Character Index
Zhu Simo: The Right Secretariat of Revenue. A staunch official from Shandong, extremely traditional. The face of the Shandong faction.
Han Daizhi: Director within the Ministry of Rites (ranks lower than the Right and Left Secretariats). The mind of the Shandong faction.
Lord He: One of the capital elites, currently positioned within the Three Departments due to a slew of people above him getting fired.
Lord Cui: Also one of the capital elites, in a very similar position to Lord He. The two are also brother-in-laws.
He Zhengda: Lord He's son by a concubine, engaged to Lord Cui's daughter by a concubine.
Zhou Yunqi: The current Emperor, fifth son of the previous Emperor.
Chen Caichun: Chamberlain of the Court of Judicial Review. Architect of the charity institution policies.
Lin Yaoguang: The Grand Duke's money launderer. Was executed for treason at the end of Book 2.
Zhou Kuang: The deceased Third Prince of Emperor Xuanzong.
Shu Ling: One of Kayla's retainers, the young woman had previously been tasked with guarding Feng Yi, a happy-go-lucky man who was swept into Kayla's plots.
Investigator Xiu: A plainclothes Investigator in the Bureau.
Qiu Jinwei: Yunqi's eccentric strategist, his thoughts are yet a mystery to Kayla and the others.
Zhou Ying: Posthumously titled Emperor Xuanzong.
Ashina: Personal name Ibilga, a Princess of the Eastern Turkic Khaganate.
Chen Jian: Chen Caichun's older brother, a young Investigator in the Bureau.
Sun Zhong'e: One of Kayla's retainers, a middle-aged woman who has excellent organizing capabilities.
Zhou Chenqian: Son of Zhou Kuang.
Cao Shuyi: Widow of Zhou Kuang, currently living in her late husband's posthumously granted fief, which is very close to her own family.
Governor Huang: Governor of Shengzhou, Kayla roped him into supporting her in the North during her trip to receive Ashina's delegation.
Zhao Chao: One of Kayla's retainers.
Governor Bao: Governor of Daizhou (includes Taiyuan). He was an eyewitness to Kayla's abduction by Kulun-tarkhan's men and was issued a gag order on the matter. He managed to avoid any punishment for dereliction of duty as a result of keeping his silence.
Sir Yang: An old eunuch who served Emperor Xuanzong but also assisted Yunqi in getting rid of him. Currently serves Yunqi.
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Zhu Simo followed his friend through Lord He’s impressive home. Not that the household impressed Zhu Simo, who was a staunch traditionalist and sternly disdained opulence. He believed that a house should be made stately by the virtue of its residents rather than by expensive decorations. This, of course, did not stop him from squinting curiously at Lord He’s selections.
Han Daizhi led the way despite being the younger one and junior in rank. But the younger man was better at handling these things, so Zhu Simo had no complaints.
They were greeted by Lord He and Lord Cui in the sitting room.
“Lord He, Lord Cui,” Han Daizhi greeted them amiably. “Thank you for your invitation on this lovely evening. We are honored to be here.”
Zhu Simo bowed briskly and straightened his back again.
“It is good to have you here,” Lord Cui said, despite it not being his house. Though perhaps this mattered little–the two clans had been marrying each other for several generations, managing to avoid inbreeding through the abundance of concubines, sons, and daughters each had. In their generation, Lord Cui’s older full-brother had married one of Lord He’s half-sisters as his wife before dying early, so in the younger generation, it was up to either Lord Cui or one of his five half-brothers to marry a son or a daughter with one of Lord He’s children. Never a di son or daughter, a prudent move that protected each clan from political destruction should the worst occur. Accordingly, Lord He’s son by a concubine was engaged with Lord Cui’s daughter by a concubine.
Zhu Simo couldn’t say he fully approved of the arrangement, but he didn’t outright disapprove either. At least it was in good sense and good conduct–none of that marriage between cousins of the same last name as was condemned by the Zhou rites. Little chance of deformed children either. These were a shrewd breed of people.
As they all sat down, Zhu Simo scrutinized the two capital elites before him. Long-standing cornerstones of the political sphere, the old families of the capital had their own logic of survival that had kept them afloat even though their numbers were few. The Shandong clique, on the other hand, was large and held weight in the provinces, but weren’t well-established in the capital. Since the opening of the Wu dynasty, it had been the Henan and Hebei provinces that gained prominence at court.
They each had what the other wanted. The only thing left was to confirm their common purpose.
“I would like to open the door to see the mountain,” Zhu Simo said, ignoring Han Daizhi’s sharp glance in his direction. “We of Shandong find the matter of the Dowager Consorts utterly unacceptable. And the contents of the trade and agriculture reforms–which you have kindly shared with us–are even more incorrigible. Am I correct in believing that your lordships feel the same?”
Lord He looked mildly irritated at not having been allowed to speak first, but Lord Cui smiled.
“Indeed,” Lord Cui said. “Allowing foreigners to enter the country without documentation, without restriction–it is madness! And not only is he allowing it, he’s actively encouraging it by wasting the precious resources of our nation’s economy on those foreigners.”
“We certainly agree,” Han Daizhi said. “In recent years, a troubling trend has developed in this country, that those who are foreign are valued more than those whose veins pump with the blood of our own people. In the marketplace, in the army, in court, even in marriage. Less so in Shandong, but I hear that tastes are changing rapidly here in the capital.”
Unbeknownst to Zhu Simo, who had prepared nothing but his own arguments against the reforms, Han Daizhi had done his homework on the two Lords. Of all the things that angered Lord He the most, one was the Persian dancing girl that his no-good son He Zhengda had gotten pregnant, right before the wedding with Lord Cui’s daughter. Of course, the wedding was postponed, and that postponement had managed to last three years as of now. Lord He was too ashamed to press Lord Cui, and Lord Cui was too humiliated to offer up his daughter.
Both men lit up in anger immediately at the topic, and Zhu Simo perked up to join the fray in a complaining session. Han Daizhi let it go on for a bit longer before steering the conversation back onto the right track.
“The export zones are fine, but not if they require the special trade zones to become law,” Han Daizhi said. “This is our country, we’re the ones who have lived here and nurtured this earth, generation after generation. Why should a foreigner prance in and reap the benefits with a calm heart and peace of mind?”
“It’s fine if they want to trade, but they should leave when they’re done and go back to their own countries,” Lord He chimed in. “They’re lucky we let them in at all! On personal generosity of a friendly man, sure. But I can't accept that they need to be catered to on the country's dime!”
“I agree,” Lord Cui said. “What I worry about is the fact that both these are practically tied to the customs tariffs and sales taxes. If the Emperor implements the taxes, the economy will suffer.”
“Then it should suffer! For too long, the country has emphasized merchants far more than it should!” Zhu Simo said. “In the days of old, it was a shameful thing to be a merchant, but now it is a mark of honor! What on earth has this society come to?! It’s only a matter of time before conniving traders destroy the foundations of this country with their greed!”
Neither Lord He nor Lord Cui responded to him, both being involved in trade through middlemen. But it was increasingly clear what kind of person Zhu Simo was–a symbol. A walking, talking symbol of traditional values that conservatives would approve of and listen to.
“If we oppose one part of the trade reforms, we must oppose the whole of it,” Han Daizhi said firmly. “The Emperor's intentions, I'm sure, are good. But he is severely misguided in his choices. The economy cannot grow faster than the population–enriching the state at the cost of the people is tyrannical and cruel.”
“Well said!” Lord He said.
“Opposing the trade reform is easy enough. There is no precedent, it unnaturally and unreasonably favors foreigners, and it would damage the economy,” Lord Cui said. “The problem is the agricultural reforms. The Ever-Normal Granaries is a long-standing policy, in name if not in practice. That sly bastard Zhao Wenyuan is building his entire reform around it, we can’t refute him that easily.”
That wasn’t a problem, not really. Han Daizhi turned towards Zhu Simo, who immediately set out to prove as much.
“Planting the crops and managing one’s household finances is the duty of the farmer! Why should the government interfere in it–no, how could the government even think to interfere in such a private domain as the running of an individual household? ‘Govern by virtue, like the Northern Star, the ruler remains in place and others will revolve around him’, thus has Confucian stated. Ancient advice, my friends, good advice! The ruler guides the court, and the court guides the people, but it is not our duty to step into their homes and tell them how to live!” Zhu Simo thundered, slipping into the voice he used for speeches in a significantly larger space. The other three winced slightly, their ears crackling at the volume.
“The poor can turn to the rich for aid–the poor gain assistance, the rich are afforded an opportunity to extend their virtue. And such is the way that ties of trust and mutual responsibility are developed in villages, forming the bonds that connect a man, his community, and the land for countless generations!” Zhu Simo went on, neither noticing nor caring about his audience’s pained expressions. “How can a government step in to usurp these bonds? Why should they seek to? If the government seeks to improve society, then it should do so through educating the hearts of the people, not through barraging them with laws and regulations! What will happen if this passes into law? The rich will end up hoarding their wealth without contributing to the welfare of their communities, and the poor will resent them for doing so–and then what? The rich are torn down by the jealousy of their lessers, and who then will produce our scholars?! Our officers?! The very tenets of this country?! It will lead to a breakdown of social order–nay, it will destroy the state! Such foolish shortsightedness cannot be allowed to pass!”
His voice still ringing in the room after he finished, the other three straightened their postures after leaning away from Zhu Simo the entire speech. Loud and overzealous as it was, the speech was the type that appealed to exactly every traditional principle that many officials held dear.
“Well spoken, Right Secretariat Zhu!” Lord Cui said, his own voice a little too loud due to everything still sounding a little muffled in his ears at the moment. “Now I want you to go before the court and say exactly what you said to us just now.”
“He will produce a better version with a larger audience even without a script, I daresay,” Han Daizhi said drily. “But as you have witnessed, my lords, I see no reason to worry about the agricultural reforms.”
Lord He began to laugh, soon joined by his future in-law. The two Shandong officials joined in as well, but Zhu Simo stopped rather abruptly to throw in his two cents.
“The matter of the Dowager Consorts is a disgrace!” He said.
“It is taken care of,” Lord He said confidently.
“How?”
Lord He smiled. “The Emperor can’t send his stepmothers into danger, can he? I have made the necessary arrangements at the locations he selected–the Dowager Consorts will never set foot there.”
Zhu Simo smiled in satisfaction, not caring to know the details, perhaps out of an instinctive aversion to what was surely an underhanded tactic.
“Wonderful,” he said with emphasis. “I look forward to working with you two.”
Lord He and Lord Cui nodded obligingly in turn, the latter locking eyes with Han Daizhi.
Now here’s a true politician if I’ve ever seen one, Lord Cui thought in amusement, half impressed and half apprehensive. Han Daizhi would get on with him just fine.
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Kayla rubbed a hand through her hair, nerves frazzled at the reports trickling in. Many things were going wrong in multiple directions at any given moment in time, so she was used to that much. But this was different. First, the sites for the Dowager Consort’s charity institutions had fallen apart completely. Each town that they had chosen had seen riotous outpouring of public sentiment against even the announcement. The public bulletin boards were smashed, the local government office riddled with rotten fruit, and a few stores in each town were looted in the chaos.
She didn’t think for a moment that it actually reflected the sentiments of the local residents. But it wasn’t as though they had facial recognition technologies to prove that there were outside instigators present, and who remembered the precise components of a crowd? Still, the current sites were a no-go. The local residents were scared now if they weren’t before, and if Yunqi had to settle in his stepmothers by force against the civilian population, then they had failed before they had started.
So their opponents had pulled some strings. That was fine, Chen Caichun was already working on alternatives and would probably have them ready the morning after.
The second problem was what actually put her on edge.
Every last one of Lin Yaoguang’s network was now dead, even people who Kayla didn’t even know existed until their bodies started turning up, gruesomely butchered.
What the fuck? Who the hell is doing this and why?
It was probably someone in the Grand Duke’s confidence, enough so to know about Lin Yaoguang and the man’s entire network–unlikely, since the Grand Duke didn’t hold anyone in that much confidence. Even Lin Yaoguang didn’t know the entirety of the Grand Duke’s various machinations. Then it would probably be someone in the underworld. A rival, maybe? Certainly a very thorough one, since they had access to information that Kayla didn’t have as the Director of the Imperial Investigation Bureau, and that was when they were actively investigating Lin Yaoguang as one of the conspirators in Kuang’s death.
As for why they failed where someone else now succeeded, the reason was frustratingly simple. Too many politically conniving people to keep an eye on and too few Investigators to do the watching. Little was leftover for serial killers and digging out money laundering networks, but they simply couldn’t afford to divert from other places either. Hiring more people was fine, but training them took years. And between bereavement pay, funeral costs, salaries, and keeping Investigators fed and clothed during their training, the cost was astronomical.
But what bothered Kayla the most about this, deaths, aside, was what message it was sending.
Do people think I’m doing this?
Shu Ling certainly had. If even people who worked this closely to her thought so, then others definitely suspected Kayla. Public sentiment didn’t matter to her as much as it probably should, but if the Bureau decided she was suspect, then the chain of command would fall apart.
Worst of all, she had no idea what was happening. The communication network wasn't communicating efficiently enough to get her relevant information, the Bureau’s investigations had hit a dead-end, and Kayla was beginning to consider using the underworld information agencies again. Not a good option, especially not if she got investigated as a result.
She glanced up from the scroll, collecting herself as a plainclothes Investigator wove through the busy floor of the Court of Judicial Review’s main office to approach her open office door.
“Sir,” the Investigator greeted her as he reached the doorway.
Kayla waved him in, recognizing the man.
“Thanks for coming all this way, Investigator Xiu. What’s the matter?” Kayla asked.
“A report, sir,” he said, politely offering a scroll. “It’s sensitive information so we haven’t lodged it yet.”
Kayla’s heart dropped.
Oh no. More serial killer bullshit. That or Xianchun’s up to no good.
Thankfully, it was neither.
“Looks like Lord He and Lord Cui have been busy making new friends, haven’t they?” Kayla asked drily. “Any charges we can bring against them?”
She didn’t wait for an answer. “I guess not. No laws against hosting gatherings, and that’s for the better.”
Even if they had details of the dealings between the capital elites and the local clans in sabotaging the charity institutions, that wasn’t worth anything. Lord He and Lord Cui had been very careful to only fan the flames.
“Keep an eye on the situation for now,” Kayla ordered. “Report to me as things develop.”
“Yes sir!”
She tossed the scroll aside as the Investigator hurried off.
So they’re allying up, huh? Both the capital elites and the Shandong faction were thorny opponents. The former had significant influence among aristocrats, the latter among scholars and on-the-ground bureaucrats. Neither could grind the reforms to a stop alone, but together, that was a different story.
That’s alright. Escalation suits me just fine.
Staying on defense was grating on her patience anyways.
She would need dirt on them–fast. The Bureau was already shorthanded, and moreover, this was something that Yunqi hadn’t agreed to and had no direct connection to immediate security concerns, so she couldn’t rely on them.
Even if I could get away with it for now, who knows when that would come back to bite me? Yunqi trusts me, but not that much. He’s good at making people feel needed, but in reality he’s already thinking of ways to balance the power between me and Qiu Jinwei to prevent either one of us from gaining dominance.
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That was evidently what Yunqi was doing, if the signs were anything to go by. Kayla had barely met with Qiu Jinwei in the month following Yunqi’s coronation, and thus hadn’t interacted with him enough to immediately discern his hostility. But Yunqi had seen Qiu Jinwei daily. Yunqi had known, and even if he hadn’t encouraged it, he hadn’t discouraged it strongly enough to keep Qiu Jinwei from making it obvious.
It’s too early for this, Kayla thought grimly. If Yunqi wants to plan ahead, fine. I’d rather he feel secure in his position than be paranoid and jumping at shadows, I’m more likely to live past middle-age that way. But now? When our opposition is still this strong?
Factionalism within a faction while still in the throes of a fight against another two factions, three if they got unlucky and some other clique decided to join the fray. Emperor Xuanzong would have never let that happen–destroy the enemy first before trying to balance out the power between the victors, instead of leaving such a glaring opening for anyone to take advantage of. Kuang wouldn’t have allowed it either, but both of them had an innate strength of personality or temper that had allowed as much. They knew they could eviscerate anyone who stepped out of line without mercy or hesitation, and that they could easily balance out anyone who grew too powerful by forcibly creating a new star at court. Perhaps, in a twist of irony, Yunqi with his mild temperament needed to rely on discord within the ranks to be confident in his rule.
There was a small pang of pain in her chest as she remembered Emperor Xuanzong. Temperamental and vindictive he had been, but he had also placed far more trust in Kayla than she had rightfully earned.
Whatever Qiu Jinwei wants with me, I doubt Yunqi will let it get too far. He also needs me to balance out Qiu Jinwei–even if I die right here and now, Yunqi doesn’t have anyone to replace me with.
And Kayla would not allow such a person to emerge. That meant she needed to prove effective, starting with Lord Cui and Lord He.
I guess I’ll have to do some digging on my own, Kayla thought grimly. That took money. Which, despite being a Duke and a third-rank official, she didn’t have much of. There was that insane amount of debt the Zhao clan owed to the dynasty from what the Grand Duke siphoned from various government funds–she had gotten some of it back through Lin Yaoguang, but Kuang’s sudden death had halted that. Kayla had managed to trace down some of the Grand Duke’s other money laundering operations, but there was no real way to squeeze the funds from them without using force.
My own men wouldn’t cut it, not for how wide the net is. Which meant she still had to rely on official means. Then, the money just went back to the Treasury as seized criminal proceeds, and didn’t count towards her debt.
Pawning off Ashina’s dowry was unthinkable. For one, that money was Ashina’s. And even if the princess would agree to it, Kayla would refuse. Who knew what would happen in the future? If Kayla fell from power, if she suddenly died, Ashina needed independent funds that couldn’t be touched by anyone else. Not the greedy Zhao clan members. Not the court. Not even the Emperor.
Money. Kayla gritted her teeth. It all boiled down to money and allies. For all her troubles, she didn’t have enough of either to be worth all the toil.
Fuck money laundering, Kayla thought with the vengeance of a frustrated tax agent, I can’t absorb it into the household finances or use it to pay off the debts without triggering an audit. Why the fuck did the Grand Duke set things up like this?
Kayla sighed, tossing aside the reports.
For now, I can focus on the capital elites. Her own retainers could handle that, few in number as they were. She wouldn’t even need to hire extra hands.
But it wasn’t a long-term plan.
That could come later. For now, she could only focus on what was most likely to yield results.
Lord He and Lord Cui are careful and restrained…
What about their kids? Kayla smiled hungrily. She doubted she would find the same restraint.
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Chen Caichun awoke several hours before dawn, her heart pounding in her rib cage. The reports of the riots ran through her mind before any other conscious thought, and grim determination swept over her like a tidal wave.
The worst case scenario had happened.
The localities rejected the charity institutions.
Without leaving any face for the Emperor.
This is one of the worst scenarios we could face, Chen Caichun thought grimly. It now fell to the Emperor to either force the locals to accept and gain the reputation of a tyrant, or to back off and lose face. No small matter for the Emperor, but a much greater disaster for Chen Caichun.
This was her policy. She had researched it, drafted it, presented it at court. Chen Caichun was the first female civil official in centuries, and she didn’t intend her first policy to go down in failure. She wouldn’t be the reason why the Dowager Consorts had to live at the dreary tomb of their dead husband for the rest of their lives. She wouldn’t be the example that future generations used to rebuff the candidacy of a promising woman.
I can’t let things end like this.
She leaped out of bed, heading straight for her desk.
By the time Chen Jian was back from his night shift, she had finished her newest draft.
“Have the riots quieted down?” Chen Caichun asked him.
“From what we’ve seen so far, it’s a one-off thing,” Chen Jian said. “In fact, now that it’s sizzled out, it wouldn’t hurt to try again.”
“No, I won’t fall in the same spot twice,” Chen Ciachun replied. “It’s the local clans at work–if it can happen once, it’ll happen again.”
Her brother frowned. “Will the Emperor employ force then?”
“I don’t intend to let that happen,” Chen Caichun said. She finished rolling up her draft.
“Can you take me to Duke Zhao’s household?”
Chen Jian observed his younger sister’s determined face. She had changed greatly over the last few months, and Chen Jian was as proud as he was worried.
Don’t burn yourself as kindling, he wanted to say, but would that be trampling on her determination? For some, even the right to become kindling was an unattainable dream. He heaved a sigh.
“Sure,” Chen Jian said, putting on the boots he’d only just taken off. “Put on an extra robe, it’s cold in the morning.”
It wasn’t that cold, a rather warm Chen Caichun was soon to find. They arrived at Zhao Wenyuan’s household as the servants were beginning their day’s work. The retainer on the roof, Sun Zhong’e, tensed upon seeing Chen Jian approach, but relaxed and waved upon recognizing them.
“Good morning, Miss Sun,” Chen Caichun said as her brother set her down. “I need to meet with the Duke, if that’s alright.”
“Of course, right this way–I’ll take her from here, thank you,” Sun Zhong’e said to Chen Jian.
“Alright, I’ll be off then,” Chen Jian said.
Sun Zhong’e gently hoisted up Chen Caichun as if holding a young child and jumped off the roof, landing softly before Zhao Wenyuan’s study.
“The Duke’s been up for a little while now, I’ll just have you announced and then you can go right in,” Sun Zhong’e said.
“Thank you.”
After a moment, the study door opened, and Sun Zhong’e departed for the rooftop again.
“Chamberlain Chen, you’re already up so early in the morning?” Zhao Wenyuan greeted her.
“Yes, my lord.”
“Shouldn’t someone at your age be getting more sleep? It’ll affect your growth,” Zhao Wenyuan said.
“I’m already twenty, my lord.” Sometimes Zhao Wenyuan was like a middle-aged man, Chen Caichun noted dryly.
“You can keep growing until you’re twenty-three,” Wenyuan said. “Never mind that, is this about the charity institutions?”
“Yes, my lord.”
“The latest update from the Bureau is that there were definitely instigators, but we can’t arrest them easily since they left the morning after. It’ll take too much money and effort to track them down. This means they have everything in place to make these guys appear and disappear at will, so things aren’t looking too good at the moment. We can either try to wait it out or be proactive, but neither option is ideal. Have you eaten yet?”
“I’m alright, my lord. Please don’t mind me for now. More importantly, I know it’s early, but before the next convening of the court, I wish to submit a proposal to His Majesty!” Chen Caichun said.
“Hmm, it’s almost five, His Majesty should be up by now,” Wenyuan said, glancing at the hourglass on his desk.
“Alright then, let’s go.” He tucked his communication device into his sleeves. “Tell me your plan on the way.”
He stepped outside, waving at a rooftop.
“As it is right now, the localities refuse to host the Dowager Consorts,” Chen Caichun said. “The situation as it is will only hurt us no matter how we choose to engage with it. I think there is a better way. We simply choose new sites. Lather praise upon the new sites and make a few remarks about needing to improve the local education for the old sites, and the matter will be resolved.”
“Oh? I see. Deride the education levels of the localities that refuse…that does tend to work, doesn’t it?” Wenyuan remarked to himself thoughtfully. “The problem is securing new sites.”
“One should be within Prince Chenqian’s fief,” Chen Caichun said. “Even if the Third Princess Consort has withdrawn from the capital, even if the Cao clan refuses to give the Emperor their full support, this is the wish of the Third Princess Consort’s mother-in-law, the Empress Dowager. It is her duty to see it through.”
“She’s only just been widowed a few months,” Wenyuan said.
“As have the Dowager Consorts. Better that they should have each other for support,” Chen Caichun said. “Widows are less fragile than men think, my lord.”
Zhao Wenyuan faltered, then smiled.
“You’re right. I like that idea, but I don’t know how the Emperor will react. You know how close he was with the late Third Prince. And he has a great deal of regrets towards the Cao clan,” Wenyuan said grimly.
“I can speak from a woman’s perspective, I am sure that I can convince him it is for the best,” Chen Caichun said.
“Yes, that you could,” Wenyuan said. “Very well. That’s one site taken care of–even if we don’t really need a charity institution there in the first place, at this point it’s just more important to have one. Any ideas for the others?”
“In the worst scenario, we must have at least that one,” Chen Caichun said. “But for the others, I think they should be in areas where you have influence over local events.”
Wenyuan glanced at her. “Governor Huang’s Shengzhou?”
“It is far to the north, so the journey itself will be a problem, but the clans’ hold there is weak,” Chen Caichun said. “And Governor Huang is a man of duty and honor. He will see to the Dowager Consorts’ safety and success.”
“He’ll have to,” Wenyuan said with certainty. They reached the gates, which opened silently to show a waiting carriage.
Zhao Chao opened the carriage door, bowing slightly as Wenyuan nodded to him. The retainer returned Chen Caichun’s greeting and helped her onto the carriage before shutting the door firmly.
“And the third site?” Wenyuan asked. “The Anbei Protectorate isn’t really a great place to send Dowager Consorts who have lived within the Imperial Palace for so long. I don’t want to make light of their adaptability or determination, but it’s not something they can adjust to so easily.”
“No,” Chen Caichun agreed. “I was thinking a little closer to the capital. What does my lord think about Taiyuan? If I recall correctly, did you not send some of the Investigators who accompanied you North to Taiyuan?”
“Yes, but with what happened to the Wang clan of Taiyuan…” Wenyuan frowned. “The people of Taiyuan might be happy about their fall from power, but I can’t say the same for the aristocrats.”
“But the Governor…Governor Bao, wasn’t it? He’s firmly in your camp,” Chen Caichun pointed out. “With what happened to you on his watch, he must have used up several lives’ worth of fortune to come out of it unscathed. He knows as much. And Taiyuan was one of the first places to completely implement the communication network as well.”
“I have the confidence to guarantee the safety of the Dowager Consorts there, but not that they won’t face hostility,” Wenyuan said.
“I don’t think there’s anywhere in the country where that can be guaranteed,” Chen Caichun said. “After all, this is unprecedented. The Dowager Consorts understand that, and I assure you they have the determination to see it through.”
Wenyuan nodded. “Do you have a proposal ready?”
“Yes,” Chen Caichun said, pulling out a scroll from her sleeve and handing it to Wenyuan.
“Very well written as always,” Wenyuan said, reading it through. “But even if you don’t mention me, I worry that those who notice the majority are in my areas of influence will oppose your proposal.”
“The court can oppose it, but they have no grounds to sustain their rejection,” Chen Caichun said.
A small flicker crossed Wenyuan’s face.
“Does my lord worry about Advisor Qiu opposing it?” Chen Caichun asked.
“Not so much Advisor Qiu, really, but yes,” Wenyuan admitted. “He turned away my gifts. Perhaps he felt that I was insincere in doing so.”
He turned away the Duke’s gifts? Chen Ciachun frowned. Wenyuan was already deliberately lowering his head in a demonstration of respect to Qiu Jinwei by being the one to initiate.
“Did you give them in secret?”
“No.”
Even stranger then. It was a public demonstration of respect, and yet Qiu Jinwei didn’t even have the courtesy to accept.
“Does the Emperor know of this?” Chen Caichun asked in alarm. Qiu Jinwei was escalating without any reason to do so, but was this the advisor’s will or the Emperor‘s? After all, Zhao Wenyuan was raised to his current position by Emperor Xuanzong. A new Emperor wanted for a new court of officials. What if Yunqi wanted a sword polished by his own hand?
No, there’s no point in inciting suspicions between them without due reason to think that’s the case.
But while Zhao Wenyuan had barely met with Qiu Jinwei over the past month until the reforms were hammered out, Yunqi was with the strategist everyday. Was it politics or sentiment that had kept the Emperor from reining Qiu Jinwei in?
“I do not know,” Wenyuan said, in a way that suggested he had an idea. “I haven’t interacted with him much over the past month or so and I never met him in person before that, so I don’t know what he could possibly have against me. I honestly wouldn’t care either if it didn’t impact me.”
“You must find out what Advisor Qiu’s objection to you is,” Chen Caichun said. “You won’t make any progress otherwise.”
“I suppose so,” Wenyuan said. “I only hope that your proposal won’t be affected by this.”
Worries aside, it spoke to Wenyuan’s position in the Emperor’s inner circle that his request for an audience was granted immediately, and that he was able to continue in a carriage all the way to the Inner Palace. He technically had the privilege to ride a horse or a carriage within the Inner Palace as well, but never used it unless necessary. It was a show of modesty, but in truth, it spoke more to Wenyuan’s confidence. Someone less secure in their position would use their privileges at any given opportunity, making sure that it was visible to anyone who cared to see. Wenyuan had no fear of gaining or losing his privileges that anyone could tell, but was that a good thing?
Modesty or arrogance? It was only one question away from the real concern that many held.
A loyal subject or a treacherous conniver?
Chen Caichun could understand Qiu Jinwei’s suspicions even if she didn’t agree with them.
There was something about Wenyuan that left many people ill at ease. Strangely generous to servants and retainers while holding little respect for the three bonds and five constants, grabbing power at every chance without any regard for his reputation, always thinking of the future but not caring about his legacy, that was Zhao Wenyuan. The fact that he was even still a court official was strange enough in and of itself. With almost no exceptions, the descendants of a corrupt official who dominated the court would be eradicated once the official was gone, but the Grand Duke had died at Wenyuan’s hands. And not only had the Zhao clan landed on its feet, Wenyuan had become the new Emperor’s most trusted subject, frustrating those who had hoped for a chance to divide the spoils from the Zhao clan’s fall. From an outsider’s viewpoint, it was almost unnatural.
Stifling her thoughts as Sir Yang approached, she nodded and smiled diplomatically as Wenyuan chatted with the old eunuch all the way to Yunqi’s study.
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Cultural Notes
世代联姻/Marriage alliance for generations: An Ancient Chinese proverb that refers to long-standing marriage arrangements between two families. One of the most famous examples is 秦晋之好/The friendship of Qin and Jin, two pre-Qin kingdoms that were often engaged in marriage alliances. As polygamy was common, it wasn't uncommon to marry one's cousins-in-law without marrying a first or second cousin, keeping the intermarriages relatively diluted in the bloodline. So for example: Generation 1: Fifth son of Family A marries Sixth daughter of Family B. Generation 2: Child of Fourth son of Family A marries child of Third Son of Family B. And so on so forth.
嫡庶/Dishu: The system of inheritance in Ancient China where the children of the wife are considered di, while the children of the concubines are considered shu. For sons, this affected their inheritance, but usually didn't matter so much for girls, even in their dowry sizes.
同姓不能通婚/Those of the same last name could not marry: A traditional marriage taboo in Ancient China since pre-Qin times to avoid inbreeding.
周礼/Zhou rites: The most ancient set of formal rites and etiquette in Ancient China, dating to the Zhou dynasty that preceded the Warring States period in pre-Qin China.
开门见山/Open the door to see the mountain: A Chinese proverb that means to get straight to the point.
心安理得/Calm heart and peace of mind: A Chinese proverb.
奸商/Conniving merchant: A common perception of merchants in Ancient China as unscrupulous. This was a common perception among Confucianists though Confucius himself never expressed such a view and in fact had a student who was a merchant (nor had he ever said anything about widows or female chastity).
Economic views in Ancient China: For the most part, Ancient China was by far an agricultural society. Until around the 6th century, trade did not play a very large role in the economy. It was believed that the economy could not grow faster than the population. Though government interference in the economy is a long-standing reality (the government monopolies on salt and steel in the Han Dynasty), the rich and the powerful were very much against this. In theory, many scholars believed in "righteous wealth", or that wealth should be obtained in a righteous and moral manner, but in reality things were much different.
长平仓/Ever-Normal Granaries: A policy in Ancient China where bumper crop surpluses were stored by the government to be sold in years of bad harvests.
为政以德，譬如北辰，居其所而众星拱之/Govern by virtue, like the Northern Star, the ruler remains in place and others will revolve around him: A quote by Confucius. It has been understood in many different ways, and officials who want more power are eager to interpret it as "the Emperor should do as little as possible and focus on being virtuous", while others interpret it as "a ruler of virtue does not need to bend to other people's wills, but will obtain support simply by acting righteously."
氏族/Clans: Major clans often provided financial support to their members and loans to neighbors and tenant-farmers. Richer members of the clan often supported the educations of children in the clan regardless of degree of relation, producing scholars and officials. As such, it was a private unit of social organization that replaced many functions of modern-day governments. While many wanted to curb the influence of clans, which could severely undercut central authorities of governments, many also argued they were indispensable to society.
权衡/Balancing out power: The most common tactic used by practically every Emperor who wasn't a puppet or utterly useless in Ancient China.
同一个地方摔两次/Fall down in the same spot twice: A Chinese saying, to make the same mistake twice.
二十三猛一窜/Growth spurt at twenty-three: A colloquialism in China. Elders often use it to encourage people in their early twenties to continue eating like teenagers in hope of one final growth spurt, and to comfort teenagers who haven't really grown that much taller. To my disappointment, this was true for everyone in this generation of my family other than me.
安北都护府/Anbei Protectorate: Refers to large swathes of modern-day Inner Mongolia and parts of Mongolia, where Turkic and Tiele tribes lived in semi-autonomy.
太原/Taiyuan: A city in the province of Daizhou, located in modern-day Shanxi (not to be confused with the province of Shaanxi).
送礼/Gift-giving: The concept of "礼尚往来/Gifts and respect goes both ways" was a very important tenant of Ancient Chinese social and international relations. Much of early diplomacy was based on the concept of ritualized gift-giving between two nations. If another country gives the court a gift, the court should return it with a larger gift to demonstrate respect, generosity, and friendship. Between people as well, gift-giving was a sign of respect, hence the term "赔礼道歉/giving a gift and apologizing", showing one's respect by not apologizing empty-handed. There have been many anecdotes of Ancient Chinese scholars, warriors, and officials who have ended up in ties of lifelong loyalty with a lord or a friend after receiving a sincere gift that demonstrated sufficient appreciation of their talents, etc. Unfortunately, bribes are a twisted category within this. If you've watched older C-dramas you might have seen a scene where a man and his wife are diligently rolling hundred-yuan bills into the shape of cigarettes and packing them in a box to give to an official as a "gift" in exchange for a favor of some kind. This type of behavior has since seen a major crackdown, but in the past, it wasn't that uncommon that if a bureaucrat insisted that you came in person to ask a question you could ask over the phone, that meant that if you showed up with a gift, the answer might be in your favor.
一朝天子一朝臣/One Emperor one court of officials: Refers to the phenomenon of Emperors preferring to have officials of their "own", aka people who were promoted by their own hand rather than people left behind by their fathers. Part of this is because of respect for seniority common in agricultural societies where accumulated wisdom is highly important for community survival, so a young Emperor might end up browbeat by old officials who have long decades of experience. On the other hand, someone who was not prominent before would be indebted to the new Emperor.
患得患失/Fear of gaining fear of losing: An Ancient Chinese proverb. Here, the fear of gaining refers to constant worries about how much you get, not about the increase itself. This proverb refers to a nervous attitude that someone holds towards power, money, or benefits that they desperately want to keep and to have more of, but in fact increases their likelihood of losing everything through making poor decisions out of fear.
忠臣还是奸臣/Loyal subject or treacherous conniver: So the latter part can actually be translated as "treacherous official". The two foils of the loyal and treacherous subject are a long-standing theme in many historical narratives.
三纲五常/Three bonds and five constants: Refers to the Confucian moral and political values. That is, the three bonds between father and son, lord and retainer, and husband and wife; the five constants/virtues of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness.
权臣之后/Descendants of a corrupt official who dominated the court: Rarely does the family of a dominant and corrupt official escape the fate of having their assets seized and their members exiled if not outright executed after the death of said official. This is done not only to remedy the economic damage done to the nation by that official, but also to crush any lingering political influence the official's allies and lackeys hold at court.