Character Index
Chuluo Khagan: Khagan of the Eastern Turkic Khaganate, father of Princess Ashina.
Princess Ashina: Princess of the Eastern Turkic Khaganate and Kayla's bride-to-be.
Zhao Chao: Kayla's retainer, serving as her bodyguard for the trip.
Tao Qian: Kayla's retainer, serving as her bodyguard for the trip.
Tabuyir: A Senior Investigator of the Imperial Investigation Bureau, of Khitan ethnicity. Kayla's supporter.
Captain Jiang: An Imperial Guard assigned to protect the delegation.
Investigator Mi: A young Imperial Investigator and magic-user, Tabuyir's subordinate.
Hu Qing/Liang Hongfei: Lord of the Liang clan, formerly Kayla's retainer. Headed north ahead of the delegation to help Kayla establish connections.
Governor Bao: Governor of Daizhou, asked Kayla for a private meeting to curry favor with her.
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Kayla watched as the two horsemen glanced at each other, keeping Kayla in their peripheral vision. The shorter one muttered something in Turkish, gesturing at her with his sword.
I need to gain as much control over the situation as I can–my best chance is negotiating with their leader. Kayla carefully evaluated the horsemen as they continued talking amongst themselves.The taller horseman glanced at her askew, evaluating her for a moment before scoffing.
Everything seemed to happen at once–a hood went over Kayla’s head at the same time she was bodily lifted straight off the ground by the back of her collar. She let out an undignified squawk as she landed belly-first on the back of a moving horse, her head hanging upside down. They went straight through the thickets, weeds and brambles lashing into Kayla’s head and arms as they went.
“Fuck!” Kayla barely managed to get the curse out without biting her tongue as the world jolted continuously around her. The cold wind blew harshly, Kayla’s thin inner robes failing to protect her from the chill. She desperately scrabbled to grab onto something, one hand finally twisting into the fabric of the rider’s pants so tightly that she heard something rip when she yanked on it for leverage.
“Hold still!” A large hand pressed down on her back, effectively ending Kayla’s flailing. It didn’t dislodge her iron grip on the man’s clothing though.
The horse reared up, and Kayla nearly threw up from the sudden vertigo. She was almost grateful for the hand that was firmly gripping the back of her robes as they finally came to a stop. Kayla was yanked off the horse and set down on the ground. She stumbled a little, but a tight grip on each arm kept her from falling as she was half-dragged, half-shoved into a small hut.
The hood was yanked off of her face. Kayla blinked, her eyes adjusting to the lamp-lit room. A middle-aged man stood in the center of it, an unsheathed blade on his waist. The men on either side of her shoved her forward. She stumbled and tripped on a conveniently placed rug, landing on all fours.
They did that on purpose, these are all psychological tactics, Kayla reminded herself, pushing down a mixture of embarrassment and fear. She pushed herself to her feet shakily, fixing her eyes on the man before her. It was hard to tell his ethnicity. He was dressed in the simple clothes of a shepherd, and for all purposes looked rather nondescript, but there was a blade-like sharpness to his gaze.
“Duke, you look to be in good health,” the man said in perfect Chinese, a mocking note in his voice. Kayla straightened, lifting her chin slightly. She knew how much of a mess she looked with her hair coming undone and her inner robes rumpled by the manhandling.
“And you look like a man whose death date is near,” Kayla said lightly. “What on earth were you thinking, playing with fire like this? If you wanted to speak with me, you only needed to ask.”
“I do apologize for my inconsideration, but you’re an esteemed man of great prestige, it’s awfully hard to get a private audience,” the man said. “Allow me to introduce myself. You may call me Zeng San.”
Kayla withheld a snort at the obvious moniker. Zeng Three? He isn't even trying.
“And you can call me Zhao Si,” she said in a saccharine voice. “Zeng San” gave her an unimpressed look.
“I wouldn’t dare call the esteemed Duke Zhao by a nickname,” Zeng San replied. “Now, I do apologize for taking up your time like this, but I have a message from my master.”
“My father-in-law?” Kayla asked innocently. She sensed the two men bristle behind her at the casual tone and quashed the fear stirring up inside her, allowing indignation to override any last shreds of self-preservation she had left.
Zeng San gave her a smile that sent a chill up her spine. “Princess Ashina, whose hand has been promised to you in marriage, is the pearl of the Khagan’s palm. It is only natural that marrying his young daughter into a foreign land weighs heavily on his heart–he is ill at ease to think of handing his daughter to a man we know so little about and who is unaccustomed to our ways. The great Khagan, in his infinite generosity, only requests a small gesture of sincerity on your part to assure him.”
Kayla nodded, returning his smile. “You want me to sign an agreement and put my thumbprint on it, no?”
“Your Excellency is astute,” Zeng San said, bowing his head slightly. "The agreement will be of no trouble to you, it merely-"
“No.” Kayla’s eyes hardened into a glare. “Who the fuck are you to ask anything of me? If you want me to do anything, send someone closer to me in rank–someone who actually has any sway. A mite like you has no right to make requests.”
She needed to buy time. If I give in here, I’m done for. I can’t agree to anything unless it’s completely on my own terms.
Zeng San stiffened slightly, his smile growing wooden at the look of utter derision in Kayla’s eyes.
“My lord, I’m afraid that’s difficult to arrange. But be assured that I am authorized to represent the Khagan’s interests on this matter,” he said.
“You?” Kayla scoffed, channeling Hu Qing’s infuriating tone to the best of her ability. “Ha! Goodness, you’re funny. You should’ve been an entertainer.”
“I’m not sure you understand the situation,” Zeng San said, a steely edge in his voice. “How do you think we were able to lure away your security and circumvent the local guards? Those bodyguards of yours won’t be able to call for help or backup–we’ve planned this perfectly. Every single aspect of your journey is under our control, including Lord Liang’s departure from the delegation. You should understand your position, my lord, or this won’t be pleasant for you.”
“Every aspect, huh? You didn’t prepare for the spells in my robes,” Kayla shot back, utterly unimpressed. “What can you even do? Kill me?”
She tilted her head to the side, glancing at him up and down. “You can’t, can you?”
Zeng San remained silent.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Kayla said. She stepped closer to him, leaning in. “Here’s the deal, asshole. You want me to be the Khagan’s bitch? Not a chance in hell. You want cooperation? Then we can talk. And I mean talk terms–on equal footing. Send me someone who actually has the power to negotiate with me.”
A vein twitched on Zeng San’s face. “Goodness, my lord, I hadn’t expected you to have such a mouth on you,” he said darkly. “Certainly, it wouldn’t be suitable for us to preemptively widow the Princess, but that’s pretty much the only thing we were prohibited from. How we deal with you was entirely left to us.”
“No one who has threatened to hurt me has ever met a good end,” Kayla replied, her voice growing colder. “Please tell my esteemed father-in-law that I am honored by his approval of my marriage to his daughter. I understand and sympathize with his concern for her well-being. However, a one-sided agreement will only breed resentment in the long term, and that is neither beneficial to this marriage on a personal level nor the marriage alliance on a political level. I approach this union with respectful intent, and ask that he do the same by sending someone who can negotiate terms with me on equal footing, or I’ll kill every single person he sends until then. Now send me back.”
Her brazen act was a risky gamble–either they believed she could back up her bravado, or it would just add fuel to the fire. Kayla hid her nervousness, praying that the agents didn’t take notice.
“I am under strict orders here,” Zeng San said through gritted teeth. “Don’t make things unpleasant for yourself.”
Yeah, this isn’t going to work. You know what? Fuck this. Plan B!
Kayla nullified the wards surrounding them. The first layer of communication-blocking wards around the hut disappeared, then the larger one encompassing it. Kayla took a deep breath and closed her eyes, forcing herself to concentrate, nullifying every bit of magic she could sense. Kayla wasn’t sure how far she’d gotten–it was all a matter of seconds, but she was certain she’d nullified everything within at least a mile. There was a small tug of strain at the back of her mind as she came to a stop. The magic hadn’t been that complex, but it was the first time she had covered such a distance. Given that she was meant to keep her abilities a secret, the furthest she had ever gone was nullifying the wards around the Zhao household.
A warm trickle of liquid rolled down from her nose. Kayla opened her eyes, glancing dully at the blood dripping down her face and onto her white inner robes. She met Zeng San’s eyes again. None of the men were mages, and their magic-users wouldn’t be able to contact them now that Kayla had rendered their communication devices useless.
Always turn off your computer when you’re not using it, fuckers, Kayla thought with vindictive pleasure. Zeng San looked at her with mocking contempt, having chalked up the nosebleed to stress.
“L-let me think about it for a second,” Kayla said, stepping back from Zeng San and raising her hands in a placating manner. One of the men behind her gave an audible scoff.
Faster than they could stop her, Kayla brought her arm up and tore open the hem of her sleeve with her teeth like a feral dog. Threads of the fabric clung to the inside of her mouth as Zeng San tackled her to the floor and flipped Kayla onto her stomach, twisting her arm behind her, the ripped fabric crumpling beneath his grip.
“What did you do?!” Zeng San shouted.
“Ow, fuck! Let go!” Kayla cried. Zeng San twisted her arm with more force.
“What did you do?” Zeng San hissed, his voice dangerously low.
The sleeve of her inner robe was another fail-safe measure, a talisman in and of itself that was activated once ripped open. Kayla choked out a laugh, sweat beading on her forehead.
“Take a guess!” Kayla snarled at him. The taller of the two horsemen moved forward and kicked her in the ribs, knocking the air out of her lungs.
Kayla gasped for air, straining against Zeng San’s grip as she struggled to breathe. The tall horseman grabbed a fistful of Kayla’s hair and yanked her head back.
“If you don’t want me to kick your face in, then stop playing games,” he said coldly. “We’re not going to ask again.”
“Why-why don’t you check yourself?” Kayla choked out. The horseman stared at her for a moment before he let go of Kayla’s hair. Her head fell to the ground. Kayla winced, squeezing her eyes shut in pain. The horseman grabbed onto the ripped sleeve and pulled it out from under Zeng San’s fingers.
“It’s a communication talisman,” the horseman said.
“Ha!” Zeng San laughed mockingly. “There are wards, you fool! It’s meaningless! Our messages are the only ones that’ll go through.”
“Then try those wards of yours!” Kayla shot back. The tall horseman pulled out his communication device and stopped still.
“It’s not working,” he said in shock.
“What? That’s not possible! Here, use mine,” Zeng San reached for his own.
“It’s meaningless,” Kayla replied, echoing Zeng San’s words. The horseman ignored her and moved to turn on the device, turning towards Zeng San with a perturbed expression when it didn’t work.
“The device–”
“Is just a pretty little box now,” Kayla cut in. “Nullification talismans really are handy, aren’t they? All of your wards have been gone for a while now! My communication talisman is currently the only active magic within a mile radius. How long do you think it’ll take my guards to find me?!”
“I don’t believe you! You’re bluffing!” Zeng San snapped at her.
“You only have two choices right now,” Kayla spoke over him, raising her voice. “Either you kill me and become a traitor to your Khagan and a wanted criminal in the Wu, or you’re gonna return everything you took from my robes and take me back.”
“As if–”
“And if you take me back, I won’t have my men gut you and bury you in a ditch!” Kayla snapped. “It’s over, you idiot! That so-called perfect plan of yours is done for! Take my message back to your master and we’ll call it a fucking day.”
The tall horseman breathed out through his nose, anger written in every line of his body. He said something in Turkish and unsheathed a knife. Kayla’s body stiffened instinctively, her skin already prickling at the whisper of metal.
Fuck, they won’t really kill me, right? Right?! They don’t actually want a war! Right?!!
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Kayla squeezed her eyes shut. If I read the situation wrong–Fuck, of course I did, these guys are fucking psychos!
The horseman cut the lower half of Kayla’s sleeve off and lit it on fire, tossing it into the hearth. Her breathing quickened as the edge of the blade scraped up her arm. The razor-sharp blade split her skin open even without the horseman applying any pressure. In the cold air, the sudden warmth of blood sliding down her arm elicited an involuntary flinch.
“There’s still time before your men get here, Duke Zhao,” Zeng San said darkly. “Why don’t you do us all a favor and agree? Bring over the document.”
The shorter horseman handed him a document. Zeng San unscrolled it on the ground before Kayla.
“You see, men like you tend to think that things will turn out the way you want just because of who you are,” Zeng San said gently. “And guess what? Men like you tend to scream the loudest when they realize they’re wrong. Now, I’m happy to guide you through that process, my lord, but you seem to be a smart person. Why put yourself through such a painful experience?”
They can’t just put my fingerprint on it and call it a day, right? Fear spiked in her chest. No, that’s not it. If they wanted to do that, they would’ve done it already. There’s definitely magic on that thing that could prove I signed it of my own accord–otherwise, it would hold no weight as blackmail material. I need to buy time. The second I even agree to sign, it's all over for me.
If she had been forced to sign, the fallout would still be damning for another official, but not for the Emperor’s favorite nephew. If the Khagan could set up such an elaborate abduction, he surely knew that as well. Her flesh crawled as she sensed the blade hover just over the cloth of her robes.
Why are they going this far? I even acted as though I was open to negotiation! Kayla’s mind swam with bewilderment and fear.
“I don’t think I will,” Kayla choked out through gritted teeth.
The tall horseman gave an annoyed snarl and the knife cut into her shoulder blade. Kayla screamed out in pain as the knife sunk into her flesh and sliced it open.
“Fuck–fuck!” Kayla shouted a muffled scream of curses into the ground, trying to twist herself away from the knife. She started crying without realizing it, clawing into the carpet with her one free hand.
“Oh, come on now. We’ve barely gotten started and you’re already such a mess. How do you think you’ll last until your guards get here?” Zeng San asked mockingly. “Let’s just get this over with.”
She definitely couldn’t last until help arrived.
“You fucking bastard,” Kayla sobbed. The knife was still sliced into the flesh of her shoulder blade. Time had become excruciatingly slow. Kayla let out a gasp of relief as the horseman pulled out the knife. The blinding pain in her shoulder didn’t lessen, blood flowing out of the wound faster. The warm liquid spreading over her back stuttered her thoughts to a stop.
“I-I-don’t–Fuck–!” Kayla tried to draw her panicked thoughts together and find the right words to buy time.
“Read me the agreement to me, bastard!” Kayla cried out. "Or at least give me a fucking summary!"
Please go along with it, please!
Zeng San grabbed the agreement from the floor.
"We could've done that from the start if you hadn't been so difficult, my lord," Zeng San said. Kayla carefully hid her relief as he began to read its contents.
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Zhao Chao moved through the empty fields, anxiously searching for any trace of Wenyuan’s presence. A small box vibrated inside his robes, and he whipped out his communication device at lightning speed, lighting up as he saw who it was.
The lord is alive!
Wenyuan had only used a blank talisman without sending any messages, but it was enough.
After the Duke’s disappearance, the security detail hadn’t reached out to the local guards, fearing they had traitors or moles. The guards had been desperately searching for hours. One of the Imperial Guards had seen a flash of light, but they hadn’t managed to find anyone when they searched the area, though someone had evidently been there.
The sense of urgency weighed upon them. Two of the Investigators were magic users and focused their efforts on undoing the wards blocking off their communication, so it didn’t skip their notice when a large swatch of wards suddenly disappeared over an area a mile wide.
Zhao Chao and Tao Qian immediately knew who was responsible, having seen Zhao Wenyuan’s nullification magic before. It didn’t take much effort to convince Tabuyir and Captain Jiang that it was Zhao Wenyuan’s nullification talisman, and the bulk of the search party immediately rushed over to find the missing Duke.
Now, they finally knew where he was. In over a mile completely devoid of magic, his spell was easy to locate for the trained magic users.
The magic-user took one glance at the communication device and took off at full-speed. Zhao Chao leaped onto his horse, following the Investigator with the others fast on his heels. He unfolded the collapsible crossbow in his belt, loading it single-handedly.
The Investigator sped up, and the horseback riders switched to running on foot to avoid detection. Thankfully, the place the signal emitted from wasn’t far away. The magic-users of the enemy evidently had sensed what they had, and had sent their own men to intercept. A few Investigators peeled off to deal with them, Zhao Chao and Tao Qian continuing forward without any regard for what happened on the sidelines.
The young magic-user gestured as a hut came into sight. Zhao Chao and Tao Qian sped up, leaving the others behind and slamming straight through the windows in unison. The flimsy wooden wall smashed into shards, the occupants of the hut exclaiming in surprise.
Zhao Chao immediately located Wenyuan on the ground.
“Stay down, my lord!” Tao Qian shouted. The two guards went straight for the kill. Zhao Chao blocked the knife of a tall Turkic man standing over Wenyuan, kicking another in the face and knocking him off of Wenyuan’s back. He slashed downwards, forcing the Turk’s blade down and shot the man at point-blank distance with his crossbow. The man groaned and stumbled back. Zhao Chao dashed forward, Wenyuan hastily shuffling out of the way as the fight raged on around him. Tao Qian finished off his opponent and rounded back to help Zhao Chao. Within seconds, the fight was over. One of the men had been stabbed in a thigh artery by Tao Qian and had his throat torn out, another lay dead with two arrows in his chest, and the third had Zhao Chao’s sword buried in his ribs.
Zhao Chao hurried over to Wenyuan. The Duke was bleeding from the shoulder blade, with a shallower cut in his arm. There had to have been a sprained shoulder at the very least, and the red hand print on his lower arm would be a swollen mess by morning. Wenyuan had blood on his face, but didn’t seem to have any head injuries.
We're so fucked, Zhao Chao grimly thought to himself.
“My lord,” Zhao Chao said in a tight voice. “My lord, are you alright? Do you feel lightheaded or nauseous?”
Wenyuan grimaced as Zhao Chao carefully examined the wound on his shoulder blade.
“Zhao Chao, Tao Qian,” Wenyuan greeted them. “What-what was the question?”
“Do you feel lightheaded or nauseous?” Zhao Chao repeated.
“No,” Wenyuan replied. “Get the scroll on the floor.” Zhao Chao quickly reached over and swiped up the blood-splattered scroll without question. He tucked it into his robes just before the Investigators burst onto the scene, spreading out over the perimeter.
“I need a healer over here!” Zhao Chao called. The young magic-user ran over, talismans already in his hand.
“Director! Are you alright?” The Investigator asked nervously. Wenyuan turned towards him and nodded.
“I’ve caused you all to worry,” he said. “Thank you for coming to get me.”
The Investigator flushed uncomfortably. He had expected panic or anger, not whatever this was.
“P-please allow me to heal you, Director.”
“Thank you, Investigator Mi,” Wenyuan replied. The Investigator flushed even redder. He hadn’t expected Zhao Wenyuan to know his name at all, never having spoken with the man.
“Good, there isn’t a concussion,” Investigator Mi muttered.
“That’s good to know,” Wenyuan said. “Ow, fuck.” Investigator Mi drew back a little sheepishly from where he was applying pressure to Zhao Wenyuan’s shoulder blade.
“Sorry,” he said meekly.
“No, it’s fine. Have you contacted anyone yet?”
“Not yet, my lord. We weren’t able to,” Tao Qian reported.
“Good. Don’t. There’s no need to report this and stir up a fuss, our journey will only grow more difficult as a result,” Zhao Wenyuan said firmly. “Kindly notify Senior Investigator Tabuyir and Captain Jiang as well.”
“Are you sure, my lord?” Tao Qian asked in disbelief. “Then what about–”
“No one,” Zhao Wenyuan said firmly. “Not even the rest of the delegation or Lord Liang.”
“But how can we explain this?” Tao Qian asked. “And Governor Bao…”
“Yes, where is he?” Wenyuan asked.
“In his home, one of the Imperial Guards is with him,” Investigator Mi replied.
“Keep him silent. I’ll explain the situation in a bit, let’s meet up with the others first,” Wenyuan said after a moment of deliberation.
“The Senior Investigator and Captain Jiang will be here in a moment,” Zhao Chao said.
Wenyuan nodded. He gratefully accepted the alcohol that Zhao Chao handed him, taking a big gulp. Tao Qian put Wenyuan’s outer robe on the man’s shoulders as Investigator Mi finished up.
There was the sound of horses, and the men outside began giving their greetings. Tabuyir and Captain Jiang entered the hut, scanning over Wenyuan and the bodies on the floor before rushing over.
“Director!” Tabuyir rushed over.
“Director, I apologize for my dereliction of duty! Please punish me as you see fit!” Tabuyir dropped to a knee, bowing his head. Captain Jiang followed suit. Wenyuan quickly waved away their apologies.
“It’s no fault of yours,” he said, the shakiness gone from his voice. “This was a carefully planned kidnapping by nationalist extremists in the Khaganate, with the intention of forcing me to compromise my loyalty in order to destabilize the peace agreement. I was able to stall them long enough to activate my nullification talisman. Thanks to everyone’s competence, I was rescued before things could escalate further.”
“Your Excellency, your injuries–we must report this to the palace and ask for additional security!” Captain Jiang said in alarm.
“No. I already said this to Investigator Mi earlier, but we will keep quiet about this incident for the time being. I will take all responsibility,” Wenyuan said firmly.
“But–”
“Not only will the journey be delayed, but we will also be showing weakness to the Khaganate. Moreover, all of you will be punished for failing to prevent this situation,” Wenyuan said. “Is that really alright with you?”
The room fell silent.
“Your Excellency, I deserve punishment for failing my duty,” Captain Jiang finally said in a heavy voice. “I…I am grateful for your concern, but…”
“Captain Jiang, you think too highly of me. It is not merely out of concern for you that I say this. Even if you may have slipped up today, all of you are men I can rely on,” Wenyuan said, emphasizing his words meaningfully. He glanced between Tabuyir and Captain Jiang with narrowed eyes.
“If you were to be removed from duty, I will be left in an even more precarious position. Will you really be any less responsible if I am killed after you’re recalled?” Wenyuan demanded. “For everyone’s sake, we should keep quiet about this for now. In exchange, after we get back, I will make sure that you are not made to shoulder the blame.”
Tabuyir hesitated before bowing his head. “I will follow your orders, Director.”
Captain Jiang mulled it over a moment longer, battling his soldier’s instinct to report it.
“I…will follow your orders, Your Excellency,” he said reluctantly. “I am truly ashamed of failing my duty.”
“Don’t be ashamed of that,” Zhao Wenyuan said, a cold edge in his voice. “The Turks were able to set up such an elaborate trap within our own country, hundreds of miles inside the border–that is what we should be ashamed of as subjects of the Wu.”
The men winced, not having any words to respond with.
Wenyuan swept his eyes over them.
His heavy gaze lingered on Tabuyir and Captain Jiang.
“What happened today is the perfect example of why we need to increase our internal security and communication measures, and I’ll make sure that this incident serves that purpose rather than being twisted for personal gain. As for what happened, we will say for now that I got drunk and rode off on my own. Thanks to your competence, you managed to find me after I got lost. Senior Investigator, I’ll leave it to you to fill in the details.”
“But my lord, this will harm your reputation,” Zhao Chao tentatively pointed out.
Wenyuan waved him off. “My reputation does not matter as much as the success of this mission. It’s not like I’m known for sobriety. We’ll go with this story. Does everyone agree?”
The Investigators and Imperial Guards glanced at each other uneasily, but no one objected.
“Take these bodies and bury them somewhere discreetly–be sure to remember where they are, and ensure that the burial site is not discovered or disturbed,” Wenyuan ordered. “These men are more useful to us dead than alive.”
“As you wish, Director,” Tabuyir replied.
Wenyuan took a deep breath, drawing his outer robe closer around him with his good arm.
“I am grateful to you all for protecting my safety,” Wenyuan said with finality. “I hope to remain in your care for the duration of the journey.”
“I am undeserving of your kind words, Director,” Tabuyir replied. “Though I am lacking, I will do my utmost to ensure your safety.”
“I as well, Your Excellency. I am grateful for your magnanimity,” Captain Jiang said, bowing his head respectfully. “I will send someone to notify Governor Bao that this has become a confidential matter.”
“Good idea. I hereby pronounce this a highly-confidential case under the investigation of the Bureau. Tell Governor Bao that revealing any information to anyone will be considered a breach of national security and harshly punished,” Wenyuan said.
Tabuyir waved his hand and one of the Investigators peeled off.
Wenyuan stood up, signaling that the impromptu meeting was over.
One of the Imperial Guards brought over a carriage, and the group immediately departed to escort Wenyuan back to the post station, Investigator Mi using a series of spells to fix up Wenyuan’s appearance to the best of his ability.
A few Investigators stayed behind to clean up the scene and carry out Wenyuan’s orders. The bodies were neatly wrapped up and buried along with several talismans, the impromptu grave covered up to blend in with the rest of the surroundings.
Almost as abruptly as the fiasco had begun, it had come to an end.
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Cultural Notes
死期将至/Death date is near: An Ancient Chinese saying that can be used as a threat/warning.
引火焚身/Lighting fire and burning oneself: An Ancient Chinese proverb meaning to attempt to harm someone else only to get yourself in a hot mess.
身居高位/In a position of high prestige: An Ancient Chinese proverb meaning that someone is in a high position or has high status.
曾三赵四/Zeng San and Zhao Si: The Turkic agent uses a name that essentially is "Zeng Three", essentially "Third son of the Zeng family", and Kayla pokes fun at him by calling herself "Zhao Si", or "Zhao Four".
掌上明珠/Bright pearl on one's palm: An Ancient Chinese proverb referring to someone regarded preciously by a lover or a family member, later evolved to exclusively refer to doted-upon young daughters who are treated by their parents as preciously as one would cradle a beautiful pearl in their palm.
远嫁他乡/Marrying far away into a another's homeland: An Ancient Chinese proverb referring to a woman who marries into a distant place (different region or country), far from her home and family. This was often seen as a pitiful situation, as the young woman would be isolated from her support network and family. Note that the term 嫁 refers specifically to a woman getting married, while the term 娶 refers specifically to a man getting married.
Entertainers in Ancient China: Entertainers in Ancient China had relatively low social statuses, though they also had some degree of freedom to transcend certain norms and etiquette. Similar to how court jesters were treated in Medieval Europe.
您是聪明人/You're [polite form] a smart person: A line often used by villains in Chinese drama when they're pressuring/threatening someone. Also worth noting here that Chinese differs between the polite/formal form of you, 您, and the casual form of you, 你.
屈打成招/Yield under beatings to confess: An Ancient Chinese proverb originally meaning that a confession was forced out of an innocent prisoner via torture, but can also mean to be forced under duress to do something/say something/yield in some way.
Crossbows in the Tang Dynasty: According to historical records, there were at least seven types of commonly used crossbows in the Tang Dynasty, the smallest of which are the crossbows for use by individual soldiers, which were small enough to be brought around town on one's belt. Though there are no records of an even smaller collapsible crossbow in the Tang Dynasty, popular culture maintains that these collapsible crossbows have existed since the pre-Qin era. This is largely due to Mo Di, also known as Mo Zi, the founder of the Mohzi school of thought. He was a pre-Qin philosopher, commander, inventor, and politician who preached egalitarian values, and he was further known for inventions that have since then been lost, including a wooden bird that could fly in the sky for three days. Though not listed in official records, people have speculated on his inventions for millennium, and collapsible crossbows are often believed to have been one, hence why popular culture often have period dramas with assassin-type characters who use them.
由您发落/Let you decide my fate: An Ancient Chinese saying that means to leave one's fate in another person's hands, usually someone who has been wronged by you, or someone in a higher position to you. Specifically, this saying is usually used when you have made a blunder or otherwise failed.
境内百余里/Over a hundred miles within the border: A more archaic way of phrasing this particular distance.