Note: A lot of information is being dropped in the next two chapters before Kayla faces a major crisis in the new arc.

---

Kuang traced the border on the map with his finger, lifting his head as Yunqi entered the room.

“There you are,” Kuang said affectionately, waving for his younger brother to join him.

“Brother,” Yunqi said mildly, nodding at the scrolls piled haphazardly in the study. “Sister-in-law’s going to nag at you again if you mess up the study like this.”

“Let her, I like it when she nags,” Kuang replied. Yunqi shook his head slightly.

“I won’t pretend to understand. How did things go with Father?” Yunqi asked.

Kuang let out a soft sigh.

“It went pretty well, but you might need to postpone your return to court a little longer,” Kuang said regretfully. “I’m sorry to have you make concessions to achieve another’s purpose, but I promise to make it up to you tenfold.”

“Don’t worry about it, brother. It might be for the best at the moment. Things are messy enough even if I don’t partake in politics,” Yunqi replied.

Kuang shook his head, reaching out to pat Yunqi on the shoulder.

“You’ve always been someone who looks at the bigger picture, so I feel especially bad for always relying on you to do so,” Kuang said.

“I’m happy to be relied on,” Yunqi patted Kuang’s hand. “Stop worrying and tell me how things went already.”

Kuang chuckled at Yunqi’s reaction, sitting down at his desk and gesturing at the map spread out before them.

”We’ve reached an agreement with the Eastern Turkish Khaganate again, but the peace is still unstable. Father also agrees that we need to make a decision at this point, whether to cement our relations with the Eastern Turkish Khaganate or to form an alliance with the Toquz-Oghuz Khaganate,” Kuang said. “He was receptive to the idea of a political marriage, but there’s still the problem of who should enter the marriage.”

“But with which one?” Yunqi asked.

“Father’s leaning towards the Eastern Turkish Khaganate, I think it’s a good idea. Our strengths are more-or-less matched right now. If we enter a full-on war with them, both sides will lose and suffer. A chance at victory isn’t worth reducing our people’s lives to ashes,” Kuang said thoughtfully.

“Since the Toquz-Oghuz isn’t on good terms with the Eastern Turkish Khaganate, they would probably take a political marriage as a provocation then,” Yunqi murmured. “Well then, would one of our cousins suffice or will they be sending a princess?”

Kuang let out a short sigh. His three older sisters were already married with children, residing in the provinces with their husbands, and of his four younger sisters, the Fourth and Fifth Princesses didn’t make it to adulthood and the Sixth Princess suffered from chronic illness, while the Seventh Princess was still far too young to marry. Luckily, several of the Archdukes had daughters of marriageable age, though a few of them were already married or engaged.

“One is too weak and one is too young, no one can fault us for not sending one of our own. I recommended Archduke Wei’s daughter, she’s well-learned and has a resilient personality. She’s the type to do well even if she marries into a foreign land alone,” Kuang said.

“Chengxia’s not easy to push around,” Yunqi commented mildly. “She kicked Xianchun into the pond once when we were kids, may the heavens help us if she does the same with her new husband.”

“I’m sure he’ll be a better man for it. In either case, our father also agrees on sending Chengxia. The problem is who among us should take a wife. Since they’re also willing to send over a princess or the daughter of an Archduke, I recommended Xianchun and Wenyuan,” Kuang continued. “Of course, Father immediately rejected Xianchun. He brought up your name as well.”

“Probably a test,” Yunqi said, frowning with annoyance.

“Of course, I refused it on your behalf,” Kuang said lightly.

If it was a political marriage, there was no way the Khaganate’s princess would marry as a concubine. Kuang already had a wife, and that still left two unmarried princes. But a political marriage with the Khaganate wasn't just a matter of matrimony and domestic life, but it also represented military and political ties with the Khagan, a potent tool that couldn’t be carelessly coveted.

Kuang already had support in the military from his mother’s family, and his popularity among the soldiers and officers had further grown after his most recent success at the border. If Yunqi were to enter the political marriage, the Third Prince’s faction would have grown too strong for the Emperor to rest easy at night. Though Kuang had recommended Xianchun, he also knew the Emperor wouldn’t be willing to place such a tool into the hands of his youngest son. After all, Xianchun’s ambitions were just as strong as Kuang’s, and came with a much sharper edge.

That only left Wenyuan, the only one of the Emperor’s nephews who survived to adulthood. Even if he was related to the Emperor from his mother’s side, his status and bloodline were more than good enough to grant him eligibility. If he were further given a title of his own in addition to the position of Grand Duke he was set to inherit, he would be a perfect fit even in the eyes of those with more stringent standards.

“I have my doubts about leaving it to Wenyuan, but I suppose there isn’t a better choice,” Yunqi sighed. “At least it’ll be in neutral hands.”

“Father hasn’t made a final decision yet. But if this ends up going through, we’ll have at least a decade or two of peace,” Kuang said. “We can only properly reorganize the military if the northwest is stable.”

Yunqi nodded. “Let’s hope for the best then.”

---

Kayla winced slightly, staring at the pile of paperwork on her desk with a small amount of despair. Wenyuan hadn’t actually done much paperwork himself while serving as Left Secretariat, and the amount of paperwork Kayla had to deal with in the Investigation Bureau seemed like a drop in the ocean compared to what she was responsible for now.

Why the hell do people want to be Ministers? To deal with all this?!

There’ll be much less once you get through the first few days, Wenyuan hastily comforted her. Once the secretaries are also familiarized with the forms, you’ll be more or less off the hook.

The Emperor had only announced the reinstatement of the Court of Judicial Review in the morning, but there was literally a wall of paperwork on Kayla’s desk almost immediately. Most of it was just signing off on staffing choices, but also no small amount of work to request the sharing of evidence from the Ministry of Justice and the Imperial Investigator’s Bureau.

Kayla barely glanced up as someone approached her desk.

“Excuse me, Minister.”

Kayla glanced up at Ma Kaijie, one of her two Vice-Ministers. She was still trying to match names to faces but had settled for remembering the core staff for now.

“What is it, Vice-Minister Ma?” Kayla asked with a polite smile. Her smile fell away at the stack of scrolls in Ma Kaijie’s arms.

“I apologize for disturbing you while you’re busy, but these are the documents for the cooperation between the Imperial Investigator’s Bureau and the Court of Judicial Affairs,” Ma Kaijie said, sounding a little apologetic as he glanced at the scrolls already piled on her desk.

“Thank you, please set them down here,” Kayla gestured at her desk, sighing after realizing there wasn’t any empty space. She awkwardly pushed some of the scrolls into a pile, trying to ignore the dangerous teetering of the larger pile next to it.

“I’ll call over one of the secretaries to process the documents,” Ma Kaijie said sympathetically, glancing at the piles with a small amount of apprehension.

“Please do so, thank you. Oh, and Vice-Minister? From your experience, how long do you reckon it’ll take us to be ready to take on the first case? I’m aiming for us to start within three days,” Kayla asked. Ma Kaijie hesitated for a moment before nodding.

“I’m sure we can do that if everyone picks up the pace. I’ll let the others know,” he replied.

“I hope it won’t be too much of a burden?” Kayla said hesitantly, glancing out of her open office door at the hectic scene outside.

“Please don’t say it like that, Minister. If the leader is enthusiastic, the people beneath will be affected as well. I’ll make sure that everything will be in order for us to start the first investigation soon,” Ma Kaijie replied.

“Thank you, Vice-Minister. It’s alright if our own guard forces aren’t completely in order yet, since we’ll be cooperating with the Imperial Investigation Bureau. I believe they already have some evidence,” Kayla said. In fact, they already had all the evidence and most of the core staff likely understood that as well, but it remained a tacit understanding.

“As you wish, Minister.” Ma Kaijie bowed his head slightly and left the room. Kayla sighed deeply, turning her attention back to the scrolls. Engrossed in the paperwork, Kayla barely noticed as someone stepped into the room.

“Excuse me, Minister,” Caichun called to her. Kayla smiled at the young woman.

“Case Reviewer Chen,” Kayla greeted her.

“Please pardon my interruption at a busy time, but the Third Prince has sent a congratulatory gift over to the Ministry and extended an invitation to share a drink with you tonight,” Caichun said.

“I’ll send a thank you gift in return, but I doubt I’ll be able to make it tonight. I suppose I should draft a letter,” Kayla replied after a moment of thought. Her priority at the moment was kicking off the investigations for the Emperor and Empress Dowager, she could always go pay her respects to the Third Prince after things slowed down a bit. Zhou Kuang hadn’t been a petty person in the novel, and Kayla doubted he would mind her declining an invitation at such a busy time. Caichun hesitated for a second before stepping closer and lowering her voice.

“Apologies for my rudeness, Minister. But I believe you should go,” Caichun said in a soft voice.

Kayla glanced at her in surprise. “May I ask why?”

Caichun bowed her head slightly, stepping back to close the office door before approaching Kayla again. “Because the military merit the Third Prince achieved is more than it seems on the surface, and your goals are currently aligned, sp it’s best not to refuse to give him face at a time like this.”

At Kayla’s look of incomprehension, Caichun continued. “Minister, do you know why the Emperor sent the Third Prince instead of allowing one of the Generals to take care of it?”

“I think so. Most of the generals stationed in the Northwest have already accumulated a lot of military merit and popularity among their men. If they solved this crisis as well, they would pose a threat to the Emperor. But if a general was sent from another region, the soldiers would be furious. Since the Third Prince comes from a military family and has high popularity, he could be sent to resolve the issue without giving anyone reasons to complain,” Kayla said. She glanced at Caichun. “But since you asked, I’m guessing it’s not that simple.”

“That’s right, sir. I’ll speak plainly, but the thing is, the Emperor was using this as a chance to start reducing the power of the clans. Both the current attack on the Grand Duke’s faction and the Third Prince being sent to the border are only extensions of this,” Caichun explained. “The more that prominent clans continuously produce high-ranking civil and military officials, the more power and resources become concentrated in their hands. This then enables them to continue investing resources into clan members, and the current situation today is the result.”

Kayla frowned slightly. “I get what you’re saying, but reducing the power of the clans nationwide? Central administration isn’t strong enough to prosper without them.”

The limitations to communication and transportation made it so that relying on familial structures was the most reasonable form of social organization, especially when it came to developing trade and various industries. Powerful clans provided a highly-efficient way for families to amass and pool resources, but civil law had nominal control over a clan’s internal affairs and officials had a vested interest in benefiting their own clans. The Zhao clan was one of the most prominent in the court and the military, but they were really only a tree in the forest, albeit a taller one.

Reducing their power, isn’t that just asking for a fight? Wenyuan, did you ever hear anything about this?

No? Where would I hear about any of this from?

Right. Kayla turned her attention back to Caichun.

“The government is strong enough to prosper without them if we could properly utilize magic,” Caichun replied. “If magic resources were effectively distributed, the state could expand the bureaucracy far beyond what we have now. But the problem right now is that powerful clans monopolize magic resources at every level of government.”

“And thus they’re more capable of producing officials,” Kayla finished the sentence. “So it’s a deadlocked cycle.”

“That’s right, Minister. Most officials don’t think of this as a problem, since they themselves benefit greatly. But as the clans continue to amass both military and political power, we’ve reached the point where the Emperor feels threatened,” Caichun said.

Kayla nodded slowly. “I see. So more than rooting out corruption, the investigations are about seizing the resources that the clans have amassed. The Emperor’s trimming the fat off the clans and I’m meant to be the knife." She paused for a moment, furrowing her brow. "I can’t believe I never knew any of this before.”

“Please don’t take it to heart, sir. Forgive my impudence, but most people in the court or in the military don’t realize where this is going, or both your appointment and the Third Prince’s involvement with the border crisis wouldn’t have been accepted with so little opposition by the court,” Caichun said.

The young woman gestured around Kayla’s new office. “Most people view your appointment as the Emperor having a spat with the Grand Duke, and while that may affect them negatively to some degree, it also clears a spot at the top. People all the way down the chain are expectant for a chance to move upwards and take the power the Grand Duke currently holds. Similarly, with the Third Prince, most people only think of it as preventing the Northwestern generals from gaining more power and overlook the fact that the Imperial family is taking back military command from the clans.”

“So the Third Prince and I serve as means to the same end. But what does that make the Seventh Prince?” Kayla asked.

“The Seventh Prince is a vocal advocate against the concentration of power and resources in the hands of the clans, but also the person who can do the least about it. He’s the obvious target for the clans, but he’s really just the distraction,” Caichun said. “Though I definitely don’t recommend saying that to his face.”

Kayla shook her head. Does that even make sense? Xianchun won in the end, or at least he did in the novel. Did things change this much?

“But then the succession…” Kayla trailed off questioningly.

“Being the distraction isn’t an impediment, neither is being the knife. For you as well, Minister, this is a thorny path but the shortest one to an illustrious title and position,” Caichun said.

Kayla couldn’t help but let out a chuckle. “I really dug out a treasure with you, you’re amazing,” Kayla complimented Caichun. The young woman blushed slightly and bowed her head.

“Not at all, Minister. It’s just that people like us have a lot to worry about and little to assuage us, I can’t help but keep an eye out for these things,” Caichun said modestly. “After all, my brother and I are in the capital without our family. If we don’t know what might happen, we can’t prepare to protect ourselves.”

“That’s true enough, the less you have to fall back on, the more you have to worry about. But still, plenty of people worry about the country’s future, but few of them can match up to your level,” Kayla said, genuinely impressed. When Kayla was nineteen, she could barely pass her midterms, and here was Caichun, blowing her out of the water. “You’re going to go far.”

“Thank you, Minister. That’s very kind of you,” Caichun replied.

Kayla hesitated for a moment before finalizing her decision.

“Please tell the Third Prince’s messenger I’ll join him after work hours.”

“Understood, I’ll do that right away.” Caichun bowed her head slightly before leaving the room, keeping the office door open behind her.

Along in the office again, Kayla scooted lower in her seat so that she was blocked from sight by the pile of scrolls on her desk and let out a sigh.

The waters are even deeper than I expected at first…but how can the Grand Duke not notice something that a nineteen-year-old can?

A nineteen-year-old genius, Wenyaun reminded her. Grandfather has plenty of clever and crafty people in his service, but he didn’t exactly light upon any prodigies like Caichun.

Liu Boyue’s also supposed to be a genius strategist. Even if he doesn’t realize it right away, surely he’ll realize it shortly. Do you think he would risk jeopardizing things for Xianchun’s sake?

Heavens help us if he does, but even if he wants to, what can he do in the face of Uncle’s authority?

Kayla mulled it over for a moment. Remember that eunuch who came to give us a decree before? Sir Zheng, was it? Isn’t he on Xianchun’s side?

He’s not particularly special among the eunuchs who serve Uncle, what can he do?

Not having an answer to that, Kayla shook her head and sighed again. After a moment of staring blankly into the distance, she turned her attention back to her paperwork.

---

Ji Yantao winced, scratching his head as he reread the message.

“What a mess,” he muttered, letting out a deep sigh.

“What is it, father?”

Ji Yantao hastily hid the letter as his daughter Ji Fangluo opened the door.

“Nothing,” he quickly replied. Fangluo gave him a suspicious stare.

“The letter said…nothing?” Fangluo asked.

“Er, um,” Yantao fumbled for words. “It-it wasn’t anything important.”

“Father, you’re acting strangely,” Fangluo said. She approached Yantao, who furtively glanced away. “Who was it from?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Yantao said. “In any case, you should be resting instead of coming over so often. You’re already six months pregnant, just stay at your husband’s house, I can handle the housework alone.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, I’m more hardy than you think. In any case, there’s no one else to take care of you. So who sent the letter?”

Yantao scrunched his face up. “You’re so stubborn, can’t you just go along with me and change the topic?”

“No,” Fangluo shot back. “Father, if you don’t want to tell me, just let me read the letter.”

Yantao vehemently shook his head. Fangluo’s eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“It's that brat again, isn’t it?” Fangluo asked.

“You can’t call him that,” Yantao protested, before hastily realizing his mistake. “No, I mean, no, it’s not him.”

“Then it must be that servant of his,” Fangluo said, closing the distance between them to pull the letter from where it was badly hidden in her father’s sleeve.

“Fangluo!” Yantao let out a yelp as his daughter quickly stepped away, reading the letter with a displeased look on her face. “Wait, Fangluo, don’t get too angry, it’s not good for the child, he’ll come out with a temper worse than yours!”

“I knew it, it’s from An Haoyang and his master. That brat doesn’t intend to let you live peacefully even though you’re almost sixty!” Fangluo snapped. “The capital’s such a mess right now, even those powerful officials are getting dragged off their perches and he wants you to go at this kind of time?”

“I don’t want to go, but I feel bad,” Yantao said feebly. “He is my master’s son, and he’s so young. It doesn’t feel right to let that kid fight the battle alone.”

“This is ridiculous,” Fangluo muttered. “How can they ask this of my poor and delicate father who’s too weak to even withstand a gust of wind?”

“That’s too exaggerated,” Yantao protested. “But I won’t pretend that I’m prepared for this. I’m worried that I’ll leave without being able to return.”

Fangluo breathed in deeply, before patting her father on the shoulder. “You can’t refuse, father. If we help them, we likely won’t be rewarded even if they succeed. But if we don’t help them, we’re sure to face retribution. You know how these nobles are, if they’ve so much as shown a single bit of decency towards you, they think you should be obligated to throw your life away for their sake. They never cared about how their mess got my mother killed, but the second you don’t immediately answer their beck and call, they’ll suddenly start talking about honor and loyalty.”

“You’re right, but you shouldn’t speak so bitterly,” Yantao said, wrapping his fingers around his daughter’s hand. “Your kids are going to be poison-tongued at this rate. But you’re right, I can’t refuse this.”

“I know you’re scared, father. But you shouldn’t be. Didn’t the fortuneteller say that I’m more capable than ten men put together? I’ll go with you.”

“Absolutely not!” Yantao gave her an outraged look. “What about your husband and children? And you’re pregnant! What kind of father would I be if I let you go with me?”

“Mother always said that you were gentle and kindhearted like a piece of jade that needed to be cherished,” Fangluo objected. “I promised her I would protect you!”

“I-who uses that proverb to describe a man?” Yantao said indigantly. “Your father isn’t particularly strong or brave, but he’s not cowardly enough to have his pregnant daughter follow him into certain danger. You’re not going, and that’s final!”

Fangluo let out a sharp sigh. “Fine, you stubborn old man. But listen-I’ll get my husband to procure us some communication talismans, so bring them with you. The second you’re in trouble, let us know immediately. I’ll send my husband to help you or get his friends near the capital to come to your aid. I won’t go anywhere, happy?”

Yantao smiled. “That’s much better! As long as I know you’re safe, I’ll be able to put my heart at ease.”

Fangluo gave him a forced smile in return. “That’s great, father. I'll go and prepare.”

---

Housekeeper Wang scurried down the hallway, pausing to knock on the door of the Grand Duke’s study.

“What is it?”

“It’s your humble servant,” Housekeeper Wang called out. “It’s about the one in the storage room.”

“Come in.”

Housekeeper Wang stepped into the room and bowed slightly, closing the door firmly shut behind him. “My lord, Li Sanjin caved in,” he said gleefully, passing a scroll to the Grand Duke.

The Grand Duke unscrolled it expressionlessly. “About time. It’s been two days, get rid of the body before it rots in there.”

“As you wish, my lord,” Housekeeper Wang said, bowing before he turned to leave.

“Wait.”

Housekeeper Wang quickly turned back, flinching at the annoyance in his master’s voice.

“What is the matter, my lord?”

The Grand Duke furrowed his brow, angrily tossing the scroll aside.

“This is not what we need,” the Grand Duke snarled. “Take me to him.”

Housekeeper Wang gulped nervously, instantly realizing his mistake. “As you wish, my lord.”

The two made their way down the hallways, Housekeeper Wang opening the passageway leading to the underground cellar where Li Sanjin and the corpse of Li Da were being kept.

He opened the door to the room where Li Sanjin was kept, nodding to the guards as they opened the door for him. Housekeeper Wang immediately wrinkled his nose at the stench inside the room, but the Grand Duke stepped inside, looking completely unbothered.

“You,” Li Sanjin said hoarsely, shrinking back at the sight of the Grand Duke.

The Grand Duke tossed the testimony at Li Sanjin with a condescending flick of his hand.

“What is this meant to be?” The Grand Duke asked coldly.

“I provided false testimony, isn’t this what you wanted to hear?” Li Sanjin asked with a note of anger in his voice.

“So you admit it,” the Grand Duke said.

“I’ll admit it,” Li Sanjin replied in a quivering voice. “So please spare the rest of my family.”

“That depends on what you have to say,” the Grand Duke replied. Li Sanjin’s head snapped up as he looked at the Grand Duke in fear.

“What? But I-”

“At whose behest did you provide a false testimony?” The Grand Duke asked.

“It's just as I said in the statement, on the orders of the Empre-” Li Sanjin was cut off as Housekeeper Wang slapped him in the face. Li Sanjin whimpered, shrinking back away from them.

“Wrong answer,” the Grand Duke said. “Try again. At whose behest did you provide false testimony?”

Li Sanjin stared at the Grand Duke with a look of pure confusion before hastily trying again.

“The Seventh Prince?” Li Sanjin flinched as Housekeeper Wang raised his hand again.

“The Third Prince!” Li Sanjin changed his answer. He was rewarded with another slap, which only deepened his confusion.

“The-the Imperial Investigators?” Li Sanjin tried again.

“Think again,” the Grand Duke said. Li Sanjin glanced at him fearfully before a look of realization flashed across his face.

“At-at the behest of the Left Secretariat of Justice,” Li Sanjin said shakily. “On the orders of Zhao Wenyuan.”

He glanced between the Grand Duke and Housekeeper Wang nervously, evidently unsure of his answer. To his relief, the Grand Duke gave an approving nod.

“Good,” the Grand Duke said. “That’s exactly what I wanted to hear.”

---

Cultural Notes

委曲成全/Make concessions to achieve another person's purpose: A Chinese proverb meaning to make sacrifices for someone else's goal/a greater goal.

识大体/Know the larger picture: A compliment used to say that someone understands the bigger picture and acts accordingly.

Toquz-Oghuz Khaganate/Ugyhur Khaganate: This refers to a a tribal confederate under the Orkhon Ughur/回鶻 that existed between the 8th and 9th centuries. They defected to the Tang Dynasty after the defeat of the Western Turkic Khaganate and later rebelled against the Second Turkic Khaganate (which followed the Eastern Turkic Khaganate). They allied with the Tang Dynasty via marriage and military alliances against the Turkic Khaganates.

和亲/Marriage Alliance: Refers to an Ancient Chinese diplomatic policy where alliances/peace treaties were cemented via ties of marriage, often by marrying a princess to a foreign ruler.

Marriage Alliances with the Eastern Turkic Khaganate: This was attempted several times during the Tang Dynasty, usually by wedding princesses to Khagans, though it had varying amounts of influence on the relationship between the two countries. Generally speaking, the alliances were capable of cementing peace when both parties wanted peace but were less useful as a temporary measure to achieve a period of ceasefire when relationships were tense.

两败俱伤/Both lose and are injured: A Chinese proverb referring to a lose-lose situation.

生灵涂炭/Living beings reduced to ashes: A Chinese proverb often used to refer to the bloody and destructive aftermath of wars, in which people, animals, and the natural environment suffered great damage (especially when fields/settlements were torched).

Order of the Princes and the Princesses: The order of the princes and princesses was often recorded separately in Ancient China, so there is both a seventh prince and a seventh princess. Notably, they were only recorded with their order of birth if they lasted to a certain age that varied by dynasty, but generally, they have to at least make it to three or five years old, or even older, in order to count. It doesn't really matter if the Seventh Princess is actually the 19th child, since she's the seventh princess to make it past the age threshold and thereby be recorded.

主簿/Secretarial Official: Refers to secretaries of various ranks in Ancient China who were generally rather low-ranking. In the Tang Dynasty, secretaries of the Court of Judicial Review were only 7th-rank officials.

功高盖主/Merit high enough to overshadow your master: A Chinese proverb referring to the (rather dangerous) situation of having enough merit/popularity to pose a threat to the Emperor.

宗族/Clans: The clan systems emerged from all the way back to early on in the pre-Qin era, and was cemented as a form of hereditary rulership that also served as a form of social organization. If you remember the Di/Shu system of inheritance (only the formal wife's kid can inherit, not the concubine's kid), this also stems from the clan system. Clans served as a form of social organization for both self-defense in times of war, as well as for production, whether agricultural or for tools, extraction of natural resources, or commercial products such as silk. It was a way to pool and organize the distribution of resources, and clans held large amounts of influence in the provinces, all the way to modern China. The amount of political and military power they have held varied, but generally speaking, large and powerful clans were able to continuously accumulate resources in a positive cycle. Since military merit often results in rewards of land ownership and civil merit as a court official can also result in titles and money, as well as tax breaks, this then increases the property owned by the clan, allowing for the emergence of large landlords and local elites. This gets complicated to explain in-depth, but the more powerful the clans become, the more of a threat they pose to a centralized state bureaucracy.

Taking down a faction leader: Taking down a faction leader is not equal to taking down a faction, and this was often a purposeful differentiation made by rulers who still relied on the political machinery of a well-organized faction to carry out administrative duties. The saying "水清则无鱼/If the water is completely clean then there will be no fish", or that if there isn't some benefit beyond a salary/office available, the officials won't be motivated to carry out their duties properly, was often implicitly accepted by the ruling class, whose control over specific administrative capacities in the provinces was limited by communication and transportation technologies. On the other hand, if there are benefits within a faction, officials are much more likely to get things done properly. It wasn't too uncommon to take down a faction leader (and seize their assets), but implicitly allow the faction to reorganize itself regardless. Since there are only so many spots at the top (ex: There are only 6 ministries/6 positions of Minister until the reinstatement of the Court of Judicial Review), lower-ranking members of the faction are usually not too upset over losing a faction leader either if it makes room for potential promotions.

Ji Fangluo: Just for clarification, her name is Fang Luo, not Fan Gluo (I don't think there's a character that can be pronounced that way).

身怀六甲/Body carrying the Sixth Jia: A term used to describe a woman as pregnant. In the traditional Chinese counting and oracle system, the 天干地支 (too long to explain right now, will be explained when it becomes relevant), the Sixth Jia/六甲 was the day on which the Heavenly Emperor (the deity, not the human ruler) created the world. As such, this is used to refer to a woman's body creating a new life.

年过半百/Years past half a century: Used to describe someone as entering their old age, or being over fifty years old. Remember that life expectancy wasn't as long as it is in the modern-day, so being over fifty means you don't know how much longer you have left. Could be a few years, or a few decades.

弱不禁风/Weak [to the point of] being unable to withstand the wind: A Chinese proverb used to describe someone as physically/mentally weak or feeble, can be used for both men and women.

有去无回/Having a departure but not a return: A Chinese proverb used to describe someone leaving without ever returning, especially in situations where a person dies away from their hometown and family members.

忠义/Honor and loyalty: These were among the most highly valued virtues in Ancient China.

毒舌/Poison-tongued: A Chinese saying to refer to a sharp-tongued person.

温婉如玉/Gentle like a piece of jade: A Chinese proverb usually reserved to express that a woman is beautiful and gentle like a piece of jade. The gentle part refers to the smooth nature of polished jade.

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