The Grand Duke stared down coldly at the man kneeling on the floor.

“Secretary Han, you were Liu Hongyu’s subordinate in the Secretariat,” Housekeeper Wang said, stepping forward to tower menacingly over the official. “You were the one who recommended those servants to his housekeeper…why did you do that? Liu Hongyu has so many servants, gifting him another two would hardly help you suck up to him, you would’ve had better luck if you’d given him dancers instead. Did you send them to his household under the orders of someone else?”

“My lord, that’s not it, please believe me!” Secretary Han glanced at the Grand Duke nervously before quickly lowering his gaze again.

“Who were you taking orders from?” The Grand Duke asked. “Spit it out or I definitely won’t let you off easily.”

“I swear, it’s nothing like that! I-this-I have an explanation for all this, it’s just…” Secretary Han trailed off.

“If it wasn’t on someone’s orders, it must’ve been a favor for Li Sanjin. He was from the same hometown as you, wasn’t he?” Housekeeper Wang demanded.

“It’s true, my lord. It’s shameful to air my family’s dirty laundry like this, but I suppose I have no other choice. The thing is, Li Sanjin’s niece seduced my younger brother back in our hometown, and he shamelessly came to me trying to get her into the household as a concubine-he came all the way to the capital and threatened to make a ruckus in the Central Market every day, so I gave him some gold to shut him up. But he came back a few months later with his nephew, saying that his niece was pregnant and demanded that I get them a job so they could support her and the child,” Secretary Han admitted.

“Seduced your younger brother? Fingers would have been pointed at her instead of you if that were the case, you wouldn’t have had any reason to fear a ruckus. He forced himself on her, didn’t he?” The Grand Duke asked.

Secretary Han guiltily lowered his head. The Grand Duke shook his head.

“This seems like a well-laid trap to me, someone put in a lot of effort to get that man in,” the Grand Duke remarked. “But you’re the fool for walking into it. Li Sanjin has admitted to false testimony, I have his statement right here. As the one who recommended him, how are you going to take responsibility?”

Secretary Han’s head snapped up as he looked at the Grand Duke with a mix of shock and horror.

“How can that be? I swear I don’t know anything!”

“Do you think anyone would believe it should I bring this to the attention of the court?” The Grand Duke asked coldly.

“Please have mercy, my lord!” Secretary Han hastily bowed his head to the ground.

“Publicize this statement yourself,” the Grand Duke ordered. Secretary Han couldn’t help but glance up with a wince.

“My lord-”

“The Grand Duke is graciously pointing a way out for you, are you going to be so ungrateful as to interrupt him?” Housekeeper Wang demanded.

Secretary Han bowed his head again. “No, definitely not! My lord, I humbly await your instructions.”

“Tell the court you were swindled by this man who threatened your family’s honor by trapping your younger brother, and that he came to you in fear of being discovered after giving false testimony. If you do this, you won’t be implicated in this matter,” the Grand Duke said. “You will have my protection and be rewarded properly should this go well.”

He gestured for Housekeeper Wang to give the statement to Secretary Han. The man read the statement with growing bewilderment.

“My lord, I don’t understand. Isn’t Minister Zhao your grandson?” Secretary Han asked.

“And what of it?” The Grand Duke asked coldly. Secretary Han gulped nervously, tucking the statement into his robes.

“Nothing, my lord. I will do as you command. When should I reveal this?”

“Bring it to the attention of the Secretariat and Ministry of Justice immediately,” the Grand Duke said. “By the next convening of the court, I want everyone to know of this.”

Outside of the room, Matron Li silently moved away from where she had been listening at the door, quickly disappearing down a different corridor before the guards on patrol circled over.

Matron Li placed a hand over her chest, trying to regain her composure. She glanced around before quickly walking out of the Inner Quarters and heading over to the office of household purchases.

Matron Li entered the small, dusty office without knocking, sweeping her gaze around to ascertain if they were alone.

“Matron Li,” Chujiao said in surprise, hastily standing up to greet the older woman. “How can I help you?”

Matron Li hesitated for a long moment before closing the distance between them to take Chujiao’s hands in her own.

“Chujiao, do you care about the young lord?” Matron Li asked.

“Of course I care about him,” Chujiao replied, flushing slightly.

Matron Li took a deep breath. “Are you willing to risk putting yourself in danger to help him?”

Chujiao frowned slightly. “Yes, Matron Li. What is this about?”

“The Grand Duke is planning to raise an accusation against the young lord of having Liu Hongyu’s servant provide false testimony. This is a serious crime. Even with his bloodline and status, he’ll be in deep trouble,” Matron Li said in a hushed whisper.

“What?! He would go that far? But the young lord is his grandson!”

“You’re too young to know the story behind this,” Matron Li said with a note of desperation. “But this is urgent, the accusation will be made within the day. I can’t leave the house, and that guard of his no longer works here. There’s no way for me to warn him.”

“I’ll go,” Chujiao said without hesitation. “The young lord’s at the Court of Judicial Review, isn’t he? I’ll go right now.”

“You have to be careful, if the Grand Duke finds out, heads will roll,” Matron Li warned her.

“Don’t worry, Matron Li. I’m the secretary in charge of household purchases, I enter and leave the household often these days. No one will suspect me,” Chujiao assured her.

“Bring an extra cloak with you, the Grand Duke likely has eyes on the Court of Judicial Review, your secretary robes will be instantly recognized,” Matron Li said.

“I will, Matron Li. Thank you for telling me,” Chujiao replied earnestly.

---

Qu Boyong headed down the alleyway towards the Court of Judicial Review. After returning from the Third Prince’s household, Wenyuan had started a new line of inquiry about the princesses of the Eastern Turkish Khaganate, seeming unusually agitated about the issue.

Though Boyong wanted to avoid going to Wenyuan’s office, it seemed that his employer was intent on working overtime every day in order to start investigations, and Boyong doubted that the new Minister would have the energy to absorb the information by the end of the day.

He was startled out of his thoughts as a familiar figure appeared before him. A young woman was standing alone in the shadows of the empty alleyway, fastening a plain cotton robe over what was unmistakably the uniform of a secretary from the Grand Duke’s household.

“Shuyou?” Boyong called out in disbelief. Chujiao turned towards him with a startled look before smiling in relief.

“Daozong!” Chujiao greeted him. Boyong stepped closer and pulled her into a hug.

“Shuyou,” Boyong said softly. “I haven’t seen you in so long.”

“I’ve missed you too,” Chujiao replied, gently stroking his hair. After a moment, they let go of each other. Boyong looked at her outfit with curiosity.

“What’s with the outfit? And what are you doing here?” Boyong asked. “It’s dangerous to take this path to the market.”

“I’m not going to the market, but thank the heavens and earth that I ran into you! It’s urgent, I need to meet with the young lord,” Chujiao said. Boyong’s expression darkened.

“With Zhao Wenyuan? What for?”

“The Grand Duke’s preparing to entrap the young lord, within the day he’ll be accused of ordering Liu Hongyu’s servant to provide false testimony!” Chujiao said with a note of urgency in her voice.

“What? How did you learn of this?!”

“Matron Li told me, she asked me to come and warn him,” Chujiao replied. “Daozong, surely you know how dangerous this situation is! Right after the Emperor reinstated the Court of Judicial Review, its Minister is defamed- do you think the young lord would emerge unscathed after invoking His Majesty’s anger?”

“You can’t go,” Boyong said harshly. “What do you think happens once you warn him? How long before the Grand Duke checks to see who left the household today and roots you out? I won’t be able to save you!”

“Then pass on the message for me,” Chujiao pleaded.

Boyong hesitated for a moment and shook his head. “I can’t do that.”

Chujiao gave him a look of disbelief. “What? But why? You said you were betting on him!”

“If this plan is already in motion, then it's over for him. He doesn’t have enough people in the court. Zhao Wenyuan won’t have the strength to turn back the skies, if he’s run out of luck, then that’s simply his fate,” Boyong said.

“How can you say that?” Chujiao demanded.

“If I go and pass on the message, he won’t be able to respond in time, but the Grand Duke will definitely find out that the information was leaked!” Boyong hissed.

“You're underestimating the young lord, he’ll know what to do! Daozong, we’re running out of time!” Chujiao tried to step around him, but Boyong easily blocked her path.

“Go back, Shuyou,” he said firmly. Chujiao glared at him furiously.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Chujiao demanded. “This is important! Just what don’t you understand? Something terrible could happen to the young master at this rate!”

“And what of it?” Boyong snapped. “Go back while you can still cover for your absence!”

“If worst comes to worst, I’ll leave the Zhao household. If you refuse to pass on the message, then step aside and let me through!” Chujiao swatted angrily at Boyong’s outstretched arm.

Boyong stepped forward and closed the distance between them, grabbing Chujiao by the shoulders. She flinched at the strength of his grip as he glared down at her.

“Leave the Zhao household? Even if you could manage to leave that place alive, how can you consider that option? You would throw aside everything we’ve worked for, just for that young master of yours?” Boyong shook her by her shoulders, his eyes taking on a frantic look.

Chujiao averted her eyes, deflating a little. “That’s not it,” she said in a trembling voice. “Even if you accuse me of betraying our family, I can’t convince you otherwise.”

“I’m not saying that,” Boyong snarled in frustration. “I just can’t understand you! He’s already tossed you aside and you’re still covering for him!”

“You don’t understand! For all these years that you left me in that place all alone, I had no one except the young master! Do you know what it’s like to be an orphan girl in a household like that? Not just the housekeeper, but the higher-ranking servants as well, they’d take advantage of the serving girls without family to turn to-everyone knew, but no one did anything! The only reason no one touched me was because I had his protection. You think you can just saunter in and ask me to throw away everything we had for the last ten years?!” Chujiao tried to shake off Boyong’s grip again.

“It’s true he suddenly sent me away-but I trust that he had a good reason for it. He was determined to head onto a blood-soaked path alone, without dragging in anyone else! Why on earth would I resent him for that-no, why would you resent him for that? Or is it that anything that obstructs my role as your eyes and ears can’t be tolerated, even if it keeps me from danger?” Chujiao asked accusingly.

Boyong sucked in a deep breath, loosening his grip with a guilty expression.

“I-I’m sorry, Shuyou. I know it was hard for you,” he said quietly.

“If you know then you should step aside.”

Boyong looked at her with a pained expression and shook his head.

“I can’t do that. It’ll be the death of you.”

“Then tell him,” Chujiao replied. “Can’t you do that at least? I’m determined to warn him no matter what the cost, if you really want to protect me, then pass on the message!”

Boyong hesitated before letting out a sigh.

“If you insist, then I’ll do so. But know this, Chujiao. We risk everything by telling him something that we shouldn’t be able to know. Are you sure that’s what you want to do?” Boyong asked heavily.

“Yes.”

Boyong blinked, taken aback by Chujiao’s determined answer.

“You probably don’t realize it yet, but I know what kind of person the young master is. I trust him to treat those who helped him with gratitude and kindness. If he really grows suspicious, then you can tell him that I came to find you,” Chujiao explained.

“You must be crazy!”

“You’re the one who’s being paranoid. I was his personal maid of ten years, he wouldn’t be suspicious that I tried to warn him-just tell him you stopped me and sent me back to keep me out of danger. Not only will it erase his suspicions, but he will also be sure to reward you,” Chujiao said. At Boyong’s look of disbelief, she shook her head.

“If you can’t trust my understanding of the Zhao household, why did you send me there in the first place?” Chujiao asked icily.

Boyong pinched the bridge of his nose. “Shuyou, that’s not what I meant. If you say it to that extent, then what choice do I have but to comply? Rest assured, I’ll deliver him the message, so hurry and go back.”

“A great man’s word is heavier than nine cauldrons. I expect you to follow through on,” Chujiao said.

“Since I said it, I’ll uphold my promise,” Boyong assured her. Chujiao let out a sigh of relief.

“Thank you,” she said. Boyong winced at the raw gratitude in her voice.

“Go back,” he said hoarsely. “Be careful not to be seen.”

Chujiao nodded, stepping forward to throw her arms around his neck and tightly squeeze him in a hug before briskly turning and disappearing into the alleyways. Boyong tilted his head up, staring up into the clouds as emotions swirled uncomfortably in his stomach.

He had known that Shuyou had been in the most dangerous position out of everyone, but somehow he hadn’t expected such a strong bond to form between her and Zhao Wenyuan.

“It can’t be helped,” he muttered to himself. He took in a deep breath and headed toward the Court of Judicial Review.

---

“It’s all thanks to the Imperial Investigator Bureau that our first investigation is going so smoothly, so we have to do our part and process the evidence properly,” Kayla announced. “Make sure you have the required signatures on all the records before filing the documents. It’s true we have a schedule to keep to, but don’t let that distract you from completing your tasks diligently. As a new institution, our first case is extremely important in setting the path from now on, so please give it your best.”

“Understood, Minister!” The officials of the core staff said in near-unison. Kayla nodded in satisfaction.

“Alright then, let’s get to it,” Kayla said, waving her hand to dismiss them. The officials quickly filed away to their own stations, except for Sun Ruhui who approached her with a scroll in his hands.

“Chamberlain Sun,” Kayla greeted him amiably. “Is there something you wanted to talk about?”

“Yes, Minister. If possible, could we speak in your office?” Sun Ruhui asked. Kayla nodded and lead him in. Sun Ruhui passed her the scroll in his hands, turning to close the door behind him.

“What is this?” Kayla asked as she unscrolled it, slowly heading over to her desk. Her eyes widened as she saw the words on the scroll.

Shen Liangjun is the Third Prince's man. She whirled around to face him.

“Chamberlain, what-”

“Minister,” Sun Ruhui cut in, gesturing for her to lower her voice. He stepped forward and bowed his head slightly.

“Minister, I just wanted to make sure you knew my suspicions,” Sun Ruhui said softly. “I don’t have any evidence, so please forgive my impudence.”

Kayla wordlessly handed the scroll back to him. “How did you know?”

Sun Ruhui shook his head slightly. “I’m ashamed to say that it’s mostly instinct and speculation, but I’m sure that I’ve reached the right conclusion. May I?” He gestured to the cup of tea on Kayla’s desk. Confused, she nodded slightly. Sun Ruhui tipped the teacup slightly, pouring a few drops onto the desk before writing out a character.

Cai.

“The Third Prince Consort's clan,” Kayla said in almost a whisper.

“Healers,” Sun Ruhui said softly, before gesturing to the scroll before Kayla. “Who he's sought treatment from.”

“I’m not saying I don’t believe you, but that’s a bit of a conjecture,” Kayla said. “Are you sure?”

“I understand that saying this without providing any evidence makes it hard to believe, but my instinct about these things has never been wrong throughout my entire career,” Sun Ruhui said, bowing his head slightly. Kayla nodded slowly. That much was true, it was one of the reasons she’d hired him in the first place.

“Better to believe it’s true than to mistakenly believe it’s false,” Kayla murmured. “Thank you for bringing this to my attention. Do you know if there’s anyone else?”

“No, but I’ll be on the lookout. What do you plan to do, Minister?” Sun Ruhui asked.

Kayla heaved a sigh. “Nothing, for the time being. I’ll just have to be careful and keep an eye out for them.”

“Understood. I’ll do my best to help you in that regard,” Ruhui said dutifully.

“Thank you, I’ll appreciate that. But…” Kayla leaned in to speak in a whisper. “What about the Seventh Prince? Does he have any men among the core staff?”

Ruhui shook his head. “Not that I’ve noticed.”

The two of them looked up with a start as there was a knock on the door.

“Who is it?” Kayla called out.

“Minister, it’s Shen Liangjun,” the Vice-Minister replied. Kayla and Ruhui shared a glance before she handed the scroll back to Ruhui, who bowed and stepped back, tucking it safely away.

“Come on in,” Kayla said.

“Pardon me, Minister. We’ve just finished up the collaboration charter for the Ministry of Justice, all we need is your signature and Minister Liang’s signature,” Shen Liangjun said. He glanced in Ruhui’s direction curiously.

“Then I’ll take my leave,” Ruhui quickly said, bowing to each of them in turn before leaving the room.

“I hope I didn’t interrupt him?” Shen Liangjun said. Kayla forced a smile.

“Not at all, we were just finishing anyways. Now let me take a look at the charter, did you include that part about access to the archives?”

“Of course, Minister, please look here…”

---

Outside the Court of Judicial Review, Qu Boyong ran as fast as he could without revealing his skills to the men the Grand Duke had planted around the building. He slowed down to even out his breathing before calmly approaching the entrance in an assured manner. The guards at the entrance recognized him and let him in. Crossing through the busy main office of the Court of Judicial Review, Qu Boyong was stopped by one of the secretaries.

“Hey, civilians aren’t allowed in here, how did you get in?” The man asked in annoyance. Qu Boyong quickly retrieved the plaque that Zhao Wenyuan had given him.

“I’m the Minister’s personal servant, there’s something urgent I need to speak to him about,” Boyong explained.

“The Minister’s servant? Well, he’s in a meeting with the Vice-Minister right now, you’ll have to wait,” the secretary said.

“You don’t understand, this is an extremely urgent matter,” Boyong emphasized. The secretary faltered, sensing that Qu Boyong was serious.

“Alright, I’ll go and let the Minister know. But keep in mind that if they get angry, I’m blaming everything on you,” the secretary grumbled reluctantly before heading over to knock on the office door.

“Excuse me, sir. It’s the Minister’s personal servant, he says he has an urgent matter,” the secretary announced. After pausing a beat, he nodded at Qu Boyong.

“Go on in,” the secretary said.

“Thank you.” Boyong entered the office, bowing at Wenyuan and then the man next to him.

“My lord, Vice-Minister, I apologize for disturbing you,” Boyong said. He glanced at the Vice-Minister, who watched him curiously without showing any sign of leaving. Wenyuan also shot a glance at the Vice-Minister, but the man didn’t seem to notice.

Sensing that Wenyuan was hard-pressed to dismiss the Vice-Minister without any pretense, Boyong quickly went around the desk to whisper in Wenyuan’s ear, covering his mouth with a hand.

“My lord, the Grand Duke’s making a move,” Boyong whispered. Wenyuan’s gaze sharpened immediately. Wenyuan kept his composure, nodding slightly at Boyong before giving the Vice-Minister a smile.

“I apologize, Vice-Minister, it seems that there’s a pressing issue. Could I trouble you to give us a moment?” Wenyuan said levelly.

The Vice-Minister bowed his head slightly. “Of course, sir. Please pardon me, I’ll wait outside.”

“Thank you,” Wenyuan replied. The two young men watched as the Vice-Minister left, waiting until the door clicked shut before Wenyuan whirled around to face Boyong.

“What’s going on?” Wenyuan asked, a slight hitch in his voice.

“It seems that the Grand Duke is trying to entrap you,” Boyong said quickly, keeping his voice low. “He wants to accuse you of-”

He was interrupted by loud knocking on the door.

“Minister! Minister, may I enter?” A young woman’s voice called out frantically. “It’s urgent!”

“Come on in,” Wenyuan said. The door swung open immediately, revealing a young woman in officials’ robes with a frightened look on her face.

“Case Reviewer Chen, what on earth happened?” Wenyuan asked, standing up in surprise.

The young woman quickly crossed the room, handing a scroll to Wenyuan.

“The Secretariat Department just released this to the entire court,” she said in a trembling voice. Boyong felt his heart drop into his stomach, realizing that he was too late.

Wenyuan looked over the document several times in confusion at its contents. Boyong and the female official watched him carefully, identifying the exact moment when a look of realization flashed over his face, followed by what seemed to be despair.

“What is it, my lord?” Boyong asked. Wenyuan let the scroll drop to the desk, not seeming to have heard Boyong at all.

“The Ministry of Justice is opening an investigation against the Minister,” the young woman explained in a small voice. She hesitated, glancing at Wenyuan to discern his reaction before continuing. “On the charges of coercing and bribing Liu Hongyu’s servant into testifying falsely."

---

Cultural Notes

Bribery in Ancient China: This didn't look so different from other cultures, though gift-giving with or without occasion was a common expectation for subordinates of a corrupt man in power. Rather than "gifting" Liu Hongyu dancer girls whose servitude can be purchased via a lump sum contract (they often owed debts from their training and upkeep, regardless of whether or not they had a say in entering the occupation or if they entered the occupation as minors, so the sum wouldn't give them financial independence either), Secretary Han introduced two male servants who would be paid a salary, which isn't really a great bribe in comparison.

决不轻饶/Definitely wouldn't not lightly show mercy: A Chinese saying that serves as a threat that someone won't be let off easily.

同乡/Same hometown: Due to the relatively large size of China and the relative difficulty of travel in ancient times, there was a cultural and social sentiment and obligation attached to people from the same hometown who meet outside of their hometown.

家丑不外扬/Family blemishes should not be brandished outside: A Chinese proverb meaning to keep the family's face and avoid shame by keeping embarrassments, faults, or errors a family secret, aka to avoid airing your family's dirty laundry.

要个名分/Asking for an officiated namesake: Usually for the case of a woman or a child. An officiated namesake refers to an acknowledged position within the family. A lover may ask to be made an official concubine rather than just "the master's woman outside", or an illegitimate child with a servant or out of wedlock may ask to be acknowledged as the father's offspring.

千夫所指/Pointed at by a thousand men: An Ancient Chinese proverb from the Han Dynasty, referring to incurring the wrath of the public, or having public opinion turned against you. The Grand Duke points out that a young woman from a low-status background proactively seducing a rich young man for personal greed would be faced with a lot of public backlash, so Secretary Han must have something to be nervous about if he caved in so easily.

指条出路/Point out a path out: A Chinese phrase referring to the act of giving someone a way out, with the term 出路/Path out also referring to social mobility, so it can also mean a path out of poverty or a low social status.

Jing Shuyou: A reminder that Chujiao's original name was Shuyou, which comes from the poem of the pre-Qin poet Qu Yuan, who was from the Kingdom of Chu.

谢天谢地/Thank the heavens thank the earth: A colloquial phrase to express relief/gratitude about the outcome of a situation.

无力回天/Powerless to wrench back the sky: A proverb referring to a situation being out of someone's hands, or having progressed past the point of no return.

话说到这份上/If you say it to this extent: A colloquial phrase often used to express exasperation at being unable to refuse any further, especially when doing so would pose a moral dilemma, but it can also be used to express anger, regret, and a variety of other emotions.

君子一言九鼎/A great man's word is heavier than nine cauldrons: An Ancient Chinese proverb meaning that a great man honors his promises. In Ancient China, cauldrons referred to huge, extremely heavy cauldrons made out of bronze and used for ritualistic purposes. Given that one of the kings of the Qin Kingdom in pre-Qin China who was known for having inhuman strength was crushed to death when trying to lift a cauldron, a great man's promise really carries a lot of weight.