Kayla entered the front door of the Third Prince’s household, trying to glance around inconspicuously as the Third Prince’s servant led her through the Outer Quarters.

Seriously, I could’ve been finishing up that batch of paperwork, Kayla lamented.

You workaholic, Wenyuan said accusingly.

“Your Highnesses, Minister Zhao has arrived,” the servant announced as he opened the door to a spacious sitting room. It was well-furnished and decorated in a stately manner without being overly luxurious. Kuang and Yunqi were already inside.

“Zhao Wenyuan humbly greets the Third Prince and the Fifth Prince,” Kayla said, politely bowing her head.

“No need to be so formal, we’re all family here,” Kuang said, waving her over to sit. “I’m so glad that you accepted my invitation! I know it was on rather short notice.”

“Not at all,” Kayla said. “It’s an honor.”

“Don’t be so stiff, I heard that you’ve shown great care to my wife and Yunqi while I was away. I’m grateful,” Kuang reached over to pour her a drink. Kayla bowed her head, accepting it with both hands.

“I didn’t do much,” Kayla replied. Before Kuang could say anything in response, there was another voice at the door.

“Your Highnesses, Minister Zhao, His Highness the Fifth Prince has arrived,” the servant announced. Kayla breathed in sharply, watching with surprise as Xianchun entered the room.

Did Kuang call him over or did he just barge in himself? Just what is this guy trying to do? Kayla glanced at Kuang out of the corner of her eyes, but the Third Prince continued to smile in a relaxed manner.

“Third Brother, Fifth Brother,” Xianchun greeted them. “Wenyuan.” Kayla bowed her head slightly.

“Come and join us, Xianchun. It’s been a while since we’ve gathered, just the four of us,” Kuang said.

It’s the first time since I was ten, Wenyuan remarked dryly.

“Indeed,” Xianchun said. He sat down next to Kayla, his characteristic stiffness immediately elevating the tension in the room.

“I haven’t had a chance to congratulate you properly yet,” Kayla said to Kuang. “The country’s avoided another war thanks to you.”

“Thank you, but I can’t take undue credit. The Khaganate also didn’t want a full-out war, or I doubt my interference would have mattered much,” Kuang replied.

“Hopefully the peace treaty will last for at least a few years longer than last time,” Xianchun said. Kuang ignored the jab at his maternal grandfather, who had been responsible for handling the last border crisis.

“Indeed, which is why Father’s considering a marriage alliance with the Eastern Turkish Khaganate,” Kuang said. “It’s yet to be announced for the court to debate, but if it goes through, Chengxia will be sent to marry into the Khaganate.”

“So we’re sending a princess,” Xianchun said thoughtfully. “Didn’t we already try that two decades ago? It didn’t seem to work too well.”

“The Khaganate is also willing to send a princess this time,” Yunqi told him. He glanced at Kayla with a smile. “As for who she’d be marrying, our cousin Wenyuan has been decided to be the best fit.”

Kayla reeled back as though she had been physically struck before she could stop herself, her heart pounding painfully against her ribcage.

Married?! They want me to get married?!

They want us to marry a Turkish princess?! But what-I-did they think I should just marry whoever they tell me to?!

I-I’m not even into women, how do they want me to-I mean-

Externally and internally withholding an urge to scream, Kayla gave the princes a stiff but polite smile, trying to keep her reaction under control despite the internal ranting session she was holding with Wenyuan.

There’s no way, I’m not comfortable doing that in a guy’s body!

But if it’s an Imperial decree for marriage then we can’t even avoid it!

I’m telling you it’s impossible!

Holy shit, Kayla, if I become known throughout the capital as impotent, I swear-

What do you even want me to do?! Oh man. This is such bullsh-Wait. Thoughts and complaints raced through her mind until it felt like her head would explode.

Hold on…if I become the son-in-law of the Khagan, doesn’t that mean the Emperor can’t execute me?

What?! What are you-wait, you have a point, Wenyuan said reluctantly, abruptly cooling down as he came to the same conclusion as Kayla. So even if Consort Chen’s murder comes to light, you’d still be certain to emerge safely...But you don’t like women.

And you don’t like men. I can’t imagine trying to do something with a guy in this body anyways, we’re at an impasse here even without the political marriage. The more desperately she wanted to survive, the more concessions she became willing to make. Kayla couldn’t help but tug at the collar of her robes as they seemed to constrict around her throat.

“By the looks of it, you’re not too pleased with the idea,” Kuang said, breaking Kayla out of her thoughts. Kayla quickly smoothed out her expression.

“Not at all, I’m just…surprised,” Kayla said awkwardly.

“I heard that the Turkish princesses are charming and beautiful,” Yunqi offered comfortingly. “It may not be what you had in mind, but I’m sure you’ll have a fruitful relationship should it come to pass.”

Kayla flushed in response. “Th-that’s good to hear.”

“We all have to get married at some point. In either case, you’ll still retain your current lifestyle here in the capital,” Kuang chimed in. “It’s only in the talks. There’s no need to be too nervous about it.”

That’s true, I can’t wiggle out of marrying eventually.

Kayla forced a smile in response, ignoring the heavy feeling in her stomach.

“Third Cousin, how likely do you think it is that the marriage alliance will happen?” Kayla asked.

“Depends, but more likely than not, Chengxia will be sent to marry one of the Khagan’s sons. As for whether you’ll be getting married, that depends on what else father and grandmother have planned for you,” Kuang said.

“Well, I guess it’s out of my hands then,” Kayla replied, hoping they would move on from the topic. It was something she wanted to process in private rather than in their presence.

“Indeed,” Yunqi said gently. “No point in worrying about it, one never knows how these things turn out. More importantly, our cousin has achieved the title of Minister at such a young age, and under unprecedented circumstances at that. I propose a toast to congratulate Wenyuan for stepping into a new stage of his career.”

Kayla felt a burst of gratitude towards Yunqi for steering the topic away.

“Thank you very much,” Kayla said, raising her cup respectfully before downing the wine.

“Unprecedented indeed. Xianchun, I heard you’ve been quite vocal in your support of the investigations. What are your thoughts on the reinstatement?” Kuang asked, flashing Kayla a warm smile.

Are they declaring their political stances now? Kayla realized as she watched Xianchun’s expression shift into a serious one. Right in front of my wine? Really? Why do I have to be here for this? No, rather than that…are they reaffirming their positions in front of me on purpose?

It was most likely the latter, given that the princes already knew each other’s political beliefs. Even if Kayla was meant to remain neutral, each of the princes likely understood the significance of the Court of Judicial Review as the cornerstone for a neutral faction. The more power the neutral faction had, the less each Prince’s faction could command. It was both a containment strategy to keep the Princes in check and insurance against civil war, and neither faction could attempt to block its growth at risk of incurring suspicions of plotting against the throne.

“Of course, it’s a good thing. The Court of Judicial Review can intervene at the level of both the Ministry of Justice and the Imperial Investigation Bureau, it’s exactly what we need right now. But it bothers me that the corruption has been allowed to get to the point where even the Imperial Investigator’s Bureau and the Ministry of Justice aren’t enough,” Xianchun said.

“That much is true, though to a certain extent, the developments are understandable. The core of the issue is that we couldn’t fully utilize magic resources until less than two decades ago, before then it was still limited to rudimentary usage outside of combat and defensive purposes. With the double-tax system reforms, the continuous famines and droughts throughout the country, and the precarious situation at the northwestern border, it was necessary to allocate more power to the court. Not just for internal administration and national security, but also for keeping the trade routes open. If the officials weren’t given some privileges beyond the ideal, they wouldn’t have been motivated to keep things running properly,” Kuang said. “But handing things out is always easy while taking it back is much harder.”

“That’s only because the throne hasn’t taken a hard stance before this,” Xianchun shot back.

“The question is, how far are we going to go, and how should we pace ourselves?” Yunqi chimed in, smiling in Kayla’s direction. “Wenyuan, you should feel free to voice your thoughts as well.”

“Oh, sure, thank you,” Kayla said, quickly reaching for her cup again to avoid being asked a question.

“Isn’t it obvious? We need to cut the grass and remove the roots, and do so as soon as possible.” To Kayla’s relief, Xianchun jumped in immediately. “The court and the clans have been allowed to run amok for too long already, not only does their greed render the improvements in magic useless for the populace, but they also sponge up national resources. They’re scraping from both ends to fatten themselves, what will the future of this dynasty look like if we leave them unchecked?”

Kayla quietly observed the passionate look in Xianchun’s eyes.

He really feels like the main character right now, Kayla remarked to Wenyuan.

Do you reckon he would do well in your world as a politician?

Who knows, I would’ve thought no, with that temper of his, but we elect people with domestic abuse records and assault charges against them. So as long as he doesn’t get caught committing murder, he’d actually look like a decent option.

Kuang nodded with a knowing smile. “I knew you’d say something like that. Our youngest has always had such a burning sense of justice,” he said. Despite his mild tone, Xianchun tensed at Kuang’s words.

“But Xianchun, it’s not as easy as you think to root out corruption. We can arrest all the officials and clan leaders as we want, but would that necessarily solve the problem? The problem can’t be solved from the root without the implementation of structural changes, a harsh attack would on them would only backfire on us. The Imperial family is the furthest removed from the people by the layers of rites and status that are meant to elevate our dignity, while the officials and the clans are much better positioned to sway popular opinion.”

“It sounds to me that you’re just not willing to take on a fight. What does your reputation matter in the face of the country’s future? We’re members of the Imperial Family, we have a responsibility to shoulder the misunderstandings and animosity of the people,” Xianchun argued.

Kayla hastily refilled her own cup, seeing that none of the Princes had emptied theirs, lifting her cup again before Xianchun could demand her stance.

“Xianchun’s not wrong in that regard, we have a responsibility to carry out our duties no matter what. But you know, Third Brother’s not wrong either,” Yunqi said. The tension crackling in the air seemed to immediately dispel as the Fifth Prince spoke in his usual calm manner.

The Fifth Prince is amazing, I never realized how important his presence was until now. I’d only seen him at major events where he didn’t really stand out much, but he really balances out his brothers.

He balances out third cousin the best, with Xianchun it’s more like coaxing an angry child.

Kayla pushed away the mental image of Yunqi patting Xianchun’s head. Wow, I didn’t even see that happen yet and my eyes can’t stand it.

“Ultimately, the answer lies in slower, steady changes, coupled with a few hard cracks now and then,” Yunqi said. “As to how long it takes, I suppose that depends on the skill of the person taking charge of it. You need to be astute enough to make speedy responses to the political situation, and have the leadership skills to implement these responses without delays or errors.”

Xianchun breathed in deeply, evidently displeased with the answer.

“The longer it takes, the more the people suffer. While the one at the top is pacing himself, the situation continues to worsen for the people on the lowest rungs of society. Are you willing to overlook all that?” Xianchun asked.

“Unfortunately, yes. Throwing the country into political turmoil will be much harder on the populace than anything else,” Yunqi replied. “After all, the administration system that handles everything from the maintenance of the dams to the security of the borders is made up of officials. If the administration were to collapse or enter a deadlock, do you think the nomadic nations will sit still and wait for us to sort things out?”

“Of course not. But you’re wrong in assuming that the administration would enter such a predicament,” Xianchun said. “If leadership is strong enough, that will not come to pass. What do you think, Wenyuan?”

Kayla nearly choked on her wine at the abrupt cueing.

“Well,” she started awkwardly. Xianchun’s political stance had served him well in amassing loyal supporters in the succession battle in the novel, but she’d never got to the chapters after his succession. Now that she actually lived in the same world as him, it left her uneasy.

Just what did the country look like under Xianchun’s rule?

“I think you all have great points,” Kayla finally managed to say. Luckily, the princes seemed satisfied despite her lackluster answer.

“Xianchun, you seem to think that a strong ruler can do anything,” Kuang said. “Aren’t you being a little naive?”

“I’m not naive enough to think that, but I do believe there are things you must do if you occupy such a role,” Xianchun replied.

He gestured at the window, from which they could see the camelia tree in Kuang’s courtyard. “If you’re asked to carry a mountain and jump over the northern sea and you refuse, it is not that you won’t do it but that you can’t. But if an elder asks you to fetch a branch and you refuse, it’s not that you can’t but that you won’t. For a ruler to not act like a ruler, it’s not a situation of being unable to do something like carrying a mountain, but rather, not wanting to do something like fetching a branch. To treat other people’s elders and children as one’s own is the way to grasp all under heaven in your palm.”

Kayla vaguely recognized the quote from Mencius and refrained from shaking her head. Even if the education system back then relied heavily on memorization, it was ridiculous that they were able to remember hundreds of pages’ worth of quotes by heart.

Kuang chuckled lightly. “It’s good that you’re familiar with Mencius’ words, Xianchun. But you’re forgetting what he says right after that part. ‘If you show generosity to the people, you will be able to protect everything within the four seas, if not, you can’t even protect your wife and children. That the ancient greats are unsurmountable is not for any other reason, but that they were capable of extending their generosity broadly.’ But how do you think the rulers are able to carry out acts of generosity to the population? Do you think that silk and grain distribute themselves?”

“They rely on the officials and the administration system,” Yunqi added. “And for them to be reliable, first they have to be treated well. Let me remind you that Mencius also said, ‘If a ruler sees his retainers as his arms and legs, they will see him as their heart. If a ruler sees his retainers as dogs and horses, they will see him as an unrelated stranger. If a ruler sees his retainers as weeds in the mud, they will see him as a hated enemy.’ A ruler who can’t command the hearts of his subjects will be unable to do much for them.”

Xianchun let out an angry huff, before whirling to look at Kayla. She glanced at him in alarm, realizing belatedly that her cup was already empty and she didn’t have an excuse not to speak.

“What do you think, Wenyuan?” Xianchun demanded. Kayla reluctantly set down her cup.

“In thinking about the relationship with the officials, it reminds me of what I read before. I heard that there was a large country to the far west that was known as the Great Qin, or Rome,” Kayla said. One of the three before her would one day be sitting on the throne, so the less concrete her words were, the safer she would be in the future, given that she could survive that long.

“I’ve heard of it, but I didn’t know it was also called Rome,” Yunqi said curiously.

“I believe that’s what they called themselves,” Kayla explained. “I heard that for a good chunk of their history, they weren’t ruled by an Emperor, but rather a council elected by landowning citizens.”

“A council elected by the people? That sounds different from the tribal federations of the Khaganate. But how did they not fall apart from in-fighting?” Kuang asked. He looked at her with genuine curiosity despite her none-too-subtle change of topic.

“They did have a lot of in-fighting, but the country actually prospered and even expanded its borders, though they were almost perpetually at war with neighboring enemies,” Kayla said. “Despite all that, they lasted almost five hundred years.”

“That’s long,” Xianchun remarked in surprise. Kayla nodded. It was about the length of a longer dynasty.

“But it’s unthinkable to have such a system here.”

“I agree, at least in this stage of history, it’s impossible,” Kayla said.

“But it’s certainly interesting,” Kuang jumped in with a broad smile. “You’re very well-informed in these matters.”

Kayla bowed her head slightly. “I enjoy reading about different parts of the world.”

“Then are there any other interesting ways of organizing a country?” Kuang asked. Kayla felt a slight rush of relief. With the Third Prince’s genuine curiosity and the nominal interest of Yunqi and Xianchun, the rest of the conversation was redirected towards comparative world governance rather than current politics. By the time the conversation died down, it was almost midnight.

“I’m sorry for keeping you so long,” Kuang said regretfully. “I got carried away.”

Kayla shook her head. “Not at all, it was very enjoyable.” She actually meant it. Kuang’s charisma and Yunqi’s serenity made it easy to enjoy a conversation, and Xianchun also relaxed enough to soften his edges.

“Wenyuan, I’ll send you back en route,” Xianchun offered. Being tipsy enough to find it too bothersome to argue, Kayla accepted politely. She got into Xianchun’s carriage, dryly thinking back to the last time she had gotten into a carriage with him. Thankfully, the Seventh Prince was in a good mood this time around rather than on the verge of an explosion.

“I didn’t get to say it earlier, but let me know if you run into any difficulties at the Court of Judicial Review,” Xianchun said. “If there’s anything I can do, then I’ll do it.”

“Thank you, I appreciate your concern.”

“People will target you more once they realize the importance of the Court of Judicial Review. You’ll have to be more careful,” Xianchun warned her.

“I know, just a few days ago, someone tried to recruit my servant to keep an eye on me. Apparently, he was quite handsome too,” Kayla said without thinking.

“What?”

Oh shit. Kayla immediately sobered up. “Um, well, he refused, of course. But these things happen,” she fumbled for words. Shit, I didn’t piss him off, did I? If it was really Liu Boyue he’ll definitely be furious and think I’m testing him!

“That’s good, but you really should take more cautions with your security,” Xianchun admonished her. To her relief, he didn’t seem to take offense. Good, so it wasn’t Liu Boyue.

“It’s as you say, my prince,” Kayla said meekly.

The rest of the ride went without incident, and Kayla quickly took her leave once she was dropped off at the Grand Duke’s household, her heart still pounding loudly against her ribcage.

//////////

Liu Boyue stepped forward to greet Xianchun as the prince returned. Two serving girls carefully removed Xianchun’s outer robes, bowing as he dismissed them.

“You’re back, my prince,” Boyue said, pleased to see that Xianchun wasn’t in a bad mood. “I’m guessing that the Third Prince’s Hongmen banquet wasn’t too bad?”

Xianchun smiled a little. “It’s not as exaggerated as that, but I did learn some interesting things. It seemed that Third Brother called me over to let me know about the potential marriage alliance and also to make a display of our political stances for Wenyuan’s sake.”

“A marriage alliance? With the Eastern Turkish Khaganate?” Boyue asked.

“That’s right. Most likely, Chengxia will marry a prince, and one of their princesses will come over,” Xianchun explained.

“One of the Turkish princesses, then I’m guessing the marriage partner would be Zhao Wenyuan,” Boyue said, furrowing his brow slightly. “That’s a lot of influence that he’d be gaining.”

“It’s not like Father would choose me or Yunqi,” Xianchun replied. “In either case, I honestly told him about my vision for the future. I tried to get an opinion from Wenyuan during the conversation, but that guy changed the topic faster than I could blink."

"I suppose it's natural he would try to avoid answering," Boyue said mildly.

"True enough, Third Brother was also helping him get away with it so I couldn't press him for a response," Xianchun said, shaking his head. "But there’s something else that bothered me. Wenyuan mentioned earlier that a good-looking man tried to recruit that servant of his to keep an eye on him. That’s not your doing, is it?”

Boyue gave him a look of confusion. “Of course not, my prince. You already told me not to do that, I wouldn’t go behind your back.”

Xianchun let out a small sigh of relief. “Great, I didn’t think so either. But I couldn’t help but check, forgive me for doubting you,” he said. Boyue smiled.

“Not at all, my prince. I don’t mind. But please rest assured, I would never ignore your orders like that.”

Xianchun nodded. “I know. It’s late already, you should go get some rest, I’m also calling it a night.”

“As you wish, my prince. Please have a good rest,” Boyue bowed his head slightly, sharing a smile with Xianchun before he left the room. With a leap, he vaulted over the walls and onto the rooftops, heading back to his own residence. After ascertaining he was alone, Boyue pulled out a small communication device, waiting for it to connect.

“Mister Liu,” the man on the other end greeted him.

“Minister Liang,” Boyue said pleasantly. “About that favor I asked you the other day…we have a problem.”

////////////////

The door to the disorganized room flew open, slamming against the wall loudly as Minister Liang entered. A handsome young man glanced up from where he lounged on his couch, propping himself up at an elbow to wave at the fuming official.

“Hey there, uncle, what are you doing here so late at night? No wait, I should be calling you Minister Liang, right? My bad,” the young man said cheerfully, ignoring the older man’s evident rage.

“Hu Qing, you goddamn brat! Just what did you do?!” Minister Liang snapped angrily.

“What are you talking about?” Hu Qing asked with a note of annoyance. “I haven’t done anything…recently. That I can think of. Why?“

“That man you went to speak to, why did you show him your face?!” Minister Liang asked, throwing his hands up in exasperation.

“You mean the servant of that Zhao something-that, uh, Qu Boyong or what was his name,” Hu Qing said. “I mean, he did ask me to, what’s wrong? Wait, how did you know?”

“Even the Prince knows about it now! That man, even if you couldn’t recruit him, how could you just let him waddle up to his master to tell him everything?! How could you be so reckless? What do we do if the Prince really decides to look into this?!” Minister Liang groaned.

“He was my type, so I felt compelled to show him my face when he asked. Just tell the Prince that and blame it all on me,” Hu Qing said, casually waving off Minister Liang as the man’s face turned red.

“You-you shameless brat-you’re unbelievable!” Minister Liang sputtered.

“Calm down, uncle. Excess anger is bad for the health, plus, what will your colleagues think if they see you act like this when you pretend to be so refined around them every day?” Hu Qing asked teasingly. “That bastard, he really tattled to his employer? What a bootlicker. What kind of person doesn’t get along with money? But don’t worry, uncle. The prince won’t blame us, I’m sure of it.”

“For heaven’s sake, Hu Qing. I turn a blind eye to your indiscretions against my better judgment, but to think you’d create a mess like this for something so important!” Minister Liang shook his head. Hu Qing let out a short laugh.

“Uncle, wouldn’t you be the one who’s the most troubled if I messed around with women instead? What are you going to do if I end up having a son? The only grandson of the Liang clan’s former heir…wouldn’t that put you in quite an awkward position?” Hu Qing asked with a smile. “Don’t pretend to be troubled when you’re clearly benefitting, uncle. It’s not a good look on you.” Minister Liang flinched a little at the edge in the young man’s voice.

“Don’t be ridiculous, I have no reason to feel troubled about that,” Minister Liang gritted out. “As I said, I ignore what you do in your free time, but you’ve gone too far this time. Do you know how important this is? Or do you just not care?”

“Should I care?” Hu Qing shot back. At the aggrieved look on Minister Liang’s face, he relented with a sigh. “Fine, fine. I’ll make sure this doesn’t affect you, happy? I'll fix this.”

“Forget it,” Minister Liang heaved a deep sigh, his anger having sapped out of him. “Just don’t make things worse and I’ll be thanking the heavens.”

Hu Qing shrugged. “Fine, if you say so.” Minister Liang opened his mouth to snap at him but gave up with yet another sigh.

“Reflect on your mistakes properly,” Minister Liang said, sounding worn out. The older man left the room, letting the doors swing in the wind behind him. Hu Qing got off the couch, trundling over to the doors to close them.

“Ugh, this old man, can’t he close the doors behind him properly? Or did he spend all his energy opening them?” Hu Qing grumbled. “Well, whatever. But to think that guy went straight to his employer, he sure is an interesting guy. I wouldn’t mind meeting him again.”

---

Cultural Notes

Famines in the Tang Dynasty: The Tang Dynasty suffered from multiple famines in various parts of the country, and had also been plagued by locusts. Due to superstition, locusts were often seen as divine punishments and a reflection of the Emperor's lack of virtue, and farmers were afraid to exterminate locusts until later on in the Tang Dynasty when this belief was dispelled.

斩草除根/Cut grass and exterminate its roots: A Chinese proverb meaning to get rid of a problem from its roots. This proverb dates back to the pre-Qin era and is usually used in the context of fixing structural issues in a country.

礼仪制度/Rites, social etiquette: The concept of Liyi, or rites, refers to a series of social etiquette that upheld the distinctions in class status through limitations on the behavior of officials and nobles. Stemming from the Zhou Dynasty (pre-Qin dynasty), rites were used to reinforce the subordination of nobles and prevent them from challenging the symbolic power of the ruler. This could include limitations on how high a duke can build their city walls, where you sat relative to your superior, or even what symbols you were allowed to embroider on your clothes. Commoners weren't expected to uphold these to the same extent.

孟子/Mencius: An extremely important Confucian philosopher whose works were foundational to Confucianism. A collection of his works and conversations, named Mencius after him, is one of China's Four Classics and utilized in the Imperial Examinations where scholars would attempt to enter the bureaucracy. I directly translated two of his most famous quotes on ruling. The quotes Xianchun and Kuang cite come from the same conversation in which Mencius was berating a King, a very characteristic action for him. The quote Yunqi uses is from a different conversation in which Mencius was berating a different King.

Acts of benevolence: Emperors in Ancient China often demonstrated/extended benevolence to the population in three main ways: 1) 天下大赦/Nationwide pardon, which usually extends to all criminals and prisoners except for those whose rulings specifically state "not eligible for pardons"; 2) Tax breaks, often in the aftermath of a disaster or tragedy; 3) Distributing grain, silk, or other foodstuffs to the populace. Usually, special care was given to the elderly, orphans, widows, and the infirm/disabled in this process. Reforms are usually not included in this category since it's hard to tell what effect they have until some time has passed.

Great Qin/大秦/Roman Empire: In the Later Han Books/后汉书, a historical record of the Han Dynasty, exchanges with the Roman Empire were recorded. Most of these were indirect exchanges in which other countries that had foreign relations with the Han, including Persia, brought up the Roman Empire, which may also explain why "Rome" became "Qin" (notably, they used the same character as the Qin Dynasty). However, a few direct exchanges were also recorded.

Minister Liang: A reminder that this is the same Lord Liang that joined Xianchun's faction after the first arc with Lady Yue and Yue Wuxuan, right after Kayla's first time at the convening of the court. Since he's now the Minister of Justice, he's now referred to as Minister Liang.

Homosexuality and Bisexuality in Ancient China: Sexuality in Ancient China was defined and conceptualized in a vastly different way than what a Western lens could capture, but there were historical records of what would nowadays be considered homosexuality or bisexuality from as early as the pre-Qin era. Male homosexuality was often referred to as "龙阳之好", referring to Sir Longyan, the lover of the King of Wei in the Pre-Qin era, or as "断袖之癖/Love of the broken sleeve", referring to a Han Dynasty Emperor who had a male lover. One morning when the Emperor woke up early and had to attend court, his lover was still asleep with his head resting on the Emperor's sleeve. Rather than waking his lover, the Emperor cut his sleeve off. In any case, it was hardly uncommon or unheard of. Reactions to or against it varied by dynasty, but generally, the biggest issue with it was "being unable to complete your responsibility for procreation".

谁跟钱过不去啊？/Who can't get along with money?: A very colloquial saying meaning that everyone wants money, reflecting the view that money can get anything done.