Kayla returned to work the next day in the Ministry of Justice, where she had pretty much nothing to do as expected. She took the time to work through the plot instead and figure out her next steps. For Plan A, the only way she could change the current death flag was if Xianchun managed to pull through with Lady Yu’s real identity before the next time the court convened. As for Plan B, Wenyuan had assured Kayla her magic was progressing at an unnaturally fast pace. They were running low on talismans despite having procured hundreds of them since they only took seconds to rip and nullify, and Kayla was practicing on multiple targets. No matter how many talismans you had, ripping stacks of them at a time tended to make short work of them.

Kayla nodded as Jia Fu brought another document for her to stamp, silently noting which case it was. Once the man left, she turned her attention back to the paper she was jotting on in cursive English. No one else within the Ministry would be able to read any of this, and she was planning to blot it out with ink once she was done.

There were now several more details Wenyuan had pulled out after extensively sifting through Kayla’s memories: First of all, Matron Li was later revealed to be Xianchun’s spy, an annoying development that left Kayla in even more of a pickle. Second of all, even though Xianchun took a few months to take down the Grand Duke, the old man’s career only started going downhill after the death of Wenyuan, so Kayla only really had about two months' worth of wiggle room.

In the novel, Yu Bianfu was responsible for killing Wenyuan, using her position as a high-ranking officer to get rid of Wenyuan’s guards and kidnap him. Kayla had some thoughts on how to get rid of Bianfu, but none of them were guaranteed to work. There was also the sticky issue of two important plot points that she had no control over whatsoever.

Wenyuan’s schedule had been revealed to Xianchun by one of the serving girls in the Inner Quarters, who was only described as having a necklace made of red jade. The girl had been described as burning incense for Wenyuan and tossing the necklace into the river after his death, which still left Kayla with no useful information. Wenyuan had never paid close enough attention to the large numbers of serving girls to know who had a red jade necklace either.

In addition to the serving girl, there was also the issue of when Liu Boyue, Xianchun’s left-hand man and strategist, would infiltrate the Grand Duke’s household. Boyue had uncovered evidence of the Grand Duke’s crimes, including how the Grand Duke had poisoned Xianchun’s mother to death. That information had steeled Xianchun’s heart to take revenge and order the gruesome murder of Wenyuan, departing from his previous righteousness and signaling his awakening as a Machiavellian politician.

But how the fuck was Kayla supposed to stop Boyue? It wasn’t as though she knew when he would infiltrate or where she could intercept him. Even if she did, Boyue was a strong fighter who could probably just kill her right there and then.

Let’s just focus on the serving girl from now on. Would it be weird if I went around peering at all the girls’ jewelry?

No, you would just be thought of as a pervert though.

Goddamnit. You know what, I’m just going to do it. I’m technically also a girl, so I’ll just look at them with pure intentions.

I’m not sure that would help.

Kayla didn’t have the luxury of avoiding it. She really hoped she didn’t make them too uncomfortable, but it was her life on the line.

On the carriage home, Kayla was pleasantly surprised to see Qu Boyong again. She called him over, talking with him through the carriage window.

“Boyong, you’re on guard duty again?”

“Yes, my lord. I’m on guard duty for the evenings after 5 o’clock.”

Kayla nodded. That would explain why she’d only seen him when she used the carriage later in the day.

“Boyong, could you go get some more talismans for me? I want some higher-level ones to look at,” Kayla said, handing the guard another golden coin.

“Of course, my lord. Would 3rd to 5th tier spells suffice?”

The current spells she was using were 1st tier, or the lowest level of magic spells. Kayla felt ready to practice with more advanced magic, and Wenyuan’s more knowledgeable opinion was in agreement with her.

“Sure. I’ll trust your selection,” Kayla nodded at him. Boyong peeled off, soon returning with another three books. Kayla took them, giving Boyong a few words of gratitude. Boyong flashed a happy smile at the praise before returning to his position. Kayla squinted at him as the guard moved away. She couldn’t remember there being a Qu Boyong in the book, but his appearance reminded her of someone from Wenyuan’s memories. Kayla shook her head and turned her attention to the books instead.

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

The next four days passed uneventfully, despite Kayla’s mounting nervousness about the death flag. She had also been peering closely at the serving girls, who professionally hid their discomfort. Despite her efforts, Kayla didn’t find anyone with a red jade necklace. The only thing she did make progress on was her nullification magic, which didn’t seem to find nullifying 5th tier spells any more difficult than 1st tier spells.

On the day the court convened again, Kayla was a mess of nerves. She repeatedly counted to a hundred inside her head, consciously evening out her breathing as Chujiao dressed her. Kayla smiled as Chujiao finished, patting the smooth silk with satisfaction.

“Thanks, Jiao’er,” she said warmly. Chujiao was always highly attentive to Kayla’s needs while refraining from being nosy, and the constant nature of Chujiao’s elegant and steady presence was becoming an important source of comfort. Kayla mentally noted to herself to try asking Chujiao later if she knew any girls with red jade necklaces and maybe ask the young woman to play the flute again.

“Best of luck at court, young lord,” Chujiao said dutifully, bowing as Kayla left the room. Kayla and Wenyuan spent the entire carriage ride sharing nervous assurances that surely, Xianchun would be able to pull through.

He’s the Main Character, if he can’t do it who else could?

Even if he’s an asshole, he’s pretty solid in terms of abilities.

Kayla entered the court hall, joining Ge Renqian to wait for Minister Xie. Xianchun entered the hall, talking in hushed tones with Jun Shao, the Minister of Personnel. Kayla feigned casual disinterest, hiding her excitement.

Hell yeah! He’s allying up with Jun Shao way earlier than in the book! This wasn’t supposed to happen until three months later!

If he’s talking with Minister Jun, it’s probably going to go smoothly. Minister Jun is a loyalist to the throne, but Grandfather could never remove him because of how capable he was! Wenyuan’s excitement bubbled up as well, and Kayla bit the inside of her cheek to resist the urge to smile. If she could change the plot even a little bit, then there was still hope for Plan A.

Minister Xie soon arrived, greeting Wenyuan and Ge Renqian with a smile. The three of them chatted casually about the items Minister Xie planned to present, without a word about the Governor Yue case that Xie firmly believed to be a done deal.

“Announcing the arrival of the Emperor!”

Kayla went through the greeting with her heart pounding loudly, in excitement rather than fear for the first time since her arrival. The items that were presented went by in a blur as she waited with feverish anticipation for the Governor Yue case to be revisited.

Minister Xie presented his items and bowed, preparing to return to his position. Kayla spotted movement from the corner of her eye and turned to see Minister Jun step forward and bow. The middle-aged man seemed to be glowing with divine light in Kayla’s vision as she fervently watched him.

“Your Majesty, Minister Xie, please pardon my interruption, but I would like to revisit an item,” Minister Jun said.

Oh my god, it’s happening! Let’s go, Jun Shao! Go get it! Kayla barely managed to keep her expression under control.

“Which item does Minister Jun speak of?” Minister Xie asked.

“The case of Yue Wuxuan, Governor of Anling County,” Minister Jun announced. “I humbly beg the Emperor to think thrice before exterminating his family!”

“Ridiculous, that case has already been decided! The Emperor had deemed Yue Wuxuan’s crimes worthy of severe punishment, are you questioning His Majesty’s infinite wisdom?!” Minister Xie shouted accusingly, evidently having been caught off guard by the sudden objection.

The Emperor raised his hand to silence Minister Xie, nodding at Jun Shao. “Go on, Minister Jun,” he ordered.

“Thank you, Your Majesty. I would not dare to object to Your Majesty’s verdict if not for the fact that carrying out the extermination of Yue Wuxuan’s family would place the Emperor in the predicament of being viewed as a despot,” Minister Jun said respectfully, bowing his head slightly.

“Why do you say this?” The Emperor asked curiously.

“Your Majesty, I have evidence to show that the wife of Yue Wuxuan is the great-granddaughter of the Great General and Tiger of the West, the late Liang Anguo,” Minister Jun announced. A murmur went through the court.

“Lies! We have evidence to show that Yue Wuxuan’s wife was an orphan!” Minister Xie interjected.

“Yes, Lady Yue is the foster daughter of the Gu family, left in their care by her father Wu Youfu. However, Wu Youfu was in fact the grandson of Liang Anguo who passed away in hiding before his family was pardoned and had their titles returned,” Minister Jun said.

“It is true, Your Majesty, I can confirm that my Uncle used that pseudonym while in hiding, and have my father’s letters from him signed with that name as proof.” Lord Liang, the current head of the Liang family stepped forward, bowing towards the Emperor as he spoke. “Your Majesty, I beg of you to please spare my cousin! Despite being born as a member of the Liang family, she was raised as a nameless orphan, and is now even facing execution due to her unfortunate marriage!”

“Your Majesty, while Yue Wuxuan’s crimes surely merit the extermination of his family, I beg the Emperor to spare his wife and daughter, to avoid harming the flesh and blood of an honored hero,” Minister Jun quickly added, backing up Lord Liang’s pleas. The Emperor looked at them with a shocked expression.

“To think that Lady Yue was the descendant of General Liang! My grandfather’s greatest regret was to have been fooled by crafty and ignoble fools who framed the Great General, and his dying wish had been to treat the Liang family with benevolence. If what you say is true, then Yue Wuxuan’s wife and daughter must be pardoned and treated with respect,” the Emperor said.

Yes! We did it! Kayla cheered internally, joined by Wenyuan in her elation.

“Thank you for your mercifulness, Your Majesty,” Minister Jun and Lord Liang bowed in unison.

“Lord Liang, once you confirm the identity of Lady Yue and her daughter, you may add them to your clan’s family tree,” the Emperor added.

“Thank you, Your Majesty! It is the wish of this humble vassal to welcome them into my household, I beg your Majesty to grant me permission. Though my cousin was shackled for the crimes of her husband, she and her daughter have committed no crimes. I cannot bear to turn them out to the streets as a widow and orphan,” Lord Liang pleaded.

“I will approve it. Lord Liang, your graciousness as the head of your household has been witnessed by all, and I am once more impressed by your generosity and love for your kin,” the Emperor said approvingly.

“Thank you, Your Majesty!” Lord Liang bowed deeply.

“Your Majesty, when I learned of the tragedy that nearly came to pass, I was deeply shocked by the carelessness that led to this. How is it that the Ministry of Justice overlooked something so important, only caring to push for the extermination of Yue Wuxuan’s family without proper investigation of their background?” Minister Jun asked accusingly.

“That-we carefully investigated the case! How is it possible for us to know a secret guarded so tightly by Lady Yue’s late father?” Minister Xie shot back. Even though the case was supposed to be presented by Wenyuan, the Minister couldn’t push everything onto him, since Wenyuan had the backing of the Grand Duke.

“Minister Xie, you should be more careful from now on. Your negligence nearly pushed me to act unfilial and disobey the dying wishes of my grandfather,” the Emperor admonished him. Minister Xie knelt, bowing deeply in apology. Kayla vaguely sensed Xianchun’s piercing stare once again boring into her side from where he stood before the throne, but chose to ignore him for now, still basking in excitement.

She changed the plot. Even if she hadn’t prevented Yue Wuxuan’s execution, she managed to stop the extermination of his family. No matter how small it was, it proved that the storyline could be affected. Kayla hid a smile, already thinking about her next steps. There was still a long way to go.

---

Cultural Notes

族谱/Clan Family Tree: Held symbolic significance for members of a family, and only includes legitimate descendants. 

孤儿寡母/Orphan and Widow: Used to describe the plight of widowed mothers, who often struggled to support themselves and their children, given limited employment opportunities for women in Ancient China, often used to invoke pity. Here, orphan refers to a child without a father rather than a parentless child. 

有目共睹/Witnessed by all [eyes]: Chinese proverb describing that someone's acts were known by or seen by many people. 

孝/Filial piety: Obligation to care for and respect one's parents, one of the most important values in Ancient Chinese societies, and often enforced by social and legal norms. As a result of filial piety, even grown adults often follow their parents' orders and place special emphasis on respecting their parents' dying wishes.