nonetheless valued by the palace due to her maternal clan's position among the steppe tribes. She spends most of her time in an Imperial Villa rather than the Imperial Palace. The Sixth Princess previously received a favor from Kayla to boost her reputation.
Wei Guang: The Imperial Edict Bearer and Kayla's godfather. Now allied with Kayla on equal terms after renegotiating, with Xiang Daozong serving as collateral.
Sun Ruhui: The Left Secertariat of Justice, he is loyal to Kayla, who he sees as his benefactor.
Zhang Dingyong: The Right Secretariat of Justice, he is a member of the Third Prince's faction.
Liang Shen/Minister Liang: The Minister of Justice, a member of the Seventh Prince's faction. He took the reins of the Liang clan after his father's death, choosing to raise his younger brother Hu Qing as someone who did grunt work rather than raising him to become the head of the Liang clan.
Jia Fu: An official in the Ministry of Justice who is loyal to the Grand Duke. He was previously involved in keeping Wenyuan as effectively a puppet, and was also responsible for handling communications between Kayla and the Grand Duke during the Li Sanjin case, when the two of them faced off until the Grand Duke gave in.
Ke Yongqian: One of Kayla's subordinates, a capable man who has worked closely with Hu Qing.
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Kayla closed the communication device, frowning slightly as she set it aside. It was her second call with Xianchun in as many days, the first cut short by some household matter that required Xianchun’s attention, and the second one unsettling in a way she couldn’t quite put her finger on.
“That was strange,” Kayla murmured under her breath.
“What was?”
Kayla glanced up as Hu Qing swung in from the window. The study’s windows were heavily warded with spells but were left cracked open at all hours, both to let Hu Qing enter and leave with ease and to keep Kayla from feeling caged in by the walls. Everything had belonged to the Grand Duke for too long, and strangely, without Wenyuan’s presence, it all weighed down on Kayla much more than before. It hadn’t felt that way when she was first released a few days ago, but the more the rush of getting out wore off, the more it bothered her. Even though she was now the master of the house, it still felt as though she was living under another man’s roof.
“That was fast, it’s barely been two hours,” Kayla said in surprise.
“Well, Ji Fangluo and Ji Yantao were pretty easy to find. They’re surprisingly close by, I almost suspect that they did it on purpose. But we have a small problem. Miss Chujiao–I mean Jing Shuyou’s with them. For some reason she seems to have left Xiang Daozong’s household,” Hu Qing explained. “But what was strange?”
“Why is Chujiao there? Damn it, that definitely complicates things,” Kayla groaned. She let out a soft sigh before turning back to Hu Qing. “But I reckon it’s fine to approach Ji Fangluo regardless. Could we get around Chujiao?”
“I think so, Miss Jing is living in separate quarters next door to them.”
“Good. Let’s try to approach Ji Fangluo without setting off any alarms, but don’t push yourselves too hard. We’re short-handed right now, and we still have to keep an eye out for where the Grand Duke’s assassins were disposed of. If worse comes to worse, let’s just forget subtlety and do this overtly. So what if we court Ji Fangluo? Xiang Daozong would let us do it so long as we gave him a decent concession. He doesn’t really understand the value of keeping talents in stock,” Kayla said. “People who are too self-reliant tend not to be.”
“Do we need to keep an eye out for the Seventh Prince’s men?” Hu Qing asked. “That Liu Boyue’s still in the game, but we don’t have the resources to keep him under surveillance. Sun Zhong’e would be a good fit for the job, but she’s occupied with watching your accountant.”
They would be even more short-handed very soon, a problem that Kayla had yet to deal with. She could just take onboard the men who wanted to come back after seeing that Kayla was in the clear with the palace, but that came with its own set of difficulties.
“Just leave him be for now. I’ll see if I can pull some favors with the Bureau to get some eyes on him,” Kayla replied. “Speaking of, Xianchun was acting a little strange earlier. When I spoke to him, he seemed oddly…calm.”
“His temper’s not that bad, is it?”
“That’s not what I mean. I’m not even sure, really,” Kayla said thoughtfully. Something about the way Xianchun spoke had reminded her of how he’d acted in the immediate aftermath of when Kayla had framed Yu Bianfu.
“Well, let’s just keep an eye out,” Hu Qing said. “Would the Bureau help you watch a prince?”
“No. Their support doesn’t go that far,” Kayla replied. Not yet, at least. Of the six core staff members, she had two who were firmly on her side, and the others were at least ambivalent. They wouldn’t have allowed Kayla to be found innocent on all counts if they weren’t tacitly agreeing to look the other way, which was already more than what they had done for anyone else. Something had shifted along the way, and Kayla had become a player they could bet their stakes on.
I was conned out of a power base in the provinces, but I could still make something out of this. Not a lot, since they are the palace’s lapdogs, but still.
There was a knock on the study door, and Hu Qing straightened up slightly from where he was half perched on Kayla’s desk, his left leg crushing a pile of documents.
“Please pardon the interruption, my lord,” Housekeeper Li’s voice sounded out.
“Come in,” Kayla called.
Housekeeper Li entered, bowing her head and closing the door all in a single smooth movement.
“My lord, the Third Princess Consort sent an invitation,” Housekeeper Li said, respectfully holding it out with both hands.
Kayla unfurled the scroll, holding it out so that Hu Qing could lean over and see the contents.
“It’s an official invitation to an outing at the Third Prince’s villa outside the city in five days’ time,” Kayla noted. “That’s not too far a trip, but why the villa?”
She glanced at Housekeeper Li. “Do you think it’s Cousin-in-law’s idea or is she acting on her husband’s behalf?”
“If the invitation is an official one, then surely it would not have escaped the Third Prince’s notice,” Housekeeper Li replied. “I believe that the Sixth Princess is also visiting the Third Prince’s villa at the moment.”
“Ah, I see,” Kayla said. So they’re setting up a meeting with the Sixth Princess as a show of goodwill? “Then it seems I’ll be making a little trip. Hu Qing, you should go with me.”
“Then I’ll convey that to the messenger,” Housekeeper Li offered.
“Thank you, please do,” Kayla replied.
Housekeeper Li bowed her head and left the room.
“Five days,” Kayla muttered under her breath before glancing at Hu Qing. “At that point, you won’t be approaching him as Hu Qing anymore, but rather as Liang Hongfei. It’s a good chance to get his support as well, it’d be of great use to you in suppressing any backlash from the Liang clan. More importantly, the Cao clan’s networks are critical for boosting your reputation. Just be sure not to overdo it, or you’ll be seen as a member of the Third Prince’s faction.”
“So I’ll be tying you two together like Xiang Daozong did for you and Wei Guang,” Hu Qing said.
“Is it too much pressure?” Kayla asked jokingly. “If you want to back out, tonight is your last chance. Once things unfold tomorrow, there won’t be any more space for indecision.”
“No, I’m not backing out,” Hu Qing said, his voice unusually serious. “I can handle it. I may not know much about politics, but I know enough about people to make this work.”
Kayla nodded slowly. “It’s not your abilities I’m worried about, Hu Qing. You can just sit back and let me handle this part, but the real fight is after you’ve been named the Lord. It’s going to be a long and ugly fight that lasts for the rest of your life. I need to make sure you understand what you’re getting into”
“I know. I’m fine with it,” Hu Qing replied, a determined glint in his eye.
Kayla took a deep breath. “Good.” She reached over and patted him on the arm. “Go and get some rest. You’ll need it for the next few days.”
Hu Qing gave her a small nod before slipping off the desk and plopping himself onto the couch.
“I’m sleeping here,” he declared.
“Sure,” Kayla said, keeping her amusement out of her voice. She dimmed the lamp and turned back to her work, Hu Qing’s silent mass a reassuring presence in the darkness.
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Sun Ruhui glanced at his communication device one final time before turning it off for good. The morning sun felt heavy on his skin as he stepped into a patch of light. He had spent the better part of the night making sure that every detail was right and that every part was ready, all to ensure that everything played out as planned. All things considered, he expected it to be easy. Xiang Daozong was a good actor after all.
“Left Secretariat Sun!”
Sun Ruhui turned towards the familiar voice, nodding politely in greeting. “Right Secretariat Zhang, you’re here early.”
“Who wouldn’t be? The investigation we’ve all been looking forward to is finally starting in full, it’s the opportunity of a lifetime,” Zhang Dingyong replied cheerily.
Sun Ruhui ignored the hidden jab at the preferential treatment Zhao Wenyuan received. The framing of the Xiang clan should have been enough to kickstart a full-out investigation, but the whole process had been held down by the scruff of its neck until Zhao Wenyuan was able to take charge. People weren’t happy about the matter, but it was objectively the best decision.
For one, Zhao Wenyuan had readily turned out more evidence than they could have gathered in years. At Chen Caichun’s suggestion, Zhao Wenyuan had made a frantic late-night call to the Bureau hours before to report the scrolls of evidence he had “accidentally” found in a hidden vault, leaving the rest of the capital scrambling to get their bearings when morning dawned. It also helped that the young Minister’s unique position allowed him to mobilize all three branches of the judicial system overnight, leaving a mountain of administrative work and forms in his wake.
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
The Ministry of Justice was the one in charge of going through the first batch of evidence that had been produced, countless boxes of records that detailed illicit dealings down to the very coin. The whole situation was rife with opportunities to offend powerful men and pad one’s own career. Despite the early hours, the dusty archival building was already milling with officials.
“Is Minister Liang here yet?” Sun Ruhui asked.
“Not yet, he still has some paperwork to file, but a lot of the staff is already here. Shall we get started first? He did sign off on this,” Zhang Dingyong suggested, waving at the lower-ranking officials milling about with hungry glints in their eyes.
“If you think it’s best,” Sun Ruhui acquiesced. Jia Fu was already there, lurking around as discreetly as he could to try and figure out if there was anything that implicated him and his allies. Sun Ruhui pretended not to notice, bowing his head slightly as Xiang Daozong arrived.
“Lord Xiang, it’s good to see you,” Sun Ruhui said politely, Zhang Dingyong echoing the greeting.
“Well met, Right Secretariat Zhang, Left Secretariat Sun. It’s an honor to be part of this investigation, I look forward to your guidance and instruction.”
“Not at all, the honor is ours. We will do our best to assist you,” Zhang Dingyong replied.
“My lord, you have security clearance to deal with classified documents for the purpose of this investigation. Since not many of us have the permissions to do so, would you kindly help us with these?” Sun Ruhui waved at the small pile of boxes with red paper seals on top.
“Of course, I’d be glad to do so,” Xiang Daozong replied. He got started on the documents while Zhang Dingyong and Sun Ruhui gave out instructions to the lower-ranking officials. Jia Fu continued to hover suspiciously close. Sun Ruhui continued to pretend he didn’t notice.
Zhang Dingyong purposefully glanced at Jia Fu, and then at Sun Ruhui, before giving his fellow Secretariat a meaningful smile and turning his gaze away.
Of course, Sun Ruhui thought drily as he moved to join Xiang Daozong. Conversation died out throughout the building as people got to work in earnest, rustling paper the only sound to be heard.
It barely took half an hour for Xiang Daozong to find the planted documents, hardly a difficult feat given that they had been purposefully placed at the top of the pile.
“Liang…Hongfei? Who is that?” Xiang Daozong asked curiously. Despite lowering his voice, the quiet of the building carried his question further than it was meant to be heard. Out of the corner of his eye, Sun Ruhui saw Jia Fu jolt to attention from where the mousy man was half-hidden behind a towering pile of documents, the only other person within earshot.
“What?” Sun Ruhui said, working shock and alarm into his voice.
Jia Fu was listening intently by now. Zhang Dingyong seemed to catch on and joined in on the play. Sun Ruhui wasn’t sure if it was on the Third Prince’s orders or by Zhang Dingyong’s own decision, but it didn’t bother him either way.
“What’s going on?” Zhang Dingyong demanded.
“There’s a document here that records the changing of a family register,” Xiang Daozong told him in a befuddled voice. “Actually, it’s the Liang clan’s family register. Did the late Lord Liang take another wife before he died?”
“No, of course not,” Sun Ruhui said, a little too quickly. Both Xiang Daozong and Zhang Dingyong gave him a suspicious look.
“But it says here that he took a wife, a former courtesan that he raised out of second-class status. They had a son too, Liang Hongfei, but he was removed from the family register along with his mother…after the late Lord Liang’s death…” Xiang Daozong frowned quizzically. “Is that even possible?”
“Why is that in here? Let me take a look,” Zhang Dingyong said.
Xiang Daozong tilted the scroll so he could see. “There’s a record of a payment of a thousand silver to a clerk in exchange for removing them from the registry. And the one who paid it was…” Xiang Daozong squinted at the small words. “Liang–”
“Keep your voice down!” Sun Ruhui hissed, dashing forward to quickly fold the scroll together, hiding the incriminating information.
“The Liang clan…no way, did the Minister bribe the–” Xiang Daozong said in disbelief.
“No, of course not!” Sun Ruhui said insistently. “It must be a mistake.”
“But it says right here,” Xiang Daozong said, sounding genuinely perplexed.
“I’m sure it’s a mistake,” Zhang Dingyong said, firmly clasping the scroll to keep Xiang Daozong from opening it again.
“I don’t understand, what on earth is wrong with you two? We need to report this, this is huge!” Xiang Daozong hissed at them.
“You don’t understand how the court works, my lord! What do you think happens if you report something like this? If you uncover it, Minister Liang will be ruined, and the Right Secretariat and myself would not be left unscathed either!” Sun Ruhui cut himself off, letting out a harsh sigh. Xiang Daozong leaned away from him, a little taken aback.
“What, the investigation’s only begun and you’re already trying to cover your own backs?!” Xiang Daozong snapped. “And here I thought the Ministry of Justice was supposed to be reliable!”
“And what do you think will happen to the investigation if this gets out? The whole process will be ground to a stop if the court gets hold of this! We should talk with Minister Liang first and come up with a proper plan first,” Zhang Dingyong jumped in.
“I don’t get it,” Xiang Daozong said, looking between the two of them. “Even if Minister Liang is put under investigation, the two of you would be fine, wouldn’t you?”
“It’s not that simple,” Sun Ruhui explained. “If the court starts digging into this, they’ll keep going until they can drag us in, and they’ll probably keep going until they drag Minister Zhao in as well.”
“This has nothing to do with him,” Xiang Daozong said in bewilderment.
“Not yet,” Zhang Dingyong agreed. “But the court will find a way. No one wants to sit around and wait for positions to open up via retirement, they need to create opportunities for themselves.”
“So you want to just…bury this?” Xiang Daozong asked.
“No, of course not.”
“Not really, just for now.”
The two Secretariats assured him, their words spilling out a little too hastily to be believable.
“Let’s just…keep this to ourselves for now. It doesn’t do us or the investigation any good to let this information spread,” Zhang Dingyong said gently. “When Minister Liang gets here, we’ll discuss how to deal with this, alright?”
Xiang Daozong hesitated for a moment. “Fine,” he said reluctantly.
“Excellent. And the scroll, please?” Zhang Dingyong held out a hand. Xiang Daozong handed it over. Out of the corner of his eye, Sun Ruhui watched as Jia Fu silently slipped out of earshot and rounded the corner towards a side entrance. When he was sure the man was gone, he gave the other two a silent nod.
The first part is done.
Now, Ke Yongqian only needed to confirm that Jia Fu had leaked the information, and then he was free to spread it far and wide throughout the entire capital. All of the blame would lie with Jia Fu, while the most likely culprits would have solid alibis.
As for Sun Ruhui and Xiang Daozong, they only needed to goad Minister Liang into exacerbating the situation and feeding the rumors. It was easier done than said. This was the dark secret that Minister Liang had jealously guarded for the entire twenty-something years of Hu Qing’s life, it didn’t take much to send the man spiraling into a panic once he realized things were out of his control.
“Minister Liang,” Zhang Dingyong greeted, glancing over Sun Ruhui’s shoulder.
Speak of Cao Cao and Cao Cao arrives. Sun Ruhui turned to bow his head in greeting.
“Minister Liang,” he said, Xiang Daozong echoing him.
“Gentlemen, hard at work already, aren’t we?” Minister Liang said, giving them a friendly smile. He was in a good mood, likely already thinking about how this investigation would benefit himself and the Seventh Prince’s faction. Sun Ruhui almost pitied the man.
“We’re doing our best,” Zhang Dingyong replied.
“Of course. Lord Xiang, how are you feeling?” Minister Liang asked.
“Excellent,” Xiang Daozong said, a tense edge to his voice. Sun Ruhui shot him a warning glance, eliciting a confused frown from Minister Liang. Catching Sun Ruhui’s look, a flash of annoyance crossed over Xiang Daozong’s face and he set his jaw with mulish stubbornness.
“Minister Liang, we uncovered something important just now,” Xiang Daozong said defiantly as his gaze flickered to Sun Ruhui.
“What is it?” Minister Liang asked, the lightness gone from his vice.
“It’s a set of records that pertain to the Liang clan,” Xiang Daozong announced. “Specifically, to your father’s late wife and her son, Liang Hongfei.”
Minister Liang’s face froze in a look of outraged surprise. “What?! Let me see that!”
He reached out and swiftly grabbed the scroll from Zhang Dingyong, his face first paling and then reddening as he read it over.
“This isn’t true,” Minister Liang said, regaining his calm with admirable speed. “I don’t know where this record came from, but there’s no such person, and as far as I know, the Liang clan has never made any transactions with the Grand Duke’s faction.”
“I had heard otherwise,” Sun Ruhui jumped in.
“Shut your mouth!” Minister Liang cut him off, so tense that he was almost trembling.
Sun Ruhui calmly met the Minister’s eyes. “I had heard that Liang Hongfei was the official heir, but that he was later removed from the family registry for unknown reasons. From what I know, the palace also knows of his existence,” Sun Ruhui said, ignoring Minister Liang’s look of rage. “Minister Liang, though there may not have been a transaction, this matter is too suspicious to overlook. Since it pertains to you, we should take the utmost care in dealing with this, shouldn’t we?”
“You–you–Sun Ruhui!” Minister Liang snarled, losing his temper. “Are you trying to slander my clan’s honor right now?!”
“Of course not, I’m trying to protect your clan’s honor by dealing with this as quickly and efficiently as possible, Your Grace,” Sun Ruhui shot back. “This should be reported and taken care of in order to clear your name, just as Minister Zhao’s name was cleared. You already have the tracks of the earlier wagon to show you that the Bureau is very efficient when it comes to such matters.”
“Absolutely not,” Minister Liang hissed.
“Then what do you want to do? The record is right here, in paper before us. Do you think you can keep this information from spreading? The only way to contain this is by preemptively solving this problem with the help of the other branches of the judicial system,” Sun Ruhui said.
A vein twitched on Minister Liang’s jaw as he glared at Sun Ruhui. Sun Ruhui gave him a defiant look, contrary to the impassive calculations going on in his mind. He could practically see Minister Liang connecting the dots between the previous incident of blackmail about Hu Qing’s birthright, the presence of Xiang Daozong, and the inopportune discovery of the implicating documents. Fear, anger, and guilt were blossoming in his chest, filling him with the desperate need to grasp control of whatever he could and silencing his more reasonable thoughts.
It seems we have him exactly where we want him, Sun Ruhui silently noted. The Minister’s attention and suspicions were focused on the members of the neutral faction present before him rather than the actual threat.
“Minister, we–” Sun Ruhui began to say, only to be cut off immediately.
“Not one more word out of you, Left Secretariat,” Minister Liang hissed. “Or I will make you pay for it.”
“Your Grace…” Zhang Dingyong said hesitantly, finally breaking his silence. Minister Liang turned to Zhang Dingyong, who was giving him the wide-eyed look of someone who had made an inopportune discovery.
“Right Secretariat, do you have something to say?” Minister Liang asked, a menacing tone in his voice.
“This…the documents…” Zhang Dingyong trailed off helplessly, waving at the scrolls. “What do we do?”
“What else can we do? It’s just as Left Secretariat Sun said. This is evidence! We categorize and report it, just like everything else!” Xiang Daozong said indignantly. “Hiding it is only asking for trouble–if the Liang clan has nothing to be afraid of, then this shouldn’t bother them at all!”
A look of rage flashed over Minister Liang’s face. “Lord Xiang, you have never participated in an investigation before, I don’t expect you to be familiar with the procedures. Please don’t speak about what you don’t understand!”
He turned towards Zhang Dingyong. “We’re going into lockdown,” he announced.
“What?!” Sun Ruhui said in disbelief.
“Minister, this is a blatant violation of regulation!” Xiang Daozong protested. “I had heard you were a righteous man, but you would abuse your authority for personal benefit?”
Minister Liang’s eyes flashed with anger and contempt. He looked as though he was aching to say that Xiang Daozong didn’t understand a thing.
“Please comply with the investigation procedures, Lord Xiang,” Minister Liang said icily.
Zhang Dingyong hesitated for a moment before waving over a guard to make the announcement. Xiang Daozong continued to protest, Minister Liang completely ignoring him. The news spread quickly, Sun Ruhui not budging from his spot and Minister Liang keeping an eye on him the entire time.
“A lockdown? So suddenly?”
“Did something happen?”
Confused murmurs and questions filled the building. A few officials flocked over, exchanging nervous glances as they saw the stony anger on Minister Liang’s face.
“Your Grace, what are we even locking down for?” One of the officials asked tentatively as he approached, genuine confusion on his face.
“There’s been a serious breach of security, we’re locking down the building until we can ascertain that there isn’t a risk of an information leak,” Minister Liang said impatiently.
“I’m not sure this is the best option,” Sun Ruhui offered. As expected, his words only caused Minister Liang to grow more irate and suspicious.
“Enough! Are you going to disobey my orders, Left Secretariat?!” Minister Liang snapped.
Sun Ruhui held Minister Liang’s eyes contemptuously for a moment before lowering his gaze.
“No.”
Minister Liang glared him down until Sun Ruhui physically took a step backwards. Zhang Dingyong opened his mouth, glancing between the two of them unsurely, before giving up and remaining silent.
The Minister’s worsened temper and the tense atmosphere discouraged anyone else from making any remonstrations. In any case, the responsibility would lie with Minister Liang, not with any of his subordinates. They had no reason to risk getting caught in the fire.
Both acts of the play are complete–Now all we have to do is wait, Sun Ruhui thought, sharing a look of understanding with Xiang Daozong.
Minister Liang had sealed his own fate.
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Cultural Notes
寄人篱下/Living [as a guest] under someone else's roof: An Ancient Chinese proverb meaning to live at someone else's mercy in a broad sense. For example, a child who does not feel at home in their foster family and a political refugee in a foreign court would both fit this term.
圆滑/Round and slippery/Oblique: A Chinese phrase referring to someone who is slick and smooth in their social interactions and in judging/handling social situations.
插嘴/Stick your mouth: A Chinese phrase essentially meaning to cut in, or to speak where your words are unwanted.
纸包不住火/Paper can't cover fire: A Chinese saying meaning that you can't cover up a mess for long, and not without making it worse.
眼皮底下/Under one's eyelids: A Chinese saying meaning right under someone's watch.
前车之鉴/The tracks of the earlier wagon: An Ancient Chinese proverb meaning to learn from previous experience, particularly those of other people.
贱籍/Lowly Legal Status: An Ancient Chinese legal concept where people of certain social classes were legally and socially treated as second-class citizens. For example, indentured servants, prostitutes, and criminals would fall in this category. It was possible to emancipate one's status, but it was unfeasible for many people to do so.
说曹操曹操就到/Speak of Cao Cao and he shall arrive: An Ancient Chinese saying stemming from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, it refers to the warlord Cao Cao, but is broadly used as the Chinese equivalent of "speak of the devil and he shall appear."