Character Index
Kulun: Tarkhan of the Eastern Turkic Khaganate, charged with escorting Ashina to the capital. Has a half-Han secretary.
Celik: Formerly known as The Shopkeeper, spymaster of Turkic agents in Luoyang.
Ashina: Princess of the Eastern Turkic Khaganate, Kayla's bride-to-be.
Investigator Qiu: An older Imperial Investigator who works under Tabuyir.
Tabuyir: A Senior Investigator of Khitan descent, Kayla's supporter. Eager to deepen his ties with Kayla's faction.
Captain Jiang: An Imperial Guard, indebted to the Sixth Princess for helping him out with his love life.
Investigator Mi: Personal name is Mi Zhu, a young Investigator who is also a magic-user.
Hu Qing/Liang Hongfei: Lord of the Liang clan, formerly Kayla's retainer. Sent up north ahead of Kayla's party.
Alizhi: Grandson of Commander Tumidu, a relative of Princess Mingda. Guide to Hu Qing.
Tumidu: Chieftain of the Uyghur tribe, holds a hereditary title of Commander granted to him by the Emperor.
Dujiezhi: A General of the Uyghur tribe, Tumidu's son and heir. Brother of Mingda's mother.
Princess Mingda: The Sixth Princess, wheelchair bound due to chronic illness. She has led a relatively isolated life outside the capital, but has grabbed onto the opportunity created by Kayla's marriage with Princess Ashina to get herself into the political arena.
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Kulun-tarkhan’s young secretary frowned at the message on his communication device and sped up so that he was riding next to the tarkhan’s carriage.
“Kulun-tarkhan,” the secretary greeted him respectfully.
“Get in,” Kulun ordered. The secretary lightly leaped onto the carriage, tossing the reins to one of the guards before sidling in through the door to await the tarkhan’s instructions.
“Read this,” Kulun said in the same authoritative tone, handing a scroll to the secretary. “Match it against the rosters for me.”
The secretary’s eyes narrowed as he read through the transcribed reports, mentally tallying the numbers. Most agents didn’t know where most of their fellow agents were, or even how many there were. Only higher up the command chain did they have a clear, bird-eye’s view of what was happening on the ground.
The young man set the scroll down with a heavy sigh.
“It’s a disaster, we lost almost all the men we’d stationed,” the secretary said tersely. “All but three. We have no idea how they handled the aftermath either, but it seems the procession is continuing Northwards without interruptions.”
Kulun-tarkhan’s disinterested eyes didn’t even flicker, filled with a stony coldness that disconcerted the younger man.
“Get rid of the three remaining men and dispatch more agents from the surrounding regions.”
The secretary started, failing to hide his shock at the order.
“T-tarkhan?”
“We never intended for them to survive this,” Kulun said flatly. He leveled the secretary with a cold look. “After all, dead men don’t talk.”
The secretary gulped, squirming under Kulun’s stare. The handsome man’s eyes were capable of a terrible look that made him look like a vulture hungrily awaiting its prey to die. Even after all these years, the secretary couldn’t get used to it.
“But then Duke Zhao…” the secretary said in a small voice, badly hiding his discomfort.
“Duke Zhao…indeed. Most men wouldn’t dare to report such a thing when it might cast them under suspicion of having capitulated to the enemy, but one never knows with a man like that. Is there anything from the Wu capital?” Kulun asked.
“Celik-effendi says there’s no sign of disturbance. The palace is quiet, and no soldiers have been dispatched either in Luoyang or in Daizhou,” the secretary replied. “Tarkhan, what shall we do?”
Kulun let out a sharp breath through his nose.
“Nothing. If Duke Zhao is proceeding towards the border without raising a fuss, then we will do the same,” Kulun replied. “If he has something up his sleeve, we will figure it out.”
“But it would be too late to escort the Princess back once that happens,” the secretary said in alarm.
“We were never going to escort the Princess back no matter what happened,” Kulun said, a powerful undercurrent in his voice that made the secretary fall silent.
The tarkhan continued in the same dark voice that seemed to make the air inside the tent grow heavier. “Under the orders of the Khagan, I am to ensure the Princess’ wedding takes place, regardless of the circumstances. It does not matter what Duke Zhao thinks, says, or does, this has already been set in stone. If he has been cowed into placidity, then all the better. And if he has been offended, then it still remains whether he has the qualification to retaliate. He is bound by the same decision as us, and will not be able to easily break free of those restrictions.”
He spoke with a dreadful surety that thoroughly cowed the young secretary, even though the young man didn’t understand what was being said to him. Kulun glanced over his face, eyes narrowing dangerously.
“What worries crease your brow?” He asked.
The secretary failed to withhold a wince. “I-it is nothing, Kulun-tarkhan. I simply worry that the Duke of Zhao may have something up his sleeve that may be of detriment to the Princess’ wellbeing.”
“Indeed, it is a worthwhile concern.” Kulun’s handsome face creased into a frown as he glanced through the carriage window to where Ashina was stretching her legs on horseback, flanked by two female attendants who giggled at something the princess said.
His eyes lingered for a moment on her youthful face.
“If that’s the case…then I truly pity our princess.”
“Should we not inform her of the situation?” The secretary asked.
Kulun replied without so much as glancing in his direction. “What for? It would hardly do her any good.”
A thousand arguments for why they should inform Ashina flashed through the secretary’s mind but disappeared just as quickly at the sight of Kulun’s imposing profile. In the end, he remained silent, accepting the decision for fact.
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From where he rode on horseback near the middle of the delegation party, Investigator Qiu looked at Tabuyir with concern. The Senior Investigator had been tense ever since the incident with Duke Zhao. Of course, Captain Jiang was also tense, but Tabuyir was under far more pressure as someone who worked directly under the Duke.
Escorting the delegation was a troublesome task to begin with, but Tabuyir had volunteered when the other Senior Investigators had been reluctant–He had hoped to gain advantages for himself and his subordinates, though it was likely to be a thankless effort now that things had gone south on their watch. Duke Zhao didn’t seem inclined to punish them. Yet. There was no telling if the Duke would grow more vindictive as the initial shock of the abduction wore off.
Is it really alright not to report it? They were damned if they did, damned if they didn’t. If they reported it, the Duke would be pissed. If they didn’t, there was nothing to stop the Duke from using this incident to screw them over.
“Investigator Qiu,” Investigator Mi called to him. Investigator Qiu tore his attention off Tabuyir’s tense frame and turned to his younger colleague.
“What is it, Mi Zhu?” Investigator Qiu asked, absentmindedly using the younger man’s given name.
“Don’t call me that on the job,” Investigator Mi complained. “The Right Secretariat asked to take a break up ahead.”
“I’ll go report to the Senior Investigator, you go and check on the Director,” Investigator Qiu ordered. Tabuyir and Captain Jiang both acquiesced to the request for a break, but insisted that it would have to be a short one, lest they fall behind schedule. Both commanders were adamant that they weren’t late, lest it worsened their standing with Duke Zhao.
Investigator Qiu scouted out a small clearing up ahead and went off to check, extremely thoroughly, for any possible threats. When he returned, he sidled over to stand guard over by the civil officials of the delegation. Duke Zhao was by his own carriage, a good distance away.
His ears prickled as the conversation drifted over to him.
“The pace has certainly gotten faster–even the breaks are shorter now,” one of the officials said.
“We’ll have to endure it if we want to get there on time,” another chimed in. “It should be fine as long as we don’t suffer any more delays.”
“Goodness, speaking of delays, the Duke won’t get drunk again, will he?” One of the officials murmured to the Right Secretariat.
“Now now, don’t say that,” Right Secretariat An said with no real rebuke in his voice. “That only happened once, though it certainly caused a great deal of trouble for Captain Jiang and Senior Investigator Tabuyir. But though the Duke used to be a heavy drinker, he has scarcely relapsed or caused an incident, it wouldn’t do for us to speak of him so.”
Investigator Qiu kept his back turned towards them, not bothering to hide a look of distaste.
These civil officials really are pretentious bastards, he thought to himself. He’s pretending to defend the Director while shittalking him and implying all kinds of bullshit, and the rest of them are in on the joke. If they were from the Bureau, they would’ve gotten their faces kicked in already.
“Of course, but really, it’s quite a shock that he would act so free-spirited on an official diplomatic mission,” another official murmured. “Will we really be alright? If the Khaganate’s delegation is offended or he gets drunk again on the return trip…”
“We’ll just have to keep an eye out for him, won’t we? If anything goes awry, we’ll cover for him,” Right Secretariat An said magnanimously.
“Of course, we’d best be careful to avoid making any mistakes ourselves. After all, we don’t have the favor of the Emperor to lean on.”
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
There was a soft wave of suppressed chuckles. Disgust broiled in Investigator Qiu’s stomach, and he quickly grabbed onto an excuse to switch stations with an Imperial Guard.
His new position was close to the Duke’s carriage. Zhao Wenyuan was sitting on a rock, Tabuyir and Captain Jiang standing before him. The Duke either didn’t know or didn’t care about what the civil officials were saying behind his back, speaking quietly with the two officers. Investigator Qiu couldn’t help his curiosity and strained his ears to hear what was being said.
“In any case, make sure not to overwork yourselves or the men. If we’re strung out too tight, our condition won’t be good on the return trip, and that’s when I really need you all to shine,” Zhao Wenyuan said. “The Princess’ bridal party will contain her personal guards, but I want to showcase your abilities. We’re not here to show off, but we shouldn’t be outdone either.”
“Understood, Your Excellency,” Captain Jiang said.
“Understood, Director,” Tabuyir echoed.
“And let’s try to avoid Governor Bao on our way back. Senior Investigator, please make sure that he takes a sick day when the bridal party passes through–I don’t know if the Turkish delegation knows about what happened through their intelligence network, but we shouldn’t give them any hints so as to maximize our advantage later on,” Zhao Wenyuan continued.
He looked from Tabuyir to Captain Jiang. “From your experience, would they be able to find any clues or the bodies while passing through?”
“No, if we act as though nothing happened, the delegation would have too many eyes on them to attempt investigating,” Tabuyir replied.
Wenyuan nodded thoughtfully.
“Director, there are some rumors about your disappearance in the delegation,” Tabuyir tentatively prodded at the topic. “I am a little concerned as to how that would affect the situation.”
“Yes, Tao Qian has told me about it. Let them be for now. I’m going to impose a gag order before we reach the next post station,” Wenyuan said in a casual tone.
Tabuyir drew back a little in surprise. “I understand your intentions, Director, but a gag order will definitely breed resentment. After we return to court, they probably…”
Wenyuan let out a soft laugh. “Yes, I’m aware. That’s fine. To tell you the truth, His Majesty told me to give them face wherever possible, but he also gave me permission to go all out if needed. I suppose this falls within necessity, doesn’t it? I won’t let them be more trouble than they’re worth.”
“Well, if that’s the case,” Tabuyir acceded.
“If they have a problem, tell them to take it up with me. I’ll take full responsibility–after all, I’m about to get married, everything will just get swept under the rug to keep up appearances,” Wenyuan said. “Speaking of, will we be passing by any of your relatives?”
“My family lives further Northeast, but my niece and nephew reside near Shengzhou with their maternal grandparents,” Tabuyir replied, more than a little surprised at the sudden change of topic. He had hoped to introduce them at an opportune moment, but those plans had crumbled into ash after the disastrous incident.
“It’s too bad we’re short on time, or you’d have a chance to visit them. Perhaps you can arrange for them to meet you at a post station instead?” Wenyuan suggested.
“Thank you for your consideration, Director, but my niece and nephew are rowdy and unrefined youngsters with no sense of propriety. I wouldn’t want to disturb the rest of the delegation with their undignified behavior,” Tabuyir said. He was still unsure of Wenyuan’s intentions, but couldn’t stifle the spark of hope in his chest.
“No such thing, we’d be lucky to have their energy rub off on us after such a long journey. It wouldn’t do to meet the Princess’ delegation with dull faces,” Wenyuan said firmly.
Tabuyir bowed his head. “Then I will gratefully do so with your permission, Director.”
Investigator Qiu stopped listening in, feeling that he had eavesdropped more than his fill already. After a short break, the delegation set out again. Investigator Qiu glanced up as Mi Zhu joined him.
"Goodness, did you hear the bullshit those civil officials were spouting?" Mi Zhu whispered, leaning in to complain. Investigator Qiu rolled his eyes.
"It's bad enough that they're such busybodies, don't you go around waggling your tongue as well," he scolded. Mi Zhu scrunched up his face but accepted the rebuke.
The delegation continued onward along the dusty roads. In the distance, Youzhou was coming into sight.
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Hu Qing walked shoulder to shoulder with Alizhi, glancing about with an air of detached curiosity as they went through the camp. He held a box in his hands, a gift Wenyuan had picked out well ahead of time.
The Commander had a well-built office and house in the city, but for the most part, Commander Tumidu and his warriors still maintained the nomadic lifestyle.
They’d be well-positioned to run off if things get too intense, Hu Qing noted, eyeing the abundance of well-bred horses. The whole tribe could flee on horseback and be gone before the court can react. We’ll have to keep mind of that.
“This way, Lord Liang,” Alizhi said. Hu Qing nodded politely and followed Alizhi over to a large tent. An imposing man with a magnificent white beard stood in its center, flanked by several others.
“Grandfather, I bring to you Lord Liang of Luoyang,” Alizhi announced.
Hu Qing bowed deeply. “This one humbly greets the Commander!”
“Come now, no need to be so formal between friends!” Commander Tumidu boomed. He stepped forward with open arms. “I welcome you to the North Pacification Fort!”
“It is a great honor, Commander Tumidu,” Hu Qing said, bowing his head politely. “On behalf of His Excellency the Duke of Zhao, I express our deepest gratitude for your hospitality. Please accept this token of our appreciation.”
He subtly lifted the bejeweled box with both hands. Tumidu stepped forward, warmly clasping Hu Qing’s arms.
“You are too kind, Lord Liang. The hospitality of Tumidu needs no repayment. But I will not refuse the sincerity of one who I hope to become a dear friend.” He took the box and handed it to one of his kinsmen before pulling Hu Qing into an embrace. Hu Qing returned it with equal enthusiasm.
Now this is a guy I can deal with, Hu Qing thought with relief.
“Come now, we have prepared a feast of welcome–a small one, unfortunately, but a hearty one nonetheless,” Tumidu said, releasing Hu Qing from his hold.
“Gladly.” Hu Qing smiled, allowing Tumidu to guide him forward by the arm.
“My son, Dujiezhi. A General under my command,” Tumidu gestured at a sharp-featured middle-aged man next to him as they entered the banquet hall.
“General,” Hu Qing greeted him with a polite bow of the head.
“Lord Liang,” Dujiezhi returned the greeting. Tumidu made his round of introductions before they settled in to drink, Hu Qing seated as the guest of honor.
“To our guest of honor,” Tumidu toasted him. Hu Qing raised his cup respectfully and downed its contents. There was a round of toasts, going from the Emperor to Princess Mingda, before settling on the occasion of Wenyuan’s marriage.
With a sigh of satisfaction, Hu Qing set down his cup, having emptied its contents.
“Good heavens, you’re a good drinker!” Dujiezhi laughed.
“Ha! Not as good as you,” Hu Qing replied. He sat across from Dujiezhi, while the man himself sat on a higher seat, facing both of them.
The welcome banquet was well underway by now. It was relatively small, with only a few serving maids, two of whom doubled as dancers, but Hu Qing meant to keep a low profile to begin with.
He waited watchfully for the pleasantries to end and the talks to begin. Hu Qing got the signal immediately when Dujiezhi set down his cup with a purposeful sigh.
“I am truly glad that Duke Zhao has reached out to my niece. Ever since my dear sister’s death, the Princess has been lonely in Luoyang all these years,” Dujiezhi said regretfully. “Though she may be my niece, with her health, it’s not possible to invite her to the North. I can only go see her when we visit the capital, a few times a year at most. You have no idea how reassuring it is to see her making friends with a man of good standing such as Duke Zhao. I hope that he will continue to treat her courteously.”
“But of course,” Hu Qing easily agreed. “The Duke was greatly pleased at the chance to meet the Princess, and couldn’t stop singing her praises after they’d parted. I reckon he’s eagerly awaiting their next meeting already.”
Dujiezhi raised his cup to Hu Qing again, and they both drank, Tumidu downing his cup as well. The Commander took his opportunity when Hu Qing set down his cup, leaning forward in his seat.
“Lord Liang, we’ve heard a great deal about Duke Zhao from our Princess. She had excellent things to say about him after they met in Luoyang. But you’re someone who has served him closely, so let me ask you, man to man, what kind of person is the Duke?” Tumizhi asked.
Hu Qing noted the genuine affection in Tumizhi’s voice when the man mentioned Princess Mingda.
“I’ll be honest here,” Hu Qing said seriously. “Duke Zhao’s not like you and me. He’s not a fighter. In fact, he’s not martially inclined at all. But he has guts of steel, and he’s loyal to his own. In the capital, where people are constantly stabbing each other in the back for the smallest of gains, he’s the most reliable ally you can find.”
“Oh? He’s not an idealist now, is he?” Dujiezhi asked.
“No, he’s just principled,” Hu Qing replied. Relatively. As for relative to what, well, that was none of their business.
“I believe you, but hear me out here. There’s a lot of rumors about Duke Zhao, you see. After all, he was so quiet for twenty-five years, people are going to speculate,” Dujiezhi said.
Hu Qing nodded slowly, acting thoughtful as he scrambled for an answer.
Relax, Wenyuan said it’s fine as long as I don’t go overboard. The partnership is already ensured, this is just to deepen the trust between us. It’s impossible for me to fuck this up.
Hu Qing met Dujiezhi’s eyes with a placid look. “Fair enough. It’s true that he kept his head down all that time, but it wasn’t out of cowardice or incompetence. He was just biding his time. The second there was a chance, he grabbed it, and look at what he’s made of it!”
“Well said,” Tumidu said, cutting off one of his nephews as the man opened his mouth. The Commander raised his cup. “Drink, drink!”
“Thank you,” Hu Qing replied mildly, lifting his own cup as well to down its contents.
“Speaking of, the capital must be excited for the upcoming wedding. It’ll be quite an occasion, no?” Dujiezhi asked.
“Yes, of course,” Hu Qing said, launching the conversation towards the festive mood of the capital and away from more politically-charged topics.
The banquet settled back into a lively, comfortable atmosphere. When it came to an end, a more-than-slightly drunk Alizhi clapped a hand on Hu Qing’s shoulder with a sloppy grin on his face as they walked out from the tent together.
“Well done,” he said cheerfully. “Grandfather likes you.”
Careful not to let Alizhi see the glint in his eyes, Hu Qing smiled.
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Cultural Notes
Tarkhan: A title for high-ranking commanders/officials among the Gokturks (also known as the Blue Turks, a nomadic confederation of Turkic peoples that comprised the Eastern and Western Turkic Khaganates). Kulun-tarkhan would be an administrative official rather than a military commander. Tarkhans often had ready access to the Khagan or Khan they served, and thus held a coveted position. Though some scholars believe that tarkhans were originally a position held by high-ranking slaves (similar to some positions in the Ottoman Empire), it later evolved so that members of the ruling clan also sought to obtain these positions.
Effendi: A title that can mean "master" or be used to refer to a high-ranking official/commander in Ottoman Turkey. It later evolved into meaning "Mr." or "Sir", and is believed to have originated from Ancient Greek. There is no evidence that this was used in the Gokturk ruled Khaganate, though hardly impossible, given the populations of Sogdians and Persians in the Khaganate, both peoples of which have had contact with Greeks in previous centuries. The biggest problem with researching the Gokturks is that I can't access many Persian sources due to linguistic barriers, there aren't a whole lot of English sources, and Chinese sources translate the titles (and often names) into their Chinese equivalents, so a lot of terms/titles/names are borrowed from Ottoman Turkey instead.
Luoyang: Known as the Eastern Capital during the Tang Dynasty, it is the official capital of the Wu Dynasty.
Daizhou: An administrative region in Tang-Dynasty China. In the northeastern part of modern-day Shan'xi province.
Youzhou: An administrative region in Tang-Dynasty China, around the region of modern-day Beijing.
Commander/都督: A title that can also mean Military Governor in Ancient China. The Gokturk title of Tutun (military governor) is believed to have derived from this term. This title was awarded to the chieftains of many nomadic tribes who surrendered to the rule of the Tang Dynasty, and was often made hereditary, whereas it would rarely be hereditary within the official military.
安北都护府/Northern Pacification Fort: An administrative region in Tang-dyansty China where the Tiele peoples and other subjugated nomadic peoples settled. Semi-autonomous with a large nomadic population.
Changing allegiances of nomadic tribes during the Tang Dynasty: Caught between the Turks and the Tang, many nomadic tribes would submit to the rule of one or the other depending on circumstances. Historically, many tribes of the Tiele fled Tang-dynasty China with most of its people when the dynasty began to crumble, or when local administration became more oppressive. The Uyghur and other Tiele tribes later became independent and formed the Uyghur Khaganate, and the Khitan people later formed the Liao dynasty. Other tribes integrated into either the Turks or the Tang, and Han people also married into the tribes and vice-versa. Strangely enough, a surprisingly large number of people today seem to believe that there was very little intermingling (absolutely not true) and that bloodlines remained "pure" (also not true), hence the weird discourses on the internet that you might catch glimpses of here and there. But I blame misinformation from ultra-nationalist netizens. Few as they are, they're very loud, as might be said for ultra-nationalists on the internet everywhere.