Kayla took a deep breath as she watched the investigators packing up her scrolls. She turned to Li Que with a small smile.

“Thank you for everything,” she said sincerely. “I’m sorry for all the trouble I’ve put you through.”

“Not at all, my lord. It was a pleasure to assist you in this investigation,” Li Que replied warmly. “And if the Emperor’s decision remains the same, I have no doubt we’ll see each other quite often from now on.”

Kayla nodded a little less certainly at that. “I hope so. Are you sure the Bureau will be alright?”

“We will be, no one will dare to try anything with someone under the Emperor’s direct command at a time like this,” Li Que said confidently.

The Liu household had become completely isolated on the same day as the investigation had been wrapped up on a far milder note than the court had expected. Officials of the Liu family had been ordered to relocate to their new posts in remote provinces in the middle of the night, and Liu Hongyu’s household had been subject to thorough confiscations, leaving the former Secretariat Director under house arrest in a now desolate mansion. Unsurprisingly, the confiscations had rounded up a large sum of gold and silver far beyond what Liu Hongyu could’ve possibly gained through his salary alone. The fact that Governor Yue's case also directly implicated him certainly didn't help the former Secretariat Director's position either. The sharp contrast between the Emperor’s harsh punishment and the gentle handling of the investigation had stunned the court into silence, and Kayla highly doubted that anyone would dare to object at the convening of the court in two days.

“I’m sure you’re right,” Kayla said. She nodded as the investigators finished packing.

“My lord, the Bureau will continue providing your security for the time being,” Li Que said.

“Oh, that’s too much trouble,” Kayla protested entirely insincerely.

“Not at all, my lord. I believe it may be inconvenient for you to hire guards of your own at this time, but your safety can’t be left unattended. This was specially asked of us by the Emperor and the Empress Dowager as well,” Li Que insisted. Kayla nodded with false reluctance.

“If that’s the case, I gratefully accept,” Kayla said. She lingered in the room a little longer.

“Sir, now that Minister Xie and Right Secretariat Ge have been found guilty, you’re the highest-ranking official in the Ministry of Justice, and a third rank official to boot. Thanks to your performance in this investigation, your future will surely be as smooth as brocade,” Li Que encouraged her.

“It’s all thanks to the support of the Emperor and the Bureau, I hope that His Majesty finds a suitable official with sufficient experience to take hold of the steering wheel in the Ministry,” Kayla said. “In the meantime, I’ll try to keep the Ministry from becoming too much of a mess with my limited capabilities.”

“The Left Secretariat is too humble,” Li Que said warmly.

Kayla was walked to her carriage by what appeared to be pretty much the entire investigation team, Chen Jian waving with both arms as she got into the carriage. She watched as the Bureau became smaller and the familiar building of the Ministry of Justice came into sight. Kayla fought down the vague sense of nausea in her chest.

At this rate, Uncle will probably make you the next Minister of Justice. Wouldn’t that be great? Even if he someday changes his mind, Xianchun wouldn’t be able to act too recklessly towards you.

I don't want to be the Minister of Justice. Well, actually, no offense, but both of us aren’t qualified to be Minister, we’ll be constantly stressed and I’ll want to throw up all the time.

But you're pretty good at the whole investigation thing. And Uncle has to signal his continued support somehow, doesn’t he? People don’t know much about your involvement in the Liu Hongyu case, so that doesn’t count.

Kayla mulled over Wenyuan’s words. You make a good point. If we don’t get a promotion, people will take that as a sign to tear us apart. If that happens we’ll have to turn to the Princes for help and then we’ll be in their debt.

Leave it to Uncle, he loves promoting people he likes.

Kayla smiled ruefully. He really does. I sure hope he continues doing so this time as well. But without making me Minister, hopefully. I really can't manage a Ministry, and it's going to make it way more difficult to avoid the succession struggle. Is there another option?

We’ll see by the next convening of the court.

She got off the carriage and approached the Ministry of Justice. It hadn’t been that long since she had been there, but it somehow felt like it had been an eternity. Kayla drew in a deep breath and entered the building.

“Left Secretariat!”

Kayla frowned as the familiar face of Jia Fu appeared before her and quickly smoothed out her expression.

“Jia Fu,” Kayla greeted him in a neutral tone. He’s the Grand Duke’s man, there’s no way he has good intentions.

The same could be said of the other officials, Wenyuan reminded her. Kayla grimly accepted the warning.

“Welcome back, Left Secretariat!” Jia Fu said with an insincere smile. “We’ve been anticipating your return!”

Kayla nodded. “It’s good to be back,” she said just as insincerely.

“Since the Minister and the Right Secretariat are no longer present, the affairs of the Ministry have been handled by the Director of Ministry Affairs,” Jia Fu reported. “Now that you’re here, you’ll be in charge.”

“The convening of the court is in two days, I’m sure the Emperor will assign us a new Minister soon enough,” Kayla replied coolly. She was sure that if she agreed, Jia Fu would go everywhere spreading the rumor that Zhao Wenyuan had overstepped his status as a Left Secretariat and was rejoicing in his power over the Ministry.

“The Left Secretariat is too humble, who could possibly be a better choice for the position? You’re already dressed in purple robes, does it make sense that remain in your current post?” Jia Fu asked. Kayla withheld a frown.

I trust the Empress Dowager knows what she’s doing, but this guy just doesn’t stop baiting does he?

He’s actually already holding back, Wenyuan admitted. I used to not say anything to him at all and pretend he wasn’t there.

Did that stop him?

No.

With that very reassuring information, Kayla shook her head at Jia Fu.

“How can we as subjects be so arrogant as to guess at the intentions of His Majesty the Emperor? Keep your tongue in check and stop wasting your time on affairs above our positions,” Kayla said sharply. Jia Fu bowed his head slightly.

“I apologize Left Secretariat. Thank you for the reminder, I will watch my conduct from now on,” he said. He led her into the main hall of the Ministry, where Director Ke was nervously shifting from foot to foot while carrying a tray with three seals on it, a gaggle of the Ministry’s officials shuffling behind him with just as much nervous energy. Kayla paused before approaching him.

“Director Ke, good to see you again. I heard you’ve taken on the heavy burden of the Ministry,” Kayla greeted him.

“Welcome back, Left Secretariat. I only took on the role for a short duration as an inferior product for the real thing, I’ll return the authority to your most capable hands now,” Director Ke said. Kayla noted the tension in his voice.

The court was well and truly undergoing a great shift, but few of the officials were sure of how big the shift really was, much less what would happen or who would come out on top. Even if the Ministry of Justice was full of the Grand Duke’s men, they were probably deliberating their choices and calculating what course of action would benefit them the most.

If the Emperor really makes me the Minister of Justice tomorrow, it’ll be the official signal of the shift of power away from the Grand Duke. It was an unavoidable event and a necessary one, but Kayla didn't want to be the herald of the upcoming storm. Kayla felt sweat beading under her collar at the thought. Things are about to become a mess and I’m caught in the thick of it.

Kayla took the tray from Director Ke, feeling that it was much heavier than just the sum of its contents. After a moment of silence, she looked Director Ke in the eye.

“Thank you for your service, Director Ke. I will keep the Minister and Right Secretariat’s seal in the safe until the Emperor fills the positions, I’ll ask you to help me keep it secure as you have done so far,” Kayla said.

I can’t afford to make a single mistake until the Emperor makes the necessary arrangements, if I so much as touch these seals they’ll have a field day with me, and God help me if I lose the seals.

Better to make it his problem, Wenyuan agreed.

“As you wish, Left Secretariat,” Director Ke said. He took the tray back, Kayla taking Wenyuan’s seal off it.

“Alright, thank you everyone, but let’s get back to work,” Kayla said, trying to get rid of the throng of officials before her.

“Sir, actually there’s something that requires your immediate attention,” Jia Fu hurriedly said. Kayla nodded for him to go ahead.

Director Jiang, the Director of Ministry Expenditures quickly stepped forward and bowed his head briefly. “Left Secretariat, the Imperial Investigator Bureau has been pressuring us the last few days, and they directly barged in yesterday!”

”That's right sir, you have to do something about this!” Director Ke chimed in.

“What’s this about? Did they say?” Kayla asked.

“They demanded access to all the archives and records, they said it was for an investigation but not which one,” Director Ke replied.

“Who was the lead Investigator? Surely they would have said,” Kayla prodded.

“It was Inspector Tabuyir, he came with a golden plaque so we couldn’t stop him, but he said he would be back. What do we do, Left Secretariat?” Director Jiang asked worriedly. Kayla gave him a blank look.

“There’s nothing we can do, is there? We cooperate,” Kayla said flatly.

“But sir!” There was a clamor as the officials began protesting.

“Left Secretariat, if I may, but giving them free access to the records is hardly beneficial to the Ministry,” Jia Fu said tentatively. “Not to mention that the difficulties from being involved in the investigation will become your problem once your promotion comes through.”

“Whether or not I’m promoted has nothing to do with the investigation,” Kayla replied.

“Sir, you’re also an official of this Ministry, are you really going to let this happen?!” Director Jiang protested loudly.

“The investigation is taking place with Imperial permission, and you want to ask whether or not I’m allowing this to happen? Forgive me, but I don’t see how I could possibly do anything about this situation. The best thing for everyone involved is to cooperate properly,” Kayla shot back.

“I highly doubt that is true, Left Secretariat. And please don’t forget, your signature is on many of those records too,” Director Kuang added. “Even if it didn’t have anything to do with you, will the investigators try to piece together a narrative that may get them the biggest chance of catching a big fish and advancing in the Bureau?”

Kayla sighed, looking at the gathered officials with exasperation. They stared back with expectant expressions and no small amount of desperation. The tension rose in the room as her silence dragged on.

“I see now why everyone is gathered,” Kayla sighed. “But unfortunately, I know of Inspector Tabuyir. He is highly skilled, and whether or not you cooperate, he will get his hands on the records. And once he does, you will also be guilty of intervening with an Imperial investigation.”

The animosity in the room was almost thick enough to be cut with a knife as Kayla spoke. The officials didn’t even bother concealing their ill will as they glared at her.

“Young lord, if I may,” Jia Fu cut in. Kayla frowned at him.

“If you wish to convince me otherwise, you would be better off keeping your silence,” Kayla replied.

“It’s not just about the investigation but also your future, young lord. Now that you’re on bad terms with the Grand Duke, you already face many difficulties in the court. If you cooperate with the investigation, the Emperor’s anger at the Ministry of Justice may extend to yourself. Even if he doesn’t, how long can a Minister incapable of running a Ministry remain in the Emperor’s favor? After all, a Minister manages not just the Ministry but its officials,” Jia Fu said. Kayla glared at him.

He’s signaling to the others that it’s alright to directly act against me even if I become the Minister. Fucking bastard!

“Jia Fu, I warned you earlier not to go around guessing the Emperor’s intentions for the choice of personnel,” Kayla said frostily. “It’s only been such a short time and you’ve forgotten, rather than worrying about my future, wouldn’t it be better to worry about your memory?”

Jia Fu opened and closed his mouth, his jaw clenching in anger. Kayla turned toward the other officials.

“Don’t expect me to act as a shield for the Ministry, the investigation will happen, and I will cooperate. In addition, if any records or archives disappear, I will punish everyone whose signature was on the documents for the crime of corruption and collusion,” Kayla said in as severe a tone as she could manage while keeping her voice steady.

“As you wish then, Left Secretariat. I hope you don’t come to regret this decision,” Director Ke said sarcastically. “However, there are so many records, how on earth do you expect us to keep track?”

Kayla glanced back towards where the boxes she brought back from the Bureau were and walked over to the box she had marked with red ink. She fumbled a bit before getting it open. Kayla took out the scroll on top, heading back to the officials and unfurling it before them.

“Do you see this? This is a comprehensive inventory of all the investigation records and documents handled by the Ministry of Justice,” Kayla announced. She turned so that everyone could get a look. “It contains a detailed list of everything, box by box, as well as the names of the officials who were responsible for the case. If anything goes missing, or if someone loses track of something, I’ll just go by the information I have. And if it so happens that the document we lost didn’t have everyone listed, then that’s just too bad. If I can’t verify it, I’ll just have to extend it to everyone involved in that case.”

Jia Fu stared at her in shock. “That was why you were always in the archives-Left Secretariat, do you understand what you’re doing right now?”

“Left Secretariat, I heard you recklessly arrested officials and searched their homes during the investigation, but I had thought it was the actions of Investigators involved in the case! To think you would treat your own colleagues in this manner!” Director Jiang shouted angrily. Kayla rolled up the scroll, shooting him a glare.

“It is what it is, you all should make your peace with that,” Kayla snapped. “Whatever the next Minister decides to do has nothing to do with me, but let me warn you all that the Bureau has a copy of this inventory as well.”

The library science and archives courses she had taken when her history classes had been canceled due to low attendance had really paid off. As incomplete as the inventory actually was, the print was small enough and the list impressive-looking enough that it would likely have some preventive effect.

Unable to stand the stress of dealing with a mob of angry men whose only restraint was that they couldn’t outright beat her to death, Kayla decided to book it.

“I believe I’ve spent enough time on this issue, I’ll return to my desk now. Director Ke, I’ve left the seals in your care, so if anything happens to them, you’ll be held fully responsible,” Kayla announced. She tucked the scroll into her robes and began moving the boxes back to her desk one by one. To her relief, none of the officials came over to “help” and probably destroy a bunch of scrolls in the process. The angry officials eventually dispersed by the time she was almost done, and Kayla grabbed the last box, heaving it with a bit more effort.

Chen Jian was very good at packing and seemed to like the work very much, but his ability to cram an ungodly amount of scrolls into one box tended to make things err more on the heavy side. Though Kayla had left all the evidence in the Bureau except for the inventory, her English notes had been brought back since no one could read them. Even if someone brought in a guy from England by some miraculous means, Kayla was pretty sure they didn’t use modern English yet, much less her abbreviation and internet slang-laden vocabulary. Kayla shifted the weight and yelped as the box was abruptly lifted from her arms.

Shit! Why this box? I have a shit ton of notes in this one!

“How dare you!” Kayla snapped.

“Apologies, Left Secretariat. That looked rather heavy,” a familiar voice said as the box shifted aside to reveal the man's face. Kayla blinked.

“Tabuyir, it's good to see you. Sorry, I didn’t see who it was,” Kayla greeted him sheepishly.

“Not at all. How come you’re moving these yourself, sir?” Tabuyir asked.

“I needed the exercise,” Kayla replied, not wanting to go into the details.

“Understood, sir. This one’s a bit heavy, I’ll take it to your desk for you,” Tabuyir said, heading off before Kayla could protest. Kayla hurried to catch up with him.

“I’ve arranged what I could with the Ministry, but in the absence of a Minister, there’s only so much I can do,” Kayla warned him. “Please go by the inventory if you need the records, and let me know if you see something missing.”

“Please rest assured, young lord. I will certainly let you know. I apologize for doing this at such an inopportune time when you’ve just returned,” Tabuyir said.

“Don’t worry about it, I’m happy to help out however I can,” Kayla replied. Tabuyir set down the box by Kayla’s desk and quickly glanced around.

“My lord, the mood in the Ministry is…” Tabuyir inquired cautiously.

“Please don’t let it bother you, just continue as you were,” Kayla assured him. Tabuyir hesitated for a moment but bowed his head.

“Then I’ll take my leave of you, my lord. I’ll report back shortly,” he said. Kayla nodded, watching as the tall man walked away to where his subordinates were waiting. Whatever the Emperor decided, it would be a rough road ahead.

---

Cultural Notes

抄家/Confiscating the estates: A punishment that often accompanied the fall from grace of a powerful official, where their estates were searched and their wealth and assets confiscated. In many dynasties, there are tales of corrupt officials' homes turning up enough money to add a good chunk to the treasury, though if the official really was not corrupt, the search wouldn't turn up much to confiscate. (Salary of officials varied by dynasty but usually wasn't high enough to support the luxurious lifestyles of many corrupt officials).

贬官/Demotion: Usually involved demotion and transfer of an official away from the capital, in many cases to more remote or impoverished provinces as punishment.

前程似锦/Future like brocade: A Chinese proverb used to describe someone's future as perfect and wholesome as a brocade, which is very beautiful (and expensive).

Purple Robes: A callback to Kayla's promotion to a Third Rank Official, which makes her eligible for purple robes to connote her status above Fourth Rank Officials who wear red robes.

妄揣圣意/Guessing the Intentions of the Emperor: A phrase referring to the act of forgetting your place and trying to guess at what the Emperor is thinking or about to do. This was a punishable offense in some dynasties.

不在其位不谋其政/If not in the position don't intervene in those affairs: A quote from Confucius meaning that officials should not intervene in the affairs not related to their posts.

刑部四司/Four Bureaus of the Ministry of Justice: This refers to the four administrative bureaus under the Ministry of Justice, including 刑部司/Bureau of Ministry Affairs responsible for the administration of the law, headed by the 刑部郎中/Director of Ministry Affairs; the 都官/Bureau of Corrections, headed by the 都官郎中/Director of Corrections; the 比部/Bureau of Ministry Expenditures, headed by the 比部郎中/Director of Ministry Expenditures; and finally, the 司门/Bureau of Travel Restrictions responsible for enforcing curfews, travel restrictions, and identity checks, etc. for bridges, gates, and passes, headed by the 司门郎中/Director of Transportation Restrictions. These changed dynasty to dynasty.

Inventories and accounting in Ancient China: Again, practices varied by dynasty, but were generally pretty thorough, or at least they were thorough enough when they wanted to be. One famous incident showcasing this was during the Qing Dynasty under the reign of Emperor Yongzheng, when he instructed his younger brother who was famously known as "Vice-Emperor" due to how much work he was responsible for, to account for discrepancies in the state treasury. This so-called Vice-Emperor managed to complete a seemingly impossible task in a very short time, being accurate to the cent. Kayla's actually using a modern inventory system rather than the common system that the officials would have been very familiar with and able to appraise at a glance, which is why she's confident that the Ministry officials wouldn't be able to easily guess at how detailed or not detailed it actually was.