Zhù Ying said she would go looking for the person, though not with any particular intensity of purpose. As she headed out with a few small coins in her pocket, she thought: I’ll just leave it to fate — if I happen to come across them, fine; if not, I’ll still do what I intended anyway, which is gather some gossip about the capital and buy a few odds and ends.

She went out for a stroll, sat for a while in a tea house that traveling merchants liked to frequent, and listened to them boast and brag, sorting out truth from exaggeration as she went. She decided that when the time came to set out for the capital, she would bring one carrying pole loaded with local goods rarely seen in the capital, sell them upon arrival, and earn some initial living expenses. The considerable sum Seventh Young Master Zheng had given the family was enough to tide them over in an emergency, but it wouldn’t sustain them indefinitely — their daily life still depended on themselves.

The capital was bound to be expensive in every respect. Buying a house was out of the question; even renting would cost no small amount. These past few days in the prefecture city she had been spending freely on purchases, and Zhang Xiangu had been grumbling that she was being too extravagant — but by ordinary reckoning, buying here and bringing things to the capital was the same as earning money on the difference. The savings from that could go toward renting in the capital.

After listening to half a day’s worth of talk, Zhù Ying saw that the market was more or less open and rose from the tea house to drift toward it.

She was walking along the street when she suddenly heard a voice call: “Sanlang?”

Zhù Ying followed the sound and saw Jin Liang also strolling along the street. Catching Zhù Ying’s glance, Jin Liang quickened his pace to catch up, with two of Seventh Young Master Zheng’s attendants following behind. Jin Liang was quite warm about it, making introductions: “You’ve seen them before, haven’t you? This is Sanlang. And these two — this is Lu Chao, this is Gan Ze.” The two were sturdy men of about thirty, ordinary-looking yet upright, both taller than Zhù Ying. Lu Chao was darker-complexioned; Gan Ze was fairer.

Zhù Ying offered a small smile. “Brother Lu, Brother Gan.”

Jin Liang said, “He’s not the eldest — he’s Lu the Second.”

Zhù Ying nodded again. Jin Liang then said to the other two, “From here on, we’re all one family. Sanlang may be young, but he has real ability. And he’s a filial son.” Lu Chao and Gan Ze both knew about Zheng Xi’s pursuit of Zhù Ying; they had some private reservations, but on the surface were both perfectly cordial.

Jin Liang asked, “What have you come out in those clothes for? Why still dressed like that?”

Zhù Ying had changed into a padded jacket but was still dressed in the same narrow-sleeved, short working attire, which made her look like a laborer — nothing impressive about it. Zhù Ying said, “This is more convenient.” Jin Liang then asked after Zhū Shenhan’s injuries. Zhù Ying said, “We fetched a physician and filled the prescription. The fever broke a couple of days ago and the wounds are starting to heal over.” Jin Liang, wanting to cultivate goodwill with this future “one of us,” walked along with her. “What are you out for?”

“To buy a few small things.”

Jin Liang said, “Wait till you’re in the capital — there’s more to choose from there.”

“Mm.”

Jin Liang, intent on drawing Zhù Ying, Lu Chao, and Gan Ze into closer acquaintance, said: “Hey, have you heard the latest from around the city?”

Zhù Ying stepped slightly aside, putting a little distance between herself and Jin Liang. Jin Liang was considerably taller than her, and walking too close was stifling. From a better distance she asked, “What news? The prefect’s funeral? I saw it — they brought out two coffins, which is inauspicious. His son dragging two coffins back to the family’s home — if he behaves himself from now on, fine; if not, there’s bound to be trouble.”

Jin Liang said, “Who’s talking about him? Finding the person surnamed Xu — are you willing to give it a try? Lu the Second, Gan the Elder — any interest in seeing how it’s done?” The other two perked up with interest.

Zhù Ying said, “You’re toying with me. This won’t be easy to find!”

Jin Liang deliberately goaded her: “Scared? Not up to it? Giving up?”

Zhù Ying shot him a glance: “You don’t even know how to goad someone properly. Let me tell you how this works: this matter can’t be hidden. I’ve been hearing about it on the street for the past couple of days. Any living person out there should have heard this by now. If they haven’t come forward, what does that mean? Either they have no interest in the matter, or they’re not here anymore — either dead or gone. You walk down the main street, and if you happen to bump into them, good luck — but if you don’t, searching for them is not a sure thing.”

Lu Chao and Gan Ze exchanged a glance, each thinking: that’s more or less what Seventh Young Master said.

Jin Liang was not ready to give up: “How do you know you can’t find them if you don’t try?”

Zhù Ying said, “They’re not my relatives. I have my own family matters to attend to and no hands free for this.”

Jin Liang thought: this child is a filial son, so her character must not be bad. Let me say a little more — if I can move her, and she finds the person, it serves Seventh Young Master, gives the deputy envoy what he hopes for, and helps reunite a family — accumulating good karma. He said, “You don’t know who it is that’s being looked for…”

Seeing Zhù Ying not take the bait, he had no choice but to go on himself: “It’s the deputy envoy’s niece…”

Zhù Ying listened as Jin Liang recounted the whole background: the Feng Family and the Shen Family were connected through marriage, and both had been caught up in the same calamity. The Shen deputy envoy’s father had managed to take his own life in time, sparing the rest of the family the worst of the punishment; the deputy envoy and others were exiled. The Feng Family had suffered more devastatingly at the time — the head of the family had been sentenced to death by proper judicial procedure, and the female members of the household had all been registered as bondservants of lowly status, including the deputy envoy’s elder sister who had married into the Feng Family.

At the time, the Feng mistress had just given birth to a daughter. The head of the Feng Family had a subordinate who was implicated in the affair but bore little guilt and was merely removed from his post — this subordinate was Xu Youfang. Xu Youfang therefore found a way to get a message to the Feng Family and arranged to smuggle the baby out; he took the child back to his own hometown to raise. Having been away serving as an official for many years, his hometown had no idea what he had been through.

Wealthy households with newborns generally prepared a wet nurse — some households prepared several; a woman with milk to give would of course have recently given birth herself. The wet nurse’s husband was a Feng Family servant. He therefore used his own newborn daughter to swap out the Feng Family’s young mistress, handing the Feng child to Xu Youfang to take away and raise.

After the Feng Family’s case was overturned, the Feng mistress had returned to her maternal family and immediately begun searching for her biological daughter. Just at this time a major case had broken out locally, and the deputy envoy had secured a posting to come, serving two purposes: to protect the surviving child of his elder sister’s family, and to find the flesh and blood of his third sister.

Out of trust in Zhù Ying’s character, Jin Liang told the story of the Feng and Shen families’ past in great detail, and made every effort to describe the Feng mistress’s integrity and steadfastness and her longing for her daughter — hoping to move Zhù Ying.

Lu Chao and Gan Ze were already listening with troubled hearts. But Zhù Ying’s eyes were shining as she asked, “Then — the child who was swapped in and went with the mistress to suffer through everything — what happened to her? What became of her?”

Jin Liang was briefly taken aback, then waved a hand trying to knock her on the head, though not without exasperation: “I’ve said all this, and you think I’m telling you a story? Still waiting for the next installment?! Say something useful — do you have any ideas or not?”

“You wouldn’t answer what I asked; why should I answer what you ask? Hmph!”

“All right, enough. I’m not your equal. Don’t be like this with the seniors — take note of that for later. When you see them, don’t be this lacking in tact.”

Zhù Ying thought to herself: what a collection of worthless people. It seems that child’s fate was not a good one. Compared with that poor girl’s father, my own father was practically a loving parent. And this so-called deputy envoy gets more interesting by the moment.

Jin Liang saw her falling silent and pressed: “Got anything?”

Zhù Ying said, “If even your master couldn’t think of something, how could I? Since you ask.” Her private thought was: whatever they want, I want no part of this. For five hundred strings of cash, five thousand strings — I still wouldn’t do it. Of all people!

Jin Liang dropped the subject of the deputy envoy and corrected her: “He’s our Seventh Young Master! Right — in our family, Seventh Young Master is the seventh of his generation…” and went on to chatter about various things from the Zheng household.

Zhù Ying suddenly reached out and grabbed hold of a small child. “Hey — carry a message for me and there’s something in it for you.”

The child jumped in fright, then caught sight of Zhù Ying and went utterly crestfallen. Zhù Ying shook her head inwardly. You know who you stole from?

On the other side, Jin Liang ran into a familiar face: “Hey, what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be getting ready to head back to the capital?”

The man saw Jin Liang and said, “Picking up some local specialties before we leave. Can’t go back empty-handed from a trip out — if I don’t bring something back, my wife at home will never let me hear the end of it.”

Zhù Ying drew the child to one side and said quietly, “Stealing from an imperial envoy’s attendants — even if Censor Zhong’s people don’t beat you to death, getting caught is trouble enough. I won’t say anything.” She pressed a handful of coins into the child’s hand. “Consider this a top-up payment. Don’t get yourself killed these next few days. They can’t catch you anyway, but if they’re frustrated they’ll push the people below them to close cases — does the head constable know your face? Tell your master not to send your older brothers to keep sneaking past my place for a look — it’s annoying! And take a message to my mother for me: tell her I won’t be back for the midday meal and I’m going out to browse a bit more and buy a few things.”

The child gave a loud sniffle, cradled the money, and ran.

Zhù Ying watched, half-exasperated and half-amused. Jin Liang had finished his exchange with the familiar face and introduced the man to Zhù Ying: he was one of Zhong Yi’s attendants. Zhù Ying gave him a courteous nod and told him, “You should buy some dried goods — fresh things are hard to transport and take up space besides.” The man was uncertain whether to believe her; Jin Liang said, “Take his word for it — he’s sharp, he doesn’t steer you wrong.” The man smiled and slowly walked on.

Jin Liang said, “What were you murmuring about with that child just now?”

Zhù Ying said, “Having a message carried. Come on — tea is on me.”

Jin Liang said, “How much money do you have? Don’t throw it away!”

“Come on — I’m thirsty even if you’re not! Let’s go.” She called Lu Chao and Gan Ze to come along as well.

Jin Liang said, “Fine then, fine — but you’re a child, we won’t take your money! Lead the way — find a decent tea house.”

The four of them arrived at a reasonably good tea house and ordered some pastries and meat dishes as well. Jin Liang still wasn’t ready to give up, and asked Zhù Ying, “You really won’t look?”

Zhù Ying said, “Let others earn the trouble money! Look at the state of things over these past two months — honestly.”

Jin Liang thought about it and said, “Fair enough. That’s more thoughtful than it sounds — even if your tone leaves something to be desired. Saying something genuinely considerate like that. But — if someone is found, and they might be lying, can you tell? Someone has already come forward trying to claim the identity fraudulently, and as time goes on, the liars are only going to get more convincing.”

Zhù Ying knew he meant well and stopped needling him. “Hard to say — if I haven’t seen the real one, I can’t identify a fake.” She lifted the pot and poured him a bowl of tea.

Fed on another’s hospitality, Lu Chao began to talk: “We’ll be heading back to the capital in a few days. Has Sanlang got his luggage sorted?”

Zhù Ying said, “Still working on it. I’d like to find a mule cart too, but I’m not very experienced with driving one.”

Gan Ze said, “No matter — there are people enough for that. Going back we’ll have the prisoner cart too, so the pace won’t be fast. Getting a feel for the reins doesn’t matter so much. Can you ride? You’d do well to learn — I can teach you on the road.”

Zhù Ying raised her cup to him: “My thanks in advance.” She then asked about life in the capital, to compare and cross-reference what she’d heard from the merchants. Some details matched up; others didn’t. Some mismatches were the merchants’ exaggeration; others seemed to be the natural difference between what a wealthy household’s attendant saw and what an ordinary traveling merchant saw.

Jin Liang watched them fall into easy conversation and felt well-satisfied.

Zhù Ying asked about the cost of things and rent in the capital, and also about what the scenery was like on the road coming here. Jin Liang warned Gan Ze and Lu Chao: “He’s still young — don’t go dragging him along for drinking and gambling!” The two laughed; Zhù Ying laughed too. Jin Liang glared at Zhù Ying: “They do it occasionally, as a bit of fun — you are not allowed to…” Zhù Ying obligingly nodded: “All right.” Lu Chao said, “Don’t listen to him — he does it sometimes himself…” Jin Liang kept smacking his chopsticks down on Lu Chao’s head: “Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!”

With that commotion, Zhù Ying felt considerably closer to all three of them. After a satisfying meal, Jin Liang said, “We haven’t been on duty properly today — we still have to go report in.”

Zhù Ying paid the bill, and they parted. She bought a few local specialties at the market and then went home.

——

Back home, Zhang Xiangu said in a low voice, “You haven’t even started your post yet and you’ve already learned how to go out and socialize! Be careful — you’re a girl. Socializing outside with men — don’t let anything slip.”

Zhù Ying said, “I know.”

“What’s all this you’ve bought?”

Zhù Ying explained her plan of bringing goods up to the capital to sell. Zhang Xiangu said, “That makes sense! No matter where you’re trying to get by, it’s never easy. You’ve had a long day — get some rest.”

Zhù Ying said, “I will. Tomorrow I’ll go and look at the mule markets and the cart yards — we’ll need a vehicle.”

Zhang Xiangu glanced at the inner room and said, “A long journey and your father’s wounds not yet healed — a vehicle would make things easier. When are we setting off?”

Zhù Ying said, “Soon. They say they’re looking for someone for the deputy envoy, and if they truly can’t find the person, there’s no reason to go on staying here.”

“Good then.”

With the matter decided, Zhang Xiangu became resolute and started making practical plans for life after reaching the capital. She had heard that living expenses were high in the capital and was already thinking over what she could do to supplement the family’s income.

In the inner room, Zhū Shenhan was noticeably better; he could lean on a walking stick and stand for a little while. He said, “We have hands and feet — since we can go to the capital and we have the favor of a person of standing, there’s nothing to worry about!”

Zhang Xiangu scolded him: “You just try not to cause trouble!”

The two of them argued again, and only when Zhù Ying said “Go to sleep” did they both stop.

The night passed without incident. Over the next two days, Zhù Ying visited the mule markets and cart yards; she had something in mind but hadn’t made the purchase yet — buying now and having nowhere to put a mule and no fodder for it made no sense. She would buy the mule cart once word came that the deputy envoy’s niece had been found.

On the fourth morning, Zhù Ying went out early and bought a calligraphy copybook, spread it out on the table, and was about to settle in to practice her characters when a shuffling of light feet outside announced someone — a young girl she had encountered before. The girl was carrying a basket and came right up to the door, knocking on the doorframe: “Young sir, something’s happened!”

This girl was a student of the old master thief in the prefecture city, the one Zhù Ying had tracked down before. Zhù Ying said, “What brings you here? What happened? Did you get caught again?”

The girl humphed. “It’s about you! Hey — what a coincidence. This morning, early, one of our people was in the main street and saw what looked like your foster-mother and big sister being grabbed by a bunch of country louts trying to tie them up and drag them back to their home village! What did you do to get on someone’s bad side? Aren’t you living with them anymore? I had some of our people help slow them down a bit — if you don’t get there soon, they’ll be gone!”

Zhù Ying said with surprise, “Them?”

Yu Miaomiao and Huajie? These two had once passed on vital information to her — she could not ignore it if they were in trouble. “How do you know them?”

The girl said, “You all stayed at the same inn for several days — I asked around. Hey — when did you get back? And you’ve changed your clothes — I nearly didn’t recognize you. If Little Six hadn’t mentioned it yesterday, I wouldn’t have known you were here.”

Zhù Ying said, “Where are they now?”

“Still in the main street! Your foster-mother is fierce — she keeps saying she’s not some runaway wife, asking people to be her witnesses and saying she wants to go see the official!”

Zhù Ying called out to the inner room: “Mother! The foster-mother and big sister have come to the prefecture city — chances are those wretched Zhu family have driven them to it! I have to go and see.”

Zhang Xiangu came out of the back, carrying the freshly prepared breakfast, and asked, “What? Can you handle this?”

Zhù Ying said, “It should be fine. The foster-mother has good sense, and big sister is smart too — with someone helping to slow things down, there’s a way. Hey! The document — where is it?”

“What document?”

“The one you made with the foster-mother — the one taking me on as a son-in-law!”

Where on earth had that been put? The longer they searched the more they couldn’t find it. Zhù Ying said to the girl, “Do me a favor — run ahead and tell the people helping to keep stalling them — if it comes to it, drag everyone to see the official! Go to the newly arrived imperial envoy! I’ll be right behind you. Here’s your payment.” She pressed a piece of broken silver into the girl’s hand.

The girl said, “Right.” And off she went.

Zhù Ying and Zhang Xiangu searched the room thoroughly. The document had originally been tucked into the bedding up in the rafters; later it had been taken down and Zhang Xiangu had slipped it under the mattress, and when it was pulled out it was covered in creases from being pressed.

Zhù Ying took the document and started to leave; Zhang Xiangu said, “I’m coming with you! The document was my agreement — my handprint is on it! You — look after things here! Old man, don’t say anything no matter what anyone asks.”

Zhū Shenhan was taken aback. “What? She’s actually going to be a son-in-law for real?”

Zhang Xiangu said, “Phooey! Shut your mouth! We’ll talk when we’re back! Whatever you’re asked, just say you don’t know.”

Zhū Shenhan was left deflated, stuck in the inner room nursing a sulk, vowing he would get to the bottom of this later no matter what!

——

Zhù Ying and Zhang Xiangu ran to the main street, where they were told, “They’ve gone to see the imperial envoy for a judgment!”

The two ran to Zheng Xi’s lodging house. Zhang Xiangu had run until she was gasping; Zhù Ying’s forehead was beaded with thin sweat. With the yamen now without a prefect, going to the imperial envoy for a case judgment was perfectly reasonable. Lu Chao was standing at the entrance; Zhù Ying called out a greeting as she approached. “What’s the rush? Is something the matter?”

Zhù Ying said, “My wife and foster-mother have been cornered by troublemakers, and they’ve come here to seek a judgment from our master!”

Lu Chao was astounded. “What? Your wife? You have a wife?”

“I need to go and see…”

“Wait! I’m coming with you!” Lu Chao’s interest was thoroughly piqued. He grabbed someone familiar to stand in for him, then personally followed Zhù Ying in to stand before Zheng Xi.

Zhù Ying helped Zhang Xiangu along all the way to the main hall entrance, where everything had already been arranged and laid out. Jin Liang was also there presiding. As for Sheng Ying, he had no interest whatsoever in such a minor affair — but the people coming to make their complaint kept saying, “The prefect is gone from the yamen, please let the imperial envoy decide,” and so Zheng Xi grudgingly agreed to hear the case.

On one side stood an older woman and a young woman, both looking thoroughly disheveled — hair loose and ornaments askew — dabbing at tears while hurriedly straightening their clothing and hair. They had the look of respectable, well-kept women. On the other side, the one leading them wore a long gown; behind him ten or more sturdy men in working clothes said again and again that they had come to bring back their family’s runaway women — saying that since the women’s husband was dead, running to the city like this was extremely improper and they feared there might be a paramour involved, which was a disgrace to the family name.

Yu Miaomiao gave as good as she got, declaring that she and her daughter-in-law had lost their husband and son, and these down-and-out members of the husband’s clan were simply looking to devour a widow’s inheritance.

On the other side, Si A’Weng from the Zhu family, though advanced in age, still had a commanding voice as he reasoned his case: “Your Excellency — this is our Zhu family’s property. My nephew and great-nephew, poor souls, died young.” His face, creased with wrinkles, arranged itself into an expression of grief. “We wish to establish an heir for them, so that there will be someone to tend the graves hereafter. Your Excellency — is such a wish not right and proper?”

Yu Miaomiao was formidable; crying didn’t stop her from reciting her accounts: “Fourteen years ago, when my late husband passed, the household still had twenty mu of top-grade fields, fifty mu of middle-grade, one hundred mu of lower-grade, ten head of cattle, and two properties. I also had one son, a daughter-in-law living with us in the family, and several hired helpers.

By the time the funeral was done, my top-grade fields had dropped to fifteen mu — while Si A’Weng’s top-grade fields had gained five. Of the lower-grade fields I had lost twenty mu, and he had gained twenty. When my son married, I lost two more head of cattle and one property; he gained one property and two head of cattle for his son…

By the time my ill-fated son died, my fields were down to not a single mu. Where had they gone?”

In between, she recited entries from her mental account book — how in such-and-such a year, when her son needed to enter a school, she had donated another twenty mu of middle-grade fields to the clan, and so on. Zheng Xi and the others listened with deepening frowns. Bullying a widow…of course it was all too common. The fatal difficulty was that what Si A’Weng said was also perfectly justified under all propriety: this widow had lost both husband and son, and the clan establishing an heir for her was completely uncontestable! You could take it all the way to the Emperor’s court in the Forbidden City and he still could not say that a husband’s family property should go to a widow rather than to the husband’s clan. And he still could not say that the clan establishing an heir for a childless widow was a bad thing. On the contrary — it was a great virtue and an act of kindness.

As for the fields that had ended up in Si A’Weng’s name: “I paid good money for them!” Si A’Weng said.

“Indeed!” said Yu Miaomiao. “Your Excellency — pearls and fish-eyes are all round, but the price paid for fish-eyes is used to buy the pearls!”

Si A’Weng also bowed his head to the ground before Zheng Xi: “Your Excellency, there is simply no principle under heaven that allows a woman who has married into a family to simply run away.”

Yu Miaomiao made a contemptuous sound. “I have my own home. Huajie of course follows me — who has a closer claim on her than I do?”

Si A’Weng, seeing that Zheng Xi had not immediately sided with Yu Miaomiao, also wanted to fight for Huajie — taking her back as a wife for his grandson would be just as good. Yu Miaomiao had put real effort into raising Huajie: the girl could read, do accounts, and manage a household — and would save the price of a betrothal gift besides. What an excellent arrangement!

Si A’Weng stated it plainly: “Your Excellency, she belongs to my family.” He calculated that Yu Miaomiao and Huajie would not dare bring up Zhù Ying. Mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had been back in the county for some time. Word from the countryside traveled slowly, and what had come was that Zhū Shenhan had gotten into trouble, that Zhang Xiangu and the child had fled, and that Yu Ping had been dismissed from his post and was lying low at home under discipline.

The Zhu clan thought their chance had come. Without Yu Ping, that local strongman, backing her up, even a sharp-tongued woman like Yu Miaomiao could not stand up against the entire clan. They had dared to pull this stunt precisely because — the distance from the prefecture city to the county and further to the village meant that news traveled slowly — they didn’t know that Zhū Shenhan had already been released, and that the young wolf Zhù Ying was no longer a fugitive and was free to act without restraint.

Si A’Weng was still pressing his head to the ground, petitioning Zheng Xi to uphold moral order, when an all-too-unwelcome voice rang out: “Is that so?! Openly seizing my person, and you never even asked me?”

The tear-streaked faces of Yu Miaomiao and Huajie lit up with delight. Huajie cried out, “Sanlang?! No — how did you get here? You —”

Zhù Ying came in with Lu Chao and knelt down properly, presenting the document with both hands. “This commoner has come to bring a wife home.”

An expression finally came to Zheng Xi’s face. “You? Rise and speak.”

He invited her into the hall, and even Zhang Xiangu followed in.

Zhang Xiangu, the moment she opened her mouth, was even more fluent than Yu Miaomiao. Having seen Zheng Xi, she felt she had a pillar of support at her back; with Zhù Ying beside her she had confidence; and with Yu Miaomiao present, she felt she couldn’t let herself be outclassed by her “daughter-in-law’s family.” She pointed at Si A’Weng and launched straight into her tirade: “You wretched old turtle, doing this despicable thing again! Your own family tormenting your own family — what savagery! First you drove your own daughter-in-law to her death, and now you’re going after someone else’s daughter-in-law?”

Zhù Ying called out, “Mother,” and Zhang Xiangu fell silent.

Zheng Xi asked Zhù Ying to state the circumstances. Zhù Ying presented the document and said, “My foster-mother’s son is gone. She took me on as her son-in-law under an agreement, with this document as proof — it is all clearly written here.”

It was called a document, but it was in fact a marriage contract, and because of Yu Ping’s assistance at the time, it had been written without any flaws. By rural custom, this arrangement was entirely acceptable. Furthermore — at the very moment when the hatchet had been at the neck, so to speak — Si A’Weng had served as the match-maker, and had signed and pressed his thumbprint himself.

Zheng Xi looked at nothing else — the moment his eye fell on the name of the match-maker: Zhu Si. He nearly laughed out loud. He ordered someone to deliver a written request to the yamen — sending this case to the yamen to be heard. Jin Liang personally carried it over, and was received by Master Huang. Master Huang was already troubled: having no prefect in the yamen was genuinely not a good situation. It might look like freedom with no superior officer to answer to, but in truth it meant no wall standing in front of you and no roof over your head — especially with the imperial envoys still present.

There was also the nominal deputy prefect, who had done something even more impressive — he had simply feigned illness, saying “My superior has died; I am truly devastated and have broken my health from grief.” Most decorous and dignified — who wouldn’t praise him as “a truly loyal subordinate”?

Master Huang was nearly in tears. With both people in charge — one dead and one hiding — the other officials were following suit, finding excuses to be unavailable. Minor clerks like himself had no standing to deal with imperial envoys. Zhong Yi was heavy-handed; Zheng Xi was inscrutable — neither was easy to deal with! He said in a trembling voice: “Old Brother — what guidance can you offer me?”

Jin Liang said, “You judge it without any worry!”

Master Huang could have gotten down on his knees to beg Zheng Xi to take this case himself. He said, “I genuinely am not qualified to hear a case — I am a clerk, not an official!” The yamen quickly issued an official note requesting Zheng Xi to hear the case.

Zheng Xi simply refused. Zhù Ying and the others were bounced back and forth between the two, until Zheng Xi sent Jin Liang with Gan Ze and others to escort them to the yamen, and the yamen refused to receive them, and the lodging house refused to take them back either.

Master Huang reached into his own pocket and brought out a bag of gold to beg Jin Liang to put in a word with Zheng Xi. Jin Liang did not take his money and said, “Whether he receives this or not makes no difference to this fellow. In a couple of days we head for the capital, and our master is taking him along as an attendant — he won’t be staying here to cause you trouble.”

Master Huang had no choice but to steel himself and drag out that “loyal subordinate” who was feigning illness, explain the situation to him, and tell him exactly what to do. The second half of the case was completed in the yamen in this fashion. The entire time Master Huang did the questioning, but in truth he was guessing at every turn what Zheng Xi would wish, and judged accordingly.

Master Huang pointed at Zhù Ying and asked Si A’Weng mildly, “Zhu Si — do you know who this is?”

Si A’Weng said, “He’s Zhū Shenhan’s son! A nest of criminals, the whole lot of them, forever putting on a fake divine act to deceive people! Your Excellency must not believe him!”

Master Huang said, “Oh? Then why did you believe him, and even act as his match-maker?”

The moment those words fell, Yu Miaomiao dove into her pocket: “Your Excellency, he was the one who witnessed the marriage! And here I have the marriage contract, and here the deeds by which he bought my property at low prices — the handprints are the same!”

Jin Liang stood to one side with his sword-belt, grinning away. Master Huang, catching his grin, was also very pleased — this case was easy: just follow procedure, and no one could find fault with it. He truly had not misjudged Censor Zheng — his lordship was simply letting them run through the motions. He didn’t need them to bend the law, and he wasn’t shoving dirty work onto them. He was truly a great, great good man!

This case could not have been easier to judge. Master Huang smiled as he turned and gave a deep bow to the bench above: “In that case, may we ask Your Excellency to pronounce the judgment.”

Whether Zheng Xi, Master Huang, or the “loyal subordinate” on the bench — none of them had much respect for Si A’Weng’s bullying of the widow. But if the husband’s clan simply wanted to take the widow back, no one could say Si A’Weng was wrong. The best outcome achievable had it originally been to establish an heir for Huajie — yet everyone knew there was no end to the trouble that could be buried in that particular arrangement. It would have been better to let Yu Miaomiao pay off the Zhu clan with some money and let both women go back to their own families.

But now Zhù Ying had appeared, and the scales that had already been somewhat tilted were now considerably more so. The judgment came quickly: Huajie was to return to Zhù Ying as a wife, as stated in the contract. Zhù Ying was to serve Yu Miaomiao as a son-in-law. Si A’Weng’s conduct was unreasonable and he had forcibly seized another’s wife; he and his accomplices were to be flogged together. In consideration of Si A’Weng’s advanced age, his own flogging was commuted to a monetary fine, which was given to Zhù Ying as “compensation for fright.”

They immediately grabbed the Zhu clan’s hired men outside, stripped them, held them down, and beat them — right there in front of Si A’Weng to watch. Si A’Weng, no matter how he thought it over, could not understand: “Why is the criminal not being punished?” He was weeping like a man bereaved: “Why?!”

Gan Ze gave him a kick. “What are you howling about? Making false accusations against decent people without a second thought?! Where are these criminals you speak of? Our master has already thoroughly investigated this matter — everyone with guilt has been detained, everyone without guilt has been released! Other than your lot, there are no criminals out here!”

Si A’Weng’s mouth fell open. He was completely stunned.