Kayla groaned, burying her head in her hands. The luxurious carriage rolled smoothly towards the Grand Duke’s household. The Emperor had sent back Wenyuan’s carriage and guards, sending Kayla home in the Imperial Palace’s carriage with Imperial guards. None of them were under the command of General Yu, but rather seemed to be the ones under the Grand Commander. It comforted her that the Emperor’s favor for Wenyuan didn’t seem to have decreased, but she was still in hot water. One crisis had been solved, but there was a ticking bomb right at her feet.

Xianchun doesn’t know about the Grand Duke’s murder of his mother yet, so we shouldn’t be in immediate danger just yet. But he’s pissed about something else. Did it bother him that much that I went to meet the Fifth Prince? If so, then he’s about to be furious that I’m visiting the Third Prince’s wife.

He experienced such a quick rise because of your tip-offs, and you’ve repeatedly helped him out. It’s not strange he would subconsciously think that you’re siding with him, Wenyuan said patiently. Kayla frowned at that.

Why on earth would he-never mind, then what do I do?

He’s a prince after all, he’s got an ego. He’ll probably realize in hindsight that he’s never recruited you formally, nor have you declared your allegiance. If you give him some time to think it over, he’ll probably calm down.

Kayla felt a small wave of relief at Wenyuan’s assurance.

I did tell Yu Bianfu that I would’ve done so for the Third Prince had he been available, wasn’t that enough of a hint?

There was no way she could side with Xianchun. Not only was there the constant risk that he would suddenly be overcome with hatred for the Zhao clan and murder her on the spot, but she would also effectively be insulting both the Emperor and Empress Dowager. Those two were Kayla’s lifeline, there was no way she would let go of them.

There was also the matter of the bloody and tumultuous battle for succession in the following three years that Kayla needed to avoid at all costs. The fight had been brutal, enough so that Xianchun didn’t even hesitate to kill Kuang and Yunqi at the end of it, even going so far as to force their mothers and wives to commit suicide as well. Kuang’s young son had been forced to become a monk and was kept under constant surveillance, to be killed at any sign of wanting revenge against Xianchun. The ailing Emperor had been helpless to stop it and died cursing Xianchun’s cruelty.

It made sense given the political situation. Xianchun wanted to reform the Empire, which had passed its golden age, but pushing it into its second golden age required strong political power. With Kuang and Yunqi alive, he would always have a thorn in his side and a shackle around his foot. The Third Prince’s faction was no joking matter, and with their leaders present, they would never fully cooperate with the new Emperor. It made sense from Xianchun’s position, but even readers who stanned Xianchun were a little thrown off by his harsh-handed methods.

Kayla wanted no part in any of that. Her priority was surviving the death flag and the Grand Duke’s fall, and then skedaddling out of the capital for good. There’s no telling if I’ll even survive until then, she thought gloomily.

The carriage stopped at the Zhao household, and Kayla wearily trundled back to Wenyuan’s quarters. She stopped with a start as Housekeeper Wang did a home-run sprint down the hall towards her, screeching to a stop with almost comical accuracy before her.

“Young lord,” Housekeeper Wang greeted Kayla, only slightly out of breath.

“What?” Kayla asked, taking a step back in alarm. Shit, the Grand Duke! She quickly reassured herself that even the Grand Duke couldn’t make any moves after knowing that the Emperor and Imperial Investigators were directly interfering, and straightened her back confidently. She raised her chin and nodded for Wang to speak.

“My lord, the Seventh Prince just got here,” Housekeeper Wang said in a panicked tone. Kayla glanced back towards the entrance in alarm, immediately deflating.

“He what?!” Kayla hissed. Housekeeper Wang bobbed his head furiously.

“He’s at the side door, my lord. He’s asked to speak with you,” he said nervously. Kayla let out an angry huff.

What the fuck, you crazy bastard! She shook her head in annoyance and gestured for Wang to lead the way. Her irritation quickly faded into nervousness as she headed over. Had the Imperial Investigators already shown up to arrest the assassins? Her footsteps unwittingly slowed as her mind flashed back to Xianchun’s rage at Governor Yue’s sentence. At Housekeeper Wang’s hesitant glance, Kayla sped up again.

Wang led her to the door, where several panicked doormen were kneeling before a familiar carriage. Kayla glanced at Wang sharply.

“Why didn’t you invite the Prince in to sit?” she asked.

“The Prince refused, my lord,” Housekeeper Wang said. He looked at the carriage nervously. Kayla sighed and slowly approached the carriage, waving for the doormen to leave. They did so with evident relief and Olympic-level speed. Kayla exchanged glances with one of Xianchun’s guards who she’d seen earlier. She gave him a questioning look and his eyes flitted towards the carriage and back with no small amount of sympathy.

Kayla reluctantly knocked on the window of the carriage, bowing as the curtain was pulled back to reveal Xianchun’s scowl.

“Wenyuan humbly greets the Seventh Prince,” Kayla said. “I welcome your highness to our humble abode-”

“Shut up and get in the carriage,” Xianchun snapped. Kayla held back a sigh at the familiar procedure and reluctantly complied. She bowed her head slightly and settled into the farthest corner from Xianchun, watching nervously as he pulled the curtain fully shut and turned a cold glare at her. Kayla shrank back, but Xianchun didn’t immediately start yelling. He sharply knocked on the door of the carriage, and it began moving forward.

“Excuse me, my prince?” Kayla squeaked nervously. She looked around with mounting fear.

Holy shit, is he going to straight-up kidnap me from the Grand Duke’s household?!

“My prince?!” Kayla tried again, reaching out to pull at the window curtain. Xianchun knocked her hand away from the window and Kayla quickly retreated back into her corner.

“The Imperial Investigators came and had me hand over Governor Yue’s men,” Xianchun said. He glared at Kayla furiously. “I thought I had your word.”

Kayla nodded nervously. “You do.”

“Then why the hell were they arrested?! And by Imperial Investigators no less!” Xianchun snapped.

“I only just left the Imperial Investigation Bureau,” Kayla explained in a shaky voice. “I didn’t report it, but of course, they noticed anyways. What could you possibly expect me to do about that?”

Xianchun let out an angry huff, and Kayla quickly pushed on before he could start shouting.

“I told Uncle the situation,” Kayla said. Xianchun’s eyes widened.

“You what?!” He leaned forward and pointed a finger at Kayla angrily. “You-do you know what you’ve done?!”

Kayla edged away from him, feeling like she was about to get punched at any point in time. She tried to gently push away Xianchun’s hand but couldn’t manage to do so.

“Let me explain, my prince. Uncle already knew about it by the time I got to his study. He wanted to execute them right away, but I begged him for mercy. He’s agreed to re-investigate Governor Yue’s case. If the guards can provide useful information on the case, they’ll be exiled instead of executed,” Kayla explained, words spilling out in a rush as she leaned further back into her seat.

“He agreed to re-investigate?” Xianchun lowered his hand, looking slightly perplexed. “How on earth did you manage that?”

Kayla leveled Xianchun with a look. “My prince, the Emperor is not as blind to the dirty dealings of the court officials as you think. He told me it was easy enough to re-investigate if needed, which means he already wanted to reinvestigate.” She paused and let the information sink in.

“So he wanted to take down the Grand Duke from the start,” Xianchun said in realization. “But why did he always stop me whenever I tried to make a move?”

“Please pardon my rudeness, your highness, but it was because you weren’t doing it right. The Grand Duke’s faction is like a great fortress. Even if you keep throwing rocks at it, nothing will happen. What the Emperor needs is to strike at the critical parts of the structure until the building crumbles, but he can’t strike too many times, nor can he strike without a good excuse,” Kayla said patiently.

“That’s why Governor Yue’s case was allowed to proceed until Lady Yue’s identity was revealed. It was a great point from which to start digging up the Ministry of Justice. That’s also why Liu Hongyu’s under so much scrutiny right now. Even if he committed lese-majeste, it likely wouldn’t have been such a problem if it didn’t coincide with what the Emperor already wanted to do.”

Xianchun glanced at her sharply. “Wenyuan, you already knew this?”

Kayla hadn’t really known until her conversation with the Empress Dowager, but she wasn’t about to tell him that. “How else would I have had the guts to act so boldly?” Kayla asked.

“But even now that he’s reinvestigating, he’s still exiling them to keep the balance,” Xianchun said in a tired voice. He shook his head disappointedly.

“Your highness, with your position, you could make sure that they live well and eat well no matter where they are, and the Emperor’s likely going to look the other way as long as you’re discrete enough,” Kayla reminded him.

Xianchun sighed. “I guess it’s the best we can get in the current situation,” he said heavily.

Kayla nodded in agreement and waited in silence for Xianchun to direct the conversation.

“There was another thing I wanted to speak to you about,” Xianchun finally said.

Kayla nodded, more warily this time. What the fuck does he want now?

“Zhao Wenyuan, I believe that our goals coincide, both for taking down the Grand Duke and for the future of this country. We’ve never spoken at length about it, but your actions speak loud enough,” Xianchun said. Kayla blinked in confusion at where this was going.

“I-thank you?” Kayla offered in reply.

“We have the same ambition and our paths overlap,” Xianchun continued, ignoring Kayla’s reaction. “Wenyuan, I want to invite you to join me.”

Kayla barely managed to keep her jaw from dropping in shock. Wait, he actually wants to recruit me?! She had kind of guessed it from his reaction to her meeting with the Fifth Prince but still couldn’t wrap her head around it fully.

“You don’t need to feel pressured to reply right away, seeing how troubled you seem to be,” Xianchun said. His words were gracious but his voice was tinged with annoyance. Kayla’s brain went into overdrive as she tried to think of what to do.

“My prince, I really appreciate your kind offer,” Kayla said. “The honor of recognition by someone like you is something I cannot repay. But-”

She breathed in deeply and decided to run with the excuse. “But Uncle agreed to reinvestigate on the condition that I stay neutral,” Kayla said, her voice remarkably steady for someone lying to the main character’s face.

“What? What kind of-” Xianchun’s face twisted with irritation.

“After this, I still have to send a gift to the Wise Consort and visit the Third Prince’s wife,” Kayla continued quickly. “It’s by Uncle’s will. He wants me to remain neutral, and he wants me to serve as an example as well. The last thing he wants right now is for court officials to be taking sides and messing up the political sphere while he’s trying to clean house. So as much as I meet with you, I have to replicate it for Third Cousin’s side as well.”

Xianchun breathed in deeply, barely managing to repress his rage. His hands clenched into fists on his knees and there was a dark glare on his face.

“My father’s purposefully making this difficult for me! You know my character well, I wouldn’t try to get in his way,” Xianchun said, his voice shaking with anger.

Yeah, I know your character just fine. You murdered like a whole bunch of people. Kayla carefully kept her expression neutral.

“That may be your intention, but would the court officials agree? Once the Grand Duke falls, their immediate reaction wouldn’t be to repent and do their jobs properly but to replicate their current situation with someone else. Whether you and the Third Prince want to or not, your factions will become the new resting-ground for most of these officials, and that’s honestly not a good thing given how most of them are,” Kayla said sympathetically.

In the novel, Xianchun had been bogged down by shitty officials grabbing onto his coattails until he became Crown Prince, and that had been in a situation where he had eroded the Grand Duke’s faction over several months. Given how fast things were progressing now, it was likely to be worse.

“So he wants both of us to stay still and reject everyone,” Xianchun concluded.

Kayla nodded in affirmation.

“But even if I stay still, Third Brother wouldn’t,” Xianchun shook his head again, looking extremely annoyed. “Father’s intention is good, but where does that leave me? Rather than the Grand Duke, I’m the one who’ll be taking a blow!”

“It’s not about who has more political power, my prince,” Kayla reminded him. “It’s about who Uncle and Grandmother think is the best fit for the position. In this situation, the one who stays still will benefit most.”

Xianchun’s eyes narrowed. “You want me to flatter him and hope he’ll show some favor towards me like a pitiful woman in the Inner Palace?”

Kayla’s heart dropped, sensing the dangerous shift in Xianchun’s mood.

“That’s not what I’m saying, my prince,” Kayla said nervously.

“Well, that’s exactly what it sounds like.” Xianchun glared at Kayla. “Do you think I’ll lap at his hand like a fucking dog? Is that what you want me to do?”

“No, my prince. But you are his son and also his subject, ultimately he is the one who has the deciding power,” Kayla hastily replied.

“His son? When has he ever treated me like his son? Ever since I was a child he’s watched me with doubtful eyes, as though I was a political rival rather than his son! And now you think he’ll hand the throne to me if I-what, if I sit at his knee and act like a dutiful son?” Xianchun snapped.

Kayla winced at Xianchun’s words, lowering her eyes to avoid his gaze.

“I mean no harm, my prince,” Kayla said softly. Xianchun let out a harsh laugh.

“No harm? I’d rather die than toss away my dignity before that man!” His glare intensified. “Do you think I want to live like you?”

Kayla froze.

Xianchun’s killing intent seemed to congeal the air inside the carriage, and Kayla could barely catch her breath. Her mind blurred with fear and she opened her mouth before she could formulate a complete thought.

“I want to go home now,” Kayla blurted out. “I want to leave. Can I leave?”

Xianchun scoffed, looking at her with a look mixed with disgust and disdain. He knocked sharply on the carriage door and it pulled to a stop.

“Get out,” Xianchun ordered. Kayla didn’t hesitate. She immediately clambered out of the carriage, stumbling away from it as it took off at full speed. She watched it leave with immense relief, her heart still hammering against her ribcage.

What the fuck was that? Just what’s up with today? Kayla shook her head despairingly as she glanced around. She was in a desolate alleyway. It was dusty and evidently not well-kept, being empty despite it still being early in the afternoon.

Xianchun must’ve been winding through the alleyways. Wenyuan, where the hell are we?

I don’t recognize this place, let’s find a way to a larger road first, Wenyuan suggested. Kayla sighed, looking around briefly before picking a direction. She moved quickly, knowing how out-of-place she must look to anyone watching in the shadows, with the expensive robes of a noble but no guards around her.

Her spine tensed as she heard hooves clopping against the pavement in the distance.

Shit! Kayla whirled around, hastily backing away as a rider approached her. She relaxed slightly upon seeing that it was Qu Boyong.

“Boyong,” Kayla said in surprise. She let out a short laugh of relief.

“My lord!” Boyong hurriedly dismounted, rushing forward and looking over Kayla for injuries. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Kayla said wearily. Boyong looked as though he had more questions, but he withheld them and bowed his head slightly.

“My lord, I’ll escort you to the carriage,” Boyong said politely. “Please get onto the horse.”

Kayla complied, accepting Boyong’s hand to get onto the horse. The guard glanced at her as he took the reins, walking the horse down the alleyway. Kayla blinked in surprise at the carriage around the corner.

“You followed us?” Kayla asked. Boyong hadn’t even been at the side door, just how fast had he moved to get the guards and the carriage together after hearing the news?

“One of the doormen followed the Prince’s carriage by foot until I caught up,” Boyong explained. Kayla raised her eyebrows slightly. Xianchun’s carriage hadn’t been moving slowly, the doorman must have had quite a hard time.

Boyong glanced at Kayla again. “My lord, it isn’t my place to ask, but is everything alright?”

Kayla let out a bitter laugh at that. Alright? Nothing had been alright since she’d arrived. She shook her head slightly but reined in her reaction at Boyong’s visible concern.

“Yes, thank you. I’m afraid I’ve made your jobs more difficult. I’ll tell the Housekeeper to give all of you rewards for your work today,” Kayla replied. “And the doorman as well, take him to see me at a later time, I’d like to thank him.”

“Thank you, my lord. I’ll surely do so,” Boyong said. They came to a stop before the carriage and Boyong held out a hand to help Kayla down. She glanced at the guards and a horseman she’d never seen before.

“You’ve gone through some trouble for my sake,” she said stiffly. It wasn’t as though she could explicitly acknowledge she had been in danger from the Seventh Prince, given the political implications of that. “Thank you. I’ll see to it you’re all rewarded.” She got into the carriage without hesitation and the carriage quickly began to move.

Kayla let out a deep sigh, feeling exhausted to her core. Goddamnit! Even after all that, things just keep getting more complicated.

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Cultural Notes

志同道合/Having the same ambition and merging paths: A Chinese proverb meaning that two people have the same goals and (theoretically) get along very well.

知遇之恩/Honor of recognition: Chinese proverb from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, referring to having your talent recognized and cherished by someone willing to give you a powerful position or large responsibilities.

Flattery: As in many other cultures, having to survive/obtain benefits through flattery was often viewed with disdain. It also has strong seniority and gendered component, due to the emphasis on respecting/obeying elders and for women to obey their husbands. As a result, it is often seen as a method used by ignoble people or powerless individuals, such as women in the Inner Palace.

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Side Note: My autocorrect keep changing Boyong's name to Bouillon, I had to comb this document twice to make sure I didn't miss any Bouillons.