“Did you hear about General Yu?” Ge Renqian asked Kayla in a conspiratorial half-whisper, fully intending for the surrounding officials to join in and gossip.

Kayla kept her expression unreadable. “No, what about her?”

After the Empress Dowager had sent Kayla back home yesterday, there hadn’t been so much as a whisper from the Inner Palace, the Dowager having fully quashed any rumors. Unlike her son, the Empress Dowager was decisive, careful, and extremely capable. While Wenyuan only ever saw the Dowager’s kindly and nurturing side, Xianchun had actually been on the receiving end of the Dowager’s ruthlessness in his rise to power. The reason why Xianchun had suddenly fallen completely out of favor with the Dowager hadn’t been mentioned in the novel, but the old woman quickly became Xianchun’s greatest obstacle in the fight for the throne. Despite all his plot armor, he was only able to make further progress after the Dowager passed away of illness. 

The former emperor had often praised the Empress Dowager as someone who could’ve easily become an important government official if she was born a man. She had monopolized the last Emperor’s affections for the good part of fifteen years at the prime of her beauty, giving birth to the current Emperor and the late Imperial Princess. Even after she was no longer his sole favorite, the Empress Dowager had kept the Inner Palace firmly under control by ensuring the concubines who received her husband’s favor were her own people. Kayla wasn’t surprised that even with an incident that had happened before a good number of servants and ladies-in-waiting, the Empress Dowager was still able to keep things quiet. 

She doubted the Dowager would punish Yu Bianfu harshly, but the female General would at least be walking on eggshells for a while. After all, it was a serious breach of trust to withhold information from the Dowager, no matter how small, and Yu Bianfu would likely never fully regain her standing. 

“General Yu was suspended from her post!” Ge Renqian whispered gleefully. Kayla looked at him in surprise.

“What?” She hissed. “She was suspended?” Kayla had not expected that.

“Exactly! No one knows what happened either, she was the golden child of the Imperial guards and then she just lost favor overnight! She must’ve done something pretty serious,” Ge Renqian said, not even bothering to lower his voice now that there were a good number of officials eager to hear the gossip.

“I heard she was instructed to reflect in her home, isn’t that basically just house arrest?” Jia Fu chimed in eagerly. Almost a dozen officials from the Ministry of Justice were now crowded around Kayla's desk, gossiping eagerly with each other. Kayla raised her eyebrows, rubbing at her temples as she took in the information. House arrest? Had the Dowager been that angry? She couldn’t have even imagined succeeding to this extent.

“What did she even do? I thought she was the Dowager’s favorite!” 

“I mean, something like this was due to happen eventually, wasn’t it? It’s strange that she even lasted this long. What’s a woman doing in the military anyway?” Ge Renqian laughed. Kayla shifted uncomfortably. All the civil officials were men, and there were no women in the military either, save for Yu Bianfu, who was the daughter of a highly-respected General guarding the Northern border. 

“How did she even get the position to begin with?” One of the officials asked, a sly tone in his voice. “I mean, even if she’s strong for a woman, she’s still weaker than a man. How on earth did she ever come out on top?”

“It wouldn’t be hard if the other men were falling under her skirts,” Jia Fu pointed out, leading to a wave of laughter among the men.

Wenyuan, is this how these guys normally talk about women with each other?

This is actually pretty tame, they haven’t even started discussing her figure yet.

Wow, seriously?! What a bunch of fucking chauvinists. Kayla shook her head in disgust. Even if she wanted Bianfu out of the way, she didn’t want to be a part of this. Not to mention that if Bianfu caught wind that Wenyuan had been spreading malicious rumors about her, it might raise another death flag.

“That’s a bit of a conjecture, isn’t it?” Kayla said, lacing her voice with doubt.

“I mean, she isn’t even married yet at her age, doesn’t the Left Secretariat find it strange? She has no marriage vows, no fiance, and runs around showing her face openly in circles of men,” Ge Renqian replied. “Come on, surely you have your doubts as well.”

“I don’t actually, I know full well that she could beat me in a fight. Not that I would fight her, I value my safety,” Kayla said. “Why? Does the Right Secretariat have confidence in his own abilities?”

“I’m a civil official, not a military one,” Ge Renqian said, sounding a little annoyed. “Why would I need to be able to beat General Yu in a fight?”

Kayla shrugged. Even if Bianfu was put on the bench for a bit, Bianfu was the female lead and Xianchun’s right-hand woman, she doubted that the general would be in the icebox for long. She mostly just didn’t trust Bianfu’s plot armor not to kick in. 

“I just think we shouldn’t say too much when we don’t know what’s happened. What are you going to do if she gets promoted tomorrow? Are you going to run away every time you see her then?” Kayla asked. The officials glanced at each other with a mixture of annoyance and uncertainty.

“Well, the Left Secretariat best understands the Empress Dowager’s character. What do you think, my lord?” Jia Fu ventured to ask. 

“The Empress Dowager is good at shaping her subordinates to excel through combining effective punishments and rewards, it’s still too early to say if Bianfu’s fallen from favor or if this is just another step upwards for her,” Kayla said. “I’m going to play it safe rather than tread on ice later.”

Ge Renqian frowned at her, but was prevented from saying anything further by the arrival of Minister Xie. The officials quickly scattered back to their own desks and engrossed themselves in pretending to be as busy as possible.

I can’t believe Bianfu was actually put under house arrest. Kayla was still reeling from the shock a little.

Does this mean we’ve made it?

As much as Kayla wanted to assure Wenyuan of their success, she couldn’t bring herself to do so. Even with Bianfu out of the way, Wenyuan’s life was still like a candle in the wind before Xianchun, whose rise to power necessitated the bloodshed of countless characters. There was still quite a long way to go.

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

When Kayla returned to the Grand Duke’s household, she was quickly ushered to the Grand Duke’s study. It was a large room with extravagant decorations, hardly losing out to the Emperor’s quarters in terms of luxury. Her previous fear of the Grand Duke seemed to have faded somewhat after her soul had further merged with Wenyuan’s last time, and Kayla only felt a strong sense of annoyance that she had to deal with him.

“Grandfather,” she greeted him with a slight bow. “Wenyuan is here.”

The Grand Duke turned towards her with an annoyed glare. “You damn brat, just what the hell did you do yesterday?” He was holding a yellow scroll that Kayla immediately recognized as from the Dowager’s palace.

“What are you talking about, grandfather? Did I do something wrong?” Kayla asked innocently. She barely caught the scroll as it was thrown at her face. Kayla unrolled it, glancing over the lines of the letter. It was penned in the Empress Dowager’s elegant handwriting. 

The letter was addressed to the Grand Duke, and opened rather innocuously. The Grand Duke had his son rather late in life, but he was in fact the Uncle-in-law of the Empress Dowager, who wrote to him in a respectful tone. The Dowager started by inquiring after the health of the Grand Duke, and then delved into talking about her own health and advancing age. She then thanked the Grand Duke for his service to the current Emperor, complimenting his exemplary performance in the court, before moving on to praise Wenyuan for growing into a well-mannered and outstanding young man.

Kayla gave the description of Wenyuan a second readover in confusion. “Wenyuan holds the country in his heart and has fully inherited the Grand Duke’s strength of spirit. His filial piety delights the heavens and serves as a comfort for the soul of the deceased Princess, and his conduct in court reflects the careful and measured manner of his late father. My dearest maternal grandson whom I hold close to my heart has grown into a great man under your kind tutelage…” Who was the Dowager describing again? Since when did Wenyuan fit any of those descriptions? She shook her head and kept going, ignoring Wenyuan’s protests at her skepticism.

The letter’s tone shifted after that, going from familial to the more formal tone that addressed the Grand Duke as a vassal. Rather than directly accusing the Grand Duke of anything, the letter instead extolled a whole list of historical figures who educated their children by guiding them with kindness and virtue rather than harsh discipline. 

Is this high-level guilt tripping? Kayla frowned slightly, continuing through the rather lengthy scroll. The Dowager proceeded to discuss how difficult it is for elders to educate their children, comparing it to the difficulty Emperors faced in commanding their vassals. She emphasized the moral philosophy of winning people’s obedience with virtue rather than violence and brutality, quoting historical texts and ancient philosophers throughout.

The letter ended on that note, signing off with well-wishes for the Grand Duke. Kayla wanted to shake her head at the huge circle the Dowager had gone in to get her message across, but it made sense that she wouldn’t outright criticize the Grand Duke or call him out. Not only might it incite gossip, but it also wasn't suitable for her to directly admonish someone who was not only tied to the Imperial family but also her elder. 

This is like the reverse of Chu Long's persuasion of the Queen Dowager of Zhao.

Kayla slowly rolled up the scroll, thoughts flying through her mind. Wenyuan had been born to incredible power and privilege and had the affections of the most powerful people in the country. How did he end up living like this? She was interrupted by the Grand Duke’s angry harrumphing.

“Well?” The Grand Duke demanded. Kayla shrugged lightly.

“Grandmother’s writing is very eloquent,” she said. The Grand Duke stood up, slamming his hand on the table in anger.

“Do you think this is a goddamn joke?! Just what did you do that she wrote something like this?!”

Kayla let out a soft sigh. “I won’t lie to you, grandfather. I wasn’t feeling very well yesterday, it must have shown through during my visit.”

The Grand Duke’s eyes narrowed with rage. “You-just what did you say to her?”

Kayla met his eyes calmly. “I didn’t say anything, actually, but I didn’t need to. Someone as perceptive as grandmother can tell these things even if I don’t say a word.” She tilted her head questioningly. “But why are you so upset, grandfather? If you didn’t want people to talk, you shouldn’t have done it in the first place.”

Kayla, maybe take it easy for a bit, Wenyuan hurriedly reined her in.

Yeah okay, I probably shouldn’t be provoking him so much.

The Grand Duke clenched his jaw, veins throbbing on his forehead as he glared at Kayla. He couldn’t do anything, since Kayla was scheduled to visit the Emperor on her day off work tomorrow. Still, there was no telling if the Grand Duke’s anger would be unleashed once that was over.

“Tomorrow when I enter the palace, would you like me to visit my Aunt and bring her your well wishes?” Kayla offered, trying to extend a thin and paltry olive branch. The Grand Duke let out an angry huff.

“Tell her to guard her spot carefully,” the Grand Duke finally said. “And don’t you dare say anything strange in front of the Emperor.”

Kayla bowed her head slightly. “As you wish, grandfather. I’ll take my leave now.” She quickly escaped the room. She felt an immense rush of gratitude towards the Empress Dowager. Even if she wasn’t sure the letter would have any effect on the Grand Duke’s behavior, the Dowager had gone through the trouble of suspending her favorite guard and penning a carefully-worded warning.

Your grandmother rocks, Kayla said admiringly to Wenyuan, who was just as pleased. 

She is, isn’t she? But my Aunt is not…easy to get along with. Why did you offer to visit her? I’ve been avoiding that woman like the plague.

Kayla sighed. Plot reasons. Xianchun’s progressing a lot faster than he did in the novel, so if he wants to kill us, it’ll probably be earlier too. Aunt would probably know of any changes before we do, we’ll need her help.

What would she know? She’s stuck in the Imperial Harem.

Kayla could understand Wenyuan’s hesitance. Concubine Zhao was the Grand Duke’s niece and Wenyuan’s aunt, a beautiful woman who oozed with sensuous charm. As beautiful as Concubine Zhao was, she was also jealous, selfish, and spiteful, and was absolutely the type of woman to start a hair-pulling, face-scratching fight with other women her husband favored. Perhaps for that reason, Concubine Zhao had never become a favorite of the Emperor and had remained childless for the last ten years, but her husband was often reminded of her charms upon seeing her full and voluptuous figure.

Concubine Zhao had also been forced to commit suicide after the fall of Grand Duke Zhao. Thinking about it now, Kayla began to realize how unfair the novel had been. Even after everything he’d done, the Grand Duke only lost his reputation and power, but both his grandson and his niece lost their lives. What kind of logic was this anyway? She couldn’t help but wonder if the author planned to keep the Grand Duke as a Chekov’s gun later in the plot, but he hadn’t shown up in the novel since his fall from grace.

In either case, Concubine Zhao was the one who benefitted the most from the death of Xianchun’s mother. Even if she wasn’t an accomplice, she would be most sensitive to any changes if the information were discovered.

Concubine Zhao was the canary in the mine, so to speak. If Wenyuan were to discover the truth, she would be the first one to feel the consequences.

Cultural Notes

闭门思过/Close [the] doors and reflect on [your] wrongdoings: A Chinese proverb to describe self-confinement or imposed confinement in one's quarters to reflect on one's errors or wrongdoings, often used as a punishment when you want to put someone under house arrest without actually doing so. It is considered a lighter punishment, and less humiliating for the person undergoing it. 

Female Officials in Ancient China: Most government positions were not open to women, but in the Imperial Palace, women were often hired as secretaries or managers for maintaining the palace's affairs. However, within the state government, including both civil officers and military officers, there usually weren't any women.

拜倒在石榴裙下/Falling down under pomegranate skirts: A colloquial way of saying that a man falls for the charm of a woman, often to their detriment and the woman's benefit.

抛头露面/Uncovered head and face: A Chinese proverb often used to disparage a woman who goes about in society unaccompanied or in a manner considered to be shameless, usually understood to be criticizing a woman for being promiscuous or a tease by showing her hair and face to outsiders. 

如履薄冰/As though treading on thin ice: A Chinese proverb describing having to act with extreme caution, as though walking on very thin ice.

胸怀天下/To hold all under heaven in one's heart: A Chinese proverb used to praise someone for holding the country's wellbeing in great importance.

有慰在天之灵/Comforts the soul in heaven: A way to describe someone as behaving in a way that would bring comfort to a deceased person.

沉稳慎重/Careful and measured: A Chinese proverb describing someone as taking his duties with great seriousness and cautiousness, used in a complementary fashion.

君臣父子/Lord and vassal, father and son: In Confucianism, the relationship between Lord and vassal is often compared to than of a father and child due to the duties of respect and obedience on the part of the vassal and son, and the duties of guidance and protection on the part of the lord and father.

触龙说赵太后/Chu Long's persuasion of the Queen Dowager of Zhao: A pre-Qin historical incident where a loyal vassal convinced the Queen Dowager to send her young son to an allied country as a hostage in exchange for their ally to send troops to help them fend off an invasion. Rather than immediately trying to persuade the Queen Dowager, who was reluctant to send away her son, Chu Long started off from other topics before eventually closing in on the main subject. It is often cited as an example of successful rhetoric and persuasion, and is famous for the line "父母之爱子，则为之计深远/If a parent loves their child, they would plan far ahead for them." Here, Kayla refers to the fact that it is the Empress Dowager who is going in circles to persuade a vassal instead of the other way around.