Surviving the Succession (A Transmigration Fantasy)

Character Index

Halime: The Royal Consort, Ashina's half-sister.

Sir Liu: A eunuch who serves Empress An

Empress An: Yunqi's wife, Empress of the Wu Dynasty.

Lin Chen-En: A Deputy Commander of an Imperial Guard unit, in charge of guarding Ashina.

Jin Xiao En: A young Imperial Guard who runs very fast.

Yunqi: The Emperor of the Wu Dynasty.

Ashina: Personal name Ibilga, half-sister of Halime.

Baran: Halime's lady-in-waiting.

Li Que: Vice-Director of the Imperial Investigation Bureau.

Consort Huang: One of Yunqi's consorts, among the first three to join the Imperial harem under immense pressure from the court.

Heli: The young Chieftain of the Pugu tribe.

Yan'er: A young serving girl in Kayla's household, formerly a prostitute, saved Hu Qing back in Book 1

Chujiao/Jing Shuyou: Formerly Wenyuan's childhood sweetheart, infiltrated the Zhao household to get revenge for her family.

Xianchun: Archduke, former contender for the throne.

Chenqian: Kuang's young son, increasingly close to becoming the heir-apparent as Yunqi remains without children.

Qiu Jinwei: Yunqi's eccentric strategist.

Consort Li: A young consort whose face was destroyed in what was presumably an attempt on Yunqi's life.

Zhu Simo: Right Secretariat of Revenue, mouthpiece of the Traditionalists faction.

Han Daizhi: Director within the Ministry of Rites (lower than Right and Left Secretary). Brain of the Traditionalists faction.

Jiang She: Vice-Director within the Ministry of Rites. Part of the Traditionalist faction.

Lord Cui: The head of the aristocratic arm of the Traditionalist faction. Ranks within the Three Departments.

Zhang Dingyong: Minister of Justice, Kayla's ally.

Kayla slowed down a short distance from Halime's palace to even out her breathing, preparing to raise her voice. From afar, she could see the young Imperial Guard who had run to her earlier brandishing her golden plaque like it was a tiny weapon at a confused mass of eunuchs and ladies-in-waiting.

"What is going on here?!" Kayla roared.

The commotion came to an abrupt halt. Startled gazes flinched away from her glare, and the young Imperial Guard shouldered his way through the throng to hand her the plaque with both hands.

"Your Excellency!"

"Well done," Kayla said. She turned to the Empress' staff members.

"Who is in charge here?!"

There was a moment of silence before the Empress' head eunuch stepped forward.

"I thought it would be you," Kayla said. "Sir Liu, how can a man of your age and experience do such a foolish thing?!"

"Your Excellency," Sir Liu greeted her sullenly. "This old servant is simply following the Empress' orders."

"How dare you slander your own mistress!"

Sir Liu gaped at the accusation, eyes opening wide with dismay. "What–"

"The Empress is the mistress of the entire palace and the nation itself! Are you saying that a woman of her stature and position would go against law and common sense to directly interfere with an investigation of national importance?!" Kayla demanded.

Sorry to throw you under the bus, but this will make the Empress and everyone around her think twice of being so fucking stupid. Hopefully. Kayla briefly considered saying as much to the Empress' face, but tucked that thought squarely away.

"Your Excellency!" Sir Liu protested.

"Enough! Are you trying to smear the Empress' name with your crude actions? Away with you, before I arrest you for daring to impersonate the Empress' orders!"

Sir Liu helplessly opened and closed his mouth without making a sound. He was a seasoned veteran of the palace and knew full well that there was nothing he could say. He couldn't humiliate his mistress by claiming this was her idea after it was already publicly lambasted this way, nor could he take responsibility for such a crime.

He bowed in silence and left, each one of his rapid steps sounding out his fury. The other staff members left without a fight as well. Kayla and the Imperial Guards watched them go until every single one was out of sight.

"You've all done well to keep them out," Kayla said to the Guards present. "Who is the commander?"

"Here, sir," the head guard said. "Deputy Commander Lin Chen-En at your service."

"I'll remember you," Kayla promised. She turned to the young man with Olympian speed.

"What about you?"

"That's our fastest runner," Deputy Commander Lin offered.

"This lowly one is Jin Xiao En, my lord!"

A Goryeo name?

Kayla nodded, her interest piqued. "Good work."

"Thank you, sir!"

She stepped past them into Halime's palace.

"Your Excellency!" A maid's frightened face burst into relief, and she turned to announce the news. "Your Highness, the Duke is here!"

"Brother!"

Kayla received an armful of Halime before she could even blink.

"Everything's alright now, Sister," Kayla said. "The Empress' eunuch has retreated."

Halime shook her head, her entire frame trembling.

"He was here under the Empress' orders! If she can send them once, she can send them again!"

"We are treating this as an isolated incident with the eunuch acting on his own accord," Kayla said firmly. "Trust me, if the Empress can save face this time, she'll think twice about risking it a second time. The Imperial Guards outside are very reliable, you can trust them to keep you safe."

"The Imperial Guard–"

"Answers to the Emperor," Kayla said. "Please sit down, Your Highness. You're trembling."

"I think I'm going to be sick again," Halime said in a small voice.

"You must watch your blood pressure," Kayla said. "Your health comes before all else. Your sister is very worried about you."

"Yes, of course," Halime said. "My…what was that again?"

"Your stress levels," Kayla changed her wording. "Don't worry, everything's resolved now, and I'll speak with the Empress about this. It won't happen again."

"That woman's lost her mind!"

Kayla agreed, but kept that to herself. "You'll have no more trouble from her," Kayla promised. "I'm here now, aren't I? Everything will be taken care of properly. It was my fault for being negligent before."

Halime looked green in the face, and Kayla backed away as a maid hurried a bucket over, politely averting her eyes as Halime puked into it. Ashina's nausea had never been quite so bad, but Halime wasn't quite as lucky.

"Perhaps you should have the healer over to take a look," Kayla said gently.

"I think that would be a good idea," a lady-in-waiting hastily interjected. She was a middle-aged woman, more handsome than beautiful, with a stern air that reminded Kayla of a school principal. "We have an excuse right now, with the Empress having startled the princess."

Halime nodded her consent miserably.

"Sister, lie down a bit and try to think of other things," Kayla said. "I will go and take care of this right away."

"Please do," Halime said in a small voice.

Kayla turned to the lady-in-waiting, hazarding a guess at the name. "Lady Baran, was it?"

"Yes, Your Excellency."

"Please take good care of her," Kayla said.

"Of course," Baran replied, bowing her head slightly.

Kayla nodded, smiling at Halime again before leaving for the Empress' quarters.

"Good work, men," Kayla repeated on her way out. The guards hastily offered an uneven chorus of thanks as she rushed off.

"Your Excellency!" Kayla glanced back towards Deputy Commander Lin.

"Yes?"

Deputy Commander Lin came closer, lowering his voice. "Sir, your face..."

Kayla frowned in confusion before remembering Yu Bianfu's slap.

"I thought I took care of that!" She gingerly touched the skin of her cheek, shocked to find it was still sore. "Damn it. Is it very obvious?"

"Not at first glance," Deputy Commander Lin replied. "It can be easily mistaken for sunburn or rash if one doesn't look closely."

"Thank you for letting me know," Kayla sighed.

"Please use this, my lord."

Kayla gently pushed the offered talisman back toward Lin Chen-En. "I have plenty, thank you. Take good care of the Royal Consort for me."

"Yes sir!"

Kayla activated a healing talisman as she headed towards the Empress' palace, letting out a sharp huff. She double-checked for good measure.

Why the hell did no one tell me?

That was probably her own fault. She had left the carriage so fast that she doubted anyone had a chance to see her clearly, much less say something. And the Imperial Guard escorting her had looked like he wanted to say something, but had probably doubted himself until the very last moment. Now, having overheard, he was nervously gulping and looking away from her, realizing he had misjudged the situation. Kayla pretended not to notice.

At least he's the cautious type that'll keep his mouth shut.

The last thing she needed was more melodrama on top of everything already happening.

The Empress evidently thought she could better protect herself and her child by making the first move. Unable to wait for her fate to be decided by someone who–regardless of his claims to neutrality–was the brother-in-law to the other main suspect, Empress An had decided to take matters into her own hands. Even after Kayla had explicitly told her this was a bad idea.

Does she know that I'm trying very hard to not find her guilty and that she is making this very hard for me? Yes, people are getting restless with the Khaganate, but still! We're not at the point of ripping up the treaty yet. The only person she's hurting is herself.

If only it was more acceptable for Empresses to be widows. Damn the Traditionalists for that. The rest of the court wouldn't really care, as long as said widow wasn't the Emperor's sister-in-law. But maybe the most powerful woman in the country after the Empress Dowager should not be a twenty-three year old who married far away from home at the fresh young age of twenty.

What if Kayla just tossed this whole mess to Li Que? Empress An wouldn't listen to Li Que, with his commoner background and extremely short tenure as Vice-Director. She hazarded a guess at how this would go. With how suspicious the Empress was managing to make herself look, it was only a matter of time before she was deposed and the new branch was nuked for humiliating the Imperial Family. But what would happen to Halime?

Kayla thought of the poor princess, retching up bile while tears streamed down her face. No, she couldn't abandon Halime. She couldn't even abandon Li Que, who really was way too reliable to throw away like this. And yes, Empress An was being really stupid right now, but was Kayla really going to let a twenty-three year old get consigned to a lifetime of disgrace when she'd helped even a guy like Xianchun?

Not to mention what that would do to Yunqi, who did not want to depose his wife.

So I'm fucked, basically.

Kayla approached the Empress' palace in a far worse mood than when she'd first arrived. The Imperial Guards and Investigators alike ran up the second they saw her coming and started all talking at once while rushing Kayla to the Empress at full speed. Kayla barely comprehended five words out of all of it, and then they were all silent, as they had arrived at the Empress' sitting room. Kayla smoothed out her robes and made her way in, the men behind her backing away to a suitable distance.

"Zhao Wenyuan humbly greets Her Majesty the Empress," Kayla called as she bowed to the pale-faced Empress. There were several ladies-in-waiting present, but they began side-stepping out of the room as Kayla came in.

Li Que turned to her, bowing his head sharply. His exhaustion didn't show, being of a much sturdier breed than Wenyuan was, but he must have been in great want of a proper rest. Hints of strain showed on his expression, though it was hard to tell whether that was because of the Empress or exhaustion.

"Duke Zhao," Empress An said, an edge in her voice. "Why do you thwart my men?"

The Empress needed to save face. Of course. Kayla reminded herself that she was a very reasonable person who would give the Empress a way to back down with dignity instead of starting a badly-thought-out screaming match, no matter how badly she wanted to take the latter route.

"I did so in order to carry out His Majesty the Emperor's orders," Kayla replied. "Please forgive any rudeness resulting from my crudeness, for the slight was not intended."

Empress An bit the inside of her cheek.

"The palace cannot embargo the news for long, Duke Zhao! Rumors will spread before long, and if you do not seize the culprit by then, my reputation will be destroyed. Not only that, but the Emperor will be affected as well!"

Kayla drew a deep breath.

"Your Majesty, this lowly subject does not wish to be rude, but I would speak bluntly for your sake if you allow it," Kayla said.

"I could hardly forbid you," the Empress said unhappily.

"It is well within your power to do so," Kayla replied.

The Empress glared for a bit, but didn't order Kayla's silence.

"I understand that your authority and reputation are threatened by the current situation, and that you need to assert force to maintain control over the palace. If you do not do so, the consequences could be dire, not just for you…" Kayla paused, her gaze briefly lingering on the Empress, briefly flicking to the woman's stomach. "...But also for the Emperor, as well as the other Consorts and servants who reside here."

Empress An stared down at Kayla icily, furious that her child had been brought into the equation.

"Your Majesty cannot clear your name until the investigation is over, but the investigation also needs to follow the proper procedures in order for the results to be accepted," Kayla said.

She turned slightly to Li Que as if inviting him into the conversation.

"In the absence of other suspects, I admit that my sister-in-law emerges as the clearest culprit. It would only make sense to speed along the investigation by searching her quarters, without needing to heed the regulations and considerations that us Investigators face."

"It's very thoughtful of the Empress," Li Que added in.

"Indeed," Kayla agreed. "However, we kindly ask Your Majesty to desist. The country cannot afford discord between the Emperor and Empress, if you were to so openly go against his orders not to intervene. Moreover, the reason there are no other suspects right now is because the investigation has only just begun. We are also under great pressure to produce a culprit, but more importantly, to produce the right culprit. If we fail to do so, this may happen again. And this time, the Emperor may not be so lucky."

Kayla lowered her eyes in a way that gave the illusion of deference.

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

"Even if we were to arrest the Royal Consort right this moment, if the Emperor were to fall victim to another attempt…Your Majesty will be left in a very difficult position."

The Empress went still for a moment before exploding in rage.

"Duke Zhao! Just what are you implying?!"

"I do not imply anything against Your Majesty's virtue," Kayla replied. "I am only stating what people will surely think, and thereby act upon."

"I would never sabotage the investigation just because–"

She cut off abruptly, green in the face, and then relaxed slightly as she remembered that Li Que was privy to her pregnancy.

"It is nonsense. Baseless nonsense! No one would believe that!"

Really? No one would believe that a pregnant Empress took advantage of the chaos to get rid of her primary, also pregnant rival, leaving her husband wide open to an assassination attempt so that she could seize power as regent?

Come on, don't be delusional.

"It is an excuse," Kayla said in response. "They don't even need to believe it themselves to act on it. Your Majesty, it is not for the sake of the Royal Consort that we beg you to stop intervening. It is for the continuation of the Imperial line through the Emperor's blood and the stability of the dynasty that we do so!"

Empress An grimaced, turning her face away from them.

Kayla glanced at Li Que from the corner of her eyes, and he immediately took the cue.

"Your Majesty, please be assured that we are proceeding as quickly as possible, and that we will not overlook any clue," Li Que said. "We will certainly ensure that your name is cleared, so please leave this in our hands."

"Vice-Director Li is the most capable man in the Bureau," Kayla quickly added. "Not only is he well-versed in tactics of investigation, he also has a keen eye for politics and detail. Following his advice is a certain way of protecting Your Majesty's interests."

"Duke Zhao, you certainly have a way of pushing responsibility onto others!" Empress An erupted. "Why is it that you yourself do not head the investigation?!"

"Because the Royal Consort is my sister-in-law," Kayla replied.

Empress An laughed coldly. "So you cannot head a sensitive investigation for a conflict of interest, but you can certainly intervene as you like!"

"I was the one who requested his presence," Li Que cut in.

Empress An's eyes flashed dangerously. "And why is that? What have you found, Li Que?"

"We cannot confirm or deny any findings or lack of at this time to anyone other than the Emperor," Kayla said. "But I would strongly recommend Your Majesty to speak and act with caution."

"Are you treating me as a suspect right now, Zhao Wenyuan?" Empress An hissed.

Kayla bowed slightly. "Your Majesty, I must advise you that anything you do and say can and will be used against you if the findings of the investigation prove disadvantageous. As you have said, the embargo cannot last forever. We serve the Imperial family and will protect you as our duty demands, but we cannot say that the court shares our sentiments."

Empress An flushed red.

"Get out," Empress An snarled. "Get out of my sight!"

Kayla and Li Que bowed and hastily retreated. The two didn't even look at each other until they were a safe distance away, the Guards and Investigators nearby having the sense to clear out.

"Thank you for coming, my lord," Li Que said.

"I can't say I was of help. That could have gone better if I hadn't shown my face," Kayla muttered. "Now she won't speak with either of us."

"Perhaps that's for the best," Li Que said, sounding more than aggrieved. Whatever he had put up with before Kayla's arrival had not done his impression of the Empress any favors.

He managed a smile, albeit an exhausted one. "But I am sure she will heed your advice once her temper cools. She will probably seek you out at that time."

"I hope not. I believe I've offended her quite enough," Kayla sighed. "And this is a woman who might become Empress Dowager! I pity my son for his future."

Li Que shook his head. "I doubt the Empress is that petty, she also knows you're saying this for her sake."

"No, most likely she is currently cursing me out for hypocrisy as we speak," Kayla said dryly. "My ear is tingling."

Li Que cast her ear a skeptical look.

"Then hopefully she will come around soon," Li Que said. "If her name is cleared, she will not have anything to complain about."

He allowed himself a smile. "Thank the heavens you were here, my lord, or I have no idea how I would handle her."

Poor guy.

A commoner wouldn't be able to refute the Empress to her face the way a noble could–and yet Li Que, a man with a commoner background, was chosen to head the palace branch of the Bureau. Why had Qiu Jinwei done that to a decent man like him?

Then again, most nobles wouldn't take such a risk.

Xianchun was an exception, of course.

Now if only he would apply that gall to his own melodrama–

Kayla cut the thought off before she could get distracted again.

"You were handling it just fine, Vice-Director," Kayla said lightly. "You also know about the situation with the Royal Consort–neither of these two can be allowed to come to harm during this period of time. Unfortunately, that heavy responsibility falls to you."

She cleared her throat.

"Well, unpleasant matters aside, tell me what you've found."

Li Que nodded.

"The whereabouts of all of the Empress and Royal Consort's servants in the days preceding the incident have now been accounted for, up to when the talisman could have gone missing. However, there are many people who come and go. We can't possibly go through every single one of them within a short time frame. But…within two days of the incident, there were visits by the serving girls of Consort Huang."

"What's strange about that? Their quarters are very close to each other."

"It wasn't on official business," Li Que explained. "Two years ago, both of Consort Huang's serving girls had trained in the same cohort as the girls who ended up serving the Empress and Royal Consort, so it was a visit between friends. I have questioned the serving girls, but haven't gotten anything out of them. I would like your permission to interrogate them, and to add Consort Huang to the list of suspects."

Two years ago? Given that the age of entry to the palace ranged from ten to sixteen, the serving girls could hardly be older than eighteen at most.

Kayla smiled humorlessly. "So our suspects are teenage girls?"

"My lord, teenage girls are far from harmless."

True enough.

Heli had only been fifteen when he'd murdered his nephew. Yan'er had saved Hu Qing at the age of sixteen. Chujiao entered the Zhao household undercover at the tender age of eleven. There was no way for Kayla to say with certainty that the girls were not involved.

Kayla couldn't take responsibility if they tried again and actually succeeded. What the hell would happen if Yunqi died? Xianchun and Chenqian would try to make war–she wouldn't let them. Could she get away with sending Qiu Jinwei to Vietnam or something in the chaos? But then there would be assassination attempts on Yunqi's pregnant widows that would need to be warded off. The Empress as regent and an infant on the throne–what of the North then? What of the reforms?

It was still early in the day, but a sense of futility accompanied the exhaustion that swept over her.

"I have no reason to refuse, but be careful in handling the girls," Kayla finally said. "Their dignity should be protected as much as possible, and there should be women of good standing present to oversee the interrogation, to avoid having their chastity called into question. If they do turn out to be innocent, we wouldn't want to ruin their reputation."

Li Que bowed his head. "I understand."

Kayla gave him a sidelong look.

"Whatever you choose to do, don't end up creating a suspect where there isn't one. You know how people around them will rush to create evidence once they think they've found a suspect. In that regard, I've always been lucky to have you."

Li Que paused for a second, seeming almost surprised.

Why would he be? Did Li Que think that she would forget everything he did for her during the investigation into the Grand Duke's death the very second he became a threat to her?

"I'm honored," Li Que said.

Kayla nodded curtly.

"Anyways, back to the matter at hand. Figure out where the girls who received the visit are normally staffed. Were they on break or did they leave their posts? What openings were created when they went to chat with Consort Huang's serving girls? What prompted Consort Huang's serving girls to come visit? I think it's very possible that the girls were merely a cover for someone else to sneak in, and they themselves might not even know it. Keep an eye out for that, and don't fall for any traps meant for us to mistake the culprit." Kayla paused for a moment to assess Li Que. "Then again, it's you, so I shouldn't have anything to worry about, should I?"

"No, my lord. Please be assured that I will proceed with the utmost rigor and caution."

Kayla nodded. "No matter what, remember that these are civilian women, so be careful not to overdo it."

"Yes sir!"

Kayla tilted her head thoughtfully.

Civilian women, was it?

"What was that saying about women again?"

"Sir?"

Seeing that Kayla wasn't answering, Li Que frowned in thought.

"Are you thinking of 'most poisonous is a woman's heart'?"

"No, not that one," Kayla said. "But it's close enough, I suppose."

Li Que's brows creased. "Sir?"

"It's true that we can't overlook the fact that her servants are suspicious, but of everyone in the harem, Consort Huang has the least to gain from the death of the Emperor," Kayla said. "Her father passed away last year and her mother's been dead since she was fifteen. She isn't pregnant either. If the Emperor dies, she'd have to leave the palace."

Kayla frowned, pondering it a bit longer before shaking her head.

"It doesn't make sense, Vice-Director."

"Perhaps not, but I can't afford not to look into it," Li Que said apologetically.

"That's not what I mean," Kayla said. "It doesn't make sense, so you should look into it very carefully. Look into Consort Li as well."

Li Que didn't try to hide his confusion. "You think the attempt was targeting Consort Li?"

"She might even be involved. Maybe she just bungled the plot," Kayla said. She briefly considered the plausibility of a smoldering romance between two consorts that somehow culminated in a plot to assassinate Yunqi. Somehow, that didn't seem quite the case. If his consorts said they wanted to move to the summer palace or join a nunnery, Yunqi wouldn't forcibly hold them here.

"Or maybe not. I'm just saying that it's possible. Especially since the serving girls belong to Consort Huang," Kayla said. "She gains nothing from the Emperor dying. But what of the death of Consort Li? And to implicate the Empress and Royal Consort as well…it would be one matter if the seat of Empress was still open, or even if there were any children in the harem. That is why I presumed that the culprit had more…political motives. Of course, it's still the most likely situation. But we can't overlook anything that seems 'trivial' either."

"I understand. Then I will proceed accordingly," Li Que said.

Kayla nodded. "I'll leave it to you, Vice-Director."

Perhaps she was imagining it, but Li Que seemed to relax minutely. It was almost with some regret that she said her next words.

"Now we'll just need to report all this to the Emperor."

Li Que sighed unhappily, but straightened his shoulders.

"Understood."

Qiu Jinwei was there when they met with Yunqi, to Kayla's great disappointment. Between his presence and the incident last night, Kayla took care to speak in the most neutral and careful way possible, with clauses addressing everything that could possibly be misworded, misinterpreted, or thrown back into her face as an accusing question.

Even though it had been presented to him in a way that was almost close to a technical manual, Yunqi was livid when she finished the report.

"Now Consort Huang, and even poor Consort Li are also suspects?" Yunqi demanded. "Is there any woman in my harem that you think does not want me dead?"

"Since this occurred within the Inner Palace, we have no choice but to be thorough, my liege," Kayla said apologetically.

"And the Empress! I never took my Empress for someone capable of such foolishness!" Yunqi said in disbelief.

Kayla and Li Que kept their eyes lowered politely.

"Does she think she can use her stomach as a shield?"

The brittle ice in Yunqi's voice stunned Kayla into silence. Even Yunqi seemed shocked by his own words, and he cleared his throat awkwardly. His aborted rage shuddered like a dying animal and then fell in on itself back into the calm waters of Yunqi's temperament.

"I will speak to the Empress about this matter," Yunqi said in a level tone. "Wenyuan, I appreciate your help on all this. Leave the groundwork to Li Que, I need you for more important matters. Focus your energy on the North for now."

At least she finally had some good news.

Yes, Yunqi was just trying to get Kayla out from this mess before she could actually take offense to the Empress' actions and start openly siding with Halime and her child, but at least that freed her up from a lot of trouble.

"As you wish, my liege."

"Nothing of this kind will ever happen again," Yunqi said. "Though I can understand that some allowances must be made for the Empress' first pregnancy affecting her judgement, it will need to be made clear to her that she cannot act in this way. She owes the Royal Consort an apology."

"Your Majesty's benevolence is measureless," Kayla said, bowing sharply.

She knew that those words were mostly for her sake. After all, Yunqi was treading a fine line of control. It wouldn't do if Empress An accidentally pushed too far on his behalf.

Some part of her was also aware that it wasn't exactly normal for a court official to be able to criticize the Empress to her face, and that even if it was justified, it should not happen too many times.

Should I be worried or relieved?

Worried that Yunqi was set on the new Bureau branch–delegating this case to Li Que entirely settled that matter, relieved that this was no longer her problem.

She left the meeting still feeling vaguely conflicted, only startling from her thoughts halfway to the carriage when she realized Li Que was still walking with her.

"Don't let me keep you, Vice-Director. No need for formalities when we have a crisis on hand," Kayla said.

"It's fine, my lord," Li Que insisted.

She relaxed slightly upon seeing the tenseness in his shoulders.

"This is a difficult case to take without political backing," Kayla said, careful to keep her tone light. "But you have the assurance of backing from the Emperor himself, so I'm sure everything will work out. I won't ask you something so unprofessional as to look after my sister-in-law in all this, but please ensure that neither her nor the Empress can do anything inadvisable to interfere."

"I will," Li Que promised. "You have nothing to worry about."

Kayla took a deep breath, finally finding it in herself to extend an olive branch. It wasn't really Li Que's fault that any of this was happening, and if Yunqi's mind was set, they would have to live with this for a good while yet.

"I have nothing but faith in your ample experience, Vice-Director. This is also a good chance for Chen Qian to get a big case under his belt–having this type of experience so early in his career is sure to give him a big boost later on. If there are any juniors you find especially promising, feel free to bring them in as you see fit."

Li Que smiled, looking genuinely relieved. "Thank you, my lord. I think Chen Qian would be a good fit for this case. I appreciate your assigning him to the new branch."

Kayla considered the man next to her, whose face would almost be unassuming if not for his muscular frame, and who had jumped out of a tree on their first meeting.

"You're a better man than I am, Li Que. Good luck. I mean it."

"Duke Zhao is a hypocrite!" Zhu Simo raged, eliciting winces from his coworkers nearby, and much further away, confused frowns from both Kayla and Empress An who had just finished an unpleasant interaction.

"He claims that the communication network is necessary for transparency, and then turns around and embargoes reports from the palace?! How can the Emperor permit an Imperial in-law to intervene in politics to this extent?!" Zhu Simo shouted.

His voice was unnecessarily loud, given that they were not in private and Zhu Simo was not giving one of his speeches. Though it was during working hours, none of the men present were at their desks, but instead gathered in a corner of the courtyard often used as a common ground by officials who worked in different departments. It wasn't that the courtyard was close to any particular place, but that it was a long walk from anywhere, making it the best place for informal interdepartmental interactions. There could be no complaints of unfairness if everyone had a hard time getting here.

Han Daizhi glanced over sympathetically to Lord Cui, the head of the aristocratic faction, who had been quite unhappily subjected to Zhu Simo in close quarters on this occasion. It was rare that the venerated aristocrat deigned to show himself amongst them, but of course Zhu Simo never took note of that. Lord Cui was staring at Han Daizhi with a look on his face that promised murder if Zhu Simo was not quickly silenced. Han Daizhi winced and hastily looked away again.

"Lord Cui, do you have any idea what's going on in the palace?" Han Daizhi loudly asked, more than a little bit desperate.

Lord Cui shook his head. "I do not. There was a meeting with the heads of the Three Departments scheduled for this morning, but it was canceled late last night without explanation." That was also why he had called this meeting, though he was quickly coming to regret it.

"That doesn't bode well," Jiang She said with a small frown. "An inner meeting with the Three Departments would not be canceled over trivial matters, at least not under this Emperor. Say what you want about his policies, but there's little to say about his personal diligence."

Zhu Simo gave an unhappy harrumph, but had nothing to dispute that with.

"We must get to the bottom of this!" He said instead.

"But how? We have no idea what's going on," Jiang She pointed out. "Not to mention, I've asked around and no one does."

"The daily operations of the palace seem to be going on as usual," Han Daizhi remarked.

"That means nothing!" Zhu Simo refuted.

Han Daizhi caught a familiar figure from the corner of his eye and subtly glanced over his shoulder to take a closer look.

"Well, there goes someone who might know," Han Daizhi said.

Jiang She squinted in the general direction, finally catching sight of Zhang Dingyong.

"Is that Minister Zhang?"

Han Daizhi began approaching the man in lieu of a response.

"Stop it! Have you lost your mind?!" Jiang She hissed after him.

Even Zhu Simo shifted his weight uneasily as Han Daizhi approached Zhang Dingyong with a bow. The two spoke briefly for a while before Zhang Dingyong finally was waving Han Daizhi off. Catching sight of Lord Cui, Zhang Dingyong offered an exaggerated bow that made the aristocrat grimace.

"What did he say?" Zhu Simo demanded as soon as Han Daizhi was close enough.

"He also doesn't know," Han Daizhi said.

"That's it? You were talking for so long!"

"Yes, I had to greet him first," Han Daizhi snapped, voice heavy with sarcasm. "But look! The fact that even the Duke's right-hand-man doesn't know? That tells us quite a lot! It must be a rather serious matter."

"We knew as much from the canceled meeting," Lord Cui snapped.

"It will all become clear soon enough," Han Daizhi said confidently. "And our good Minister Zhang might be more helpful than I previously thought."

"Oh?" Jiang She perked up at this immediately.

"He's a man who steers his ship by the direction of the winds," Han Daizhi said. "Even if it's his own ally, Minister Zhang won't be able to resist if the opportunity is ripe."

With one last glance over his shoulder, he turned back to his colleagues. In the distance, Zhang Dingyong watched them keenly, a strange glint in his eyes.

Cultural Context

Concept of blood pressure in traditional Chinese medicine: Traditional Chinese medicine noted the effects of high blood pressure, including dizziness and headaches, but didn't have the concept of blood pressure in and of itself.

Goryeo: An Ancient Korean kingdom, there is a long history of cultural exchange (and conflict) between Goryeo and ancient China. Kayla clocked Jin Xiao En as being from Goryeo because of his surname, Jin. While the Jin surname does occur in China, it's often associated with people of Korean descent or Koreans, who usually spell the English version of it as Kim.

Role of the Empress and Empress Dowager in Ancient China: While there was a taboo against "后宫干政/The Inner Palace interfering in politics", the Empress played an undeniable role in deciding the next heir. It is highly unusual for the Empress' son not to be named the heir, and it was a common practice that a son-less Empress would adopt from amongst the Emperor's existing sons even if his mother was still alive. The Empress had sovereign over the Inner Palace (but the Emperor had the final say), though the Empress Dowager had more influence on the basis on seniority. In the case that the Emperor died while his heir was still young, it was common for the Empress Dowager to reign as regent (sometimes long after her son was already grown).

Widows and divorcees in Ancient Chinese harems: In earlier dynasties, it was not all that frowned upon for a divorcee to enter the Emperor's harem. The mother of Emperor Wu of Han, one of the most influential Chinese Emperors in history, had previously separated from a husband with whom she had a daughter before entering the Imperial harem. The first Emperor of the Han Dynasty, Liu Bang, was jokingly known to be fond of widows, as was the warlord Cao Cao. Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty was also rumored to have married his widowed sister-in-law after killing her husband in the coup that landed him the throne. Emperor Wu, the first female Emperor, married her son-in-law (with whom she was in the same age range) after the death of her first husband, Emperor Taizong. However, conservatism and tolerance ranged greatly within and between dynasties when people would be a lot less accepting of a previously divorced Empress or a lot more accepting of one than would otherwise be expected. The Song Dynasty, when we begin to see the rise of social conservatism in terms of policing women's marital and sexual behavior, still had an Empress who had annulled her first marriage before marrying the Emperor.

帝后不和/Discord between the Emperor and Empress: An Ancient Chinese proverb referring to the situation where the Emperor and Empress are having marital issues that can potentially result in great political upheaval given what the Empress being deposed may mean for the Emperor's political/military support (depending on his in-law's positions at court) or who becomes the legitimate heir.

最毒妇人心/Most poisonous is a woman's heart: An Ancient Chinese proverb that has often been criticized for its double standards, as the corresponding proverb for men is "无毒不丈夫/Without venom one cannot become a great man". Kayla was actually thinking of "Hell have no wrath like a woman scorned", but they're in the wrong time period for that to make sense to anyone else.

Consorts joining a nunnery: Though this was more common as a punishment or as a way to deal with consorts after the previous Emperor passed, it was not impossible for a Consort to willingly leave the harem for the temple.

外戚干政/Imperial in-laws intervening in politics: One of the greatest taboos in Chinese history but also one of the most recurring issues. On one hand, the Emperor's in-laws, particularly one or two clans, might gain way too much power and engage in corruption or even threaten the Emperor's reign. On the other hand, an Emperor who takes the throne but finds himself lacking in political support can count on a clan that is tied to him via marriage to back him up. This is especially pertinent in two cases, when the Emperor's in-laws have a lot of power to begin with, or when the Emperor's in-laws are nobodies that he personally raised to power in order to balance out existing forces at court.

见风使舵/Steer his ship by the direction of the winds: An Ancient Chinese proverb meaning that someone is very opportunistic.