Character Index
Tabuyir: A Senior Investigator and a Vice-Censor in the Office of Censure. Sent his nephew to Kayla as a hostage.
Wei Guang: The Imperial Edict Bearer and Minister of the Office of Censure.
Hu Qing/Liang Hongfei: Lord of the Liang clan and a Vice-Censor in the Office of Censure.
Zhou Kuang: The Third Prince.
Lin Jie: An Attendant Censor in the Office of Censure. Friends with his coworker Zhang Wuxian. Has a chronic problem with his arm.
Liang Shen: Former Minister of Justice, former Lord of the Liang clan. Hu Qing's older half-brother who raised Hu Qing as his illegitimate nephew to prevent Hu Qing from inheriting the title.
Ashina: Princess of the Eastern Turkic Khaganate, Kayla's bride-to-be. Not having a great time in Luoyang.
Qu Boyong/Xiang Daozong: Lord of the Xiang clan. Threw his lot in with Xianchun.
Zhou Xianchun: The Seventh Prince.
Jun Shao: Minister of Personnel, Xianchun's supporter.
Shu Yunsong: Yunqi's Second Uncle (2nd eldest brother of his mother) and a former General in the army. He secretly came to the capital to pressure Yunqi into making a move.
Yao Gongzhuo: Minister of War, Kuang's supporter.
Zhang Dingyong: Minister of Justice, former Right Secretary of Justice. Kuang's supporter. Was Kayla's coworker in the past when she was the Left Secretariat of Justice.
Zhou Yunqi: The Fifth Prince. Caught between his father and his clan, he can only rely on Kuang for protection.
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A group of men argued through their communication devices, each of them as dissatisfied and unhappy as the others. Together, their discontent accumulated into a cloud of anger that hazed over any clear agenda they had for gathering in the first place. Complaints and quibbling filled the air, blending together into a raucous sound that obscured any individual voice.
A haggard man cleared his throat, cutting through the haze almost effortlessly. Despite the gaunt hollowness in his face, the others looked upon him with more respect than pity, more out of habit than anything else.
“From your many complaints, I see you’ve all heard about what’s coming,” he said. “I, for one, don’t believe for a moment that the Wang clan of Taiyuan were responsible, but the excuse has been accepted by the court. They have the material evidence, and they can create witnesses as well…this policy will go through no matter how many protests are raised.”
There was a flurry of protests and complaints, but they fell silent as the haggard man cleared his throat again.
“The meaning of this is really quite simple. We’re running out of time,” the haggard man said grimly. “It now stands that we must decide…what will we do next?”
The men glanced at each other uneasily.
“We need to act now, or we’ll never have another chance,” one of them said. He had seen better days, but still had the vigor and discipline ingrained into him from his time in the military. He looked around him impatiently.
“Well?! Come on now! If we still refuse to take action, we’ll have to live like this forever! Is this really what you want for yourself, for your children?! Have our positions not been endangered enough?!”
The other men lowered their eyes, glancing away from their respective communication devices.
The veteran straightened up further and voice swelled with authority. “Let’s proceed with the plan. All in favor?”
The veteran glared about him. “All in favor?!”
Save for the haggard man who immediately agreed, the other men winced and hesitated, but slowly, each of them raised their hand until all of them had agreed.
“Very well then,” the veteran said. “Let’s begin.”
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With the cooperation of the Imperial Investigation Bureau’s regional offices, the Office of Censure moved with unprecedented efficiency to distribute communication devices throughout the country. In the few days since the policy was announced, the entirety of the Capital Circuit, the Guannei Circuit, and the Hedong Circuit had been integrated into the new reporting system.
It wasn’t as though the other regions lacked the resources in their administrative offices–especially not the wealthy Huainan and Jiangnan Circuits, but when it came to setting things up, everyone suddenly couldn’t remember where to find one.
Perhaps no one was surprised that Wei Guang had chosen the easiest regions to tackle. The North had thrown their lot in with Zhao Wenyuan and the neutral faction. Hedong Circuit, where both the Wang clan of Taiyuan and the incident in Daizhou had been located, was teeming with Imperial Investigators. And with the Emperor’s rage looming over them, not a single affluent person in Hedong Circuit would dare to refuse cooperating.
The capital should have been a tough bone to pick with its high concentration of the extremely rich and extremely powerful–and indeed it was for many a reformer, but Wei Guang had a hard enough background to push things through. He was the Emperor’s teacher, and was working hand-in-hand with the Emperor’s nephew. If an in-law of the Emperor bleated in protest and tried to pull rank, Wei Guang could shove Wenyuan forward to trump in pedigree. If an influential official refused to cooperate with a yellow-haired brat, Wenyuan could shove Wei Guang forward to triumph in prestige. The capital grumbled and groaned but cooperated nonetheless.
Wei Guang was quietly confident that the progress would go just as smoothly in Hennan Circuit, where the Third Prince was already pulling strings. Once four Circuits had already been inducted, the rest would come shortly after. The problem now was not implementation, but the onslaught of sabotage.
The capital waited with bated breath, some bracing themselves, some in anticipation of events they had set into motion. And just before the next convening of the court, the floodgates opened.
Tabuyir stepped into a room full of chaos. Looking closely, at least half the clerks seemed to be close to tears. A young official paced about them, giving out orders here and there. With a sharp rebuke, he stopped what was about to become a breakdown in its tracks. Suddenly devoid of hysteria, the clerk dove back into his work. The young official looked up at Tabuyir’s approach.
“Vice-Censor,” Hu Qing greeted him.
“Vice-Censor Liang,” Tabuyir returned the greeting before turning his attention back to the mess around them. “So it’s begun?”
“Started during the night shift,” Hu Qing said. “I think it was actually the first day in the office for at least half the men on duty. It started as a trickle, but it’s increased all the way to…” He gestured broadly. “This.”
“Any orders from the Minister?” Tabuyir asked.
“He said just to log all the reports for now, no need to read them or anything, just mark the number and the first character of its province. We’ll go through them later,” Hu Qing said. “If we even try to go through them now…” He shook his head.
“The important thing is to withstand the initial wave. If the first charge does not succeed, the second charge will falter. If we hold our ground, they’ll have to cut their losses sooner or later,” Tabuyir muttered. “The problem is whether we can last that long.”
“We can,” Hu Qing said. “But what about the Ministry of Justice?”
Tabuyir grimaced. “I was just there earlier, and it’s a complete mess. I have to say, your brother really resigned at a bad time. Making a transition in leadership in the midst of all this is like adding frost onto the snow.”
The two glanced over in unison as someone approached them from behind. A placid-faced man who looked to be in his thirties bowed his head slightly.
“Vice-Censors,” he greeted them.
“Attendant Censor Lin,” Hu Qing said.
“We need more personnel to begin sorting through the reports,” Lin Jie said. “Each clerk is numbering the reports starting by one–at this rate we’ll have thousands of reports with the exact same numbers for each province. We need to aggregate and sort everything we’ve already received and number them by scratch, or it’ll be unmanageable even before the end of the day.”
“I’ll let the Minister know. I believe he’s getting some people over from the Hanlin Academy as we speak, but we might need more than however many volunteers he gets,” Hu Qing said. “Perhaps we can borrow some people from the Court of Judicial Review.”
“They should have their hands full reinforcing the Ministry of Justice right now,” Lin Jie replied. “Though this might be considered improper, is it possible to borrow some palace secretaries? It’s fine even if they’re female secretaries from the Inner Palace so long as they can help.”
Tabuyir and Hu Qing glanced at each other. “We’ll talk to the Minister about it,” Tabuyir said.
Lin Jie nodded. “Thank you, Vice-Censors. I’ll take my leave of you now.”
“The Minister’s plan had best be brilliant,” Tabuyir said quietly as he watched Lin Jie leave.
“I’m sure it is,” Hu Qing said. Tabuyir envied the other man’s confidence.
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The court convened amidst a capital brewing with anticipation. It was the last session before the national wedding, for which an entire session of court would be adjourned, but even that dimmed in the face of the Emperor’s new policy and the Office of Censure.
Just by glancing around, Kayla could sense that no one was prepared to launch an attack just yet–at least not in court. The haggard faces of everyone involved in the justice system showed that plenty had already been set into motion under the table. Most of them were too exhausted to even chat amongst each other, save for Hu Qing, whose youth and martial skills seemed to grant him an endless spring of energy. Tabuyir, who was of a similar state, did not attend, likely to avoid showing his face to the entire court.
Kayla herself had spent the entire day prior buried up to her neck in work, the only respite being her visit to the palace. That had been fruitful enough in its own right. The Empress Dowager had frostily refused to see Kayla unless formalities required it for the wedding. The Emperor, on the other hand, had generously gifted Kayla the property rights to the Imperial Princess’ villa as a wedding gift when she’d asked for permission to visit. As it was built as Imperial property, the villa would not be inheritable by any of Kayla’s offspring or family members, and would return to the state’s ownership within five years of Kayla’s death.
The Emperor seemed to think it would be a nice place to take Ashina on a date so they could get to know each other better as newlyweds. The thought was well-intentioned, but now Kayla actually had to make that happen.
I’d better get the scrolls out of there quickly, she grimly thought to herself. Maybe I’ll put them into the Grand Duke’s secret vault. People already know of its existence and that it’s been emptied out, they wouldn’t think that I’d put new stuff inside.
The atmosphere shifted as the Princes and the core members of their faction arrived. Kayla regarded Xianchun’s group with wary eyes. According to the Imperial Investigators on duty the night prior, Xiang Daozong had visited the Seventh Prince. The young man wasn’t present at court, but Kayla didn’t doubt she would see him amongst Xianchun’s retinue soon enough.
Qu Boyong–no, Xiang Daozong’s already tied in with Xianchun thanks to the whole Grand Duke affair, I suppose this would’ve been the result no matter what.
The Emperor arrived soon after, and the court session began. Despite the tenseness in the room, everything proceeded with a facade of normality until Xianchun’s faction made its move.
“Your Majesty, I wish to make a report,” Jun Shao said. “An alarming incident has recently come to my attention–on the night of the seventeenth of the fifth month, an officer of the military left his post in Yunzhou without permission and dared to enter the capital unauthorized. More alarmingly, this incident was covered up without a trace until some brave residents came forward with the truth.” He proceeded to launch into a list of eyewitnesses who came forward and brief summaries of their reports.
A wave of murmurs swept through the court. Such incidents were actually quite common–most high-ranking officials got key information that way. But if Minister Jun was the one bringing it up, then it meant Xianchun had something planned.
Jun Shao turned slightly towards the Third Prince. “To summarize, a man wearing armor beneath his outer robes was witnessed arriving at the Fifth Prince’s household some time after the sky darkened, and took his leave shortly after, escorted by the Fifth Prince’s own guards. They left the capital through an unauthorized pathway rather than through the official gates, and disappeared into the night. Moreover, from eyewitness reports, we have strong reason to believe that the man in question was Shu Yunsong.”
“Sir Shu Yunsong? But Your Highness, the man has been in the North this entire time,” Yao Gongzhuo cut in. “Surely you must be mistaken.”
“If not him, then one of the officers affiliated with him, surely,” Jun Shou piped in, his face blase as he tossed out the accusation. “A military officer who warranted an armed escort out of the city? He could not have been a mere footsoldier.”
“What’s to say he was even a soldier? A man wearing armor beneath his clothes? Are we to believe the flightful fancies of some passersby on the street?” Zhang Dingyong said. “This is all much too circumstantial, is it not? Even with a conservative estimate, there are more than ten groups of guards escorting employers out of the city at any given point in the day. What’s to say that the group that your little…witnesses saw was the same group that left the Fifth Prince’s household?”
Another wave of murmurs swept through the court.
“What’s to say that it wasn’t? It certainly matches the eyewitness reports,” the Minister of Rites shot back. With Liang Shen no longer a Minister, there was an opening to move upwards within Xianchuns’ faction, and he was determined to grasp it.
“That may be the case, but Minister Zhang’s words have a point.” Xianchun’s voice rang out, and the court fell silent, waiting with bated breath to see where this was headed. “There may have been some concerning reports, yes, but those are only witnesses. We still lack material evidence.”
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Oh no. Kayla stiffened slightly as Xianchun turned towards her, a smile on his face.
“But that, I suppose, is what we turn to the Court of Judicial Review for,” he said lightly. “As subjects of the nation, we can’t overlook something that may be of threat to the safety and order of the court, but nor can we jump easily to conclusions without even going through due process. Duke Zhao, shouldn’t this investigation fall under your duties?”
Ah this bitch–
“There is no open investigation, my prince, so I’m afraid not,” Kayla said calmly. “And even if there were one, I believe this would fall more under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice.”
And even as she finished speaking, she saw that she had said the precise words he had hoped for.
“Perhaps, perhaps. Indeed, with the Court of Judicial Review and the Imperial Investigation Bureau, and of course, your upcoming marriage…” Xianchun’s smile widened. The officials did not chuckle at that, too tight with anticipation. “I suppose that a case that is not even open yet would indeed be beneath your notice. It probably should go to the Ministry of Justice, but I fear a conflict of interest.”
Oh come on. Don’t drag me into this! You cannot be seriously pulling this card on me? Are you trying to make things uglier?!
Kayla frowned slightly, not prompting him to elaborate. Xianchun did so anyway.
“After all, our newly instated Minister Zhang has the Third Prince as his patron, and thus–”
“You go too far.” Kuang’s voice came out in a deep growl, sending a chill down Kayla’s spine. The Third Prince had spoken before either Wei Guang or the Emperor could step in, both men having intended to. Kuang’s face was a blank mask, and he stood with perfect posture. Nothing about him visibly showed his anger, yet the court balked warily..
So this is what they mean by intimidating without raging–Even though Kuang’s rage was not directed at her, a drop of sweat trickled down her neck unbidden.
Xianchun was evidently feeling it too, but he managed to collect himself. “I apologize if I have offended you, Third Brother, but I was only speaking of things as I know them.”
“Is it against law or morality for a prince to receive a visitor and to send him off with an escort?” Kuang asked. He swept his gaze over the court. “Since when did the court have the right to determine whether a member of the Imperial family can see a guest or not?”
“Well, that would certainly be extraneous, but it’s a different case if that guest is an officer who illegally left his post,” Xianchun said. “Would a prince be immune to the law if he sheltered a criminal?”
“You have no evidence, or even plausible reason to suspect such a thing. Was a report made by Sir Shu’s supervising official that he left his post without permission? Was a report made by the City Guard of suspicious activity? You take the words of beggars hungry for coins and willing to spin tales for them, and you besmear the reputation of your own older brother while he’s not present to refute you–how is that virtuous? And how is that wise? You are acting disgracefully, Xianchun. I advise you to stop before inviting humiliation upon yourself.”
Kuang spoke levelly, but there was a pressure in the hall that seemed to press down like a heavy weight. Xianchun breathed in sharply, bristling at the harsh rebukes. To insult a prince’s virtue in such a public and direct manner was a great offense, and would have been punishable for anyone other than the prince’s own older brother.
Damn, this shit is about to get ugly. Kayla glanced at Wei Guang, catching his eye. He very subtly shook his head, signaling for her to stay out of it.
“Your words hold merit, Third Brother, and are well-intended, I’m sure. But it’s yet to be known whether the threat is plausible or not. The beggars you speak of are poor, but honest. They too have a sense of responsibility for the safety of their country as patriotic subjects ought–if it so happens that this was merely paranoia, I’m sure Fifth Brother will be understanding, given his loyalty to the dynasty. But if there truly had been an instance of an officer leaving his post without permission and coming to and from the capital without detection by either his supervising officer or any institution within the capital, then is that not a serious problem?!” Xianchun shot back, his face flushed.
He plowed on before anyone could respond.
“Duke Zhao has always been a steadfast man whose only loyalty lies to the throne. He performs his duty without letting a single drop of water spill, and moreover has ample experience in sensitive investigations. I would ask that this case be handed to Duke Zhao’s supervision, since he is sure to treat it with the utmost seriousness that it deserves!”
He’s just openly trying to create conflict between me and the Third Prince–everyone will think that I have offended Kuang by insulting Yunqi’s honor if I accept this, but he’s not leaving me any choice in the matter! If I’m not with Kuang, then everyone will assume I’m leaning towards Xianchun. This bastard’s borrowing arrows with a grass boat to increase his own influence!
Wei Guang hastily cut in before Kuang could say anything in response.
“My prince, I am sure that the case is not as serious as you say, in which case we are spending entirely too much time on the matter. But to prevent any fear among the officials, and more importantly, to avoid staining the Fifth Prince’s good name with unsavory rumors, perhaps it would be best to perform a proper investigation after all. Duke Zhao is indeed a good man for the job, given that he is skilled in respectfully handling delicate matters. I am sure that he will be able to perform an admirable job without sullying either the Fifth Prince’s honor or foregoing the necessary processes,” Wei Guang said, a firm note in his voice that signaled he was putting an end to the matter right here and now. “What do you say, Duke Zhao?”
“Though I may be unworthy, I dare not turn down the task,” Kayla said. “As the Imperial Edict Bearer says, it is best to clarify matters quickly to avoid causing harm or concern. Having worked with Minister Zhang in the past, I do not believe he would act with bias, but I also do not wish to place him under the burden of being viewed with suspicion if people have such doubts. If no one has any objections, I will take the case.”
The title of Imperial Edict Bearer had less actual power than that of a Minister, but had higher prestige and closer associations with the Emperor. The implications of that were not lost on the court. No one objected to what was now posited as a reasonable stance from the Emperor’s closest advisor, and the session of court came to an end soon after.
That was a fucking mess. Nothing got done and our problems only increased. Kayla withheld a disgruntled frown. I couldn’t even get a good grasp on which direction the officials are swaying towards thanks to Xianchun stirring up a fuss.
She made to leave, stopping at Wei Guang’s subtle wave.
“Godfather,” she greeted him quietly, falling into step next to him.
“Walk with me a bit, won’t you?” Wei Guang said.
“Of course.”
“Goodness, there’s so much work to be done–I know you have enough on your hands, but could you spare a moment to help me out with something later today?”
“Gladly,” Kayla replied.
“Then I’ll send a messenger in the evening,” Wei Guang patted her on the shoulder before heading off.
True to his word, a messenger arrived in Kayla’s office with a sheepish expression around sunset. Kayla stood up from her desk, blinking at him blearily. She had spent most of the day running between the Court of Judicial Review, the Bureau, and the Ministry of Justice, which was now heavily leaning on her for support with the influx of reports flooding its doors. Kayla hadn’t even had a chance to deal with her own paperwork yet.
“Does Minister Wei wish to see me?” Kayla asked absently. “Is it evening already?”
“It’s already getting dark outside,” the messenger replied. “If this is a good time, could I trouble you to come with me?”
Kayla confirmed his identity over her communication device before following him out of the building. The messenger led her to the Office of Censure but did not enter, instead walking straight past it to a building close by.
“Is this the records building?” Kayla asked.
“Yes, it’s still in the process of being cleaned, so I apologize if it’s uncomfortable,” the messenger said. He led her to a side entrance and opened the door, bowing.
Kayla thanked him and entered, following the hallway to the only room with a light on. Upon close inspection, it was heavily warded with privacy spells.
“Godfather,” she called out.
“Please come in,” Wei Guang’s voice rang out. Kayla entered the room, not even surprised to see that Wei Guang had both Kuang and Yunqi on the communication device already. She bowed her head slightly.
“Wenyuan humbly greets the Third Prince, the Fifth Prince, and the Imperial Edict Bearer,” Kayla said.
“No need to be so formal, this isn’t a session of court,‘’ Kuang said warmly, waving for her to join them. Kayla sat down next to Wei Guang, glancing at him questioningly.
“His Highness has something to say to you about the Shu Yunsong case,” Wei Guang explained.
“Yes, I’m afraid that we need your help,” Kuang said. He nodded for Yunqi to speak. The Fifth Prince’s face was sickly pale, and his voice was haggard when he opened his mouth.
“Wenyuan, I’m sorry to ask such a heavy favor of you, but this case is very important to me,” Yunqi said. There was an underlying tremor in Yunqi’s voice that Kayla easily recognized. It was that of someone who hadn’t slept well in days and was slowly wearing out both mentally and physically.
“So it really was Sir Shu Yunsong?” Kayla murmured.
Yunqi grimaced, looking chagrined. “Yes,” he admitted. “I know this is asking for a lot, but…”
“I understand,” Kayla replied. “As it is right now, there’s no evidence, and I’m sure I won’t find any.” She emphasized the last words meaningfully.
Ah, this is troublesome…but I can’t refuse to do this for him when it could mean life or death. She knew how close to the precipice the Shu clan was, and if they fell, they would drag Yunqi with them.
“I’m sure you have nothing to worry about,” Kayla assured him.
“The thing is, we’re concerned that Xianchun might have evidence,” Kuang said.
“I doubt it, unless Sir Shu Yunsong left physical evidence? Like a…mark of some kind on a wall? Pieces of his armor?” Kayla asked.
“Nothing of the sort,” Yunqi confirmed.
“Then I highly doubt he has anything solid. Just to confirm, the date given at court was correct? The seventeenth of the Fifth Month?” Kayla said.
“Yes,” Kuang answered. Though his face betrayed nothing, Kayla didn’t doubt that he had known of this since the very night it happened.
Kayla frowned thoughtfully. “If memory serves me correctly, the Imperial Investigators on duty that night didn’t note any activity from the Seventh Prince’s household, nor did they note anything unusual around the Fifth Prince’s household. And from what I remember, the Bureau doesn’t have any records of the Seventh Prince having a retainer who can bypass Bureau security.”
To her surprise, the Bureau did indeed have approximate records of each household’s retainers, including their shadow retainers. Though their approximate skill level and their known activity were recorded, those who were too skillful to be tracked down couldn’t be properly accounted for. But they would be known to the Bureau, one way or another. After all, Luoyang was a big city. But not big enough that something secret could remain completely so, at least not for long.
“Then how did he know it was my Second Uncle? The Shu clan has no small number of able-bodied men who could have made the journey,” Yunqi asked, hope and concern mingling in his voice.
“It’s probably just guesswork on their part, they’re just tossing out speculations and hoping you slip up,” Kayla said. It had been one of the Grand Duke’s favorite tactics back in the day. “After all, they don’t have to guess correctly, so long as they can prove it was a military man in the end, it would still look bad enough. And if the results do implicate an officer for leaving his post without permission, people will have already internalized the accusations against the Shu clan so that it will be thought of as their doing even if they’re found innocent.”
Yunqi looked somewhat relieved. “But to have guessed correctly…surely they could not have done that without something to base it on?”
Kayla nodded. “I’ll have to watch out for that,” she agreed. “But I doubt it. Most likely, they just pieced together that someone secretly came and left from your house, but that doesn’t say a thing—nor is that illegal. But if they put the incident into context, they would obviously think of the Shu clan. And then amongst the Shu clan, who is most likely to act so fearlessly? With all due respect, that would be Sir Shu Yunsong, as his feats of courage in battle would easily indicate. Given that Qu Bo–Xiang Daozong is involved, I’d say that it’s just a deduction relying on circumstantial evidence. He’s awfully good at piecing together unrelated clues, but a conclusion isn’t a verdict.”
“But they concluded it correctly,” Yunqi said, still a little uneasy.
“Again, they don’t know that for sure. All we have to do is falsify an alibi for Sir Shu Yunsong, and we’d be fine.” Kayla said.
“Wenyuan’s right, Yunqi. They happened to get lucky with their deductions, but it’s all catching wind and capturing shadows,” Kuang assured him.
“Indeed. I doubt we can get away without at least a show of a proper investigation, but as long as you complete the groundwork on your end, any evidence we find can easily be cast as circumstantial or insufficient. And if they cannot,” Wei Guang glanced expectantly at Kayla. “Then I’m sure Wenyuan could pull some strings on his end.”
Ah yes, throw it to me, why don’t you. That being said, she did intend to do so.
“Indeed, I might actually use this as a springboard to investigate false reports,” Kayla said.
After all, there’s a few clans that I really want to subject to search and seizure.
Yunqi’s face lit up with hope, a painfully grateful shimmer in his eyes.
“Wenyuan, I am truly in your debt–!”
“Not at all, my prince. It’s thanks to your help that I was able to establish ties in the North, not to mention the kindness you’ve always shown to me,” Kayla said earnestly. “I can’t make any promises as to exactly how things will turn out, but please be assured that I will do everything within my power to protect you.”
A warm smile slowly spread across Yunqi’s face, making him look several years younger.
“Wenyuan, I’m truly grateful for your help,” Kuang said. “Know that it will not go unrepaid.”
Kayla dipped her head slightly.
“Then if that is all, perhaps we should end it here before people question our absences,” Wei Guang suggested.
Kuang assented, and the call quickly came to an end.
Kayla stood up, stretching a little bit.
“You seem to get along quite well with the Fifth Prince,” Wei Guang remarked.
“Yes, is that a problem?” Kayla asked, catching onto the questioning tone in the older man’s voice. Wei Guang scrutinized her briefly.
“No, I don’t suppose so.” Wei Guang replied, a look of vague satisfaction on his face as though he’d decided on something. “In any case, I must get back to work now, there’s gaggles of harried officials waiting for me.”
“Same here,” Kayla sighed. “Good luck, godfather.”
“To you as well,” Wei Guang said.
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Cultural Notes
道/Circuits: An administrative unit in Tang Dynasty China, it was the equivalent of a region, which may hold several provinces. The Circuits mentioned here include the 京畿道/Capital Circuit (historically this was Chang'an, but since the capital in-story is Luoyang, I've switched its name with the 都畿道/Duji Circuit, the one that encompassed Luoyang); the 关内道/Guannei Dao (most of the Northern provinces that Kayla went to, including the Anbei Protectorate where the Tiele tribes reside); the 河东道/Hedong Circuit (includes Daizhou and Taiyuan, respectively where the attack took place and the hometown of the accused Wang clan); the 淮南道/Huainan Circuit (around modern-day Anhui), and 江南东道+江南西道/East and West Circuits of Jiangnan (a hub of economic and cultural activity).
雪上加霜/Adding frost to snow: An Ancient Chinese proverb meaning to exacerbate a bad situation. The situation the Office of Censure is currently facing is essentially the same as modern-day spam attacks on websites, such as organized troll campaigns.
女官/Female officials: Referred to the female civil officials who worked within the Inner Palace for secretarial and managerial duties. They were in a separate system from male officials in court. Female civil officials who worked at court in an official capacity were all but unheard of except during Emperor Wu Zetian's reign as the first and only female Emperor of China.
不怒自威/[Intimidating/Giving off air of authority] without flying into a rage: An Ancient Chinese proverb meaning to terrify people without getting angry at them. We've probably all had that one teacher who could make the classroom fall into uneasy silence without even raising their voice-that would count as an example.
自取其辱/Bring humiliation upon oneself: An Ancient Chinese proverb.
滴水不漏/To not leak a drop of water: An Ancient Chinese proverb meaning to do something without mistakes.
草船借箭/Borrowing arrows with a grass boat: An Ancient Chinese proverb originating from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. It means to make your enemy give you what you need. As the story goes, the brilliant strategist Zhuge Liang was forced into an agreement that he would either procure ten thousand arrows within three days for an allied commander or be subjected to execution. At that time, their common enemy was stationed across the river. Zhuge Liang chose a foggy day and sent some boats across the river with straw figures all along their decks. Thinking it was a scouting force or incursion from the other side, the enemy force riddled the boats with arrows. The boats came back laden with so many arrows that Zhuge Liang was able to fulfill the agreement and avoid execution.
捕风捉影/Catching wind capturing shadows: An Ancient Chinese proverb that means to be excessively paranoid or to act without actual basis/to get worked up over nothing.
背景够硬/Background is hard enough: A Chinese saying meaning that someone has strong enough support/familial background behind them to act brazenly.
一鼓作气再而衰/If the first attack fails the second attack will be disheartened: An Ancient Chinese proverb meaning that if at first you do not succeed, you'll probably lose steam when you try again. Usually used for battles of armies or battles of wills between two groups or forces.