Kayla stepped through the entrance of Wei Guang’s residence, feeling no less trepidation on her second visit than she did on her first.

What on earth did he summon me for this early in the morning? The rays of sunlight peeking out from the east had yet to fully illuminate the sky, but that evidently wasn’t an issue for the Imperial Edict Bearer. Kayla didn’t want to know how early this man usually got up.

“Wenyuan humbly greets the Imperial Edict Bearer,” Kayla bowed her head in greeting as she reached Wei Guang’s study.

“Come on in, no need for formalities! Thank you for joining me at such an early hour,” Wei Guang greeted her, waving Kayla into the room.

“Not at all, it’s my pleasure.”

“Now, it wasn’t exactly urgent, but I thought it would be best for you to have this sooner rather than later,” Wei Guang said, handing Kayla a scroll. She unrolled it curiously, looking through its contents.

“That one includes detailed information on the members of each faction who are currently in the capital, including their current positions. This one here,” Wei Guang said, pulling out a second scroll and handing it over. “This details the allegiances of the provincial and county-level officials. Most of the people listed in these are relatively low-ranking officials, in seemingly insignificant positions, but everything significant under the heavens is decided by details. If you know thyself and thy enemy, in a hundred battles you will gain a hundred victories.”

“I’m deeply grateful,” Kayla said sincerely. She had a general sense of the capital, but not to the extent detailed in the scroll, which included everything from secretaries to security personnel.

“No need to be so polite, doing this much is natural. If Hu Weizhi had the ability to gather this information, I’m sure he would have done this for you,” Wei Guang said smoothly. Kayla ignored the strange feeling at the back of her mind at the joking jab.

The palace should have had the ability to do so, shouldn’t it? She squashed the thought as it emerged, forcing herself to focus on the conversation.

“Your Grace, may I ask how you managed to gather such detailed information while away from the capital?” Kayla asked, being sure to sound suitably impressed.

“I still have some old contacts here, I’ve been an official in this city for decades now, it’s not too hard to stay up to date,” Wei Guang replied.

Is that why he didn’t show up in the original timeline? He knew things had gone to shit and decided to take to the hills?

“Of course.”

“Some of my old friends are officials, and there’s a few who are magical researchers, focusing on some rather niche and unorthodox topics. Somehow, they’re always the ones who are best informed,” Wei Guang chatted on casually, but Kayla could sense bait when she saw it.

“I believe my mother also did some unorthodox research,” Kayla cautiously prodded at the topic.

“Indeed, she most certainly did! Some of the things were hidden carefully away from the public eye, simply because some might conflate it with witchcraft and stir up a fuss, you see,” Wei Guang said.

Kayla nodded along, hoping Wei Guang would say more. This wasn’t the topic he had called her over for, and Kayla knew it as well, but she’d be damned if she let go of an opportunity to wheedle out information from him. Of course, the opposite was also true, and despite the seemingly friendly and trusting conversation going on, both of them were strategically choosing their words, as well as what information to reveal.

“What kind of research did my mother do?” Kayla asked. She wondered if he knew about the evidence the Princess had found. He had hinted at it, but that wasn’t an answer. Kayla certainly wouldn’t be the one to take that risk, if they were going to broach this topic, he would have to be the one to talk.

“She was exceptionally talented, she could easily grasp theories regarding every type of magic,” Wei Guang said. “Your mother directed the multiple research projects going on simultaneously, connecting them to each other and synthesizing them.”

“I wish I could have seen her at work, it must have been quite a sight,” Kayla lamented.

Wei Guang patted her shoulder comfortingly. “Most of the projects involved rather delicate magic, it wouldn’t have been safe to involve a child,” he explained.

“Delicate magic?” Kayla prompted.

“Indeed, very delicate. One of your mother’s fellow researchers specialized in divination magic, she was quite an impressive woman,” Wei Guang said.

“Divination?” Kayla perked up at that.

So like Asian-geomancy?

No, divination magic is much more high-caliber than that!

Alright, alright. Kayla swallowed her internal skepticism at Wenyuan’s indignant tone.

“Indeed, she was much more accurate than the divinators and astrologers of the court. She often worked with the soul magic expert, and if I remember correctly, they were collaborating on a research project around the time of your mother’s passing. Nothing came of it in the end, and now both of them are gone.”

“They’ve both passed away?” Kayla asked in surprise, suspicion tugging at her gut.

“That’s what one would suppose, they’ve both vanished without tracks or shadow. But since their bodies haven’t been found, it’s hard to say,” Wei Guang admitted.

“What a shame, to lose such talented people.”

“Indeed, if your mother had only lived a little longer, this country would have been transformed beyond what you could imagine, even the heavens and earth would have been shaken,” Wei Guang lamented. “But alas, it was not to be. Perhaps the heavens simply felt that the time was not right.”

Kayla once again sensed that Wei Guang was trying to hint at something, but didn’t dare to jump to conclusions based on his words alone.

“Were their findings so surprising?” Kayla asked.

“Everyone’s findings were surprising, especially those two. Lady Lin, the divinator, theorized that time is not linear. Instead, time is like a writhing mass of chaos that moves forward and backward simultaneously, constantly splintering apart and folding in on itself,” Wei Guang said, the scholarly air about him increasing. “Apparently, that is what she uncovered by looking too far into the future.”

Kayla tried to picture it, shaking the image of puff pastry dough from the dessert-making videos she used to watch out of her mind.

“That…doesn’t make a lot of sense,” Kayla admitted.

“Think of it as this, every second you have a large number of choices as to what to do, what to say, what to think within the next second, do you not?” At Kayla’s nod, he continued. “But not all of the choices make sense or have a high likelihood of coming true. Of those that do, they splinter off temporally, into parallel paths for the future. But this does not occur for you, but for everyone, meaning that there are more splinters in any given second than there are sands in the Ganges river.”

Oh, that is so cool! Wenyuan’s enthusiasm for his hobby was practically oozing out. Kayla ignored him, narrowing in on the parts that didn’t make sense.

“That’s a lot of splinters,” Kayla said uneasily.

“Exactly, hence the folding in on itself. Most of those splinters, despite being the most likely options for a single person, have too little compatibility with the others in their proximity, or those that they will interact with now or further on in the future. Those splinters only exist for the fraction of a second, creating parallel realities in which that splinter was the only truth, before being sucked back into the flow of time,” Wei Guang explained. “And so time itself is an all-encompassing entity of pulsing energy, one that is constantly creating and destroying possibilities, paths, and choices.”

Kayla nodded slowly, still trying to wrap her head around it. “Then what about time going both forward and backward?”

I went backward, didn’t I?

“Lady Lin couldn’t explain that, but Sir Ji believed that he could eventually get to the bottom of it. He studied souls extensively, and some of his findings supported her theory. You see, he was steps away from confirming that reincarnation is real,” Wei Guang explained.

I knew it!!!!

Kayla nodded thoughtfully, ignoring Wenyuan’s excitement.

I mean sure, if two souls can cohabit a body, it makes sense that this would also be possible.

“Amazing,” Kayla murmured.

“Indeed, but that was not all. Remember that time is not linear, then how does reincarnation work? Sir Ji theorized that there were multiple worlds that co-exist within the expanse of time, each of them close to the others, separated by the thin parchment of fate,” Wei Guang said.

“Parallel worlds,” Kayla said in realization.

“An interesting way to put it,” Wei Guang remarked. “But mind you, the worlds are not fixed in their positions. This is a very simplified explanation, but think of it like a sphere, containing several liquid forms, each a different color perhaps, all within an oil solution that prevents them from merging into each other. They swirl around each other in undetermined patterns inside a sphere that is also constantly spinning in random directions. Now, those liquids would be the worlds, while the sphere is time.”

Like a round lava lamp?!! Seriously?! That's the true face of the universe?!

Is that how it works?!!!

“So the worlds would be at different points in time, but souls can travel between them via reincarnation regardless of which temporal reality they hail from?” Kayla said thoughtfully.

“You’re getting there,” Wei Guang said approvingly. “Don’t worry if you don’t understand it all, two experts worked on this for decades and still didn’t have full knowledge of it.”

Things started making a lot more sense to Kayla, but she could also tell that Wei Guang was done amusing her.

He’s given me a lot of information, and now it’s his turn to get what he wants. She wanted to learn more, but that could wait for a different time.

“Thank you for your guidance, Your Grace. Truly, I have benefited greatly,” Kayla said, bowing her head slightly.

“Not at all, rather, I should thank you for indulging an old man’s ramblings,” Wei Guang replied. “But I digress, we’ve strayed from the topic I wished to discuss.”

Kayla politely waited for Wei Guang to continue.

“Wenyuan, now that you have some control over the neutral faction, it’s time to cement your hold,” Wei Guang said.

“This foolish one asks for Your Grace’s advice,” Kayla replied.

Of course he’d want to have sway in the faction. Unlike Hu Weizhi and the other traditionalists, Wei Guang’s role was more similar to that of an investor who came in with a large amount of money, he brought influence and prestige. He even strengthened the neutral faction’s ties with the Emperor by virtue of his long tenure as an advisor. Kayla was also willing to make concessions to keep such a person on her side rather than to make an enemy out of him.

“The Ministry of Revenue,” Wei Guang said simply.

Kayla looked at him in surprise. Noticing her reaction, he chuckled softly.

“Are you surprised? You must have expected that the most reasonable course of action right now is to strengthen our hold in the judicial system first, no?” Wei Guang laughed. “Unfortunately, we’ve reached the upper limits of what we can accomplish there within the short run. It is outside of our abilities to interfere with the Bureau, and you cannot gain any more ground in the Ministry of Justice without openly ousting Minister Liang and Right Secretariat Zhang, and that would only gain us the animosity of both princes and their factions.”

Kayla mulled it over for a moment. “I see the wisdom of your words, but why the Ministry of Revenue? Given its importance, I can understand, but it’s the subject of such intense contestation that we would be better sitting on the mountain and watching the tigers fight.”

“In many cases, the one who strikes first will be able to control others, while those who act later will face many restraints, but there are also situations where those who enter later gain the upper hand. Do not make the mistake of thinking you can gain the fisher’s benefit in every situation where you can chase the tiger to have it devour the wolf,” Wei Guang warned her. “It might work in your favor when it is related to Grand Duke Zhao’s faction, but do not forget that all under heaven belongs to the Emperor, the princes have more claim than we do.”

“I apologize, this one was foolish. So is it Your Grace’s opinion that we should strike first and restrain our competitors’ movements?” Kayla quickly replied.

Wei Guang nodded. “Do you understand why?”

Kayla mulled over it, the gears in her head turning at top speed. Putting the importance of the Ministry of Revenue aside, if they were trying to establish a more well-rounded power base, the weakened Ministry of Rites would have been ideal. After Liu Xiu, the nephew of Liu Hongyu, had been demoted into a remote province, the Ministry of Rite’s new leader had struggled to keep everything running smoothly. Asserting the neutral faction’s influence in such a place would have been easy, compared to dealing with the solid defenses of Dong Shiqing, the long-standing Minister of Revenue.

Or is Wei Guang so confident because he knows the Imperial Princess has dirt on Dong Shiqing? Does he mean for me to bring that out?

A few moments later, Kayla was still mulling it over with a frown.

“You wouldn’t know of this, but the Ministry of War is about to be in trouble,” Wei Guang prompted her gently.

Kayla’s eyes widened with realization. “That uncle of mine has dealings in Dengzhou?”

“An astute deduction,” Wei Guang agreed.

“Then the Third Prince will surely gain control of the Ministry of War,” Kayla said cautiously. Her tone grew more confident as she assessed Wei Guang’s stoic expression. “If the Emperor would allow him to manage the dynasty’s army, then he must not also be allowed to gain control of its purse. Your Grace does not believe that the Seventh Prince could gain the Ministry of Revenue?”

Having both an army and a bank meant Kuang had the power to revolt. It didn’t matter whether or not Kuang ever would do such a thing, but the mere threat of it could have disastrous consequences given the Emperor’s overly emotional approach to familial affairs.

Wei Guang shook his head. “I have no doubt that he would eventually manage, especially if the Third Prince was actively refraining. However, what would that entail?”

“An army cannot fight without its purse,” Kayla said in realization. “Perhaps the Seventh Prince wouldn’t actively withhold war funds during a national emergency under normal circumstances, but if he saw himself to be in a desperate position, there is no guarantee he would not take extreme actions and threaten the safety of the dynasty. Is that why the Ministry of Revenue must be in the hands of the neutral faction?”

“Exactly. But you should not be seen as snatching it away from the Princes, that would only invoke their rage,” Wei Guang said. “Instead, bind them to this arrangement with ties of gratitude, then they will be unable to interfere.”

“This foolish one asks for further guidance,” Kayla prompted.

Rather than answer, Wei Guang smiled, posing another question. “How do you think this should be done?”

Realizing that Wei Guang was trying to train her rather than test her abilities, Kayla felt slightly relieved. If he had taken it upon himself to mentor her, she would make the most of the opportunity.

“I should not give them a chance to demand a favor of me, so it stands that I must do them a favor,” Kayla said hesitantly.

“That would be difficult to arrange, would it not? It would not inhibit their hankering for the Ministry of Revenue. Rather than create an imbalance, it would be wiser to ensure that everything you start is ended properly,” Wei Guang said, nudging Kayla towards the solution.

“So making a deal with them…I suppose that since the Third Prince is already certain to take the Ministry of War, pushing the boat along the current would not hurt, but what for the Seventh Prince?”

“The Ministry of Rites. It’s ripe for the taking, and the new Minister would be easy to win over, especially with our help. You’ve wrested a Ministry from him, so now you must give him a new one. For most subjects, politics are about how to maximize their power and benefits, but your role is different in that you must act as an extension of the Emperor himself. And what does the Emperor need?” Wei Guang said.

“For the factions in court to balance each other out,” Kayla replied.

“You understand correctly,” Wei Guang said encouragingly.

Kayla bowed her head. “Thank you for your guidance, Your Grace.”

“It is merely my duty as your senior,” Wei Guang waved off her thanks. “Focusing on the bigger picture of the court is important, but you must not neglect your duties as the head of the Court of Judicial Review either. Even if it does not make any waves in the short time, it holds a great deal of importance in the long run.”

“It is as you say, Your Grace,” Kayla said politely. She had a feeling that Wei Guang was only now getting to the actual topic he wanted to talk about.

“How has your work been going?” Wei Guang asked. Kayla wasn’t fooled by the mundanity of the question.

“It has been going well, Your Grace. I’m afraid that I still have much to learn, but with the support of my subordinates and the benevolence of the Emperor, I will strive to become worthy of my position,” Kayla said.

“I see, that’s good to hear.”

“Your Grace, if it would not cause you too much trouble, may I consult with you on some of the Court of Judicial Review’s affairs?” Kayla asked.

Surely that’s what he wants, influence in the judicial system.

To her surprise, that didn’t seem to be the case.

“I also lack experience in terms of criminal investigations, but I will do my best to advise you where I can. Since you’ve brought it up, there is something I wanted to speak to you about regarding an investigation,” Wei Guang said.

“Please go ahead, Your Grace.”

“Surely you’ve heard of the situation in Dengzhou by now,” Wei Guang said serenely, knowing full well that Kayla was the one who signed off on it.

“Yes, the residences of several nobles were searched, including those of Archdukes Qi and Wei,” Kayla replied, keeping her tone polite.

“Those two, their political position is rather…sensitive,” Wei Guang said. “Do you think they might be involved?”

Kayla shook her head. “I don’t think so at all.”

Wei Guang tilted his head slightly, the unspoken question hanging in the air.

“I believed it for the best to sign off on the Bureau’s arrangements,” Kayla said carefully. “Because of their precarious political situation, it’s better to have the Bureau investigate and formally remove their suspicion rather than allowing sentiments to fester.”

“And you are aware of how they are likely to be treated by the Bureau?” Wei Guang asked pointedly.

Kayla bowed her head slightly. Even officials aligned with the Grand Duke made no small amount of effort to curry favor with the Emperor, it went without saying that the Imperial Bureau who directly answered to him wouldn’t hold back at all.

“I understand that even if the investigation is ordered without giving any extra instructions, it will likely end up being a very stressful situation for the Archdukes,” Kayla said, cautiously toeing around blatantly calling out the Bureau. “But the Bureau may cause them some distress and alarm, but ultimately, I have faith in the Bureau’s ability to conduct an objective investigation. If there was no evidence, they will not turn up evidence. The same could not be said of others who may become involved should things be allowed to develop unhindered. Should someone in the court catch wind of this, they can use it to destroy the Archdukes without even a fair investigation.”

Wei Guang raised an eyebrow before shaking his head with a chuckle.

“I see, you’re choosing to take care of it while the situation is under your control,” Wei Guang mused. “Not a bad choice. I was worried that you had stepped onto the wrong path, but it seems I was worried for nothing.”

Kayla hastily bowed her head. “I dare not, Your Excellency. Abusing my power to wreak havoc upon innocent men, simply to curry favor, such things are not within the extent of my abilities.”

Wei Guang chuckled, looking rather pleased. “Good, good. As expected of the Princess’ son.”

“Your Grace, are you familiar with the Archdukes?” Kayla asked.

“I taught them along with your mother,” Wei Guang replied.

Before Kayla could ask anything else, a servant scuttled into the courtyard and approached the study.

“Please pardon me, my lord, Minister Zhao,” the servant greeted them.

“What is it?” Wei Guang asked. The servant glanced at Kayla, looking slightly hesitant.

“Minister, the Grand Duke has summoned you,” the servant said politely. “His housekeeper is waiting outside the gates.”

Kayla’s eyes narrowed.

Summoned? She wasn’t sure whether to be pleased or worried that he was addressing her as a lower-ranking official rather than a family member of the younger generation. Neither put her in a great position, but she didn’t have enough information to analyze which would be worse.

“I see,” Kayla replied, before turning to Wei Guang. “Your Grace, I must apologize for cutting our conversation short, but it seems that I am needed elsewhere.”

“Of course, it wouldn’t do to keep the Central Secretariat waiting,” Wei Guang replied.

So it’s Central Secretariat and not ‘your grandfather’? Perhaps it’s to my benefit that the Grand Duke summoned me as an official after all.

“Thank you for your understanding, Your Grace. I take my leave of you,” Kayla bowed her head slightly.

“Go ahead, I hope to see you again shortly,” Wei Guang said. In other words, the exchange wasn’t done yet. He still had more to squeeze out of Kayla.

She left with the servant, Wei Guang’s information and the Grand Duke’s sudden summon rattling around inside her head.

What on earth does the Grand Duke want?

---

A teacup shattered a foot away from the door just as Kayla stepped into the Grand Duke’s study, Housekeeper Wang hastily beating a retreat. Frowning, Kayla glanced at the seething old man.

“What on earth is the matter, grandfather?” Kayla asked calmly.

“You bastard, do you know what you’ve done?!” The Grand Duke snarled.

“What now?”

“That goddamn investigation in Dengzhou will be the death of us all! Do something about it or I swear to the heavens I’ll wring your neck with my own two hands!” The Grand Duke raged. His desk was already devoid of objects to throw, its former contents strewn across the floor.

Unfazed, Kayla stared at him impassibly.

“I’m sorry, I can’t help you with this.” She was almost a little incredulous he was asking her to help. Did he still think Wenyuan was someone he could bully into submission?

“You’ve been a member of this clan for twenty-five years, you won’t ever be able to break free from these ties,” the Grand Duke snarled. “Even enemies on the battlefield are willing to cooperate when the lives of both sides are threatened, and you can’t even lift a finger to help your own clan?!”

“I’m telling you that my hands are tied,” Kayla hissed. “You tried to kill me the other day! And now you want my help?!”

“Get over it, how many assassination attempts do you think I’ve protected you from? Even the Imperial Palace has tried to eliminate you before, and right after your mother’s funeral no less!” The Grand Duke snapped.

Kayla jolted back in surprise. He snorted at the flicker of shock that she failed to disguise.

“You didn’t even know, did you?”

Kayla hastily gathered herself, not having the time to rummage on that revelation at the moment. “I appreciate what you’ve done for me. But our sides are already chosen, and the pieces are already stationed on either side of the Chu-Han boundary. The wood has already been shaped into a boat, I have to stay on my path, just as you have to stay on yours. I can’t help you.”

“You fool, we’re about to lose the Ministry of War!” The Grand Duke snarled.

Yes, I know. It’s already a given that it’ll be Kuang’s, what can we do even if we hang on to it tooth and nail?

“You’re about to lose the Ministry of War,” Kayla corrected him. “My uncle was involved with some noble in Dengzhou, wasn’t he? I haven’t heard of the details yet and I can already guess that he made deals for exchanging positions. There’s no coming back from that, grandfather. If he at least used his subordinates to see it done, he can still escape the death penalty.”

“No, you idiot! You really won’t shed tears until you see the casket, is that it? Look at the situation you’re in! You’re the heir of the Zhao clan, do you really think that conniving old bitch in the palace would spare you once she’s done with me? The Ministry of War is our strongest line of defense, without it, we’re like a fillet of fish while the palace is like a knife, we can be slaughtered at any point in time!” The Grand Duke shouted angrily.

Oh. So it’s because he thinks we’re on the same boat that he’s asking me.

To be fair, it definitely wouldn’t help Kayla’s current position for the other Minister Zhao to publicly meet his demise, not when she didn’t have enough cards to control the fallout yet. The situation would be infinitely more to her favor should the Ministry of Revenue fall under the neutral faction’s influence, but that was still a long way coming.

“Then you’ve misplaced your piece,” Kayla replied in an even tone. “Let’s speak plainly between us now, the truth remains that the Emperor can crush any individual official however he wishes, it’s a faction that he can’t carelessly move. But once a faction is in the open, then he has the upper hand. The Emperor has the legal, moral, and political justification to crush any faction that steps into the light, you should know from your ample experience that the only way a faction can survive is either through gaining official authorization to exist or by remaining formless and unofficial. The latter is how you’ve survived this long and gained so much power, isn’t it? By not giving the Emperor any excuse.”

The Grand Duke’s scowl grew fiercer, but he stayed silent and allowed Kayla to continue.

“Now, we all know that the Ministry of War has been under your faction’s control, but that’s exactly why you can’t make a move right now. If you do, it will be acknowledging that your faction exists, and also that you’ve dared to meddle with the military. Even if it’s true and everyone already knows all this, there’s a very large difference between it being a tacit understanding and it being a publicly announced truth. Once you try to save our relative, the Emperor will have the excuse he needs to launch a full-out purge,” Kayla said calmly. “As you said, I am also a member of the Zhao clan, and so it doesn’t particularly benefit me for that to happen. But you should also understand by now that it is only a matter of time before the Emperor crushes your faction. It’s time to transition, grandfather. Salvage what you can and step down, disband the faction yourself, and you can still save face and preserve the lives of our clan members.”

The Grand Duke’s face twisted, his rage reddening his neck.

“Never,” he spat. “Do you think I would destroy with my own hands that which I have shed blood and sweat to build up? You little brat, you’ve never known what it is like to be without power, to have your life in the hands of a master that could crush you like an ant at any time! I’d rather fight to the death than place my fate in the hands of the Emperor!”

Kayla sighed, sensing that she wouldn’t be able to convince him.

If I can’t force him to retire, then there’s really only one other option. She pushed that line of thought aside and focused on the Grand Duke’s angry face.

“I won’t waste my words on trying to convince you,” Kayla said placidly. “But if you really want to save our clan, you’d let Zhao Wei resign. He can claim ignorance and admit guilt for being unable to properly discipline his subordinates, and perhaps actively accept responsibility for one or two of the lighter crimes. As long as he himself chooses to step down from the post, the palace will probably allow him to do so without pressing the matter too far since they also don’t want the princes to start fighting over the Ministry of War before they can make the necessary arrangements to contain their actions.”

“And then the Ministry of War goes to the neutral faction,” the Grand Duke laughed coldly. “How well you’ve arranged all this!”

“You give me far too much credit, I would never be able to set all this up myself, nor is my appetite big enough to devour the Ministry of War. But I do understand what our best options are right now. Let Zhao Wei be charged for incompetence, and have him offer up his wealth and leave the capital. That is the only way to temporarily stay their blade,” Kayla sighed wearily. “If not for your pride, you would surely agree that this is the Zhao clan’s best option.”

“Curse you! This is only the beginning, you’ll be the death of us all!”

Kayla shook her head. “You’re the one who caused all this, what could you possibly want me to say? Cool your head and think over what I’ve said, you’ll see that the option I’ve given you is the best we can hope for under these circumstances.”

Without giving the Grand Duke a chance to find something else to lob at her head, Kayla slipped out the door and left.

---

Chujiao sighed, setting down the finished paperwork. It had been another long day, alone in the Outer Quarters without the tenuous friendships she had managed to make through her long years as a serving girl in the Inner Quarters, and without even a glimpse of the man she loved.

There was still no word from her cousin even after his last stunt, which she was honestly rather disapproving of, but Chujiao was used to struggling alone without the support of her family at this point. Truth be told, she wasn’t so much interested in restoring the family’s prestige or getting revenge as she was duty-bound to see her parents’ names cleared.

Chujiao had a chance to break all her ties once, to sever the chains binding her and start life over as a nameless face in the crowd, a chance that the Imperial Princess had quietly offered and that she hadn’t accepted. In the silence of her empty office, she often thought back to the turning points in her life, wondering how things would have turned out had she made a different choice. Perhaps the young lord would still look at her with the same soft gaze as before, rather than the distant look that he used now.

She furiously shook her head, forcibly clearing her mind of the melancholy that threatened to blanket her thoughts. Chujiao closed up the office, preparing to go get dinner with Matron Li and chat with the older woman. She locked the doors and turned around, gasping in shock as she was greeted by an unfamiliar face. Chujiao backed up into the wall, staring at him with wide eyes as she shakily fumbled for the sharp hairpin in her sleeve. Her movements stilled as she took in the man’s physique. Even if she tried to defend herself, she would only be overpowered instantly. The man moved closer, and Chujiao flinched away from him.

“I apologize for frightening you,” the man said, a smile on his face that set her on edge. “You must be Chujiao. Nice to meet you, this one's name is Hu Qing.”

---

Cultural Notes

天下大事，必作于细/Important affairs under heaven must be decided by the details: An Ancient Chinese proverb from the pre-Qin era, originating from a quote by the founder of Taoism, Lao Tze.

知己知彼百战百胜/Know thyself and know thy enemy, in a hundred battles you will triumph a hundred times: An Ancient Chinese proverb from the pre-Qin era, from the famous Art of War by Sun Tze.

巫术/Witchcraft: The line between acceptable and non-acceptable folk magic (such as shamanism) was very thin in Ancient China, but witchcraft that can be used to harm someone, such as using voodoo dolls or curses were often used as excuses for rather bloody purges. For example, google the witchcraft purge during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, which resulted in the death of the Crown Prince and a large number of his supporters (and their families).

占卜/Divination: Divination in Ancient China was similar to geomancy in the West, and despite the superstition and all that, had instances of being shockingly accurate, usually years if not decades in advance. This included multiple forms of divination, including astrology.

无影无踪/No shadows no tracks: An Ancient Chinese proverb used to describe something/someone disappearing.

惊天动地/Shock the heavens and shake the earth: An Ancient Chinese proverb used to describe something shocking.

如恒河沙数/As many as the sands of the Ganges: An Ancient Chinese proverb stemming from Buddhist texts, hence the reference to the Ganges river of India.

坐山观虎斗/Sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight: An Ancient Chinese proverb meaning to let two rivals fight it out and then gain the benefit from the fallout, being the only one still uninjured enough to do so.

先发制人后发制于人/The one who strikes first will be able to control others, while those who act later will face many restraints: An Ancient Chinese proverb, a quote by the great general Xiang Yu who used this line to declare his intention to rebel against the Qin.

后来者居上/Those who enter later gain the upper hand: An Ancient Chinese proverb from the Han Dynasty.

坐享渔翁之利/Sit and enjoy the fisherman's benefit: An Ancient Chinese proverb meaning to gain benefit from being patient (like a fisherman who waits).

驱虎吞狼/Chase the tiger to have it devour the wolf: An Ancient Chinese proverb referring to a strategy where you direct your enemies to fight each other, weakening the strongest party and eliminating the weaker party so that you can then swoop in and destroy whoever's left.

普天之下莫非王土/Under the heavens, what land does not belong to the king?: A proverb from the pre-Qin era of Ancient China, used as a reminder that the ruler is the one with the highest power and that to forget that is to screw yourself over.

顺水推舟/Push the boat along the current: An Ancient Chinese proverb.

权衡之术/The art of balancing power: An Ancient Chinese proverb referring to the Emperor's need to balance out different powers in order to best rule his power.

Pieces are stationed on either side of the Chu-Han boundary: Kayla is referring to Chinese chess, which is usually fashioned as though it were a face-off between Xiang Yu and Liu Bang, before the founding of the Han Dynasty, hence the Chu and Han camps respectively, so the boundary at the center of the board is usually stylized as a river. She is pointing out to the Grand Duke that both of them are really just chess pieces in a match they can't control, but neither of them are willing to accept that either.

木已成舟/The wood has already been shaped into a boat: An Ancient Chinese proverb meaning that it's too late to turn back/change plans, what's done is done.

人为刀俎我为鱼肉/They are like a knife while I am like a fish: An Ancient Chinese proverb from the pre-Qin era meaning to be in a vulnerable position.