Character Notes
Lin Jie: An Attendant Censor in the Office of Censure, he was friends with Zhang Wuxian. He died under suspicious circumstances.
Wei Guang: The Imperial Edict Bearer and Minister of the Office of Censure. Kayla's godfather.
Imperial Princess: Wenyuan's birth mother and the Emperor's full-blooded sister. She was a serial reincarnator, which helped her to divinate the events of the future and transmigrate Kayla into her son's body.
Chujiao/Jing Shuyou: Wenyuan's childhood sweetheart and serving maid. She is Qu Boyong/Xiang Daozong's cousin.
Liu Hongyu: Former Secretariat Director, he died after being accused by Kayla of lese-majeste.
Housekeeper Wang: The Grand Duke's housekeeper and loyal servant, he was hanged in a supply closet under Kayla's orders during her coup against the Grand Duke.
Hu Qing/Liang Hongfei: Lord of the Liang clan and Vice-Censor of the Office of Censure. Kayla's friend and supporter.
Sun Ruhui: Right Secretariat of Justice, Kayla's supporter and advisor.
Li Que: A Senior Investigator in the Imperial Investigation Bureau, Kayla's supporter.
Duan Wuxie: A Senior Investigator in the Imperial Investigation Bureau, his duties extend to managing the supervisor of the archive.
Chen Jian: A young Investigator apprenticed to Li Que.
Zhou Hong and Zhou Yong: The deposed First and Second Princes.
Guo Qian: An old Investigator who works in the Bureau's archives. Previously seen engaging in casual arguments and conversations with his supervisor and coworker.
Huai Yan: A young Investigator who works in the Bureau's archives, was criticized by Duan Wuxie as well as his supervisor for his big mouth.
Ashina: Personal name is Ibilga, a Princess of the Eastern Turkic Khaganate and Kayla's wife.
General Yan: A talented General stationed in Xiazhou, reluctantly allied with Kayla.
Chuluo Khagan: The Khagan of the Eastern Turkic Khaganate, Ashina's father and Kayla's father-in-law.
Shegui Khagan: Khagan of the Western Turkic Khaganate.
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Kayla sat in the Imperial Investigation Bureau at four in the morning, exhaustion clouding her vision as she read up the preliminary report on Lin Jie’s death.
Rage and guilt churned in her stomach.
This never should’ve happened, Kayla thought to herself grimly. Lin Jie should have been safe, protected, alive to climb up the ranks. I only bothered to give him a post, not the protection he needed to keep it.
And it was true, it was, but Wei Guang’s words rankled her.
Not worthy of her sacrifice? Yes, she was a heroic mother–Wenyuan’s. The Imperial Princess didn’t just sacrifice her own life, she sacrificed mine as well, without even asking! My mother is still waiting for me to be the one to apologize first, and I should’ve been, she’ll never be the one to do it first. And now all she has is a dead daughter.
The Imperial Princess had made a sacrifice that no one should ever have to make, and it was weighty beyond comparison. Kayla respected that, stood a little in awe of it, to be honest.
But should I have to thank her for it? For dragging me into this world, into this life? God knows how hard I’ve had to struggle to claw my way out of one mess only to find myself in another! Even killing the Grand Duke wasn’t enough–she had to foist the whole fucking country on me!
And the Imperial Princess must have known, somehow, that Kayla would shoulder the burden. For one, running was impossible, and Kayla still had to live here. How could she just stand back and let the country be ravaged by disasters and war? Then there it was, the fact that Kayla would not deny the responsibility assigned to her, for the simple reason that she wanted people to live.
But I didn’t choose this, Kayla seethed. It wasn’t my choice, it wasn’t my fault!
She had thought she’d accepted it a long time ago.
“I’ll bury you under my name so I’ll live on under yours.” Wenyuan’s plaque bore her name from where it sat in Chujiao’s name, and she wore his entire life as an uncomfortable coat. But the resentment was still there, somewhere deep inside the dredges of her mind.
I never wanted to be responsible for so many lives. But she had wanted to survive. And somehow, that had become her greatest crime. There were countless bodies trailing in her wake, from Liu Hongyu who starved inside his lavish rooms to Housekeeper Wang who was hanged in a supply closet to the dead assassins in a ditch somewhere. Lin Jie was just one more on the list. Sure, he was a good man. But how could she be certain that none of the men she’d killed so far–that she’d made other people kill–had no good in them? If she had to think about it she would drown.
Kayla felt sick to her stomach. Lin Jie had meant to fill the role for Hu Qing what Sun Ruhui was to her. It had been an offhanded thought when drawing up the personnel list, that Hu Qing should have advisors of his own in case Kayla ever came to ruin, a thought that Lin Jie would have been better off without.
Sun Ruhui, if only you had warned me earlier…no, Sun Ruhui tells me what I need to hear exactly when he knows I can accept it to avoid turning me off the idea. If he didn’t speak earlier, it’s because I wasn’t ready for it.
In the end, even the Imperial Princess couldn’t be blamed. Should Kayla be grateful? For being forced to fight tooth and nail just to live in a foreign world? But Kayla had only been a broke cashier with no idea where she would sleep the next night before arriving here, and now she was Wenyuan–a better Wenyuan, for the purposes that the dynasty needed a Wenyuan for, than the original ever could have been.
Poor Wenyuan. Poor Lin Jie. Maybe both of them could have lived–well, lasted, in Wenyuan’s case. If only–she’d handled Wenyuan’s deteriorating condition better, if she’d taken Lin Jie under her wing with the full course meal, if, if, if.
Kayla took a deep breath. There was no turning away from it. She’d been the one who wanted the investigation done, the one who gave Lin Jie everything he needed to get himself killed. The man had only been in the capital for a few brief months in what had probably been the greatest stroke of upwards mobility he’d seen in his entire life, but with everything going on, Kayla doubted that it had been a happy stretch for him.
There was plenty Kayla could blame on other people, other factors, but this was not one of them.
She rubbed a hand over her face.
I need to get to the bottom of this or Lin Jie would have died in vain.
“Director, everyone has been taken into custody,” Li Que said, pulling her out of her thoughts. Kayla glanced up at him blearily. She hadn’t even heard him approaching.
“Good job,” Kayla said. Li Que hesitated.
“My lord, Senior Investigator Duan also fits the criteria,” Li Que said uneasily. “What should we…”
“Get a statement first and tell him he’s not to leave the capital for the time being. If he complains, tell him it’s to prevent anyone from pinning it on him,” Kayla replied.
Li Que bowed his head. “As you wish, sir. Perhaps you should get some rest? We can handle the rest.”
Kayla sighed and rose to her feet. “No, it’s fine. Have you compiled an entry and exit record of everyone arrested?”
“Chen Jian is working on it right now.”
“Wonderful. Let me see the access records first,” Kayla said. Li Que wordlessly handed the book over.
Li Que had faithfully followed orders–none of the documents he’d requested were directly connected to the First and Second Prince. In fact, you’d have a hard time drawing indirect connections either.
Youzhou and Dengzhou…but did he find the evidence? He must have, or at least be close enough to warrant this. Or did they act preemptively? No, if there is a conspiracy and it’s coming from these two places…or is this a trap?
Kayla frowned. No, you can’t set a trap for something like this. We can’t discover anything that hasn’t already happened, not through the archives. Then again, the truth was a double-edged blade. Kayla had wielded it against her enemies enough to know that.
So should I publicize this as a murder or as a suicide? The Emperor might shut down the investigation either way, or he might pay too much attention to it…and then what do I do if the results I find are dangerous or bring me to ruin?
Kayla carefully reread the list. No, Lin Jie is brilliant, Hu Qing said so himself. If something was wrong with the results, he would have come to us about it.
Unless the man wished them ill, or if he simply desired the truth too much.
Suddenly feeling torn, Kayla set down the document, worriedly staring at the opposite wall. Li Que raised a hand as a young Investigator approached, gesturing for the man to stay away unless it was an emergency. Lowering his gaze, the young Investigator quietly left and sent the message to Li Que’s communication talisman instead.
Li Que’s eyes narrowed as he read it.
“Director, please pardon the interruption, but one of the archivists has implicated his junior,” he said. Kayla glanced over sharply.
“What do you mean?”
“He said that the junior made improper remarks questioning Li Que’s purposes and guessing at your plans against the Archdukes,” Li Que said.
Kayla frowned. “Which man is this?”
“The accuser is Guo Qian,” Li Que said, with the files on the ready. He handed Kayla the man’s profile, waiting a beat for Kayla to glance it over before continuing. “The accused is Huai Yan.” He handed over a second profile.
“You sound like you have thoughts on this,” Kayla remarked. “May I hear them?”
“I don’t doubt that Huai Yan spoke inappropriately, as brash young men unfortunately tend to do,” Li Que said, immediately wondering if he’d misspoken. Huai Yan was only one year younger than the Duke. He braved on when the Duke did not take offense. “But that’s the thing about him. He’s a brash young man. He hasn’t got the forbearance to hide his immediate reactions, much less any shady dealings that might be related to Attendant Censor Lin’s death. Given Huai Yan’s personality, he would be under great pressure if he had been involved, but he doesn’t appear to be showing any signs of that. Unease and irritation, certainly, but not the fear one should expect.”
“Then what thoughts have you on the accuser?”
Li Que considered it for a moment. “Guo Qian is a reliable man, not much to say about him. He’s just a normal employee, I suppose. Cautious and good eye for detail, but he got a leg injury some time ago that keeps him off the field. He’s close to retirement, so he really can’t afford destroying what would be an unblemished record otherwise.”
“So he implicates his junior?”
“It’s just a gesture to assure you of his obedience,” Li Que answered. “I doubt he actually expects this to go very far, but you’re the new master of the Bureau, and he worries that you won’t have the same sympathy for his long years of service the way someone native to the Bureau might. I see things like this quite often in investigations too, people will make accusations they know are paltry at best to express their own stance.”
“Investigate him thoroughly,” Kayla said, setting the files down.
Li Que blinked. “Guo Qian, my lord?”
“Guo Qian,” Kayla affirmed. “And since he did throw Huai Yan at us, duty demands us to look into him as well. But I don’t think we’ll find anything there.”
Li Que thought of objecting. If Lin Jie’s death was publicized as a suicide, then intensive interrogation of an old-timer on the verge of retirement would hardly look good on Wenyuan. But the Duke looked sure of himself, and besides, one could never be sure. Interrogating Guo Qian it was then.
“As you wish, my lord.”
A new day was dawning. The rays of the sun were still too low to make it through the small windows of the Bureau’s halls, but the brightening of the cloudless sky signaled their emergence. Kayla stared blankly at the small expanse of sky through the window.
Within another hour or two, the Turkic envoys would arrive in the capital. She would join the Minister of Rites in greeting them, then they would come to pay their respects to Ashina at the Zhao household. Then at noon would be their official presentation to the court, expedited due to the martial nature of their request. Usually, an envoy would have to wait at least a day.
The banquet will be the most difficult part, then another private meeting. I need to loop the Emperor in before then to tell him my plans. And of Lin Jie’s death, of course. God, how am I going to frame it? Unusual criminal activity tied to Dengzhou and Youzhou, that’s what I was going with, right? That must be it. But that was for a situation where the man was alive. I’ll throw money laundering into the mix then.
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Kayla heaved a sigh. “I have to go prepare for the envoy’s arrival now. I’ll leave things here to you.”
Li Que bowed his head and sent one of the younger Investigators, a talented one, to escort the Duke to the carriage. It was the second time he’d done so, and Kayla was beginning to recognize the man’s face. Soon Li Que would drop his name in conversation, and eventually Kayla would have a good impression of him. They both knew the game, and Kayla trusted Li Que’s judgment enough not to balk at it. This morning, however, she was too buried in thoughts and problems to take much note of her escort.
Her first stop was the Court of Judicial Review, to ensure that the day’s work would unfold smoothly in her absence. Her next stop was the palace. The Emperor rose early most days, and today was no exception. She was ushered into his personal quarters as he was being dressed by the eunuchs and cheerfully invited to breakfast.
Kayla grabbed the first opening she found and explained Lin Jie’s death as a possible murder, potential suicide, but altogether entirely unnatural given that he was looking into a massive interlinked web of missing persons, ditches full of bodies, and money laundering that seemed all to point towards Dengzhou and Youzhou. The Emperor with his hardy stomach didn’t falter in his appetite even at the mention of the mass grave Hu Qing had found.
Kayla had been prepared to cry if needed, but the Emperor proved enormously sympathetic without the tearworks, and so she reserved that for another time. She was assured that even if it was just a simple suicide, these things happened, and not to let it weigh on her mind. The Emperor gave her permission to push the envoy for concessions and then permission to open talks about a bilateral intelligence policy, and sent her off with an extra jade piece to hang on her belt when greeting the envoy.
The rest of the day unfolded like a whirlwind, through which Kayla floated as though on autopilot. The feeling of exhaustion that came with an all-nighter had faded into numbness by now, and Kayla saw everything with glittering clarity but a strange sense of distance, as though through a sheet of glass.
She met up with the Minister of Rites and warmly greeted the ambassador outside the city gates. She respectfully addressed the Turkic ambassador by his honorary title rather than his extraordinarily difficult-to-pronounce name. The envoy was escorted to their lodgings, where the ambassador of course asked to see the princess before his appointment with the Emperor. After a brief back-and-forth of Kayla insisting that the ambassador get some rest first and the ambassador insisting it was only proper, she escorted him to the Zhao household, where Ashina regally received her father’s subject.
The ambassador was not someone that Ashina was very familiar with, but she knew his face, and greeted him with great warmth. Kayla played the role of a courteous and respectful husband quite well, and the ambassador was a very pleased man when he walked out of the Zhao household.
The ambassador was officially presented at court, where he conveyed the Khagan’s request for reinforcements in a beautifully written speech. The Emperor, with a pre-written speech of his own, graciously granted the request and promised to send an initial force of ten thousand troops, with mixed infantry and cavalry, headed by the capable and honorable General Yan. The ambassador had an eloquent speech of thanks ready in turn. In response, the Emperor invited the envoy to join them at a banquet.
Ashina arrived for the banquet and was greeted with great courtesy and affection by the Emperor, who personally granted her a seat of honor. The ambassador, being a subject, was seated a little lower, but Ashina was seated at the same level as the Princes, with Kayla at her side.
Kayla met eyes with Hu Qing, picking him out from the attendees with ease. Hu Qing gave an imperceptible nod, signaling that yes, people knew about Lin Jie and were talking about it within earshot of the Turkish staff, and yes, people were saying things to Hu Qing and Wei Guang’s faces. Wei Guang had a mask of scholarly indifference that would have looked like arrogance if not for his age.
Give it some time for them to marinate. The ambassador will take note by the time of the meeting.
Ashina went to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager before returning to the Zhao household while Kayla and the Minister of Rites hosted the ambassador in one of the palace’s many meeting halls. When he sensed that his absence would grow conducive to negotiations, the Minister of Rites made an excuse and slipped out of the meeting.
“Ambassador, I hear that the situation in the Western Turkic Khaganate is rather unstable right now, is that so?” Kayla asked curiously.
“Unfortunately yes,” the ambassador said. “Our intelligence seems to suggest that Shegui Khagan has suffered a stroke and is unable to rule, but yet offenses against us continue in his name. If it were simply a short-term usurpation, this would not be such a problem. What we worry about is that everything seems to point towards a proxy war of succession.”
“In your borders?” Kayla said quizzically.
The ambassador nodded. “Precisely. By gaining military victories, they can also gain soldiers, wealth, and influence. It is not just a singular enemy we face right now, but a great many ambitious leaders seeking to use us as their stepping stone upwards.”
“A difficult position,” Kayla said.
“Thanks to your Emperor’s magnanimity and your support, it will be less so,” the ambassador said. The discussion went into the specifics of provisions, pay, and billeting, before once again turning to the political strife in the Western Turkic Khaganate. That too began to taper off.
Frustratingly, the ambassador was avoiding the topic of the rumors. She needed to move things forward.
Come on now, say it. “I cannot help but notice” and then let’s get this moving, Kayla mentally prompted. The ambassador politely refrained from playing his part. Damn it, you bastard! If you ignore the rumors to my face and spoon feed them to the Khagan behind my back, that’s worse than if you just laughed before me!
She needed to make the situation as least detrimental as possible. They couldn’t have an envoy going back to the Khagan with the news that his son-in-law, the Duke Zhao in charge of the Imperial Investigation Bureau, was losing his sway in court.
“My wife was very happy to see you today, Ambassador. Please do visit us again before you return,” Kayla said, pushing the script forward all by herself.
“But of course, it is my honor and delight to do so.”
“I am very glad to hear it. She has been greatly concerned about her father and her homeland since the news first arrived, I’m sure that the success of your mission will be of great assurance to her,” Kayla said.
“Thanks to your support, Your Excellency.”
“It’s only what I should do,” Kayla said, allowing her smile to falter right on beat. The ambassador caught onto it with a quizzical look.
“Though I’m afraid it hasn’t made me very popular with the court,” Kayla added on. “A great many people are projecting their own uncertainties onto me and magnifying every fault of mine that they can catch hold of.”
“Surely not! Well I am very sorry to hear of that,” the ambassador said sympathetically.
“Perhaps you have heard the whispers already,” Kayla prompted.
“One cannot help but notice that the atmosphere is rather tense,” the ambassador conceded.
“I find myself in quite a predicament, I’m afraid. No fools yet whisper about my wife, your most honored Princess, but much resentment is directed towards us both,” Kayla lamented.
The ambassador leaned over with a look of sympathetic interest. “How can it be so? Your Excellency is capable and accomplished, and Her Highness’ conduct is virtuous and wise, losing neither the luster of her state nor wifely modesty. The two of you represent a great friendship between our countries and have only served that duty in supporting our request. How can there be ill will towards you?”
Kayla gave a sigh right on cue. “It is difficult, difficult to speak about, I tell you. Now I shouldn’t be troubling you with my complaints.”
“No, please speak, Your Excellency. I insist on hearing them,” the ambassador said encouragingly.
“I don’t wish to pile my woes upon you, nor to entreat you of the difficulties that I’ve faced in defending your interests. But it is as you have seen, the officials are bombarding me with every fault they can find, real or imaginary. I have only lost one of the most promising talents I have had the honor of calling my client, who suddenly passed away yesterday, and already it is being used to attack me,” Kayla said.
“My deepest condolences, Your Excellency. Let not the words of jealous men cloud your mind,” the ambassador replied.
Kayla shook her head. “It is not jealousy, Ambassador. Jealousy I know, and this is not it. It is something sharper that unleashes the worst of their impulses towards me and restricts their kind ones.”
“What would that be?” The ambassador looked at her curiously.
“Fear and unease. It has been a very long time since we have sent men to fight in foreign wars, not since the coronation of your Khagan, my most esteemed father-in-law,” Kayla said.
The ambassadors nodded slowly, knowing by now where this was going and buying time to think of whether he should divert the topic or hear her out. But he had evidently been given some leeway in the matter of concessions, and he let Kayla continue.
“They are afraid that the men will take leave of us but never return. It is a somber thought, that we may lose so many good men, so many husbands, fathers, and sons in a foreign land, so far from their homes. The officials fear that the men will suffer. They fear that the war will be long, that the losses will be heavy. And most of all, they fear that they will be blamed for it, both by the people and by future generations. That is why they are provoked to irrational rage when I promote your cause, and so they pile abuses upon me,” Kayla said, opening her palms towards him with a beleaguered look.
“That is unfortunate indeed, but while I can give no promises, I can assure you that the war will not be as long as that, nor as fierce,‘’ the ambassador replied.
“Me? It is no use to assure me,” Kayla said. “The problem is the court. We do not have enough solid information, and thus their worries run amok, and grievances come to be piled at my door, most unfairly, I may add.”
She leaned forward towards him conspiratorially. “They’re uneasy, you see, that’s what’s really happening here, Ambassador. Just between you and me.”
And the fifteen Turkish staff. And the dozen Imperial Guards. And the Imperial Investigators listening in. And the secretaries transcribing the conversation. And the eunuch waiting to come refill our cups. And the mousy little clerk who’s going to run off and report to the Khagan the second he can get away. And the mousy little maid who’s going to run off and report to the Empress Dowager the second she can get away. Not even to mention half the Ministry of Rites hovering around the meeting hall.
The two shared a smile, ignoring all of that.
“I’m terribly sorry to hear that, Your Excellency,” the ambassador said sympathetically. One could almost think him sincere. “You’ve done us a great favor by supporting our request. A favor, of course, that will not go unrewarded.”
Kayla held up a hand, shaking her head. “No such thing as favors between friends, and certainly not between family. I do not say this to ask for repayment. Rather, I wish to point to you a crucial problem–lack of assurances. People are worried because they do not know how long the war will go, or even the Khagan’s final goal.”
She hastily plowed on before the ambassador could cut in. “The request was beautifully worded, Ambassador. To defend your borders, yes? But for how long? What counts as a successful defense? These are our men, our boys, we balk at sending them away for indefinite times, into undetermined battles. It is human nature.”
“Of course,” the ambassador conceded.
“I’ll put it simply, Ambassador, for you are a man of honor and reason, and I feel no need to take pretenses in our exchange. We need assurances from the Khaganate. That means real-time sharing of information, and full disclosure of your decisions. For if your goal is to defend your borders, then we will strive to conduct negotiations between my esteemed father-in-law and Shegui Khagan at the earliest opportunity, and see our men back home as soon as they can. We will not expect them to be away for long. But if our expectations are not met, there will be a great outcry in the court. Our men themselves will roil with discontent and be of less help than hinder with their sulking. I ask for full disclosure and bilateral intelligence channels out of consideration of all these factors,” Kayla said.
The ambassador was quiet for a moment, mulling over how much would be safe to promise and to give away. Kayla waited patiently at the ready.
“Your request is well-minded, Your Excellency. But there are a great deal of moving pieces at any given moment in time. We cannot ensure that our reports are fully accurate, or that they are relayed in time. I myself have fallen behind with the news since departing from my liege,” the ambassador said apologetically. Both of them pretended that the ambassador wasn’t calling home on the daily.
“But, in the spirit of friendship and cooperation, it is also my liege’s intention to open up channels of communication between us,” the ambassador went on. “Perhaps this would be better posed as a joint effort between us, both to inform and prepare your troops, and for us to stay alight of news from the ports as well as information from overland.”
Ah, so you’re also aiming at our information networks?
“From the ports? Why, I doubt news from Tianzhu would be relevant, unless my father-in-law expects an attack by sea?” Kayla asked innocently.
Make him narrow it down himself.
“No, I don’t believe so,” the ambassador replied. “But the Persians and Arabs have been restless as of late.”
Way to understate it.
“If they should enter the fray, or offer assistance to the Western Turks, we would like to be privy to that information,” the ambassador finished.
“Of course, so long as it adheres to protocol, we would be happy to do so,” Kayla said. “Perhaps we can discuss this as a bilateral policy, to ensure that there are no hiccups.”
They each called up their legal experts and started hashing out a deal. After what was probably five hours of wrangling, they had a preliminary bill that would be discussed and then approved by the court on either side. Kayla and the ambassador bid goodbye to each other, both in a good mood as they parted.
As soon as the envoy was gone, Kayla was immediately swarmed by officials from the Ministry of Rites, including the Minister himself. Personal affection or enmity for Kayla aside, any bill relating to foreign policy was a chance for the Ministry to shine, and the hours-long meeting suggested that was exactly what was on hand. Kayla ended up repeating her summary seven or eight times before being rescued by a sudden hand on her shoulder.
She jolted and turned, the officials around her falling silent. At the familiar mask and the hand on her shoulder, Kayla recognized the Investigator as Li Que. She smiled at him with questioning eyes.
“Director,” Li Que murmured. “I have a report. If I may have a moment of your time?”
His voice was neutral, but the hand on Kayla’s shoulder pulled at her with urgency. Cold dread pooled in her stomach.
“Excuse me for a moment,” Kayla said, and slipped away from the throng of officials, flashing polite smiles right and left.
She followed Li Que as he led her out of the hall and down winding hallways until they reached a small patio.
I never knew this place existed.
“What is it?” Kayla asked the moment that Li Que stopped.
Something's going wrong. Something's already gone wrong. Very wrong. She felt a bone-deep chill, as though her marrow had become ice.
Li Que was already activating privacy talismans with steady efficiency.
“What’s happened?” Kayla asked again, positioning herself so that no one could read her lips from any angle.
Li Que did not meet her eyes.
“Li Que, what is it?!” Kayla hissed. Panic was bubbling into her chest now, propelled by an instinct to fight or flee.
Li Que faltered, breathed in, and heaved a sigh.
“Director…my lord.” He hesitated, then steeled himself to speak.
“The First and Second Princes were found murdered in their homes. You must report to the Emperor immediately.”
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Cultural Notes
Youzhou: A city in Northern China, around modern-day Beijing.
Dengzhou: A city to the South of Luoyang, it is where many of the Archdukes reside.
撇清关系/Clearly dissociate yourself: A Chinese phrase used to refer to actions that one might take to show their stance as unrelated to or not supportive of someone who has committed a transgression or wrong of some sort. For example, someone who was previously a friendly neighbor with you does something seriously illegal, and you tell reporters/police who hound you about some smaller wrongs they committed or you believe they committed to show that you knew something was wrong with him all along and nope you were definitely not friends please leave me alone.
一回生二回熟/The first time is still a stranger, the second time you're familiar [with each other]: A Chinese saying that means that repeated interactions lead to acquaintanceship and friendship.
玉佩/Jade pendant: Often worn by men in Ancient China as an ornament on their lapels or hung from their belts. It was often a marker of refinement, wealth, and status. One made from the palace would certainly have been from excellent quality, signifying the wearer's position.
贤淑/Wise and virtuous/modest: An Ancient Chinese term often used to praise women, especially married women.
由来征战地，不见有人还/Since always, those who head to the battlefields are rarely seen to return: A famous line from the Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai, one of the most beloved poets in Chinese history. These lines reflect the worries and sorrows of many people who lived in that era.
塞外诗赋/Frontier/border poetry and prose: Just an aside, but this refers to the genre of Chinese literature that focuses on the soldiers who fight at the borders or frontiers and their families. Whether it's for expeditions ordered by ambitious Emperors, defending against nomadic incursions or other invaders, or conflict with a neighboring country, tens of thousands of men were drafted or recruited away from their hometowns for long stretches of time, during which many of them would die. This genre can also include galvanizing poetry that showed patriotic sentiments of protecting their country or its interests. But many of the pieces were anti-war, since those who benefited directly from war were few and far between. Many men died without their families ever being sure of it, leaving many widows uncertain of whether they could or should remarry. "可怜无定河边骨，犹是春闺梦里人/Pitiful are the bones by the banks of Wuding River, who still frequent the dreams of her bedchambers" is one of the most famous expressions of this sentiment, written by Chen Tao of the Tang Dynasty, with most readers interpreting these lines to mean that the young woman eagerly awaiting her lover's return doesn't know that his corpse lies abandoned on the distant frontier.
Tianzhu: The Tang dynasty name for the Indian subcontinent.