Character Index
Zhou Yunqi: The Fifth Prince, an ally of the Third Prince.
Zhou Kuang: The Third Prince, he has secretly teamed up with Wei Guang.
Zhou Xianchun: The Seventh Prince, he was involved in forcing the Grand Duke to commit suicide.
Wei Guang: The Imperial Edict Bearer and Kayla's godfather, he was the teacher of both the current Emperor and the Imperial Princess. He has secretly teamed up with Zhou Kuang.
Hu Qing/Liang Hongfei: Kayla's trusted retainer and the rightful heir to the Liang clan, he accepted Kayla's offer to reinstate his birthright.
Liu Hongyu: Former Secretariat Director and the Grand Duke's ally, he died after being charged for lese-majeste under Kayla's mechanisms.
Li Sanjin: A former servant of Liu Hongyu who provided false testimony against the former Secretariat Director under the Empress Dowager's orders, he was coerced by the Grand Duke into accusing Kayla of coercing and bribing him into testifying. When Kayla forced the Grand Duke to back off by threatening to expose his crimes and ruin his reputation, Li Sanjin was forced to once again change his statement into blaming a scapegoat for everything.
Li Que: A Senior Imperial Investigator, he has worked with and helped Kayla in the past.
Chen Jian: Li Que's protege and Chen Caichun's older brother, he has sharp instincts but lacks the political acumen of his younger sister.
Zhu Ling'er: A young girl who worked in Liu Hongyu's household, she was the only person who could attest to Liu Hongyu's harassment of Wenyuan. In order to force the Grand Duke's hand, Kayla threatened to use Ling'er's testimony and subsequently had to put Ling'er under Li Que's protection, having the girl work in his household as a serving girl.
Steward Liu: Wei Guang's steward, a seemingly unassuming man who Wei Guang deeply confides in.
Sun Ruhui: Left Secretariat of Justice and Kayla's supporter.
Chen Caichun: Chamberlain of the Court of Judicial Review and Kayla's supporter, she is also tied to Li Que via her brother's status as his protege.
Tabuyir: A Senior Imperial Investigator who hails from a steppe tribe, he has worked with Kayla in the past.
----------------------------------------
Yunqi walked through the Third Prince’s household and stepped into the garden. The guard at the entrance bowed slightly, gesturing in the direction in which Kuang was located. Yunqi nodded at the man and headed over.
“Brother,” Yunqi called out as he caught sight of Kuang in the pavilion. Kuang glanced at him fondly.
“Yunqi, come and join me for a drink,” Kuang said warmly.
Yunqi accepted the cup Kuang held out with both hands. “What do we drink to?”
Kuang’s smile widened. “To a new age.”
Yunqi raised his cup slightly before downing the wine. After carefully examining Kuang’s expression for a moment, Yunqi relaxed slightly.
“I had some concerns, but judging from your expression, it seems you already have a plan in mind,” Yunqi said.
Kuang gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
“Are you worried about Xianchun and Wenyuan? There’s no need for that. This was bound to come sooner or later if we are to come any closer to grasping that coveted throne. It’s better this should happen now rather than after things have already gone too far,” Kuang said calmly. “At least they’ll all keep their lives. But if we wait until later, we won’t be able to control that.”
Yunqi slowly nodded his head. “I know you’re right, brother. But even if this doesn’t kill them, it’ll certainly scrape off a layer of skin, especially for Wenyuan. And he is not a man without pride, as you surely have observed. After we previously extended our friendship to him, an act like this surely won’t be taken well. Will he not hold this against us?”
The unspoken question lingered at the tip of his tongue. What will you do about him then?
“This is our chance to see his true mettle,“ Kuang replied. "Xianchun is easy to read, but Wenyuan’s recent changes have left him an unknown factor.”
Yunqi’s brows creased into a frown. “Then if he does not live up to your expectations?”
Kuang gave him a placid look. “Then he does not.”
Yunqi took a deep breath slowly, setting down his emptied cup. “I see.”
Sensing Yunqi’s unease, Kuang poured him another drink.
“Have no doubt, Yunqi. This is most certainly the best course of action,” Kuang reassured him.
Yunqi smiled, his uncertainty fading as he accepted the cup.
“Indeed.”
----------------------------------------
The Imperial Palace held its breath, the air as tense as a sharp blade in the face of the Empress Dowager’s fury.
“That child is courting death!” She snarled. “How could I have raised a tiger to become a threat without realizing it?!”
“Calm down, mother,” the Emperor soothed her. “It’s just an anonymous report that accuses him of –who’s to verify its truthfulness? Wenyuan is a good man, but there is no shortage of small-hearted people who are jealous of him. We do him a disservice by believing these claims before he is found guilty.”
The Empress Dowager gave him a look of disbelief. She understood her son’s emotional disposition all too well–it was the reason they lacked a Crown Prince to begin with. If he was reacting so calmly, it meant that he simply didn’t doubt Wenyuan. Otherwise, his feelings of betrayal would have boiled over into a hasty punishment already.
“Perhaps your favor for him blinds you to his faults,” the Empress Dowager said darkly. “No wind comes from an empty cave–there must be some reason for suspicion that warranted such a report, regardless of its accuracy.”
The Emperor’s face remained infuriatingly placating. “Of course we’ll investigate, mother. But please be mindful of your health and refrain from excessive anger in the meantime. Why trouble yourself now, when your grandson may very well be found free of fault later? Reserve your righteous anger, mother.”
The Empress Dowager let out a harsh sigh. Her son was blinded to the truth, even when it was laid out right before him.
This son of mine can be such a fool, the Empress Dowager lamented. Even if Wenyuan wasn’t guilty of conspiring against the court, he was most certainly guilty of deceiving the Emperor–the problem was that the Emperor seemed to think it was justified.
Even after all these years on the throne, he still does not understand what it means to hold power, the Empress Dowager thought in frustration. It does not matter whether it was justified, but whether it was done. It does not matter that Wenyuan conspired against the Grand Duke or the court, but that he did so without our permission.
But she had to admit that the Emperor had a point. The anonymous tip-off itself was too substantial to ignore and too paltry to form a verdict. At most, it could only show that Wenyuan had planned to orchestrate a plot against the Grand Duke with the Seventh Prince’s help, but not prove that he acted on those plans. Intent alone was not enough to charge someone in Wenyuan’s position at such a crucial junction, especially when it implicated a potential heir to the throne as well.
If he was truly loyal to the throne, he would not have dragged in a prince. He definitely didn’t act with good intentions towards the palace, the Empress Dowager grimly concluded. Given the Emperor’s supportive attitude, Wenyuan would likely be released rather quickly, but she had no intention of letting him off that easily.
“Then investigate, and investigate thoroughly,” the Empress Dowager said darkly. “I won’t be satisfied with anything less.”
“Of course, mother,” the Emperor replied. “I’m sure it’s not what you think.”
“We shall see,” the Empress Dowager said. “The truth will speak for itself.”
----------------------------------------
Kayla followed the guard through the holding cells of the Imperial Investigation Bureau with a blank expression on her face. Li Que and the other Investigators had already taken their leave, their politeness not fully masking their haste to distance themselves from the situation. Kayla could hardly blame them.
“Here we are, Minister,” the guard said politely, opening the cell door for her as though it were the door to an office.
“Thank you,” Kayla replied, keeping up the pretense to match him. She held out her hands for the guard to take off her shackles before glancing around the holding cell.
The cell had solid wooden bars and suspicious stains on the wall, but Kayla had no doubt that it was one of the nicer ones. It was separate from the other cells, affording her greater privacy than most, and spacious to boot. There was a bed that had actual bedding on it, a luxury most prisoners would never be given.
“Your Grace, please let us know if you need anything,” the guard said, bowing his head slightly.
“Thank you,” Kayla said again. The guard bowed again and left her to settle in.
The shackles left her wrists feeling weighted even after being removed. She rubbed at them lightly as she wandered over to the bed and sat down. The bedding was rather soft, much to her surprise.
Given their attitude, the case doesn’t have enough evidence. If they did, I definitely wouldn’t be treated this way.
That, at least, was a good thing. The Emperor would probably believe in Kayla’s innocence so long as the evidence was insufficient, though the Empress Dowager was another story.
But Wei Guang must have known that this wouldn’t be sufficient to end me or crush Xianchun. Then why? What was the point?
Her mind drew a blank. Wei Guang always managed to find ways to surprise her at every turn with his decisions. Kayla furrowed her brow in concentration, trying and failing to piece everything together. Dust danced in the weak rays of early sunlight as it streamed in through a barred window.
The fact she had been arrested and imprisoned so quickly said enough about the Empress Dowager’s stance. After seeing how Kayla dealt with the Liu Hongyu and Li Sanjin cases, the Empress Dowager must have wanted to restrict Kayla’s movements to prevent interfering with the investigation.
But if the Emperor doesn’t believe the accusations, he won’t give the green light to arrest Hu Qing and the others. My people are adept enough. So long as they have even the smallest opening, they’ll be able to get me out of here.
If they were allowed to do so.
A small fry could be crushed all too easily without strong backing, and Kayla couldn’t do a thing about it right now. Her mind flashed to Wei Guang, then Kuang, and then the Grand Duke. It took her a moment to remember that the Grand Duke would not make a move, and never would again.
Less than a full day ago, Kayla still had a giant threat that loomed over her, but that had disappeared overnight. Now, it was a court full of uncertainties that would be her new battlefield. The thought of it filled her with equal parts dread and relief.
This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Exhausted to the core, Kayla slumped sideways onto the bed, letting out a deep sigh. For all her worries about the situation, she found herself drifting off to sleep within moments.
----------------------------------------
“Li Que,” Tabuyir called from down the corridor. Li Que stopped where he was, waving off the other Investigators. From the look of it, the palace had come to a decision.
“Where’s the Minister?” Tabuyir asked.
“In a holding cell,” Li Que replied. “Any word from the palace?”
“They want us to launch an investigation,” Tabuyir said.
Li Que looked at Tabuyir grimly.
“Doesn’t seem like this will be an easy stretch for either of us,“ he said somberly.
Tabuyir shook his head with a sigh. “What I’m most worried about is the Inner Palace. The Emperor believes the Minister is innocent and wants us to find him not guilty, so we should keep that in mind in the investigation. But the Empress Dowager, well…she’s not very happy with the implications of this. We should be careful for the time being.”
Li Que gave him an uneasy look. “She’s that unhappy with him? I didn’t think their relationship had deteriorated that much.”
Tabuyir gave another sigh. “There’s no telling with her, especially where the Imperial Edict Bearer is involved. If we receive orders to intervene against him, we’re damned whether or not we comply.”
Li Que muttered a string of curses under his breath.
“This would be a good time to play sick,” Tabuyir added wryly, knowing that wasn’t possible for either of them.
“Isn’t there anything we can do to avoid such a mess?” Li Que asked.
“Ask your protege,” Tabuyir replied. “Between him and his sister, we can still work something out. But you already know that, don’t you? You old fox, forcing me to suggest it.”
Li Que chuckled, shaking his head. “Forgive me, my friend. This can’t be done without your complicity. Not to mention that I need someone to share the responsibility with me. It’s too heavy a burden for me alone.”
Tabuyir’s eyes flashed with amusement. “It’s certainly in our best interests that the Minister emerges unscathed from this, so I can’t refuse now, can I?”
Li Que shared a brief conspiratory smile with his old friend. His protege was the brother of Wenyuan’s close advisor, and one of Wenyuan’s witnesses worked as a serving girl right in his home. If Wenyuan went down, Li Que would be under plenty of scrutiny–not to mention that the Imperial Investigation Bureau benefitted from the Zhao heir’s presence. The attention drawn by the young Minister’s rise had given the Bureau enough breathing room to do their jobs properly without the court constantly trying to restrict them. It was why Li Que hadn’t hesitated to tip off Wenyuan and look the other way when needed.
Tabuyir, on the other hand, stood to benefit from Wenyuan’s political marriage. The steppe tribes were often accused of conflicting loyalties between the Khaganate and the dynasty, and as a result, Tabuyir hadn’t been able to receive clearance for many promotions and cases despite his outstanding ability. Only with a peace agreement cemented would Tabuyir’s position in the Bureau finally stabilize.
But no matter their hopes or aspirations, it was the palace and the court that held the reins of this case. Zhao Wenyuan’s guilt or innocence was a political issue, not a judicial one.
“He won’t take this too hard and do something foolish, would he?” Tabuyir asked, his tone once again somber.
“I doubt it, he’s a strong-willed person,“ Li Que replied.
“Sudden rises and sudden falls will do much to change a man,” Tabuyir warned him. “You’d do well to take the necessary precautions, even at risk of offending him.”
Li Que let out a heavy sigh. “You’re right, of course, but people will talk if I put suicide prevention measures on his cell.”
“Let them,” Tabuyir replied. “It would certainly soften the Emperor’s heart.”
“Alright then, I’ll handle the Minister and we can talk about the investigation later,” Li Que said.
Tabuyir nodded, tacitly understanding Li Que’s intentions. Once the investigation began, they would have to search the Zhao household, the Wei household, and the Court of Judicial Review, but it was up to them to decide when to begin. Zhao Wenyuan’s people were competent enough to remove anything unfavorable to the Minister’s case by that point in time, and the Grand Duke’s death would have been announced. If the Grand Duke’s death really had been the result of an internal coup, they would need more time to clean things up.
Li Que approached the head guard. The man glanced up, moving to stand in greeting. Li Que waved for him to forego the formalities and the guard settled back into his seat.
“How’s Minister Zhao doing?” Li Que asked the guard, patting him on the shoulder.
“We’ve been keeping an eye on him, but we don’t want to overdo it either. I swung by earlier, and he was sound asleep,” the guard replied.
“Asleep?” Li Que repeated.
At Li Que’s look of surprise, the guard shrugged. “I’m also a little surprised that he managed to sleep at all after being arrested. Most nobles have never seen the inside of a storage room before, much less a cell, but who would’ve thought that a soft-skinned and tender-fleshed young lord who’s been showered with respect and luxury all his life would be able to accept it so easily?”
“He’s not a young lord anymore,” Li Que corrected him. At the guard’s look of alarm, Li Que hastily added an explanation. “So long as he’s not charged for anything, he’ll become the Lord of the Zhao clan upon being released.”
“What? Why? Did we finally get enough to move on the Grand Duke?”
“No, he died,” Li Que replied flatly. The guard’s eyes widened, and he glanced between Li Que and the direction of the cells.
“Died?! Do you think that the Minister–”
“Don’t think about useless things,” Li Que cut him off sternly.
“I’m sorry, sir. But what was he even arrested for?” The guard asked.
“Don’t ask useless things either,“ Li Que replied. “Just make sure to take good care of him and make sure nothing happens.” The guard nodded, looking a little uncertain.
“When do we bring him in for questioning? I’ll have to increase security measures ahead of time,” the guard said.
Li Que pressed his lips into a thin line.
“Are we…not questioning him?” The guard asked, peering at Li Que incredulously.
“We’ll question him if we’re told to,” Li Que replied. “You only need to follow your orders–don’t make any moves regarding the Minister if it doesn’t come directly from me.”
The guard’s face grew grim as he comprehended the situation.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said reluctantly before letting out a sigh. “Seems like the capital’s about to see another storm.”
“Knowing it is good enough, there’s no need to say it out loud,” Li Que warned him.
“Yes, sir.”
----------------------------------------
Hu Qing jumped off the rooftop and walked straight toward the gates of the Wei household. To his surprise, the guards didn’t even try to stop him, nodding in greeting as Hu Qing strode right past them and into the household. It didn’t seem to be a trap–the Wei household’s guards weren’t so well-trained that they could hide their micro-expressions from Hu Qing, but other than a small amount of surprise that Hu Qing was using the side gate rather than flipping straight over the walls, they showed no other reaction.
So the employees really don’t know anything, not even that Wenyuan had already been arrested, Hu Qing thought. It makes sense, I’d have realized something was wrong otherwise.
He continued on through the corridors, nodding in greeting at a serving girl as she passed by.
“Sir Hu,” a voice called from the end of the corridor. Hu Qing stilled, discreetly readying for a fight. The steward emerged from the shadows, wearing the same polite smile as always.
Hu Qing instinctively understood that the steward was in on this.
Damn it, he’s good. I didn’t realize he was hiding anything even though we’d met so many times before.
“Steward Liu, is the Imperial Edict Bearer up yet?” Hu Qing asked. “I was hoping to speak with him about something, it’s rather urgent.”
“He’s expecting you,” the steward replied politely. “Please come this way, he’s in his study.”
Of course that bastard was expecting me, Hu Qing groused silently. Hiding his irritation, Hu Qing nodded and followed the steward to Wei Guang’s study.
“My lord, Sir Hu is here to see you,” the steward announced.
“Come on in,” Wei Guang replied. The steward opened the door for Hu Qing and closed it after him. Hu Qing waited for the sound of the steward’s footsteps retreating out of earshot before he turned his attention to Wei Guang. The Imperial Edict Bearer looked as though he hadn’t slept at all through the night, a look of weary patience on his face as he watched Hu Qing.
“Your Grace, thank you for meeting with me,” Hu Qing said before getting straight to the point. “Our plan was a success, but unfortunately, the final result was less than ideal. The Minister was arrested by the Imperial Investigation Bureau earlier, are you aware of this?”
“Yes,” Wei Guang replied simply.
Hu Qing clamped down on his temper as it flared. “Was it Your Grace’s doing?” Hu Qing asked directly.
“Yes,” Wei Guang said, as unabashed as though he were admitting to his title.
“How much evidence did you give the palace?” Hu Qing demanded, his patience fraying.
“I gave them as much as I could without implicating myself,” Wei Guang replied. “If the Left Secretariat and the Chamberlain ask you, just tell them that it is not as much as they fear, but more than they hoped for.”
Hu Qing glared at Wei Guang, who watched him serenely.
“Don’t look at me like that, it was only a matter of time,” Wei Guang said calmly. “If he can make the right decisions, he can yet escape unharmed like a cicada leaves its shell. But that’s up to him and his fate.”
“What is wrong with you?!” Hu Qing snarled. “This could end him!”
“Then that would have been all he amounted to,” Wei Guang replied.
At Hu Qing’s look of outrage, he gave a wry smile.
“You yourself are not exempt from that. You wish to take back the Liang clan, but can you even shoulder such a burden? Only the capable have the right to power–that which you have not earned surely cannot be retained for long,” Wei Guang said.
“That’s my problem to worry about,” Hu Qing snarled. “But what about the Minister? Just what are you trying to do with all this? Who are you working with?!”
Wei Guang smiled, shaking his head slightly. “Hu Qing, you can read people’s faces, but you cannot read their hearts,” he said with a sigh. “Tell me this, do you know Wenyuan’s courtesy name?”
Hu Qing frowned, looking at the Imperial Edict Bearer in confusion. “What?”
----------------------------------------
Cultural Notes
胸有成竹/[Have] A bamboo grove in your chest: An Ancient Chinese proverb meaning that someone has a fully formed plan that they are confident in.
不死也得脱层皮/Even if they don't die, they'll have a layer of skin scraped off: A Chinese saying meaning that someone will take a serious blow from a situation no matter what.
养虎为患/Raising a tiger to become a threat: An Ancient Chinese proverb meaning to raise someone/something to become a threat to oneself, often in the context of patron-client or mentor-protege relationships.
小人/Small-hearted people: An Ancient Chinese term that literally translates into "small people", it refers to people who are small-hearted, aka greedy, jealous, prone to pettiness and cruelty, and narrow-minded.
嫉贤妒能/Jealous of the wise and the capable: An Ancient Chinese proverb deriding those who seek to bring down wise and capable people for their own benefit or out of their own jealousy.
空穴无风/No wind comes from an empty cave: An Ancient Chinese proverb meaning that nothing comes from nowhere, and if there is a rumor, there must be a reason it appeared. Not always the most reasonable approach, but since there was no social media or photoshop back then, it was harder to spread misinformation and easier to disprove it, especially when people lived in close-knit communities or social circles.
息怒/Calm/appease your anger: A term often used in Ancient Chinese to calm someone down. It literally means to "extinguish anger", which was often tied to health concerns as well. While blood pressure may not have been a concept in traditional medicine, its effects were well understood, and associated with stress and anger.
不怀好意/Not holding good intentions: A Chinese proverb that often refers to holding malicious intentions towards something/someone.
细皮嫩肉/Soft skin and tender flesh: A Chinese saying often used to refer to someone young and privileged. Depending on the context, it can be used neutrally as a descriptor, as praise or admiration for someone's beauty, or in a mildly derogative way to signal that someone is unable to endure hardship.
养尊处优/Raised in respect living in privilege: An Ancient Chinese proverb meaning to have been raised in a highly privileged position, often used to signal that someone has never endured hardship, or is incapable of doing much for themselves due to being pampered throughout their lives.
知道就好/If you know, that's good enough: A Chinese term with rather versatile uses, it emerges quite often in conversation. It can be used to acknowledge comprehension (ex: 'I know you actually care about me even though you're sharp-tongued'. 'If you know, that's good enough'), or to respond to an admission of guilt/apology (ex: 'I'm sorry, I was wrong.' 'If you know, that's good enough.'), and also to tell someone to keep their thoughts to themselves ('If you know, that's good enough. What's the need to say it out loud?').
金蝉脱壳/Golden cicada molts its shell: An Ancient Chinese proverb meaning to escape from danger or a sticky situation like a cicada leaves behind its shell, often through trickery or misdirection.
德不配位、必有灾殃/If your virtue does not match your position, you will certainly meet with disaster: An Ancient Chinese proverb from the pre-Qin era, it serves as a warning to people in positions of power, and further warns against placing incompetent/unvirtuous people in positions of power.
字/Courtesy Name: In addition to one's given name, men in educated families were often given courtesy names. Among people of the same generation, it was customary to use another person's courtesy name unless the two of you were very close, and in some dynasties, that would still be unacceptable. Depending on the dynasty, given names may be only reserved for one's elders and formal occasions, though this varied by time period and what was in fashion. Women also had courtesy names, but in many time periods (Ming and Qing dynasties, looking at you), it was considered improper for a woman to have her name and courtesy name known outside her birth family and husband's family, which means many women's names are unfortunately lost to history. Notably, even in the last dynasty closest to our time, the Qing Dynasty, despite the wealth of archival material left behind, the names of the Qing Dynasty Princesses are not recorded, much less their courtesy names.