Character Index

  Geleng: A Pugu warrior, part of the dissident movement against Heli, albeit reluctantly. He had accompanied Tuhezhen north to the other man's death, sparking the current movement.

  Sima Qi/Zhu Shiwu: A young former Investigator turned feral agent, sent to Anbei Protectorate by Kayla.

  Dulan: A Pugu warrior, part of the dissident movement against Heli. Friends with Geleng, and far less reluctant.

  Geshu Daoyuan: An Investigator of Turkish descent. Named after a Tang dynasty general of Turkish descent.

  Datan: Right-hand man, mentor, and guardian of the young Pugu chieftain.

  Heli: The stressed sixteen-year-old chieftain of the Pugu.

  Investigator Mi: An Imperial Investigator who had accompanied Kayla to Anbei Protectorate in Book 2, after which he was promoted to a position in Yanzhou. Assigned to help Heli.

  Minister Rui: Minister of Revenue.

  Liu Hongyu: Former Secretariat Director and ally of the Grand Duke. Kayla orchestrated his downfall in Book 1, after which his relatives were also purged from the government, opening up the position of Minister of Revenue.

  Zhou Yunqi: The Emperor, fifth son of the previous Emperor.

  Zhou Xianchun: Yunqi's younger brother, now titled as an Archduke.

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

  Yao Gongzhuo: Minister of War, Kayla's ally.

  Jun Shao: Minister of Personnel, previously Xianchun's ally.

  Zhou Ying: Previous Emperor, posthumously titled Emperor Xuanzong.

  Geleng had fallen silent again after dropping off Zhu Shiwu. Trying to make conversation and lighten the mood, Dulan tried to share a look of amusement with him.

  “What a kid,” Dulan said. “You reckon that he’ll be alright?”

  Wrong question. Geleng’s smile was faintly mocking when he replied. “Yes, I’m sure he will be, given that he didn’t need to trek fifty miles east in the snow with that sense of direction.”

  Dulan rolled his eyes in exasperation.

  “That was only precaution! And I helped him, didn’t I?” Dulan bit out sharply. What, was he in the wrong now for trying to keep his friends from getting arrested because of some loose-lipped brat from the South? He’d gone along with Geleng’s wishes to be amiable, but there was no point if Geleng was only going to gripe about it.

  The mood had soured again, and Geleng’s face was once again tightly shuttered.

  “Yeah, alright,” Geleng said flatly. Any pretense of joking around was gone now, and acrid accusation had taken its place.

  “The kid would have been fine either way,” Dulan said, feeling genuinely wronged now at having to defend himself. “What do you even have to complain about?”

  “You now he could’ve died out there if he’d actually left?” Geleng asked.

  Dulan’s face heated.

  “Well, he didn’t leave! What’s even the point of all this? And-and it’s not even like someone forced that kid to come out here to where he doesn’t belong! You know those guys down South would never have shown half as much concern for us! We’d be lucky if they didn't call the local magistrate to have us arrested!”

  Geleng looked genuinely pained at that. “But that’s not the kid’s fault.”

  “Can we not–good gods, Geleng! Clinging to your virtue isn’t getting you anywhere!” Dulan snapped. “For all your moralizing, aren’t you still in the same situation as an asshole like me?”

  “I didn’t mean it that way,” Geleng said, voice strained.

  Dulan’s frustration had mounted too much for him to stop now. “Plus, why the hell are you so hung up on this kid? If it’s just because of his age, I didn’t see you go easy on Heli because of that!”

  “I don’t think he’s fit to lead, but I’m not out here calling for his execution either!” Geleng hissed.

  Dulan gave him an incredulous look. “Is there a fucking difference?”

  Hurt flickered over Geleng’s face.

  Dulan deflated. “Oh come on, I’m just saying.”

  Geleng didn’t bother with a response.

  “I’m not trying to pick a fight,” Dulan said wearily.

  “Me neither.”

  The two rode on together in dejected silence for a while before exchanging stiff nods as they parted for their own dwellings.

  Sima Qi watched on from afar, cloaked in the shadow of an abandoned building. It must have housed a merchant from the South once, given its distinct style, but had long been abandoned.

  Ruin, rot, and animal innards, Sima Qi thought to himself. That was what the town stunk of. His eyes trailed after Dulan and Geleng, pupils spinning in different directions. It would have been a grotesque sight if anyone had been present to see him.

  Not all is well even within the Pugu dissidents, Sima Qi noted. His lips curled into a smile. We can make use of that.

  His head swiveled at an approaching figure, relaxing slightly when he saw it was Investigator Geshu. The Turkish man smiled thinly as he joined Sima Qi.

  “Scoping out the town?”

  “I’m checking on the men who brought me here,” Sima Qi said honestly. “I want to get a better sense of what people around these parts are thinking.”

  “A wise decision,” Investigator Geshu said.

  “Investigator Geshu, what do you think about this place?” Sima Qi asked.

  Investigator Geshu’s smile took on an edge that Sima Qi couldn’t quite place.

  “It’s pathetic,” Investigator Geshu said darkly. “Within another few generations, the people that live here will be gone.”

  “Where would they go?”

  “North, to join the Turks,” Investigator Geshu said. “Or south to live amongst the Han.”

  Sima Qi noted the bitterness in Geshu’s voice at the latter part.

  “Why would they leave?”

  “Because they can’t keep living like this,” Investigator Geshu said.

  “You mean the nomadic lifestyle? I thought that was self-sustaining.”

  Investigator Geshu shook his head slightly with a smile. “The Han ancients say that one should not fear poverty but inequality. These people are lacking in both wealth and dignity. Sooner or later, they’ll decide that they want at least one of the two.”

  “So those that want dignity will go North and those that want wealth will go South,” Sima Qi summarized.

  “I think it depends on the person,” Investigator Geshu said, trying to soften his sentiments before the young man who had been a stranger only a few hours ago. He seemed to realize he had said too much to someone untrustworthy, taken in by an innocent guise, and almost physically withdrew.

  Sima Qi observed the Turkish man for a moment before sweeping his gaze back to the direction that Geleng had left in.

  “We can definitely suppress the dissidents this time around,” he said calmly. “But there will definitely be more trouble in the future.”

  Sima Qi turned back to Investigator Geshu.

  “Don’t you agree?”

  Investigator Geshu met his eyes with an unreadable look and said nothing.

  Datan uncomfortably watched Heli’s look of open relief, sitting opposite the young Chieftain in the boy’s personal chambers.

  “The Investigators sure got here quickly,” Heli said happily. “Thank Tengri for that! Duke Zhao sure is reliable, isn’t he?”

  Datan let out a sharp breath through his nostrils, shifting in his seat.

  “Well, the Investigators have…they have their own approach to solving this,” Datan said reluctantly.

  “So they have a plan?” Heli’s eyes widened hopefully.

  “We’ll send out our own men to infiltrate the dissidents,” Datan said, starting with the more acceptable part. “Have them raise doubts, create conflicts, spread rumors in your favor. I have some men in mind for the job who we can rely on but aren’t too visibly connected with you.”

  Heli nodded. “Alright.”

  “And…” Datan grimaced. “They’ll need to sabotage the livestock.”

  “What?” Heli gave him a bewildered look that only grew more aghast as Datan hastily explained.

  “They want to poison the livestock?” Heli said, dumbfounded.

  Datan’s patience flickered. “Yes, I think we’ve established that.”

  “They can’t,” Heli said. “And they certainly can’t poison the horses! That’s asking for trouble. We’ll anger the gods!”

  “Well, that’s what they’ve decided on.”

  “We can’t agree to this,” Heli said, panic starting to work its way into his voice. “This-this–it’s wrong!”

  “They’ll either do this or they’ll leave,” Datan warned Heli. “The dissidents want you gone! Do you even understand how serious this is?”

  “So to fight false rumors that I’m a danger to my people, I should endanger my people? How does that even make sense?” Heli cried.

  “A ruler needs to make hard decisions sometimes,” Datan snapped. “If you don’t have a better option, then you accept what you have!”

  “I’m not just hurting my enemies, I’m just hurting people,” Heli protested. “These are precious horses that have been diligently cared for and trained over years! Do these people–do they even know how much work it is? It’s winter right now, the horses are already in worse health because they’re cooped up and eating dry feed. If they get sick now, it could cause damage that’ll impact fertility for years! That’s years of hard work up in smoke!”

  “I know,” Datan said grimly. “But things have already gotten to this point. We can’t afford to hesitate any longer!”

  “There has to be some other way aside from hurting the livelihoods of innocent people!”

  “Not bloodless ones. This may cause some harm to the animals and some financial damage, but we won’t be slaughtering our own people,” Datan said firmly.

  “I mean–yeah, it’s better, but…” Heli trailed off.

  Datan sighed. He didn’t like it either–he’d been the one who painstakingly taught Heli the importance of livelihood to the Tiele, who had few other forms of wealth. And he certainly didn’t like the young Investigator he’d met. The young man didn’t consider the long-term consequences of his actions. And even worse–he didn’t seem to care at all. Was it the callousness of a young man who had been raised to dole out death at the Emperor’s whim? Or was it closer to what needled Datan in every interaction with Wu officials?

  He pushed those thoughts out of his head. The most important thing was getting Heli to agree–the boy had always been squeamish. It had taken Datan a great deal of haranguing to get Heli agree to killing Tuhezhen, only for that to backfire. And once things got bad, Heli had an alarming tendency to freeze up.

  At least that means he won’t outright try to stop them.

  “We have little other choice. We can’t afford to alienate our only reliable ally at the moment,” Datan said. “You can’t just accept what they do, but also thank them for it.”

  Heli stared down at his feet miserably but made no further protest.

  “It’ll come at no small cost to us either…” Datan sighed in frustration. “The Duke has promised to keep us afloat, but we can’t expect too much help. But since we need to buy people’s hearts right now, this is no time to be stingy.”

  “Do you think they know what horses mean to us?” Heli asked suddenly.

  “What?” Datan asked, the words sharper than he’d intended.

  “Nothing,” Heli mumbled.

  Datan cleared his throat. “We can’t sell anything off in advance or it would give us away, but that means anything we sell will be less than its true value. But if you can’t stay in power, you’ll lose your life. It can’t be helped.”

  He pushed a stack of papers at the boy. “Take a look at these and we’ll see if we can’t figure out a strategy.”

  Heli obediently began unfurling the scrolls.

  Kayla stopped obsessively checking her communication device as she entered the sitting room in the Emperor’s study. She hadn’t received any updates from her men in the North since last night, which was a good thing. No news was good news except when it was Heli, but Investigator Mi was reliable. Sima Qi was...Sima Qi. They would do. Squaring her shoulders, Kayla braced herself for the task before her instead.

  Minister Rui, the Minister of Revenue, had asked for an emergency meeting of the inner cabinet on short notice, and rebuffed Kayla’s two requests to meet with him beforehand. She, of course, knew what had the Minister of Revenue in such a rush–the costs of the reforms.

  Minister Rui was a man that she had never thought of as troublesome.

  After the death of Liu Hongyu, his relatives had also been dismissed from important government posts. The Liu scion who had been Minister of Revenue was exiled from the capital along with the rest of his clan, and the position had been granted to Minister Rui, an extremely competent man with a biting temper. Unsurprisingly, his personality had naturally aligned him with Xianchun. But even back then, she hadn’t considered him much of a threat.

  As the dust finally settled on the succession battle, Minister Rui gave up any factional pretenses and strictly followed the Emperor’s wishes at every turn. Yunqi was a merciful man, but no one wanted to become the example to the contrary, especially when they’d crossed him before.

  It was thus that Kayla had seen very little trouble from him for the past few months. He didn’t directly come out and support the reforms until Yunqi openly took a stance, but he didn’t oppose them. He didn’t enthusiastically strive to delegate funds for policy implementation, but he also did nothing to slow it down. There was nothing to complain or praise about him.

  Until now. To be fair, it was natural. The reforms were still in their initial stages, and were more of a drain on the Treasury than a boon, and the Treasury was hardly teeming with coins in the first place.

  But stopping halfway just renders all that money lost for nothing. Kayla glanced uneasily around the room. The heads of the Three Departments and Six Ministries were all there, as was the Emperor.

  They can’t possibly do anything unanimously. She flicked her gaze from Zhang Dingyong to Yao Gongzhuo. But this won’t be pretty.

  They all stood and bowed as Yunqi entered the room.

  “Please be seated, my beloved subjects,” Yunqi said.

  Minister Rui bowed a second time to Yunqi, then offered a lesser bow to his colleagues.

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  “Your Majesty, good sirs, I thank you all for gathering here on the request of this humble one today,” Minister Rui said. “I have invited you all here today to discuss the matter of the government budget.”

  Kayla nodded along politely.

  “As you know, the reforms proposed this summer have been nationally implemented,” Minister Rui said. “While sweeping in scope, these reforms are also incredibly costly. I wish to bring to your attention the fact that our Treasury is emptying at a rapid pace.”

  Concerned glances and murmurs shot up all over the room.

  “And not just at the level of the central government–the regional treasury of the Lingnan Circuit is estimated to be empty in about a week,” Minister Rui declared. “Upon that occurrence, the central government will have to shoulder all costs until the next tax cycle.”

  “How alarming,” the Secretariat Director muttered. “Empty! I’ve never heard of such a thing!”

  “My good sirs, the reforms are costing too much,” Minister Rui said, his face growing red with pent-up excitement. “Something needs to be done! Either the reforms must be paused, or costs must be cut elsewhere! I strongly recommend the former, at the risk of offending many of my colleagues present.”

  Kayla and Yunqi exchanged a brief glance.

  “Minister Rui, to stop now is to pour all that money down the drain,” Kayla said. “In fact, it would only create greater expenses in the long run to leave construction projects in the port cities unfinished.”

  “Agreed,” Zhang Dingyong said smoothly. “The reports suggest that locals are already growing wealthier–even farmers in the surrounding areas are able to benefit from these changes. Though it will not be immediate, the increased commerce will bring revenue back in through the sales taxes.”

  “You really think that a peasant woman who buys an extra hair ornament here or there will cover our costs?” Minister Rui said in amazement. “That doesn’t really amount to much compared to the operating costs!"

  “Nonetheless, the results are promising,” Jun Shao said. Like his fellow Xianchun partisan, the Minister of Personnel had become much more fond of Yunqi as it became clear that the Emperor was not keen on taking revenge. “With increased foreign trade comes increased opportunities and wealth for the common man, even if the tax revenue isn’t immediately beneficial.”

  Minister Rui scrunched his face up.

  “Frankly, from the point of administration, what good does it do to make people wealthier if it doesn’t increase government revenue?” Minister Rui asked bluntly.

  Kayla stared at him blankly for a moment, almost unable to suppress a laugh of disbelief.

  “Well for one, it increases general well-being,” Kayla said, policing her own tone as carefully as she could. “And it permits small households and farmers to remain solvent, preserving more taxable units and creating more resilience against disasters and the like.”

  Minister Rui looked unconvinced. “Would it really? Not all people are so industrious–if they come into money, they’re likely to become indolent and then find themselves dissolute.”

  Kayla leaned forward in her seat. “And how much money is your household estate currently worth, Minister Rui?”

  He flushed bright red in rage. “That’s entirely different! Unlike those who are used to rising to work with the sun and resting at sunset, we know how to handle our money responsibly! But for those unused to it, irresponsibly allowing them wealth beyond their station will only encourage waste, draining the Treasury all the while!”

  “Minister, I may be mistaken, but are you concerned that they’ll have discretionary income?” Kayla asked, unable to completely keep the disbelief out of her voice. “You do understand that if they have more money and spend more money, encouraging more trade, that comes back to the Treasury through sales tax and import tariffs?”

  Minister Rui gave her a look of condescension. “I understand that perfectly well, Duke Zhao. What I mean is that men who have never had the means to live beyond their humble lifestyles will be easily tempted into waste and irresponsible purchases by greedy merchants–and then what? Do you think they’ll be satisfied to return to their grueling toil after a taste of a better life? Peasants will flock to cities where they’ll be squeezed dry of their money while crops rot in abandoned fields!”

  Kayla leaned back, ceding the point. She shared a brief glance with Minister Zhang, who vigorously nodded his encouragement.

  “That is indeed a concern,” Kayla agreed. “Perhaps a two-pronged approach would be more suitable rather than avoiding any change whatsoever–for even if the country does not act, society will change on its own. Better that we have the say over how rather than handing it over to private citizens.”

  “And what do you propose, Duke Zhao?” Yunqi asked, trying to alleviate the tense mood.

  “To answer my liege, I believe that we need to create a consumer protection agency,” Kayla replied. “Minister Rui is right that the greedy will attempt to prey upon our reforms like parasites, which we must prevent to whatever extent that we can. We can create a separate agency specifically to address fraudulent and predatory business practices by monitoring merchants and addressing the complaints of their customers.”

  Minister Rui looked ready to jump in again, so Kayla hurried onward.

  “But only addressing the symptoms does not get at the root. The central government should encourage agriculture by offering honors for diligence and enduring industriousness,” Kayla said. “Local officials can recommend up to one household per year to receive a symbolic honor of some kind–perhaps one of little monetary value but rather a certificate of some type. Someone who has consistently demonstrated hard work in managing and working their farms could then be eligible for regional, and then finally national recognition–maybe a chance to receive a plaque at the village entrance for a successful farming career. Such methods have been successfully used before in preceding dynasties.”

  And would continue to be successfully used–albeit for much darker purposes. How many widows had been forced into suicide so that their villages could receive the Imperial honor of a plaque praising her chastity and virtue?

  But those events yet to happen only served to prove the success of these strategies.

  “Excellent suggestions, Duke Zhao, but you are overlooking something very important,” Minister Rui said through gritted teeth, his face growing ever redder. “These all cost money!”

  “And cutting off the reforms halfway will drastically reduce trade,” Kayla said. “All the trade moves offshore, and then what? We’ll cause more damage to ourselves!”

  Minister Rui’s burst of excitement cooled into a biting sharpness.

  “If we can’t pause them then we need to reduce our costs elsewhere. Reforms cost money,” Minister Rui said. “There’s a reason why our predecessors have always erred on the side of caution when it comes to overhauling existing systems! Even if the trade reforms do yield benefit in conjunction with the proposed protections, it takes time for the revenue to increase, while we’re spending coins at an alarming rate all the while. And once the wealthy catch wind and begin to worry about the state of the Treasury, they’ll spend less. The best option is to cut our current operating costs as much as we can in anticipation of what will arise.”

  At the silence that followed his statement, Minister Rui gestured plaintively. “We cannot afford the increasing manpower that Duke Zhao wants. Quite the opposite, we need to cut down on the number of officials, or we need to lower their pay.”

  “That’s the most obvious sign of a drained treasury that there is,” the Secretariat Director objected. “If we’re concerned about lowered spending resulting in less trade and less government revenue, then this is the last thing we need.”

  “Of course, I don’t mean a nation-wide cut,” Minister Rui explained. “But we can cut down on auxiliary staff members in the quieter regions, and…” He didn’t quite glance at Kayla. “In less visible places.”

  Accordingly, she also did not rise to the challenge.

  Minister Rui gave up at subtlety and turned his gaze squarely to Kayla.

  “Am I correct in assuming you wish to cut pay for the Bureau?” Kayla asked.

  “Please take no offense, Duke Zhao, but the Bureau garners substantial costs, and it’s one of the least exposed under the public eye. Cutting costs in the Bureau won’t stir up as many ripples as elsewhere would. Some Investigators past the age of active duty should retire early. And perhaps trainees or lower-ranking Investigators could take a pay cut,” Minister Rui said.

  “Absolutely,” Kayla said. “If you want Investigator corruption to increase by at least three to five times, that is.”

  “Under your leadership? I’m sure that won’t happen,” Minister Rui replied calmly.

  So I should carry the pot alone since these are my reforms? I mean I guess so, but seriously? Kayla bit back her instinctive protest that they were already understaffed considering the constant political threats they had to monitor–again it would circle back to the fact that with a new Emperor secure on the throne, half the threats were only there because of the reforms.

  “Leadership alone cannot go against the principles of human nature,” Kayla said. “If the pay does not match the risks of the job, they will inevitably supplement it on their own accord and feel justified in doing so. I can approve some budgetary reorganization for trainee stipends at the junior level, but senior trainees and lower-ranking Investigators are the bulk of the Bureau. They’re the ones patrolling the streets and carrying out arrests, searches, seizures–the revenue we’d lose in seized assets alone wouldn’t be worth it.”

  Minister Rui smiled entirely without affection. “And how many more search and seizure operations does Your Excellency intend in the near future?”

  “Pardon me, Minister, what do you mean by that?” Kayla asked as politely as she could manage, hiding the surge of irritation in her stomach.

  The other officials glanced at each other warily.

  Duke Zhao decides who’s guilty, was the not-so-veiled message, followed by the even more apparent accusation. The Bureau’s already corrupt.

  If he wasn’t so good at his job–Kayla’s flaring temper was interrupted by Minister Yao shifting in his seat.

  Yao Gongzhuo cleared his throat, ignoring Minister Rui’s look of contempt.

  “No Ministry or institution has an easy time prioritizing,” he pacified them. “Everything’s important, everyone has needs and demands, and there’s only so many things we can focus on at once. Isn’t that right? Whether it’s the ongoing corruption cases or keeping an eye on the implementation of the reforms, we do need the Bureau operating at its best.”

  Minister Rui scoffed softly, barely bothering to hide his disdain for Yao Gongzhuo’s display of factional loyalty.

  “If you say so, Minister Yao. Would you recommend we cut costs from the Ministry of War instead?”

  “No,” Yao Gongzhuo replied immediately.

  Minister Rui glanced around expectantly as everyone studiously avoided eye contact.

  “No,” Minister Rui said softly. “No, everyone needs to eat. And if they aren’t paid enough, they’ll blatantly threaten corruption, holding the government ransom like common bandits. Is that what the Ministry of Revenue is meant to work with?”

  “I will effect the retirement of older eunuchs over the age of fifty and reduce the number of new serving girls in this year’s hires by a third,” Yunqi announced into the uncomfortable silence. “Except older eunuchs who have served my father’s person directly for over ten years, who I will retain out of respect for their service, all eunuchs over fifty will leave the palace at the end of the month.”

  “A wise decision, my liege,” Minister Rui said.

  Yunqi’s mouth was pressed into a grim line.

  It was a harsh decision, even if it could be packaged in humanitarian terms. Most of the eunuchs had spent decades of their lives inside the Inner Palace, often since their castration at a very young age. The older the age of castration, the less likely an eunuch would survive. Which meant that the vast majority of eunuchs over fifty had lived within the palace since they were under ten years old.

  The palace was their life, their world, and their home. A handful had families and homes outside, but they were few and far in-between. Cast out from the palace, where they could at least expect the “filial piety” of their godsons, the old men would find themselves in a world where they didn’t fit in and had no one.

  As for the serving girls who left the palace at twenty-five years old as a rule, anything higher than a one-thirds cut in hiring would leave them well below the replacement staffing rate.

  Minister Rui’s eyes were focused on Kayla.

  Don’t fucking look at me. If I cut pay for the rank-and-file they’ll start grabbing money everywhere. If I cut pay for the ranked Investigators they’ll quit and probably go private.

  Local clans and nobles were always looking for a chance to gain skilled retainers, and Kayla’s harsh measures were far from being enough to deter that.

  I’m not setting those people to be warlords. She would have to make cuts, after the Emperor made cuts to his own household, but it couldn’t come from the payroll of the Bureau.

  Overhead costs, maybe? They can’t tell what kind of tea we serve in the staff rooms anyways.

  “What do you propose for the regional personnel cuts, Minister Rui?” Yunqi asked, stepping in on Kayla’s behalf.

  “Well, now that our alliance with the Eastern Turkic Khaganate is secured by both Duke Zhao and Your Majesty’s marriages, perhaps we can reduce the budgets allotted to the Anbei Protectorate,” Minister Rui said.

  My dude, my guy, do you really have to dance on my mine-zones like this?

  Minister Rui continued on with full confidence. “Unlike other Jimi administrations, the Tiele have a primarily pastoral economy and a loose organization system. I advocate for a reduction in the administrative budgets.”

  “I would respectfully object,” Kayla cut in.

  “Of course you would,” Minister Rui said, on the verge of genuine anger now.

  Look man, I’m sorry, but why the fuck did you think I wanted to meet with you privately beforehand? Of course Minister Rui didn’t want to be suspected of collusion, but this debacle wasn’t doing him much good either.

  “I would not object if not for the fact that the Anbei Protectorate is our northern threshold,” Kayla said with emphasis. “It encompasses a great stretch of the border with the Eastern Turkic Khaganate–alienating the local tribes with what they would perceive as arbitrary cuts would not be beneficial in the long run.”

  “The border is now secure,” Minister Rui said, on the verge of bursting into accusations. In the end, frustration won over professionalism before Zhang Dingyong could intervene. “The nation shouldn’t have to shoulder costs just to keep the Tiele eating out of your hand!”

  All three heads of the Three Departments opened their mouths to interject, but Kayla spoke first.

  “Minister Rui, I can understand your concerns given my marriage ties placing me at a natural affinity with the Tiele,” Kayla said with deadly calm. “I won’t attempt to appeal by citing any virtues, but think about it objectively. For one, the Tiele are not rich. There is no financial benefit to be gained there. Second of all, the Tiele are valued subjects of the nation, but they do not occupy a position of particular political influence. I gain very little to oppose my fellow officials at court for their sake.”

  Minister Rui was not appeased, and Kayla internally rolled her eyes in preparation of yet another public shouting match.

  Yunqi cut in before they could escalate further.

  “Let’s discuss a full range of options before making any decisions,” he said in a tone that didn’t broker argument.

  Kayla and Minister Rui both lowered their eyes contritely. Minister Rui bowed his head slightly and pulled out a full list.

  Which meant he could've just done that all along. He had purposefully mentioned the Bureau and the Tiele first to test the waters, or perhaps to get the major arguments out of the way first so they could actually have a discussion. She could respect that. Kayla thoughtfully kept her peace for the rest of the meeting, grateful that Minister Rui didn’t bring up yet another thing she had to object to.

  A creeping unease tugged at the edge of her mind as the meeting dragged on.

  Will the reforms work?

  Of course they would, these measures had worked before, hadn’t they? And rather quickly at that. Well, no, not before in this point in history, but they would work after. Which Yunqi and the other officials couldn’t possibly know.

  Kayla quietly observed Yunqi’s reactions. He wouldn’t be swayed, would he?

  No, I won’t let that happen.

  She forced down her misgivings like downing a bitter herbal concoction.

  Of those who aim to walk a hundred miles, half give up at the ninety-mile mark.

  Whether or not it worked out depended on the people working it. And Kayla was determined to make the reforms succeed.

  Giving in was never an option.

  Culture Notes

  Livestock in Han-nomad warfare: I wanted to elaborate a bit more on previous Cultural Notes noting the significance of horses in nomadic culture and turn to the significance of livestock in Han-nomadic wars. In the Han dynasty, it was common practice for Han armies to attack nomadic enemies in early spring, when livestock and particularly horses were thin from the winter. Attacking in winter would have been even more ideal, but the cold would have sustained more casualties among the Han than any battle. So the alternative was attacking in early spring when the malnourished livestock either could not be herded out of the way fast enough (thus becoming loot for the Han army) or would suffer severely from being rushed around and fail to reproduce, resulting in dwindling herds over time. This strategy proved immensely effective in creating economic difficulties among the nomadic tribes, even giving rise to internal conflict and starvation, though this was combined with the effects of extended war between the Han and the Xiongnu nomads that also dealt a harsh blow to the Han dynasty's economy. However, the deliberate targeting of livestock is associated with inter-ethnic conflict, resulting in a stronger reaction even if Heli doesn't actually think the Investigators are going to do anything to him.

  "Barbarians" and Han-Chauvinism: In Ancient China, many of the educated Han elite considered all other civilizations and countries beneath them, often directly labeling them as barbarians, hence Investigator Geshu's comment on dignity vs. wealth. This varied over time and was significantly less prevalent in the cosmopolitan Tang dynasty where immigrants and ethnic minorities held positions at all levels of government and the Emperor's lineage was also of mixed ethnicity. Certain regions of the country remained cosmopolitan well into the Ming Dynasty. A lot of popular TV shows or movies tend to show caricatured portrayals of nomadic, North Asian, and Central Asian populations. People from these regions are often portrayed in inaccurate costuming designed to be recognizable to the Han viewer base (the most commonly seen is a fur-lined coat that is worn over one shoulder and secured by a midriff belt, regardless of where you're from or what population you're actually representing here), and are shown as being more passionate, "honest and simple", and more extreme in both affection and violence.

  不患寡而患不均/One should not fear poverty but inequality: An Ancient Chinese quote by Confucius who was cautioning rulers about societal issues to watch out for.

  Horses in nomadic culture (in and around China): Horses were highly valued by the Xiongnu (nomadic culture in North Asia preceding the Gokturks) and the Gokturks (the Turkish tribes that formed the Eastern and Western Turkic Khaganates). People were often buried with their horses, and horses also played important roles in shamanic rituals and spiritual traditions.

  还得谢谢他们/And we have to thank them for it: A Chinese colloquialism, often used sarcastically for situations when you are duped or forced into thanking someone who has conned you/screwed you over.

  收买人心/Buy people's hearts: An Ancient Chinese proverb that means to deliberately socially engineer your reputation.

  尘埃落定/Dust finally settled: An Ancient Chinese proverb referring to aftermaths, specifically when everything has calmed down and the consequences are now clear to see for everyone.

  Three Departments and Six Ministries: The administrative structure of Ancient Chinese central governments. The Three Departments including the Department of State Affairs, the Chancellery, and the Secretariat are above the Six Ministries, which includes the Ministries of Justice, Revenue, Personnel, Public Works, Rites, and War.

  Lingnan Circuit: A Tang Dynasty administrative region encompassing modern-day Guangzhou and Fujian, which contains many ports that were prominent on the Maritime Silk Road.

  日出而作日入而息/Rising to work with the sun and resting at sunset: An Ancient Chinese proverb referring to someone who lives off their daily labor, aka someone who lives a mostly self-sustaining lifestyle that requires manual labor on a daily basis. Is often used to romanticize this lifestyle as one without worldly worries (aka Ancient Chinese cottagecore).

  治根不治本/Fix the symptoms but not the root cause: An Ancient Chinese proverb originally referring to medicinal practices that only address surface-level symptoms but not underlying health issues. It was then used as a metaphor for not addressing the root cause of issues.

  贞洁碑/Chastity plaque: Chastity plaques and other plaques denoting virtue were often granted as public honors for particular members of a village, but also denoted general virtue within a village. As Neo-Confucianism gave rise to increasing class and gender-based oppression in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, chastity plaques praising the virtue of widows who did not remarry or even widows who followed their husbands in death also gave rise to twisted practices where women were pressured into following strict rules of conduct or even suicide for the reputation of their villages. Evidently, these publicly displayed honors were a highly effective way of policing moral behavior (or immoral behavior in pursuit of displaying morality).

  让我一个人背锅 /Carry the pot alone: A Chinese saying meaning to shoulder the troublesome consequences/blame alone. Adapted from the saying “背黑锅/to carry a black pot”.

  雷区蹦迪/[Disco] Dance on mine-zone: A Chinese colloquial saying that essentially means to push all the wrong buttons, or to come ridiculously close to pushing all the wrong buttons.

  Anbei Protectorate: A semi-autonomous administrative region in the Tang Dynasty where the Tiele tribes resided. Encompassed parts of Inner Mongolia and Mongolia.

  羈縻制/Jimi system: A semi-autonomous administrative system in the Tang Dynasty where foreign rulers or chiefs who were subjugated or naturalized into the country ruled over their own people through hereditary positions that answered to the central administration.

  行百里者半九十/Of those who aim to walk a hundred miles, half give up at the ninety-mile mark: An Ancient Chinese proverb that emphasizes the importance of perseverance, which becomes all the harder in the final stretch.