Kayla lay in bed, mulling over the events of the previous day. It was her day off, and even though most officials wouldn’t take the break if they’d already taken off a sick day, Kayla wasn’t about to miss any chance to stay within the relatively safe walls of the Grand Duke’s household. No matter what went on in Xianchun’s mind, he wouldn’t dare to kill her right under Zhao’s nose.

Even with everything that had happened with the Emperor, Qu Boyong was on the forefront of her mind.

His vibe is definitely not that of a minor character, but there wasn’t anyone named Qu Boyong. Was he someone that didn’t appear until after Xianchun became Emperor?

Even his name is quite unusual, not only is his surname Qu, his parents even named him Boyong.

That’s actually what bothers me, he’s supposedly from the Chu region. But isn’t it strange that he’s from Chu, has the surname Qu, and the name Boyong?

Isn’t that just a coincidence?

When has anything that has happened so far been purely a coincidence? Even if it was only fate’s hand, it still had consequences.

Like they say, if you doubt someone don’t use them, and if you use someone don’t doubt them. The arrow is already on the bow and must be fired, why trouble yourself over it? If he’s important, we’ll find out sooner or later.

It’d be a huge issue if he’s important as Xianchun’s ally.

But he doesn’t know Xianchun, does he? If you thought he was reliable before, surely you weren’t too much off the mark.

Hey, we thought that about Chujiao too. Huh, she’s also from the Chu region, isn’t she?

Yes, but I don’t think they’re related. Chujiao’s surname is Jing.

Kayla frowned. Jing? Jing and Qu, weren’t those two of the three noble clans in the Kingdom of Chu?

I guess they are. But what does that have to do with anything? Did you remember something?

No. Kayla sighed, giving up on the issue for the moment. It wasn’t as though she had anything to go off of. There was a knock at the door.

“What is it?” Kayla asked tiredly.

“Please pardon me, young lord. There was an invitation from the Fifth Prince for you to join him for tea.” Kayla sat up at the sound of Matron Li’s voice.

“The Fifth Prince? What? Why?”

The door opened and Matron Li stepped inside, bowing her head in greeting.

“He did not say, but requested you join him at your earliest convenience,” Matron Li said. She closed the door behind her. Kayla narrowed her eyes.

“Is there a problem, Matron Li?”

“My lord, there appeared to be an incident at the Secretariat Director’s house last night,” Matron Li said worriedly. “The Imperial investigators took away several servants and serving girls, he likely wants to speak about that. It’s not my place to speak of these things, but please be careful, young lord.”

Kayla nodded slowly. The Emperor had really started going for it the second his sister was dragged in. Zhou Yunqi was allied with Zhou Kuang. He’ll probably be furious at me.

“Is there any way I could avoid going?” Kayla asked.

Matron Li bowed her head. “Young lord, few people know anything about your involvement in the incident. If you refuse to go, it’ll be the same as admitting it,” she replied.

Kayla leaned forward urgently. “Do you have any advice for me?”

“I don’t dare call my foolish words as advice, my lord. But in either case, the fifth prince’s current position won’t allow him to move against you. As long as you give him a stair to step down on, the Third Prince likely won’t try to settle the score after his return,” Matron Li said.

“Thank you, Matron Li.”

“Not at all, my lord. I’ll call the serving girls to help you get dressed,” Matron Li said.

“One moment,” Kayla called out as Matron Li turned to leave. “What was Chujiao’s name before she was given her current name? I never found a good chance to ask her before.”

Matron Li gave Kayla a look of surprise, not understanding where Kayla was going with this while on the verge of a crisis. “It was Jing Shuyou, my lord. The late princess changed her name to a simpler one at Chujiao’s request.” Kayla nodded slowly.

“Got it, thank you.” Kayla watched as Matron Li bowed and left.

The name Shuyou is also from Qu Yuan’s poem, isn’t it?

Kayla, is now really the time for conspiracy theories? Hurry up and think of how to deal with the Third Prince’s faction first!

Kayla sighed. I’m procrastinating because I don’t want to!

She turned to mulling over the current crises as she was dressed and chauffeured over to the Fifth Prince’s household. The Fifth Prince’s maternal family was rather powerful, but he had suffered a huge blow when his grandfather had been accused of disloyalty and stripped of his position. Zhou Yunqi’s mother had turned to fasting in hopes of gaining the Emperor’s mercy, but the Emperor no longer had any feelings for her and didn’t ease up even when she fell ill. Just like that, Zhou Yunqi’s political career was instantly crushed. Rather than continue to worsen the situation, Yunqi had wisely taken a leave of absence with the excuse of tending to his mother’s ill health. Not only did he thus avoid public disgrace, he was also able to discreetly dig at the Emperor for his coldness towards Yunqi’s mother while cementing his image as a filial son.

Even though Zhou Yunqi had always been Zhou Kuang’s loyal supporter, he was no easy man to deal with. In terms of reading the situation and making the correct judgment, he was no less astute than Zhou Kuang and Xianchun.

Just how am I going to deal with him?

I usually don’t contact my cousins much, so I can’t help you with that.

Kayla sighed again. It can’t be helped.

The Fifth Prince is a pretty reasonable person though, so he probably won’t be too harsh.

In the novel, Yunqi had indeed been a pretty reasonable and overall decent man but had been forced to commit suicide along with his mother after Xianchun won the position of crown prince. It was a pretty harsh ending for someone with considerable popularity in the fandom, but the author had justified it as a realistic ending for the loser of a political struggle.

Kayla stepped down from the carriage, hiding her nervousness as she entered the Fifth Prince’s household. Wenyuan never had occasion to enter the households of any of the princes, so it was the first time for both of them. A servant respectfully greeted Kayla and guided her into the household. Rather than stopping in the Outer Quarters, she was brought into the Inner Quarters. Kayla glanced about the corridors discreetly. Compared to the stately and luxurious household of the Grand Duke, Yunqi’s household was decorated in a simple and elegant manner.

The novel described him as having the air of an orchid. I haven’t even seen him yet and I’m starting to agree.

Kayla was led into a sitting room, the servant taking his leave after opening the door for her.

“Wenyuan greets the Fifth Prince,” Kayla bowed her head respectfully.

“No need for formalities between family,” Yunqi replied. He waved for Kayla to sit down across from him. Like Xianchun, the fifth prince was tall and good-looking but had a more refined air compared to the seventh prince. Kayla sat down at the elegantly carved wooden table with a tray of tea on it. The room was tastefully decorated and Kayla could also vaguely sense a magic spell at work. It was likely a high-circuit spell, but she couldn’t tell what it was.

“It’s good to see you, Wenyuan. It’s been a while since we last met, hasn’t it?” Yunqi asked.

“That’s right, it’s an honor to be invited by you,” Kayla said politely.

“I know you’re busy with court affairs, I hope my invitation didn’t come at a bad time?”

Kayla shook her head respectfully. This guy’s words mean more than they say, don’t they?

Yeah, I have trouble dealing with guys like him.

“Not at all, I’ll always find time if it’s at your request,” Kayla said.

Yunqi smiled. “How kind of you. How is your grandfather?”

“He’s doing well, thank you for asking. And how is the Virtuous Consort’s health?”

“Not as good as your grandfather’s, unfortunately. My mother’s body is still weak, I reckon it’ll take a while for her to recover,” Yunqi shook his head regretfully.

“I’m very sorry to hear that, my prince,” Kayla bowed her head slightly. Shit, I shouldn’t have come empty-handed.

“Thank you for that. Wenyuan, I know you’re a straightforward person, I’d like to open the door to see the mountain rather than talk in circles,” Yunqi said.

Here we go. “As you wish, my prince.”

Yunqi began pouring the tea with steady movements. “You may have heard that there was a commotion at the Secretariat Director’s household last night. Imperial investigators went to his house in the middle of the night and arrested several servants,” he said. He pushed a cup of tea to Kayla with a nonchalant smile. “Do you know anything about that?”

Kayla accepted the tea with a slight bow. “I also heard about it just this morning, my prince. It’s certainly strange, isn’t it? Does your highness think it has to do with He Shirang’s case?”

Yunqi shook his head slightly with a smile. “Perhaps so, perhaps not. I’m afraid I’m not in a good position to find out. I've been tending to my mother for the past few months and haven’t been in contact with any court officials. In just the last few weeks, the sky has changed outside, and I’m rather surprised by how much has happened.”

Kayla nodded in agreement. “It’s as you say, my prince. So much has happened that it’s overwhelming.”

Yunqi leaned forward slightly. “Overwhelming as it may be, they say that great change leads to great chances. Wenyuan, you could also stand to benefit from this situation.”

“Please enlighten me,” Kayla replied.

“Currently, the court is dominated by the faction of the Grand Duke, but until now, you have yet to gain recognition for your talents,” Yunqi said. “Though you hold the position of Left Secretariat, please pardon my saying so, but you have little footing of your own. Now that He Shirang’s set to lose his position and Liu Hongyu has been implicated, the hegemony of the Grand Duke is set to fall apart. Rather than take the blow mutely, I’d like to help you gain merit through this situation. Of course, we also stand to benefit as well.”

Kayla frowned slightly, finally grasping the situation. She hurriedly held out a hand.

“My prince, I’m grateful for your words, but could you allow me to say something first?” Kayla ventured. A brief look of surprise flashed over Yunqi’s face, but he quickly returned to a calm smile.

“Of course, Wenyuan. Please speak freely.”

Kayla glanced towards the folding screen where the magic spell seemed to be located. “As for what I have to say, please convey it to his highness the Third Prince as well.”

Yunqi nodded. Kayla breathed in deeply to calm her nerves.

“I can’t help you with the Secretariat Director’s case,” she said. “I was the one who reported him.”

“What?” Yunqi barely managed to keep the shock out of his voice. Kayla pressed on before he could speak.

“I didn’t do so for any political reason, it was purely a personal matter. But I can tell you now that Liu Hongyu has a high chance of being implicated for lese-majeste. It would be best to take your hands off of this matter,” Kayla said.

“You expect me to believe you reported him for a personal reason? I’m afraid I have my doubts about that,” Yunqi said, a slight edge to his voice.

“I apologize, my prince. But that’s the truth of it. If you would allow it though, I have a few more words to say on the matter,” Kayla insisted.

Yunqi let out a sharp sigh but nodded for her to go ahead.

“I came today with the full intention of being forthcoming with you to show my sincerity,” Kayla said. “I know that what I did was equivalent to attacking the Third Prince’s faction, but I believe that in the long-term, your Highnesses stand to benefit from this situation.”

Yunqi gave her a thoughtful look. “How so?”

“It is just as you said earlier, my prince. The greater the changes, the greater the opportunity. Currently, the hegemony of the Grand Duke has created a stable power structure within the court. This appears to be beneficial, but the larger the tree, the greater the wind. Once you reach the peak, the only path left is downwards. It is only a matter of time before the Grand Duke’s power declines, and Liu Hongyu would be in a position to replace him. On the surface, this appears to be a good thing for you and the Third Prince, but it’s also only on the surface,” Kayla said. She stopped, her mouth feeling dry. Yunqi motioned for her to drink the tea, and Kayla quickly complied. Yunqi was watching her with an amused expression.

“Why only on the surface?” Yunqi asked.

He’s trying to get as much information from me as possible, is there anything we can’t let him know right now? Kayla’s mental gears were working at a breakneck pace. She tried to drag for time by drinking the tea slowly, but the cup was extremely small. She set down the teacup and cleared her throat.

“First of all, it goes against the will of the Emperor and the Empress Dowager to continue allowing a single official’s hegemony. That means that you would be the ones on the blade’s edge once Liu Hongyu is in power. All emperors prioritize the balancing of officials against each other to prevent the concentration of power, and the current events have made the Emperor more sensitive towards any signs of forming cliques for selfish gain. Also, right now you want your supporter to become powerful, but how will you deal with him once the fight is done? He’d be too strong to get rid off, and you’d also be indebted to him.”

“You’re saying some pretty interesting things, Wenyuan. I’d have expected you to ramble on a bunch of nonsense to appease me, but when I said to open the door for the mountain, you really took it at face value,” Yunqi said. He lifted his teacup to his mouth, pausing before he drank. “You said first of all, what else do you have?”

Kayla breathed in deeply. She couldn’t directly tell him it was the Empress Dowager’s will to clean house, or the Dowager would view it as an act of allegiance towards the Third Prince.

“Thank you for offering your ear, my prince. Second of all, this is the opportune time for you to form new alliances that would be firmly under your control. The commotion at court will only get bigger from now on rather than diminishing. I expect there will be huge changes in personnel within the ministries and departments soon.”

“Where are you getting this intel?” Yunqi asked.

Kayla grimaced. It wasn’t as though she could say it was in the novel.

“Since you seem reluctant to speak, I’ll assume it was father,” Yunqi murmured. Kayla glanced away nervously, not sure whether to address the misunderstanding or not.

“Thank you for your understanding, your highness,” she said instead. It was neither a confirmation nor a denial.

“Your words are interesting, but it sounds to me like you’re resorting to sophistry to get out of this,” Yunqi said gently. Kayla hastily bowed her head.

“I can’t help it if that’s how you understand it, my prince. But please allow me to remind you that the position of Crown Prince is not decided by the political battle at court, but by the will of the Emperor, as both your Emperor and your father,” Kayla said. “Please don’t be sidelined by the immediate benefits at hand and remember that acting according to the Emperor’s wishes is the true path to success.”

Yunqi raised an eyebrow. “You’re saying that cajoling father is more important than maintaining our footing in court? What a naive way of thinking.”

The example of Yongzheng flashed into Kayla’s mind, but she resisted the urge to use it. The novel took place in a historical period long before the Qing Dynasty; she wasn’t going to get anywhere with that. She had expected this much from Yunqi; his reaction was in line with what had caused the Third Prince’s downfall in the novel. Having experienced the consequences of the Emperor’s capricious mood swings since childhood, the Third Prince and Fifth Prince were both extremely jaded with the Emperor and sought to firmly grasp power in their own hands. But the more powerful they grew, the more ill at ease the Emperor felt, leading to his eventual favoring of Xianchun.

“Perhaps so. But you can’t ignore the will of the Emperor either. Right now, the Third Prince is set to return with hefty military merit, if he also has a strong footing in the court, how can the Emperor be at ease with that? It’s true that the Third Prince has a great reputation in court, but being praised by all the officials won’t do you any good. Surely, any ruler would grow suspicious at that. If you can get all the officials to praise you, couldn’t you also unite the officials to overtake his authority? No matter how little you wish to rely on the Emperor, you can’t obtain success without being attentive to his feelings,” Kayla argued.

Yunqi nodded, but she couldn’t tell what he was really thinking.

“Thank you for being so forthcoming with me, Wenyuan. Your words have merit, I’ll need some time to think it over by myself,” Yunqi said. Kayla recognized it as a dismissal and quickly bowed her head.

“Thank you for the tea, my prince. I’ll take my leave now,” Kayla said. Yunqi waved her away, and Kayla hastily retreated from the room. A servant quickly appeared to guide her back out. Kayla resisted the urge to wipe away the sweat beading on her brow. She had run her mouth this much in hopes of avoiding the wrath of the Third Prince and subsequently another death flag, but had gotten absolutely nothing in turn from Yunqi, not even a reaction that she could deduce his attitude from.

Dealing with princes is so exhausting. Whether it was Xianchun or Yunqi, it was clear that none of the princes that survived to adulthood were easy to please.

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

Once he was certain Wenyuan was gone, Yunqi stood up and went behind the folding screen.

“Well, you heard him,” Yunqi said lightly. On the other side of the communication device, Kuang was wearing an amused smirk.

“That kid really is interesting,” Kuang said. His smirk widened. “Yunqi, I want you to recruit him.”

“What? You were reluctant before,” Yunqi said, not bothering to hide his surprise.

“He’s pretty eager himself, why shouldn’t I go along with it?” Kuang asked. “If he wanted to avoid offending me, he should’ve just kept his mouth shut and played innocent. He went through all the trouble to say all this, isn’t he just auditioning at this point? I won’t deny being annoyed that he went this far, but I’m a little impressed that he would create a position opening for himself in this manner. In either case, if Liu Hongyu’s committed lese-majeste, we can’t use him anymore.”

Yunqi raised an eyebrow. “I keep forgetting that you like aggressive individuals, brother. What do you think about what he said though?”

“He’s banking a lot on the premise that there will be a huge storm at court,” Kuang said thoughtfully. “Try to find out more about that. If it’s true then there will definitely be signs. If there really will be personnel changes, I’ll have to react accordingly. I can’t just let someone else slip into the cracks and insert their own people. ”

“Leave it to me,” Yunqi replied.

Kuang nodded. “I’ll be relying on you, Yunqi.” Kuang’s eyes narrowed. “But he makes a good point about father. The last thing we need is for father to start raising obstacles everywhere because he’s in a bad mood. On the other hand, if I show support for a thorough investigation of Liu Hongyu’s affairs, I’ll gain the image of a righteous man who prioritizes the country over his own power base.”

“It’s true that Father likes that kind of thing the most,” Yunqi said.

Kuang shook his head. “I’m not just trying to appeal to father, but also to grandmother. Her words have more weight than all the officials added together.” Kuang sighed deeply. “Keep your eyes and ears open while I’m gone, make sure not to get burned by the flames.”

“I will, brother. You should also take care,” Yunqi replied. Kuang nodded before ending the call, leaving Yunqi alone in the room again.

---

Cultural Notes

屈、景、昭/Qu, Jing, and Zhao: The three major clans in the Kingdom of Chu in pre-Qin China. The poet Qu Yuan famously hails from the Qu clan. Note that the Zhao (昭) here is different from the Zhao (赵) of Wenyuan's clan.

屈伯庸/Qu Boyong: It's been a few chapters, but Boyong has the same name as the father of the poet Qu Yuan, a celebrated poet who wrote the Chuci (a series of poems) and Lisao (a longform poem). 

用人不疑, 疑人不用/If you use them don't doubt them, if you doubt them don't use them: A Chinese quote originating from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, meaning that you shouldn't suspect the people you hire. 

箭在弦上，不得不发/The arrow is already on the bow, it must be fired: A Chinese proverb stemming from a historical incident in the Three Kingdoms era. A scholar named Chen Lin was commissioned by the warlord Yuan Shao to write an article slandering his rival, Cao Cao. However, Cao Cao eventually conquered the region after Yuan Shao's death, and initially wanted to kill Chen Lin for his insulting article. Chen Lin pleaded for mercy, saying that "the arrow is already on the bow, it has no choice to be fired", to show that as Yuan Shao's subordinate, he had no choice in the matter. Cao Cao accepted this argument and chose not to kill him.

台阶下/Stair to step down from: A Chinese phrase referring to giving someone a way to back down without losing face.

景淑尤/Jing Shuyou: Chujiao's original name. Shuyou means "very beautiful and kind", and comes from Qu Yuan's poem 远游/Long Journey, specifically the line "绝氛埃而淑尤兮，终不反其故都。“ I'm not translating this line because it doesn't make sense out of context and I don't want to post the whole poem here because of how long it is.

气质如兰/Having the air of an orchid: In Chinese culture, orchid refers to the Chinese orchid, which has been viewed as the representation of refinement and noble character. Chinese orchids are valued for their delicate fragrance that is popularly believed to be more fragrant when fewer people are around, which is why orchids are often used to describe refining one's character in solitude or being unafraid of solitude. 

外面变天了/The sky has changed outside: A Chinese phrase used to describe that a huge commotion is happening/has happened, often in terms of political turnover or conflict. 

树大招风/Big trees attract wind: A Chinese proverb that means the greater the power the greater the danger/the more troubles you attract.

物盛则衰/If you reach the peak of prosperity you will face decline: A Chinese proverb from the Han Dynasty historical book 史记/Shiji/Historical Record.

Chinese teacups: There is a huge variation in China's tea culture across time and region, but the tea Yunqi's serving involves a gongfu tea seat. Gongfu tea originates from the provinces of Fujian and Guangdong, and has high requirements for water temperature as well as relatively small drinking vessels, usually to the point where it's smaller than a shot glass.

诡辩/Sophistry: Basically bullshitting to get out of trouble.

Yongzheng/雍正: An Emperor of the Qing Dynasty who is well known for his short but remarkable reign, during which he solved the state's budget problem and pushed for many reforms of a stagnant government system. He was known to be a workaholic who worked pretty much non-stop. Prior to his ascension, he was the Fourth Prince of Emperor Kangxi, who had dozens of sons, nine of whom were embroiled in a fight for the throne. Yongzheng spent much of his youth politically backing the Crown Prince (Kangxi's second son) while his more eager brothers wore themselves out of Kangxi's favor through their harsh competition for the seat of Crown Prince. After the Crown Prince lost his position (famously, he lost his position not only once but twice), Yongzheng eventually became the successor through the throne by avoiding direct political struggles with his brothers and focusing on doing his job properly. It's more complicated than that, but this historical period of "nine dragons fighting for succession" alone is enough to write a three-volume book on. 

逼宫/Forcing the Emperor's hand: A concept referring to uniting the officials to overtake the Emperor's authority, usually by forcing his hand. While this does not involve the use of military or physical force, it was viewed as a huge issue by rulers.