Character Index

Zhao Household

Kayla

A young woman stuck in a minimum wage job who gets transmigrated into the body of Zhao Wenyuan.

Zhao Wenyuan/赵文远

A 25-year-old young man, son of the Imperial Princess (Emperor's younger sister) and grandson of Grand Duke Zhao. He serves as the Left Secretariat of Justice in the Imperial Court (吏部左侍郎）

Chujiao

Wenyuan's childhood friend and personal serving girl. Her name means "Beauty from the region of Chu", and her original name is Jing Shuyou "景淑尤", meaning "very beautiful and kind". The name Shuyou originates from the works of a famous Chu region poet.

Grand Duke Zhao/赵侯爷

Wenyuan's paternal grandfather and the Central Secretariat/尚书令 of the Department of State Affairs/尚书. He is the older brother of the current Emperor's paternal grandmother, i.e., the older brother of the deceased Great Grand Empress Dowager, and also the most powerful man in court. He was adopted as a son and heir by the former head of the household, his paternal uncle, who did not have any sons himself. While he is legally and socially considered the Great Grand Empress Dowager's older brother, he is in fact her cousin.

Housekeeper Wang

The housekeeper of the Grand Duke's household (manages the Outer and Inner Quarters) and the Grand Duke's most loyal and reliable servant.

Matron Li

A high-ranking female servant who manages the Inner Quarters of the Grand Duke's household.

Qu Boyong

A young guard who is assigned to Wenyuan.

Imperial Family

Emperor Yin/Zhou Yin/周胤

The current Emperor, Wenyuan's maternal uncle. His name means "successor of the forefathers",

Empress Dowager

The mother of the current Emperor and the late Imperial Princess, and the previous Emperor's most favored wife. She was instrumental in the coronation of her son, and dotes on her only maternal grandson Wenyuan.

Seventh Prince/Zhou Xianchun/周显淳

The main character of the novel Kayla transmigrated into and the man who killed Wenyuan in the original timeline. His name means "to show pureness and honesty".

Third Prince/Zhou Kuang/周匡

Xianchun's main political rival, the Emperor's most favored son. His name means "to correct or rectify".

Fifth Prince/Zhou Yunqi/周昀祺

The fifth prince, the characters of his name mean "sunlight" and "luckiness", stemming from the good weather on the day of his birth.

Wise Consort/贤妃

The mother of Yunqi, the Fifth Prince. She is in poor health after experiencing a tragic life event, after her father was executed and her family banished from the capital. Her family was a politically powerful clan, though their influence had declined with the rise of Grand Duke Zhao.

Noble Consort/贵妃

The mother of Kuang, the Third Prince. She hails from an illustrious clan of generals.

Consort Chen

The mother of Xianchun, the Seventh Prince. She was a commoner and died in Xianchun's childhood.

Consort Liang

One of Xianchun's love interests in the original timeline, is married to the current Emperor. She is from the illustrious Liang clan and is known for her beauty and kindness.

Consort Zhao

Wenyuan's aunt and the Grand Duke's niece. She is one of the Emperor's concubines.

Consort Liu

Liu Hongyu's daughter and one of the Emperor's concubines. She had a daughter who did not survive infancy.

Emperor Gaozong

The grandfather of Zhou Yin, the current Emperor. Great-grandfather of Kuang, Yunqi, Xianchun, and Wenyuan. He rose to power after his older brother, who was the Crown Prince, was deposed.

Sir Zheng

A eunuch who issued the Imperial Decree for Kayla, important in the original timeline but has yet to do anything significant.

Cao Shuyi/Third Prince Consort/三王妃

The wife of the Third Prince Zhou Kuang and mother of his son. She hails from the Cao family, a clan of scholars and doctors that has relatively few high-ranking officials in court

Former First Prince

Son of the former Empress, and the heir apparent due to both age and the rank of his mother until he was demoted to the rank of commoner and exiled from the capital. His wife and children were also exiled with him and his in-laws were also removed from positions of political influence. He is no longer allowed to use the surname Zhou.

Former Second Prince

Second son of the former Empress, demoted to the rank of commoner and exiled from the capital along with his older brother. Like the former First Prince's family, his in-laws and his wife suffered similar fates.

Former Fourth Prince/Zhou Zhen/周贞

An upright young man who was completely unsuited for politics, he died of illness after being adopted out from the Imperial Family (aka removed from the family tree) to the family of Archduke Qi. His name Zhen has several meanings, but is often used to describe someone as "pure/upright/honest".

Sixth Prince/Zhou Shu/周曙

Sixth Prince of the Imperial Family, passed away after a horseriding accident. His name "Shu" means "light of the rising sun" and can also signify the arrival of good things or the transition to harmonious and fortuitous circumstances.

Archduke Qi/齐王

Younger half-brother of the current Emperor Zhou Yin, he served as a teacher to the Princes before being forced to leave the capital.

Former Empress/Empress Gongsun/公孙皇后

The former Empress who was deposed after constant conflicts between the Emperor and her family, the Gongsun clan. She committed suicide soon after being deposed.

Retainers of the Imperial Family (Excluding members of the Three Departments and Six Ministries)

Yu Bianfu

A female general who served in the Imperial Guards at the Empress Dowager's side, Xianchun's childhood friend and arm in the military.

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Liu Boyue

Xianchun's childhood friend and right-hand man, his primary strategist and confidant.

Qiu Jinwei

Yunqi's strategist, a brilliant man with his fair share of eccentricities.

Li Que

A member of the Imperial Investigator Bureau, he is a high-ranking investigator who answers directly to the Emperor.

Tabuyir

A member of the Imperial Investigator Bureau, a high-ranking investigator who answers directly to the Emperor. He comes from a steppe tribe in the Northwest.

Lord Liang

Head of the Liang clan and originally a scholar in the Hanlin Academy. He sides with Xianchun, and was appointed as the new Minister of Justice following Xie Yunan's removal.

Chen Jian

A young Imperial Investigator who is mentored by Li Que.

An Haoyang

A young Imperial Investigator who has loyalties outside of the Bureau.

Imperial Court

Secretariat Director Liu Hongyu

The Secretariat Director/中书令, head of the Secretariat Department/中书, and the Grand Duke's ally. He is the father of Consort Liu, one of the Emperor's many concubines.

Chancellery Director He Shirang

Chancellery Director/门下侍郎 of the Chancellery Department/门下省, not the brightest tool in the box.

Minister Jun Shao

Minister of Personnel/吏部尚书, head of the Ministry of Personnel/吏部. Xianchun's ally.

Minister Dong Shiqing

Minister of Revenue/户部尚书, head of the Ministry of Revenue/户部. Ally of the Grand Duke.

Minister Liu Xiu

Minister of Rites/礼部尚书, head of the Ministry of Rites/礼部. He is the Grand Duke's nephew-in-law and Liu Hongyu's nephew.

Minister Zhao Wei

Minister of War/兵部尚书, head of the Ministry of War/兵部. He is the Grand Duke's distant relative

Minister Xie Yunan

Minister of Justice/刑部尚书, head of the Ministry of Justice/刑部, the Grand Duke's ally.

Minister Hu Weizhi

Minister of Works/工部侍郎, head of the Ministry of Works/工部. A neutral man with little presence in court.

Ge Renqian

Right Secretariat of Justice/刑部右侍郎, loyal to the Grand Duke.

Jia Fu

A lower-ranking official in the Ministry of Justice and Wenyuan's "assistant", acts as the Grand Duke's eyes and ears in the Ministry of Justice.

Director Ke

Director of Ministry Affairs/刑部司郎中, one of the directors of the bureaus within the Ministry responsible for the administration of the law.

Director Jiang

Director of Ministry Expenditures/刑部比部郎中, one of the directors of the bureaus within the Ministry.

Zhang Dingyong/张定勇

The new Right Secretariat of Justice, Kuang's subordinate.

Sun Ruhui/孙如晦

Formerly the County Magistrate/县尉 (position similar to County Sheriff) of Rongcheng County, now serving as a Chamberlain in the Court of Judicial Review.

Eastern Turkish Khaganate

Chuluo Khagan

Current ruler/Khagan of the Eastern Turkish Khaganate. He was the youngest son of the previous Khagan and named as the successor, but his older brother rebelled against him. Chuluo was forced to seek aid from the Wu Dynasty, receiving military support from Emperor Gaozong. Unwilling to act as a puppet ruler, relations soured between the two kingdoms after Chuluo's reinstatement as ruler, eventually resulting in an uneasy peace.

Other Characters

Yue Wuxuan

Governor of Anling county, he was executed for treasonous statements after being framed by the Grand Duke's faction. He had attempted to uncover evidence of the Grand Duke's corruption.

Lady Yue

Yue Wuxuan's wife, a descendant of the Great General Liang Anguo, who was wrongfully executed after being framed. She and her daughter were spared from death when her husband was executed and welcomed to the capital as members of the Liang clan.

Liang Anguo

Great General of the West, a deceased general who was framed and executed. He is the grandfather of Lord Liang and Lady Yue.

Chen Caichun

The younger sister of Imperial Investigator Chen Jian, she is a brilliant young woman who worked as a scribe until becoming a Ministerial Case Reviewer in the Court of Judicial Review, serving as an eighth-rank official.

Glossary

Government Structures

Three Departments/Six Ministries: A governance system used in several dynasties where the Imperial Court is governed under a hierarchy with the Emperor at the top, the Three Departments under him, and the Six Ministries beneath, with further divisions within departments and localities.

Department of State Affairs/尚书: Primary executive institution of the court and one of the Three Departments. The Department of State Affairs is the highest-ranked of the Three Departments.

Secretariat Department/中书: Policy formulating agency of the court, one of the Three Departments, ranked below the Department of State Affairs.

Chancellery/门下省: Advisory and review agency for the Emperor and the Secretariat Department, one of the Three Departments, but also the least important one.

Ministry of Personnel/吏部: Equivalent of the Human Resources department of the Imperial Court as well as officials throughout the country, one of the Six Ministries.

Ministry of Revenue/户部: Responsible for government revenue, population census, land census, and collection of taxes. One of the Six Ministries.

Ministry of Rites/礼部: Responsible for religious ceremonies and ritual offerings of the Imperial court, registration and supervision of priests within China, management of the Imperial Examinations, and foreign relations. One of the Six Ministries.

Ministry of War/兵部: Controlled the appointments/demotions of military officials, maintenance of military material, and administrated the courier network (the last part varied by dynasty, but applies for this setting). One of the Six Ministries.

Ministry of Justice/刑部: In charge of judicial, investigative, and penal processes. Also in charge of arresting criminals. One of the Six Ministries.

Ministry of Public Works/工部: In charge of public infrastructure, the management of public and private farming land, maintenance of city walls, irrigation and flood prevention, etc. One of the Six Ministries.

Hanlin Academy/翰林院: An advisory, academic, and administrative institution that functioned similarly to a think tank, university, or research institute. Composed of elite scholars who completed secretarial or literary tasks for the court, one of their primary duties was the interpretation of the Chinese classics/canonical texts, which was what aspiring officials were tested on in the Imperial Examination. Also drafted secret edicts for the Emperor/served as personal secretaries for the Emperor.

Imperial Investigation Bureau: Unlike the previous institutions listed that actually existed, this is a fictional amalgamation of multiple investigative agencies that answered directly to the Emperor through the Sui, Tang, and Song Dynasties, but approximately corresponds to the 御史台/Censorate, a high-level supervisory agency that served as the Emperor's eyes and ears and checked administrators at every level of government. The Censorate had to move constantly to complete their jobs, but they didn't have to wear masks, I just liked that concept.

Court of Judicial Review/大理寺: The institution for oversight, judicial investigation, and review of judicial cases in Ancient China. This often operated in conjunction (and sometimes in competition) with the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate (corresponds to the Imperial Investigation Bureau but with less tree-jumping and cool masks). Approximately corresponds to the highest court/Supreme Court today, has existed since the Qin dynasty in various forms and was sometimes dissembled but mostly retained its original form and function until the Republic of China era.

Government Officials

Note: There are way too many, so I will only add the ones that become relevant as we go. Same for the Government Structures, I'm leaving out many institutions/agencies that aren't relevant yet.

Official Ranks/官品:Officials were split into 9 ranks, with First Rank/一品 officials as the highest, and Ninth Rank/九品 as the lowest. In the Tang Dynasty, officials were distinguishable by their robes. First to Third Rank officials wore varying shades of purple, 4th to 5th rank wearing red robes, and 6th rank and below wearing varying shades of green.

Central Secretariat/尚书令: The head of the Department of State Affairs, a very powerful and prestigious position to the point that it was often left empty during the Tang Dynasty due to fear of putting so much power in someone's hands, currently filled by the Grand Duke.

Secretariat Director/中书令: The head of the Secretariat Department, often worked closely with the Emperor.

Director of the Chancellery/门下侍郎: Head of the Chancellery.

Minister/尚书: Head of one of the Six Ministries.

Left and Right Secretaries/左右侍郎: Basically the two Vice-Ministers of each Ministry.

Bureau Director/郎中: The heads of the bureaus under each Ministry.

Imperial Guards/禁军: They're called Imperial Guards, but they're basically the personal army of the Emperor that answers directly to him, responsible for protecting the Emperor and Imperial family's safety.