Kayla stepped into the Grand Duke’s household, feeling as though she was faced with an insurmountable enemy. Secretary Zhen, who followed her as mandated by the Ministry of Justice’s regulations, was quickly escorted to a room by the servants, leaving Kayla to head to her room alone.

She had left Qu Boyong at the door to wait as backup. In case things really went south, she would need someone to interfere from outside, preferably one who wasn’t an Imperial Investigator. If the Grand Duke ended up in direct conflict with the Imperial Investigator’s Bureau, things would really become a huge mess.

Soon after she got to Wenyuan’s room, Kayla was interrupted by a knock on the door.

“Young lord, it’s your servant,” Matron Li’s familiar voice rang out.

“Come in,” Kayla called. She felt a small rush of7 relief as Matron Li opened the door and stepped into sight. The older woman had a look of worry on her face, quickly heading over to check if Kayla was alright.

“Young lord, are you alright?” Matron Li asked.

“I’m fine,” Kayla said warmly, watching Matron Li with a grateful smile. “Matron Li, thank you for your help.”

The older woman gave her a look of surprise before ducking her head in a bow. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, young lord.”

“Of course,” Kayla said. “In that case, thank you for coming here.”

“That’s my job, young lord,” Matron Li said, a look of soft affection on her face.

Kayla felt the tension slowly easing from her shoulders. “Matron Li, this whole thing has been a mess. I see now why you told me to reach an agreement with my grandfather after being appointed as Minister, he really didn’t hesitate to go for the kill. But I think I have a way out.”

Matron Li frowned in concern. “Young lord, I implore you to please tread carefully. This isn’t going to be a simple matter to resolve, one wrong step and a deep abyss awaits.”

“I understand, Matron Li. I made sure to take the necessary steps so that my evidence is solid-if I bring it before him, he’ll be forced to make a deal with me.”

Matron Li’s concern only seemed to grow. “Young lord, just what are you planning to do?”

Kayla let out a sharp sigh. “The matter with Liu Hongyu, and grandfather’s role in it…I have enough to bring him down, enough to ruin him for good.”

“The matter with Liu Hongyu?” Matron Li paused for a moment, frowning slightly before glancing up in horror. “Young lord, did that man do anything to you?”

“I took care of it,” Kayla said tightly, shutting down the line of questioning. It had been something Wenyuan deliberately kept from Matron Li and Chujiao, fearing the loss of their affection. “But I can still make use of it.”

“But that would destroy your future as well! Surely you can’t-”

“He’s the one who pushed me to this point! I’m already at the edge of a precipice, I can’t back down so I can only jump. It’s not by my own will, but as a result of my grandfather’s actions,” Kayla explained.

Matron Li gave a troubled grimace. Sensing that the woman was leaving something unsaid, Kayla pushed forward.

“Matron Li, there’s something you’re hiding, isn’t there? And not just about the Court of Judicial Review,” Kayla said suspiciously. Matron Li turned her face away. Kayla took in a deep breath.

“Tell me the truth, does it have to do with my mother or something? Grandfather’s so prideful, and yet he was fine sending me to Liu Hongyu. There’s something there that doesn’t make sense,” she prodded.

“Young lord, I…it’s not about your mother,” Matron Li said reluctantly.

“Then it’s my father? Am I not his child?” Kayla demanded.

“That’s not it-how can you even say that, my lord? Your mother was the paragon of a virtuous wife, she would never!” Matron Li hastily scolded him before clearing her throat slightly. “It’s complicated, my lord. You’re important to the Grand Duke, there’s no doubting that, there’s just too much-”

“Matron Li, if there’s something I don’t know that might trip me up, you have to tell me or I’m done for. I need to know what I’m working with!” Kayla said in exasperation.

Matron Li struggled to find suitable words for a long moment before speaking. “Young lord, your father is…he wasn’t the Grand Duke’s son.”

Kayla frowned in confusion. “What?! How is that possible?!”

Matron Li hesitated before starting her explanation, her words spilling out in a rush after years of guarding the secret.

Seventy years ago, the Grand Duke was born during the reign of Emperor Taizong. He was the second son of a second son, a relatively insubstantial figure in the Zhao clan who would nonetheless never have to worry about money.

The Grand Duke’s father was a mild-mannered man, a reserved scholar who had no concubines and doted on his wife, with several healthy sons. His father’s older brother Lord Zhao was the previous head of the Zhao clan, a man who had vast wealth but was in desperate need of an heir.

Despite consulting countless doctors, Lord Zhao simply couldn’t have a son. It wasn’t that he was impotent. He had a multitude of daughters, most of whom didn’t survive. Lord Zhao gave up at age fifty with only four daughters who made it past the age of ten. With no small degree of envy, he turned to his younger brother and requested to adopt his brother’s second son. Being unable to refuse the head of house by reason or sentiment, the Grand Duke’s father agreed without argument.

At the young age of ten, the Grand Duke was taken from the arms of his loving parents and into the care of his uncle. Lord Zhao was a demanding man and vented his frustrations at being unable to conceive a son on the young Grand Duke, and his wife didn’t hesitate to do the same. The Grand Duke suffered under the tyranny of his adopted father throughout his childhood, kept apart from his biological family and mired in the animosity and indifference of his adoptive one.

It was expected by almost everyone that the Grand Duke would grow into a meek and obedient man, but they had all underestimated him. He underwent the rigorous education for the heir and grew into a brilliant young man, well-respected by those around him. Soon after he came of age, his older adoptive sister married the Sixth Prince, who would later become Emperor Gaozong. The Grand Duke also became an official, starting out in a mid-level position.

Soon after entering the Imperial Court, the Grand Duke’s career was ascendant like the morning sun in the sky. His relationship with his brother-in-law had also grown to be very close, and the Sixth Prince treated him with a great deal of fondness and trust. It seemed that everything was finally turning onto the proper tracks. The Zhao clan’s future was ensured with such a capable heir, and the Grand Duke had finally emerged from the shadow of Lord Zhao.

That was when Lord Zhao finally had a son. The birth of a healthy young son shook the entire Zhao household to its core. No one had ever considered it possible, especially given how old Lord Zhao was by then. Rumors were rampant about the fidelity of Lord Zhao’s young concubine, and more than just a few people placed bets on Lord Zhao being cuckolded. But nonetheless, a son was a son, and the child became known as the Little Lord.

Under normal circumstances, the heir should’ve changed to the newborn boy, but the Grand Duke had already been the heir for twelve years and had a solid position in both the household and in the court. Lord Zhao disregarded the years of hard work the Grand Duke had put in and all his achievements, deaf to even the protests of his clan members. As soon as the Little Lord was born, Lord Zhao immediately moved to chase out the Grand Duke from the seat of the heir.

No one knows exactly how things went down after that, other than that the internal battle was ugly and intense. But it was at that time that the Grand Duke was placed in charge of the investigation of the Court of Judicial Review with the support of his brother-in-law, and the Crown Prince was deposed soon after. The Sixth Prince became the new Crown Prince and ascended to the throne soon after as Emperor Gaozong, and the Grand Duke’s adopted sister gained the title of Empress Zhao.

Soon after taking the throne, Emperor Gaozong intervened on the Grand Duke’s behalf, naming him the official heir and giving him a title of nobility. To get Lord Zhao to back down and stop making a racket at court, it was agreed that the first son of the Little Lord would be adopted as one of the Grand Duke’s own children, making him eligible for inheritance.

Lord Zhao bitterly opposed this compromise. Given how much older the Grand Duke was than the Little Lord, he would have an heir long before the Little Lord was of age to marry. But Emperor Gaozong had already ascended to the throne, and the Grand Duke was an official who earned great merit in the process. Even if he opposed it, there was nothing Lord Zhao could do about the matter.

Just as Lord Zhao expected, the Grand Duke had several sons with his wife soon after their marriage, long before the Little Lord had even learned to read. But it seemed that either fate or Lord Zhao had other plans, as none of the Grand Duke’s sons made it past childhood. Of all the Grand Duke’s children, only the Grand Duke’s youngest son managed to survive past the age of ten. Notably, the child was born only a few days before Lord Zhao passed away. The old man was given a proper burial, but no one dared to grieve for him for fear of insulting the Grand Duke. Lord Zhao’s wife also chose to follow her husband in death soon after, even though she had initially refused to do so.

Orphaned and isolated in the Zhao household, the Little Lord lived a hedonistic lifestyle and indulged in women and wine. The Little Lord had little to look forward to in life. His father had left him under the care of the Grand Duke, who was all too happy to pay back Lord Zhao’s cruelties onto his son. As a result, the Little Lord was a meek and easily frightened man who drowned his worries in pleasure, choosing to enjoy himself as much as possible while he could. At only fifteen years old, the Little Lord ended up having a child with one of the serving girls.

“Wait, my father was illegitimate?” Kayla demanded.

Matron Li bowed her head slightly. “No, of course not. He’s listed as legitimate in the family tree.”

At the intervention of Empress Zhao, who was the Little Lord’s biological older sister and the only one who still cared for the boy after his parents had died, his son Zhao Kangyu was given the status of a legitimate son and the serving girl was quietly shuffled out of the capital. In accordance with the agreement Emperor Gaozong negotiated, the Grand Duke was forced to adopt Zhao Kangyu as one of his own sons. He deeply resented the child, whose mother’s status was lower than even that of a concubine but was still considered a potential heir to the Zhao clan.

Similar to the Little Lord, Zhao Kangyu grew up to be a very timid boy, faced with his adoptive father’s animosity and his adoptive mother’s cold indifference. The long years under Lord Zhao’s cruelty didn’t soften the Grand Duke to Zhao Kangyu’s predicament in the slightest, and the man who suffered under a tyrant became even more tyrannical than his forebearer. Until he was almost seven, Zhao Kangyu was often overlooked by the servants and barely even spoke in full sentences.

On the other hand, the Grand Duke’s son was greatly treasured as the household’s Young Master, being the only biological child and the rightful heir. Young Master Zhao was talented, handsome, and exceptionally brilliant in military affairs. Charismatic and confident, he was loved and adored by those around him in the way that the Grand Duke hadn’t been as a youth.

The Grand Duke doted on his son in both home and court, and he wanted nothing but the best for his son. He had secured the position as Central Secretariat in the court of Emperor Gaozong’s successor, as both the uncle of the new Emperor and a seasoned official with plenty of merits under his belt. Under the Grand Duke’s arrangements, Young Master Zhao was named an army commander and sent to the Northwestern border at the age of twenty-four, with the expectation that he would become the Minister of War as soon as he’d attained nominal military merit.

Young Master Zhao remained unmarried even though he was about to be deployed, with the tacit understanding that he would marry the Imperial Princess once she came of age. She was only fourteen at the time but already renowned for her beauty and intellect, but most importantly, she shared the same mother with the Crown Prince. The Grand Duke took pride in arranging a match that maintained the Zhao clan’s ties with the Imperial family and strictly warned his son against producing any illegitimate children that might make the Emperor oppose the union.

“I think I know where this is going now,” Kayla said darkly. Matron Li let out a deep sigh.

“It’s hard to say whether it was a fortune or a misfortune for your father, but it certainly was a great shock for your grandfather when your uncle died at the border,” she said. “The Young Master died in a skirmish with the Eastern Turkic Khaganate within a month of being stationed at the border. And since he didn’t have any children…well, your father became the heir.”

Kayla breathed in deeply, slowly absorbing the information. The circumstances certainly explained the Grand Duke’s animosity towards Wenyuan, but the old man had no one to blame but himself. If not for his greed and insistence on a marriage with a princess, there was no way the Young Master would have died without having a son who could become the household’s successor.

“No wonder. He must’ve been furious. All that effort to secure the marriage, and my father was the one to benefit,” Kayla said. “If that’s the case, then I’m not even his grandson. I’m the son of his cousin’s son-what does that even make me?”

“You’re his grandson and the household’s heir, young lord. Not to mention that you’re the son of the Imperial Princess. Legally or politically, there is no one who can dispute your position,” Matron Li hastily assured her.

The Little Lord and Wenyuan’s father all died young, just like Wenyuan did. Just how many generations of Wenyuan’s family has the Grand Duke crushed?

“Isn’t that a coincidence? My father passed away young, and his father did too. Tell me, Matron Li, how did my father die? My mother always said he got sick and passed away, but I’m starting to doubt that after hearing-”

“Young lord, I beg you to stop thinking about that,” Matron Li cut her off. “Your father died during the last epidemic. Even your mother and the Emperor accepted that as fact, it won’t do you any good to dwell on it.” She gave Kayla a worried look.

Kayla shook her head. “Who else knows of this?”

“Well, almost no one. A few of the older folks know of this, but not the details. Especially in regards to your father’s parentage, it’s only known that he was the son of the late Empress Zhao’s younger brother. Since the Little Lord died soon after your father was born, there also wasn’t anyone who could prove anything,” Matron Li explained.

Kayla slowly sat down, staring blankly at the wall. “How did you know this then? Were you already working here by then?”

A sad look flashed over Matron Li’s face.

“I was. After your father was born, Empress Zhao sent some servants from the palace to make sure that he survived. I was one of them, the only one who grit my teeth and stayed on when they were pushing us out. I had served Empress Zhao in the palace, and she trusted in my ability to take care of him.”

“You must’ve been very young back then, wasn’t that a lot to ask of you?”

“I was fifteen,” Matron Li said sadly. “I’d been brought in as a young girl to serve as a playmate for one of the princesses, who shared the same mother as Emperor Gaozong. After the princess died of illness, I stayed on to serve her mother. Later, she sent me to serve Empress Zhao after Emperor Gaozong ascended to the throne. And soon after that, I was sent to the Grand Duke’s household.”

Kayla nodded sympathetically. “It’s really a hundred turns and a thousand twists, it couldn’t have been easy for you.”

Matron Li’s voice took on a bitter tone. “I did my best, but it wasn’t enough. I was one person alone against the entire household, and even if I was sent by the palace, there was only so much I could do. And then the Empress passed away, and later Emperor Gaozong did too. At that time, I thought both your father and I would be done for, that there was no limit to how much worse things could go from there. But the new Empress, your grandmother, she’s a kind and just woman. With her support, both your father and I were able to live on peacefully.”

“Don’t you hate the Grand Duke for how he treated you?” Kayla asked. Matron Li hadn’t hesitated for even a second to betray the Grand Duke in the original timeline after Wenyuan’s death, no longer needing to hold back for his sake. Now, the reason for Matron Li’s animosity seemed a little clearer.

Matron Li hesitated slightly but evidently decided that she had said enough to keep going.

“Not for how he treated me, but for how he treated the ones I care for,” Matron Li said. She let out a soft sigh. “He caused the death of my daughter to punish me when your father married the Imperial Princess. He forced her to go work at the countryside estate, and she died soon after. They all said it was a sudden illness, but my child had always been perfectly healthy. There was just no way that could’ve happened naturally. This was all before you were born, of course, but your mother felt so badly about it.”

At Kayla’s outraged expression, Matron Li smiled sadly. “Please don't let it bother you, young lord. It was a long time ago.”

“Matron Li, I’m so sorry,” Kayla said.

“Please don’t say that, young lord. To be honest, even without the matter of my daughter, I would still hate the Grand Duke. He disgusts me. How he treated your father, who was practically raised in my arms, truly made my heart run cold. And then there’s how he treats you, young lord,” Matron Li said.

Kayla broke eye contact, slightly overwhelmed with emotion at Matron Li’s earnestness.

Matron Li softly put a hand on Kayla’s shoulder. “I’m very sorry to drop such a heavy load on you, young lord. Your mother didn’t want you to know this, she was worried you couldn’t take it.”

Kayla nodded. “Of course, I understand, pitiful are the hearts of parents, she must’ve meant well. I’m grateful to you for telling me all this, and…I’m sorry that things have gotten to be like this. I’ve brought you so much trouble.”

Matron Li shook her head. “It’s no trouble to me, young lord. I’m just worried for your safety.”

“I know, thank you. I haven’t exactly been the most courageous person thus far, I’ve caused you a lot of worries,” Kayla said. She couldn’t exactly promise that she could make things better, there were simply too many uncertainties.

“Your parents raised a good man, young lord. Why must a man be brave? Is it not enough to be kind?” Matron Li asked. “As long as you can live on safely, that’s what your parents would want.”

Kayla looked down. Wenyuan really had been treasured, even if it was only by a small few. It hadn’t been enough, but now that things were different, a little could go a long way.

“Thank you, Matron Li,” Kayla said softly. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Not at all, young lord.”

“I need to think about all this for a bit.”

Matron Li bowed slightly. “Understood, I’ll take my leave then.”

With one last friendly pat on the shoulder, Matron Li left Kayla alone with her thoughts.

This explains so much…Wenyuan, you alright there?

Wenyuan’s shocked silence continued for a moment longer before he finally replied. No, I-I thought…I didn’t know any of this.

I don’t think your parents wanted you to know, Kayla comforted him.

I wish they’d told me. I never understood why grandfather was never satisfied with me or why he treated me like this, if I’d known I would’ve expected this much, Wenyuan snapped in frustration.

I’m sorry, Kayla said. But at least Matron Li really treasures you.

That’s true.

I know this is a shocking situation, but knowing this gives me a lot more confidence.

At Wenyuan’s confusion, Kayla gave a small smile.

Trust me on this. Deep down, the Grand Duke wants to ruin us, but he can’t. If he goes down, he'll want to drag us with him, but he can't do that either. Our shame and honor are still tied together, but our fates won’t be.

She got up from her seat, reaching into her sleeve to confirm the presence of a thin scroll. It was time to face the Grand Duke.

---

Cultural Notes

因果轮回/The Cyclical Nature of Fate/Karmic Cycle: A Chinese proverb stemming from Buddhist beliefs of karma and the karmic cycle, often used to mean "what goes around comes around". In this case, it's applied to the intergenerational conflicts of the Zhao clan.

如临大敌/As though facing an insurmountable enemy: A Chinese proverb meaning to view a situation as exceptionally dangerous, to approach it with caution and fear.

毫不手软/Not [go] soft at the hands at all: A Chinese colloquial phrase used to describe not hesitating to go in for the kill, even if it's against someone weaker, with circumstances that would invoke sympathy, or someone you know/are related to.

走错一步便是万丈/If you take one wrong step, an abyss of thirty thousand meters awaits: A Chinese proverb that means if you make one mistake, you're done for. Note that traditional (and current!) Chinese units of measurements include 一(one), 十(ten), 百(hundred), 千(thousand), and 万(specifically ten thousand). We don't really use millions, we say 百万 (A hundred ten-thousands). And 丈 is a unit of measurement equal to 三尺 (three meters), so while the proverb actually says 万丈(ten thousand 丈), it means thirty thousand meters. As this might suggest, this proverb is meant to convey the message that you'd be seriously doomed.

于情于理/By sentiment or by reason: A Chinese colloquialism referring to situations that you can't accept or refuse, whether out of emotions/sentiments or out of reason. An example would be that your daughter wants to marry your enemy's son, who's currently in jail and has a track record of violence towards women. Sentimentally, you don't want her to marry your enemy's son. Rationally, you don't want her to marry a shitty guy. In the case of the Grand Duke's father, he can't refuse Lord Zhao because sentimentally speaking, Lord Zhao is his older brother. Rationally speaking, Lord Zhao is the head of house and has no sons, while he himself has several. He doesn't have a good reason to refuse, nor can he refuse.

过继/Adopting: A common practice was for a couple without children to adopt a child from a family with too many children/enough children that one less mouth to feed would benefit everyone, including the child who is adopted by the couple. It's also common for families with no boys to adopt a relative's son so that they can have an heir. The Grand Duke's considered the second case. In the case of adopting a son as heir, it's usually retracted as soon as a son is produced. If you look at Emperor Renzong of the Song Dynasty, he adopted and then de-adopted a relative's son three separate times, kicking the kid out when he had a son. But since Emperor Renzong's sons kept dying in infancy, he would have to adopt the relative's son again. In the Grand Duke's case, he wasn't pushed out from his position, but he was forced to adopt one of the Little Lord's children as a potential heir (aka precedence over his own children whose mothers are concubines), bringing the cycle of adoption full circle.

少主/Little Lord: Not how this title is usually used, but I'm just grabbing it for convenience. Otherwise, it'd be too hard to keep track of who's who. Usually, it's used to describe the young ruler of a country who's not yet of age, or the designated heir of a large clan/fief/title.

殉葬/Follow in death: Often used for rulers, many Emperors ordered all or part of their harem to follow them in death, though this wasn't done quite so often after the uniting of China under the Qin Dynasty. Some wives/concubines also were forced to or chose to follow their husbands in death, especially if they were really in love or knew that they had no way to survive with their husbands dead. In any case, it was a convenient way to get rid of widows who may be able to garner and wield their own influence.

百转千回/A hundred turns and a thousand twists: A Chinese proverb referring to the many twists of fate a person endures in the path of life, similar to the many twists a traveler must traverse while on a mountainous road towards their destination.

叫人寒心/Make one's heart run cold [towards someone]: A Chinese colloquialism referring to actions that cause others to completely lose faith/goodwill towards you.

可怜天下父母心/Pitiful are the hearts of parents everywhere: A Chinese proverb referring to how parents are always worrying and planning for their children, even though the children often don't understand this. The origins of this now-famous line actually come from the notorious Empress Dowager Cixi of the Qing Dynasty, known for her monopoly on political power (which would've been fine except that it would be an understatement to say she wasn't great at dealing with the country's issues and spent excessively)