Character Index
Secretary Song: Sun Ruhui's mentee, a stoic half-Persian man of few words.
Sun Ruhui: Right Secretariat of Justice.
Hu Qing/Liang Hongfei: Lord of the Liang Clan and Vice-Censor.
Shegui Khagan: Khagan of the Western Turkic Khaganate.
Chuluo Khagan: Khagan of the Eastern Turkic Khaganate. Kayla's father-in-law.
General Yan: General stationed in Xiazhou, allied with Kayla after negotiating with her during her trip North.
Captain Jiang: Captain of the Imperial Guards, went North with Kayla.
Yao Gongzhuo: Minister of War, Kuang's supporter.
Wei Guang: The Imperial Edict Bearer and Director of Censure.
Investigator Qiu: One of the Investigators who went North with Kayla.
Ke Yongqian: Hu Qing's loyal retainer and right-hand man.
Xie Rengui: A retainer of Hu Qing, inspired by the historical Xue Rengui but sharing little in common other than name and backstory.
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“Sir, you have a visitor,” Secretary Song announced before departing from the room.
Sun Ruhui looked up from his work, his confusion disappearing as Hu Qing popped into the doorway.
“Left Secretariat, do you have a moment?” Hu Qing greeted him.
Sun Ruhui gestured for Hu Qing to sit down. “Of course.”
He waited until Hu Qing had settled in to indulge his curiosity.
“What’s happened?”
“Shegui Khagan’s launched an offensive into the Eastern Turkic Khaganate, and the vegetable supplier for the First and Second Prince has died of a stroke,” Hu Qing replied casually. Sun Ruhui stared at him in silence for a shocked moment before breathing in sharply, reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose.
“I suppose this was what the marriage alliance was for,” Sun Ruhui said darkly. “The Duke and the princess will be pushed to the tip of the waves for sure.”
“What should we do? The Duke took quite some trouble to get this information to me secretly,” Hu Qing asked.
“Well, that depends on what course we wish to take. Conflict in the Western Regions is nothing new,” Sun Ruhui explained. “Ever since the Khaganate dissolved into Eastern and Western parts, the situation has never exactly been stable for long. But it’s not so different than our relationship with Chuluo Khagan–a few skirmishes and diplomatic crises here and there, but there hasn’t been a full-scale war in a long time. But now, if Shegui Khagan is personally commanding an invasion, then perhaps his intention is to establish himself as the dominant power in the region. If he were to succeed, then the Turks would become a huge threat to the Wu dynasty within a few years.”
“Wenyuan was worried about a future invasion, but he also didn’t seem sure exactly who the invaders were,” Hu Qing said with a frown.
“Indeed. But it’s just as likely that Chuluo Khagan will be the one to gain the upper hand, or even to unify the region,” Sun Ruhui said. “With the Arab invasion of Persia, there’s been a great deal of unrest in the west, and that has stirred up civil strife within the Western Turkic Khaganate as well. After all, there’s a great deal of learned Persians and refugees to be absorbed by the nobles–there’s more than a few Khans and Shads who are getting ambitious.”
“Not so different from us,” Hu Qing remarked.
Sun Ruhui smiled thinly. “Indeed. I’m not certain, of course, but it may well be that Shegui Khagan’s invasion is an attempt to destroy potential rebellions in the cradle by directing his subjects to expend their resources and energies in a war.”
“Then what does this have to do with the Duke?” Hu Qing asked.
“Using the marriage alliance as an excuse, Chuluo Khagan will likely request reinforcements,” Sun Ruhui explained. “We’d be liable to respond, either by sending soldiers as he’s requested, or at the very least, by sending mediators or supplies. The Duke, being the Khagan’s son-in-law, would be expected to support these requests. If he doesn’t, people will take the chance to make a fuss over his lack of consideration for his in-laws. If he does, they’ll question his loyalty to the Wu dynasty and accuse him of placing his in-laws’ interests over those of the country. And if he says nothing, well, he can’t say nothing. He’s the Director of the Imperial Investigation Bureau and a key player in the marriage alliance. He’ll have to take action one way or another.”
“Damned if you do, damned if you don’t,” Hu Qing murmured. He peered at Sun Ruhui curiously. “What do you think is the best course of action?”
“I'd say to send reinforcements,” Sun Ruhui replied immediately. “Not out of consideration for Chuluo Khagan, but rather for the future. We also have bloated clans whose resources and energies need to be expended elsewhere, and moreover, the current political situation in the Western Regions suits us best. With both Khaganates balancing each other out, neither has the strength to truly contest us. If we were to send reinforcements, it would be to ensure that Chuluo Khagan wins, but does not gain a decisive victory.”
“If the Duke’s predictions are accurate, it’s also a good chance to gain a better picture of the Khaganates’ military capacities,” Hu Qing pointed out.
“Indeed,” Sun Ruhui said. “But more importantly, we could establish ties with the Khagan’s relations. He has a successor in place, but the man isn’t so popular as that.”
“You want to manufacture a succession crisis?” Hu Qing asked, a little taken aback.
“There will be a succession crisis even without our interference, but there’s no harm in making sure,” Sun Ruhui said. He caught Hu Qing’s incredulous look and laughed softly. “The Khaganate has been having succession crises one after another for the last few generations, it’s not so strange as that. Unfortunately, we seem to be following in their footsteps in that regard, but a succession crisis benefits the Wu dynasty greatly. It’s not as though their men haven’t been meddling in our successions. A little goes a long way when so much power is involved. The Gongsun clan to which the deposed Empress belonged made an enormous amount of money in trade from the West, and their wealth was part of what fueled their growing power.”
“The Khagan gave them preferential deals,” Hu Qing murmured. “But why? The eldest son of the Empress is already set to–ah, I see.”
Sun Ruhui nodded. “There can’t be a succession crisis if there’s a clear and undisputed successor. Of course, they weren’t the only culprits in this mess, they were just one of many actors who helped produce this outcome. If you study the records carefully, you’ll see that this has been going on from both sides for quite a while now, it’s nothing new. But the desire for power blinds men to the truth, and so history comes to repeat itself.”
“Reinforcements…” Hu Qing muttered thoughtfully.
“They must be headed by someone we can trust–someone who will not recklessly pursue military glory but will instead obey our intentions to keep both sides in check,” Sun Ruhui said. “And of course, we’ll need someone politically able to go with him.”
“General Yan,” Hu Qing said immediately. “He’s the Duke’s man now, and his skills as a commander leave nothing to be desired.”
“It’s a position with great potential for profit, and thus will be highly coveted,” Sun Ruhui said. “It’ll take a great deal of effort to get General Yan in the position–I suppose that having this information provides an advantage though, we can get a head start. I’ll come up with a plan, but we’ll wait until the Duke contacts us to take action.”
“Understood,” Hu Qing said. “One more thing–who do you think would want to kill the First and Second Prince?”
Sun Ruhui frowned slightly. “Why would they? Those two no longer hold any political value, not while the current princes are still alive.”
Hu Qing felt his stomach drop. “The Fifth Prince was pretty sick a few days ago, wasn’t he?”
Sun Ruhui’s face slowly came to match Hu Qing’s somber mood. “Don’t say this to a single soul outside this room,” Sun Ruhui said, his voice coming out harsher than he’d intended. “Do you realize what you’re implying here?”
“Then let me rephrase it. Excluding the Inner Palace, who would want the First and Second Prince dead?”
“A few motives are possible,” Sun Ruhui said thoughtfully. “If they wanted to stir up chaos and confusion, if they wanted to frame someone, or…”
“Or what?” Hu Qing asked.
Sun Ruhui’s expression was grave. “Or…if they want to supplant the current ruling house.”
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Kayla strode through the halls of the palace towards the Emperor’s study, so familiar with the route that she could make it through with her eyes closed.
“Your Excellency!” Captain Jiang greeted her.
“Captain Jiang, what’s the situation right now?” Kayla asked, not slowing her steps. Captain Jiang fell into pace half a step behind.
“The Emperor is waiting for you in the study alone,” Captain Jiang said. “All communications to and from the Inner Palace have been cut off until further notice.”
“I see,” Kayla replied. She nodded at him as she reached the study and stepped inside.
“Zhao Wenyuan greets His Majesty the Emperor–”
“Close the door and quickly come inside,” the Emperor ordered. Kayla quickly obeyed.
“Wenyuan, what do you make of this?” The Emperor gestured to a map on the table before him, with Olgii marked out with a small flag.
Kayla rounded the table to stand next to him.
“I suppose this was a long time in the coming,” Kayla remarked.
“But so soon after the wedding? It’s an obvious provocation against our alliance,” the Emperor complained.
“I suppose Chuluo Khagan will want reinforcements, but then again, perhaps he won’t,” Kayla said. “But my father-in-law is known for his sharp mind. The marriage was probably part of the calculations.”
“After what he did to you, he expects us to be that generous?” The Emperor’s voice took on a darker tone. “We still haven’t retaliated yet, but there’s no way we can just let this matter go.”
He turned towards Kayla, a deep-seated worry in his eyes that Kayla instinctively knew was not for her. “I dreamed of your mother the night it happened, you know.”
“My mother?”
“And you as well,” the Emperor admitted. “I was surprised, really, you usually don’t appear in those dreams. They’re always the exact same dream, you see.”
“You must miss her greatly,” Kayla said softly.
“I do. But the pain must be greater for you, who lost a mother,” the Emperor said. He breathed in sharply, collecting himself. “But this isn’t the time for that. We are in an alliance with Chuluo Khagan–if he asks for assistance, we will have to respond. But will he ask?”
“Maybe the matter will resolve itself,” Kayla said, thinking it as unlikely as the Emperor did. “But even if we are called upon for help, we’re the ones who decide what form that help takes. We can send negotiators and aid if needed, but not necessarily troops.”
“Indeed, this isn’t a good time to get embroiled in a foreign conflict,” the Emperor agreed.
“But it might also be a good opportunity,” Kayla said, her mind flashing to the events of the future. “We don’t know how the war will play out, and we also don’t know how long the peace between us and Chuluo Khagan will last. If we’re unlucky, it might not even last his lifetime, not to speak of his successor’s. If we send a nominal force, we can both be said to have fulfilled our obligations and to gain a greater understanding of the military prowess of Shegui and Chuluo. Moreover, it’s better for us not to have either of them gain a decisive victory, isn’t it? If we have our men on the ground, it’ll be easier to keep an eye on the situation.”
“Yes, but we can’t afford to look like pushovers either,” the Emperor said. “That might only embolden Chuluo into arrogant behavior.”
“We still have the bodies, and the scroll his agents brought,” Kayla said. “Could we make something of that?”
“Perhaps,” the Emperor agreed. “But while you shouldn’t be discourteous, you can’t let your father-in-law step over you either.”
“Of course.”
“Your Majesty, the Imperial Edict Bearer has entered the palace and will be here shortly,” an eunuch announced from outside the study, raising his nasally voice to cover the distance. “The Minister of War is also on his way.”
“Yao Gongzhuo? Already?” The Emperor furrowed his brow.
“We wanted to maintain control over the spread of information,” Kayla explained. “So I took a few precautions. One of them was to grab Minister Yao as soon as he learned the news. I apologize for not asking your permission first.”
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“No, it’s good thinking,” the Emperor replied. “I was going to summon him anyway.”
Within a few moments, both men had arrived.
“We humbly greet His Majesty the Emperor!”
“Spare the formalities,” the Emperor ordered. “Now that we’re all here, let’s get to the matter at hand. I trust you have all been filled in on the specifics.”
“Yes, Director Zhao’s men were most helpful,” Wei Guang replied. “If this turns out to be a full-scale invasion, the Western Regions will rapidly destabilize, and trade will drop drastically. Our economy will take a tremendous hit!”
“Will we send troops?” Yao Gongzhuo asked.
“Do we have the funds for that?” Wei Guang shot back.
The Emperor held up a hand before the two could begin arguing.
“My dear nephew has recommended sending military reinforcements should the Khagan make a request. We will only send a nominal force, but under a capable commander. The purpose is not to achieve great military gains, but to monitor the conflict. It is my belief that no side should gain a decisive victory. What do you two make of that?”
“Is that feasible? No, feasibility aside, let's speak of the basics first. Who will finance it?” Wei Guang pointed out.
The discussion quickly heated up again as Kayla was dragged into the fray.
“The question still remains of whether Chuluo Khagan will even request reinforcements,” Kayla pointed out, raising her voice to speak over Yao Gongzhuo. The room fell quiet again.
“I had expected some conflict to erupt soon, but I thought my father-in-law would be the aggressor,” she said. “In that case, we would not have been obligated to do anything beyond the bare minimum. But even as things stand, we don’t have to send forces. If it comes to it, I have something that could get my father-in-law to drop the matter. As they say, act if it is according to your interests and stop if it is not. Rather than bickering over the specifics, we should focus on the bigger picture. What can we gain from this and what might it cost us? That’s the most important question here.”
The Emperor watched them silently, nodding in approval at Kayla’s words.
After a moment of silence, Wei Guang leaned forward.
“The way I see it, Chuluo Khagan has engineered an inevitable course of events to unfold in his own favor,” Wei Guang said thoughtfully. “I agree with Wenyuan’s assessment that if there should’ve been aggression, it would’ve come from the Eastern side. But now it’s the opposite. I don’t know how or why it happened that way, but now Chuluo Khagan has every reason to ask us for help and no reason to be refused–how can he not take advantage of that? Rather than a question of whether or not he will request reinforcements, the question should be what his intentions are in doing so. We should make two hands of preparations. The first is for deployment–how can we deploy reinforcements in a way most advantageous for His Majesty and the Wu Dynasty? And the second is for refusal–Wenyuan may be able to suppress Chuluo Khagan's anger for the moment, but this can easily become the excuse for the breakdown of our alliance or even a war.”
Kayla glanced at Yao Gongzhuo expectantly.
“Sending men to fight in distant lands means that a good deal of them will never make it back,” Yao Gognzhuo said. “Many of our men are Turkish to begin with–those might end up settling down in the Khaganate after we finish, and we'd lose skilled veterans; and the men who aren’t Turkish are unused to the climate–they might die before the battle even begins. But on the other hand, our Northern lands are vast and sparsely populated. If there’s to be a full-scale invasion, it’s extremely difficult to defend against nomadic cavalry, and abandoning the North to station our defenses further South means that we’ll lose at least several years’ worth of future grain yields with the destruction that will take place. We might end up facing a grain shortage and at least partial loss of our Northern holdings.”
“Have you so little confidence in our Northern defenses, Minister?” Kayla asked in surprise.
“Right now, a lot of more experienced generals have stepped down, and the younger ones aren’t seasoned enough yet. We’re caught between green and yellow,” Yao Gongzhuo said apologetically, avoiding the Emperor’s eyes.
Ah, of course. A lot of Imperial in-laws who grew too cocky were Northern generals. Shit.
“What about the Tiele tribes? And the current commanders don’t seem too bad,” Kayla pointed out.
“Perhaps not, but against a full-scale invasion? You must understand that I am simply making the most conservative estimates here, in anticipation of the worst case scenario,” Yao Gongzhuo explained. “The Eastern Turkic Khaganate has integrated a number of Persian archers and heavy cavalry–we’ve been slower on the uptake. In terms of technological prowess, we’re behind.”
Why do I feel like–this guy is trying to sway things in Kuang’s favor somehow. Does he want to leverage Kuang’s popularity with the army or Kuang’s diplomatic prowess? Whichever it is… Kayla briefly shook her head.
“Then we need to catch up,” Kayla shot back. “The first step is knowing what we lack, and we’ve already done that, haven’t we? Could we also recruit Sasanid veterans?”
“We’re getting ahead of ourselves now,” Wei Guang cut in. “If we don’t get a proper grasp on Chuluo Khagan’s motives, then it doesn’t matter what course of action we take. He’ll still have the upper hand. Wenyuan, could you get a clearer sense of your father-in-law’s thoughts first?”
“I’ll try,” Kayla promised.
“Then we’ll delay a decision until Wenyuan has spoken with his father-in-law,” the Emperor cut in. He gave out a few orders for preparatory measures before leaning back, nodding in satisfaction.
“You may all go,” the Emperor dismissed them with a wave, beckoning Kayla over. She exchanged a brief glance with Wei Guang and shuffled closer.
The Emperor leaned in, glancing around to make sure the room was clear before speaking.
“Will your wife be present at the meeting?”
Kayla hesitated. “I do not know,” she admitted.
“If it is possible, keep her out of it,” the Emperor said quietly. “She may be displeased, but it’s for her own good. Take it from a man who’s made the same mistake too many times–in dealing with the in-laws, it’s best to exclude the wife. That way if things go badly, she’ll at least be able to keep her footing.”
Kayla felt a chill run up her spine.
“Yes, I…I understand,” Kayla said. “I’ll do my best to convince her, but she is a princess.”
“And you are the head of house,” the Emperor replied. “You can make it up to her in other ways. There’s still the villa trip, isn’t there? When things quiet down a bit, you can take her there.”
“I–yes, Uncle.”
“Wenyuan, listen to me. Surround the target and pick off reinforcements–your in-laws will attempt to make contact with her separately if she is excluded from discussions, and then you’ll be able to follow the vine back to the melon,” the Emperor said. “Given your wife’s identity, this is doubly important.”
“I’ll follow your words,” Kayla replied.
“Good,” the Emperor said. “These things are never easy, but you’ll thank me for it later.”
“I’ll thank you now, Uncle.”
The Emperor chuckled and patted Kayla on the shoulder. “Go on then,” he said fondly.
Kayla took her leave of him and headed out from the palace. She nodded at Captain Jiang, who bowed his head slightly in return.
Interfering in a foreign war…no, the Khagan might not request aid from us at all. We may full well be working ourselves up over nothing. But I have a feeling that Wei Guang is right, Chuluo Khagan’s carefully arranged all this to unfold. Though if that’s true, then his planning would have to be inhuman in its accuracy–
Kayla’s mind flashed to the Emperor’s words.
“I dreamed of your mother…they’re always the exact same dream.”
Was it possible for someone to make their plans unfold exactly so despite all the moving parts? It shouldn’t be possible, even for someone as cunning as Chuluo Khagan. But the Imperial Princess had done just that, to the point of manipulating events far after her death. It was why Kayla was here in the first place.
Her stomach did a flip-flop.
“You have nothing to fear, Wenyuan. Your abilities will not fail you inside the capital, or anywhere within a hundred mile radius thereof.”
Wei Guang’s words seemed to click something into place for her.
“Your mother made due preparations for you, Wenyuan.”
“Your mother cared for you very deeply.”
A hundred miles radius…
How does one continue using magic after they’re dead?
She felt as if she were on the cusp of realizing a terrible truth. Kayla shuddered slightly and quickened her footsteps.
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Investigator Qiu watched the horizon as he paced the riverbank, carefully ensuring there was no one in sight before turning to his men.
“Alright then, start digging,” he ordered. “Remember this–no matter what you find, you’re bound to the strictest secrecy on pain of death.”
“We’ll probably just end up finding someone’s household waste,” one of the younger men grumbled.
“Stop complaining and dig!” Investigator Qiu barked. He hadn’t hesitated when Zhao Wenyuan had asked him for a favor a few days ago, but in all honesty, he hadn't understood either. All Investigator Qiu knew was that the request really came from Liang Hongfei, the new Vice-Censor. He remembered the young man well enough–Zhao Wenyuan trusted Liang Hongfei enough to leave the negotiations in the North to him, and Liang Hongfei was loyal in return. Even the Turks had waited until Liang Hongfei was gone to make their move.
But still, getting Imperial Investigators to investigate a contaminated water source is a little…
Now that he was actually at the site, Investigator Qiu understood.
Human waste? How many tons of shit would they have to bury for weeds to grow so well?
He was almost certain there was something far more sinister. More likely than not, a grave.
A mass grave, Investigator Qiu thought darkly. From the wide patch of thriving greenery amongst the listless plants at the riverside, it must contain more than just one or two corpses.
His fears were confirmed quickly.
“Sir, we found something!”
Investigator Qiu strode over, catching sight of the decayed hand.
“Keep digging,” he ordered. “Be careful not to disturb the bodies!”
“Bodies?” One of the younger Investigators hissed in disbelief.
“Get to it!” Investigator Qiu shouted.
Within a few hours, they had exhumed no fewer than thirteen bodies, and were no longer finding any more. All of the corpses were too decayed to identify, either by clothing or by features, but even though no weapons were found, Investigator Qiu instinctively knew they had died a violent death.
From the looks of it, they were men, and quite tall at that. They would know more after a forensic analysis.
“Get these to an autopsy and seal off the scene,” Investigator Qiu ordered. “I want at least two men on guard here at any point in time until further notice!”
“Yes sir!”
A few of the younger Investigators looked a little green in the face, having never encountered a scene of this type before. Murders weren’t exactly uncommon, but massacres were a different story.
Who are these men and why were they killed?
Unease dragged itself up Investigator Qiu’s spine, making his flesh crawl unpleasantly.
I need to report this immediately.
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Hu Qing intercepted Wenyuan halfway to the Zhao household.
“Goodness, if it isn’t Duke Zhao! What a coincidence!” Hu Qing called, already entering the carriage. Zhao Chao rolled his eyes at Hu Qing but held up a hand, stopping the guards from doing anything.
“Hu Qing,” Wenyuan greeted him.
“My lord,” Hu Qing said pleasantly, firmly closing the window.
“Did you get the message properly?” Wenyuan asked.
“Yes, I will use my brain more from now on,” Hu Qing said. “But jokes aside, yes. I just came over from the Ministry of Justice, and Right Secretariat Sun says we should send reinforcements. Moreover, we should take this chance to start interfering with the Khaganate’s line-of-succession.”
“Oh, stirring up domestic trouble? I suppose it is necessary if we want to get someone pro-Wu on the throne,” Wenyuan muttered, stroking his chin. “If we get a warmonger, there’ll be no end to the trouble we face.”
“Would it matter who’s on the throne?” Hu Qing asked. “From what you told me before about the future, it didn’t seem like anyone could stop a war from happening.”
“Perhaps not, but if the Khaganate is not internally united, then we’d definitely have an easier time,” Wenyuan replied.
“Sun Ruhui’s already working on a plan.”
“Good, by the looks of it, the news will reach the capital proper within two days at the latest, but a good number of people will know by tomorrow,” Wenyuan said. “I’ll speak with my father-in-law before taking action, but we’ll need to be ready to move by tomorrow if we want to–”
“Get General Yan as commander,” Hu Qing finished for him. “Does this mean the military restructuring will have to wait?”
“Who knows? We’ll see yet,” Wenyuan replied. “But if we don’t send a great force, then it shouldn’t impede our progress domestically.”
Hu Qing regarded Wenyuan for a moment before getting to his point.
“The other news, the one about the First and Second Prince,” Hu Qing said.
“Ah, yes, I need to increase surveillance on the suppliers,” Wenyuan said.
“Not just the suppliers,” Hu Qing cut in. “Send a guard force.”
Wenyuan gave him a look of surprise. “A guard force?”
“I don’t doubt that the current seller died of unnatural causes, but think about it. What assassin would make a move so obvious when they know the princes are under heavy surveillance?”
“Sounding east and striking west,” Wenyaun murmured. “Of course. I hadn’t considered that.”
“Right Secretariat Sun also thinks that this could be a sign of darker things to come,” Hu Qing said.
“Killing deposed princes…if someone were getting rid of potential contingencies or trying to stir up a wave of confusion in the capital, it would make sense,” Wenyuan said. “And then there’s the international landscape to consider too, the Turks, the Tiele, or even the Khitan or the Persians might have motive, and that’s not even considering the nations to the East. But the most likely culprits are the ones who would benefit most. And who would that be?”
“It’s also possible that someone wants to supplant the current ruling bloodline,” Hu Qing pointed out.
Wenyuan frowned. “Perhaps, but it’s not so easy to overturn a dynasty. It can’t be one of the Archdukes, since none of them have male offspring, so it can only be an outsider who is not of the ruling family altogether. And such a person could not succeed without significant political and military influence. If my grandfather were still alive, I would consider the possibility, but there currently isn’t one single family with such power.”
“Then you need to be careful as the Grand Duke’s heir,” Hu Qing said. “After all, who would other people think of?”
“Me?” Wenyuan looked surprised for a brief moment before his face folded into realization. “Damn it, you’re right.”
“You should send someone over as soon as you can,” Hu Qing said.
“I’ll tell Li Que to arrange it right away,” Wenyuan promised.
“Alright then, I should let you get back to your work,” Hu Qing replied. He patted Wenyuan on the shoulder and opened the door of the moving carriage.
“Hey now, you’re scaring the horseman again,” Wenyuan complained as Hu Qing jumped out. The horseman gave a start, but the guards were more used to Hu Qing’s antics, politely offering nods as he returned to his own carriage. Hu Qing’s horseman wore a deadpan look, pretending that he didn’t see anything in order to calm his nerves as Hu Qing clambered into the moving carriage.
Hu Qing continued mulling over the situation in his mind as they headed back to the Liang household.
Supplanting the current ruling house…what a farfetched notion. But what if someone creates an illusion that this was all planned by Wenyuan and then takes the excuse of exterminating him to seize power for themselves?
Hu Qing frowned. No, these things take an extensive amount of time and planning. Wenyuan’s rise was too fast for them to have accounted for this. But still, they could’ve just changed their plans to match the opportunity.
He let out a sigh. With thoughts heavy on his mind, Hu Qing entered the courtyard of his house.
“My lord,” Ke Yongqian greeted him, an urgent edge in his voice that belied his question.
“You did well to send me the message,” Hu Qing replied. He glanced at the man standing a few paces behind Ke Yongqian. He walked forward and stopped before Xie Rengui, staring intently at the man.
“Xie Rengui.”
“Yes, my lord?” Xie Rengui’s voice took on a nervous note, but Hu Qing immediately dismissed it as an act.
“From now on, you’re one of my personal aides. I expect you to show the utmost discretion and secrecy while in my service. I permit no disloyalty. If you were to ever act against my interests or those of Duke Zhao, my punishment will be merciless and immediate.”
Xie Rengui dropped to a knee, bowing his head.
“This humble servant swears to serve you with the utmost loyalty!”
“Ke Yongqian, you’re responsible for him,” Hu Qing said.
“As you wish, my lord.”
With one last sidelong glance at Xie Rengui, Hu Qing turned and went down the hall.
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Cultural Notes
风口浪尖/Center of the wind tip of the wave: An Ancient Chinese proverb meaning to be at the center of trouble/ to be in a tumultuous situation.
Khans and Shads in the Gokturk Khaganates: The title Khagan is sometimes translated as Khan of Khans, and thus Khans are often interpreted by scholars as being subordinate rulers in the Gokturk power structure. Shads referred to appointed rulers over vassal tribes, and were frequently blood princes of the ruling tribe.
合于利而动，不合于利而止/Move when it is according to interest and stop when it is not: A line from Sun Tze's Art of War, it warns against waging war for glory or pride.
青黄不接/Between the green and yellow: An Ancient Chinese proverb that means to be caught in an awkward position between one phase and the other, especially when it comes to human resources.
Persian cavalry: The Persian archers Yao Gongzhuo speaks of refer to Persian light cavalry who used bows and arrows that were adapted from Scythian archery. The heavy cavalry refers to what is now known as the aswaran in some sources. These were mostly supplied by aristocrats, and mostly disbanded after the fall of the Sasanian Empire. However, some defected to the Arabs, and as some sources have it, others moved Eastwards into Central Asia and beyond. The latter is primarily based off popular belief and not historical evidence. But it is plausible.
围点打援/Surround a point and beat the reinforcements: An Ancient Chinese proverb that refers to a go tactic in which a single piece is placed under siege and the attempts to free it are picked off. It also refers to a siege tactic in which you lay siege to a stronghold or city of some sort and then pick off the reinforcements through surprise attacks or the like before they can reach the besieged location. It more generally can refer to placing one entity in great danger and then destroying its allies when they come to help.
顺藤摸瓜/Follow the vine to the melon: An Ancient Chinese proverb that means to uncover something along a clue, to trace a clue back, etc.
声东击西/Sound east and strike west: An Ancient Chinese proverb that means to throw off one's enemies through false alarms.