Silence gave a slight nod and said slowly:

"Great Xuan's Fourth Prince is not of especially good birth. His mother's family was undistinguished; after she bore the Fourth Prince, she rose on her son's rank, and only then was she granted the title Consort Zhao."

"The Fourth Prince is brave and skilled in war, open and hearty by nature, but short on strategy."

Ning Chen thought a moment, then asked, "Does the Fourth Prince have any supporters in the capital?"

Silence shook his head. "The Fourth Prince has made some small mark in the army, but at court he has no base at all."

Ning Chen frowned slightly, then asked at once:

"How much do you know about the President of the Secretariat, at the Department of State Affairs?"

Silence considered. "Now there's an unusual man."

Ning Chen was curious. "How so?"

"The President of the Secretariat holds high rank and great power, yet he has almost no presence at court. On the surface his light is overshadowed by the Left Chancellor and the Right Chancellor — but underneath, he's an old fox."

"He knows how to hide his light and bide his time, to wait for his moment... Day to day he shows nothing, gives nothing away, but every task the Great Xuan Emperor hands him gets done, and done beautifully."

"Even my mistress has said the man is a ruthless piece of work."

Ning Chen narrowed his eyes. "A dog that bites doesn't bark — you're telling me he's a dog that bites?"

Silence nodded.

"If the marquis wants to know more about him, he can find the time to come by the escort house."

Ning Chen grunted, then asked, "At court, who does he keep close to?"

Silence shook his head. "He keeps close to no one. He stays out of harm's way, and moves step by step, sure and steady."

Ning Chen was silent a moment, then gave a slight nod. "Understood!"

"Then this small man takes his leave!"

Ning Chen grunted.

The next day, at court.

Sure enough, the memorials began — someone rose to…