Chen Jian shook his head as he sat down at the table across from his sister. The townhouse they rented was hardly big, but she had her own room with a desk upstairs that she was ignoring. Chen Jian's sister hadn't bothered going to the second story and had set to work right at the dining table. After Caichun had joined him in the capital, the girl had tossed aside most of the etiquette she followed in their parents' home back in Shandong, much to her older brother's chagrin. Seeing that his sister was still ignoring him, Chen Jian let out a loud sigh. Caichun continued to ignore him, focusing intently on her transcription work. He tried again with a louder sigh and she glanced up in annoyance.

“What?” she demanded.

“Is that how you speak to your older brother?” Chen Jian protested. Caichun rolled her eyes and turned back to the scroll.

“Caichun, help your brother out,” Chen Jian wheedled. She finally set down her brush and turned to face him.

“What do you want then, brother?”

“My boss is in a bad mood,” Chen Jian complained.

“It’s no wonder if he has to deal with you.”

“Hey! It’s not my problem, it’s the new Head Investigator they brought in from the Ministry of Justice!”

Caichun frowned. “The young lord of the Zhao family? Isn’t he said to be quite talented?”

Chen Jian scrunched his face up. “I don’t know about that.”

“Being able to anger the entire court is quite a talent, wouldn’t you say? Though that does leave the Bureau in a tight spot,” Caichun replied.

“You’ve hit the mark,” Chen Jian agreed. “He’s uncovered a lot for sure, but how are we going to deal with the aftermath?”

Caichun shook her head slightly. “It’s difficult. If you really let him shoulder all the responsibility, the Emperor won’t be pleased. That guy’s the Emperor’s only nephew. But if you don’t shove it to him, it’ll be difficult for the Bureau to deal with the court.”

“Isn’t there a way out of this?” Chen Jian groaned. "We don't get paid enough to deal with an angry court."

“Doesn’t that depend on what the Emperor chooses to do?”

“Even if the Emperor’s not mad we shoved the responsibility to him, the Grand Duke will be,” Chen Jian sighed. “No matter what, there isn’t a way out of this.”

“Are you daft? The Grand Duke’s the one who’s angriest at the young lord right now. He was the largest benefactor the last time the Imperial Court cleaned out its factions, but now his grandson's taking on the role of inquisitor and working against him. If that wouldn't anger him, he wouldn't have been targeted in the first place,” Caichun replied. “But even he can't do anything right away, not when the Emperor's directly supporting the young lord. So if the Emperor continues using the young lord, you’ll be fine. If the Emperor chooses to back down, you’ll be screwed.

“I don’t understand,” Chen Jian said.

Caichun sighed deeply. “You idiot. How on earth did you pass the Investigator’s exam? As long as the young lord continues to investigate, no matter how upset the court is, they can’t actually do anything to him if he’s acting under the Emperor’s orders. If he stops, and only when he stops, then will there be the problem of retaliation when the Emperor's protection is retracted.”

“But this case is already stirring up a mess, the court’s about to boil over!”

“I said he needs to continue investigating, not continue this investigation,” Caichun said patiently.

Chen Jian gave her a confused look. “You mean the only way out is if Emperor makes him join the Bureau? Is he going to become one of the Vice-Directors then? But my superior was supposed to be next up for that opening.”

“No. You-” Caichun took a deep breath. “He should be wrapping up this investigation before it reaches the boiling point. In fact, he should be trying to wrap it up in a reserved manner rather than trying to take out so many officials at once. But that doesn’t mean he has to drop what he has right now. More likely than not, the Emperor’s intention is to take out the Grand Duke, whatever the young lord has on hand now can be used in more than one place.”

“The Grand Duke is the young lord’s grandfather,” Chen Jian said in alarm. “Would the young lord really-”

“The fact that the Emperor handed this investigation despite this should tell you enough about the young lord’s position in His Majesty’s heart,” Caichun replied in an even tone. “If I were you, I’d think about how to prod the young lord into taking the more roundabout path that gets him to the final goal rather than the straight path that hits a dead end.”

Chen Jian nodded. “Got it. As expected from you, Caichun.”

“Don’t push too hard if you can’t do it, you could get yourself killed,” Caichun warned him. “And remember, be subtle.”

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

Kayla breathed out slowly as she left the Emperor’s study. The Emperor was evidently faltering now that the investigation was implicating so many high-ranking officials. The pressure from the court was no joke either, and Kayla had avoided attending the last two convenings of the court, nervous at how to deal with not just one or two angry and powerful men but a whole gaggle of them. At this rate, Kayla doubted that the Emperor would even publicly accuse some of the people who were implicated, but given how large the sum of the appropriated taxes totaled, the Emperor could hardly just leave it alone either. The mood was tense in the Bureau and even more so at the Grand Duke’s household, where the servants now completely avoided Kayla. Matron Li was the only one who continued serving Kayla as usual, with the guards also replaced by a carriage from the Bureau. If it had been Wenyuan, who had never so much as gotten his own wardrobe ready, Kayla didn't doubt the situation would have been like the scene of a nightmare.

To her surprise, all three of the princes had spoken up in support of the investigation, even Yunqi who was technically taking a leave of absence. The Emperor had been shocked and pleased that anything could get his sons to show unanimous support, but it evidently wasn’t enough.

Do you think I maybe went too far with the investigation?

It followed Grandmother’s will, didn’t it? We wouldn’t have found so much if she hadn’t already been prepared for this.

But is that really enough? If the Emperor actually starts regretting it and stops, we won’t be in a good position.

Xianchun won’t be trying to kill you anytime soon, that’s for sure.

Kayla felt a small rush of relief at that. Xianchun had ended up sending her a letter of apology after the investigation began, and she had run outside to check if the sky had turned green in disbelief that the prince was actually capable of apologizing. But it was evident that the Seventh Prince was pleased with how hard Kayla had gone in for the investigation. His hatred of corrupt officials was one of the his few redeeming traits, and the more she was disliked by the court, the less likely he was to lump her in with the Grand Duke.

Yes, but I’m starting to feel that I didn’t think this through enough. I mean, now everyone other than the Princes want to kill me. And if I really get put on the bench, the Princes will take a hit as well, and then they’ll also be pissed at me.

I’m sorry to say this but it’s a bit late to regret it now, isn’t it? I do wish I had thought of this earlier to warn you though.

Kayla shook her head in frustration.

“My lord.”

Kayla turned towards Li Que and smiled as the investigator approached. The investigator briefly bowed his head.

“What’s the matter, my lord? You seem troubled.” Li Que fell into pace with Kayla as they headed back towards the Bureau.

“Well, the investigation is…not proceeding as smoothly as I’d hoped,” Kayla replied, avoiding a direct complaint against the Emperor.

“His Majesty is deeply concerned for your sake, my lord. Please don’t be discouraged,” Li Que said. He nodded as his subordinate hurried over to join them.

“Left Secretariat, Sir Li,” Chen Jian bowed to them. “The carriage is this way.”

Li Que nodded and gave Kayla another sympathetic look, but didn’t speak further.

“Is something the matter? Both of you seem to be in low spirits,” Chen Jian asked. Li Que shot him a glare and the younger man quickly shrank back, lowering his head like a scolded child.

“It’s nothing much, just that the investigation may be wrapping up earlier than expected,” Kayla replied. Chen Jian’s eyes widened and he opened his mouth to say something, but quickly closed his mouth again.

“What?” Kayla asked him. Chen Jian glanced at Li Que, who gave him a disdainful look to shut up.

“Did you have something to say?” Kayla prodded again, ignoring Li Que.

“Um,” Chen Jian began.

“My lord,” Li Que protested at the same time. Kayla lifted a hand and Li Que shook his head with a sigh. Chen Jian glanced between them and bit the bullet.

“My sister said that you should wrap up this investigation before the court boils over,” Chen Jian said. “Your lordship could end this on a lighter note and then recycle the information for the next investigations, not only will the court be appeased, but you can also reap more benefits in the long run.”

Kayla blinked in surprise as she took in the words, but Li Que wasn’t quite so patient.

“You brat, how many times do I need to tell you to watch your tongue? Is this something you can talk about so carelessly with your rank?” Li Que snapped angrily. Chen Jian shrank bank.

“And your sister-how could you divulge the details of the investigation to her?” Li Que continued.

“I didn’t! You know how smart she is, she could put everything together with just the rumors alone,” Chen Jian protested.

“And yet she didn’t warn you not to run your mouth?” Li Que demanded.

“Oh, actually, she did,” Chen Jian admitted, deflating even more.

Kayla let out a chuckle before she could help herself. Li Que turned to her and bowed his head.

“I apologize, my lord. It’s my fault for not educating my subordinate carefully,” he said.

“Not at all, that’s actually not a bad suggestion. It would resolve the predicament the Emperor’s facing and also avoid wasting the effort we’ve put in so far,” Kayla said. “Chen Jian, your sister’s quite talented. How old is she?”

Chen Jian faltered at that. “Um, she’s 19, my lord.”

Li Que glanced at Kayla uneasily as well. Kayla nodded thoughtfully.

She must be really smart then. What was I doing when I was 19?

I wasn’t doing much.

Me neither, I was bouncing between procrastination, watching Netflix, and scrounging up food in the dining hall. And this kid’s just popping off ideas like this. How come I can't think of something like this? I can just hold onto the evidence and the next investigation will be easier too. If it's in smaller increments, they would probably be forced to pay back the money and punished properly. The more people are implicated at once, the lighter the punishment will end up being to avoid a huge mess in court.

Do you really want to do more investigations? Are you a workaholic?

Kayla ignored Wenyuan’s incredulous protests and looked at Chen Jian.

“She’s that young? What work does she do?” Kayla asked.

“She works as a scribe sometimes and copies scrolls for merchants,” Chen Jian replied.

“That’s a waste of her talent,” Kayla said before she could stop herself. “Of course, I’m sure she’s putting her calligraphy talent to good use. But I mean she would make a great consultant or something of the sort, and given her age, she could go quite far in her career.”

Chen Jian and Li Que exchanged looks of surprise and relief. “That’s quite an interesting idea, my lord. I haven’t heard of many female consultants, much less an unmarried young woman becoming one,” Li Que said politely.

“General Yu is an unmarried young woman and she got promoted only a few days ago,” Kayla pointed out. “Does the Bureau not accept women?”

“We have a few who interrogate women and watch over female prisoners, but the Bureau doesn’t have any consultants since we answer directly to the Emperor,” Li Que said.

Kayla nodded and decided to hold on to the information for later. “Chen Jian, convey my thanks to your sister.” The young investigator nodded and bowed slightly.

“My lord, then how would you like to wrap this up?” Li Que asked.

Kayla opened her mouth to reply before hesitating. She reached into her sleeve, where the two nullification talismans still remained.

“Actually, let’s put that off just a little longer,” she said levelly. “We’ve got to make sure not to create a bigger mess.”

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

Kayla sat stiffly in the chair, clenching the talisman as she stared determinedly at a pillar. She looked up with a start as a familiar figure joined her in the pavilion.

Kayla hastily stood up. “Wenyuan humbly greets the Seventh Prince,” she said politely. Xianchun waved for her to sit down, sitting down across from her at the small table.

“You’ve been so busy that father’s even excused you from attending court, how did you have time to meet with me in the middle of the day?” Xianchun asked. Kayla relaxed a little at the light tone he spoke in.

Is he deliberately trying to be friendly?

I think so, since when did he speak so nicely?

“The Third Prince and I received a gift from Grandmother, and she asked me to pass on her gifts to you and the Fifth Prince as well. Unfortunately, I haven’t gotten a chance to do so because of the investigation,” Kayla replied. Xianchun seemed to control his reaction to the mention of the Third and Fifth Prince with some effort and nodded. He had apologized for losing his temper at Wenyuan’s advice in his letter, but Xianchun evidently still wasn’t pleased that the Emperor was actively preventing him from recruiting Wenyuan.

“I see, what’s the gift?” Xianchun asked. Kayla pushed forward the ornate paper box on the table.

“It’s a nullification talisman, one without any restrictions,” Kayla replied. Xianchun glanced at her in surprise before opening the box. He looked it over intently before returning his attention to Kayla.

“Grandmother gifted me this? Why?” Xianchun asked.

“She gave one to each of her grandsons for self-defense within the capital,” Kayla said. “Grandmother intends for us to use them carefully, very carefully.” She placed emphasis on the last part, hoping that Xianchun understood the meaning behind her words. To her relief, he nodded.

“I see,” he said heavily. “So it’s officially begun. This must be why she transferred Bianfu as well.”

“Your highness’ observations are astute.”

Xianchun gave Kayla a thoughtful look. “And what about yours? Did she think you would be in danger too?”

Kayla held back from giving him an incredulous stare and flashed a strained smile. This coming from him?

“Grandmother’s simply being cautious,” Kayla replied. Xianchun gave a soft chuckle.

“Well, it’s true you don’t even hesitate before throwing yourself headfirst into trouble, it’s good for you to have one,” he said. Kayla nodded slowly.

“Thank you, my prince.”

“Last time with Governor Yue’s guards as well, your guards really weren’t up to the task. Except for that young man-” Xianchun began, but quickly stopped himself. “Do you still have guards now that you’re involved in the investigation?”

Kayla avoided Xianchun’s gaze. Wenyuan’s guards had been provided by the Grand Duke, and now that she was actively working against him, he had rescinded his protection as well. It was both the reason she was now escorted by guards from the Bureau and also why the court was having a field day with the investigation.

“Thanks to the Emperor’s benevolence, my safety is provided for,” Kayla replied.

Even he wouldn’t dare to act while we’re under Bureau protection, Wenyuan said in satisfaction. Xianchun only nodded, seeming more pleased than bothered. Kayla refrained from frowning as she fought to decipher his reaction.

“That’s good. Even if you can’t side with me, I still consider our goals aligned. If you ever need guards, I’d be happy to send you a few of mine,” Xianchun said.

“My prince,” Kayla said haltingly, not knowing how to reply.

“Don’t worry, if I lend you guards, Third Brother will do so too. And then Father will have to step in and assign you better security. Just accept the offer when you need it,” Xianchun urged.

Holy shit. He’s serious. He’s actually offering help. Am I dreaming right now?

Pinch yourself, Wenyuan offered unhelpfully, sounding as shocked as Kayla. Kayla nodded at Xianchun’s words in stunned silence before clearing her throat and collecting herself.

“Thank you, my prince. I am undeserving of your kindness,” she said. Xianchun waved off her gratitude.

“Don’t waste time on formalities. I’m sure you didn’t just come here to give me the talisman, was there anything else you needed to speak to me of?” Xianchun asked.

“Yes, my prince. I’m grateful for your support in this investigation, so I felt that I should discuss my next steps with you before acting,” Kayla said, clamping down on the relief blossoming in her chest. It wasn’t time to drop her guard just yet.

Xianchun frowned. “Is the situation that bad?”

Kayla lowered her head. “My prince, I wish to wrap up this investigation soon without creating much more of a mess.”

“Is that father’s will?” Xianchun demanded sharply.

“It is a solution I wish to propose to Uncle and Grandmother,” Kayla admitted. “I’ve actually gotten quite a bit of evidence, but it’s clear that the court will erupt if this current investigation continues much further. However, it’s not that I plan to let go of them so easily.”

Xianchun’s eyes narrowed. “Good, I didn’t take you for a coward. What do you plan to do?”

“Thanks to your gracious support, the Emperor has hesitated to stop the investigation yet, and doing so would also cause his authority to appear weak. But I also don’t wish to trouble Uncle incessantly when I can stretch it out into smaller, less annoying parcels,” Kayla said.

“You mean to recycle the information into a second investigation,” Xianchun said, a smile dawning on his face.

“Or also a third one, or a fourth one, or…well, your highness understands,” Kayla affirmed.

“You really do come up with some interesting ideas.”

Kayla hastily shook her head. “I don’t dare to take credit for this, the younger sister of an investigator came up with it.”

“She must be quite a talented woman then,” Xianchun said breezily. Kayla paused for a second.

Wait, I didn’t raise a romance flag for that girl, did I?

I don’t think so, from what I know, Xianchun’s not interested in girls too much younger.

Is 19 too young for him?

Her thoughts were interrupted by Xianchun’s amused chuckle.

“Well, if that’s the case, I’ll have to keep showing my support then, isn’t that what you’re saying?” Xianchun asked. Kayla relaxed at the joking tone.

“I’ll be relying on your infinite magnanimity, my prince,” Kayla replied, hiding her excitement. For the moment being, it seemed that her death flag really had been lowered. But how long could that last? Kayla didn’t trust Xianchun’s current attitude not to take a turnaround the second he learned about the Grand Duke’s crimes, but she also couldn’t deny that the current situation was progressing in the right direction in leaps and bounds.

Zhou Xianchun, I really hope that you can keep treating me as your ally. The day you view me as your enemy is likely the day I’ll lose my life.

---

Cultural Notes

Shandong/山东: A province of China situated along the coast, historically a cultural and religious hub, and also the birthplace of the infamous Chinese philosopher and educator, Confucius.

Evidence in Ancient China: There weren't so many rules as to whether or not someone could be charged again after being found innocent the first time or regulations on circumstantial evidence, and there was also no such thing as illegal investigation methods when it was taking place with the Emperor's support. Also, there was pretty much no statute of limitations, you could literally declare someone guilty and behead them after they died. The more people were implicated (only if they were officials since officials had the power and influence to resist and also to sway public opinion on a broader scale than just within a locality/town/village), the less likely was it that they would be punished harshly due to how many people it impacted. So it wasn't uncommon for rulers to hold on to crimes, evidence, indiscretions, etc., and then divide and conquer over an extended period of time. There have even been Emperors who waited it out until a particularly powerful official passed away of old age before going in for the rest of the faction. The more successful an Emperor was at managing the evidence and information he had on hand, the more likely he was to enjoy centralized power and a relatively stable rule.

Concubines: Concubines had pretty low statuses in a household in Ancient China, and they were only slightly above the status of a servant even if they had a son (remember the Dishu inheritance system). It was difficult for a commoner to refuse a noble's offer for marrying him as a concubine, due to the difference in social status and power. Their material living conditions would likely improve, but it wasn't exactly a great life either. Chen Jian and Li Que had a "wait, hold up" moment because they were worried Kayla had taken an interest in Caichun, since talented young women were often objects of sexual and romantic interest but rarely had chances to pursue a career like their talented male counterparts.

孙子vs.外孙/Paternal vs. Maternal Grandson: Since Ancient China was a patrilineal society, only your son's son is considered your grandson, while your daughter's son is considered a 外孙, or an "outside grandson". In other words, the maternal/outside grandson is not eligible for inheritance in his maternal family. The distinction is rather important between insider/outsider status within the family. As such, Kayla says 孙辈/ generation of her grandsons, which I write as grandsons for short.