Character Index
Duan Wuxie: A Senior Investigator of the Imperial Investigation Bureau.
Ke Sitao: Vice-Director of the Imperial Investigation Bureau. Hasn't really appeared in-story since Book 1, back when Hu Qing first joined the crew.
Tabuyir: Senior Investigator of the Imperial Investigation Bureau, of Khitan descent. Sent his nephew into the Zhao household as a semi-hostage/ward.
Shu Wei: Chief Secretariat of the Imperial Investigation Bureua. Same as Ke Sitao, hasn't appeared for a very long time since he primarily does admin work.
Li Que: Senior Investigator of the Imperial Investigation Bureau.
Wu Zhihuan: Lord Wu, one of the conspirators. He was selected by unanimous vote to be the scapegoat after he missed a meeting.
Hong Xifan: A middleman who hired Xia Xun, the spy sent to monitor the situation in the capital, on behalf of the conspirators (though he only gave up Wu Zhihuan's name).
Ju Wuhui: Chief Internal Inspection Officer of the Imperial Investigation Bureau. Also hasn't shown up since halfway through Book 1 since he primarily handles internal investigations, regulations, etc.
Empress Gongsun: Mother of Zhou Hong and Zhou Yong, she was deposed after her clan grew too powerful.
Chen Jian: Li Que's protege, oversaw the autopsy of the bodies discovered in the mass grave a good few chapters ago.
Xia Xun: The spy hired by Hong Xifan to watch the political situation in the capital. Unbeknownst to him, he was set there as bait for Kayla.
Yu Bianfu: A female commander, currently stationed in the Southwest. Xianchun's childhood friend and supporter.
Liu Hongyu: Former Secretariat Director, died after being sentenced to house arrest in complete isolation for lese-majeste.
Li Sanjin: A servant of Liu Hongyu who was ordered to give false testimony by the Empress Dowager, he was then forced to accuse Kayla of the Empress Dowager's crime by the Grand Duke.
Zhou Xianchun: The Seventh Prince.
Sir Yang: An elderly eunuch who serves the Emperor.
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Duan Wuxie hurried into the meeting room, not out of breath after rushing across half the city to get there. The rest of the core staff had already gathered. Despite the good news they had gathered for, the mood inside the room was strangely somber.
The Director stood with his back to the door, turning slightly as Duan Wuxie approached the table.
“Director,” Duan Wuxie greeted him, before nodding at Ke Sitao. “Vice-Director.”
“It’s good of you to come on such short notice,” Zhao Wenyuan said, slowly pivoting on his heel to face them fully. “Since everyone’s here, let’s get started.”
Ah, so that’s why.
The youngest man in the room was smiling, but the opaqueness of his true thoughts kept the rest of them on a thin string of unease.
“Senior Investigator Tabuyir and the special taskforce have good news for us. Though he is ready to join us at any time, we’ve decided to only call him when everyone has arrived for risk reduction,” Zhao Wenyuan announced. “Chief Secretariat Shu, if could you kindly call him?”
Shu Wei bowed his head slightly and obeyed. Duan Wuxie settled into his seat, exchanging a subtle glance with Li Que, who gave him a warning look in turn.
Behave, his old comrade warned him wordlessly. The call connected, Tabuyir’s face coming into view.
“Director, Vice-Director,” Tabuyir greeted them.
“Senior Investigator Tabuyir, thank you for your hard work. If you could please brief us on the situation?” Zhao Wenyuan said.
“Of course, sir. I am greatly pleased to congratulate the Director–we have captured the culprit behind the assassination of the First and Second Princes, Lord Wu Zhihuan of Qinghe,” Tabuyir reported, a confident note in his voice.
“Excellently done!” Zhao Wenyuan said, the rest of the core staff heartily offering their own congratulations for their comrade.
“Thank you,” Tabuyir said, looking suitably humble and pleased. “Following Hong Xifan’s confession last night, we sent local Investigators to monitor the Wu household, and conducted the arrest at the fourth hour this morning. After restraining all six members of the household, including Wu Zhihuan, his wife, son, and daughter-in-law, as well as two servants, we then searched the household and seized evidence of Lord Wu Zhihuan’s communications with the assassin and with Hong Xifan, as well as extensive evidence of his treacherous intentions in his personal writings.”
“Chief Internal Inspection Officer Ju?” Wenyuan asked, catching the look that flashed over Ju Wuhui’s face.
“After receiving Senior Investigator Tabuyir’s report last night, we looked into our records on Lord Wu Zhihuan,” Ju Wuhui said. “From what I know, he has limited financial resources after being all but ousted from the position of clan head. How was he able to afford this, and to what end?”
Wenyuan nodded for Tabuyir to respond.
“We found transaction records for the sale of several land deeds that he had illegally transferred to his own name from his late wife’s family after the death of his in-laws,” Tabuyir replied.
“Senior Investigator Tabuyir has always been thorough,” Li Que remarked. “I’m sure you’ve already found the answer to our confoundment?”
“We have already obtained all the relevant evidence,” Tabuyir said by way of agreement. “When we presented it to him, Wu Zhihuan readily confessed. The assassination was conducted out of revenge, and the funding can also be traced to the events from the previous Empress’ reign. During the time of former Empress Gongsun, Wu Zhihuan had extensive dealings with the Gongsun clan. At the time, he was married to the only daughter of a rich landowner, Lady Sun. Her father had lost almost all his other relatives to disease or disaster–in fact, Wu Zhihuan confessed that he had married her for that very reason.”
Duan Wuxie nodded, already knowing where this was going.
“Near the time of the First Prince’s engagement, Lady Sun passed away rather abruptly, and both her father and her one remaining cousin died soon after as well. The matter was highly suspicious, but it was suppressed by the Gongsun clan. While Lady Sun left everything to her only son in her will, Lord Wu illegally seized the deeds to some of the most valuable lands,” Tabuyir said. “At this point, he had already taken a mistress and fathered a son with her, but Lady Sun had refused to allow Lord Wu to officially bring her in as a concubine. However, she was unable to prevent him bringing the mistress’ son into the household.”
“The reason being that her own son, Wu Cezhi, was born with a lame leg and had trouble speaking–he spoke unusually slowly and furthermore had a stutter, and remained nonverbal until he was almost seven years old. Even after extensive treatment, he had a severe limp that prevented him from walking long distances, and was greatly detested by his father. After the death of Lady Shu, the mistress was welcomed into the household as Wu Zhihuan’s wife, and her son was also raised from shu status to di status, further endangering Wu Cezhi’s position. As such, there was little the boy could do to stop his father’s actions. That is, until the fall of the Gongsun clan. After the deposition of the Empress and the exile of the First and Second Princes, Wu Cezhi attempted to travel to the capital to appeal for help. But as the records would indicate, he never made it there.”
“The mass grave we found by the river,” Li Que muttered. "That was the boy's body."
“Yes, the very mass grave your protege oversaw the autopsies for,” Tabuyir agreed. “In fact, knowing that we had the bodies was the deciding factor in Wu Zhihuan’s confession. While Wu Zhihuan had enjoyed great privileges due to his dealings with the Gongsun clan during the former Empress’ time, he was shunned by his peers and associates after the Gongsun clan was cut down to size. No one dared to do business with him, and his previous investments and deals became wasted money. He needed to get his hands on a sum of wealth to keep his finances afloat and secure his position as the clan head, as the other clan members were pushing to replace him with his younger brother, fearing that Wu Zhihuan’s connections to the Gongsun would bring harm upon them all.”
“Wu Cezhi chose this timing to go to the capital, knowing that he had a better chance of appealing for legal action against his father now that Wu Zhihuan’s political backers had fallen. Desperate to preserve his position and fortune, Wu Zhihuan hired assassins to attack and kill his son’s party en route, and had them buried with several layers of preservation spells that prevented the bodies from rotting to reduce the risk of being discovered. To avoid being seen, the bodies were disposed of at the riverbank, right where the party had been ambushed and killed right after taking a break to let Wu Cezhi wash his face. The whole affair was carried out with great discretion, and to the rest of the world, it simply seemed that Wu Cezhi had disappeared. Until we found the grave very recently, there had been no trace of him to be found anywhere.”
Wenyuan nodded, his brow furrowed as he evaluated the situation.
“With his eldest son’s whereabouts unknown, Wu Zhihuan named his favored younger son as the heir and seized control of Lady Sun’s lands and fortune,” Tabuyir continued. “And Chief Internal Inspection Officer Ju understands what happened after that.”
“The Empress Dowager intervened,” Ju Wuhui said. “The records indicate that Wu Zhihuan’s attempt to name his younger son as heir was blocked by the Empress Dowager a total of seven times before Wu Zhihuan was forced to give up. No formal edicts were ever issued, but she gave verbal disapproval each time, pressuring the rest of the Wu clan to unanimously refuse to establish his heir. The local Governor at the time, the deceased Governor Ju, also took issue with Wu Zhihuan’s use of Lady Sun’s fortune and filed a case with the Ministry of Revenue. Wu Zhihuan was ordered to stop using Wu Cezhi’s inheritance unless the boy could provide proof of consent via a court testimony. Wu Zhihuan claimed that Wu Cezhi was missing, and filed for an exception under extenuating circumstances, but his appeal was denied and the assets were frozen. Except for, evidently, the land deeds he’d siphoned already.”
Dug his own grave, didn’t he? Duan Wuxie shook his head in disgust.
“It is just as Chief Internal Inspector Officer Ju says,” Tabuyir said. “Having lost access to Lady Sun’s fortune, Wu Zhihuan was unable to keep his business ventures afloat and lost the vast majority of his fortune. In light of his mismanagement and the mysterious circumstances under which Wu Cezhi disappeared, the Wu clan gathered its elders and unanimously agreed to oust Wu Zhihuan from the position of clan head. His younger brother, Wu Tianyi ordered Wu Zhihuan to relocate with his family to a smaller property located a distance away from the main house as punishment. This, however, enabled Wu Zhihuan to take action unnoticed.”
The core staff exchanged glances with each other.
They also dug their own graves.
Zhao Wenyuan was staring straight ahead at Tabuyir, a tranquil look on his face.
“And why did he try to kill the First and Second Princes then? Why not his own brother or the clan elders?” Wenyuan asked.
“It seems that he blamed the First Prince and the Gongsun clan for his troubles. Wu Zhihuan claimed that he had contributed for their rise tirelessly, but was forced to suffer such humiliation before even getting to reap the fruits of his labors. More specifically, Wu Zhihuan blamed the First Prince for marrying his cousin from the Gongsun clan, claiming that he had advised the prince against doing so but had only been mocked in return. But while he had strongly opposed the marriage, Wu Zhihuan was not spared its consequences. He grew to have a strong resentment against the Gongsun clan, and according to his wife, it developed into an obsession,” Tabuyir explained.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“A personal grudge,” Wenyuan murmured softly, a distant look on his face. The others watched him intently, but his expression gave away little other than ambivalent thoughtfulness.
“Well, that certainly explains a great deal,” Wenyuan finally said. “And what did he hope to accomplish afterward?”
“It seemed that he had the intention of using his past ties to the Gongsun clan in order to gain favor again. He believed that the Emperor, in the force of his grief, would extend his love of the house to the crows in its rafters. Wu Zhihuan hoped to find the right opportunity to offer his condolences to the Emperor while mentioning his previous opposition to the unlucky match, believing that he would be restored to his fortunes,” Tabuyir said. “That’s why he hired Hong Xifan to recruit Xia Xun for the job.”
Of course the Director doubts it, Duan Wuxie thought with a twinge of fondness as one would have for an inexperienced junior. It seems too petty, doesn’t it? But eight or nine times out of ten, the reason is petty, often to the point of being ridiculous.
Over the years, he’d seen it all. Wounded pride, rejection, an act of sabotage in the distant past, greed, all the various self-serving reasons in the world for which people laboriously dedicated their efforts, efforts that would have been better spent elsewhere.
A combination of greed, revenge, and ambition…would that sound familiar to our little Director or so alien that he can’t believe it?
It was an open secret among the Bureau’s highest ranking members that Zhao Wenyuan had been behind the Grand Duke’s death–they knew it best, as the ones who had painstakingly done what they could to overlook it while making it seem as though they had conducted a thorough investigation. If it was as Li Que had privately confided to him in the most indirect terms possible, that Zhao Wenyuan had done it out of a sense of responsibility and for the greater good of the nation, then petty reasons like these were probably difficult for the young Duke to swallow, especially for a case that had shaken the entire nation.
To some extent, it bothered Duan Wuxie too. But Tabuyir was a thorough man, as was everyone else who had been involved in the process. Even when the truth was so ridiculous it felt like parody, it didn’t change the reality that a greedy scum like Wu Zhihuan had thrown the country’s future into chaos by removing the last fetters on the succession struggle. If there was more to it, they would find out as much in the investigation. Presupposing a greater plot didn’t help things. In some cases, it even obscured the true picture.
Not that I could say that though.
“You’ve all done well,” Wenyuan said. “Please be as thorough as possible in gathering the evidence–I want to ensure that the case is waterproof to the very last drop.”
“Yes sir!”
“Please also look into all of Wu Zhihuan’s communications, including those of his household’s–not even the servants should be overlooked. It doesn’t matter how unlikely, anyone that they’ve communicated with recently should be thoroughly investigated,” Wenyuan said. “Whether someone had discerned Wu Zhihuan’s intentions and had been hoping to profit off the situation, had helped him, or anything of the like, should such a situation exist, his acquaintances cannot escape responsibility either. I’ll have to trouble you and the rest of the task force to continue toiling, Senior Investigator Tabuyir. Vice-Director Ke, Chief Secretariat Shu, Chief Internal Inspection Officer Ju, please lend your support to our taskforce as needed.”
“Gladly,” Ke Sitao said on behalf of the others.
“We are honored to be entrusted with this investigation and to receive our comrades’ support,” Tabuyir replied.
“Excellent,” Wenyuan said. “Then we’ll look forward to the full report of Wu Zhihuan’s arrest, Senior Investigator Tabuyir. Senior Investigator Duan, please coordinate with the taskforce to arrange for Wu Zhihuan and his family’s transport to the capital at maximum security, and prepare to deal with the rest of the Wu clan. Senior Investigator Li, please increase surveillance and manpower on the Gongsun clan–we should be prepared to make arrests should they show any sign of suspicious activity. In the meanwhile, I will notify His Majesty of the results of this investigation and your contributions.”
“Yes sir!”
Zhao Wenyuan ended the meeting on that note, hiding any doubts that he had on the outcome. But to the experienced senior staff of the Bureau, that face which openly displayed neither joy nor anger couldn’t fully conceal the Director’s worries.
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Kayla walked down the corridors of the Inner Palace, unease gnawing at her heart.
The Bureau is always thorough–we have both witness and evidence, validated evidence at that. Even if the Empress Dowager was asked to weigh in, she would say that she did recall something like that.
That was the thing–it fit together too well. The mass grave of a boy with a bad leg wearing Suzhou silk that doubtlessly could be traced to a purchase made by Lady Sun, the circumstances that elicited the Empress Dowager’s testimony and those of the Wu clan members…all of it felt like a carefully woven tapestry.
She didn’t doubt that all the circumstances were true. Just that the truth had been rearranged to work against us.
Something about it reminded Kayla of—of her own actions.
When everything is technically true no matter how you look into it, and arranged just so that you can use it to your benefit.
When Kayla was being forced into a corner, back when the Grand Duke loomed over her at the height of his power, she had little to weaponize save for the truth.
Against Yu Bianfu. Against Liu Hongyu. Against the Grand Duke with Li Sanjin. To make use of Xianchun. To make use of the Emperor. To make use of everything and everyone in order to survive.
Kayla had escaped that position, the awful dread of being caught between the Grand Duke’s murderous intent and the executioner’s blade. But what of those who were still stuck?
Wouldn’t they go as far, if not much further?
There was a gnawing unease in the pit of her stomach that threatened to consume her.
“Your Excellency, the Emperor is waiting,” Sir Yang prompted quietly. He gave Kayla a meaningful look, subtly communicating that the Emperor was in a volatile mood.
Kayla nodded at him and stepped into the Emperor’s room. Whatever that nagging doubt was trying to get at, she would figure out later.
For now, there’s something more important at hand.
“Your Majesty,” Kayla greeted the Emperor with a bow.
“I hear you have news for me from the Bureau?” The Emperor asked.
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Kayla approached him, stopping before the seated Emperor. She knelt, eyes filling with vindication. “Uncle, we’ve caught the culprit. We’ve caught the man behind First and Second Cousin’s deaths.”
The Emperor’s weary face transformed in an instant. His hands shot out, the sinewy digits curling into her robes. The uncut nails dug into her shoulders through the fabric with an iron grip.
“Is it true?! You’ve caught the culprit?! Tell me, tell me who it is! Who is it that dared to murder my sons?!”
The Emperor’s hoarse voice had twisted into a deep snarl, a tone entirely unfamiliar to Kayla.
“Lord Wu–no, the former Lord Wu of Qinghe, Wu Zhihuan,” Kayla said.
“Who–?” The Emperor’s eyes briefly clouded with confusion before flashing with recognition. “What, that old bastard?! I was foolish enough to show him generosity in sparing his life back then, and this is how he repays me?!”
“That treacherous criminal’s soul is so stained with filth that he cannot even recognize Your Majesty’s magnanimity,” Kayla replied. She launched into an explanation, ignoring the painful grip on her shoulders.
The Emperor’s eyes were devoid of light, filled with a blank hatred so intense that it seemed almost inhuman.
When Kayla finished, he was silent for a long moment, staring almost unblinkingly at Kayla. His face was an abyss. An instinctive, almost primal terror began to trickle through her veins.
I’m staring into hell, Kayla thought. The fragile composure that masked her unease was cracking by the second. The Emperor’s eyes flitted away just before it crumbled into genuine fear. She forcibly collected herself before the Emperor could glance back.
“Arrest his clan to the ninth degree.”
Kayla bowed her head. “As you wish, Your Majesty.”
“In the meanwhile, continue keeping the Gongsun clan in check,” the Emperor said. “Now that the culprit’s been found, those bastards will start flailing about again–tell them this, Wenyuan. I have no mercy left for them. If they so much as cross the line by a hair, I’ll send them to join the Empress.”
“Understood,” Kayla said quietly. She hesitated slightly before continuing. “I’m not sure that this is the extent of it. We may have caught the culprit, but if someone helped him, if someone knew of it but said nothing…with your permission, I wish to look into this a little further.”
“Do so,” the Emperor ordered. “Take your time, but be thorough.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
A hand landed on her head, giving Kayla an affectionate pat.
“You’ve done well,” the Emperor said, his voice softening. “You’ve really helped your Uncle here, Wenyuan. I don’t know how I would live on if the culprit went unpunished.”
“I’m glad to be of service,” Kayla replied.
This isn’t the time to take any risks. What I give back can be regained, but what I lose otherwise…it's best to gain ground by retreating first.
“That being said, I have no reason to suspect any immediate risks to the palace,” Kayla said. “The liaison with the Imperial Guard that I mentioned before, perhaps we should switch to that rather than having me continue–”
“Don’t worry about that, just continue as you were,” the Emperor cut her off. “I told you, didn’t I? You’re the only one I can trust. I won’t make the same mistakes again.”
“I’ll strive within an inch of my life to ensure your safety, Uncle,” Kayla replied.
“Not just me,” the Emperor sighed. “My sons are like wild horses off the harness now that they’ve seen me for what I am–a weak, aging man.”
“Uncle, that’s not true!” Kayla began to protest.
“When does the sun ever stop rising? The timeline of the world outlasts the lifespan of men,” the Emperor said. “I'm getting older, it's the truth. At the very least, with you taking hold of the Imperial Guard, there’s a limit to what either of them can do.”
“I…I will do my best,” Kayla said.
“I know,” the Emperor replied. “Go on now, bring me Wu Zhihuan. I want him brought to me alive and in one piece. I’ll decide how he dies.”
Kayla lowered her head. “Understood. Then I’ll take my leave of you now, Uncle. Please take care of your health.”
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Cultural Notes
嫡庶/Di and shu system of inheritance: In Ancient China, a man could have multiple spouses, but only one who was the formal wife, while the rest were concubines. As such, his children were also divided by levels of legitimacy, with di children of the formal spouse having precedence in succession, while shu children of a concubine being less likely to inherit any titles/important family legacies. This wasn't always the case, and wasn't so strictly upheld. Plus, people are people, no matter when they live, so children weren't necessarily discriminated against by their families because of their mothers' statuses. For daughters, it mattered less since under most circumstances, they would marry out of the household anyways, and had to be dowered properly regardless of their mother's status or it would look bad on the house. Plus, women were expected to marry at the same level or marry up for the most part, so they also provided an avenue of potential social mobility or social capital to the family, so the di shu system didn't necessarily matter limit their future opportunities as much.
爱屋及乌/Love for a house extends to the crows [in its rafters]: An Ancient Chinese proverb that means one's love for a person extends to those who are related to them. The most commonly seen usage is for Emperors who dote on a Consort and also promote that Consort's family members, but can extend to a variety of people with some degree of relation, whether by blood or by alternative circumstances.
十有八九/Eight or nine out of ten: An Ancient Chinese colloquial saying that is used to mean "almost all the time". Perfect for situations where you may have to backtrack, because then you can say "well I guess it was that one or two out of ten then".
滴水不漏/Not leaking a drop of water: An Ancient Chinese proverb that means to be careful and rigorous to the point where nothing slips past your attention, not a single mistake is made, etc.
喜怒不形于色/Joy and anger are not openly displayed on one's expression: An Ancient Chinese description that was originally in historical records of Liu Bei of the Three Kingdoms Era.
苏州秀锦/Suzhou embroidered silk: Suzhou is famous for its silk embroidery, which can get really expensive at times, meaning that only the very rich and affluent could afford it. The body of the teenager that was found in the mass grave Hu Qing sussed out based off a report of water contamination was clad in Suzhou silk.
人证物证俱全/Both witnesses and evidence are present/complete: A Chinese saying that means the case is solid.
以退为进/Retreating to gain ground: An Ancient Chinese proverb meaning to take a step back in order to make greater gains, to take a temporary setback in order to gain a greater advantage, etc. Ex: In delicate situations where someone might be on the fence for giving you more power, voluntarily offering to decline it may in fact make you seem more trustworthy (aka not power hungry).
脱缰的野马/A wild horse off its harness: A Chinese saying referring to someone who is no longer restrained by anything, who is running wild, especially after having been restricted for some time.
日出入安穷，时世不与人同/When does the sun ever stop rising? The timeline of the world [differs from/outlasts] the lifespan of men: A line from a Han Dynasty poem.