Zhou Xianchun stared down at Kayla where she was huddled on the floor of the carriage. She watched him apprehensively, trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

“I came to help you out,” Xianchun said. Kayla gave him a look of disbelief as he held out a hand towards her.

“Come on, get out of the carriage,” Xianchun said. He sounded much calmer than earlier, which only frightened Kayla more. She furiously shook her head.

Like hell! Do you really think I’d walk to my own execution like this?!

Xianchun made a small noise of annoyance before reaching out and forcibly pulling Kayla up. She let out a high-pitched squawk as she was bodily removed from the carriage.

“My lord!”

Kayla turned towards Boyong’s voice hopefully, launching off the carriage and away from Xianchun to where Boyong was standing.

“Boyong!” Kayla glanced around, frowning as she took in the scene. Xianchun’s guards were standing among Wenyuan’s guards, looming over the black-clad men from earlier.

Are they not Xianchun’s men? Or is this an excuse to detain me?

“My lord, are you alright?!” Boyong asked urgently, reaching out to gently place a hand on her arm. Kayla hid her confusion and nodded.

“Is everyone alright?” Kayla asked urgently.

“Yes, we’ve detained all the assailants thanks to the Seventh Prince’s help,” Boyong bowed his head slightly. Did that guy really help me?

Kayla awkwardly turned back towards Xianchun, who looked at her expectantly. She bowed deeply towards Xianchun, still keeping a good distance between them.

“Thank you so much, my prince. I’m eternally grateful for your help and don’t know how I could ever repay you,” Kayla said politely. But why the hell are you even here?

Xianchun scoffed and waved her off. “It’s not like I came to help you, it just happened that I ran into this while going after you,” he said. Kayla gave him a confused look and Xianchun cleared his throat, looking away from her.

“I lost my temper earlier and didn’t convey my meaning properly, there was still something I wanted to discuss with you,” he explained. Kayla stared at him incredulously. Does he expect me to believe that?

“I…see, my prince,” Kayla replied.

Xianchun furrowed his brow at her reaction, opening his mouth to say something before one of his guards urgently approached him. Xianchun nodded at the guard, who leaned in to whisper something to him. A strange look flashed across Xianchun’s face and he quickly walked over to where one of the assailants was struggling against the guard who had him pinned against the floor. The prince yanked away the assailant’s face covering before hurriedly putting it back, looking back at Kayla with a complicated expression.

“Is something the matter, my prince?” Kayla asked. Xianchun stood up, looking deeply troubled. He slowly walked back to Kayla and breathed in deeply.

“Wenyuan, could you let this matter go?” Xianchun asked. Kayla involuntarily took a step away from him.

“I’m not sure what you mean, my prince,” Kayla said warily.

“You said earlier you didn’t know how to repay me, could I request that you refrain from reporting this?” Xianchun asked urgently. Kayla’s breath hitched. Sensing her fear, Boyong hurriedly moved forward to step between Xianchun and Kayla, and one of Xianchun’s guards unsheathed his sword in response. Kayla put out a hand and stopped Boyong, trying to ignore that her hand was shaking.

What the hell is this, was it his men after all? He expects me to not report it so he has a better chance next time? Her befuddlement must’ve been visible, and Xianchun grabbed her by the arm. Kayla nearly bit her tongue as Xianchun pulled her over to the assailant, removing his face covering again. Kayla looked at the unfamiliar face in confusion and back at Xianchun, who pulled her away again.

Xianchun let out a sharp sigh and gestured at the man. “He’s Governor Yue’s subordinate,” Xianchun said in a hushed tone. Kayla glanced back at the man in shock.

“What-”

“All these men, they were all guards for Governor Yue,” Xianchun explained with a desperate edge to his voice. “I promise they won’t bother you again, they don’t know you’re the one who saved Lady Yue-”

“So they’re his sworn warriors out for revenge,” Kayla interrupted him.

Xianchun breathed in deeply. “That’s right.”

“Are you sure?” Kayla asked. She carefully watched Xianchun’s expression, trying to figure out if it was a ruse. “My prince, are you sure?”

“I’m sure,” Xianchun said firmly. “Zhao Wenyuan, if you do this for them, I’ll be the one who owes you.”

Is he lying or not? Xianchun’s eyes were practically glowing earnestly, but Kayla wasn’t sure if she should buy the story. In either case, I’ll be certain to offend him if I refuse right away. But what about the Imperial investigators? They’d be sure to notice this.

“Alright. Fine. But my guards-”

“I’ll tell them they got the wrong carriage, that they were trying to target me and Lord Liang,” Xianchun assured her. “Even if your grandfather doesn’t buy it, he’ll let it go since if I give him this much.”

So he wants to buy the Grand Duke's silence on the matter.

Kayla nodded, silently accepting the offer. With Xianchun's alliance about to become obvious soon enough, she wouldn’t end up indebted to Xianchun even if he offered up the information to the Grand Duke as a diversion.

Xianchun smiled in relief, giving Kayla a pat on the shoulder before going over to Boyong. His guards quickly took away the assailants. Kayla stood still, watching as Boyong frowned at Xianchun’s words, evidently not believing the excuse. Boyong glanced over at Kayla questioningly and she nodded at him, signaling for him to shut up and accept it. Boyong bowed towards Xianchun, who came back over towards Kayla.

“Wenyuan, I appreciate it,” Xianchun said sincerely. Kayla bowed her head slightly in response. Xianchun hesitated as though he wanted to say something.

“There’s something I want to speak with you about,” Xianchun said. “We’ll talk next time, I’ll take care of this first.”

Kayla nodded. “As you wish, my prince.” Xianchun nodded and made to leave, but stopped short and scanned the area with a furrowed brow. After a moment, he shook his head and walked away. Kayla watched blankly as Xianchun got onto his horse, thoughts jumbled together in her mind as she tried to process the situation.

“My lord,” Boyong called out softly as he approached her. Kayla collected herself and turned to him.

“The horseman ran off, but I’ll draw the carriage,” Boyong offered. “Shall we return the household for now?”

Kayla hesitated. She had agreed to let the incident go without reporting it, but the Grand Duke wouldn’t agree once he heard of it. If she let him gain the upper hand in how to use the information, Kayla would be in a difficult position between her agreement with Xianchun and the Grand Duke’s decision.

More importantly, how do we deal with Uncle? There’s no way he won’t hear of this, I only just left the Investigation Bureau a while ago. Meeting with Xianchun in and of itself is not a problem, but helping him cover up an incident like this is a completely different story. The Emperor’s current trust towards Wenyuan was rooted in Wenyuan’s disinterest in political struggles, and more importantly, because Wenyuan was neither sided with the Third Prince’s faction nor the up and rising Seventh Prince. Any protection she derived from the Emperor’s favor could disappear just as easily.

I need to find a chance to explain this as quickly as possible.

“Go to the Ministry of Justice,” Kayla said to Boyong. She would have to bet on the Emperor summoning Wenyuan as soon as he heard of the incident. The Emperor would likely wait for another day if she went back to the Zhao household, but she couldn’t risk having him draw conjectures about Wenyuan’s political stance in the meantime.

“Are you sure, my lord?” Boyong asked, doubt lacing his voice. Kayla gave him a nod.

“Yes, I’m sure,” Kayla replied. Boyong bowed his head slightly and moved to help her back into the carriage, before taking his seat at the front and pulling on the reins.

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

As it turned out, Kayla’s hunch had been correct. She had only returned to her desk at the Ministry for all of three-quarters of an hour, most of which was spent deflecting questions from Wenyuan’s coworkers about Liu Hongyu’s case before she was hastily summoned to the Emperor’s study for the second time in three days.

“Wenyuan humbly greets His Majesty,” Kayla bowed deeply as she entered the study.

“Enough of that!” The Emperor snapped, gesturing sharply for her to come over. Kayla quickly complied.

“Uncle,” Kayla said in a cautious tone as she knelt before his seat. “Is something wrong?”

The Emperor shot her an icy glare that sent a chill down Kayla’s spine.

“Are you asking because you really don’t know?” The Emperor snapped. Kayla quickly bowed her head apologetically.

“What on earth happened?” The Emperor asked. The coldness in his voice was unfamiliar to Wenyuan, who had only ever seen it used on other officials before.

“Is Uncle referring to the incident with the Seventh Prince?” Kayla asked in a small voice.

“What else am I supposed to be referring to?” The Emperor snapped. “Is there more that I should be asking about?”

Kayla lowered her head further, cold sweat beading on her forehead.

“No, uncle. Thank you for giving me a chance to explain myself,” Kayla said shakily. “I had a small argument with the Seventh Prince about-”

“That’s not what I’m asking about and you know it!” The Emperor shouted, slamming his fist onto the table hard enough to knock over a teacup.

“I beg your forgiveness!” Kayla quickly raised her head to meet the Emperor’s eyes. “Uncle, please let this incident go.”

The Emperor met her gaze with narrowed eyes. “Let it go? Wenyuan, I trusted you to be smarter than this! You’re the last one I expected to get involved in the power struggle, how could you disappoint me like this?!”

“I’m not siding with any of the princes,” Kayla protested.

“You’re still denying it?!” The Emperor shouted. “How dare you lie to me?”

“Please hear me out, Uncle! I would never lie to you, this is more complicated than it seems,” Kayla pleaded.

“You would never lie to me? Do you know how many officials kneel before me and promise that day after day? Every single time, they swear upon their family's lives and ancestor’s honor that they’re nothing but loyal, and every single one of them is lying!” The Emperor growled. He leaned forward, glowering at Kayla. “Wenyuan, I can forgive them for lying, but not you.”

“Uncle doesn’t need to forgive me, because I don’t need to lie to you, Uncle,” Kayla forced out the words in as steady a voice as she could manage. “Uncle, those assassins were Governor Yue’s men. I couldn’t bring myself to report them because I feel guilty, not because I’m covering for my cousin.”

The Emperor looked visibly startled at the revelation, his anger washed over by surprise. “Governor Yue’s men? Explain,” he ordered. Kayla drew in a deep breath.

“I think Governor Yue may have been framed,” she said honestly. “I feel really bad about my part in all this, uncle. Because of my negligence, I robbed Lady Yue of a husband and her daughter of a father, and further brought misfortune upon the officials of Anling County. It’s only natural if his guards were angry enough to try something stupid, so when my cousin wanted to spare them I was happy to agree.”

The Emperor glanced towards the curtained side door, where Kayla belatedly realized an Imperial investigator was standing discreetly. She couldn’t see what the investigator did at her angle, but he must have confirmed Kayla’s words. The Emperor breathed in deeply before letting out a sigh, looking tired but no longer as angry.

“Wenyuan, you’re a good kid but you can be so foolish sometimes,” the Emperor said wearily. “The investigation wasn’t conducted by you, and we don’t have sufficient reason to believe Yue Wuxuan is innocent in the first place. If he wasn’t innocent, then you’ve just let his co-conspirators run away after attacking a court official.”

Kayla lowered her head nervously. “I-I’m sorry, uncle, but even in the initial investigation, no one mentioned his guards being involved,” she said.

“Even if they weren’t involved before, they’re involved now! How can you just let this incident go like this?” The Emperor sounded more exasperated than anything else, and Kayla let out an internal sigh of relief. The Emperor seemed to believe that Kayla wasn’t siding with either prince’s faction, but there was still the problem of the Emperor choosing to pursue the issue, which would place her in a bad position to deal with Xianchun.

“I heard good things about Governor Yue’s men before,” Kayla hurriedly said, drawing on her knowledge from the novel. “They were known for carrying out their duties properly and treating civilians well, throughout the entire time Yue Wuxuan was governor, Anling was not only free of robbers and bandits but there had never been instances of violence or harassment towards civilians.”

She quickly glanced over the Emperor’s expression and continued after seeing that he didn’t seem too upset.

“Uncle, they were originally men of virtue, isn’t it a pity that they’ve fallen to carrying out attacks as though they were bandits? Even if Governor Yue treated them well, they’re men with a strong respect for the law, I doubt their reasoning was so simple as taking revenge without differentiation. If they have a strong reason to believe Governor Yue was executed under false pretenses, then perhaps they have information we can use,” Kayla said. “With your permission, I would like to speak with them and figure out what their motivations are.”

“Absolutely not!” The Emperor immediately cut Kayla off in an admonishing tone. “You’re my only nephew and my sister’s only son, what will I do if anything happens to you? Even if you’ve gotten water into your brain and want to risk your own safety, there’s no way I would allow the son of a Princess to risk coming to harm for the sake of a few assassins!”

Kayla bowed her head slightly. “Uncle, I’m deeply grateful for your concern, your kindness towards me is truly beyond measure,” she said. The Emperor let out a soft sigh, reaching over to pull Kayla up and motioning for her to sit down. Kayla obediently sat down.

“As long as you understand,” the Emperor sighed. “Not to mention how your grandmother would react, I received quite the shock myself after hearing about this. The last thing I need is for you to get involved in something this dangerous.”

Kayla nodded, sensing that the danger the Emperor spoke of referred both to the incident with the assassins and also the battle for the throne between the Princes. She wanted to avoid the latter anyway, but she couldn’t back away from the first.

“I understand, Uncle. But…Uncle, could you please give the assassins a chance to make up for their crimes with merit? If their testimonies are worthy of consideration, then not only would we be able to know for certain whether Governor Yue was framed, but uncle would also be widely praised as a benevolent Emperor,” Kayla pleaded. The Emperor shook his head.

“They’ve already tried to assassinate an official with royal blood, I’d already be showing my mercy if I didn’t sentence them to death by a thousand cuts and exterminate their entire families,” the Emperor said firmly.

Kayla shifted uncomfortably. “It’s true that I am your nephew and a member of the nobility and they’re only commoners, but we’re all your subjects, uncle. The law exists to protect morality, if you can give them a chance, it will surely become a good tale for history,” Kayla argued.

The Emperor shook his head and sighed. “Well said, Wenyuan. You’re really coming into your own now. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t necessarily refuse, even if only to let you practice your hand more. After all, it’s easy enough to re-open an investigation if they turn out to have useful information or execute them if they don’t. But there’s a reason I’m so against this,” he said wearily.

Kayla nodded. “I understand, Uncle. If I do this, then people will think I’m covering for the Seventh Prince and believe me to be his supporter,” she said. “Would it help if I visited the Wise Consort to inquire about her health and visited the Third Prince’s wife with gifts?”

The Emperor shot her a look. “It’s not so simple as that, Wenyuan. Do you think if you pour a cup of water it’ll quench the flames?”

Kayla lowered her head slightly. “Uncle, all the princes are my cousins, I don’t want to help them fight each other, but I also don’t know how I should then interact with them,” Kayla said in a small voice. If the Emperor chose to execute the assassins for Wenyuan’s sake, she would really be done for. Even if she somehow avoided the upcoming death flag, Xianchun wouldn’t let her live peacefully after he ascended to the throne. She glanced at the Emperor. He was in good health and while no longer young, he was hardly old enough for age to be a concern. Just how did such a man pass away from ill-health in three years' time?

The Emperor looked to be deep in thought for several moments before letting out a deep sigh.

“They all say that the Imperial family is the most heartless, but looking at you before me, I feel much comforted,” the Emperor said. He patted Kayla’s arm affectionately. “You’re right, they’re all your cousins anyway. I trust you won’t get yourself involved in this, and I’ll drag you out even if you do.”

Kayla looked at him hopefully. “Then Governor Yue’s guards?”

“If they can make up for their crimes with merit, I’ll exile them to the Northwest border. That’s as much leniency as I can show in this situation,” the Emperor said. “I’ll order Xianchun to bring them in himself.”

Kayla lit up in joy. “Thank you, Uncle! Thank you so much!”

The Emperor shook his head, looking slightly exasperated. “Look at how happy you are, you’re way too softhearted,” he admonished. Despite the criticism, his tone was affectionate. “You should visit the Wise Consort and your third cousin’s wife, they’ve both had a hard time lately. Especially your third cousin’s wife, I’ve sent her husband away for months and left her alone with a young son like this, it can’t be easy for her to bear. Bring her my regards as well.”

“I will, uncle! I’m sure she’d be elated to hear of your concern for her,” Kayla responded joyfully. If she brought the Emperor’s well-wishes, the weight of his words was tantamount to balancing out the scales once again, and further signaled to the Third Prince that the Emperor himself didn’t want there to be a misunderstanding about Wenyuan’s position. The Emperor nodded, back to his usual self.

“You haven’t eaten yet, have you? Eat here with me, and then go home and rest. You’ve received quite a scare today, why did you even go back to work like this?” He said in a light tone. Kayla grinned at him.

“Thank you, uncle! I felt bad since I already took a sick day off the other day,” she replied. The Emperor let out a small sound of disbelief.

“It’s good to take your work seriously, but your health comes first,” he began to lecture her, waving for the eunuchs to bring in the food. Kayla nodded along dutifully as the Emperor chided her, the built-up fear inside slowly melting away. She had successfully overcome the current crisis, at the very least. Her next steps could wait a little longer.

---

Cultural Notes

亲信/Subordinates trusted and close [to the boss]: This term is usually used to refer to subordinates who were highly trusted and close with their employer, often having a good relationship with them in and outside of work. Here, this is written as sworn warriors, because they are guards, and also because it would be a mouthful otherwise.

卿本佳人、奈何为寇/[You] are originally a good person, how could you have become a bandit?: This was a phrase historically used on at least two separate incidents by government officials to talk bandit leaders into surrendering by appealing towards their conscience and also acknowledging that they had their own circumstances that resulted in this. In both cases, the bandit leaders were treated with mercy due, as the officials were sincere. Kayla doesn't directly use this line since she's talking to the Emperor about the guards, she says "本乃佳人，奈何沦落为寇", slightly tweaking it for the situation.

不分青红皂白/Acting without differentiation/ Not differentiating between green, red, and [soap-colored] white: A Chinese proverb meaning to act without differentiation between different situations and conditions. 

脑子进水/Water got into your brain: A common colloquial phrase used to say that someone's acting stupid.

将功赎罪/Making up for crimes with merit: A Chinese proverb meaning to make up for your crimes (and thereby obtain clemency) by earning merit in kind.

凌迟处死/Death by a thousand cuts: A particularly cruel historical punishment in which the criminal was executed over the course of several days, being killed by cutting them (approximately) a thousand times with a blade.

株连九族/Exterminating their entire families: A quick refresher, this refers to killing pretty much their entire extended family, even various in-laws who were unlucky enough, and can easily rack up three-digit numbers given how large families were back then.

法理不外人情/The law exists to protect morality: This is a popular modern saying, it didn’t exist back then, which is why the Emperor was slightly impressed that Wenyuan “came up” with a good phrase.

千古佳话/A good tale for the times: A Chinese proverb referring to a historical incident that is brought up and praised by the following generations. Since Chinese culture focuses a lot on the historical perception of your actions, this was viewed rather importantly. 

最是无情帝王家/The Imperial family is the most heartless: A line from a poem called 后宫词/Inner Palace Song by the famous Tang Dynasty poet 白居易/Bai Juyi. The poem describes the despair and piteous circumstances of women in the Inner Palace, where women are repeatedly replaced by younger and more beautiful concubines who catch the Emperor's eye.