The Grand Duke eventually sent the doctor over in the evening, and much to Kayla’s relief, there was no news of a temporary worker being caught in the Inner Quarters. Regardless of how Xianchun would react to any evidence Boyue uncovered, Kayla’s fate would be far worse if Boyue was injured or killed in the Grand Duke’s household. In the novel, Xianchun had exterminated the entire family of an assassin who targeted Boyue, and Kayla shuddered to think about what he would do to the family of someone he already hated with a burning passion.

Her mind was a mess as she returned to work the next day. Alone in the carriage, Kayla drummed her fingers against her thigh as she frantically ran through her options.

Do I have three days? Or less? There wouldn’t be another court convening before then so Kayla couldn’t even get a glimpse of Xianchun’s attitude towards her. Unlike the prince who was able to move about with impunity, Kayla didn’t have as much freedom to go around seeking him out. She groaned, dropping her head into her hands. Xianchun always appeared at the most inopportune times and refused to appear when she actually needed to see him.

Perhaps it’s for the best, if he really is angry he would be difficult to face, Wenyuan comforted her. We still have the talisman to contact the Imperial investigators and your nullification magic. That’s way more than what I had.

But are the Imperial investigators really reliable? I’d rather rely on your grandmother’s people. Remember what Tabuyir said about the talisman? I wouldn’t be surprised if there were internal issues with the investigators. The delayed arrival of the talisman was better late than never, but Kayla had no choice but to suspect that either there was a communication error between the investigators or that someone was purposefully trying to screw her over. But then again, she didn’t have any evidence that the Dowager was actually keeping an eye out for her at all.

What’s worse is that they’re in the shadows while I’m in the light. I don’t even know how many investigators were assigned to me, much less their intentions and allegiances.

But their allegiance is to the Emperor, right?

Kayla sighed. I want to say yes, but also we’re talking about your Uncle here. He’s a great guy and all, but I’m not sure his people are completely reined in.

That’s fair. But is Qu Boyong really reliable? He’s just a guard. Even if he’s handsome, there’s no proof he’ll become important later.

Kayla shook her head. I’m just dragging in everything I can and hoping for the best. She tried to calm her nerves before arriving at the Ministry, taking her chance to read the scroll she’d been given by the Imperial investigators en route. It didn’t help at all.

Wenyuan, your grandfather must be afraid of not getting everyone in his family killed to be acting like this.

Kayla pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling a headache coming on. She slipped the scroll back into her robes. Help me come up with some ideas here, should I keep defending him to the Emperor or start condemning him? Which would work better?

I don’t know. Uncle really prioritizes familial bonds, but it really depends on whatever his mood is in the moment. That’s why I always said as little as possible since I’m bad at reading his mood.

Kayla bitterly cursed the situation. Even if she played some part in uncovering the Ministry’s corruption, she would still be in a bad position if she fell out of favor with the Emperor. If their bond remained strictly relegated to that of uncle and nephew, she doubted that anything would have shaken the Emperor’s fondness of Wenyuan, but now that there was the Grand Duke between them, it was difficult to say.

I really dug my own grave! Can I even drag Liu Hongyu in at this point? Our household is the one on the edge of the blade right now!

The carriage rolled to a stop, and Kayla entered the Ministry with a heavy heart. A small sachet of gold hung heavily in her robe sleeve. Even if her next steps with the Emperor were unclear, she could still make the most of what she had on hand.

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

Liu Boyue bowed his head apologetically, kneeling on one knee before Xianchun.

“I’m very sorry, my prince. This is because of my incompetence.”

Xianchun waved away the apology, grabbing Boyue’s arm to pull him up.

“Don’t say that, there’s nothing you could’ve done to get rid of the Imperial investigators. I suppose this is also my own fault. I should’ve known that shoving the investigation onto Wenyuan would make things more complicated,” Xianchun sighed.

“Perhaps it’s best to wait a little longer, my lord,” Boyue said. “It’s too dangerous to try again with the Imperial investigators watching the Zhao household so closely.”

Xianchun nodded. “We’ll have to put it off for now. But did you find anything of use?”

“Only a few pieces of information here and there, but I’ll need some time to piece it together,” Boyue replied. “But I promise I’ll do everything I can.”

Xianchun sat down and waved for Boyue to sit next to him, mulling over their situation.

“My prince, though I didn’t obtain any solid evidence from the Grand Duke’s household, I did gain some information that may be of interest,” Boyue offered. Xianchun nodded for him to go ahead.

“There were two Imperial investigators around the Grand Duke’s household, but they appeared to be moving separately from one another,” Boyue said. Xianchun frowned.

“Were they sent on separate missions?” Xianchun asked. Boyue shook his head.

“One of them didn’t seem to notice the other investigator, but the second one was a lot more skilled. He even seemed to be watching the first investigator. I would say that they were sent by completely different people,” Boyue said. Xianchun immediately understood the meaning behind his words.

“It seems my cousin had a fruitful conversation with grandmother last time,” Xianchun mused.

“I would certainly say so, my prince,” Boyue said. “What’s more is that Zhao Wenyuan immediately noticed I didn’t work there and sent me away, but I can’t tell if he really thought I was a temporary worker or if he had noticed my true identity.”

“That’s impossible, I’ve kept your identity under wraps for this long,” Xianchun said confidently. “Even if he was suspicious, there’s no way he would be able to guess your actual identity. But still, he’s seen your face. That’ll make things more difficult for you next time, won’t it?”

Boyue bowed his head slightly. “I apologize, my prince.”

Xianchun patted Boyue’s shoulder comfortingly. “Don’t worry about it and focus on what we’ve gotten so far, I’ll try and test the waters with Wenyuan.”

Xianchun’s eyes narrowed as he mulled it over in his head. Zhao Wenyuan, to think you’d be able to move grandmother’s investigators with so little effort. Just what on earth are you trying to do?

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

Kayla’s lunch break was interrupted by a summon from the Emperor, which wasn’t all that unusual. Wenyuan had often been called over on the Emperor’s whims when the man suddenly wanted to see his nephew, and no one in the Ministry showed even the slightest hint of surprise. If anything, it was a good sign for them that their Left Secretariat was favored to this extent. Kayla, however, was practically quaking in her boots.

Okay, last call, drag in Liu Hongyu or deal with the investigation first?!

Just go along with Uncle’s flow, Wenyuan helpfully offered his unhelpful advice, not hiding his nervousness.

If I don’t tell him now I can’t tell the Dowager later! He’d be angry I was going over his head, and it’s not like I want to create another opportunity for this! Kayla continued agonizing over her choices all the way to the Emperor’s study.

Take it easy, Uncle really likes me so I doubt he’d be too angry.

Kayla breathed in deeply. It was true that the Imperial Princes often fell in and out of favor with the Emperor, but she didn’t have any stepmoms trying to screw her over at every turn and slandering her before the Emperor on a daily basis.

You’re right, I need to keep my cool. I’m in a better position to deal with the Emperor than any of the princes. Kayla felt vaguely nauseous with stress. She entered the Emperor’s study with a heavy heart, bowing as she faced the Emperor.

“This humble servant greets the Emperor,” Kayla began.

“No need for formalities, nephew.” The Emperor didn’t seem particularly pleased or displeased as he waved Kayla over to sit down. “Wenyuan, quite a lot happened at court, you’ve missed a lot on your day off.”

Kayla bowed her head. “I apologize for my negligence.” She carefully watched the Emperor’s reaction. He furrowed his brow, but Kayla couldn’t sense any anger towards Wenyuan.

“It can’t be helped. Chancellor He’s case is creating waves throughout the entire court, yesterday the court was such a mess that it might’ve been best that you missed it,” the Emperor sighed. Kayla nodded. He Shirang’s case must’ve created quite a ruckus when everyone realized that the Governor Yue case hadn’t been wrapped up so neatly after all, and she almost regretted not being able to see the panicking officials trying to deal with the mountain of evidence.

“I’m sorry that I couldn’t help Uncle shoulder the burden,” Kayla replied. The Emperor shook his head.

“You’re already doing quite a lot. I’ve read the scroll you handed in last time, I’m impressed with how far you’ve gotten so far,” the Emperor complimented her. Kayla bowed her head in thanks.

“I am doing my best to fulfill your expectations, Uncle.” Kayla hesitated, trying to decide whether or not to proceed.

“You’re already exceeding my expectations,” the Emperor said. “Did you see the preliminary investigation results from the localities?”

“I have, Uncle. But I must admit, the water is much deeper than I had dared to imagine before,” Kayla said carefully. She watched the Emperor’s reaction as she continued. “I never would’ve thought that the local officials would be so shameless in their actions.”

“Shameless? They’re worse than animals!” The Emperor tossed his copy of the scroll to the table. Kayla hurriedly bowed her head again. The Emperor angrily pointed at the scroll. “These bastards take their wages from the court and look at what they do! Is this what I pay them for?!”

“Uncle, please appease your anger, your health is most important!” Kayla hastily replied. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead and she had to grit her jaw to keep her teeth from clattering. The Emperor let out another angry huff.

“Look at this, look at all this! Extortion, bribery, assault, even kidnapping civilian women! They’re no better than bandits!” The Emperor raged on. “Just what on earth are the Ministers doing to let things get to this extent? And your grandfather too! What kind of talents is he picking for me, huh? What are they talented in?!”

Kayla bowed her head lower and stayed silent.

“Talented in screwing over the populace? Talented in eroding the foundations of this dynasty? What did I do in my past life to be saddled with these bastards?!”

Kayla kept her head bowed. “I beg your forgiveness, uncle.” She breathed in deeply, trying to ease her nerves. “Please-please select a more capable person for this investigation.”

The Emperor straightened immediately, looking at her in shock. “What? Am I hearing you right? The situation is messed up to this extent and you want to quit?” He narrowed his eyes in rage. “Wenyuan, I’ve doted upon you since your childhood, and this is how you repay me! Where is your conscience?!”

“Uncle, since ancient times it has been difficult to fulfill both filial piety and loyalty. Even if I am incapable of fulfilling either, it is still my duty to try. I cannot bring myself to continue the investigation, your majesty,” Kayla replied. Her voice came out shaky and a little more high-pitched than she would’ve hoped for.

The Emperor grabbed Kayla’s shoulder with a firm grip but only gently gave her a gentle shake, his attitude softening.

“What are you saying, nephew?” He asked.

Kayla met his eyes with an earnest gaze. “I’ve believed in grandfather, and I’ve always wanted to believe in grandfather. But with this, I don’t know how to face him anymore, or even how to face myself. My father passed away early, and my grandfather has no other direct kin other than me. He’s already had to suffer through the tragedy of the white-haired sending off the black-haired, if I continue with this, I don’t know how painful it’ll be for him. The court has so many capable talents, surely one of them could replace me as the investigator!”

The Emperor’s gaze softened, becoming mixed with lament and pity. “Wenyuan, you’re a filial child. But stepping away from this won’t necessarily help your grandfather, rather, if the Zhao name becomes completely disgraced, that would be the greatest blow to him.” He patted Kayla’s shoulder and let out a deep sigh. “It’s clear now that his involvement is much more than what we previously believed. I know you’ve bitten off more than you can chew, and now that you’re riding the tiger it’s difficult to dismount. But you can’t just back out now, Wenyuan.”

Kayla steeled her nerves and shook her head. “I don’t dare to lay claim to the virtue of filial piety, I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you in that regard as well, uncle.”

The Emperor frowned slightly, looking thrown off by the direction the conversation was taking. He had probably expected Kayla to cave in and apologize to avoid digging her grave deeper, rather than grabbing the shovel to start digging a separate grave. “What on earth are you talking about?”

Kayla bowed her head again. “Uncle, I’ve failed your expectations. I don’t even know how to face myself anymore.”

“Wenyuan, I really can’t follow your thoughts. Just from where to where are you jumping around to?” The Emperor gently patted Kayla’s shoulder, looking increasingly concerned. “I’m not angry at you, what are you so upset about?”

“I don’t know how to go about saying this,” Kayla said honestly. “But I also don’t want to let it pass by silently.”

“I heard there was a commotion the night before last when you returned home. Does this have anything to do with it?” The Emperor asked. “I was planning to ask later, but has your grandfather begun to suspect you?”

Kayla shook her head. “He hasn’t had reason to suspect me.”

“Then it’s an issue with the Secretariat Director?”

“Uncle, please help me! Grandfather wouldn’t believe me when I told him, you’re the only one who I can turn to,” Kayla replied, grabbing onto the Emperor’s sleeve.

“Speak clearly, Wenyuan. Your uncle will take charge so long as you’re honest with me,” the Emperor urged Kayla. Kayla fumbled for words, her nerves having more or less laid waste to the script she’d prepared beforehand.

“It’s-that is-I really don’t know how to say this. I don’t want to repeat what he said because it disgusts me to my core, but I also can’t bear to ignore what he said about my mother,” Kayla said.

The Emperor’s face immediately darkened. “About your mother? What did he say?”

“I always convinced myself that I must’ve heard wrong before, or maybe that I was too drunk and imagined it all. After all, he’s not only my elder but also a respected official in court. But I didn’t drink anything this time and last time, and no longer had any excuse for my willful cowardice,” Kayla said regretfully. The Emperor waited impatiently for her to speak.

“The Secretariat Director spoke in a rude manner of my mother,” she fumbled for a good way to raise the complaint. How the hell was she supposed to say it anyway?

“I’ve understood that much. But what did he say that could’ve angered someone as easygoing as you?”

“He spoke in a lustful manner about her, saying disgusting things about her figure and looks,” Kayla replied. “Things that I can’t bear repeating. I really don’t know how to deal with this, uncle. It’s true I was rude in return, but I don’t regret it at all. Even if he complains to grandfather, I won’t go back and apologize.” She let out a sigh and averted her eyes from the Emperor’s incensed expression.

“I’m sorry to be dragging up these household matters before you when there are so many important issues at hand, uncle. But these events have also shown me my soft-willed nature and cowardice. I can’t even deal with this properly, how can I handle an investigation pertaining to the state’s affairs? Please find a more suitable investigator, uncle. I really don’t want my inefficiency to be a burden for you,” Kayla said in an earnest tone.

“Don’t be ridiculous, this isn’t just a simple household matter! Are you saying he’s spoken in a base manner about the Imperial Princess, and not just one or two times?” The Emperor asked, a dangerous edge in his voice. Kayla bowed her head.

“I apologize, uncle. I was usually quite drunk by the time he started saying those things, and I don’t know if I misheard on those occasions,” Kayla hastily replied.

“That bastard! Wenyuan, you did well to bring this to my attention. I’ll investigate this matter thoroughly. If that old codger dared to insult my sister, I won’t just let it slide,” the Emperor seethed. “I won’t force you to speak more on this, seeing how difficult it is for you.”

“Thank you, uncle!” Kayla let out an internal cheer of relief.

“I won’t be removing you as the investigator, Wenyuan. You’re not just my only nephew, but one of the few people who dare to speak the truth to me earnestly. How many people would’ve let something like this slide for their political career? I have hundreds upon thousands of capable officials, but how many of them would be sincere with me? Even my own sons are constantly calculating against me for the position of the throne. Wenyuan, I know this is not an easy task for you, but you must persevere for my sake if not your own,” the Emperor said.

It’s rare to hear Uncle say something so cognizant of his position, Wenyuan said with a hint of surprise. I’d say you’ve hit the jackpot.

“Uncle, I’m honored by your words. Even though I’m undeserving, I’ll spare no effort to meet your expectations,” Kayla said humbly.

“Good. You just need to continue with what you’ve been doing so far and don’t worry about anything else. No matter what the consequences are, or even if you cause a mess, I’ll take care of it,” the Emperor assured her. Kayla bowed her head.

“Thank you, uncle. I’ll do my best.”

---

Cultural Notes

我们在明处他们在暗处/We're in the light while they're in the shadows: A colloquial phrase used to describe the situation of being unable to fully feel out your opponents while they can easily see your situation, placing you at a disadvantage. This also draws on Sun Tzu's Art of War, where one of the most famous teachings is "知己知彼，百战不殆", or if you know yourself and you know your opponent, you won't lose any battles.

Emperor and Empress Dowager: Kayla refers to being unable to tell the Dowager without telling the Emperor first, when having had a chance to do so. As Wenyuan is not just the Emperor's nephew but also his subordinate, it would be a political misstep for Kayla to go over the Emperor's head. If she was a female relative of the Emperor, it wouldn't be strange to go directly to the Empress Dowager, who is both the matron of the family and also more accessible than the Emperor, but Wenyuan's position would make doing so very problematic.

水很深/Water is very deep: A colloquial term used to describe a situation being worse than as is visible from the surface, often referring to corruption or crime networks.

禽兽不如/Worse than beasts and birds: A Chinese proverb from the pre-Qin era, used to insult a person as being worse than an animal. A more straightforward way of saying this is to directly call them a 畜生/Livestock animal. This proverb is a more elegant way of phrasing it.

龙体为重/The health of the dragon is most important: Chinese culture often associates Emperors with dragons, so the Emperor's physical body was often referred to as 龙体/dragon's body, as opposed to 身体/[human] body, as a way of addressing him respectfully. It was also believed in traditional Chinese medicine that anger or sadness was detrimental to one's health, hence why an appeal to calm down was usually phrased in terms of concern for the emperor's health rather than "stop shouting you're making us uncomfortable." 

强占民女/Forcefully kidnapping civilian women: A Chinese proverb often used to describe kidnapping and/or rape of civilian women by bandits, soldiers, or aristocrats. 

祸害百姓/Bring misfortune and disaster to the populace: A Chinese proverb used to describe screwing over the civilian population, usually by corrupt or incompetent officials.

腐蚀根基/Eroding or rotting away the foundation: A Chinese proverb used to describe acts that destroy the foundations of an organization, family, or the country.

忠孝两难全/It is difficult to fulfill both filial piety and loyalty: Often used to describe the dilemma of needing to take three years for the mourning of one's parents' passing according to Confucian tradition when the government also needs you to go to work. 

白发人送黑发人/The white-haired sending off the black-haired: Used to describe parents having their children pass away before them.

骑虎难下/Difficult to dismount from riding the tiger: Chinese proverb referring to not being able to stop something once it's in motion, especially when more powerful forces are involved.

为你做主/Take charge or responsibility for you: A Chinese phrase used to describe taking care of an issue or situation for someone, especially where that person has been victimized in some way.